Second Technique

A simple analysis.

Kenjaku made his judgment and knew that Kana Shizumi had successfully collected the cursed object.

At the same time, though, Kenjaku did not know his exact destination—could this guy be sensing me through blood?

Having practiced Crimson Blood Manipulation in the Kamo Clan for so long, Kana Shizumi had reason to believe that Kenjaku was the only person in the world who truly understood this technique's many applications.

So blood was the bond connecting him and Kenjaku?

Damn, that sounded kind of perverse... But the thought did not linger for long before it was swiftly buried beneath the thoughts that followed.

Because the theory itself did not quite add up.

After all, if it were a blood-based connection, it could not explain why Kenjaku had not retained even a sense of direction.

In the original work, Choso's connection with his brothers had been fairly "precise," yet Kenjaku's could not be maintained?

Was there some flaw involved...?

Kana Shizumi accurately grasped this subtle point.

At the same time, he did not dare draw a conclusion outright... Considering Kenjaku's personality, Jail Mom might have selectively revealed information and could even be fishing for a reaction.

What if he failed to probe anything out, only for Kenjaku to realize that he had ulterior motives?

Since such a possibility had to be avoided as much as possible, Kana Shizumi needed to proceed cautiously until things were settled—or until he was "one hundred percent certain."

In short.

He had probably obtained an important piece of intelligence: Kenjaku likely could not track or analyze Kana Shizumi's exact destination after he left.

But he could sense all sorts of changes occurring within his body...

"Unblemished, are you listening to me?"

A voice came from beside him. Kana Shizumi snapped back to himself and saw Kenjaku looking his way.

That gaze was calm as still water, devoid of the slightest emotion. It was impossible to tell what Kenjaku was thinking.

He was impossible to read. That was the most troubling and unnerving thing about being around Jail Mom.

Using the motion of covering his face and rubbing his eyes as a pretext... Kana Shizumi hurriedly adjusted his expression and state of mind. When he raised his head again, his face looked much more natural.

"Sorry. I just had some inspiration regarding Crimson Blood Manipulation, so I got a little distracted..."

"Oh, you mean that?"

It had only been an excuse to brush him off, but unexpectedly, Kenjaku appeared extremely interested.

Jail Mom rose to his feet, held his right hand out before him, and made a gesture as if spreading it open. A smile appeared on his face, carrying an oddly subtle expression.

"You mean that thing from before, right?"

Kenjaku lightly swept his right hand through the air. The wine on the table floated up, gathering into a small sphere beside him.

It condensed at the pad of his right finger and hovered there, spinning continuously like a gloomy mass of dark matter that was forever collapsing inward...

At the sight of it, Kana Shizumi let out an inward yelp.

If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought Kenjaku had casually formed a Spiral in his hand.

What are you trying to do? Kill me outright and reclaim the energy...?

"Using Crimson Blood Manipulation to suspend blood at one's side, turning it into a vessel for cursed energy and accumulating a large amount of it within, while incorporating some of the principles of Convergence."

Compressing, gathering, spinning.

That was how it worked...

"Until it is condensed into a subtle, tiny sphere... Since blood itself serves as its vessel, it also possesses a considerable degree of concealment."

And then.

"Tiny, inconspicuous, and without obvious cursed energy fluctuations. There would not even be any sign of activation until it was triggered."

Kenjaku smiled at the hovering ball of wine before him, then spoke with something like admiration.

"It is practically a jujutsu landmine... A very good concept, Unblemished."

That was no low evaluation.

But it was only natural.

After all, Choso had spent more than a hundred years imprisoned, slowly figuring this out by himself.

As an advanced application of Crimson Blood Manipulation, the concept absolutely had practical value. Kenjaku's assessment only reinforced that conclusion...

Supernova truly was a devastating first-encounter weapon. It made sense that Kenjaku had been caught by it in the original work.

But correspondingly... the fact that this guy could see through its composition and underlying logic at a glance was terrifying in its own way.

The same jujutsu probably would not work on him... He was practically the Gold Saint of Jujutsu Society.

Besides.

Kana Shizumi thoughtfully looked at the liquid that had fallen again, dropping back into the wineglass.

What Kenjaku had just shown off was far from simple.

From the original work, it was known that Brain possessed multiple techniques. Even by the end of the story, it had never been made clear exactly how many techniques he had...

And that move just now.

"Was that Anti-Gravity?"

He had shown it once during the Tengen Defense Battle. As a technique that controlled weight, Kana Shizumi's understanding of it had remained fairly superficial.

But Kenjaku's application clearly went far beyond that...

"This guy seems capable of much finer control?"

He could apply anti-gravity control within a specific area, draw out part of the liquid, then restrict the range so that it hovered completely above his hand.

That entire sequence emphasized the sheer strength of his control. It could be said that Kenjaku's understanding of weight-based techniques was probably quite profound as well.

Trying to summarize Kenjaku's demonstrated combat ability so far...

Cursed Spirit Manipulation, and he could casually form tiny Spirals with Maximum Technique.

The Anti-Gravity Technique, which he could turn into a domain-like effect and apply to himself, while also using it for more precise selective control.

An open-barrier domain, a thousand years of combat experience...

Tch, could you not make me look forward to this so much?

A guy this strong was still nothing but a stray dog in front of Satoru Gojo, ready to be kicked flying at any moment.

Kana Shizumi was pessimistic about his own future as well... Could he really reach that kind of overwhelming strength?

"Although I cannot offer any constructive advice, I do approve of your spirit of research. After all..."

Kenjaku paused, freeing his right hand to stroke his chin before revealing a thoughtful expression.

"Though it is only theoretical, you may indeed possess a second technique."