Satoru Gojo was confined

At the Gojo Clan Center, inside a room protected by layer upon layer of barriers.

Satoru Gojo propped his head on one hand and stared at the glass of water before him, bored out of his mind, his fingers tapping the tabletop.

Clearly, he was deeply unhappy about being confined here by the Gojo Clan elders.

"Satoru, stay in your room and recuperate for the next few days. This is also... for your protection."

-That was what an elder had told him a few days ago, after bringing him back from the Zenin Clan.

Who was he? He was Satoru Gojo!

How could he possibly obey without a fuss?

Not long after being locked up, Satoru Gojo had started secretly plotting how to sneak back into the Zenin Clan and challenge Kamu Zenin again after blasting the barriers apart with a shot of Blue.

But...

When he tried to activate his cursed technique, he discovered-

His cursed energy had been sealed.

In other words, he had now become an ordinary person who couldn't use cursed techniques!

-Those cowardly old fossils locked me up over one accident, then had the nerve to call it recuperation! Protection!

The seven-year-old Child of God had always been cherished and pampered. The Gojo Clan had always indulged his every unreasonable demand, and this was the very first time he had ever been treated like this.

Satoru Gojo was furious.

So... he came up with a plan.

At noon, when an attendant came to bring him lunch, he discovered that Satoru Gojo hadn't touched his breakfast. Even the dishes were still in exactly the same places.

The attendant kept his eyes lowered, pretending he had noticed nothing. Without so much as a change in expression, he set out the food and left.

Yet scarcely a moment after leaving, he reported the news to the Gojo Clan head.

"Clan Head, young master Satoru... hasn't touched a single bite of the breakfast we sent him."

After seven years together, it was hardly surprising that the Gojo Clan head immediately understood what Satoru Gojo was plotting.

He stroked his beard, perfectly unruffled. "A hunger strike... Leave him be. Satoru will eat when he gets hungry."

By the next day, the food remained completely untouched.

-Only then did the Gojo Clan begin to panic a little.

So when the attendant delivered another meal that day, he followed the clan head's orders and tried to persuade Satoru Gojo, who sat in the room with his face turned away. "Young master Satoru, please eat a little... You're still young. Your body won't hold up without food. The clan head is very worried about you."

Satoru Gojo turned toward him. "Why am I locked up here?"

This attendant works for the old man. He must know why.

-Whatever it is, it definitely isn't this so-called recuperation and protection!

Under the immense pressure of being seen through by the Six Eyes, the attendant remained silent. "..."

Satoru Gojo said, "I want to see the old man."

"The clan head is busy with internal affairs..."

"Then I'll keep my hunger strike going for another day," Satoru Gojo threatened. "And I'll force my way through the jujutsu seal inside my body-tell the old man that. He knows I can do it."

Under that threat, the Gojo Clan head finally came.

The moment he stepped inside the barriers, he saw the sulking figure sitting there, showing no intention of getting up.

On the low table beside him sat food that had long since gone cold.

"Satoru, stop making a fuss," the Gojo Clan head said helplessly. "The clan won't let you out for the next few days."

Satoru Gojo looked at him, his clear blue eyes brimming with anger. "Why? I've already recovered. Don't you know that perfectly well?"

The Gojo Clan head spread his hands. "Because you were defeated by the Ten Shadows Technique."

"What does that have to do with anything? I'll win next time!" He didn't think that was a valid reason.

"But the Six Eyes being injured made those lurking in the shadows think they had an opening," the Gojo Clan head said. "Satoru, do you know how many more people have tried to assassinate you these past few days?"

Satoru Gojo froze.

The Gojo Clan head continued, "The clan has been busy dealing with this for days. So, Satoru, stop making a fuss."

Satoru Gojo fell silent.

So... that was why?

Seeing his reaction, the Gojo Clan head struck while the iron was hot and solemnly assured him, "Satoru, I promise you, it'll only be a few days. In just a few more days, we'll lift your seal!"

Then his tone softened. "I've already had the kitchen prepare a fresh meal, along with your favorite desserts. They'll be delivered soon... You're still growing, so please don't go on another hunger strike."

Satoru Gojo said nothing, but he showed no resistance either, and the clan head knew he had succeeded.

After he left, the Fourth Elder, who had been waiting outside the barriers, came forward to meet him.

"How did it go? Did it work?"

The Gojo Clan head gave a low chuckle. "It's all settled. He's a child, after all."

The Fourth Elder brightened. "You certainly know how to handle him, Clan Head! If Satoru found out we'd confined him at home to keep him from attending the Ten Shadows Technique's Succession Ceremony at the Zenin Clan, with his temper, he'd never let the matter rest."

The Gojo Clan head listened as he and the Fourth Elder leisurely walked away.

And so Satoru Gojo remained confined for a long time, completely unaware of the truth, sulky and reluctant, yet half resigned-and even feeling a little guilty.