Phase one Good Will part 2
It's a clear sky with clouds non-existent, with the view of a forest that has a massive cleared area open for anyone to see, the sunlight pouring down mercilessly with nothing left to soften it. Up closer, the Earth's surface has been ripped apart violently, debris scattered in every direction, trees uprooted as if torn out by giant hands, and craters carved deep into the ground in multiple places, each one a scar left behind by overwhelming cursed energy. With two figures in the battlefield manifested by their destruction alone, their presence alone explains the devastation far better than words ever could.
Satoru:
"Are you serious right now, bro, waiting for your teammate so you can jump me."
Zenin Naoya bursts out into laughter, the sound sharp and mocking as it echoes across the ruined clearing, his shoulders shaking as if this situation genuinely amuses him.
Naoya:
"What did u think this is, a video game? Nah, this is Jump Jujutsu or Jump Kaisen… we don't run the ones anymore, that's for old heads."
A figure with spiky hair and a sword on his back walked in mid-conversation, boots crunching against broken earth and shattered roots, his presence heavy and grounded, like a veteran stepping into a battlefield he already understands.
Kusakabe:
"If you're meant to be the strongest as you claim, getting into a two v's one should not be a problem."
The eyes of Gojo Satoru glowed at their brightest, the unmistakable shine of the Six Eyes fully awakened, showing that they would be used at their fullest for this coming battle, processing every atom of space, every fluctuation of cursed energy, every hostile intent layered in front of him.
The barrier of space became stronger as distortions were clearly visible, the air bending and trembling unnaturally, while both Kusakabe and Naoya flared their curse energy. Naoya moved forward with explosive intent, his presence flickering, while Kusakabe activated his binding vow for War Spirit, his curse energy sinking deep and sharpening instead of spilling outward.
Neutral Lapse Infinity../Film Rewind../War Spirit..
The amount of curse energy outputted in the area rose rapidly, reaching a level equal to a special grade curse spirit, the pressure alone enough to suffocate weaker sorcerers as they all moved to clash.
All 24 intangible frames moved toward Satoru at once, converging on him from multiple angles, with Infinity stopping their movements the moment they reached the barrier, only for Gojo to calmly raise his hand and form a small orb of condensed space in his palm.
Satoru:
"Eyes of Wisdom."
Lapse: Blue..
With a chant said by Satoru Gojo to allow Blue to absorb some of the curse energy from Infinity to maximize efficiency, the technique refined itself in real time, becoming denser, more focused, more dangerous.
Forcing all the frames of Naoya that were close by to be pulled into a palm-sized Blue whose singularity now possessed a far stronger pull, space itself screaming as it was dragged inward.
Satoru's thoughts:
"This should allow me to deal with him fast and end this battle before my stamina runs out."
Naoya:
"Oh shit."
The frames get ripped apart violently as three of them are pulled into its core, crushed and erased, as the rules of Projection Sorcery amplified by Film Rewind hit Naoya Zenin directly, having him frozen in space for 10.5 seconds, unable to move or react, allowing Gojo to reduce the radius of the barrier of Infinity just enough to let a Blue-infused punch connect with the frozen frame of Naoya.
Naoya's thoughts:
"Damn, do I really have to risk it to beat this annoying silver-spooned nepo baby."
Boom..
The impact detonates through the clearing, the shockwave folding the air and pulverizing the ground beneath them.
Kusakabe's thoughts:
"Since it's temporarily a one-on-one, I should just stall for time so myself and Naoya can end this, since I have a gut feeling he will go all out."
The frame shattered as Kusakabe tried to use that moment to slash the arm of Satoru with his shadow slash, the blade emerging from warped darkness, but the Six Eyes picked it up instantly with its vast information intake and near-360-degree vision radius, forcing Gojo to immediately return the radius of the barrier for Infinity to full strength.
Satoru:
"That was a close call… how about I deal with you next."
The wide-spread grin on Satoru Gojo's face did not have the effect he expected on Atsuya Kusakabe's face; on the contrary, Kusakabe wore a full smile of his own, sharp and exhilarated, like a warrior who had finally found what he was looking for.
Kusakabe:
"You just might be what I need to reach the next level."
The shadow around Kusakabe grew stronger with his curse energy, thickening and darkening like ink spilled across the world itself, as he swung his blade forward with precision and lethal intent, only for Satoru to lift up his palms calmly and condense space itself to form multiple Blues hovering in front of him as he began to chant, his voice steady despite the pressure rising around them.
Satoru's thoughts:
"Well, I have not tried this before, but I have been studying chanting more and finding a better use of my curse energy to sync with my Neutral Lapse of Limitless… let's test it out."
Satoru:
"Eyes Of Wisdom."
"Core Collapse."
The slashes of Kusakabe moved forward, layered and overlapping like blades forged from pure darkness, only for them to be stopped mid-flight as miniature Blues moved toward their trajectory and detonated upon contact, the resulting distortion of space violently erasing the shadows as if they had never existed, warping the air with a sharp implosive crack.
Kusakabe:
"This is what it feels like to fight someone truly strong, huh."
Kusakabe's thoughts:
"He really is a genius… already figured out a counter for my shadow slash on the fly. No hesitation, no wasted motion. Just pure calculation."
Shadows surged again, thicker this time, as they began to cover the body of Kusakabe until he became almost entirely dark, his physical form blurring at the edges as if reality itself could not decide whether he was man or manifestation.
Kusakabe's thoughts:
"Let's see if you can deal with this now… if I time this right, Naoya Zenin should come in at the perfect moment."
Kusakabe:
"Undying Oni."
He dropped his sword deliberately, letting it fall into the debris below, as his single step forward caused the ground to crack under his heel, allowing him to burst out with overwhelming speed—speed that momentarily surpassed the neutral amplification of his curse technique Projection Sorcery—as his arm struck forward like a blade, a massive arc of shadow tearing outward toward Satoru Gojo, only to be stopped and slowed by the folded space of Infinity, the slash grinding against invisible layers of distortion.
Satoru's thoughts:
"There is a slight change in his soul… I can see it in his intent. Something shifted. What is he planning? But it shouldn't matter… if I blow his brains out, shadow or not, it ends here."
Lapse: Blue..
A direct shot toward the head—Satoru fired without hesitation, aiming to end the battle instantly as he could feel his stamina draining rapidly from the constant processing of the Six Eyes.
Kusakabe:
"Haha… I'm risking a lot for this fight, you will need a lot more than that."
The Blue orb tore clean through Kusakabe's head, carving a perfect hole through shadow and skull alike—only for the void to immediately fill back in with swirling cursed energy and condensed darkness, reforming seamlessly, leaving him standing there with no visible damage or injury, his grin wider than before.
Satoru:
"This might be a problem… how are you shadows but still a living physical form at the same time? My Six Eyes can't get any deeper information on what's going on… it looks like a binding vow is involved, and that's interfering with the analysis."
Satoru's thoughts:
"Why can't I see through binding vows? It's almost like the world itself is blocking me from gaining the information. This is frustrating… annoying. I need to find a way to counter this somehow in the future."
A violent boom erupted as the space around the barrier of Infinity began to crack like glass under pressure, and the only words Satoru heard were—
Maximum Output: Implosion Space..
Naoya's thoughts:
"Finally got this bastard… even though my brain is overwhelmed and forced to process thousands of frames per second… I can only hold this up for one minute."
Space collapsed inward from every direction, compressing against Infinity from the inside, the distortion reversing polarity as the barrier shattered violently, leaving Satoru Gojo vulnerable for the first time in his life since the day he first opened his eyes into this world.
Blood spilled from his lips as six tangible frames of Naoya Zenin moved in that exact moment at speeds incomprehensible to normal humans, chaining punches and kicks together in a merciless combo as Satoru was frozen repeatedly into frames and shattered out of them by Naoya's fists.
For Satoru to lift up a palm and attempt to launch a Blue at Naoya, only for—
Satoru's thoughts:
"Why can I not lock onto him? He is literally moving so fast I can't even perceive him anymore."
Film Rewind..
The six frames flickered, becoming intangible for a fraction of a second before turning tangible again, repositioning mid-combo and continuing their assault, fists and knees slamming into Satoru's ribs, jaw, and abdomen as the glow of his blue eyes began to dim, blood splattering across the broken battlefield.
Satoru's thoughts:
"Fuck… shit, shit… I really can't see which position or direction he is coming from."
Satoru:
"Am I really going to lose."
For the first time in his life, Gojo Satoru felt the crushing pressure of a losing battle. His teeth gritted hard enough to draw blood as his focus flickered and his stamina thinned dangerously. Still, he flared his curse energy desperately and forced the barrier to manifest again.
Maximum Output: neutral lapse-Infinity..
Naoya's thoughts:
"Shit… why is he resisting? It doesn't matter anyway. I've done my part."
Naoya Zenin was suddenly held in place, all six frames frozen simultaneously as he suffered three seconds of immobilization, but before Satoru could capitalize on the opening.
.
.
A shadow slash moved past his chest from behind. Its original trajectory came from his own shadow.
The Six Eyes overlaid the information too late, his vision snapping sideways as it landed on Atsuya Kusakabe.
Satoru's thoughts:
"How… how… how… I had my Infinity up."
Kusakabe:
"Fall from Grace."
Blood splattered outward in a violent arc from a deep slash carved across Satoru's chest and back simultaneously, the attack bypassing space itself by transferring through shadow, as the blue hue of the Six Eyes began to dim.
At that moment, when the body of Gojo Satoru fell toward the earth, weightless and stunned, he truly tasted defeat for the first time.
Boom..
The world went silent.
The still body of the child hailed to be the most gifted under the heavens lay collapsed upon the ruined ground, defeated before all who were watching by the hands of those society claimed stood no chance under the destiny of Satoru Gojo. The curse energy of both Naoya Zenin and Kusakabe Atsuya abruptly destabilized and was forcibly suppressed as they both dropped to one knee, blood seeping from their noses, minor curse technique burnout hitting them for the first time after pushing themselves beyond safe thresholds.
Naoya:
"Well look at that… it looks like I am equal to the person whose birth tipped the balance toward the curse spirits and made them stronger."
Both sorcerers wore satisfied smiles as they looked at the still shocked face of the one chosen by the world.
Kusakabe:
"Why do you set your sights so low? From my view… we are above that now."
.
.
Back in the room where both the Kyoto and Tokyo students sat as they watched the moment the eyes of Gojo Satoru dimmed, the air felt different—thicker, heavier. The usual noise, the casual trash talk, the side comments… all of it died at once. The screen reflected blue light across their faces, and then even that faded.
Mei Mei:
"I know I put in money for them both to lose but…"
Her sentence trailed off, lips curling slightly, not in humor—but in disbelief. Even she hadn't expected that.
Yaga:
"The next generation is truly something else, huh."
His voice carried weight. Not pride. Not disappointment. Just acknowledgment. The board beneath his hand creaked slightly from the pressure of his grip.
Aoi:
"I might have to apologise to Naoya now, 'cause I can't deny it anymore."
Emi:
"Kai, why is everyone so shocked that the weird guy with the blue eyes lost?"
Her tone was innocent, confused. She tilted her head slightly, genuinely not understanding why the room felt like someone had just witnessed history fracture.
Kai's thoughts:
"Looks like your mommy Infinity couldn't save you this time Satoru Gojo."
He turned to look at his side to see the confused expression on Emi's face, her brows slightly furrowed, eyes reflecting the last flickers of the hologram. His own face remained completely expressionless—cold, unreadable—as he responded.
Kai:
"I honestly don't know. To me, there is no difference between him and a Grade 4 curse spirit. Both are weak."
There was no hesitation. No irony. Just a flat statement. Her eyes lit up and she laughed a bit, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
Emi:
"Yeah, we have a harder time dealing with semi–Grade 1 curse spirits than if we were to fight him."
Kai's thoughts:
"Agenda Kaisen… here we go again."
Kai:
"It looks like Kusakabe is the Honoured One now."
A figure with long white hair slowly turned toward the direction of Kai and Emi, her gaze sharp, calculating.
Mei Mei:
"Hey now… you have a lot to say, don't you?"
The smooth, elegant sound of Mei Mei's voice carried something dangerous beneath it. It was calm. Too calm.
A bad feeling settled in Kai's gut.
Mei Mei:
"Why don't you sit here and tell me all about it."
Mei Mei pointed toward her lap as she spoke with that same composed tone, tilting her head slightly with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. The gesture was playful—but there was pressure behind it. A silent warning.
Kai immediately got chills and stepped behind Emi without shame.
Emi blinked in confusion.
Gakuganji:
"Looks like we take the first round. Never thought I would see the day… it's been 40 years since Kyoto High has last won a round in the Sister Exchange Event."
His aged voice trembled slightly—not from weakness, but from restrained satisfaction. His fingers tightened around his cane as his gaze remained locked on the frozen image of Satoru's fallen body.
The Kyoto students exchanged glances. Some proud. Some stunned. Some still processing what it meant. In the room of the higher-ups, all was silent as they stared at the hologram showing the still frame of the faded blue hue of the Six Eyes on Satoru Gojo's shocked face, a pool of his own blood smeared along the side of his cheek.
The image flickered faintly.
Renji:
"This means only the Second Phase remains. Kyoto High will take this year, since in the next part they are not winning—even if they team up with the Kyoto first-year students."
His tone was confident. Calculated. He had already moved on from shock to strategy.
Kōji:
"The New Shadow Style school, huh… we may have to talk about the enrollment of some Gojo Clan members, Himemi."
His voice was measured, but beneath it was something sharper. Concern. Adjustment. Recalibration.
Himemi:
"Like I said, Kusakabe is truly a genius. I believe he has the potential to change the current system of jujutsu through the New Shadow Style techniques."
Her eyes remained fixed on the hologram. There was no arrogance in her expression. Only conviction.
Naibito:
"To use Projection Sorcery like that… I have to tell him to stop using it like that. The human body is not an animated character."
He exhaled through his nose, irritation mixed with reluctant admiration. Even he could see the growth .
Ogami:
I have to prepare my grandkids. It looks like the change that Mizuki spoke of is coming.
Her wrinkled hands folded neatly in front of her. The old always recognized when the tides of time are coming.
Renji:
"I think I have seen enough here. I have a lot to do for my clan, and since the victory of Kyoto has been sealed because of my son in Phase Two… there is no more need for my presence here."
He stood slowly, robes shifting with controlled authority. There was no celebration in his movements. Only inevitability.
The room remained quiet.
The hologram flickered again like static interference, its glow reflecting off the faces of the most powerful and influential figures in jujutsu society. The frozen image of the fallen strongest lingered in the center of the room.
For decades, the balance of the world tilted around one boy's birth.Now, for the first time—
That balance had cracked.
.
.
Walking along the pathway were two women as one had a shocked face and the other had an expected look on her face as they both watched the defeat of Satoru Gojo replay on the small screen in Yuki's hand.
The wind was calm. Too calm. Like even the world didn't know how to react.
Yuki:
"So your cousin was really just…"
She didn't even finish the sentence. The words felt illegal to say out loud.
Yuki:
"Come on, Mizuki, say something."
Mizuki's steps never slowed. Her expression never cracked. Her long white hair shifted slightly with each stride, her eyes steady, cold—but not surprised.
Mizuki:
"He was too arrogant for his own good. Maybe this can help him come back stronger and wiser… but that's a hopeless dream to have when knowing my cousin."
There was no bitterness in her tone. No panic. Just blunt truth. If anyone understood Satoru Gojo's flaws, it was another Mizuki.
Yuki stared at her, half expecting some hidden sadness. She found none. That almost unsettled her more.
Yuki:
"Well… you're going to meet Aoi Kamo. I know it's been almost two years since you've seen each other in person."
A faint twitch at the corner of Mizuki's eye.
Mizuki:
"Don't even say a word."
Yuki grinned immediately.
Yuki:
"Okay, okay, damn. I know he's your man and all… no need to act shy now."
Mizuki didn't respond. She simply reached the door in front of them and pushed it open, ignoring Yuki completely as she stepped in first.
The room went silent.
It wasn't dramatic. It wasn't loud.
It was instinct.
Her presence was felt through her curse energy alone—a weight that could be described as earth-defying. Dense. Heavy. Refined to a point where it didn't leak wildly… but pressed down on the room like gravity had increased by a fraction.
Several students unconsciously straightened.
Some swallowed.
Even the confident ones felt it.
Kai, in fact, had his eyes glow a deep shade of crimson beneath the blindfold. The fabric hid it—but the energy spike did not. For a split second, something inside him stirred. In his mind, a voice spoke—distorted, layered, ancient.
??? :
The merging of curse techniques… how sick are you mortals.
The tone wasn't impressed.
It was disgusted. Amused. Curious.
Kai couldn't catch the full meaning of it. He was too caught up in the moment. Too focused on the shift in the room.
His lips didn't move. His posture didn't change.
But something inside him reacted.
And the strong, malevolent aura from the gaze of Kai Kurai—though hidden—was felt by Gojo Mizuki.
Her eyes shifted ,Deliberately ..She looked toward him. What she saw was a small figure of a boy standing slightly behind a girl, a blindfold covering his eyes, long black hair resting on his shoulders. Harmless at first glance. Quiet. Unassuming.
But the air around him was wrong.
It was… layered with malevolent only equivalent to a curse spirit but not many could notice only thoses with strong enough perception,Like something was coiled deep beneath still water.
For a brief moment, their presence acknowledged each other without words. Kai's crimson glow faded back into darkness beneath the blindfold. Mizuki's gaze lingered half a second longer than necessary.
Then she looked away But the thought remained.
Mizuki's thoughts:
"Interesting."
.
.
Currently a barrier had been set up by Utahime and chants were spoken in a low, steady rhythm as she used her curse technique to assist Shoko while she used Reverse Curse Technique to heal Satoru Gojo's wounds.
The barrier hummed softly, layered with reinforcement. Symbols traced along its edges, faint but stable, boosting output and stabilizing the flow of positive energy. Utahime's voice did not waver. Each syllable was precise. Controlled.
Inside it, Shoko worked.
The speed at which he healed was something that would make a modern doctor or scientist rethink their entire career path. Starting with the torn tissue, nerves reconnecting like threads being rewoven, veins sealing, muscles knitting back together fiber by fiber, and finally skin and blood being restored back into the body of Satoru. The positive energy glowed faintly against his skin, and every damaged layer reversed itself in order. Even internal bruising dissolved like it had never existed.
Satoru's thoughts:
"So this is what it's like for other sorcerers after they deal with curse spirits and curse users on their day to day after having injuries… I'll be honest, this sucks. I never want to experience this again. I may need to figure out Reverse Curse Technique… before I dismissed it thinking that I have Infinity—the best defense—why would I ever need to heal when I would never get hit to begin with."
He flexed his fingers slightly,There was a faint sting still lingering in his chest. Phantom pain.
Annoying..
Shoko leaned back slightly, exhaling smoke to the side.
Shoko:
"Oh good, looks who's returned here to the world of the living."
Satoru opened one eye lazily.
Satoru:
"I know you could not go on without seeing my lottery winner smile."
He gave a cheeky grin to Shoko, bandages wrapped around his chest and forehead. Even sitting up half-healed, he carried himself like he hadn't just been dropped into the dirt bleeding minutes ago.
Geto stood nearby, arms folded, expression unreadable.
Geto:
"Satoru, I hope you don't get cocky again."
Satoru turned his head slightly.
Satoru:
"That really hurt, you know. I never even got the chance to use Maximum Output."
Geto blinked.
Geto:
"Here I was thinking you were mentally shaken about the loss."
There was the faintest pause.
Then Satoru laughed softly to himself.
Satoru continued to be in his own world as he was flooded with ideas from the inspiration of his fight. His eyes—still glowing faintly blue—shifted upward as if watching invisible calculations only he could see.
Satoru:
"I swear the next time I get a chance, I will drop a Blue so strong it will feel like a black hole is pulling them… yess, yess that's perfect. And if I mix in some chants it could work. No—if I adjust the compression ratio and stabilize Infinity's output first—ahh, I see it now."
His fingers moved in small motions, subconsciously mapping hand signs in the air.
Geto watched quietly.
Geto's thoughts:
"To think even after all of that his will is still unshaken. Is this what it means to be born a prodigy? Or is it something worse… something that simply refuses to acknowledge the possibility of defeat?"
He remembered Satoru falling,The look in his eyes. As if the world had briefly contradicted what he believed it to be.
Geto exhaled slowly.
Geto's thoughts:
"Maybe this is why he stands alone. Even when he loses… he doesn't feel smaller. He just recalculates."
Shoko flicked her cigarette away and stood.
Shoko:
"Don't start training in here. If you rip your stitches open, I'm not fixing you again today."
Satoru grinned wider.
Satoru:
"Relax, Shoko. I just got reborn. Let me enjoy my enlightenment arc and go to the mountains, and train with monks like Batman ."
Geto shook his head slightly.
Geto:
"You lost."
Satoru turned toward him fully now.
For a brief second, the smile softened.
Satoru:
"Yeah."
Silence,Then the grin returned.
Satoru:
"So next time I'll win."
And the way he said it as if It was inevitability.