MTLNOVEL Chapter 10: More Improvements
As he got closer to the room where the newborns were kept, he could hear the soft sound of crying. The door was slightly open, and Naoya pushed it without hesitation.
Inside, the room was dimly lit, and the air smelled of incense. A nursemaid stood next to the crib, her eyes widening in shock when she saw Naoya.
"M-Master Naoya," she stammered, quickly bowing. "I wasn't told you would be coming."
Naoya ignored her, his attention on the crib. He stepped forward, his sharp eyes narrowing as he looked down at the two babies. They were small, weak, and nothing special at first glance.
"So these are the famous twins," Naoya said in a low voice, sounding like he was deep in thought. He reached out, his fingers hovering over one of the babies.
The nursemaid tensed, gripping the edge of the crib, but she didn't dare to stop him.
Naoya's eyes shone with a cold look as he stared at the newborns. His face was hard to read, his mind racing with ideas. "Should I kill them now?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. His fingers twitched slightly, like he was really thinking about it.
But then, one of the babies—Mai—moved. Her tiny hand reached out, her fingers brushing against Naoya's. It was innocent, just a reflex, but it made him pause. He looked at her for a moment, his cold gaze softening just a little before turning sharp again.
"Not only are they twins," Naoya said, his voice full of disappointment, "but they're also girls? How… pathetic."
He pulled his hand back, smirking, though it didn't have the same sharpness as before. "Worthless," he muttered, his tone full of disgust. "The Zenin clan is really falling apart if this is what we're producing now."
The nursemaid stayed quiet, her head bowed low. She didn't say a word, but her hands shook slightly as she held onto the crib. Naoya glanced at her, his sharp eyes narrowing.
"Keep them alive," he ordered, his voice cold and firm. "For now, at least. I have a feeling they'll be… interesting."
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Four years passed quickly. Naoya Zenin, now 15 years old, stood tall at 180 cm (6 feet), his presence like that of an untamed beast. Years of physical training had sharpened his body and mind as he walked through the Zenin estate. Dressed in the clan's traditional clothing, he looked strong his eyes filled with confidence and arrogance. Over the past years, Naoya had never stopped training, and his progress was nothing short of impressive.
His control over cursed energy had improved a lot. Landing a Black Flash in his fight with Naobito had been a key moment, helping him understand cursed energy better and control it more precisely. That experience pushed his skills to a whole new level, making his techniques sharper and more effective.
Naoya had also developed a new application of his Projection Sorcery, a technique he called Frame Fracture. The concept was simple : "The world moves in 24 frames—so break its rhythm, and the world breaks with it."
With Frame Fracture, Naoya applied the 24-frame rule of Projection Sorcery to the environment itself, treating objects—buildings, terrain, even air currents—as "actors" forced to follow rigid movement paths. For example, if a boulder was rolling down a hill, its motion would be segmented into 24 discrete frames. If it deviated from its path—say, by hitting a tree—it would "violate" the rule and shatter explosively.
The technique's collapse trigger was just by touching a point—a building, the ground, or any non-living object—Naoya could apply the 24-frame rule to it. If anything interacted with that point in a way that broke the rule, a Frame Fracture would occur instantly. Whether it was a person stepping on the affected ground or an object crashing into it, any violation of the rule would result in a sudden explosion or implosion. However, using this ability required a huge amount of cursed energy.
He had taken inspiration from Sukuna's technique, adjusting the concept to work only on non-living objects, much like how Dismantle functions within Sukuna's Domain Expansion.
"The third and final improvement he made was extending the frozen time for animate frames to 10 seconds. This meant that when he used Projection Sorcery on a living target, instead of freezing them for just a moment, he could hold them still for up to 10 full seconds. However, there was a serious drawback: while they were frozen, Naoya couldn't deal any direct damage to them. But that limitation didn't apply to others—if someone else attacked the frozen target, the damage would land as usual."
Naoya had designed this extension mainly for conversation—so he could talk or showoff with whoever was caught in the frame without them being able to move. However, the cost was extreme. Using this version of the technique consumed 20 times the cursed energy of a normal activation.
...…
"I'm going to join Jujutsu High next month," Naoya said firmly. He wasn't asking for permission—just stating a fact. His eyes locked onto Naobito's, filled with confidence and indifference.
Naobito's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he quickly covered it with his usual lazy smirk. He took a slow sip of sake, watching Naoya closely.
"Jujutsu High, huh?" he said, his tone relaxed but carrying an edge. "Is it because Gojo Satoru will be joining next month too?"
Naoya didn't react. He had expected that question.
"Going there is a waste of time," Naobito continued, a hint of mockery in his voice. "You already know everything you need to know. And let's be honest—you can't beat Gojo Satoru. I hate to admit it, but the Gojo Clan will be on top this generation. If you were born with the Ten Shadows Technique, at least then you'd have a chance to compete—but now… just forget about it."
Naobito's words were sharp, but they carried a bitter truth. Gojo Satoru was the first person in 400 years to inherit both the Six Eyes and the Limitless Cursed Technique, making him the most powerful jujutsu sorcerer alive—even at just 15 years old. His existence alone overshadowed the Zenin Clan's elite sorcerers, proving that they would never reach his level, not now nor in the future.
For 300 years, the Zenin Clan had been the strongest among the three great families. The Gojo and Kamo Clans had their moments, sometimes one surpassing the other, but in the last generation, they were equal in power. However, with Gojo's birth, everything had changed.
"I didn't come here to hear you yapping," Naoya said coldly, turning on his heel and walking away without waiting for a response. He had no interest in Naobito's lectures or doubts. He already knew everything the old man was saying—he was well aware of Gojo Satoru's overwhelming power and the near-impossible challenge he represented.
Naoya had thought about it countless times. With his knowledge of the future, he could easily disrupt Gojo's growth. He could kill the Star Plasma Vessel now, preventing Gojo's awakening during his battle with Toji. Or, when the time came, he could offer Toji more money to abandon his mission, ensuring Gojo never reached his full potential. There were countless ways Naoya could sabotage Gojo's rise, giving himself the time and opportunity to grow stronger and eventually surpass him.
But he wouldn't. Not because he couldn't do it, but because Gojo was too important for the future. Naoya hated to admit it, but he wasn't sure if he would be strong enough to handle the dangers that were coming. As much as he disliked Gojo, his strength would be needed for the battles ahead.