“Still as delicious as ever, Kaito!”
“Not bad at all.”
“Mmm, mmm!”
Three members of the Zenin family were casually stuffing their faces right in the Gojo Clan’s Great Elder’s estate.
Kaito and the old patriarch had finished eating quite some time ago.
When these three “bulldozers” showed up carrying bags upon bags of ingredients, Kaito had been forced to reluctantly roll up his sleeves and head back into the kitchen.
“Burp… That was amazing!”
Tobu leaned back in her chair with complete satisfaction, showing not even the slightest bit of the etiquette expected from a proper young lady.
“Hey, hey, where did all your manners go?”
Kaito shot her a sidelong glance while continuing to clear the dishes.
“Well, that’s because little Kaito is such a good cook!”
“And you’re so small and adorable too!”
As she spoke, Tobu reached out with both hands and began squishing Kaito’s cheeks.
Although they were the same age, Kaito’s modest height of 1.33 meters made him look more like a little brother standing beside the 1.65-meter-tall Tobu.
After all, she was a girl.
Who didn’t like cute and tiny things?
The only exception here was Naoya—the one who was actually younger than everyone else.
But when it came to cuteness, he didn’t stand a chance against Kaito.
“Okay, that’s enough.
Let go of me.”
Kaito pried her hands away before turning toward Toji with a serious expression.
“So after releasing the seal, Katen Kyōkotsu healed all of your injuries by itself, right?”
“Yeah.”
Toji nodded.
“This recovery mechanism is completely different from Reverse Cursed Technique.”
“It’s definitely worth investigating further.”
Toji began recounting the battle at the Zenin estate, but Kaito simply listened in silence, showing no surprise whatsoever.
“You’re frighteningly calm, Kaito.”
Toji remarked.
“I can sense every Soul-Cutting Blade I’ve forged, so I already had a rough idea of what was happening.”
“You’re not afraid?”
“I just killed nearly a hundred people today.”
“He’s my friend.”
Kaito continued washing the dishes, his tone completely casual.
“I can understand what you did.”
A warm sensation spread through Toji’s chest.
The man was about to get up and help Kaito with the dishes when Kaito immediately waved him off.
“No, no.
Go outside and play.”
“And you too, Tobu!
The Great Elder still hasn’t gotten over the fact that the two of you broke his precious dishes.”
The two siblings, along with Naoya, were promptly kicked out into the courtyard.
For all their terrifying strength, they were apparently completely “useless” when it came to household chores.
After everything had been cleaned up, all four of them gathered in Kaito’s new forge, which had now been relocated beside a magnificent waterfall.
“So according to you, you have to be able to perceive spiritual energy before you can forge these swords?”
“That’s right.
I’ll temporarily call it Spiritual Power.”
As Kaito explained, he began forging another sword as a demonstration.
“This is fundamentally different from Cursed Energy.
Before awakening it, even my Six Eyes couldn’t perceive it.”
When the blade blank inside the furnace turned bright red, Kaito infused his own Spiritual Power into it, guiding the soul residing within the steel.
Ignoring the scorching heat, he reached into the furnace with his bare hand and pulled out the sword.
At that very moment, something extraordinary happened.
The enormous waterfall suddenly ran completely dry in the span of a single breath.
Every drop of water had been absorbed by the sword.
Ten seconds later, water finally came rushing down from upstream again.
Naoya, standing nearby, stared in astonishment.
“Looks like this one succeeded too.”
Kaito examined the finished blade before handing it to Tobu.
“As promised, this sword is yours.”
Tobu took it with trembling hands.
A strange sensation traveled from the hilt into her palm, completely different from any weapon she had ever touched.
“What is its name?
What kind of power does it have?”
Naoya excitedly bombarded Kaito with questions.
“That…”
“Only Tobu’s sword can answer.”
Toji stroked Katen Kyōkotsu, understanding Kaito’s words perfectly.
“I’ve managed to summarize a few things.”
Kaito continued.
“When they’re first forged, they’re nameless blades known as Asauchi.
At this stage, they’re basically just slightly sharper Cursed Tools.”
“When they achieve absolute compatibility with their owner, they develop a conscious soul.”
“And when their power is released, I call that state Shikai.”
“Water Release?”
“Did you come up with that name because of what happened with the waterfall?”
“Shikai abilities are unique to each individual.
They’re closely connected to their owner’s soul.”
Tobu eagerly examined the blade.
“So how long does it take before you can hear their voices?”
“It depends on the person.”
“It took me a year.”
“Toji took less than a day.”
Kaito shrugged.
Toji immediately looked smug.
“So I’m better than you, huh?”
Kaito pretended to cough, awkwardly trying to erase the atmosphere.
“We’ve only got two examples so far, so there isn’t enough data to draw any definite conclusions.”
“But I can say one thing with certainty.”
“The Soul-Cutting Blades will reveal themselves when their owner needs them the most.”
Tobu fell silent in amazement.
Her surprise at the weapon itself was one thing.
But her admiration for Kaito was ten times greater.
He hadn’t merely forged these weapons.
He had already managed to formulate such a comprehensive and profound theoretical framework behind them.
The jujutsu world might praise her or Satoru as geniuses.
But looking at Kaito now, Tobu couldn’t help wondering:
Who was the real genius here?
“Can I have one too?”
Naoya’s timid voice interrupted everyone’s thoughts.
The boy raised his hand hopefully.
Kaito remained silent for a moment, thinking.
Tobu mistakenly thought he was annoyed and quickly scolded Naoya.
“You’re still lazy, and you already dare dream about getting one?”
“Ouch!”
Naoya rubbed his head after his cousin smacked him.
“It’s not impossible.”
Kaito finally spoke, looking thoughtful.
“But before that, Naoya, could you help your big brother with something?”
“What is it?
I’ll do anything!”
“It’s not difficult.”
“When you get home, tell Clan Head Naobito to arrange a meeting with me.”
“Or I can go meet him myself.”
“Oh, that’s easy!”
Naoya’s eyes lit up.
“Once I do it, you’ll forge a sword for me, right?”
Unlike Naoya’s excitement, Tobu and Toji both looked at Kaito suspiciously.
“Why do you want to meet that old man?”
“Hmm.”
“I want to hear his opinion about distributing Soul-Cutting Blades to the Zenin Clan.”
“What?!”
They exclaimed in unison.
“Are you serious?”
“Giving swords to the two of us is already pushing the limits.
Isn’t the Gojo family going to say anything?”
“Basically, I’ve already separated myself from the Gojo main family.
I don’t owe them anything.”
“If they want my weapons, they’ll pay the full price like any other VIP customer.”
“Absolute exclusivity can sometimes be the seed of destruction.”
Kaito continued.
“If I only forge swords for the Gojo Clan, I’ll become a target for every other faction.”
“But if I sell them to everyone…”
“I turn enemies into customers, and customers into dependents.”
He stood up.
“Every Asauchi I forge will have the same quality—a form of absolute fairness.”
“They’re nameless blades, but each contains unlimited potential.”
“A Soul-Cutting Blade isn’t an ordinary Cursed Tool.”
“It can’t be disassembled.”
“It can’t be copied.”
“It’s a symbiotic entity that lives and dies alongside its owner’s soul.”
“And what does that mean?”
“There is no secondary market.”
“Once you’ve bonded with one, it’s yours forever—or until you die.”
Kaito smirked.
“Out of a hundred people who receive an Asauchi, perhaps only one will hear the voice of their sword and achieve Shikai.”
“But that tiny probability is exactly what will drive the great clans insane.”
“They’ll pour money into buying thousands of blades, all in the hope of getting a masterpiece like Katen Kyōkotsu.”
“Let the factions fight among themselves.”
“I’m just a skilled craftsman.”
He paused for a moment.
“I’m creating a dependent ecosystem.”
“Distributing the blades to the Zenin Clan is the first step toward creating a thirst for power.”
“When a Zenin clan member awakens Shikai, the Gojo Clan won’t be able to sit still.”
“They’ll buy more.”
“They’ll invest more.”
“They won’t dare risk falling behind.”
Kaito turned toward the forge smoldering behind him, where countless steel souls waited for his call.
“And once everyone understands the value of the Soul-Cutting Blades—and realizes that I’m the only person capable of making them…”
“I’ll have a position that no one can easily target.”
Tobu felt a chill run down her spine.
No…
This wasn’t just about selling weapons anymore.
Kaito was gradually restructuring the entire jujutsu world.
And when everything was complete, the only person standing at the top and reaping the benefits would be him.
But—
“What if everyone figures it out?”
Tobu spoke, her voice growing serious.
“Once they realize that they’re all being manipulated by someone from behind the scenes, the clans could put aside their differences.”
“They could form an alliance.”
She stared directly at Kaito.
“And when that happens, you’ll become the common enemy of the entire jujutsu world.”
Kaito chuckled softly, as though she’d just mentioned something trivial.
“By then…”
He shrugged.
“I’ll already have a way out.”
“Moving to Hawaii wouldn’t be so bad.”
His almost joking response only made Tobu more uneasy.
Unlike her, Toji didn’t seem particularly concerned about such distant possibilities.
The moment he heard about money and opportunities, his eyes had already lit up.
Kaito turned his attention toward him.
“So, Toji…”
“Now that you’ve left the Zenin Clan, what are you planning to do?”
“Me?”
Toji scratched his head and shrugged.
“Haven’t thought about it.”
“Probably find some kind of job.”
“Not sure if there’s anywhere willing to hire a guy who’s only good at killing people.”
“Working for someone else would just be wasting your own assets.”
Kaito’s voice was calm but firm.
“I’m planning to open a Yorozuya—a jack-of-all-trades shop.”
“And I want you to lead the execution team.”
“Yorozuya?”
Toji raised an eyebrow.
“Sounds… pretty harmless.”
“Don’t let the name fool you.”
Kaito smiled faintly.
“We’ll accept all kinds of requests.”
“From finding lost pets for ordinary people…”
“To dealing with things that the major clans can’t conveniently handle themselves.”
“You can bring Kuina there to live too.”
“Her dojo had to be sold to pay off its debts, right?”
Toji froze.
He even knows about that?
He quickly ran the idea through his head.
It wasn’t a bad idea.
In fact, it was almost perfect.
For the first time in his life, he might actually be able to give his wife and child a real home.
“Alright.”
“I agree!”
The two men clasped hands firmly.
The first employee under the command of the “young boss” Kaito had officially been hired.
Tobu pouted.
“Hey!
What about me?”
“You just keep doing what you’re doing for now.”
“You’re about to receive your Special Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer certification, aren’t you?”
“I don’t want the factions paying attention to you too early.”
Tobu’s expression fell.
But Toji quickly reached over and gently patted her head.
“You can still come visit me whenever you want.”
Her mood improved a little.