Hiroshi continued to munch on his burger, observing Satoru's thoughtful demeanor. He couldn't help but tease his newfound friend, sensing the weight of Satoru's contemplations. "Satoru, eat. A man who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts. Tell me, what's on your mind? Are you perhaps thinking of ways to defeat me?" he quipped, a playful smirk gracing his lips.
Satoru's response was somber, reflecting on the feeling of defeat. "Indeed I am, but the feeling of losing...so this is how it feels," he murmured, lost in introspection.
Hiroshi's smirk softened into a more sympathetic expression. "Better that I give you that beating and you lose, rather than you lose and die in the future, Satoru," he offered, his tone carrying a hint of understanding and hint of warning.
As Satoru remained immersed in his thoughts, he realized the stark reality of his situation. "I need to train...perhaps I've been too lax," he concluded, acknowledging his own shortcomings. Noting Hiroshi's use of the Spell of the Divine Tree. "Hiroshi has not even used the Spell of the Divine Tree for offense. According to the clan records, the Shinboku no Jumon can summon massive trees and attack enemies and absorb cursed energy," Satoru mused, recognizing the gap in his own abilities.
His introspection led him to another crucial realization. "There was also that veil he called Domain Amplification. It enabled him to bypass my infinity," Satoru continued.
Hiroshi's phone rang, and he quickly answered. "This is Hiroshi," he greeted.
"Hiroshi, there's been trouble in Tokyo. Senju Sorcerers disappeared," Hiroto's voice came through urgently.
Hiroshi's demeanor shifted instantly to seriousness. "Where?" he inquired, his tone reflecting concern.
"There's a burnt hospital building in the Shibuya District. Be careful. The Senju Sorcerers that disappeared were both Grade 1 Sorcerers," Hiroto cautioned.
"Don't worry, Oji. I'll be fine," Hiroshi reassured him before ending the call.
Turning to Satoru, Hiroshi's expression conveyed a sense of urgency. "Hey Satoru, we're friends, right?" he asked.
Satoru nodded in confirmation. "Yes, why?" he inquired.
"I feel like you have a lot on your mind. Let's go jump a cursed spirit for now. This one's probably a Special Grade," Hiroshi suggested.
"Let's go. Where is it?" Satoru agreed, ready for action.
"Shibuya," Hiroshi replied, determination shining in his eyes.
A few minutes later, Hiroshi and Satoru arrived in Shibuya. Locating the burnt building didn't take long, as it was shrouded in an entire curtain.
Approaching the curtain, Hiroshi and Satoru entered directly. As the Young Patriarch, Senju curtains were always accompanied by a binding vow, allowing any elder or clan head, along with reinforcements, to enter freely.
Upon entry, searing heat met them, but Hiroshi and Satoru shrugged it off, though the Senju sorcerers inside were severely burnt and on the brink of being devoured by the cursed spirit.
The cursed spirit resembled a burning wick with the limbs of men.
With a point of his finger, Hiroshi unleashed "Cero," a black beam of curse energy struck the cursed spirit and knocked it back through the building.
Hiroshi sighed in relief as he looked at his clansmen. "Good thing we got here in time," he remarked.
Utilizing his reverse cursed technique, Hiroshi began healing his injured clansmen visibly.
As a pillar of flame headed toward them, Gojo Satoru swiftly positioned himself in front and deflected the attack.
The cursed spirit assessed them, the heat visibly palpable in the air.
After finishing healing his clansmen, Hiroshi ushered them out through the curtain.
"Hey, Satoru, ever heard of the art of jumping?" Hiroshi queried.
"No, what's that?" Satoru asked inquisitively.
"It's the art of attacking an individual with a group. We continue attacking in succession until the enemy is defeated or dead," Hiroshi explained.
"I see. So, I guess our target for this 'jumping' is the weakling in front of us?" Satoru remarked casually.
"Exactly. Follow up," Hiroshi instructed as he disappeared from his position, reappearing beside the cursed spirit and delivering a left hook that knocked it to the side. Satoru swiftly appeared on its right, delivering an uppercut followed by a powerful whip kick.
Satoru Kicking the cursed spirit into the air, Hiroshi swiftly appeared atop it, executing his "Heavenly Foot of Pain" technique, slamming the cursed spirit into the ground with tremendous force, cracking the earth beneath it and ensuring its demise.
"Nicely done, Hiroshi," Satoru marveled at the destructive power unleashed by Hiroshi's technique.
Hiroshi raised his fist towards Satoru, surprising him. "What's this?" Satoru asked, curious about the gesture.
"It's an affirmation of sorts. After successfully jumping an enemy, we bump fists. Now, don't leave me hanging," Hiroshi explained.
Satoru bumped fists with Hiroshi, then watched as Hiroshi began to dance around the corpse of the cursed spirit.
"What are you doing?" Satoru inquired, intrigued by Hiroshi's actions.
"I'm emoting to my enemy's corpse. It's a toxic and disrespectful, but if we dance around a defeated opponent, there's a chance it might enrage them even in death," Hiroshi explained.
"That looks fun. Show me the moves," Satoru said enthusiastically.
If someone from the future were to witness this scene, they would see Hiroshi teaching Satoru Gojo the California girl's emote.
Just as they were emoting, a burst of cursed energy erupted from below, and flames began to rise ominously.
"That's not good," Hiroshi remarked, his expression turning serious. With a quick gesture, he clapped his hands together. "Shinboku no Jumon: Deep Forest Emergence."
In an instant, an entire forest emerged from beneath the ground, surrounding them. As the forest rose, the cursed spirit hiding underground was caught amidst the branches and roots. Hiroshi could feel the curse energy being absorbed by the trees, slowly strangling and outright exorcising the true body of the cursed spirit.
"So that's Shinboku no Jumon," Gojo exclaimed, impressed by the technique's power.
Although some parts of the trees were blackened by the flames, the forest remained intact, successfully ensnaring the cursed spirit.
"The one we jumped earlier was its decoy. That one is the real body," Hiroshi pointed out, indicating the dying cursed spirit trapped within the forest. Despite its struggles, the cursed spirit's attempts to burn the roots and branches only accelerated its demise.
"Tricky one, but still weak," Satoru remarked, observing the demise of the cursed spirit.
After exorcising the special grade cursed spirit, Hiroshi took down the curtain and prepared to head home.
"I'm going home for today, Satoru," Hiroshi said.
"Alright, see you next time, Hiroshi," Satoru replied.
Hiroshi turned to the now-awakened Senju sorcerers. "How are you guys feeling?"
"Thank you, Young Patriarch, for saving us," one of them said as they bowed in unison.
"Do you have any more duties in Tokyo?" Hiroshi inquired of his clansmen.
"None anymore, Young Patriarch," one of them replied.
"Alright, accompany me to go home," Hiroshi instructed.
"Yes!" They both exclaimed in unison.
Hiroshi smiled and waved to Satoru Gojo as he and his clansmen rode a taxi to the airport, their mission in Tokyo for the day complete.
___________
A Few months later, Hiroshi was practicing his Domain Expansion, striving to perfect it.
"Domain Expansion: Divine Forest Emergence!" Hiroshi declared as he expanded his domain, including his clones within it. As he attacked the clones, they were instantaneously hit, signaling the manifestation of the sure-hit effect. Hiroshi couldn't contain his excitement.
"LET'S FUCKING GOOO!!!!!!" Hiroshi shouted triumphantly.
"It took me 3 years and 9 months," Hiroshi sighed with relief. "Now that I've managed to open a complete Domain Expansion, slow practice is all it takes to perfect it," he concluded.
---
"Ojiiiiii!!!" Hiroshi's voice echoed across the halls.
Hearing Hiroshi's enthusiastic voice, Hiroto, who was holding a clan meeting along with the elders, wondered what their young patriarch could be shouting about this time.
As the sliding door opened, a jubilant Hiroshi emerged with a wide grin. "Oh, there are also the Elders here! Good morning, Elders!"
"Good morning to you too, young patriarch," they replied with bows.
"What's put you in such a good mood, Hiroshi?" Hiroto inquired.
"I have perfected my Domain Expansion!" Hiroshi announced proudly.
"This calls for a banquet!" Hiroto declared.
"Eyyy!" Hiroshi cheered in response.
---
After the clan meeting was dismissed, Hiroshi intercepted Hiroto as he was about to leave the hall.
"Oji, it's time you told me about Clan matters," Hiroshi said earnestly.
"At your age, you should at least enjoy childhood," Hiroto replied.
"Oji, I can enjoy childhood indefinitely if I am strong enough. And right now, I'm standing at the peak with a few peers," Hiroshi asserted confidently.
"And who are these peers?" Hiroto inquired.
"Gojo Satoru and quite possibly the Sorcerer Killer, Toji Fushiguro. One of them is my friend, and the other's whereabouts are unknown," Hiroshi explained.
Hiroto pondered for a moment before responding, "Alright, it's good to start early." He then began to brief Hiroshi about the current state of the Senju clan.
"As a Sorcerer Clan, the Senju are quite tight on funds lately due to the massive number of sorcerers we are fielding. Politically, we remain mostly neutral. We are in good terms with the Gojo Clan but have hostilities with the Zenin Clan and the Kamo Clan due to the handling of matters regarding clan members."
"What do you mean by being in bad terms with the Zenin and Kamo?" Hiroshi inquired.
"Their approach is to focus on their techniques and reject those who do not have powerful cursed techniques or inherited techniques that are not worth their time. That is where we come in. We absorb those outcasts, no matter their talent. Even if an outcast can only be a Grade 4 Sorcerer at best, that is where the motto of our family comes from: 'The Strength of the Forest.' The First Patriarch always wanted to uphold justice and peace, and we have carried that will forward, until now," Hiroto explained.
"That sounds like something a bootleg Hashirama would say. Instead of 'Peace through understanding,' it's 'Peace through Justice' in this world," Hiroshi remarked to himself.
"But to be honest, although we are fielding a lot of sorcerers, in truth, most of them are grades 3 and 4. Out of the 400 total sorcerers we are fielding, only 150 are Grade 2, and 50 are Grade 1 scattered across Japan and some across the world. The only Special Grade Sorcerer is you, although the Clan's funds have been steadily increasing ever since you were born, it's still tight," Hiroto explained.
Hiroshi, who was listening attentively, thought to himself, "Ever since I was born, huh? Seems like the Golden Rule is indeed taking effect, but it's kinda slow. How do I convince Oji to invest money? First and foremost, it's already the 1990s. Apple and Google should've already been created, even Microsoft. Then there's Netflix, and the world's manufacturing factory, China. By 2024, it became India as well as the oil in the Middle East."
"Oji, you can invest in these companies and watch as our wealth grows," Hiroshi suggested, confident in the potential of his Golden Rule to make him effortlessly rich. Since this is Gilgamesh's Golden Rule, even a slight effort can make him a billionaire.
"Let's hear it. We can use your inheritance money as collateral just in case. If it succeeds, the Senju Clan will only take 15%, and the rest will be yours as private money. What do you say, Hiroshi?" Hiroto proposed.
Hearing the terms, Hiroshi knew that it might sound bad to others, but with the Golden Rule, it's literally just him giving a small portion of his money for even greater wealth in the future.
"So, invest in these corporations: Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook. Invest in the manufacturing industry in China and India, as well as try to acquire some assets in the Middle East, particularly in the oil industry. Although we may be a little late, we can still take advantage of the opportunity," Hiroshi advised.
Hiroto Continued,
"Politically, the current Prime Minister is actually of Senju descent. His name is Senju Masayoshi, and because of this, of the 50 Grade 1 Sorcerers, half are sent to protect him. However, due to the Prime Minister being a Senju, theoretically, he can also choose a Senju to be the Jujutsu Commander. But this move will cause the other Big Three sorcerer families to be highly dissatisfied. Thus, we selected Gojo Satoru's father as Commander. Due to this, we are close allies with the Gojo Clan."
"Wait, sorcerers shouldn't meddle in the mundane realm," Hiroshi said.
"But Masayoshi Senju isn't a sorcerer. He cannot sense curse energy. Thus, he is part of the Auxiliary House. Most of the members of the Auxiliary House aren't exposed to the sorcerer world. Only the Elders who participate in the clan meetings are. The Senju Clan supported his political career, and he wasn't exposed to the sorcerer society until he became Prime Minister. Then, he had to select who the Jujutsu Commander based on the nominations of the Four Great Sorcerer Families. Due to Japan's system, the Prime Minister can infinitely renew his term as long as he has popular support. So, we took great strides to do so," Hiroto explained.
"I see... the Strength of the Forest," Hiroshi muttered, understanding the complexities of their clan's involvement in both the sorcerer and mundane worlds.
"Well, that's it for the current situation of the clan. Another thing you have to know is that our clan has always adhered to progress, and we usually don't see eye-to-eye with the Jujutsu Higher Ups due to their conservative nature," Hiroto said.
Hiroshi nodded in understanding, recognizing the inherent tension between their clan's forward-thinking approach and the more traditional views held by the Jujutsu Higher Ups.