Kyoto's supervising teacher, Iori Utahime, couldn't hold back her anger. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to step in.
"You just said he's a Special-Grade. A little temper is to be expected."
Gojo Satoru blocked her path with a teasing smile.
"Get out of my way! Just because you're Special-Grade doesn't mean I won't do something about you!"
Iori Utahime was furious, preparing to fight.
"Calm down."
Kyoto's principal, Gakuganji Yoshinobu, gave her a stern look, stopping her.
Iori Utahime's face was tense. "Principal, Todo is seriously injured. We have no chance of winning now. This isn't fair!"
Gojo Satoru immediately said, "Relax, Yang will heal him."
On the Screen
"Enough! Everyone, stop!"
Todo Aoi's loud shout halted the confrontation. The others lowered their weapons, ceasing their attacks.
Stepping out from the crowd, Todo Aoi approached Chu Yang and asked, "Did you use cursed energy just now?"
Chu Yang's expression remained calm. "Against you? I didn't even need to try."
Hearing this confirmed, Todo Aoi looked downcast. He nodded slowly and admitted, "You're strong. I'm no match for you. I have nothing more to say."
Turning to his teammates, he declared, "This was my responsibility alone. If we lose the competition, I'll take full responsibility."
Then, he looked back at Chu Yang and apologized. "Sorry."
The Kyoto students were seething with frustration, but they had no choice but to hold it in.
Suddenly, Chu Yang placed his hand on Todo Aoi's injured arm.
Everyone's expressions changed, thinking he was going to attack again.
Instead, Chu Yang used Reverse Cursed Technique, instantly healing Todo Aoi's arm.
Todo Aoi moved his shoulder in amazement.
"Reverse Cursed Technique… That's an incredibly difficult skill, and only a few people in the entire jujutsu world can use it…"
Miwa Kasumi muttered in disbelief. "As expected of a Special-Grade Sorcerer."
Nishimiya Momo grabbed Miwa's hand and asked excitedly, "Wait, what grade did you say he is?"
Miwa instinctively replied, "Special-Grade."
Nishimiya Momo stammered, "B-But there are only four Special-Grades! How is there another one?!"
Kusakabe, speaking in his usual dull tone, explained, "There was a recent addition to the Special-Grades, but for some reason, the news didn't spread."
Realization flashed through Todo Aoi's eyes.
No wonder Chu Yang had overpowered him so easily. The gap between Grade 1 and Special-Grade was like heaven and earth.
Now that they knew Chu Yang's true identity, the Kyoto students' attitudes became noticeably more respectful.
It was pure reverence for absolute strength.
"If you're done causing trouble, let's start the match."
Chu Yang's tone was indifferent.
Both teams tensed up and rushed into the forest.
Initially, the competition was straightforward—both schools focused on exorcising curses to compare their raw strength.
But soon enough, an all-out brawl erupted.
And this time, the spark came from the Zenin sisters—Maki and Mai.
Fated rivals, they set aside the competition to settle their personal grudge.
As everyone fought for their teammates, they failed to notice that the cursed energy in the forest was growing stronger…
And lurking within was something far more dangerous.
---
The scene shifts to a powerful Special-Grade Cursed Spirit—Hanami, who has infiltrated the area undetected…
Among all Cursed Spirits, Hanami had the gentlest personality. It was willing to sacrifice itself for its comrades and would feel sorrow and rage over their deaths.
After learning that Mahito had been killed by Chu Yang, Hanami grieved for a long time. So, when it got the chance for revenge, it became unusually excited.
Born from humanity's fear and hatred of nature, Hanami cherished nature deeply.
Its sole reason for exterminating humans was simple—to allow nature to heal from the wounds inflicted by mankind in their absence.
This mindset was akin to that of an extreme environmentalist.
The moment Hanami appeared in the forest, the warning barriers failed to react. Its presence was so attuned to nature that it didn't feel like a Cursed Spirit at all.
The protective barriers around Jujutsu High mistook Hanami for a mere plant.
Hanami moved naturally through the area, as if strolling through its own backyard.
Its task was simple—plant a Cursed Seed on Chu Yang, rendering him unable to use Cursed Energy, and then cooperate with its allies to capture Sukuna's new vessel.
Bending down, Hanami communicated with the plants and quickly learned Chu Yang's location.
Countless tree roots burst from beneath Hanami, surging in all directions.
These roots, manifestations of Hanami's Cursed Energy, could appear and disappear at will.
So, when it locked onto Chu Yang as its target, an overwhelming wave of roots rushed toward him.
The entire tournament arena descended into chaos.
All ongoing battles were forcibly interrupted by the root attacks.
"Jujutsu High wouldn't prepare a Cursed Spirit this strong."
Todo Aoi, who had been fighting Itadori, immediately stopped his attack, realizing something was off.
Itadori looked at him in confusion.
"This level of power belongs to a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. It's far beyond the scope of this tournament—there's no way Jujutsu High set this up."
Todo explained.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Itadori turned toward the massive roots, his expression changing.
"That's where Yang-senpai is!" he exclaimed in shock.
Todo frowned, puzzled.
"Targeting a Special Grade Sorcerer? Even for a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, that's suicide."
"This isn't right. Let's go check it out!"
Similar scenes played out across the battlefield—combatants abandoned their fights and rushed toward Chu Yang's location.
Meanwhile, inside the classroom where the teachers were observing, they too sensed an intruder.
Principal Masamichi Yaga immediately halted the exam and ordered the teachers to head for the battlefield.
Gojo Satoru led the charge, with Kyoto Jujutsu High's principal, Gakuganji Yoshinobu, following close behind.
As soon as they arrived, they saw an enormous curtain enveloping the arena.
"A barrier this large requires a huge amount of Cursed Energy, so its strength shouldn't be too high."
Gojo placed his hand on the curtain's dark membrane, only to be met with an unexpectedly strong repulsion—far beyond his estimation.
Gakuganji's expression shifted.
"It seems this barrier was designed with only one restriction—you. The enemy came prepared."
"Yeah, seems like it."
Gojo turned to Utahime and said, "You guys go in first. I'll be right behind you."
Without hesitation, the two passed through the curtain and entered the barrier's interior.
Inside, a bald Curse User was already waiting for them and immediately launched an attack.
Despite being 76 years old, Gakuganji removed his outer robe, revealing an incredibly stylish T-shirt underneath. Then, he took out his cursed electric guitar and started rocking out.
The visual impact was striking.
"You go find the students—I'll handle this one!"
With that, Gakuganji struck the strings, unleashing a violent wave of Cursed Energy that caught the Curse User off guard.
Utahime seized the moment to leave.
Outside the curtain, Gojo stood motionless, as if he had no intention of breaking the barrier.
"I'll leave everything inside to Yang. Since they've gone this far, I need to see who's behind this…"
Without hesitation, Gojo turned and left.
Little did he know that, at that very moment, Chu Yang had already been "captured" by Hanami.
Chu Yang hadn't resisted at all.
He wanted Hanami to take him away—to be "forcibly" fed Sukuna's fingers by the Special Grade Cursed Spirits.
Dragging Chu Yang, whose body was covered in Cursed Seeds, Hanami vanished into the forest.
The students searched for Chu Yang everywhere, but even after the curtain dissipated, they had to accept an unthinkable reality—
Chu Yang had been taken by Cursed Spirits!
When Gojo returned, he was visibly shaken by this fact and remained silent for a long time.
A heavy gloom fell over Jujutsu High.
Meanwhile, Chu Yang arrived with Hanami at a mysterious location filled with an overwhelming Cursed Energy aura.
The dimly lit, damp environment resembled an underground chamber.
Still covered in Cursed Seeds, Chu Yang continued to feign unconsciousness, quietly awaiting the moment the Cursed Spirits would feed him Sukuna's fingers.
"I've brought him back!"
Hanami's voice rang out, overflowing with excitement.
"Well done, Hanami! Now we can finally attempt to summon Ryomen Sukuna through sacrifice."
Jogo was equally thrilled, circling Chu Yang while inspecting him.
Kenjaku silently observed Chu Yang for a long moment before asking, "Why was it so easy? He doesn't look injured."
Hanami wasn't pleased with the implication that its strength was being questioned.
"He has no Cursed Technique—he only excels at reinforcing his body with Cursed Energy. My Cursed Seeds drained him dry, leaving him powerless to resist."
Hanami patiently explained, emphasizing, "His Cursed Energy was immense—far greater than the combined amount of all of us. I had to use several seeds to completely drain him."
Jogo nodded.
"With that much Cursed Energy, it's no surprise he's a Special Grade. Hanami's technique just happened to counter him—bad luck for him."
Kenjaku found the explanation reasonable but still felt something was off…
"None of that matters now. Let's just hurry and feed him the fingers—I've waited too long for this!"
Jogo eagerly reached for Sukuna's fingers, but Kenjaku stopped him.
"There's a necessary ritual—we can't just feed them to him outright."
Jogo looked at him in confusion.