Kamo Itsuki and Ieiri Shoko exchanged a resigned glance and walked over, completing the circle around Yaga. Geto had already unfurled the scroll, its parchment surprisingly thick and imprinted with the distinctive, intricate seal of Master Tengen—a mark none of them had ever seen on a standard mission dispatch.
The text was brief, almost stark:
Secure the vessel.
Location: Aomori Prefecture, Osorezan (Mount Fear), Boundary of the Unknown.
Threat: Unregistered. Potentially Special Grade. Temporal and spiritual anomalies confirmed.
Directive: Escort to Tengen-sama's barrier. Preservation of vessel integrity is paramount.
Operatives: Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, Kamo Itsuki, Ieiri Shoko.
There was no target description, no curse classification, no estimated duration. Just 'the vessel.'
Gojo's earlier playfulness evaporated. His Six Eyes scanned the parchment, the ink, the residual energy on the seal. "This isn't a request. It's a summons wrapped as an order. Tengen-sama doesn't usually get this specific."
"The 'Boundary of the Unknown' at Osorezan," Geto murmured, his brow furrowed. "That's one of the most spiritually volatile places in Japan. A convergence point. A 'vessel' there…"
"It could be a person," Kamo said quietly, his analytical mind already working. "A 'vessel' implies something meant to contain. Given the location and the mention of temporal anomalies… this might be related to the Star Plasma Vessel."
The name hung in the air. They all knew the rumors—the once-in-five-hundred-years merging of Master Tengen with a compatible human vessel to maintain the stability of all jujutsu barriers across Japan. It was the highest-level secret, a linchpin of their world.
Ieiri Shoko's medical instincts kicked in. "Preservation of integrity is paramount. So they expect injury, or degradation. My role is clear." Her voice was steady, but the gravity of the mission settled on her shoulders.
Yaga Masamichi watched their reactions, his own expression grave. "This comes from the very top. There are no higher authorities to question. The success of this mission is critical to the structural integrity of the jujutsu world itself. You will depart at dawn. No barriers, no fanfare. Utmost discretion."
The basketball, forgotten on the court, bounced slowly to a stop. The lighthearted argument from moments ago felt like it belonged to another lifetime. The air in the gym was now charged with a different kind of tension—the quiet, focused energy that precedes a storm.
Gojo Satoru rolled his shoulders, a fierce, excited light returning to his eyes, but it was tempered now by understanding. "A real mission, finally. No babysitting, no clean-up. Just a direct order from the bedrock of our world."
Geto Suguru carefully rerolled the scroll, his movements deliberate. "A vessel to be secured… protecting a life that is essential to all sorcerers. This is the responsibility we spoke of, Satoru. Made manifest."
Kamo Itsuki said nothing, but his mind was a whirlwind. Osorezan. The Boundary. A vessel. My chance to observe, to understand Tengen's merger firsthand. And perhaps… to secure a sample from something that exists at the very heart of jujutsu. The risks were incalculable, but the potential knowledge was unparalleled.
Yaga looked at each of them in turn—the limitless one, the collector, the innovator, and the healer. "This is why you are here," he said, his voice low and final. "This is what you were trained for. Do not fail."
As they filed out of the gym, the echo of the bouncing ball faded away, replaced by the silent, heavy weight of the future. The Sister School Exchange, the reprimands, the playful bickering—it had all been a prelude. Their real trial, it seemed, was just beginning.
"The Star Plasma Vessel," Yaga Masamichi continued, his voice grave, "is the key to preventing that catastrophe. She is a unique individual whose existence allows for a 'merger'—not an evolution, but a reset. Master Tengen can merge with her, shedding his aged physical shell and resetting his state without crossing the threshold into that higher, consciousness-less form. He retains his self, his will, and his allegiance to humanity. The barriers remain. The jujutsu world remains stable."
He looked at each of them, ensuring the weight of this settled in. "Your mission is to retrieve her from Osorezan and escort her safely to Master Tengen for the merger. She is currently under the protection of a small, secretive religious group that reveres her as a sacred figure. Extracting her will be... delicate. And you will not be the only ones interested in her."
Gojo Satoru's earlier confusion had vanished, replaced by a sharp, analytical focus. "Others? Who? Curses?"
"Worse," Yaga said. "Factions within the jujutsu world itself. There are those who believe Master Tengen should evolve. Who see a consciousness-less, purely powerful entity as a more perfect form of protection—or a tool to be controlled. And there are those who simply wish to prevent the merger to sow chaos. They will send agents. Powerful ones. This is why all four of you are required."
Ieiri Shoko, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke. "This girl... the vessel. What is her condition? If she's been raised in isolation by a cult, her mental and physical state could be fragile. The stress of extraction and escort could itself be a threat to her 'integrity.'"
"A valid concern," Yaga acknowledged. "Reports are sparse, but she is believed to be a teenager. Her health is stable, but her psychological state is unknown. Your judgment will be crucial, Shoko. Her well-being is not just a moral imperative; it is mission-critical."
Kamo Itsuki had been processing the information in silence. The pieces clicked into place. Osorezan, the Boundary. A vessel for merger. Not just a sample, but a living keystone of the world's stability. The ethical lines were now starkly drawn, even for him. This wasn't about collection; it was about preservation on a global scale.
"So we're glorified bodyguards for a human reset button," Gojo summarized, his tone flippant but his eyes deadly serious. "And we have to fight off other sorcerers who want to either break the button or use it to turn our ultimate guardian into a mindless weapon. Fun."
"Your irreverence will be the death of you, Satoru," Yaga sighed, but there was no real heat in it. "Prepare. You leave at first light. This scroll contains the last known coordinates within the Osorezan boundaries. From there, you must find the sect's enclave. Use any means necessary to secure the vessel, but remember—she is not a tool. She is a person. And the future of our world may very well depend on her survival and her willingness to merge."
He handed the scroll to Geto Suguru, who took it with a solemn nod.
As Yaga turned to leave, he paused at the gym door. "One more thing," he said without looking back. "The Higher-ups are divided on this. Trust no one outside this room. The order comes from Tengen-sama himself. That is the only authority that matters now."
The door clicked shut, leaving the four of them alone in the vast, quiet gym. The basketball lay still under a hoop. The stakes of their game had changed irrevocably.
Geto broke the silence, rolling the scroll tightly in his hand. "A mission that pits sorcerer against sorcerer. To protect a single life that holds the balance of everything." He looked at his friends. "This is the duty we accepted."
Gojo Satoru stretched, his joints cracking in the stillness. "Duty, schmuty. I just want to see the looks on the faces of those stuffy old Higher-ups when we succeed." But his grin was all teeth, a predator's smile. "Let's go get our girl."
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