Assimilating Years

~8 years later~

After some meditation, it seems I've finally come to terms with who I am. It's not about who I was or who I will become, everything is about the state of myself right now.

With confidence, I can say that I know who I am. That's why I meditated for an hour every day for so many years. With nothing but fields surrounding me in any direction, I've come to realize what this world has made me.

I am Gabimaru. The man who eats and kills without restraint in both his past life and present.

I am Sagiri. The woman who takes control of situations to benefit in the present and for the future.

In conclusion, no matter what I become later, my state now is someone who has two names. I control my life but also control the situations around me. There is nothing else I need to become.

Since I know this, that means Yasha is dead. He doesn't occupy any part of my body. I don't need to think about revenge or romance of that other life I saw many years ago. This technique is mine. I have conquered it using my experience of eight years in training the Ten Shadows.

This will let me control my life.

Not only that, but I plan on exploring other parts of the world. There's no telling what I could find and with so much extra time, I needed something to focus on. That's when I decided to learn foreign languages and history.

Although it may sound simple to learn, I didn't have a very intelligent or abstract brain in my opinion. That's why I narrowed down my subjects to Mandarin Chinese, French, and Korean.

It took many years just to connect my Japanese to pinyin and hangul. French was almost the same as English except for some accents. I chose languages which are similar enough to branch into to my original bilingual tongue.

With hours studying for several years, I managed to speak fluent Chinese, semi-fluent French, and decent Korean. It's not easy for me to say whether I am talented in learning languages or not. What is certain is that I have plenty more time than humans to learn them, so I thought 'why not start now?'

The year is 865. Emperor Montoku died seven years ago from 'natural causes.' However, every sorcerer knows it was due to a undisclosed curse in the royal family. The once powerful Yamato Clan which was descended from the Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu, has become weakened to a dangerous level.

Emperor Seiwa, the son of former Emperor Montoku, has rose to power at eight years old and ruled for seven years. Currently, he is sixteen and has taken unique measures towards Japan's culture. He created a boom in new literature and crafts with Chinese influence. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a genius.

It's too bad that the Fujiwara are too strong and confined Emperor Seiwa to very restrictive levels of political power. It's nauseating to go into details, but I believe this 56th emperor of Japan will have a tough time. Geniuses are the nail which sticks out, destined to be hammered down by the colossal Fujiwara.

Many changes have happened over the span of almost a decade. I've been keeping tabs on the major powers swarming the Asian continent. Both China and Japan have begun a very diplomatic relationship.

The Japanese nobles and royals are sending tributes to the Tang Dynasty regularly. Also, Chinese culture and art is being introduced into many aspects of Japan. It was like watching history unfolding the background.

But the biggest piece of news while watching history unfolding was about the Gojo Clan. A few years ago, a report came in of the Fujiwara absorbing the Sugawara Clan. They created many branches, one being the Gojo Clan. However, to avoid linking Sugawara Kaneyori to the newly founded Gojo, the Fujiwara have only given the name to Tomoe and her husband.

I can literally see the hands of the Fujiwara Clan placing the chess pieces into place. While creating a small hidden force of Gojo people in the future, they can take control of the Limitless and eventually Six Eyes.

The only good news was the report of the emperor himself announcing the death of Sugawara Kaneyori recently. With that, a major headache felt released. Still, I felt stressed about the future prospects of the Gojo Clan and wanted to stop them from existing.

That is why I honed the Ten Shadows Technique to near perfection. If my knowledge of overall cursed techniques were greater, I would be able to apply certain applications to my Ten Shadows to make it perfect.

For now, I managed to learn the basic usage of the technique. With that, I decided to go over the information I already knew inside my head.

To my knowledge, the Ten Shadows Technique is an inherited technique passed down in the Hakana, Taira, and eventually Zenin Family. This technique has been recognized by several high-level jujutsu users as an immensely powerful technique with boundless potential.

Simply put, this technique allows the user to summon and control ten different shikigami through shadows. Shikigami are cursed spirits that take the form of various animals or mythical creatures and serve as familiars for their master.

To obtain these shikigami, the user must perform an exorcism ritual where they must defeat the shikigami in order to make them submit. Once dominated, the shikigami are under full control of their master and can be summoned using hand signs that create a shadow puppet of the respective familiar.

I myself have undergone many rituals to have better shikigami. Even killing certain shikigami on purpose was my goal to improve the group's overall strength.

The Ten Shadows Technique requires its user to defeat the shikigami by themselves in order to take control of them. If multiple people participate in a shikigami exorcizing ritual, even if defeated, the shikigami will not be obedient to the person who summoned it.

This means that the user has no choice but to face the shikigami alone and prove their strength and dominance. It can be very dangerous, especially for the stronger shikigami like Mahoraga, who can easily overpower and kill the user.

This coincides with the rule of when a shikigami is destroyed or killed, it can no longer be summoned, but the cursed energy it leaves behind is inherited by the user. In conclusion, a user becomes stronger and more powerful over time with it.

But that's not all I can do. Like I figured out before from the anime at first, the technique can influence more than just shikigami. The user can also manipulate shadows to some degree, such as hiding their body or objects inside shadows or ejecting themselves from shadows at will. This allows them to surprise their enemies or escape from danger.

All of that is what makes the Ten Shadows so special. I've learnt everything involving the technique, and felt the need to explore Domain Expansion.

I even knew the process thanks to my meta knowledge. All I needed to do was project my inherited/innate technique into an enclosed barrier. Next I would modify it into my own special space, and I did learn it in theory.

The problem was I could make a barrier but couldn't grasp the fundamentals of infusing a technique into something. It could be my lack of experience with barrier techniques or not having a teacher, but I felt like I was missing something.

If I were to make a definite guess, I was lacking inspiration.

One thing I've learned through many lone nights of watching anime or reading manga was that characters don't get stronger by training over time by themself. They needed to fight others and learn through the heat of battle. This is the best explanation for that feeling of not grasping the essence of Domain Expansion.

Even the Black Flash attack was simple compared to Domain Expansion. As long as one was entranced in fights or attacks, Black Flash became highly possible. It effectively improved your punches greatly, but also gave inspiration in cursed energy.

To simplify the world's concept of innate/inherited techniques, I've come to learn the core of it through mental training. While I may not be exactly right, it's become pretty clear that I've come close to the source of them.

...

In each person, there is the possibility to have a innate technique, or just an inherited one from a jujutsu family somehow. Each innate technique is engraved into someone's brain somewhere.

It's simple... Every innate technique has three major states: Neutral, Lapse, and Reverse.

Using Gojo Satoru as a perfect example, I have connected the dots between the major states of innate techniques. The first thing I needed to know is that energy itself can be applied to mathematics. Gege himself even liked adding math in his stories. Cursed energy is negative and reverse cursed energy is positive.

A Neutral state is the most basic way of using the original technique. In the case with Gojo Satoru's Neutral, Infinity, he has the ability to make attacks impossible to hit him. This is done by applying an innate technique to regular cursed energy and flowing it around his body constantly.

Lapse or Amplification is just using his Limitless technique as a form of attack. Lapse is completed by taking cursed energy and the Neutral technique together, and using it in another application.

Gojo's Lapse Blue is done by applying Neutral Limitless to space, creating an impossible situation that has an insane attractive force like magnetism. A simple visualization to this impossibility is having -1 apples. The empty space with negative energy attraction is what makes Blue so deadly.

Finally, the last major state of innate techniques is also the most complicated. This is curse technique Reversal.

Reversed cursed energy is the most complicated concept right now to understand. Gege said it's Cursed Energy X Cursed Energy. I have been experimenting to somehow achieve this possibility of -2 X -2 = 4. Still, it's impossible to learn without real experience.

Reverse techniques are not based on Neutral like Lapse, but instead require Blue itself to function. By cycling positive energy through my brain's engraved technique, I will 'reverse' my Lapse technique and achieve something which is the opposite.

But it's too ambiguous of an explanation.

The breakdown of it all still can't help me understand exactly what I am missing.

However, I was able to define my Neutral and Lapse for the Ten Shadows. But that's enough thinking for today. Actually, all I've done is think for so long. I need to break out of this shell and experience the outside world and find the answers I need.

The situation in Japan has settled enough for me to start expanding my influence.

My cult hasn't grown much in the time I spent training. Actually, it lost a couple Followers from old age. The only thing which grew was my Faith reserves. I was already close to crossing a million. For some reason, I felt something unique would happen if I did, but I still can't confirm if my intuition is worth trusting.

+ 320 Faith

[Cult: Yama's Court, Level: 2, Marks: 23, Followers: 320, Faith: 945120]

With the signal, I looked at the setting sun and spoke to myself, "That must be a sign. Well enough thinking; it's time to see the outside world. It's been eight years too long since I've had meat."

- 1600 Faith

"It's time for everyone to gather at the Nakatomi Clan."

I opened the door and stepped out of the small house. The straw was already messy from years spent isolating myself in training. Now it was time to see what I could do against an opponent.

Such a long ass time passed... Heh, I almost forgot that I have a few debts to payback!

...

???

"I don't believe that! As if your going to just leave. You freeload so much that you wouldn't survive three days in the wild."

Across from me was a girl with provocative clothing and a strange aura. She was sitting with her legs crossed on a seat while munching on grapes like the emperor.

Her hair was a strange shade of green and put into two braids. Strange marks and scars covered different sections of her body. Clouds and spirals were completely engraved on one part of her arm.

However, her most notable feature was the pair of slightly glowing violet eyes which examined the grapes in detail.

"Tomoe, despite how sweet you are, I have just received an order from my original boss," said the girl with bright green hair, "have you heard of the whereabouts of Sagiri or Gabirmau?"

I simply replied the truth. Despite spending many years searching for them as a favor for her, I still couldn't find them. Only vague information from many years ago reveals a few rumors of those names.

"Hehehe! But I guess it doesn't matter," returned she; "for Master gives his own orders at his leisure. I am just the hopeless damsel that follows. Woe is me~..."

I looked at her and asked teasingly, "Livia, does that mean you are leaving? How can you do that to your mother?"

Her hair started to glow into a shade of light blue as she stuck her tongue out at me, "Blegh! Don't remind me of how I was created. I'm not staying here any longer with you. Bye~!"

She said something about a strange number and percentage as a distortion appeared. It was something to start her technique. I was quite aware of it by now.

A strange swirl of green and blue began to distort space in the middle of the room. The cloud-shaped marks were also glowing green while she released a constant supply of cursed energy.

If she leaves, will I see her again? Will it just be me and my cursed self?

Those questions raced through my head at that moment.

I stood up from the tatami floor and looked down at my arms. They were pale and my fingernails were tainted black. I looked back up and saw Livia giving a small salute and waving goodbye with one of her braids.

"Livia," I said, quite sternly. "Don't forget to visit me. The artificial innate technique, Gateway, only takes a few minutes to travel hundreds of kilometers."

"Ah, Tomoe-sama is so lonely. Such a cruel world for the heiress of the Gojo Clan to need company from her General." she spoke.

Her tone was jokingly; but even as she said this, I looked down and felt sad. In this world I was alone, without anyone. I don't have any friends except Livia. Once she is gone, it will be like before. The world against me. Will Livia disappear forever, like how Kaney-...

"Geez, you worry too much!" She said this and through a pillow at my face to interrupt my thoughts.

Livia seemed to see through my thoughts and continued, "Get a husband already, dammit. People like me suffer for years just to get contacted by their loved one for a mission. Consider yourself lucky that scumbag criminal was confirmed dead.

"He's not dead! Kaneyori wouldn't... get himself killed."

Livia continued, "My bad. Well... At least you won't need to take care of such an incompetent husband like I have to. Cheer up. Life without boys is enviable. Marriages are made in heaven. But so again, are thunder and lightning."

I chuckled slightly at her attempt to make me feel better. She smiled back and winked at me while stretching her hand into the swirling space of colors. I felt my heart start to beat faster while she slowly vanished.

In a few seconds, Livia was gone without a trace.

Once she was gone, the entire room felt much bigger than normal. Everything felt cold and lifeless.

I went to look at handheld mirror. In it was a pale face, crimson eyes, and white hair. This was just a façade of the person I was. If one looked closely, under my eyelids was an iron frame. It was very hard to see without being close to my face and moving my eyelids, but a metal structure lay under my face.

It was a reminder to never use this innate technique I was born with. Still, without Cursed Concretization, I would have never met Livia.

Sometimes, I wonder if I have made the right decision. But deep in my dreams, I foresee the Gojo Clan being destroyed as quickly as it formed. Not to the Fujiwara, but rather another unstoppable force.

Will this future happen? Most likely not.

However, if there is someone out there with the capability to save me from this hell under this constant political turmoil and suppression of the Fujiwara Clan, I would be willing to do anything to help. Such a foolish wish.

But I suppose dreaming of such a person never hurts. Dreams are the language of god, so please continue blessing me with hope.