Maki Zenin spoke viciously.
Natsu Hiraku rapidly formed hand seals. With the Sharingan's fine control assisting him, even though he had never formed seals before, he completed seven in two seconds, and the cursed energy within him plummeted by 300.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!!"
After taking a deep breath, it felt as though a searing blaze had ignited in his chest before he expelled it all through his mouth along with that breath.
A violent torrent of flames spewed from his mouth. The flames, previously compressed to the extreme, gained room to expand and burst outward in every direction.
The scorching wave of fire surged toward Megumi Fushiguro, who had already summoned the Divine Dogs.
As for the incoming owl, it had long sensed the danger and flown back into the sky. The raging fire reflected in its eyes, and at its source stood a young man.
Megumi looked at the flames, too late to evade them, and the words I'm going to die surfaced in his mind!
The searing heat seemed ready to devour everything, reducing all in its path to ash. Just as the fire was about to engulf him, the White Dog stepped directly in front of him as though ready to die for its master.
"Awoo~!"
That howl jolted Megumi out of his daze. Right—what good was pride if he wasn't alive?
He gritted his teeth and shouted, "I surrender!"
"Whoosh—"
The fierce flames instantly vanished. Natsu Hiraku, standing at the source of the blaze, let out a soft breath, and the last flicker of fire dissipated with it.
In the end, he had won this fight using the Fire Style granted by the system. It wasn't that Maki Zenin's swordsmanship lessons had been useless; there simply hadn't been any room to use them this time.
After all, he knew exactly what he was capable of. If he couldn't win in hand-to-hand combat, then he couldn't win.
The system rewards were issued at that moment.
[Mission complete. Mission reward distribution begins: 10 points, permanent increase of 50 cursed energy.] [Distribution complete.]
Ten points...
He would pick an auspicious day and go all in!
What a huge profit. How could someone as handsome as him possibly draw "thanks for participating" nine times in a row?
Alright, the fight was over. It was time to win people over. Megumi had lost because he lacked information. If he had been guarding against him from the start, it was hard to say who would have won.
After all, it was impossible to use ninjutsu when someone was right in his face. Taking two seconds to form hand seals would be asking to die.
After dismissing his Shikigami, Megumi watched Natsu Hiraku approach, dropped onto the ground, and said, "If you want to mock me, go ahead. A loss is a loss. I admit it."
"Don't make me sound so awful."
Natsu Hiraku extended his right hand and said gently, "That was a great match. I'm looking forward to fighting you again."
"..."
Megumi looked at the outstretched hand and said, "We were just fighting to the death for our respective prides. Aren't you afraid I'll stab you now?"
"Then what do you think I'm doing? I'm offering to shake hands and make peace. If stabbing me once will make you feel better, I'd be happy to let you."
Although that was what Natsu Hiraku said, what he thought was, If you dare stab me, your life is over!
"Hmph!"
Megumi snorted, reached out, and shook his hand. "I'm looking forward to our next fight. I've already found your weakness, so don't deny it when you lose."
"Of course!"
The two shook hands and made peace, while the spectators nearby were too stunned to say anything.
That technique had covered an enormous area. The overwhelming heat had rushed straight at them, and though it had dissipated now, the air was still tinged with warmth.
Yaga Masamichi glanced at Gojo Satoru, who was supposed to be the teacher, and was about to say something when he saw the innocent expression on his face. Clearly, Gojo had only just learned about this as well.
An ordinary family background, no sorcerer bloodline among his ancestors—then what the hell were those eyes and that technique he had used?
Did they just appear out of thin air?
No, he still needed to investigate. This matter couldn't be allowed to spread either, especially not to the Three Great Families. If his bloodline was powerful, they might conduct some unspeakable experiments.
Seriously, such a promising talent had been stumbled upon by that brat Gojo Satoru while getting a late-night snack. If nurtured properly, his future would be limitless!
As for the Sister School Exchange Event with the school next door...
Hehehe!
Prepare to be crushed!
After the match ended.
Natsu Hiraku sighed, stretched his muscles a few times, and complained, "My neck hurts a little. Little bro Megumi, won't you give Brother Natsu a massage?"
"Uh..."
Megumi remembered the agreement that he would call him "Brother Natsu" if he lost. It was hard to say, but... a loss was a loss.
"Natsu... Natsu... Natsu-sen... pai."
"Good."
Natsu Hiraku looked at the slightly embarrassed Megumi, a maternal smile appearing on his face. He didn't force him to keep calling him that. Instead, he reached out and patted Megumi's head.
"I've always wanted a younger brother. From now on, you can treat me as your real older brother too."
The moment he finished speaking, he felt a thread of killing intent from behind him, and the name Maki Zenin immediately surfaced in his mind.
He was just about to run when two arms locked around his throat. Maki Zenin's furious voice rang out. "You little brat, you hid yourself well, huh? You know such a powerful technique, yet you still tricked me into teaching you swordsmanship. Spit out all the swordsmanship I taught you!"
"Ugh, I was just worried my ultimate move might miss, so I learned some swordsmanship for self-defense. I'm suffocating! Loosen up, loosen up."
Natsu Hiraku patted Maki Zenin's arm and hurriedly admitted his mistake.
"Extra dishes, extra dishes! If we don't get extra dishes tonight, Maki won't let you off!"
Panda egged them on from the side.
"Salmon!"
Toge Inumaki agreed.
"Maki, Hiraku's face is already turning red. If you don't let him breathe, he'll pass out."
Only kind-hearted Yuta Okkotsu noticed that Natsu Hiraku was nearly being strangled to death.
Natsu Hiraku gave him a thumbs-up, feeling comforted. His efforts to raise Yuta Okkotsu's favorability hadn't been in vain.
Yuta Okkotsu continued, "If he passes out, there'll be no dinner tonight."
"..."
Natsu Hiraku: Fuck, that was offensive. Just strangle me to death and let me reincarnate!
"Ah, right."
Maki Zenin released her arms. Able to breathe again, Natsu Hiraku abruptly sprang up and gulped in fresh air. His face gradually changed from liver-colored to light red.
"Are you guys planning to hold a funeral feast tonight?"
After complaining, Natsu Hiraku said nothing more. He turned to Megumi, who was standing nearby, and said, "Come out for dinner tonight. Don't make me come knock on your door. Everyone here is a good person. Get to know each other."
"Okay."
Perhaps because he wasn't good at interacting with people, Megumi had never managed to take that first step. But now that he could make friends, he was happy inside. After all, no one wanted to spend their entire life alone.
These people looked strange, but after observing them over the past few days, he knew they were all kind at heart. It was just that talking with that white-haired senior was a little difficult...
He always said things Megumi didn't understand, though Panda would explain them.
Forget it...
He was already here. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
"Not bad, kid. Your body does seem a little weak, though. If you get stronger, you'll be able to beat Hiraku. Want to learn about Cursed Tools from your big sister?"
Maki Zenin asked with a smile.
"Uh... okay, Maki... sis."
Megumi's words hit Maki Zenin right in the heart. She hooked an arm around his neck, rubbed his messy hair with her right hand, and said, "Aww, you're pretty sensible, kid. I've decided—I'll teach you something powerful so you can defeat Natsu Hiraku and avenge today's humiliation!"
"..."
Damn, had she completely let herself go?
Natsu Hiraku was speechless. Looking at the sun nearing noon, he said to everyone, "I'm going to prepare the ingredients. Just wait for tonight's feast."
"Go on, go on. Don't interrupt us while we get to know Megumi."
Maki Zenin waved him off with a disgusted expression.
"..."
Damn it, what a fickle woman. Was it just because he hadn't used the swordsmanship she taught him to win...
Natsu Hiraku was speechless. With both hands in his pockets, he turned and left.
Just as he walked out of the training ground, Gojo Satoru's voice sounded behind him. "Hiraku-kun, the principal wants to speak with you."
The principal wanted to talk to him?
Natsu Hiraku turned around. Principal Yaga wore a grave expression, as if he had something important to say. But what major matter could there be right now? Were they going to gouge out his eyes and study them?
No, no, no. With Teacher Gojo around, they shouldn't be that insane. So what was it?
Could it be the Fire Style he had used just now?
If that was it, then he could only attribute it to his bloodline. After all, eighty percent of sorcerers' techniques were inherited through bloodlines.
After struggling internally for a while, Yaga Masamichi was already standing in front of him. Looking up, Natsu Hiraku saw that stern expression deeply etched into his mind.
"Clap, clap—"
Yaga Masamichi's large hands slapped Natsu Hiraku's shoulders with loud smacks. Then he burst into laughter. "Hahaha! You did well. In two months, you and Yuta Okkotsu will participate in the Sister School Exchange Event with the school next door. Work hard! Win glory for the school and crush them all!"
"Uh... huh?!"
Natsu Hiraku stared at Principal Yaga in confusion, frantically searching his mind for information on this so-called Sister School Exchange Event.
Gojo Satoru explained, "It's an annual student Exchange Event between Tokyo Jujutsu High and Kyoto Jujutsu High, used to evaluate the strength of the two schools. It's pretty pointless, but we've lost several times already, so you and Yuta Okkotsu will have to help us win one back. Do your best~!"
"..."
"Okay."
Learning that they weren't asking about the origin of his technique, Natsu Hiraku breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't explain that thing anyway, and saying too much would only arouse unnecessary suspicion.
Wait...
If they really did ask, claiming it was some kind of bloodline would feel even more dangerous. He wasn't from a sorcerer family, so how would an ordinary person like him know anything about that...
What an idiot.
"Oh, right, about that technique you just used..."
"Is there something wrong with that technique?"
Faced with Principal Yaga's sudden question, Natsu Hiraku's response came out somewhat panicked and hurried.
"It's very powerful! But at the Kyoto Sister School Exchange Event two months from now, try not to use it if possible. If you have to use it, keep the flames somewhat restrained. Just don't make it so conspicuous. Though with Yuta Okkotsu there, you probably won't stand out too much anyway."
"Understood... Thank you for your concern, Principal. We're having a dinner gathering tonight. Would Principal Yaga like to join us?"
Natsu Hiraku swallowed and immediately changed the subject. If they continued talking, he might really expose himself. Though perhaps he had already exposed himself.
"No, no. If I went, you kids probably wouldn't be able to relax. Maybe next time. Goodbye, Hiraku. I'm looking forward to seeing how you grow."
Yaga Masamichi waved and left.
"What delicious food are we having tonight?"
As a foodie, Gojo Satoru had precisely found the important topic.
"..."
How the hell did you still have the nerve to bring up food...
Before you continue