After the Three Great Families' Goodwill Event ended, the Kamo Clan head returned to the rich old bastard's courtyard on the clan grounds, reasonably satisfied with the fight.
At least Kamo Xu hadn't lost inexplicably like those useless brats from the Zenin Clan, who couldn't even last a single exchange.
Still, he hadn't expected Kamo Xu to win in the first place. All he'd hoped for was a loss that wasn't too embarrassing.
But that child's Flowing Red Scale...
He stroked his chin in thought, recalling how the boy's skin had flushed red, his veins standing out clearly across his body, his crimson eyes making him look like an asura.
Without a doubt, he had forced his body into an enhanced state by accelerating his blood flow.
It was known that faster circulation could improve the brain's reaction speed, strengthen the body, and speed up the deployment of blood armor over the body.
But that sort of enhancement inevitably came with side effects. What were his?
He thought of one possibility. Forcing the Blood Flow to speed up might put excessive pressure on the heart, either making it beat faster until it reached its limit and burst...
Or... making it stop beating on the spot.
If it was the first possibility, the strain on his body would undoubtedly be enormous.
But if it was the other...
After pondering for a while, the Kamo Clan head arrived at a terrifying conjecture.
If deliberately stopping his heart wasn't an attempt at suicide, then Kamo Xu's Heavenly Restriction might turn him into a new monster.
A monster wearing human skin!
As for Kamo Xu, his current condition couldn't be called good. It was downright awful.
He had chosen not to go home, afraid of worrying his mother, and even more afraid of his biological father finding out he could become this weak.
He feared that man would... revoke his privileges, and feared even more that his mother would suffer needless neglect.
He couldn't bring himself to trust that cheating scumbag, so until he recovered completely, he would endure this suffering alone.
Time passed, and the setting sun washed the ground in gold, yet half the boy's body remained submerged in shadow.
His still-growing body lay on the ground, cold sweat pouring off him without pause. At the same time, he gasped for breath, not from exhaustion, but from a lack of oxygen.
The side effects of [Modified Flowing Red Scale] were frighteningly severe.
He accelerated his blood flow to speed up circulation, delivering oxygen to muscle tissue throughout his body and to his brain.
And old man Kamo had guessed exactly how he did it.
Simple and brutal: he used his soul to control his blood directly, forcing it into his heart and sending it racing through his vessels without any pumping!
The benefits undoubtedly made him far stronger. While it was active, he could clearly calculate the trajectories of his enemy's attacks and infer their combat logic through observation.
What was more, the boost to his brain's processing power even allowed him to use the information he had just acquired to defend in advance and counterattack.
But this terrifying ability could only last four minutes.
Once that period of enhancement ended, his body would inevitably enter a weakened state lasting nearly half an hour.
The boy was in that weakened state now, his legs limp, his body drained of strength, his limbs ice-cold.
The most frightening thing was...
His heart had completely stopped beating!
Kamo Xu pressed his small hand against his loose clothing, feeling the stillness beneath his chest.
He gave a bitter smile. "What a terrifying side effect. An ordinary person really would die here."
A stopped heart meant blood could no longer circulate through the body, but Kamo Xu's ability happened to serve as a temporary substitute when his heart went on strike.
Doing so, however, greatly reduced his blood's ability to absorb oxygen.
This was a Binding Vow, a curse the world had forced upon him.
That was also the tragedy of Heavenly Restriction. During this half hour of weakness, the strength and activity of his blood would drop to a level barely sufficient to sustain life, perhaps even lower.
This was his first time truly using the move. Although he had long envisioned it and speculated about its effects, few members of the Kamo Clan could force him to resort to it.
This time, the Gojo Clan had happened to organize a Three Great Families' Goodwill Event specifically to show off Satoru Gojo, giving him his first chance to try it.
All he could say was... thank goodness it hadn't been a fight to the death.
Until he learned Reverse Cursed Technique, he could only use this move against Special Grade Cursed Spirits like Sukuna or Jogo.
Under ordinary circumstances... he would keep it under wraps.
Next time... next time, I'll never let our fight end so uneventfully again. Once my total cursed energy reaches the ranks of the strong, I'll fight you once more.
Then I'll defeat Sukuna before you do.
Satoru Gojo... I will never allow you, the strongest, to die in that ridiculous battle.
"Cough... cough, cough." He had thought too much, and his oxygen-starved brain began to ache again. Kamo Xu wondered whether he should copy Satoru Gojo and eat some sweets.
Still, the treatments for oxygen deprivation and mental overexertion probably weren't the same.
But sweets make me happy, so I'm buying them! I'll use that million dollars!
Time was up. The instant the full half hour of weakness ended, a rhythmic drumbeat sounded from his heart.
Thump... thump, thump-thump, thump-thump!
The hand resting on his chest once again felt that long-absent flutter, and Kamo Xu couldn't help remarking, "So this is what a fluttering heart feels like? And my first time wasn't even for a girl I liked. I really am no devoted romantic."
Warmth gradually returned to his body, and his limbs were no longer stiff. After waiting a few more minutes, he pushed off with one hand and sprang into the air. Landing steadily, he felt the warmth of the sunlight.
"Whew! What a thrill. Time to get my money from that old bastard. Heh heh heh!"
A blood disc appeared. Kamo Xu stepped onto it and sped away.
His destination was home, the home he shared with his mother.
Before holding out his hand for money, he needed to stop by on the way and let her know he was safe.
It really was just on the way...
Amid the procession of Gojo Clan vehicles heading home, the rear window of a sleek black luxury car rolled down, and the light of the setting sun fell across a white-haired boy's face.
Yet the sunlight couldn't alter the brilliant blue swirling in his eyes. Gazing at the sunset, which was no longer dazzling, Satoru Gojo murmured to himself, "Asahi... Kamo Asahi."
A smile curled his lips, refusing to fade.
Today's fight had been interesting, but he hadn't gotten his fill.
The Six Eyes told him that Kamo Xu's potential went far beyond what he had shown today. His room for future growth was no less than Gojo's own.
His condition during the fight, however... was worrying.
In Satoru Gojo's eyes, Kamo Xu had already lost his vital signs, yet the blood inside him had surged violently through the boy's body.
Even with everything Satoru Gojo had seen and knew, he had struggled to understand that moment.
His heart had definitely stopped, and that effect could only last four minutes, enhancing his brain and body.
The side effect... might be weakness.
It looks like a Binding Vow... no, is it a Heavenly Restriction?
"I'm definitely fighting that guy again. After we enroll at Jujutsu High, then. Yeah, it's settled!"
The scenery outside the window raced backward...
Mountains, rivers, trees.
Cities, skyscrapers, pedestrians.
He left everything far behind him,
Yet the glow of the setting sun lingered in Satoru Gojo's eyes, impossible to forget.
Asahi, if it's you, you can definitely catch up to me. If it's you, we can walk forward side by side.
If it's you, I won't have to be alone...
Before you continue