Jujutsu Kaisen- The Golden Mountain pt 2

Tokyo, Japan. 

!2:30 Am.

Shinjuku City.

Toraya, restaurant. 

Ishiguro waited patiently at a table in the Japanese sweet restaurant, known for its sweets particularly Mochi. He was sporting a particularly different get-up than his normal robes.

Today he had on a simply blue T-shirt, with black jeans, and black bottom shoes. His raven black hair fell freely down the side of his face. 

The heat from the sun was beginning to swell even more. So much so, that the Air conditioner in the restaurant needed to be turned up a dial just to keep the air low from becoming too stuffy. 

" Hahaha! This guy?" As his patience was beginning to wane, Ishiguro suddenly sensed the arrival of his guest. The same man who had told him not to be late over the phone. 

Ishiguro turned towards the presence creeping at his back and smiled.

" Yo, Ishiguro! Were you waiting for me?" The man known as the strongest sorcerer of the modern era, Satoru Gojo, asked Ishiguro as he did a silly dance. With a smile that spread from ear to ear, Gojo waved his arms in the air. 

Gojo was wearing a simple white-collar shirt, with black slacks and black shoes. And in place of his signature blind fold was a pair of black sunglasses. 

" Gojo~" Ishiguro trailed off sweetly, as he stood up and joined Gojo, waving his arms at his side, mirroring Gojo's movements exactly.

" Ishiguro~"

" Gojo~"

The two men danced and laughed. It was a nice greeting between friends who hadn't seen each other in quite some time. 

After a bit of nonsensical amusement, Gojo and Ishiguro both took their seat at their table. The waitress who approached them both, could hardly stand on her own two feet as the two handsome men stared at her with their blue eyes fluttering in the wind. 

Eventually she managed to get away from the two of them, leaving them both snickering as she fumbled to the kitchen to fetch their food and drinks. 

Finally, with their food and drinks delivered, Gojo and Ishiguro finally relaxed a little.

" Ah, I love coming to this place. The sweets here really are the best-"

" Gojo..." Ishiguro cut Gojo off as he began to dig in to his sweet mochi, his previously warm and happy aura shifting completely to a somber tone. 

Gojo stopped for a second to look at Ishiguro.

" I'm sorry about your student's death. You have my condolences." Ishiguro said to the man.

" Oh! Don't worry about that. He's alive. I just told everyone he was dead to keep him hidden from the higher-ups." Gojo exclaimed cheerfully.

" Hgn?!" Ishiguro was visibly shocked, but as he sat there, he realized who it was he was sitting with. " Ha, well, the old man won't like that. When he finds out he's going to blow a fuse, I just know it." Ishiguro chuckled at the thought of Gakuganji blowing his lid. 

" Make sure to keep it a secret. I don't want people finding out about him just yet." Gojo stated.

" Huh? Then why tell me in the first place?" Ishiguro asked.

" Because... I trust you." Gojo told the younger man.

The moment they had met, Gojo and Ishiguro had clicked. Their personalities were so similar, it was hard to tell them apart sometimes. Though, they had fought each other that day, and Ishiguro had lost badly, the respect they held for one another became a bond of friendship. And their mutual distaste for the higher ups just made it even easier to get along. 

But even with their history, to hear such praise from the only man he's ever lost to in a fight, was joyous. 

" I see." Ishiguro muttered. " So, what is it, you called me here for Gojo? Surely it wasn't just to eat sweets and talk. Although, that would be nice. It's been a long time. Since I've been able to just sit like this and eat with a friend, that is."

" Unfortunately, no." Gojo told the man.

" I figured. That is unfortunate though." Ishiguro replied somberly. " Something big must be going on for you call me in to help."

" There have been some strange events going on recently." Gojo told the man. " There has been an uprising in special grade curses, I'm sure you've noticed that much."

" Yeah, I have. I ran into one last week that was able to create bolts of lightning. A fast one." Ishiguro told the man. 

" I recently had a run in with one that could manipulate lava, he attacked me. And right before I could discover what he wanted, another one that had the ability to grow plants out of the ground to hypnotize its foes." Gojo explained. " They were working together."

" What?" Ishiguro asked.

Curses working together was a rare thing. Normally they were simple minded creatures that had one purpose, and that was to pursue their goal. 

" Yeah. And the magma one, he could talk about as fluently as you and me."

This news shocked Ishiguro. Curses were capable of speech, yes. But to hear of one that had intellect, and the ability to use it as well as group up with other cursed spirits. Now that was truly something rare, unheard of even.

" He was targeting you specifically. That's a foolish idea. I'm the only one who can beat you, Gojo." Ishiguro told the man.

Gojo smirked and flicked his finger at Ishiguro.

" Funny." Gojo joked.

" I know. Hahahaha!" Ishiguro replied with a laugh. " So, you want me to look into it?" Ishiguro asked the man.

" No. No. I'm sure they'll come after me again. In which case, I can handle it. I want you to be on the lookout in case they begin targeting all the special grad sorcerers. After everything, we're a little shorthanded on sorcerers capable of taking on special grades and winning alone." Gojo told the man.

" Yeah..." Ishiguro responded. " How are your students coming along? Maki is in her second year now. Has she made any progress in her grade?"

" Panda and Inumaki are doing well. Megumi and the other new students are also making advancements a little at a time. Maki on the other hand is still being held back. The Zen'in clan is doing their best to keep her down. She's easily a semi-grade 1 sorcerer now. But those stubborn bastards just aren't budging."

" The same is happening with Mai. Though I'll admit, I'm kind of glad." Ishiguro admitted. " She isn't like Todou or kokichi. Those two have talent as sorcerers, Todou even more so, and Miwa and Nishimiya are coming along slowly as well. But Mai... She's shown no interest in becoming a full-fledged sorcerer. She only cares about being better than Maki." Ishiguro explained. " And then there's Noritoshi. He actually has good skills, but his mind set is in the wrong place. They're both so set on trying to impress their clans that they are hindering their skills. And one day, it's gonna get them killed. Satoru...."

Hearing his first name, Gojo leaned forward and listened to Ogata as he spoke.

" They've been hurting our students... Perhaps... Perhaps we should kill them Afterall." Ishiguro told the man. 

He was dead serious. Gojo knew that perfectly well. 

" I've considered it many times, Ogata. But then there comes the problem of who will come after them." Gojo told the man.

Ishiguro sat back in his chair. " You're right." He said. " But if they keep hurting Mai and Noritoshi... I'll have no choice but to wipe the leaders of the Noritoshi clan and the Zen'in clan out." He replied.

" It hasn't come to that yet. But if it does. I'll have your back." Gojo told the man. 

" Thanks." Ishiguro took a moment to compose himself. " Now then, these cursed spirits. I'll keep an eye out for them and take them out if I get the chance." 

Gojo nodded and placed his empty plate to the side.

" There's one more thing I wanted to talk to you about." Gojo spoke up.

" Hm? What is it?" Ishiguro asked.

" I wanted to talk to you about the exchange event this year." Gojo said to the man.

" I see."

" Are you going to participate?" Gojo asked.

" Will Hakari or Okkotsu be joining?" 

" Not this year."

" Then no. I don't have many peers among the school students, so me participating in the event wouldn't give the younger students a chance to learn and grow. I figured I'd pit Mai against Maki this year, give her a chance to test herself against her goal." Ishiguro explained. " I want her to see how far she's come and how far her sister has as well. Maybe a little sibling rivalry will boost her spirit and make her take jujutsu more serious." 

" Oh?" Gojo smiled a bit. " Do you think she has what it takes to beat Maki?" Gojo asked the man.

" Not really. Maki has always been a hard worker. And so has Mai, but it's become clear she doesn't intend to pursue Jujutsu in its fullest. And that's fine. The one thing I want for all of them is to be able to live the lives they want. But without power, they won't be able to survive. There will always be a knife at their backs, simply because of who they are, Mai and Noritoshi, and if they aren't properly prepared, they'll die. Utahime does her best when I'm not around, but Iori can only teach them so much." 

" You shouldn't talk about your own juniors in such a way." Gojo teased.

" It's because they are my juniors that I can see their weaknesses so clearly. I just don't want them to die on me, Satoru. Their all like my little brothers and sisters. My juniors. The future of jujutsu society. It's up to us adults to pave the way for them to succeed."

" I agree."

" Well, the event is in a few more weeks. I should get going. I need to go ahead and get to work. I've got a few more missions to take care of in the meantime. If there's anything else, you need to talk to me about give me a call." Ishiguro said to Gojo. He got up from his seat and took a big bite from his plate, cleaning it in a swift moment. " Oh... And Satoru.... Take care of yourself, and don't be a stranger." Ishiguro extended his hand towards Gojo.

And Gojo, with a smirk on his face, claimed his hand in his own.

A firm grasp, reaffirming loyalties and friendship.

....

Elsewhere.

" Ho? What's this?" 

" What is it, Geto?" The head of a cursed spirit asked the man sitting next to him.

" A troublesome being is in Shinjuku right now, Jogo." Geto told the spirit named Jogo. 

Geto was a tall man dressed in traditional purple robes with long black hair, and a distinctive scar across his forehead. 

" Who is it?" Jogo asked.

" Another special grade sorcerer. He must be here for the exchange event. It seems things are going to be a bit more complicated than we thought." Geto explained.

" Why's that?" A giant creature emerged from the flowers in the ground. It had two sticks jutting out where its eyes should have been. It had pale skin and wore a pair of baggy black pants. Another feature was the sling it wore over its left arm.

" Hanami."

" Welcome back, Hanami." Geto spoke. " Because. This sorcerer is considered quite the prodigy. Though I haven't had the chance to properly gauge his strength myself. Regardless, he was considered a special grad sorcerer before he even joined Jujutsu high. We'll have to plan around that, body."

......

2 weeks later.

Kyoto high.

" All right!" Todou yelled out in excitement as the day had finally come. It was time for the students to head to Tokyo for the sister school exchange event. 

" Do you really need to be so loud, Todou?" Nishimiya asked the man.

" Huh?! Of course! It's finally time! I've been waiting for this event!" Todou exclaimed.

" OH?! I'm glad to hear that! TODOU!" Ishiguro appeared next to the group, surprising them.

" Huh? Ishiguro, weren't you already in Tokyo?" Todou asked the man.

" Of course, but I wouldn't miss the chance to see you guys off. So, I decided to rush back." Ishiguro explained. He leaned in real close to Todou and whispered. " I also got you a gift while I was working, here you go." He said as he pushed a ticket into Todou's open hand.

Todou looked at the ticket and immediately felt tears of joy welling up in his eyes.

" Takada-Chan.... It was meant to be. Thank you, ISHIGURO!" 

" Of course, TODOU! HM!" 

Todou and Ishiguro firmly shook hands, exposing their manliness to the world by striking a pose in the process.

" Alright, you two hurry it up. We're gonna miss the bullet train." Utahime told the two.

" Ah, Iori..." Ishiguro briefly locked eyes with the older woman and flashed a soft smile.

Utahime's cheeks briefly flashed a shade of pink before returning to normal.

" What is it?" She asked.

" You're looking especially beautiful today. Did you change your hair?" 

Utahime's blush turned her skin even redder than before. Leaving her speechless, however....

" Hmmm, enough of your games. The time has come." Gakuganji said as he stepped out into view.

" Old man. You're looking as old as ever. Are you ready?" Ishiguro asked the man.

" Where have you been these last two weeks?"

" I told you; I've been taking care of business in Tokyo. Since Todou and I have been the only ones active in trimming down the cursed spirits in our area, I've gotten a little backlogged. So, I figured I try and take care of as many sightings as possible before the event. This way, my juniors can at least go enjoy themselves without having to worry about the public. But of course, that's not what you wanted to hear, is it?" 

Gakuganji didn't say anything. He simple chose to hum in response. 

" Alright, you two. Let's not be at each other's throats. We have to get focused!" Utahime exclaimed.

" Wow, Iori. You seem really focused on winning this thing, don't you?" 

" Of course! I want to rub this in Satoru Gojo's face!" Utahime told the man. She had a look of extreme concentration on her face, which was odd considering she wasn't even participating. 

" HAHAHAHA! ALRIGHT THEN! Kyoto high! Let's go!"

" Yeah!" With confidence to take on the world, the students of Kyoto's Jujutsu school for sorcerers shouted to the heavens.

Next stop Tokyo!

..........

The students of Kyoto all quickly departed from the vehicles they took to get to Jujutsu high, which was located further in Tokyo's more natural area. 

" Look at them. We've only just arrived and they're already moving so fast ahead of us." Ishiguro remarked as the students from the school started their way up the stairs to Jujutsu high's main entrance.

" You could go with them, so why are you sitting back here?" Utahime asked.

" Well, I'd prefer not to get in their way, and because I want to take this time to enjoy a walk with you. It's been quite some time you know, since we've actually talked that is." 

Ishiguro and Utahime slowly began their ascent up the Tokyo stairs.

" How have you been? I know I've been gone a lot this year." Ishiguro spoke.

" It's been a challenge. Juggling all of their personalities along with all the pressure I've been getting from the higher ups, it's been rough. But I've come to enjoy it somewhat. You're right about one thing, this is going to be important for the younger kids." Utahime explained.

Ishiguro looked at the smile that had grown across Utahime's face, and suddenly felt a bit or regret.

" I've been gone the better part of the year, and during that time you've had to juggle helping the students, the old man, and the higher ups. Forgive me for that, Iori."

Utahime stopped and looked at Ishiguro. Hardly if ever did he not have a smile on his face. To see him looking so serious now, well, she wouldn't believe it if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.

" Hey now, don't be like that. After all, it is the teacher's responsibility to take care of things with the adults." 

" Yes, but these aren't ordinary matters. I've placed you in a hard spot. Forgive me, for that. I promise, it will get better someday. I won't make you shoulder the burden of dealing with those old bastards alone."

Utahime was quiet for a moment. The implications of such a statement if taken the wrong way could have been detrimental. 

" Don't do anything reckless." She said in a whisper barely noticeable. 

" Hey now, when have I ever been known to do reckless things?" 

" YOU ALWAYS DO RECKLESS THINGS!" Utahime yelled out.

Ishiguro laughed at her sudden outburst. 

" HAHAHAHA!" 

Ishiguro's loud laughter only served to further anger Utahime. 

Utahime and Ishiguro continued up the stairs eventually stumbling across the students from Tokyo and Kyoto beginning to get into a bit of a heated argument.

However, they were all swiftly shut down by the sudden arrival of Utahime, who made her presence known with a clap of her hands, and Ishiguro.

" Okay, okay. Let's not fight amongst ourselves. " Utahime told the students.

" YO!" Ishiguro spoke up and greeted the students of Tokyo high who looked quite shocked to see him. 

" Is that?"

" PANDA! How have you been?" Ishiguro asked the giant panda from Tokyo.

" Well."

" And Maki! HOW ABOUT YOU?!" 

" Huh?! Well." Maki replied as she pushed her glasses up on her face.

" AND FINALLY, YOU INUMAKI?!" 

Inumaki raised his hand up an extended his pinky and thumb. " Salmon!"

" GOOD!" Ishiguro exclaimed. " I see we've got some new students this year. You must be Megumi and you Nobara. Am I right?"

" Uh, excuse me. Who's this guy?" The young woman with bright orange hair asked.

Panda leaned down next to Nobara's ear and whispered. " Thats Ogata Ishiguro. He's a fourth year from Kyoto. He's a special grade sorcerer like Gojo-Sensei." Panda explained.

" HUH?!" Nobara reasonably began to freak out upon hearing the news.

" But he wasn't supposed to be participating this year. Basically, it means we've lost." Panda explained to the girl.

" Ohhhhh." Nobara groaned and hung her head low in disappointment.

" Nonsense, Panda. I'm only here to watch is all." Ishiguro explained to the panda who was a panda.

There was a visible sigh of relief amongst the other students, that Nobara felt she should have sighed as well.

" And by proxy, you are Megumi, the Ten Shadows user. Tell me, how many shikigami have managed to tame so far?" Ishiguro asked.

" Why would I disclose my secrets to you?" Megumi asked.

" Keeping your secrets close? That's smart. But I assure you, I'm only interested in seeing how far you've come as a sorcerer."

Megumi slightly reeled back from Ishiguro's presence. 

Him just standing there felt like a weight had suddenly been pressed onto his chest.

" Alright, now that introductions are out of the way..." Utahime spoke. " Where's that idiot?" She asked in reference to Gojo.

" Yes, where is Satoru?" Gakuganji asked.

Suddenly there was a loud sound of wheels rolling along the ground. 

" Sorry for the wait!" Gojo shouted as he came running towards the group.

" Gojo Satoru." Utahime grumbled his name out as she watched him approach.

" Gojo Satoru!" Miwa on the other hand seemed excited to see the man renowned as the strongest. 

" Hey everyone! I was on a business trip overseas!" Gojo exclaimed. " So, now I will hand out souvenirs!"

" This is sudden." Panda muttered.

" Are you sure it's not Jet lag?" Nobara asked Panda.

Gojo stepped in front of the Kyoto students and began handing each of them a pink protective charm shaped like mummy to each of them.

" Okay, everyone from Kyoto gets this protective charm from a particular tribe." He explained.

Todou, Kamo, Kokichi, Miwa, Nishimiya, Mai, and Ishiguro recieved a charm from Gojo. Utahime however.

" None for you, Utahime."

" I don't need one!" Utahime yelled back.

Ishiguro laughed at the man and handed his charm to Utahime.

" Satoru." 

" Ogata."

...

" Satoru~"

" Ogata~"

Gojo and Ishiguro both started waving their arms together in unison. For them it was a fun bit, but for everyone else it looked like a nightmare playing out in front of them.

' Oh no, there's two of them.' Nobara thought to herself.

" Alright! Time for Tokyo. Are you ready everyone?! HERE WE GO!" Gojo exclaimed as he held out the suitcase he was rolling around.

" Overly excited adults are creepy." Nobara exclaimed bluntly.

The lid popped open, and from out of the box came a young man with bright pink hair on top, with blade on the sides.

" HEY! OPP!" He shouted.

" It's your departed friend, Yuji Itadori!" Gojo exclaimed.

" Eh?" Ishiguro's faced cracked into a grin, as he tried pushing back his laughter.

Megumi and Nobara, on the other hand, both looked extremely frustrated at Yuji's return. 

" Huh?!" Yuji screamed. " They don't seem happy at all!" He shouted in disbelief.

" Okay, everyone from Kyoto! This is Sukuna's vessel, Yuuji Itadori." Gojo exclaimed. He turned Yuuji towards the Kyoto students hoping to get a better reaction, however they were all too busy staring at the charm Gojo had given them moments before. 

Ishiguro however, busted into a fit of laughter.

" HA!HAHAHA!" 

Gakuganji did not find this funny one bit.

" Sukuna's vessel? What is the meaning of this?" He asked.

" HAHAHAHA! Look at your face old man!" Ishiguro yelled out. " I've been sitting on that for weeks! But I didn't think he'd show up here. Satoru, you've outdone yourself!" 

" HEY! Principal Gakuganji!" Gojo yelled out. " Oh, thank goodness. I was worried you might just die from the shock." Gojo said to the man.

" You damned brats!" Gakuganji grumbled.

Gojo and Ishiguro both smirked right in Gakuganji's face. Taunting him as openly as they could. 

" All right. All right." The man next to Gakuganji, spoke. His name was Yaga Masamichi, and he was the principal of Tokyo's school. " Everyone listen up!" He shouted. " I'm going to explain the rules."

All of the students promptly lined up along with their respective schools and began watching as Yaga explained the rules, while putting Gojo in a submission hold. 

" The Tokyo-Kyoto sister school exchange event will be held over two days. The first day will be a group battle called The Wacky Cursed Spirit Exorcism Race!" Yaga explained. " The rules are simple. The first team to exorcise the second grade cursed spirit released in the designated area will win. Several third grade and lower cursed spirits will be released into the designated area, as well. If a winner is not decided by sundown, the team that exorcises the most wins. There are absolutely no other rules." Yaga explained. " Of course, you are welcome to sabotage the others, but remember, you're all on the same side in the fight against the curses. This exchange event will allow you to learn about yourselves and your comrades through competition. Be certain not to kill other competitors or injure them beyond recovery. That's it! You're all dismissed until the event commences at noon!"

........

Kyoto's waiting room.

" Kill Sukuna's vessel, Yuji Itadori." Gakuganji told the Kyoto students. " Do not consider the target human. We'll take care of the clean up and make it look like an accident. There's no need to hold back."

" Kill? He's here because he can't die, right?" Mai asked.

" I've been told his previous death was self-inflicted. Tell me what needs to be done in order to finish off an enemy sorcerer.... Kamo?!"

" Yes!" We must eliminate the opponent using cursed energy. This prevents them from turning into a curse after death." Kamo explained.

"Correct. There shouldn't be a problem if cursed energy is used. As of right now, Itadori is control of his body. If Sukuna doesn't appear, there should be no problem. This should be simple." Gakuganji explained.

Suddenly Todo kicked one of the sliding doors off of its track, knocking it into the garden area.

" This is stupid. I'm leaving." Todo exclaimed.

" Get back here, Todo. The principal isn't done speaking." Kamo told the man.

" Ishiguro gave me tickets to Takada's travel show today at 11. Do I need to explain further?" Todo asked the man.

" You can record the show. Sit down."

Todo became visibly angered by Noritoshi's demands. 

" You messin with me?! I'm gonna watch it live and record it!" Todo exclaimed. " Listen up! You too, old man. People like you who have crappy taste in women are a lost cause. Plotting, scheming, doing whatever you want. Fine. But just try telling me what to do again, and... I'll kill you!" Todo exclaimed.

His aura shook the other students to the corp.

' He's dead serious!' Mai said to herself.

Todo left the meeting area to go see Takada's show. It was a few moments after he left that the others started to breathe again. 

" What should we do? There's no way he'll go along with a plan like that." Miwa spoke up. ' Not that it matters anyway, Satoru Gojo is gonna throw a fit if we manage to kill him.' 

" Don't worry. He'll go straight for the other side on his own. While he's raising hell, we can concentrate on our objective." Nishimiya stated.

" But don't we have to kill Yuji Itadori?" Mai asked. " Todo might not actually kill him... Although he is the kind who would."

" Then we'll need someone to monito Todo to confirm the kill." Mechamaru explained. 

" The fact that there's someone like Itadori at Jujutsu high in the first place is a disgrace. It's not just about the event anymore. As a member of the Kamo family, I find this unforgivable." Kamo spoke. " All of us will attack Yuji Itadori!" Kamo explained.

" Wait, are we sure someone like Satoru Gojo will even let us do something like that?" Mai asked the man.

" Do not mind Satoru Gojo. Though I find him detestable and a mockery on Jujutsu society, Ogata Ishiguro will not allow harm to come to any of you." Gakuganji explained. ' In the best of cases they will kill each other.' He thought.

" Okay, but that's not the only problem. What if Yuji is with Inumaki?" Nishimiya asked. " Teaming up against a cursed speech user is super risky. We could all be taken out at once."

" That's true." Mechamaru said.

" No, if you know it's coming, it's not that scary." Kamo explained.

" I'll take Maki." Mai stated. " And that brown-haired first year." 

" You sound like Todo." Kamo said to Mai.

She became visibly upset.

..........

At the same time, in the Tokyo highs faculty room.

Utahime brought over two cups of tea and placed them on the table in front of Gojo and Ishiguro.

" Thank you, Iori." Ishiguro said to the woman.

" You're welcome." She responded.

She then sat down next to him and looked at Gojo.

" So, you wanted to talk?" She asked with a bitter tone.

" Are you angry at me?" Gojo asked the woman.

Out of the corner of his mouth, Ishiguro cracked a little smile. It was quite a common thing for Gojo to mess with Utahime, driving her to anger.

" No, I'm not angry." Utahime responded with an annoyed look on her face.

" That's what I thought! I didn't do anything wrong!!" Gojo exclaimed happily. 

" Alright, alright, Satoru. That's enough. Anymore and Iori might actually blow a blood vessel." Ishiguro said to the man. 

And from the look on Utahime's face, that wasn't too far off.

" So, what's up?" He asked.

" Someone with the school is in cahoots with a curse user, or maybe a cursed spirit." Gojo explained.

" That's impossible! A curse user maybe, but a cursed spirit?!" Utahime shouted in disbelief.

" Hold on, Iori. You remember that cursed spirit I dealt with a few weeks ago? During the power outage in Osaka? The lightning one. It acted differently from a normal cursed spirit. It even talked as if it were a human." Ishiguro explained.

" What?"

" There are quite a few special ones these days." Gojo spoke up. " This person might only be talking to the curse user though. Can you investigate the Kyoto school, Utahime?" Gojo asked the woman.

" Why not ask Ishiguro?"

" Ishiguro is hardly ever at the school anymore. We've been getting more and more missions." Gojo stated.

" And how do you know I'm not the mole?"

Gojo smiled. " Oh, that's easy. You're way too weak. And you don't have the guts." Gojo explained.

Utahime exploded from her seat and threw her cup of tea right at Gojo. It was, however, stopped by his limitless barrier. 

" Oh Scary! Hysterical girls aren't popular you know." Gojo joked.

" RESPECT YOUR ELDERS!" Utahime yelled.

Ishiguro laughed. " Oh man, come on, Satoru. Leave her alone. Poor Iori's gonna lose a couple years of her life-span at this point." He said. " Let's go, see what the students are doing, it is almost time for them to begin their battle." 

" Alight, alright." Gojo muttered.

Gojo got up from his seat along with Ishiguro and Utahime and started walking towards the theatre room, to watch the start of the exchange event.

" You know, Gojo, I should probably warn you the old man... He's gonna try to kill Itadori."

" Yeah, I figure. But Itadori is strong." Gojo proclaimed proudly.

" Hmph. Well, don't underestimate my juniors. I told them to go all out."

" Wanna place a bet on it? I could use the money." Gojo told the man.

Gojo raised his hand and Ishiguro shook it.

" Ha, bet's on then." Ishiguro muttered.

As the tri walked into the theatre room, they were greeted by the remaining two teachers, Masamichi Yaga and Gakuganji. 

" Hello!" Gojo exclaimed. He raised his hand and waved at the other two. 

" looks like things are finally ready to get started. Are we all set up here?" He asked.

" Yup. I just finished placing my crows."

There was a sweet and almost mellow voice coming from the back room. A voice that sent chills up Ishiguro's spine.

" Wait a minute... I know that voice." Ishiguro muttered. 

He looked past Masamichi's shoulder to the woman standing at the back of the room.

Her hair was a soft light blue, braided down in front of her face. 

" My, my, Ogata-San.... It's been a while."

" Mei-Mei, you're looking as ravishing as ever. What are you doing here?" Ishiguro asked the woman.

" I've been hired to help with overseeing the exchange event." Mei-mei explained.

" Oh, I see." Ishiguro muttered. He looked out the corner of his eye at Gojo, who had a smile on his face. " Well then, this should be fun to watch. At the very least we can say there's going to be no tricky business... Heh, old man?" Ishiguro looked over at Gakuganji with a knowing smile on his face. 

Almost like he had expected Gakuganji to try and pull something.

.....................

It took some time, but after finally getting things set up, Gojo finally announced the beginning of the exchange event.

The students raced into the forest, full of energy and immediately Todo confronted the students from Tokyo, just as the others had anticipated.

Yuji raced straight for Todo and smashed his knee right into the giant young man's face, while the rest of Tokyo high took off ahead.

" Oh! Looks like you're first year is fighting Todo." Ishiguro exclaimed.

" Todo is pretty good. Yuji might have a bit of trouble with him. But I think he can handle it." Gojo muttered. " Worst case scenario, this will be a good learning experience."

" I agree. Compared to the others, Todo is a genius, despite his rather unorthodox mentality. He's been trained good. But this Yuji kid, he's no slouch. For such a small frame, he's already outputting way more destructive power than Todo." Ishiguro stated.

He, Gojo, Yaga, Utahime, Gakuganji, and Mei-mei, who is the one allowing them to even see the battles going on, watched as Yuji battle Todo, Panda battled Mechamaru, Kamo battled Fushiguro, and Nishimiya battled Kugisaki.

All of them were exemplary fighters, and each fight was nice to watch. But the two fights that were currently the most intriguing was Maki and Miwa and Yuji and Todo.

Maki pursued Miwa, with excellent precision and power befitting a grade 2 sorcerer. Each strike she threw would have been deadly to any grade 2 curse, and for Miwa that meant defeat.

" Impressive. Maki has come a long way. Her sword skills are spectacular. To be able to fight in that cramped space with a polearm." Ishiguro muttered. " She completely dominated Miwa." 

" Yes. A remarkable sorcerer. Why haven't we promoted her to grade 2 already?" Mei-Mei asked.

Gojo sighed. " I agree, but her family... Seems to be getting in the way. The Zen'in clan should just acknowledge her skills."

" Hmmm." Mei-Mei sighed. " I don't understand connections not based on money."

" And yet somehow you'll always be a cheapskate." Ishiguro muttered under his breath.

" What was that?" Mei-mei turned and asked Ishiguro.

" Noooothin." He replied. 

" Anyway, I can't help but notice that the footage around Yuji seems to be a little inconsistent." Gojo muttered.

" Well, what can you do about animals?" Mei-Mei responded. " Besides, it gets tiring looking at things from their point of view after a while."

" Hm... Are you sure about that?" Gojo wondered. " I got a question to ask ya.... Whose side are you on, Mei?"

Mei-Mei raised her hand and made a sign with her thumb and pointing finger. 

" Whose side? I'm on the side with money, of course." Mei explained. " There's no value in something that can't be bought. Since you can't exchange that for money."

" I wonder how much!" Gojo exclaimed with a loud laugh. He then leaned forward in his seat and focused closely on the monitors in front of him, no doubt he understood the underlying meaning of what was happening.

Ishiguro did too.

" Don't worry, Satoru. The people who underestimate that boy are bound to get burned." Ishiguro muttered. " From the little bit I have been able to see, I can tell. That boy is strong. Todo will take care of him." Ishiguro then turned and looked back at the old man sitting just behind him.

Gakuganji and Ishiguro locked eyes for just a moment before suddenly one of the many talismans exploded.

" OH! We got some action!" Gojo exclaimed.

The talismans were placed on curses released in the area. When a curse is exorcised, the corresponding talisman also disappears.

" Finally." Ishiguro stated. " I mean with all these one on one's, for a moment I wondered if they forgot the main objectives." Ishiguro spoke.

" Why can't they all get along?" Utahime wondered.

" Aghhh, they're still kids trying to find their way in the world. Trying to make their mark. It's bound to get a little competitive every now and then." Ishiguro told the woman.

" That doesn't make it better, you know."

" Maybe not. But it does make it fun, haahahaha!"

" Hang on, looks like things are getting exciting with Kugisaki and Nishimiya." Gojo spoke up.

.......

Nobara was currently chasing after Nishimiya.

" Are you done, lecturing me?!" Nobara asked as she threw a hail of her nails at Nishimiya.

"What's expected of Mai.... isn't just perfection." Nishimiya stated as she dodged the nails. " As one of the three elite sorcerer family lines.... Perfection is the norm for the Zen'in family. Inheriting the Zen'in family cursed techniques is reserved for the privileged. Every other jujutsu sorcerer starts at a much lower level. And even within their family, some women aren't treated equally." Nishimiya explained.

Ishiguro listened closely, feeling a little bereft and saddened.

" Nishimiya... Is that how you see the world yourself? Do you truly believe in such a divide?" He wondered. 

" They say that if you're not a member of the Zen'in family, you're not worthy as a sorcerer, and if you're not a sorcerer, you're not worthy as a human being. Imagine spending your entire life serving a family bereft of love. Being despised. Can you imagine the pain Maki and Mai go through.... Just to enjoy the life we take for granted?" Nishimiya asked the woman. " Can someone who thinks that curse Yuji is an ally, really understand?"

" Shut up!" Nobara exclaimed. " Does that mean we have to forgive the unfortunate no matter the circumstances? And if someone is blessed with a fortunate life, do they deserve to be ridiculed? It doesn't matter how she was brought up... I don't like her. And even though they grew up together.... I really like Maki." Nobara spoke. " Have any of you ever stopped to consider the person behind the curse you've condemned? What do I care about whether someone's perfect or if something's fair? Is your life just a job?!" Nobara asked the woman. She then activated her cursed technique, causing the nails she was throwing around previously to explode.

Nishimiya was forced to avoid the trees as best she could, leaving herself open to being attacked from below by Nobara.

Nobara jumped into the air and just barely managed to grab one of Nishimiya's straws that made up her broom stick.

She slapped the straw onto one of her straw dolls.

" Boys vs Girls?! Give me a break! Just shut the hell up! I love dressing up and looking beautiful! I love being strong! I am Nobara Kugisaki!" 

Ishiguro smirked and looked over at a smug Gojo, who also had a grin on his face.

" That's some girl! I wish my juniors had that same fire."

" Yeah... She's pretty great right?" Gojo replied.

Nobara hit her straw doll, causing Nishimiya to fall out of the sky. Nobara rushed the fallen girl and with a toy hammer, smacked her hard in the side of her head.

It was looking like a victory for Nobara, as she raised her hammer to hit Nishimiya just one more time. However, before she could drive it home, a rubber bullet suddenly struck her right in the temple.

A knockout.

Nobara dropped to the ground and Nishimiya stood up.

" Ah. She dropped her guard." Ishiguro muttered.

" Mai is pretty smart. She waited until her opponent believed she had won to strike. Not bad." Gojo spoke. " However."

Mai suddenly found herself face to face with the woman she came here looking for. Her older sister Maki.

Ishiguro watched closely as Mai and Maki prepared to face each other.

Mai was the first to strike, opening fire on her sister from point blank range.

Maki, however, easily cut the rubber bullet in half. Maki leaped off the branch they were standing on and cut it, causing Mai to fall from the tree.

The two girls landed back on the ground. 

Mai opened Maki again, and once again Maki avoided the bullet. She got in close to Mai and delivered a strong kick to the side of Mai's body.

Mai was hurting, but she wasn't ready to give up just yet. She aimed her gun at Maki firing off the last of her six shots.

Maki once again easily deflected the shots.

Her skill with her blade was extraordinary, especially for one so young. 

She rushed Mai, ready to bring an end to their fight. Mai, however, had one last trick up her sleeve.

Her cursed technique.

" Construction." 

Mai fired a seventh bullet from her gun right in Maki's face.

However, just as she was preparing to celebrate victory, Maki caught Mai's bullet in her bare hand just inches from her face.

Ishiguro looked at the scene in front of him and sighed.

" And that's game." He muttered. 

He watched as Mai dropped her gun and collapsed against a tree. 

" That Maki has really improved. If you want, Gojo, I can make the recommendation for her to be moved up." Ishiguro spoke.

" I'd appreciate it." Gojo replied.

" Consider it done. She more than deserves it."

" That Mai girl was really smart too. Reloading once, and then tricking her sister into thinking she had run out of shots was a genius strategy. It's too bad that it seems one additional creation is all she can make." Gojo muttered.

" Yes. But unfortunately, Mai doesn't have that large of a cursed energy pool. And creation takes so much of it, that it can be hard on her body." 

" So, that makes it 3 to 1." Gojo stated.

" No 2 to 1. Miwa wasn't knocked out by Maki, only disarmed."

" Look again." Gojo said with a smug grin on his face.

He pointed to one of the screens and showed Miwa passing out on the ground.

" Oh man! Inumaki must have gotten to her." Ishiguro exclaimed. He slapped his forehead and sighed, slightly disappointed at how fast his juniors were getting defeated. " And Inumaki and Panda are the only ones scoring points right now."

" Looks like this is my win." Gojo cheered.

" Will you two knock it off?" Utahime asked. She got up from her seat. " I'm going out there to get her. It's dangerous to leave her in the forest while there are cursed spirits running around."

" Yes, I'm worried about Miwa... Go and get her." Gakuganji said to Utahime.

Ishiguro began getting up to follow her. " I'll go with you." He said.

" I can handle it myself. I don't need a-" 

Before Utahime could finish her sentence every single one of the talismans exploded into a blaze of fire.

" Game over? And all red. Tea, Tokyo wins." Utahime stated.

...........

" Alright then, shall we begin?" Mahito spoke.

...........................

" Strange. My crows aren't seeing anything either?" Mei stated.

" I want to say, as the GTG- Great Teacher Gojo- that my students exorcised them." Gojo muttered.

" But even when exorcised with non-registered cursed energy, it'll burn red." Yaga explained.

" It must be an outsider. Maybe an intruder?" Utahime wondered.

" Does that mean master Tengen's protective barrier isn't working?" Mei asked.

" Regardless, we need to go." Ishiguro exclaimed.

" I'm going to Master Tengen's side. Satoru, you and Ishiguro go to protect the students. Mei will stay here and try to get a lock on where the students are located." Yaga explained. " Please let Satoru and the others know as soon as you find out." 

" Understood. I'll be expecting a bonus." Mei said to the man.

" Let's go, Grandpa! Time for you walk!" Gojo exclaimed. " You had your lunch already, remember?"

" Let's hurry!"

.............

Ogata and Gojo, along with Utahime and Gakuganji, rushed out of Tokyo high's main building, and started racing their way over to location that the students were had begun their battles. However, Ishiguro and Gojo both noticed that the barrier forming around the forest had already been set.

" Ishiguro! Satoru! You two go on ahead and protect the students!" Gakuganji yelled to the two.

" No can do." Gojo stated bluntly.

" What?!" Utahime yelled.

" We can't! The barriers already formed. They put more time and effort into the technique rather than the appearance. Even if we get there before the curtain fully falls, we still wouldn't be able to get to the other side!" Ishiguro explained to the woman.

" How can you tell?" She asked.

" Don't you remember, Iori? I specialize in barriers. I can tell just by the way the air is moving between the area, and where the barrier is forming.

" What do we do then?" She asked once more.

" Simple." Gojo spoke. He and Ishiguro approached the barrier as it finished forming. " We'll just rip it apart after it's completed." He said.

The two men placed their hands on the barrier and were blown off of it.

" Hey, what happened? Why were you two repelled and I wasn't?" Utahime asked.

Ishiguro smirked and turned towards Utahime. " The caster of the barrier set a binding vow. In exchange for keeping Satoru Gojo and Ogata Ishiguro out, allow access to everyone else." Ishiguro told the woman. " The thing I want to know-" Ishiguro said as he turned towards Gojo. " Who in this world is a good enough curse user to keep us out?"

" I don't know. But whoever it is, is a very skilled curse user. And they seem to have a fair bit of knowledge on us." Gojo stated. " Come on, you two. Get going already. If we lose even one person we lose."

" Right!" Utahime shouted.

She and Gakuganji rushed into the barrier to try and help the students, leaving Gojo and Ishiguro outside.

" Looks like we're stuck for the time being." Gojo muttered.

" Nonsense. No barrier can keep me out. Not for long." Ishiguro said to the man.

He placed his hand on the barrier again and began channeling cursed energy into it. 

" It'll take some time, but I'm gonna tear this barrier down. You be ready to go once I do." Ishiguro said to the man.

" Right." 

" Emerging from the light brighter than white, seek to shatter the darkness that veils our eyes." Ishiguro muttered his chant and a bright golden light started emitting from his hands and slowly began spreading over the barrier's veil. 

.................

Inside the barrier Megumi, Kamo, and Inumaki were fighting for their lives against the special grade cursed spirit, Hanami.

The trio dodged in and out of the building they were in, taking spare chances to get in any shot they could on the cursed spirit.

And though Inumaki was able to keep it from hurting them through the use of his cursed speech, it wasn't long until it finally started to catch up with him.

The cursed spirit Hanami pursued Megumi, Inumaki, and Noritoshi to the outer limits of the villa they were in.

In a moment, Megumi summoned Nue and sent it to attack the cursed spirit, believing Inumaki would stop Hanami's movements.

" Go!" Megumi commanded.

Nue rushed Hanami just as he planned.

" Don't-" 

Inumaki suddenly collapsed before he could finish his speech, suffering from the drawbacks of his ability.

Meaning Hanami was free to impale the incoming shikigami, surprising Kamo and Megumi. 

With Inumaki taken out for the moment, Hanami disposed of the Shikigami and then attacked an off-guard Kamo, slamming her fist into the side of his head and sending the young man spiraling off of the building they were on.

Megumi was left standing alone against the cursed spirit, and as she drew closer, Megumi prepared himself to use his strongest and deadliest weapon against the creature.

However, just as he was preparing too, Inumaki stood up once more and placed a hand on Megumi's shoulder.

" Pickled Mustard Leaf." Inumaki spoke, reassuring Megumi in his own way.

" Inumaki, that's enough." Megumi told the man.

Inumaki was bleeding from his mouth heavily, and barely walking, but still he pressed forward, ready to defend his junior. As any senior would.

Inumaki and the cursed spirit strolled towards each other and just when it came within distance, Inumaki spoke.

" BLAST AWAY!"

With two words Inumaki sent Hanami flying at the expense of his own health. He coughed up blood and fell to the ground in pain. He was done.

Hanami, however, was left without any wounds at all.

However, as Hanami was getting up, Maki appeared above the cursed spirit and swung at her with the sword she had taken from Miwa.

Hanami raised her fist and the blade snapped against her hand. 

Megumi, on the other hand, managed to severe one of Hanami's branches with his own black blade, surprising Hanami ever so slightly. 

Megumi landed next to Maki, and as she was throwing away her broken blade, he pulled out another cursed tool for the woman to use.

" Here. I've got something even better." Megumi tells the woman as he hands her the special grade tool, Playful cloud. 

" I hate using this thing." Maki stated. Most likely because it was the same weapon Suguru Geto once used to beat her to near death. 

Maki swung playful cloud as hard as she could and sent Hanami flying across the forest. 

The two sorcerers chase after the cursed spirit, with Megumi summoning another one of his shikigami the divine dog.

The shikigami attacked Hanami, cleaving off a piece of her arm in a surprising show of fashion. 

Hanami was slightly surprised at the damage but healed it quickly. She quickly turned and blocked the oncoming attack from Maki, however she was surprised once again to see that Maki had switched weapons with Megumi, who promptly struck Hanami in the back of her head with Playful cloud, once again damaging the cursed spirit. 

" MAKI!" Megumi shouted the woman's name as he threw her playful cloud.

Maki nodded and tossed the black sword back to Megumi, and together the rushed Hanami combining their strengths and landing a joint attack on the cursed spirit. 

Hanami was hurt.

" Never make me use a three-section staff again!" Megumi yelled to Maki.

" Once you get used to it, it's use-" Maki was saying. However, before she could finish, Megumi started growing a plant from his stomach and bleed from his mouth signifying he was hurt. " MEGUMI!"

Suddenly a branch appeared and stabbed into Maki's shoulder. 

" Maki!"

Megumi tried to use his shikigami to attack Hanami, however it quickly dissolved, and Megumi collapsed.

" I wouldn't try to use Jujutsu anymore if I were you." Hanami told the boy. " The bud I planted in you, lives on cursed energy. The more jujutsu you use the deeper into you it will grow."

" How nice of you to explain! You're planning on killing me anyway, right?" 

" I hear it is more effective once explained." Hanami told the boy.

Maki engaged the cursed spirit once more, but this time, without Megumi to help back her up.

Hanami dodged Maki's attacks effortlessly.

" You have sharp moves, but not as sharp as before." Hanami says to the girl.

In an instant, Hanami wrapped a large branch around Maki's arms and neck, trapping the girl.

Megumi struggled to get to his feet, to try and help Maki. However...

" Megumi!" Maki yelled. " That's enough. We've done our job. It's time to tag out." 

The moment the words left her mouth, a sudden collision blew off the branch connected to Maki. 

This signaled the arrival of two more sorcerers.

Itadori and Todo.

" You ready to go, my Best friend?"

" YEAH!"

............................................