Satoru Gojo was no fool. While one might say he was lacking in the liberal arts and a bit clumsy in political maneuvering, his sharp scientific mind worked at lightning speed.
"So you're saying the higher-ups are targeting Yuji?"
He grasped Amber's meaning instantly, yet found it hard to believe.
"Sure, those rotten old farts often lose touch with reality—they can't read the room, refusing to see what's coming while simultaneously dreading the winds of change. But even they aren't stupid enough to provoke me like this."
After all, everyone knew he was fully capable of purging the jujutsu world. If they truly angered him, he wouldn't hesitate to clean out the upper echelons, reputation be damned.
The only reason he hadn't done it yet was because it'd just mean replacing one set of rotten oranges with another. Nothing would really change, and it'd trash his reputation in the process.
Don't think tarnishing his name meant nothing to the strongest sorcerer.
For others, maybe, but Gojo's goal was to reform the jujutsu world. If he slaughtered the higher-ups over personal grievances and installed his own people, how would he be any different from them? A man like that wouldn't earn genuine followers.
Besides, he didn't even have "his own people" to install. His true allies weren't the Gojo clan, but his students.
Massacring the elders would breed fear and instability, no matter the justification. Plainly put, if you want to be a good man and earn the trust of good people, you have to let yourself be held at gunpoint.
Break the rules once, and there'll be a second time. No justification, no matter how convincing, would change that. [A/N: The same logic applied to Dumbledore.]
That's why he'd chosen the path of education—to nurture a new generation capable of changing the jujutsu world, while he cleared the obstacles from their path.
(A/N: In the original story, Gojo only slaughtered the elders without regard for the consequences because he believed he might die.)
Amber knew Gojo was confident those rotten elders wouldn't dare take the risk. What he didn't know was that among them was one who feared death not at all—a simple body swap was all it would take.
Unfortunately, she couldn't reveal that directly. "The other me's concerns might still be valid," she said instead. "Seele wants to return quickly to check on things."
Though he still doubted the likelihood of Amber's fears, since his most obedient student had spoken up, Gojo readily nodded. "Alright then~ If it's Seele-chan's wish, we'd better hurry back."
"Do you know where Itadori-senpai is, sensei?" Amber asked.
Seeing the girl's unusual anxiety, Gojo called his assistant supervisor, Ijichi. Since the three first-years had just enrolled and hadn't been assigned supervisors yet, Ijichi was temporarily overseeing them.
Naturally, Ijichi was fully transparent with Gojo's inquiry.
Today, under orders from the higher-ups, he'd taken the trio to the West Tokyo Juvenile Detention Center to handle an incident involving a newly manifested Special Grade imaginary cursed spirit.
"Handling" didn't mean exorcising it, but rescuing survivors trapped inside.
The reason they'd send three sorcerers below Grade 1 to face a Special Grade was because the spirit was still in its fetal form. Though powerful, it couldn't move freely yet. With a quick escape, there shouldn't be mortal danger.
Such mismatched assignments were rare, but not unheard of.
Often, they resulted from miscalculations by the 'Windows' who observed cursed spirits. This time, knowing it was a Special Grade upfront was actually pretty good.
Sometimes, misobservation even led to sorcerers' deaths.
Gojo's furrowed brow relaxed slightly, but Amber's didn't.
Limited by his intel, Gojo didn't know the cursed fetus had already fully manifested as a Special Grade cursed spirit. But Amber did. "Have Yuji and the others already gone inside?"
"Ah... yes, they entered about half an hour ago. They should be out soon."
On speakerphone, Ijichi could hear Amber clearly. Not yet grasping the severity, he tried to reassure her so she wouldn't perform poorly in her upcoming assessment.
"Don't worry. If it's just a cursed fetus, even a Special Grade one, they should be fine as long as they avoid direct confrontation. Seele, you should focus on your assessment for now."
His words were meant to comfort, but "should be fine" didn't mean unharmed—the risk of serious injury was still significant.
But he couldn't show his own worry, not when speaking to students.
"I'm going to check on them...!"
Amber couldn't wait any longer. She Quantumized herself, appearing directly beside Ijichi through his observation.
Ijichi was stunned. "...S-Seele? How did you get here? What about your assessment...?"
"Already finished~ She was super fast!" Gojo's voice came casually from the phone, though inwardly he felt a slight heaviness. It was strange—Seele-chan was acting as if she knew something would happen... Did the other Seele tell her something?
Trusting Amber, Gojo set aside suspicions that the dark Amber was plotting something, and considered other possibilities.
But regardless, stuck in the mountains, he couldn't act immediately. "Anyway," he said, "Seele-chan is a Special Grade sorcerer now too. There's no problem with her joining this mission."
"Understood..."
Ijichi now sensed something might be wrong with the mission. He nodded gravely to Amber. "Seele, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Mm!"
Amber nodded back and was about to enter when a howl, like a wolf's cry, pierced the air. Then, Megumi Fushiguro emerged, carrying Nobara Kugisaki, whose forehead was bandaged. Both bore injuries, and their eyes lit up at the sight of Amber.
"Yuji's still inside!"
Megumi didn't question Amber's sudden appearance, quickly explaining the situation.
"The cursed womb has fully hatched! Yuji's fighting the Special Grade cursed spirit! If this continues, he'll unleash Sukuna!"
Amber realized she was too late. Since things had progressed this far, panicking was useless.
Yuji must already have been taken over by Sukuna, who would have destroyed his heart to prevent Yuji from regaining control.
To avoid the two forming a binding vow now, the only way was for her to heal Yuji's body. In other words... she needed the Herrscher of Life and Death's core.
Actually, drawing the Herrscher of Life and Death character card would be more convenient than just the core. Not only would it free up a weapon slot, but it would come with its own weapon, just like the Herrscher of Sentience.
But thinking it over, there were drawbacks. With the character card, she'd need to transform to use the Herrscher's powers, while the core could be equipped anytime, offering more flexibility.
Shaking her head to clear these thoughts, Amber stepped into the juvenile detention center and opened the gacha interface.
'No time to overthink it! Mr. Navigator, all in!'
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.