"This inn's bed is so comfortable, way better than the tatami mats back home."
Early in the morning, Naruto was already full of energy, swinging his arms to warm up.
In stark contrast to him was Sasuke, who was clearly not in a good state of mind.
"What's wrong, Sasuke? Didn't you rest well last night?"
Kakashi noticed this as well. He hadn't slept all night either, having spent it gathering intelligence.
"I'm fine," Sasuke replied succinctly, hiding what had happened the previous night.
He subconsciously wanted to touch the back of his neck, where there was a mark invisible to others.
It was the 'gift' Schwarzer had given him last night—the so-called greater power.
Sasuke had already learned that this world also had powerful individuals, people who possessed strength far beyond ordinary humans, just like ninja. They were known as Jujutsu Sorcerers.
They hid in the shadows of the world, wielding a power called Cursed Energy.
The mark on the back of his neck allowed him to wield Cursed Energy as well, and for that reason, its name was—the Cursed Seal.
"Alright, everyone, cheer up. I got a pretty good grasp of this world last night."
"If we want to live a normal life here, I'll have to find some work for you. Just think of it as taking on missions."
It wasn't as if Kakashi had lost all contact with Gojo Satoru after they parted ways yesterday.
He noticed that Gojo Satoru seemed to harbor a great deal of goodwill towards him, so he tried to pry some information out of him.
Unexpectedly, the other man didn't hide anything at all, directly sharing most of the 'common knowledge' of the Jujutsu world with him.
Moved by this attitude, Kakashi decided to proactively reach out to the so-called Jujutsu High. After all, he still had to look after Sasuke and Naruto, and his own strength was limited.
There was an idea he hadn't mentioned yet: having Sasuke and Naruto enroll in Jujutsu High to see if they could learn some of the unique powers of Jujutsu Sorcerers.
He wouldn't underestimate the underlying power of an entire world, but what he didn't know was that meeting Gojo Satoru had caused him to misjudge the true strength of the Jujutsu world.
Besides, today didn't seem to be a good time. At this very moment, at his destination, the two Jujutsu High schools had already begun their battle.
...
...
"You actually just named that thing a Cursed Seal? Couldn't you have picked a different name?"
"[Explanation] A seal that allows control over Cursed Energy. Naming it a Cursed Seal is perfectly logical."
Schwarzer offered this explanation, but the most crucial point was simply that she felt like it.
The two protagonists of Naruto were too young right now, and their combat strength was pitifully weak.
Naruto at least had the Nine-Tails inside him; if pushed, he could rely on his 'other self.' But Sasuke truly had nothing.
Oh, he did have a brother. If his life were truly in danger, he'd turn into an Uchiha Itachi summoning beacon. The Itachi of this period was strong enough to solo the entire Jujutsu world.
"By the way, Host, aren't you planning to go see it? The academic exchange between the two Jujutsu High schools."
"You're technically a student of Gojo Satoru now. He definitely wouldn't say anything if you went to check it out."
"Not interested." Schwarzer couldn't be bothered to play house with those guys. In her eyes, the so-called exchange event was a complete waste of time.
The countdown timer at the edge of her vision was already down to just over four days. One can only be calm with provisions in hand, and it was clear she didn't have much Core Data left.
Schwarzer wished everyone would just break into a massive brawl, kicking off a Jujutsu Kaisen battle royale, or just fast-forward to the part where everyone fights Sukuna.
Then, she could take down the entire Jujutsu world by herself and surely reap a great deal of Core Data.
Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. Sukuna was half-dead, beating Gojo Satoru wouldn't drop any loot, and Kenjaku was obsessed with his stupid plan... though that last part could be useful.
She truly didn't care about the fight at the high school, but there was one thing that did interest her.
In order to seize Sukuna's fingers and the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings, Kenjaku had dispatched Hanami to attack the members of the exchange event, thereby pinning down Gojo Satoru.
Schwarzer didn't plan on stopping him from getting the fingers and the Death Paintings. They could serve as perfect bait to lure him out.
However, she planned to speed things up just a little...
...
...
"Hm?"
In the forest, back in a familiar environment, Kakashi was heading towards the high school when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
A powerful stream of Cursed Energy was also moving towards the school, and it was deeply concealed. If he hadn't noticed it on a whim, it was possible no one would have.
Such immense Cursed Energy, and so furtive... Whoever it was, they didn't come in peace.
"Naruto, Sasuke, you two go on ahead up the path. When you get there, just say you're looking for Gojo Satoru."
"Stay at Jujutsu High until you hear from me. Don't do anything reckless."
Kakashi suddenly turned and spoke to them.
"?"
"Did something happen, Kakashi-sensei?"
Naruto tilted his head in confusion. Ever since arriving in this other world, Kakashi had been acting very independently, almost never letting them tag along.
"This isn't something you can handle right now. Hurry up and go."
Without further explanation, Kakashi exercised his authority as their team leader and ordered them to leave immediately.
"But..."
"Let's go, Naruto."
This time it was Sasuke who pulled Naruto along. He had the clearest understanding of his own strength; if Kakashi said this, it definitely meant they couldn't help.
Being pulled, Naruto fell silent for a moment before choosing to follow, parting ways with Kakashi. He wasn't one to ignore the gravity of a situation.
Though he walked ahead, Sasuke's expression was grim. It was happening again... all he could do was run... he had no strength to intervene.
As these thoughts swirled, the Cursed Seal on his neck activated, allowing him to feel a vast, malevolent Cursed Energy—the Cursed Energy of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit, Hanami!
So this was the reason he told me and Naruto to leave?
That Cursed Energy couldn't compare to the person he met last night, but its intensity surpassed even Kakashi-sensei's. If he had stayed, he wouldn't even have counted as cannon fodder.
Ever since the Land of Waves, a sense of powerlessness had been suffocating Sasuke. Now, that feeling was growing stronger, transforming into pure frustration.
The Cursed Seal sensed this intense negative emotion and began to warm up slightly. Soon, the negative emotions were converted into Cursed Energy, which started to reinforce Sasuke's body from within.
"Sasuke, your eyes!"
Naruto's shout pulled him out of his state of overwhelming negativity. He then realized his spiritual energy seemed to have increased significantly.
"This is..."
Sasuke felt he had gotten stronger—and it was a massive leap.
He took out his phone—Kakashi had given one to each of them this morning—and used the front-facing camera to see his current appearance.
A trickle of blood flowed from his red eyes. Within his Sharingan, three tomoe were now visible.
'I really... got stronger this easily?'
Sasuke felt the Cursed Energy from the Cursed Seal spreading throughout his body. He was several times stronger than before, and this was just from using the most basic Cursed Energy conversion...
I can do it. With the help of this power...
I will kill you! Uchiha Itachi!
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