The gap in strength

The name Kashimo used at Jujutsu High was inspired by the real name of his Incarnated Vessel in his previous life.

If he simply called himself Kashimo or Hajime Kashimo, he knew some old fossil versed in history would recognize his true identity.

He wanted to avoid exposing his identity so soon, avoid interfering too much with everyone's development, and experience life in the present while he was at it.

In the end, Kashimo chose to hide his surname and introduced himself to everyone at Jujutsu High as [Yunyi].

As for why he had come here and who he had been before, Kashimo gave a simple, blunt, yet perfectly reasonable explanation-

"Amnesia?"

Megumi Fushiguro and Kugisaki had returned to Jujutsu High feeling dispirited, and almost immediately received the news from their upperclassman, Panda.

Following Panda, Megumi Fushiguro and Kugisaki met their new companion on the athletic field-

[Yunyi]

Sparring with him at that very moment was [Maki Zenin], a second-year student skilled in hand-to-hand combat and wielding a long-handled Cursed Tool.

"Damn it..."

"I can't hit him!!!"

The information Maki had received described this new student, Yunyi, as having "solid hand-to-hand skills," "quick reflexes," "strong close-combat ability," and "a Cursed Technique that briefly enhanced his physical abilities and reaction speed"...

But according to Gojo, although his overall strength was impressive, that was with the aid of cursed energy and his Cursed Technique.

When it came to hand-to-hand combat alone, he wasn't at the level of a "monster."

So, with Maki's abilities, she should have been able to win a contest of martial skill...

"I'm supposed to win this?! How am I supposed to win this?!!"

Maki swung her long blade again. As she cursed inwardly, the silver blade skimmed right past the hem of Kashimo's black Jujutsu High uniform. It looked like a dangerously close call, but she hadn't actually cut off so much as a scrap of fabric or a loose thread.

Maki had given it her all.

In this sparring session of less than five minutes, she had pushed everything she had spent her life learning and practicing to its limit.

But no matter what she used-long-handled weapons, blades, short staffs, or even a three-section staff with its nimble attacks and freely shifting moves-

Maki couldn't touch so much as a hair on Kashimo...

Twisting and turning, Kashimo moved calmly through the dense flurry of flashing blades, doing nothing but dodging throughout. He was like a lone leaf in a storm: swept along, yet never actually harmed.

And Maki couldn't see the slightest trace of seriousness on his face...

"You! Give me everything you've got!"

"Are you just going to keep dodging forever?!!!"

The whirling blade came to an abrupt halt.

Maki shouted at Kashimo in near fury. Though she was already panting slightly, she still intended to continue their sparring match.

Today, either Kashimo would defeat her, or she would defeat him.

"..."

Looking at the furious Maki before him, Kashimo finally stopped dodging and came to a standstill. His expression changed slightly as well.

He wasn't deliberately toying with her for amusement.

For one thing, Kashimo needed her attacks to probe his body's limits and how well he had adapted to it.

For another, he didn't want to overwhelm Maki with the combat experience and techniques he had brought from the Edo period.

But since she had made her demand so earnestly...

Ignoring it would be the greatest insult he could give her.

"Here I come."

Almost the instant Kashimo finished speaking, Maki sensed a drastic change in his entire presence.

His relaxed body tensed, and his slightly casual expression immediately sharpened-

Kashimo took his stance. In the mere blink of Maki's eyes, terrifyingly pure speed and strength came roaring toward her in a heavy punch...

Too fast!!!

Whoosh!!!

Maki couldn't react at all.

Her brain had already pictured her being sent flying by that brutal punch. Adrenaline surged, standing by to give her the energy to recover...

But the impact she expected never came.

Without the slightest killing intent, Kashimo stopped his heavy punch mere millimeters in front of Maki's nose.

The wind and pressure from his fist whipped her hair loose, and even the glasses perched on her nose showed faint, densely clustered cracks...

Yet Maki Zenin herself remained unharmed.

"He's so strong..."

At the edge of the athletic field, Megumi Fushiguro had witnessed Kashimo's overwhelming strength and was deeply shocked by the martial prowess with which he had utterly outclassed Maki.

But after that brief shock came an immense sense of helplessness at his own weakness.

Megumi Fushiguro had just lost [Yuji Itadori], a companion he had only recently met.

He didn't know that Itadori was only apparently dead and had been hidden away by their teacher. Inevitably, he placed the blame for Itadori's death entirely on his own lack of strength...

Especially after witnessing Kashimo's formidable abilities.

They looked about the same age, but Fushiguro didn't even need to fight him to know that the gap between their combat abilities was like heaven and earth...

"Hey, you with the sea urchin hair!"

Envy, frustration, fear, and a host of other negative emotions welled up in Fushiguro's heart. But before he could sink any further into despair, Kashimo's voice singled him out.

[Loss] was one of the necessary conditions for [loneliness].

In his previous life, Kashimo hadn't known the details of the modern sorcerers' abilities. He had always believed that Sukuna was the only opponent worthy of him.

At most, Satoru Gojo, with his [Six Eyes] and [Reverse Cursed Technique], also qualified.

But after learning about the past and future through Guixu Ying's Cursed Technique, Kashimo discovered that, beyond the strongest of the present and the strongest in history, modern Jujutsu Society held many powerful Cursed Techniques he had never faced and prodigies with limitless potential.

Given enough time and nurturing, perhaps they too could become powerful enemies and opponents who would let him fight to his heart's content in the near future.

And Megumi Fushiguro, who possessed the [Ten Shadows Technique], was the one Kashimo now intended to train and temper.

"The first step is..."

The corners of Kashimo's mouth rose slightly. In his previous life, Satoru Gojo had been the first to challenge Sukuna while he possessed the Ten Shadows Technique. Never getting to experience its formidable power firsthand had remained a regret of his.

"Getting you fired up!!!"

His body tensed. As the ground beneath his feet cracked into two craters, Kashimo shot forward and appeared in front of Megumi Fushiguro. Without giving him a chance to refuse, he seized his collar and hurled him into the center of the athletic field.

"You bastard!!!"

Seeing her companion attacked by Kashimo, Kugisaki reached for the hammer and nails at her waist without a second thought, intending to help Megumi Fushiguro with her [Straw Doll Technique].

But the instant her fingertips touched the hammer's handle, a blue-green arc of electricity skimmed past her hair, cleanly slicing off a small section of its ends-

This was Kashimo's warning to her, and his declaration that she was his next target.

"Come on..."

"Let's have some [back-to-back bouts]-"