Realizing that Satoshi wasn't joking, the entire room fell silent.
Everyone's sleepiness vanished. None of them had expected Satoshi to drop such shocking news in the middle of the night.
Sleep? And no idea how long he'll be asleep?
This kind of thing sounded completely absurd. But when it was Satoshi saying it, it somehow didn't feel out of place at all.
No one asked why. Instead, they quietly began to consider where Satoshi could find a place rich in energy, one that would meet his strange yet urgent requirements.
A location filled with spiritual energy...
According to what they knew, the ancestral lands of the three great sorcerer clans had all been constructed in places abundant in energy from the very beginning.
This was part of why those families had continued to thrive in the world of jujutsu.
Each clan had their own sacred ground. If Satoshi needed such a location, the Gojo clan certainly wouldn't refuse him.
If necessary, even the Zenin or Kamo family sites could be considered.
With the Gojo clan's current strength, they had enough power to overpower either of the other two families.
Seeing that Satoshi seemed hesitant, Toji lightly touched the scar on his lip. A cold gleam flickered in his eyes.
Satoshi might be too reluctant to reach out to the Zenin family, but Toji had no such hesitation.
Lately, Zenin Jinichi had been constantly trying to bring him back to the family.
But every time Toji was approached with such talk, he flatly rejected it.
There was nothing worth missing about that garbage heap of a family.
Even if they wanted him to return to act as the Zenin clan's heir, he had no interest.
After all, who would want to turn a landfill into a glamorous, open-air landfill?
The more luxurious and open it looked, the more trash would be attracted to it, and the more people would be affected.
However, if Satoshi truly needed the Zenin clan's ancestral land to complete his hibernation, then Toji wouldn't mind becoming its temporary master and clearing the way for him.
"If you need my help, I can handle it. The Zenin family's ancestral land should be overflowing with energy."
Toji's voice was icy, as if he were speaking about something completely unrelated to himself. He sounded nothing like a man referring to the family he was born into.
Everyone nodded at Toji's suggestion. After all, they had all come here because of Satoshi. None of them had any emotional ties to the Zenin clan.
No one cared whether the Zenin family prospered or collapsed.
Satoshi was tempted by the offer, but only as a backup plan.
He wasn't certain whether the Zenin family's ancestral land would meet the system's requirements. More importantly, safety was his top concern.
If he fell asleep in the Zenin territory and couldn't wake up, that would be disastrous.
Moreover, if the Zenin grounds had strong energy, the Gojo family's ancestral land should be just as powerful, if not more.
Given the choice, Satoshi would always prioritize his own clan's territory.
After discussing various sacred locations and landmarks like Mount Fuji, Satoshi already had a plan.
He would select a site suitable for system hibernation, then make arrangements based on how much time he had left.
Satoshi was still uneasy. If he slept for too long, everything might spiral out of control, and that sense of helplessness gnawed at him.
After Satoshi confirmed the location in his mind, Yuki seemed like she wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, when she saw that he had already made his choice, she remained silent.
...
The moon was high in the sky.
Everyone from the Yorozuya went out and followed Satoshi to begin inspecting the locations they had previously scouted.
Satoshi's first stop was the Gojo family estate.
Thanks to Minazuki, they traveled quickly. In no time, the large, emerald green manta ray floated silently over the Gojo compound.
It wasn't entirely invisible in the night sky, but it blended well under the moonlight. Even so, after hovering for a short while, the family's guards spotted it.
"What is that? An enemy?"
A guard's expression changed drastically when he noticed the massive creature above them, cursed energy already beginning to surge from his body.
He hadn't been present earlier that day, so he hadn't seen Minazuki before.
Seeing a giant ray-like creature floating silently above the estate, he nearly froze from shock.
Just as he was about to sound the alarm, the guard beside him stopped him.
"Don't move. That's Satoshi-sama's shikigami."
"What?"
"You weren't here earlier, so you didn't see it. This shikigami was born from Satoshi-sama's Zanpakutō. I don't know why he's back this late, but it's best not to interfere."
"Ah, I see. Got it."
The patrol team quickly returned to their rounds, though they were still shaken.
Young Master Satoshi really was too all-powerful. The Zanpakutō he forged could not only alter the skies, but even summon such a powerful shikigami.
They were certain that as long as Satoshi remained in the clan, the Gojo family's honor would not wane. Under his leadership, the Gojo family would sit firmly at the peak of the jujutsu world.
Of course, Gojo Satoru was indispensable as well.
Realizing that Satoshi was above the family estate lifted the morale of the guards. Unfortunately, they had no idea that the very same young master they revered was about to enter an unknown sleep due to a system malfunction.
In the near future, the Gojo clan might have to face the fallout of losing Satoshi, along with the end of Zanpakutō creation.
If Satoru couldn't advance quickly enough, the clan's future might be far darker than it seemed now.
But at this moment, Satoshi could no longer think that far ahead.
He didn't care much about what the Gojo clan would become. After all, even if he fell into deep sleep, the friends around him would not let the Gojo family fall into decline.
Not to mention, his brother would become the strongest sorcerer of this era. With Senbonzakura at his side, even Kenjaku wouldn't be able to gain anything from a fully awakened Satoru...
(To be continued.)
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