"The old man said he has no interest in watching kids fight today. He stayed in the Divine Realm to help Shinobu-san research new medicines."
A flippant voice came from above everyone's heads.
Satoru was biting a lollipop as he floated down lightly onto the steps. He seemed to be in a very good mood today, even having swapped his blindfold for a slightly looser style.
"However, even though the old man didn't come, I've prepared some great souvenirs for everyone from Kyoto."
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the entrance of the training ground.
The Kyoto school delegation had arrived. The lead teacher, Utahime, walked at the front, followed by the Kyoto school's elite: the burly Todo Aoi, the squinty-eyed Kamo Noritoshi, Nishimiya Momo riding a broom, Zenin Mai holding a sniper rifle, the blue-haired girl Miwa Kasumi, and Mechamaru.
"Sorry, everyone from Tokyo. We were slightly delayed on the way." Utahime took a deep breath, trying her best to make her tone sound calm.
"Utahime-sensei, I'm relieved to see you're still so energetic. I thought you might have been tripped up by a Cursed Spirit on the road, since you're so weak." Satoru unceremoniously switched into mockery mode.
"Gojo! Do you want to die?!" Utahime instantly blew her top, veins bulging on her forehead.
The atmosphere between the students of the two schools instantly became tense.
Mai, in particular, looked at her twin sister, Maki, with undisguised mockery in her eyes. "Yo, Maki. You still haven't given up on the idea of being a Jujutsu Sorcerer? How long do you plan to play this children's house game?"
Maki gripped her naginata, preparing to retort.
"Alright, alright, let's leave the reminiscing at that."
Satoru clapped his hands, breaking the explosive tension. "The Goodwill Event is about to begin. As the host, I've prepared a special welcome ceremony for everyone from Kyoto."
He snapped his fingers.
Several Assistant Supervisors pushed forward a huge, beautifully wrapped box.
The Kyoto school students looked at each other, wondering what kind of trick Satoru, who never played by the rules, was up to now.
"Ta-da!"
Satoru ripped away the ribbon on the box, and the four wooden sides of the box instantly collapsed.
"Surprise! Are you shocked? Your favorite local specialties are here!"
The box was filled with limited-edition treats from Tokyo's most famous dessert shops, and even a few limited-edition anime figurines.
Dead silence filled the field.
The Tokyo school students covered their faces, wishing they could find a hole to crawl into.
"This is the special welcome ceremony you mentioned? This is it?" Nobara hissed through gritted teeth.
Megumi sighed helplessly. He had long known not to have any expectations for Satoru's taste.
The Kyoto school students were also speechless.
Aoi even turned around and let out a yawn. "Boring. I already collected all of this Takada-chan merchandise. If this is the sincerity of the Tokyo school, then I'd rather go back and watch Takada-chan's livestream."
"Wait, Todo! The match hasn't even started yet!" Noritoshi hurriedly stopped him.
Unlike the original story, because Yuji had not experienced death and concealment, there was naturally no prank surprise of him jumping out of a box "back from the dead."
To the Kyoto school, Yuji was just a troublesome vessel for Sukuna, not a "resurrected dead man."
Just then, the Principal of the Kyoto school, Gakuganji Yoshinobu, walked over slowly, leaning on his cane.
His sinister eyes swept over the Tokyo school team, finally resting on Yuji.
'The vessel of Ryomen Sukuna is actually standing here alive and kicking. Those high-ranking fools are becoming more and more useless.' He snorted coldly in his heart.
Although Yamada had gone on a killing spree back then and forcibly abolished many unreasonable rules with force, as the representative of the most stubborn conservative faction in the Jujutsu World, Gakuganji Yoshinobu still held great hostility toward a time bomb like Yuji that could explode at any moment.
In his view, Sukuna's vessel had to be eliminated.
"Since everyone is here, let's announce the rules."
Gakuganji Yoshinobu tapped his cane on the ground, his voice raspy. "For the first day's group battle, the rules are simple. Within the designated area, the first team to exorcise the released Grade 2 Cursed Spirit wins. During this period, the use of any Cursed Techniques or Cursed Tools is permitted, as long as it does not result in loss of life."
"Then, we will officially begin in the afternoon. Everyone, go and prepare."
With his announcement, the students of both schools dispersed.
Meanwhile, in the Kyoto school's waiting room, the atmosphere was somewhat eerie.
Yoshinobu sat in the main seat, looking at the students before him with a cold gaze. "For today's group battle, you have only one mission."
He paused, his tone carrying an unquestionable chill. "At all costs, within the competition area, 'accidentally' eliminate that Sukuna vessel called Itadori Yuji."
Hearing this command, except for Aoi who impatiently picked his ear, the rest of the Kyoto school students showed shocked expressions.
"Principal... that's against the rules, isn't it? Killing is not allowed in the group battle." Kasumi weakly protested.
"Rules? Leaving Sukuna's vessel alive is the greatest threat to the entire Jujutsu World!" Yoshinobu shouted sternly.
"This is also the wish of certain higher-ups! As long as you do it cleanly and disguise it as an accident involving a Cursed Spirit attack or a Cursed Technique going out of control, even if Gojo suspects something, he will have no evidence!"
"I refuse."
Aoi suddenly stood up, his face full of disdain. "Assassination and such underhanded methods are simply an insult to combat. I'm going to knock him down fair and square and ask him what kind of women he likes. If his answer doesn't satisfy me, I'll beat him into a pulp myself."
After saying that, he pushed open the door and walked out, completely ignoring the Principal's command.
Yoshinobu's beard shook with anger, but he couldn't do anything about this eccentrically tempered Special Grade sorcerer seed, so he could only look at the others.
"What about you all? Does anyone else have an objection?"
Noritoshi closed his eyes and bowed slightly. "For the greater good of the Jujutsu World, we have no choice but to comply."
Mai fiddled with the revolver in her hand and gave a cold laugh. "As long as it makes things difficult for those Tokyo school guys and gets rid of a monster in the process, I don't care."
An assassination plot targeting Yuji quietly unfolded within this competition known as the Goodwill Event.
...
At the same time.
In a hidden mountain forest several kilometers away from Jujutsu High.
A spatial vortex slowly opened in mid-air. Yamada, wearing his signature black trench coat, stepped out of the vortex and landed steadily on the branch of a towering tree.
He had not stayed in the Divine Realm to accompany Shinobu because just now, his keen perception had caught an extremely familiar and nauseating Special Grade Cursed Spirit aura quietly approaching the edge of Jujutsu High's barrier.
"The Goodwill Event, huh... As expected, those restless rats won't let such a great opportunity slip by."
Yamada leaned against the tree trunk, his deep black eyes looking down at the dense forest below.
In his field of vision, several figures were lurking in the shadows, attempting to exploit a loophole in the barrier to infiltrate Jujutsu High.
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit with branch-like horns on its head, Hanami.
And that Curse User who had managed to save his life by running away when Jogo was being pummeled by Satoru.
"A Special Grade Cursed Spirit, coupled with the cooperation of a Curse User. It seems Kenjaku plans to steal something while Jujutsu High's internal defenses are weakened during the Goodwill Event."
A bloodthirsty arc curled at the corner of Yamada's lips.
He did not immediately step out to stop them.
Since those "good students" from the Kyoto school wanted to make underhanded moves, he would let them run into these real monsters first.
Once these brats experienced what true despair felt like, he would then make his appearance to clean up the mess and farm some points.
"Let me see just how much you've improved during your special training over this period."