40 Tough Love

[Author Note]

Disc: HTyCrm3MG6

I've seen the meme, but how do you think Mahoraga would adapt to Higaruma?

Would he leave Sukuna and go to law school?

Mahoraga's adaptation is so vague it's funny to imagine it in different scenarios.

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Nah, I'd adapt.

__________

Naohiro

Walking out of the room, I run back into Naoya as he leans against the wall.

As I walk towards him, he intends to speak up. However, before he can say anything...

*Grab*

I walk past him and grab the back of his shirt before dragging him down the corridor.

Flailing his arms around, Naoya makes his discomfort known. "The hell is this for!? We just had a brother heart-to-heart, and now you're dragging me around like baggage!?"

My head turns to look at him before I give him a closed-eye smile. "I told you I would drag you into the Hei, right? You don't seriously think I would've let you off with a slap on the wrist by joining those losers, right? I'm still itching to punch something after Nobuaki had some choice words."

Naoya has a horrified look on his face. "Please...spare me."

Moving towards the training area, I give him a nonchalant reply. "I'm not going to kill you. Don't worry. We'll get your domain done in no time!"

It seems like Naoya has already accepted his fate. "That would be reassuring from anyone besides you."

Then I get reminded of something. "Hey, what's up with Maki and Mai? They seem to have taken a liking to you."

That sounds unbelievable to a Jujutsu Kaisen fan.

He sighs as he speaks. "Yeah. I'm surprised you even know their names, considering you call everyone fodder. Ever since Ogi saw that they had no future as sorcerers, he and Reiko isolated them from the rest of the clan."

(A/N - "If you forgot, Reiko was the name I gave Maki and Mai's mother in the story.")

Raising my eyebrow, he continues, "Naturally, they were looking to turn to anyone since they are still children, so when I met them and didn't call them trash, they stuck to me. I became their big brother even though I'm their cousin."

A grin appears on my face. "Did you know that Maki has the same heavenly restriction as Toji Zenin?"

That got a reaction out of him. He jumped up and pushed off of me.

Turning my head around, I show a surprised look before speaking up. "Didn't know that would get such a serious reaction out of you."

His face turns serious. "I'd rather not have you screw around. I'm fine with all of the jokes and, hell, borderline child abuse, but Maki and Mai barely have any cursed energy at all. It isn't funny, Naohiro."

My face turns serious as well. "I wouldn't screw around with something like this. A friend of mine and I could've died to Toji. Earlier, you were wondering why I knew their names. They are twins, and Maki's heavenly restriction won't manifest as long as Mai exists."

To my surprise, his cursed energy flares, and he takes a stance with a look that says, 'I'll kill you.'

Jesus, I had no idea that Naoya got this attached to them so quickly. To even want to attack me. He wanted nothing more than to avoid or bully them in the previous timeline.

I rub the back of my head. "Calm down. I have a plan to sever their connection. I'm not going to go around executing children. I'm just stating that Maki can reach Toji's level. Mai is a more complex subject since I don't know what would happen if the connection gets severed."

Before things get too out of hand, I continue, "Look, I have plans for the future Hei unit, and it isn't going to be some old geezers discriminating based on cursed techniques. Just trust me on this one and lower the hostility, or I will forcefully lower it."

Noticing that we were at the training field, I grabbed his shirt and threw him onto the grass. However, he was able to land on his feet.

He was back to normal but was still pissed. "If you grab me one more time, I'll rip your hand off."

I smiled back at him. "Well then, you'll just have to become fast enough to where I can't do it. Now, let's talk domains."

For the next few hours, I helped him build knowledge about the functionalities of domain expansions while also showcasing my own. He was shocked when he lost his cursed energy.

Naoya still had a rough time externalizing his cursed energy since projection sorcery doesn't require it unless it's used for touching someone, but I'm sure he would be able to pick up on it with me here since he is a genius.

At some point, I noticed two girls 'stealthily' watching us train. It was comedic since they thought they were being sneaky.

I'm sure Naoya picked up on it as well. He got a little annoyed at parts and didn't like outsiders watching him train.

It was considered rude to watch someone train since you were essentially stealing information from them, but they were three, so I doubt it was that big of a deal.

Megumi, Mai, and Maki are still too young to take in. Is it bad that I don't care about Ranta? I mean, he's a real human now, but he was disappointing and was apparently a semi-grade-one.

Anyway, I will use this time to work on myself since Naoya only needs pointers.

A smile appears on my face as I remember the feeling I got when stabbed by the soul splitter.

I could feel something while I was adapting to soul damage. Rather than changing to fit the situation like one of my normal adaptations, I could feel and see my own soul.

Rather than wasting time, beating up bums, and training people who won't reach the peaks of Jujutsu, I was constantly replicating the adaptation to soul damage to get that same feeling I had before.

If I could launch consistent black flashes that targeted the soul, I could have my next big break to learning offense. Only a select few can sense their soul, and even fewer can protect it.

My attacks could become a pseudo-soul-split katana. Screw being a swordsman when I could throw hands.

Eventually, I'll need to put the cursed tools to use.

The Inverted Spear won't help since I can use my [Snatch] and adapt to their techniques.

I wouldn't use the chain of a thousand miles since there is no real need to learn how to throw a chain.

Playful cloud interested me since I could hit even harder, but it didn't appeal to me in the long term.

I'll use the soul-split katana for now until I figure out soul damage.

The current selling point that my cursed technique offers is defense and adaptability to any situation, so I've been struggling to pick up offensive techniques.

Becoming more creative with how my body adapts to phenomena can act like a reversal technique. If I can launch an attack using adaptations as a reversal, I can do a lot of damage.

With how many I've picked up over the years, cutting the space like Mahoraga wouldn't be impossible. I can't help but become extremely excited for the future of my technique.

I can't slack on my domain since it'll need to be at peak refinement to match the heavy hitters that show up.

There are even more ideas in my mind that can be used. I feel like I have the most freedom with my technique with all of my primary cards on the table.

Reverse cursed technique, domain expansion, and a handle on my technique. I finally have tons of avenues that I can pursue. There is almost no l-

'clink'

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Ah, there's my soul.