CH-1

Once they distanced themselves, I focused on my enemy, who was laughing mockingly and suddenly began to speak.

"You know, I didn't expect you to be Jujutsu sorcerers. The boy with bicolored hair and the one with white hair gave me quite a fight. I didn't expect the bicolor one to be able to throw such powerful flames; too bad that ritual of his hurts him, hehe. The white-haired one has a lot of potential. He's the only one who thought of a serious plan and was the first to notice me, unlike the annoying old man and those arrogant kids who didn't even notice. The girl, I have to admit, has great physical potential. We ran several kilometers and she didn't sweat a drop, plus she was carrying her unconscious little brother. She's a girl to be feared."

My eyes widened at his words, unable to believe what he had said. Sorcerers? Jujutsu? What the hell is he talking about? Although I was already aware of some kind of "magic" in this world thanks to the so-called curses, I didn't know they called them rituals. But what alarmed me was what he said about Butsuma and my siblings.

The figure just smiled wider and, in a more condescending tone, spoke. "I didn't expect you to have a finger of Sukuna in your possession. Now, thanks to you humans, I'm stronger and can do whatever I want."

Hashirama, upon hearing his words, slowly stood up and let his Senju cells do the work, healing him in seconds. However, he still felt pain and difficulty moving, especially in his back. Even so, he smiled back with some blood flowing from his mouth.

"Now I hope you entertain me like your siblings did," said the curse. With those last words, it pointed its hand at Hashirama and generated a barrage of small cuts.

Hashirama managed to dodge them thanks to his instincts and quickly launched himself at the curse. With a loud boom, he left a crater where he had started, demonstrating his great physical power.

However, the curse anticipated this and, with its other hand, which had its palm directly aimed at his face, launched a barrage of cuts so fast that Hashirama's body couldn't react. This made him stop abruptly, supporting one of his knees on the ground.

His eyes widened at the pain, and his expression was one of surprise and confusion. His mind wondered why, if he had managed to perceive the energy his enemy emitted and the change in its flow indicating an attack, he couldn't dodge it.

"You're just a newborn in the Jujutsu world, aren't you? What did you think you would gain? That you would defeat me so easily just because you have superhuman physical strength? This world isn't about that; it's about being the smartest, or at least that's my vision of this world, kid."

The curse spoke mockingly and condescendingly. Shamelessly, it launched another barrage of cuts that left Hashirama's face and body more bloodied and made him slide back, crashing into another pile of cars in the area.

This time, however, he didn't get up, which made the curse approach, walking, and without thinking, it kicked Hashirama directly, making him sink further into the cold metal of the rusty cars.

"You were a disappointment, you know? I expected more from you because of the way you entered and your attacks. I suppose once I'm done with you, I'll go after your siblings to have more fun," it said, yawning with laziness and boredom, and took its foot off Hashirama's bruised and bloodied face.

"You have good resistance, kid, I'll give you that," said the frustrated curse, seeing that Hashirama was still alive after its violent attacks.

In his mind, Hashirama only thought about buying more time. Despite the pain, he knew that with his current strength, he couldn't do anything. Nevertheless, he was determined to fight the monster in front of him. If he was going to die, at least it would be for something he wouldn't regret once dead.

And he didn't want to regret not having done at least something for his siblings.

Abruptly, both the battered Hashirama and the curse felt an overwhelmingly crushing presence, surpassing the curse's own.

Looking around, the monster realized that wherever this presence was, it wasn't Hashirama and it wasn't in the junkyard, but it was close to them. This meant he had to finish everything quickly. Small vibrations beneath him indicated that a battle was taking place parallel to theirs. He knew this because of the irregular vibrations and the small tremors he felt.

At that very moment, he felt the air in his lungs forced out abruptly, followed by intense pain. When he tried to understand what caused this, he was sent flying a few meters without hitting the ground, leaving a trail with his bruised stomach.

Their eyes met. The desperation in Hashirama's eyes was palpable. When he tried to speak, Hashirama lunged forward at an even greater speed than before, throwing a punch. The curse dodged it with some difficulty, and Hashirama continued to launch a series of rapid, disordered punches with a frantic rhythm.

Hashirama's urgency was because the powerful presence they both felt was now with three other unknown, likely enemy, figures, facing his siblings. Hashirama knew his siblings' energy well; he had memorized it during the time he spent with them.

He needed to hurry and escape the curse. His second, less desirable option was to finish it off. However, the strategy that seemed most convenient was to push the fight towards where his siblings' battle was taking place, hoping the curse would confront whoever wielded that immense power by inertia.

"Damn kid, stop!" the curse shouted angrily, taking advantage of one of the countless gaps in Hashirama's attacks. Touching his stomach with a bloodthirsty smile, he generated more cuts in his abdomen, causing Hashirama to spit out a large amount of blood, almost choking on it.

'I can't die. If I do, my siblings will die. I must protect them. I can't let them die. I don't want to be a failure, I don't want to fail again as a brother. No, I can't allow that.' With these desperate words and his motivation driving his mind, reminding him that failure was not an option, he decided to pour all those feelings and emotions into a single strike, one that would surely hit a hundred percent.

Falling to his knees, he let his enemy approach while spitting more blood. He could feel him coming closer, feel his enemy wanting to destroy and finish him off.

When he came closer and tried to grab his head, he was met with a direct hook to the jaw and an event that could only happen once if you were very unlucky: the punch exploded in his face, with multiple black sparks accompanied by red lightning and great pain in his skin, sending him flying through the air with incredible force and power. Hashirama ran as fast as he could, seeing that his plan had worked.

"A Black Flash, really!!" thought the curse as he felt he had no control over his body in the air.

Hashirama tried to jump into the air to hit him, but when he tried, he spat more blood. His wounds had not healed yet; he could feel his body mending the wounds, the tissue rebuilding, and some minor wounds closing.

Even in his state, he chose to run out and jump over the fence separating the junkyard from the street, turning left. He could feel his siblings fighting further down the street. What he didn't expect was for the curse to follow him, though it quickly rejoined the fight.

"Damn, damn, even I didn't expect that thing to recover. I need to speed up," he thought, increasing his speed without thinking about the delay this would cause in his wounds.

Jumping over one of the cars on the street, Hashirama was forced to zigzag to avoid the curse's attacks, which consisted of bursts of slashes and attempts to match his speed.

The previous blow seemed to have left persistent damage to the curse's brain, but it gradually managed to get closer to Hashirama. Once close, the curse grabbed Hashirama by the shirt and hurled him against a nearby restaurant, completely destroying the entrance upon impact.

With an even more arrogant smile than before, the curse entered the establishment and scanned the surroundings with its single eye. It saw the trail of destroyed tables and chairs, the shattered counter, and the empty restaurant, or so it seemed.

As it ventured further into the establishment, the curse felt an even more overwhelming and potent energy than before, a heavy presence that weakened it. Turning around, it saw behind him Hashirama, the black-haired boy, with his fist charged with what seemed to be positive energy.

Without thinking, Hashirama struck the curse's body, leaving a hole in its abdomen and causing collateral damage that cracked the entire establishment.

Struggling to breathe due to his agitation and with another large amount of blood violently coming from his mouth, he fell to his knees again. He breathed heavily and tried to stand up once more. His wounds, though slowly, were closing thanks to his cells that prevented him from bleeding to death. He managed to walk out of the establishment.

Even feeling the persistent pain, he shot forward, using his body to the extent his current limits allowed, heading towards where his siblings were. However, he didn't know if it was due to the concentration it took to launch that attack or his focus on getting rid of the curse, but the overwhelming presence he had initially felt was gone. It was as if it had completely vanished.

Meanwhile, with Tsunade and Tobirama.

They were all in a small grove where the tension and the sounds of combat impacts were quite common.

The movements didn't cease. A hairy fist attempted to strike the body of a white-haired man. Tobirama was facing a panda, a surreal situation; it was hard to believe he was fighting an animal that, according to him, was cute and lazy.

Barely dodging a punch, he saw it continue its trajectory to a nearby tree, splitting it in half and revealing the destructive force of what seemed to be a cute panda bear with panda face bands.

Both decided to move away from each other, keeping a safe distance to catch their breath.

With Tobirama in front of Tsunade, who was still holding Itama, she asked:

"They're strong, aren't they?"

Her gaze fell on the woman and the white-haired boy in front of them. Tobirama only nodded, calmly assessing the situation while observing their opponents.

He inferred, from the completely dark, uniform-like clothes of the other two, that they both belonged to some organization or something similar. Although he had a slight idea of what they might want, it was evident that something had to be going on.

He immediately frowned, remembering the pressure and presence of that man, a tall guy with white hair and a blindfold whom they referred to as sensei. That guy seemed ridiculously strong, and his attitude made him stand out.

Behind the panda, a green-haired woman with crossed arms clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Finish them off already, Panda. This is getting boring," she said, looking at the panda. Next to her was a black katana with a red handle.

"I wish it were that easy, Maki, but that kid is very slippery," replied the panda, scratching his head in confusion.

"Then, if you can't do it, I will," said Maki, stepping forward and pushing the panda aside with her arm.

At her comment, the panda only responded with a drop of sweat falling from his face.

"Tuna with mayonnaise," commented the white-haired boy.

"Toge," said the panda, which, if this hadn't been a serious situation, would have been laughable.

"I bet I can take them," said Maki with a confident smile as she took the panda's place.

At her comment, Tsunade frowned and gently set Itama on the ground. Tobirama tightened his grip on his katana, but Tsunade passed by him and, whispering, said:

"Let me handle that bitch. You know how much women like her annoy me. If anyone intervenes, do whatever you want."

Continuing forward, she cracked her knuckles and stared intently at Maki.

With a smile, Maki unsheathed her katana and charged forward. But what she didn't expect was for Tsunade to match her speed effortlessly.

'Is she a restricted one like me? No, wait, she has cursed energy; I can sense it. So, what's going on?' Maki thought as her thoughts faded.

Once both were close, Maki thrust her sword, which Tsunade easily dodged, slipping under her guard. To Maki's and everyone's surprise, Tsunade threw a hook that Maki was forced to dodge. Thanks to the force of the punch, the ground beneath them cracked completely.

They didn't seem willing to distance themselves from each other, so Tsunade grabbed the hilt of Maki's sword with surprising speed. When Maki was about to apply force to the hilt, Tsunade was quicker and, with speed, made them both spin, throwing Maki directly towards the panda with force and taking the sword. However, the panda let Maki fall beside him, knowing she would be fine.

Maki landed on her feet, though her eyes remained focused on Tsunade, who was expecting an attack. However, the boy named Toge unzipped the cover over his mouth, revealing some strange markings. He took a deep breath and shouted.

"FLY AWAY!" The boy's voice projected towards Tsunade, who was hit by the attack and sent flying backward with force.

With a small cough, the boy took a flask with a liquid.

Crashing into a tree seemed insignificant, as a moment later, she calmly emerged from the crack created by her impact, though with a grimace of discomfort.

"Ugh, I didn't expect that attack. What the hell was that?" Tsunade said in an annoyed voice.

Standing next to Tobirama, she prepared for another clash with their enemies.

Maki, Toge, and Panda reacted similarly, adopting defensive stances.

Suddenly, and spontaneously, the same man who had appeared the first time they saw him reappeared. He was tall, with white hair, dressed in dark clothes, and wore a blindfold over both eyes.

The pressure emanating from his body was overwhelming, so much so that Tobirama and Tsunade were breathing with some difficulty, though not enough to prevent them from moving.

On his right shoulder, a boy lay bloodied, with cuts and bruises on his body.

The man's smile was confident and relaxed as if he had nothing to worry about.

Upon his appearance, Toge and Panda visibly relaxed, while Maki looked at both the man and Tsunade with annoyance.

"It's good to see you're here, Sensei," commented Panda with a sigh, relieved not to have to get serious.

With his smile still present, the man tossed the boy's body towards Tobirama, who caught him with surprise and concern.

"Hashirama," he murmured in surprise, beginning to sweat nervously. On the other hand, Tsunade was furious, ready to confront the man who seemed to be the culprit.

"I introduce myself, my name is Gojo Satoru and I am the strongest," the man said arrogantly.

At his attitude, Tsunade shot forward and, with great force, struck the man directly, who didn't move an inch from his original position.

She hit with such force that the ground cracked and shattered beneath her.

Her surprise was enormous to see that the man hadn't moved and didn't even seem affected by her strength. Her fist was being stopped by an invisible force, leaving her even more astonished and confused.

Sensing this force, Gojo did nothing but praise her.

"Wow, your strength is monstrous. You're no different from him," he commented with a mocking smile. Then, he delivered a kick that knocked the wind out of Tsunade and sent her flying with force, making her roll on the ground until she landed next to Tobirama.

"However, it's still very weak," Gojo said.

"You have something that interests me. Why don't you join the Sorcery School—" Gojo was saying, but before he could finish, several wooden roots emerged and surrounded the man, covering him from view.

This surprised everyone. Tobirama and Tsunade saw how Hashirama had his hand raised and his fist clenched tightly.

"What—?" Tobirama said, surprised, though he saw that Hashirama was about to fall unconscious.

"Wood... It wasn't just a talking panda, a guy who uses black magic, and then you!" yelled Tsunade, surprised and annoyed by this series of supernatural events.

From inside the wooden dome, Gojo lifted part of his blindfold and, with his sky-blue eye, observed how the wooden roots tried to break his infinity.

'How interesting, these roots are not normal, they are filled with positive energy and are gradually wearing down my cursed energy. No... rather they are suppressing the energy, which...' With an even wider smile, he watched as the wooden roots shattered his infinity without trouble and moved to impale him.

From outside, everything seemed normal, but in a blink, the wood exploded with force, leaving everyone stunned.

Only pieces of roots remained as if they were burned, with no sign of Gojo.

Tobirama, sensing the energy behind him, quickly turned around, seeing that there was no one there. However, seconds later, Gojo reappeared behind Tobirama and Tsunade.

"So, what do you say? Will you join the Sorcery School or die?" Gojo said, touching both of their shoulders. Tsunade's gaze fell on Hashirama, who seemed to have been unconscious for a while now.

"Do we have another option?" asked Tobirama resignedly.

With his smile still present, Gojo replied, "No, you don't.".