HRU: Chapter 146/147

Chapter 146: A Suitable Tengen Zanpakutō?

Sensing the shift in Yuki's emotions, a flicker of surprise appeared in Satoshi's eyes.

If he had previously believed Yuki was only interested in his Heavenly Restriction and Zanpakutō, now, after catching a glimpse of her true emotions, he could sense the deeper intentions behind her actions.

Thinking of this, Satoshi's tone softened.

"Miss Tsukumo, that's not what I meant. I've heard of the Star Plasma Vessel situation."

"If—just hypothetically—if you didn't have to assimilate with Lord Tengen in the future, would you still choose a boyfriend so quickly?"

Satoshi could feel how decisive and straightforward Yuki was, but he could also imagine what was forcing her hand.

The only thing that could drive a girl to be this resolute in love... must be a lifespan she has no control over.

So, if Yuki truly wanted to be his girlfriend, he hoped it wasn't a decision made under those circumstances.

Satoshi's words made Yuki's body tremble slightly. She couldn't understand what he meant.

As a Star Plasma Vessel, wouldn't she have to assimilate with Tengen? Tengen needed to fuse with a young girl every 500 years. That had always been the unchanging rule in the world of jujutsu. How could that possibly change for her?

Faced with her shocked gaze, Satoshi gave a bitter smile.

In truth, based on the original course of events, even if he didn't interfere, Yuki never ended up assimilating with Tengen. Otherwise, why would Riko appear later?

Whether it was because Yuki awakened something in herself and rejected the fusion, or the process failed for some other reason, Satoshi wasn't completely sure.

However, now that she had reached out to him and made her stance clear, Satoshi naturally wanted to bring her to his side.

Whether as a real girlfriend or a trusted comrade in the same camp.

Yuki was the best possible teammate.

A future top-class sorcerer, someone reliable, someone who could protect her companions and sacrifice herself when needed.

If Satoshi had the choice, he'd be more than satisfied with Yuki's performance. Besides, her presence had played a major role in influencing Geto Suguru's path in the original timeline, which eventually led to him and Satoru walking completely different roads.

But Satoshi didn't think that was Yuki's fault. Geto had already been shaken by that point.

Even without that talk with Yuki, Geto would've gone down the path he chose.

"Not assimilating with Lord Tengen? What does that even mean? If Lord Tengen doesn't undergo assimilation, he'll lose his human consciousness and ascend to a higher-dimensional state. That would have massive consequences for the entire world."

A flash of worry passed through Yuki's eyes, yet for some reason, she also felt an inexplicable trust in Satoshi.

The centuries-old tradition tied to Tengen didn't seem to mean anything to Satoshi.

"Miss Tsukumo, you came here with an invitation from Lord Tengen, right? I understand. Once I've recovered, I'll go with you to meet him. At that time, I want to examine his body. Maybe I can find a way to stabilize his condition without needing the Star Plasma Vessel."

Satoshi's voice was calm, but for Yuki, it was a huge shock.

She didn't doubt his words because she knew Satoshi had no reason to lie.

"A Zanpakutō?"

Yuki asked nervously.

Satoshi nodded. He did have a Zanpakutō in mind that might solve Tengen's issue, but he needed more time to analyze the details.

Hearing that it was really related to a Zanpakutō, Yuki finally relaxed.

Even though Satoshi was still young, when it came to forging Zanpakutō, he was the only authority.

If he said it was possible to solve Tengen's problem with a Zanpakutō, then there was hope.

As her emotions settled, the tense atmosphere in the room began to ease.

Satoshi looked at Yuki seriously.

"So, now that you know this, you should reconsider your future, Miss Tsukumo. We're still young. There's no need to rush into life-changing decisions."

Yuki lowered her head slightly, glancing at Satoshi who was resting his chin on his hand, and her heart stirred.

Despite the obvious age gap, Yuki was drawn to the contrast between Satoshi's mature mind and his young body.

For her, interest was the foundation of emotion.

Only when there was genuine interest could a real relationship form.

"I don't think there's anyone more suitable."

Yuki suddenly said.

As someone blessed with incredible luck and talent, after seeing Satoshi's true strength, her standards for a partner had risen sharply.

Even though he was just six years old, she felt he was worth waiting for.

Satoshi was stunned. He didn't expect himself to be this popular.

After all, the woman in front of him would grow to become one of the most beautiful and powerful in the jujutsu world. If she insisted on being with him, he really couldn't think of a reason to say no.

Seeing that Satoshi didn't reply, Yuki pressed forward.

"Since there's no one else more suitable, why not give it a try? If it doesn't work out, we can talk about it then."

"Well, that's all we can do for now. After I go to the Tombs of the Star and meet Lord Tengen, we can reevaluate our relationship."

Just like that, under public pressure and emotional momentum, Satoshi and Yuki unofficially became a couple.

Even though most of the jujutsu world felt the age gap was a bit much...

Once they considered Yuki's ties to the Tombs of the Star, and the political weight of the Tsukumo clan in Kyoto, the controversy faded just as quickly as it began.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 147: Tengen's Summons

One month later.

At the Yorozuya, Satoshi's body had mostly recovered, and Yuki had already returned to the Tombs of the Star to report everything to Tengen.

In another three days, Satoshi would personally head to the Tombs of the Star to meet Tengen.

During this time, in addition to healing, Satoshi also began learning Hohō from Satoru.

Satoru, who had mastered the Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue, could indeed be called the fastest sorcerer alive.

Although Satoshi couldn't use Limitless, with the aid of Six Eyes, he analyzed the core of Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue and successfully adapted it into a movement technique for himself.

After a month of focused training, Satoshi's Hohō improved dramatically, and his combat flexibility also reached new heights.

Even when sparring with Toji, Satoshi's use of Hohō made it difficult for him to keep up.

Satoshi didn't overthink his relationship with Yuki. This visit to the Tombs of the Star had two goals: resolving Tengen's Star Plasma Vessel problem and preparing to claim both Tengen and Yuki as experience leeks.

Gaining experience from an immortal sorcerer like Tengen and a future Special Grade like Yuki… Satoshi could already imagine the rewards waiting for him.

He had a rough idea of how to forge a Zanpakutō for Tengen, but when it came to forging one for Yuki, nothing had clicked yet.

Creating a Zanpakutō for Tengen could drastically alter the future.

If Tengen no longer needed to assimilate with a Star Plasma Vessel, then Satoru and Suguru would never be assigned to protect Amanai Riko. That in turn meant Geto Suguru wouldn't spiral into despair over her death.

Of course, with Geto's extreme ideology, he might still eventually follow the path of purging humanity, but at the very least, it could be postponed for a few years.

Maybe by then, Satoshi could find a way to eliminate curses completely...

He looked at Toji and Satoru resting nearby and shook his head.

In the end, I'm the one carrying everything alone.

The reason they can coexist peacefully now is all thanks to me.

...

Meanwhile, the news that Satoshi had been summoned by the Tombs of the Star shocked the jujutsu world.

People were already stunned when they learned that Satoshi's girlfriend was a Star Plasma Vessel, but now, Tengen had personally summoned Satoshi. That was almost unthinkable.

After all, in the past hundred years, no one aside from the Star Plasma Vessel had been allowed into the Tombs of the Star.

Was Satoshi about to become the first outsider to step into the Tombs in over a century?

---

Yagyū Clan.

Yagyū Yusuke looked incredibly fortunate.

"Good thing we built a good relationship with Satoshi early on. Being summoned by Lord Tengen himself… His Zanpakutō must have been acknowledged."

Yagyū Saemon and Yagyū Hidetsugu nodded repeatedly beside him.

They had already recognized Satoshi, so anything related to him was viewed from a positive light.

"Saemon, has your Nejibana reached the level of Bankai yet? As the only Zanpakutō outside of the Big Three Sorcerer Families, you need to give it your all. Don't bring shame to Lord Satoshi."

Yusuke was grateful that he had handed over "Tsuki no Sho" to Satoshi under Hidetsugu's urging. In return, they'd received the Zanpakutō Nejibana.

If he had hesitated back then, the Yagyū clan would have missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime.

Faced with his clan head's expectations, Saemon's expression turned serious.

Compared to Yusuke, he felt even more pressure. He wanted to attain Bankai badly, to stand beside Satoshi's strength. But the path to Bankai was incredibly difficult.

Even after a full month, he hadn't made any real progress.

Seeing the look on his face, Yusuke could already guess the result.

The only small comfort was that not even Satoru's Senbonzakura or Toji's Katen Kyōkotsu had achieved Bankai yet.

Currently, the only one who had achieved Bankai was Satoshi. As the forger of Zanpakutō, it made sense that he was ahead of everyone else.

"We need to stay focused. That said, the Association wants you to take on another exorcism mission. Do you want me to help you turn it down?"

Though Hidetsugu couldn't help with Bankai, he could clear some obstacles for Saemon.

After thinking for a moment, Saemon shook his head.

"No need. Lord Satoshi achieved Bankai with Sode no Shirayuki during a real battle. Maybe those missions will help me grasp the essence of Bankai."

"Sitting at home won't make a breakthrough. Might as well go and complete the Association's missions."

He gently ran his fingers over the blade of Nejibana, eyes full of longing.

But no matter how much desire he poured into it, Nejibana gave no response.

Clearly, the road to Bankai was still far off.

On the other hand, many smaller sorcerer families had begun reallocating the resources they had prepared. Satoshi being summoned by Tengen meant he was worth serious investment.

These minor clans had previously been rejected by the Gojo clan. They understood clearly—if the offer wasn't good enough, they wouldn't even be able to meet Satoshi, let alone receive a Zanpakutō.

As for the Zenin clan, which had ongoing friction with the Gojo family, they were filled with resentment.

In their view, Satoshi was only being summoned to the Tombs of the Star because of his Star Plasma Vessel girlfriend.

Even as the Six Eyes prodigy of the Gojo clan, he had no right to covet the Star Plasma Vessel.

That vessel was the key to Tengen's future assimilation. For someone like Satoshi to be involved with Yuki was nothing short of blasphemy.

To them, there was no way Tengen would let Satoshi off.

This summoning was clearly meant to punish him.

Speculation around what would happen to Satoshi at the Tombs of the Star ran rampant.

No one could guess what kind of news he would bring back from that meeting...

(To be continued.)