- Utahime Iori -
"Ahahahaha this is really something, isn't it?" Gojo laughed as he watched the scene in front of him.
The large expanse of ice… it covered a circle with exactly one kilometer radius, freezing everything inside. Trees, water, animals, curses… everything was encased in ice.
Even now, twelve hours after the incident, the ice hadn't melted one bit.
The expressions of horror on the faces of the Cursed Users were clear to see, as they were frozen almost instantly. Everything looked like some kind of expensive show piece.
It was only when someone touched it that it shattered and crumbled apart into dust.
"Hundreds… there were hundreds of curses… Grade 1, even Special Grades… even an Open Domain… all of them… he killed all of them in a moment." She whispered, her heart skipping a beat as she recalled the scene once more.
"Oh look… Silas got this one too. I was looking for this one for a while now. What a surprise." Gojo's words broke her out of her thoughts.
"Don't pretend! I asked Principal Gakuganji and you knew they were manipulating the information to have us sent here. Why didn't you stop it?"
"Now now, don't be angry. All of it turned out for the better, didn't it?"
"That's not the point!"
"It obviously is. I knew someone was so deeply entrenched in the system that they could even manipulate such things… so the only way to bring them out would be to give them what they want so that they come out to accept it. We gave them bait and they took it. Silas did a pretty good job though. I knew he could do it if he stopped caring for a bit."
"So you used us as bait to bring them out… Were you watching? Why didn't you interrupt when they came out and surrounded us?" She shouted at him.
"Ma ma, if I did that, how could we see such an impressive show by Silas? Students progress the best when under pressure… although, this level of enemy was nothing for Silas. After all, he is a guy who can freeze the entirety of Japan just as easily as he froze this place. So, I guess it was an overkill?"
She froze as she stared at him. "He can do what?"
"Oh? Are you scared? Why are you so weak, Utahime?"
This time however she didn't even have the strength to throw her slipper at him.
Scenes from earlier flashed in her mind.
That boy… the same boy who had cooked lunch for everyone. The boy who was talking so nicely even against Mai's unwarranted hostility… he could…
A shiver ran down her spine when she thought just what Mai was playing with.
She will have to go and give the girl a good talking to.
Her words could have gotten all of them killed had it been someone crazier…
"You didn't see his power… his Cursed Energy… it was terrifying. Such power… it makes people lose the hope to resist."
"Hmm, yes. He seems to have grown again. I think this was the second time that had happened. His Cursed Energy was stronger than Naruto's with all his advantages. And while not to her level… he can still grow… so who knows what will happen in the future though?"
The words only went on to make her more terrified.
Just what in hell was hidden inside the Shinjuku Subway?
- Silas -
"Here's your Grade 1 Sorcerer Certification. And congratulations, you have been granted the Rank of Special Grade Sorcerer by unanimous votes by the Jujutsu Association. You are now officially the same Grade as me… although I would still win." He laughed.
I shook my head with a smile at his antics.
His focus changed to Naruto. "As for Naruto-kun, you are now a Grade 2 Sorcerer. The Curse you exorcised was actually a Grade 2 Curse and no one wanted to waste their time testing you again so you are directly given the Rank of a Grade 2 Sorcerer. Congratulations, Naruto-kun."
The kid in question jumped in joy on receiving the badge.
"Yay! See this Miu nee-chan, Shigure-chan, Nii-san. I am a Sorcerer now. Kanna-chan, I did it, dattebayo!"
"Great job. You know what? I will make a cake to celebrate this event." I offered, making even the bored looking dragons perk up.
Seriously, Kanna, Tohru, Milim… even Fafnir has a sweet tooth. Although the last one always claims that it is to keep his mind active and in perfect state when playing games. I call bullshit. He is just a glutton like other dragons I have known.
We partied as the girls congratulated me too.
"Hahahaha Silas is now the highest ranking Jujutsu Sorcerer there can be. I guess you are Naruto and Sakura-chan's senpai now." Gojo-sensei laughed and I looked at Sakura who was smiling too.
"I guess that's true. Don't worry, I will always take care of my kouhai." I smirked as I patted her head.
To be honest, I was expecting her to be embarrassed but she just smiled. "Then I will count on you… senpai."
…
Damn, I just felt my heart skip a beat…
That word can be quite dangerous when used by a cute girl like her.
Sakura's exam was going to be held later.
I had taken some time to ask about the situation back in Nakagawa village.
After all, I had a feeling that I might have done something excessive back there.
"No, you did the best thing that could be done. In fact, I dare say, I myself couldn't have done better."
"What about the thing about the number of curses increasing? Maki-san's sister seemed quite angry at us for that. Will it really be fine?"
I hadn't told Sakura about that or she would start blaming herself again.
The whole news also made me worried about her own exams. Would there be any ambushes or unexpected situations in her case too?
Gojo-sensei just took a sip of his drink and then spoke. "Tell me… when you… took action today… what were you thinking?" He asked.
"I… I was just thinking of the danger they posed to us, Naruto and Sakura and that the only way to remove the danger was to remove them."
"And what if they could be convinced to change their ways… the only cost would be the lives of Naruto and Sakura-chan… or even just Sakura-chan?"
I frowned at his question.
"Go on, answer me."
I thought seriously about the question. "I would kill them."
He smiled widely at the answer. "Exactly! That's what you need to understand. Your priorities. What does it matter what others say? You know what you need to do. As long as you are not going out of your way to trouble people, they have no right to blame you. It is not your fault that they are weak. You shouldn't blame yourself for being strong. The same goes for Sakura-chan. The barrier broke because it was weak. As simple as that. The people were just bitching because it is now making them run around and do some actual work. They are just used to people cleaning their asses for them." I was pretty sure I saw a clear hint of disdain on his face at the mention of 'they'.
Was he talking about the higher ups of the Jujutsu Association?
He continued. "As for Mai Zenin… hah… she needs to fight her own demons instead of always blaming the world. You are not the first person she has blamed for her own messed up life. Don't bother about her."
That… was a new way to look at things.
Gojo-sensei saw that I was quiet for a while and spoke again. "I had been following that group of cursed users for a while now. They were extremely dangerous and the one you fought had even managed to trick and seal me. If they were allowed to run around, it would have been a catastrophe. You and the Restaurant's arrival has saved thousands, probably millions of lives. That's thousands of times more than any lives which have been lost due to extra curses popping up."
I nodded, feeling lighter after the talk.
"Alright then. I guess it's time to teach you about Domain Expansion. I honestly wanted to wait until you two became a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer but I wasn't really expecting today's events so let's get it done with."
Domains.
Nanami-sensei had told us a bit about them but didn't go into details as he himself didn't have much idea about it. He told us to talk to Gojo-sensei to find out more about it.
"Alright then, let's begin. What do you know about Domain Expansions?"
I remembered the little bit I knew and spoke. "It is considered the pinnacle of Jujutsu Sorcery. Domain Expansion is the most supreme technique any jujutsu user can use. It is achieved by expanding one's innate domain with cursed energy while using a barrier to construct it inside a separate space. The caster then imbues their cursed technique within the barrier to complete the expansion, allowing them to deploy their ability all throughout the domain."
"Hmm, basically that. Domain Expansion is an advanced barrier technique. It constructs the user's innate domain inside a barrier infused with their innate cursed technique. Within a domain expansion, the user's cursed techniques are improved and any that are activated are guaranteed to hit."
"What are Innate Domains?" I asked, taking a hint at the new term.
"An Innate Domain, normally referred to simply as a Domain is a mental landscape that embodies the mind of an individual which they are born with. Innate domains serve as the foundation of an innate cursed technique. You can consider it to be a metaphysical space that reflects their mind and soul. In Domain Expansion, you make a barrier and expand this very space to the outside world, dragging people into it. This is one of the reasons why techniques become amplified when in Domains as the mind is directly controlling everything inside the Domain."
I nodded, understanding bits of it now. Suddenly I remembered something and asked. "The thing we were fighting, the stitches curse… thing… whatever it was… he used a Domain Expansion… or at least I think he did. I wasn't really paying attention and directly froze him. There was something weird about it however, as his Domain didn't make any barriers. What's up with that?"
"Oh, a barrierless Domain or an Open Domain is extremely rare. I only know of one other who can do such a thing, the same guy you digested." He smirked, making me frown. "Anyways, those are extremely rare as their barriers possess no outer shell yet still retain a sure-hit. It is akin to painting on air instead of a canvas and is remarked as divine, even by the standards of domains. Seems like the guy you exorcised was even more ancient than I had expected. Congratulations again."
I wasn't sure what to feel about it as the guy died too quickly for me to know.