Some time had passed since Gojo was ambushed by Jogo and the latter was rescued by Hanami.
July 2018. Summer in Tokyo.
Cicadas chirped endlessly beneath the blazing heat.
At the training grounds of Jujutsu High, sunlight filtered through the dense canopy overhead, scattering mottled patches of light and shadow across the ground.
Today marked the official start of the Kyoto Sister School Goodwill Event.
Because of Rin's intervention, Yuji had never experienced the tragedy from the original timeline where Sukuna tore out his heart at the juvenile detention center and he had to be revived afterward.
He had survived completely unharmed, and over the past month, under the "dual torment" of Gojo Satoru and Rin, his strength had advanced at an astonishing pace.
At that moment, the first and second-year students from Tokyo stood gathered at the steps of the training field, waiting for the Kyoto delegation to arrive.
"Seriously, those Kyoto people always show up at the last possible second every year. They're way too full of themselves."
Nobara clicked her tongue irritably while spinning her hammer in her hand.
Megumi kept his hands in his pockets, his expression calm.
"Their lead teacher is Utahime Iori. Logically, they shouldn't be late unless something happened on the way."
"Aya, aya, don't be so stiff, everyone! It's the Goodwill Event. We should enjoy ourselves and have a fun fight!"
Yuji wore his modified hooded uniform with his hands behind his head, grinning brightly under the summer sun.
"Salmon."
Toge tugged at his collar in agreement.
Panda rubbed his furry chin thoughtfully.
"Yuji's seriously ridiculous. After months of being trained nonstop by Gojo-sensei and that terrifying uncle, not only did he survive, he's getting stronger and stronger. He's a total monster."
Maki rested her naginata on her shoulder and snorted coldly.
"With that monster named Rin watching him, he probably wouldn't dare slack off even if he wanted to. Speaking of which, is that guy coming today?"
The moment Rin's name came up, everyone present subconsciously stiffened a little.
Even Maki, the most rebellious among them, still felt phantom pain when she remembered the day Rin had suddenly shown up at Jujutsu High to "guide" them in taijutsu training.
It had been absolute domination.
A crushing defeat that completely ignored martial ethics and ground every shred of pride into the dirt.
"The old man said he's not interested in watching kids fight today. He stayed in the Divine Realm to help Miss Shinobu research new medicine."
A carefree voice suddenly drifted down from above them.
Gojo Satoru floated lightly down onto the steps with a lollipop in his mouth.
He seemed to be in an unusually good mood today, even replacing his usual blindfold with a looser style.
"Still, even though the old man didn't come, I prepared some amazing souvenirs for everyone from Kyoto!"
At that moment, footsteps echoed from the entrance to the training grounds.
The Kyoto delegation had arrived.
Utahime Iori led the group at the front, followed by Kyoto's strongest students: the towering Todo Aoi, the narrow-eyed Noritoshi Kamo, Momo Nishimiya riding her broom, Mai Zenin carrying a sniper rifle, the blue-haired Kasumi Miwa, and Ultimate Mechamaru.
"Sorry, everyone from Tokyo. We were delayed a little on the way here."
Utahime took a deep breath, doing her best to keep her voice steady.
"Utahime-sensei, I'm so relieved to see you're still alive and kicking. I was worried you might've gotten wiped out by a Cursed Spirit on the road, considering how weak you are."
Gojo Satoru immediately slipped into his usual mode of provocation.
"Gojo Satoru! Are you trying to start a fight?!"
Utahime exploded instantly, veins bulging on her forehead.
The atmosphere between the students of both schools immediately grew tense as well.
Mai, in particular, looked at Maki with blatant mockery.
"Well, if it isn't Maki. You still haven't given up on pretending to be a jujutsu sorcerer? How long are you planning to keep playing house?"
Maki tightened her grip on her naginata, ready to snap back.
"Alright, alright, let's save the reunion drama for later."
Gojo clapped his hands, instantly cutting through the explosive atmosphere.
"The Goodwill Event's about to start, so as the host, I prepared a special welcome ceremony for everyone from Kyoto!"
He snapped his fingers.
Several assistant supervisors pushed forward a massive gift box wrapped in elaborate decorations.
The Kyoto students exchanged confused looks, wondering what bizarre stunt Gojo Satoru was pulling this time.
"Ta-da!"
Gojo tore off the ribbon, and the four wooden sides of the box collapsed outward at once.
"Surprise! Shocked? Your beloved local specialties are here!"
Inside the box were limited-edition desserts from Tokyo's most famous sweets shops, along with several rare anime figurines.
Silence fell across the entire field.
The Tokyo students collectively covered their faces, wishing they could disappear into the ground.
"This is the special welcome ceremony you were talking about? Seriously?"
Nobara hissed through gritted teeth.
Megumi let out a helpless sigh. He had long since learned never to expect anything from Gojo Satoru's sense of taste.
The Kyoto students were equally speechless.
Todo simply turned around and yawned.
"Boring. I already own all of this Takada-chan merch. If this is Tokyo's idea of hospitality, I'd rather go home and watch Takada-chan's livestream."
"Wait, Todo! The event hasn't even started yet!"
Kamo hurriedly stopped him.
Unlike the original timeline, Yuji had never died or been hidden away, so there was naturally no dramatic "resurrection" surprise involving him jumping out of a box.
To the Kyoto side, Yuji was merely Sukuna's vessel. Nothing more.
At that moment, Kyoto's principal, Yoshinobu Gakuganji, slowly approached while leaning on his cane.
His aged face resembled dried bark, covered in deep wrinkles. His cold eyes swept across the Tokyo students before stopping on Yuji.
"So the vessel of Ryomen Sukuna is still walking around alive and well. The fools at Jujutsu Headquarters truly become more incompetent by the day."
Gakuganji snorted inwardly.
Although Rin had once stormed Jujutsu Headquarters and forcefully abolished many of its unreasonable rules, Gakuganji, as a representative of the most conservative faction in the jujutsu world, still viewed Yuji as a ticking time bomb.
In his eyes, Sukuna's vessel had to be eliminated.
"Since everyone is here, let's go over the rules."
Gakuganji struck the ground heavily with his cane, his hoarse voice echoing across the field.
"For today's team battle, the rules are simple. Within the designated area, whichever side exorcises the released Grade 2 Cursed Spirit first will win. During the event, all Cursed Techniques and Cursed Tools are permitted, so long as no fatalities occur."
"The event will officially begin this afternoon. Until then, prepare yourselves."
With Gakuganji's announcement, the students from both schools dispersed.
Meanwhile, inside Kyoto's waiting room, the atmosphere turned heavy.
Gakuganji sat at the head of the room, staring coldly at the students before him.
"For today's group battle, you have only one mission."
He paused, his voice carrying unquestionable authority and icy intent.
"No matter the cost, eliminate the Sukuna vessel, Itadori Yuji, within the competition area… and make it look like an accident."
Hearing the order, everyone except Todo Aoi showed varying degrees of shock.
"Principal… isn't that against the rules? Killing isn't allowed during the team battle."
Miwa protested weakly.
"Rules? Leaving Sukuna's vessel alive is the greatest threat to the entire jujutsu world!"
Gakuganji's voice turned harsh.
"This is also the will of certain people within Jujutsu Headquarters! As long as you handle it cleanly and disguise it as an accident caused by a Cursed Spirit or a loss of control during combat, even if Gojo Satoru suspects something, he'll have no proof!"
"I refuse."
Todo suddenly stood up, casually digging at his ear. His scarred face was filled with disdain.
"Using sneaky assassination tactics like this is an insult to battle itself. I'm going to beat him head-on and ask him what kind of women he likes. If his answer disappoints me, then I'll crush him myself."
With that, Todo shoved the door open and walked out, completely ignoring the principal's orders.
Gakuganji's beard twitched with rage, but he could do nothing about this eccentric future Special Grade candidate. In the end, he could only shift his gaze toward the others.
"And the rest of you? Does anyone else object?"
Noritoshi Kamo closed his eyes briefly before bowing his head slightly.
"For the sake of the jujutsu world, we have no choice but to comply."
Mai spun the revolver in her hand and let out a cold laugh.
"If it makes life miserable for those Tokyo people while getting rid of a monster too, I'm all for it."
Thus, beneath the surface of the so-called Goodwill Event, an assassination plot targeting Itadori Yuji quietly began to unfold.
…
At the same time,
Within a hidden mountain forest several kilometers away from Jujutsu High, a spatial vortex slowly opened in mid-air.
Rin, dressed in his signature black trench coat, stepped out of the spatial vortex and landed lightly on the branch of a towering tree.
He had not remained in the Divine Realm with Shinobu Kochō.
Moments earlier, his sharp perception had detected an extremely familiar and thoroughly unpleasant Special Grade Cursed Spirit aura quietly approaching the outer edge of Jujutsu High's barrier.
"The Goodwill Event, huh… Just as expected. Those restless rats would never let an opportunity like this pass by."
Leaning against the trunk, Rin looked down at the dense forest below with his dark eyes.
Within his vision, several figures lurked in the shadows, attempting to exploit a weakness in the barrier to infiltrate Jujutsu High.
Hanami, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit with branch-like horns.
And the stitched-faced Curse User who had escaped after barely surviving when Jogo got beaten down by Gojo Satoru.
"A Special Grade Cursed Spirit working together with a Curse User… Looks like Kenjaku intends to take advantage of the weakened defenses during the Goodwill Event and steal something from Jujutsu High."
A bloodthirsty smile slowly curled at the corner of Rin's lips.
He made no move to stop them immediately.
Since those "honor students" from Kyoto were so eager to play dirty, he might as well let them run headfirst into real monsters first.
Only after those brats experienced genuine despair would he step in, clean up the mess, and collect the rewards.
"Let me see how much you've improved during this period of special training."
___
Read 12 Chapters ahead:
Patreon.com/slept01