The stalemate didn't last long. Itadori knew the enemy had more tricks up his sleeve, so he needed to end this quickly. Reinforcing his body with Cursed Energy, he shattered the floor with a single step and charged toward Choso.
Itadori had no Cursed Technique, so he opted to close the distance, unleashing a vicious whip kick.
'He's not using any jujutsu. Does he not have a Cursed Technique, or is there another reason?'
Choso reacted swiftly, twisting his body to evade the attack. He then slashed out with a blade of blood formed in his hand. Already prepared, Itadori leaned back to dodge it before launching a powerful punch in return, striking his opponent's waist.
Close-quarters combat was his advantage, and his Cursed Energy was clearly more abundant than his opponent's, so there was no need to conserve it.
Such a ferocious fighting style was unfamiliar to Choso. By the time he reacted, he could only block the punch with one hand.
The impact forced him back two steps, which he used to create distance. At the same time, blood trickled from the black marking on his nose.
Seeing this, Itadori froze for a second. He hadn't hit him in the nose, had he? But he immediately realized—it was his opponent's Cursed Technique!
The blood congealed into projectiles and shot directly at Itadori, but his athlete-level reflexes allowed him to dodge them.
He was no longer the clueless kid he once was. Under Kakashi's ninja-level tutelage and with Todo's encouragement, Itadori was finally showing his protagonist traits, growing at a remarkable pace.
Sukuna had been as quiet as death during this time, never once making an appearance. Instead, he had become Itadori's personal power bank, providing a massive supply of Cursed Energy for him to use freely.
Realizing his opponent was a master of hand-to-hand combat, Choso activated Flowing Red Scale. The blood-enhanced physicality put him on par with Itadori.
'It's Blood Manipulation! He's a sorcerer from the Kamo clan!'
Information from a teammate came through Itadori's earpiece. He instantly remembered why the technique was so familiar; Kamo Noritoshi had used this very technique during the exchange event.
As he was recalling this, Choso clapped his hands together in front of him.
In an instant, Itadori realized his opponent's intent and leaped away.
'Convergence: Piercing Blood. An attack that compresses blood to its absolute limit, firing it at the speed of sound.'
Studying really did pay off. Knowing the details of an opponent's Cursed Technique was a huge advantage in a fight.
Without any hesitation, Itadori ran in a circular path to keep the pursuing Piercing Blood from catching him. Like a high-pressure water jet, the attack carved a trail behind him but couldn't keep up with his speed.
Realizing this, Choso quickly canceled Piercing Blood. The moment Itadori's fist was about to land, the residual blood in Choso's hands formed a shield, nullifying the punch's force.
Without a Black Flash, Itadori's attack power wasn't particularly high. Blocked by the blood shield, the blow dealt no damage to Choso.
'I can't drag this out with him. His point total is higher than mine, and his Cursed Energy is clearly more plentiful. I need to end this fast.'
A massive amount of blood erupted from Choso's back, forming a sky full of blood blades. Itadori was completely unable to dodge the carpet-bombing attack and could only cross his arms in front of him to tank the damage.
Fortunately, the damage from the wide-area rain of blood blades was low, and Itadori's body could easily withstand it. However, a stinging pain spread across the skin where the blood had made contact.
'This guy's blood is poisonous?!' Itadori glanced at his blood-splattered arm, realizing the truth.
Choso saw the slight change in Itadori's expression and knew he had figured it out. His blood was toxic, allowing him to continuously weaken his opponent and inflict damage.
He brought his hands together again, not intending to give Itadori a moment to breathe as he compressed blood to its limit between his palms.
And there was another thing—he could manipulate all blood, including the blood left on his opponent's body!
Itadori saw his opponent's starting motion for Piercing Blood and immediately prepared to dodge. However, the blood splattered on him began to take effect, solidifying to restrict his movements. It was only for a moment, but it was enough.
'This is my chance. It's inevitable for someone to make a mistake the first time they encounter this move.'
Choso aimed for Itadori's head. Neither of them had exchanged a single word, yet in just a few short rounds, they were ready to settle things with life and death.
He saw a flicker of astonishment in Itadori's eyes; his opponent truly hadn't expected the blood to suddenly bind him for an instant.
'Is he just too young? For such a simple stratagem to work.'
Choso already foresaw his opponent's defeat. He slightly lowered the hand that was aimed at Itadori's head, targeting his chest instead.
If he killed him outright, he wouldn't be able to ask about Gojo Satoru's location.
The compressed blood, moving at the speed of sound like a razor blade, pierced through Itadori's chest as he maintained his astonished expression.
I've won. A sorcerer with no Cursed Technique is just too weak. In the jujutsu world, weakness is the original sin. Don't you blame me...
Poof~
With a soft sound, Choso, still holding his Piercing Blood stance, widened his eyes. The Itadori who had just been impaled had vanished in an instant.
"Finally tricked you. Times have changed, you know. Jujutsu isn't the only option anymore."
Itadori's voice came from behind Choso. The Cursed Energy in his hands was condensed to its peak. He had, of course, used the Body Flicker Technique, a very basic jutsu for a ninja.
But to a Jujutsu Sorcerer, that speed was far too unnatural. And why could he only use it for an instant? If he had that kind of speed, shouldn't he have used it from the start?
Choso had no way to dodge. He couldn't cancel the Piercing Blood in time and could only take a vicious punch to his side from Itadori.
'Black Flash!'
A display of pure stats. Itadori had once again unleashed the technique known as Black Flash. After his ninja training, his control over his power had become much more precise, making it no longer difficult to land one.
But what Itadori was most proud of was the Body Flicker Technique. His reliance on pure physical combat had always been his greatest weakness, but now things were different. Ninjutsu was a technique too!
BOOM—
The force of the Black Flash made Choso's eyes roll back into his head, and the armor of blood he wore shattered before such power.
Feeling the solid impact, Itadori knew his first use of the Body Flicker Technique had yielded excellent results, which only strengthened his belief in ninjutsu.
His body possessed immense vitality, and the amount of Chakra he could extract was the highest in Jujutsu High, which meant he had the potential to learn ninjutsu.
Of course, the top priority was to deal with his opponent, a Grade 1 sorcerer. He wondered if absorbing this guy would be enough for Sasuke to awaken that Mangekyo thing. As long as Gojo-sensei wakes up, everything will be alright.
Just as he was about to throw another punch to neutralize Choso, a shockwave of Cursed Energy tore through the entire street, blasting both him and Choso away.
"That was a spectacular fight. How about you let me join in? I've been wanting to find out where Gojo Satoru is, too."
The smoke cleared. Itadori and Choso were both unharmed, having blocked the shockwave with Cursed Energy. They turned in unison to face the third party who had intruded.
'Ryu Ishigori, Jujutsu Sorcerer, Total Points—12,000 (Special Grade Sorcerer).'
A Special Grade?! The first Special Grade-level combatant had appeared. Not a half-baked one like Itadori, but a true powerhouse who had earned over ten thousand points through his own strength.
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