Gojo Clan.
In the courtyard belonging to the Gojo clan patriarch, a handsome 15-year-old boy lay on the lush grass with both hands behind his head, silently staring at the blue sky.
He had white hair scattered on the grass and crystalline blue eyes, and he wore the yukata of the Gojo clan.
'It's been fifteen years already… Time sure runs fast,' Satoru thought, feeling slightly nostalgic. He could still vividly remember the gaze from the Gojo clan higher-ups the day he was reincarnated into this world—surprise, shock, and joy.
Born with the Mystical Six Eyes and the natural ability to cast the hard-to-learn Limitless, Satoru's life had been smooth sailing. But such a life also brought a problem—boredom.
"Eh?" Satoru raised an eyebrow as he sat up on the grass, staring at a distance—a small man-made forest within the courtyard.
The leaves from the lush trees swayed with the wind, and the chirping of birds and insects could be heard occasionally. The scene looked normal, but with the Six Eyes, Satoru could see that it was anything but normal.
'How many has it been this month?' Satoru thought with a wry smile.
In his past life, watching the JJK anime, he had known that Satoru's childhood was filled with assassination attempts. But only after reincarnating did he realize just how many there were.
Poison subtly placed in his food, skin-burning acid in his bathwater, and even more conspicuous attacks—direct assassination attempts.
Satoru highly suspected that if he were a normal kid, the grass on his grave would already be two feet tall by now.
'The other clans are getting more and more anxious lately,' Satoru sneered. The emergence of a kid who possessed the Six Eyes was a variable—one that could lead the Gojo clan to greatness… or the annihilation of the other two clans.
Satoru calmly stood and stared at the normal-looking forest. After staring for a while and seeing no movement, he smiled.
'He's not like other assassins… He's quite patient.'
"Are you gonna keep hiding? I've already seen you," Satoru said calmly.
No response. It was like he was talking to himself, but Satoru wasn't in a rush. He still stood in place, waiting.
Swoosh!
The assassin finally attacked—two shurikens swiftly shot out from within the forest, crossing several meters in a second and striking Satoru.
Clang!
The sound of metal crashing rang out through the courtyard as the sharp shurikens fell to the ground. Satoru, still standing in place, was now surrounded by a barely perceptible purple aura.
"Is that all you've got?" Satoru teased.
Once again, shurikens burst forth from the forest—but this time, there were three.
Just as the three shurikens were about to strike Satoru, one immediately burst into a white cloud, and a dagger-wielding ninja materialized, his eyes gleaming with savagery.
"Heh!" Satoru sneered as the two shurikens and the dagger-wielding ninja struck him.
And just like last time—with the sound of metal clashing—the attacks were deflected.
!!!
The assassin's eyes widened, and he rapidly retreated. While retreating, three kunai with talismans at their ends subtly appeared in his palm.
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Immediately after creating distance, the assassin attacked again. The talisman kunai swiftly approached Satoru—and before touching him, they exploded!
BOOM!!
Flames raged through the courtyard, incinerating grass and increasing the temperature by several degrees.
"Hmph! As expected, he's really overrated. How can a kid already be Special Grade?" the assassin muttered, turning to leave. "I can finally claim the reward—"
"I expected you to be cool and collected, but you really talk too much, huh?"
!!!
The assassin's hairs stood on end. Without hesitation, he became a cloud of white smoke, vanishing—and a log mysteriously appeared where he once stood.
BOOM!
The spot where the assassin had stood was instantly destroyed, creating a huge crater.
"Gulp!" The assassin gulped loudly, staring at the crater with wide eyes.
"As an assassin, losing composure is detrimental to your life—don't you know?"
A teasing voice came from behind him. The assassin tried to escape—only to find that he couldn't move, and his cursed energy was insufficient to use his cursed technique!
BOOM!
Satoru casually slapped the assassin, sending him flying through the air like a broken toy.
"I've finally figured out your cursed technique," Satoru said, approaching the crippled assassin. "The Art of Replacement, isn't it?"
Satoru finally reached the assassin, staring down at the fearful ninja with a playful, teasing smile.
"You're able to replace any object with your body, like the mystical ninjas. Though I'm not sure how the mechanics work, your cursed technique should probably be that."
Satoru squatted. "Though I'm actually surprised. Possessing a cursed technique is like finding phoenixes and dragons in the midst of animals—extremely rare. But you possess one… Oh well. Die."
"N-No! Plea—"
BOOM!
Satoru's casual slap burst the ninja's head like a watermelon, cutting off his pleas.
Satoru stood up and waved his hand, sending blood flying across the courtyard.
"Dispose of his body," Satoru said calmly.
A black-robed man appeared behind him, silently taking the corpse and disappearing.
Satoru stood silently in the courtyard for a while before a cold, detached voice sounded:
"This is the twentieth one this month, isn't it?"
"Mhm," Satoru nodded without turning back.
After his response, the courtyard returned to silence—until the man spoke again.
"Come. Dinner is ready. I wish to tell you something."
Satoru's eyes flickered for a moment before he turned and stared at the black-haired, yukata-wearing middle-aged man—his father—with a smile.
"Okay."