I Play Ninjutsu in Jujutsu Kaisen! Chapter 5

Natsu Hiraku's gaze was fixed on the Naginata in Maki's hands. If he had a Cursed Tool too, he would not have to waste so much time. Most of the cursed energy in his body was being wasted on his eyes.

Wait...

Wasn't there a ready-made one right here?

"Maki, can I borrow your Cursed Tool?"

"No."

Maki Zenin refused without a second thought.

Natsu Hiraku knew it was what she relied on to stay alive, so he did not shamelessly press the issue. Besides, there was only one powerful thing in this elementary school. He could just pick on the weaker ones.

The mission did not restrict the grade of cursed spirits. Even newly born cursed spirits counted as cursed spirits.

"Fine, if you won't lend it to me, I'll move alone. If anything happens, come save me quickly."

"Don't! It's safer if we stick together."

As soon as Yuta Okkotsu finished speaking, Maki Zenin cut in.

"Fine. Just don't die too fast. I won't keep protecting the two of you."

"Of course. I'll seek your protection again later."

Natsu Hiraku made a reassuring gesture, then headed into the school building beside them.

Yuta looked at Maki and asked, "Are we really not moving together?"

"There's no need. He isn't weak. As long as he can protect himself, splitting up to search will be faster. Our mission is to rescue those two missing children. Time is life. Let's check the school building ahead."

"Oh..."

Yuta Okkotsu watched Natsu Hiraku's retreating back, his eyes filled with admiration. He wanted to become a hero who saved others too, rather than the one responsible for harming humanity.

"Tap, tap, tap—"

Crisp footsteps echoed through the silent corridor. Natsu Hiraku's dark pupils swept over his surroundings. The feeling of being watched from every direction made him uncomfortable. Yet he did not dare act rashly, since he had no idea where that enormous cursed spirit was lying in wait for him.

He only needed seven more cursed spirits to obtain Body Enhancement, yet he had no idea where they were hiding.

It made him uneasy. After all, this thing had a time limit. Whether it was points or the Naruto Genin Physique, both were vital to him.

"Click—"

Natsu Hiraku stopped outside a classroom door and surveyed everything inside through the glass pane. It looked empty, but he could sense it. The aura coming from within made him extremely uncomfortable, like a biting cold wind.

"Seven left, huh? There should be enough in here."

Though he was muttering to himself, he was also trying to soothe his restless heart. He needed to end this quickly and kill seven cursed spirits in an instant, before anyone could react.

Being too high-profile would draw its attention.

Natsu Hiraku took a deep breath and gripped the doorknob with his right hand. Scarlet cursed energy slowly covered it, while the black pupils in his eyes gradually transformed into the Sharingan. With its sharp perception, he counted the cursed spirits in the classroom.

"Two under the desks... no, probably three."

"In the cabinet... hmm, there should be one."

"One above the door. Is it waiting to ambush me?"

"And three standing motionlessly by the blackboard at the back. Resentment from being made to stand as punishment?"

"That should be all of them. I can't keep the Sharingan active any longer, or the cursed energy I recover won't even keep up with what it consumes."

Natsu Hiraku's pupils returned to black as he shouted inwardly:

Move!

The veins on his right hand, still gripping the doorknob, bulged as the metal door flew open. The moment Natsu Hiraku rushed in, he dealt with the spider-like cursed spirit above the door first.

His black eyes locked onto its five pairs of scarlet pupils. Before the cursed spirit could react, he spun and leaped up. Like a dunk, his scarlet claw slammed it into the floor, then he immediately finished it off.

The entire sequence, from opening the door to the end, took less than two seconds. The spider cursed spirit was instantly killed before it could even react.

Six left. End this quickly—take out the three cursed spirits by the blackboard!

Without the slightest hesitation, Natsu Hiraku launched a lightning assault at the three cursed spirits behind the blackboard, which had yet to react.

When you caught them confused, you took their lives!

If not now, when?

"N—"

Before the cursed spirit could finish speaking, a scarlet fist instantly killed it. The other two were still staring blankly when fists as big as sandbags came hurtling at their faces.

Boom!!

The two cursed spirits died as well. The cursed spirits in the room had now realized there was an intruder and began moving.

Three left.

Natsu Hiraku turned toward the nearest cabinet. It had begun shaking, and bulges were appearing across its surface.

He knew this meant the cursed spirit inside was about to burst out. He had to deal with them quickly. By all rights, that big one would come rushing over in less than ten seconds.

Time was precious. If he could eliminate these three cursed spirits within ten seconds and obtain the Genin Physique, perhaps he could even go toe-to-toe with that big one. After all, Naruto's Genin...

Those who knew, knew.

This was truly an all-or-nothing gamble. He had to fight them with his life on the line!

Otherwise...

Otherwise...

Uh...

Otherwise, Gojo Satoru would personally deal with them, and he'd lose his genin physique!

The surging fluctuations of cursed energy also caught Yuta Okkotsu's attention from the building across the way.

"Hiraku's fighting over there!"

"Mm." Faced with Yuta's reminder, Maki Zenin gave no further response and continued watching their surroundings warily.

After all, her situation wasn't much better. Having fought cursed spirits for so many years, she could faintly sense it—the air was steeped in danger. Something big was about to appear.

With a full-force punch, Natsu Hiraku directly killed the Cursed Spirit along with the box. As for the Cursed Spirit he had previously spotted inside the desk, it now revealed itself completely. It was the same type as the one that had ambushed him on the door, only seemingly much larger.

Eight sharp, thorn-like spikes gleamed with a metallic texture. Its mere presence crushed all the Cursed Spirits from before.

I'm done for...

I picked the wrong targets. I didn't expect to leave the two strongest ones behind...

Natsu Hiraku swallowed, with only two words in his mind: no match.

At the same time, dull thuds echoed through the hallway. The entire classroom trembled slightly, as if an earthquake were underway.

Not good!

Run!!

The moment Natsu Hiraku heard that rumbling, he knew that huge thing was approaching. He immediately smashed through the window and leaped down from the third floor, shouting at the other two, wherever they were:

"Come save me!!"

Boom!!

With a thunderous crash, a gigantic Cursed Spirit burst out from the nearby school building. It resembled an aphid, while Yuta and Maki were both high in the air.

Uh...

So I wasn't the one who needed saving...

Natsu Hiraku glanced over, turned, and ran back into the building. Compared to the enormous Cursed Spirit outside, it was safer indoors.

"That bastard, he actually ran off without even looking back!"

Maki Zenin had watched every one of Natsu Hiraku's actions. Once they got back, she would make him get the hell out of Jujutsu High. Damn it, why was there such a huge Cursed Spirit here?!

The gigantic Cursed Spirit lunging at them opened its enormous mouth, revealing sharp fangs inside like those of a sea lamprey.

This is...?!

Maki Zenin was shocked. The fangs in the Cursed Spirit's mouth were flying toward her!

Though she swung her weapon to block them, her leg was still grazed. The intense pain loosened her grip on the Naginata, and when she tried to block again, she was sent flying.

The Cursed Spirit opened its maw and charged straight at them.

Not good, we're going to be eaten!

Gulp—

The Cursed Spirit swallowed the falling pair in one bite, words of thanks coming from its mouth:

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for the meal!"

Inside the Cursed Spirit's stomach.

The unconscious Yuta Okkotsu vaguely heard Maki complaining:

"Damn it! That bastard Natsu Hiraku ran away without even looking back! That coward! I even gave him 5,000 yen and told him to make dinner, and now the sight of him disgusts me. Ah! Damn it, I dropped my Cursed Tool too. Let us out!!"

"Where is this?"

Yuta Okkotsu slowly opened his eyes and looked around. The dark red walls were rhythmically squirming.

Maki explained from beside him, "Inside that Cursed Spirit's stomach. Don't pass out so easily!"

"Oh..."

"Huh?!" Yuta Okkotsu said in shock. "Doesn't that mean we were eaten?! Where's Hiraku? Is he okay? I remember him calling for help."

Maki said angrily, "Don't mention that guy who ran away in the middle of the fight. If I get out of here, I'm definitely killing him! By the way, don't you have a Cursed Spirit protecting you?"

Yuta Okkotsu said, "Huh?! I don't know when Rika will appear either! Forget that for now—what are we supposed to do?!"

"Tch."

Looking unwilling to accept it, veins bulged on Maki Zenin's forehead as she shouted, "Damn it, this is humiliating! All we can do now is wait. Once a curtain rises, someone will come save us."

Just as she was about to complain some more, a childish voice came from nearby: "Help!"

"Huh?!"

Yuta and Maki turned to look over with puzzled expressions. Besides the two of them, how could there be anyone else here?

A boy in a black-and-white short-sleeved shirt clutched an unconscious boy in his arms and cried out, "Please, he's about to die."

Seeing the two children who had suddenly appeared, Yuta Okkotsu immediately recalled Teacher Gojo's words before leaving and said happily, "Thank goodness, you're alive."

"Thank goodness my ass. Look carefully."

Maki Zenin looked at the boy in the black-and-white shirt. His left eye had already turned black, and his face was covered in blood vessels. She continued, "The older one has already been eroded by a curse. Both of them could die at any moment."

"How could this happen?! What should we do!?"

"What else can we do? All we can do is wait for someone to save us!"

Maki Zenin's face flushed as her expression darkened. The world before her warped, and her voice gradually weakened. "Not everyone has resistance to curses like you do."

She knew this was caused by the injury from the cursed spirit earlier. At this point, there really was nothing they could do except wait to be rescued.

It hurts so much, like I have a high fever. Suddenly, it might have been better that Natsu Hiraku ran away. After all, this isn't something he could fight...

As her vision suddenly went black and her head sank, Maki Zenin collapsed.

"Zenin!?"

Seeing Maki Zenin suddenly lose consciousness, Yuta Okkotsu rushed over. He then saw an obvious wound on her thigh, covered in human eyes. Dense clusters of eyes surrounded the wound, and they were rapidly multiplying.

"This wound... was she cursed?"

What should I do? She'll be okay, right? If only I were stronger. What should I do!?

Just as Yuta Okkotsu was growing anxious, the little boy beside him asked, "Will that big sister die, Brother?"

"Th-this..."