Playing Ninjutsu in Jujutsu Kaisen!

It felt like being forcibly teleported, similar to Sasuke's [Amenotejikara], and the trigger condition was probably a clap.

Natsu Hiraku pondered, while Todo Aoi resumed his attacking stance and said, "Let's continue, Best Friend."

"Yeah, let's continue then."

Natsu Hiraku glanced at the System's mission countdown, clenched his fists, and took an offensive stance. He slightly parted his lips, took a deep breath, reactivated his Sharingan, and muttered to himself:

"Right now... maybe I can cause some real chaos."

[3:45]

[3:44]

The two exchanged a look and simultaneously launched their attacks, their fists meeting flesh with a fierce snap in the air.

Within two breaths, Natsu Hiraku, knowing he was outmatched in strength, leaped onto a tree to evade. He quickly formed hand seals, muttering, "Rat, Ox, Dog, Horse, Monkey, Boar, Tiger, [Great Fire Annihilation]!!"

He opened his mouth, took a deep breath, and felt a blazing inferno ignite within his chest. Then, he exhaled it all in one gust.

A ferocious torrent of flames erupted from his mouth. The intensely compressed fire found ample space to expand, and it surged outwards in all directions.

The colossal wave of fire instantly engulfed everything around it. Described as consuming 400 Cursed Energy, the [Great Fire Annihilation] could be likened to setting a mountain ablaze.

Yoshinobu Gakuganji, watching from the Principal's office, couldn't sit still. He slammed the table and shouted, "Damn it, hurry up and put out the fire! That bastard Gojo Satoru didn't even warn his students that they can't set forests on fire!"

"Hahahaha! This is hilarious. Hiraku actually set the forest on fire. Principal Gakuganji is going to ascend to heaven from anger, isn't he?" Gojo Satoru, in the broadcast room, was laughing uncontrollably, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Utahime Iori glanced at the smiling Gojo Satoru, veins bulging on her forehead. Although she desperately wanted to kill him, she was no match for him.

She grabbed the microphone and shouted, "The match is paused! Prioritize extinguishing the forest fire! Prioritize extinguishing the forest fire!"

The scorching wave of fire surged towards Todo Aoi. The surrounding trees crackled and hissed upon contact, a testament to the intense heat. His Best Friend was truly incredible. To be able to use such a powerful Cursed Technique as a first-year.

However...

"Heh! A mere inferno won't scare me!"

Todo Aoi picked up the remains of Mech-Maru left on the ground. It still contained Cursed Energy, allowing him to use his [Immoral Game] to swap positions. While he could swap directly with Natsu Hiraku, doing so would be too boring.

Ignoring the announcement to stop the match, the two continued their battle, which had reached its climax!

Sensing something rapidly advancing within the flames, Natsu Hiraku frowned. At this temperature, not only humans but even iron would melt into liquid within moments.

"Whoosh--"

A cursed corpse broke through the flames and appeared beside his face. He stared intently at the scorched cursed corpse with his crimson eyes. Seemingly recalling something, he immediately stopped his Ninjutsu and kicked out, intending to send the remains of Mech-Maru's "shedding" flying.

"Slap!"

Applause rang out. The original remains had been replaced by Todo Aoi. Fists and feet clashed, and after a brief moment, they each used the momentum to retreat.

"A beautiful prediction, Best Friend. Next, I'm getting serious!" Todo Aoi praised with a grin, but the power of his swung fist did not diminish.

The sound of wind whistling past his ears filled the air. Natsu Hiraku wasn't intimidated either. After all, he hadn't learned Jeet Kune Do for nothing. Apart from the strength difference, he wasn't weaker than Todo in other aspects.

In a few exchanges, the two moved from the trees into the sea of flames. The surrounding trees burned, smoke billowed, and birds scattered from the trees, their piteous cries creating a scene of apocalypse.

"Crack--"

A burnt tree branch fell from the sky, heading directly for their heads.

Natsu Hiraku's crimson eyes flickered. He caught Todo Aoi's solid punch with his right palm, disrupting his balance, using his momentum against him, and sent him flying.

He then caught the falling branch. Even though it radiated intense heat, it was nothing to Natsu Hiraku, who had already covered his hands with Cursed Energy. His arm muscles bulged like coiled dragons as he hurled the branch fiercely at Todo.

[2:55]

"Heh!"

Todo Aoi, who had just regained his footing, looked at the flying branch. He could feel the heat and passion, the drive to fight with all his might, and to understand each other through combat.

Indeed, this was what a Best Friend was all about!

"Then, the Immoral Game begins!"

Todo Aoi looked at the fiery tree that flew towards him like an arrow. He clapped his hands lightly, and the two swapped positions.

Natsu Hiraku looked at the fiery tree attacking him, ducked to evade, and thought of a countermeasure.

Based on how he and the cursed corpse suddenly swapped positions earlier, and how Todo swapped with the cursed corpse's remains, and now how he swapped with Todo...

He could deduce that this Cursed Technique wasn't limited to living beings or objects. Anything with Cursed Energy could be swapped, and the trigger condition was likely a clap.

It seemed like a simple and straightforward Cursed Technique. If he just kept up the close-quarters combat, it would be useless. Interesting.

The fiery tree flew past. When Natsu Hiraku looked up again, Todo Aoi, who should have been standing there, had turned into a knife, and it seemed to be the Cursed Tool he had thrown earlier to block the arrow.

What a terrifying combat mind, to have calculated this far?

Natsu Hiraku was greatly alarmed, then sensed the whistling sound behind him and cried out, "It's over."

Todo Aoi's right fist was charged, and he unleashed a punch towards the Natsu Hiraku lying on the ground.

"Thud!!"

The powerful force caused the earth to sink, forming a half-meter-deep crater. But the air was filled not only with dust but also with smoke. The feeling of impact was also different, as if he had hit wood.

Todo Aoi frowned and swung his palm through the smoke. A powerful gust of wind instantly dispersed the haze. In the crater, the Natsu Hiraku he had hit had turned into a piece of wood.

What strange cursed techniques, fierce flames, mental attacks, and incredibly perceptive eyes. And now, even substitution? This man is truly unpredictable.

Natsu Hiraku stood on a tree, his scarlet pupils fixed on Todo Aoi in the crater below. Although he reacted quickly and used the Substitution Technique, his waist still took a hit. It stung a bit.

Another trump card revealed. With fewer and fewer trump cards, he felt increasingly insecure. It looked like he needed to draw some cards to extend his life soon.

System mission time remaining...

Natsu Hiraku glanced at the panel and found only a few dozen seconds had passed. He couldn't help but sigh at the agonizing wait. His Cursed Energy was also running low, so he'd have to draw some from Asura.

Asura, who was napping at home, felt his body being hollowed out and immediately woke up. He looked around vigilantly, only to realize his master wasn't back. After realizing it was a false alarm, he went back to sleep.

After all, it was great that his master was away for a few days and he didn't have to train.

With the Cursed Energy obtained, Natsu Hiraku no longer hid. He leaped down from the tree, picked up the Cursed Tool stuck in the ground, and with a few sharp swings, said, "Let's start the third round, Best Friend."

"Hmph, are you out?" Todo Aoi patted the dust off his clothes and slowly emerged from the deep crater.

Just as the two were about to resume their fight, Utahime Iori's voice came from the loudspeaker again: "Stop fighting, Todo Aoi, Natsu Hiraku! The match is suspended. Hurry and put out the nearby fires!"

Gojo Satoru's laughter was mixed in: "Hahaha, why not let the students fight? It's just a few thousand trees, your school can afford to plant them."

Utahime Iori angrily retorted, "Shut up, Gojo Satoru! You say it so casually. If everyone thought like you, you'd be the main culprit for global warming! And... why aren't you teaching the students that you can't set forests on fire!"

"Hehe, I forgot," Gojo Satoru said playfully, seemingly unconcerned about the matter.

"..."

Forgot...

Utahime Iori recalled what Gojo Satoru had said when the flames erupted. She wished she could go back and record him on her phone. Then, looking at the fire spreading on the electronic screen, she sternly warned, "You two are forbidden from fighting now. Extinguish the nearby fires with all your might! As for the punishment for setting the forest on fire, we'll discuss it after..."

Natsu Hiraku and Todo Aoi stood frozen in place. Their expressions showed no sign of realizing they had done anything wrong, especially Natsu Hiraku, the one who set the forest on fire.

Looking at the system mission countdown, he even broke into a smile.

[0:05]
[0:04]
[0:03]
[0:02]
[0:01]
[0:00]
[Mission Complete. Mission rewards are being distributed: 12 points. 100 Cursed Energy permanently increased.]

With the system mission complete, Natsu Hiraku lost the desire to continue fighting. After all, that passion had been doused by words.

He said, "Let's leave it at that for today, Best Friend. Let's put out the nearby fire first."

"Yeah, okay."

Todo Aoi also sighed, his eyes filled with disappointment. He was about to determine the victor, but being interrupted, he lost interest.

Natsu Hiraku, watching Todo Aoi leave, closed his Sharingan and surveyed the surroundings. He also noticed the severity of the fire. It had only burned for less than four minutes, yet the flames were already towering.

Coupled with the recent hot and dry weather and a slight autumn breeze, the rapid spread was understandable.

"Let's cut down some trees first to create a firebreak and prevent the flames from spreading further."

With a preliminary plan in place, Natsu Hiraku quickly left, wielding his sword. He severed any burning trees he passed with a single strike.

"Clang—"

Trees fell. Yuta Okkotsu wiped the sweat from his brow, looking at the still-burning inferno inside and said, "Hiraku-kun went a bit too far, didn't he? I wonder what kind of punishment he'll receive later."

"Hahaha! This is the youthful passion and spirit! Unrestrained, charging forward!"

Kento Nanami threw the severed tree trunks inward, creating a firebreak.

Kirara Hoshi sat aside, watching. He didn't have the strength to lift such things. He merely looked at the raging fire and sighed, "He's gone further than Nanami. Maybe he'll be on par with us later, in terms of suspension..."

"What a nuisance. The smoke is so thick I can't see inside. The one fighting Todo, Natsu Hiraku, right? He really dared to do it, setting the forest ablaze."

Nishinomiya Momo observed the forest from high above, reporting the fire's direction to Noritoshi Kamo on her phone.

The mini Mech-Maru gathered Cursed Energy in its hand and fired a cannon at the burning trees ahead, severing the trunks.

Noritoshi Kamo cut his finger and unleashed the Kamo Family's inherited Cursed Technique, Blood Manipulation. The arrow that had previously ambushed Natsu Hiraku and curved was able to do so because he had smeared his blood on the arrowhead.

Blood flowed from the wound, forming a blood wheel as thin as cicada wings, which slashed towards the burning trees.

As other support troops arrived, the forest fire was successfully extinguished within ten minutes.

Kyoto School, Principal's Office.

Todo Aoi and Natsu Hiraku stood inside.

Yoshinobu Gakuganji stared at the two without saying a word. Gojo Satoru, with his legs crossed, whistled and stared at the ceiling, as if it had nothing to do with him.

"Gojo Satoru!"

Yoshinobu Gakuganji finally couldn't help but speak first: "Look at the students you teach! They actually set a forest on fire!"

"Don't get angry. You're old enough to get sick if you keep getting angry. At worst, you can come to our school next year, and I'll let you set a fire then?" Gojo Satoru said with a smile.

"Pfft!"

Even though he knew he shouldn't laugh in this situation, Haku couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. Perhaps he caught it from Teacher Gojo, he just felt like laughing, and he muttered to himself:

"Come burn our school next year, what insulting words, doesn't this mean they're definitely going to lose this year?"

"Kid, if you keep laughing, I'll make sure you don't get rated as a Grade 2 Sorcerer!" Yoshinobu Gakuganji thought he could threaten him this way.

After all, being able to fight Todo Aoi to a standstill meant that getting rated as a Grade 2 Sorcerer was a sure thing. If he didn't get it this year, he'd have to wait a year. Or he'd need a recommendation from another Grade 1 Sorcerer, but not a supervising teacher; no one would give up such an opportunity.

"Tch, so what if I don't get rated? I don't care about such fleeting things, can they improve my strength?" Haku thought about how he wanted to respond, but felt it was too disrespectful to the old man, who was the head of the school. He just sneered and shut his mouth.

Gojo Satoru said unhappily at this moment, "Can you stand in the way of my student's future? Besides, he doesn't care at all, don't be so full of yourself, old man."

"..."

Knowing he couldn't get through to Gojo Satoru, Yoshinobu Gakuganji didn't say anything else. After all, the man was thick-skinned enough to protect his own students to the death. He could only wave his hand and say, "Fine, I'll discuss this with Yaga later. Gojo Satoru, take your student and leave. Today's team match doesn't count, we'll continue tomorrow."

"Alright, bye-bye!"

Gojo Satoru immediately got up, put his arm around Haku, and left. Before leaving, he kindly left a message: "Don't take this fire too seriously. If it doesn't work out, you can just burn them back next year."

"..."

Yoshinobu Gakuganji was about to curse, but Gojo Satoru, being very perceptive, had already left. Todo Aoi looked at the bulging veins on his principal's hands and said,