The pause lasted only a split second.
In the next moment, Hikari Uchiha twisted her waist mid-air, shifted her body, and unleashed a ferocious spinning whip kick!
BAM!!
The force of this kick was even greater than her earlier punch, but it stopped about a centimeter short of Gojo Satoru's shoulder. A massive wave of milky-white air surged outward, accompanied by a piercing sonic boom.
"…Kinda interesting."
A slight smirk curved Hikari Uchiha's lips. Her waist twisted at an almost impossible angle once more, while her right arm shot upward, swinging in a wide arc as if drawing a bow, before slamming down toward Gojo!
"Ten Heavens Breathing Technique: Fist Spike!!"
Amplified by the Breathing Technique, the punch broke the sound barrier, moving at over twice the speed of sound—too fast for the naked eye to follow!
And then…
A faint sound of something shattering echoed.
Just as the Fist Spike came within half a centimeter of Gojo's face, he finally reacted, raising his hand to counter. His palm caught Hikari's fist, and with a sudden burst of cursed energy, he unleashed a powerful repulsive force, sending her flying back!
BOOM!!
Only then did the sonic boom from the Fist Spike reach their ears. Hikari's body flipped backward in mid-air, landing lightly like a butterfly seven or eight meters away. Without missing a beat, she charged again, shouting, "Let's go again!!"
What followed was a blur of motion.
Hikari transformed her body into a human weapon, striking at Gojo's chest, abdomen, and face with fists, feet, knees, and elbows. Though these were purely physical attacks, enhanced by the "Ten Heavens Breathing Technique," each blow carried the speed and destructive force of her Fist Spike.
Gojo, for his part, finally adopted a serious expression. His feet shifted with precision, his hands deftly parrying Hikari's relentless onslaught, occasionally slipping in a counterattack.
Their movements were blindingly fast.
If an ordinary camera tried to capture this scene, it would only record two blurry streaks. Only a high-speed camera, breaking down the footage frame by frame, could clearly reveal the precision of their actions.
For Esdeath and Yamato, watching from the sidelines, keeping up wasn't too difficult. After all, they'd seen far more intense battles during the finals of the Martial Arts Tournament.
During the exchange…
Hikari had already activated her Mangekyo Sharingan but refrained from using its techniques. Instead, she closely observed every subtle shift in the air around Gojo, gradually piecing together an understanding—
In the original Jujutsu Kaisen story, the No-Limit Technique was explained.
This technique, a power tied to spatial manipulation, could only be wielded by someone with the [Six Eyes]. Its principle was rooted in the mathematical concept of the "Achilles Paradox."
Simply put, Gojo could manipulate the cursed energy around him to divide the space near his body into countless tiny segments, then infinitely stretch the distance within each segment. The closer something got to him, the more segments there were, creating an increasingly vast spatial barrier. What looked like a centimeter to the eye was, in reality, equivalent to thousands of meters.
The closer you got, the slower you moved, making it impossible to ever reach him.
In practice…
It was pretty impressive.
As Hikari increased the force of her punches and kicks, the distance between her attacks and Gojo's body shrank—from a centimeter to a fraction of a centimeter, then to mere thousandths of a centimeter. At the closest point, the gap was as thin as a single strand of hair. But…
Hikari still felt it—a faint, invisible membrane standing between her and Gojo. Most of her Fist Spike's impact was absorbed by this barrier, with only a fraction of the force actually reaching him.
Of course…
Hikari hadn't gone all out yet. She was only using about thirty to forty percent of her strength. If she pushed the Eight Gates, the Ten Heavens Breathing Technique, and Ninth-Order Instant to their limits, she might just close that final gap. But her goal was to understand the mechanics of the No-Limit Technique, and since she'd already achieved that, there was no need to keep trying the same moves.
"Regular physical attacks aren't doing much, so…"
"Let's try a ninjutsu."
After another flurry of blows, Hikari backflipped away, putting distance between them. She formed a single hand sign: "Fire Style: Majestic Flame Destroyer!"
WHOOSH!!
As she exhaled, a blazing wave of fire surged upward like a tidal wave, rushing toward Gojo!
Without pause, she shifted her hand sign, unleashing another technique: "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A gust roared to life!!
The already spectacular flames exploded into a raging sea of fire, engulfing nearly half the lake. Thick clouds of scalding steam rose into the air, shrouding the lake in a hazy mist. Gojo's figure vanished within the inferno.
…
"So, Miss Hikari can control flames like that too…?"
In the nearby woods, Yuji Itadori's eyes widened, staring in awe at the scene.
Not long ago, he'd witnessed Gojo's battle against Jogo, where the curse had used similar fire and lava manipulation—strikingly similar to Hikari's technique. But in terms of sheer presence, Hikari's display was even more overwhelming.
At that moment…
A faint ripple of energy stirred on Yuji's cheek, as if a thin line were slowly splitting open.
Esdeath, sensing something, turned to glance at his face.
"This is…"
What she saw was a pair of malevolent eyes slowly opening, also gazing at the lakeside spectacle. Noticing Esdeath's stare, the eyes shifted slightly, meeting her gaze.
"…You're the 'Sukuna' Hikari mentioned?"
Esdeath's eyes narrowed, recalling the intel she'd heard before setting out.
Yuji, sensing Sukuna's stirring, tried to explain, but when his mouth opened, a different voice emerged: "Heh, a bunch of nobodies have heard of my name? That annoying little brat only got the better of me because I haven't regained my full strength. Once I do, she's the first one I'll crush!"
"Oh?"
Esdeath's expression didn't flicker at his initial taunt.
But when Sukuna boasted about "crushing" Hikari, her demeanor shifted subtly. Though her face remained calm, a dangerous glint sparked in her eyes. "Who did you say you're going to crush?"
"That Uchiha Hikari brat, obviously…"
His words cut off abruptly.
In that instant, an overwhelming, pure killing intent erupted from Esdeath. A faint illusion of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood seemed to materialize around her. Even Sukuna, the "King of Curses" who had slaughtered countless lives a thousand years ago, felt dwarfed by her presence, a shiver running through him.
"You…"
"This can't be…"
Sukuna had already been shaken once before, when he encountered Hikari in the mental space.
Now, Esdeath was making him feel that same rare tremor of fear he hadn't experienced in ages.
This woman…
Just how many had she killed to forge such a terrifyingly pure killing intent?!
For a fleeting moment, Sukuna even wondered if his title as the "King of Curses" was a sham—that it should belong to the woman standing before him.
"I know you're just a spirit leeching off someone else's body, so I'll let your little outburst slide for now."
"But…"
Esdeath's eyes narrowed, her gaze sharp as a blade. "Since you're so confident in your strength once you're revived, I'll help you reach that goal. Then I'll personally test your worth. If you manage to impress me, I might just grant you a dignified death."
"…"
This was a blatant threat—the kind Sukuna was used to dishing out, not receiving.
He opened his mouth to retort, but the words caught in his throat.
After a long pause, Sukuna let out a low "Hmph," casting a stormy glance at Esdeath, then at Hikari and Gojo still clashing in the distance. With that, he faded back into Yuji's mental space. Only then did Yuji, wiping sweat from his brow, stammer an apology to Esdeath and Yamato.
Esdeath waved it off, saying nothing.
Yamato, meanwhile, scratched her head in confusion, clearly not quite grasping what had just happened.
The chat group had discussed Sukuna's existence before, but with Yamato's usual carelessness, she'd obviously missed those details. So Yuji began explaining from the start, recounting how he'd come to host the curse: "It all started a few months ago when I swallowed a 'special-grade cursed object'—a finger…"
…
Hikari, of course, noticed the commotion in the woods.
She'd been a little worried at first—Esdeath wasn't one to take provocations lightly. If Sukuna pushed her too far, she might act on the spot. But Sukuna was just a soul fragment, temporarily residing in Yuji's body. If it came to blows, Yuji would be the one to die, while Sukuna could simply retreat to another of his fingers, waiting for the next vessel.
If that happened…
It could cause ripples in the chat group. After all, no group member had ever been directly involved in a casualty before.
Moreover, if Yuji died, the Jujutsu Kaisen world might close off to the other members.
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn't come to pass.
Though too far to hear what Esdeath and Sukuna said, from Hikari's perspective, their exchange seemed… surprisingly civil.
Relieved, she turned her attention back to Gojo.
By now, he'd escaped the sea of flames, hovering high above the lake. The Fire Style, amplified by Wind Style, hadn't touched his body, but it left him looking worse for wear—his clothes singed and torn in places, his usual pristine appearance slightly disheveled.
"…Looks like regular ninjutsu isn't much use either. It's even less effective than physical attacks."
"Amaterasu and Susanoo are off the table, as is sealing jutsu…"
She avoided the former two to prevent any fatalities. This was just a spar, not a fight to the death. Hikari's goal was to analyze Gojo's cursed technique and see if she could replicate it herself. Using Sharingan techniques like Tsukuyomi or Susanoo would escalate things too far.
Susanoo's early forms aside, its complete form combined with "Fire-Thunder God" could level the entire forest in an instant. No matter how strong Gojo's No-Limit Technique was, it couldn't withstand an attack of that magnitude—it'd likely reduce him to dust.
As for sealing jutsu, they'd likely work too. In the original story, Gojo had been sealed by the Prison Realm, and Naruto's sealing techniques could probably achieve the same.
But since she wasn't planning to use those…
"Let's try this instead."
Hikari raised her arm, palm open.
With the motion, a four-foot-long dragon-bone blade materialized in mid-air, its hilt firmly in her grasp, the blade facing outward.
—Thunderlight Sword Transformation.
This technique, inspired by Sasuke, was similar to a sealing scroll—a form of summoning-based sealing jutsu. Replicating it wasn't too hard with a clear target in mind.
"That sword… is it some kind of cursed tool?"
Hovering in the air, Gojo frowned, a sudden sense of unease creeping in.
Hikari, meanwhile, looked up at the sky and exhaled softly. "Let's see if your 'No-Limit Technique' really has no limit…"
With that, she gripped the long blade with both hands, facing Gojo over the lake, her stance brimming with intent.
In the next instant…
Hikari swung the blade. Amplified by Eighth-Order Instant, the dragon-bone sword vanished into a streak of white light halfway through its arc. A crescent-shaped slash erupted from the blade, hurtling toward the sky with indescribable speed and overwhelming force:
"Hundred-Eight Stages: Crescent Moon Slash!!!"
A fiery sonic cone flared!!
In that moment, a dazzling arc of blade energy, trailing a line of fire, shot upward, illuminating the eyes of everyone present. The blade energy collided with Gojo's figure in a deafening explosion, sending a cascade of fiery sparks scattering like fireworks across the sky!