I Play Ninjutsu in Jujutsu Kaisen! Chapter 6

Yuta Okkotsu did not answer. He did not know what to do now, nor did he know whether Rika was willing to lend him her power...

In his despair, he suddenly felt a hand seize his collar. Maki Zenin, panting heavily, said:

"Yuta, what are you even..."

"Hey! I'm not too late, am I? I'd been watching from the sidelines for ages just to give this cursed spirit a C-section."

A familiar voice reached their ears. The dim space suddenly brightened, accompanied by the cursed spirit's surprised, shrill roar:

"Hurts... so much!!"

Natsu Hiraku?

The name instantly sprang into both their minds. Looking toward the sound, they saw that Natsu Hiraku was covered in blood, a Naginata in his right hand, the tomoe in his scarlet pupils spinning rapidly.

"Didn't you run away? Why did you... come back?"

Maki Zenin's voice was full of confusion. She could not understand why someone who had already fled would return.

"How can you call that running? It was a tactical retreat. I would never abandon you two. So, what do you think? Want to marry me?"

The more Natsu Hiraku spoke, the more animated he became, completely failing to notice that the hole he had opened behind him was slowly closing.

The other two did not notice it either...

"The... exit is healing."

The little boy's reminder echoed through the cramped space. Natsu Hiraku cried out in alarm and turned to carve out another path, only to find that the flesh walls had become exceptionally hard. Even with his System-enhanced body, he could barely cut through them.

"..."

Damn it, I shouldn't have shown off. Now I trapped myself in here too.

Natsu Hiraku turned toward the other two and helplessly waved a hand. Planting the Naginata into the ground, he said, "We can't get out. Let's wait for rescue."

"..."

Aren't you just feeding us to it...?

The three of them were speechless. Their savior had ended up trapped here too, wasting all the hope they had placed in him.

"Yuta, what's your dream? Why did you come to Jujutsu High? My dream is to survive, and then to heal others."

Faced with Natsu Hiraku's sudden question, Yuta Okkotsu looked dejected. He muttered, "I... don't want to hurt anyone anymore... I once tried locking myself away. I even wanted to disappear from this world. But when someone told me that being alone like that would be too boring, I had no answer for them. I want to connect with other people. I want to be needed. I want... the confidence to keep living."

"That's pretty similar to me."

Natsu Hiraku smiled faintly, picked up the Naginata beside him, and felt his pupils turn even more scarlet. Rising to his feet, he shouted, "Then exorcise it with me. Don't you want to be needed? Then we need you right now. We need you to get us out of here. I need your power!"

Yuta Okkotsu looked at Natsu Hiraku gripping the Naginata, then at Maki Zenin, who had collapsed and was on the verge of losing consciousness. The guilt in his eyes gradually turned into resolve. Slowly removing the ring from his left hand, he said softly, "Rika."

'What is it?'

Rika's gentle voice echoed in his mind.

"Please lend me your strength. I want to protect them."

'All right. If it's for you.'

Everything Yuta did was within Natsu Hiraku's sight, and within his plans. To keep his powerful ally from getting weaker while also desperately farming favorability, he had gone to great lengths.

A person had to live with clarity, but they also had to lie low with dignity. Put in effort when it was time to put in effort, and coast when it was time to coast. The System Quest was already complete; fighting this cursed spirit to the death now would be all effort for no reward.

As an immense surge of cursed energy erupted, Rika, who had been hidden within the ring, finally revealed her true form. Thick arms, sharp fangs, and heavy cable-like braids tangled together—every detail radiated raw power.

The might of a Special Grade was fully revealed. With a single punch, Rika smashed through the cursed spirit's abdomen and crawled out through the hole.

"Let's go."

Natsu Hiraku looked at the opening that had yet to heal and deactivated his Sharingan. Perhaps because he had kept it activated for too long, his eyes were exhausted. Warm droplets ran from the corners of his eyes and down his cheeks.

Fatigue flooded his mind like a tide. Though he desperately wanted to sleep, if he collapsed here, Yuta alone would never be able to get all four of them out. Rika was also in a murderous frenzy. He absolutely could not fall!

"Hiraku, are you okay?"

Yuta Okkotsu carried the unconscious Maki on his back and held the child they had been assigned to rescue in both arms.

"I'm fine. Let's go."

Natsu Hiraku took a deep breath and jumped down from the cursed spirit's abdomen, landing steadily on the balcony. Tossing aside his weapon, he spread his arms and shouted up at Yuta, "Throw them down. I'll catch them."

"Okay."

Yuta Okkotsu looked down at Natsu Hiraku, and his pupils suddenly contracted. Blood streaked across Hiraku's cheek, and tears still flowed from the corners of his eyes, yet he wore an indifferent expression.

He was clearly almost unable to keep going, yet he was still worrying about others. Were they all idiots?

Yuta Okkotsu pressed his lips together as tears welled in his eyes. He knew that he was no longer alone.

"Hurry down."

Watching Rika attack the cursed spirit like a madwoman, while mocking it from time to time, Natsu Hiraku felt his scalp go numb and urged him on.

"I'm coming."

Yuta Okkotsu did not throw anyone off his back. Instead, he jumped directly onto the balcony. Though the weight of the fall left him struggling to breathe, he could not add to Hiraku's burden anymore. Hiraku was already exhausted. Compared to him, Yuta was the one who had it easiest.

Seeing Yuta jump down without collapsing, Natsu Hiraku praised him, "Not bad. Before Rika notices us, let's get out of here."

"Mm."

Yuta Okkotsu looked up at Rika, who was slaughtering the cursed spirits, then led the three of them downstairs.

Natsu Hiraku picked up the Naginata from the ground, his eyes slightly weary. He was truly exhausted; his body felt like it was about to fall apart. Just hold on a little longer...

The two of them trudged forward, inching their way toward the finish line, Rika's crazed laughter echoing in their ears:

"Rika likes red! Where's the blue!?"

Gojo Satoru, who had been waiting outside the school gates for a long time, wore a silly grin. "Hehehe... Truly incredible. So this is the full extent of Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit Rika Orimoto? What a terrifying woman."

"But..."

Gojo Satoru's expression suddenly turned grave as he recalled Natsu Hiraku wielding the Naginata against the cursed spirits. He could clearly tell it was his first time swinging it, yet his attacks had been just as precise and ruthless as a veteran's.

It was as though he had trained with it before, but that wasn't what his records said. Could it be because of those eyes?

If that was the case, then this was no small matter. He was really looking forward to seeing whether this little guy could keep up with him in the future.

As he pondered this, Natsu Hiraku and Yuta Okkotsu broke through the curtain's barrier and collapsed in front of him.

Looking at the two of them, who had worked so hard, Gojo Satoru's face was filled with satisfaction. "Welcome back. You did well. Leave the rest to me."

Natsu Hiraku's consciousness was hazy. He slowly raised his head to look at the tall Gojo Satoru before joking in a half-serious tone, "Don't expect me to get up unless you give me 500,000 today..."

"..."

Gojo Satoru was speechless. His greed for money really did match the records perfectly.

Still, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. People greedy for money were usually afraid of death. As for him, calling him loyal and devoted would not be an exaggeration. He could have run, yet he chose to turn back and fight.

His eyes were bleeding, and the cursed energy in his body was nearly depleted. By all rights, both his mind and body should have been on the verge of collapse. Yet under such double pressure, he had still endured for so long.

That alone was no easy feat. People with strong hearts rarely had poor futures, much less someone with such strange eyes. To achieve this much in his first real battle... his potential was limitless.

"I should deal with this first. Otherwise, it'll be hard to explain things over there again. What a bunch of cowardly old bastards."

After saying that, Gojo Satoru simply treated everyone's wounds, then took out his phone and dialed a number as he strolled lightly back into the school.

The pain of life was fleeting. Those who loved to laugh often hid their sorrowful side in the shadows. Countless intertwined memories wove together dreams from childhood and memories that could never be erased.

Ever since he could remember, his father had beaten and cursed at his mother year-round because of his alcoholism. In the end, they divorced when he was five. His mother wanted to begin a new life and chose not to take him with her, while his father, who often beat and cursed him, became an indelible memory of his childhood.

The confusion when his mother left, the despair upon learning the truth, and his father's crazed laughter. Like a trilogy, they slowly brought back the memories he had wanted to forget.

A black world, dim bonfires, familiar yet frightening human faces—everything was so horrifying and bizarre. Natsu Hiraku looked around in terror, desperately trying to escape with hurried steps while continuously shouting:

"Wake up! This is a dream, wake up!"

A wooden door suddenly appeared and slowly opened with a piercing creak. A ragged child sat on a stool, repeatedly muttering, "I'm so hungry, it hurts so much, I want something to eat..."

Looking at his former self, Natsu Hiraku cried out in despair:

"No! No! I don't want this! I don't want to remember any of this! This damned dream, send me back!!"

"No! I don't want this!"

Amid his incoherent muttering, Natsu Hiraku suddenly opened his eyes and gasped for breath. He looked around in terror, and upon realizing that he had escaped the dream, he slumped against the headboard like a deflated balloon, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

He could not understand why memories he had forgotten for years had suddenly resurfaced. Could it be because of the Sharingan?

They said the Sharingan evolved through intense hatred and ultimate despair, but no one had ever said it would make its wielder recall the despair hidden deep within their memories.

Enough already.

Lying against the headboard, Natsu Hiraku boredly opened the system panel to check his attributes.

[Host: Natsu Hiraku]

[Cursed Energy: 400, Grade 3 Sorcerer]

[Physical Strength: 15]

[Eye Technique: One-Tomoe Sharingan]

[Ninjutsu: Not Learned]

[Taijutsu: Not Learned]

His physical strength had increased from 7 to 15, while everything else had remained unchanged. As for points, let's see...

He opened the shop. The 0 in the upper-right corner had become a 5. It looked like there had been a change, but it was practically the same as having none...

Even the cheapest Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques cost 50 points. At this rate, when would he ever save up enough to get one?

Wait...

What was this?

A large roulette wheel had appeared in the previously empty upper-left corner. Its dazzling lights tempted anyone to click it out of sheer curiosity.

Even Natsu Hiraku could not resist such temptation. He hurriedly clicked in to take a look. It wasn't like looking would cost him anything.

The moment he entered, a notification bar immediately blinded his eyes and shattered his fragile heart.

[Entered the Ninja World Great Roulette, Points -1]

"..."

What a profiteer. This trash system was absolutely run by a profiteer!

One point for entry? Why didn't you just rob me?!

Forget Ultimate Ninjutsu System—renaming yourself the Ultimate Profiteer System would suit you better.

Natsu Hiraku's heart was bleeding. If he weren't worried that someone might catch him talking to himself and mistake him for a lunatic, he could have spent an entire day coming up with new ways to curse the system. He had finally earned 5 points, only for 1 point to be deducted for no apparent reason.

"Tch..."

Even though his mentality had shattered, he still had to grit his teeth and keep reading. Otherwise, he would really lose everything, right down to his underwear.

As the prompt box vanished, a golden roulette wheel appeared across the screen. The first thing he saw was the red S-rank ninjutsu, which immediately filled his entire field of vision.

S-rank ninjutsu, bloodlines, ocular techniques, A-rank ninjutsu, B-rank ninjutsu, C-rank ninjutsu, ninja tools, summoning techniques, taijutsu—it had everything.

Of course, "Thank You for Your Patronage" took up half the wheel...

This "Thank You for Your Patronage"...

Natsu Hiraku was speechless. One point per draw did seem like a great deal. After all, any random C-rank ninjutsu was worth nearly a hundred points, excluding the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques. If he drew one, he would make a killing.

But...

Why did he feel like the system would not be kind enough to let him get something for free?

Whatever. He would try four pulls first!

With the mindset of a gambler certain of victory, Natsu Hiraku directly tapped the multi-draw option on the roulette wheel.

The golden wheel began to spin. Multicolored lights flashed past the pointer, and his formerly calm heart became excited and tense. Visions of ridiculously overpowered ninjutsu filled his mind.