"Itadori!"
Megumi Fushiguro tried to stop him, but Yuji had already shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
"Yuji! Wait!" Panda shouted.
Maki clicked her tongue. "Idiot! Don't run off on your own!"
But Yuji was already gone.
In just a few leaps, he crossed the forest and landed directly in Aoi Todo's path.
"Oh?" Todo stopped and looked him over with interest. "Brother! You're challenging me by yourself? That's bold!"
Yuji raised his guard, his gaze unwavering.
"I can't let you tear through our formation however you want."
"Hahaha! Good!"
Todo burst into laughter.
Without another word, the ground beneath him exploded.
His massive frame surged forward with terrifying speed, and a fist the size of a frying pan hurtled toward Yuji's face.
So fast!
Yuji's pupils shrank.
He crossed his arms and blocked.
Bang!
A heavy impact echoed through the forest.
An overwhelming force crashed into him, sending him sliding backward uncontrollably. His feet carved two deep trenches into the ground before he finally stopped.
His arms tingled from the impact.
"What ridiculous strength..."
"Not bad! You took one of my punches!"
Todo gave him no chance to recover.
Another punch followed immediately.
The force behind it produced a sharp boom as it tore through the air.
Yuji didn't dare block again.
He twisted aside at the last moment.
The fist brushed past his cheek, and the pressure alone stung his skin.
Using the opening, he stepped in and drove an elbow toward Todo's ribs.
Thud!
It felt like striking solid stone.
Todo didn't move an inch.
Instead, his enormous hand shot out and grabbed toward Yuji's head.
Yuji ducked beneath it and swept at Todo's legs.
The impact felt like kicking a steel pillar.
"It's useless, brother!" Todo roared with laughter.
He stomped down.
Yuji rolled away instantly.
The ground where he had been standing exploded into a large crater.
The two raced through the forest at incredible speed, trading blows without pause.
The sounds of fists and kicks colliding echoed constantly.
Trees caught in the aftermath splintered and crashed to the ground.
Yuji pushed his body and cursed energy to their limits.
His speed, strength, and reflexes were all operating at maximum capacity.
Yet Todo remained an immovable wall.
No matter how fiercely Yuji attacked, he struggled to inflict meaningful damage.
Instead, he repeatedly found himself pushed into dangerous situations.
"Is that all you've got, brother? Give me more!"
The longer Todo fought, the more excited he became.
His attacks only grew fiercer.
On a distant hilltop, Sol stood quietly with his hands in his pockets.
His dark red eyes observed the battle below.
Todo's cursed energy was vast and violent, like molten magma ready to erupt. His physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary sorcerers, and his combat style relied on overwhelming force to crush opposition.
Yuji, meanwhile, resembled a piece of steel being forged in a furnace.
Under relentless pressure, his control of cursed energy and combat instincts continued improving at a visible pace.
His potential was steadily being drawn out.
A good whetstone.
That was Sol's assessment.
Todo was perfectly suited to accelerate Yuji's growth.
As long as things remained under control, there was no reason to interfere.
Elsewhere in the forest, Megumi and Nobara worked together flawlessly.
The Grade 2 Cursed Spirits they encountered were eliminated one after another.
Nue provided aerial support and reconnaissance while Orochi attacked from the ground.
Meanwhile, Nobara's Straw Doll Technique drove nails directly into the Cursed Spirits' weak points, ending fights quickly and efficiently.
On the opposite side of the forest, Maki, Panda, and Toge Inumaki encountered a powerful Grade 1 Cursed Spirit.
The creature resembled a grotesquely twisted giant tree.
Its branches lashed out like tentacles and released pollen capable of inducing dizziness.
"Toge!" Maki shouted while deflecting a barrage of branches with her staff.
Inumaki immediately lowered his collar.
"Burn."
Cursed Speech activated.
Several of the giant branches erupted into flames, crackling loudly as they burned.
The Cursed Spirit's rhythm faltered.
Panda seized the opening.
With a roar, he charged forward and slammed his massive claws into the creature's trunk.
Deep cracks spread across its body.
"Not done yet!"
Maki instantly followed up.
Her cursed tool flashed as she thrust directly into one of the fractures.
The Cursed Spirit released a shrill scream.
Its enormous body trembled violently before dissolving into black smoke.
"Done!" Panda said with a relieved sigh.
Maki wiped away sweat and instinctively glanced toward the area where Yuji and Todo were fighting.
The commotion there had not diminished in the slightest.
"Is Itadori okay?"
Panda shrugged.
"Trust him. Besides, Sol is watching."
At the mention of Sol, Maki relaxed slightly.
That unfathomable first-year rarely showed much emotion, yet he always seemed dependable when it mattered most.
The battle raged on.
Yuji and Todo's clash only intensified.
Yuji gradually abandoned direct confrontations and began taking advantage of the forest's terrain.
He used trees, uneven ground, and brief openings in Todo's attacks to maneuver.
Occasionally, he found opportunities to counterattack.
Although the damage was minimal, he was steadily finding his footing.
"Oh? You're learning to use your surroundings now?" Todo laughed.
His missed punch sliced through a massive tree, snapping it cleanly in half.
"You're improving, brother!"
Yuji panted heavily, but excitement burned in his eyes.
"You're strong too! But I'm not giving up that easily!"
He charged forward again.
The two collided once more.
Every impact produced a thunderous sound.
The shockwaves stirred leaves and dust across the forest floor.
Yuji's breathing became increasingly ragged.
Sweat soaked his hair and clothes.
Yet his eyes shone brighter with every exchange.
Todo's relentless pressure was continuously sharpening his instincts and refining his cursed energy control.
"Not enough, brother! Your passion isn't burning brightly enough!"
Laughing loudly, Todo launched another devastating straight punch.
Yuji narrowly avoided it by tilting his head.
The wind pressure scraped painfully across his cheek.
He immediately lowered his stance and swept toward Todo's legs.
But Todo had already anticipated the move.
His foot came crashing down first.
The ground fractured beneath the impact.
"So he's reading my movements now..."
Yuji's expression tightened.
Using the recoil, he flipped backward and widened the distance.
"The rhythm of battle, brother!" Todo declared as he advanced again. "You must keep up with my pace! Become even more passionate!"
His speed increased once more.
At the same time, changes were unfolding elsewhere in the forest.
The Kyoto Jujutsu High students who had been hunting Cursed Spirits separately began converging toward the battlefield where Yuji and Todo were fighting.
They had received orders from Principal Yoshinobu Gakuganji.
Their objective was simple.
Eliminate Yuji Itadori during the exchange event.
Among the moving figures, Kasumi Miwa rushed silently through the forest.
Her eyes remained fixed on Yuji in the distance.
One hand rested on the hilt of her katana as she closed in on the battlefield.