"I already guessed that a 'ritual' capable of mobilizing an entire country wouldn't grant a simple ability, but isn't this just too broken?"
"If he really obtained 'Love Train,' how are we supposed to fight him? Where are we going to learn the Golden Spin?"
After a bit of commotion, Naruto told everyone what he'd seen, especially about the fight between the President and Sukuna.
Points in the tens of millions—that was clearly the result of the President pooling points from the public. But that doesn't mean he's weak; on the contrary, it makes it impossible for us to judge his true strength.
The massive number of points diluted the President's personal score, so unlike with them, his point total couldn't be used to roughly gauge his power.
There was another problem: the revived Sukuna. He had managed to find a new body without anyone noticing.
None of them could figure out how he'd done it. Even if someone else had eaten one of Sukuna's fingers, his soul had already been revived in Itadori's body, right?
"No wonder Sukuna's been so quiet today. And he completely let go of his power, letting me use it freely."
Itadori finally understood why he hadn't been able to sense Sukuna lately. He had actually bailed!
Of course, this was hardly good news. A freely-moving Sukuna was far more of a threat than one confined within Itadori's body.
And with his strength, a 'killing game' like the Culling Game was just a dungeon where he could continuously grow stronger. The opportunity to gain power by killing was rare.
They could only hope that not too many people would end up feeding Sukuna experience points, but that was obviously impossible. The commotion from the Divine Tree in Tokyo would just draw everyone in.
"It's time to wake Gojo Satoru up. This is no time for him to be resting."
Okkotsu Yuta quickly made a judgment call. The changes brought by the Culling Game were too great. The President's appearance put pressure on him; everyone was getting stronger, and if they remained stagnant, they'd soon be left behind.
"According to Schwarzer, he can wake up whenever he wants."
"And from what I know of Gojo Satoru, he wouldn't just be slacking off."
"Besides, we don't have a way to wake him up."
Shoko Ieiri replied. Sasuke, who had been sitting in the corner, lowered his head slightly upon hearing this, hiding his face in the shadows.
It was happening again. He realized he couldn't do anything. Ever since the Culling Game began, he'd been nothing but dead weight, unable to participate on the front lines and now unable to even wake Gojo Satoru.
It was as if someone was deliberately targeting him. He had been so close to obtaining the Cursed Energy needed to awaken his Mangekyo, but then the Culling Game started, and all the Cursed Spirits vanished.
His premonition had been right. This was a setup by Uchiha Itachi, a trap to prevent him from gaining enough power to join the fight.
Ieiri's words reminded Okkotsu Yuta that Gojo Satoru wasn't the type to just take it easy for his own sake. There had to be a reason he chose to remain asleep. Unless the situation was extremely urgent, it was better not to wake him.
But what exactly constituted an 'extremely urgent' situation…
"The first day of the Culling Game will be over soon. Based on Gojo-sensei's strength, he should be able to obtain one of the 'pieces'."
"At that point, we'll have to wake him up no matter what. The appearance of the pieces will signal the start of the finals."
No one objected to this. The reason Tokyo remained calm for now was because everyone was waiting for the first day to end.
It was the calm before the storm. Once the pieces appeared, no one knew what kind of chaotic free-for-all would break out.
"The pieces are awarded based on points earned by individuals, not team totals. That means the President might not 'qualify'."
"The only ones guaranteed to qualify are Schwarzer, Naruto, and Sukuna."
Kakashi quickly picked up the thread, analyzing the available information. Schwarzer's and Naruto's point totals were so absurdly high that they had already locked in two spots.
Sukuna's points were, without a doubt, also earned by him alone. The only unknown was the President's base score, but having to travel from America to Tokyo, he likely didn't have time to earn any points.
In other words, half of the six pieces were already spoken for. If Gojo Satoru kept sleeping, his twenty-five thousand points seemed insufficient.
In their hands, they could only guarantee Naruto's piece, and Schwarzer's, who could be considered an ally.
"Actually, there's still a chance to get a second piece, but don't get your hopes up."
Hakari Kinji, who had come with Okkotsu Yuta, suddenly raised his hand with a broad smile.
"I'm deeply in love with the fever! The fever is gambling, and gambling is life…"
"Gambling against the entire Culling Game, against the barrier that envelops the whole planet… just thinking about it gets me so high!"
His plan was very simple: it was just a gamble.
The Culling Game's point system checks the amount of Cursed Energy and makes its determination on the hour. Coincidentally, the pieces are also distributed on the hour.
Hakari Kinji's Domain, Zassatsu Bakuto, grants him a super-powerful buff for 4 minutes and 11 seconds upon hitting the jackpot—near-infinite Cursed Energy.
This meant that if he could hit the jackpot within the few minutes the Culling Game was calculating the totals, he might have a chance to 'qualify'.
Of course, the most crucial point—the key to the 'gamble'—was how the Culling Game would assess his state.
It sounded very feasible, or at least better than doing nothing. The people in the base cleared a space for him to do his thing.
Gojo Satoru hadn't woken up yet, and Okkotsu Yuta was already preparing the 'wake-up' service. But for now, it was Hakari Kinji's turn.
"Is this guy always like this? He looks like a total gambling addict."
Naruto couldn't help but complain to Itadori and the others. He hadn't met Tsunade yet; otherwise, he'd probably think Hakari Kinji was perfectly normal. A true gambling addict was far more insane than him.
"I wouldn't know. Hakari-senpai never came to school, so this is my first time meeting him too."
Itadori clearly didn't have a high opinion of gambling addicts either—or rather, no normal person would. He answered perfunctorily.
Hakari Kinji ignored the party poopers and instead calculated the time. This time, there was no opponent standing across from him, yet he felt more excited than ever before.
"Four minutes left. Time to start."
"Got it. Well then, let's see if my 'great luck' will pull through!"
Domain Expansion: Zassatsu Bakuto
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