It's been 5 hours since Saigo first started training. Since then he had been constantly been running around the whole of Jujutsu High in an attempt to build up his stamina as Hagone only cheered him on from the sidelines.
While training, it was obvious Yukiko was stronger than him, but now he truly understood how big the gap between her and Yukiko was. Upon joining the school, your automatically made a grade 4 sorcerer, but after 7 months, some had gotten promoted while others stagnated.
Akumu himself was a grade 4, while Yukiko was an immense talent who had already become a semi-grade 2 sorcerer. Once she would finish her evaluation, she was would become a grade 2, in which only 100 of the 600 students in the school were.
Of course, if she failed, she would be pushed back down to 3, but the chances of that were low.
'I have to get stronger.. so that I can fight him.'
Akumu wasn't only training to beat Yukiko of course, there was someone else he wanted to fight too.
**
Omo Yasei had been reading through the register until he came upon Akumu's name.
"Has anyone seen Saigo this morning?", he asked.
Yet for some odd reason, no one had responded. However, when he noticed that everyone had been staring outside the window for some time, he too decided to check out what all the fuss was about. And as he did so his jaw fell to the ground.
It was a sight that no one could believe, and at the same time he dared not to interfere with. Akumu and Hagone were running outside the central area of the school, but it wasn't what they were doing that terrified them so much but who they were being chased by.
The old lady had been chasing them from late in the night to midday. She did all this while constantly yelling death threats and speaking of the horrors she would do to them if they were caught.
"You can't run for much longer, the second I get my hands back on you two you'll be wishing you trained in hell instead", she threatened.
It was no coincidence that this woman lived just outside the school. She was in fact a former Jujutsu sorcerer and former head of staff of the school. The only reason she had left was due to pressure from higher-ups because of her violent nature, so she now served as an optional physical teacher for the school.
This was a fact that most students who attended knew, apart from Akumu who was fooled by Hagone. Her demonic training regimen was so intense that even the most physically gifted student in their year such as Ken Dojima, quit training under her after only 2 days out of fear for his life.
The cycle of the nightmarish training repeated from the morning to evening and inconsequence the tension of the ranked match between Akumu started Yukiko only increased.
Yukiko herself seemed a little disinterested in his training, but just thinking that he was getting strong enough to beat her, had her a little worried.
'Me? Worried? That can't be..'
Of course, this confidence didn't come from nowhere. Yukiko was also from a family of Jujutsu Sorcerers that was around even further from 100 years ago. Although their influence was nowhere near the 2 great families, they were very competent.
'He can't beat me, I'm sure of it...'
**
Despite having endured this training before, Hagone was already feeling the pressure from it on his body, but Akumu was still roaring to go. Watching him, Hagone felt the need to continue, he didn't want to be left behind.
On the third day, Grandma Zenin forced them to climb a mountain without safety gear, and by the fourth day, they spent it all in the gym, only lifting smaller weights before being quickly forced to lift 100 kilogram weights.
At the end of the first week, he was finally allowed to rest his muscles.
**
Thinking about it now Akumu realized this would be the first night he got to spend in his dorm room. Since that first day, he had been living with Grandma Zenin to carry out his training even in his sleep.
As he opened up the door to room D316 he was met with the sight of a shirtless student swinging a giant sword. The wallpaper in the room was decorated with rips and tears along with the sight of destroyed furniture. Akumu quickly recognized the boy as the blonde-haired one from his class.
'Living with him is going to be painful.. isn't it?'
Upon noticing him enter the room, the foreign boy struck a flamboyant pose before point his great sword at him.
"I already understand what you have to say to me. But I'm sorry as I have already promised my heart Yumeko."
When he opened his eyes however, he was not delighted to realise that he had been talking to a man. Suddenly his stature grew lazier and less refined as he introduced himself properly.
"My name is Arthur Philip James Pendragon the XVI and I'm going to need you to leave.", he said bluntly.
Akumu slowly closed the door and walked away defeated. He was too exhausted from Grandma Zenins's training, and couldn't be bothered to deal with this nonsense. In the end, he spent the night in Hagones single dorm instead.
'That last name sounds familiar though... where did I hear it again??'
**
Early in the morning, Hagone decided to join Akumu in his sprinting session. The two cloud yet again be seen running away from the old demon, as everyone in watched them.
Then suddenly, Owari Gojo teleported in front of the two.
"Oh? Didn't know you were here, granny! I'm need to borrow this guy for a while, you don't mind, right?"
Words were useless, she knew Gojo would take him anyway, but he wouldn't let him do it scot free. She instantly started to sprint towards him at full speeds, but Owari quickly grabbed ahold of Akumu's shoulder before disappearing.
Hagone was left behind stunted, along with all the other students who witnessed the events.
"That Gojo bastard. Not again!"
**
Akumu and Owari reappeared in an empty room surrounded by yellow-stained walls with seemingly no exit. Without wasting time Owari quickly began to talk.
"So I caught track of the rumors that's been hanging around the school recently.."
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO ENTER THE GIRL'S DORMS, I JUST GOT A LITTLE LOST I SWEAR!"
"You did what?"
He had no clue about what else Akumu did, but he quickly grew disinterested.
"It's to my knowledge that your going to get your ass kicked in 3 weeks, so I'm going to help prevent that."
"But why? I've already been training with Granny Zenin."
Owari tilted his head as if the answer was very obvious. He then teleported out of the room, leaving Akumu by himself for a few moments, before returning back with a wooden chair. He sat on it feeling relaxed, before explaining.
"Did you forget already? The stronger you get, the sooner Senjuro will make his next appearance. If you beat a semi-grade 2 sorcerer, 1 month after you started attending, that guy might make a move. And besides, that granny can't help you with cursed energy due to her circumstances. Who else would rather teach you about cursed energy, apart from Japan's strongest sorcerer?"
Owari's reasoning made sense, so Akumu decided to trust his judgement.
"Anyway, Saigo. You wouldn't happen to have an Innate Technique would you?"
Akumu couldn't even use Cursed Techniques until that incident. But things had changed now, and he had his Dark whips.
"It's these things aren't they?"
He raised a hand allowing for a dark tentacle to protrude out of it. Owari then started at it briefly before saying,
"That's not an Innate Technique."
Akumu was stunted from the sudden news, but then he continued.
"It is simply the nature of your cursed energy."
"What?"
He then explained in more detail,
"Cursed energy is like electricity. It can't do much by itself, but it can do amazing things like power Cursed Techniques, or enhance the body beyond its own ability. Your cursed energy on the other hand, is fundamentally different to everyone else's. Although you can do everything else like normal cursed energy, yours on its own takes a unique shape, that being those dark whips or whatever you call them. Curse energy outside the norm are considered cursed energy traits. Think of them as a rare mutation of cursed energy."
The barrage of information made Akumu's head spin.
"Still though it is really rare. Your the only student in the school who has one to my knowledge. That makes you special kid."
He was being complimented by the strongest sorcerer.. that had to account for something right? but something was wrong... if this was the nature of his Cursed Energy.. then why is it like this? It was normal before, at least 7 months ago... did Senjuro do something to him?
"Anyhow, when it comes to an Innate Technique, you probably don't have one. Your either born with it or your not, and the fact you haven't shown it yet means your likely the latter."
He was disappointed. An Innate Technique made up for 80% of a sorcerers potential. This meant that Akumu would 5 times weaker than a Sorcerer at his level.
'Then that simply means, I have to train 5 times as hard.'
Owari then continued,
"Of course, that doesn't mean all hope is lost. Just because you don't have an Innate technique, doesn't mean your completely shut out from operating cursed techniques. I'm going to teach you a technique that only half the student's in your year have managed to grasp!"