Megumi Fushiguro rolled his eyes, staring blankly at the formal invitation held in his hand—delivered personally by the old man Naobito Zenin himself.
"Dad..."
"Do what you want."
Toji Fushiguro sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, waving a dismissive hand at his son.
Megumi's eye twitched. "This is about the head of the Zenin clan! This is a massive deal; at least give me some actual advice!"
Toji rested his chin on his hand, his gaze distant. "Busy. No time."
"..."
Megumi's face darkened significantly. "You look pretty damn idle to me."
Toji shrugged. "Busy spacing out."
"..."
"Sigh." Toji let out a long, disinterested breath. "My opinion? Become the head if you want to, don't if you don't. You know my history with that family. If I show up, it'll just be awkward for everyone."
Megumi covered his face with his hand. "Right. I was an idiot for trying to discuss this with you in the first place."
"Dad! Megumi! I'm home!"
The change was instantaneous. Toji sprang from the sofa, practically jogging to the door to open it. He took Tsumiki's schoolbag with a smile that was uncharacteristically warm.
"Tsumiki! You're back! Now that you're in high school, is the workload too much? Want something to drink? What do you want for dinner..."
Megumi: "..."
"Forget it. I'm going to find Maki-senpai."
At Tokyo High, Maki Zenin was mid-training, her movements a blur of controlled violence. To prove her worth, Maki had poured more effort and sweat into her craft than anyone could imagine.
However, a flicker of irritation currently gnawed at her. She could sense it—a phantom barrier, a ceiling she was pressing against but could not break.
Despite her rigorous training, there was a shackle deep within her body that refused to yield. On paper, she was a solid Grade 1 sorcerer now. But after witnessing the terrifying aftermath of the battle in Shibuya, Maki realized that being Grade 1 was nowhere near enough.
Under Souma Gojo's influence, her perspective had shifted. To become a Grade 1 and shove it in the elders' faces? She wasn't that naive anymore. While the pain the Zenin clan had inflicted on her remained etched in her bones, her goals had transcended them.
To be strong. Truly strong. To stand at the pinnacle of the jujutsu world and see the view from the top. That was her target now. But if she couldn't understand what this internal shackle was, all the training in the world would be for naught.
"Maki-senpai!"
Maki looked up, wiping sweat from her brow. "Megumi. What do you need?"
Megumi scratched his head, looking slightly sheepish; he knew Maki's relationship with the clan was beyond strained. Surprisingly, Maki didn't react with anger. She simply nodded. "Fine. I'll go with you."
Megumi blinked. "Eh?"
Maki offered a small, sharp smile. "The Zenin clan is just a rock in the middle of the road. If a rock is in your way, you kick it aside. My reason for walking this path was never just about kicking a rock."
Megumi watched her back as she walked away, a sense of awe washing over him. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "The Zenin... they really are a pathetic bunch, aren't they?"
The Zenin Estate
"Megumi is here! Hahaha! Welcome, welcome!"
Naobito Zenin's eyes crinkled into slits as he greeted them. Then, his gaze moved. "Maki came too?"
He looked at the expressionless girl standing beside Megumi with a hint of genuine sentiment. "Maki, I heard you were promoted to Grade 1 recently. Significant progress."
Facing the only relatively open-minded elder in the family, Maki gave a polite nod. "Thank you for the praise."
"Don't just stand there. Follow me!"
Naobito led them toward the Zenin ancestral grounds. The two attendants following them looked like they wanted to scream. In their world, a woman should be walking exactly three steps behind the men. Maki was a Zenin; how could she be so ignorant of the rules? But since the Clan Head said nothing, they swallowed their indignation.
When they arrived at the sacred hall, the high-ranking members of the clan were already seated. Naobito took his place at the head of the table and beckoned Megumi and Maki. "Sit."
"This is a clan meeting! How can a woman be allowed a seat?!"
The moment they sat, a roar erupted from an elder across the table. Megumi and Maki looked up. The speaker was none other than Maki's biological father, Ogi Zenin. He showed no regard for his daughter's feelings; to him, Maki was nothing more than a stain on his record.
Naobito frowned. "Ogi! That's enough!"
Ogi Zenin ignored him, his cold eyes boring into Maki as he struck a pose of paternal authority. "Maki! Know your place!"
Maki merely spared him a glancing, indifferent look before turning her head away. It was total dismissal. More than that—it was contempt.
"You...!" Ogi's face turned a dangerous shade of red.
Maki's very existence made him a laughingstock among the elders. This public snub felt like a resounding slap to the face. He can't even control his own daughter, yet he wants to contend for the headship? No one said it, but Ogi could hear the thought echoing in the silent room.
Click—
Ogi's hand moved to the hilt of his sword.
"OGI!!!"
Naobito's roar was thunderous, vibrating through the floorboards. The gathered elders flinched. Ogi's hand froze on the hilt. After a tense silence, he stood abruptly and swept out of the room, though he cast a venomous, hateful glance at Maki as the door closed.
Maki remained expressionless, treating him as if he were invisible.
Naobito rubbed his temples. "My apologies for that display. Let us continue."
With Ogi as a cautionary tale, the other elders kept their mouths shut. The meeting moved to its primary agenda: the succession.
"The rule states that anyone who awakens the inherited Ten Shadows Technique shall unconditionally become the head of the Zenin clan. I trust you all remember this?" Naobito said, cutting straight to the point.
"What?"
Beside him, Naoya Zenin's perpetual smirk vanished. Even though he had suspected this might happen, hearing his father announce it so bluntly left him in a state of shock. "Are you joking?!"
Equally displeased was Jinichi Zenin, a man with wild, unkempt hair who looked far older than his years. He was Toji's brother, making him Megumi's uncle.
Jinichi stared at Megumi with icy disdain. "Allow that man's son to lead us? I will never agree to it. That bastard murdered his own father!"
Megumi's eyebrows shot up.
Wait. My dad, Toji, killed my grandpa?
Oh. Right. It's the Zenin family. Honestly, that sounds about right.
In reality, when Toji Fushiguro defected, he had left a trail of bodies behind. Among the dead was Jinichi and Toji's father, Takane Zenin—Naobito's own older brother.
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