"Sparring? With who?"
Geto asked warily. Zoro answered casually.
"One of you, or dad."
A one-on-many fight was a bit bothersome. It didn't exactly fit his current goal of testing his power.
"Father... you mean to spar with that gorilla?!"
Surprised, Geto exclaimed without his usual respectful address for a teacher.
"No. You'll get hurt, Zoro."
"I won't."
Zoro stated calmly.
Though still physically young, his Armament Haki was different. As long as he didn't delay in coating his entire body with it, he was confident he could withstand most attacks without taking damage.
Even if it was from Toji, Geto, or Satoru.
'I'm not sure about that purple technique.'
Unlike Toji and Geto, Satoru's attacks had a very high destructive power. Especially that purple technique, Zoro wasn't sure if his Armament Haki could fully defend against it.
But that didn't mean he intended to avoid sparring with Satoru.
...
Gojo remained silent, unusually quiet compared to his typically playful demeanor. Instead of Gojo, who was quietly observing Zoro with an inscrutable look, Geto tried to reason with Zoro.
"Look, Zoro. Sparring isn't real fighting, but it's rough. It can be very tough, and you can get hurt."
"I know. It's not my first time."
"Not your first... Teacher!"
Geto glared at Toji with burning eyes.
"Even if we, as active sorcerers, do it, I don't think it's right to train your son in the same manner."
That's child abuse.
Toji, met with Geto's sharp gaze, looked back at him askance. He was incredulous and frustrated, but most of all, he found it ridiculous.
"You know nothing."
He thought, if Toji and Zoro sparred, who would end up getting beaten wasn't clear to someone making such comments.
In most spars between Zoro and Toji, Toji was the one who ended up taking hits. Of course, there hadn't been a time when Toji went all out with the intention of truly hurting Zoro...
'...But the same could be said for Zoro.'
Ignoring Geto, Toji looked down at Zoro.
"Are you going to use it?"
Though the question was vague, Zoro understood it was about Haki and responded.
"Yeah."
"Just spar with me."
"You said no."
"It's better than with one of those guys."
Revealing his Haki was one thing, but the thought of how those two would react was already giving him a headache. However, Zoro shook his head.
"I think it's better to do it with one of those two this time, not dad."
What Zoro wanted to understand was the relationship between Haki and Juryoku (cursed energy). Thus, it would be better if his opponent also used Juryoku. Though Toji used cursed tools, there's a clear difference between the Juryoku of a sorcerer and the Juryoku in cursed tools.
Noticing Zoro's intention to spar with someone who uses Juryoku, Toji's expression hardened a bit.
"Should I spar with you after that?"
"...Forget it. Why bother?"
It's frustrating, but inevitable. Zenin Toji couldn't handle Juryoku. In exchange, he acquired superhuman physical abilities. So, there was nothing he could teach his son about Juryoku.
...Bitter taste.
"Sorry."
"No need to apologize."
Zoro, checking the condition of his sword, said,
"I'll let it go this time, but next time I spar with you, it'll be for real."
...
That's not what I meant.
Toji sighed. He had wanted to keep the existence of Haki a secret as long as possible, but it seemed impossible now.
There was a hint of regret.
'Maybe I should've told that Gojo guy earlier.'
Then perhaps they wouldn't have fought.
Opposing the spar now, Toji knew he couldn't win against Zoro. Being the father, he knew his eldest son's temperament well. Once Zoro decided something, he hardly ever went back on it, even if the family opposed.
"You're too reckless."
"And you?"
"I've always fought only battles I knew I'd win."
Even during his days as a sorcerer killer, he never took on jobs that seemed too troublesome or paid too little for the effort.
But as with many parents and children, Zoro was quite different from Toji.
Seeing those lively gray eyes for the first time in a while, Toji crouched down to meet Zoro's gaze.
"Don't reveal everything."
"Yeah."
He couldn't, even if he wanted to. He wasn't skilled in Three Sword Style or capable of using Conqueror's Haki yet.
"Don't get hurt."
"..."
"Answer me. Promise you'll be a round, healthy 'marimo' after the spar. Don't end up flattened."
"I'm not a marimo, okay?"
"Alright, Zoro."
Zoro just shook his head. He couldn't promise not to get hurt.
That wasn't something Zoro could decide on his own will.
Zoro glanced at Gojo. Though he seemed expressionless and silent, his Observation Haki read the turmoil inside him.
Under his rationality and self-control, he was on the verge of erupting.
Vivid excitement and fighting spirit.
"..."
Gojo seemed a better choice than Suguru.
"Satoru."
With determination, Zoro called out to Gojo, who was casually sitting with his legs loosely folded. Gojo met Zoro's gaze and chuckled.
"Ha... Really wanna spar with me? Why?"
"Because it seems like dad and Suguru don't really want to."
There's no need to force someone who doesn't want to fight into combat. Zoro likes battles, not slaughter, oppression, or torment.
Right now, the person with the most fighting spirit here was Gojo.
"You think I'd want to spar with a brat like you?"
"Yeah."
"...Don't know what makes you so sure."
But Gojo couldn't deny it.
Because he's a child, a subject of protection, the son of a gorilla. For several reasons, he had been avoiding confrontation with someone who now was asking for a spar himself.
If he didn't accept now, who knew how many years he'd have to wait before seeing that kid's strength?
Gojo glanced at Toji. His expression screamed headache, but he didn't seem like he would interfere or stop them.
He then stood up briskly and exclaimed cheerfully.
"Alright! Let's spar with me!"
"Satoru!"
"Spar, Suguru. You think I can't control my strength?"
Gojo, unable to hide his excitement, exaggeratedly swung his arms around to loosen up.
"Get ready, marimo. I'll avenge the grudge I have against the gorilla!"
"Why are you taking out your grudge on my son for something you faced?"
"Heh, the one who asked for the spar is your son, professor."
"...Cross the line, and I'll kill you with everything I've got."
"Yeah, yeah."
Geto yelled incredulously at Toji.
"Professor! You're really not going to stop them?"
"Can't stop them."
Zoro doesn't listen to people, and he especially dislikes being interrupted in a fight. So, once Zoro has made up his mind to fight, there's virtually no way for Toji to stop him. Maybe if he grabbed Zoro and ran away right now?
If it were a life-or-death battle, Toji might have carried Zoro off, regardless of being despised, but this was a spar. Sparring with Gojo would be highly beneficial for Zoro.
More importantly…
'Win or lose,'
Zoro wouldn't just be overpowered.
"Ugh."
Toji spit out the Weapon Storage Spirit. Then, from the swollen mouth of the spirit, he pulled out a katana-shaped cursed tool.
It wasn't a cursed tool with a technique or a high grade, just a simple katana with only pure cursed energy infused, a grade 2 cursed tool. It could have been a Special Grade if it had as much cursed energy as Split Soul Katana, but it wasn't, so it remained a grade 2 tool.
Zoro handed over the ordinary katana he usually carried. Toji took it and gave Zoro the katana cursed tool.
"Be careful."
"Yeah."
"Try to land a hit if you can."
Zoro nodded.
Geto placed his hand on Gojo's shoulder and seriously said,
"Satoru, you can't hurt him. He's just a child, only 6 years old. Don't think of it as fighting, think of it as playing with him. Be gentle with everything."
"I got it."
"Don't do it, or your already precarious humanity will cross an irretrievable river."
"Ah?!"
Toji took out his phone and called Shoko. No matter how the match went, she would be needed.
Ssshh.
Zoro drew the two swords he had tied to his waist. He held the Wado Ichimonji in his left hand and the cursed tool in his right.
Zoro raised the cursed tool in front of his face to inspect it closely.
'As expected, it feels different from a normal sword.'
Blue and dark energy enveloped the entire sword. Even without Observation Haki, any swordsman would notice.
This sword was not ordinary.
Swish. Zoro swung the sword through the air. Watching this, Gojo made a sound,
"You use two swords?"
"Technically three."
But he wasn't going to use that technique now. Unless his life was in danger, he promised Toji he wouldn't use Three-Sword Style.
Gojo made a puzzled face,
"How do you use the third sword?"
"I hold it in my mouth."
"...Is this a circus? How do you balance with such a method?"
It should be impossible for a human to have the jaw strength to swing a sword, and even if possible, the sword held in the mouth would interfere with the trajectory of the other two swords.
"You fight in a funny way."
Zoro didn't mind Gojo's comment. It was a reaction he often saw from those who faced him in his previous life.
Of course, their reaction changed after experiencing the Three-Sword Style firsthand.
Zoro just smiled lightly.
"Too bad I can't show you now."
It would have definitely been more fun if he could.
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