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CHAPTER START---
---June 9th, 2014, 8 AM…
"What, so I'm stuck?" Taiyo asks.
He and Kusakabe were sitting in the dining hall with Ino and Panda.
Within the large hall were a sparse few students and Managers, along with Gojo, Nanami, and Shoko -the school medic, and Taiyo's RCT teacher-, eating with Principal Yaga at the other end of the room.
"It's not that you're stuck forever," Kusakabe says. "This is just how it is with Jujutsu. Ino, explain."
Ino quickly swallows his mouthful of rice and turns to Taiyo.
"Think about it like this, progress as a sorcerer is non-linear," he says. "Instead of a long hill that you can slowly climb, it's an almost flat road with a bunch of walls along it. Sorcerers are born with about 80% of their potential unlocked, which is your Innate Technique.
Everything else can be trained, but can only take you so far. That's why Kusakabe-Sensei is the only person above Grade 3 with no Innate Technique, it takes a lot to make up the difference."
"So I'm at a wall and need to break through it," Taiyo says.
"I would climb over it," Panda remarks, munching on some fish. "Pandas are good at climbing."
"You can't take shortcuts," Kusakabe says, then thinks about it for a moment. "Actually, you can."
Ino and Taiyo look at him curiously.
"Not you Ino, just this one," Kusakabe clarifies. "Since your… 'hyper intuition'?"
"Sure," Taiyo says.
"Right, well, since it lets you get the answer, then leaves you to reverse engineer it if you want to use it again, then you only need to make a small hole for the entire wall to collapse."
"I see, so the situation would give me the tool, instead of me preparing the tool beforehand."
Kusakabe snaps his finger, "Exactly."
Ino raises his hand.
"This isn't a classroom," Kusakabe says.
"Right, but, isn't that…kind of unfair?"
"Jujutsu is fair, but not all people are created equally. Besides, he's Special Grade. They're all freaks and abominations."
"Thanks a lot, sensei," Taiyo rolls his eyes. "So now all I can do is continuously improve my efficiency and understanding, and also work on my Barriers to get my Domain Expansion."
"Most of which I can't help you with," Kusakabe says. "The only thing I have that I haven't taught you is the New Shadow Style techniques, but unless you join the school, I can't share those."
"So I'm waiting for a breakthrough," Taiyo leans forward on his elbows and holds his head. "Sometimes I really wish Jujutsu had a manual."
"It does," Ino says. "If you marry into one of those clans, maybe accept an offer from the big clans."
"Tch, as if I'd ever do that," Taiyo scoffs at the idea. "Besides, they're only useful if I have a known Innate Technique. Immolation is new."
As they continue chatting, Kusakabe sees Principal Yaga and the others get up to leave, and the man signals him to join them.
"I need to get to the meeting. Try not to spend all day sulking," he says before leaving the students, and Panda.
He and many of the other Managers and adults left, then Ino leaned over to Taiyo.
"Any idea of what the meeting is about?"
"How the hell would I know?" Taiyo asks. "And you've been here longer anyway, wouldn't they tell you?"
"I'm only Grade 3," Ino says. "I figured a Special Grade would be told, especially since you've been going on solo missions for a while now."
"Trusting me to punch and burn things, and trusting me with their secrets, aren't the same thing," Taiyo says. "It's probably nothing major anyway, and even if it is, Gojo exists."
"Yeah, Nanami hates working overtime, so I hope you're right," Ino says, then looks over to Panda. "Did Principal Yaga mention anything about it, Panda?"
Panda looked over to see both the boys staring up at him, since he was larger than them.
"Dad said something about Curse Users teaming up, but I didn't hear much more than that."
"Teaming up? I thought they all split up to hide from Gojo," Ino says.
"They did, about…" Panda thinks for a moment. "18 years ago."
"18?" Taiyo doesn't look convinced. "He would have been 6."
"That's what my family says too," Ino says. "We aren't a clan or anything, but we've had Jujutsu Sorcerers for a while, and apparently when Gojo was a kid, someone put a bounty on his head, but all the assassins got scared and went into hiding, then most other Curse Users did the same thing."
"Seriously?"
"Well, it makes sense that you aren't that convinced since you're Special Grade too, and you even managed to hit him."
"And broke my hand against his face," Taiyo reminds them, and both Ino and Panda laugh as they remember the video.
"Yeah, and laid on the ground drooling," Ino says as they laugh even louder.
"Yeah, well, it won't go like that again. I'll be ready for the Goodwill Event," Taiyo says.
"Or you'll get punched once and wake up a week later."
"I won't."
"Sure, sure," Ino finishes his food quickly, then gives Taiyo a curious look. "How come Unlimited Void didn't like…kill you?"
"It wouldn't have killed me," Taiyo says. "He exposed me to it for like, one-hundredth of a second, I would have been awake within a few minutes. But I woke up a lot faster than they expected because it affects the soul."
"The soul?" Ino asks, not sure what Taiyo means. "I thought it just uploads a lot of stuff to your brain."
"Yeah, that's what I heard," Panda says.
"It does, but Gojo explained it to me a while ago. It does that but also does the same thing to your soul, because Gojo can see the soul and is aware of it, causing you to freeze up on every level, but if your soul recovers, so will your body. Apparently the soul moves first, and the body follows," Taiyo shrugs, still not quite sure what Gojo meant as he's still studying his souls.
"Huh, so that means your soul is special then, right?" Ino asks.
Taiyo shrugs, "Special Grade, I guess…"
---1 Hour Later…
"This is just embarrassing," Ino says as he catches his breath.
He and Taiyo were standing in one of the many training fields, but while Ino was hunched over, holding onto his knees and panting through his ski mask, Taiyo had a blindfold over his eyes and was standing casually.
"Stop talking," Taiyo says. "I need to use only my ability to sense your Cursed Energy to fight you. If you're talking, it ruins that."
"Yeah, well, you try getting embarrassed by your junior and see how it feels."
"It could happen one day."
It would not.
Off to the side, Panda was watching the duo while eating a large bowl of fruit.
"Use your nose!" Panda calls out. "Smell where he is and punch him!"
"Thank you, Panda," Taiyo says as he shakes his head, used to Panda's antics.
After catching his breath, Ino slowly and silently walks around Taiyo, getting behind him before rushing in.
Taiyo senses Cursed Energy behind him and steps to the side, dodging a kick to his back.
He then raises his hand and slaps away a fist launched at his face, then steps back as Ino tries to sweep his legs.
Ino grits his teeth and enhances both his arms, launching two quick punches, only for Taiyo to reach up and catch both fists.
Taiyo's fists feel like reinforced steel would to a regular person, and then he gently pushes Ino back.
"I'm going on the offensive now," Taiyo says as he focuses on Ino's Cursed Energy intensely.
And in response, Ino tries his best to reduce his Cursed Energy as much as he can.
Taiyo then advances toward Ino, and the boy finds himself struggling to dodge each attack.
There wasn't much power in any of the attacks, less than a regular person can muster.
Taiyo was more focused on sensing Cursed Energy than enhancing himself, but Ino still struggled as he couldn't use the same trick.
'He's gotten this much better already,' Ino thinks, sensing equal amounts of Cursed Energy spread across Taiyo's body.
He was so used to Sorcerers enhancing themselves before striking that it became second nature to sense where the attack was coming from before they moved, but now he had to rely on experience and basic senses to fight Taiyo.
'Special Grade or not, I can't get left behind by my junior,' Ino thinks as he increases his speed while suppressing his Cursed Energy. 'It's my duty as a 2nd year…'
In a flash, Taiyo reaches out and grabs Ino's shoulder, "You lost focus and your Cursed Energy flared up."
"Well, how about this?" Ino pushes his hand away and leaps back, then activates his Innate Technique.
His Innate Technique, Auspicious Beasts Summon, is a version of seance incarnation, allowing him to use his body as a medium for the abilities of mythic beasts, but only when wearing a mask.
"Kaichi!" Ino thrusts both hands forward and manifests the black and gold spiral-patterned horn.
It spins rapidly and then shoots forward like a bullet.
Taiyo senses it clearly and moves his hand to intercept it, and a moment before it hits, he uses Domain Amplification to catch it.
The horn crashes into the layer of Cursed Energy on his palm, causing blueish-purple sparks of Cursed Energy to flicker to life as the attack is nullified.
"Wow," Ino says as he takes off his mask. "Is that what you used to push through Infinity?"
"Well, I didn't get through it, but yeah, this is Domain Amplification," Taiyo says as he removes his blindfold.
"Nanami-Sensei says he doesn't have that, but he really likes that video of you punching Gojo."
"Normally, you need a Domain Expansion before you can use Domain Amplification. Well, that's not really a rule, but it's easy to learn it that way."
"How does it work?"
"Well, when you create a Domain Expansion, you remove your Innate Technique from yourself and place it within the Barrier of the Domain. Then, when the Barrier breaks, your Innate Technique returns to you, but your brain needs time to cool down after the process, so you can't use it for a while after."
"Okay, I'm following."
"Good, so think of Domain Amplification like the Domain Expansion Barrier, but instead of an Innate Technique, it's empty. So when someone hits it with an Innate Technique, it absorbs it."
"Ahh, so that's why you can't use an Innate Technique and Domain Amplification at once, because your Innate Technique would just get absorbed by it."
"Yeah, and I think Domain Expansion is Domain Amplification plus the Innate Technique, but I'm not sure how to blend them yet," Taiyo says. "It's like mixing paper and fire without burning the paper."
"Uh, yeah, I definitely can't help you with that," Ino says. "My Innate Technique is inherited, but we've never had anyone use a Domain Expansion from it."
"Well, there goes my attempt at befriending a major clan," Taiyo says jokingly.
"Well, I do have an older sis—"
"—No thanks," Taiyo thinks about it for a moment, then looks over at Ino. "Is she a sorcerer too?"
"No, but she is a Window."
"Then no thanks," Taiyo says as they both begin walking over to Panda. "I really need to break through to the next level. I don't even have four months left."
"Or you could back out," Ino suggests. "I mean, it is a friendly match, right?"
"As friendly as a title match between two Special Grades can get."
Panda then speaks up, "Are you really Special Grade level if you don't have a Domain Expansion?"
"Tch, I'm working on it," Taiyo says. "I'll be ready by the time the Goodwill Event is here."
"Oh yeah, speaking of the Sister School Goodwill Event, are you competing in that or just showing up after for the fight?"
"Why would I ever compete in that?" Taiyo asks Ino. "Isn't it just for people with limited connections to show off and get promoted?"
Ino's shoulders slump, "Well, you don't have to say it like that, but yeah. It's in Kyoto this year since they won last year. We got crushed last time. But if you compete, we'd easily win."
"Well, good luck with that, and I have no interest in the event itself, so I'll just show up on the third day."
"Damn it, I really thought we had an easy win this year," Ino says as they both sit in the shade with Panda.
"Hmm, I just realized something," Taiyo turns to Ino. "If it's in Kyoto, then we don't really have to worry about collateral damage, since it's Gakuganji's place…"
END CHAPTER---
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pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene [Read ahead & support me]
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