Chapter 12: Saving Hozuki Gojo – Part 1
The morning had started so peacefully.
A clear, endless blue sky stretched above the countryside. Birds sang brightly from the treetops, their cheerful chirps mixing with the gentle rustle of leaves as a soft wind danced through the forest. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in warm golden shafts, painting the mossy ground in shifting patterns of light and shadow. Everything felt alive, tranquil—like the world itself was taking a deep, contented breath.
Then the peace shattered.
*WHOOOOSH—!*
A blazing white blur streaked across the sky like a comet, ripping through the air with terrifying speed. Birds exploded from the branches in panicked flocks. Deer bolted deeper into the undergrowth. Small animals scurried for cover as the sonic wave of the passing figure sent leaves swirling wildly in its wake.
High above the treeline, Sanjiro Gojo crouched low atop a massive, floating skeletal construct—a Gaster Blaster. Its jaw hung open in a silent, menacing grin, eerie blue energy crackling along its edges. The blaster rocketed forward at breakneck velocity, cutting a straight line toward Kyoto. Sanjiro's white hair whipped violently behind him, his eyes glowing with raw, overflowing cursed energy that fed directly into the construct beneath his feet.
"Come on… come on…" he muttered under his breath, teeth clenched.
---
**A few minutes earlier – Tokyo Jujutsu High**
Sanjiro stood frozen in the dorm hallway, phone still pressed tightly to his ear.
"What?!"
His voice cracked with raw disbelief. He had just spoken with the old man this morning. Hozuki Gojo was supposed to attend a meeting with the higher-ups today—nothing dangerous, just politics and paperwork. How could this have happened?
On the other end of the line, Suzaki's voice was heavy with exhaustion and barely concealed panic. "Yes, young master. He was attacked by three Special Grade curses. His current whereabouts are unknown. Our men are already investigating the site, but… there's no trace of Lord Gojo. We fear the worst."
Sanjiro's face drained of color. His hand trembled slightly as he lowered the phone. For a moment, the world narrowed to the frantic beating of his own heart. *Old man… you better not be dead. Not after I finally met you.*
He abruptly ended the call.
Hakari, who had been watching from a few steps away, frowned and stepped closer. "Hey, what happened? You look like you just got bad news."
Sanjiro didn't answer. He simply leaned heavily against the cool wall of the dorm building, mind racing, chest tight. His usual lazy sarcasm had completely vanished.
"Old man Hozuki…" he whispered, almost to himself.
Then, without another word, he pushed off the wall and broke into a full sprint toward the school gate.
"Hey!! Where the hell are you going?!" Hakari shouted, startled, and immediately gave chase.
Sanjiro didn't slow down. Hakari's voice echoed behind him, growing more frustrated with every step, but Sanjiro ignored it completely. His only focus was reaching the gate as fast as humanly possible.
The moment he burst through the main gate and into the open area outside the barrier, he skidded to a halt. *Can't summon it inside—the teachers would notice immediately.*
With a sharp gesture, cursed energy surged around him. A low, ominous hum filled the air as a colossal Gaster Blaster materialized from thin air, floating just above the ground. Its skeletal form glowed with eerie blue light, jaws slightly parted.
Sanjiro leaped onto its broad back without hesitation.
"Hey!! Where are you going, you punk?!" Hakari yelled from the gate, skidding to a stop.
Sanjiro didn't even glance back. He placed one hand firmly on the blaster's head, feeding it more power. The construct lurched forward and shot into the sky, accelerating rapidly toward Kyoto.
"That bastard!" Hakari stomped the ground in pure annoyance, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
Three figures came rushing out from the nearby training grounds—Megumi, Panda, and the manager Ichiji, all drawn by the commotion.
"What happened? Why were you yelling?" Ichiji asked, adjusting his glasses as he caught his breath.
Hakari growled, running a hand through his hair. "Argh—that bastard Gojo just took off in a hurry! He got a phone call, looked worried as hell, and ran off without saying a single word!"
"Uh… Gojo-san?" Ichiji tilted his head, trying to calm the situation. "Well, you don't need to worry. He always does that—disappearing without explanation. But he never leaves unless it's something truly important."
"Not that blindfolded albino, you idiot!" Hakari snapped. "It's his piece-of-shit brother!"
"Language, mister… and what?" Ichiji blinked in confusion.
Panda stepped forward, munching on the last of his chips before speaking. "It's Gojo-sensei's brother. The one who recently joined the school. I think his name was Sanjiro Gojo."
"Oh…" Ichiji said quietly, realization dawning on his face.
---
**Back in the present – High above the forest**
Sanjiro remained crouched low on the Gaster Blaster, body leaning forward against the wind. His white hair lashed wildly around his face, eyes burning bright blue as cursed energy poured out of him in visible waves, supercharging the construct beneath him. The forest below blurred into a green smear from the insane speed.
"Come on… faster…" he growled.
He raised his free hand and formed a complex sealing sign directly on the blaster's forehead. Cursed energy flared brighter around his fingers as he began to chant, voice steady despite the roaring wind:
"Beyond distance, beyond form…
Space bends to my will.
Erase the path between—
Deliver me there."
The moment the final word left his lips, a brilliant white light engulfed both him and the Gaster Blaster. The air rippled violently, and with a sharp *CRACK* of displaced space, they vanished from the sky entirely.
---
**Unknown location – Deep within a dense forest**
Hozuki Gojo staggered between the trees, every breath ragged and painful.
His once-elegant kimono was completely gone, torn away in the brutal fight. He wore only his torn black pants now, the fabric ripped and stained with dirt and blood. Deep cuts and ugly bruises covered his face and torso. Sweat and blood mixed on his skin as he clutched a thick tree trunk for support, chest heaving.
"Huff… huff… What the hell was that combination attack…?" he muttered to himself, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
He had somehow survived the coordinated assault of three Special Grade curses. Two of them now lay destroyed somewhere behind him, but the cost had been enormous. His body screamed in protest with every movement. He was running on fumes.
(A/N: he didn't actually take out two special grade curses alone. He had help from his guards and companions that were with him. Also, the curses are semi special grade.)
Just as he tried to steady his breathing, a deep tremor rolled through the ground beneath his feet. From deeper in the forest came a low, guttural howl—demonic and hungry, echoing between the trees like a promise of death.
Hozuki's eyes widened. He straightened up as much as his battered body would allow and shot a sharp glance back into the shadowy woods.
"I need to hurry… If I don't escape now, I might really die here."
Gritting his teeth against the pain, he pushed off the tree and forced himself to move faster, limping and stumbling deeper into the unknown forest, the ominous howl growing closer behind him with every agonizing step.
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To be continued…