Heavenly Restriction User of the Gojo Clan: I Refuse to Be Cut in Half

"My dear brother, it has been far too long!"

Zenin Jinichi spread his arms wide, preparing to give Toji a huge hug. Unfortunately, Toji pressed one hand against Jinichi's chest, holding his massive frame a full meter away.

"If you get too enthusiastic, I won't be able to deal with it."

Toji shook his head with a sigh. No matter how he felt about Jinichi, he was still his brother, and he could not ignore him entirely.

In the nine years since he had left, his brother had suffered defeat after defeat in the political struggles of the Zenin clan. Forget becoming clan head, even the little influence Jinichi once held had been stripped away.

Later, perhaps only because of Toji's own existence, Jinichi was given the position of elder, but it was purely symbolic.

What use did a Grade 1 sorcerer have for such hollow authority within the Zenin clan?

Even if Jinichi somehow became head, could he change the deep-rooted traditions of the clan?

Toji felt it was impossible. The sickness in this family ran too deep.

There could be no rebuilding without destruction. Unless the traditions of the Zenin clan were shattered from within, the family would continue down its same corrupt path.

Seeing Toji's distant expression, Jinichi could only shrug helplessly.

Toji was valued highly by the clan, and Jinichi knew how much weight his brother carried. So, when Toji announced his return, Jinichi immediately arranged to personally welcome him.

But Jinichi truly wanted to know why his brother, who had severed ties with the clan for so long, had chosen to return now.

The answer would reveal itself soon enough. Toji was not one to hide his intentions.

"Toji, the clan head is already waiting for you."

Together, the two brothers stepped into the estate.

"How has the clan head's health been?"

Toji was not without tact, offering a polite question.

"All is well. There's an heir. Shinsuke is doing fine, and Ogi is helping father with duties in the General Directorate. What health problems could there be? He drinks every day and lives comfortably."

There was a trace of bitterness in Jinichi's tone, but it did not stop him from leading his brother into the reception hall.

"Toji-nii!"

A male voice called out, urgent and filled with excitement.

Toji turned, frowning as he saw a blond-haired young man at the end of the corridor, panting as he looked at him.

The face was familiar, but he could not immediately recall where from.

"Who are you?"

The way the youth called him Toji-nii meant they were of the same generation.

"What? Brother Toji doesn't remember me? I'm Naoya. Zenin Naoya."

The young man pointed at himself with a bitter expression. He had been thrilled when he heard that Toji had returned, but Toji's lack of recognition cut him deeply.

Toji raised his brows slightly as memory clicked into place.

"Naoya? You had black hair. Why is it blond now?"

He stared at the golden hair, puzzled.

"Ah, I dyed it recently. How does it look?"

Naoya looked proud. It was the most fashionable color at the moment, and he was eager for Toji's approval.

But it was obvious Toji disliked it.

"I suggest you dye it back. Black suits you better."

Without stopping, Toji brushed past Naoya and entered the reception room.

Huh? Toji-nii really hates gold that much?

Jinichi chuckled wickedly. "See? I told you he wouldn't like it, but you wouldn't believe me."

Naoya shook his head, then caught sight of two small heads peeking from the bushes. He shouted irritably,

"What are you brats looking at?"

"Run, Mai!"

Two little girls dashed out of the garden, but Jinichi recognized them immediately.

The twin daughters of Zenin Ogi. Considered ill-omened, unloved by their uncle, abandoned by their grandmother, and neglected by their own father. In the entire clan, perhaps only their mother treated them with sincerity.

Even Jinichi himself cared little for them. Maki and Mai had long been deemed disappointments.

The elder sister, Zenin Maki, bore a Heavenly Restriction but possessed meager Cursed Energy. The younger sister, Zenin Mai, had more Cursed Energy but not enough to be exceptional.

Compared to Naoya, Shinsuke, or himself, neither looked like the future of the clan.

When Maki was born, the clan briefly hoped she might become another Heavenly Tyrant, like Toji. But her strength never measured up.

Unlike Toji or Satoshi, who had no Cursed Energy at all, Maki possessed just enough to prevent her from inheriting true Heavenly Restriction.

Eventually, the clan abandoned hope for the twins.

The consensus became clear. There would never be another Toji in the Zenin clan.

Now, all eyes were fixed on who would inherit the Ten Shadows Technique. Only such a person could stand against the Gojo clan.

The Three Great Families were the Three Great Families only because of their ancestral techniques.

"Enough. Don't run around. Something important is happening in the clan today."

Jinichi sighed, halting Naoya's scolding.

"We know! Brother Toji has come home, and we just wanted to see him."

Maki held her sister's hand tightly, her eyes full of determination.

She knew her family saw her as a failure, but she refused to give up. She and Mai had hidden here just to glimpse the clan's true Heavenly Tyrant, their cousin Toji.

And now, she had seen him.

"I will become someone like Brother Toji one day!"

(To be continued.)

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