Zenin Clan, Clan Head's Residence.
Clang!
Naobito slammed his sake bottle down on the table, glaring at the two brothers before him.
"Have Megumi change his surname back. Whatever you two want, if the Zenin Clan can provide it, it's yours."
In Megumi, Naobito saw the future of the Zenin Clan — The possibility of another sorcerer equal to their ancestor who once perished alongside the Gojo family's Six Eyes and Limitless user.
If Megumi returned to the Zenin Clan — If he grew stronger — Then the balance shattered by Gojo would be restored, And the Zenin Clan's glory would shine once more.
Jinsuke and Toji exchanged a glance. Both of them wore the same amused smirk.
"Well, well, the old man knows how to beg after all, huh?"
"Did you even get the rest of the clan's approval for this little offer?" Jinsuke asked, finding the desperate tone in Naobito's voice rather entertaining.
"I am the clan head. Since when do I need their approval?" Naobito's face twisted with pride and anger. "When it concerns the Zenin Clan's future, their opinions are irrelevant."
He knew full well that the other clan members despised these brothers — And that many disapproved of Megumi.
But so what? The Ten Shadows Technique was the Zenin Clan's most powerful heritage — A technique strong enough to put them at the top of the jujutsu world.
Toji sighed softly before speaking.
"I sold Megumi to the Zenin Clan back then because I couldn't take care of him. Now, I've come to understand a few things.It's my responsibility as a father to protect him.
So, the deal with the Zenin Clan is off.But don't worry—Megumi won't hold any grudge against you.He's learned a lot here, and for that, I'm grateful."
It was Toji's clear stance.
Megumi would never change his name back—But since he had benefited from the clan's training, Toji wouldn't teach him to hate them either.That was his biggest concession.
"I think that's fair," Jinsuke said lightly."If you want Megumi to see the Zenin Clan in a good light, you'll have to earn it yourselves. Leave a good impression, and who knows — When he makes it big, he might even remember you fondly."
Cold and blunt—just like Jinsuke always was. Once, the Zenin Clan ignored them. Now, the Zenin Clan was the one reaching up.
That irony tasted sweet.
Toji hadn't expected this day to come — A day when the proud Zenin Clan would bow their heads.
Even if this was only Naobito's personal decision, the fact that the clan head himself had bent the knee meant the Zenin Clan had lost—Completely.
Naobito stayed silent for a moment before taking a deep drink from his sake bottle. He knew the brothers would never forgive the clan for what it had done.
Especially Toji.
Jinsuke, on the other hand, had never cared about the Zenin Clan's approval to begin with. To him, the Zenin were just a convenient source of money and cursed tools to exploit.
"…Jinsuke," Naobito said at last, "do you want to become the next clan head?"
"...Huh?" Jinsuke blinked, completely caught off guard.
"You've got the guts for it" Naobito continued. "Too bad not many others in this clan do. If you want the position, it's yours."
"No thanks," Jinsuke replied instantly. He knew exactly what Naobito was trying to do.
If he became the next clan head, then Toji and Megumi would both be bound to the Zenin Clan by blood and obligation.
No way. He wasn't going to sell them out just for some wealth and access to a few extra cursed tools.
"Suit yourself," Naobito muttered. "Then let things take their course."
In the end, even one Ten Shadows user was better than none. Things were already looking brighter than before.
"The Zenin Clan can provide Megumi with all the resources he needs—no strings attached," Naobito said after a pause.
"I only ask one thing: if his descendants ever awaken the Ten Shadows again, they'll bear the Zenin name."
Given how things were heading, Megumi would likely become the future head of the Zenin Clan anyway. If his descendants carried on the Ten Shadows Technique, it would eventually return to the clan.
"That'll depend on how deep your bond with him goes," Jinsuke replied, rising from his seat.Neither he nor Toji could make that decision for Megumi's future.
And who knew — by then, the Zenin Clan might not even exist anymore.
Toji stood and followed his brother out the door.
Outside, several figures pretended to be "passing by" clearly eavesdropping moments ago. The two brothers ignored them completely.
As they walked toward the neighboring courtyard, Toji smirked.
Watching the Zenin Clan scramble for his son yet fail to get him—It felt better than destroying the clan outright.
"Hey," Toji said suddenly, "you were a little tempted back there, weren't you?"
"What temptation? Don't talk nonsense." Jinsuke waved him off immediately.
Being clan head? Big deal. Sure, it came with wealth and access to the clan's cursed tool vault, but…How much could that vault even be worth? A few Playful Cloud at best. Hardly tempting.
"Anyway," he added, "when Megumi becomes clan head someday, make sure he lets me manage the cursed tool vault. You can't trust anyone else with something that important."
Toji twitched. He said he wasn't tempted, yet he was already planning decades ahead.
Good thing most of the good stuff from the vault was already in Toji's possession.
When they got back home, the courtyard was lively — Maki was practicing with her staff, Megumi was working on his technique, and Mai was chatting with Mei Mei, who had somehow shown up again.
"Cousin's back!" Mai shouted, drawing everyone's attention.
"Mei Mei, when did you get here? You could've sent a message first," Jinsuke said, his eyes lighting up as he spotted the perfectly restored Yūun beside her.
She had already finished repairing it?
"Here," Mei Mei said, tossing him the staff. "Try it out."
Jinsuke gave it a few experimental swings and nodded in satisfaction.
"Exactly the same as before. Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Toji, watching silently, raised an eyebrow. "So, you broke Playful Cloud?"
"Why not? It was fragile as paper. Of course it broke. Anyway, don't you have plenty of cursed tools? Mind giving me one?"
Jinsuke's eyes gleamed as he blatantly targeted Toji's arsenal. One Playful Cloud wasn't enough, after all.
"Not a chance. Megumi, we're leaving." Toji didn't hesitate—he grabbed Megumi and left immediately.
Another minute here, and his shameless brother would've robbed him blind.
"Cheh, stingy." Jinsuke clicked his tongue, annoyed. Wasn't brotherhood worth at least one cursed tool?
Mei Mei watched the exchange with a faint smile.
"You and your brother seem to have a really close relationship."
Given her intelligence network, she already knew who Toji was. And really, anyone with eyes could tell they were brothers.
"It's all right," Jinsuke said casually. "You and your brother get along well too, don't you?"
"Oh? So you do know a lot." Mei Mei smiled knowingly.
"Anyway, it's almost dinner time. Why don't you stay and eat before heading out?"
"No need. Instead… how about that spar we talked about?" She stepped closer, eyes bright.
This was the perfect chance. She'd nearly reached her physical limit in strength—But in technique, maybe there was still room to grow.
"Now?" Jinsuke grinned. "Fine. Why not?"
After all, she had fixed Playful Cloud for him. The least he could do was give her a few pointers.
At least she wanted to improve — Unlike Gojo, who just wanted to fight him for fun.