I Play Ninjutsu in Jujutsu Kaisen! Chapter 10

Every block felt like being hit by a car. The heavy attacks sent pain shooting through his arms, while the cursed energy in his body drained rapidly.

No!

Getting beaten the whole time was totally against my style. At the very least, I had to use everything I'd just learned. If I lost, I'd lose with honor!

Don't blame me for going all out!

Natsu Hiraku immediately poured all the cursed energy in his body into strengthening himself. That desperate gamble gave him a chance to counterattack. Though he was a complete novice on the battlefield, there was no awkwardness in the way he wielded the naginata.

His moves were broad and unrestrained, his attacks swift and fierce. Like a tiger making one final desperate counterattack before death, he disregarded his own injuries and sought only to inflict greater damage.

A single strike to kill!

"Interesting."

Watching Natsu Hiraku fully unleash the moves he had learned, Maki Zenin smiled in satisfaction. She had only wanted to fight him because she'd been annoyed, but if he truly learned these techniques and could use them to protect himself while exorcising cursed spirits, then she would be genuinely pleased.

"Still, it's lacking something."

As the creator of those techniques, Maki Zenin spotted the flaw at a glance. In the gap as she evaded the naginata, she suddenly flung out her three-section staff. Its sturdy iron chain wrapped around the blade, preventing it from swinging properly. Then, bracing herself against the ground with one hand, she kicked straight at him.

"So fast!"

Natsu Hiraku's pupils contracted sharply. Seeing that he no longer had time to dodge, he quickly released the naginata with his right hand and crossed both arms in front of himself.

Having just woken up and come out for his usual early-morning training, Yuta Okkotsu yawned sleepily and muttered, "What's going on at the training grounds today? It's so lively."

The moment he finished speaking, a dark figure flew past from one side, followed by a loud clang.

"Hiss! It hurts, it hurts!"

Natsu Hiraku slowly got to his feet. Looking at the crater in the wall and rubbing his aching back, he grimaced in pain. "Ah, hiss! I almost got knocked to pieces. I thought I'd landed a hit."

"Hit me? Don't think that just because you secretly learned a few things, you can challenge me. You're still too green!"

Maki Zenin walked over with the three-section staff slung over her shoulder and the naginata in hand. On the way, she spotted the dumbfounded Yuta Okkotsu, waved at him, and asked, "Want to spar?"

"Uh..."

Yuta Okkotsu turned to look at the crater in the wall and Natsu Hiraku's pained expression. He swallowed and said, "Um, go easy on me. A regular wooden stick will do."

"Sure. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll teach you a little extra."

Maki Zenin threw an arm around Yuta Okkotsu's shoulder and headed for the training ground nearby, leaving only Natsu Hiraku behind, still groaning "Ow~" with a pained expression.

"Ow, I'm done for, I'm done for. No, I have to go steal a few more moves. Otherwise, I got beaten for nothing."

With that, he clutched his back and headed toward the training ground. He slowly lay down sideways on a stone bench, propping up his head with one hand as he watched the two sparring in the field.

Unlike with him, Maki Zenin was not going all out. Instead, she was guiding Yuta Okkotsu. From his awkward, panicked blocks, it was obvious that he had not been training for long.

It even gave him the feeling that although he had only just started learning himself, teaching Yuta a few things would not be a problem at all.

He could not learn much from it, but it was still a pretty good way to pass the time.

"Yuta, kick her legs! Get revenge for me!"

As the two fought, Natsu Hiraku entered tactical commander mode.

"Now! Hit her leg with the wooden stick!"

"Ow! You actually missed from there? Get revenge for me, Yuta!"

"Quick! Kick her, kick her!"

"..."

Hiraku, you're going to die horribly like this...

Yuta Okkotsu swallowed as he looked at Maki Zenin, whose eyes were filled with murderous intent.

The veins on Maki Zenin's forehead bulged as she held the wooden stick. Without realizing it, she snapped it in half.

The crisp crack echoed in all three of their ears. Natsu Hiraku's heart turned to ashes as he screamed inwardly that he had gone too far.

"Ahem, well... if there's nothing else, I'll be going now. No need to trouble yourselves seeing me off."

Natsu Hiraku slowly rose to his feet, but after taking only two steps, a pair of pale arms locked around the throat fate had assigned him. Maki Zenin's voice drifted ominously from behind him.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave. Let me help loosen up your muscles and joints."

"No! There's no need! Aah!!!"

"Ow~"

Natsu Hiraku was currently being supported by Yuta Okkotsu. Though he had gotten beaten up again, his mouth was still stubbornly tough.

"Okkotsu, let me tell you, it's only because I'm injured. Otherwise..."

Before he could finish, a familiar voice came from beside him. "Otherwise what? You want another beating?"

"Uh..."

Natsu Hiraku looked at Maki Zenin, who was wiping away sweat with a towel, and wiped the sweat from his own forehead. "Otherwise, I definitely could've taken a few more hits from you without making a sound."

"Hmph! At least you know better."

Maki Zenin snorted, then took a small bottle from her pocket and tossed it to the injured Natsu Hiraku. "Catch. It's medicine for bruises and sprains. Go back and apply some yourself, get some rest, and continue training tomorrow."

"Oh, okay."

Natsu Hiraku took the bottle and watched Maki Zenin leave, finally relaxing inwardly. Today's matter could be considered settled, but earning her approval really was difficult!

His whole body ached, and his limbs felt weak.

Still, this was only the first step on his path. He had a long road ahead of him, and the injuries he suffered today were merely part of his training. They would become fewer and fewer in the future, until he became invincible and lived a peaceful life.

Opening a restaurant actually seemed pretty nice. Watching customers smile in satisfaction would be like his old self, gratefully finishing every meal.

After returning to his room and saying goodbye to Yuta Okkotsu, he shut the door, placed the medicine Maki Zenin had given him on the table, then went into the bathroom to wash away the salt crystals formed by dried sweat.

He recalled the defeat he had just suffered. Although he had known he would lose, actually losing still left him unwilling to accept it.

One day, he would become that strong too. But when would the next System Quest be issued?

There wasn't supposed to be a lull this long, was there?

He had already been unconscious for more than ten days. Could it be waiting for the main storyline?

If that was the case, the system probably would not budge for another two months.

Then he could only improve himself as quickly as possible over these two months—his physical skills, cursed techniques, and actual combat experience.

I need to work harder!

Once he had finished washing up, Natsu Hiraku walked straight out of the bathroom. Water dripped from his messy hair as he tossed his sweat-soaked clothes into the washing machine, pressed the start button, and left.

Honestly, the quality of life for Jujutsu High students was genuinely good. The rooms were fully equipped and had everything they could need. Of course, the death rate was genuinely high too. When fighting cursed spirits, who could guarantee they would not be beaten to death because of faulty intelligence?

"Haah, life isn't easy."

As soon as he sighed, he spotted the medicine on the table. After carefully applying it, he lay down on the bed and chose to go back to sleep.

The moment he lay down, Gojo Satoru's voice came from the doorway. "Get up. Time to train."

"..."

He was numb...

Now life really wasn't easy...

Natsu Hiraku's drowsiness vanished completely. He slowly got up, put on the school uniform beside his bed, and opened the door. Looking up at the tall Gojo Satoru, he said, "I don't want to move right now. I'm completely out of stamina and cursed energy."

"I know. This time, I'm taking you to pick out a Cursed Tool, then I'll introduce you to your future first-year Junior."

"Junior?"

Natsu Hiraku shot Gojo Satoru a puzzled glance. At this point, his future first-year Junior should only be Megumi Fushiguro, right?

He could go take a look and make himself familiar. It was not like he had anything better to do.

"That's right. His name is Megumi Fushiguro. He'll be studying jujutsu with you soon, so make sure to look after him."

"Ah! Is that so?"

Megumi Fushiguro had arrived at this point in time. Though the original work he had read had not mentioned it, it seemed quite reasonable. After all, aside from learning jujutsu from Gojo Satoru, it was not as though Megumi could have taught himself everything.

Wait, cursed techniques seemed to be passed down through bloodlines. In that sense, calling him self-taught did not seem entirely wrong either. Whatever. One more Junior meant one more connection. He would go take a look.

Just thinking about becoming his senior made him inexplicably excited. A summoner skilled in close combat?

He was rather looking forward to it.

"Let's go, let's go. I'm finally not the weakest anymore."

"No, you're still the weakest."

Gojo Satoru crushed his hopes. "Don't underestimate your Junior. You might end up asking for trouble in your first fight."

"Tch! If I can't even beat a Junior, then demote me to the first year next year."

Natsu Hiraku stretched his aching body a few times and lightly hopped in place, eager to give it a try.

"Sure. Then I'll arrange a fight for you two in a couple of days. If you lose, I'll move you down to the first year next year."

"..."

Seeing Gojo Satoru agree so decisively, Natsu Hiraku actually felt a trace of hesitation. If he lost, those guys would laugh at him. From Gojo Satoru's expression, he seemed to genuinely believe Megumi Fushiguro would not lose.

Was he really that strong when he had just entered the school?

With those questions in mind, Natsu Hiraku followed behind Gojo Satoru.

Although he had only arrived recently himself, he had a cheat ability—the Fire Style and the Sharingan. If he still got demoted despite that, it would be utterly ridiculous.

"I don't need to explain what a Cursed Tool is, do I?"

"Yeah. Even without using cursed energy, it can harm cursed spirits, and it can also be used together with one's own cursed technique."

"Right. Any qualified jujutsu sorcerer knows how to use Cursed Tools, since the cursed energy in their bodies is limited. Take your eyes, for example. On a real battlefield, don't activate them unless you have to. Every time you activate them, you consume cursed energy. In a drawn-out fight, it's easy to end up short on cursed energy."

"Yeah, I understand, Gojo Satoru-sensei."

Natsu Hiraku gladly accepted Gojo Satoru's concern. Teachers as good as him were hard to find—he was not only powerful, but also protective of his students.

Hehe, he'd definitely look good in women's clothes!

After passing through a maze of twisting alleyways, they arrived before an old wooden house. Gojo Satoru pushed open the front door, revealing the Cursed Tools stored inside.

Various weapons lay atop wooden racks.

Swords, naginatas, nunchaku, three-section staffs, even gauntlets.

"Go inside and pick something that suits you, then go meet your future classmate."

"..."

Future classmate...

Was he already certain I would lose...?

Natsu Hiraku was speechless. He had just stepped into the wooden cabin when a system notification suddenly appeared.

[Mission: Defeat Megumi Fushiguro. Reward: 10 points, permanent increase of 50 curse energy.]

Ten points?

Holy shit!

Wouldn't that send me straight to the moon?

Four points had gotten me Great Fire Annihilation before. With these nine points, wouldn't I be able to pull out an A-rank ninjutsu like Rasengan for fun?

If I still couldn't win this, forget Gojo Satoru making me repeat a year next year—I'd slap myself to death.

Hehehe!

Junior Fushiguro, don't blame your senior if I can't control my strength later. Blame the system for giving me too much.

Ah! I was so rich I was practically dripping oil.

The life of the rich was just this plain and boring. As they said, follow the system and ninjutsu comes every day. I might have nothing right now, but one day, my figure would spread across the entire world!