The midday sun slanted across the training ground of the Jujutsu High, stretching the shadows of the rubber track and the special training dummies. The morning physical training had ended, and most of the students were resting or training on their own. The air still held the scent of grass after the morning dew had dried, along with the unique, faint ozone smell left after cursed energy collisions.
Zen'in Maki held her special cursed tool and stood in the center of the training ground. Instead of her usual monotonous striking practice, she took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping across most of the field, finally stopping on the indigo figure sitting in the shade of a tree, flipping through a modern manga.
Zen'in Genji.
Her ancestor. The God of Curses from a thousand years ago. The complete Ten Shadows Technique. The only one in history to subjugate Mahoraga.
Also the person she knew, besides Satoru Gojo and Sukuna, who was most likely to understand "Heavenly Restriction" and the "Twin Dilemma."
Maki gripped her long staff, her knuckles slightly white. She could feel a thin sweat seeping from her palms due to tension, but her eyes grew sharper. Such an opportunity was rare. This adult seemed calm and not opposed to instructing his juniors. She didn't want to miss anything.
Having made her decision, Maki stepped forward and walked straight toward the shade of the tree. Her steps were steady, her back straight, like an unsheathed blade.
Panda was dozing on a horizontal bar nearby, his fluffy head gradually lifting. Toge Inumaki sat beside him, quietly drinking milk from a carton. Megumi Fushiguro, Itadori, and Kugisaki were discussing the details of a certain technique on the other side. But when they saw Maki walking toward Genji, everyone stopped and looked at each other.
In the shade of the tree, Genji closed the manga in his hand—it was a Weekly Shonen Jump with a bright cover. He looked up, his deep indigo eyes calmly watching the girl who had stopped before him.
"Lord Zen'in Genji," Maki stopped and stood three steps away from Genji. She bowed slightly—the politeness of a junior sorcerer before a senior—but her posture was not humble, possessing a warrior's straightforwardness.
"Maki-san," Genji smiled softly. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes," Maki straightened up, her black eyes looking directly at Genji. "I would like to invite you... to test my strength."
She paused, her voice clear and firm:
"And, if you have time, I hope to receive your guidance."
Silence fell over the training ground for a moment.
Panda nearby suddenly opened his eyes, his beady eyes full of surprise. Inumaki put down his milk carton. Megumi Fushiguro frowned, Itadori's eyes widened with excitement, and Kugisaki exclaimed, "Whoa."
In the shade of the tree, Genji didn't answer immediately.
He looked at the girl before him. Sixteen or seventeen years old, with a strong build and well-defined limbs—the result of long-term physical training. Her black ponytail was neatly tied, a few stray strands of hair on her forehead wet with sweat and sticking to her skin. Her eyes were sharp, like an unpolished blade, and something strong burned within them—unwillingness, persistence, and an almost instinctive desire to "become stronger."
Genji's gaze lingered for a moment on the long staff in her hand. It was a cursed tool, but no cursed technique was attached to it. It was wielded solely by the user's physical strength and skill. Very suitable for a "Heavenly Restriction" user.
Then his gaze fell on Maki's eyes.
These eyes... reminded him of another person.
A thousand years ago, in the Heian period, at the Zen'in clan's dojo.
A black-haired boy stood before him with a wooden sword, his eyes just like Maki's now—sharp, persistent, with a fierce thirst for "recognition" and "strengthening."
That was his younger brother, Zen'in Sei.
"Brother," Sei had said then, his voice still with the clarity of youth, but his tone already calm, like an adult samurai. "Please advise me."
At that time, Sei was also a Heavenly Restriction user, with no cursed energy, but his physical strength was already beginning to show promise. He would chase after Genji every day for guidance and sparring, even if he was beaten by shikigami and got injured, he never gave up. He said, "I have no cursed technique, so I have to go to extremes—in body and in skill. Brother, please don't show mercy."
Memories surged like a tide—the smell of the dojo's wooden floor a thousand years ago, the sound of his brother practicing swordsmanship, and those days of sparring at sunset, sweat dripping into the earth.
The corners of Genji's lips unconsciously lifted in an extremely faint, almost tender arc.
There was nostalgia in that smile, which slightly stunned Maki, who was looking at him.
"Alright."
Genji's voice sounded, interrupting Maki's thoughts. He "stood up" from the bench in the shade—to be precise, his posture changed from sitting to hovering. He brushed off non-existent dust from his body and looked at Maki with his deep indigo eyes, which held a kind of praise a teacher gives when seeing a good student.
"As it happens, my hands are also itching," he smiled and said. "I haven't had a serious talk with anyone in a thousand years. Let's go, let's see what level the 'Heavenly Restriction' has reached now."
It was said lightly, but the atmosphere on the training ground changed instantly.
Panda rolled off the horizontal bar with a thump, his fluffy face full of shock. "Wait, Maki! Are you serious?! You want to compete with that adult?!"
"Why not?" Maki glanced at him, gripped her long staff, and assumed a starting stance. "This is a rare opportunity."
"But, but..." Panda looked at Maki, then at Genji, who was floating in the air with a relaxed expression. His beady eyes blinked. "Why haven't I ever seen you fight Satoru? He's the 'strongest of our time,' isn't he?"
That was to the point. Megumi Fushiguro, Itadori, Kugisaki, and even Megumi Kato nearby, and Utaha, who had just taken off her glasses, all looked at Maki.
The corners of Maki's mouth twitched, revealing an expression of "don't mention it."
"That guy?" She snorted coldly, her voice full of disgust. "His personality is terrible. Ask him to spar? He either uses his Limitless technique so you can't do anything to him, then smiles and asks, 'Still fighting?' Or he teleports around, and you can't even touch the hem of his clothes."
She paused and added, "And you can never catch him when he's on a mission or eating dessert. Even if you do catch him, he'll slip away with an excuse like 'I'm busy~'. He's not someone you can seriously spar with."
A typical Satoru Gojo style. Uncontrollable laughter broke out on the training ground—Itadori laughed the loudest and got hit by Kugisaki.
Genji also smiled. He could imagine that scene. That Satoru Gojo kid, from their brief contact, really was a frivolous or unbalanced person.
"So," Maki turned back to Genji, her eyes sharp and focused again. "Finally, there's a chance to fight against the highest combat power of the Jujutsu world—or the strongest combat power from a thousand years ago. Naturally, I don't want to miss it."
She took a deep breath, laid the long staff across her front, and lowered her body slightly:
"Lord Zen'in Genji, please advise me. Don't hold back—I want to know how far I am from the 'complete body.'"
It was said very simply and calmly. No pretense, no excuses—just an open acknowledgment of the "gap" and a desire to "become stronger."
Genji looked at Maki like that, the praise in his eyes growing slightly stronger.
"Don't hold back?" He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I can control my strength, but if it hurts…"
"I wouldn't ask otherwise," Maki interrupted, a nearly wild smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. "Pain is a good teacher. Please."
"Alright."
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