The white mist curling off the shattered ground began to dissipate, leaving a heavy, suffocating silence in its wake. Satoru Gojo stood with his hands casually dug into his uniform pockets, his blindfold tilted upward as he looked down at the massive form of Ryu Ishigori. The absolute disparity in pressure between the two men was instantly clear to anyone breathing the heavy air of the valley.
Gojo took a slow step forward, the earth beneath his boots entirely unblemished by the residual cursed energy lingering in the craters. He looked around at the destroyed landscape, then turned his attention back to Ryu.
"So, who exactly are you supposed to be?" Gojo asked, his voice completely flat and devoid of its usual playful cadence. "And more importantly, what business do you have trying to kill my students during a school event?"
Before Ryu could even process the question, a loud rustling broke through the edge of the clearing. Maki Zenin burst through the treeline, her short-staffed cursed tool raised defensively, with Panda and Toge Inumaki flanking her closely. The moment Gojo had shattered the domain from the outside, the massive, ink-like curtain sealing the southern valley had violently collapsed, allowing the Tokyo students to finally breach the perimeter. Maki stopped dead in her tracks, her sharp eyes taking in the sight of the bloodied Kyoto students scattered along the ridges, the bruised and bare-chested Aoi Todo, and Oden standing calmly with his bare serpent eyes fully on display.
Ryu did not even glance at the newcomers. His eyes were wide, his jaw slightly slack as he stared at Gojo. The ancient sorcerer was completely unconcerned with Gojo's questioning. His entire mind was reeling from the sheer impossibility of what had just occurred.
"You broke it," Ryu muttered, his voice shaking with a bizarre mixture of disbelief and growing awe. "My domain expansion. You did not deploy your own environment to struggle for dominance. You simply hit it from the outside and shattered the structural shell like cheap glass. Who possesses that kind of unmitigated output?"
Gojo let out a short, mocking chuckle, shifting his weight slightly.
"Honestly, breaking a fragile little toy like that is nothing to me," Gojo said, his tone dripping with casual cruelty. "You talk about output, but from where I am standing, you are just incredibly weak."
The blunt, unforgiving insult did not anger Ryu. Instead, a wild, manic spark ignited deep within his eyes. The golden sparks around his towering pompadour flared back to life, crackling fiercely against the damp air.
"Weak," Ryu repeated, his chest heaving as a terrifying grin stretched across his rugged face. "To call my maximum output weak. Tell me, monster. What is your name?"
"Satoru Gojo," the strongest sorcerer replied simply.
Ryu threw his head back and laughed, a booming, ecstatic sound that echoed off the mountain ridges.
"Satoru Gojo! Splendid! I see it now! Those old fools did not send me to an execution grounds to clean up a nuisance. They sent me to the ultimate buffet! Maybe you were supposed to be my true dessert after all! Let us see how much volume that endless stomach of yours can actually hold!"
Ryu braced his massive boots into the solid rock, drawing both of his heavy fists backward as his entire internal reserves boiled to their absolute limit. He prepared to unleash a maximum-capacity discharge directly into Gojo's face.
Gojo did not even take his left hand out of his pocket. He simply raised his right hand, extending his index finger toward Ryu's incoming frame.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
A microscopic point of brilliant, crimson light manifested at the very tip of Gojo's finger for a fraction of a microsecond. Then, a localized wave of absolute, unyielding repulsive force detonated outward. There was no grand explosion, no prolonged struggle of clashing energies. The crimson beam simply flashed through the space between them, traveling at a velocity that completely bypassed the concept of physical reaction.
The force of Red struck Ryu squarely in the center of his torso. The absolute mass of the repulsive energy passed cleanly through his body, completely blasting his entire stomach and midsection out in a violent spray of crimson mist and shattered bone. The sheer velocity of the kinetic strike left a massive, hollow circular void right through the center of his torso, completely severing his spine and destroying his internal organs in an instant.
Ryu's remaining upper torso hovered in the air for a single, quiet moment before crashing heavily into the dirt. His eyes remained wide, fixed on the sky, the manic light fading rapidly into a dull, lifeless grey. The historical titan was dead before his body even settled into the dust.
Miles away, hidden deep within a dense, shadowed thicket of the outer mountain limits, Granny Ogami violently recoiled against the trunk of a massive oak tree. She let out a sharp, ragged gasp, her withered hands flying to her throat as the spiritual threads of her Séance technique violently snapped. The sudden, absolute termination of the vessel's soul sent a wave of agonizing psychic feedback through her old mind.
'He's dead,' Ogami whispered internally, her old heart seizing with absolute, paralyzing shock. 'Ryu Ishigori was completely erased in a single second. The monster from Tokyo is already out of his cage. I have to escape right now.'
Back in the ruined valley, Maki walked slowly up to the edge of the crater, her eyes tracking the massive hollow wound in Ryu's corpse before turning a sharp, furious glare toward Gojo.
"What the hell is going on here?" Maki demanded, her voice tight with immense frustration. "Who was this guy, and why did the Kyoto students look like they just got run over by a freight train?"
Oden casually picked up his white cloth blindfold from the grass, shaking the loose ash off the fabric before wrapping it securely back over his eyes. He offered a relaxed, easy smile, leaning his weight against a shattered boulder.
"Well, to put it simply, the Kyoto students tried to stage a massive ambush to kill me," Oden said, his voice entirely cheerful and unbothered. "But after they all hilariously failed to get the job done, this incredibly strong old-timer suddenly showed up out of nowhere. Honestly, based on the sheer volume of his cursed energy, he had to have been a special grade curse user or something close to it."
Maki's brow furrowed deeply, her gaze snapping back toward Gojo, who was already turning his back on the corpse.
"If he was the primary target and the main source of information regarding who authorized this illegal raid, why did you just execute him on the spot, Gojo? How are we supposed to find out who set up this entire assassination plot now that you've turned our only witness into a hollow piece of meat?"
Gojo waved his hand dismissively in the air, his tone returning to its usual light, breezy baseline.
"Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Maki. A guy like that was just a brought-in proxy using a specific incarnation technique. The real puppet master is hiding out near the western boundary of the curtain. I've had her signature locked down since the moment I stepped onto the mountain. I'll be right back."
With a single, fluid motion, Gojo's form completely vanished from the valley floor, leaving behind nothing but a faint rustle of displaced air.
An instant later, Gojo materialized flawlessly on a high, rocky ridge overlooking the western mountain paths, exactly twenty feet away from where Granny Ogami was desperately scrambling through the brush to escape.
"Satoru Gojo," Ogami gasped aloud, her old eyes widening in absolute terror as she saw the tall, blindfolded sorcerer standing directly in her path. Her hands trembled as she prepared to reach into her pouch for another soul tool.
Before Gojo could even speak a single word of interrogation, a sharp, metallic sound sliced through the mountain air from an impossible distance.
Spurt.
A high-velocity sniper round tore through the dense canopy of the trees, striking Granny Ogami directly through the center of her temple. The absolute precision of the shot was terrifying. Her skull instantly fractured as the kinetic force of the bullet lifted her frail old body off the ground, throwing her lifeless corpse into the dirt with a dull thud. She was dead before she even hit the grass.
Gojo's blindfolded face turned instantly toward the north, his Six Eyes rapidly expanding their sensory perimeter across miles of dense forest. He scanned the distant ridges, analyzing the thermals, the trace amounts of cursed energy lingering in the atmosphere, and the exact trajectory of the bullet path. His sensory reach extended for kilometers, but the surrounding wilderness remained entirely devoid of life.
'Nothing,' Gojo thought to himself, his lips tightening into a rare, genuine scowl. 'I can't sense a single active signature within my immediate perimeter. The sniper who pulled that trigger must be positioned incredibly far away. A specialized curse user utilizing an extreme-range binding vow? In any case, whoever it is, they just completely silenced her before she could drop a single name. They are definitely covering their tracks thoroughly.'
---
Thirty minutes later, inside one of the large, traditional break rooms of the primary Tokyo High campus buildings, the atmosphere was a bizarre mix of heavy tension and complete absurdity.
A massive wooden table had been dragged into the center of the tatami room, completely covered under mountains of empty ceramic bowls, discarded bamboo wrappers, and massive platters of grilled meats. Oden sat cross-legged at the head of the table, his white blindfold securely back in place as his hands moved in a blinding, hyper-accelerated blur. He was wolfing down a truly unfathomable amount of food, inhaling entire bowls of white rice and thick cuts of beef within seconds, his reserves demanding massive caloric intake to replenish the energy.
Maki, Panda, and Toge Inumaki sat along the opposite side of the table, watching the display with expressions of deep, unadulterated concern.
"Hey, Oden," Panda said softly, leaning forward with his paws resting on his knees. "Are you sure you are actually functioning properly right now? You just survived a coordinated assassination attempt by an entire school faction and a resurrected special grade sorcerer. Normal people usually show at least a little bit of psychological trauma or stress after something like that. You are acting like you just came back from a casual stroll through the park."
Oden swallowed a massive mouthful of rice, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he let out a loud, entirely satisfied sigh.
"Why would I be stressed?" Oden asked, a smug, teasing smirk breaking across his lips beneath his blindfold. "The Kyoto students were pathetic. Honestly, the only thing that actually traumatized me today was having to watch Maki run through the woods with that incredibly slow, heavy stride of hers. If you ran any slower, Maki, the tournament would have ended due to old age before you even reached the valley."
Maki's face instantly flushed a dangerous, bright red, a heavy vein throbbing violently along her temple. She slammed her fist against the wooden table, causing the empty ceramic bowls to rattle dangerously.
"I don't care about your stupid jokes, you absolute idiot!" Maki roared, her patience completely snapping. "We ran across the entire mountain sector because we thought you were actually in genuine danger, and this is how you repay us?"
Before Oden could even respond, Maki violently leaned across the table, her fist coming down in a swift, heavy strike directly against the top of his head.
"Ouch! Hey! Stop hitting me, you violent gorilla!" Oden yelled, ducking his head as Maki continued to swing her fists at his shoulders in pure, unbridled irritation. "I'm an injured survivor here! Have some respect for the victim!"
The sliding shoji doors of the break room suddenly clicked open, and Satoru Gojo stepped inside, his hands back in his pockets and a wide, cheerful grin on his face as he took in the chaotic sight of Maki wrestling Oden over a mountain of empty plates.
"Alright, kids, separate handles," Gojo said, his voice entirely light as he walked over to the edge of the table. "I've got some official updates from the faculty council. The Sister School Exchange Event has been officially canceled for this year due to the extreme structural damage to the southern sectors and the unexpected security breach. But don't look so down! Because our Tokyo group managed to successfully exorcise more low-level curses in the northern zones before the curtain went up, Tokyo officially wins the tournament victory again this year! Yay us!"
Maki finally let go of Oden's collar, dropping back into her seat with a heavy, deeply irritated sigh.
"Oh, wonderful. Another cheap victory to add to the record books while the entire leadership structure is actively trying to murder our classmates. This is totally fantastic."
Gojo completely ignored her sarcasm, his blindfolded face turning instantly toward Oden with an immense wave of childish excitement. He slid into a chair right beside the younger prodigy, leaning in close.
"Forget about the tournament markings for a second. Oden, tell me everything! How strong was that pompadour guy really? What did his output feel like up close?"
Oden reached for a remaining skewer of meat, his demeanor shifting back into a serious, reflective register.
"He was pretty damn strong, Gojo-sensei," Oden admitted quietly. "His raw output was completely off the charts compared to anything I've faced before. To be perfectly honest with you, if it wasn't for Todo's Boogie Woogie constantly altering the spatial layout and breaking his tracking timing, I probably would have died in that crater before you even arrived."
Gojo's smile widened, his hands clapping together happily.
"Excellent! That is exactly the kind of life-or-death pressure that forces a real sorcerer to grow! So, tell me, did those bare eyes of yours manage to pick up anything useful from the taste of his domain?"
Oden nodded slowly, a confident, knowing smirk returning to his lips.
"Yeah. I did. Witnessing his ritual composition and experiencing Todo's Simple Domain up close completely opened the door for me. I've officially found the path. If I dedicate myself to the theoretical exercises, I should have a functional Simple Domain completely mastered within a single month. As for a full, innate Domain Expansion... that's going to take me a lot longer. The spatial compression logic is incredibly dense. It will probably take me anywhere from four to six months of absolute training to fully realize it."
Gojo let out a proud, booming laugh, slumping back in his chair with complete satisfaction.
"Four to six months for an innate domain expansion from scratch? Truly magnificent! At this rate, the higher-ups are going to be completely shaking in their expensive leather shoes before the winter even arrives!"
Maki slammed both of her palms against the table again, her voice echoing sharply through the quiet break room.
"Gojo! Oden! Will the two of you stop taking this entire situation like it's some kind of stupid game? A special grade curse user was brought inside our secure school parameters specifically to execute a student, and the primary suspect was assassinated right under your nose! The leadership of our society is actively compromised, and you two are just sitting here bragging about training timelines!"
Gojo's laughter completely ceased. He slowly leaned forward, his hands resting flat against the wooden surface of the table as he looked at Oden through his dark blindfold. The playful, childish energy vanished entirely, replaced by a cold, sharp undercurrent of absolute seriousness.
"You know, Maki actually makes a pretty solid point for once," Gojo said softly, his voice dropping into a level register that made Panda and Inumaki instantly stiffen in their seats. "This passive defensive stance is getting incredibly boring. Hey, Oden... what do you say you and I just march straight up to the central headquarters of the higher-ups together this afternoon? We can walk right into their council chambers and kill every single one of those corrupt old bastards within minutes. We can completely wipe the slate clean today."
Maki, Panda, and Inumaki all let out a collective, horrified gasp, their faces turning completely pale at the sheer weight of Gojo's casual, revolutionary statement.
"Gojo, are you completely insane?" Maki yelled, her voice shaking slightly. "You are talking about initiating an absolute civil war within the government!"
Oden did not panic. He slowly lowered his food skewer, his vertical serpent eyes remaining entirely still beneath his white cloth as he stared back at Gojo across the cluttered table.
"No," Oden said firmly, his voice entirely steady and serious. "I am completely against that idea, Gojo-sensei."
Gojo tilted his head slightly, a faint flicker of curiosity passing through his expression. "Oh? I thought you wanted those miserable bastards dead more than anyone else, Oden."
"Sure, I want them dead," Oden replied, leaning back against his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. "I want them gone more than you do. But simply marching into their chambers and murdering them all right now is an incredibly stupid move. Government and institutional stability are about a hell of a lot more than just raw physical strength, Gojo-sensei. Those higher-ups are corrupt, evil, and entirely selfish, sure. But the harsh reality is that their bureaucratic framework is the exact mechanism that has kept Jujutsu society functioning and organized for centuries. They manage the mission distributions, the financial funding for the schools, the relations with the non-shaman government, and the classification pipelines for curses across the entire country."
Oden shifted his gaze toward the window, his tone dropping into a deeply analytical register.
"If we execute them all today without having a fully prepared, competent group of allies ready to immediately step into those seats and assume those administrative roles, we will instantly trigger two disastrous situations. First, Jujutsu society will completely lose its central nervous system. With no one to organize the mission pipelines, sorcerers will go completely haywire, curse management will fall apart, and the entire country will devolve into absolute, uncontrolled chaos. Secondly, even if society doesn't collapse immediately, those old men have hundreds of subordinates and regional families already sitting firmly in their pockets. If we just kill the top layer, those hidden puppets will instantly rise up to fill the vacuum. In that case, the entire system reverts back to absolute zero, and we will have completed a massive, bloody sequence of completely pointless murder. You can't just destroy a house because the roof is rotting, Gojo-sensei. You have to build the replacement pillars first."
The room fell into an absolute, stunned silence.
Panda sat with his jaw wide open, his black bear ears twitching as he stared at the younger student in complete disbelief.
"Wow," Panda muttered, his voice shaking slightly. "I... I honestly didn't think you were capable of that level of administrative intelligence, Oden. That was actually a completely rational and complex political analysis."
Maki nodded slowly in agreement, her sharp eyes blinking in genuine surprise as she looked at Oden's relaxed posture.
"Yeah, no kidding. To be completely honest with you, I always just assumed you were an absolute, brainless idiot who only knew how to fight and eat massive amounts of meat. I didn't know you actually possessed a functioning brain inside that skull."
Oden's face instantly twisted into a look of deep, profound annoyance. He grabbed an empty ceramic rice bowl from the table and brandished it toward them with an angry scowl.
"Hey! Will the two of you stop openly insulting my intelligence while I am sitting right in front of you? I can hear everything you are saying, you stupid bear! I read books too, you know!"
Gojo sat perfectly still for a long moment before a wide, soft smile slowly spread across his face. He leaned back in his chair, letting out a short, quiet chuckle that carried a rare sense of genuine, profound respect.
"You really are a true Uzumaki, aren't you, Oden," Gojo murmured softly, his tone filled with an undercurrent of deep, ancient recognition. "You look at the entire board, not just the pieces directly in front of your face. Your lineage has always possessed that specific, heavy burden of looking toward the future."
Gojo slowly reached up, shifting his dark blindfold slightly as he locked his single gleaming blue eye directly onto Oden's covered face.
"Tell me, Oden," Gojo asked, his voice dropping into a quiet, deeply intimate whisper that seemed to isolate the two of them from the rest of the room. "Now that you are growing this fast... how do you actually feel about your parents?"
---
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