April 27, 2004 – Kyoto, Shingen-ryu Dojo.
"Gumo... you've officially surpassed me."
Gen Ijichi slowly pushed himself up from the floor, rubbing his lower back where Hasegumo's back-kick had connected. "You've completed all of Shingen-ryu's formal training. From here on, it's about synthesizing these techniques through real combat. Once you reach the state of Shindigunken, you'll truly be among Japan's greatest martial artists."
Hasegumo scratched his head. "So when do I get to be Number One? Even reaching that state isn't enough?"
"You brat, what do you think martial arts is?" Gen grumbled. "The world is full of masters. Proliferated styles like Karate or Aikido have hidden powerhouses. Shingen-ryu only dared to claim the title of 'The Strongest' during Rikka-senpai's era."
"Times are different now. duels between masters aren't as common. If your realm, technique, and physique are all recognized as reaching the pinnacle, then maybe you can call yourself the strongest. Your technique has only just moved past mine, and your 'realm' is no different from a novice's. Your body, however, is plenty strong. Speaking of which..."
Gen stroked his chin thoughtfully. "You're eighteen now, right? Has your strength and speed stopped growing?"
"Wait... how did you know?" Hasegumo's eyes went narrow and suspicious. "Is it the same for your ancestor? Not just my strength and speed—even my Cursed Energy hasn't budged in a while."
He scratched his head and sighed. "What's the deal? You called this a once-in-a-millennium physique. According to light novel tropes, shouldn't I be collecting some legendary treasure next? I eat it, instantly become a Grandmaster, and my stats double? Surely Rikka-senpai saw this coming."
Hasegumo held out an expectant hand. "Come on, Old-Timer! Did he leave a secret treasure behind for someone like me? Hand it over!"
"There's no such thing. Go look for that in your novels," Gen retorted. "But if you want a suggestion, you could try chopping off your limbs every day and regrowing them with Reverse Cursed Technique. I've heard limbs grown that way come back stronger than the originals. If you can't bring yourself to do it, I'd be happy to help." Gen made a mock-menacing face.
Hasegumo clutched his chest in fake terror. "My RCT isn't at the 'regrowing limbs' level yet. If you chop them off, all you'll have is a quadriplegic martial artist."
The two shared a brief laugh before Gen turned serious again. "In all honesty, Rikka-senpai was the same. It is a gift from the heavens for a martial artist, but also a curse on the individual."
"You will forever maintain your physical peak as it is at eighteen. No matter how much you train, your raw strength and speed will not increase by a single percentage point. Since Rikka-senpai had no Cursed Energy, he had no experience with that side of things, but I suspect it's the same. When he realized his body hadn't changed for a full year, he began truly studying the art of combat at nineteen to find other ways to grow stronger."
"Even if it stops growing, your current physical baseline is something 'mediocrities' like us couldn't reach in a lifetime of training. Rikka-senpai never recorded a way to break that ceiling, but according to the scrolls, he was able to shatter a Special Grade's Domain from the inside with a single punch in his old age. That is a level of power far beyond what you have now. I have two theories on that."
"One: Rikka-senpai was already at that level at eighteen. This physical talent is a type of Heavenly Restriction. While your traits are similar, he had zero Cursed Energy, meaning his restriction was more absolute—thus, his ceiling was higher than yours."
"Two: The historical records are slightly off. He reached Shindigunken in his youth, and those thirty years of uninterrupted Gratitude Punches were meant to touch a completely new realm. Only after entering that state could his physical power break past its limits again."
"I personally lean toward the second theory," Gen continued. "I've always suspected the records. There are many in our history who reached Shindigunken in their twenties or thirties. With Rikka-senpai's genius, how could it have taken him until his fifties? Regardless, you don't need to worry about physical growth until you're thirty. Focus on your martial 'realm' and your Jujutsu."
"By the way, there's someone in the current Jujutsu world who is a bit like you. Actually, he's more like Rikka-senpai."
"Toji Zen'in. The man the world calls the 'Sorcerer Killer.' Most people have a small amount of Cursed Energy they can't control, but that man was born with absolutely zero. It was a forced Heavenly Restriction. In exchange, his body is purely superhuman. He was a descendant of the Zen'in clan, one of the Big Three."
"I tried to approach him years ago when I heard the rumors. Unfortunately, the Zen'in clan's attitude toward non-sorcerers is... vile. It seems to have left him with some psychological scars. Despite his talent being equal to yours or Rikka-senpai's, he was never a fit for Shingen-ryu. I hear he's a hitman now. Such a waste," Gen lamented.
"A hitman, huh? I hate that profession," Hasegumo said firmly. "To me, people who don't respect life are no different from Curses. They don't deserve respect. If I ever meet him, I won't hold back."
"Haha, he might be killed by someone else before you even get the chance. Anyway, your training at the dojo is over. I'll contact the Association to ramp up your assignments. Real combat is the only way to make martial arts an instinct. In Shingen-ryu theory, the 'Heart' is everything. Technique and power are merely tools that the heart wields."
"The 'Heart' is your conviction. Why do you fight? What belief drives you? You can't find that by sitting around and thinking. You have to experience the world to see your own heart clearly. I hope you find it before the martial arts tournament. Without a 'Heart,' winning that championship will be impossible."
Gen spoke slowly, with the weight of a final lesson. "Exorcising Curses will be your final year of training. Next year, June 15th, at the National Martial Arts Tournament... don't disappoint me, Gumo."
Hasegumo was brimming with energy. "Right! Uncle Gen, I'll do my best. But if I'm exorcising Curses, I'll definitely be using Cursed Energy. Does that affect the martial arts training?"
"What a stupid question!" Gen erupted. "Did you train your brains out? Does using Cursed Energy to boost your stats suddenly make you forget how to control your own muscles?"
As he spoke, Gen swung a "Love Education" hook at Hasegumo's head. Hasegumo ducked nimbly and bolted for the door.
"Sorry, sorry! I get it, Old-Timer! Just wait for me to win the gold—you'll have so many new disciples your hands will go numb from counting the tuition!"
"That brat... always so much energy. Maybe I really am getting old," Gen said, rubbing his hip.
"Master is the strongest!" one of the background disciples shouted. "Shingen-ryu is number one!" "Hasegumo is just a flash in the pan. If it came to a real fight, Master would school him."
Gen turned and glared at the three "background" students. "All you do is kiss ass. Don't you have eyes? Come help your master up! I threw my back out when he dodged that punch."
"He's a disgrace to the style!" "We'll teach him a lesson next time we see him!" "Master, let me help you!"
Disciples One and Two turned to glare at Disciple Three, who was already holding Gen's arm. A traitor has appeared among us.
"You two," Gen groaned. "Which of you is going to Gumo's place to give him a beating? Do it, and I'll teach you the Ultimate Secret of Shingen-ryu."
"My wife is pregnant, Master! I need to go check on her!" "That tonkatsu from yesterday was bad, I've got the runs! Toilet duty, Master!"
"Hmm?" Gen looked down at Disciple Three, who was still supporting him. "Iori? You want to go give him a thrashing?"
"Master... I haven't finished today's kata yet. I shall go to the main hall to meditate."
"Get back here and help me with my back!" Gen laughed helplessly. "Between me and you three, there's no hope. I just hope that kid grows up fast. I want to live long enough to see the name of Shingen-ryu ring across Japan again."
"The target is a Grade 1 Curse. The location is Gozen Shrine. Two priests are potentially still inside, so please try to be mindful during the exorcism, Yun-kun. However, your safety comes first. If you're outmatched, drop the Curtain immediately and I will call in a Grade 1 Sorcerer. I wish you luck in battle."
"Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."
As the Curtain slowly fell, Hasegumo watched Kiyotaka Ijichi turn back toward the car.
Gen Ijichi had retired from his role as an Assistant Director now that he had found a successor. The Jujutsu Association placed a high value on Hasegumo—a youth they deemed full of potential and "possessing a good heart" (according to Gen). They were worried he might fall under a bad influence and go astray.
Thus, they assigned Gen's younger brother, the mature and reliable "utility man" Kiyotaka Ijichi, as Hasegumo's personal Assistant Director for the time being. This arrangement would hold until Hasegumo formally enrolled in Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"Strange... why do I sense two different Cursed Energy signatures?"
Hasegumo pulled his arms behind his back, stretching. Crack, crack. A series of sharp pops echoed from his neck down his spine.
"Hasegumo, moving out!"
With his signature chuunibyou-flavored battle cry, Hasegumo broke into a perfect, efficient sprint toward the mountain shrine.
By the time he reached the shrine, the weaker energy signature had vanished. The interior looked like it had been hit by a natural disaster. Ritual tools and offerings were smashed to splinters; only the Great Tengu statue at the highest point remained standing, an ancient-looking katana resting before it.
"Good, they're still alive."
Two people in Shinto robes were shivering in a corner: an old man and a small child. Hasegumo felt a surge of relief. Two more lives saved.
As Hasegumo finished his "Revealing One's Hand" declaration, the Curse in the center of the shrine—which had been about to smash the statue—spun around.
There were no words. The Curse unfurled its bat-like wings and blurred across the room. A terrifying claw swept toward Hasegumo's face.
Hasegumo dropped low and unleashed a textbook uppercut.
"Ha!" As his fist connected, the Curse's face distorted under the impact. The sheer force launched the creature upward, punching it clean through the shrine's roof.
Staying inside might get the priests hurt. The energy isn't leaking—they aren't normal people.
The thought flickered by as Hasegumo sprinted outside. He looked up to see the Curse hovering in the air, wings beating, glaring down at him.
Hasegumo gave it a "come here" gesture. Cursed Energy began to condense in the bat-creature's front claws. With a beat of its wings, it dived straight at him.
Luckily, it's not too bright. If it stayed up there because it can fly, I'd be in trouble.
Hasegumo didn't stop. He leaped lightly into the air, presenting a "falling" posture as if he were simply offering himself up to the claws. The Bat Curse put everything into the strike, determined to impale him through the gut.
The Omijin Fuyoku (Great God Bat-Wing) was a Curse born from the human fear of bats. It had been born as part of a trio of varying sizes, three "siblings."
Fuyoku, the smallest and least intelligent, looked up to its elder brother and sister. Originally, the three lived in a deep mountain cave, hanging from the ceiling and sleeping until a stray animal wandered in for them to kill and feed upon.
After tasting the blood of a few lost humans, they realized human blood was far more delicious than animal blood. They began to leave the cave, actively hunting for people in the mountains.
One day, while hunting, they encountered a human accompanied by a Curse—a Great Tengu. The three siblings managed to defeat the Tengu and kill the human, but the elder brother and sister were mortally wounded in the process.
"Brother, Sister... drink first. Once you've healed, we'll find that Tengu and kill it."
"Kill it... wait, am I not fighting a human right now?"
"Ah... so much time has passed. Brother and Sister have been dead for a long time."
The Bat Curse's life flashed before its eyes—a long memory that took only a split second. The moment its claws touched Hasegumo's abdomen, before the force could even penetrate his skin, Hasegumo's body spun backward several times in the air.
It was the pinnacle of Shingen-ryu force control: the technique known as Dissipation of Force.
The Bat Curse couldn't change its trajectory. It slammed into the ground with the force of its own dive. Hasegumo was already on his feet, perfectly steady.
"Die!"
He threw a straight punch saturated with Cursed Energy. The Bat Curse's head exploded like a watermelon under a truck tire, spraying dark green ichor across the stone path.