The Waning (GojoHime) - Part 2

A New Strong(est) Duo, Part II

The air trembled with a deafening roar, a sound that eclipsed even the mightiest clap of thunder. The echo from the nearby rocks bounced back with an intensity that seemed to shake the very foundations of the earth. Birds erupted from the nearby forest with panicked cawing, momentarily blackening the gray sky with frenzied wings.

Amidst the stark silence that followed, Gojo stood momentarily frozen, with his hand outstretched. The dust slowly settled to reveal... a neat, bare courtyard. Neater and barer than a minute ago, one needed to add. Awed by himself, Gojo blinked and sighed: What self-control, what precision! Instead of unleashing his full destructive power, he had directed a controlled burst of hollow purple energy to eradicate just a single tree instead of the entire mansion and its occupants. He hadn't even known he could do that!

"You asked what I think? That's what I think," turning to Naoya, Gojo found the Zen'in staring at the vacant space where the once-proud tree had stood, his trademark smirk replaced by a look of stunned disbelief. "Don't mention her again. Next time I might miss the tree."

Naoya's head snapped up. With a commanding gesture, the Zen'in quelled any thoughts of retaliation among his followers. It confirmed Gojo's earlier hunch: They weren't seeking to attack; rather, their aim was to goad him into losing control and making the first move.

A close call, but no. If he lost it, he would lose it on his own terms.

Gojo deliberately relaxed his body to stop it from trembling from too much adrenaline, feeling Michizane pressing against his resolve. Not enough power there, bro, he thought, keep trying and failing! Michizane could rage all he wanted, he wouldn't win. One had to give it to the Zen'in brat though, provoking Gojo on the one day in the year the ancestor was close to the surface was a smart and devious move.

Naoya's narrowed eyes assessed Gojo with a newfound intensity. "Well," he began, his voice dripping with restrained aggression, "looks like we should have a little chat after all."

Gojo responded with his characteristic nonchalance, his tone deliberately bratty. "Yes, I could use a drink," he replied and coughed affectedly. "It's very dusty here."

He too was an expert in pushing people's buttons, and in this moment, he needed to push Naoya's buttons harder than Naoya was pushing his. What had he said about Utahime? I do hope she's resting well on your grand estate. That Utahime had to rest and was on the Gojo estate was knowledge the Zen'in shouldn't have.

That could only mean one thing.

"The Zen'ins have a spy on the estate," Gojo quick-thumbed a message to his cousins Ayumi and Ema as he followed Naoya into one of the buildings. "Beware."

He trusted the two, like he did their mother, Aunt Himari. His fifth uncle, their husband and father, had killed himself more than a decade ago after the Zen'ins had identified his weakness for gambling and had systematically destroyed his life. His relatives would know what to do, they had discussed the eventuality before: Find the mole. Use the mole against its employer. Do your worst.

As they entered the wooden building, Gojo pocketed his phone, his mind turning to thoughts of defense and strategy. The warriors stayed outside and his Infinity was formidable, but he knew from past experience that—despite what he once believed—it wasn't invincible. He had taken precautions, sealing the Inverted Spear of Heaven overseas outside of Tengen's barrier years ago, but if there was another tool that could harm him in similar ways, like Miguel's Black Rope, the Zen'ins would stop at nothing to acquire it.

On high alert, Gojo followed Naoya through the corridors and roofed breezeways of the mansion to the Eastern annex. Naoya strutted before him, with a stiff back and heavy steps like he was burning to assert his dominance even while doing something as mundane as walking. What an idiot.