December 7, 1989, at the Gojo clan estate—one of the Three Great Sorcerer Families.
At this moment, all the clan’s senior elders were standing outside the delivery room, their faces filled with anxiety.
If they had not been restrained, some of them might have already barged inside to personally deliver the baby.
The child about to be born was the firstborn son of the Gojo clan head—the future heir.
“Waa… waa…”
A baby’s cry rang out.
The child had been born.
Everyone seemed to be released from a great burden.
The elders and the clan head all breathed a sigh of relief before immediately pushing open the door and entering the room.
But before their joy could even spread, they froze.
Beside the wet-eyed wet nurse, who was crying tears of happiness as she held a newborn in her arms… there was another child beside the exhausted mother.
“Twins…?”
The two babies looked exactly alike.
Their skin was wrinkled like that of any newborn, yet their features already showed an adorable plumpness.
It was easy to imagine that once they grew up, both would certainly become handsome men.
The wet nurse gently placed the baby she was holding into the clan head’s arms and respectfully said:
“My lord, this child is the elder brother.”
The clan head nodded and took the baby.
Though he was the head of a prestigious sorcerer clan and had experienced countless upheavals throughout his life, at the moment he officially became a father, he still could not suppress his emotions.
The corners of his eyes became slightly moist.
“What an adorable child…”
The moment he finished speaking—
The baby opened his eyes.
A pair of clear blue pupils, like the sky.
Immediately, every elder in the room was shaken.
“This child… possesses the Six eyes?!”
“Is this the legendary eyes of a heavenly prodigy?!”
There was no one in the Gojo clan who did not know about the Rikugan.
It was an extraordinarily rare constitution, appearing in only a handful of clan members throughout the history of the Gojo family.
Moreover, the instant the boy opened his eyes, an enormous amount of Cursed Energy surged forth like a raging storm sweeping through the room, reaching deep into the souls of every sorcerer present.
“Heaven itself has favored our Gojo clan!” the Second Elder laughed loudly.
“This child… is not only the future of our clan, but the future of the entire jujutsu world!”
Everyone agreed.
The Six Eyes—the ability to perceive and manipulate Cursed Energy with incredible precision.
Combined with such an enormous amount of Cursed Energy… although they did not yet know what his innate technique was, everyone was already almost certain that the boy very likely possessed Limitless.
The Second Elder understood this better than anyone.
In his youth, the old man who had been his grandfather had also possessed Limitless.
Yet he had carried a lifelong regret because he did not possess the Six Eyes to control it.
Only when the two were combined could one truly reach the pinnacle.
The last time such a combination had appeared… was four hundred years ago.
The Second Elder slapped the clan head firmly on the shoulder.
“Gojo Sei, well done!
You have brought great joy to the clan!”
Gojo Sei scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.
“Uncle, don’t say that… My wife is the one who did all the hard work.”
The entire room burst into laughter.
The atmosphere was filled with excitement.
Until…
Everyone’s eyes fell upon the other child.
He was lying beside his mother.
Clearly, everyone had seen him when they entered.
And yet, his existence… was so faint that it was almost as though he had been forgotten.
One of the clan servants spoke with a trembling voice:
“Elder… this child… has absolutely no Cursed Energy.”
“What?!”
The Second Elder’s expression changed drastically.
Everyone sensed it at once.
Indeed, there was none.
Not even a trace of Cursed Energy.
Even ordinary people possessed at least a minimal amount of Cursed Energy.
But this child…
Was an absolute zero.
If he had not still been breathing and occasionally moving, they might have mistaken him for an inanimate object.
“Heavenly Restriction…?”
“Twins… truly an ill omen…”
Twins had always been regarded as a bad omen within the jujutsu world.
In essence, identical twins originated from a single embryo splitting into two, but the system of Cursed Energy still regarded them as a single entity.
It was as though their initial pool of power had been divided between two people.
The result was usually that both were mediocre.
Or one would become powerful while the other was almost completely deprived.
A case in which all the Cursed Energy was concentrated in one person like this… was exceedingly rare.
But—
It was also fortunate.
One elder spoke coldly:
“Kill him.”
“We cannot allow him to hold back the prodigy.”
The atmosphere immediately froze.
Some opposed it.
Others agreed.
Some remained silent.
Clan Head Gojo Sei stood among them all.
Both children… were his sons.
But he was also the clan head.
Responsibility and familial affection were like two invisible hands squeezing his heart.
The Second Elder handed him a knife.
“Sei… you know what you must do.”
Sei tightened his grip around the handle.
Step by step, he approached the child.
Otome, still weakened from giving birth, sensed that something was terribly wrong.
She shielded the baby with her own body.
“Are you going to kill your own child?!”
“Forgive me… I’m doing this for the clan, for our family.”
“What family are you talking about?!
Isn’t this boy your family too?!”
Sei closed his eyes.
“…We are a family of jujutsu sorcerers.”
The blade was placed against the child’s neck.
“No—!”
At that very moment—
The baby opened his eyes.
Another pair of Rikugan.
“Impossible…!”
Everyone fell silent.
The baby let out his first cries as well.
Sei stood frozen.
Otome seized the opportunity to knock the knife away and pull her child tightly into her arms.
“Mother’s here… I’m sorry…”
Chaos erupted.
“What should we do?!”
“Heavenly Restriction… but he has the Rikugan?!”
“Enough.”
An old yet dignified voice rang out.
The First Elder had arrived.
The oldest and most authoritative elder in the clan, he had only just entered the delivery room because he had been dealing with another matter.
After hearing what had happened from the servants, he merely frowned and sighed.
Walking over to the Second Elder, he said:
“Brother, you’ve gone too far.”
“Stay out of this!
I’m only thinking about the best outcome for the clan.”
The First Elder gently patted Sei on the shoulder and spoke calmly:
“That’s enough.
Don’t torment yourself any further.
If you strike him now, you’ll have to carry this wound for the rest of your life.
Otome will never forgive you either.”
Sei let go of the knife, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.
At this moment, the First Elder—although he had already relinquished his position as clan head to Sei—remained the person with the greatest authority in the clan.
“I order you—raise and protect both children.”
“What?!”
“What does the Rikugan mean to our clan… Have you all forgotten?”
“But—”
“Was my command not clear enough?”
An enormous amount of Cursed Energy radiated outward, suppressing everyone in the room.
No one dared to speak again.
For the first time, the First Elder had displayed such anger in front of everyone.
The immense Cursed Energy he released suppressed all those who opposed him.
The overwhelming pressure once again made the two babies, who had just been soothed into silence, begin crying.
At this moment, everyone understood that if they said another word, they might not leave this room alive.
The Second Elder understood his older brother better than anyone.
Although he normally appeared gentle and benevolent, whenever he took action, he was decisive.
“Very well.
I will accept letting the child live.
However, to prevent him from holding his brother back, the two must absolutely not be allowed to grow up together.
The focus of our training will remain on the elder brother, who possesses the Rikugan and the inherited technique.”
The First Elder frowned, but ultimately had to accept.
“When they turn four, the younger child will live with me.
The elder brother will be given entirely to the clan for training.”
It seemed that the other factions had accepted these conditions.
No one had anything more to say.
They voluntarily left the room, and the oppressive atmosphere gradually dissipated.
Only then did the First Elder gently approach the two children, who had finally stopped crying.
His kind expression had returned.
“Thank you, Elder.”
Otome thanked him through her tears.
“It’s only what should be done.
Ah, by the way, have the two of you decided on names for the children yet?”
He looked at Otome, then toward Sei.
But at this moment, Otome no longer even looked at Sei, while Sei simply shook his head.
“I no longer deserve to be their father.
Therefore, I have no right to name them either.
First Elder, could you name the two children?”
“Me?”
The First Elder was surprised.
“Then, for the elder brother, who possesses the Six Eyes and powerful Cursed Energy… I shall call him Satoru.”
“Gojo Satoru.”
Otome looked affectionately at her eldest son as she repeated the name silently in her mind.
“As for the younger brother, fate has pushed you onto a path filled with hardship and suffering.
But I believe that with those Six Eyes, you will be able to forge a path of your own.
I also hope that you will receive just as much love as your brother.”
“I shall call you Gojo Kaito.”
Gojo Kaito—Gojo Satoru.
Two twin brothers, identical in appearance, yet their lives had already been set upon two separate paths.
One was exceptional.
The other was weak.
That was the common judgment of the conservative factions within the Gojo clan that day.
But the First Elder still hoped that both of them would live happily, complement one another, support one another, and together lead the clan to greater heights.
Otome’s eyes grew moist.
She understood how difficult her youngest son’s fate would be.
In this world of jujutsu, one’s innate talent had practically already determined the shape of one’s future.
Yet the First Elder still placed his faith in the boy.
“That is enough.
Otome, get some rest.
Your body is still weak.”
“And the two of you should talk to each other properly.”
The First Elder left, taking one last look at the two children.
…
“Phew… thank goodness.”
“He almost died…”
A voice echoed through the room—but it belonged to no one present.
No one could hear it.
No one could sense it.
It was the Soul King.
But not his true body.
His true body was still imprisoned within the Soul King Palace—a “pillar” sustaining the world.
Not this world.
He had no freedom.
A great existence, yet one destined to bear a tragedy.
And in the not-so-distant future, he would be destroyed by his own son.
What was present here… was merely a fragment of his soul.
A tiny fragment, but enough to “observe.”
That fragment of his soul had traveled across countless worlds.
It had witnessed the birth, prosperity, and destruction of thousands of civilizations.
Until…
It found this world.
“A power system… interesting.”
“Cursed Energy… born from the negative emotions of human beings.”
He silently observed.
Compared with the countless worlds he had visited, this place was not the strongest.
But it was one of the most tragic.
Humans generated power from negative emotions, from their own suffering.
Then they were devoured by that very power.
Creating new suffering.
A cycle… without end.
“…How cruel.”
He whispered softly.
Then a thought occurred to him.
“What if… it could be changed?”
Of course, in his current state, he could not directly interfere with this cycle of causality.
A fragment of his soul… was far too weak.
But he could “plant a seed.”
His gaze came to rest on the newborn child.
Its existence was almost like another incarnation of himself.
Gojo Kaito.
“A body… completely devoid of Cursed Energy.
Rejected by this world.”
He remained silent for several seconds.
Then…
He chuckled softly.
“No.”
“That is precisely why… he is the perfect choice.”
He could not create Cursed Energy.
He could not reproduce the power system of this world.
Therefore, he chose to take a detour.
As for the boy’s origins, he chose the Gojo clan.
Not because they were perfect.
But because compared with the other options… they were “less rotten.”
And the boy’s twin brother, Gojo Satoru, would also become one of the pillars of this world in the future.
He wanted Kaito to be able to influence Satoru.
A power that did not come from Cursed Energy?
Then—
Heavenly Restriction.
Complete severance from the system.
But that alone was not enough.
His gaze shifted slightly.
“The Rikugan…”
“The thing capable of ‘understanding’ this world.”
A paradox was created.
Someone who did not belong to the system.
Yet possessed the ability to see through it.
But power alone was not enough.
What determined everything… was knowledge.
In his world, there were three names.
Three individuals who stood at the pinnacle of intellect, each in a completely different way.
Aizen Sousuke.
Urahara Kisuke.
Oetsu Nimaiya.
“But… a child cannot carry everything at once.”
“And I… do not want him to become a copy of anyone.”
Therefore, he would not transmit it directly.
He would not force it upon him.
“Just let him… ‘happen to understand.'”
The knowledge was fragmented.
It would sleep.
And wait.
Next came Reiatsu.
Reiatsu was an extremely abundant force in his world, but it had never been properly utilized in this world.
Even so, he believed that Reiatsu could exist here.
He transferred all of the remaining Reiatsu within himself into the child.
There was no explosion.
No overwhelming pressure.
It simply… dissolved.
It even spread slightly into the world.
Like a seed.
Perhaps, one day, Reiatsu could begin producing itself alongside Cursed Energy.
Finally, he stopped.
“Not power…”
“Just… something resembling a ‘sense.'”
A kind of instinct.
Something that could not be named.
It would not make the child stronger.
But it might help him choose the right path.
Save those who needed saving.
Stop those who needed to be stopped.
“…That is enough.”
The fragment of his soul began to disintegrate.
“I cannot save this world.”
“But perhaps…”
His gaze turned toward Kaito—his other incarnation—for one final time.
“You can.”
“Try it.”
The fragment of his soul vanished without leaving a trace.
Only a sleeping child remained.
And a future…
that had already begun to deviate from its destined path.