Playing Ninjutsu in Jujutsu Kaisen!

Natsu Hiraku rolled up his sleeves and wiped at his face. Looking at his reflection in the floor, his face was deathly pale, and he no longer knew how to continue speaking.

Besides, he needed to report that cursed spirit to Teacher Gojo. It was at least Quasi Grade 1—far beyond what he could exorcise himself.

[Quest: Exorcise the Cursed Spirit in the Ring alone. Quest Reward: 15 points, permanent increase of 100 cursed energy.]

"..."

You bastard...

System, is your mother doing well?

Was a Quasi Grade 1 Cursed Spirit something I could exorcise?

Speechless, Natsu Hiraku slowly stood and asked, "Um... my blood pressure's a little high. Could I step outside and catch my breath?"

Mitsuchi Mi said worriedly, "Of course. You don't look too good. Do you want to see a doctor?"

"No need. I'll be fine after getting some air."

After saying that, Natsu Hiraku pushed open the door and left. The heavy wooden door slowly swung shut behind him, its creaking echoing through the hallway.

The intense curse gradually faded as he moved farther away. Through the window, he watched the bodyguards standing watch outside.

His thoughts were complicated.

Based on the clues he had, that cursed spirit would not hurt anyone—at least, not in front of Mitsuchi Mi. Then there was the System's hint: [Cursed Spirit in the Ring]. That meant the cursed spirit was stored within the ring.

It was a little like Rika. But how had such a powerful cursed spirit come to be?

Forget it. He should contact Teacher Gojo.

The call connected, and Gojo Satoru's somewhat aggrieved voice came through.

"Hello, Hiraku-kun. I didn't expect you to leave so early. I'm a little sad I didn't get to eat the breakfast you made."

"Uh... I don't make breakfast..."

Thank goodness I ran fast. Otherwise, I'd have been dragged into making breakfast for a whole group of people. Who could stand that? Natsu Hiraku rejoiced inwardly.

"Did you need something?"

"Yes. I encountered a cursed spirit here that I can hardly contend with. Fortunately, it seems to have some kind of binding and won't hurt people. But that's where the trouble lies—it's Mitsuchi Mi's mother."

"I haven't verified it, but that's what the cursed spirit itself said. I'll look into that later. Based on the fact that it won't hurt anyone in front of Mitsuchi Mi, my solution is..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Gojo Satoru interrupted him. "If you already have your own idea, why tell me? Why not just put it into practice?"

"This..."

Natsu Hiraku looked at his reflection in the glass, his face filled with worry. That was right—he was afraid. He did not have the strength to fight a Quasi Grade 1 Cursed Spirit.

Yet the System had left him with this mess: exorcise a Quasi Grade 1 Cursed Spirit alone.

It would be difficult...

"Are you scared?"

As though he had noticed, Gojo Satoru asked, "If you're scared, give me ten million yen and I'll exorcise it for you. I only need one finger to wipe it out."

"No... no need. I just... wanted to talk to you, Teacher Gojo. Now that we're done talking, I'll begin my plan."

Natsu Hiraku hung up immediately. The unease in his heart had been replaced by even greater speechlessness.

You think exorcising a cursed spirit with one finger makes you impressive? Once I exorcise this one and pull some powerful ninjutsu from a twelve-draw, I'll blast you to death with one mouthful of fire.

No time like the present. First, he needed to find out where the ring was.

Meanwhile, at Jujutsu High.

"Teacher Gojo, what's wrong?"

Megumi Fushiguro looked at Gojo Satoru, who wore a cold smile, and asked.

"Nothing. It's just that in a few days, your teacher will be heading out on a business trip—well, a vacation—for over ten days. While I'm gone, go train your hand-to-hand combat with Maki."

"..."

Damn it, how could someone like you be a teacher? You couldn't even be bothered to make an excuse for not teaching. You were just going off on a paid vacation. Just wait until I report you to Principal Yaga.

Megumi Fushiguro was speechless, but Gojo Satoru looked utterly shameless. Even if Principal Yaga came, it probably would not change anything. He could only reply helplessly:

"Fine. Whatever makes you happy. I'll go find Maki and train in hand-to-hand combat now."

"Bye~!"

Gojo Satoru waved as he recalled Natsu Hiraku's call from earlier.

At the very least, Natsu Hiraku had remained calm. When faced with a powerful cursed spirit, he had not chosen to flee immediately. Instead, he considered whether he would die in its place and drew useful information from that.

It had to be said, the approach was bold—bold to the point of near madness. It was as though he pursued the oppressive feeling of standing on the brink of death. After all, if he guessed wrong...

He would die!!

"Hahaha, what a madman. It's like he was born specifically to exorcise curses."

Gojo Satoru gave a cold laugh and slowly removed the white bandages covering his eyes, revealing clear, azure pupils.

He pulled Old Man's Sunglasses from his pocket with his right hand, stood, and said, "How could I let a madman like that fall here? He's my student, after all—one of the future top fighters of the jujutsu world."

"Let's go see how he handles this alone. What kind of face is hidden beneath that rational expression?"

After sorting out his thoughts, Natsu Hiraku pushed the door open again. The pallor on his face had faded somewhat, and a little color had returned.

"Are you okay now?"

"Yeah. My blood pressure was a little low just now, so I went out for some air. I'm much better now."

"Didn't you say your blood pressure was high when you went out? How did it become low again?"

Mitsuchi Mi asked in confusion.

"..."

"Pfft!"

Standing by the door, Harukaze Chizuko covered her mouth with her left hand and chuckled. The corners of her lips curled upward as she whispered, "Little brat, let's see how you explain that now."

Natsu Hiraku heard and saw everything. All he could offer in response was an awkward yet polite smile.

Then he looked at Mitsuchi Mi and continued, "As your personal bodyguard, I will fulfill my duties over the next half month and exorcise anything dangerous to you or society."

As he spoke, his gaze flicked toward the cursed spirit above her head.

The cursed spirit was currently like a gentle mother, combing the hair of the child she loved most. Though it showed no signs of going berserk now, that might not remain true in the future.

Cursed spirits were not intelligent, and its purpose for existing was likely to protect its daughter.

If Mitsuchi Mi were hurt, it would lose control.

The responsibility suddenly felt immense. Wait...

Why was he finding so many reasons to exorcise it? The System Quest was already out. Could he really choose not to exorcise it?

"..."

"Alright, then let's head out."

Mitsuchi Mi gently removed the ring from her left index finger and placed it beneath the pillow by her bed. Throughout the entire process, her eyes remained fixed on the ring as though it were the most precious thing in the world.

But in Natsu Hiraku's eyes, black threads of dust extended from the ring and connected to the cursed spirit's body. Without a doubt, this was the [Cursed Spirit in the Ring] the System had warned him about.

Even knowing that, he could not approach it carelessly. It seemed to be wary of him, much like a child would be vigilant toward someone it had only just met.

Still, that was no problem. He had a full fifteen days. There was plenty of time to lower its guard, and when the time came... he would exorcise it!!

For now, his priority was still going to Ido Shuichi's place that night to learn hand-to-hand combat. Otherwise, he truly would not be able to overpower such a powerful cursed spirit.

"Miss, Mr. Natsu Hiraku, take care."

Harukaze Chizuko pulled open the front door and stood straight where she was.

"Thanks for the effort, Sister Chizuko. Sorry for the trouble at home."

After saying that, Mitsuchi Mi skipped happily out through the door. She seemed to enjoy the world beyond her home, and her lively personality made Natsu Hiraku feel he needed to reassess this girl who was older than him.

When they first met, he had thought she was a naïve airhead. Why did she now give off the feeling of a girl-next-door big sister?

Once they left the courtyard.

Mitsuchi Mi asked, "Do you think I'm pretty?"

"Hm?"

Natsu Hiraku gave her a once-over. Though she was four years older than him, she was slightly shorter. Her simple white summer dress gave her a distinctive charm, while every part of her delicate features radiated confidence. Her eyes seemed to shine, and she was surely the dream first love of countless men.

"Of course you are. Honestly, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Sister. Sister Chizuko comes in second."

"Hahaha."

Mitsuchi Mi instinctively covered her mouth with her left hand and chuckled. "Smooth talker. No wonder I felt like Sister Chizuko liked you so much back at home. Turns out she sees you as a little brother."

"Of course. You're beautiful, Sister, and I've always had a soft spot for beautiful older women."

Natsu Hiraku wore a proud expression, then got straight to the point. "That ring you wore on your left hand earlier was beautiful. Why don't you wear it when you go out?"

"That... that ring is too precious. If I lost it... that would be bad."

Mitsuchi Mi answered bitterly, as though she had remembered something.

"But I'm here. I'll protect you for the next half month. Forget a ring—even if a strand of your hair fell somewhere outside, I could find it for you."

He was not joking. If he kept his Sharingan activated the entire time, he could count even every flake of dandruff that fell from her hair, let alone a strand of hair.

"Well... it depends."

Mitsuchi Mi neither refused outright nor agreed. The ring had been left to her by her mother before she died. Every time she wore it, she could feel as though her mother were by her side, kissing her forehead.

If she lost it, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"I see."

Natsu Hiraku glanced at Mitsuchi Mi. Her brows were lowered, and tears were faintly visible in the corners of her eyes, as though she had recalled something sad.

By now, it was not difficult to guess that the cursed spirit truly was her mother. All he had to do was encourage her to take this first step, wear the ring out on the street, and spend more time around him.

As long as it grew familiar with his scent, he could steal the ring out on the final night and have a one-on-one fight with it.

That was roughly the plan, but what troubled him now was how to encourage her to wear the ring and take the first step forward in her life. Was he really supposed to keep the Sharingan active the entire time and watch for every strand of hair she dropped?

Forget it...

His energy would run out after a little over half an hour. Women spent at least three hours shopping, so that method would not work...

He should save the Sharingan for where it was needed, such as copying hand-to-hand techniques tonight.

What a hassle. He did not really understand women. Should he call Maki when he had time?

That settled it. Now he just needed to deal with the tails following them.

They had only been out for a little over ten minutes, and they were following them this openly already?

Were they looking down on him?

Natsu Hiraku swept his surroundings from the corner of his eye. The road mirror showed one person at the corner a hundred meters ahead. Two men in plain clothes were following behind them and had trailed them for four minutes. They looked like they were chatting, but their distance was controlled perfectly as they kept pace with the pair.

They seemed to want to follow for a while longer before making their move.

He quietly reminded Mitsuchi Mi, "Stop in that alley ahead in a moment. A few people are following us. If you're scared, close your eyes. I'll drive them away."

Natsu Hiraku's reminder snapped Mitsuchi Mi out of her thoughts. She hurriedly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "You didn't see anything just now. I wasn't crying. I only got sand in my eye."

"Alright. You're the boss now, after all. I'm being paid to do a job, and I won't tell anyone. I'll keep this beautiful sight in my mind forever."

Natsu Hiraku said as he prepared to offer her a passionate kiss, but Mitsuchi Mi blocked him with her hand. Her annoyed voice rang out:

"Stop flirting. Not bad—where did you learn all those tricks for picking up girls? You're so young, yet you're already up to no good. You must have harmed plenty of young girls, huh?"

"No. Heaven and earth can bear witness—I haven't harmed a single one."

"That's what all scumbags say."