Yuta Okkotsu took a deep breath, gripping his katana with both hands as he earnestly stared at the man in front of him. Satoru Gojo stood right there.
This man had long since cast aside his blindfold. His eyes perpetually radiated a faint azure glow, like a clear, bright, distant sky. When facing these eyes, Yuta Okkotsu always had the illusion that his entire being was being seen through... and maybe, it wasn't an illusion at all.
Because of the invincible combination of the Six Eyes and the Limitless, Satoru Gojo had always been the quintessential representative of a traditional jujutsu sorcerer. He only used his own close-quarters combat skills and innate technique to fight. No matter how famous a Cursed Tool was, he had never used one. He simply didn't need to. Just unleashing the full power of the Limitless was enough to make him invincible under the heavens. Why would he need a Cursed Tool?
But right here, right now, he picked up a weapon. A *khakkhara*—a monk's staff.
Because of the Cursed Tool Playful Cloud, every jujutsu sorcerer who used weapons knew how to wield a three-section staff to some extent. This was entirely because Playful Cloud was too famous and too powerful. Even in the original story, the weapon Suguru Geto used after his defection was the three-section staff, Playful Cloud.
Initially, Satoru Gojo also chose a three-section staff to cultivate as his own Tool Manipulation vessel. But it didn't work. It completely failed. Perhaps because every time he wielded a three-section staff, he thought of his best friend, Suguru Geto. Every swing felt wrong.
When it came to nurturing a spirit within a tool, genuine affection was more important than anything else. Even if Gojo could technically wield a three-section staff flawlessly, the underlying premise of disliking it meant he could never cultivate a spirit within it. So, he regretfully had to give it up.
Later, he tried polearms, greatswords, and even a massive sledgehammer. But none of them worked. Gojo just couldn't bring himself to like them.
Finally, Utahime Iori made a suggestion: instead of using weapons designed for the bloody turnover of actual combat, why not try a ceremonial weapon? Wasn't the Lord of Curses using a enshrined Divine Blade? That was a purely ceremonial sword.
Her words woke him from his stupor!
Without hesitation, Satoru Gojo chose a *khakkhara*.
The Gojo clan had karmic ties to Buddhism to begin with. Whether it was the Six Eyes or the Limitless, digging deep enough always revealed a connection to Buddhist concepts. Even Gojo's name was tied to it. When he achieved his first enlightenment in high school, he flamboyantly declared, *"Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the honored one"*—a quote directly from Siddhartha Gautama.
It could be said that both the Gojo clan and Satoru Gojo himself were inextricably linked to Buddhism.
The moment Gojo picked up the khakkhara, he realized it. If he had to choose a tool to nurture a spirit within, it was absolutely impossible to choose anything other than this staff, the very symbol of Buddhism.
And the base material for this khakkhara was astoundingly extraordinary.
In the year 742, Japanese monks Yoei and Fusho traveled west to the Tang Dynasty to seek true Buddhist scriptures and ordain Japanese believers. At the time, all the monks in the great Ming temple remained silent, except for one who stepped forward: *"For the sake of the Dharma, why should I cherish my life?"*
The journey was fraught with constant accidents. Because of vastly different ideologies and methodologies, the voyage was riddled with unimaginable hardships. But this monk was a man of his word. Every time he failed, he insisted on trying again.
To successfully cross eastward to Japan, this monk traveled across half of China. Finally, on his sixth attempt, he successfully reached Japan. His Dharma name was "Jianzhen."
He was the protagonist of Jianzhen's eastward journey!
And this khakkhara was the very same abbot's staff that he had personally consecrated while in Japan. Unlike the high-quality Futsu-no-Mitama replica Kenjaku had provided, this was the genuine article.
It should have been locked away in a museum or the deepest vaults of a temple. But when Satoru Gojo stood before it and gently stroked it, he experienced an epiphany. Even without the Tool Manipulation technique, he could definitely nurture this staff into a living tool.
No, under these circumstances, it shouldn't be called a mere "Cursed Tool." This was a Divine Tool—
—[Divine Tool: Six Perfections' Eastward Journey].
Satoru Gojo had absolutely no doubts about whether this genuine Divine Tool could withstand the Cleaving Line of Mirokuji Kirigiri. What he doubted was whether he could successfully cultivate it in such a short timeframe. His standards were absurdly high. Not only did he require the staff to be vitalized, but he also demanded it connect with his own consciousness, enabling him to unleash a fused Black Flash just like Mahito at the most critical moment.
"Focus your mind, Yuta!" Someone suddenly shouted from the sidelines. "Get ready, Satoru is coming!"
Yuta Okkotsu snapped his wandering thoughts back to reality, glancing to the side from the corner of his eye.
Yuki Tsukumo stood there gripping her whip-like shikigami cursed tool, Garuda, looking at Satoru Gojo with a stern expression. The situation was clear: Yuta Okkotsu and Yuki Tsukumo were teaming up against Satoru Gojo. Both Yuta and Yuki were experts with weapons, and both were Special Grade jujutsu sorcerers. They were the perfect sparring partners for Gojo to practice his new weapon on...
...Or were they?
The head of the khakkhara suddenly materialized right in front of Yuta's eyes.
"—!"
In a world where even gasping felt too slow, Yuta squeezed out every ounce of his cursed energy to reinforce his katana. At the critical microsecond, he raised the blade horizontally to block the tip of the staff. In the next instant, the staff crashed into the edge of the katana.
CLANG! It was exactly like a massive temple bell being struck. The deafening metallic reverberation echoed continuously, assaulting Yuta's ears. Simultaneously, Yuta clearly felt the katana in his hands groaning under the strain, emitting sounds of fragmentation. His hands violently vibrated, as if he weren't holding a static blade, but a thrashing, leaping fish.
In a single instant, Yuta Okkotsu's stance was obliterated.
*THUD.* Satoru Gojo's toe slammed into Yuta's midsection.
Yuta Okkotsu was launched backward like a cannonball. Due to the sheer kinetic force and velocity of his trajectory, Yuta's backward flight actually triggered a sonic boom! He had broken the sound barrier as he was violently blasted away. It wasn't just the sheer trauma to his abdomen; the physical shockwave of exceeding the speed of sound battered against him.
"Hey, Yuta, take this seriously," Gojo complained.
Before Gojo's words even faded, Yuta smashed into the wall of the Sunyata Barrier. A massive web of cracks bloomed across the barrier's surface, as if a gigantic spiderweb had been branded onto it. Yuta opened his mouth, but instead of speaking, he vomited out fragments of his internal organs.
The Immortality Technique immediately kicked in. Even without needing to manually apply Reverse Cursed Technique, the ruptured organs inside Yuta began to rapidly regenerate.
Yet despite this, when Yuta tried to stand, his legs turned to jelly the moment his feet touched the ground. He involuntarily dropped to his knees, his forehead hitting the floor. The katana slipped from his grasp. The very second the tip of the blade touched the ground, the katana shattered into pieces, like paper torn up by a toddler.
The Buddhist resonance of the khakkhara hadn't interrupted the Immortality Technique, but its divine power had invaded his body, causing a massive stutter in the technique's operation. This wasn't destruction; it was *purification*—forcing life to revert to its original state.
One strike to shatter his sword stance. One strike to the midsection. The Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu—who had managed to twist Kenjaku's head off in the Tombs of the Star—was incapacitated in a single exchange.
Yuki Tsukumo, who had been in a supporting stance, completely dropped her guard and complained loudly, "Are you really not using the Limitless, Satoru? Why does it feel like every time we train, either I or Yuta get kicked around by you like a soccer ball?"
Satoru Gojo laughed heartily. "Can't be helped. I've gotten a lot stronger this past month."
Watching from the sidelines, Utahime Iori nodded in agreement. "This idiot Satoru really has improved by leaps and bounds this month. Right now, even without using the Six Eyes or the Limitless, just relying on cursed energy reinforcement and that half-cultivated Divine Tool, he could easily claim the title of Special Grade."
"That's all thanks to you, Utahime," Gojo said with a smile. "I didn't expect that you'd actually be willing to humor my crazy idea. Thank god it worked out, otherwise I'd be the biggest sinner ever."
It was now September 2018. A month had passed since the battle with Mahito. Throughout this entire month, Gojo hadn't wasted a single second, devoting himself wholeheartedly to self-improvement. Yet despite this, he knew very well that his rate of improvement was absolutely not as fast as Mahito's.
Because Mahito now possessed the exact same Six Eyes and Limitless combination!
Gojo knew better than anyone just how terrifying that combination was. Therefore, no matter how much he improved, Gojo's rationality told him he could no longer keep up with Mahito's growth speed. Unless he stretched the timeline to over ten years—waiting until Mahito hit a bottleneck—he wouldn't be able to catch up.
But ten years was way too long! He couldn't possibly wait a decade.
So, he resorted to an unorthodox method.
Utahime Iori's Solo Forbidden Area could massively enhance a jujutsu sorcerer's overall stats—be it cursed energy output, total cursed energy reserves, cursed energy reinforcement, or achieving closer resonance with the Cursed Energy Core. It was a comprehensive buff in the truest sense.
So, could this kind of enhancement become a permanent, baseline state?
Before this, Gojo had never even considered if it was possible, because his baseline state was already overwhelmingly strong. He had absolutely no need to pursue greater power. The logic was simple: someone who is already invincible under the heavens stops pursuing greater strength. For the invincible, their power is already in surplus. There's no point in seeking more.
The Satoru Gojo of the past was much like Jotaro Kujo during his Egypt trip: as long as he had enough power to handle the situation, there was no need to push further. The only difference was that Gojo wasn't quite as lazy as Jotaro; he still grew slowly over time.
But now, everything was different. No matter how minuscule the improvement, Gojo was willing to grind for it!
And if Solo Forbidden Area could be made permanent, that was absolutely not a minuscule improvement. It was a monumental leap!
And then, quite easily, he succeeded.
Even Gojo himself hadn't expected it to be this incredibly simple.
The theory was actually basic. Solo Forbidden Area provided nothing more than an all-around buff to a sorcerer's state. And Gojo, possessing the Six Eyes, was the most sensitive person alive to these microscopic changes. Through the Six Eyes, Gojo could deeply and meticulously record every single nuance and detail of the enhancement effect on his body. Then, using that profound understanding, Gojo could consciously adjust his own cursed energy to permanently replicate that exact enhanced state.
This meant he didn't even need to search for a path to get stronger. All he had to do was constantly feel the buffs granted by Solo Forbidden Area, and then force his body to adapt to that exact blueprint!
Even Satoru Gojo was shocked by this reality-bending, physics-defying "bootstrapping" training method.
It was only in this very moment that Gojo truly and profoundly understood the meaning behind the words Tengen had spoken to him in the car that day: *[The Six Eyes are the eyes of gods and buddhas. You are the Arahitogami of this era, through and through.]*
Right now, their training ground was the Tombs of the Star. Tengen had personally constructed a Sunyata Barrier strictly for their training. Because it was a Sunyata Barrier, it didn't matter how hard they fought. In the original story, the Sunyata Barrier Tengen set up could even withstand a black hole. Even if Gojo could level human civilization, he would struggle to pierce through this barrier. Here, Gojo could train and fight to his heart's content without holding back.
Three people accompanied Gojo in his training:
Yuta Okkotsu, Yuki Tsukumo, and Utahime Iori.
Yuta and Yuki were self-explanatory: they were sparring partners. Yuki was primarily there to test Gojo's new variations of Hollow Techniques; her Star Rage was the perfect metric for his defensive limits. Meanwhile, Yuta—who couldn't die no matter how hard he was hit thanks to copying the Immortality Technique—was used as a punching bag to test Gojo's absolute offensive output.
Utahime's role was to continuously cast Solo Forbidden Area to buff Gojo. Every time Gojo felt the buff, he recorded his body's state. Once he successfully made the previous buff his permanent baseline, he would have Utahime cast it again. By endlessly bootstrapping his own stats, he had grown at an explosive rate over the past month.
Yuki Tsukumo dismissed Garuda and asked, "How are your preparations coming along?"
"Has Mahito made a move?" Gojo asked in return.
"It's precisely because Mahito has been too quiet this past month that I'm feeling uneasy," Yuki sighed. "Just looking at Mahito's skillset, it's obvious he has always been growing with you as his ultimate target. Now that he has truly reached you, and even possesses your Six Eyes and Limitless, you can bet he's doing everything in his power to digest the lessons of your last battle. The next time he appears, he will undoubtedly descend with the force of a thunderbolt to settle the score with you once and for all."
Gojo understood Yuki's concern.
Mahito was growing every single second, and his growth rate was terrifying. Especially now that Mahito had Gojo's Six Eyes, he would only draw closer and closer to the absolute maximum value of the world. Not even Gojo himself could imagine what kind of chemical reaction would occur between the Six Eyes and Idle Transfiguration.
Yet, even though Mahito now possessed the qualifications to fight Gojo head-on, he still hadn't stepped into the light. He remained hidden in the shadows, glaring at the jujutsu world like a stalking tiger.
What exactly was his next move?
Everyone couldn't help but harbor this question in their hearts.
Suddenly, a voice interjected into Gojo and Yuki's conversation: "The Lord of Cursed Spirits' next move will inevitably be an assault on the Tombs of the Star."
A corner of the Sunyata Barrier shattered. Tengen slowly stepped through the fracture and landed on the ground.
Gojo greeted Tengen with a wave. "Yo, is it time to eat?"
Utahime couldn't take it anymore. "Satoru! Show some respect to Master Tengen!"
"Look, your Master Tengen doesn't even mind," Gojo laughed.
"Did you not hear me tell you to show some manners!" Utahime roared.
Yuki Tsukumo laughed out loud. "Alright, alright, that's just how Satoru is. It's fine, Utahime. I don't think Tengen minds."
"It's not about whether she minds or not!" Utahime rubbed her temples, sighing in despair. "This is Master Tengen, who has guarded the jujutsu world for a thousand years! And this idiot Satoru treats Master Tengen like a doorman and a food delivery guy. Can't he grasp even the most basic concept of hierarchy and respect?"
Well, although it was isolated training, they still had to go out occasionally when they weren't training, and Tengen personally opened the door for them. It could be said that Gojo was currently enjoying the absolute highest tier of training resources the jujutsu world had to offer.
The reason for the isolation was that Gojo's full-power training caused too much collateral damage. Furthermore, it ran a high risk of leaking intelligence to curse user spies. Therefore, Tengen simply created a dedicated Sunyata Barrier for Gojo to train in. Here, there was zero risk of intelligence leaks, and no need to worry about holding back his output.
Tengen glanced at the three arguing sorcerers before shifting her gaze to Yuta Okkotsu.
It took about 10 seconds for Yuta to sluggishly pick himself up. Just standing up filled his face with agony. His legs were as soft as eggplants, and he had to lean his back heavily against the blank wall of the Sunyata Barrier just to stay upright.
Tengen praised, "The spirituality of your Six Perfections' Eastward Journey has increased again. This is excellent. Although it still falls short of Mirokuji Kirigiri in the hands of the Lord of Cursed Spirits, at least you don't have to worry about it being easily sliced apart now."
"It's still early days," Gojo sighed, lifting the khakkhara in exasperation. "Should I say 'as expected of a genuine relic of a great master'? This guy is incredibly zen. I can barely read its emotions using the Six Eyes, but I absolutely cannot get it to cooperate with me... Let alone getting it to cooperate with me, I can't even get myself to cooperate with *it*! This guy is way too stubborn."
Gojo referred to the staff using human pronouns. This was a powerful psychological suggestion: *you are a living creature*. It was a highly potent psychological anchoring technique; Mahito had used the exact same method when cultivating Mirokuji Kirigiri.
The difference was that Mahito imagined Mirokuji Kirigiri as a tranquil, beautiful girl, whereas Gojo imagined Six Perfections' Eastward Journey as a solemn, austere monk.
"That is entirely normal," Tengen said, unfazed, offering her counsel. "You do not possess Tool Manipulation. You fundamentally cannot comprehend the thoughts of the Divine Tool in your hands. You can only rely on the precise cursed energy observation of the Six Eyes to decipher its surface-level intentions. Being able to achieve this level of synergy in such a short amount of time is already nothing short of a miracle."
Gojo sighed, knowing Tengen was right. He didn't have Tool Manipulation. Getting this far was already impressive. He shouldn't rush it.
Even Mahito took a whole week to cultivate Mirokuji Kirigiri, right? And Mahito actually *had* Tool Manipulation. Gojo didn't even have the technique and had to brute-force his perception of the staff's emotions and cultivation methods using the extreme sensory input of the Six Eyes. Doing this in a month was already a miraculous speed.
"Aside from the Six Perfections' Eastward Journey, how are you faring in other areas?" Tengen asked.
Gojo pondered for a moment. "The new Hollow Technique variations are viable for actual combat, but the fundamental issue remains: they can't be used as standard, continuous attacks. They can only be used for burst damage. Even my Six Eyes can't maintain them for long. After all, I don't have absolute dominion over my physical flesh; the indirect manipulation via the Six Eyes is always slightly inferior."
"The new mechanics for Domain Expansion: Infinite Void are also ready. Yuta Okkotsu tested it personally, and it's incredibly overbearing. I'm very confident in clashing against Mahito's Dharmadhatu Transmigration: Nirvana Realm again. It should give him a nasty surprise."
"The other miscellaneous improvements are mostly in foundational cursed energy manipulation, including cursed energy circulation, reinforcement, and efficiency. Utahime helped me a ton with that."
Over the past month, Gojo had violently rejected every single mission assigned by the jujutsu higher-ups, dedicating his mind entirely to his own improvement. Because he had Tengen's backing, not even the Jujutsu Headquarters dared to point fingers at him during this period. Or rather, they had their own guilty consciences to deal with.
Yeah. Ever since word got out that Mahito had fought Gojo to a standstill, the Jujutsu Headquarters had been severely shaken. If Tengen hadn't personally intervened to suppress the unrest, a massive number of jujutsu traitors would have probably already submitted their resumes to Mahito.
But even with Tengen's intervention, there was no telling how many people were now secretly aligning their loyalties with Mahito.
Immortality and resurrection. These two ultimate trump cards were simply too devastating. Almost every aging jujutsu sorcerer felt their resolve waver. Gojo suspected that even if he truly defeated Mahito, as long as he didn't kill Mahito on the spot, those geezers would use every excuse in the book to beg him to spare Mahito and leave the threat alive. Because in the entire history of jujutsu, Mahito was the only entity capable of bringing the dead back to life and granting eternal youth.
To make matters worse, the Lord of Cursed Spirits had an insanely positive reputation in the jujutsu world! It was incredibly hard to rally people into a firm resolve to fight him.
Gojo was certain that if he and Tengen truly lost in the future, and Mahito ascended to rule the jujutsu world, the jujutsu society wouldn't even bat an eye. Hell, they might even be secretly ecstatic.
*Fuck!* Mahito wasn't playing the vicious, cruel villain typical of curses; he was playing the righteous, benevolent path of a king. Paired with his promises of resurrection and immortality, the lethal appeal was simply too fucking high!
Tengen nodded gently. "Then I am relieved."
Gojo caught a subtle shift in her tone. He frowned and asked, "What's going on? Why does your tone sound weird?"
"Do you remember what I just said? That the Lord of Cursed Spirits' next plan must involve the Tombs of the Star?"
"Isn't that obvious? If he doesn't breach the Tombs of the Star, Mahito's actions will forever be restricted. You are the master of the Tombs of the Star, and with Yuta Okkotsu acting as your guard, no one can pose a threat to Japan's Great Barrier."
"No. It is possible now," Tengen said quietly. "I must travel abroad."
Gojo almost couldn't believe his ears. "What the hell? You're going abroad? What about Japan's Great Barrier? Don't tell me you're planning to leave it to Yuta?"
Currently, Yuta Okkotsu also possessed the Immortality Technique and could act as the anchoring administrator for Japan's Great Barrier. But Yuta was just a second-year high school student. While his frontline combat prowess was immense, his technical knowledge was low. Using him as a stopgap measure was fine, but if he was actually forced to run the barrier, god knows what kind of chaos would ensue.
"The American Ambassador personally came to our door, inviting me to the United States to construct an American Great Barrier for the circulation of cursed energy on US soil," Tengen said solemnly. "I cannot refuse. Even if only for the balance of the jujutsu world and human society, I must go."
"Fucking refuse them!" Gojo roared without a second thought. "This is obviously a trap set by Mahito and his bastard crew! They know a frontal assault on the Tombs of the Star is impossible, so they're deliberately luring you out. If you actually go to America, it'll be child's play for them to either concentrate their forces to attack the Tombs of the Star while you're gone, or ambush you on US soil."
"If Ui Ui were here, I could cover both sides. But Ui Ui bolted with his sister! I can't split myself in two to guard the Tombs of the Star and escort you in America at the same time. Don't fuck with me. Refuse them!"
Ui Ui's teleportation could cross international borders. If Ui Ui were still around, Gojo might actually be able to bounce back and forth.
But ever since Mei Mei betrayed Mahito for the sake of the jujutsu world, she realized she absolutely could not afford to show her face to Mahito at this stage. So she decisively and cleanly went into hiding. Because Ui Ui had global teleportation capabilities, unless Mei Mei stepped out herself, absolutely no one was going to find her.
So counting on Ui Ui was off the table.
"This is for the Great Cause," Tengen said solemnly.
"Fuck your Great Cause!" Gojo laughed in fury. "You not falling into Mahito's hands *is* the Great Cause! Have you even imagined how terrifying the current Mahito would be if he got his hands on your Immortality Technique?"
"The American Ambassador warned the Japanese government that if they do not hand me over, they will wage war," Tengen stated evenly. "I cannot ignore that possibility."
"Let America try to start a war," Gojo sneered.
Gojo's heart hardened. The situation now was different from the past; this was a war for the survival of the species! Gojo swore to himself: if America dared to cause trouble at this critical juncture, he would personally slaughter every single US soldier stationed in Japan, fly to America, rip the President's head off with his bare hands, and toss it onto the Statue of Liberty.
He dared to think it, and he dared to do it!
"And then, in the midst of the war, the Lord of Cursed Spirits will pick you off one by one?" Tengen asked. "Are you confident you can fight the Lord of Cursed Spirits head-on? Can Yuki Tsukumo? Can Yuta Okkotsu? Or do you think you can still keep an eye on the Tombs of the Star while you are out operating? What will you do when they assault the Tombs of the Star while you are off fighting America?"
Yuki Tsukumo and Yuta Okkotsu, having been called out, remained silent.
Whether it was Yuki or Yuta, they genuinely couldn't withstand an assault from Mahito. After a month of isolated training alongside Satoru Gojo, the two of them had truly realized just how unfathomably powerful Gojo was. And yet, this overwhelmingly powerful Gojo had only barely managed to fight Mahito to a draw.
...Uh, yeah.
*Me, fight Mahito? Are you kidding me?*
"Yuki!" Gojo started calling roll. "Didn't you say you were only one move behind Mahito? If America really starts a war, how about I go fight America and you guard Tengen?"
Yuki Tsukumo sighed. "Don't joke around, Satoru. Didn't you see Mahito's growth speed with your own eyes? I could fight Mahito in the past, but that was the past. Right now, Mahito has left me in the dust. Unless I'm prepared to destroy everything, including the Earth, I cannot be Mahito's opponent."
"Or would you rather see the Earth destroyed than see Mahito rule the world?"
Gojo fell silent. He genuinely couldn't say those words.
After surviving that battle, Gojo finally understood why Hakari and Yuki believed deep down that the world might actually improve under Mahito's rule. If Mahito were a traditional manifestation of curses, Gojo could still conclude that destroying the Earth was better than being ruled by him. But now, he really couldn't bring himself to say it.
Because compared to the extinction of humanity, handing the world over to Mahito was genuinely the better option. *Fuck! Mahito, you bastard, why do you have to be so noble?!*
Tengen spoke with heavy gravity. "This is my failure. I never expected the Lord of Cursed Spirits to mobilize external political forces. When America intervenes, whether you accept it or not, I will inevitably fall into the Lord of Cursed Spirits' hands. This is an open conspiracy. What we must do is not avoid this possibility, but rather seek a path to survival within it."
Gojo exhaled. "Give me a moment. I'm calling Kinji."
"What do you plan to do?"
Gojo's expression turned dead serious. "I want to have a real talk with Mahito... I want to know exactly what he is thinking! You are the administrator of Japan's Great Barrier. Even a brief departure on your part would cause massive damage to the barrier. Don't bring up Yuta to me. I admit Yuta's potential is limitless, but he cannot cash in on that potential right now! You are still crucial. I will not allow anything to happen to you."
Yuta Okkotsu, having recovered on the sidelines, didn't feel offended by the reprimand at all. Instead, he nodded in fervent agreement.
He knew his own limits. He truly couldn't do Tengen's job!
"Do you think Mahito will talk to you?" Tengen asked.
"He will," Gojo said confidently. "If it's Mahito, he definitely will."
Tengen stared blankly at Gojo for a moment, then suddenly smiled with deep gratification.
"Excellent, Satoru Gojo." She smiled. "You have truly become an outstanding Arahitogami. I believe that from now on, as long as you are present in the jujutsu world, no one can shatter its balance. Neither Ryomen Sukuna nor the Lord of Cursed Spirits."
Gojo felt a bit awkward. He couldn't handle this kind of blessing from an elder. He had always been the tallest peak, the one looking down to praise others. When was it ever someone else's turn to praise him? But Tengen's seniority was so absolute that even someone as arrogant as Gojo had to just take the compliment.
"I already know I'm flawless," Gojo muttered uncomfortably. "But there's no need to keep rubbing it in."
"Five hundred years ago, the Gojo clan also produced an Arahitogami wielding the Six Eyes and the Limitless. Do you know what his fate was?" Tengen asked.
Gojo wondered why the topic was suddenly shifting, but thought it over anyway. "I recall he died in a mutual kill with a Zen'in clan head using the Ten Shadows Technique, right?"
"If he had been able to do what you are doing now—sit down and have a frank, honest conversation with the Zen'in head—that tragedy would never have happened," Tengen said softly. "The combination of the Six Eyes and the Limitless does indeed touch the absolute ceiling of the world. But the wielder of this power is a flesh-and-blood human being. He possessed human flaws. Just because your strength reaches the peak doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Your ancestor didn't understand this. He only wanted to prove he was invincible under the heavens, so he challenged the Zen'in clan to a duel, and he paid the price. But you... you truly understand it now."
Gojo looked thoughtful.
In truth, Gojo had almost fallen into the exact same trap as his ancestor. He had been too arrogant, believing himself to be invincible and incapable of losing. Up until the moment of his death in the original story, he had harbored the exact same mindset as his ancestor, and he had indeed died because of his own arrogance.
But the battle with Mahito had completely beaten him awake, making him realize he wasn't invincible. It was entirely possible for him to be killed in a head-on fight. If Tengen hadn't interrupted the duel at the critical moment, he might have actually been killed by Mahito.
***
"Let America try to start a war," Gojo sneered.
Gojo's heart hardened. The situation now was different from the past; this was a war for the survival of the species! Gojo swore to himself: if America dared to cause trouble at this critical juncture, he would personally slaughter every single US soldier stationed in Japan, fly to America, rip the President's head off with his bare hands, and toss it onto the Statue of Liberty.
He dared to think it, and he dared to do it!
"And then, in the midst of the war, the Lord of Cursed Spirits will pick you off one by one?" Tengen asked. "Are you confident you can fight the Lord of Cursed Spirits head-on? Can Yuki Tsukumo? Can Yuta Okkotsu? Or do you think you can still keep an eye on the Tombs of the Star while you are out operating? What will you do when they assault the Tombs of the Star while you are off fighting America?"
Yuki Tsukumo and Yuta Okkotsu, having been called out, remained silent.
Whether it was Yuki or Yuta, they genuinely couldn't withstand an assault from Mahito. After a month of isolated training alongside Satoru Gojo, the two of them had truly realized just how unfathomably powerful Gojo was. And yet, this overwhelmingly powerful Gojo had only barely managed to fight Mahito to a draw.
...Uh, yeah.
*Me, fight Mahito? Are you kidding me?*
"Yuki!" Gojo started calling roll. "Didn't you say you were only one move behind Mahito? If America really starts a war, how about I go fight America and you guard Tengen?"
Yuki Tsukumo sighed. "Don't joke around, Satoru. Didn't you see Mahito's growth speed with your own eyes? I could fight Mahito in the past, but that was the past. Right now, Mahito has left me in the dust. Unless I'm prepared to destroy everything, including the Earth, I cannot be Mahito's opponent."
"Or would you rather see the Earth destroyed than see Mahito rule the world?"
Gojo fell silent. He genuinely couldn't say those words.
After surviving that battle, Gojo finally understood why Hakari and Yuki believed deep down that the world might actually improve under Mahito's rule. If Mahito were a traditional manifestation of curses, Gojo could still conclude that destroying the Earth was better than being ruled by him. But now, he really couldn't bring himself to say it.
Because compared to the extinction of humanity, handing the world over to Mahito was genuinely the better option. *Fuck! Mahito, you bastard, why do you have to be so noble?!*
Tengen spoke with heavy gravity. "This is my failure. I never expected the Lord of Cursed Spirits to mobilize external political forces. When America intervenes, whether you accept it or not, I will inevitably fall into the Lord of Cursed Spirits' hands. This is an open conspiracy. What we must do is not avoid this possibility, but rather seek a path to survival within it."
Gojo exhaled. "Give me a moment. I'm calling Kinji."
"What do you plan to do?"
Gojo's expression turned dead serious. "I want to have a real talk with Mahito... I want to know exactly what he is thinking! You are the administrator of Japan's Great Barrier. Even a brief departure on your part would cause massive damage to the barrier. Don't bring up Yuta to me. I admit Yuta's potential is limitless, but he cannot cash in on that potential right now! You are still crucial. I will not allow anything to happen to you."
Yuta Okkotsu, having recovered on the sidelines, didn't feel offended by the reprimand at all. Instead, he nodded in fervent agreement.
He knew his own limits. He truly couldn't do Tengen's job!
"Do you think Mahito will talk to you?" Tengen asked.
"He will," Gojo said confidently. "If it's Mahito, he definitely will."
Tengen stared blankly at Gojo for a moment, then suddenly smiled with deep gratification.
"Excellent, Satoru Gojo." She smiled. "You have truly become an outstanding Arahitogami. I believe that from now on, as long as you are present in the jujutsu world, no one can shatter its balance. Neither Ryomen Sukuna nor the Lord of Cursed Spirits."
Gojo felt a bit awkward. He couldn't handle this kind of blessing from an elder. He had always been the tallest peak, the one looking down to praise others. When was it ever someone else's turn to praise him? But Tengen's seniority was so absolute that even someone as arrogant as Gojo had to just take the compliment.
"I already know I'm flawless," Gojo muttered uncomfortably. "But there's no need to keep rubbing it in."
"Five hundred years ago, the Gojo clan also produced an Arahitogami wielding the Six Eyes and the Limitless. Do you know what his fate was?" Tengen asked.
Gojo wondered why the topic was suddenly shifting, but thought it over anyway. "I recall he died in a mutual kill with a Zen'in clan head using the Ten Shadows Technique, right?"
"If he had been able to do what you are doing now—sit down and have a frank, honest conversation with the Zen'in head—that tragedy would never have happened," Tengen said softly. "The combination of the Six Eyes and the Limitless does indeed touch the absolute ceiling of the world. But the wielder of this power is a flesh-and-blood human being. He possessed human flaws. Just because your strength reaches the peak doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Your ancestor didn't understand this. He only wanted to prove he was invincible under the heavens, so he challenged the Zen'in clan to a duel, and he paid the price. But you... you truly understand it now."
Gojo looked thoughtful.
In truth, Gojo had almost fallen into the exact same trap as his ancestor. He had been too arrogant, believing himself to be invincible and incapable of losing. Up until the moment of his death in the original story, he had harbored the exact same mindset as his ancestor, and he had indeed died because of his own arrogance.
But the battle with Mahito had completely beaten him awake, making him realize he wasn't invincible. It was entirely possible for him to be killed in a head-on fight. If Tengen hadn't interrupted the duel at the critical moment, he might have actually been killed by Mahito.
He was truly awake now.
***
Tengen opened the Sunyata Barrier. "Even though I know full well that your conversation with the Lord of Cursed Spirits is meaningless, I am still willing to stall for a moment to allow it to happen. I will withstand the pressure and prevent America from influencing your decision. I will await the conclusion of your discussion with the Lord of Cursed Spirits."
Gojo suddenly felt an agonizing weight crush down upon his back, forcing his perpetually straight spine to bend slightly. At this very moment, Gojo intensely felt that the fate of Japan rested squarely in his hands. If he made even a single miscalculation, Japan would likely face catastrophic annihilation.
He took a deep breath, straightening his spine once more, but this time, he bore the destiny of Japan upon it.
Satoru Gojo spoke with solemn resolve, "Yeah. Leave it to me."