Satoru Gojo kicked open the heavy wooden doors of the primary monitoring room with an absolute, dazzling lack of basic decorum. The room was lined with a vast array of high-end electronic television screens, each one displaying real-time visual feeds of the massive, sprawling mountain forest outside. These live perspectives were courtesy of Mei Mei's signature black bird manipulation technique, which allowed her to seamlessly link her sight to the crows currently patrolling the canopy.
Mei Mei sat comfortably in a leather swivel chair at the center of the control console, her long silver hair braided flawlessly over her shoulder. She was casually scrolling through her phone, likely tracking her latest financial investments. Principal Yoshinobu Gakuganji sat rigidly on a traditional wooden chair nearby, his ancient hands resting firmly on his cane, while Utahime Iori stood near the main array of monitors, meticulously organizing tactical maps and student dossiers.
Gojo strolled into the room while loudly humming a ridiculous, completely self-made song about sweets. He walked straight over to Utahime, leaning his incredibly tall frame right over her shoulder and invading her personal space without a single shred of hesitation.
"Good afternoon, Utahime! Wow, the tension in here is so thick you could practically cut it with a grade-one cursed tool. You really need to relax a little bit, or your face is going to freeze in that angry scowl permanently. Trust me, wrinkles are incredibly difficult to get rid of at your age."
Utahime slammed her clipboard onto the metal desk with a loud clatter, her face immediately flushing with intense irritation as she spun around to glare at him.
"Get away from me, Satoru! We are here as professional academic supervisors, not to tolerate your endless, childish behavior! Sit down and take this event seriously for once in your life!"
Gojo laughed loudly, waving a hand dismissively as he slid into an empty chair right next to Mei Mei.
"Mei-mei, my absolute favorite capitalist! Are all your little feathered cameras positioned properly throughout the sector? I want to ensure we get a pristine, high-definition view of my precious students absolutely showing Kyoto how real jujutsu sorcery is done."
Mei Mei offered a smooth, thoroughly professional smile, her eyes never leaving her various digital screens.
"Every single crow is perfectly synchronized, Gojo. As long as the hefty monetary compensation we agreed upon clears my primary account by the end of the business day, you will receive the absolute finest athletic coverage available in this country."
Gojo then looked over at Gakuganji, who was intentionally ignoring his entire existence.
"Hey there, old man, you look significantly stiffer than usual today. Did you remember to take your daily joint supplements before sitting down in that chair? It would be an absolute tragedy if your back locked up before the very first cursed spirit drops."
Gakuganji merely closed his cloudy eyes, exhaling a slow, deeply disdainful breath through his nose.
"Your mouth continues to move significantly faster than your brain, Satoru. Sit down and be silent before the principal of this school forces you out."
---
Deep within the designated starting zone of the dense, shaded forest, the Tokyo students adjusted their uniforms and prepared their minds for the impending whistle. Maki Zenin checked the smooth wooden shaft of her polearm, her sharp eyes scanning the immediate tree line.
Standing a few paces behind the group was Oden. His dark uniform hoodie was pulled completely up over his head, and the clean white cloth was tied tightly across his eyes, fully masking his upper face. Wrapped comfortably around his neck was his small, pale snake Shikigami, its tiny golden eyes darting left and right with curious movements. Oden was completely checked out from the tactical tension of the moment. He was holding a large pink cardboard box and happily munching on a powdered sugar donut, completely unbothered by the impending tournament. A light dusting of white sugar had already fallen onto the fabric of his dark jacket.
Maki marched directly over to him, pointing the blunt end of her weapon straight at his chest.
"Listen to me closely, Oden. When the starting alarm sounds, you stay exactly right here in this clearing. Do not move a single inch. Do not go wandering off looking for low-grade curses or interesting scenery."
Oden swallowed his bite of donut, his small snake letting out a faint hiss that perfectly mirrored his own relaxed state of mind.
"Stay right here? Maki, I certainly appreciate a good resting spot, but aren't we supposed to be hunting cursed spirits as a unified team?"
Maki shook her head, her expression turning dead serious as she adjusted her glasses.
"No. The exact moment the event begins, Todo is going to sprint straight for our starting location. He is an absolute monster who only cares about fighting the strongest person available on the field. Since Okkotsu is currently away on his mission, you are his primary target. We are going to use you as our ultimate anchor. You stay here and keep Todo fully occupied so the rest of us can sweep through the forest, hunt down the target curses, and build an insurmountable point lead. Got it?"
Oden pulled out a chocolate-glazed donut from the box, taking a slow, appreciative bite.
'Staying in one single place and eating delicious pastries while everyone else handles the intensive cardio? This sounds like the greatest tactical plan ever conceived in the history of jujutsu society,' he thought.
He nodded casually at Maki, his white blindfold shifting slightly with the motion.
"Understood, boss. I will proudly sacrifice myself to the incredibly difficult task of standing still and eating my lunch."
---
On the opposite side of the forest boundary line, the Kyoto students gathered in a tight circle to finalize their own coordinated strategy. Noritoshi Kamo stood at the absolute center, drawing a rough map of the topography in the dirt with a broken stick.
"The Tokyo team possesses a significant raw power advantage with Oden on their roster. Even with Okkotsu absent, Oden is a certified Special Grade sorcerer."
Kamo looked up at Momo Nishimiya, who was already floating a few feet off the ground on her traditional straw broom.
"Momo, you will take to the sky immediately at the sound of the broadcast. Fly over their perimeter and draw the immediate attention of the Tokyo students. Make yourself a highly visible, annoying distraction. While they are fully focused on chasing you or tracking your aerial movements, the rest of us will move through the blind spots in the foliage. We will converge directly on Oden's coordinates and corner him as a unified group. We must overwhelm him with sheer numbers before he can summon any of his larger, high-grade entities."
An absolute smirk appeared on Mai Zenin's face as she adjusted the cylinder of her revolver.
"Sounds like a solid plan to me. I cannot wait to see the ridiculous look on his face when he realizes he is entirely surrounded with nowhere to run."
Aoi Todo stood a few paces away from the rest of the group, his massive arms crossed tightly over his bare, muscular chest, completely ignoring the dirt map. He cracked his thick neck loudly, a look of utter boredom present on his rugged features.
"Do whatever pathetic little schemes you want," Todo said, his deep voice easily cutting through their quiet whispering. "Corner him, ambush him, play your little tactical games. But do not get in my way. Oden and I have an unfinished ideological debate to settle. If a single one of you steps foot into our arena before I am completely done with him, I will beat you senseless myself."
Kamo frowned deeply but chose not to argue, knowing full well that Todo was entirely unmanageable once his mind was set on a target.
Suddenly, the high-pitched static of a public address speaker echoed loudly through the entire mountain forest. The calm, robotic voice of the administration staff filled the air.
"Attention all participants of the Sister School Exchange Event. The rules are as follows: The designated central area of the forest has been populated with a collection of second-grade, third-grade, and fourth-grade cursed spirits. In addition, a single dangerous first-grade cursed spirit has been released into the deepest sector. The team that successfully exorcises the first-grade spirit will receive a massive point allocation. Standard curses will award points based on their respective grades. Direct combat between students is permitted, but lethal force or permanent disabling injuries will result in immediate disqualification. The event will last for a total of twelve hours, or until all targeted spirits have been successfully purged. May the best sorcerers win."
A loud, mechanical siren blared across the forest canopy, echoing off the distant stone buildings. The exact millisecond the siren reached its highest peak, Todo did not hesitate. His massive leg muscles flexed violently, completely shattering the soil beneath his heavy boots as he erupted forward like a human cannonball, tearing through the thick brush and leaving a massive trail of broken branches in his wake.
Back in the faculty monitoring room, Satoru Gojo leaned forward in his leather chair, his hidden eyes fixed intently on one of Mei Mei's primary monitor feeds showing Todo's rapid, destructive trajectory through the trees. Gojo reached into his jacket and pulled out a large bucket of buttery popcorn that he had somehow kept hidden away, popping a massive handful into his mouth while chewing loudly.
"Oh man, look at Todo go! He is moving like a literal freight train straight toward the Tokyo starting point! This is going to be absolutely spectacular!" Gojo said, his voice dripping with pure excitement. He looked over at Utahime with a wide grin. "Oden decided to stay put, you know. Todo versus Oden right out of the gate! Honestly, Todo might actually have a lot to teach Oden about raw physical combat and martial focus. My student tends to be a bit too relaxed during assignments, so a good wake-up call from Kyoto's resident meathead is exactly what the doctor ordered."
Utahime rolled her eyes heavily, completely refusing to look at him as she adjusted her papers.
"Do not underestimate Todo, Satoru. He won the entire event last year practically by himself without even using his innate technique against most opponents. Your lazy student is going to get a incredibly painful lesson in what real dedication looks like."
Back in the forest clearing, Oden stood precisely where Maki had commanded him to, his back resting comfortably against the thick trunk of a massive cedar tree as he continued to enjoy his sweet donuts. The small pale snake around his neck kept its golden eyes trained sharply toward the thick brush ahead.
Maki, Panda, Toge, and Megumi immediately sprinted away from their starting line, heading deep into the woods to begin their systematic hunt for the cursed spirits. As they sprinted past a dense thicket of tall bamboo, a massive blur of pure muscle and flying dirt came bursting through the foliage.
It was Todo. The giant Kyoto student charged directly across their path with terrifying velocity. However, his eyes never even flickered toward Maki or any of the others. He completely ignored the entire group, his focus entirely locked onto the massive cursed energy signature radiating from the clearing behind them. He sprinted past them like a gale-force wind, tearing up the grass beneath his feet.
Maki skidded to a halt for a split second, a sharp, satisfied smirk appearing on her face as she watched Todo's massive back disappear into the trees.
"Good. Just as planned. The big idiot took the bait hook, line, and sinker. Everyone else, move out! We need to exorcise as many low-grade curses as possible while Oden keeps him fully tied down!"
Todo erupted into the open clearing, his massive boots sliding heavily against the damp dirt, throwing up a large cloud of loose leaves and topsoil. He stopped exactly twenty paces away from Oden, his massive chest heaving slightly from the intensive sprint, his eyes widening in pure intensity as he locked onto the hooded figure.
Oden didn't even look up, casually licking a bit of powdered sugar from his thumb before closing the pink cardboard box and setting it down gently on a flat rock right beside him. The small pale snake around his neck adjusted its position, staring directly at the large intruder.
Todo stood tall, his chest expanding as he took a deep, dramatic breath.
"Oden! You actually stayed exactly where you were! You did not run away like a coward, nor did you go hiding behind your tactical teammates!" Todo bellowed, slamming his massive fists together with a heavy, echoing thud. "Earlier today, you threw my entire worldview into absolute, chaotic disarray. I have spent the last 2 hours agonizing over your words. I feel a profound, undeniable kinship toward you, Oden. I can tell from your raw aura, your grand entrance, and your absolute confidence that you are definitely not a boring person. You possess the spark of true greatness. But there are some things in this world that we simply cannot agree on. The ideological divide regarding the upper proportions of a woman is a heavy, tragic barrier between our souls. As such, I cannot officially call you my brother just yet. I will have to confirm the true depth of your spirit and see just how much of a best friend you can truly be... with my fists!"
Oden let out a quiet, lazy chuckle, adjusting the white cloth over his eyes slightly with his left hand. Through the shared senses of his small snake Shikigami, Todo's massive frame was rendered in perfect, sharp sensory clarity.
"Honestly, Todo, I really don't mind a good fight. It keeps the blood flowing. But I have to ask... why are you so utterly, intensely obsessed with my personal preferences as a man towards women? It is just a standard dating preference, big guy. It is not a cosmic declaration of global war."
Todo's expression turned incredibly solemn, almost religious in its absolute intensity.
"It is everything, Oden! A man's preference reflects the exact alignment of his soul! Takada-chan represents the absolute pinnacle of grand, perfect proportions, a beautiful harmony of grace and scale! To prefer smaller breasts is to openly reject that specific cosmic harmony! I must know if your spirit possesses the strength to back up such an outrageous aesthetic heresy!"
Oden blinked behind his tight blindfold, a genuine smile spreading across his face beneath his hood as he realized just how hilariously passionate Todo truly was about this topic. He let his arms drop casually to his sides, his posture shifting completely away from his usual lazy slouch.
"I see. You are entirely serious about this whole thing. Well, if you are going to bring that much raw passion to the table, it would be incredibly rude of me to give you a boring response."
Oden took a single, deep breath. Suddenly, the lazy atmosphere around him vanished entirely into the wind. A massive, overwhelming torrent of cursed energy erupted from his body like a volcanic geyser. The sheer volume of the energy was staggering, dense and suffocating, completely comparable to the massive, endless reserves of Yuta Okkotsu.
The wind pressure generated from the sheer release of power forced the surrounding grass to flatten instantly against the earth, and the small pale snake around his neck began to glow with a bright, golden light. The massive ocean of cursed energy wrapped tightly around Oden's entire body, forming a thick, visible shroud of absolute power that rippled violently through the cold mountain air.
Todo's eyes went completely wide with pure, unadulterated excitement. The terrifying pressure of Oden's massive cursed energy didn't make him hesitate for a single fraction of a second; instead, it fueled his manic joy. Todo unleashed his own massive cursed energy, his heavy muscles bulging as he coated his large fists in a dense layer of protective power.
"Yes! That is it! Show me the true weight of your heresy, Oden!" Todo roared, his deep voice echoing loudly through the forest.
Both boys detonated forward at the exact same moment, closing the distance between them in the absolute blink of an eye. They met right in the center of the clearing, their rapid movements completely blurring against the trees. Todo threw an earth-shattering right hook, while Oden countered with a perfectly timed, straight left punch.
Their cursed energy-wrapped fists collided directly against one another with an explosive, deafening boom. The sheer kinetic impact and the violent clashing of their massive cursed energies sent a violent shockwave rippling through the environment, tearing loose leaves from the trees. The solid dirt floor beneath their heavy boots instantly shattered under the immense pressure, fracturing outward in a giant, intricate spiderweb of deep cracks that ripped through the stone and soil for yards around them.
Back in the faculty monitoring room, one of the primary television screens flickered violently from the sheer shockwave of the impact, static cutting across the live feed for a brief second before stabilizing to show the fractured ground and the clashing sorcerers.
Satoru Gojo clapped his hands together happily, shoveling another massive handful of buttery popcorn into his mouth while chewing loudly with a massive smile.
"Oh, awesome! Look at that impact! They are already completely destroying the landscape and the match just started! This is exactly what I wanted to see!" Gojo cheered, kicking his feet up onto the main control console with a blissful sigh.
Utahime stood right beside him, her veins throbbing with pure fury as she stared at the mess of popcorn crumbs he was dropping all over the expensive recording equipment.
"Satoru! Put that stupid food away right now and stop treating a serious school examination like a cheap summer blockbuster! You are setting a terrible example, and your student is going to completely wreck the designated combat zone before the midday mark even arrives!"
Gojo just chuckled through a mouthful of popcorn, entirely unbothered by her shouting.
"Relax, Utahime, relax. The youth of today just have way too much energy to burn. Let them express themselves on the field!"
---
Find early chapters on my patreon
[Patreon.com/tenten100?]