JUJUTSU KAISEN: The Zero Cursed Energy Sorcerer

CHAPTER 4: HEAVENLY RESTRICTION

Tonji burst into their apartment at 4:30 PM.

Hana sat at the kitchen table doing homework. She looked up, startled.

"I'm fine," she said immediately. "I told you not to"

"Show me," Tonji interrupted. He was breathing hard from running. "Show me where they hurt you."

"They didn't hurt me. Not physically." But Hana's hands were shaking as she held her pencil.

Tonji sat down across from her. Forced himself to breathe normally. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Hana sighed. She put down her pencil. "After school, in the bathroom. Akari and her friends surrounded me. They said... mean things. About Mom. About how we're poor. About how I don't belong at their school."

"What else?"

"The curse was there. Whispering to Akari. Making her angrier. She pushed me against the sink. Said next time would be worse." Hana's voice was steady, but her eyes were wet. "I'm scared, brother. Not of the girls. Of what the curse is turning them into."

Tonji wanted to punch something. "I'm gonna talk to their parents. To the school. To"

"No." Hana grabbed his hand. "You can't. It'll make everything worse for me. You know it will."

She was right. Tonji knew she was right. But it didn't make the rage go away.

"Then I'll teach you to fight," Tonji said. "Basic self-defense. So next time you can protect yourself."

"Against a curse?"

"Against the girls. The curse is my problem. I'll figure that out."

"How?"

Good question. Tonji had no idea how to fight a curse. But he'd learn. He had to.

"I'm meeting Nanami tomorrow," Tonji said. "The sorcerer. He's gonna teach me."

"Teach you what?"

"How to survive in the jujutsu world. How to fight curses. How to protect you."

Hana squeezed his hand. "You don't have to do this for me."

"Yeah, I do. You're my sister. It's my job to keep you safe."

"You can't protect me from everything."

"Watch me."

She smiled. It was small and sad, but it was real.

Mom's door opened. She stumbled out, looking slightly more awake than this morning.

"You're both home," she said. Her voice was hoarse.

"Yeah, Mom." Hana stood up and went to help her to a chair. "Do you want some tea?"

"Please."

Tonji watched as Hana took care of Mom. Making tea. Getting her water. Being the parent when Mom couldn't be.

This was wrong. Hana should be focused on school and friends. Not taking care of a drunk mother and worrying about supernatural bullies.

Tonji pulled out the scratched photo and placed it on the table in front of Mom.

She looked at it. Her face went pale.

"Where did you get that?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Found it in your old boxes." Tonji kept his voice calm. "Who is he, Mom?"

"You know who he is."

"I want to hear you say it."

Mom's hands started shaking worse. "His name was Zenin Tatsuo. Your real father."

Hana gasped. She looked from the photo to Tonji to Mom.

"You lied to me," Tonji said. "You said my father died in a traffic accident."

"He did die! Just... not the way I said." Tears ran down Mom's face. 

"He died protecting us from monsters. Real monsters. His family sent them to kill us because I wasn't good enough for him."

"Curses," Tonji said. "They sent curse assassins."

Mom's eyes went wide. "How do you know about curses?"

"Because I can see them. Because one tried to kill me two days ago at work. Because I've been seeing them my whole life and you convinced me I was crazy!"

"I was trying to protect you!" Mom stood up, swaying slightly. "If I admitted they were real, if I let you talk about them, the Zenin clan might have found out about you! I had to make you invisible!"

"Well, congratulations. You made me so invisible that I don't even know who I am!" Tonji's voice was louder than he meant it to be. 

"My name's not even real. Saito isn't my family. You erased my father to hide me."

"I did what I had to do to keep you alive!"

"Brother," Hana said quietly. 

"Mom. Please don't fight."

They both looked at her. She was crying now too.

Tonji took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled."

Mom sat back down heavily. She looked old suddenly. Older than forty-three.

"I met someone who knew my father," Tonji said more calmly. "A sorcerer named Nanami. He told me everything. About the Zenin clan. About why Dad left. About how he died."

Mom wiped her eyes. "Tatsuo was a good man. The best man I ever knew. He chose us over everything. Over his family, his name, his whole world. And they killed him for it."

"Why didn't you tell me the truth when I got older?"

"Because I was afraid." Mom's voice broke. "Afraid that if you knew, you'd try to fight them. Try to get revenge. And they'd kill you too. I couldn't lose you the same way I lost him."

"So you drank instead."

"Tonji," Hana said sharply.

But Mom shook her head. "No, he's right. I'm a coward. I fell apart after Tatsuo died. Married Saito because I needed someone stable. Then when Saito died too, I just... gave up. Started drinking. Made you two take care of me when I should have been taking care of you."

She looked at both of them with red, swollen eyes. "I'm a terrible mother. I know I am. But I love you both. I always have."

The apartment was quiet except for Mom's crying.

Tonji didn't know what to say. Part of him was angry. Part of him understood. Part of him just wanted his mom to be okay again.

"Hana can see curses too," Tonji said finally. "Did you know that?"

Mom's head snapped up. "What?"

"I've been seeing them since I was eight," Hana said quietly. "I thought I was going crazy. Like you."

"Oh, baby." Mom reached for Hana's hand. "I'm so sorry. I should have known. Should have paid more attention. But I was too buried in my own grief to see you were suffering."

"It's okay, Mom."

"It's not okay. Nothing about this is okay." Mom looked at Tonji. "What are you going to do?"

"Learn to fight. Become strong enough to protect Hana and you. Make sure the Zenin clan can never hurt us."

"They'll kill you."

"Not if I'm stronger than them."

"Tonji, you don't understand. The Zenin clan is one of the three great jujutsu families. They have resources, power, generations of techniques. You're one person with zero cursed energy."

"Then I'll be the best zero cursed energy fighter who ever lived."

Mom stared at him. Then she laughed. It was a broken, sad sound. "You're just like your father. Stubborn. Brave. Stupid."

"Is that a compliment?"

"I don't know." She wiped her eyes again. "When do you start training?"

"Tomorrow. 6 AM."

"Okay." Mom stood up shakily. "I can't stop you. I couldn't stop Tatsuo either. But promise me something."

"What?"

"Don't die for us. Don't make the same sacrifice your father made. Fight to live, not to die."

Tonji thought about that. "I promise I'll try."

"That's all I can ask." Mom went to her room. Before closing the door, she turned back. "I'm going to get better. I'm going to stop drinking. For real this time. You two deserve a real mother."

She closed the door.

Tonji and Hana sat in silence.

"Do you think she means it?" Hana asked.

"I don't know. But I hope so."

"Me too."

That night, Tonji barely slept again. He set his alarm for 5 AM. Laid out athletic clothes. Old gym shorts and a worn t-shirt from high school.

At 5:30 AM, he was on a train heading to the address Nanami gave him.

Tokyo at dawn was different. Quieter. The city taking a breath before the chaos started.

The address led to an empty lot in an industrial area. Nanami was already there, wearing a different suit. This one was dark blue. He still had the goggles.

"You're early," Nanami said.

"Couldn't sleep." Tonji looked around. "What is this place?"

"An abandoned lot that the jujutsu higher-ups use for training sometimes. No civilians. No cameras. Perfect for what we need to do."

"Which is?"

"Test your physical abilities." Nanami gestured to several stations set up around the lot. Weights. Obstacle course. Target practice. "Heavenly Restriction grants superhuman physical capabilities. I need to know your baseline."

"I'm not that strong."

"Let's find out."

For the next hour, Nanami put Tonji through tests.

Lift this weight. Done. It was 150 kilograms. Tonji didn't even strain.

Run this course. Done. Tonji's time was faster than Olympic sprinters.

Hit this target. Done. Tonji's punch left a dent in the metal.

React to this. Nanami threw a tennis ball at Tonji's head. Tonji caught it without thinking.

"Again," Nanami said. He threw three balls simultaneously. Tonji caught all three.

"Interesting," Nanami muttered. He made notes in a small book.

"What's interesting?" Tonji asked. He was breathing hard but not exhausted.

"You've been suppressing your abilities your whole life. Probably unconsciously, to blend in. But your body has been compensating for zero cursed energy since birth. You're much stronger, faster, and more aware than normal humans."

"Is that good?"

"It's extraordinary. With proper training, you could reach Toji Fushiguro's level. Maybe exceed it."

"The guy who left the Zenin clan?"

"Yes. He's the gold standard for Heavenly Restriction users. He could see cursed energy movements through pure perception. Could move faster than most sorcerers. Could kill Special Grade curses with nothing but strategy and weapons."

Nanami pulled out several weapons from a duffel bag. Knives. Swords. Staffs.

"Try these. See what feels natural."

Tonji picked up a simple combat knife. It felt right in his hand. Balanced.

He picked up a sword. Too heavy. Awkward.

He picked up a collapsible bo staff. Perfect. It felt like an extension of his arm.

"Staff," Nanami noted. "Interesting choice. Versatile. Non-lethal if needed. Good for someone who doesn't want to kill."

"I don't want to be a killer."

"You might not have a choice. Curses don't ask permission before they attack."

Tonji gripped the staff tighter. "I'll cross that bridge when I get there."

"Fair enough." Nanami checked his watch. "One more test. Come at me with that staff. Try to hit me."

"What? I can't"

"Try."

Tonji hesitated. Then he swung the staff at Nanami's shoulder. A safe, controlled strike.

Nanami dodged easily. "Faster."

Tonji struck again. Faster. Harder.

Nanami sidestepped. "You're holding back. Stop thinking. Just move."

Tonji stopped thinking. He let his body move on instinct. The staff became a blur. He struck high, low, middle. Spun and swept. His body knew movements he'd never learned.

Nanami blocked everything, but he was trying now. Actually trying.

They went back and forth for two minutes. Tonji attacking. Nanami defending.

Finally, Nanami raised his hand. "Stop."

Tonji stopped mid-swing, breathing hard. Sweat dripped down his face.

"How did you know those techniques?" Nanami asked. "Have you trained before?"

"No. Never."

"Then how?"

"I don't know. My body just... knew what to do."

Nanami's expression was unreadable. "Muscle memory inheritance. Another aspect of Heavenly Restriction we don't fully understand. Your body is optimized for combat even without training."

He pulled out a water bottle and handed it to Tonji. "You have potential. Raw, untrained, but significant. If you work with me, I can make you into a weapon that even the Zenin clan will respect."

"What if I don't want to be a weapon?"

"Then what do you want to be?"

Tonji thought about Hana being bullied. About Mom drinking herself to death. About his father dying to protect them.

"I want to be strong enough that nobody can hurt my family ever again."

"Then you'll need to become a weapon whether you like it or not." Nanami started packing up the equipment. "Training starts tomorrow. Every morning, 6 AM. We'll work on technique, strategy, and curse knowledge. Afternoons you can work your regular job. Evenings you study what I assign you."

"For how long?"

"Until you can survive. Or until you quit." Nanami looked at him. "Most people quit. Training to fight curses without cursed energy is harder than anything you've experienced. It will hurt. You will fail repeatedly. You will question why you're doing this."

"I won't quit."

"We'll see."

Tonji took the train home, exhausted but energized. His body ached in new places. His mind raced with possibilities.

He could do this. He could learn to fight. He could protect Hana.

When he got home, Hana was getting ready for school.

"How was it?" she asked.

"Hard. Good. I think I can actually do this."

She smiled. A real smile this time. "I believe in you."

Mom's door opened. She came out looking rough but alert. "I'm going to a meeting today," she said. "AA meeting. For alcoholics."

Tonji and Hana stared.

"I know I've said I'd quit before," Mom continued. "But this time I mean it. You two deserve better. Tatsuo would be ashamed of what I've become."

"Mom..." Hana started.

"No. Let me say this. I'm sorry. For everything. For lying. For drinking. For making you grow up too fast. I'm going to fix it. Starting today."

She hugged them both. It was awkward and smelled like old alcohol. But it was real.

"Okay, Mom," Tonji said. "We'll help you. We're family."

"Family," Mom repeated. "Your father used to say that word like it was sacred. I forgot what it meant. But I'm going to remember."

Tonji went to his shift at the convenience store that afternoon with something he hadn't felt in years: hope.

Maybe things could get better. Maybe they could all heal.

Maybe the invisible boy could become visible again.