Playing Ninja Arts in Jujutsu Kaisen!

He grumbled inwardly, What did this guy grow up eating? Is his body made of iron? Why is he so damn hard?

Master, did your hands ever hammer through an iron plate or something...

Even under the protection of cursed energy, Natsu Hiraku himself was fine despite taking Ido Shuichi's heavy punches.

But the floor behind him couldn't hold up. He was like an iron plate, transferring every bit of force from his master's blows straight into the marble flooring behind his back.

He could already hear the cracking sounds.

With that kind of force, even a Quasi Grade 2 Cursed Spirit would probably get pounded into paste.

He suddenly pushed off with his legs, kicked Ido Shuichi in the stomach and sent him flying back. Then he rose, took his stance, and charged forward with a fierce punch.

His strength was still this terrifying!

Ido Shuichi steadied himself, watched Natsu Hiraku charge at him recklessly, and grinned before throwing a punch straight at his.

Two minutes later.

Ido Shuichi sat in a chair, panting heavily as he cursed. "No more, no more. I'm never fighting a freak like you again. I rubbed you into the ground for three whole minutes. A normal person would've died long ago, but you're completely fine."

Natsu Hiraku sat beside him, rubbing his numb arm as he complained inwardly, Just those few minutes of trading punches with you drained two-thirds of my cursed energy. Cursed Spirits will have to take detours whenever they see you from now on.

After resting for a moment, Ido Shuichi stood up and said, "All right, let's begin today's training."

"Okay."

Natsu Hiraku didn't waste any time. He picked up the sunglasses on the table, put them on, and activated his Sharingan to continue copying.

Ten minutes later.

As the door to the small training room opened, a figure emerged. His thin frame made it obvious that it was Natsu Hiraku, who had finished copying the hand-to-hand techniques.

Natsu Hiraku looked exhausted, his eyes bloodshot. Yes, he had nearly overused his eyes again. Raising his right arm, he looked at the three large gold watches on it and found that only half an hour had passed.

It was only 8:30.

Though it still seemed early, he was already exhausted and had no choice but to go back to sleep.

After leaving the training room and walking through the winding paths, some people asked him for guidance along the way, but Natsu Hiraku turned them all down with, "I'm too tired right now. Let's talk tomorrow."

As he drew closer to the villa, Natsu Hiraku's tired expression turned grave. He looked up toward Mitsuchi Mi's room, where the cursed presence that had been lingering there had now disappeared.

He could clearly sense that the Quasi Grade 1 Cursed Spirit was racing wildly through the villa at incredible speed, as though it were hunting for something.

The sudden change left Natsu Hiraku's mind blank. Then he shouted, "Crap!" and shoved open the villa door, sprinting toward Mitsuchi Mi's room.

The two people standing at the entrance were utterly baffled. Seeing the Vice-Captain looking flustered, they sensed something was about to happen and hurried after him.

Damn it, why had that Quasi Grade 1 Cursed Spirit left Mitsuchi Mi's room? Could someone have tried to assassinate her?

If that was the case, then they were screwed. He had no cursed energy left to deal with it now.

But... how could that be? Security here was so tight. How could anyone possibly get in?

Could other Cursed Spirits have approached the villa during the half hour he was gone, trying to claim its territory?

No, that wasn't right. If it were a powerful curse, how could he possibly have failed to sense it?

No matter what, he should first return to his room, retrieve his Cursed Tool, and then check on Mitsuchi Mi.

Panicked, Natsu Hiraku rushed to the second floor, took out his key, and opened his door. Perhaps because he was so anxious, it took him three tries before he managed to insert the key.

He opened the door, grabbed the backpack in the corner, unzipped it, and pulled out the sword hidden at the very bottom. After drawing it and glancing at its sharp blade, Natsu Hiraku took a deep breath and rushed out, sprinting toward Mitsuchi Mi's room.

There were too many unknowns ahead. If Mitsuchi Mi was really dead, then all he could do was run.

After all, he couldn't defeat a Quasi Grade 1 Cursed Spirit. The most he could do was stall it until all the ordinary people had evacuated, then retreat himself.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Natsu Hiraku had reached Mitsuchi Mi's door. Gripping the long sword tightly in his right hand, he slashed at it. In an instant, the door was cut vertically in half, and Natsu Hiraku pushed his way inside.

He activated the Sharingan with what little cursed energy remained in his body and scanned the room. It was tidy, with no signs of an intruder. Mitsuchi Mi lay on the bed, her chest rising and falling faintly. She was still alive.

The tension in Natsu Hiraku's heart finally eased. He let out a breath and said softly, "You scared me to death. I thought something had happened. But... why is it running all over the villa?"

As he pondered it, Mitsuchi Mi, who had been asleep, heard the disturbance and slowly opened her eyes. In a groggy voice, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"Uh... no... nothing. I just... came to take a look..."

Natsu Hiraku said uneasily, slowly moving the sword behind his back so he wouldn't scare her.

Anyone would know he was lying. After all, he had sliced her door open with one strike. But he could only force himself to say it. Otherwise, the label of breaking into a woman's room would definitely be pinned on him.

"Natsu Hiraku?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Mitsuchi Mi asked in confusion. Then she got up, turned on the room's light, glanced at the open door, and asked, "Is one side of this door missing a piece? Younger Brother Raku, how did you get in?"

"Uh..."

Natsu Hiraku had no idea how to explain himself. A powerful wave of cursed energy was also rushing toward him from the end of the corridor behind him.

Yet Natsu Hiraku didn't move. He merely stood there in silence, unsure how to begin. Mitsuchi Mi was alive, so there was only one explanation for the Quasi Grade 1 Cursed Spirit's actions: it was hungry. And when it was hungry, it would feed on its own kind.

It could also be understood this way: Cursed Spirits were born from people's negative emotions, so naturally, they also grew stronger through them. Growing stronger was their instinct.

The only difference was whether they possessed reason. Once ordinary Cursed Spirits became powerful enough, they followed their instincts, destroying or slaughtering everything around them, acting according to the purpose that had birthed them.

For example, if one was born from the thought, I'm so hungry, then in the end, it might devour everything, swallowing anyone it saw.

Or if it came from an even more violent negative emotion—Kill all of you. In the end, it would definitely cause widespread panic, charging at everyone it saw, no matter who they were.

You could say that Cursed Spirits were pure creatures, moving forward with absolute dedication toward a single goal, no matter how small that goal might be...

Powerful negative emotions brushed past Natsu Hiraku's feet. Within the body, fine as loose sand, was wrapped a ring. Natsu Hiraku simply stood there, staring at the spotless floor without moving.

"Eh! Where's my ring? I was clearly wearing it on my left hand when I went to sleep."

Mitsuchi Mi looked anxiously at her empty left hand, then instinctively lifted her pillow. When she saw the ring beneath it, her panic faded.

She picked it up and put it on her left hand, then continued examining the Natsu Hiraku who had suddenly barged in. "I didn't give you a key. How did you get in?"

"Uh... well... hehe, well..."

As Natsu Hiraku spoke, he used a smile to hide his awkwardness. Covering his face with his left hand, he said uneasily, "Would you believe me if I said it was an accident, sis?"

"What kind of accident?"

Mitsuchi Mi sat cross-legged on the bed, propping up her face with her left hand as she watched Natsu Hiraku with interest. She might have been confused just now, but her mind was completely awake now.

The wooden pieces on the floor, the shortened door, the disturbance that had awakened her, and... the sword behind Natsu Hiraku.

She had only caught a flash of silvery white, but apart from a long sword, it would be difficult to hide anything else capable of cutting through the door so cleanly.

Although she didn't know why he had barged in with a sword and damaged her door, she was certain he wouldn't hurt her.

"This..."

Natsu Hiraku scratched his head, looked at the snarling Cursed Spirit behind Mitsuchi Mi, and thought for a moment before saying, "It's not even nine yet. How about you wear the ring on your hand and come out with me to enjoy the night view, sis?"

"You chopped my door apart just for that?"

Of course Mitsuchi Mi didn't believe him, but if he refused to explain, there was no point in pressing him. She might as well give him a way out.

"O-of course. I wanted to give you a surprise, sis. When we get back, you can sleep in my room. I'll sleep out on the street."

Natsu Hiraku wasn't stupid. He had spent his life reading people's expressions and knew she was giving him an out.

Thinking about it brought tears to his eyes. His original reason for choosing to study medicine had been to heal himself—to heal the heart that had been tormented by that scumbag. To get even a mouthful of food, he had learned to watch that person's moods, trying to keep him in a better temper so he would be beaten less and could fill his empty stomach.

That was why, compared to people his age, he knew better what to do to benefit himself, and he understood the importance of strength even more deeply.

Anyway, as long as the end result benefited him, then it was fine no matter what he did along the way.

"Is that so..."

Mitsuchi Mi looked at the ring on her left hand and recalled what Natsu Hiraku had told her that morning. She got out of bed, put on her slippers, and said, "All right. If I lose my ring, I'll tear your mouth apart."

"Okay. I'll keep my eyes on your ring the entire time, sis. I guarantee it won't get lost."

A smile appeared on Natsu Hiraku's lips as he declared confidently.

"I really don't get what you're so happy about. We're just going out. I'll change clothes. Wait a moment."

Mitsuchi Mi opened the cabinet beside her bed, picked out shoes and clothes, then walked toward the bathroom.

"Okay, sis."

"Click—"

The bathroom door closed. The Cursed Spirit that had followed Mitsuchi Mi inside slipped out through the crack beneath it. Black mist slowly condensed, and a pair of scarlet pupils stared fixedly at Natsu Hiraku. Its shrill voice carried a trace of joy.

"Th-thank you... I want... to go out and play... with my daughter!"

As soon as it finished speaking, its tone abruptly changed. It roared furiously:

"Who allowed you to enter my daughter's room? Kill... kill... Can't... kill. My daughter will get angry..."

Natsu Hiraku was no longer surprised by this. He muttered inwardly, This love really is pure...

"This kid sure is bold. Every time I see him, he gives me a fresh surprise. He's only been here for two days, and he's already having the time of his life, dancing on the edge of death."

Gojo Satoru, who had been watching over his student's safety, was eating an ice cream. He slipped his right hand into his pocket, fumbled around, took out his phone, snapped two pictures of Natsu Hiraku, and posted them to his social feed.

[Gojo Satoru: Came out traveling and happened to run into my student on a nighttime mission. Who would've thought he's holding hands with the boss's daughter? Congratulations.]

After posting it, he left in satisfaction. Though his original reason for coming here had been to protect him, Natsu Hiraku didn't seem to need him right now. As for the Cursed Spirit attached to Mitsuchi Mi...

It felt like he would act on the final day. Gojo Satoru didn't know why he felt that way, but the thought had simply surfaced in his mind. On the last day before they left, there would be a great battle!

"Heh, how interesting."

Natsu Hiraku began pushing his luck. Taking Mitsuchi Mi's left hand, he said, "I want to eat something tasty."

Mitsuchi Mi didn't mind. Like she was humoring a younger brother, she said, "Okay, I'll take you out to buy some."

"Mm."

After answering, Natsu Hiraku lowered his head and stared at the ring on her hand. He had held her hand ever since they left the villa. Although the Cursed Spirit had initially become restless, it hadn't done anything to him.

It merely roared, "Let go, let go! Don't touch my daughter's hand..."

His right hand touched the ring within reach, feeling the powerful cursed energy inside it. Honestly, it felt like dancing on a detonator. If he went too far by accident, he would be blown to pieces.

But this was only the beginning. Only two days had passed, and there were still thirteen full days left. That was enough time to make it stop resisting him. After all, when Sister Mashi approached it, nothing happened at all. It was as if it were perfectly normal.

Time passed quickly. After an hour of wandering around, the two returned the way they had come. Along the way, they dealt with a few insignificant pests and a squad of men in black that had been following them for quite some time.

After returning to the villa, Mitsuchi Mi's door had been damaged by Natsu Hiraku, and she didn't want to disturb Harukaze Mashi, who was asleep, so she moved into his room.

"Although I'm very happy right now, you still have to sleep outside. I'll use your room for now. See you tomorrow."

"Oh..."

Watching the door close, Natsu Hiraku didn't care much. He sat directly on the floor and looked at the night scenery beyond the corridor window, both hands gripping his sheath. Then he leaned against the corner and fell asleep.

He didn't know whether his lower back would hurt the next day, but he had once grown accustomed to sleeping like this. At night, that person would drive him out of the house, leaving him to sit helplessly on the ground alone, staring at the moon in the sky and sleeping beneath its light and the watchful gaze of the stars.

Such things had happened often...

The next day.

Even without an alarm, his body clock made him open his eyes instinctively. Looking at the morning light outside the window, Natsu Hiraku slowly stood up, rubbed his slightly numb backside, and said:

"That sleep was all right. My butt's a little numb, though, and my lower back... feels a little uncomfortable too."

After stretching, he began a new day. The moment he stepped out of the villa, people challenged him to spar. After giving them some simple guidance, he went with Sister Mashi to eat breakfast.

After breakfast, he went on a morning run with Mitsuchi Mi. Those were their usual routines, but this time, she wore the ring, and the Cursed Spirit seemed to have accepted him. It no longer roared or threatened him.

Natsu Hiraku also stayed by Mitsuchi Mi's side all day, playing the role of a younger brother, gradually drawing closer to her and truly integrating himself into their circle.

At night, he trained with Teacher Shuichi. This life was orderly, peaceful, and leisurely. Slowly, time arrived at the final day.

Natsu Hiraku also realized that today was the so-called final battle. If he won, he would return to Jujutsu High in glory and brag to them. If he lost, he would lie in an urn and listen to them weep and wail.