"Father, were you looking for me?"
Yomi arrived at the study of her father, Isayama Naraku.
"Yes, Yomi."
Naraku smiled and nodded at his proud daughter.
"How have things been with Noriyuki recently?"
"Oh, that… it's been alright."
At the mention of Noriyuki, Yomi's face flushed slightly.
The marriage between Noriyuki and Yomi was a political one.
Although Yomi had stated she would prioritize the greater good when Naraku first proposed the marriage alliance, in truth, she had been uncomfortable with it.
Noriyuki felt the same.
Even in ancient feudal times, people who were dissatisfied with political marriages often acted out. Let alone in the present day.
So, both Noriyuki and Yomi were strongly opposed to the marriage.
They even came to blows over it.
However, with the clumsy help of Kagura, they eventually let go of their resistance and began to truly get to know one another.
In time, they fell in love.
After all, both Noriyuki and Yomi were kind-hearted people.
"That's good."
Naraku smiled warmly.
With his life experience, he easily noticed the subtle embarrassment in his daughter's expression.
After all, Yomi was not related to the Isayama Family by blood, so passing on the title of Family Head to her was not easy.
He had Yomi take care of Kagura, the next Head of the Tsuchimiya Family, so that Kagura would have the support of both the current and future Tsuchimiya Family Heads.
He entrusted Yomi with the Family's legacy cursed tool, allowing her to exorcise powerful Cursed Spirits and build up her achievements.
Shishiou not only represented Naraku's stance but was also a form of protection for Yomi.
With the Grade 1 shikigami Ranguren, as long as there were no unforeseen circumstances, Yomi's life would be secure.
Finally, he arranged her marriage with the Izuna Family.
Although the Izuna Family was not strong in direct combat, their intelligence-gathering capabilities were excellent. With their support, many hidden attacks against Yomi could be intercepted.
Naraku himself had earned his position through strength. He believed that his daughter, who was more outstanding than he had been, would have no fear of open attacks. With Noriyuki defending against the hidden threats, Yomi would be able to firmly secure her position as the next Head of the Isayama Family.
"Tomorrow, an esteemed guest will be visiting the Isayama Family. Yomi, prepare yourself and accompany me to welcome them."
"An esteemed guest?"
Yomi was curious about who her father considered worthy of such a title.
Given Naraku's standing, he was already among the top figures in all of Tohoku.
For someone to be considered a guest of honor by him... "Is it someone from Jujutsu Headquarters? Or one of the Big Three Families?"
Yomi whispered her guesses in confusion.
"Hehe, no need to guess. Just take a look."
Yomi curiously took the file her father handed her.
Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer. Ten Shadows Technique. Zen'in Family...
To preserve the reputation of the Big Three Families, the Zen'in Family emphasized the Ten Shadows Technique in their public image, while the ability to summon Heroic Spirits was deliberately downplayed.
Eichi did not mind. On one hand, true strength was what mattered, and as long as it did not affect him, they could say whatever they pleased. On the other hand, it also preserved some of his trump cards.
After all, information played a critical role in a Jujutsu Sorcerer's battle.
"Special Grade…"
If only I had Special Grade strength too… Yomi quickly pushed the unrealistic thought aside and continued flipping through the documents.
Early the next morning, Eichi boarded the car bound for the Isayama Family.
This time, in addition to Artoria and his butler Zen'in Shuji, he also brought Medea with him.
After carefully reviewing the information about the Isayama and Tsuchimiya Families, Eichi noticed that while both had the ability to forge cursed tools from cursed objects, as well as the ability to seal and command shikigami, it was highly likely that they only knew how to use these abilities, but not how to recreate them.
Otherwise, why would they still be using only Shishiou and Byakuei after a thousand years?
So Eichi brought Medea, who not only knew how to create and command shikigami but was also skilled in crafting magical tools.
If the two Families could not provide the techniques Eichi wanted, then Medea would attempt to research and replicate them.
Today, Medea was not dressed in her signature purple sorcerer's robe.
She wore a dark blue trench coat and a light brown long skirt instead, giving her the appearance of a capable, composed professional woman.
A phone call broke the silence inside the car.
"Young Master Eichi, the Isayama Family just contacted us. There are Cursed Spirits on our route. Jujutsu Sorcerers have already been dispatched to exorcise them. They hope we can wait a moment."
Zen'in Shuji gave a brief report, omitting all the pleasantries exchanged earlier.
"Cursed Spirits blocking the road?"
Eichi's interest was piqued.
"Yes. Cursed Spirit incidents in the Tohoku region of Japan have risen sharply, already surpassing the trend of the past few months."
It was worth noting that the past few months were the time of year with the highest concentration of Cursed Spirits.
Now that the peak period in other regions had ended, the Tohoku region was still experiencing prolonged outbreaks?
"Do they know the cause?"
"The Isayama Family does not."
Shuji paused.
"However, something similar happened three years ago. Back then, Cursed Spirits appeared in large numbers and surged into the city. The Tsuchimiya Family, the Isayama Family, and other local Jujutsu Families fought with everything they had just to barely contain the disaster. But the losses were devastating."
Eichi recalled something from the documents he had read earlier.
Three years ago, the wife of the current Tsuchimiya Family Head had been ambushed by a Curse User during an exorcism. She was severely injured and never recovered.
After inheriting the shikigami Byakuei, the current Tsuchimiya Family Head had been tracking the Curse User responsible ever since.
If this recent surge in Cursed Spirits was similar to that event...
Eichi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Perhaps things would be even simpler than he expected.
The bigger the storm, the more valuable the catch?
Shishiou and Byakuei were the two Families' thousand-year legacies. Acquiring their techniques would not be easy.
Eichi had prepared for this.
But if the two Families were in danger, the situation would be different.
He could not do what the Third Hokage did in a neighboring ninja world, watching as the Uzumaki Clan was annihilated, then "benevolently" taking custody of their core techniques.
However, acquiring techniques through trade would be perfectly acceptable.
After all, the disaster three years ago had nearly wiped out the Jujutsu Sorcerers in Tohoku.
The once-dominant Tsuchimiya Family now had only two members remaining.
Most of the Isayama Family's Jujutsu Sorcerers had perished, and Naraku himself had been gravely injured. Even after recovery, he could no longer return to the battlefield. The Family's strongest combat power was now Grade 2 Sorcerer Yomi, wielder of Shishiou.
If a similar incident occurred again, true extinction was not far off.
"Let's keep going."
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)