Even Yuji couldn't believe how smoothly he'd grasped Sukuna's slashing technique.
Masamichi Yaga truly was a master of body and soul. After learning of Yuji's connection to Sukuna, Yaga subjected him to brutal physical conditioning using numerous Cursed Corpses. His words were blunt:
"Even an idiot can learn this method."
The principle was simple.
For Cursed Objects tied by kinship, the host body closely mirrors the original.
If Yuji could suppress Sukuna, then his physique must already approximate Sukuna's from a thousand years ago.
All that remained was bodily correction.
Bring his flesh closer to the King's.
"Slashing Technique: Cleave!"
Awasaka lunged to dodge.
The invisible slash struck him before he could fully move.
A breeze brushed past.
His clothes fluttered.
No wound.
"Technique Release: Inverse!"
Cold sweat drenched him.
The stronger the attack, the weaker it became against him.
Without activating Inverse in time, that slash would've bisected him instantly.
Yuji frowned.
"Old man… how tough are you? I tested this on ten meters of steel. Clean cut."
"Ten… meters? Not centimeters?"
"Battleship plating," Yuji replied seriously.
Awasaka felt his scalp prickle.
He charged instead of retreating.
"You're incredible, Itadori!"
His CE ignited like magma.
This was a paradise for sorcerers.
No permanent death.
Only growth through slaughter.
Yuji understood.
He roared.
"Cleave!!"
The ground split open like it had been carved by a colossal laser.
Dust swallowed the street.
Yuji dashed through the debris.
"Going close-quarters?!" Awasaka barked.
"If slashes don't work, I'll try fists!"
Their punches collided.
BOOM.
Shockwaves burst outward.
They slammed into each other again and again—CE reinforcing every strike.
Awasaka's Inverse neutralized heavy blows.
But Yuji's reinforcement was monstrous.
Each time Awasaka struck, Yuji's CE layered itself instinctively, reducing impact to nothing.
Months of brutal conditioning paid off.
Then—
Yuji's fist slipped through.
It connected with Awasaka's face.
Awasaka's eyes widened.
He's evolving mid-fight.
A second punch landed.
This time, Awasaka was sent flying.
He skipped across the ground like a stone over water before smashing into a building.
Yuji cracked his neck.
"I've figured it out. Heavy attacks become light for you. Light attacks become heavy."
Awasaka rose from the rubble, face caved in but grinning.
"Technique Disclosure."
"Inverse. The stronger the attack, the weaker it becomes against me. The lighter the attack, the heavier it hits. Used properly, it's invincible."
Yuji remembered Gojo's words.
The King of Curses' defense.
So this was it.
They both entered Technique Disclosure.
Awasaka heightened his senses to their peak.
Yuji inhaled.
"My technique is the Slashing Technique."
"Long-range invisible slashes. Direction and position cannot be predicted. Trajectory invisible. Unless you have the Six Eyes… or land a Black Flash."
Awasaka spat.
They clashed again.
Yuji formed a sign but didn't release.
A feint?
Awasaka maintained Inverse.
Yuji stepped in.
And gently placed a hand against Awasaka's body.
Heavy.
That touch carried dense CE.
Awasaka smirked.
He'd tank it.
Yuji opened his mouth.
"Slashing Technique: Dismantle."
Not Cleave.
In the next instant, Awasaka split cleanly in half—from forehead to abdomen.
"This form requires Technique Disclosure," Yuji said quietly. "It adjusts to the difference in strength and toughness between us. A guaranteed lethal slash.
The one that cut ten meters of steel… wasn't Cleave.
It was this."
Awasaka's body fell apart.
Yuji smiled faintly.
"You were pretty strong, Awasaka."