Toji Zenin

Zhiyan raised a hand to restrain the restless black and white dogs, then looked up, his calm gaze settling on the man. Young as he was, he had heard the clan's rumors about this cousin-Toji Zenin, born without cursed energy but possessed of terrifying physical strength and deadly skills. He had become the "disgrace" the Zenin Clan least wanted to mention, expelled from his branch of the family yet forever roaming the fringes of its territory, where no one dared truly provoke him.

Sensing their master's command, the cursed energy surrounding the two dogs abruptly receded. They slipped past the hem of Zhiyan's clothes into his shadow on the bluestone ground, merging with it without a sound. Only the shadow's outline remained darker and heavier than usual, harboring a menacing pressure that could burst out at any moment.

The wind swept through the old pine's branches in the alley, stirring a faint rustle. Toji Zenin finally raised his eyes. His light brown gaze was still and cold as an ice-tempered blade, sweeping over Zhiyan's small body before settling on the unusual shadow at his feet. The faintest hint of amusement curved his lips.

"A kid with the Ten Shadows Technique." His voice was low and hoarse, devoid of warmth, yet he identified Zhiyan's cursed technique precisely. His gaze lingered over him as though inspecting an interesting object. "Only just named heir, and already you've got more sense than those old bastards."

Zhiyan stood his ground, his dark eyes as calm as ever. His fingers curled slightly inside his sleeves, but he showed no fear. He merely spoke in a clear, cool voice, with a composure that belied his age. "Toji Zenin."

It was not a question, but a statement of certainty. There were few portraits of this cousin within the clan, yet no one could forget that terrifying presence, capable of overwhelming any jujutsu sorcerer without a trace of cursed energy-or those hands, which were said to tear special grade cursed spirits apart barehanded and crush the hardest cursed tools.

Toji gave a soft laugh, pushed away from the pine he had been leaning against, and walked slowly toward Zhiyan. His steps were unhurried, yet each seemed to land directly on the heart. The pressure in the alley abruptly deepened, and even the wind seemed to freeze.

He stopped before Zhiyan and bent slightly, bringing his gaze level with the young boy's. His light brown eyes narrowed in appraisal. "Never thought the Zenin Clan's Ten Shadows Technique would end up with a six-year-old brat. Those old bastards fought over it for so long, and you're the one who lucked out."

His presence carried a faint scent of blood and dust. It was not the cursed energy of a jujutsu sorcerer, but the raw killing aura of someone who had walked out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Even with Zhiyan's steady temperament, his fingers paused almost imperceptibly-this was the first time he had felt such overwhelming pressure from physical strength alone, without cursed energy.

"I didn't luck out." Zhiyan raised his eyes to meet Toji's gaze, each word clear. "I earned it through strength."

Toji raised an eyebrow, apparently amused, and the mockery in his eyes deepened. "Strength? How much strength could a six-year-old brat have, even with the Ten Shadows Technique?" He lifted his hand, holding his fingertips above Zhiyan's head without touching him, his manner teasing. "Want to try? I'll use my bare hands, and you summon your shikigami. Let's see if your Ten Shadows Technique can even touch one of my fingers."

Before he had finished speaking, the shadow at Zhiyan's feet surged. An attack burst out of it, stabbing straight toward Toji's wrist-a Wind Blade formed by Divine Dogs: Black, fast as lightning and shrieking as it sliced through the air.

But Toji moved faster. With a slight turn of his wrist, his fingertips caught the Wind Blade's tip with perfect precision. One seemingly casual pinch, and the attack, condensed from the Divine Dogs' cursed energy, shattered and dispersed into the air.

"Too slow," Toji said flatly, his voice carrying undisguised contempt. "These are the Ten Shadows Technique's shikigami? Not even enough to scratch an itch."

A sharp gleam flashed through Zhiyan's eyes. His shadow stirred again, cursed energy abruptly spreading out from within it to coil around Toji's ankles. The Wind Shield spun with cutting force. Divine Dog: White's attack was silent, but its angle was even trickier than Black Dog's.

Toji merely turned slightly and tapped the ground with his toes, drifting several feet backward like a ghost and neatly avoiding the encircling Wind Shield. When he landed, not even the hem of his clothes stirred. He watched Zhiyan, his lips curved coldly. "Your coordination's too slow, your cursed energy's too weak, and your shikigami's attacks have no structure. With that little skill, you dare call yourself the Zenin Clan's heir?"

Zhiyan remained silent. The shadow at his feet gradually settled, though hidden currents still stirred within it. He knew Toji was telling the truth. Though his Ten Shadows Technique had awakened early, he was still young, and his control over cursed energy lacked precision. Before this man, who stood at the pinnacle of Jujutsu Society through physical strength alone, his shikigami's attacks and coordination were laughably immature.

Seeing his silence, Toji stepped forward and patted his shoulder. The touch was neither light nor heavy, yet carried an irresistible force. "Remember this, brat. Jujutsu isn't everything, and strength has never been decided by your cursed technique."

His gaze swept over Zhiyan's shadow. A faint trace of surprise flickered through his light brown eyes before they turned indifferent again. "Your Ten Shadows Technique has a decent foundation. Too bad whoever's teaching you is too weak."

Zhiyan looked up at him. "First, no one has taught me anything so far. Second, what are you doing here?"

He did not believe Toji Zenin would appear here for no reason, much less simply to provoke a six-year-old heir.

This cousin, expelled from his branch of the family, had always kept to himself and never meddled in the Zenin Clan's affairs. Yet today, just after Zhiyan had been named heir, he had appeared in an alley Zhiyan had to pass through.

Toji raised an eyebrow, withdrew his hand, and returned to lean against the pine, resuming his original pose. "Had nothing to do. Thought I'd see what the Zenin Clan's new boss was made of." He paused, then added, "And tell you that your dear uncle, Ogi Zenin, came to see me last night."

Zhiyan's dark eyes abruptly clouded.

Ogi Zenin went to see Toji?

He understood at once. Unwilling to lose the position of clan head, Ogi Zenin had actually tried to win over this cousin whom the clan considered a disgrace, but who possessed terrifying strength. He had likely hoped to use Toji to eliminate Zhiyan, the heir.

"What did he offer you?" Zhiyan's voice cooled, his fingers clenching inside his sleeves.

Toji chuckled, a trace of derision flashing through his light brown eyes. "Half the Zenin Clan's power, and every cursed tool in its collection." His voice was full of disdain. "A bunch of useless fools who can only rely on jujutsu think they're fit to bargain with me?"

He had never had any interest in the Zenin Clan's power. Had Ogi Zenin's pestering last night not been so irritating, he would not have gone out of his way to meet this kid with the Ten Shadows Technique.

Zhiyan watched him. The darkness in his eyes gradually cleared, replaced by a more searching look. "You didn't agree."

"Agree?" Toji scoffed. "I've killed more people from the Zenin Clan than you've ever met. Help him? Only if I'd lost my mind." He looked up at Zhiyan, a rare hint of seriousness entering his light brown eyes. "But that bastard's crooked and desperate for quick results. He probably won't let this go. You're still green, brat, but you're easier on the eyes than those old bastards."

He paused, tossed out a casual remark, then swept past Zhiyan like a ghost and left, his low voice lingering in the wind. "Keep an eye on your little sister, and your Ten Shadows Technique. Don't be this weak the next time I see you. I have no interest in killing a useless heir."

The wind rose again at the mouth of the alley, carrying away Toji's presence and leaving Zhiyan alone beneath the old pine. The shadow at his feet wavered slightly. The Divine Dogs seemed to remain wary of the pressure from moments before and still did not emerge.

Zhiyan looked toward where Toji had vanished, complicated emotions churning in his dark eyes-wariness of Toji's terrifying strength, fury at Ogi Zenin's attempt to collude with him, and a faint, almost imperceptible stirring of feeling.

This cousin, scorned by the clan, seemed cold and bloodthirsty, yet at this very moment, he had chosen to give Zhiyan a warning.

He raised his hand and said softly, "Come out."

Two streaks of light slipped out of the shadow again. The Divine Dogs landed beside him, still somewhat wary but no longer restless. Zhiyan stroked the top of Divine Dogs: Black's head. Beneath the calm in his eyes lay an increasingly resolute light.

Ogi Zenin's schemes, Toji's warning, and the hidden currents that had yet to subside all made one thing clear: the struggle over the succession had never ended.

And his Ten Shadows Technique, his shikigami, and his strength were all still far from enough.

Zhiyan turned and headed toward his destination, the black and white dogs following close behind. The alley's light and shadow fell across his small figure, making his back seem all the straighter, like a young pine quietly taking root amid wind and rain-silent, yet resilient.

By the time he reached the Technique Training Ground, the sun had already sunk behind the western hills. The wooden posts still bore traces of cursed energy from yesterday's cursed technique practice. Zhiyan raised his hand and summoned a Wind Blade, repeatedly cutting at the posts and condensing it anew. The cursed energy flowing through his fingertips grew ever more controlled, while the Wind Blade's arc faintly took on some of the sharp efficiency and tricky angles of Toji's earlier movements.

He knew that, harsh as Toji's words had been, every one of them was true.

Jujutsu had never been everything, and his Ten Shadows Technique should not be confined to merging shikigami with wind abilities.

The moonlight that night was especially cold and clear. It spilled over the Zenin Clan's courtyards, illuminating the boy's small figure as he pondered his cursed technique-and the hidden currents that quietly surged, growing ever more turbulent in the darkness.