Gojo and Yuta strolled through the quiet corridors of the Jujutsu High grounds, their steps echoing faintly.
Yuta tilted his head toward Gojo, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"Where exactly are we going, Gojo-sensei?"
Gojo's trademark grin widened as he placed a hand on Yuta's shoulder.
"You'll see, Yuta-kun. Consider this a little reward after last night."
Before Yuta could respond, the world around them shifted.
The familiar scenery of the school grounds vanished in an instant, replaced by the dim, expansive interior of what appeared to be a vast warehouse.
Rows upon rows of racks stretched into the shadows, each filled with an incredible assortment of ancient weapons, armor, and tools.
"Welcome to the warehouse where all Cursed Tools and Cursed Objects are stored. For obvious reasons, this place is kept hidden and only the school faculty know of this location."
Gojo said with a flourish, gesturing around them.
Yuta's eyes widened as he took in the sight before him.
Swords, polearms, blades of all shapes and sizes, and armor adorned the racks in gleaming, menacing displays.
He approached one shelf, his fingers tracing the intricate designs carved into the hilt of a katana.
The atmosphere was heavy, as though each tool carried the lingering echoes of its dark past.
"This is so cool."
Yuta murmured, glancing at Gojo.
Gojo nodded, leaning against one of the racks casually.
"Pretty impressive, huh? The craftsmanship on some of these tools is legendary. Most are them are brand new actually, but only a few of these tools are from the past."
Yuta noticing something peculiar.
"There's something missing here, though. Where's the modern equipment? Guns, bombs, stuff like that?"
Gojo chuckled and waved a hand dismissively.
"You can blame the higher-ups for that. They're old-fashioned and hate adapting to modern times. Something about 'tradition' and 'the purity of ancient methods.'"
"Figures."
Yuta said, shaking his head.
He looked around again, the glint of steel reflecting in his eyes.
"So... why are we here, exactly?"
Gojo pushed off the rack and sauntered toward him.
"Remember how we first met?"
Yuta raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.
"Yeah. I remember it like it was yesterday."
XXX
One year ago.
The moon hung high in the night sky, bathing the cemetery in an eerie silver glow.
Yuta stood amidst the gravestones, a poorly-made katana gripped tightly in his hand.
The air was thick with the stench of decay, but the faint whispers of curses had faded into silence.
Before him lay the remains of a monstrous Cursed Spirit that fed on corpses.
Its grotesque form disintegrated as Rika devoured the last remnants of its body.
"That's enough, Rika-chan."
Yuta said softly.
The monstrous spirit turned to him, her one glowing red eye softening as she spoke.
"Yuta..."
"Let's go home. I'm hungry for ramen."
He said, sheathing his katana.
Rika dissolved into black particles and disappeared into the ring on Yuta's finger.
Just as he turned to leave the cemetery, a voice echoed from above.
"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all."
Startled, Yuta spun around, his eyes narrowing.
He spotted a figure floating high in the sky, silhouetted against the glowing moon.
The man's presence was overwhelming, yet he radiated an air of carefree ease.
"Who's the fuck-?"
Yuta demanded, but he paused.
The figure descended gracefully, landing a few feet away.
As he stepped into the moonlight, Yuta recognized the white hair and distinctive blindfold.
"Wait a second... You're... Gojo Satoru?"
Yuta muttered.
Gojo grinned, tilting his head slightly.
"Bingo. And you must be Yuta Okkotsu. I've been keeping an eye on you."
Yuta raised an eyebrow.
"What do you want?"
Ignoring his question, Gojo's gaze shifted briefly to Yuta's ring.
"So that's Rika-chan, huh? She seems... nice."
"That's sounds rude."
He said flatly, his tone dripping with annoyance.
Gojo raised his hands in mock apology, chuckling.
"My bad, my bad. No offense. I'm just impressed. You've got talent, Yuta-kun. Real potential."
Yuta crossed his arms, his guard still up.
"Okay. And? What do you want from me?"
Gojo's grin widened, and he asked.
"How'd you like to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer?"
XXX
"Then I agreed and you straight up insulted my makeshift katana, which took me four months to forge after learning under a blacksmith."
Gojo laughed heartily, clapping him on the back.
"Okay, enough reminiscing! We're here because I think it's time for you to pick out a new weapon. Something special."
Yuta raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"A new weapon, huh?"
Gojo nodded, gesturing toward the rows of cursed tools.
"Something that suits you. Take your time, Yuta-kun. Choose wisely."
Yuta stepped forward, his eyes scanning the countless weapons, especially the swords.
Yuta wandered through the rows of cursed tools, each one more fascinating than the last.
He picked up a sword with flames rippling along its edge, but as he gave it a swing, the sword ignited, but it didn't feel right in his hands.
Next, he tried a katana with an eerie, pulsating aura that promised to induce bleeding with every cut.
It, too, didn't feel right in his hands.
Finally, he tested a shapeshifting blade that flowed like liquid metal, morphing in his grip.
But even that didn't feel right in his hands.
Sighing, Yuta set the sword back onto its rack.
None of these were quite right.
He continued to explore deeper into the warehouse, the light dimming slightly as he ventured into a more secluded section.
That's when he saw it.
A glass case at the far end, housing a single, distinctive sword.
It was a broad katana, its blade longer and slightly wider than average, and the guard was wrapped in white fur.
Yuta felt it immediately, a pull, as though the blade was calling out to him.
"Sensei."
Yuta called out, his voice echoing softly.
Gojo appeared from behind a nearby rack, his hands in his pockets.
"Find something you like?"
Yuta gestured to the glass case.
"What does this one do?"
Gojo stepped closer, his expression shifting.
For once, his perpetual grin faded, replaced by a momentary flicker of something unreadable.
Gojo was silent.
Yuta tilted his head.
"Gojo-sensei?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Gojo resumed his usual demeanor.
"That's the Split Soul Katana. It's a special-grade cursed tool, one of the very few Special-Grade Cursed Tools in existence. Its edge bypasses all physical resistance and cuts directly at the soul."
Yuta's eyes widened slightly.
"Cuts the soul, huh?"
"Yup."
Gojo said, folding his arms.
Yuta stared at the sword for a moment, then reached out and opened the glass case.
As his fingers wrapped around the hilt, a sense of familiarity surged through him.
The connection was immediate, like the blade acknowledges him.
Yuta gave it a tentative swing, and the motion felt effortless, natural, as though the blade moved on its own.
Turning back to the glass case, he swung again.
The katana sliced cleanly through the case, splitting it perfectly in half without so much as a sound of shattering glass.
Gojo chuckled.
"Well, that's one way to test it."
Yuta smiled faintly, holding the katana in both hands.
"This is the one. It's perfect."
Gojo nodded, hands on his hips.
"Good choice. Better here in your hands than sitting around collecting dust, don't you think?"
Yuta sheathed the katana, its weight feeling right at his side.
"Yeah. Thanks, Sensei."
"Don't mention it. Now, let's head back. The others are probably dying from boredom at the moment."
Gojo said, gesturing toward the warehouse entrance.
With that, the two left the warehouse, the Split Soul Katana is stored inside Yuta's ring as they made their way back to the classroom.
XXX
In one of the classrooms of Jujutsu High, Gojo and Yuta stepped in, and immediately, chaos ensued.
Panda and Toge launched themselves at Yuta, both comically dramatic in their reactions.
"YUUUTAAAA!"
Panda yelled, gripping Yuta's shoulders with comical despair.
"Are you okay? Are you expelled? Or worse, executed?! You can't die yet! You have so much to live for!"
Tears of exaggeration flowed as he shook Yuta back and forth.
Toge joined in, his expression genuinely concerned as he muttered.
"Bonito flakes."
Yuta chuckled, gently patting Panda's paws.
"Relax, guys. I'm fine. It was just a bunch of grumpy old men just giving me the slap on the wrist. Nothing to worry about."
Hearing his calm response, Panda wiped his non-existent tears away with a paw.
"Oh, thank goodness. I thought we were gonna lose you!"
Yuta's gaze shifted to the doorway, where Maki stood, arms crossed, leaning against the frame.
Her face betrayed no emotion, but her eyes were sharp.
"Good to see you're alive, Okkutsu."
She said, her tone flat.
Without waiting for a reply, she turned on her heel and walked back to her desk.
Yuta grinned at her retreating figure and greeted kindly.
"Good morning to you too, Maki-san."
As she sat down, Panda leaned closer to Yuta and whispered conspiratorially.
"Don't let her fool you. She was the one who was the most worried about you!"
Toge nodded in agreement, adding.
"Salmon."
Unfortunately for them, Maki's sharp ears caught every word.
Her face turned slightly red, and she snapped.
"Shut up, you two!"
Panda raised his paws in surrender, while Toge simply shrugged with a nonchalant
"Kelp."
Gojo wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.
"Ah, it's so heartwarming to see how much you all care about your new classmate. I'm so proud!"
The moment was interrupted as Gojo clapped his hands loudly, silencing the room.
"But enough of the mushy stuff. I've got an announcement!"
The students took their seats, their attention reluctantly shifting to their eccentric sensei.
Gojo dramatically spun toward the blackboard, picking up a chalk.
"For today's activity, we're going to have…"
He paused for effect, waving his hand
"Drumroll, please!"
Yuta immediately began tapping a steady beat on his desk, causing everyone to give him a side-eye glance.
Gojo wrote in bold letters on the board.
Three vs. One: Maki-chan, Toge-kun, and Panda vs. Yuta-kun.
The room fell silent.
Panda scratched his head, Toge tilted his, and Maki stared at the board with narrowed eyes.
Yuta raised his hand with a smile.
"Gojo-sensei, isn't this a bit unfair?"
Panda nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah! Yuta's at a disadvantage here, right?"
Gojo grinned devilishly.
"Oh, no, no, no. It's not unfair for Yuta-kun. It's unfair for you three. You'd need a hundred more of you to even make Yuta-kun break a sweat."
Yuta chuckled, shaking his head.
"That's actually what I was going to say. I also wanted to know if I should have a handicap or not."
Maki slammed her hand on her desk, her eyes burning with determination.
"Is that so?!"
She demanded, standing up.
"Special Grade or not, grades mean nothing in a real battle. I'll show you what I can do!"
Panda nodded, excitement lighting up his face.
"I've been curious about how you fight, Yuta. You and Maki were pretty vague about what happened last night. Time to see it firsthand!"
Toge's eyes gleamed as he clenched his fists.
"Salmon!"
Gojo clapped his hands again.
"Well, that settles it! Suit up and meet me at the track field in ten minutes. Oh, and remember, this is just training, so try not to kill each other. Too much paperwork if any of you did die."
Yuta smiled, watching his classmates rush out to prepare.
He stood calmly, his mind already strategizing.
"This'll be fun."
He mused aloud.
As he followed them, he thought with a faint grin.
(Let's see how they react when they realize they don't stand a chance.)
XXX
Hello readers!
Power Stones are required for new chapters.
Thank you everyone and see you later!