Just when Gakuganji Yoshinobu was hoping that Satoshi would trip up and fall flat, Satoshi's response defied everyone's expectations.
In everyone's mind, since Satoshi had chosen to challenge both schools, he should be the type to believe he stood above all others—someone who would take attacks head-on.
Yet, when faced with Kamo Kenshin's punch, Satoshi actually dodged?
Although that punch was filled with surging cursed energy, with Satoshi's current strength and physical durability, he should have been able to withstand it easily.
So why did he dodge? And not just a slight movement—he covered a long distance all at once.
This scene stunned not only Gakuganji Yoshinobu, who had been hoping for a misstep, but also Kamo Kenshin and his two teammates.
The trio had hidden trump cards prepared for that punch, yet didn't Satoshi seem too cautious? This wasn't the attitude of someone who had broadcast the destruction of one of Sukuna's fingers to the entire jujutsu world.
Mei Mei's Black Bird Manipulation Technique was instantly disrupted, and Utahime let out a quiet sigh. The cursed energy she had just amplified for Kamo Kenshin now felt like a waste.
Could it be that Satoshi saw through their real attack?
This thought flashed through all three of their minds at the same time.
No one could guess what Satoshi was thinking.
...
Satoshi had, in fact, felt a real sense of danger from Kamo Kenshin's earlier attack.
After nine years of slumber, he had come to understand the principles of this world's techniques even more deeply.
Even though he had a system, a Zanpakutō, and spiritual energy, if he underestimated the mechanics of this world, he would suffer the consequences.
Besides, his core plan for approaching Kamo Kenshin and the others wasn't to waste energy—it was to gather Satoru and the others together and eliminate them all in one move.
So there was no reason to waste time or resources on Kamo Kenshin and his team.
Because of that, this carefully laid trap of theirs was wasted. It would be nearly impossible to recreate that perfect setup again.
Their plan was to unleash that attack after both Satoru and Satoshi were injured.
...
"Gojo Satoshi, are you actually afraid of me?!"
Kamo Kenshin reached for the weapon behind him. The replica of the Inverted Spear of Heaven was his trump card.
He had to defeat Satoshi in front of everyone.
That earlier dodge had already shown him just how fast Satoshi was.
If Satoshi decided to escape, they wouldn't be able to catch him. So now Kamo Kenshin was trying to provoke him into fighting head-on.
Unfortunately for him, Satoshi didn't even recognize this background character from the Kamo family who never appeared in the original plot.
Satoshi stood calmly in an open space nearby, looking at the trio with a confused expression.
"Sorry, who are you?"
Satoshi's question was completely sincere. He really had no idea who Kamo Kenshin was.
After all, in the original timeline, the Kamo family had very little presence. If not for the Blood Manipulation Technique, which existed only to rival the Ten Shadows Technique and the Limitless Technique, they would've been forgotten long ago.
At this moment, Satoshi didn't even realize Kamo Kenshin was from the Kamo family.
Kamo Kenshin's breath caught in his throat.
He had meant to provoke Satoshi, but instead, was immediately thrown off by that simple question.
"I'm Kamo Kenshin! I'm the one who's going to defeat you!"
He glared as he made his declaration. He wasn't an impulsive person. On the contrary, he was someone who liked to move with precision and planning.
Even though he was annoyed that Satoshi didn't know his name, his goal remained the same: to get Satoshi's attention, to force him to engage.
But unfortunately for him, in Satoshi's eyes, any name not mentioned in the original plot was clearly just a side character among side characters.
And side characters don't get special treatment.
The Kamo family? One of the so-called "Big Three" Sorcerer Families, now fallen. Once the Tokyo team arrives, maybe they'll see just how "impoverished" the Kamo clan really is.
"Alright, got it. Kamo Kenshin, right? You want to defeat me. Don't worry, you'll get your chance soon."
Satoshi nodded casually, then glanced toward the direction he had come from. A faint smile lifted the corner of his lips.
He could sense a shift in energy in that direction.
It seemed Satoru and his team were preparing something special.
With that on his mind, Satoshi had no interest in giving Kamo Kenshin any more attention than necessary.
...
Watching the live broadcast, Kamo Shinji furrowed his brows. Kenshin may not have inherited Blood Manipulation, but he was still the leader of the Kamo family's younger generation.
For Satoshi to treat him this casually… wasn't that too dismissive of the Kamo clan?
More importantly, Kamo Kenshin and Zenin Shinsuke were said to be on the same level. Was the difference in Satoshi's attitude between them that large?
What he failed to notice, however, was that by comparing Kamo Kenshin to Zenin Shinsuke, he had already unconsciously placed Satoshi at the top.
Zenin Shinsuke had been defeated by Satoshi nine years ago. And now, the Kamo clan's so-called genius was trying to draw Satoshi's attention?
That alone was laughably arrogant.
Elsewhere, in the Zenin clan's estate, Zenin Naobito pointed at the screen where Satoshi had just dismissed Kamo Kenshin, speaking calmly to Shinsuke beside him.
"Satoshi is far stronger than he was before. No matter what Kamo Kenshin does, he won't shake him."
"If your spirit and emotions can't stay steady, then your chances of losing in future battles are still very high."
"Shinsuke, you need to pay attention to Kamo Kenshin's failure. It's meaningful for you. Whether you continue chasing after Satoshi, or decide to walk your own path… think it over."
Naobito stroked his mustache and turned his gaze back to the live stream of the Cursed Corpse battle.
Meanwhile, the scene on the field had entered a new phase.
Satoshi kept a long distance from Kamo Kenshin and his teammates… and had already begun chanting quietly once more.
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)