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Chapter Seventeen: The Demon In A Meeting

Naruto shifted uncomfortably in the white kimono. The perfume was making him nauseous.

The woman in her early twenties with long snow-white hair, porcelain eyes and wearing an identical kimono standing behind him, his aunt, whispered as she put a hand on his shoulder, "You can do this."

Of course he can do it. He fought Obito, Madara, Kaguya and won. This seems trival compared to them, right?

"Count on me!" He grinned.

The woman smiled back. God, how he loved that smile, it looked so much like his mother... well, she is her cousin after all.

"He has to do it," a man in his late twenties, his uncle, wearing the same clothes and same bodily colonies urged.

He couldn't blame their desperation though. The Gojo clan was voted out of the Three Great Clan and this was a very important meeting.

They did kinda neglect his mother and ill-treated his father, but at the end of the day, they are his family. So when they approached him about the problem they were facing, he couldn't help but agree to assist them.

He had better clean up all these messes before the true game begins.

The Culling Games, they call it.

"You need to show them the true power of our clan." The man continued. "Satoru-sama was a trailer, you are the whole series."

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at that. Thankfully, these people weren't anything like the Uchiha Hyuuga.

Oh, so where was he again?

Ah, right. The annual clan gathering. And who's at the helm? None other than our seven-year-old protagonist. Quite the feat for someone barely out of kindergarten. But hey, strength knows no age, right? Especially when you're stronger than anyone else in the room.

And today, he's ditched the blindfold, giving off an air of intimidation that even has those red-faced women second-guessing themselves. His mere presence? Suffocating.

Little does he know, those rosy-cheeked ladies aren't blushing from fear, but from the sheer adorableness of his pint-sized authority

The room teemed with an eclectic mix of characters.

The Kamo clan head sported locks reminiscent of Neji, while the woman trailing behind him bore an uncanny resemblance to Hinata's younger sibling. Despite his attempt at composure, fear danced in the man's eyes, betraying his facade of calm.

On the other side, the Zennin clan head, a young man with striking blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, wore a perpetual smirk. Did his face ache from maintaining that expression? Meanwhile, his companion, none other than Maki's sister Mai, exuded an air of desperation, her bruised face silently pleading for escape.

""Let us commence," Gakuganji boomed, his voice echoing through the chamber as he punctuated his words with a poke to his formidable beard.

"Then let us delve into the heart of the matter," the Kamo clan head declared, his tone carrying the weight of authority. "The involvement of Satoru Gojo in the Shibuya incident."

The room held its collective breath, anticipation hanging thick in the air. Naruto couldn't help but marvel at his uncle's prowess in battle, single-handedly taking on multiple special-grade curses. Surely, commendation awaited him? Perhaps Naruto will be receiving the award in his uncle's place?

"Speak," Gakuganji commanded, granting permission to voice their concerns.

"As we all know, Suguru Geto orchestrated the chaos in Shibuya," the Kamo clan head stated, prompting nods of agreement from the assembly, save for Naruto, who dared to interject.

"But the monk... he's not who you think," Naruto asserted, his voice trembling with urgency. "He's an ancient sorcerer, bent on—"

"Where is your evidence, child?" the Kamo clan head interrupted, cutting through Naruto's plea with a cold, dismissive tone.

"I... I have none," Naruto admitted defeat, his heart sinking at the truth of his own words.

"Satoru Gojo claimed to have vanquished him a year prior," the Kamo clan head continued, casting doubt on his nephew's assertions. "But if he still lives, then the truth is clear."

Dread settled over the room like a suffocating blanket as the implications sank in.

"Do you suggest Gojo is complicit in this scheme?" Gakuganji demanded, his gaze piercing through the tension-laden atmosphere.

"It's not beyond the realm of possibility," a voice, weathered with age, chimed in, directing a scrutinising glance towards Ijichi, who quivered under the weight of the scrutiny.

"He... he did express desires to eliminate the higher-ups," Ijichi stammered, his voice trembling with uncertainty. "But he..."

"Then it is settled," the Kamo clan head declared with finality. "Satoru Gojo stands accused alongside Suguru Geto. Do we agree on his execution?"

The room fell silent, tension thickening as the weight of the decision hung heavy in the air. But before assent could be given, a violent throw up interrupted the proceedings.

The sound of retching echoed in the chamber, followed by shivers of dread that rippled through the assembly.

And then, like a sudden tempest, an overwhelming aura of malevolence filled the room, drawing all eyes to its source.

Two piercing amethyst orbs glared with unbridled fury, cutting through the silence like a blade.

"No one agrees," the demonic voice thundered, sending a chill down the spine of every soul present. "Next case."

In stunned silence, no objections were raised. Who would dare oppose the entity that had nearly claimed the life of the King of Curses himself?

With a quick nod from Gakuganji, the proceedings moved forward, the spectre of impending doom lingering like a shadow over them all.

"Let's move onto the next topic," Gakuganji said. "Yuji Itadori's execution—"

"—has been cancelled." Naruto spoke, still maintaining the enormous pressure and still voice. "Next case."

"Masamichi Yaga's execution—"

"—is cancelled. Next topic."

The cycle continued as Gakuganji attempted to broach each subsequent topic, only to be met with Naruto's concise and resolute verdicts.In that moment, Naruto found himself thrust into the role of judge, a position he neither sought nor relished. Yet, with no alternative, he wielded his authority with a simplicity born of necessity rather than intellect.

In the end of the meeting, everyone 'agreed' that all the available sorcerers will face the threat and will try to 'save' Megumi Fushigoro. The Gojo clan is still one of the Big Three as no one dared to talk about it.

By the time everyone was gone, Naruto found himself standing in front of a fancy car.

Being a clan head had its quirks and riding a Rolls Royce is one of them.

Just when he was about to get in, someone spoke.

"Gojo,"

Naruto didn't need to be called twice. He turned back and tried his best Madara-look to maintain, "Zennin,"

Nayoa Zennin closed in, his hands folded on his chest and his constant smirk on his face. The man had not spoken a single word in the meeting. By his looks, Naruto could gauge him as a Kabuto-ian. "It is an honour to meet the person who is stronger than the Great Satoru Gojo,"

"Ho?" Naruto tried to act Madara but failed miserably. Nobody noticed the women fainting behind the bush.

Nayoa chuckled. You see, I have always looked up to him, to be able to reach his level..."

Naruto remained silent, unsure of what to say. This guy had inf-something complex, that's for sure.

"Imagine my state when I discovered that the milestone I thought was the pinnacle was barely the peak of an iceberg."

"You are talking about the movie Titanic, I see." Naruto sagely spoke, his aunt in the car sighed while his uncle facepalmed. "It is a good film, I must say. The actions in the sea is something I would want to experience."

Nayoa blinked once before his smirk widened. I see that you are referring to the Traditional Ice Arena?"

Naruto bit his lip. Is that another movie? He can't make a fool out of himself, he must say something…

"Indeed." He finally spoke. "What are your thoughts about it?"

Nayoa's smirk evolved into a grin. "We shall meet tomorrow afternoon at the arena, I hope you bring crutches."

"We shall see about that." Naruto said 'emotionlessly'.

As Nayoa left, Naruto released the breath he was holding. "Phew! That was a close call,"

It was then the man spoke. "I see that you have inherited your mother's brain other than her face."

"Thanks, old man!" Naruto grinned as he gave the man a thumbs up.

"That wasn't a compliment," The man said flatly.

"Listen, Traditional Ice Arena means a duel." His aunt spoke. "Two clan heads fight in an ice ring without cursed techniques or cursed energy."

Naruto froze as he realised.

"The winner gets whatever he wants from the loser." She finished.

"So..." Naruto trailed.

"You are a six year old boy whereas Naoya is a fully grown adult man." His uncle clarified. "The chances of your victory are...low."

"So I messed up badly?"

"You did," his aunt said softly. "But I believe you will emerge victorious."

"Believe it!" Naruto gave his signature foxy grin.

TBC