Aoi Todo

Five months later, 2011 arrived, ushering in a new year.

Kyoto Jujutsu High was also about to welcome three new students. Once again, Naomitsu would be receiving them.

Inumaki and the others, meanwhile, had become second-years.

After repeated warnings from Utahime Iori, Naomitsu had arrived early at the first-year classroom that day. He slumped over, dozing out of boredom.

"Why are these new students taking so long? For once, I actually got up early!"

Naturally, the new students couldn't hear Naomitsu's grumbling. They were busy fighting at the school gates.

Aoi Todo, Noritoshi Kamo, and Naoya Zenin.

Those three were this year's new students, and they had just enjoyed a thoroughly satisfying fight.

With his mastery of Black Flash and Boogie Woogie, Aoi Todo had narrowly edged out Noritoshi Kamo and Naoya Zenin. Naoya Zenin and Noritoshi Kamo, meanwhile, had fought to a draw.

All three of this year's students were fairly evenly matched, with little difference in strength.

"Let's head to the classroom!"

Led by the brawny Aoi Todo, the three entered the school building one after another. Inside the classroom, Naomitsu had already fallen asleep in a rocking chair.

Bang!

The classroom door was kicked open, and Aoi Todo strode inside. His gaze naturally fell on Naomitsu, who was sleeping without a care.

"Hey! Kid?"

Although Naomitsu had grown taller, one glance at his youthful, boyish face made it clear he wasn't very old.

Aoi Todo therefore took him for a younger student who had wandered into the wrong classroom.

"Mm..."

"Shh!"

Behind Aoi Todo, Noritoshi Kamo recognized Naomitsu, his eyes widening. Naoya Zenin, however, gave him a wicked grin and gestured for him to keep his mouth shut.

Aoi Todo was a reckless brute with an outrageously arrogant attitude. The moment the three of them met, he had asked what kind of women they liked.

When their answers weren't to his liking, he had attacked without warning. Luckily, they could hold their own, or they would surely have lost an arm or a leg.

Now that he had run into Naomitsu, it was time to let him suffer a little.

"Hey! Wake up!"

Aoi Todo walked up to Naomitsu and reached out to shake him awake. Just before his palm touched Naomitsu, however, Naomitsu opened his eyes and caught his hand.

"Huh?"

Their eyes met, and Aoi Todo grinned. He then pulled free of Naomitsu and began questioning him with an air of arrogance.

"Kid? Who's the teacher here? Anyone who wants to teach me, Aoi Todo, had better be strong!"

Before coming to Kyoto Jujutsu High, Aoi Todo had already made up his mind. If the teacher wasn't strong enough, he could do without one.

He was plenty strong himself, after all. Someone weaker than him had no business teaching him.

Naomitsu's gaze remained calm as he slowly raised a finger. He wasn't about to be nice to someone who had disturbed his pleasant dreams.

"One hundred thousand! Survive this, then ask me!"

"Huh?"

Aoi Todo froze, unsure what Naomitsu meant. A second later, a dazzling light flared before his eyes.

"Holy shit! Move!"

Noritoshi Kamo turned, only to discover that Naoya Zenin had already vanished without him noticing.

Facing the attack head-on, Aoi Todo relied on his exceptional battle instincts to twist aside in the tiny window available, keeping his vital areas out of its path.

Boom, boom, boom!

One wall of the classroom was reduced to dust. On the floor, Aoi Todo lay with his left shoulder and entire arm gone.

He lay there, staring up at Naomitsu as he stretched and yawned. It was as though that attack had been nothing more than a joke.

"You survived. Congratulations."

Naomitsu clapped, seemingly offering encouragement but actually mocking him. Aoi Todo, however, no longer felt angry. That blast of cursed energy was absolutely beyond what an ordinary jujutsu sorcerer could produce.

"Don't look so down. I happen to know Yuki Tsukumo. Since you've come to Kyoto Jujutsu High, I won't leave you crippled."

With a snap of his fingers, the shikigami Round Deer appeared. Reverse Cursed Technique activated, and Aoi Todo's injuries healed at an astonishing pace.

"Boss, I'm hurt too."

Naoya Zenin approached Naomitsu with a cheeky grin, only to be kicked away. He had run so fast that the 100,000 cursed energy hadn't even grazed him.

On the floor, Round Deer worked quickly. In less than a minute, Aoi Todo's new arm had grown back.

Round Deer then turned back into a shadow, and Naomitsu recalled the shikigami.

"Can we have a proper conversation now?"

After taking a cannon blast of 100,000 cursed energy, Aoi Todo was much better behaved. Acting arrogant in front of someone truly strong was asking to die.

Naomitsu had only spared Aoi Todo's life out of consideration for Yuki Tsukumo. As his strength increased, his personality had gradually grown more domineering.

It was like Homelander. Once you possessed power far beyond ordinary people, your moods alone could decide whether someone lived or died.

If you had Sukuna's strength, you would only act even more wildly than Sukuna.

Naomitsu now had enough strength to challenge the higher-ups of the jujutsu world. The only reason he hadn't completely broken away from the system was his two older sisters.

"I'm Aoi Todo, a new student this year."

Beside him, Noritoshi Kamo and Naoya Zenin also stepped forward to introduce themselves.

"Noritoshi Kamo, of the Kamo Clan."

"Boss, I don't need to introduce myself, do I?"

Naomitsu's expression turned stern. "In public, address me by my position. Remember to call me teacher. What kind of impression does calling me boss at school give?"

Chastened, Naoya Zenin nodded repeatedly in agreement. He was completely outmatched by Naomitsu now anyway. Being his underling or his student amounted to the same thing.

"You two know each other!"

Seeing their friendly exchange, Aoi Todo's expression immediately changed. He might have been a brute, but that didn't mean he was stupid.

A moment's thought was enough to realize that Naoya Zenin had set him up.

"Just you wait! We're having another fight later!"

Naomitsu couldn't be bothered with their challenge. Deep down, he had no intention of putting much effort into these three new students.

"Today is registration day. Classes don't start until tomorrow. Now that we've all met, I'll arrange your lessons tomorrow."

After telling the three to come back the next day, Naomitsu left the classroom, as though the missing wall had nothing whatsoever to do with him.

"What a headache. Inumaki and those other two were already enough of a pain, and now there's Aoi Todo. With him around, there's bound to be more trouble."

Scratching his head, Naomitsu made his way to Utahime Iori's office.

"Morning, Utahime!"

Utahime Iori was pleased that Naomitsu had arrived at school on time that day. In a rare departure from her usual anger, she greeted him with a smile.

The last time he had received such a welcome was when they first met.

"Well? You're being so obedient today. What favor do you want?"

Although they had only known each other for a few years, Utahime Iori already understood Naomitsu's temperament very well. Whenever he behaved like this, he was sure to want a favor.

"Utahime, I'd like to take some time off soon. About a month. Sorry for the trouble, but could you look after my students?"

Utahime Iori wore an expression that said she had expected as much, but readily agreed.

"You're practically invisible at school anyway. Just showing up on time today was good enough. Let me know when you leave, and I'll cover for you."