"Surprised to see me?"
Shinsuke Zenin glanced at the wary people around him and gave a disdainful smile.
"Why are you making those faces? It's not like I'm some kind of monster."
With that, Shinsuke stopped paying attention to them, withdrew the arm resting on the man's shoulder, and walked toward the inner room without looking back.
They were a bunch of self-righteous sorcerers. He couldn't be bothered to give them a second glance.
"Phew..."
As they watched him leave, the others narrowed their eyes and furrowed their brows. Only the guy who'd insulted Maki let out a breath of relief. Sweat had soaked through the back of his clothes.
It wasn't that he was a coward. The other man's presence was simply too oppressive.
"Mom, who is he?"
Maki Zenin looked up at the retreating figure, tugged at the woman's hand, and asked curiously.
"He... I suppose he's your cousin..."
The woman looked somewhat shocked, too. She hadn't expected him to return to the family.
He had no Cursed Energy and had been looked down on and discriminated against since childhood, yet he'd forced the entire family to fear him with nothing but his fists.
"...My cousin?"
"How did that guy with no Cursed Energy come back? Wasn't he supposed to have been expelled from the Zenin Family?"
The people around them began whispering among themselves.
"Let's hope nothing like what happened back then happens again."
"Hmph, he's just a useless guy with no Cursed Energy. What, you think he can stand against the entire Zenin Family?"
"You didn't experience what happened back then yourself, so of course you don't understand. Otherwise, you wouldn't be saying that."
"Enough. Stop discussing such pointless things and get going."
The Zenin elders dispersed the people who had gathered and were chattering.
The family's shame was not to be aired in public. They didn't want this matter getting out.
Seeing this, Maki Zenin pondered for a moment, then muttered, "That person doesn't have Cursed Energy either? Why is everyone so afraid of him?"
Her little head couldn't make sense of it.
After everyone had dispersed, Shinsuke Zenin entered the inner room and looked at the old man sitting cross-legged on a cushion. "Hey, old man. You're still alive?"
The current Family Head of the Zenin Family, a Special Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer: Naobito Zenin.
Naobito Zenin slowly poured a cup of tea and pushed it toward him. He wasn't surprised to see Shinsuke Zenin here.
"It's been eight whole years. You're not going to leave again this time, are you?" Naobito Zenin asked.
He spoke as if to an old friend and didn't show the same fear toward Shinsuke that the other family members had.
In his eyes, no matter how strong Shinsuke became, he was still his junior.
"Who knows?"
Shinsuke Zenin took a sip of tea, then stuck out his tongue. It was shockingly bitter.
"What about Toji?"
"He left the Zenin Family after you did. I heard he's married into another family now and changed his name to Toji Fushiguro."
Naobito Zenin answered calmly.
Although Toji didn't get along with the Zenin Family, he had a fairly good relationship with Naobito, the Family Head. They were still in touch from time to time.
They'd even met just recently.
"He sold his son to the Zenin Family a while ago."
"I see. That sounds like him." Shinsuke Zenin showed no emotion.
He knew Toji well. They'd grown up together in the Zenin Family.
"You agreed to it?"
Naobito Zenin was somewhat puzzled by Shinsuke's lack of reaction.
"Toji decided on his own to sell his son to the Zenin Family. Besides, do you expect the two of us, who don't even have Cursed Energy, to teach him?"
Shinsuke Zenin had no intention of taking Megumi Fushiguro back.
Megumi possessed the Zenin Family's inherited Cursed Technique. He could grow into someone who rivaled Satoru Gojo, the sorcerer at the very peak.
The Zenin Family's resources would help Megumi make better use of his talent.
Shinsuke understood the logic of using someone else's resources to reap the rewards.
He wouldn't begrudge Megumi making use of the Zenin Family's resources.
Still, the relationship between Toji and Megumi needed to improve.
"That's true. The existence of the Gojo Family has already disrupted the balance of the Jujutsu World. I hope Toji's son awakens the Zenin Family's inherited Cursed Technique."
Naobito Zenin still didn't know what Cursed Technique Megumi Fushiguro would awaken in the future.
He'd already agreed on a price with Toji. If Megumi awakened the family's inherited Cursed Technique, Naobito was willing to give him everything.
Everything meant all that belonged to the Zenin Family.
"Satoru Gojo, huh..."
Shinsuke Zenin knew Satoru Gojo all too well.
"By the way, has anything major happened in the Jujutsu World lately?"
"Anything major... If I had to name something, it would be Tengen's merger, which happens once every five hundred years. It's due in the next few days."
Naobito Zenin spoke indifferently.
As one of the Jujutsu World's three great families, the Zenin Family knew quite a bit about Tengen.
"Really? Looks like I came back at just the right time."
Shinsuke Zenin felt a little grateful to Yuki Tsukumo. It was a good thing he'd returned in time.
Otherwise, he might have lost his little brother.
"Old man, stay alive. If you die, the Zenin Family's finished."
Shinsuke Zenin stood up, scratched his ear, and left.
As far as the entire Zenin Family went, this Family Head was the only one who was halfway decent.
Watching him go, Naobito Zenin sighed.
Just thinking about those two brothers gave him a headache.
If anyone else had been Family Head, the Zenin Family would've been doomed by now.
After leaving, Shinsuke Zenin encountered Maki Zenin at the Zenin Family's front gate.
She stood there with her small frame held straight. Her timid younger sister, Mai Zenin, stood behind her.
"S-Sis, he's scary. W-We should hurry and run!"
Fear filled Mai Zenin's eyes as she whispered into Maki's ear.
Her little hand clung tightly to her sister's.
Looking at Shinsuke Zenin, she felt even more frightened than when she saw Cursed Spirits.
Maki Zenin stared straight at Shinsuke Zenin, ignoring her sister's plea. She simply held Mai's hand.
"Hey! Why is everyone afraid of you?"
Maki Zenin looked up at Shinsuke Zenin as he reached her and asked. There was no fear in her eyes, only a desperate desire for an answer.
At her words, Shinsuke Zenin stopped, though he'd been about to leave without a word. He glanced down at Maki Zenin, a hint of interest curling his lips.
"Kid, you've got good eyes."
Then he walked past the two sisters and left.
"Hey! You still haven't answered me!"
Maki Zenin turned around, clenched her fists, and shouted.
"Because they're afraid to die..."
He answered without looking back. By the time Maki Zenin came to her senses, the figure before her had already vanished.
"Afraid to die?" Maki Zenin muttered.
"Let's go home, Sis. You have to hold my hand tight. Don't let go, okay?"
"I know."
Coming back to herself, Maki Zenin led her sister away by the hand.
Meanwhile, Shinsuke Zenin had already set off to find his little brother.
He couldn't help feeling sorry for Maki Zenin.
He could sense a tiny amount of Cursed Energy within her, so little it was practically negligible.
That meant she could neither become a sorcerer nor gain a body of overwhelming strength like he and Toji had.
She was destined to endure countless sneers and insults.
And she didn't have the strength to fight back...
Before you continue