The Battle of The Strongest 3
As Hiroshi was struck, he took it like a champ, but there was white noise in the background, and his vision momentarily went black before quickly recovering. He took a few steps back, spat blood, and wiped his mouth.
"Good hit, but you're getting tired, Satoru," Hiroshi smirked. He still felt energetic and ready to fight, but seeing Satoru near exhaustion, yet having entered the zone, made his blood boil for the fight.
At this point, Satoru felt nearly exhausted but was in a state where he could see clearly, his cursed energy amped to 120%.
Satoru capitalized on Hiroshi's momentary lapse, hitting him with a kick to the temple and sending Hiroshi flying into the ocean.
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"Satoru is at the end of his rope," Suguru said, noticing his friend's exhaustion.
"He did hit a Black Flash, though," Shoko mentioned.
"If Satoru doesn't end this fight soon, he will lose," Masamichi Yaga observed.
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"Your son will lose this if he does not end it soon, Gojo," Hiroto teased, looking at Takumi.
"He will, soon," Takumi Gojo replied irritably.
"Yeah, he will soon," Hiroto said ambiguously.
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As Hiroshi landed in the water, he floated in the depths, contemplating the open Barrier domain.
"Binding Vow...Barrierless Domain," Hiroshi muttered.
Within that span, pigmentation appeared on his face: "Sage Mode."
As he entered Sage Mode, Hiroshi realized how Satoru managed to use Reverse Cursed Technique after Domain Expansion. "Satoru destroyed his brain somewhere around the prefrontal cortex and regenerated it at the same time, Since cursed energy flows from the stomach and RCT, or positive energy, is directed from the brain, it is possible bro is suicidal, I swear," Hiroshi thought as he blasted out from the ocean water.
Upon seeing the pigmentation marks on Hiroshi's face, Satoru was confused.
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"OH! He has used it! He actually has it!" Hiroto exclaimed, seeing the pigmentation marks on Hiroshi's face.
"Quit it, you senile old fool. Wearing makeup won't change your nephew's defeat," Takumi Gojo said.
"Makeup? Maybe, but I'll tell you about a clan secret, Takumi, hehe," Hiroto smirked, now sure that Satoru Gojo will lose.
Naobito and Chisuke both wondered what the pigmentation on Hiroshi's face was as well and listened intently.
"The pigmentation on my nephew's face is Sage Mode," Hiroto said.
"Sage Mode?" Question marks appeared on each clan leader's face.
"I don't exactly know how it works, but Sage Mode enables the user access to the natural energy of the world. Sage Mode was used by the ancestor to defeat Ryomen Sukuna," Hiroto revealed.
Hearing this, Takumi had a worried look on his face, only to hide it.
But the room fell silent, knowing that there was only one sorcerer who defeated Ryomen Sukuna, and that was the God of Sorcerers, Senju Hashirama. The fact that Hiroshi Senju had used it now spoke volumes about the trouble Satoru Gojo would face.
Hiroshi landed in front of Satoru, radiating an aura of confidence as if nothing could go wrong. It was as though he was on the cusp of a significant breakthrough, a realization that would catapult him closer to mastering his barrierless domain. This anticipation fueled his resolve to engage in the battle with all his might, to fight to his heart's content.
He stood there, the pigmentation of Sage Mode marking his face, a testament to the natural energy he had harnessed. This battle wasn't just about techniques or cursed energy anymore; it was a clash of wills, of destinies intertwined, and of limits being tested.
Satoru, despite his exhaustion, could not help but feel a spark of excitement. Hiroshi's transformation and his unwavering stance hinted at a level of power Satoru had yet to fully understand or experience. Hiroshi was not just an opponent; he was a mirror, reflecting Satoru's own unyielding spirit and the relentless pursuit of strength.
Looking at Hiroshi, Satoru Gojo realized he was seeing not just his rival but his target for power. However, as he observed more closely, his Six Eyes picked up on something different: a different type of energy was coursing through Hiroshi, something with which he was not familiar.
But as he focused, Hiroshi disappeared from his vision momentarily and appeared beside him, swinging. This caught him off guard, and as Hiroshi's fist connected, it sparked black.
"Black Flash!" Both combatants were now in the zone!
Satoru, though unconscious, instinctively reacted with a punch that also landed on Hiroshi, but Hiroshi shrugged it off. "COME ON, SATORU! IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT?!" His challenging voice brought Satoru Gojo back to consciousness.
"That's MORE LIKE IT!" Hiroshi smirked, seeing his friend regain consciousness. As he attacked, his speed was off the charts. Satoru could see but was forced onto the defensive. With Sage Mode, Hiroshi's stats were significantly enhanced, affecting his capabilities in battle greatly.
Amidst the flurry of punches, Satoru found a gap in Hiroshi's defenses and managed to hit him straight in the abdomen with a palm strike, pushing Hiroshi away. However, as Hiroshi was thrown to the ground, he sneaked in a kick at Satoru, sending him flying into the air.
Quickly recovering, Hiroshi leaped ahead of Satoru and delivered an axe kick, sending him crashing down onto the island, creating a large crater. Yet, the battle continued relentlessly.
As Hiroshi descended, seeing Satoru still struggling to stand, he unleashed his "Heavenly Foot of Pain!" technique. Satoru was hit with a foot sparking black, enlarging the crater and causing a portion of the island to sink.
With Hiroshi having landed three Black Flashes while Satoru landed two, sparks of black energy filled the air.
It is a Festival for the Black Sparks!
As Satoru struggled to stand, his torn clothes revealing a dark blue bruise on his abdomen, he hurriedly healed it with his Reversed Cursed Technique. Meanwhile, he observed Hiroshi standing in a strange form, extending both arms forward at a slight upward angle with their fists closed.
Crows circled the area, with Mei Mei now taking charge with her crows providing a better angle to observe the fight.
However, Naobito Zenin, witnessing Hiroshi's form, was in disbelief. "That's impossible!" As the Zenin Clan Patriarch, he understood the significance of that form, and Hiroshi's words left him astounded.
"With this Treasure, I summon!"
Gojo Takumi and Chisuke Kamo were equally baffled by Hiroshi's utilization of The Ten Shadows.
"That's enough, Hiroshi. You've got these old men all riled up," Hiroto laughed out loud.
The three old men wore questioning expressions, but then they realized their cursed energies were in a state of chaos.
"Genjutsu!?" They exclaimed in unison as they regained control over their cursed energies. Hiroshi stared mischievously at the screen, pulling down his eyelid and sticking out his tongue.
"That brat!" Naobito fumed, relieved that the Ten Shadows weren't actually in Hiroshi's array of techniques; it was merely a joke. However, for the rest of the old men, the fact that Hiroshi showcased various abilities during his fight left them with the notion that he could actually use the Ten Shadows. Hiroshi's trolling nature was still evident.
"But how did his genjutsu reach this far? We are miles away from the island," Chisuke Kamo questioned.
Suddenly, one of Hiroshi's clones emerged from amongst the plants in the room.
"Why can't it, Clan Leader Kamo?" Hiroshi's clone quipped, leaving the clan heads shocked.
Amidst the commotion, Hiroto chuckled as he looked at the screen. "The mastery over nature, the God of Sorcerers," he muttered.
---
"Strange. Ever since Hiroshi had that tattoo over his face, he's been stronger and faster than Satoru," Suguru remarked.
Shoko nodded. "Why don't we ask him about it later?" she suggested.
Suguru agreed with a nod.
---
Satoru, while healing himself, warily watched Hiroshi.
"He's significantly faster. Six Eyes can keep up, but my body can't. Not only that, he hits harder now. I can only use Purple to finish it; otherwise, I'm going to lose," Satoru thought as he planned his strategy against Hiroshi.
Hiroshi felt the intensity of the battle growing, and he embraced it with fervor. The battle-crazed look in his eyes intensified.
With Hiroshi on Satoru's bumper, a flurry of punches ensued. Satoru tanked more than ten hits within a span of a second. He was now in a state where the pain from Hiroshi's hits had weakened. Locked in, Satoru assumed a defensive stance akin to a boxer, protecting his vital parts. He isolated all information except for Hiroshi's movements, barely keeping up with them.
Hiroshi swung an uppercut simultaneously as Satoru threw a straight punch. Hiroshi's punch grazed Satoru's cheek with sheer force, splattering a rock formation into bits. However, Satoru's punch connected.
As everything unfolded rapidly, Satoru came to a stark realization: Hiroshi had transformed into an unstoppable force, and there was no slowing him down. In response, Satoru understood that he had only one viable strategy left: to fight simultaneously. This meant timing his attacks to coincide with Hiroshi's, thereby minimizing the window for any additional counter-attacks. It was a risky approach, but given Hiroshi's overwhelming power and speed, it was the only option Satoru had to level the playing field. With determination in his eyes, Satoru braced himself for the intense battle ahead, ready to execute his plan with precision and agility.
The moment Hiroshi got hit by Satoru's punch, he didn't seem to feel it and countered with a punch to the gut, sending Satoru flying and dragging across the ground.
"He's becoming faster!" Satoru observed. As Hiroshi was about to take a step, he was already in Satoru's face, about to swing again. Hiroshi's heavy right swing was met by Satoru's heavy left. Satoru adjusted his head slightly, allowing Hiroshi's punch to graze him again. But as Satoru's punch connected with Hiroshi's temple, it sparked black once again!
"Their throwing black flashes like it's nothing!" Naobito exclaimed, to which Hiroto replied, "This is the peak of power, of the sorcerer world! A fight where the black sparks are celebrating!"
Takumi Gojo remained silent as he watched his son fighting.
"Another black flash!" Shoko exclaimed.
"It's like a competition at this point. They are hitting each other with black flashes, but Hiroshi's crazed look," Suguru pointed out.
"Why? What's with his look?" Shoko asked.
"That's the look of Satoru when he awakened, the moment he realized RCT and Purple," Suguru said. "I believe we can expect something unexpected from Hiroshi soon."
As Hiroshi was hit on the temple by Satoru's black flash, he said to Satoru, "Satoru, you're not the only one who can use the black sparks!" Hiroshi suddenly hit Satoru with a palm forward, creating distance. Then, like a whip, he hit Satoru, who was in mid-air, with a kick that sent him crashing to the ground, the kick sparking black once again!
Even as Satoru hit the ground heavily injured, he stubbornly stood up, his Reverse Cursed Technique healing him rapidly. When he hit the black flash, his output became 120% once again, enabling him to heal faster.
"Why is he standing there?" Satoru wondered, looking at Hiroshi, who was illuminated by the sun, standing with his arms wide open as if welcoming something.
Satoru had a bad feeling, and thus he launched blue towards Hiroshi. But the blue was intercepted by wooden walls that suddenly rose up and dissipated.
"Looks like Red or Blue isn't going to cut it. Even if I launch it across the barriers, it's going to get intercepted," Satoru thought, looking at the skies. Suddenly, an idea struck him. "My technique is not going to hurt as much when I get hit by it. Do or die, I still have enough for a Purple and a Domain Expansion."
Satoru threw up a red and blue upwards and chanted, "Nine Ropes Polarized Light Crow and Shomyo The Gap Between Within and Without." The blue and red merged.
All of Satoru's movements couldn't escape from his senses, but it was irrelevant to him, as his chance for enlightenment had come!
Time seemed to slow down as Hiroshi remembered Sukuna's open domain.
"Sukuna's domain, 'Malevolent Shrine.' It's unlike other domains. It doesn't create a separate space with a barrier or close the barrier but makes the innate domain visible. It's like not using a canvas, but rather painting directly in the sky," he muttered.
"Painting directly in the sky... A binding vow to enable people to escape... and to launch an open barrier domain needs a very specific hand sign," Hiroshi thought, as for some reason, the image of the Thousand Hand Kanon appeared in his mind.
"I see. So that's how it is," Hiroshi realized.
As Satoru finished his chant, "Hollow Technique Purple!" purple came crashing down at Satoru and Hiroshi's area. Satoru visibly moved fast out from the range but was still caught in the flash of light.
The flash of light enveloped a quarter of the island, so bright that the sorcerers watching had to cover their eyes.
And as the flash of light dissipated, Satoru Gojo, who had partial wounds from his Hollow Technique Purple, was rapidly healing himself, waiting for the outcome. He knew Hiroshi wouldn't die from that but would be incapacitated.
"First time trying to blow myself up," Satoru chuckled to himself. "That was the most intense fight I have ever had. Even managed to land 3 Black Flashes, quite nice," Satoru said to himself.
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Seconds before the Hollow Purple Landed
Hiroshi found himself in a moment of profound clarity, a revelation amidst the chaos. The impending impact of Satoru's attack became secondary to the awakening within him.
"I was never the Honored One," he murmured to himself, his voice carrying a weight of understanding. "Like Satoru and Sukuna... no, I am not them. I never claimed to be. Though I may occasionally mimic their ways for amusement, I knew deep down that I was different. And now, I embrace that difference. My power... it comes not just from within, but from the very essence of the world itself."
In the midst of his realization, Hiroshi found himself transported to the heart of his Innate Domain. Before him stood the majestic God Tree, its branches reaching toward the heavens, while below, the vast expanse of the blue ocean stretched out endlessly.
In this moment of clarity, a vision unfolded within Hiroshi's mind. He saw himself, holding a lotus in his hand, a symbol of purity and enlightenment, as he gazed down upon the world below. And then, a quote, unfamiliar yet profound, etched itself into his consciousness.
"I feel compassion for the Planet, for I alone am the Lord of the World," Hiroshi declared, his voice resonating with newfound conviction.
In that split second, as Hiroshi embraced his true nature, the world seemed to hold its breath. The sun broke through the clouds, casting a gentle glow upon the land below. The wind, once fierce and tumultuous, now whispered his name with a sense of reverence.
In this moment, Hiroshi realized the depth of his connection to the world around him. And as his newfound purpose echoed across the land, a sense of peace and harmony washed over everything, a testament to the power of acceptance and self-realization.
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As the smoke cleared, there stood a dome-like construct with a fierce dragon's face partially erased, but everything was intact.
"Shinboku no Jumon: Wood Expulsion Jutsu," it opened, splitting in the middle as Hiroshi walked out unscathed. The most arrogant smirk he had worn was now evident, knowing he had won this battle.
"Satoru, you gotta try harder than that to kill me," Hiroshi smirked.
"You're kidding, right? So many techniques?" Satoru finally showed a horrified expression.
"No, Satoru, I'm not... why don't we finish this?" Hiroshi said.
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In the ship,
"He survived that unscathed?" Takumi Gojo exclaimed as he watched Hiroshi walk out from the wooden construct.
"Heh, your son has lost," Hiroto said.
"Not yet," Takumi Gojo stubbornly replied.
Naobito and Chisuke remained silent, watching intently at the final stretches of the duel of the strongest sorcerers in the modern era.
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"Hiroshi has been enlightened," Suguru said.
"Huh? How do you know?" Shoko asked.
"It's the same as Satoru, the arrogant smirk he's about to pull out signifies something incredible. Watch closely, Shoko," Suguru said.
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As Hiroshi and Satoru stood meters apart, parallel to each other, Hiroshi spoke, breaking the tense silence. "Let's end this, Satoru. Let this be the final clash."
Satoru responded by placing his finger over the other, while Hiroshi brought his hands together in a prayer-like gesture. Suddenly, a multitude of arms manifested around Hiroshi, numbering around ten pairs each. Below his original pair of arms, another pair formed in the Dyani Mudra, while the rest assumed the Gyan Mudra.
"Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void!" Satoru declared.
"Domain Expansion: Divine Tree Emergence!" Hiroshi countered.
As they unleashed their Domains, an unexpected phenomenon startled every sorcerer watching: a massive God Tree materialized on the island, its lush green leaves swaying in the wind.
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On an inconspicuous yacht somewhere near the island, a woman observed the unfolding events, her forehead marked with stitches.
"Senju Hiroshi has achieved a barrierless domain," she muttered.
"Will his existence interrupt Sukuna Sama's revival?" inquired a white-haired woman, addressing the woman who was actually Kenjaku in disguise.
"No, the seeds are already planted. We are just waiting for the chance for it to come to fruition," Kenjaku responded.
"I see," Uraume said coldly.
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In the ship,
"What's happening? Where did that tree come from?" Naobito asked, baffled.
"I don't know," was the unanimous response from everyone on board.
Hiroshi's clone's words, however, sparked delight in Hiroto.
"It appears the main body has achieved the barrierless domain. Truly divine," Hiroshi's clone reported.
Hiroto Senju cackled with delight. He might not understand the specifics, but the concept of a barrierless domain sounded promising, and he was convinced his nephew had emerged victorious.
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"A tree?" Shoko was confused.
Suguru, however, finally caught on. "It's Hiroshi's domain. If I'm not mistaken, an open barrier domain. What a guy, Hiroshi!" Suguru exclaimed.
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In the moment when both Domain Expansions clashed, Hiroshi realized that he and Satoru were more or less equal inside the domain. However, he smirked, confident in his victory.
"Game over, Satoru," Hiroshi declared.
"What?" Satoru exclaimed, realizing his domain was breached from the outside, revealing the massive God Tree to the outside world.
As Satoru was struck multiple times by the sure-hit effects from Hiroshi's domain, he fell unconscious. Hiroshi swiftly caught Satoru's body before it hit the ground and began to heal him.
Senju Hiroshi had emerged victorious.
"The Lord of the World had descended, Gracing us with his Presence!"
A/N: Did I cook or did I burn it?