Chapter Twenty-Eight: Cursed Energy
For a little over three days, Obito continued his training in the same manner.
The rhythm was brutal, monotonous, a grinding cycle of muscle ache and mental fatigue that left his bones feeling like they were filled with sand. The early autumn sun beat down on the training grounds during the day, and the chill of the evening seeped into his joints afterward.
He spoke with the two—Panda and Inumaki—during breaks, their conversations a fragmented mix of Panda's thoughtful growls, Inumaki's limited but expressive vocabulary ("Bonito flakes," "Mustard leaf,"), and his own short, winded replies.
On the end of the fourth day, he was in the middle of a punishing repetition of cursed energy reinforcement, his skin shimmering with a thin, erratic haze, when he was startled.
Swish.
A presence manifested behind him without a sound, without a disturbance in the air. One moment he was alone with the echo of his own pounding heart, the next, he wasn't.
He turned, muscles tensing.
Gojo Satoru stood there, looking at him.
"Seems your cursed energy has gotten much better. My, my, such rapid improvement."
Gojo's voice was light, almost sing-song. He was leaning casually against nothing in particular, one hand raised to his mouth. The distinct, crinkly sound of a candy wrapper being unfolded broke the silence. Crinkle, pop. He slipped a treat into his mouth, his movements effortless.
He began walking towards Obito, who stood frozen, caught between surprise and a wariness that had become his default state. He hadn't spoken at length this entire period. And though he was face-to-face with the strongest sorcerer of the modern era, the reality was simple: Gojo's presence was limited.
Even as a teacher at Jujutsu Tech, he wasn't always present with the students.
His teaching method was more practical than instructional. The times he actually explained things were few and far between, because most people learning jujutsu knew the specific terminology he'd toss out.
"Gojo-sensei asked me to follow him," Obito thought, falling into step behind that familiar, languid stride. The walk was silent save for the soft crunch of Gojo's shoes on the gravel and the occasional, obnoxiously loud slurp as he finished his candy.
They arrived at the main training field, a vast, dusty expanse marked by past destruction and repair. Obito's boots scuffed the hard earth.
Suddenly, Gojo spun on his heel. The motion was so fluid it seemed to defy physics. Swoosh.
"Alright then," Gojo said, his blindfolded gaze somehow pinning Obito in place. "How about you show me now how much you've changed after this short training period? Got anything good?"
He adopted a relaxed stance, hands in his pockets, his head tilted in a way that felt both idle and intensely focused. He was looking right at Obito.
What does he mean by this? Does he just want to test me? Am I interesting to him?
Obito's mind raced, a whirlwind of suspicion and calculated ambition. But his body didn't stop. Thinking was one thing, action another. He had learned that here.
With a sharp, controlled exhalation that sounded more like a hiss, Obito released his cursed energy into his right arm.
The energy didn't erupt wildly. It was precise, deliberate. It coated his forearm and the back of his hand like a second skin, a layer of shimmering, volatile power that seemed to thicken the air around it. It wasn't a brilliant aura, but a dense, opaque shell, textured and detailed.
Gojo's lips, visible below the blindfold, curved into a smile. A low chuckle escaped him.
"Hah. You can do that, can't you? Isn't that Panda's style? It resembles it greatly."
Obito allowed himself a small, tight smile. He had been certain Gojo would detect it. Using the Sharingan these past days, he had trained his cursed energy manipulation. He didn't possess the innate talent to create something completely new, but he possessed the cheat-code talent of using the Sharingan to copy the method of manipulation, to comprehend its flow, and then apply it in a slightly different way.
But the core essence would always reveal the original imprint.
Especially to someone with special eyes like Gojo's, eyes that could analyze the flow of cursed energy on an atomic level with ridiculous ease and recognize the differences between the energy signatures of different individuals.
In the original story, he had been able to recognize Geto, whose body was being piloted by Kenjaku after death. And that wasn't just because the Six Eyes could see the true shape of a soul—though they could, more or less—but it relied heavily on seeing the differences. He had been with Geto for a long time, so it was easy for Gojo to recognize the discrepancy in an instant and judge that the person before him wasn't his dear friend.
But for Obito, it was different.
And Obito had realized this.
He had been an ordinary office worker in his previous life. His soul hadn't been strong like the people in the world of Jujutsu. So, when his soul from that ordinary previous world merged with the soul of Obito Zenin from this world… the overall level had risen, gradually and naturally. Therefore, there weren't many drastic changes in the soul's wavelength.
Furthermore, Gojo had only met Obito a short while ago. He hadn't met him before the current Obito existed. He hadn't known the original Obito Zenin. So, he wouldn't be able to recognize if this person had taken over Obito Zenin's body or not, because the spiritual fusion had become seamless.
He might only notice that the soul was a bit larger than the body, but that would be a normal phenomenon for jujutsu sorcerers, especially in a world with the principle that the soul and body are balanced, not separate. If the soul changes, the body changes with it, and vice versa.
While turning this over in his mind, Obito hadn't stopped. He was manifesting his cursed energy clearly, testing to see if Gojo could perceive any difference.
On the other hand, Gojo's posture remained supremely relaxed. He even let out a low whistle, a sound of genuine, amused appreciation.
"Whoa. Were you really hiding in plain sight all this time with this talent? You should have had a higher standing in the Zenin clan."
Obito fell silent, unsure what to say. Gojo's words felt casual, thrown out like candy wrappers. He didn't seem to be asking directly, but there was an undeniable thread of curiosity in the Strongest's voice.
"I only recently awakened my cursed technique," Obito said, his voice measured. "So I've gotten a bit stronger. But in truth, I was very weak in the past."
Of course, that past was before Obito transitioned into this world and obtained the Sharingan cursed technique. Because using these eyes that allowed him to see the world in slow motion, analyze cursed energy flow, and copy physical movements and cursed energy manipulation… his rate and speed of improvement had skyrocketed.
Nevertheless, he was currently only at a low-grade Grade 2 sorcerer level, due to his currently weak physical condition and the fact he lacked a deep foundation or combat techniques. He was imitating skills others possessed, but in the end, that wouldn't be enough if he wanted to become stronger. He needed to know more techniques.
"Gojo-sensei," Obito began, formal yet direct. "Can you help me? Can you tell me if there are techniques that could help raise my level?"
Gojo clapped his hands together with a sound like a muted clap. His smile widened into its usual, blindingly cheerful form.
"Of course I can! There are lots of things I can help you with. After all, I'm a teacher!" Then he paused, just for a beat. The smile didn't fade. "Ah, right. I'm not actually your teacher. Especially since you're from Kyoto Tech. That means I'm training the competition's student."
Obito nodded at the word "competition," but inwardly, he was hoping. Hoping Gojo would agree anyway, or grant him a method or way to elevate his skill. Something like the New Shadow Style: Simple Domain. Or another technique like Falling Blossom Emotion. These techniques, which pertained purely to cursed energy manipulation, were of course held by clans. The Zenin clan possessed them.
But Obito had no desire to go there.
He didn't know if people there were interested in him now that his technique had awakened, but…
"Going to that clan is dangerous,"he thought, a cold knot forming in his stomach. "Especially since everyone will undoubtedly try to use me directly, and I certainly won't be able to object. Particularly if it's Naoya Zenin who talks to me."
A flare of anger burned through him at the thought of that narcissist. But this anger didn't show on his face. However, a slight tremor in his cursed energy control might have been noticeable to someone like Gojo, who said nothing but continued his previous line of thought.
"But… I also like teaching. And I am a teacher. So I'll teach you a few things."
Obito's eyes sharpened abruptly. He hadn't expected to hear that. At the same time, a smile broke out on his face, and he said, "Thank you!" a bit too loudly.
Gojo smiled happily. "No problem, no problem! Just get stronger, then come and fight me. I'd be happy with that. Just consider it repaying my help in the future."
Obito fell silent when he heard that.
Fight you?
Obito couldn't imagine it. Was Gojo really looking at him that way? Did he think Obito could, in the future, reach a level where fighting him would be… fun? Honestly, at that moment, Obito was absurdly happy to hear those words. But his happy feelings soon crashed into the harsh wall of reality.
He sees the speed of progress, but he doesn't know the limits of this body's talent. The Sharingan's potential is what's driving me right now. But this has limits, and it will become obvious when I move beyond Grade 2 and into Grade 1. The difference in innate talent between people above Grade 1 will be starkly clear to many.
But of course, he didn't say any of that to Gojo. He just waited for Gojo to begin his demonstration.
And he did.
Gojo effortlessly created a field of energy. It wasn't a grand display. A perfect circle of raw cursed energy simply bloomed around his body, silent and stable, humming with contained power. The air inside the circle seemed to still, the dust motes freezing in mid-air.
"This technique," Gojo announced, his voice taking on a didactic, clear tone that was surprisingly effective, "is known as the New Shadow Style: Simple Domain."
Obito recognized it. He had seen Kasumi use it during the exchange event. It created a circle of cursed energy that neutralized an opponent's technique and cursed energy within its area. But while using it, the user couldn't employ their own technique to its fullest and had to rely on hand-to-hand combat to compensate. However, that was only if the user was weak and didn't know how to precisely use their cursed energy to activate their technique. If the user surpassed that hurdle, it would become easy to use their technique while employing this technique.
Gojo explained the concept of the technique with a calm, devastating simplicity, as if he had been teaching for a hundred years. Which, in a way, he had been. Even if many didn't believe it, the Strongest of the Modern Era was an exceedingly good teacher when it came to instruction. He even had a knack for unique analogies to make concepts stick.
On the other hand, Obito had already activated his Sharingan. The familiar, cold clarity washed over his vision, the world slowing down, the intricate flow of cursed energy becoming a visible, luminous tapestry. He focused on Gojo's Simple Domain, trying to sear its pattern into his mind.
And while observing the flow, he couldn't help but be awestruck. The difference between Kasumi's and Gojo's was the difference between a child's doodle and a master's engraving. The precision of Gojo's cursed energy during the Simple Domain's formation was unbelievable. It was certain that just by using this technique, he could easily defeat many Grade 1 sorcerers and even handle many special grades without resorting to Infinity, or Blue, Red, or even his reversed cursed technique. Just through physical annihilation. After all, even in his fight with the King of Curses, Gojo had been overwhelmingly dominant in close-quarters combat, in direct clashes of fists and kicks.
After memorizing the flow of cursed energy—or at least, etching its impossible image into his mind—a phone rang. A cheery, out-of-place pop tune. Ding-a-ling-ling!
Gojo glanced at the caller ID, then looked back at Obito.
"Looks like I have to go now. So much work for a teacher to do. Enjoy your training. I hope you improve."
He spoke with extreme calm into the phone—"Yello? Yeah, yeah, on my way, keep your pants on"—before giving a casual, two-fingered salute.
And then, with a blue flicker that compressed the very space around him with a sound like a vacuum seal being broken—VWOOMP—he was gone.
Obito stood there for a moment, then bowed slightly in the direction Gojo had vanished, a gesture of respect that felt both habitual and genuinely felt. Then he turned back to the empty field.
He resumed training.
He continued until evening. No one was there to disturb him. Panda, Inumaki, and Maki had left for their own missions. Meanwhile, Obito persisted, trying to see how he could reach that level.
Mastering the Simple Domain at this moment was something Obito wanted to do to enhance his skill.
If I master this skill, Grade 2 curses will become much easier.
First, he attempted to place his cursed energy around his body. He could see it better now, even using the Sharingan and its copying mode to try and replicate the process. For a limited time, it went well. A faint, shaky circle of distorted air flickered around him, humming like a faulty neon sign. Bzzzt. Fizz.
But in the end, he let out a heavy sigh—huuuh—and collapsed onto the hard, cold ground, utterly spent after hours of relentless effort. The impact sent a small cloud of dust puffing up around him. Thud.
"This is insane," he muttered to the darkening sky, his chest heaving. "How can he maintain his cursed energy with such precision for so long? The Six Eyes are truly monstrous."
The difference between Obito now and Gojo wasn't just in control, but in the very quality of usage. Gojo's cursed energy seemed dense, self-replenishing, like a perpetual engine. Obito, who had reached a decent level of reinforcement after mastering Panda's style, understood the concept. But at this moment, he was helpless because applying this new concept required an immense amount of work and fine, grueling control to sustain the Simple Domain technique.
Because, unlike reinforcement which was tied directly to his body, the Simple Domain required spreading cursed energy around his body and maintaining it for a set duration before use.
I won't give up. I have to get stronger. I won't die in this shitty world.
Negative emotions spread through Obito's body—a cocktail of frustration, buried fear, and simmering rage. But he didn't suppress them. He was angry. He used this anger to fuel his concentration, to sharpen his cursed energy output. He pushed himself up from the ground with a grunt, his palms scraping on the gravel. Skritch.
And he continued in this manner, a lone figure under the vast, uncaring sky, his cursed energy sputtering and flaring like a dying flame he was desperately trying to reignite.
Haa… haa… Focus. Spread. Stabilize. The mental commands were a mantra. A flicker of a circle, then collapse. Another attempt. A slightly longer hold, then a violent, sparking dissipation that left the air smelling of ozone. Crackle. Fizz.
---
From another vantage point, atop a distant building, Gojo Satoru watched. He had returned from his mission and stood, a silhouette against the twilight, observing the tiny, determined figure below.
He smiled, a genuine, intrigued curve of his lips.
"Very good," he mused aloud, to no one. "Improving at a tremendous rate. He won't be far from mastering this technique if he keeps this up."
In truth, the New Shadow Style was one of the more complex techniques. It required not only a good amount of cursed energy but also excellent, sustained control. Gojo had chosen this technique after seeing that Obito had managed to bring his cursed energy reinforcement to a decent level. Sure, it wasn't at Panda's level, who surpassed him through sheer experience, but he would reach that level sooner rather than later.
The Simple Domain he taught him was aimed at transferring Obito's style and cursed energy manipulation skill to the next stage.
Obito didn't know Gojo had watched him for several minutes before leaving. And even if he had known, he wouldn't have stopped. His mind, in that moment, told him only one thing: master this technique. Integrate it into his style. Improve his energy, his style, his skill.
To survive.
The only sounds were his ragged breaths, the skittering of gravel under his shifting feet, and the intermittent, sputtering hiss and pop of cursed energy fighting to take a shape it had only just met.
──────────────────────
End of Chapter.
──────────────────────