"So you really were just looking to vent, weren't you?"
Ze Zenin was sent flying by a kick. He steadied himself, looked at Suguru Geto, then leaped up and used Fire Release.
"Dragon Flame Song Technique!"
Four dragon heads made of flame shot straight toward Suguru Geto.
"Squid!" Suguru Geto summoned Squid and immediately jumped back. Squid's ink met the dragon flames head-on.
The Dragon Flame Song Technique wasn't extinguished by the ink and continued hurtling toward Suguru Geto.
"No choice... Rainbow Dragon!"
An enormous white dragon emerged from the black hole behind Suguru Geto. It swallowed the Dragon Flame Song Technique in one gulp, then charged straight at Ze Zenin.
"These little tricks won't beat me... Geto."
A long spear of lightning formed in his hand, and Ze Zenin charged forward to meet Rainbow Dragon.
"Chidori Sharp Spear." As Ze Zenin ran, the sharp lightning sliced Rainbow Dragon in two, and he kicked it away.
With a crash, Rainbow Dragon slammed into a nearby mountain.
Nearby, Nanako's and Mimiko's mouths twitched. This was what they called talking things over?
"Great Serpent."
Ze Zenin fixed his gaze on Suguru Geto's position, and an enormous python instantly coiled around him.
"Not good..."
Suguru Geto's pupils contracted. He gathered cursed energy in his body and struggled against the coils.
A moment later, Ze Zenin sent Suguru Geto flying with a kick, the lightning from Chidori Stream scorching the spot it struck black.
"Cough, cough..."
Suguru Geto struggled to get up. As Ze Zenin teleported over and raised his hand with another Chidori, he couldn't help complaining, "Are you seriously not worried about killing me?"
"As long as you've got a breath left, I can save you with Reverse Cursed Technique."
Suguru Geto tilted his head to dodge Chidori, then kicked at Ze Zenin and quickly put some distance between them.
Countless attacks resembling blue lasers emerged from the black hole behind him and shot toward Ze Zenin.
Ze Zenin leaped high into the air, his eyes moving constantly as he used the Sharingan's perception to dodge every attack from the cursed spirits.
Suddenly, an enormous one-eyed cursed spirit burst out of the ground with its fist raised, sending Ze Zenin flying dozens of meters with the speed of a cannonball.
"Cursed Spirit Manipulation isn't just a mob of weaklings, teacher..."
Ze Zenin got to his feet, lightning flashing in his hand. "Chidori Senbon!"
Needle-thin bolts of lightning shot from Ze Zenin's hand, heading straight for Suguru Geto.
Suguru Geto casually summoned a fat cursed spirit to serve as a meat shield.
"Piercing Ox!"
Ze Zenin used the Ten Shadows Technique for the first time. With nothing blocking its path this time, Piercing Ox charged straight at Suguru Geto.
Seeing that he couldn't stop it otherwise, Suguru Geto reinforced his hands with cursed energy and forcibly caught Piercing Ox with both hands!
"Not bad, Geto..."
"Blaze Release-Kagutsuchi."
Ze Zenin focused his left eye, and under Kagutsuchi's control, the black flames instantly destroyed the swarm of cannon-fodder cursed spirits.
Suguru Geto's mouth twitched. "You asked for this!"
He then summoned his strongest cursed spirit at the time: the imaginary special grade cursed spirit-Slit-Mouthed Woman!
A woman holding scissors, her face hidden beneath long hair, appeared beside Suguru Geto. "Go!"
Slit-Mouthed Woman advanced at lightning speed, repeatedly stabbing at Ze Zenin with her scissors.
"So it's this one."
Ze Zenin thought it over carefully. This cursed spirit, Slit-Mouthed Woman, had even reached the threshold of a domain.
"In that case..."
Ze Zenin narrowed his eyes and formed a hand sign. A Dharma Wheel appeared above his head.
He then deliberately let Slit-Mouthed Woman stab him, and Mahoraga's wheel began to turn.
"What is that... Mahoraga's Dharma Wheel?"
Suguru Geto stared at the Dharma Wheel above Ze Zenin's head. Alarm shot through him, followed by a terrible feeling. "Use Simple Domain, Slit-Mouthed Woman, now!"
For a moment, Ze Zenin seemed to find himself in another space. Slit-Mouthed Woman revealed her hideous face and asked him, "Am I beautiful?"
Although Ze Zenin said nothing, he was inside the Simple Domain and had already been attacked by Slit-Mouthed Woman's scissors. A bloody cut appeared on his ear!
He didn't answer Slit-Mouthed Woman's question. Mahoraga had already adapted to the cursed spirit in an instant. He formed a hand sign. "Destroy this domain, Mahoraga!"
"All right!"
Mahoraga appeared out of thin air beside Ze Zenin, then swung the Sword of Extermination, destroying the Simple Domain.
Mahoraga looked at Ze Zenin and asked, "Well? Should I dispose of this human and cursed spirit?"
Ze Zenin shook his head and complained, "Don't you know he's my classmate?"
Mahoraga replied without a trace of emotion, "I only remember your face and the face of that girl named Shoko..."
"I ought to call you Pervoraga."
"Look who's talking, with a closet pervert like you for a master."
Suguru Geto simply watched Ze Zenin and Mahoraga trade jabs.
After leaving Mahoraga speechless, Ze Zenin turned back to Suguru Geto. "Still want to fight, Geto?"
"I lost," Suguru Geto said with a bitter smile.
"I know the Sword of Extermination in Mahoraga's hand contains incredibly powerful positive energy. It's the natural enemy of cursed spirits."
"In other words... I have no way to defeat Mahoraga."
He then went to stand at the edge of the cliff.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
A rare unease stirred in Ze Zenin's heart. "You're not going to jump just because you can't beat me, are you?"
"Of course not!"
Suguru Geto rolled his eyes and complained weakly, "I just feel like I'm getting tired of being a jujutsu sorcerer."
"We risk our lives to protect those vile non-sorcerers, yet their ignorance leads them to imprison sorcerers as demons..."
"Ze, what should I do?"
"I don't know." Ze Zenin suddenly smiled. "If you want those people punished, just come to me..."
"I'm a senior member of the Zenin Clan, one of the Three Great Families."
"That's true." Suguru Geto suddenly smiled in relief. A single word from either Ze Zenin or Satoru Gojo would be enough to have those people charged with serious crimes.
Ze Zenin continued, "But I've already found my own dream. If I want to change this world, though, I'll need your help."
"My help?" Suguru Geto paused. "Can I really help you?"
"Of course!" Ze Zenin suddenly sat down and looked at the stars filling the sky.
"You, Gojo, and everyone at Jujutsu High... I believe that one day, we'll be able to change this rotten world."
"Is that so?" Suguru Geto sat down too and teased him.
"Then I'll stick around and help you for now. After all, a guy like you, whose face never shows any emotion, doesn't exactly seem easy to get along with..."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing!"
The tension between them vanished, and the two sat together, talking freely about the future.
"How are things going with Shoko?" Suguru Geto didn't ask about anything else, simply bringing up Ze Zenin's love life.
"It's still early." Ze Zenin shook his head. "I'm not interested in playing dating games with her just yet."
Suguru Geto's mouth twitched. Just as he was about to condemn his close friend's behavior-
"Um..."
A soft, timid voice suddenly reached Suguru Geto's and Ze Zenin's ears.
Suguru Geto and Ze Zenin turned to look. The two abused little girls had come over from nearby and were now standing behind them.
In fact, they hadn't gone far at all. They had been secretly watching the two fight the entire time.
A little girl with light brown hair seemed to muster her courage, rising onto her toes to touch Suguru Geto's face.
At the same time, a little girl with black hair touched Ze Zenin's face.
Ze Zenin and Suguru Geto exchanged a glance, seemingly understanding what the other was thinking.
Ze Zenin stroked Mimiko's head and asked softly, "So, do you have any plans for what you'll do from now on?"
"Huh?" Mimiko didn't know how to answer, while Nanako, standing beside Suguru Geto, said timidly, "Can we leave this place with you? This place, I really..."
Before she could finish, tears had already welled up in her eyes.
Seeing Nanako start to cry, Mimiko's tears began falling uncontrollably too.
"Don't cry." Ze Zenin wiped away Mimiko's tears. "Of course you can leave this place. You can come with us to a school called Jujutsu High and study there. This big brother who saved you can teach you. Would you like that?"
"Yes... of course we would!" Mimiko and Nanako nodded vigorously.
Looking at the two pitiful little girls, Ze Zenin thought of Maki and Mai back home. If he hadn't been there when those sisters were little...
Then Mimiko and Nanako gathered around Suguru Geto and began introducing themselves.
"My name is Mimiko!"
"I'm Nanako!"
Suguru Geto stared blankly at the two happy little girls before him. In that instant, he seemed to have found his own dream too.
"I want to stay at Jujutsu High... and become a teacher!"
"Really?" Ze Zenin smiled faintly. "Then you and Gojo can work toward that together!"
"Huh? Gojo too?"
"Who knows..."
A month later, the people of that village were arrested by the police on various charges, including child abuse and unlawful imprisonment.
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