Zenin Naobito was stunned.
He hadn't expected Mahito to be so young.
When Mahito came to his door, he really thought this Cursed Spirit had lived for at least ten years because his articulation was natural, his logic was clear, and he had a distinct sense of good and evil—if a normal Cursed Spirit had come to exterminate them, it would never have spared the old and weak of the Zenin Clan.
But he did spare them.
This showed that he at least had a mature worldview, which is something a Cursed Spirit with narrow experience could not possess.
Although he didn't say it explicitly, Zenin Naobito had to admit that it was precisely because Mahito spared the old and weak of the Zenin Clan that he could trust him so wholeheartedly, believing in him until his death.
This might be a bit strange, but this is the norm of the Jujutsu world.
Even for a Jujutsu Sorcerer, it is rare to have such a mature worldview.
Jujutsu Sorcerers extract Cursed Energy based on negative emotions, which anchors them to be more prone to extremes than ordinary people.
Sometimes, just a single sentence or a small piece of terrible reality is enough to make a guardian of the world fall into a madman who destroys it.
This is what is truly common in the Jujutsu world.
If Jujutsu Sorcerers are like this, then the extreme emotions of Curses are even more severe, and they should naturally fall without a bottom line.
This is common sense.
But... the appearance of the Mahito has broken that common sense.
Zenin Naobito suddenly thought of Satoru Gojo; he was also a man who broke common sense.
Jujutsu Sorcerers and Curses always accompany each other, the two intertwined like a spiral.
Since Satoru Gojo was born, the Curses of the entire world have been rising, and until now, until this very moment, a Cursed Spirit that breaks common sense has finally been born.
The Curse of humans toward humans, the naturally born Lord of Curses, the Mahito.
How could Zenin Naobito not believe in him? Believe in this Lord of Cursed Spirits who transcends common sense?
Zenin Naobito felt at ease.
He poured the sake from his flask into another flat sake bowl, picked it up solemnly, and asked, "So, are you interested in hearing the opinion of this old drunkard?"
"I am all ears."
The Mahito also picked up a flat sake bowl.
"You should always walk alone, trusting no one."
"You should make friends everywhere, listening to their thoughts."
"You should go to human society to work, experiencing the hardest and most tiring jobs."
"You should utilize the privilege gained from selling eternal life to enjoy yourself to the fullest, experiencing the most depraved life of human society."
"You should be decisive in your killings; do not try to persuade those with differing opinions, but use the most extreme death to intimidate."
"You should distinguish right from wrong; do not be quick to draw conclusions when facing different philosophies and paths."
"Listen more and see more; do not believe in the words of others, but believe in their actions."
"Do not try to be a Sage King; none of the founding monarchs were Sage Kings."
"Be a Tyrant!"
"Pave your path with corpses, and let your fear reign supreme over death!"
Zenin Naobito's voice was thick, like muffled thunder; by the end, he seemed like a god or demon, as fierce as the Taisui.
But his next words were as sorrowful as a lover's, speaking as lightly as the spring breeze brushing against willow leaves:
"What is right and what is wrong is a question that has spanned the entirety of human history; there is no need to distinguish it clearly."
"Just as I cannot stand the Zenin Clan's Binding Vow on women, yet through the history recorded by the Zenin Clan, I found that these rules for women actually provided them with survival guarantees in ancient times."
"Would you dare to say in ancient times that women should be equal to men? The entire world would pierce your heart with sharp blades."
"Mahito, you are the most special Cursed Spirit born since the dawn of Curses."
"You possessed mature concepts shortly after being born, and you even completed a set of self-logical values in such a short time."
"This is a blessing from heaven, but this blessing will also become a Curse."
"Precisely because you are a natural-born king, it is difficult for you to understand the hearts of mortals."
"You must fully experience the turmoil, the rights and wrongs of this world, and experience everything in it before you can continue to walk and run."
"Ultimately, you must reach your own conclusion."
These words simply didn't seem like something Zenin Naobito would say.
In the original work, he always gave the impression of an unreliable drunkard; even with his high strength, he wasn't someone who could command respect.
He was an experienced Jujutsu Sorcerer, but not a qualified Clan Head.
This was the impression he gave in the original work, and also the impression the Mahito had when fighting him.
After all, he was cruel enough to let his clansmen, including his own biological children, use their lives to test the Mahito's intelligence.
How could such a person be a qualified Clan Head?
But now, as he spoke these words slowly, his voice calm yet carrying the weight of ages, it was as if an ancient road was unfolding before the Mahito.
In the past, he must have walked alone because no one could understand his thoughts.
He must have also tried to share his ideas with others to gain companions.
But looking around, there was no response.
By the time he finally climbed to the position of Clan Head, he discovered in despair that he could change nothing.
He clearly held the highest power in the Zenin Clan, yet he lived like a bound clay doll, ultimately only able to degrade into a drunkard.
The Mahito suddenly thought of what he had once said to Maki Zenin.
Maki Zenin was a woman of the Zenin Clan.
According to the rules, her fate was already fixed, but Maki Zenin refused to accept it.
She hoped to change the Clan, and for this, she shouted to Zenin Naobito, "I want to be the head of the Zenin Clan!"
How did Zenin Naobito respond?
The drunkard laughed loudly and said, "Fine, then I will also prepare trials for you. If you pass them, then you will be the head of the Zenin Clan!"
Thus, Maki Zenin walked out of the Zenin Clan's gates and became a student of Satoru Gojo in order to gain the strength to become the head of the Zenin Clan.
As she walked out of the Zenin Clan, Zenin Naobito was still laughing behind her, his laughter echoing through the air, as if seeing a mantis raising its scythe in the middle of the road to face an oncoming carriage.
When reading the original work, the Mahito thought this was the old drunkard's loud mockery, but what if it was sincere?
The Mahito couldn't help but smile and said loudly, "I am grateful for your teachings! I will surely keep them in my heart!"
Zenin Naobito's sake bowl clinked softly against the Mahito's, and the cherry blossoms that fell into the sake drifted aimlessly.
In an instant, all the cherry blossoms on the tree were scattered by a wild wind, and countless petals swept across the entire world.
Zenin Naobito and the Mahito both finished the sake in their flat bowls in one gulp.
When they set the bowls down, the curtain formed by the excessive cherry blossoms already made it impossible for them to see each other clearly.
Zenin Naobito just sat there, laughing as he spoke his final farewell.
He said, "Hey, Mahito. Go change the world."
"Bring your Supreme Benevolence and Supreme Malice, bring your innate unyielding arrogance!"
"For this decaying Jujutsu world, bring a storm that will shake the heavens and the earth!"
A massive gust of wind blew the Mahito's long hair into the air, and countless cherry blossoms obscured his vision.
Zenin Naobito vanished completely amidst his laughter and the scattering petals.
The Mahito looked up at the cherry blossom tree, which had also disappeared at some point, and finally, the entire space was blown into the endless River of Souls.
The Mahito smiled. "How elegant, old man."
Zenin Naobito, dead.
What right does he have to make grand claims about being able to transform it?
Since it's the massive topic of 'changing the world', one must achieve a clear conscience and peace under heaven.
If that can't be done, then just use the knowledge from the previous life and the newly obtained power to play around recklessly!
Don't ruin this team that has already been assembled.
It's like a series of code; as long as it can run, don't touch it.
What's most feared is the kind of self-righteous idiot who touches some code and causes the entire system to collapse.
Furthermore, he still doesn't even have a clue how to survive until the grand finale of the original work.
How could he possibly think about things like changing the world?