Chapter 123: Twenty Fingers! Sukuna at Five Times His Power!
Chu Yang left with Itadori, leaving the cleanup work to Ijichi Kiyotaka, who was the real expert in handling such matters.
Throughout the journey, Itadori kept his head down, overwhelmed by a deep sense of powerlessness that suffocated him.
If not for the girl he had luckily managed to save, offering him a small sense of comfort, he might have completely sunk into despair.
Noticing his abnormal state, Chu Yang smiled faintly and asked, "What's wrong? Do you think you're useless just because you couldn't defeat a Special-Grade Cursed Spirit?"
Itadori shook his head. "It's not about winning or losing. I just feel like I can't protect anyone…"
Chu Yang burst into laughter. "Kid, you're just a first-year student. It's not your job to protect anyone. Don't be so arrogant!"
Itadori hurriedly waved his hands in denial. "That's not what I meant…"
Chu Yang reached out and lightly smacked the back of his head—not too hard, but enough to make Itadori grimace in pain.
"As a junior, your job is to accept protection from your seniors. When the day comes that you become a senior, then you can think about protecting others. Right now, you're trying to take on responsibilities that aren't yours. If that's not arrogance, what is?"
"So, when you encounter things beyond your ability, it's not your fault, and you shouldn't bear the burden alone."
As he spoke, a memory suddenly surfaced in Chu Yang's mind—back when he was in the workforce, Nanami Kento had taught him something similar.
Shaking his head with a chuckle, Chu Yang said, "Those words just now were something an old guy once told me. If they sound outdated to you, feel free to ignore them."
Itadori's mood visibly improved. A smile returned to his face. "No, that actually makes a lot of sense. I'll remember it. When I become a senior, I'll pass those words on to my juniors."
Chu Yang nodded in satisfaction. The kid might be a bit slow, but his heartfelt flattery was still pleasant to hear.
"At this rate, juniors might end up being more sensible than their seniors."
Hearing a familiar voice, Chu Yang looked up and saw Nanami Kento standing at the entrance of Jujutsu High, gazing at him with clear discontent.
"Who exactly is this 'old guy' you were talking about?" Nanami asked with a sharp look.
Chu Yang coughed. "Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue. Don't take it personally, Nanami-senpai."
The 27-year-old Nanami shot him a warning glance before shifting his focus to Itadori. "I am an adult, not an old man. Don't listen to his nonsense."
Itadori, unsure of what to say, simply nodded repeatedly.
Curious, Chu Yang asked, "What brings you here, Nanami-senpai?"
Nanami glanced at his watch and replied leisurely, "Gojo-senpai asked me to come. He wants me to take this kid with me."
"A day of internship under you is enough. You're a Special-Grade Sorcerer now; you can't keep wasting your time on him."
"That's what Gojo-senpai said."
As he spoke, Nanami deliberately emphasized the words Special-Grade Sorcerer, clearly mocking Chu Yang.
Chu Yang didn't notice the sarcasm—his mind was preoccupied with Gojo Satoru's intentions.
If Gojo had always planned to send Itadori with Nanami, why switch to Chu Yang midway, only to revert now?
Was he testing something?
Chu Yang instinctively felt that Gojo's test wasn't aimed at him but at someone else…
"Ah… I only got to train under Yang-senpai for a day, and now I'm already being switched?" Itadori's complaint interrupted Chu Yang's thoughts.
"You should consider yourself lucky to have learned from him!" Chu Yang scolded with a laugh.
Itadori immediately fell silent.
"You seem well-loved by the juniors," Nanami commented with a rare smile. "I hope you always remain someone they can trust."
"Don't say things that feel like a burden." Chu Yang shook his head, then suddenly shoved Itadori toward Nanami before walking away without looking back.
"Oh, right! Gojo-senpai also asked me to pass on a message." Nanami called out toward Chu Yang's retreating figure. "For the Jujutsu High Exchange Event, you'll be attending as a judge!"
Chu Yang paused briefly before nodding.
A judge?
More like bait.
He couldn't help but laugh.
Moments later, Nanami left with Itadori.
"Nanami-senpai, where are we going?"
"To wrap up the aftermath of this incident. Yang is only good at dealing with Cursed Spirits—he doesn't care about anything else. Don't learn that from him."
Recalling the girl transformed by Mahito, Itadori firmly responded, "That's not true! Besides being skilled at exorcising Cursed Spirits, Yang-senpai is also a good person!"
Nanami paused, adjusting his glasses without saying a word.
Soon, the two of them arrived at the place where, at the start of the incident, the high schooler Yoshino Junpei had encountered Mahito…
—
One Week Later
The Jujutsu High Exchange Event between Tokyo and Kyoto officially began.
The principals of both schools, Masamichi Yaga and Gakuganji Yoshinobu, led their respective students to the meeting point.
As a staunch conservative, Gakuganji stared at Chu Yang the moment he arrived.
He had been the first to oppose making Chu Yang a vessel.
Noticing his gaze, Chu Yang responded with a blatant "throat-cutting" gesture.
The surrounding students were left dumbfounded.
Wasn't this supposed to be a friendly exchange event?
Why did it feel like a battle was about to break out?!
"Hahaha! You're acting up again!"
Gojo Satoru laughed heartily as he threw an arm around Chu Yang's neck and dragged him away.
Masamichi Yaga coughed awkwardly to regain everyone's attention before explaining the event's rules.
The first round was a team battle.
Cursed Spirits had been placed throughout a nearby forest. Within a limited time, both teams would enter the forest and exorcise as many as possible. The team that exorcised the most would win.
While Yaga explained, Gojo whispered to Chu Yang, "Normally, a judge wouldn't need to go in, but the higher-ups insisted. They even specifically asked for you, saying it's to ensure the students' safety."
"There's no need for you to step in against a bunch of Cursed Spirits. I think something's off."
Chu Yang scoffed. "You didn't stop them, which means you also want me to go in as bait. Stop pretending to be the good guy."
Gojo, shameless as ever, chuckled. "It's not dangerous anyway. I just want to see how rotten Jujutsu High has become."
Chu Yang sneered. "Instead of wasting time, we should just kill them all and rebuild Jujutsu High from scratch."
Gojo looked away, pretending not to hear.
Moments later, the match began.
Chu Yang entered with the students, who couldn't help but stare at him.
"If you keep staring, I might just dig out your eyeballs," he said arrogantly.
Kyoto's students glared at him, while Tokyo's students seemed used to it.
Maki Zenin, Panda, and Inumaki Toge had known Chu Yang for a long time. Maki had even trained under him.
Fushiguro Megumi and Itadori had spent time with him, too. Only Kugisaki Nobara had no idea who he was.
Seeing Kyoto's students fuming, she also glared at Chu Yang—until Fushiguro and Itadori whispered a few words to her, and her expression softened.
Todo Aoi clenched his fists and issued a warning with a hostile expression. "Even if you're the referee, you'll still get beaten for talking nonsense. If you don't believe me, try it."
Todo Aoi was a third-year student at Kyoto Jujutsu High. Despite not having graduated yet, he was already a Grade 1 sorcerer—stronger than most of the school's teachers.
His mentor was the Special-Grade Sorcerer Yuki Tsukumo.
The other Kyoto students were all watching the scene with anticipation.
If he beat up the Tokyo Jujutsu High referee right at the start of the competition, the only ones embarrassed would be the other side.
Among his teammates, only Miwa Kasumi looked uneasy and tried to persuade Todo Aoi not to act recklessly.
Todo Aoi was just acting on impulse. After calming down, he intended to let it go.
However, Chu Yang fanned the flames even more. He hooked his finger at Todo Aoi and sneered, "Wow, what a scary threat. I almost died of fright."
Todo Aoi's expression darkened. He took off his shirt, revealing his muscular upper body.
Coating his entire body in cursed energy, he charged straight at Chu Yang, determined to teach him a lesson through hand-to-hand combat, which he excelled at.
Now, it was the Tokyo Jujutsu High students' turn to watch the show. Everyone knew who was about to have a bad time.
Todo Aoi's fist, covered in cursed energy, swung directly at Chu Yang's face.
Chu Yang threw a punch in return—but without using any cursed energy.
The moment their fists collided, Todo Aoi didn't last even a second before an overwhelming force sent him flying.
The shockwave was so strong that the Kyoto students nearby were blown off their feet.
When Todo Aoi hit the ground, he realized his right arm had gone numb.
Everyone watching was in shock.
No one had ever seen someone overpower Todo Aoi with sheer strength alone.
Clutching his arm, Todo Aoi got back on his feet, his expression grim. Being injured at this critical moment meant that Kyoto Jujutsu High would be at a disadvantage in the upcoming competition.
"Todo, are you okay?"
"What happened to your arm?"
His classmates surrounded him, anxiously checking on his condition.
"It's broken."
Todo Aoi spat out those two words, making everyone's hearts sink.
Since he said it was broken, it definitely wasn't a simple fracture—it was most likely shattered.
"You're the referee! How can you attack a student?!"
Kyoto's Grade 2 sorcerer, Nishimiya Momo, shouted angrily at Chu Yang.
"You were the ones who wanted to fight. If you can't handle losing, don't whine like a stray dog."
Kugisaki Nobara shot back without hesitation. When it came to arguing, she never lost.
Nishimiya Momo was so furious that she grabbed her broom, ready to activate her technique.
Kugisaki Nobara also pulled out her cursed tools.
Seeing their teammates about to fight, the others also took combat stances. Tension filled the air as both sides prepared for battle.
"This has nothing to do with you."
Chu Yang waved his hand, signaling Maki and the others to stand down. Then, he looked at Nishimiya Momo and said, "If you want to fight, come at me all at once. That way, we won't waste time."
Elsewhere
Watching through the monitors, Masamichi Yaga and the other staff members had grim expressions. No one had expected things to escalate like this.
The referee, who was supposed to be neutral, had ended up fighting the participants!
"A Special-Grade Sorcerer bullying students—this is ridiculous!"