A Challenge from the Strongest

Satoru Gojo returned to Jujutsu High, humming an off-key tune as he ambled down the corridor with his hands in his pockets. Then he spotted a suspicious-looking cursed corpse and a Cursed Speech User.

Panda and Toge Inumaki had their backs to him, crouching in front of the windowsill at the end of the corridor. Their bodies shielded something as they huddled together, muttering.

"What are you two doing?"

Satoru Gojo's voice rang out suddenly, startling the engrossed pair.

"Whoa!" Panda nearly jumped, his furry body bumping into the window frame.

Inumaki made no sound, but his shoulders gave a visible jolt.

Both turned around at once, trying to block whatever was on the windowsill like schoolchildren caught misbehaving.

Only when they saw it was Satoru Gojo did they relax.

"Oh, it's just you, Mr. Gojo. You scared me." Panda patted his chest.

Inumaki tugged at his collar. "Mustard leaf..."

Satoru Gojo walked over and tilted his head to look behind them-a soaking-wet notebook lay spread across the windowsill, its pages wrinkled and its ink blurred into blotches.

Several heavy books sat beside it, clearly meant to press the pages flat.

"Haha, what's going on with you two? Acting so sneaky. You haven't been stealing, have you?" Satoru Gojo asked with a smile.

"No, no!" Panda hastily waved his hands. "There was just... a little accident. Maki's training notebook got wet by mistake, and we're trying to dry it."

Inumaki nodded vigorously. "Bonito flakes."

Satoru Gojo raised his eyebrows, looking from the sodden notebook to Panda and Inumaki's guilty faces. He could more or less guess what had happened.

He shook his head with a smile, not intending to pry.

"All right, keep at it~" He turned to leave, then stopped as though remembering something. "By the way, where's Madara? He's back from his mission, right?"

"Oh, Madara's sparring with Maki." Panda pointed toward the Training Ground. "Over on the field."

"Okay, got it." Satoru Gojo waved, took two steps, then turned back with a dazzling smile.

"Ah... right. I'm going to have a fight with Madara. Want to watch?"

Silence fell for two seconds.

Panda's mouth slowly opened, his eyes going round. "Huh?! You, Gojo-sensei?! Against Madara?!"

Even Inumaki's collar loosened a little, revealing his surprised expression. "Mayonnaise?!"

"Yep, yep~" Satoru Gojo nodded, sounding as casual as if he were saying, "Let's get dessert." "You can come observe. A teaching match with a Special Grade Sorcerer-opportunities like this don't come often~"

"But won't you wreck the buildings if you fight at Jujutsu High?" Panda pointed at the surrounding buildings.

"It's fine. I know when to stop." Satoru Gojo winked, though his blindfold hid it. "Besides, we'll fight somewhere else. All right, I'm going to find them. Come over when you're done."

He headed toward the field, humming, leaving Panda and Inumaki staring at each other.

"Gojo-sensei's going to fight Madara..." Panda murmured. "This isn't going to be an ordinary teaching match."

Inumaki fell silent for a few seconds, moved the books off the windowsill, and picked up the still-damp notebook. "Salmon, salmon." ("Let's finish up and go watch.")

"Oh, right!"

Two figures were moving swiftly across the field.

Maki Zenin's naginata traced perfect arcs, every swing whistling through the air.

Madara Uchiha held a wooden training sword, dodging and counterattacking with physical strength and skill alone, without reinforcing himself with cursed energy.

Clang! Clang! Thud!

The wooden sword collided with the naginata, producing dull impacts.

Madara's footwork was steady. With each block, he stepped back to dissipate the force. His breathing was somewhat ragged and sweat covered his forehead, but his gaze remained focused.

Maki's attacks came like a rainstorm, relentless and fierce.

But Madara was gradually adapting to her rhythm-no, not merely adapting. He was beginning to counterattack.

After one horizontal sweep of the naginata, Madara did not retreat as before. Instead, he suddenly ducked and lunged forward, whipping his wooden sword upward to thrust straight at Maki's weapon-wielding wrist.

Maki turned her wrist and parried the wooden sword with the shaft, but Madara's left hand had already clenched into a fist and hurtled toward her abdomen.

Maki retreated half a step, swinging the naginata back around to block the punch with the flat of its blade.

The impact left her arm slightly numb, and a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

They broke apart, putting distance between them.

Maki looked at the panting Madara, planted her naginata on the ground, and wore a complicated expression.

"You..." She paused. "You wouldn't happen to be a genius, would you?"

Madara wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and smiled. "Me? Maybe."

It was not modesty. He was merely stating a fact-with Madara Uchiha's talent for combat and his rigorous training of late, his rate of improvement truly far exceeded that of ordinary people.

Maki was silent for a few seconds, then smiled too.

It was a smile rarely seen on her face, carrying both appreciation and challenge.

"It's not often you come looking for me..." She stuck the naginata into the ground, walked to the edge of the field, and took another blade from her weapon bag-a real cursed tool, a short sword with a cold gleam along its edge.

She walked back and tossed the short sword to Madara.

"Let's have a fight with real weapons."

Madara caught the short sword. Its hilt felt cold in his hand.

He looked at the blade, then at Maki's serious expression, and nodded.

"I'd like nothing better."

The two took their stances again.

Maki tightened her grip on her naginata. Madara held the short sword in a reverse grip, cursed energy beginning to circulate within him, ready to coat the weapon.

The atmosphere grew heavy, as though the very air had frozen.

But just as they were about to begin-

"All right, all right~ stop~"

A cheerful voice came from the edge of the field.

Both turned to see Satoru Gojo walking toward them, hands in his pockets and his signature smile beneath his blindfold.

"Gojo-sensei?" Madara dropped his stance.

Maki frowned. "Do you need something?"

"Sorry about this," Satoru Gojo said, stepping between them and spreading his hands in a time-out gesture, "but could you let me have this opportunity, Maki?"

Maki froze, then seemed to understand something, her eyes widening slightly. "Opportunity? You mean-?!"

"That's right." Satoru Gojo turned to Madara, his smile deepening. "Let me have a match with Madara."

Maki opened her mouth. "Isn't that a little too..."

Satoru Gojo against Madara? They were not even on the same level.

Even if Satoru Gojo held back, a Special Grade Sorcerer's strength was far beyond what Madara could handle right now.

But before she could say it, Madara had already answered.

"Sure."

His voice was calm, without hesitation, much less fear.

Maki looked at Madara.

The black-haired boy stood there holding the short sword, his expression calm, as though he had been waiting for this very moment.

Satoru Gojo smiled. "Great~! Then..."

Before he finished speaking, he vanished.

The next instant, he appeared in front of Madara, less than half a meter away, their faces almost touching.

"Let's begin."

Satoru Gojo spoke softly, his breath stirring the loose hair over Madara's forehead.

Madara's body instantly tensed. His Sharingan nearly activated on instinct, but he forcibly suppressed it.

Satoru Gojo held that position for two seconds, then stepped back, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm... that's what I'd like to say, but this is still a bit of a hassle." He surveyed the field, the school buildings, and the structures farther away.

"If we go too far, we might destroy Jujutsu High. The principal would get mad~"

He turned to Madara. "Let's head outside. There's a clearing behind Jujutsu High that people rarely visit. That would be a better place to fight."

Madara nodded. "Oh, okay."

Satoru Gojo turned toward the hill behind Jujutsu High, and Madara followed.

Maki looked at the pair, picked up her naginata, and followed too.

Soon, Panda and Inumaki, finished with the notebook, came running over and joined the spectators.

The five passed through the school buildings and headed toward the rear hill along a seldom-used path.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long, overlapping on the stone-paved path.

"But, Gojo-sensei," Madara suddenly asked, "why so suddenly?"

Satoru Gojo did not look back. "Hmm... you seem to have hit a bottleneck lately, so I thought I'd teach you a little. Can't learn Reverse Cursed Technique? Can't get a foothold with your domain? Right?"

Madara's steps paused briefly before returning to normal. "You noticed?"

"Because you seem a little impatient," Satoru Gojo said, a smile in his voice.

"It doesn't show on the surface, but you can still sense it in the little things. Like... hmm, like the agitation in water just before it boils."

Madara remained silent.

"Don't rush." Satoru Gojo continued, his tone turning unusually serious. "It took me a long time to learn Reverse Cursed Technique too. And my domain even more so-though I use it easily now, I was stuck for a long time back then."

Madara raised his head. "Really? I thought you were born knowing how, Gojo-sensei."

"Hahaha~ It's not that ridiculous." Satoru Gojo laughed. "I'm human too. I learn, I fail, and I get stuck. I just stay stuck a little less time than other people."

Maki interjected from beside them. "You're so terrifying, sensei, that Madara has a point in thinking that."

Panda nodded in agreement. "Mm-hmm."

Inumaki said, "Salmon."

Satoru Gojo turned around, looking hurt. "How mean~ I'm a good teacher who cares very much about his students."

"How many times have you left a student alone at a mission site?" Maki exposed him without mercy.

"That was to train you, yes." Satoru Gojo sounded entirely justified, then looked at Madara again. "Besides, Madara, aren't you growing a little too quickly?"

Madara blinked. "Hmm?"

"Being able to grow is certainly a good thing," Satoru Gojo said, his voice slowing a little. "Mastery of your cursed technique, control of cursed energy, combat experience-you're improving rapidly in every respect.

"But an excessive pursuit of strength can slowly blind you to what's right in front of you. Power becomes a habit, being strong becomes a given, and then..."

He paused, his gaze seeming to settle somewhere far away.

"Until you're unrecognizable."

He spoke very softly, but everyone present heard him clearly.

Panda whispered to Maki, "It's rare to see Gojo-sensei giving someone guidance."

Maki lowered her voice. "Could he be going through menopause?"

Inumaki said, "Mustard leaf."

Satoru Gojo did not turn around. "I heard that!"

The three immediately shut their mouths and pretended to admire the scenery.

Madara walked behind Satoru Gojo, watching his back.

The setting sun edged his white hair in gold, his steps casual but steady.

"Heh... haha." Madara suddenly laughed softly. "I understand, Gojo-sensei."

He raised his head, looking ahead as the view gradually opened up.

"I know what I'm doing."

His words were calm, but each one was clear.

Satoru Gojo's steps faltered slightly, but he did not turn around.

Only after several seconds did he say, "Is that so? Good, then."

There was an indescribable emotion in his voice, something like relief, yet also like some deeper confirmation.

The group emerged from the woods, and the view opened up before them.

It was a broad clearing of firm earth and gravel, surrounded by dense woods. The roofs of Jujutsu High's buildings were visible in the distance.

The clearing was large, at least a hundred meters across, enough for two Jujutsu Sorcerers to fight freely.

Satoru Gojo walked to the center of the clearing, turned to face Madara, and spread his arms.

"All right, we're here."

The sun sank in the west, bathing the entire clearing in warm orange-red light.

Satoru Gojo stood in the center, with Madara ten meters opposite him.

Maki, Panda, and Inumaki withdrew to the edge of the woods to watch from a safe distance.

The wind stopped.

The birds fell silent.

Even the sounds of insects disappeared.

An invisible pressure filled the air.

Satoru Gojo smiled faintly.

"Now then, Madara-"

"Let me see just how strong you are now."