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"Alright, you all are free to walk away. The clan head will deal with your verdict later," said Naoya as he let the ones who didn't give away the information to someone outside walk away.
Naoya's initial display of mercilessly attacking them was enough to let most of them talk.
The ones who had something to hide were a bit more reserved, but even amongst them, there were quite a few who started speaking after they saw Naoya take out a shotgun and a chainsaw from his shadow once he felt that the fear from his normal handgun was lowering.
The new shikigami was quite convenient in this department. He even insisted on letting him do the dirty work of injuring the bad people, but for this time, Naoya decided to do it on his own to send a message to everyone present in the clan.
If they didn't like the kind and easy-going Naoya, then he was going to make sure that they wouldn't want the bad and merciless Naoya either.
"Naoya, I think it is enough for today," said Kagenori.
Naoya looked at his grandfather with surprise, evident on his face, though to the onlooker,s the kid only seemed horrifying because of all the blood stains on his white garments.
The image that the Zenin clan had of Naoya was slowly crumbling. To them, he was probably the most un-Zenin person in the clan. He was strong, sure, but the kid was always kind to everyone in the clan, no matter their standing, but right now, all that seemed like an illusion.
Firing bullets through fellow clansmen without hesitation, making their eyes pop again and again by healing them repeatedly till they spoke the truth, and even almost using a chainsaw on one of them.
It almost seemed like he was venting.
"Grandpa, just give me some more time, and they will speak," pleaded Naoya.
"..."
Kagenori didn't speak, just stared at his grandson.
Naoya's fist clenched in frustration, understanding what his Grandfather meant.
"I understand, clan head," muttered Naoya, a bit disappointed.
Kagenori sighed. He knew that his grandson was trying to appear as someone who could not be easily messed with, but the method he was using was not correct.
'I will need to teach him later,' thought Kagenori and walked towards Naoya, and patted his head.
"You did well. You singled out the traitors of the clan. Leave the rest to us. We will take it from here," said the old man reassuringly.
Naoya nodded and sent his weapons back into his shadows.
"...Can I ask one last question to them?" asked Naoya.
"...Go ahead," replied Kagenori.
"Who among you all gave away the information about yesterday's mission?" asked Naoya.
The injured clansmen stared at Naoya, and soon, realisation dawned upon them.
The rest of the clansmen also started to realise what Naoya was trying to say.
"...Wait a minute...did something happen during yesterday's mission?" asked Mako and turned towards Haruto.
"...I didn't encounter anything strange...by your tone, you didn't either. So my guess is..." said Haruto and looked at Naoya.
The rest of the Hei members put two and two together and realised what Naoya was implying.
"Assassination attempt..." murmured Ranta.
The silence made that murmur seem like an announcement, and in an instant, the entire crowd started buzzing.
"...assassination attempt on Naoya-sama."
"During a mission..."
"Someone tipped off the assassins..."
"That's why he is acting like this today..."
The servants started buzzing. They were the ones who were most distant from this kind of work, and to them an assassination attempt on someone seemed like a taboo and that too on a little kid.
The clansmen, though, had different thoughts.
"...all this ruckus just because of an assassination attempt?"
"...is this kid for real?"
"...just because the clan head is favouring him a little."
"Pathetic," stated Ogi, clearly making the entire crowd silent and focus on him.
Ranta and a few who sympathised with Naoya looked at him with shock, but apart from that, the rest of the Zenin had the same thought as Ogi. None of them voiced it, but the expressions they had spoke volumes.
The servants looked surprised at their employers' reaction, but then they realised what sort of place they worked in. The place was filled with these cold-blooded people who chew out people with even a tiniest bit of empathy within them.
And right now, Naoya, the young boy, was on the receiving end of that treatment.
Naobito frowned at Ogi's words but didn't voice his complaints. Naoya knows better what sort of place the Zenin clan was. Showing even a moment of weakness was enough to have these hyenas gang up on that.
Kagenori glanced at the crowd and noticed the gazes of most of the clansmen on his grandson. If he wanted, he could easily curb these, and frankly, he was planning to do so.
But Naoya suddenly spoke.
"...Pathetic, huh....I guess it truly is pathetic..." muttered Naoya as his face lowered.
Ogi snorted at the response.
"To be so weak and spineless against a kid that not only do you need to tip off assassins but even sabotage jujutsu missions and betray the clan....such a pathetic display," said Naoya and glanced at the clansmen he had beaten earlier.
He then looked towards the remaining clansmen who were looking at him with their cold looks and glared back at them.
"To berate a clansman, much less a kid, to stand up against the traitors who try to sabotage our clan and clansmen by selling important clan secrets... truly pathetic," said Naoya and specifically glared at Ogi.
Ogi's and everyone's expression shifted....all of a sudden, they were the ones who were getting blamed.
Naoya took a step forward.
"To be so stuck up in clan politics and self-benefit to not even look at the big picture, and being so brain dead that when someone even tries to fix those mistakes, you make them feel bad for doing the same...so pathetic."
The entire field was silent.
Not even the sound of breathing was heard. The entire crowd stood in shock.
The brat that was being scorned by the majority of the clan had suddenly turned the tables on them and had even insulted them openly in front of everyone.
They were unable to register it for a while.
"YOU BRAT!!!!" yelled Ogi in anger, and that made all of them snap out of their shocks.
"Is this how you speak to your elders!!!!"
"What did you just call us!!!"
The crowd started to rage.
One of the Zenin elders yelled, and soon the other elders joined in.
Ogi and Jinichi cursed Naoya as well.
The remaining people remained silent. Although still a kid, Naoya was higher ranked than they were.
Naoya looked at the crowd and snorted, making the angry mob turn silent once again at that disrespectful action.
"Calling themselves the clan elders working for the betterment of the clan, overlooking all the important clan affairs, yet overlooking these bugs working right beside and under you.... Maybe you pathetic bunch should retire. You all are getting senile," said Naoya.
The clan elders gritted their teeth; they couldn't retort to what Naoya said.
Naoya then turned towards the other two barking dogs, Ogi and Jinichi.
"And you two...the oh so great Special Grade 1 of the clan," called Naoya, making the two stop.
"To think these are the leading candidates for the position of the clan head just because they are stronger than others in the clan.....well, with how self-centred and dumb you two are becoming, the clan head is too out of reach for you two.....so pathetic," finished Naoya with a smirk.
The crowd gasped at that. The last insult was too much.
And it seemed like the ones who were insulted felt the same.
Without wasting even a second, Ogi and Jinichi flared their cursed techniques.
"...I will kill you today!" said Jinichi coldly, with cursed energy already gathered around his fists, ready to activate his cursed technique.
"...You should have been within your limits," muttered Ogi coldly and unsheathed his katana as flames surrounded the blade.
"Stop it, you two!" yelled Kagenori, trying to diffuse the situation. He wanted to see how the situation would unfold, but it seemed like his clan really was filled with a pathetic bunch.
The two sorcerers, though, didn't heed the old man's warning and launched towards Naoya.
Seeing the two approaching, Kagenori activated his technique, but before they could even take a single step more, Naoya was already in front of them with a cold expression and cursed energy starting to gather around his fists.
With his [Projection Sorcery] active, he was way too fast for anyone within the clan to follow.
"Enough playing the good guy," muttered Naoya coldly and punched the two in the chest.
[Black Flash]
*BOOM*
The cursed energy around his fists glowed black, and an instant later, the two Special Grade-1 sorcerers were sent flying through the crowd, making some of the other clansmen get caught up in the attack as well.
Ogi and Jinichi, who received the full brunt of Naoya's already insane strength, amplified by the cursed energy reinforcement, which was further amplified by the Black Flash, were blasted through multiple walls of the clan and already had most of their ribs shattered.
"..."
The people in the crowd who were safe from Naoya's attack looked at the scene with shock.
A kid just a decade old, sent two Special Grade-1 sorcerers flying with just a single punch.
Naoya, though, was not focused on the two who were sent flying and was instead looking at his fists.
"...So that was the [Black Flash]...Let's do some practice and see if I can land any more of them," muttered Naoya, and started walking towards the two whom he just sent flying.
"Naoya, that's eno-" called Naobito.
"I challenge the Hei members who are above me for their position," replied Naoya and cut off his father's words.
Naobito was speechless at that declaration. Naoya was openly defying him now.
Naoya looked back at his father.
He knew that he was more worried about the clan politics, but to see him remain silent when almost the entire clan was trying to berate him for acting up against his potential killers still hurt him.
He started at Naobito for a while, his gaze turning colder by each passing second before looking away from him and focusing his gaze on Chojuro.
"You are the one ranked above me, Chojuro-san....what do you say? Will you stand in my way?" asked Naoya coldly.
"...I forfeit Naoya-sama," said Chojuro calmly and bowed to Naoya.
'It seems like it is time to switch sides...' thought Chojuro and decided to follow Naoya instead of Naobito.
"...Then next is Jinichi, followed by Ogi," muttered Naoya and started walking towards the two.
But suddenly a hand dropped on his head. Not aggressively, but gently.
Naoya stopped and glared at the person who tried to stop him, only to notice it was Kagenori.
"...I don't think I am breaking any clan rules right now. I formally challenged the Hei members for their position. It was also those two who tried to attack me first. I attacked back in self-defe-" said Naoya calmly, trying not to be disrespectful to him.
Kagenori suddenly bent down and enveloped Naoya in a hug.
"...I am sorry for being so incompetent that you need to go this far..." muttered the old man in a slightly trembling voice.
This made Naoya widen his eyes in surprise.
"...The truly pathetic one is me....I should have managed the clan better. You did well, Naoya," added Kagenori.
Naoya's eyes trembled a bit. He was angry, so much so that he wanted to beat all the people who were glaring at him earlier.
For the entire time he stayed in the clan, he never even once did anyone wrong, talked politely to them, tried to help and contribute in any way he could. Yet despite that, they were blaming him for trying to act against the ones who were trying to kill him.
He was starting to believe that Toji was right and the Zenin clan actually shouldn't exist.
He knew that not everyone at the clan was at fault, and killing everyone was wrong, but he could still kill the two who tried to kill him just now.
Yet, now his grandfather's words were making him waver.
"...Let me go... I have a duel I need to finish," muttered Naoya calmly.
But Kagenori's hug only tightened at those words.
Kagenori knew what Naoya was feeling. Amongst everyone in the clan, he was the one who knew best what that feeling was.
But because of that, he also knew that what Naoya was planning to do was not the right answer either.
"Let me go..." asked Naoya again.
"I understand how you are feeling, Naoya. I actually do."
"...Clan Head... let me go....or I will kill every single person in the clan..." said Naoya. He could easily break free if he wanted, but he didn't have the heart to push the old man away.
"I will fix everything," muttered Kagenori.
Naoya made a hand sign.
[Zankyo]
The shikigami emerged out of Naoya's shadow and waited for the order.
"Domain," muttered Naoya, and the shikigami nodded.
[Domain Expansion - Grave of the Unsung Soldier]
Immediately, all the residents of the Zenin clan who were gathered there, along with the injured Jinichi and Ogi, who were slowly walking back towards the Naoya to fight back, were transported inside Zankyo's domain.
Those who understood what was happening and could counteract immediately deployed their [Anti-Domain Techniques].
Naoya glanced at all the Zenin clansmen who had their Anti-Domain technique activated and snorted. His gaze then moved to Kagenori, who was still hugging him without his Domain or Anti-Domain active.
"Not going to cancel the sure hit effect of the Domain? Not like it will work with what I am going to do. Zankyo, deploy a miniature 'Little Boy'."
Cursed energy gathered in the sky as a meter-long nuclear bomb appeared in the air.
"Let's see if they can remain intact after taking on an attack from the pathetic little me," muttered Naoya and chuckled to himself.
Kagenori was the only one who heard what Naoya was speaking, and he sure knew well what 'Little Boy' could mean. He had seen the power of the real one with his own eyes. A miniature version would still pack more than enough power to decimate everything and everyone within the clan.
"...Do you really want to do this?" asked Kagenori.
"Why, getting cold feet now? If you want, you could strangle my neck right here, right now. I am in range," replied Naoya and laughed.
Kagenori loosened the hug and moved his face away to look at his grandson.
And just as he guessed, the boy already had tears in his eyes.
"...I will say this again. I will fix everything. You don't need to push yourself. I might have been late to act as your grandfather and have started to act like one just recently, but I promise you, I won't be one you will ever be ashamed to have as your grandfather.... So, can I ask you, will you let me take on this burden, Naoya?"
Naoya stared at the old man who was smiling warmly at him, and slowly, tears started to fall from his eyes.
"...So much dust..." muttered Naoya and wiped the tears as the bomb slowly disintegrated back into cursed energy.
Kagenori smiled at Naoya and patted his head.
"So much dust...." muttered the old man as the domain crumbled and vanished.