It wasn't just Kashimo Hajime; more sorcerers were all appearing in Tokyo City. The presence of the Divine Tree was like a beacon, telling them where to go.
Besides him, all the other sorcerers were also converging on Tokyo; one day was enough time for most of them to arrive.
Inside the convenience store, perhaps because they had shared a meal, Kashimo Hajime and 'Naruto' had inexplicably started getting along.
After seeing the number of points Naruto had, his once-inflated confidence was instantly dashed. A mere child like Naruto could rack up a six-figure point total, while his own 20,000-plus points were just pathetic.
However, the 'strong' opponents in Tokyo had already been slaughtered, and he was getting impatient. The Nine-Tails honestly told him the intel on Sukuna.
—In truth, this was the real reason the two were getting along.
"So, you're saying Sukuna has been revived, just not at his peak strength?"
Kashimo Hajime ate his instant noodles, digesting the food along with the information.
Perhaps because it had been so long since it had spoken to anyone, the Nine-Tails told him almost everything, including the sudden appearance of the President.
Sukuna's target was clearly Gojo Satoru's group. The remaining fingers were on him and Itadori, which meant a battle between them was inevitable.
"In that case, I'll stick with you guys for now. Rather than searching aimlessly, it's better to lie in wait. When the time comes, I'll make my move against Sukuna."
Kashimo Hajime put down his instant noodle bowl, having made his decision.
'Was he bought off with a bowl of instant noodles? He feels so cheap.'
Naruto, who had been watching from within his own body, hadn't expected this turn of events. He thought the Nine-Tails would have to fight him. Naruto was starting to see a pattern: ever since the Culling Game began, everyone fought as soon as they met.
Only the winner earned the right to talk; the loser just became points.
But now, he'd encountered an exception. Was this the legendary 'instant noodle friendship'?
Naruto mentally replaced the instant noodles with Ichiraku Ramen and instantly understood everything.
However, the most pressing matter now was to tell Kakashi-sensei about Sukuna and the President. Naruto knocked on the Nine-Tails' soul.
"We've eaten our fill. Shouldn't we be heading back, Nine-Tails?"
"Tch, you don't have to tell me."
After eating its fill, the docile version of the Nine-Tails was indeed very easy to talk to. Ultimately, the Tailed Beasts weren't truly malicious; their resentment stemmed purely from their long imprisonment.
Previously, the Nine-Tails would have been too lazy to go back. It was much freer on its own.
But the President's appearance had spooked it. If a conflict really broke out, it didn't think it could win against him.
It was mainly the beating from Schwarzer that had made it a bit paranoid, subconsciously feeling that this world's players were on another level. Besides, the President had acted far too nonchalantly.
The power of 'Love Train' completely ignored all attacks, making it seem like he had utterly crushed Sukuna. In reality, only his defense was praiseworthy, but he had managed to bluff everyone.
The Nine-Tails had left alone, but upon returning, it found not only the Kashimo Hajime it had brought back but also several strangers at the secret base's entrance.
Shoko Ieiri and Kakashi's group were standing with them, which let the Nine-Tails confirm they weren't enemies.
"What a coincidence, you're back too. Let me introduce you. These are your upperclassmen."
"Okkotsu Yuta, Hakari Kinji, and Hoshi Kirara."
Following Shoko Ieiri's introductions, Naruto and the Nine-Tails understood who they were—the upperclassmen that Gojo Satoru-sensei had mentioned.
"Hello," Okkotsu Yuta said first, breaking the ice.
"Ah, hello," the Nine-Tails replied blankly. It wasn't good at socializing.
After some thought, it returned control of the body to Naruto, deciding to let him owe it for the free time.
If it stayed in control now, it would definitely be forced to fight again. The Nine-Tails remembered the Culling Game rules: in less than ten hours, identity pieces would be distributed, and with its high point count, it would surely receive one.
"Let's all head inside before we talk. As it happens, Okkotsu brought back some new intel."
Kakashi noticed the change in Naruto's eyes and knew that control of the body had switched.
He took Naruto's arm and led the way into the base. Staying outside for too long could easily attract unwanted attention.
Okkotsu Yuta and the others followed them in. Some things really needed to be discussed in private.
"The Culling Game's influence is immense. It took me quite a bit of effort to get back; traveling from America to Tokyo is no easy feat."
"But I brought back a brand-new piece of intelligence. The Culling Game isn't just about making sorcerers kill each other; ordinary people can also wield great power."
"Before I came back, I discovered that someone has already begun to master this power."
Back inside the base, Okkotsu Yuta noticed the numerous barriers shielding it from the outside world, clearly intended to prevent anyone from discovering their presence, and by extension, Gojo Satoru's.
He quickly explained what he had witnessed in America, particularly regarding an individual who seemed to have mastered the power of the 'people.'
Okkotsu Yuta took out a photo, or rather, a promotional flyer. Printed on it was, naturally, the image of the President.
The number of members who had voluntarily joined the 'America' led by the President had already surpassed one hundred million. Such a terrifying number made Okkotsu Yuta sense that something was wrong.
'Curses' are an aggregation from multiple sources. The people's expectations for the President, along with all sorts of good wishes, would ultimately transform into a type of curse, yet the President seemed to be actively collecting them.
Upon seeing the photo, Itadori and the others had strange expressions on their faces. It wasn't because they had seen the President before, but because—
"Isn't that Funny Valentine?"
Fushiguro Megumi finally couldn't help but comment. Although he had mastered his Cursed Technique early on and operated as a sorcerer, it didn't mean he didn't have any normal hobbies; he had, in fact, seen things like JoJo.
"That's right, Funny Valentine. His image and demeanor completely mimic the President's, and he even goes by the name 'The President.'"
"His previous name and appearance... even I can't recall them. As a public figure like a president, he should have left a significant trail."
"But everything has changed. I looked up past news reports and found that those photos have also changed to his current appearance, as if he was born as 'The President.'"
Naruto and the others had no idea what any of this meant, but the teachers among them quickly formed a hypothesis.
"This is some kind of 'Binding Vow.' He discarded his entire past to create a new self, gaining some sort of power in exchange..."
"I know! I just ran into him and Sukuna outside!" Naruto finally found a chance to speak up.
"Sukuna?!" Itadori cried out at the name, throwing everything into a brief state of chaos.
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