The team marched toward Sora District, the location given in the mission briefing. It was a tedious, two-hour journey on foot. Madara walked in silence, his mind already working, analyzing the three strangers beside him. They talked freely, trying to break the professional ice, but Madara's concentration was total.
"Hey Madara, tell how exactly does your cursed technique work?" Ren threw the question, his voice booming with easy confidence. Ren had a powerful, muscular build that seemed to stretch the fabric of his sorcerer uniform. His body radiated raw, kinetic power, even though Madara sensed zero Cursed Energy within him.
Madara glanced at him, his expression unchanging. "Illusion, dynamic vision and analysis. What's yours?" he replied curtly, giving away the essentials and nothing more.
"Heavenly Restriction," Ren stated proudly, swinging his arms. "I can't use curse energy, but I'm way stronger than humans. I'm the tank of this group."
"Yeah, I can see that," Aoi chimed in, adjusting the bespectacled glasses perched on her nose. She had short, sharp brown hair and a methodical air. Madara immediately registered that her assessment was based purely on physical observation, not Cursed Energy sense.
Ren glanced her way, amused by her practicality. "What's yours, Aoi?"
Aoi replied, "I haven't figured out my cursed technique yet, but I specialize on reverse curse technique."
The revelation drew immediate, focused silence from the others. Healing techniques were immensely valuable.
"Oh," Ren whistled, impressed. "So I'll be counting on you to patch us up later if things go south."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Madara chimed in, the shortest sentence holding the heaviest weight. He disliked relying on the unpredictable nature of R.C.T.
Almost at the same time, their gazes naturally drifted to the last member, Kaito. Feeling their stares, the blonde girl shifted slightly.
"My cursed technique I call it Sting or Pierce," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "As the name implies, it pierces things. I can funnel my Cursed Energy into a single, needle-thin point of force."
"Oh," the other three murmured, acknowledging her ability. Madara filed the information away: Ren was the impenetrable body, Aoi was the healer, and Kaito was the sniper. They were a diverse, if untested, unit.
They reached the outskirts of Sora District. The air changed abruptly. It wasn't just heavy; it was toxic. The atmosphere pressed down on their skin and souls, tasting metallic and foul. It was a choking, physical manifestation of spiritual dread.
Madara's Sharingan was already active, his eyes spinning as he scanned the environment. He didn't need time to analyze; the data was instantly present. He felt the concentration of Cursed Energy—it was massive, dense, and unnaturally controlled.
"Somethings wrong," Madara declared, his voice dropping to a low growl. "This amount of cursed energy far surpasses Grade 1. It's at least low Special Grade—at most mid Special Grade. It's best if we abort the mission and repo—"
His voice was cut off suddenly as he glanced sharply at the roof top of a nearby house. There it was. The thing responsible for the overwhelming, corrupted atmosphere.
It was a cursed spirit, small with a frame like a child. Its appearance was utterly misleading, a disguise of vulnerability.
Sadly, those who can't use curse energy, like Ren, couldn't sense the toxic spiritual density emanating from the small figure. Ren, relying on his human instincts, saw only a regular, vulnerable child on a high roof.
Ren immediately broke formation, his kindness overcoming his combat sense. "Hey, kid, get down from there! You could hurt your—"
Madara saw the counter-attack coming three seconds before it happened. The Curse was already moving. He poured Cursed Energy into his legs and drove a powerful, urgent kick into Ren's torso, sending the stronger boy flying away from the spot he was standing in.
Almost instantly, the attack—invisible and devastating—slammed into the empty space. The force was so concentrated it carved a small-sized crater into the roof tiles where Ren had been standing. The sound was a sharp, implosive CRACK.
"Thanks for that save, Madara," Ren said, his back drenched in cold sweat, his eyes wide as he looked at the damage. The realization of his weakness—his inability to sense the danger—hit him hard.
Madara didn't reply; he simply gave a curt nod. His attention was entirely on the cursed spirit.
"Aoi stay behind Hoshino. Hoshino protect Aoi. Ren, we go together—find an opportunity for escape," Madara commanded, his voice sharp and final. This was the only logical strategy: protect the healer and the sniper, use the tank for distraction, and prioritize retreat.
They all agreed with the strategy instantly, the immense pressure of the high-grade threat silencing any pride.
The eye of the cursed spirit on the roof glinted a cold, knowing red color. Then it suddenly disappeared. No, it didn't disappear—it moved at a speed too fast for Ren to follow, too fast for any ordinary human eye to track.
But Madara caught every single action with his Sharingan. He saw the creature's intent, its trajectory, and its new target.
"Ren! On Your left!" Madara screamed the warning, but it was too late.
Bewildered and slow to react, Ren spun to his left. He instinctually arched his arm for a punch, ready to meet the attack with his immense physical strength. But he was met with a blinding flash: an eye that glowed pink at the palm of the cursed spirit.
The creature's technique wasn't an attack; it was repulsion. The Cursed Spirit instantly inverted Ren's Cursed Energy output, turning the force of his own punch against him. The force of his devastating blow rebounded against him with equal power, sending him crashing beside Madara. Ren was disoriented, stunned, and his formidable body was briefly paralyzed by the self-inflicted blow.
The full, horrifying visage of the cursed spirit became clear as it stood in the center of the rooftop. It had a deceptive, child-like face framed by soft hair. But this innocence was shattered by the immense power it radiated. It had one red glowing eye on its forehead, signifying its control. It had two additional eyes at the palms of its hands—one glowing pink (the source of the repulsion), the other glowing green (an unknown, chilling threat). And finally, a huge, grotesque mouth split its chest.
"Jujutsu sorcerers, die," it said, the words a raw, hoarse voice that scraped against their ears. The fight for survival had begun.