"Kenjaku?"
Hearing the name, Tengen's eyes flashed with surprise. She raised her gaze toward the rude young man in front of her.
"You know about Kenjaku? That's not someone you can just casually dig up information on. How did you even learn of his existence?"
Setting the teapot down, Tengen's tone grew more serious.
"Maybe I just did my homework a little too thoroughly?"
Jinsuke shrugged, then naturally picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup.
"Forget how I know about him. Let's deal with my niece's situation first."
He rapped his knuckles against the table, reminding Tengen of what was important.
"If this is truly Kenjaku's doing, then I can't help you. You'll need to find him yourself. Perhaps he's the only one who can free your niece. But let me give you a warning — his ambitions are vast, and he is an extremely dangerous individual. You'd best tread carefully."
Jinsuke sipped the tea, then looked up at her.
"So, where is Kenjaku?"
If he knew that, would he have come all the way here to ask her? At this point in time, Yuji's mother was already long gone. Otherwise, he could have tracked Kenjaku down through her.
"You insolent brat. You think I'm omniscient? How would I possibly know where he is?"
Tengen's voice grew sharp with irritation. Kenjaku had lived for a millennium, switching bodies, sometimes appearing as a man, sometimes a woman. She had no way of pinpointing his current location.
"So I came all this way for nothing?" Jinsuke sighed.
He had assumed that since Tengen and Kenjaku had been opposing each other for centuries, she'd have some idea of his movements. Clearly, he had been too optimistic. Expecting a shut-in hag who hadn't left her chamber in a thousand years to be useful was a mistake.
"Not for nothing — you did get to drink tea brewed by me."
Tengen's tone remained calm. Few people had tasted her tea and lived to tell about it.
"Well, that's something, I guess."
Jinsuke smirked, then tilted his head.
"So, are you still human, or are you already a cursed spirit?"
Looking at Tengen's already inhuman appearance, he wondered — if she were classified as a cursed spirit, what grade would she be? At least Special Grade, surely…
"You can think of me as half-human, half-cursed spirit. In a few years, I'll become a cursed spirit completely. When that time comes, if you haven't found Kenjaku yet, you may come find me. Because when I change, he will definitely come as well. His grand millennium-long plan requires my abilities."
"Heh. So you want me as your free bodyguard? You've got some nerve. I'm out."
Jinsuke turned on his heel, leaving without hesitation, but not before pocketing the unopened bag of tea leaves on the table. The tea was damn good—no wonder, coming from someone who had lived over a thousand years.
Tengen didn't bother stopping him, though her rigid face twitched slightly.
"This brat… he knows far too much…"
They had never met before, and yet he was so casual, even familiar, and seemed to know things he shouldn't. If she hadn't already heard rumors about the Zenin family's two strange sons from the higher-ups, she might have suspected he was another ancient being like herself.
Leaving the Tombs of the Star Corridor, Jinsuke ran into Gojo, returning from exorcising curses.
By this time, Gojo was already acknowledged as the strongest sorcerer of the modern age. With his eyes bound by a white cloth, Jinsuke couldn't resist a jab:
"What kind of curse requires the personal attention of our strongest sorcerer?"
"Hm? You here on a mission too?"
Even blindfolded, Gojo's vision was unimpaired. He saw Jinsuke emerging from within Jujutsu High, casually holding a bag of opened tea leaves, and raised a brow.
"I don't take missions below Grade 1. Just came to meet an old hag."
Jinsuke replied offhandedly.
"You really are a strange one" Gojo muttered.
The two of them were both teachers at Jujutsu High. They weren't exactly close, but they weren't strangers either. Technically, Jinsuke had become a teacher first, so he was Gojo's senior.
"By the way, Riko once said that Suguru turning into a curse user was connected to you. Is that true?"
Gojo slipped off his blindfold, revealing star-like eyes that locked on Jinsuke.
On this mission, he had picked up Geto's trail, which reminded him of something Riko had mentioned years ago. Now, running into Jinsuke, he couldn't resist asking.
"You think that's possible?"
Jinsuke rolled his eyes. Geto had been down that path for years — how could people still be hung up on it?
"True. Suguru isn't the type to change his beliefs because of a few words."
In Gojo's eyes, Geto had always been the one to protect the weak. He himself, on the other hand, didn't particularly care for them. Now, ironically, their roles had reversed.
"Come to think of it — we've both been teachers here for a while, but we've never sparred, have we? How about it?"
Gojo's gaze gleamed with excitement.
This wasn't a casual suggestion — he had long wanted to test Jinsuke's strength. He suspected it surpassed even that of the man who once attempted Riko's assassination.
After all, Jinsuke's eyes always carried that unnerving calm.
"You've got to be kidding me, brat."
Jinsuke couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"The strongest sorcerer of the modern era, challenging an ordinary man without even a cursed technique? You burning up with a fever or something?"
For a moment, he even wondered if the higher-ups had sent Gojo to test him. But no — knowing Gojo's personality, that was unlikely.
"Don't say 'ordinary man'. Someone might get their feelings hurt."
Gojo raised two fingers like a sword, eyes glittering with playful energy.
"It's just a friendly spar between colleagues. No need to be so resistant."
At this point, there weren't many people who could stir his fighting spirit.
"Here I come!"
Gojo warned, vanishing from sight. In an instant, he reappeared behind Jinsuke, hand shaped like a gun, crimson energy condensing at his fingertip, radiating an immense repulsive force.
"What a troublesome brat."
But before he could fire, Gojo's eyes widened—Jinsuke had already vanished.
"Boom!!"
A massive fist slammed into Gojo's head, sending him flying. The sheer force cracked the ground apart beneath their feet.
Holding the bag of tea leaves in one hand, Jinsuke looked down at his fist.
"Barehanded brawling, huh? Not really my thing without a weapon."
He sighed.
"Your strength and speed far exceed that man's. You really are strong."
Gojo dusted himself off, completely unharmed — his Infinite defense had absorbed the blow. But still, Jinsuke's raw power and speed had shocked him.
Since becoming the strongest sorcerer, his abilities in every respect had grown tremendously. He could even teleport across great distances. Yet even so, he couldn't keep up with Jinsuke's speed.
"What a pity" Gojo murmured.
If only Jinsuke had cursed energy. Then perhaps he wouldn't be so alone in this era.
"What a disrespectful junior" Jinsuke muttered back.
Tengen had just called him impolite earlier, and now Gojo was making him feel the same way.
Next time he saw that old hag, maybe he'd show her a little courtesy.