The scorching sun beat down on the Gojo Family dojo grounds. Two young boys sprinted across the courtyard, their breaths turning to steam in the hot air.
"Satoru, come on! I've already lapped you thirty times!"
Satoru glared ahead at the back of his older brother, Gojo Shion, panting without a single tear left to shed. "Brother," he wheezed, "slow down. It's too hot. I swear I'll burst into flames."
Gojo Shion didn't slow his pace. Instead, he grinned wildly, sweat soaking his training gi. "What? You feel it too? That's the fire of youth burning!"
Satoru groaned, his shoulders aching, but he chased after him anyway.
"Come on, Satoru! Together now: Effort, struggle!"
"Effort! Struggle!"
"Louder!"
"Effort! Struggle!"
"I still can't hear you! How do you expect to become a top-tier Jujutsu Sorcerer with a voice that weak?!"
"Effort!! Struggle!!"
"Good! Very spirited!"
An elderly group of Gojo Family elders watched with satisfied smiles as the two boys pushed themselves endlessly under the sun.
Even at their young age, Gojo Shion had already begun showing his signature mix of reckless confidence and chaotic energy. Satoru, on the other hand, was stubborn and competitive, always trying his best to keep up with his older brother's ridiculous pace.
From basic taijutsu to early studies in Limitless and Six Eyes, the brothers had already shattered training records often held for decades. At only six years old, they had both mastered the foundation of Limitless and its Absolute Defense, and learned how to form Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.
Especially Shion — who had already figured out how to use Blue for longer-range teleportation.
The elders whispered among themselves. The next generation truly was terrifying.
Shion raised his hand high into the air. "Training complete! Three hours at full speed!"
Satoru collapsed face-first onto the dirt, gasping hopelessly, completely defeated.
"Don't flop down like that right after training. Get up and walk it off," Shion chided, reaching down to help him up.
Satoru rubbed his cheek, glaring though his energy was long gone. "Why do we even have to train so hard?"
Of course they had to.
Shion scowled under his breath. Does he think I don't want to slack off sometimes too?
But a storm was brewing in the shadows. Kenjaku's schemes were growing more unpredictable, and the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, watched from beyond with an inscrutable gaze. Thoughts of terrible futures kept Shion awake at night, gnawing at his peace of mind.
Only by becoming overwhelmingly powerful — strong enough to make his enemies tremble — could Shion rest even a little.
He sounded serious when he said it. "Satoru, you don't actually think learning Limitless makes you untouchable, right?"
Satoru blinked, confused. "Isn't that how it works?"
Shion's expression fell, disappointment weighing into his tone. "The Absolute Defense is still powered by Cursed Energy. What if someone can bypass Cursed Energy itself or disrupt a technique's structure?"
Shion knew the Limitless had vulnerabilities. Special cursed tools like the Inverted Spear of Heaven could ignore cursed energy entirely. Some cursed techniques with confined domains could neutralize defenses through sheer precision. Mastery of a domain could even challenge Limitless in unexpected ways.
Satoru pondered this for a moment, then cracked a confident grin. "No problem. I already learned how to use Blue for short teleportation. If someone can break through Limitless, they still won't catch me."
Shion just shook his head. Some lessons had to be learned the hard way… possibly courtesy of a certain swordsman named Toji Fushiguro in the future.
"In that case, rest well. I'm heading to taijutsu."
Shion practiced Gojo Family Shinbu Style — a refined martial art blending strikes, grappling, movement, and balance techniques passed down through generations. It was lethal in combat but also demanding in discipline.
Satoru wasn't interested. Part of the training meant embarrassing traditional exercises — definitely not something Slick Satoru cared to endure.
"Oh! I almost forgot," Shion said with a serious nod. "I passed the Shinbu Style disciple ranking exam two days ago. I've reached Kaiden."
Satoru's eyes went wide.
Martial schools graded disciples by rank. Kirigami was the basic level, Mokuroku indicated official entry, Kaiden meant full mastery of core techniques, and Menkyo Kaiden meant mastery strong enough to teach others. It was rare to reach Kaiden before adolescence.
Shion had done it at age six.
By comparison, Satoru was still stuck at Kirigami.
"Brother," Satoru begged while tears streamed down his face, "please, stop training me so hard!"
He dropped to his knees, gripping Shion's leg like his whole world depended on it.
The elders stepped forward kindly. "Young Master Gojo Shion, too much training can be as harmful as too little. Why don't you both take a break and go for a walk today?"
Satoru's head shook violently back and forth like a bell as he squealed.
Shion exhaled, defeated at last. "Alright, alright. Let's just relax for today."
"Yay!" Satoru cried, full of renewed hope.
An elder assigned Gojo Genshou, a trusted Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer of the family, to watch over them. Then the three of them changed into casual clothes and set out of the expansive Gojo estate.
Their destination was the colorful, bustling streets of Akihabara.
---