The Three Great Families

Three months had passed since Ze Zenin last met Satoru Gojo.

It was now December 7, and heavy snow fell over the Gojo Clan estate.

Satoru Gojo wore a blue haori patterned with dragonflies, strolling along the stone path beneath the red umbrella his mother held.

Snow drifted through the Gojo Clan's outer courtyard, and the whole world seemed to have fallen silent. Satoru Gojo was still recalling the scene from three months ago.

At that moment, he had suddenly felt that the world had become a little more interesting, and that he had found...

A rare rival and friend!

Suddenly, Satoru Gojo noticed someone watching him from behind. He looked back and saw a muscular man in a black kimono.

Strangely, Satoru Gojo could not sense even a trace of cursed energy from him, as though he were no different from the grass, trees, or stones along the road.

Satoru Gojo gave it no further thought. He merely glanced at him before turning back. To him, this man was not interesting enough to warrant his attention.

That man was Toji Zenin.

At the gathering of the Three Great Families hosted by the Gojo Clan, Toji had made a point of coming over to observe Satoru Gojo, the so-called divine child, from a distance-

He understood why the birth of the Six Eyes was said to have changed the balance of the world...

But as far as I'm concerned, you aren't the one who changed that balance...

Toji returned to the inner courtyard and looked at Ze Zenin, who stood beside Naobito Zenin a short distance away.

He smiled to himself, then left through the main gate. He had no desire to get involved in the affairs of the Three Great Families.

Ze Zenin wandered all over the place. He had no idea what would happen at this gathering; after all, the original story had devoted very little attention to Satoru Gojo's childhood...

A sudden chill ran down Ze Zenin's back. He had a vague feeling that someone was spying on him. His Sharingan spun as he scanned the crowd for anyone suspicious.

But people kept moving back and forth, and maintaining a three-tomoe Sharingan was a strain on his six- or seven-year-old body. Ze Zenin soon abandoned the search.

Just some sneaking coward hiding behind the scenes. Nothing to fear...

What Ze Zenin did not expect was that the watcher was observing not only him, but Satoru Gojo as well.

Ze Zenin then headed back toward the center of the hall. One thing puzzled him-

If the Gojo Clan was this lively right now, why hadn't a single member of the family appeared in the original story once Satoru Gojo grew up?

"That doesn't make sense..."

"What are you doing?"

Naobito Zenin walked over. "Finished looking around the Gojo estate? What do you think?"

"I'd say it's a bit more modern."

Ze Zenin curled his lip. "Our place is a fossil. We don't even have any decent modern equipment."

"Hahahahaha!"

"That's exactly why we need you to become clan head, kid. You can breathe some life into our dreary old Zenin Clan!"

Naobito Zenin laughed heartily. He realized that, in the years since Ze Zenin's birth, he had been happier than he had been in the previous fifty.

The Zenin Clan... would finally have someone to rely on!

Even if Ze Zenin never became clan head, the Zenin Clan would surely still have a place in the future of Jujutsu Society.

"What are you thinking about now?" Ze Zenin gave the grinning Naobito Zenin a sidelong look and dryly remarked:

"We can talk about that when I decide to tame Mahoraga and happen to feel like becoming clan head."

"All right, all right..."

Naobito Zenin looked at Ze Zenin and muttered under his breath, "You little brat. If you don't want the job, just say so. And now you're talking about taming Mahoraga..."

"When the time comes, you won't have a choice..."

Just then, Satoru Gojo emerged from the crowd. Spotting Ze Zenin, he made the rare move of greeting someone his own age:

"Yo, Spiky. Long time no see."

Ze Zenin: "..."

Honestly, if he could use either Domain Amplification or Mahoraga right now, he would have loved to beat this guy up...

"..."

Ze Zenin stared at Satoru Gojo's face, wanting to give him a nickname, but struggled to think of one that suited his appearance.

After all, his own hair really did look like a hedgehog's spines-he had Sasuke's template, after all.

Everyone in the Zenin Clan looked like they used Rejoice shampoo. Only the future Megumi Fushiguro and Ze Zenin had spiky hair.

"Call me whatever you want."

Ze Zenin narrowed his eyes and said indifferently, "You'd better pray I don't figure out how to bypass your Limitless."

Satoru Gojo shook his head. "Limitless is invincible. Unless you learn to use a domain, you're no threat to me."

"What if I have a cursed tool too?"

"Then you're cheating..."

"Weapons are part of your strength."

"That's nonsense."

While the two bickered, a voice rang out. "Welcome, everyone, to my son's seventh birthday banquet! Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality!"

A handsome middle-aged man addressed the room with a smile. At this moment, he was riding high-

He had become clan head and had such an outstanding son...

So this is Satoru Gojo's father?

Ze Zenin took a few more curious looks. He never appeared in the original story. He really does look a lot like this guy's grown-up self... just older.

The Gojo Clan is here, and so is our Zenin Clan. Where's the Kamo Clan?

Ze Zenin looked around curiously and suddenly spotted a group of people holding glasses of red wine.

He guessed they were members of the Kamo Clan.

Of the Three Great Families, the Kamo Clan had the weakest presence in the original story, despite being one of the most powerful clans in Jujutsu Society.

Yet barely more than a handful of its members had appeared, and later, Kenjaku had wiped them out single-handedly...

If I want to change Jujutsu Society, I'll have to start at the top...

Suddenly, a middle-aged man approached Ze Zenin's group and addressed Naobito Zenin with a smile:

"Old man, it's been nearly ten years since we last met, hasn't it? I'm surprised you're still as impressive as ever."

"Heh..." Naobito Zenin's smile did not reach his eyes. "You were just a little brat back then."

"Oh? But things are different now. The future of Jujutsu Society is on our side!"

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"How many years has it been since your clan last produced the Ten Shadows? Ten? Twenty? Or four hundred... unless this boy here is the one?"

"Enough!"

Naobito Zenin stared coldly at the man. "What exactly are you trying to say?!"

The middle-aged man smiled faintly. "I'm only saying that, no matter what happens, we Three Great Families stand united against our enemies. All right?"

With that, the middle-aged man patted Satoru Gojo on the head and strode away.

"So you didn't tell your family about my cursed technique?" Ze Zenin gave Satoru Gojo a puzzled look. "You actually kept my secret?"

"Please..." Satoru Gojo looked at Ze Zenin with disdain. "Do I look like someone who would sell out a friend and only care about his clan?"

"Fair enough... I guess they didn't offer you enough money."

"I despise you."

"Likewise."

"Ze, come closer. There's something I need to tell you..." Naobito Zenin suddenly said to Ze Zenin:

"This is something both of you need to know!"

"Huh?" Ze Zenin looked at the old man as though seeing a stranger. It was the first time he had ever seen him so serious.

"Come along, Six Eyes."

Satoru Gojo paused. It felt strange, but then he thought about Ze Zenin's attitude toward the old man-

He decided the old man probably meant him no harm and followed them.

"What I'm about to tell you concerns the battle from four hundred years ago..."