HRU: Chapter 102/104

Chapter 103: Spiranthes

In the world of Jujutsu, there seem to be no secrets.

The news that the three elites of the Yagyū family visited the Gojo clan early in the morning and personally delivered their ancestral tome, Tsuki no Sho, spread like wildfire, shaking the entire Jujutsu world.

For the Yagyū family, this act was no less shocking than the Gojo clan handing out unlimited Limitless techniques, the Zenin clan giving away the Ten Shadows Technique, or the Kamo clan offering their Blood Manipulation to an outsider.

Even if others couldn't use it, simply offering such a closely guarded secret was enough to make waves, showcasing the Yagyū family's boldness.

Was a Zanpakutō truly worth such a steep price for them?

After all, Tsuki no Sho and their mastery of kenjutsu formed the foundation of the Yagyū family's power.

If the Zanpakutō forged by Gojo Satoshi failed to meet their expectations, then the Yagyū family would be sacrificing their very foundation.

Even their current standing might be at risk.


---

Zenin Clan

The Zenin clan was deeply moved upon hearing the news.

The Yagyū family was willing to part with their most treasured secret in exchange for a single Zanpakutō.

But if they sought to collaborate with Gojo Satoshi, they would inevitably have to operate under his conditions, missing out on other potential opportunities.

The rest of the Jujutsu world might not fully understand, but the Zenin clan knew just how terrifying the Zanpakutō truly was.

Forget the sheer variety of abilities, just Sode no Shirayuki alone, with its seven techniques, could easily wipe out a smaller Jujutsu clan.

And then there was Katen Kyōkotsu, currently wielded by Toji, a blade perfectly suited for the Ten Shadows Technique.

The Yagyū family was undoubtedly braver than the Zenin clan.

The elders of the Zenin sighed.

They might never get another opportunity to work with Gojo Satoshi again…


---

Kamo Clan

The Kamo clan, on the other hand, was displeased with the Yagyū family's decision.

To them, it felt like the Yagyū were artificially inflating the value of Gojo Satoshi's Zanpakutō.

How could a mere Cursed Tool be worthy of Tsuki no Sho?

In the end, wasn't a Zanpakutō just a weapon for Jujutsu Sorcerers?

Meanwhile, Tsuki no Sho represented the accumulated wisdom of generations, wasn't it far more valuable?

This move by the Yagyū family would only serve to further inflate Gojo Satoshi's already considerable ego.


---

As word spread, other smaller Jujutsu families began weighing their options.

Was it truly worth it to exchange their most prized family tome for a Zanpakutō?

The Yagyū family's gamble had now become the subject of intense scrutiny.

Everyone was waiting to see what would happen after they received their Zanpakutō.


---

Gojo Clan's Forge

"You're so slow, Satoru. It was just a quick trip to the Treasury, but it took you an hour?"

As Satoshi waited for Satoru, he had already read through Tsuki no Sho twice out of sheer boredom.

By the time he was about to start his third read-through, Satoru finally arrived.

With an awkward smile, Satoru set down a spear-shaped Cursed Tool beside the forge.

After retrieving the Cursed Tool, he had made another request to the clan head, hoping to acquire an even higher-quality fire-based Cursed Tool.

Through some pleading, he had managed to secure the clan head's agreement to search for one.

But he wasn't going to tell Satoshi just yet, he wanted it to be a surprise.

"Something came up, Satoshi. Is this the one?"

Satoshi casually placed Tsuki no Sho aside, stepped up to the forge, and reignited the furnace.

A deep rumble echoed throughout the Gojo estate, signaling to all that Satoshi had begun forging once again.

This time, however, no one dared to hold their breath in anticipation.

After all, his back-to-back failures the previous night had left many worried about his health.

Only Gojo Kumaen remained calm.

In his eyes, Satoshi would undoubtedly succeed this time.

Satoshi had never been one to make empty promises.

Since he had assured the Yagyū family, this Zanpakutō would be completed without fail.

Besides, just moments ago in the clan head's chambers, he had learned the real reason behind Satoshi's failure the night before.

"A higher-quality fire-type Cursed Tool?"

Kumaen muttered to himself, excitement flickering in his eyes.

If this deal satisfied the Yagyū family, then he might be able to procure the rare materials Satoshi needed through further negotiations.

Such materials were incredibly rare, but Kumaen had seen them before in his youth.

Now, it was all up to Satoshi.

If Satoru was right, if Satoshi truly intended to forge an exceptionally powerful Zanpakutō for himself, then this deal would likely proceed smoothly.

As soon as the forge was relit, Gojo Shunichi and Gojo Takuya rushed to the scene.

They were both eager to see what kind of Cursed Tool Satoshi would create next.

"You don't need to be so tense, this one isn't difficult to forge."

"Oh, Uncle Shunichi, Tsuki no Sho is right there. Take a look for yourself, there's a lot in it that could benefit you."

Satoshi spoke casually before fully immersing himself in his work.

He had already decided on the Zanpakutō he would forge.

Now, all that remained was to summon the Sword Spirit, channel its power, and melt the water-based Cursed Tool into the blade embryo.

After an hour of focused effort, the forge's flames dimmed, the sound of hammering ceased, and Satoshi finally set down his tools.

A crisp notification echoed in his mind.

[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! Successfully forged the Zanpakutō – Nejibana. ]

In the display room, another Zanpakutō took its place among the others.

[ Zanpakutō: Sode no Shirayuki (Possessor: Gojo Satoshi) (Borrower: None) ]
[ Zanpakutō: Suzumushi (Possessor: Gojo Satoshi) (Borrower: Gojo Shunichi) ]
[ Zanpakutō: Senbonzakura (Possessor: Gojo Satoshi) (Borrower: Gojo Satoru) ]
[ Zanpakutō: Nejibana (Possessor: Gojo Satoshi) (Borrower: None) ]

Satoshi lightly waved Nejibana in his hand.

Beside him, Sode no Shirayuki trembled slightly, as if reacting to the presence of the new blade.

Even in this world, these two Zanpakutō seemed to share an unresolved history.

Satoshi set Nejibana down and gently comforted Sode no Shirayuki.

These two blades must still carry echoes of their past—of the battle between Kuchiki Rukia and Shiba Kaien.

Master and student. Vice-captain and subordinate. The murderer and the slain.

The entanglement between Nejibana and Sode no Shirayuki was undeniably complicated.

However, in this world, they had no reason to fight anymore.

Here, they could coexist.


---

"What's this one called?"

Satoru looked at the blade with curiosity.

"The forging process went unusually smoothly this time," he noted.

It only confirmed what he already suspected, yesterday's failure wasn't due to Satoshi's skills, but simply because the materials had been lacking.

"What's this Zanpakutō called?" Satoru asked.

"Nejibana."

Satoshi smiled.

"I think it's a perfect fit for the Yagyū's Shinkage-ryu…"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 104: Trident

The next day, the three masters of the Yagyū family once again arrived at the Gojo estate in person to claim the Zanpakutō, Nejibana.

The Jujutsu world only knew that Gojo Satoru had forged another Zanpakutō.

However, no one knew what abilities this blade possessed or just how powerful it truly was.

Three days later, the Jujutsu Organization released an official announcement:

Yagyū Saemon of the Yagyū family successfully eliminated three Grade 1 Cursed Spirits and was officially promoted to a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer.

The entire Jujutsu world was shaken.

The Yagyū family now had two Grade 1 Sorcerers?!

And more shockingly, Yagyū Saemon had not even been a Jujutsu Sorcerer before this…

What was happening?!

Everyone quickly realized that the key to this development lay in the Zanpakutō that Yagyū Saemon had recently acquired.

After his promotion to Grade 1, Yagyū Saemon returned to express his gratitude, accompanied by Yagyū Hidetsugu.

Once again, they were welcomed into the Gojo clan's grand dojo.

And once again, it was Kumaen who hosted them.

However, unlike before, both sides were noticeably more relaxed this time.

"Congratulations, Master Saemon, on your successful promotion to Grade 1!"

"I must thank Lord Kumaen once again for being the bridge that made this possible."

The relationship between the two clans had grown increasingly harmonious, their interests now more aligned than ever.

However, despite the friendly atmosphere, both Yagyū Saemon and Yagyū Hidetsugu couldn't shake a certain unease.

When Yagyū Hidetsugu had accompanied Shunichi to his promotion assessment, Kumaen had seemed to make things deliberately difficult for Satoshi.

And yet now, as the representative of the Gojo clan, Kumaen looked completely unbothered.

Throughout the entire negotiation process, he had remained unnervingly composed.

Yagyū Hidetsugu and Yagyū Saemon exchanged a glance.

The inner workings of great clans were truly intricate…

But in the end, such matters had nothing to do with them.

As long as the Yagyū family continued to prosper, that was all that mattered.

After all, this time, the Yagyū family had been the clear winners of this transaction.

Even now, Saemon still found it difficult to believe the transformation he had undergone after unlocking Nejibana's Shikai…

If not for Nejibana, he never would have been able to defeat those three Grade 1 Cursed Spirits.

Satoshi and Satoru arrived late.

Yet, no one in the room dared to show any displeasure.

Both brothers were dressed in simple sportswear, having just returned from a training session at the Zenin estate.

After these past few days of intense practice, Satoshi could feel himself on the verge of breaking a limit.

He only needed the right opportunity to unlock Hohō.

However, he wasn't in a rush.

For now, he was more interested in observing how well the Yagyū family was utilizing Nejibana.

Through Nejibana's perspective, he had already witnessed Yagyū Saemon's strength firsthand.

At this point, Saemon was on par with Shunichi.

It was a rare opportunity to see two true kendo masters clash.

Satoshi made a casual suggestion:

"How about a match?"

Saemon and Shunichi met each other's gaze, and in that instant, sparks flew.

Saemon had not forgotten his previous defeat.

Now that he wielded a Zanpakutō on par with Shunichi's, he had every intention of settling the score.

Likewise, Shunichi refused to admit defeat.

That last match had caught him off guard.

If Satoshi hadn't forged Suzumushi for him that day, he would have been utterly humiliated!

This time, he would make sure Saemon understood what it meant to be one of the Four True Masters of Kendo.

Kumaen, watching from the sidelines, was full of doubt.

He kept glancing at Satoshi, completely unable to figure out his true intentions.

Of course, Kumaen didn't have the System.

He had no idea that Satoshi was merely using this match to push both sword wielders to their limits, hoping it would trigger a Bankai awakening.

At the same time, he would passively gain experience points.

A perfect win-win.

And since the duel wouldn't just be a kendo match, but a full-fledged battle between Zanpakutō users, the two fighters moved the battlefield to the Gojo estate's training grounds.

Had they stayed in the dojo, activating their Shikai would have reduced the entire structure to rubble.

"Satoshi, who do you think will win?"

Satoru nudged his brother, whispering with amusement.

"Uncle Shunichi," Satoshi answered without hesitation.

"Uncle Shunichi was already a Jujutsu Sorcerer before, so he's naturally more experienced with techniques."

Moreover, from Satoshi's perspective, Nejibana didn't hold any obvious advantages over Suzumushi.

In a real battle, it all depended on how the two wielders performed.

"I disagree," Satoru smirked. "Wanna bet?"

"If Shunichi wins, I owe you a favor. If not, you owe me one."

Satoshi glanced at his brother and saw that Satoru was clearly scheming something.

But he didn't overthink it and simply nodded.

It was a 50-50 matchup anyway.

Meanwhile, as the two chatted, Saemon and Shunichi had already exchanged multiple strikes.

The strength of their Zanpakutō allowed them to fight without holding back.

Hidetsugu and Kumaen observed in silence, knowing they were witnessing two of the strongest warriors from their respective clans.

Although the outcome wouldn't impact the standings of Yagyū Shinkage-ryu or Gojo Kyokushin-ryu, both sides still hoped for their champion to prevail.

While they watched with bated breath, Satoshi simply sat back, enjoying the show.

Meanwhile, system notifications kept ringing in his mind—

[During the battle of the sword borrowers, corresponding experience is being converted. Swordsmanship experience +1.]

[During the battle of the sword borrowers, corresponding experience is being converted. Swordsmanship experience +1.]

[During the battle of the sword borrowers, corresponding experience is being converted. Swordsmanship experience +1.]

No matter how small, every bit of experience mattered.

At this rate, he would gain at least one or two hundred points of kendo experience from this fight alone.

As the battle progressed, both warriors began to crave more than just a kendo match.

They locked eyes in mutual understanding.

Then, in perfect sync, they leaped backward and raised their Zanpakutō.

Their voices rang out:

"Cry, Suzumushi!"

"Rankle the seas and heavens, Nejibana!"

Two powerful forces erupted from their blades.

Both swords began to transform.

Suzumushi retained its general form.

But Nejibana.

It was no longer a katana.

Kumaen and Hidetsugu were a little surprised.

This was the first time either of them had seen Nejibana's Shikai.

They had never expected it to take such a form.

Saemon was no longer a swordsman.

He now wielded a trident.

(To be continued.)