The training grounds of Jujutsu High were bathed in the soft light of a clear morning. A small but lively audience had gathered along the edges of the field to witness the results of maki's training.
Inumaki and Panda stood together, chatting casually while Yuta leaned against a sturdy tree with his arms crossed, Rika's faint shadowy form hovering protectively behind him.
The atmosphere was relaxed but charged with anticipation.In the center of the open field stood the star of the show Maki Zenin.
Six months of brutal training had changed her. Her body was more defined, leaner. Dense muscle replaced what had once been raw untapped potential.
Her movements carried a dangerous confidence. The usual long ponytail swayed as she tested her body's stiffness.
She no longer looked like the angry girl fighting against her clan's expectations , more like a warrior who had begun to accept her own strength.
Satoru Gojo strolled into position opposite her, hands casually rested in his pockets and wearing that signature carefree annoying grin.
"Ready, Maki-chan~?" Gojo asked playfully. "No Infinity today. Just hand-to-hand and a little Blue if it gets fun. Show me what my favorite problem student's teacher turned you into."
Maki exhaled slowly, lowering into a ready stance. "Don't hold back too much, Gojo sensei."
Gojo's grin widened seeing how she swiftly closed her usual openings. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Maki exploded forward without warning.
She closed the distance with frightening speed, leading with a powerful thrust of her naginata a textbook strike enhanced by the raw power of the newly realized Heavenly Restriction .
Gojo sidestepped gracefully and countered with a sharp teep kick aimed at her midsection.
twisting her torso, Maki used the shaft of her weapon to redirect the kick while flowing into a low spinning sweep
The new reborn Maki abounded her usual straightforward style in favor of fluidity mixed with devastating power .
"Nice!" Panda shouted from the sidelines. "Go Maki beat him up!"
Inumaki nodded excitedly. "Salmon roe!"
Gojo hopped over the sweep and immediately pressed the attack, launching a rapid series of jabs followed by a powerful overhand right. Each punch carried a subtle application of Blue, creating small attractive forces that tried to pull Maki off balance.
Instead of resisting, Maki leaned into the pull, using the momentum to spin into a vicious elbow strike of pure brutality. Gojo blocked with his forearm, but the impact still forced him to take a half-step back.
From the sidelines, Yuta's smirk grew and his eyes gained a new" finally, she did it once more. And here I thought it would take her longer to achieve it."
"Salmon?"
"What?"
Both inumaki and panda looked at Yuta confused about his sudden outburst.
Yuta's eyes never left the ongoing battle but he didn't let his two friends wonder for long
" You know about the state of total concentration that athletes reach right?"
"Kelp?"
"Yeah the zone or the flow" okkotsu nodded in conformation and pointed at maki who had a different aura about her, her eyes looked at gojo with outmost attention yet unfocused at the same time.
Her body shifted slightly into a more balanced stance. The most out of place element was the saliva drooling out of her mouth.
We under the jujutsu system aren't that different in that regard, but the flow is usually a term mentioned alongside blackflashes since it is the most common trigger or result of the zone.
But maki is different, she doesn't have enough cursed energy to land a blackflash. That means she can't reach 120 % of her potential like we can."
Maki discarded her naginata mid-combo, closing the distance for pure hand-to-hand. Her style had evolved into something terrifyingly efficient . Ruthless practicality blended with unpredictable angles.
She targeted joints and pressure points with short, explosive strikes: a palm to the sternum, a knee to the thigh, and a follow-up uppercut.
Panda's hand rubbed the back of his head but he couldn't understand what yuta was getting at.
"And what does that mean for maki?"
" It means she's stopped overthinking. Her body is special and has some impressive features, one of them being her instincts.
Her body operates on a completely higher level then ours , meaning she has better instincts then us. By tapping into those instincts and letting her self be carried by them she could reach a state where her body moves on its own."
"Salmon salmon kelp?" Toge quickly realized the insane resemblance.
"Oh right, that does sound like Goku's ultra instinct doesn't it ?." Panda also understood that reference.
Yuta though about it for half a second before wondering why he didn't realize that on his own.
Weird, why do I feel like my memories are a bit foggy recently... Could this be Alzheimer? No I am constantly refreshing my brain using RCT in case of mind control... whatever I will let my future self Handel it.
Yuta let that though sink in for later and forced his attention back to the fight.
Gojo flowed like water attempting a takedown. He grabbed her arm and tried to pivot into a shoulder throw but Maki used her superior strength and balance to reverse it, slamming Gojo toward the ground. He twisted mid-air like a cat and landed lightly on his feet.
"Not bad at all!" Gojo laughed, clearly enjoying the challenge. He retaliated with a spinning heel kick enhanced by Blue. Maki crossed her arms and absorbed the blow, skidding back several meters before stabilizing.
From the side, Panda whistled. "She's actually keeping up with Gojo in close quarters… I guess you are right about her, she is our gorilla after all"
Inumaki tilted his head. "Tuna mayo."
Yuta watched the ongoing exchange silently, but his eyes showed quiet approval.
The fight stretched on for nearly fifteen intense minutes. Maki adapted constantly closing her eyes for longer periods, relying on wind pressure, the sound of Gojo's movements, temperature shifts, and raw instinct.
She landed several clean hits that would have seriously injured most sorcerers. Gojo, for his part, pushed her harder, mixing Swift footwork with explosive strikes and controlled Blue bursts.
Finally, Maki dropped to one knee, chest heaving, sweat pouring down her face. Her body trembled with exhaustion, but her amber eyes still burned with defiance and pride.
Gojo lowered his hands and let out a long impressed whistle.
"Wow… Seriously impressive, Maki-chan." He tilted his head, genuinely pleased. "Six months ago you were a solid Grade 2. Now you're knocking loudly on Special Grade's door with nothing but physical ability and skill. You are is finally awake and roaring ."
He turned toward Yuta with a lazy, impressed smile. "Yuta-kun, you've got real talent as a teacher. Your methods are brutal, but the results speak for themselves. I'm genuinely impressed."
Yuta shrugged casually. "She earned it. All of this is her doing."
Maki slowly pushed herself to her feet. Before she could say anything, Panda rushed over and patted her back enthusiastically.
"You were amazing! That reversal on Gojo-sensei? I thought I was watching an anime!"
Inumaki approached with a rare bright expression. "Salmon!" he cheered, giving her a thumbs-up.
Maki allowed herself a small, tired smile. "Thanks… but I still have a long way to go."
Yuta walked over at a leisurely pace. The others instinctively gave them some space.
He stopped in front of her, looking her up and down. For a long moment, neither spoke.
"You did pretty well today..."Yuta said finally, voice quiet. Good."
Maki wiped sweat from her brow and met his gaze. "I almost landed a clean hit on Gojo. Almost."
A faint smirk tugged at Yuta's lips. "Almost is still progress. You're not the same person whose heart blinded by hatred and revenge .
Keep pushing forward. When we finally deal with your connection to Mai… you'll be unstoppable."
Maki studied him carefully. Over the past six months, their relationship had deepened in its own strange way. Yuta's training was merciless, but he had never once looked down on her. He pushed her to her absolute limits, then pulled her back from the brink every single time.
"…Thank you." she said softly, almost too quiet for the others to hear. "For not going easy on me. And for believing I could get this far on my own."
Yuta looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Don't get sentimental on me, Zenin. I just wanted to see how far the clan's so called failure could go. You're proving to be… entertaining."
Maki snorted, but there was clear affection in her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you tell yourself."
For a brief second, Yuta's usual cold mask cracked into something almost warm. He placed a hand on her shoulder a rare gesture.
"Rest properly tonight. We'll continue the day after tomorrow. Don't slack off."
Maki nodded, a determined fire still burning. "I won't."
Panda and Inumaki exchanged knowing looks but wisely chose not to comment.
☀️☀️☀️☀️
In the dimly lit warehouse, Geto Suguru stood at the center of preparations for the New Dawn. Maps, cursed tools, and loyal followers filled the space.
Heavy footsteps announced someone's arrival. The man exuded cold arrogance as he approached. He wore a long dark coat that almost touched the ground. His blonde hair was slicked back and a pair of dark glasses covered his calculating eyes.
"You're late" Geto remarked addressing the new arrival.
"Punctuality is secondary to results." The man now revealed to be Albert Wesker replied in a smooth, emotionless tone. He stopped beside Geto, radiating absolute superiority.
Geto smiled helplessly. "Our goals align. The evolution of humanity. Removing the weak. Creating something superior."
"Precisely." Wesker said coldly. The current human race is rather… inadequate. Using your cursed spirit analysis combined with the T-Virus as a base, I've engineered a new strain.
It transforms humans into cursed spirit hybrids granting enhanced strength, rapid regeneration, cursed energy manipulation, and high adaptability. All while being under under perfect control."
A long menacing smile crept geto's face" hahaha, it's time we got rid of those filthy Monkeys , those damned monkeys dared to breathe the same air as we do for so long. Now... They shall meet their own end soon."
After their brief discussion about the new T-Virus strain and Wesker's personal Uroboros enhancements, Wesker gave a curt nod and let a small purple vile in front of geto.
"I will oversee the deployment to the other locations. Don't disappoint me, Geto."
Albert Wesker turned and left without uttering another word, his coat billowing behind him.
Once he was gone, two young girls stepped out from the shadows Mimiko and Nanako Hasaba. Other members of Geto's original group slowly gathered as well.
" Geto Sama "Nanako whispered in hushed voice "that guy gives me the creeps."
Mimiko nodded silently, clutching her doll tighter.
Geto smiled gently at the two girls who had been with him since the very beginning. "He is… useful. Our goals align for now. That's all that matters."
One of the other curse users stepped forward. "Everything is nearly ready for tomorrow night. The Parade will be magnificent."
Geto looked out into the darkness, his expression turning distant.
"Prepare everything as planned."he said softly. "I will be leaving for a short while."
Nanako tilted her head confused by the sudden change in plans. "Where are you going, Master Geto?"
A dangerous, nostalgic smile spread across Geto's face."It's time I visited some old friends." His eyes gleamed with complicated emotions.
"Satoru… and that intriguing boy who carries the last piece of the puzzle, the Queen of Curses . Rika orimoto."
He clenched his fist, cursed energy flaring around him like swirling shadows.
"They deserve to witness the beginning of a new world… personally."
The group watched their leader with unwavering loyalty and quiet excitement.
"THE DAWN OF THE NEW WORLD IS NEAR, OPEN YOUR HEARTS AND WITNESS THE AGE OF JUJUTSU."