Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

As Gojo Satoru entered the room, the first thing he saw was Tiger looking in his direction. He looked down at the student and gave him a familiar smile.

"Is there anything wrong with your body?"

"That's right, Senior Yue Ren cured me completely, there's no problem at all."

Tiger showed off his muscles.

"That's good......"

After chatting with Tiger for a while, learning some details and offering some words of comfort, Gojo Satoru came to Echigo's side.

"I didn't expect them to be in such a hurry."

Upon hearing this, Yue Ren leaned against the window with his hands in his pockets, showing no sign of blame. He deeply understood that the other person was also human and could not possibly catch up with everything.

The fact that he came at this time proves that he is a teacher who cares about his students very much. After all, it's clear from the details that the man in front of me is very tired.

"There's no need to blame yourself for other people's mistakes. You may be the strongest, but that only means you're the strongest in terms of physical strength. You're not an omniscient or omnipotent god. When problems arise, just find a way to solve them. There's absolutely no need for internal strife. Isn't that what I'm here for?"

"exhausted"

That man, who was always arrogant, always confident, always in control, and who gave an era a sense of security, could actually show such an expression.

It's not visible on the surface, but people can sense it.

"Hahaha... That's true, that's really your style, you always hit the nail on the head when you're comforting people."

The Yue man's words subtly resonated with the man's inner feelings, allowing him to regain his usual composure after just revealing his inner vulnerability.

That's right. There are still people in front of me, so I'm not alone on this path. That's enough.

"What are your plans for next?"

Gojo Satoru stood up and looked at the person from the Yue family.

"You brought him out, didn't you? You must have something in mind?"

The Yue man nodded.

"This is a good opportunity to make him 'disappear' for a while. It won't be long. Once he gets past the 'newbie period,' those useless guys won't be able to do anything about it."

"Ah...you really don't hold back when it comes to addressing me. Fine, I'll take care of the things you've been hiding. You'll continue leading them?"

"No, I've taught him everything I needed to, and he's digested it very well. Now it's up to Nanami and you."

"Hey? What about you? You're not going to try and shift the blame now, are you...? You just said you were here and I didn't need to worry, are you going to be a heartless bastard!"

The man suddenly displayed a sad, girlish demeanor.

"......"

Looking at this suddenly unserious guy, Yue Ren suddenly had an urge to go up and chop him up.

In the end, I held back and decided to treat it as a test of my endurance; the other person's unreliability wasn't a new thing.

"I got word from Xia Youjie that he's found a lead on the matter I asked him to investigate, so I'm going to go check it out."

Upon hearing the familiar name, Gojo Satoru's expression immediately turned serious.

As someone who knew about the Yue Ren project, he didn't say he fully supported it, but he also wouldn't say anything, because in his view, the Yue Ren were also exploring the future of sorcerers, and in a very "gentle" way, so no one was hurt as a result, so his attitude was "tacit approval".

Non-interference and indifference were exactly what the Yue people needed. He didn't expect this extremely self-willed guy to change his mind and help him, especially since the other party could hardly be of any help anyway.

What he lacks now is the right opportunity, and knowledge about the soul and the world.

"I see. Okay then, leave this to me."

As the saying goes, "once bitten, twice shy," this mistake was due to Gojo Satoru misjudging the level of shamelessness of the higher-ups. He is very angry now and is determined to never let this happen again.

"Hmm." Yue Ren's gaze fell on Hu Zhang.

"Pay close attention to Itajō. I have a feeling he will be the key to everything. There's probably more to Itajō's special constitution and the fact that he swallowed Sukuna's finger than meets the eye."

"An invisible net is being woven, and even if it's the strongest, you have to be vigilant. I feel that this net is designed specifically for you."

Upon hearing this, Gojo Satoru fell silent.

Then he laughed.

That smile was different from before. If the previous smile was tinged with helplessness and bitterness, this one was—confidence.

"That's really interesting. You're making me excited."

Knowing the boy's character, he knew the other party would never speak carelessly. In fact, he had had a vague feeling of unease for some time, which was now confirmed by Yue Ren.

Seeing Gojo Satoru's reaction, Eshito's eyes narrowed, radiating a dangerous aura.

"The enemy's strength shouldn't be too great, otherwise there would be no need to resort to tricks and schemes. But we still need to be careful, after all, a venomous snake lurking in the shadows may be waiting for your most 'helpless' moment."

"You haven't forgotten your loss of composure after being 'overwhelmed by information' last time, have you?"

Gojo Satoru turned his back and stuck out his tongue where no one could see him. The key was that he was too embarrassed to refute the scolding. Now that he thought about it, his arms and waist still felt a bit sore.

"Okay, I'll be careful..."

"Not only that, we must also gather intelligence as much as possible and communicate with it at any time."

"Yes, I understand!"

Completely bewildered, Gojo Satoru belatedly realized something was amiss. Wait a minute, why does it feel like Yoshitoki is the teacher, and I'm the student who's just a rookie?

I was never this "oppressed" when I was a student under Moth. It's truly a moral depravity. I'm the teacher... Have the students in front of me really grown to this extent? It's terrifying.

Having received a definite guarantee, Yue Ren nodded slightly, no longer paying attention to what Gojo Satoru had to say, and went to Hu Zi.

Seeing the bright smile on the other person's face, Yue Ren said in a relaxed tone:

"Because of the danger of Sukuna, some of the higher-ups in the sorcery world don't want you alive; they want you dead. This mission is part of their conspiracy. I think you don't want to die either; you probably still have things you want to accomplish. So what you need to do now is become stronger, at least strong enough to protect yourself, understand?"

"!"

Yue Ren's words were straightforward, but they were the most effective for Hu Zi. Hu Zi was extremely pure and simple, and his brain couldn't understand so many twists and turns, but what Yue Ren said was something that he could truly understand.

After a moment of silence, Tiger looked up with a serious expression.

"Yes, senior. If I could, I wouldn't want to die. I want to do what my grandfather said and help others."

The Yue man nodded.

"Your five teachers will be your instructors from now on. I have to go."

"Um, I'm so sorry, senior. I lost the knife you gave me. I'm very sorry."

Tiger behind him suddenly stood up and bowed. He had only just remembered that he had left his things behind when he took a moment to pat himself down. Although it was beyond his control, it was a fact that he had to accept.

"What are you saying?"

Yue Ren didn't turn around, but casually made a move, and Hu Zi's short knife appeared in his hand, which he then threw backward.

Tiger caught it with lightning speed, his face full of amazement as he looked at the short knife in his hand, which had undergone some changes.

"I also adjusted your hairstyle a bit. Let me know next time if it doesn't suit you."

"OK!!"

The Yue people can sense the movement of anything they forge within a certain range, so there is no chance of anything being lost.

He had already retrieved the short knife he was supposed to give to the other party before bringing Hu Zi over, and even used some tricks to change its design so it would suit him better.

Gojo Satoru, standing to the side, didn't say a word, but just watched the scene before him with a faint smile. This kind of scene of mutual trust and reliance between partners was his favorite.

Even after Yue Ren had gone far away, Hu Zi continued to stare intently at the spot where he had disappeared.

Gojo Satoru patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll meet again soon. In the meantime, you must strive to become stronger, just as Yue Ren said."

Young people's youth should not be taken away. Even if the situation is serious, he doesn't want Tiger to lose his friendship and laughter with his partners. Therefore, he will help him grow up as soon as possible.

Back at the college, after confirming that the other two kids were alright, Yue Ren planned to go to Xia Youjie's place, but instead, a group of people came to his door.

The three second-grade students are Panda, Dog Roll, and Maki, along with two little ones who just lost Tiger.

The reason for seeking him out was quite surprising: to attend the so-called "Kyoto Sisters Exchange Meeting".

The man was taken aback, then realized that there was indeed such a thing. A lot of things had happened during this time. Tiger also met his lifelong brother, Toudou Aoi, a first-level sorcerer from Tokyo Academy, during this event, and learned Black Flash with his help.

There was indeed a similar event last year, but Yue Ren didn't participate. One reason was that it was supposed to be something for second and third-year students, and another reason was that Yue Ren had only been in school for a short time and had a rather special status.

This year is different. Third-grade students like Kinji and his friends have been suspended from school, and Yuta is temporarily away on a mission, so Panda and his friends, who are short-handed, came to help.

After thinking it over, Yue Ren agreed, because he found it to be a good opportunity to get involved and see what those guys hiding in the shadows were up to, and how much they deviated from the original story. This would help him plan his next move.

In Tokyo, on one of the busiest streets, there's a ramen shop that isn't particularly upscale.

Amidst the warm smiles of the waiters, a dignified and beautiful woman walked in. Her outstanding appearance, figure, and temperament instantly attracted a lot of attention.

The woman in the spotlight remained unmoved, simply finding a corner to sit down.

For ordinary people around them, this is indeed the reality.

If an ordinary sorcerer were to appear in this shop at this moment, he would surely discover a scene that would terrify him, because several terrifying, "top-tier" cursed spirits were following the beautiful woman.

"Let me ask again, is your goal to replace existing humans and become true 'humans'? Can I understand it that way?"

"That's right."

"The 'Four Great Calamities'... no, it should be the 'Five Great Calamities'—the 'Leaky Pot'—sat opposite Lu Suo and spoke."

"So, to achieve this goal, it is necessary to render Gojo Satoru unable to attack and to completely unleash Ryoumen Sukuna."

"..."

These two conditions have already been explained. Sukuna, as the legendary King of Curses, is undoubtedly powerful. But the other man...

"Gojo Satoru... is it possible that even if we combine all our strength, we still can't kill this man?"

Lu Suo's voice remained gentle and magnetic in response to Hu Bao's question.

"At this stage, there's a high probability he'll escape, or worse, he might eliminate you all."

"His title is 'the strongest of our time,' and you who have been constantly wiped out should know that all too well."

"Perhaps you could wait until this new 'leader' grows into a great spirit and try it, but overall I don't recommend you do that, as the time and risks are both very high."

"Moreover, the human camp also has other 'Special Grade' individuals, and these few are also quite troublesome."

"The most suitable method, rather than 'killing' it, is for you to find a way to 'seal' it. This is perhaps the most realistic and feasible method."

The other cursed spirits were skeptical of these words; they didn't quite believe that even the "impeachment" of a great cursed spirit couldn't defeat that guy.

But they didn't say it because they hadn't actually fought each other and couldn't judge.

"...A seal? With what?"

"The Supreme Cursed Artifact 'Prison Gate'."

Upon hearing the name, Hu Bao became instantly excited. The lava above his head began to boil, as if a volcano was about to erupt, and the temperature in the shop also began to rise rapidly.

He had heard of this thing; it was a top-tier special sealing artifact. Did it still exist in this era...?

His face flushed with excitement, he asked, "That thing is in your hands?"

"Water clock, don't get excited, it'll get hot."

Lu Su remained calm and composed, which was tantamount to admitting the truth.

The two were engrossed in their conversation when, coincidentally, the restaurant manager came to Lu Suo's table. Suppressing his slightly trembling heart, he politely inquired, "Esteemed guest, is there anything you need...?"

Before he could finish speaking, the shopkeeper burst into flames and instantly turned into a charred corpse.

This anomaly immediately alerted the others in the shop. Fear of the unknown threatened to plunge the small shop into chaos, but the cursed spirit known as the Leaking Pot did not give them that chance.

In an attempt to avoid causing too much of a commotion, in the next few seconds, customers and employees in the store suddenly burst into flames.

In an instant, this little shop was transformed into a living hell.

"Su Nuo has twenty fingers. How many of his fingers do you think my strength is equivalent to?"

Upon hearing this question, suppressing the sneer in his heart, Lu Suo said half-jokingly:

"To be polite, it's only about eight or nine."

"That's enough. Give me 'Prison Gate' and I'll keep it. In return, I'll kill Gojo Satoru."

Lu Suo wanted to laugh, but her millennia of self-control made her hold back. She really wanted to ask these cursed spirits where they got their courage, but then she thought that they were all simple-minded guys, and could only be attributed to ignorance is bliss.

Well, since it's so stubborn, let it go and "see" what's what. If there's only one, whether it gets exorcised or not won't affect her plan. If it can survive, these guys will probably be more willing to cooperate with her plan.