Panda shouted with all his might, "Evade!"
Boom!
Panda grabbed Toge Inumaki and Nobara Kugisaki, Maki Zen'in grabbed Yuji Itadori, and Megumi Fushiguro reacted quickly to grab Miwa, clearing the area instantly.
In the next moment, an explosion occurred, and a massive shockwave hit them like a storm.
"I thought I was in a war zone!" Nobara Kugisaki roared while being held by Panda.
"Katsuobushi!" Toge Inumaki said.
Panda didn't forget to explain while fleeing, "Inumaki means it's not quite a war zone yet, since the shells haven't hit our heads."
Just as he finished, a massive impact hit Panda's back, sending him flying like a ragdoll in a storm.
The two in his arms flailed and screamed unconsciously in mid-air.
"We just got hit by a shell, you idiot!" Nobara Kugisaki roared.
"Salmon!" Toge Inumaki yelled as well.
Panda spun in circles in the air but still translated firmly, "Inumaki means we're in more danger now than in a war zone!"
"You don't need to translate that!" Nobara Kugisaki screamed in despair.
Megumi Fushiguro glanced at the three in the air and immediately threw Miwa.
"Maki-senpai!"
Maki Zen'in understandingly tossed Yuji Itadori aside.
Itadori let out a strange cry, but his physical prowess kicked in; he balanced himself and landed smoothly after two flips.
"H-h-help!" Miwa cried, tears at the corners of her eyes, unable to speak clearly.
Maki Zen'in leaped up with open arms, and Miwa crashed into her embrace.
There was a visible ripple at Maki's chest as Miwa's face sank into her breasts.
Maki caught Miwa steadily and landed lightly, holding her in a princess carry.
Miwa was stunned.
"Z-Zen'in-senpai."
Maki Zen'in's glasses were blurred by the direct sunlight, making them appear to glow.
She looked down at Miwa and said calmly, "Call me Maki. I don't like being called Zen'in."
Miwa's face turned beet red.
Megumi Fushiguro formed a hand sign and shouted, "Nue!"
Cursed Technique Release: Ten Shadows Technique!
The shadow at Fushiguro's feet surged like waves, and a large creature emerged—a medium-sized Shikigami resembling a human-faced owl.
It gave a cold cry and flew into the air.
In mid-air, Toge Inumaki pulled down the collar covering half his face.
Cursed sigils were visible on both sides of his mouth.
He opened his mouth and spoke: "Stop!"
Cursed Technique Release: Cursed Speech!
Visible Cursed Energy fluctuations extended from Inumaki's mouth, instantly covering the three in mid-air.
They froze as if trapped in transparent amber.
Nue took the opportunity to catch one in its beak and one in each claw, slowly flying down.
Nobara Kugisaki didn't dare move.
She muttered, "Where's Gojo-sensei?"
"Isn't he going to do something?"
"I suspect if we hadn't moved fast enough, the aftershocks alone would've sent us to the ICU... no, probably buried us directly!"
All the students ran until they reached the forest to catch their breath.
Even there, they could feel the ground shaking occasionally, like the aftershocks of an earthquake.
It was hard to believe this was power generated by humans; they'd easily believe it if someone said it was an artillery bombardment.
Maki Zen'in put down the blushing Miwa and took off her glasses.
She looked back at the giant creature in the sky—the dragon.
Maki's spatial calculation was strong; she could estimate its size just by looking.
Maki Zen'in's eyes couldn't actually see Cursed Spirits; the glasses she usually wore were a Cursed Tool that allowed her to see them.
When she first saw Kinji Hakari's dragon, she thought it was a Shikigami, but she noticed something was off during his fight with Yuki Tsukumo.
Now, having taken off her glasses, she could still see the dragon with her naked eye, meaning it wasn't a simple Shikigami.
What was it?
She murmured, "A behemoth fifty meters long is flying... Heh, so that's a 'Special Grade'."
Panda sighed, "To think we don't even have the right to watch."
"Salmon," Toge Inumaki sighed.
Panda translated quickly, "Inumaki means, 'Yeah'."
Nobara Kugisaki retorted, "We can understand that without a translation."
Yuji Itadori suddenly said, "Ah, so that's our goal!"
Everyone's eyes fixed on Yuji Itadori.
There wasn't a trace of defeat in his gaze; on the contrary, he was full of confidence and longing.
He firmly believed he could reach that level without a doubt.
He slammed his fists together with a dull thud.
He laughed cheerfully, "It's an honor!"
"To see a battle between Special Grades, and from such a close distance."
"Honestly, I was confused for a while after enrolling because everyone knows I'm only here because my execution was stayed for being the Vessel of Ryomen Sukuna."
"But now, I'm truly interested in this Jujutsu world!"
"This is too interesting, isn't it?"
Nobara Kugisaki couldn't take it.
"How is this interesting?"
"Can you imagine being like them?"
"Causing an earthquake with a stomp, or smashing a plaza with a casual punch?"
Yuji Itadori asked back, puzzled, "Why not?"
Nobara Kugisaki was stunned.
"Are you serious?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Itadori frowned, seemingly unable to understand why she'd think that.
"Since we have two examples right in front of us, why can't we be the third?"
"I admit it might be hard."
"But as long as we work hard!"
Can hard work really get you to that level?
Nobara Kugisaki was speechless.
Maki Zen'in suddenly said, "Itadori is right."
"No need for psychological pressure."
"We just saw a battle at the very peak of this world; there's no need to force ourselves to keep up with them right now."
"It might sound a bit cheesy, but... aren't we all certified by Gojo-sensei as people with infinite potential?"
"As long as we follow the path step by step, we'll catch up to them sooner or later and achieve our own greatness."
It wasn't about believing in themselves, but believing in the frivolous man who brought them together—believing in Satoru Gojo.
These words seemed to give everyone strength, clearing the heavy atmosphere.
Nobara Kugisaki also smiled, "Ah, you're right."
"Sorry everyone, I was just—"
Megumi Fushiguro said indifferently from the side, "Before even becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer, Itadori could run a 50-meter dash in 3 seconds."
"That was the result of him just running casually without breaking a single drop of sweat."
"His PE teacher chased him, saying that with his current performance, he could surpass the current Guinness World Record holders."
"And after these days of Cursed Energy training, his physical fitness has further improved."
"Although it hasn't been officially tested, running a 100-meter dash in about 2 seconds shouldn't be difficult."
"...So the muscle-head was already a muscle-head before even enrolling."
"No wonder he's so confident!"
Nobara Kugisaki felt discouraged again.
This wasn't because she lacked spirit, but because anyone watching those two fight wouldn't feel like they could do the same.
She even felt that if these two were dropped into a real war zone, they could beat both sides into submission with their bare hands without getting a speck of dirt on them.
Nobara Kugisaki's intuition was correct; in the original timeline, the United States used special forces to test Kenjaku, but they were wiped out by him without any effort.
It was then that Kenjaku said if he wanted to, he could take over the United States by himself.
Miwa finally came to her senses.
She peeked at Maki Zen'in out of the corner of her eye, and seeing the atmosphere warming up, she took the opportunity to ask, "Who do you think will win between Hakari-senpai and Lady Tsukumo?"
Before Hakari arrived, Satoru Gojo had proudly introduced this upperclassman, claiming that if he was in top condition, it was possible for him to defeat one or two Special Grades.
Having returned from training abroad this time, he could only be stronger, perhaps having truly stepped into the domain of a Special Grade.
Well, Satoru Gojo said Kinji Hakari took a leave of absence to train outside; he didn't mention the part about him being a wanted man.
The students didn't know much about Yuki Tsukumo, but she was, after all, an established Special Grade Sorcerer, and her seniority even exceeded Satoru Gojo's.
Both her experience and strength were beyond doubt.
When the fight was arranged, Kinji Hakari was the one who issued the challenge, indicating that he also felt pressure when facing Yuki Tsukumo.
Taking everything into consideration, Panda voiced the answer most students had in their hearts: "It's probably Lady Tsukumo... Although Hakari-senpai is very strong, age is a factor, and Lady Tsukumo should be stronger in terms of experience."
"No, Hakari won," someone suddenly said.
Everyone's gaze shifted.
At some point, Satoru Gojo had started standing nearby with a smile.
He reached out a hand to say hello: "Yo, you kids did a good job."
"Getting to a safe place without my protection shows that my education is quite effective."
Maki Zen'in put her non-prescription glasses back on and looked at Gojo-sensei: "Gojo-sensei is saying it's Hakari-senpai's victory?"
"I know Hakari-senpai has an immortal body, but immortality can't be maintained indefinitely, right?"
"If she catches that split second, Lady Tsukumo should be able to land an instant kill."
This was also the exact method Hajime Kashimo used to deal with Kinji Hakari in the original timeline, nearly killing him.
It required perfect timing because the time Kinji Hakari takes to redeploy his Domain Expansion aligns perfectly with the duration of his immortality.
As long as that split second isn't exploited, Kinji Hakari can infinitely renew his immortality.
Yuki Tsukumo is a veteran in the Jujutsu world; it's impossible for her not to grasp this timing.
Based on paper strength, Yuki Tsukumo's win rate should be higher.
Satoru Gojo crossed his hands behind his head and sighed, "Hakari showed everything without holding back, but that woman Tsukumo wasn't honest—"
"—she didn't use her full strength."
Toge Inumaki said in surprise, "Katsuobushi?"
Panda quickly translated, "Inumaki means, 'How is that possible?'"
"The Yuki Tsukumo I know has a Shikigami Cursed Tool that is unique in the world."
"Her combat style isn't just pure physical prowess; she skillfully uses her Cursed Tool Shikigami while supplementing it with Barrier Techniques."
Satoru Gojo said regretfully, "But now, besides the most basic Jujutsu combat abilities, have you seen her use anything else?"