I Play Ninja Arts in Jujutsu Kaisen!

"It was too far..."

Natsu Hiraku's first attempt at testing the Sharingan's genjutsu range had failed to reach Nishinomiya Momo, so he stopped paying attention to her. After all... she was the weakest one on the field.

Though she did not pose much of a threat, he still kept an eye on her movements. After all... he did not want to get stabbed in the back.

"It's the second round already. I didn't expect to see someone as strong as you among first-year students." Mech-Maru looked at Natsu Hiraku. The shell covering his right arm opened, revealing the Cursed Tool hidden inside.

Several sharp hooked claws sprang out, surrounding his arm like spider legs. The five mechanical fingers also revealed sharp hooks, which began spinning like drill bits.

"Let's end this quickly." Noritoshi Kamo took three more arrows from the bamboo tube at his waist, lightly cut his skin to coat the arrows with blood, and drew his bowstring to its limit.

"Yeah, let's end this quickly."

Natsu Hiraku did not waste any words. Given the current situation, dragging things out would be a joke. The maze was huge, and Shura would have to retrace his route before following Natsu Hiraku's scent over here. That would take at least four or five minutes.

Besides... he wanted to try replicating the feeling of throwing a "Black Flash" yesterday. Maybe it was a little reckless, but he simply wanted to try it. This was not a fight to the death anyway, so being reckless was fine.

Natsu Hiraku charged directly at the three of them, bent down to pick up a broken blade from the ground, and hurled it at Nishinomiya Momo in the air, aiming straight for her face.

What women cared about most was their face. As someone of mixed heritage, Nishinomiya Momo paid particular attention to her appearance. Seeing Natsu Hiraku trying to attack her pretty face, she snapped, "Bastard! Don't touch my face!"

"So this is your true nature."

Natsu Hiraku's scarlet eyes flicked toward her. He had tied up one of them now, ensuring that he would not be besieged by all three at once for the next few seconds. All he needed to deal with now were Noritoshi Kamo and Mech-Maru.

Mech-Maru struck first. His rapidly spinning right hand shaved toward Natsu Hiraku's body, while Cursed Energy burst from his arm, tripling its speed.

In an instant, the wall was shattered. Natsu Hiraku flashed aside, and just as he was about to cave in Mech-Maru's head with a punch, he heard something slicing through the air.

Three bloodied arrows shot precisely toward Natsu Hiraku.

Natsu Hiraku looked at the three arrows in his body with surprise in his eyes. As he fell, there was a clang. White mist appeared, and a log dropped to the ground, bouncing a few times. The three bloodied arrows were embedded in it.

The real Natsu Hiraku had vanished into the smoke. Seeing the log spring from the mist, Noritoshi Kamo shouted, "Mech-Maru! Get out of the way!"

Boom!

A violent roar erupted, instantly blowing away the smoke. Mech-Maru flew out of it, but he had lost one arm.

He rolled twice before climbing to his feet, his green eyes fixed on Natsu Hiraku. "Be careful! This monster can use not only the 'Reverse Cursed Technique,' but also 'Black Flash'!"

Mech-Maru was already considering retreating. He only had two controllable cursed corpses in total. The one destroyed yesterday could no longer be recovered. If this one was destroyed too, he would have no fighting power at all until a new controllable cursed corpse was made.

Natsu Hiraku pulled his fist out of the wall and looked at Mech-Maru, who had escaped by sacrificing an arm. "If Noritoshi Kamo hadn't warned you just now, I would've blown your head apart with one punch."

"Die, bastard! You actually dared to attack my face? Tsukumogami Art - Sickle Strange Cut."

Nishinomiya Momo rode her broom toward Natsu Hiraku's back, yellow dead leaves scraping across the ground. With a swift turn, Cursed Energy whipped up the wind into sharp blades, carrying dust from the ground as they rushed toward him.

Though it looked fierce, and the attack covered the entire alleyway, it was full of openings in Natsu Hiraku's eyes. The Cursed Energy was concentrated when the technique was unleashed, but once it spread across the entire alley, its distribution became chaotic.

An ordinary person would have found it difficult to see, but he had the Sharingan.

Under everyone's gaze, Natsu Hiraku merely shifted one step to the left. The wind blades struck him squarely, yet they felt like nothing more than a passing breeze.

Beside him, shallow cuts appeared on the solid walls. The ground had been ravaged by the wind blades, left in a miserable state as though it had been slashed thousands of times.

"What? He actually dodged it!?"

Nishinomiya Momo had thought Natsu Hiraku would lose at least a layer of skin even if he did not die. She was stunned. Meanwhile, his hands were already moving so quickly they left afterimages, forming seals she could not understand as he muttered something under his breath.

"Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger—Great Fireball Technique!"

Natsu Hiraku took a deep breath, his chest swelling high. It felt as though a burning fireball had formed in his throat. As he exhaled the air in his lungs, an enormous fireball that consumed 200 Cursed Energy flew toward Nishinomiya Momo.

Like a miniature sun, it turned the slightly chilly autumn noon scorching hot, even warping the air.

Noritoshi Kamo, who had been preparing to attack, now considered retreating as well. Watching the fireball soar into the sky, he lowered his fully drawn bow.

There was no need to test his strength any further. Continuing the fight was meaningless. "Reverse Cursed Technique," "Black Flash," those strange eyes sharp enough to seemingly see through everything, and the flames they already knew about.

Why his previous three arrows had struck a log remained a mystery, but this was not the time to investigate it. If they did not leave now, they would all be finished.

Nishinomiya Momo had barely avoided the fireball, but she no longer had any desire to continue fighting. Her technique had been completely seen through. She glanced at Noritoshi Kamo, their captain, and shook her head.

Mech-Maru also reminded him quietly, "Let's go. This is my only cursed corpse. If it gets destroyed, I'm done for."

"Fine."

Noritoshi Kamo nodded, put the arrows in his hand back into the bamboo tube at his waist, then cupped his fists. "We lost. Goodbye."

"Wait. You broke my sword. If you can't give me something that satisfies me, you might not actually be leaving." Natsu Hiraku spoke as he walked toward the man and cursed corpse.

Though he did not have much Cursed Energy left, there would be no problem as long as he kept up appearances. After all, not everyone was like Teacher Gojo, with the Six Eyes capable of seeing through Cursed Energy.

This was not exactly a secret in the jujutsu world. It could be discovered easily enough; any sorcerer above Grade 1 would know about it.

Watching Natsu Hiraku steadily approach, Noritoshi Kamo found himself in a difficult position. He did not know whether Natsu Hiraku was bluffing. After all, both the "Reverse Cursed Technique" and that fireball clearly consumed enormous amounts of Cursed Energy.

But he did not dare be certain, and even if they fought, his side would gain nothing. Looking at the broken sword in the distance, he said, "After the competition ends, I'll compensate you with a better Cursed Tool. I guarantee it with the Kamo Family's reputation."

"Deal."

Having achieved his goal, Natsu Hiraku stopped. Watching the two leave, he shouted, "What are you still looking at from up there? Do you think I really can't do anything to you?"

"What's it to you? Is the sky your house? Why are you so nosy? Can't I just look?" Nishinomiya Momo glanced at him from twenty meters in the air before flying away.

Once Natsu Hiraku sensed that no one was nearby, he deactivated the Sharingan. He sighed out a turbid breath and dropped onto the ground. That fight had been exhausting, and it felt like they had been deliberately trying to capture him.

The first time, when they surrounded him in the forest, could have been a coincidence. But being singled out by three people a second time made no sense. Shouldn't they have been going after Yuta Okkotsu instead?

He was someone who could temporarily fight Todo Aoi evenly. Were those three idiots out of their minds, coming after him instead?

The only conclusion was that someone among Kyoto's higher-ups had their eye on his strength. But even if he reached that conclusion, there was nothing he could do. He was still too weak...

"Master, save me!"

Shura's voice rang out in his mind.

Natsu Hiraku frowned and hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

"There's someone really tall..."

"Hey! Shura! What's wrong? Answer me!"

Natsu Hiraku immediately got to his feet. He could sense that Shura had fallen unconscious. The only conclusion he could draw was that Yuta Okkotsu and Senior Kirara Hoshi had run into Todo Aoi!

But... he no longer had enough Cursed Energy to fight Todo. He could only wait for the Cursed Energy in his body to recover...

"Hahaha, you two are pretty good! What are your names?"

Todo Aoi knocked out the Tibetan Mastiff that lunged at him and tossed it aside, then looked at the two people from Tokyo School before him.

Though the briefing had included profiles on everyone from Tokyo School, his attention had only been on his best friend. He had not even looked at the other three.

"Yuta Okkotsu."

Yuta Okkotsu gripped his long sword tightly with both hands. The weakness in his eyes vanished as he infused Rika's Cursed Energy into the blade and stared intently at Todo Aoi. He had always hidden behind everyone else, but he did not want to keep doing that.

Rika's power should be used to protect others!

I... am strong!

"Kirara Hoshi."

Kirara Hoshi, who had touched Todo Aoi, also activated his technique, "Stellar Flight." Looking at the unconscious Shura, anger naturally rose in his heart.

He said to Yuta Okkotsu, "Junior Yuta, just go for it. Don't worry about anything else. Just trust me."

"Yes!"

"Very good. My name is Todo Aoi! Come at me together!"

Todo Aoi watched Yuta Okkotsu charge in, and his excited expression became solemn. Behind Yuta was the phantom of a cursed spirit. Was he someone cursed by a vengeful spirit?

Interesting!

"Defeat him! Yuta...!" Rika Orimoto's voice echoed beside Yuta Okkotsu's ear.

"Yeah, I'll defeat him. Lend me your power, Rika."

Yuta Okkotsu responded softly before charging forward. Having trained with Maki and Natsu Hiraku for so long, his close-combat ability was naturally not weak.

Though he could not use a technique, Teacher Gojo had told him that he was Rika's vessel and would inherit her technique in the future. With the determination to defeat Todo, Yuta Okkotsu swung his sword in a clean, decisive slash.

Todo Aoi easily dodged. Just as he was about to attack, he suddenly felt as though something on Yuta's body was repelling him. His punch could not get close!

What was this?!

While he was still stunned, that sense of repulsion vanished instantly. Yuta Okkotsu swung his second slash!

Whoosh—the sword flashed, and blood splattered.

Todo Aoi hurriedly retreated. He touched his cheek with his right hand, looked at the blood on it, and his eyes turned serious. It was too strange. That punch could not even approach, as if space had been endlessly layered between them and he could never reach his target.

Clap! White light lit up on everyone's foreheads.

As Todo wondered about it, he noticed a string of English letters on his arm: "Imai," like some sort of mark.

When he looked up at Yuta Okkotsu, he found a similar mark on the back of his hand, except his read "Mimosa."

One meant "Imai," and the other meant "mimosa." Clearly, the translations had no connection. They merely served as markers for the activation of the technique.

Clap!

Todo made his decision after only 0.1 seconds of thought. He clapped his hands and decisively used "Immoral Game" to switch places with Yuta, attacking Kirara Hoshi instead.

Yuta Okkotsu, suddenly moved away without understanding why, saw Todo Aoi already attacking Kirara Hoshi from his previous position and shouted, "Senior, be careful!"

Kirara Hoshi merely glanced at Todo Aoi as he attacked, seemingly not taking him seriously.

Sure enough, Todo's fist could no longer get close halfway through its swing. No matter how much force he used, it could not advance even an inch, like some real place that could never be reached.

Just as Todo was wondering what this technique was, Yuta Okkotsu swung his sword from behind him. Yet the result was the same as Todo's—he could never get close.

"Huh? What's going on?" Now it was Yuta's turn to be confused. He had clearly hit Todo with a slash just now, so why could he not get close now?

The three of them were locked in a stalemate. Todo Aoi could not approach Kirara Hoshi, while Yuta Okkotsu could not approach Todo Aoi.

However, Todo Aoi, who prided himself on having an IQ of 530,000, had already more or less understood the principle of this technique. The user was not Yuta Okkotsu, but Kirara Hoshi.

The two of them could approach each other, but he could not approach either of them. Correspondingly, while the technique was active, neither of them could approach him. This was a "rule-based technique."

In other words, when the technique was activated, the user also had to obey its rules. Since there were rules, there had to be a way to reach them. Otherwise, the user would not be able to reach him either unless he deactivated the technique.

Having roughly figured it out, Todo Aoi withdrew his fist and surveyed the surroundings. This was a dead end. The moment he entered, he had encountered the two of them chasing a "rat," though he did not know where the "rat" had gone now.

"Gacrux."

The English word on the wall instantly drew Todo's attention. Having guessed the general idea, Todo said, "The principle behind your technique should be based on the Southern Cross, right?"

Kirara Hoshi's pupils contracted when Todo exposed the principle of his technique. Realizing his expression had given too much away, he hurriedly patted his face and muttered, "Damn it!"

That reaction let Todo know he had guessed correctly. If the "Imai" on his body represented 1, then Yuta Okkotsu and Kirara Hoshi should represent 3 and 4.

To touch 3 and 4 from 1, he had to pass through 2. The "Gacrux" behind him should be 2.

It was a simple principle, but if one did not understand it, they could be toyed with to death. After all, the user could deactivate the technique at any time, then reactivate it in an instant.

While Yuta Okkotsu was still wondering what the Southern Cross was, clapping rang out once again.

Todo Aoi and Kirara Hoshi switched positions. Todo reached out to touch the "Gacrux" on the wall, but... just like before, he could not reach it.

Todo immediately understood. This was not 2, but 5! The only one on the field marked with 2 should be that dog!

Kirara Hoshi, having switched positions, did not hesitate. He touched the rubble on the ground and infused it with Cursed Energy.

All the stones were imprinted with the mark "Imai." As the technique marked them, the pebbles strengthened by Cursed Energy rapidly flew up and shot toward Todo Aoi.

With identical marks, the weaker would be drawn toward the stronger. This was also one of the rules of "Stellar Flight," but its drawback was that it could only be used on one person. If he wanted to use it on someone else, he could only erase one mark.

That meant Todo Aoi was number 1, Shura was number 2, Yuta Okkotsu was number 3, Kirara Hoshi was number 4, and the wall was number 5.

He could throw objects with matching marks at those marked people or objects, and the thrown objects would keep sticking to them until they were crushed to death.

But if he wanted to use it on two people at once, he had to remove one of the five marks, then mark it again with the same symbol.

Todo Aoi shattered the pebbles with several punches, but even smaller "Imai" marks appeared on the fragments, attaching themselves to Todo.

"This is..."

Todo looked at the Cursed Energy contained in the pebbles and lightly clapped his hands. The pebbles switched places with Shura, who lay unconscious on the ground.