"Free food and lodging?! You came to Jujutsu High just for that?!"
Furious.
Principal Yaga Masamichi's face flushed red with anger.
The cursed corpses around him stirred restlessly, hundreds of doll-like figures instantly surrounding Arata Renji.
A sorcerer with such little awareness?
He had to be taught a lesson.
And if this brat didn't give him a proper explanation after the beating… Yaga wouldn't accept him.
No matter how much talent he had—Jujutsu High wasn't a place to fool around.
Meanwhile, outside the courtyard.
A few figures quietly approached the door.
Panda, Inumaki Toge, and Zenin Maki—the second-years of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"That's gotta be the genius freshman Fushiguro mentioned. Probably getting lectured by the Principal," Panda muttered, his round body pressed against the door.
"Keep your voice down," Maki warned, arms crossed, brows slightly furrowed. Her cold, sharp gaze grew serious. "If the Principal hears you, you'll be the next doll target."
Just earlier, after visiting Fushiguro Megumi in the infirmary, they learned Gojo Satoru had brought two first-years.
One was Itadori Yuji—the Sukuna vessel.
The other... Arata Renji. Supposedly freakishly strong.
What really caught Maki's attention was what Fushiguro had whispered:
"His taijutsu might even be better than mine."
Maki—prideful, strong-willed—couldn't let that go.
She had to see for herself. Maybe even spar with him.
Inumaki signed softly from behind. "Salmon."
"Don't worry, Inumaki," Panda chuckled. "We won't get caught eavesdropping by the Principal."
But just as he said that—
BOOM!
The door exploded outward with a deafening blast!
The shockwave hurled the three second-years away like leaves in a storm.
The whole house trembled. Cracks spidered along the walls. The roof seemed ready to collapse.
At that moment, Gojo Satoru stepped out with Itadori slung over his shoulder, glancing at the sprawled second-years with mild surprise.
"...Huh?"
Panda coughed and blinked. "What the heck? Isn't the Principal just giving the new guy a welcome chat?"
Maki and Inumaki stared at Gojo with confusion.
Gojo smirked helplessly. "Relax. They're just...sparring a little."
Sparring?
Did this look like sparring?!
The whole building was shaking like an earthquake!
Itadori, still dazed, raised a weak hand. "Uh... hi, I'm Itadori Yuji. Nice to meet you... Please don't hit me..."
The second-years stiffened.
Wait—if this one was Itadori... then the monster inside sparring with Yaga-sensei had to be Arata Renji?!
Panda gasped. "Gojo-sensei! Shouldn't you stop this?! Yaga-sensei looks pissed enough to kill the kid!"
They knew how Yaga treated unsatisfactory brats—he created Panda himself, after all. That temper wasn't for show.
Gojo only shrugged. "Who said Arata's the one who'll lose?"
His words dropped like a bomb.
"Nani?!"
They must have misheard.
Sure, Fushiguro said Arata was strong... but enough to go toe-to-toe with Principal Yaga? Impossible!
Even Okkotsu Yuta used to get pounded black and blue by the Principal!
But then—
BANG BANG BANG!
Roars of impact. Fist against fist. Flesh against doll.
Windows burst outward. Beams cracked. Dust and debris filled the air.
The second-years watched, stunned.
This... was hand-to-hand combat?
But Principal Yaga was a cursed corpse craftsman—not a taijutsu expert. Yet this newbie dared fight him head-on?!
There was no way a first-year could last long.
Then—
BOOM!
A louder crash.
The house collapsed entirely.
A shadowy figure flew out of the wreckage, smashing into the courtyard wall.
Gojo sighed, rubbing his temple. "Really... if you're going to lose, just admit it, Principal. You don't have to destroy the house in the process."
Panda blinked. "Wait—what?!"
Maki and Inumaki stared, wide-eyed.
Did Gojo-sensei mean... the Principal was the one losing?!
Suddenly—more noises.
Fshhhhhh—!
Broken cursed corpses flew out of the rubble like broken toys.
Ten... twenty... fifty... a hundred!
The entire courtyard filled with Yaga's hand-crafted dolls—shattered, smashed, useless.
The second-years gasped.
These cursed corpses... they knew these dolls. They'd been beaten by them countless times in training.
And now... they lay defeated?
Was it... Arata Renji who did this?
Could that figure that crashed into the wall be... Yaga-sensei?!
Two figures finally stepped out of the dust.
Arata Renji—and Yaga Masamichi.
Arm in arm.
Yaga grinned, his voice booming with laughter.
"You're good, kid! Damn good! Haven't had a workout like that in years!"
But his face was bruised. His left eye sported a swollen black mark. His clothes were tattered and dirty. His stance shaky.
Arata, on the other hand, stood steady. Calm. Smiling. Not a scratch on him.
The winner... was obvious.
The second-years stood frozen, unable to speak.
They thought this new kid would get flattened... and instead, it was the Principal who got beaten up?!
Yaga coughed awkwardly and turned to them. "Ahem. Everyone, meet our new student: Arata Renji."
"We had a little... friendly spar. Young people these days—truly terrifying. I expect you all to get along well."
Arata smiled. "Please take care of me, senpai-tachi."
The three of them raised stiff hands. "Uh... y-yeah... Hello, Renji-kun..."
Their desire to haze the new freshman disappeared completely.
If anyone fought him... they'd be the ones flattened.
Meanwhile, Yaga pulled Gojo aside, grumbling.
"You brat... why didn't you warn me?! You set me up, didn't you?!"
Gojo chuckled. "I did warn you, old man. You just didn't listen."
But truthfully—even Gojo hadn't expected Arata to overwhelm Yaga this badly.
A monster even greater than Okkotsu or Kinji Hakari... this was shaping up to be interesting.
"Alright," Gojo clapped his hands, "I'm taking Yuji and Arata to their dorms. We'll talk later."
As they left, Maki's gaze lingered on Arata—her fists tightening.
Next time... I'll test him myself. I have to.
That look didn't escape Arata's Sharingan.
His lips curled slightly.
First target for the Akatsuki organization... found.
Zenin Maki.
A woman with no cursed energy—despised by the Zenin Clan.
A soul burning with the desire to rise, to crush the Zenin Family's pride.
She was perfect.
"Oi! Daydreaming? Come see your dorm," Gojo called.
As they walked, Yuji lit up like a fanboy.
"Renji-kun! Can I live next door?!"
"Teach me taijutsu, please?!"
"How'd you beat Uncle Yaga like that?!"
Behind them, Yaga stumbled, hearing Yuji's shouts.
"Oi... this brat has no restraint..."
But inwardly, Yaga sighed.
That kid had let him off lightly.
A truly terrifying talent.
Where had he come from? Not from the Gojo, Zenin, or Kamo clans...
A mystery worth investigating.
For now... there was the Sukuna vessel to worry about. And the higher-ups breathing down his neck.
As for Arata Renji's true origin—he'd leave that to Shoko Ieiri and Utahime Iori to uncover.