The Limits of This Body Technique

A few days after Maki Zenin left the Zenin Family for Tokyo Jujutsu High, Shinsuke Zenin received a complaint from Mai Zenin.

Mai arrived at Shinsuke Zenin's home looking dejected, as if she had been abandoned by someone, making her pitiable.

She found Shinsuke Zenin and looked up blankly, "Older Brother, I've been abandoned by Older Sister."

Shinsuke Zenin's cheek twitched slightly at her words.

Abandoned? Isn't it just that she didn't consult you?

Shinsuke Zenin thought to himself, but seeing Mai's pathetic, teary-eyed state, he didn't add fuel to the fire. Instead, he asked, "You already know?"

Mai replied, "I overheard Older Sister and the Family Head talking. I was waiting, waiting for Older Sister to tell me her decision herself."

However, all she heard was that Older Sister had left the Zenin Family.

This meant she had been abandoned by Older Sister. Why didn't Older Sister consult her? Was it because she was too useless?

"Don't be so sad. Maki might have just not wanted you to worry," Shinsuke Zenin comforted her. He had already guessed that a rift would appear between the sisters.

"So, is this why Older Sister told Older Brother before she left, but didn't tell me?" Mai clearly wouldn't believe him so easily now. She was no longer the little girl who could be easily tricked with a few words.

"Are you jealous?" Shinsuke Zenin raised an eyebrow. Looking at Mai's resentful gaze, he realized. The real reason Mai was angry was that Maki had consulted him about leaving home but hadn't consulted her. So, this girl was jealous.

"No! How could I be jealous of Older Brother!" Mai turned her head, her lower lip unconsciously pouting. She looked like she was about to hang a vinegar bottle from her mouth.

"Alright, alright. If you want to know the reason so badly, go find Maki at Jujutsu High. It's better than being jealous here." Shinsuke Zenin was a bit speechless. It was such a small matter, yet she was so easily jealous. She might as well live with her Older Sister for the rest of her life.

"Older Brother! I told you I'm not jealous!" Mai stared at Shinsuke Zenin with wide eyes, her face flushing slightly, as if from shame after being exposed. "Also, I'm not going to find Older Sister. Since she dislikes me, I must prove myself to her!" Mai's eyes were firmer than ever.

"Silly girl, what do you want to prove? That you're stronger than Older Sister?" Mai's words made Shinsuke Zenin inexplicably want to laugh.

"To prove that I can help her!" Wasn't she criticized for not working hard enough? Didn't they think she was useless? Then she would prove Older Sister wrong.

"How do you plan to prove it?"

"I'm going to defeat Older Sister!" Mai clenched her fists, as if she had made some kind of decision.

"Pffft hahaha..."

"Good job, Mai! I believe in you!" Shinsuke Zenin burst out laughing. From his perspective, Mai's words were indeed a bit funny. Although he didn't want to discourage Mai, a sister was still a sister. The difficulty of defeating her older sister was likely not ordinary. Unless she could fix the flaws in her Cursed Technique, there might be a slim chance.

"Older Brother~! You're laughing at me! I'm not talking to you anymore!" Mai could tell Shinsuke Zenin was mocking her. She knew it would be difficult to defeat her Older Sister, but she was still capable of becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer. If she worked hard enough, she should, probably, be able to do it...

"Older Brother, I'm going to Kyoto Jujutsu High! You and Older Sister just wait!" Mai left in a huff. This time, she was going to break ties! She would break ties with Older Brother and Older Sister! Until she defeated Older Sister and made Older Brother stop mocking her.

"Still a childish brat." Shinsuke Zenin shook his head as he watched Mai's retreating figure. Her body had grown, but her mind hadn't caught up. A few years out in the world should fix that.

After seeing Mai off, Shinsuke Zenin didn't stay home. He decided to go see his grandnephew. After finishing school next year, his grandnephew would be due to enroll in Jujutsu High. After all, his grandnephew didn't particularly like staying at the Zenin Family.

During his time training at the Zenin Family, Megumi always felt that the people there were deliberately trying to please him. This kind of place wasn't suitable for him.

Shinsuke Zenin arrived at a restaurant. It was past the usual mealtime, so there weren't many people. "Boss, give me one of everything on the menu."

Entering the restaurant, Shinsuke Zenin shouted without any politeness.

Toji, who was looking at the bill at the counter, saw the familiar face and his expression darkened. "You ordered this much, can you even finish it?"

Ever since he took in Megumi Fushiguro and Tsumiki, Toji had used the little money he had left to buy a restaurant and start a small business.

The main reason was that the assassin missions had been decreasing over the years, and with two more children to care for, he didn't want to make too many enemies.

Although he always eliminated all loose ends with every mission he took, there were inevitably potential loopholes.

So, he decided to stop being a Sorcerer Killer and become a boss himself.

He hired a few employees, and he only needed to check in occasionally, leaving him more time to train.

"Who are you looking down on? Just bring it on, why so much nonsense?"

Shinsuke Zenin treated this place like his own home, often coming over for a good meal, and he didn't have to pay anyway.

Toji glanced at him and then at the waiter cleaning the tables. "Give him the cheapest set meal."

"Got it, boss!"

"Hey, hey, hey, Toji, aren't you being a little stingy?"

Toji ignored him. Was he supposed to run a business for free? He still had two children to raise.

Tsumiki needed expensive nutrient solutions to stay alive every day, so he had to be frugal.

He had already made plans. If Megumi refused to inherit the Zenin Family's wealth next year, he would send him to Jujutsu High to work.

It just so happened that his brother, who was not doing his proper job, was a teacher at Jujutsu High, so he could look after him.

"Oh right, Toji, how's your training going? Have you opened the fourth acupoint yet?"

Shinsuke Zenin didn't dwell on Toji's stinginess for the moment and instead inquired about his training progress.

It had been many years since Toji last asked him to open the fourth acupoint. If he hadn't been slacking off, the fourth gate should be nearly complete.

"It should be in the next couple of days. By the way, how many acupoints can this physical technique be trained to?" Toji replied.

He had been training the Eight Gates for ten years. The further he progressed, the more he felt the power, even the terror, of this physical technique.

However, the time and difficulty of training were also increasing exponentially.

It was much harder for him to cultivate a trace of Blood Essence now compared to when he first started.

"How many do you think?" Shinsuke Zenin asked with a smile.

The training of the Eight Gates was different from Cursed Techniques. Talented Sorcerers might be able to develop their Cursed Techniques to their peak at a young age, reaching the pinnacle of their strength.

But a physical technique like the Eight Gates required honing the body and slowly accumulating time.

"Five?" Toji guessed.

Each filled acupoint brought a different sensation, and the amplification effect became stronger the further along he went.

He estimated that five was the limit. Based on his current training progress, he figured he could open at most the fifth acupoint, and no more.

"Heh heh, something like that."

Shinsuke Zenin did not give Toji a detailed explanation.

Because his guess was not wrong, the limit for ordinary individuals without Cursed Energy was around the level of five gates.

If he hadn't had his cheat, he probably would have remained at this stage.