Chapter 73

Give me Powers Stones! 

See you on Monday! (Or sooner, it's up to all of you.)

Join my discord!

https://discord.gg/QZHCyfxhty (New Link!)

If you are interested in supporting me and reading the chapters in advance, here is my p@treon! (10+ chapters :D)

P@treon.com/TheJiujitsuGuy

You can also search for: "BaritsuSupremacy" to find it on the platform.

I hope you enjoy the reading!

_______________________________________________________________________________

When that wooden blade was reflected by a counterattack, the sound of the clash between the two forces echoed throughout the training field.

On one side, Itadori demonstrated superiority when his blade broke through his opponent's defense, forcing him to retreat quickly to avoid being hit.

On the other side, Yuta struggled to defend against a barrage of attacks that hit his defense relentlessly, his teeth gritting as he continued to backpedal.

After several training sessions alongside all the second-years, it was Itadori who suggested that the two engage in a friendly match to test each other's combat proficiency.

Yuta, at first, didn't seem too thrilled with the idea, but something deep in his mind urged him to accept. A desire to prove himself? Yuta didn't know, and he didn't stop to think much when he accepted.

That's how the two ended up in this situation.

Despite having seen Itadori fight evenly with Maki, he was still surprised when Itadori demonstrated an intimidating strength.

Fighting without reinforcing his body with cursed energy, Yuta found himself completely overpowered, as Yuji's strikes were not only strong but also fast.

But he didn't give in, even when his defense was broken once again. Even though this was just a friendly match, he didn't want to lose.

So, the moment Itadori attacked, Yuta anticipated it and skillfully blocked the strike, diverting its trajectory to the ground, creating an opening to advance against the younger fighter.

And just as he was about to hit his opponent's face with the handle of his wooden sword, his eyes widened in surprise when Itadori grabbed the handle with his free hand.

This drew a nervous smile from Yuta, who was then hit by an elbow, forcing him to retreat.

'He's just like Maki,' Yuta sniffed, noticing how Itadori seemed ready to advance. 'No, he's even stronger.'

!

Blocking a powerful strike, Yuta gritted his teeth as he struggled to keep Yuji's sword handle away from his face, his arms trembling as the battle of strength dragged on for a few more seconds. 'I need to disarm him!'

Retreating to avoid a blow, Yuta narrowed his eyes as Itadori pursued him, his lips tightening as he followed the boy's movements, looking for an opening.

'Now!'

Seeing an opportunity when Itadori raised his sword to attack, Yuta propelled himself forward and struck his hand, sending the wooden sword flying.

'Now's my chance! I have the upper hand—'

But as he moved to launch his counterattack, Yuta was taken aback when a fist struck the handle of his sword with enough force to make him stumble backward.

'What?!' Yuta's eyes widened, quickly raising his sword to block a wave of punches that pounded his defense relentlessly. 'He's even faster than before!'

Leaping to dodge a sweeping kick, Yuta gasped when Itadori placed his hands on the ground and rotated his body, landing a kick to Yuta's stomach.

'I was wrong!' Landing on the ground, Yuta wiped the saliva from his lips, his eyes locking onto Itadori as he noticed an oppressive aura erupting from the boy's body. 'Disarming him doesn't give me an advantage!'

!

Raising his sword in an attempt to deflect a punch, Yuta gritted his teeth as a kick hit his thigh instead.

'It's the exact opposite!'

With his training, Yuta was confident that his skills had improved a lot. His hand-to-hand combat was at a decent level, enough for him to feel comfortable engaging in direct confrontations if necessary.

But face to face with someone like Itadori, he could tell there was no way to compete.

Itadori's skills with his fists seemed to be on a different level.

Combined with the boy's powerful body, it was impossible for Yuta to compete in a direct confrontation.

Unfortunately, this was something he realized too late.

!

With a kick hitting his hand, Yuta found himself in a tough spot as he watched his sword fly away, sweat accumulating on his face as Itadori advanced toward him.

"..."

As the sounds of blows echoed through the arena, the second-year students watched the match in silence, with Panda being the only one to say anything as the fight dragged on into a fistfight.

"They seem to be taking this way too seriously..." Panda said, an uncomfortable expression appearing on his bear-like face as Yuta took a hard punch to the forearm. "Shouldn't we stop them?"

"Salmon." Inumaki nodded.

"I don't think so," Maki disagreed, arms crossed as she watched closely. "Yuta made the fight comfortable for Itadori, which gives us the impression they're taking it too seriously because one side is dominating completely. In reality, Yuta is just defending as best he can."

"Oh, I see." Nodding in recognition, Panda agreed. 'Still, it feels like Yuta is taking this too seriously.'

"I didn't expect Itadori to be able to dominate Yuta in a fight so easily. I guess it's because neither of them is using cursed energy," Panda scratched his chin, his eyes still focused on the ongoing fight.

"Salmon, Salmon."

Maki smiled at that, her mind drifting to all the sparring matches she and Itadori had. His improvement from one training session to the next was astronomical, so drastic that it even made her a bit envious. "Of course, he's been training with me all this time, after all."

"Oh, yes… your training sessions with him…" Panda said suggestively.

This made Maki frown, her fist hitting Panda's arm, causing him to smile.

"Shut up."

!

"Oh, looks like it's over."

Back on the training field, Yuta was panting as he lay on his back, a few bruises visible on his body.

"That was fun." With a shadow looming over him, Yuta opened his eyes to see a smiling Itadori offering a hand. "Thanks for the training, Yuta."

Yuta gave a small smile and, accepting the hand, pushed away the depressing thoughts about his loss.

"Thank you as well. I learned a lot."

"Maybe next time we can use cursed energy in our training." Itadori suggested.

Yuta nodded, though the thought of being hit by Itadori's cursed energy-imbued attacks wasn't particularly appealing. "Sure!"

As the two returned to the group, Panda and Inumaki applauded their performance, while Maki simply kept her arms crossed with a small smile.

"You guys were great!" Panda exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Salmon!" Inumaki seemed to agree.

"You did well," Maki complimented.

Yuta nervously rubbed the back of his neck at the praise, and Itadori simply smiled, with Maki trying to remain humble.

"Looks like you guys finished just in time."

With a new voice grabbing their attention, the group turned to see Yuki and Choso approaching.

Itadori raised an eyebrow at this. He had noticed that his brother seemed a little closer to the sorceress since she arrived.

"What's going on, Miss Yuki?" Yuta asked.

Yuki scratched her head, a bit of frustration showing on her face, which Itadori noticed with a frown. "Well, something is making it difficult to communicate with Todo's group, so we need a few of you to go check on them. Since we're short on staff, there's no one else to ask."

The group nodded, Itadori rubbing his chin as he seemed to ponder the situation.

He doubted any curse in the city could harm his comrades, especially with Todo with them. Maybe the communication issue was related to the culling game, but Itadori couldn't say for sure.

The safety of Megumi and Nobara didn't worry him; he had seen their improvements firsthand.

"I'll go." Stepping forward, Itadori volunteered.

Still, that didn't stop the small spark of uncertainty in the back of his mind.

"Are you sure, Itadori? You just got back." Yuki seemed genuinely concerned, something that seemed to please Choso, judging by the small smile that spread across his lips.

"I just need to find them and return, no big deal."

The group didn't seem to disagree, simply nodding in response.

"Alright then, get a few things ready. They shouldn't be far, but it's good to be a little prepared." Yuki said, and Itadori nodded.

"Mentaiko!"