Ten Shadows in the Heian Era

Waking up with a voluptuous body draped over me is certainly an enjoyable experience.

Last night was fun, even if it wasn't quite as educational as I was expecting. Fortunately, she didn't actually have any diseases, which kind of made me feel like I was pushing expectations onto the world from future media again honestly.

Though, that just means that I need to find someone with syphilis or something to actually see if I can cure diseases or not.

Alas, as enjoyable as it may be, I have much more interesting things to do today.

Namely, attending Hogwarts!

With that thought spurring me on, I carefully disentangle myself from Yoshino and climb out of the futon, makings sure to tuck her back into the sheets afterwards so she doesn't wake up cold.

Stretching my arms over my head, I don't bother getting dressed yet as I slide one of the balcony doors open to bask in the early morning sun.

"Good morning, Amaterasu-Ōmikami," I mutter as her rays shine down on me.

I've always been an early riser, in this life at least, so I'm generally up with the sun. Then again, that's not really anything special in the current times.

The soft sound of a door sliding open breaks me from my reverie, and I turn around to see one of those servant girls, Kamuro, Yoshino taught me the word is, standing at the open side-door and staring at me in all my naked glory.

Well, this is awkward.

"Honoured Guest," the Kamuro greets after a moment, briefly glancing at Yoshino happily snoozing away. "I have prepared your bath."

Shrugging to myself, I follow after her into the other room. I'm not entirely comfortable being naked around a kid, but at the same time, if I'm going to explore the world and all its cultures, then I can't go around projecting my own values everywhere I go.

So long as a line isn't crossed, I'll just do my best to respect whatever culture I'm the guest of. I mean, slavery is a practice that every civilisation ever took part in, so even if it's not something that sits right with me, I'm not going to stink up a fuss or try to cause any civil rights movements.

At the end of the day, I'm not a saint. I'm just a selfish guy who wants to see the world, not save it.

So I allowed her to wash my back, but I made sure she knew I'd prefer to actually bathe alone.

But as enjoyable as a nice warm bath is, every second I spent soaking I could just feel my excitement growing and growing until I couldn't ignore it anymore.

With anticipation driving me, I quickly finish up with my bath and get dressed in a fresh set of my usual clothes, drape my scarf around my neck and slip on my T shaped geta sandals before exciting with all due politeness.

Just because I'm in a hurry doesn't mean I have to be rude after all.

Heading out into Edo once more, I am full of smiles as I walk through the streets, witnessing the daily lives of modern day city slickers, as it were.

According to the old man, the Jujutsu high school is hidden behind a barrier that was put in place by the founder, and headmaster, of the school.

Apparently, Jujutsu school is a recent addition, well, recent as in from the last few centuries. He said that some Sorcerer called Tengen decided to start a school around two or three centuries ago, and even though the big clans didn't want to, everyone kind of just went along with it, because apparently Tengen's Cursed Technique is just straight up immortality, and there wasn't really anything anyone could do to stop them.

I'm sure there were other considerations, such as the fact that proper education is just a good thing in general, but it's not like I know all the details.

All I know from the old man is that this Tengen guy is some barrier wizard who's made the school and surrounding grounds basically impossible to find for anyone who doesn't already know where it is.

Y'know, like me.

The solution that the old man came up with?

Go to the general area the school should be, and blast out Cursed Energy.

Basically, make a ruckus until someone comes to get me, then I can show them my letter and hopefully they won't be mad.

It doesn't seem like the greatest of plans to me, but hey, whatever works right?

So it is that, after briefly getting distracted for a couple of hours walking through the city, I find myself sitting on top of a hill a short walk away from Edo and out of sight.

Reaching into my shadow, I pull out a the small travel bag the old man gave me, and pull it open.

Inside is a few bundles of cloth and emergency rations wrapped up, because the old man is a worrywart like that, but I'm more interested in the folded up rectangle of paper sealed by a thread of string.

Taking the letter out of the bag, I place it by my side and go to close the bag again, only to pause when I see something else deeper in the bag.

Curious, I reach deeper into the bag until I feel two pieces of wood, and when I pull them out, I can't help the wry smile that graces my lips, even as I feel warmth in my chest.

It's a pair of small wooden talismans, about the size of both of my pinkie fingers side by side. Kanji covers most of the front side, with small imagery of the shining sun on each corner in red. The back side is entirely covered with a similar drawing of the red sun.

They're called ofuda, but since these are wood, kifuda would be more accurate. In simple terms, they're basically a prayer venerating a specific kami to be kept in shrines or carried around as good luck charms.

Reading the Kanji on them, I realise they're both dedicated to Amaterasu, which shouldn't really surprise me.

I don't really worship. I'm too prideful for it. I don't know why, and I can acknowledge that my pride is completely pointless and stupid, but we can't help the way we are.

The idea of treating someone as if they are just above me in all ways.. I just can't do it.

My head does not bow that low.

But I still respect the kami, they are more than deserving of that much.

That said, the old man would tease me that Amaterasu had a special place in my heart or some such along those lines, because she is the one I respect the most.

Not just because she is the ruler of The Great Kami in Heaven, but because she is the sun, and she is beautiful.

I love this world, and I want to see all the beauty it holds.

But no matter how beautiful a field, forest, mountain or valley. No matter how beautiful, everything is even more beautiful when graced by the rays of the sun.

A field of lush grass is a calming, enjoyable sight. But a field of grass, fresh from a previous night's rain, reflecting the light of the sun? Very little can compare to that.

So, it shouldn't be a surprised that the kifuda the old man snuck into my stuff would carry her blessing.

Placing the two sticks to the side for now, I close the bag back up and return it to my shadow before picking them back up again and giving them a considering look.

He probably only made them so small so I wouldn't notice them. Probably wanted it to be a nice surprise for me, which it is, so fair play.

Still, the size gives me an idea.

So with a smile on my face, I move the kifuda to one hand and cup one of my ears with the other.

Using the vague sense of location I get from my own shadow, I use one of my favourite tricks, and manipulate the shadow now covering my ear into a thin, sharp spike and drive it through my earlobe.

"Ow," I mutter without flinching before pulling the hand away.

Ignoring the small bit of blood dropping from my ear, I reach into my shadow and pull out a thin piece of shimenawa rope that I made years ago on a whim when I was thinking about fishing and got irrationally worried a Cursed Spirit would steal my catch.

Placing one of the kifuda down, I hold the other in front of me and place my hand over one end of it, once more using my shadow to make a small hole right at the end.

Moving the hand away, I grab the shimenawa and thread it through, then I bring it up to my ear, wipe the blood away and then guide the string through, cheating with shadow manipulation to make it easier.

After that, it's just a case of tying a knot and repeating the process with my other ear. A quick application of Positive Energy closes the wounds, and a quick wipe gets rid of any remaining blood, leaving me with two brand new accessories and a happy smile.

Unfortunately for me, I don't have a mirror in my shadow, nor a method I can think of to create a reflective surface, so I can't see how they look.

Wait a minute. 

Never mind, I've just had an idea.

Picking up my introduction letter, I fold my hands back into my sleeves and put it back in my shadow for now.

My Innate Technique, The Ten Shadows Technique, allows me to summon up to ten unique Shikigami and enter a ritual, wherein, should I kill the Shikigami in question in single combat, I will henceforth be able to summon it through my own shadow until it dies.

The main limitation of this technique, is the limited number of Shikigami I am capable of owning at one time. This is somewhat offset by the fact that they all have unique techniques of their own, and that Escape Rabbit exists.

Because of this, I got really picky about summoning Shikigami. I likened it to the Master Ball problem in Pokémon. You have a really powerful item, and it will help you in a given scenario, but you think to yourself, 'what if I need it even more later?' And you don't use it ever.

I was always hesitant to summon Shikigami, because I didn't know if I would just be stuck with whatever ten I got and that would be it.

However, since Tamamo killed one of my dogs and they merged, I now know that clearly isn't an issue.

With that in mind.

"Come forth," I solemnly intone as I make a matching shadow puppet with my hands, "Reflective Tortoise."

My shadow races out across the hill in front of me, and from it emerges a very large tortoise, about the size of a small house, and with a shell entirely constructed out of diamond, shining and glittering under the sun like the greatest gem I have ever seen.

The thing doesn't hesitate to try and kill me, its head snapping out of its shell far, far faster than anything its size has any right to, yet still not fast enough.

A short leap backwards avoids the snapping jaw, and a rising gesture in return is all that is needed as my shadow shoots forward and up, cutting through the stretched out neck with ease and decapitating the beast and causing it to dissolve back into my shadow.

That's the thing with my technique. The Shikigami summoned don't tend to think much. Lion's Pride was an exception, but all the others just attack me with single minded devotion.

It makes them pretty easy to kill, especially since this one isn't even an offensive Shikigami.

The Shikigami with more offensive techniques are harder to kill, which doesn't seem right at first thought, but it makes sense once you understand that the defensive ones attack just as harshly as the rest instead of playing to their strengths.

Looking at the thing, if it just turtled up then it probably would have been a pain in the ass to kill it.

As it was however, it exposed its weak point immediately.

Whatever, it hardly matters.

Remaking the same shadowgraphic, I summon it back. "Reflective Tortoise."

From my shadow it emerges, and I quickly make it turn its side to me so that I can use its shell as a mirror.

Is it needlessly excessive to summon a permanent Shikigami just use it as a mirror? Probably. But it's not like it's a weak Shikigami anyway, so I'm not losing anything.

The reason I haven't already filled out my roster isn't because I couldn't find useful Shikigami. I just couldn't decide on which ones to summon.

Looking at myself, I think the kifuda look pretty good. It adds some colour to my look, since my black hair and eyes and white scarf are pretty monochromatic. Some light red shading goes well.

"What do you think, Amaterasu-Ōmikami?" I ask, mostly rhetorically, and I'm sure it's my imagination, or some placebo effect that made it seem like the sun shined just a bit brighter for a moment.

Dismissing the tortoise, I bring my introduction letter out once again, this time intent on actually using it instead of just putting it back away again.

Now, how do I cause a ruckus big enough to be noticed by magic school, but without alerting the people of Edo?

By myself, my first idea would probably be to throw my Trickster Fox into the air and make an illusion of a firework or something, but the old man says that normal people can't sense Cursed Energy properly and that I'd be able to get enough attention by just pushing mine out.

I would have doubted him, just because that doesn't seem nearly as noticeable as an explosion or something similarly visually stand out, but he seemed pretty confident that they'd be able to sense my presence once I started projecting it.

I guess they're just really sensitive or something.

Mentally shrugging, I close my eyes and focus on the well of energy within my gut and how it spreads throughout my body.

My deer would shy away from my touch when I first started practicing with my Cursed Energy, so I worked to modify the flow of the Reinforcement Technique to be 'quiet' enough that it wouldn't bother them.

At this point, that flow is just second nature to me, so it takes a moment of concentration for me to be able to break it.

It honestly feels a little bit uncomfortable to do, which I find interesting.

Still, it's no true trouble.

My will reaches into my gut and grabs hold of my Cursed Energy. I don't know how sensitive they are, and I don't want them to miss me, so I just grab it all and push it to the surface, projecting it out of my body.

There we go. 

Now I just have to wait, I guess.

...I feel stupid just standing here.

Are they even going to notice?

///

Edo Metropolitan Curse Technical College

///

Inside of a well maintained and organised office, the soft sound of a brush on paper fills the room as yet another form is filled out.

Kamo no Yasunori, a teacher at Edo's Jujutsu school, lets out a sigh as he finishes his morning's work.

"If only this generation wasn't so interesting," he quietly complains to himself as he leans back into his chair and continues to mutter, "Such a waste of time."

Turning his gaze to the side, he takes in the view from the mountain they are situated on with a disinterested air, brushing some of his long black hair out of his face as he does.

In his mind, he thinks about the current generation of Jujutsu Sorcerers, and feels a smile grow as his good mood returns.

In terms of Jujutsu, Grade Four might as well not exist. They're barely better than the monkeys in his eyes. Weak Cursed Energy, weak Techniques, if they even have one.

It's pathetic. The only ones excused are students, but even then, any student that weak won't likely even reach Grade One, so what's the point?

Grade Three is the average, in other words, it's full of weaklings. Most students come in at either Grade Four or Three, and they at least might reach Grade One if they're a late bloomer or something.

Then there's Grade Two. Sorcerers at this level are okay, but still pretty weak. Honestly, to him there's not much of a difference, so it's hard to tell sometimes between those three grades.

However, if a student is assigned Grade Two upon entry, then they are generally considered geniuses that will almost certainly become Grade One in the future, so they are people to look out for.

There's also Semi-Grade Two, but the difference in power is so negligible he barely notices it. Similarly, there is a Semi-Grade One for those that are somewhere between the two ranks.

And finally, there is Grade One. The so called peak. This is the grade for the strongest Sorcerers, for the people who lead the world of Sorcery by setting an example of excellence.

These people are interesting, and per Jujutsu regulations, it's impossible for anyone to be assigned the grade upon entry. Though, there is Special Grade One, for people with the appropriate power but without the authority given.

Of course, then there is the Special Grade who don't fit into any category and are always, without exception, worth paying attention to.

He has been alive for a while now. Not as long as Tengen, but long enough to live through multiple generations of Sorcerers.

In the time since its founding nearly three hundred years ago, this school has had a total of twenty seven students assigned Grade Two upon entry, two for Semi-Grade One and only one Special Grade One.

That all changed recently.

Ever since the founding of Jujutsu, the balance of power has always been in the hands of the Curses. Jujutsu Sorcerers have always been outnumbered, that was just a simple fact of life.

And then, a child was born with eyes that could see six.

Sugawara no Michizane. A child blessed by the Heavens with mutated eyes that allowed him to reach a level of understanding of Cursed Energy that no one ever had, and one of the few people to have bested him in a long time.

With his birth, the balance shifted just enough for Curses to be behind.

For a while after that, things started to get better for the average monkey. Once Sugawara came into his power, he went on a campaign decimating Special Grade Cursed Spirits one after the other.

However, the good times did not last, and the balance shifted again.

The reason isn't certain, but to Yasunori, it always felt like an overcompensation.

Cursed Spirit after Cursed Spirit was born in the following years. Thousands upon thousands of them, many Grade One and multiple Special Grade.

The reason he calls it an overcompensation is because the balance shifted so dramatically in favour of the Curses that they are actually worse off now than before Sugawara was born, and he's still around today.

Not that he is in a very good position. People have started blaming him for the increase in Curses his birth caused. Yasunori gives it a year tops before his rank is stripped.

But there is always balance, and when the scales tipped too far in the Curses favour, another correction took place.

Two decades ago, the balance started shifting back to normalcy as genius after genius was born, chief among them being his own student, Abe no Seimei.

That's a big part of why the foolish higher ups now have the courage to act against Sugawara, because a new age of geniuses is here to replace him. 

However. Almost exactly fifteen years ago from today, there was another overcorrection.

The balance that had been slowly recovering back to normal was suddenly shattered.

If before Sugawara's birth, the balance was forty to sixty in favour of the Curses, then one could say that after his birth it shifted to fifty-five to forty-five, barely in favour of the Sorcerers.

Then it rapidly shifted to thirty-five to sixty-five in favour of the Curses. Such a needlessly large change is why he calls it an overcorrection.

Over the years, the balance was building back up to solid ground, maybe forty-three to fifty-seven, if he had to put a number on it.

But that day, fifteen years ago? Any illusion of restraint disappeared as the balance shifted to ninety-five to five against the Curses.

Such a thing was unheard of, but everyone knew what it meant. Someone had been born with enough potential to rival the entire world of Jujutsu singlehandedly.

Considering this is already the greatest era of Jujutsu Sorcery he has seen already, it meant one thing to Yasunori.

Things were getting interesting.

Naturally, he set out to find this miracle child, as did everyone else.

The only difference between him and the rest, is that he found them.

Living in isolation in a run down forest shrine, he found them.

A nameless boy with unruly short pink hair and more Cursed Energy than he ever thought possible to store inside a single being.

The shrine was a filthy place, full of monkeys who looked down on Sorcery, so the first thing he did after introducing himself to the boy, was help him slaughter those pathetic monkeys that would spit on such an unpolished gem.

After that, he took the unruly kid in and taught the little monster.

Not that he needed to do a lot of teaching. Just showing the kid a technique was generally enough for him to master it by himself quickly enough. The lessons were mostly language and life lessons, along with Barrier Techniques.

He even gave the kid a name.

Sukuna.

It seemed fitting, since the kid is more a Curse than a human.

The brat has already nearly killed half his classmates, and he's only been here for two weeks.

So now, he is here, working as a school teacher of all things. 

It's not something he ever thought he would waste his time with, educating others when he could be educating himself.

But he just couldn't resist such a bountiful crop.

Grade Two upon admission denotes a genius. The kind that shows up maybe once or twice in a generation. Semi-Grade One or Special Grade One however, that is a once in a century genius. That kind of potential is incredibly rare, and anyone born with it will almost certainly become the leader of the Jujutsu world until the day they die.

There are seventeen students through the three years at present, and not a single one of them entered the school weaker than Grade Two.

It's unheard of, but this era seems to be a true Golden Age of Jujutsu Sorcery, that much is clear to anyone with eyes.

Of those seventeen students, seven came in at Grade Two, with only the two first years having not yet promoted to Semi-Grade One.

Four students were admitted as Semi-Grade One, one of whom has promoted to Grade One, in part thanks to being the grandson of Sugawara, the Jujutsu Inspector General.

Already that would be enough to make this the most promising generation ever, but even still, of the remaining six students, five were admitted as Special Grade One Sorcerers, while Sukuna alone earned the classification of Special Grade thanks to his immense Cursed Energy.

The best part is that this is all just for the one school.

He was already teaching Abe no Seimei, so he brought that student with him when he came to teach here in Edo, but with the exception of Sukuna, the Onmyōji school in Heian-kyō has a similar pool of talents. 

Then there's the major clans with their own geniuses that they are teaching in house instead of sending to a school, as well as the odd commoner figuring things out themselves.

This era has enough geniuses to exceed the entire history of Jujutsu, and will likely continue to do so for thousands of years.

All because of the chain reaction caused by Sugawara's birth.

It's exciting.

There is already plenty of chaos, but he can see what the others, except for maybe Tengen, can't.

The chaos that has been growing throughout Japan?

It has only just begun.

The next few years are only going to get even more chaotic as all these geniuses come into their power. It's going to be so chaotic that he won't even be able to control it anymore.

He can't wait to see what happens.

Abruptly, he is shattered from his thoughts when an incredible weight of Cursed Energy pushes down on his shoulders, causing him to shoot straight in his seat.

Sukuna? He thinks to himself before immediately dismissing the idea. This doesn't feel like Sukuna at all. In fact, except for in volume, it feels almost like an exact opposite.

Did Sukuna encounter a strange technique? 

He considers the thought for a moment. Sukuna was sent out on an assignment yesterday and likely won't be back until tomorrow. It's not impossible that he was hit by some strange Innate Technique that inverted him or something similar.

No, that doesn't feel right.

This is someone else entirely.

A whole other person with Cursed Energy comparable to Sukuna.

It takes a second for him to realise how widely he's smiling.

"Haha, how exciting," he mutters as he gets up and walks to the window, looking out in the direction the Cursed Energy is coming from.

With his smile not fading, Yasunori reaches a hand up to his head and lightly trails a finger across a long horizontal scar.

Things are getting interesting.

///

Elsewhere, inside one of the grounds' many training fields, a pair of teenagers can be seen duking it out in fast paced hand to hand combat.

On one side is a handsome boy with hair like a white cloud and an androgynous face, while against him is a beautiful woman with long black hair and an eye-catching ring of iridescent light separating her pupil form her iris.

Unlike the boy, who is lightly perspiring, the girl seems perfectly fresh, not even breathing hard despite the fight having been going for a while already.

Stepping back from a punch, the boy throws one of his hands forward in a sweeping motion, and the earth in front of him is torn apart by an unseen force.

However, as if she could see into the future, the girl was already in motion to dodge before his attack even began, and before he can do anything about it, she sweeps his legs with a low kick and slams him into the ground with a hand on his throat.

"Looks like I win again, Gojo-kun~," the girl mocks, before jumping back right before another invisible wave of force passes through where she just was.

"Don't call me so closely, Kiyohara-san," Gojo says as he sits up, sounding like it is a line he has repeated many times before.

"Don't tell me what to do," Kiyohara haughtily responds. "Weaklings who can't even land a hit on me aren't allowed to complain."

"I am not a weakling," Gojo responds, glaring at her as he gets back to his feet and pats his clothes down. "But if I am so insufficient to you, then why did you invite me to train in the first place?" He asks, but she is already walking away.

"I just thought I might be able to gain something from sparring with you since you advanced further in your technique," she says over her shoulder before sighing theatrically. "Such a shame you couldn't live up to my expectations. If only you were more like your grandfather, then maybe you wouldn't be such a disappointment."

She doesn't look back, but she still smiles knowing exactly the kind of face Gojo would be making. He hates being compared to his grandfather. 

Living in the shadow of Sugawara no Michizane can't be an easy thing, she mockingly thinks to herself. How pathetic.

He was even born with a powerful Innate Technique. Limitless, she's pretty sure he said it was called.

It's just a shame he lacks the talent to properly use the technique.

"I truly hate boring men like you," she mutters to herself as she walks away, not caring what he does anymore now that he's disappointed her again.

However, right as she is about to leave the field, she almost stumbles and misses a step as her senses are overwhelmed by Cursed Energy.

Spinning on her heel with her heart abruptly hammering in her chest, Kiyohara no Nagiko and Sugawara no Gojo both stare into the distance, looking in the same direction.

Special Grade? Kiyohara thinks to herself, and immediately sets out to find her father to ask him what is going on, a smile of interest on her face.

///

Inside of a simple and orderly office in the centre of the school's grounds, a woman with long, blue-tinted straight silver hair that looks like it hasn't been cut in years, with even the front bangs reaching past her chin, sits at a desk with her eyes closed in meditation.

Not a sound is made, but her eyes flicker open, exposing two crimson orbs. Her head tilts to the side slightly, and she stares at a random spot on the wall, almost as if she is looking through it.

After a moment, she allows a shallow smile to briefly cross her lips at what she 'sees'.

"I knew it," she whispers with satisfaction before closing her eyes and seemingly returning to her meditation once more.

///

Kiyohara no Motosuke gives a nod of acknowledgement to the rest of the gathered staff once he arrives.

"You took too long," the gravelly old voice Mibu no Tadamine complains at him.

Motosuke only gives the shrivelled old man a brief disdainful glance before casting his eyes over the others.

Kamo no Yasunori stands out the most solely due to how little attention he is paying the rest of them, something that makes Motosuke inwardly scoff.

Taira no Kanemori and Sarumaru Dayū at least both wear severe enough expressions considering the sheer Cursed Energy that is still blanketing the area.

Including himself, that makes five of them, all standing at the peak of Grade One.

More than enough to deal with a hostile Special Grade.

"I am here now," Motosuke states. "Let's go."

Without even any acknowledgement, all five of them disappear from their spots in a blur of speed, reaching the edge of Tengen's barriers in moments and pushing through to the other side.

It barely even takes a minute for them to reach the source of the Cursed Energy, and that's with them conserving themselves in case of a battle to come.

When they reach the source however, instead of seeing a veteran Sorcerer, or a Cursed Spirit, what they come across is a boy. A child.

Mid-length straight black hair that reaches to his ears, eyes like coals and a small upwards tilt to his mouth even as he stares blankly off into space.

His clothes are better quality than a commoners, but nothing that seems noble born, except for that scarf which is clearly of a lower quality.

Physically, the only things that really stand out are the scarf, the talismans hanging from his ears and that his geta only have one tooth for some reason.

Their approach is noticed before they can call out, and the boy beats them to it, his Cursed Energy vanishing like the wind as he reigns it back in with an impressive amount of control.

"Hello!" He exclaims, taking a hand out of his sleeve to wave it at them. "Would you esteemed elders be from the school?"

"Of what concern is that to you, Boy?" Tadamine responds first, glaring at the child even as he hunches over his cane.

The child isn't fazed by the hostility in Tadamine's tone even slightly and returns the old man's glare with a sunny smile. 

"That is wonderful to hear," he says. "I was starting to feel silly standing here not knowing if anyone was coming."

"A mere display of Cursed Energy won't scare us away, Child," Dayū comments, his tone bored even as his eyes are alert.

"Huh?" The boy responds, his head tilted in confusion. "No, sorry, I just meant that I wasn't sure if you even knew I was here."

Those words take the wind out of their sails somewhat, and none of them would even considering believing what the boy is implying if not for the pure honesty practically exuding from him.

The idea that he somehow thinks that anyone wouldn't notice his presence is absurd, but he can't sense any lie in the boy's voice.

"Anyway," the boy speaks up again as he waves a folded letter with his other hand. "I have a letter for someone named Kiyohara no Motosuke. Would any of you be willing to assist me in getting into contact with this man?"

Four sets of eyes turn to him, and Motosuke coughs awkwardly, getting the attention of the boy.

"Kiyohara no Motosuke is me," he says, seeming to surprise the boy, "From whom are you delivering this message?"

"From my father," the boy happily answers as he walks up to Motosuke and holds his arm out.

"Who is your father?" Motosuke asks instead of accepting the message.

"Kinoshita," is the answer, and Motosuke does not recognise the name. "Though, he said you knew him by a different name. He refrained from telling me what that name was, however."

The grouching in his tone as he complains reminds Motosuke of his daughter, but he refrains from smiling until the situation is resolved.

Reaching to accept the letter, he sends some of his Cursed Energy forward under the boy's curious gaze, checking for traps or anything nefarious.

Finding nothing, he finally takes the letter in hand and turns away slightly for the sake of privacy before opening it.

I am writing to call in that favour.

We have had a son. Though she has not seen him, I know she would love him just as dearly as I.

Please take care of him. He is a kind and curious child, much like your own, except that he does not yet know how exceptional he is.

Yes. I am alive. Please do not tell my son who I am. I do not want his opinion of me to change because of the past.

Signed; an old friend.

Folding the letter back up and carefully avoiding any kind of facial expression, Motosuke flexes his Cursed Energy and the paper flares with fire for just a moment before burning to ash.

The message was very cautious, purposefully revealing little, but it is enough for him to understand.

Nearly two decades ago, a dear friend of his was sent into exile because he secretly married a woman above his station, and even worse, got her pregnant.

Unfortunately, the child was stillborn and the poor pregnancy resulted in Murasaki coming ill.

For his friend, he took her in and sheltered her for the next ten years. During that time, though her condition only worsened, his own daughter latched onto the woman as a teacher.

His daughter was beyond herself with grief when Murasaki eventually passed.

Now comes a boy supposedly adopted by his old friend.

Mentally sighing to himself, he knows he only really has one option here.

"The boy is here as a student," Motosuke stoically states. "Another Sorcerer noticed their potential and sent them our way to learn."

His peers all turn back to the boy who nods his head in agreement.

"What is your name?" Yasunori asks, eyes glittering with intrigue.

"This one bears the name Narauko," he answers with a bow that almost manages to be deferential. "It is an honour to make your acquaintance, esteemed elders."

"Well then, Narauko," Yasunori happily continues, stepping forward to pat the boy on the shoulder. "Welcome to Jujutsu High."

///

A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

Narauko finally reaches the school!

New characters get introduced!

I'm sure some of them might be recognised, but a lot are semi-OCs. I say semi because they are all based off of real historical people. Though, keep in mind that even though I am going for some historical accuracy, I reserve the right to mess with dates by about 100 years in either direction, for births and events mostly.

There are currently 5 chapters ahead on my Patreon, Kevin the Bored, with a sixth that I'm about halfway done with. I will probably keep at least five chapters in reserve for patreon until the fic come to an end, so if ya wanna read more or just support me, any help would be much appreciated :)