Kenji Hakari — Eliminated.
Aoi Todo — Eliminated.
The dust settled, leaving only one figure standing in the centre of the cratered battlefield.
Last remaining participant: Ren Sato.
Principal Yaga's voice boomed from the balcony, announcing the conclusion of the match. The observation room, usually filled with quiet murmurs, was dead silent—until a young girl broke it.
"Oh my… So that's Ren Sato, huh…"
The girl beside him spoke with pure awe, a hint of amusement glimmering in her eyes, a small smile resting on her lips.
"What the hell was that?" Naobito Zenin's voice thundered, shattering the silence. "Was that it? A technique? Was that his cursed technique?!"
Gakuganji leaned forward, his weathered hands tightening on his cane. "Impossible... he was being bested by Todo only moments ago. Did he suddenly grow stronger? Or was he faking it from the start? Was he simply taking a beating to dissect Todo's rhythm?"
His gaze hardened.
The old man's eyes shifted to the monitor. "And who was that other boy? Hakari? I've never heard of him. Since when did Tokyo High have a student who could use not only a Domain but also a Reverse Cursed Technique as well?"
"He is Special Grade... barely," Shino remarked calmly. "But he didn't even use Rika."
Utahime watched the screen, her mind racing. 'He's grown so much since I last saw him...' she thought. 'Is this what a true genius looks like? It's been barely a year. Those red threads are far more refined now. No wonder Gojo was keeping him hidden…'
Nearby, Naomichi watched with a growing, dark satisfaction. 'Ah... what beautiful jujutsu,' he mused. 'The reports suggested he might have a domain, but it doesn't matter. Jujutsu sorcerers are nothing but con artists, and he played them like toys. He bluffed throughout the entire fight, using his perceived weakness as a lure.' Naomichi's eyes narrowed in appreciation. ' At the end, he was bone-dry on cursed energy.
But by telling Todo it was "over", he gifted his opponent a false sense of victory. The moment Todo stepped into the trap, Ren manipulated that Hakari boy to run behind him. Even if Todo swapped places, the two would still be stacked in a single line.
He destroyed them both...
This is the light I've been searching for.'
"Hey! Why is no one answering me?"
Naobito stood up abruptly, his guard dropping as his frustration boiled over. "What is his technique? He uses red ropes—threads? He controls them with great efficiency, but then... sometimes, when he just swings his hands, damage appears out of thin air. How? Does he have two innate techniques?!"
"Calm down, old man," Utahime sighed. "Nobody is answering because nobody knows. Ren has never spoken about his technique to anyone... except, perhaps, for him."
She turned her gaze toward the corner of the room. Satoru Gojo sat there, slumped in a chair with a deceptively calm expression, his blindfold slightly askew.
For a split second, Gojo looked genuinely stunned. Then, his lips twitched. A small smile became a wide grin, which quickly dissolved into a manic, hysterical fit of laughter.
"Heh... Heh-heh... Ha... HAHAHAHAHA!"
Gojo threw his head back, one hand clutching his stomach while the other reached for the ceiling, laughing as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the history of the world. The elders stared at him, horrified and confused.
"Hey! White-haired brat! Stop laughing!" Naobito barked. "What did those eyes of yours see? What do you know about him?"
"Ha..." Gojo caught his breath, his voice dripping with amusement. "I'm laughing because even I couldn't see it, old man. I couldn't see his attack."
Gojo stood up, reaching for his blindfold. He pulled it off entirely, revealing the crystalline brilliant blue eyes...
He locked onto Ren's figure in the distance. To Gojo, the space between them seemed to vanish as he processed the reality of what had just occurred.
For a single moment, time felt faster as Gojo's thoughts surged.
'Impressive. That's the only word for it.'
'First off, his growth is vertical. His technique is more effective, more potent than before. A binding vow, maybe? He isn't manifesting threads from his entire body anymore—only from his wrists. That's definitely a vow to increase the output.'
'But that other thing... when he moves his hands and things just... break. I have no clue. Even with the Six Eyes, I can't see any medium of attack... Only in the millisecond before he strikes do his fingertips gather cursed energy. It's minimal, but it's there.'
Gojo's grin didn't fade. 'I wonder... could he hit me?
Could that attack bypass Infinity?'
'It's not instant.
If it were, he would have ended Todo and Hakari in the first five seconds. But against anyone less skilled than those two? Ren could execute almost anyone with that invisible strike. His hand-to-hand is still raw, and his CE reserves are low...'
'But the most impressive part isn't the power—it's the execution. He completely outplayed them. It's like he knew every move they would make, how they would react, and what their techniques were. He didn't even blink when Hakari expanded his domain. Was that arrogance? Or total confidence?'
'He didn't use Rika, just like I told him.
But now I'm curious...
How strong is he really? When he summons Rika, is that invisible attack something he made for me? Just because I annoy him?
That would be cute.'
The room remained speechless as Gojo stood there, lost in his own thoughts with a lingering smirk.
"What? You're serious?" Utahime asked, her voice trembling. "Even you couldn't see it?"
Gojo simply nodded, his eyes never leaving Ren.
Gakuganji's grip on his cane turned his knuckles white. 'A monster... he is a monster that even Satoru Gojo cannot comprehend. And we have him under our thumb? No... we need more control. I must convene with the higher-ups immediately after this. We have to ensure Mei Mei has him completely under control!'
Naomichi flashed a quick, sharp grin before turning to leave the balcony. "The next generation is truly something else," he called out over his shoulder. "I hope you take good care of your students, Gakuganji... Yaga."
As Naomichi disappeared down the hall, Gojo rolled his eyes and clapped his hands together.
As soon as Gojo Naomichi left, Gojo Satoru had returned to his usual self…
"Alright, enough standing around! Let's go get the injured off the field!" Gojo announced dramatically.
Yaga frowned. "What are you talking about? Most of the students were evacuated the moment they were eliminated. Do you even know the rules of this event, Satoru?"
Gojo blinked, slid his blindfold back over his eyes, and laughed sheepishly. "Oh! Right. I was talking about Ren. Yeah! Let's go get Ren!"
Utahime and Yaga shared a look of pure exasperation. Some things, it seemed, would never change.