Slow and Steady

Episode 6: After Rain

The adults were all seated at the breakfast bar, which had appeared while they were sleeping, and the atmosphere was strained as they sat down. They had risen earlier than the other students and had ate their breakfast in complete silence. The notepad that had been given to Utahime by Mechamaru just before they went to bed was placed in the middle of the table.

"Well," Gojo said, breaking the stillness with his opening statement. He was well aware that there were going to be a lot of differing opinions regarding the future. Yet it was necessary for all of them to be on the same page in order for it to move forward without anyone messing up the timeline. "It should come as no surprise that the topic at hand is the foreseeable future. But, we have a responsibility to take into account the impact that this will have on our students. There has to be a cap on the number of things that we are able to alter. If it does not happen, then we won't be able to predict what happens after that."

"Of course. We don't lack morals." Utahime noticed what he was implying, and rolled her eyes. The very first thing that they needed to determine was where to begin, as well as who should be eliminated. Another problem is the fact that Sukuna is able to witness everything take place. It's impossible to guess what he would do if Sukuna was able to break free from Itadori.

"Hmm," Ieiri hummed, rubbing her chin. "But which curse do we take out first? And even if we do, how can we be sure the future won't change drastically? And since the students grow from these battles, if we take that away, wouldn't it stunt their growth?"

Yaga nodded. "That's right, as sorcerers we gain experience by fighting curses, and thats how we develop our techniques even more. It's best if we can just change the major events instead of killing the curses."

"It's more efficient and safer if they're gone though." Utahime notes, sighing. It was a hard choice to make. Let the students grow by winning their battles, or keep them safe by eliminating all threats.

"Maybe, but what if another powerful curse comes along, even after we watch the future? Something that wasn't shown?" Nanami retorts. "We won't always be there to save them."

"And it's not like training will completely save them. Fighting is much more stressful, and they could make mistakes." Ieiri added, pulling out a cigarette. She lit it up, blowing the smoke harshly. Maybe they shouldn't have watched the future. Just this one decision could make or break their student's lives.

"Then how about this?" Gojo suggested, tugging at his blindfold. "If we're able to train them using low grade curses instead of each other, their mental strength can improve, so they're not afraid of special grades. We can't take them out just yet either way, since we don't know what would happen if major changes occurred. And it might not be shown in the videos."

"So you're suggesting we just keep those curses at bay, until the students have grown stronger and can consistently exorcise curses?" Nanami questioned. While it seemed like a good idea, it wasn't as if the curses couldn't attack them in secret.

"Or what about this?" Utahime added. "If we train them to be ready for every attack that will take place, we can just defeat them through that. It's not like the future would change that much if everything falls into place with minor changes. Even if the students think they're not ready, they can still grow from it. If any of them become stronger or gains new techniques through them, we absolutely should let them fight."

"This I can agree with." Yaga nodded. He glanced at the other teachers, who were still thinking.

"If we go this route, we'll need to find out what else happens." Gojo said. He bit his lip nervously, choosing his next words carefully. "We don't know if we, or the students will...pass."