HRU: Chapter 194/195

Chapter 194: Choose the Tombs of the Star?
"The Tombs of the Star?!"

Satoshi raised his eyebrows slightly as his thoughts stirred.

Why didn't I think of that before?

But, as Yuki said, what about my own safety?

Satoshi believed that the Tombs of the Star was the most likely place to allow the system to fully recharge. However, Yuki's concerns weren't without merit.

Is it really safe for me to sleep there?

In that kind of situation, I'd be completely defenseless. If someone wanted to do something to me, I wouldn't be able to resist at all.

Although Tengen plays more of a background role in the original story, Satoshi didn't dare underestimate her in the slightest.

After all, she possesses immortality and has the longest lifespan in the entire world of jujutsu.

Even though she looks like a soft and gentle girl now, she's not someone Satoshi can afford to take lightly.

Just like he was very curious about Tengen, Satoshi was sure that she was equally curious about him.

If there were an opportunity to study each other, neither of them would give it up so easily.

Does that mean I should ask Toji to stay by my side and protect me?

Satoshi quickly dismissed the idea. Toji was an independent individual with his own ideals. Even though they were close, he couldn't tie Toji down and force him to stay at the Tombs of the Star forever.

Not to mention, considering Toji's age, he still had a future of his own to live.

In the next few years, he was supposed to meet and fall in love.

If Toji had to stick around to protect me and ended up never meeting her, or if he were to die because of me, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

On top of that, I don't even know how long it'll take for the system to repair itself.

A day or two would be ideal. A month or two would be tolerable.

But half a year? A year? Two years?

That's entirely possible.

The system even reminded me to choose a proper place to sleep.

I have a bad feeling that if I don't choose the right place, that place might become my grave.

...

Still, no matter what, I have to at least go take a look at the Tombs of the Star.

It's the best option available. Otherwise, if Tengen decides to move the Tombs again, I may never find it.

And if that happens, I'll just be sitting around waiting to die.

"Yuki, let's go check out the Tombs of the Star."

"As for Lord Tengen…"

"If that place meets my conditions for slumber, I'll try to have a proper talk with her."

Now that he'd made his decision, there was no point hesitating any longer.

Under Satoshi's command, Minazuki turned and flew toward the Tombs of the Star. It was the last place Satoshi could choose…

In the world of jujutsu, news of Minazuki "invading" the Zenin clan's estate last night had already spread. Although it was still early morning, many small clans had begun speculating that the Gojo clan might be preparing to go to war with the Zenin clan.

...

Gojo Clan.

Kumaen frowned as he stared at the intelligence report handed to him by Genichi.

Is the Gojo clan really going to start a war with the Zenin clan? Kumaen didn't mind if that was the case. After all, the two clans had been mortal enemies for generations.

There was even a recorded incident where a wielder of the Six Eyes from the Gojo clan and a Ten Shadows user from the Zenin clan perished together.

If the opportunity arose, Kumaen wouldn't mind wiping out the Zenin clan entirely from the world of jujutsu.

However, he didn't think this news was reliable.

If Satoshi truly intended to start a war with the Zenin clan, he wouldn't have bypassed the clan representative entirely.

Even though I'm only serving as Satoshi's proxy, based on my understanding of him, he would never take action without a reason.

Not that Satoshi is a kind person or anything, but there's no benefit in clashing with the Zenin clan right now.

The current best strategy is to gradually compress their living space through various means.

With Satoshi's Zanpakutō in hand, the Gojo clan now controls the most critical resource in the entire world of jujutsu.

With Toji's departure from the Zenin clan and his growing reputation, the Zenin clan's influence is plummeting.

Engaging in direct warfare now would only be counterproductive.

Now is not the time to push them into a corner.

"What are Satoshi and Satoru doing right now? Have they returned?"

After they disappeared from the skies above the Zenin estate last night, the two of them had vanished without a trace, leaving Kumaen even more puzzled.

Genichi shook his head with an awkward smile. Ever since the founding of the Yorozuya, Satoshi had spent less and less time at home. The same was now true for Satoru. Even the Gojo clan had no real grasp of the whereabouts of these two bearers of the Six Eyes.

Not to mention, both of them still had massive bounties on the black market.

If we weren't completely unable to stop them, Genichi wouldn't have let them leave so freely. The outside world was simply too dangerous.

Who knows when they might run into another sorcerer with a Domain Expansion?

And who's to say that next time, Satoshi will find another way to escape?

Kumaen knew what his grandson was thinking and sighed. He felt the same way.

But the Gojo clan's current strength wasn't enough to protect Satoshi and Satoru.

Instead of confining them within the clan, it was better to let them live freely outside. At least that way, they could gain protection from Toji. And if they ever faced a real threat, they wouldn't need to worry about dragging innocent clan members into it…

"Forget it, let it be."

Kumaen waved his hand dismissively, motioning for Genichi to withdraw.

But just as Genichi turned to leave, a Gojo clan intelligence officer appeared in front of them.

"Lord Kumaen, we've received new intel on Young Master Satoshi."

Kumaen's narrowed eyes snapped open. He looked straight at the officer and said, "What is Satoshi doing? Speak."

"Twenty minutes ago, Young Master Satoshi returned to Tokyo with members of the Yorozuya," the officer reported. "He has now entered the Tombs of the Star with the manta-type Shikigami."

"The Tombs of the Star?"

Kumaen and Genichi muttered the name together, confusion flickering in their eyes.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 195: Final Arrangement
Didn't Satoshi just leave the Tombs of the Star a few days ago?

Did Lord Tengen invite him back again?

Or was this something Satoshi decided on his own?

A few days ago, Kumaen would have believed it was the former. But after what happened at the Zenin estate yesterday, he now leaned toward the latter.

From any perspective, it seemed like Satoshi was looking for something.

And now that it couldn't be found outside, had he gone to the Tombs of the Star to search for it?

Thinking about last night, Kumaen felt a lingering unease. Something was about to happen within the Gojo clan.

...

Under the watchful eyes of many, Satoshi entered the Tombs of the Star again after only a few days.

As expected, the Tombs of the Star meets the system's requirements.

Satoshi exhaled in relief upon seeing the system prompt.

I didn't expect this system to have such high upgrade requirements. If the Tombs of the Star had already vanished, I might have had to endure this entire upgrade process out in the open.

Now that the location was suitable, the next step was to convince Tengen and resolve her instability.

Inside the Tombs of the Star.

After hearing Satoshi's request, Tengen gave him a playful look, then turned and left. Satoshi followed behind her silently.

He knew they were about to have a private conversation.

His safety during his slumber would depend on the outcome of this talk.

Half an hour later.

Satoshi walked out, his expression conflicted.

"How did it go? Did Lord Tengen agree?"

As a Star Plasma Vessel, Yuki naturally knew how difficult Lord Tengen could be. Seeing Satoshi's expression made her heart tense.

In response to her concern, Satoshi curled the corners of his mouth and gave her a reassuring nod.

"It's fine. Lord Tengen agreed."

Everything had gone smoothly. Tengen didn't ask for much, only that he agree to fulfill a single request after he woke up.

It seemed like a simple condition, but Satoshi couldn't shake a feeling of unease.

"Really? Then why do you look so unhappy?"

Yuki narrowed her eyes and stared at him, trying to read his face.

"It's nothing. It just all went… a little too smoothly."

Satoshi didn't tell anyone the specifics of his agreement with Tengen.

There was no binding vow, only a verbal promise. Whether he kept it or not would depend on his own character.

If he chose to ignore it, the agreement would be meaningless.

"Let's go. We need to prepare the follow-up matters."

Now that the sleeping location was secured, Satoshi could finally relax.

Next came all the arrangements he needed to handle before entering hibernation.

...

Gojo Clan.

Kumaen stared at the twin Six Eyes users before him, stunned. He had been feeling uneasy since early morning and hadn't expected Satoshi to bring such news.

"Satoshi, why are you going to sleep? Are you feeling unwell? If you're sick, you need proper treatment."

Kumaen's eyes were full of worry. In his view, this wasn't normal behavior.

How could someone foresee in advance that they were about to enter a deep sleep?

Satoshi didn't respond, but Satoru stepped in first.

"Satoshi has his reasons! He's never been someone who could be judged by common sense."

"Besides, Lord Tengen has agreed. Satoshi will be sleeping in the Tombs of the Star during this time."

Satoru's words made Kumaen pause.

Now he understood why Satoshi had gone to see Lord Tengen today.

They had gone through all that just for this, which showed how important it was.

More importantly, Lord Tengen had agreed.

As the being with the broadest foresight in the world of jujutsu, Tengen surely had her own reasons.

Even as the Gojo family representative, he was just an ordinary sorcerer in front of her…

"Satoshi, how long will you be asleep?"

Now that the decision had been made, Kumaen was more concerned about how this would affect the clan.

The Gojo clan's current reputation was closely tied to Satoshi's forged Zanpakutō.

Anything that bore his name was guaranteed to be high-quality.

That had become the defining mark of a Gojo Satoshi Zanpakutō. Many small clans were striving to obtain one and working hard to curry favor with the Gojo family. If he were to sleep for too long, it would definitely have a major impact.

...

Satoshi went silent for a moment.

"I'm not sure how long I'll be asleep."

He couldn't give an exact answer. He didn't know what functions the system was repairing or what new ones it would unlock.

Hearing this, Kumaen's expression darkened.

But there was nothing he could do. Satoshi wasn't someone who could be forced.

"That's all we can do. While you're asleep, I'll do everything I can to keep this news under wraps."

"Satoru, you too. Be cautious and don't let anything leak."

"The longer we can delay the news of Satoshi's slumber, the better it will be for the Gojo clan."

Having accepted the situation, Kumaen immediately began making contingency plans in his mind.

He categorized Satoshi's potential sleep duration into short, medium, and long-term stages.

If it was only half a year, then suppressing the news would ensure the Gojo clan's situation remained unchanged.

If it stretched to one or two years, the clan would need to release a statement saying Satoshi was training in seclusion to handle any interference from other families.

But if it went beyond two years, things would get complicated. After all, who would believe someone had been asleep for over two years?

"Uncle Kumaen, I have some final arrangements for you."

Satoshi spoke before entering his long slumber.

"First, have the Gojo clan fully mobilize to collect Ryomen Sukuna's fingers."

"Second, find Itadori Kaori. Search the entire country. I don't care if you succeed or not, but I don't want her settling down anywhere."

"Third, increase our control over the Jujutsu Association's leadership. If necessary, start replacing them with our own people."

In the future, Satoru would be cut in half by Sukuna.

Satoshi didn't know if things would still unfold that way. He had already strengthened Satoru's Senbonzakura. The only other option was to weaken Sukuna.

If Sukuna wasn't as powerful, Satoru wouldn't end up like that.

As for Itadori Kaori—the host of Kenjaku—Satoshi intended to eliminate the vessel entirely.

He could only hope that his actions would have a strong enough butterfly effect to alter the future.

After all, once he was asleep, the world would no longer be in his hands.

The third instruction was something Satoshi had thought of along the way. Since the higher-ups were corrupt in the future, it was better to replace them now with his own people.

That way, the world of jujutsu might become easier to control down the line.

With that, Satoshi had completed all the preparations for his sleep.

I hope you dream well.

And I hope you wake up soon.

(To be continued.)