Is Nanami Kento weak?
The answer is, no, he's not weak at all.
In fact, he's very strong, but every jujutsu sorcerer has their strengths and weaknesses. When facing different curse users or cursed spirits, each person must handle the situation differently. Everyone has their areas of expertise and areas they fall short. Unfortunately for Nanami, this time, he encountered his weak spot.
Shikami's technique and attacks perfectly countered Nanami's abilities, so it was only natural that he struggled when faced with two special-grade curses and a Grade 1 curse user alone.
Just as Mahito was about to complete his Idle Transfiguration, with Nanami closing his eyes, a powerful burst of cursed energy arrived.
"Whoosh!"
Hayashi appeared in a flash, slashing off Mahito's wrist with one strike. Before Mahito could even react, Hayashi kicked him hard in the stomach.
Mahito crashed into the wall, wounded from the impact of Hayashi's Blue Black Flash.
"Who is this?" Shikami frowned. The speed of the sudden attack was unbelievable. In the blink of an eye, Mahito had been sent flying.
"I'm the one here to kill you." Hayashi spun his black-steel sword, cutting through the fur that was binding Nanami Kento.
From the moment Shikami appeared, Hayashi had decided against using his domain. He knew that his domain couldn't possibly defeat two special-grade curse users, especially Shikami, whose strength and abilities were still unknown.
If he recklessly used his domain and allowed both of them to escape, Suguru Geto and the others would definitely come up with new plans to deal with him, something Hayashi wanted to avoid.
Moreover, Mahito had a high growth potential. If Hayashi dragged him into his domain and Mahito had an epiphany, he could quickly learn to use a domain of his own. Even without that, trapping Shikami in the domain wasn't a good idea. In short, today was not the day to use a domain expansion.
Once Nanami was rescued, both he and Hayashi retreated a few steps, giving themselves some distance from the enemy. Only now did everyone get a clear look at what had just arrived.
Covered in radiant blue armor, Hayashi's face was obscured, and he looked like an ancient war god, imposing and full of power.
"Hayashi!"
Mahito jumped out of the wall, his malevolent eyes glaring at Hayashi with intense excitement and a desire to transform him.
"It seems you've already learned about me. Well, with your intelligence and strength, it would be laughable if you hadn't figured out who I am by now." Hayashi wasn't surprised. From the moment he encountered the four special-grade curses, the future had already been altered, and his identity was exposed.
What Hayashi hadn't expected was that even after using his cursed energy armor, they still recognized him. That meant Mahito had learned about him from another source.
Still, Hayashi was certain no one knew about his domain expansion ability, but even that couldn't be guaranteed.
"Hayashi... Are you Gojo Satoru's student?" Nanami Kento, having regained his composure, was surprised to be rescued by a younger sorcerer. "Thank you for earlier."
"No need to thank me, Nanami-senpai. There are still many things I'll need your help with in the future. You can't die in a place like this. If you're going to die, at least go out in a blaze of glory," Hayashi said, feeling an unexpected sense of familiarity with Nanami, despite never having met him before.
"As expected of Gojo's student. I have some questions for you, but let's deal with these guys first." Nanami did have questions, especially since Hayashi had appeared so suddenly.
Hayashi no longer cared about whether or not he was exposing his abilities. If he had no domain, keeping a low profile would be wise, but now that he had a method to defend himself, there was no need to hide when it mattered.
"Mahito, is this Hayashi?" Shikami shot Mahito a sideways glance. Naturally, he had heard of Hayashi before. Facing four special grades without flinching and, according to what Jogo had mentioned, their entire future plan had been altered to include Hayashi on their hit list.
Hayashi's sudden appearance was surprising. No one really knew the full extent of his abilities, which made them wary. Based on the information gathered from Tokyo, it seemed that Hayashi had a good understanding of their group.
In response, they had held a meeting and agreed to adjust their plans for Gojo, expanding their influence and recruiting more intelligent and ambitious special-grade and Grade 1 curse users.
Shikami was a special-grade curse user who had emerged from the mountains. Normally aloof and unruly, he hadn't fully submitted to Mahito's group, but their shared goal of defeating Gojo united them.
Both Itadori Yuji and Hayashi were considered major threats that needed to be dealt with.
Itadori, however, had a different purpose for them. As for Hayashi, they planned to eliminate him at the first opportunity.
Now that Hayashi had shown up, Mahito, despite his eagerness, remained calm. He knew this wasn't the best time to deal with Hayashi. Even with Shikami and the Grade 1 curse present, they had no sure way to contain him.
The main issue was that Hayashi had a peculiar teleportation ability. Even Jogo couldn't catch him, and Mahito knew he wouldn't be able to either.
"Obviously. We already gave you a basic description of him, didn't we?" Mahito shook his wrist, and his severed hand began regenerating.
"So, what are we waiting for? We need to deal with this kid. Either take him back, or we can have 'Corrupt Brain' handle him. He might know something we need," Shikami said, stepping forward. He knew about Hayashi, but this was their first encounter. Hayashi's strangeness was apparent, especially his cursed armor, which explained quite a bit.
"Do you have a way to capture him?" Mahito asked expectantly, looking at Shikami.
"What's so difficult about that? He's just a wounded Grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer with a brat. Even if he's odd, he's still just a kid." Shikami took a few steps forward, ready to attack.
"Don't be so hasty, Deerhead," Hayashi said nonchalantly, turning his gaze to Mahito. "I've already told you, one of us has to die. I imagine that message has reached you by now. Still, I didn't expect you guys to move so quickly, gathering forces and aiming to take us all out in one swoop."
Nanami, while keeping an eye on the enemies, was also observing Hayashi. This student of Gojo Satoru was indeed extraordinary, with a unique bloodline and talent. And despite the danger posed by two special-grade curses, he remained calm.
From the conversation between Hayashi and Mahito, it was clear they knew each other. Hayashi seemed to be aware of many of their secrets.
"Did you just call me Deerhead? You're dead!" Shikami, not waiting for Mahito to respond, swung his arm toward Hayashi. The dense fur on his back shot out, merging together and transforming into hard, steel-like spikes aimed directly at Hayashi.
"I told you to calm down, didn't I? Why won't you listen?" Hayashi's gaze sharpened as he raised his black-steel sword, channeling powerful cursed energy. He swung the sword down, striking at the oncoming spikes.
"Black Steel Blue Black Flash, power doubled!"
[Random multiplier triggered: Power doubled × 8]
A massive wave of cursed energy surged forward, crashing into Shikami's spikes. The immense force shattered the steel-like fur, scattering it across the ground.
"This cursed energy..." Nanami Kento watched in awe. The sheer intensity of Hayashi's cursed energy far surpassed his own. How had Hayashi developed such immense power?
Where had Gojo Satoru found this student? This was beyond anything Nanami could have imagined. Was there some hidden truth behind Hayashi's abilities?