Chapter 4 — Technique Activation
April 11, 2014 — Zenin Family Estate, Kyoto
Today marked exactly eleven years since Zenin Kyūjō had arrived in this world. It was also his eleventh birthday.
Since infancy, he had been training his body using Breathing Techniques. And now, even though he hadn't entered puberty yet, his height had already reached 165 centimeters—towering over both of his older sisters, Maki and Mai, by a full head.
But what shocked people the most wasn't his height—it was the sheer strength hidden within his young body.
His power had already begun to creep past the boundaries of normal human limits.
The peaceful days of old man Zenin Ogi... might be numbered.
— — —
"Kyūjō! Why are you still spacing out in the yard? Hurry up and blow the candles! I wanna eat cake!" Mai shouted from behind, hands on her hips as she marched toward him.
Kyūjō turned around and gave her a gentle nod, gazing at his older sister with quiet affection.
He ruffled her hair before heading back inside the house.
Even after all these years, despite being reminded countless times, Mai still couldn't get used to that look in his eyes. She stomped after him with hurried, pouty steps.
"Ughh! Kyūjō! Stop patting my head already! How many times do I have to tell you—I'm your big sister! Big sister! And can you stop looking at me with that face?!"
"Why do you act like that only with me?! You treat Maki-nee normally! I'm your big sister too, you know!"
Kyūjō ignored the complaints behind him.
He quietly made his way to the dining table, leaned down, and softly blew out the tiny candles atop his birthday cake.
As the lights dimmed, he made a silent vow in his heart:
"From now on… I'll be the one protecting all of them."
— — —
"So, Kyūjō, what wish did you make just now?" Mai asked, clinging to his arm with a cheerful grin.
Without answering, Kyūjō pulled out a small folded note from his pocket and scribbled four bold kanji characters on it:
Can't Tell You!
Mai puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "Aaaah! You're so annoying, Kyūjō!!"
"Okay, okay, you two cut it out already," Maki said with a calm and commanding tone. "Kyūjō, go ahead and cut the cake."
— — —
Watching her children, a wave of guilt quietly crept into Zenin Arisa's heart.
Giving birth to children with no innate jujutsu talent in a clan like this… it's my fault.
Her expression fell into shadow.
But before she could drown in self-blame, a sharp gasp from Mai snapped her back to reality.
"What?! Maki-nee, you're joining the Final Guard Combat Unit?!"
Mai's eyes went wide in disbelief.
Maki gave a firm nod and calmly explained.
"I know I have no talent in Cursed Energy. But that doesn't mean I can't be a Jujutsu Sorcerer or fight against curses. It's my dream. I hope you all can support me."
Despite her explanation, Mai looked even more worried.
"But… Maki-nee, even out of the three of us, your cursed energy level is the lowest. You can't even see curses. How are you supposed to fight them?"
Maki didn't respond with words. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of glasses, sliding them on.
"These are Cursed Glasses issued by the Final Guard. Even normal people can see curses with them."
"B-But still…" Mai looked increasingly anxious. Seeing her sister so prepared, so determined—it only made her more nervous.
Maki placed her hands gently on Mai's shoulders, her voice firm.
"Don't worry too much. The captain only approved me to join the training sessions. I won't be going on any actual missions to exorcise curses yet."
"And besides—stop underestimating your big sister! I'm strong, okay?" she said, clenching her fists and raising them like a little boxer in a mock battle pose.
Seeing that, their mother Arisa—who had been preparing to object—held her tongue.
If it's just training, then maybe it's okay…
She knew full well how stubborn her eldest daughter could be. There was no point in forbidding her outright.
But right at that moment—just as everyone was starting to settle down—Kyūjō, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly pulled out a note and wrote four words in large strokes:
I'm joining too.
The room went completely silent.
— — —
The Final Guard Combat Unit was one of the three direct-action squads under the Zenin Clan's command—and it ranked the lowest among them. That's why it was called the "Final Guard."
At the top was the Zio Unit, made up of semi-grade 1 sorcerers—eleven elite members, led by the current clan head's son, Zenin Naoya, age twenty-two.
The second unit was composed of sorcerers who had inherited Cursed Techniques but didn't meet the standard for the Zio Unit. They were mostly grade 2 and below, numbering around twenty, led by Zenin Jinichi, older brother of the "Heavenly Tyrant," Zenin Toji.
And at the very bottom—was the Final Guard.
Around forty members. All non-sorcerers with no innate cursed energy. Just normal humans who had undergone brutal training and mastered the use of low-grade cursed weapons.
They were typically sent on missions to eliminate low-level curses—and had one of the highest mortality rates in the entire clan.
— — —
So why did Kyūjō want to join a unit like that?
Simple. Two reasons.
First—to protect Maki.
And second—Kyūjō wanted to see firsthand what real Cursed Spirits looked like outside the clan walls. If possible, he wanted to witness a Special Grade Cursed Spirit with his own eyes.
Although the Zenin estate stored a variety of captured spirits, none of them were high-level. The strongest they had was barely Grade 2.
With his cursed technique fully awakened—and his Zanpakutō, Mugen, now manifested—Kyūjō could slice through those spirits in a single strike.
— — —
"No way!" Zenin Arisa exclaimed, standing protectively in front of her son—even though his height was already catching up to hers.
Sensing that Kyūjō might resist, she quickly softened her tone, trying to reason with him.
"Kyūjō, you're still too young. And the Final Guard… that's no place for you. You and Mai should focus on developing your cursed techniques. One day, you'll become proper Jujutsu Sorcerers…"
But before she could finish her sentence—
A flash of white light burst forth.
A long blade materialized in Kyūjō's hand.
Mai, who was closest to him, gasped in shock.
"Kyūjō… you already unlocked your technique's basic activation?!"
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Join my Patreon here:
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ Enjoy 115+ chapters ahead of WebNovel
✅ 2 new chapters every day (Monday–Saturday), exclusive on Patreon
✅ Be the first to experience Arc 7 and the new season before anyone else!
📖 The first chapter of Arc 7 is now live!
You can read it right now on Patreon~
🌙 Note: Sunday is a rest day, so there will be no updates tomorrow. Regular uploads resume as usual on Monday.
Let's keep this adventure alive, together chapter by chapter! 💖
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —