Zenin Naoya was intimidated by the warning in that gaze.
But unlike that encounter in their childhood, the current Zenin Naoya would no longer be rendered motionless by a mere glance.
An innate worship and madness for the strong surged through his brain; under the pressure of absolute strength, even his very bones trembled slightly.
The corners of his mouth twitched neurotically, but before he could react, the man flipped onto the rooftop and vanished from sight in an instant, as if he had never existed.
He was ignored.
A sense of inexplicable humiliation welled up in his heart. Zenin Naoya suppressed his mounting rage, finally remembering Kobe Suzuo.
That stiff man wearing old-fashioned black-rimmed glasses and a suit had already crossed the barrier and entered the premises of the rear hall.
This meant that Kobe Suzuo had received an invitation from the higher-ups, or was a member of the higher-ups himself.
Zenin Naoya's eyes narrowed slightly as the citrine cuff on Fushiguro Toji's sleeve flashed through his mind.
If he wasn't mistaken, the double-petaled bellflower pattern carved on the cuff was the Kobe Family crest.
That weak family, which was filled with the stench of money from the inside out, thought they could ride the wind to sudden prosperity just because a Jujutsu Director emerged from them two years ago.
If they didn't look at how this Jujutsu Director position was obtained, they wouldn't even be anything without the backing of the Three Great Families.
I have no idea how Toji got involved with this person.
Zenin Naoya cursed, regarding today's encounter as a disgrace, secretly vowed that he would one day reclaim his honor.
The Zenin Clan members who had come to the front courtyard to pick him up finally arrived in a hurry; seeing Zenin Naoya in such a disheveled state, they were panicked and rushed toward him one after another.
Zenin Naoya picked a random unlucky soul and gave him a kick to vent his frustration.
The youth, whose cheeks still carried a hint of baby fat, made no attempt to hide his malice, his mood visibly foul.
The clansman, unable to fathom his Young Master's thoughts, kept his eyes lowered, fearing he might provoke this little ancestor's wrath.
Let's go.
Zenin Naoya raised his hand, three servants simultaneously changed him into a clean haori. "I have already met Satoru Gojo; there is no need to stay any longer."
The servants bowed their heads, exposing their vulnerable necks in a sign of obedience.
The clansmen responded in unison, "Yes, Young Master Zhuzhu."
The air seemed to freeze. The bizarre name was pronounced clearly, one could understand its meaning just by hearing the pronunciation.
Cold sweat poured down their backs. They wanted to speak up and defend themselves, but the name "Zenin Naoya" squeezed out of their throats as "Saunai Zhuzhu."
What did you just call me?" Zenin Naoya's cursed energy began to solidify around him. "My name is—
Zenin Naoya paused, that foolish title on the tip of his tongue, nearly spoken by himself.
In a flash of lightning, he remembered the thought that had crossed his mind just as he was about to strike Kobe Suzuo—if I don't teach you a lesson, I won't be called Zenin Naoya.
The cursed energy on Yuki Tsukumo's body, which had been ignored because it was too weak, indeed clung to Zenin Naoya the moment he approached him.
Zenin Naoya—well, it should be Saunai Zhuzhu now—the Young Master of the Zenin Clan, who had always been accustomed to acting lawlessly, let out two extremely slow, "ha, ha" laughs.
As the terrifying laughter subsided, all expression vanished from his face, he said sinisterly:
No matter who you are, you're dead.
On the other side, Kobe Suzuo finally found Satoru Gojo in front of the dry landscape garden.
The white-haired God's Child sat on the engawa, his eyes gazing vacantly at the scenery in the courtyard, his fingers hooked around his glasses, swinging them up and down rhythmically.
He was there, like a pure white crane, also like a snow leopard licking its own fur.
Satoru Gojo did not stand up; when Kobe Suzuo entered this space, he patted the space beside him, gesturing for him to sit down as well.
Kobe Suzuo sat down as Satoru Gojo indicated, quietly watching the flowing water and mountains simulated by fine sand, gravel, scattered rocks.
After a long time, Satoru Gojo finally spoke, "Does Supervisor Kobe know why the higher-ups called me here?"
Kobe Suzuo played the role of the straight man and replied, "I don't know. Would Satoru-kun be willing to tell me?"
Satoru Gojo turned to look at Kobe Suzuo, his azure eyes appearing to have clouds drifting within them. "They want me and Suguru to take a junior high school girl to her death."
Kobe Suzuo's fingers on her knees twitched ever so slightly, the look of surprise on her face was perfectly timed. "My God, how can there be a mission like this!"
Satoru Gojo narrowed his eyes and echoed, "Right! Exactly! I have no idea what those old geezers are thinking!"
Star Plasma Vessel, evolution, the future of the Jujutsu World—all that nonsense.
The white-haired youth extended his fingers, counting them one by one. "Talking all this big talk.. in the end, it's just about sending that girl to her death!"
His words were incoherent, but Kobe Suzuo could understand them; Merlin was adding more intelligence to the smart glasses.
[In order to prevent Lord Tengen, who possesses the Immortal Technique, from losing control due to excessive "evolution," he must "assimilate" with a chosen young person every five hundred years to achieve the effect of renewing his physical body.]
Kobe Suzuo knew about this matter, he also knew that the information regarding the Star Plasma Vessel had "accidentally" leaked. To ensure that the "transformation" was completed smoothly, the higher-ups had issued an escort mission to Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.
Setting aside the very existence of that old thing Tengen, this "accidental leak" alone was already riddled with suspicion.
Kobe Suzuo had only been at Jujutsu High for a few months when this kind of low-level intelligence leak occurred within the higher-ups; it is truly difficult to guess whether there is a mole.
He instructed Merlin to seal off the information and lock down the Dark Web bounty list, while simultaneously helping Jujutsu High filter out this mission assigned to Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.
He would have to be insane to let two teenagers, barely sixteen or seventeen, carry out such a shady mission with such twisted values.
Kobe Suzuo's voice was very soft, "Then, what is Satoru-kun's opinion on this mission??"
Satoru Gojo rested his chin on one hand. "With Suguru's philosophy, he will definitely be dissatisfied with this mission. As for me.."
He turned his head toward Kobe Suzuo. "I don't want to work for the higher-ups at all."
The sky had already grown dark, Kobe Suzuo's face was somewhat blurred in the shadows.
Slowly, the man let out a cold laugh, declaring as if an emperor issuing an imperial decree, "The weather has turned cold; it's time for the old fogies in the Jujutsu Director's Department to be replaced."
Satoru Gojo truly couldn't hold it in, a "pfft" escaped his lips as he burst out laughing.
Chapter 8: That CEO
Kobe Suzuo was not joking; he had wanted to kick out the higher-ups for a long time.
In this magical world where supernatural concepts exist, humans, Cursed Spirits, Jujutsu Sorcerers restrain one another, maintaining an extremely fragile balance for thousands of years.
Ordinary humans cannot control Cursed Energy, the accumulation of negative emotions gives birth to Cursed Spirits; Cursed Spirits persecute humans according to their instincts; special humans who can control Cursed Energy, known as "Jujutsu Sorcerers," eliminate Cursed Spirits.
A small number of Jujutsu Sorcerers gain influence by banding together, establishing order against Cursed Spirits to prevent social unrest.
Before Kobe Suzuo took over as Jujutsu Director, he thought he had joined S. H. I. E. L. D. or the Guardians of the Galaxy—he had invested in film series and tokusatsu shows.
Jujutsu Sorcerers are essentially superpowered individuals hired by the authorities, protecting the normal lives of ordinary people in the shadows where they are not seen, fighting for the beauty and peace of the world.
As for the negative emotions of ordinary people..
With infrastructure completed, the people's standard of living improved, the happiness index rose, life became increasingly prosperous, so all kinds of negative emotions naturally subsided.
Kobe Suzuo was quite confident in himself; if he could become the wealthiest man, he could certainly become the Jujutsu Director.
However, on his first day of taking office, Kobe Suzuo understood.
The Jujutsu Director's Department is a total pile of shit.
I don't know what kind of high-quality incense their ancestors burned, but that mountain of shitty code has managed to run for thousands of years.
A bunch of old fossils—whether their brains have rotted with age or they're suffering from hypoxia from being buried alive—speak as if they are sleepwalking, every single word they utter.
They only "regain" a moment of clarity when someone starts touching their "cake."
As disgusting as the "old shareholders" that Kobe Suzuo once dealt with.
Stupid and greedy, cowardly and death-fearing, treating human lives as if they were nothing more than weeds.
To be honest, compared to low-level Cursed Spirits that just make your back ache, these human parasites are much more terrifying.
As the highest governing and decision-making body in the Jujutsu World, the Jujutsu Director's Department is primarily led by the Gojo, Zenin, Kammo Clans, with major decisions being determined through consultation among the high-level elders.
The position of Director of the Department primarily served as a role for external affairs. The original candidate had unexpectedly passed away due to clan struggles, which was why the position fell to someone like Kobe Suzuo, a "nobody from a minor family" who was good for nothing but wealth.
Kobe Suzuo knew very well that this was a position specifically arranged by the world's consciousness out of concern for his personal safety.
But the hideous, condescending faces of those old zombies in the elders' circle were enough to make anyone feel nauseous.
Those people completely disregarded Kobe Suzuo, believing that this young man in his early twenties had only become a Jujutsu Director through sheer luck, sometimes they didn't even bother to maintain even a facade of respect.
They did not treat the Director's Department Head as their superior, but instead treated him like a beast of burden.
Since the day she was born, when had Kobe Suzuo ever suffered such an injustice!
During his first month as the Jujutsu Director, Special Grade mission documents and death penalty files were mixed in with accident reports, piling up on Kobe Suzuo's desk without any prior notice or consultation.
Heh, death sentences—death sentences without even a single court ruling or public notice.
Where did these feudal remnants come from?
Kobe Suzuo read through the paper documents that the former Director had been unable to handle, which had been piled up in a corner until they were moldy, reached a conclusion she had been aware of for a long time.
The Jujutsu World is already finished.
Kobe Suzuo had no hero complex and had no interest in saving that piece of shit known as the Jujutsu World.
But as a CEO, he first needs a company, then he needs people to work for him within that company.
So it is still necessary to save humanity.
As long as humans live, Cursed Spirits will exist; to ensure the safety of the labor force, Jujutsu Sorcerers must also work for them.
As for those foolish high-ranking officials.. Let HR evaluate them. Those with ability can keep working, while those without should retire immediately.
Kobe Suzuo quickly formulated a two-year plan in her mind.
First of all, the Kobe Family of this world could only be considered a third-rate conglomerate; to ensure sufficient funding, he would first have to pull them into the Three Great Families.
Secondly, his understanding of the Jujutsu World remained limited, so he used his position to poach several ambitious individuals from the Jujutsu Director's Department to expand his information network.
Finally, there was that Fated Person, whose whereabouts remained unknown.
Kobe Suzuo was quite melancholy.
Whether the Fated Person, who grew up in a world like this, can even align their values with Kobe Suzuo's is a question in itself.
The cliché romance favored by the World's Will wouldn't be a script of love-hate, would it?