Chapter 90

"Hmm."

Gojo tilted his head in curiosity. He was interested in the Three-Sword Style, but it seemed unlikely he would see it today. With a smug gesture, he pointed at himself with his thumb.

"I'm a nice student who knows fair play, unlike Mr. Gorilla Teacher. So, I'll specially leave the Mukagen off for this match!"

"No, leave it on."

"...Huh?"

"I'm not planning on holding back."

Gojo's technique, Mukagen, was really annoying to deal with as an enemy, but it was perfectly suited for a sparring partner.

Because the opponent could clash with him without holding back, without worry.

Gojo, taking off his sunglasses and showing a rare expression of confusion, asked,

"Are you sure that's okay?"

"Yeah."

"But—"

Click.

Swoosh.

A few strands of white hair were cut and fell to the ground.

"..."

Gojo closed his mouth, looking at the falling strands of his hair in front of him.

His vision moved slowly. In front of Gojo's nose, Zoro was pointing his sword at Gojo's forehead, although it was blocked by the just activated Mukagen.

Just now, Zoro wasn't as fast as Toji or Gojo. But he was as fast as a typical Grade 1 sorcerer who strengthens his body with his main strength.

'How?'

There was no application of main strength. Nor did his body turn black like when Toji defends against the "Blue" attack.

'Purely physical ability?'

Not a non-sorcerer with a strength of zero, nor without any jujutsu or main strength? At the age of 6?

'Is that even possible?'

But the one who had done it was right in front of him.

Thump, Gojo's heart raced.

A tension similar to the first time he faced Zoro flowed more vividly through Gojo than ever before.

This child in front of me...

No, this person.

He is strong.

"It looks like you're ready."

Zoro, feeling Gojo's aura sharpen, drew his sword.

For Zoro, it had been a long time since he had an opponent he could go all out against... No, it was actually the first time since his reincarnation.

Toji had the skill, but regardless, there was a cautiousness due to the parent-child relationship, and Toji disliked it when Zoro overexerted himself during sparring.

Zoro untied the black cloth bound around his forearm and wrapped it around his head. A black shadow cast over his eyes, and Zoro's expression turned distinctly sharp.

"Let's start."

He was excited. Zoro didn't hide his anticipation and grinned broadly.

...

"They're really fighting."

Shoko, who rushed out from the infirmary at Toji's call, grimaced at the sight of the two facing off.

'Zoro might enjoy brawling because he's young, but why is Gojo doing this?'

She thought they were both crazy. She shook her head in disapproval.

Ieiri sat next to Toji, who was standing with his arms crossed. Toji kept his eyes on the sparring match and said,

"You're here."

"As if I could be anywhere else."

She had seen something last time. Ieiri tapped her knee with her fingers, looking anxious.

"They won't both get hurt like last time, right?"

"With Gojo's reversal technique, he should be fine."

"And your son, sir?"

"...I don't know."

It depended on how fiercely they fought.

Toji would intervene immediately if they crossed the line, but until then, he could only watch.

This was a sparring match, after all.

Geto, who was about to step in and stop them, was halted by Toji grabbing his shoulder. Geto slapped Toji's hand away.

"If you won't step in, I will."

No matter how you looked at it, this was madness. A sparring match between Satoru and Zoro.

Geto, visibly upset, confronted Toji.

"What kind of behavior is this for a father? Instead of protecting your child, you're putting him in danger."

Surprisingly, the person who bristled at Geto's words was not Toji but Shoko. She was fixing her disheveled hair from rushing out and frowned upon hearing Geto's accusation.

'He knows nothing at all.'

Ieiri looked at Geto with a disdainful gaze and spoke ominously.

"Hey, Geto. When you were knocked out, do you know who did it?"

"...? Obviously, it was the teacher..."

"It was him."

Ieiri nodded towards Zoro.

"...What are you talking about..."

"Him. Zoro."

Shoko remembered clearly.

During the time Toji, Gojo, and Geto were fighting fiercely, the small child who casually blocked the shockwaves directed at Ieiri. After Geto was knocked out, it was Zoro who joyfully chased down and subdued the rampaging shikigami in the forest.

"Zoro isn't just someone Toji sensei needs to protect all the time. You're the same."

If such a child is sparring, it must mean Zoro himself has judged it beneficial for his growth.

'Probably, Toji sensei has judged it the same way.'

It's not a parent's job to obstruct the path their child chooses to grow. Nor is it anyone else's place to meddle.

And it's not like Toji would just leave Zoro to get hurt. He called her even before the fight had started.

Ieiri stated coldly.

"Don't act like you know everything."

That's arrogance. Ieiri lit a cigarette and said,

"That kid is much stronger than you think."

And probably stronger than even Gojo thinks.

Geto had a hard time accepting this. With a face that screamed incomprehension, he said,

"...Zoro is a non-sorcerer, Shoko. And he's only 6 years old."

How could such a child be strong enough to handle my shikigami and Satoru? Geto asked as if challenging the notion.

"...Well."

We'll see about that now, won't we? Shoko murmured as she lit her cigarette.

...

Gojo looked at Zoro standing opposite him, smiling, with a sense of wonder. It was the first time he had seen someone so openly excited about a fight.

As if he didn't care at all what others thought of him.

Well, that was a thought for later. The fight was what mattered now.

'Maybe start with a light physical technique and concentrate on manipulating my energy.'

Whoosh!

Gojo charged at Zoro, enhancing his body with his energy. His fist, wrapped in blue energy, aimed at Zoro's stomach.

Clang!

His thrust punch was blocked by Zoro's two swords. Even though it wasn't Gojo's full power, he had put quite a bit of strength into it, and yet it didn't budge. Normally, an average curse would have been shattered by Gojo's energy.

And the reason was quite clear.

Gojo's eyes, darkened, captured Zoro's hands and the two swords. Well, one of them was originally a black blade.

'As expected, you're using that power.'

This was an opportunity to see the limits of that power. To do so, he would have to push Zoro quite hard.

Decided, Gojo clenched his fist and launched it forward.

Whoosh!

Gojo threw his fist towards Zoro's chin as if to take it off. When Zoro swiftly dodged the attack, Gojo's fist targeted the solar plexus, shoulder, neck, and various other parts of the body.

Boom! Bang! Bam!

Energy exploded in the air. Despite the several threatening punches from Gojo, Zoro handled them with ease. Sometimes he dodged by moving his body, and at other times, he crossed his swords to defend.

Even though Gojo was faster, not a single hit landed. Gojo narrowed his eyes for a moment, then eventually realized why.

'He knows my movements.'

When and where to move and dodge, what attack to make next, and what stance to take.

As if looking at a cheat sheet during an exam, Zoro knew every one of Gojo's moves.

'Is it just intuition?'

Or is it some kind of ability that turns his body black?

It was invisible to the naked eye, so it was impossible to tell.

Clang!

Zoro crossed his swords and pushed forward, strongly deflecting Gojo's punch.

"Two-Sword Style, Cyclone!"

Zoro spun around, swinging his swords, and the spread energy from the circular motion flew towards Gojo. The attack that reached the Limitless caused no damage whatsoever.

"Two-Sword Style, Dragon Twister!"

Zoro aimed an upward slash at Gojo. However, the tip of Zoro's sword never actually touched Gojo's body, stopping at a certain distance. Even when he slashed downward again, the result was the same.

Indeed, Zoro had somewhat grasped the principle of the Limitless.

'The Limitless isn't just a simple barrier.'

The closer an object or attack got, the more its speed slowed down until it eventually stopped.

Tricky. Zoro tilted his head.

Whoosh!

Gojo leaped forward, rushing towards Zoro. He didn't care about any attacks Zoro might launch. After all, he was enveloped in the Limitless.

As Gojo's fist flew towards his face, Zoro extended the blade of his sword in a Flowing Draw. Like water flowing along the blade, the trajectory of the fist was altered.

"What...?"

Following that movement, Zoro naturally dove in and swung his weapon towards Gojo's stomach. The attack was blocked by the Limitless and didn't cause any damage. Zoro, frowning, quickly jumped back before Gojo could counterattack.

"...Was that just now a unique ability of that sword? Or was it that black power?"

"It's swordsmanship. I redirected the path of your fist."

It's usually used by swordsmen to deflect bullets or cannonballs, but there's no reason it couldn't work on a fist. Complex techniques or abilities were impossible, though.

'He probably thinks any technique he sees that isn't sorcery must be some kind of spirit.'

Of course, that wasn't the case. In Zoro's previous life, there were plenty of people with unique abilities and techniques that had nothing to do with Devil Fruits or Haki.

"Swordsmanship...?"

Gojo chuckled incredulously. Could pure swordsmanship really deflect a punch filled with energy so effortlessly?

'It might be hard to finish this with just physical techniques and energy manipulation, huh?'

Maybe it's time to play a bit dirty.

Gojo leaped back to create some distance. Then, he recited a simple spell.

"Jujutsu Purification,"

Blue.

A whirlwind of blue gravitational pull surged towards Zoro as if to engulf him entirely. Watching the scene, Zoro sheathed his swords.

Swoosh.

After crossing the handles of his two swords in his hands, Zoro lowered his stance.

"...A self in a barren world."

Prepare to be cut. His gray eyes flashed with a red murderous intent.

"Two-Sword Style Draw."

Shiiing—!

The two swords were drawn out lightning-fast, and the blue energy was split in two.

"Dragon Twister."

Boom boom boom—!

The split energy passed by Zoro, flying off in different directions. One went into the forest, and the other into an empty clearing.

The split Blue caused chaos around, pulling everything nearby into a mess. Trees, rocks, and dirt were all overturned, dust flew everywhere, and birds scattered in panic.

"..."

Seeing the forest and clearing, half-destroyed by the Blue, and Zoro, unscathed by comparison, Gojo couldn't help but let his smile stretch almost to the point of tearing.

"Zoro, you."

Are you really that strong? His blue eyes gleamed pleasantly.

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