The afternoon hours flew by in a flurry of punches and kicks. Miguel's combat lessons were devoid of superfluous words, adhering to the most direct and brutal principle: training through actual combat.
In his words, "Only in real confrontation will you know where you're slow to dodge, where your punches are off, and your weaknesses can't hide, allowing them to be properly mended."
This training was targeted from the start, with Miguel explicitly forbidding Rin from using his Sharingan.
This was a decision he and Suguru Geto had discussed beforehand. The Sharingan's Insight ability was indeed incredible, allowing Rin to track high-speed movements and see through an opponent's weaknesses.
However, this "cheat" also harbored a fatal flaw: its ability could not grow through acquired practice. Unless a higher-tier evolution was unlocked, the current limit of its Insight was the endpoint.
More crucially, the auxiliary effect of the Sharingan would vary with the user's strength. The stronger the person, the more they could leverage its advantages. Conversely, when weak, even with the Sharingan, one might not be able to land the attacks they saw through.
Geto was worried that Rin would become overly reliant on this external force, which is why he set the rule of "training Disable" (training disabled), solely to hone Rin's basic physical fitness and combat skills to the extreme without assistance.
After losing the "preemptive cheat" of the Sharingan, Rin's physical combat shortcomings were instantly exposed.
Although his physique was comparable to a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, Miguel's physical strength was in no way inferior to his. Coupled with decades of immersion in combat training, techniques, and flexibility, Rin was completely suppressed with no power to retaliate.
Miguel's footwork was as light as if he were dancing; he could even take a moment to pat Rin's back of the head while dodging. Every elbow strike landed precisely in Rin's defensive gaps, and every block left his arm numb.
Throughout the entire sparring session, Rin was beaten to the point of losing his temper. When he finally collapsed on the ground, he barely had the strength to lift his arm, feeling as though his internal organs were churning, with only the thought of "pain" left in his mind.
Only then did he truly witness Miguel's prowess. The opponent's already formidable physique, combined with the body enhancement from his Cursed Technique, Hymn of Prayer, resulted in an all-around overwhelming advantage in speed, strength, and reaction. Especially that signature elbow strike, which felt like being hit by a heavy hammer, the dull pain burrowing into his bones through the seams.
"Oh ho, giving up already?" Miguel squatted beside him, his tone full of schadenfreude. "Who was it this afternoon who was thumping their chest saying, 'Boss, be careful not to accidentally hurt me'? We've been fighting for so long, and I haven't even broken a sweat."
Rin laboriously rolled his eyes, using his last bit of strength to give him the middle finger, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper rubbing:
"Shameless… You forbid me from using Sharingan, but you, on the other hand, activate your Cursed Technique more joyfully than anyone else, and you still have the nerve to mock me."
Miguel chuckled at his words, deliberately putting on a pained expression:
"Oh, why don't you appreciate my good intentions, child? I worked hard to train with you all afternoon, teaching you how to dodge and how to fight, but all you can think about is beating me up? With such a narrow mind, how will you become a strong person in the future?" He then exaggeratedly sighed, his eyes almost "red."
"Damn it, he's even learned PUA!"
Rin was furious, but he knew in his heart that Miguel was telling the truth. As a teacher, he had indeed taught him everything he knew. After every knockdown, he would point out Rin's problems, from foot placement to punching angles, holding nothing back.
This afternoon's crushing defeat also completely sobered Rin. Previously, relying on the advantage of his Sharingan, he always thought his physical combat was very strong, even becoming somewhat arrogant. But after stripping away that external force, he realized that his combat experience and techniques were simply vulnerable (vulnerable).
Miguel was the best example; without flashy abilities, just relying on solid physical combat and Cursed Technique cooperation, he could pin Rin to the ground and beat him.
If he encountered a true strong person, this "hollow" strength would sooner or later lead to a big fall.
Seeing that Rin hadn't said anything for a long time, Miguel thought he was sulking and quickly softened his tone, wanting to comfort him.
But as soon as he got close, Rin suddenly propped himself up, his eyes no longer displaying the previous dejection, but instead burning with a fiery resolve.
"You're right, Boss." He looked at Miguel, his tone firm. "I will continue to train until I can block your elbow strikes even without the Sharingan."
Miguel looked at the light in his eyes and couldn't help but smile. This kid not only had a good physique, but his resilience was even more like wild grass, growing stronger with every setback.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone on both of them. Miguel reached out and pulled Rin up: "Alright, that's the spirit! Then let's train for another half hour. This time, I'll teach you how to dodge my elbow strikes."
In the evening, the training finally concluded. Rin and Miguel walked side by side towards the cafeteria, their sweat-soaked training clothes clinging to them, yet they didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
Rin remembered Miguel's Cursed Technique from the afternoon and couldn't help but exclaim, "Boss, your Hymn of Prayer is too fierce; after the enhancement, it's like you've activated a cheat!"
Miguel turned his head to look at him, raised an eyebrow, and said with a hint of teasing:
"Want to learn? I'll teach you..."
Rin's eyes lit up, and just as he was about to agree, he saw Miguel already laughing.
The two exchanged glances and burst into laughter simultaneously, the fatigue and soreness from the afternoon training dissipating without a trace in their laughter.
The setting sun cast their shadows long, and the friendship between the men quietly formed amidst these bouts of combat and honesty.
Over the next three months, Suguru Geto and Miguel, like two precise carving knives, took turns subjecting Rin to almost rigorous special training.
Their division of labor was clear: Suguru Geto focused on the Jujutsu system, from the precise manipulation of Cursed Energy to the combined use of Cursed Spirit Manipulation and gun-based Cursed Techniques. He even personally selected suitable Cursed Spirits for Rin, building a complete combat logic of "ranged suppression + close-quarters assault + Cursed Spirit assistance."
Miguel, on the other hand, relentlessly tackled Rin's physical combat weaknesses. From basic breathing rhythms to practical techniques for dealing with elbow strikes and dodging slashes, he demanded that Rin achieve muscle memory for every movement. Even a slight deviation in footwork would be severely corrected by him through "actual combat simulation."
Top-tier guidance combined with Rin's talent, plus his almost insane effort, collided to produce astonishing results. His strength soared like a rocket.
The Tank that once required more than ten seconds to activate could now be deployed within five seconds. His Cursed Energy control had also improved significantly; when crushing walnuts with tofu, not a speck of soybean dregs would splash out.
His physical combat had undergone a complete transformation, from being utterly dominated by Miguel at first to later being able to perfectly block his attacks, and even occasionally finding openings to counterattack.
Behind this growth was Rin's day-in and day-out exhaustive effort.
Suguru Geto more than once passed by the training ground late at night and saw Rin still practicing Cursed Techniques against the iron puppet, sweat forming thin lines in the moonlight. Miguel also often complained that the kid even practiced Cursed Energy control with tofu while eating, switching to his left hand when his fingers got sore, never seeing him idle.
Suguru Geto had sighed many times:
"Rin is the least like a 'task executor' student I've ever seen. Others treat training as a task; he treats getting stronger as a hobby, as if living is just to break his own limits."
To prevent Rin from overworking himself, Suguru Geto specifically arranged holidays for him. Even if Rin insisted repeatedly, "no need to rest," he would forcefully drag him away from the training ground, either making him go shopping with Nanako and Mimiko or forcing him to sleep in his room.
But Rin always found a way to "secretly practice." When going out with the two sisters, he always held a piece of tofu in his hand, practicing control while walking, and secretly testing his Cursed Energy on tree trunks while waiting for others.
Suguru Geto occasionally caught him crushing tofu. Just as he was about to advise him to rest, he would turn around and see Rin summoning a Cursed Spirit as a substitute, and even pulling out a spare piece of tofu from his storage Cursed Spirit, unwilling to waste even half a minute.
One time, Suguru Geto couldn't help but ask him, "Don't you get tired practicing like this every day?"
Rin was then focused on injecting Cursed Energy into the tofu. Hearing this, he looked up, his eyes full of confusion, as if this was an incomprehensible question:
"Tired? Why would I be tired?" He pointed to Nanako, who was playing games on her phone nearby, and then mentioned Mimiko, who was watching a drama on the sofa.
"It's just like Nanako playing games every day, and Mimiko watching dramas every day. When you do what you love, you only feel happy, so how could you be tired?"
At that moment, Suguru Geto suddenly realized that Rin might not have the "naturally invincible" talent of Satoru Gojo, nor that composure of being "at his peak from birth." But his obsession with "finding joy in getting stronger," this resilience that etched effort into his bones, was destined to lead him to the pinnacle of the Jujutsu World.
Watching Rin lower his head again, carefully adjusting his Cursed Energy, a hint of relief flashed in Suguru Geto's eyes, and he smiled softly.
But the next second, Rin suddenly looked up and added naturally, "It's just like you, Sensei. You absorb Cursed Spirits every day, planning how to achieve your ideals. Do you feel tired?"
This sentence struck Suguru Geto's heart like a sudden clap of thunder. The smile on his face instantly froze, and he stood stunned.
Tired?
This question, he had never asked himself.
For ten years, from witnessing the ignorance of Non-Sorcerers during his Jujutsu High days, to personally establishing the Star Plasma Cult, and then to absorbing Cursed Spirits and expanding his influence day after day, he had long made "creating a world for Jujutsu Sorcerers" his sole goal for existence.
He was used to handling affairs late into the night, used to traveling with Cursed Spirits, used to hiding all his emotions behind a gentle smile, but he had never thought about whether he was truly tired.
That day, Suguru Geto did not answer Rin's question.
Rin didn't press him either; seeing his unusual expression, he simply put away the tofu and changed the subject to the next day's training plan.
Days passed, and as Larue, Manami, Rikyu, and other Star Plasma Cult executives returned from their missions abroad, the atmosphere at the base gradually grew heavy.
Rin vaguely sensed that a certain plan Suguru Geto had been preparing was about to unfold.
And his first official mission was quietly approaching, unbeknownst to him.