Jujutsu Kaisen: Yearning to Become an Immortal God

"So I simply gave up on my talent for jujutsu and devoted myself to swordsmanship. At first, I didn't understand anything. I merely used the most basic reinforcement jujutsu to strengthen my blades.

"But that alone wasn't enough. Yao Ling and cursed shell sorcerers had Innate Techniques that were far too strange. Ordinary blades could never reach them, so I searched everywhere for a universal technique capable of overcoming those obstacles. And I really did find one.

"—Hollow Wicker Basket, a special jujutsu capable of neutralizing any domain." But my talent for jujutsu was too poor. Far too poor. I couldn't learn it.

"In fact, even if I had learned it, it would've been useless. Hollow Wicker Basket is purely a defensive jujutsu, while what I needed was something that combined offense and defense. Hollow Wicker Basket simply couldn't satisfy me.

"So after figuring out its principles, I gave it up without hesitation.

"If you've studied Barrier Technique, you should've heard a saying: 'A barrier is the boundary of imagination.'"

Mahito's mind raced, and he immediately understood what the old man had just done. He couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "The 'domain' in Simple Domain isn't the same domain as in Domain Expansion! They're different!

"It's an extension of one's will from within to without!

"A barrier is an extension of imagination. You discarded the techniques of Barrier Technique and used only its principles to construct this special domain of will! Because swordsmen believe that so long as something enters the range of their iai slash, any attack will be cut down by that iai slash before it can strike them, whether it's tangible or intangible.

"On one hand, you firmly believe you can cut down anything. On the other, you imagine yourself unaffected by all things in the world. That's why you can form a Simple Domain!

"An automatic interception iai slash sounds wonderful. In terms of power and speed, it may indeed surpass your iai slash. But ultimately, an automatic interception iai slash is merely a special technique, while your iai slash is an extension of a swordsman's will!"

Damn it, isn't this the whole idea of mind triumphing over matter? That's some lofty concept!

Mahito truly understood now. He also understood why the old man had been able to slice open his throat with a pencil tip earlier. In that instant, the old man had freely deployed Simple Domain. The pencil had become the blade in his hand, the sleeve cuff had become its sheath, and within that Simple Domain, he had unleashed an iai slash!

The old man couldn't help praising him. "Impressive. You grasped the core of Simple Domain after hearing only a few words from me. If you were willing to train under me for ten years, you'd certainly be able to take Simple Domain to another level and turn it into a Domain Expansion unique to you."

Mahito exhaled. "Now that I know that, killing you has become much easier.

"As long as I stay beyond your reach and wear down your strength from a distance, I can kill you with ease.

"Your age has truly held you back. You can't move, nor can you attack proactively. You've become a living target. No wonder Teacher Kenjaku said you could only serve as a Grade 2 Sorcerer."

No wonder, in the manga, the old man had been killed by a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer without even getting a combat scene. His weakness was too obvious. Keep a certain distance, and killing him was as easy as turning over a hand.

The old man said blandly, "That's right. Someone like me shouldn't be worth recruiting. Of course, if you want me to order my disciples not to oppose you, I can't do that either. Even killing me won't make it possible. This old man is nothing more than dry bones in a grave. I don't have that much authority."

Mahito knew that this was the old man's silent refusal. The old man thought Kenjaku had come to recruit him, which was why he had revealed all his trump cards and everything he could do, hoping Kenjaku would give up on him and leave.

In fact, in the original work, Kenjaku had indeed never contacted him. Kenjaku must've known the old man's exact circumstances and never bothered seeking him out.

Moreover, Mahito knew the old man wasn't being entirely truthful. He was definitely hiding some crucial knowledge. He hadn't truly opened his heart to Mahito. That was easy to judge. Simple Domain was, after all, the foundation of his existence. Before his death, he could never hand over all its secrets.

Mahito wasn't surprised by this at all, nor did he mind.

Kenjaku shrugged. "That's how it is. Mahito, do you still want to continue talking?" Of course they would continue!

For Mahito, learning Simple Domain would be nice, but failing to learn it didn't matter. Look at Ryomen Sukuna and Satoru Gojo—they didn't know Simple Domain either. Did that stop them from becoming the strongest in the world? Simple Domain wasn't what Mahito wanted at all.

"I'm not here to learn Simple Domain." Mahito looked straight into the old man's eyes. "I'm here to learn swordsmanship." The old man said in astonishment, "Not for Simple Domain, but simply to learn swordsmanship? Are you serious?"

Of course he was serious. Mahito would inevitably possess a Domain Expansion in the future; he had no doubt about that. Compared to a Domain Expansion unique to himself, Simple Domain paled in comparison. Why pursue Simple Domain, then?

On the contrary, this old man was the finest jujutsu swordsman in the world. To integrate his own combat system, the old man was indispensable.

Of course, he couldn't say that so directly.

"I possess an unparalleled sword. To bring out all the potential of that unparalleled sword, I came here to learn swordsmanship." Mahito smiled. "I believe that if it's you, you'll understand what I mean."

The old man was initially stunned. Then a smile appeared on his face, and finally, despite his frail body, he burst into laughter. He laughed heartily and said, "I understand. Of course I understand!

"New Shadow Style, founder—Ashiya Sadatsuna.

"I am willing to serve the master of Cursed Spirits!"

The next day, Ashiya Sadatsuna, who had shed his frail body through Idle Transfiguration, became so furious that his blood pressure soared. Flames of rage erupted from him as he roared:

"Croak! Are you looking down on me, you bastard?! You came to me without even the basics of swordsmanship?! Start over from Natural Stance, damn it!"

Tsukumo Attacks

"Whew, whew, whew." The old man trembled with rage, unable to speak.

Mahito casually held a bamboo sword and maintained his Natural Stance. This was a stage every beginner in kendo had to go through. Having always followed an unorthodox path, he had finally encountered a true academy-trained master and could genuinely enter the gates of swordsmanship.

Kenjaku stood to the side, thoroughly entertained. Smiling, he persuaded him, "Old friend, don't take it to heart. You can't expect a child who was born less than half a year ago to truly know swordsmanship. Isn't he sincerely asking you to teach him?"

Ashiya Sadatsuna had barely calmed down before he couldn't help shouting again:

"I haven't personally taught someone swordsmanship from the very beginning in over three hundred years!

"The worst people who came to me still had a certain foundation in swordsmanship. Most of them were indisputable geniuses who had already 'blossomed and borne fruit'! Yet you bastard want me to relive my days as an instructor! Damn it!"

A national academy fellow thought he was welcoming a gifted genius. All he needed to do was guide that genius through more advanced techniques and watch as a new academy fellow emerged under his tutelage. Instead, what arrived was a complete novice who couldn't even understand one plus one.

Anyone's mentality would explode!

Ashiya Sadatsuna laughed in rage and roared at Kenjaku, "I nearly gave this bastard the title Zenin Cutter, and he deserves it?! I swear, the sword in his hand is nothing more than a slightly useful tool to him. His ultimate moves have nothing to do with swordsmanship!

"Damn it, let me guess. Didn't you once tell me that the sword in his hand was a Tsukumogami? Then the reason he can draw such beautiful arcs is probably because he uses a technique similar to Tsukumogami Manipulation, right?!"

Bull's-eye!

While maintaining his Natural Stance, Mahito silently marveled. As expected of the founder of New Shadow Style. At least in swordsmanship, he was genuinely gifted, bold, and meticulous.

Most Innate Techniques were unique to each person, and the King of Curses' ability had already spread wildly throughout Jujutsu Society—the ability to make people evolve. No matter how one looked at it, it had nothing to do with swordsmanship.

Especially since there had been too much mixed Cursed Energy residue in that chaotic battle. Then, at the end, Mahito had unapologetically activated Maximum: Advent, turning the entire Zenin Clan into ruins. Even Satoru Gojo couldn't make out anything. Otherwise, Gojo wouldn't have gone outside the Zenin Clan to inspect the final battlefield.

It wasn't that he hadn't examined the original site. The original site simply revealed nothing.

Therefore, the moment someone saw the battlefield and connected it with the King of Curses' confirmed ability, they wouldn't even consider the possibility that the King of Curses possessed a second ability. The intelligence that spread around would naturally assume the King of Curses had exceptional swordsmanship.

Who could've imagined Mahito didn't know swordsmanship at all? All his swordsmanship had been brought about by Tsukumogami Manipulation. The more common sense a sorcerer possessed, the less likely they were to guess it!

Originally, Ashiya Sadatsuna had proposed a bamboo sword spar to gauge Mahito's ability. Yet the moment Mahito gripped the bamboo sword, the old man's face suddenly flushed red, his blood pressure visibly spiking as his furious roar shook the heavens. With one glance, he recognized that Mahito was absolutely cheating.

Without the slightest doubt.

Mahito immediately smiled. "You weren't naming me Zenin Cutter. You were naming my Mist Cutter Zenin Cutter. You remembered wrong, Instructor." "You bastard—" The old man was about to roar again when he suddenly froze.

Mahito continued holding the Natural Stance of a kendo beginner without moving. The old man's sharp, hawk-like eyes began circling Mahito. He stopped making a sound. Kenjaku stood nearby, smiling as he watched Ashiya Sadatsuna's grave expression, completely unsurprised.

After a while, Ashiya Sadatsuna was stunned. "Is your comprehension monstrous?

"Why must every kendo student undergo the most basic training of Natural Stance? Because it best corrects one's posture when gripping and wielding a sword. It also allows one to exert force most effectively. No matter what swordsmanship you learn in the future, mastering Natural Stance will only benefit you and never harm you.

"Natural Stance in kendo is like the horse stance in martial arts: the foundation of all foundations. No matter what style of swordsmanship you learn, you must go through it. This is true grinding work!

"A horse stance only grows steadier with practice, and the same is true of Natural Stance. There isn't even an ultimate standard for it. That's because every person's height, weight, bones, muscles, and even heartbeat differ by fractions of a second. During long-term foundational training, all of those factors gradually adjust into what suits that person best.

"This is an ultimate standard unique to the individual. Others can only grasp a rough outline of it; they absolutely must not replicate it one-for-one. That was why I said it would take ten years to hone your swordsmanship."

According to martial arts records, when Tsukahara Bokuden was young, he swung his sword at a tree six thousand times each day, year after year. That training not only strengthened his physique and swordsmanship but also tempered his focus and instantaneous explosive power beyond ordinary limits. He could even defeat opponents with a wooden sword on the battlefield, displaying absolute mastery over swordsmanship.

Ashiya Sadatsuna couldn't help asking:

"How did you do it? Your sword grip, your posture, even your concentration and mental state are improving at a terrifying pace—visibly so! When you first held that sword, you were an apprentice who understood nothing. Yet after only a quarter of an hour, seeing you again makes me feel as though you've held a sword for over five years."

Mahito was startled. "You can accurately estimate how long others have held a sword?"

"Holding a sword isn't an instinct inherent to living humans. It's an acquired behavior. Therefore, even if someone holding a sword for the first time and someone who has held one for years both understand the basics of gripping it, their postures will be entirely different.

"Five years and ten years, ten years and twenty years, those who once held swords but abandoned them, even hands that have held swords for over a century—I can read them as clearly as the lines in my palm," Ashiya Sadatsuna said flatly.

Fine. That was a good flex. I'll acknowledge it. Mahito's expression became indescribable before turning into admiration. Ashiya Sadatsuna noticed it, but rather than looking pleased, he pressed further.

"You may think this ability of mine is impressive, but it's actually simpler than you imagine. Any swordsman worthy of receiving menkyo kaiden can do this. You, on the other hand—how did you do it? How can you match five years of ordinary practice in only a quarter of an hour?

"Look again." Mahito continued maintaining Natural Stance.

Ashiya Sadatsuna truly stopped asking and carefully studied Mahito's posture. Gradually, realization appeared on his face, followed by shock.

"You didn't 'accelerate' time. You directly remade your body into one suited for wielding a sword. So this is what they call evolution?

"If someone had once told me swordsmanship could be mastered quickly, I'd have cut him down with my sword. But now, I have to admit something: human imagination truly has limits. Even mine does."

Kenjaku smiled. "Old friend, haven't you considered what kind of ability it is that can make people evolve?"

Ashiya Sadatsuna furrowed his brow and considered it. "When rumors of the King of Curses appeared in the world of curses, I began paying attention. At that point, there weren't even reports that Mahito could make people immortal.

"But my thought at the time was that it was some ability capable of 'correcting the body.'

"Human bodies truly have differences in aptitude. If Michael Jordan hadn't been nearly two meters tall, then no matter how monstrous his talent was, he could never have achieved his current stature in basketball.

"The same is true for jujutsu sorcerers. Or rather, the world of jujutsu sorcerers is even crueler than basketball. Basketball still has short players who can excel, but in Jujutsu Society, if you lack talent, you simply can't make it!

"The circulation of Cursed Energy, the efficiency of releasing jujutsu, Cursed Energy reserves, Cursed Energy's explosive force—things like that are all genuinely affected by one's body. It's not something that can be overcome merely through sufficient will.

"If you can see through that and possess an ability capable of altering the body, then you can easily make a jujutsu sorcerer's abilities leap forward. The same goes for turning ordinary people into jujutsu sorcerers.

"The bodily structure of a jujutsu sorcerer is indeed physiologically different from that of an ordinary person. But conversely, as long as you compensate for those differences, you can easily turn an ordinary person into a jujutsu sorcerer."

Mahito was secretly alarmed. As expected of a living fossil from Kenjaku's era. His insight was on another level. Based on rumors alone, this man had guessed seven or eight parts of Mahito's Idle Transfiguration.

Kinji Hakari, who came from a technical school, had genuinely believed Mahito's ability was to make people evolve when they first met. Not only Hakari—even the Cursed Spirits around him believed so.

Kenjaku had doubted it at first, but because he had come into contact with Mahito more often, he eventually stopped doubting it. Besides physical enhancements, Mahito's Idle Transfiguration could also control wills. The Thought Seal he had never revealed to anyone was one example.

They all knew he could twist minds, but such mental distortion would leave conspicuous Cursed Energy residue. Any excellent jujutsu sorcerer could easily see it. Thus, although they knew Mahito could twist minds, they were confident they wouldn't fall victim to it.

Mahito had never told anyone the secret of [Thought Seal], not even the Shell Spirits around him.

This meant that every being transformed by Idle Transfiguration underwent some degree of change in their mental state. Those changes weren't granted by bodily modification, so even the calculating Kenjaku had been led astray.

Yet this old man hadn't been influenced by any of that. He could see the truth behind Mahito's Idle Transfiguration more clearly.

Mahito became secretly vigilant again. This man was clearly just cannon fodder who had been casually killed by the end of the original story, yet he was already so terrifying. He absolutely couldn't underestimate anyone again.

Well, the first time Mahito had had this thought was during the Zenin battle, and now he had encountered another example. It could only be said that the original story's top-tier fighters were concentrated too heavily. Even figures renowned throughout Jujutsu Society were nothing more than roadside fodder when placed into the original story's battles.

Mahito had now deeply entered Jujutsu Society. Naturally, he needed to adjust his mindset.

Kenjaku couldn't help clapping. "As expected of you, old friend." Yet Ashiya Sadatsuna wasn't proud. Instead, he grew even more puzzled.

"But anyone knowledgeable knows that no matter how outstanding the body is, it can only guarantee a person's lower limit. There are many tall people, yet there is only one Michael Jordan. A person's body determines their lower limit, but to continue climbing upward, they must touch their upper limit—that is what they call comprehension.

"Ninety-nine percent perspiration and one percent inspiration: that is the makeup of genius. Ninety-nine percent is easy to obtain, but that one percent of inspiration is harder than reaching the heavens.

"It isn't only swordsmanship. Things like this happen every moment in this world. Some people can use the same conditions to create results that others cannot achieve in their entire lives."

Ashiya Sadatsuna sighed amid his confusion:

"Especially in materials science. If Japan's craftsmanship in the past hadn't been so inadequate, and if we could've stolen the folded-steel technology of the Western powers, we never would've needed to rack our brains over the finishing touch of curving a blade.

"Damn it, if old Japan had modern Japan's materials, to hell with curves! One swing and I'd split man and armor alike. A curved arc is practically a flaw!

"I've personally seen the legendary Mo Dao. Its blade was straight as a towering pine, and when you touched it, you could clearly feel its heaviness, like solid rock. That's how it earned its reputation for shattering man and horse together.

"Give me a Mo Dao, and I'd cut off all eight heads of Yamata no Orochi! Ryomen Sukuna would only be fit to lick my ** fingers!"

After lamenting for a moment, Ashiya Sadatsuna returned to the topic. "I got sidetracked.

"What I mean is, even if you can use bodily alteration to shape a physique suited to blades, the instinct for holding a sword should still require time and painstaking practice. Could there really be someone in this world who becomes a swordmaster the moment they pick up a sword?"

Mahito couldn't hold it in anymore. He lowered his Natural Stance and stared at the old man in disbelief. "How dare you look down on Ryomen Sukuna?"

The old man raised an eyebrow instead. "Shouldn't he be looked down on? I thought every swordsman despised him from the bottom of his heart, even if he could kill that swordsman with a glance."

Mahito suddenly thought of Atsuya Kusakabe. His famous line, "Me fight Ryomen Sukuna? Seriously?" had come from him.

He was a pessimist. If he had the ability to flee, he would never hesitate. But when he truly faced Ryomen Sukuna, even knowing he was no match, he still gathered all his courage and stepped forward. And he had genuinely survived.

He didn't have the slightest intention of looking down on Ryomen Sukuna! On the contrary, he understood his own position perfectly. He had not a shred of arrogance when facing Ryomen Sukuna and remained cautious at every turn.

"Why?" Mahito genuinely couldn't understand.

Ashiya Sadatsuna said coldly, "What do you mean, why?

"We swordsmen undergo untold hardships, temper ourselves, cast away everything, all to strike that one sword capable of transcending time.

"But that bastard Ryomen Sukuna doesn't need to do anything. He merely has to lightly utter the word 'Dismantle,' and he fucking surpasses all of us! If it were you, would you accept that? Would you respect him?"

Mahito went blank.

Isn't that just jealousy?! And you're proud of it?!

Kenjaku hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Please don't put it that way. If the Prison Realm and Mahito are both helpless against Satoru Gojo, then only reviving Ryomen Sukuna can deal with Gojo. We may even cooperate with him in the future. It's better to leave some room for courtesy."

To his surprise, the old man replied with complete righteousness:

"I'm not stupid. How could I say that to Ryomen Sukuna's face? If Ryomen Sukuna truly appeared before me, I swear I'd be more loyal than Hachikō. I'd make his mood as bright as a blazing summer day. But hasn't he not been revived yet? We're all one of our own, so speak without restraint."

Hachikō meant the loyal dog Hachikō. Mahito's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Fine, fine. So much for all being one of our own, so speak without restraint.

You consider us your own. Want to guess whether we consider you our own?