### Chapter 2: Utahime and the Abyss
In the lavishly decorated hallway of the Western-style mansion, two young women stood.
One of them wore a miko uniform, her face still carrying a hint of girlishness. Her long black hair was tied into two ponytails at the ends, draping over her somewhat flat chest.
The other young woman had a more mature face, with long, light-blue hair tied high in a single ponytail. Her attire resembled a high school uniform but couldn't conceal her curvaceous figure.
"This hallway... where does it even lead..."
Staring at the seemingly endless corridor ahead, which resembled a bottomless abyss, a single bead of sweat trickled down Iori Utahime's fair cheek.
"We've walked about three kilometers in five minutes."
Mei Mei glanced at the time recorded on the watch on her slender wrist, her single ponytail swaying behind her.
The two were on a joint mission to exorcise a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit within the mansion. Unexpectedly, they had walked right into the Cursed Spirit's barrier upon entering.
However, Utahime was a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer, and Mei Mei was a Grade 1 Sorcerer, a rank higher. A sorcerer could typically face and kill a Cursed Spirit of the same grade, and even exorcise one a grade higher. Therefore, even though they were trapped in the barrier set by the Cursed Spirit, neither of them panicked.
"The traces we left have disappeared. This barrier might have a circular structure or a modular one that reassembles as we move," Utahime analyzed before looking to Mei Mei. "Should we walk a bit longer to confirm?"
*Bang!*
Just then, Mei Mei slammed a fist into the corridor wall beside her. A shallow dent appeared on the wall, only to visibly regenerate to its original state in an instant.
"It's sturdy. It might be using a weak external 'Binding Vow' to achieve exceptional durability on the inside," Mei Mei said. "Let's walk a little longer... ?!"
Mei Mei's words stopped abruptly as she suddenly looked forward at a fluctuation in the space ahead. Utahime also noticed the anomaly. Her heart grew alert as she quickly gathered Cursed Energy, ready to attack the moment a Cursed Spirit appeared.
*Pop!*
It sounded like a bubble being pierced.
Under the two women's cautious gaze, a young man, about their age, slowly stepped out of the rippling spatial vortex.
"A barrier technique that creates a time lag between the inside and outside, huh? That bug isn't so boring after all."
The person was none other than Ryota, who had obtained the 'Uchiha Madara · Rinnegan' template. He spoke with great interest, sensing an almost imperceptible dissonance within the Cursed Spirit's barrier.
After entering the mansion, he had sensed the Cursed Spirit hidden underground. The latter was trembling in fear, intimidated by the ominous and cursed power emanating from his Three-Tomoe Sharingan. However, Ryota wasn't in a hurry to deal with it; he had become interested in the barrier the Cursed Spirit had created throughout the mansion's corridors.
Chakra is a combination of physical and spiritual energy. Cursed Energy is fundamentally a power derived from human negative emotions, also a product of spiritual energy. Because of this, both could be perceived by the Sharingan.
The 35% template inheritance had granted him many of Uchiha Madara's abilities, including Fire Release, Taijutsu, Barrier Jutsu, ocular techniques, and more. By observing the flow of Cursed Energy on the barrier, Ryota quickly understood its structure. Using his Chakra, he opened a passage just large enough to pass through and entered the barrier. It was his first time seeing a Cursed Spirit's barrier, so naturally, he had to experience it firsthand.
"A person?!"
Sensing the extremely ominous aura radiating from the black-haired young man, both Utahime and Mei Mei's eyes narrowed. Their bodies tensed, and Cursed Energy circulated rapidly within them. If not for his completely human appearance, they probably would have launched a fierce attack the moment they saw him.
"..."
Looking at the two women who grew even more tense and on edge as he watched them, Ryota recognized who they were.
"Given their age and attire, this must be during their time at Jujutsu High. That means it's at least a decade before the anime's plot I know," Ryota's lips curled into a slight smile. "Interesting."
"A Jujutsu High student, here on a mission?" Utahime's face showed a trace of surprise. "Could he be a senior from the school? But I've never heard of anyone like him."
"Most importantly, this gentleman has no Cursed Energy at all."
At this moment, Mei Mei, who had been calmly observing Ryota, revealed a fact that stunned Utahime.
"An ordinary person?!" Utahime was in disbelief.
In this era where Cursed Energy was paramount, having no Cursed Energy meant being an ordinary person. This was a universally acknowledged fact in the Jujutsu world. An ordinary person without Cursed Energy was nothing more than a fish on a chopping block before a Cursed Spirit, to be slaughtered at will.
However, the constant sense of pressure emanating from Ryota, and the ominous feeling from his strange crimson eyes, didn't match the profile of an ordinary person at all. An ordinary person couldn't physically touch a Cursed Spirit, nor could they see one, let alone break into a barrier in such a bizarre manner.
"Could it be that he possesses a powerful Cursed Tool?" Utahime guessed.
"I myself am the strongest, why would I need to rely on a so-called Cursed Tool?" Hearing this, a flicker of disdain crossed Ryota's face.
It wasn't surprising that Utahime would think that. The power system of this world was Cursed Energy. Chakra was a power that was superior to Cursed Energy, but not part of it. Even the ocular power of the Sharingan, filled with ominous and cursed energy, was distinct from Cursed Energy.
He said no more. No longer paying attention to Utahime and Mei Mei, Ryota turned towards the room's wall. He reached out and touched the wall, or rather, the Cursed Spirit's barrier. The three tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly. Outside the barrier, he could only analyze its structure through the flow of Cursed Energy, but inside, he could discern its effects and properties.
"Compared to the barrier jutsu of the Naruto world, its effects and functions are much more versatile."
The barrier jutsu used by shinobi in the Naruto world were mostly for sealing or concealment. However, this Cursed Spirit's barrier possessed properties related to time and space. Although it wasn't on the level of rule-based abilities from fantasy novels and had many flaws, it was still quite interesting.
"Excuse me... do you know how to escape this Cursed Spirit's barrier?"
Utahime, pondering Ryota's identity and left speechless by his unabashedly arrogant words, decided to focus on the main priority: escaping the barrier. Thus, she asked.
"The word 'escape' doesn't apply to me, but..." Ryota paused. "It is indeed time for this to end."
After all, the time ratio between the inside and outside of the barrier was about thirty minutes inside to two days outside. Having experienced it, there was no longer any need for this Cursed Spirit or its barrier to exist.
Ryota clenched his five fingers and, with a strike of pure power, slammed his fist onto the invisible barrier.
**BOOM—**
The air compressed, and a deafening roar, like an exploding bomb, filled the entire space. The immense force created a powerful airflow, forcing Utahime to raise her arm to shield her face. Mei Mei had to circulate her Cursed Energy to avoid being blown away.
*CRACK!*
The Cursed Spirit's barrier shattered.