Reiji was running through the training grounds at Jujutsu High. While his monstrous classmates, Gojo and Geto, had already begun sparring. Reiji felt the need to warm up first, in order to avoid unnecessary injury.
He gasped harshly as he finished his rounds. Gojo and Geto were still locked in combat, their movements a blur of speed and precision. While Shoko sat on the ground, cigarette in hand. He tiredly walked over to her and picked up a water bottle beside her.
Reiji popped a pill into his mouth and washed it down with the water as Shoko's gaze shifted toward him.
"What's that?" she asked lazily.
"Oh, the pill? Iron supplement," Reiji replied matter-of-factly, his gaze flicking toward Gojo and Geto.
The prodigies were evenly matched in close combat. The fact that Geto could keep up with Gojo and his Six Eyes still baffled Reiji.
"Both are excellent at close combat…" he muttered under his breath.
"You don't say," Shoko replied lazily.
The battling duo paused suddenly as Gojo's gaze landed on Reiji. "Would ya look at that, the vampire princess is done with her warm-up," he said with a teasing grin.
Geto turned and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Join us, Reiji," he invited.
Reiji nodded and walked toward the duo.
"Don't get killed out there…" Shoko said, her voice tinged with teasing worry.
Reiji stacked flowing red scales twice as Geto stepped forward, cracking his knuckles in preparation.
The first strike came fast… Geto lunged, aiming a sweeping kick at Reiji's midsection. Reiji barely twisted back, the attack grazing his shoulder. He countered instinctively with a straight punch toward Geto's ribs, only to have it blocked and redirected with a firm twist of Geto's wrist.
"You're predictable Reiji," Geto said, smirking as he ducked under Reiji's next hook and slammed his shoulder into Reiji's side, sending him staggering back. Reiji rolled forward, launching a spinning back kick, which Geto caught mid-air and used to throw him onto the mat.
Reiji grunted, rolling to his feet, sweat stinging his eyes. He feinted a left jab, drawing Geto's guard. He then pivoted, sweeping his leg in a low arc. Geto jumped back just in time, but the move forced him to stagger, giving Reiji a brief opening. He lunged, delivering a rapid series of strikes, none of them fully landing but they were enough to force Geto back several steps.
Geto paused, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. "Not bad," he said, wiping sweat from his brow. "But you still lack control over your instinct."
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Reiji lay on the ground afterward, breathing heavily, his shirt soaked with sweat. Geto sat beside him, equally exhausted.
"Reiji, you don't know any martial arts, do you?" Geto asked.
Reiji managed to reply between gasps, "No… I was too fragile as a child. My body wasn't fit to learn martial arts, so… no one bothered to teach me."
Geto contemplated for a moment. "Sounds about right. I, too, haven't learned any martial arts."
Reiji's head jolted toward him. "Really? I couldn't land a single hit on you… How did you manage that?"
Geto considered before answering. "It's simple, really. Martial arts are a set of stances and forms that you can use mid-battle. But battling involves suppressing a lot of your natural instincts and applying cold logic. How you move is entirely based on your instinct."
"I don't get it…" Reiji admitted, genuinely confused.
Geto replied patiently, "If you learn martial arts, you know the form. But what form you use in battle depends on your instinct. If you use the wrong form, you'll lose, regardless of whether you've learned martial arts or not."
It made perfect sense to Reiji now. He had tried in the past to learn several martial arts from the Kamo clan archives, but failed miserably.
Geto turned to look at Gojo, who was just messing with Shoko, then continued, "Martial arts essentially provide to you; a predefined set of movements so that you do not have to think much while fighting. But of course, without instinct, it is all useless. I, for example, have made a set of rules for myself that I am most comfortable with. And of course, the application of cursed energy to any martial art takes it to a whole other dimension."
'He is right…' Reiji grimaced as he recalled the strange martial form of the Green Dragon.
Gojo walked toward his tired classmates while Shoko observed from a distance, her gaze calm but attentive.
"What? Tired already? You guys are no fun!" he exclaimed dramatically, tossing his head back with exaggerated flair.
Geto's eyes narrowed, uncharacteristically irritated by Gojo's melodrama.
Reiji, propping himself up on one elbow, ignored him, his mind elsewhere.
'I need more power to beat him,'
he thought, a dark shadow crossing his expression.
'As it stands now, I can't even scratch him.'
He gritted his teeth, feeling a sudden surge of rage.
'I despise that bastard with my entire being!'
Geto caught the subtle shift in Reiji's demeanor, his gaze sharp and calculating.
"It's not fair… you guys have to spar with me too," Gojo continued, undeterred by the tension.
Reiji glanced at him blankly, lost in thought, then lay back and stared at the sky. "I need more power…" he muttered, almost inaudibly.
Both Gojo and Geto noticed the weight behind his words.
Geto's voice was calm but persuasive as he spoke, "I think if you focus on sparring and close combat, you might be able to develop a martial form that can fully complement your technique."
"You're confident I can develop a martial art of my own?" Reiji asked, wide-eyed, the hint of surprise in his voice.
Geto simply nodded curtly, which only added to Reiji's intrigue.
Gojo, meanwhile, had been lost in thought for some time, his fingers brushing against his jawline absentmindedly. His expression shifted into something serious, as if a long-held question had suddenly been illuminated.
"No matter how much I practice, there's one thing that has never really made sense to me," he began, his voice deeper, more deliberate. "That's the Reverse Cursed Technique." He paused, thoughtful. "I just can't seem to figure it out. But you… you seem to have no problem handling it Mr. Vampire."
Reiji sat up, his interest piqued, as Gojo's faint smile hinted at amusement.
"And your point is?" Geto asked, curiosity lacing his tone.
Gojo sat down nearby, crossing his legs. "Well, how do I put this… There have been a few Six Eyes Limitless users like me in the past, and they accomplished a feat where they infused their technique with positive energy instead of cursed energy, effectively reversing the outcome of the technique."
"Cursed Technique Reversal?!" Geto exclaimed, leaning forward.
Gojo nodded theatrically. "With your mastery of RCT, you should be able to pull it off."
Reiji's eyes widened slightly. "You think my technique has a reversal?"
Gojo smirked confidently. "It's worth a shot, isn't it?"
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The first-years of Jujutsu High were all gathered in a semi-circle, Reiji sat at the front with his classmates behind him. Before them was a small jug filled with blood.
Reiji closed his eyes, focusing as he attempted his version of Cursed Technique Reversal. His thoughts wandered, racing as he processed the mechanics of his ability.
'What is blood manipulation? Shifting blood according to my will? So, it's basically controlling movement… but then, what is blood? It's not a pure, nor an aggregation of identical molecules like water.'
His brow creased as nervous sweat trickled down his face.
'Blood is a mixture of molecules and proteins. At its most fundamental level, it's an aggregation of atoms.'
His eyes flicked open slightly. His classmates watched, curiosity mixed with awe. Gojo had set up Infinity between them and the jug for safety, while Shoko's RCT was ready to heal Reiji.
'At its most fundamental level, blood manipulation is controlling the movement of atoms… but each atom has its own intrinsic properties: electromagnetic fields, vibrations…' His head throbbed as he considered the scientific implications of his technique.
'I sure as hell can't manipulate iron or oxygen outside of blood. There is another factor: the vectors. Directing blood involves specific directional forces, and precise calculations.'
"Urgh… my head hurts," Reiji grunted. His long hair swayed with the movement of his body as cursed energy flared around him.
Shoko immediately placed a hand on his back, her presence calm but firm. "I've got your back," she said nonchalantly, activating her RCT.
Reiji didn't respond. He focused, channeling positive energy through his technique.
'What? It's working? Blood manipulation… it's compatible with Cursed Technique Reversal?'
A storm of questions raged in his mind, but he steeled himself.
'There's only one way to know for sure.'
Reiji's chest rose and fell rapidly as he concentrated on the jug of blood before him. His mind was a storm of calculations, doubts, and raw anticipation. Failure was not an option here.
'Blood manipulation… reversed… positive energy… If this works, if it actually works…'
His hands trembled from the overwhelming intensity of what he was about to attempt. Sweat ran down his temple, and his long hair clung to the sides of his face. Every fiber of his being was coiled tight, like a spring ready to snap.
The air around him seemed to thicken, vibrating with the raw cursed energy he had funneled through his veins. The jug of blood shimmered faintly, responding to the subtle pull of his reversed technique.
But with that came a rush of terror.
'I have no idea what will happen…'
Shoko's calm presence behind him was the only tether to reality. "Go for it…" she said softly, her RCT humming as if sensing the storm about to erupt.
Reiji's gaze hardened.
'No more second-guessing. If I hold back now, all of this… is worthless.' He exhaled sharply and extended his hand, pouring in every ounce of positive energy.
Time seemed to stretch. The blood twisted and churned unnaturally, glimmering as it responded to the reversed technique. Then a faint, high-pitched hum filled the air. It grew louder, it was piercing as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Then the energy reached a critical state. The jug quivered violently as a brilliant light streamed out from it. Reiji's vision blurred, and the ground beneath him felt like it was pulsing.
'Now…'
Suddenly the jar detonated like a star being born. A blinding flash consumed the area, scorching the grass, melting the sand into black glass. The force of the blast threw debris in all directions, and the roar of the energy shook the earth itself. Reiji felt the shockwave rattling his bones.
The world was pure light and sound for a moment, a chaotic symphony of destruction. When the flash subsided, a column of smoke and dust rose from the crater where the jug had just been.
Reiji sat frozen, chest heaving, long hair plastered to his face. His mind was blank, caught between disbelief and awe.
'I did that…?' The magnitude of what he had unleashed hit him all at once.
Shoko's hand remained on his back, grounding him. Geto's eyes were wide, his mind clearly struggling to comprehend the destruction. Gojo, finally breaking the stunned silence, released Infinity, his mouth was slightly agape, and his eyebrows raised. "… I certainly did not expect that."
Reiji could only stare at the smoking crater, the realization of his own power was both exhilarating and frightening. For the first time, he truly understood the threshold he had crossed.
"Well damn…"