1 hour and 10 minutes later:
"Heh! So everyone decided that the most effective measure to win the event is to have you distract me while they go on ahead and finish the event? Not a bad strategy! Although I assure you it's not going to go quite as planned. I bet they're banking on your so called Special Grade ranking to get you over the finish line, but those rankings don't mean horse shit to me! Especially when I'm up against someone who hasn't even earned it and only got it because of some ancient curse from a thousand years ago living inside of him!" Todo said confidently.
Aoi Todo was a tall young man that stands about the same height as Gojo, meaning that he was around around 1.90 meters tall. He has a very defined, heavy muscular build and relatively tan skin. He has small black eyes and shoulder-length black hair that was almost always tied into a top-knot bun. One of his most notable features was the large scar running down the left side of his face and the fact that he was not wearing any clothing whatsoever on his upper body. He was also wearing black martial arts pants and slippers and his choice of pants was very loose and stops above the ankle with a bright blue sash wrapped around the waist.
"I'm pretty sure Gojo-sensei made it clear that my ranking has nothing to do with Sukuna." Izuku deadpanned.
"Well you're right but it's the fact that you yourself is getting stronger with your own strength at a fast rate" Sukuna said with Izuku sighing since the King of Curses was in fact right at the growth he was going.
"The hell it doesn't! You couldn't even see spirits before you became Sukuna's vessel! Your ranking has everything to do with him! I won't acknowledge you until you have proven to me your skill and mettle in battle!" Todo argued.
"Yeah, well, problem is I don't actually care about your acknowledgement. I don't know you and we're not even friends." Izuku retorted with a bored tone and posture, his hands in his pockets like he wasn't about to get in a battle against one of the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerers in the world while both his katana's were in their respective sheaths at the side of his waist.
"Fair point! Okay, so listen up! My name is Aoi Todo, 3rd year student and 1st grade Jujutsu Sorcerer from the Kyoto Jujutsu High School. My goal is to become the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer that ever lived. See, now you know me and everything about me, even my personal goals. We're friends now, so answer me this question, what kind of woman do you like?" Todo asked with a dead serious tone.
As soon as Izuku heard that,a chuckle was heard from within.
'Hohohhohoohohohhoohohoohog yes YES YES THIS IS IT! HITACHI! SAY IT WITH ME!'
Sukuna said towards Hitachi who simply sighed, 'Might as well'
As soon as that was said both curses yelled, 'GREAT ASSETS IN THE FRONT AND BACK!!'
Izuku then got a headache while feeling like hitting his head multiple times over and over, 'God damn it!' He screamed mentally as he focused attention to Todo.
"How the hell did we get there? I thought we were about to fight." Izuku asked incredulously.
"Never mind that. I'm trying to evaluate your potential both as a Sorcerer and as a friend. Just answer the question." Todo said as he took on a fighting stance, something that Izuku didn't fail to take note of as he wondered whether the question was a trick to get him to let his guard down, nevertheless deciding to entertain Todo as much as possible.
'After all, my job is to delay him as much as possible. If I can do that without fighting, who am I to complain...even though I'm gonna regret this' Izuku thought.
'What do you mean regret? After all I e been doing on grading the girls you've interacted!? Clearly you must have a type you bitch! Me and Hitachi literally said it!!'
"What kind of woman do I like huh? Well...it doesn't matter if their tall or short....damn it...fine so long as they have a big ass and sizable bust for me to squeeze" Izuku said...ashe heard cheering from Sukuna with Hitachi just chuckling however Izuku was focusing over to his opponent, raising an eyebrow when he saw the shock and excitement on Todo's facial features, followed by vacant look as if he was on some far off land or something, which in turn was followed by him spouting some nonsense about how the two of them had been best friends since they were kids.
'Alright, I guess he has the same taste in women as I do. I can see how that can potentially make us become good friends in the future, but he seems to think that fact alone created some alternate reality where we have been best friends forever. Is he certifiably insane?' Izuku thought incredulously.
"Alright! My new best friend! I hope you don't think our friendship will make me hold back on you, because on the contrary, who wants to lose to someone they are going to have to see and talk to all the time? You understand right? I'm going to have to go extra hard because you're my best friend. So please, my new best friend! Don't die on me!" Todo said with an unhealthy amount of delusion, at least as far as Izuku was concerned.
Izuku loosened the strap that held his katana's sheath and placed them down gently while giving them an order to stay where they are, "Too bad, because I only need a fraction of my power to deal with yo…." Izuku trailed off as Todo closed the distance on him at a much faster speed than Izuku expected, although that wasn't a problem for someone with his superhuman abilities and martial arts skills as he deflected Todo's straight hand to the side using his left shoulder, causing Todo to over reach and stumble slightly, leaving his face and body wide open for a counter attack.
Without missing a beat, Izuku launched a counter right hand that landed on Todo's face, causing Todo to fly rapidly as he crashed through a tree and fell on his back, his body digging a trench on the ground before he flipped himself over and regained his footing, skidding to a halt some distance away.
'He completely defused the power and momentum of my punch by deflecting it upwards with his shoulder? That is a boxing technique known as the shoulder roll technique. It's a technique that prioritizes timing and precision over power output, yet he sent me flying and not only that, but he broke my nose too. What kind of power do you have to pack to do that to me with a precision strike as opposed to a power strike? If I take just a few more of those I could get seriously hurt or even flat out die. I might have to use my curse technique to win this one.' Todo thought analytically, and warily.
"You're still alive? Wait, never mind alive, but you're still awake as well? Damn that's one tough facial structure!" Izuku said, impressed by Todo's durability.
"Hahaha! It's gonna take a whole lot more than that to defeat me, my new best friend! All you managed was to break my nose that's all. Not like I need a nose to beat the crap out of you though." Todo retorted as he wiped the blood off of his nose.
'That exchange alone was enough for me to be able to tell. He is definitely stronger and faster than me, and he has incredible boxing ability, far superior to mine. Timing usually beats speed, but what do you do when a guy has both timing and speed on you? Well, you change the game entirely. Being good at boxing doesn't mean that he's an overall brilliant martial artist. How is his karate, his judo, his muo thai, his kick boxing, his wrestling? And how does he deal with all of that when I introduce the boogie woogie into the game? This battle is far from over!' Todo thought excitedly, his excitement however quickly replaced by anger and confusion when Izuku suddenly dodged a bullet that was aimed for his head, followed by a number of rounds that could only have been shot by one sorcerer, Todo's school mate Mai Zenin.
Mai looks identical to her twin sister, Maki Zenin, but with her hair cut shorter. She has mid-length green hair that reaches just to her neck, dark brown eyes, and thin eyebrows. Mai's school uniform consists of the traditional school uniform, except wearing a customized, baggy version of the school uniform seemingly in order to hide her revolvers and bullets, which are seemingly her weapons of choice.
Izuku however easily dodged all the shots fired at him as he did a number of acrobatic flips, Mai quick to adjust though as, instead of focusing on trying to hit Izuku, she switched to trying to steer him towards her sword wielding school mate, Kasumi Miwa, who tried to use her new shadow style domain to slash Izuku with a hyper accelerated sword but only to miss completely as Izuku acrobatically jumped and flipped over her attack and in fact flipped over her body entirely.
'W-what? He actually dodged that attack…in that situation? H-how? Granted I hesitated slightly but there is no way he should have been able to dodge that attack!' Miwa thought incredulously.
Kasumi was a beautiful, innocent looking young woman who has long, light blue hair that extends past her shoulders and frames her forehead. She also has dark, triangular eyebrows and asymmetric bangs. Kasumi was wearing a black, long-sleeved jacket over a light-colored button-down shirt and a black tie, pants, socks, shoes, and a belt that she uses to hold her sword.
'Wow looks like Principal Gakuganji didn't waste time trying to assassinate me again. I didn't expect him to use the students for something like this though. What a bold guy.' Izuku thought as he saw a robot looking guy and another long range weapons specialist, this time a bow user, arrive and take strategic positions that were meant to block all of his exit points.
'Junpei should have taken care of their scout, so how did they even find me so quickly? Their scout is not here for this assassination attempt, which means that Junpei actually did do his job. So they have another means of tracking besides her?' Izuku thought analytically, however, just as he was about to make his next move, he found himself standing on the tree that the bow user was standing on, looking down at the bow user, who was now standing where Izuku himself was previously standing.
'What the hell just happened? Whose technique was that? How did I get teleported over here?' Izuku thought incredulously, and also warily, wondering who the hell had such an advanced technique, the same exact thoughts going through the bow wielder's mind, Izuku taking note of this as he realized that everyone else was just as confused as he was, with the exception of only Todo.
'Izuku, I might be able to decipher this technique but I need a bit of time'
When Izuku heard thsi from Hitachi both him and Sukuna got confused looks on their faces.
But Izuku simply shook his head, 'Alright, do what you gotta do'
"Kamo! What the hell do you think you are doing? Did I not tell you not to interfere with me!" Todo exclaimed angrily.
"No you didn't it. You only said that we shouldn't order you around!" Kamo retorted.
Noritoshi Kamo was a tall young man who stands above all his Kyoto High peers save for Todo. He has gray-colored eyes that are normally kept completely shut and black hair. His hair was in an orthodox style with strands of hair wrapped in front of his face while the rest of his hair flows behind his head down to his neck. He was spotting a dark blue shozoku version of the Jujutsu High uniform with zori sandals with white socks. For weapons, he has a quiver on his back and carries a bow go shoot arrows as part of his fighting style.
"Same thing! Stop interfering in my battle….or I won't be held accountable for what happens next...! Todo trailed off with a menacing undertone.
"Stop trying to act tough you asshole! Your nose is clearly broken and you're bleeding. On the flip side, Sukuna's container has no injuries to speak of! You're obviously losing the battle! You won't defeat him on your own, not even you can do tha….!" Mai trailed off as Izuku appeared behind her with impossible speed, so much so that nobody saw him move at all, as if he was in one place a moment ago and behind Mai the next moment, Izuku was holding Ryoba close to her neck.
"Listen up, Kyoto High School students! Yield and concede victory of the spirit bash race to Tokyo High or your friend's head will roll…what the….!" Izuku trailed off as Todo clapped his hands, Izuku finding himself all of a sudden standing where Todo was, with Todo now being the one who was standing behind Mai.
"Oooh! How you have shamed me, my new best friend! Hiding behind a woman like a coward is not something my best fiend since childhood would ever do! Please, my best friend! Change your ways, or I can't be friends with you anymore!" Todo said with what appeared to be genuine shame and anguish.
'You bitch! You tried to end the girl who's solid A+ similar to the one who you sparred with!?'
'That wasn't my intention Sukuna, I just needed a confirmation and I got it' Izuku thought'
'So that was Todo's technique after all! What a convenient ability, to be able to swap any two people's positions.' Noritoshi Kamo thought, realizing just how truly dangerous Todo was if he could do something like that on top of his martial arts, brute strength, and speed.
"As opposed to what, ganging up on me in a 5 vs 1 fight? How shamelessly hypocritical of you." Izuku said as he adopted the same posture he had before, everyone looking at him strangely as they wondered what the hell he was doing, until it became clear immediately after those thoughts registered as Mai was instantly teleported in front of Izuku, in the exact same position she was before with Izuku holding on tightly around her waist with his left hand and his right hand hovering Ryõba a mere millimeters away from slicing her throat.
"As far as your swap technique goes, two can play that game. Also, if I even suspect that you're about to clap your hands, her head will definitely roll this time!" Izuku said with a grave undertone.
'Thanks for analyzing his technique, Hitachi...but I can't believe it was this taxing on the body'
'That's why I said it was still too early' Hitachi said with Ryomen being quiet.
'Impossible! He has the same curse technique as me? No! That's not it! He didn't swap her with anything, he just teleported her. She was here the one instant, and there the next! Can he literally teleport other people to any location, or is it specifically towards where he is?' Todo thought with a mixture of emotions, surprise and confusion at the forefront of it all, thoughts shared by all parties present as the situation was so insane and not to mention diabolical that everyone was frozen in place, unable to move or even think about what could possibly be the appropriate move to make in order to rescue Mai.
'The difference between Todo and me is that I have to physically touch my opponent or my curse energy is touching them....when I get the chance, I need to use a different version To circumvent this short coming maybe using a bit of my cursed energy on weapons such as knives and maybe use them to mark places and people so that I can teleport them even from a distance.' Izuku thought while thinking it over.
"Kidnapping the girl doesn't guarantee you victory Itadori. At best it guarantees a stalemate, at worst, you kill her, which isn't allowed in the competition, and you get disqualified and executed afterwards. You may think you have established an advantage for yourself, but you haven't done anything." Mechamaru said analytically.
"Correction, killing is not prohibited, it is just frowned upon. Secondly, seeing as your goal is to assassinate me, this can be considered as killing in self defense. Finally, you're wrong, my intention is not merely to hold her hostage, my intention is to negotiate her life with you. The terms are simple, all of you go down on your knees, bow your heads, and declare that you forfeit the spirit bash race on behalf of Kyoto High, will have no direct or indirect involvement from here on out and will abandon your assassination mission until the end of the competition. Do that, and I'll release the girl. Needless to say, if you refuse, I'll slaughter her and then kidnap the next person, and so forth." Izuku said gravely, stunning everyone into silence at the insane and diabolical game that he was playing with their lives.
"…"
"Alright, her head rolls in 3….2…." Izuku trailed off as everyone hastily prostrated themselves and made the declaration just as Izuku instructed, all except one, Aoi Todo, who was glaring daggers, scythes, and maces at Izuku a look of unbridled anger and hate on his facial features.
"Todo! What the hell are you doing? Do you want Mai to die? Go down on your knees and forfeit, now!" Noritoshi exclaimed angrily.
"I thought I told you to stop ordering me around!" Todo exclaimed angrily.
"It's not an order, it's common sense! We can't let a dear comrade die over a meaningless competition!" Mechamaru exclaimed, still prostrated as he spoke, along with the others.
"Foolish! And weak! Curse spirits play these games all the time! Do you think it makes sense to surrender to a curse spirit and let it kill both you and your captured comrade, or does it make better sense to take the route that gives at least one of you a chance to survive and exorcise the damn thing?" Todo retorted.
"This has nothing to do with curse spirits. Surrendering here doesn't lead to death, it leads to the safety of everyone. Stop trying to sugar coat it, the real reason you won't surrender is because you would rather Mai die than swallow your pride!" Noritoshi argued.
"Foolishness! If I surrender here and now, that means I'll surrender when the going gets tough against a curse user or a curse spirit. The fact that Izuku would use her life as a bargaining chip means that he is automatically disqualified as a jujutsu sorcerer. No self respecting jujutsu sorcerer would resort to these tactics. Izuku Midoriya, you are a vile curse user, I no longer recognize you as a Jujutsu Sorcerer or even as a human being, and also importantly, and most heart breaking, I no longer recognize you as my new best friend!" Todo declared with an accusing finger pointed at Izuku.
"Hehehe! So, what will you do, will you sacrifice your comrade? That doesn't sound like something a worthy Jujutsu Sorcerer or someone with a human heart would do you know." Izuku retorted as his voice deepen.
"Of course it doesn't! That's why I also will be unworthy when all is set and done. I'll drop out from Jujutsu High after this battle, and I'll mourn Mai's death, but….I won't ever rest again until she has been avenged! Even if I lose an arm or a leg, a nose or an eye, whatever it takes, I'll definitely take you down no matter what! You have my word!" Todo declared passionately.
"…"
"Hehe! Hehehe! Well well well what a surprise! Congratulations, you passed my test, my new best friend!" Izuku simply said as he teleported Mai back to Todo's side, everyone face faulting at what they just heard, even Todo.
"W-what?" Todo stuttered, outwardly expressing what everyone was thinking.
"I needed to know what kind of man you are, in fact, I was testing all of you. I see now that despite your assassination attempt on my life, none of you are inherently evil. Honestly, I'm relieved. Most importantly, my new best friend, I also appreciate the fact that you know and understand that there are times when hard choices have to made, and that you are willing to hold yourself accountable for making that choice instead of brushing it off as a necessary evil. You truly are a great man, my new best friend!" Izuku said with a proud smirk.
"Y-you bastard! How dare you use me like that! Just for some stupid test!" Mai exclaimed angrily, pointing her revolver at Izuku, even though deep down she knew that it was quite literally useless, after all, Izuku had already proven that he could dodge her shots with his speed alone even when he was caught off guard, and now that she knew he could instantly teleport, firing at him felt even more useless than it was before.
"As I said, I wasn't only testing Todo, I was testing all of you. Your friends were willing to forsake their mission and even lay down their weapons and surrender for your sake. I don't believe it was the right move, but I understand and even respect it. No evil person would have made such a decision." Izuku replied.
"That doesn't justify using me as a pawn in your schemes, you stupid peace of shit!" Mai exclaimed on the verge of tears, how dare this bastard use and manipulate her like that!
"I understand why you would feel that way, but Mai, you're not listening to me. I said I was testing ALL of you, that means including you." Izuku replied, only knowing her name because not only had Nobara and Maki talked about her, but also because, well, it was easy to tell that she was the twin and not the other sword wielding girl in the team.
"M-me?" Mai asked, eyes wide in surprise.
"A test of courage and honor, which you passed with flying colors." Izuku retorted, surprised a little when Mai's face contorted into an angry expression.
"Courage! Me? Are you mocking me? What did that bitch Maki tell you about me?" Mai exclaimed angrily.
"Nothing much, I only overheard her and Nobara talking about you. All I got was that you and Maki hate each other for some reason. That's all." Izuku replied.
"You expect me to believe that? You just happened to decide to test how brave I am without knowing about my past? Without knowing how much of a….how much of a coward I really am…?" Mai said, anger, shame, and despair taking hold of her.
"A coward? What do you mean?" Izuku asked, a confused frown on his facial features, realization slowly dawning on him as Mai told him her story, about how she was always terrified of curses and didn't want to be a Jujutsu Sorcerer but was forced to be one because her sister chose to defy the family. She also told him about her curse energy, how it was nothing special but was weak and pathetic and that even though she had an innate technique, it was a useless one because she could only construct one bullet a day and even that left her weak and vulnerable after it's use.
'I'm surprised she revealed that much, but maybe it's because she is feeling especially vulnerable right now. Still, her innate technique is very interesting... maybe there is a way I can help her.' Izuku thought analytically, and also sympathetically.
"Mai, I'm sorry for all the pain and suffering you have gone through, but I do not feel pity for you, in fact, I feel proud and inspired by you." Izuku said with a heartwarming smile, Mai and everyone else looking at him like he had grown a whole new head on his shoulder.
"W-what the hell are you talking about? Idiot!" Mai exclaimed bashfully, a deep red blush spreading across her facial features.
"Hehe, you really need to pick up a dictionary or an encyclopedia every once in a while." Izuku retorted.
"Are you calling me stupid? An idiot like you?" Mai exclaimed angrily, although it didn't have even a quarter of the intensity that it did before.
"Haha, of course not. Listen Mai, courage cannot exist without fear. You cannot be brave if you are unable to feel fear or if you are too strong to be scared of anything. Courage, by definition, is the ability to overcome fear and do what needs to be done. If you are exponentially more afraid and more terrified than all of us Jujutsu Sorcerers, and yet take on and complete the same missions that we do, then it goes without saying that you are by far the most courageous and bravest of us all. Mai, you overcome a crippling fear that would render others unable to move on a daily basis, you are the bravest of us all, and I have proof of not only your courage but also your kindness." Izuku said much to the surprise, again, of everyone.
"W-what proof? What are you t-talking about, teme!" Mai stuttered incoherently.
"When I held you hostage and threatened to kill you, you were so terrified that I could feel your bones rattling. You were shaking like a leaf, afraid for your life. And yet, not once did you beg for your life. In fact, you did the opposite. You were discreet about it, but I was paying attention. I saw you signal for Kamo to shoot his arrows right through you and aim for my heart, and I saw you signal for your friends not to surrender when I offered to spare your life in exchange for their surrender. Despite being terrified and scared for your life, you never once acted selfishly throughout the whole ordeal. How can anyone not admire and respect you for both your courage and your kindness. Mai, as of right now, you're one of the most amazing sorcerers I have ever met." Izuku declared with sincerity, Mai openly crying by the end of his monologue, unable to contain her tears anymore and in fact not caring anymore if anybody saw her crying, after all, she had just received the greatest acknowledgment she had ever received in her life, the only acknowledgement in fact. She couldn't remember a time that she had ever felt so much joy.
"And Mai, with regards to your fighting style and your abilities, let's talk again before you return to Kyoto. I have some information and ideas that I think you might find interesting. If my ideas work, you'll become a grade 1 in no time at all." Izuku said with a thumbs up.
"Y-you asshole! First y-you praise me and now you offer to help me get stronger? What's the big idea? Are you going to perform some creepy experiment on me?" Mai asked suspiciously.
"Hahaha! That's a very good question. I love it. Always ask those kinds of questions. Never let anyone use and manipulate you. That said, no, nothing like that. No dangerous, creepy experiments, I promise okay. Let's talk about it over dinner. I know a fancy restaurant I have been scoping nearby. I made a lot of money recently when I defeated two Special Grades, not as much as if I exorcised them but apparently you still get paid a lot for making them retreat." Izuku said with a warm smile.
"Ahem! I don't know if using this situation to score a date is a low and dirty move or a stroke of genius, but I hope you haven't forgotten, my new best friend! Everyone forfeited, except for Me and Mai. I doubt she still has the resolve to kill you after those wonderful and heart warming words you spoke to her, but I'm still in the game! I didn't forfeit, which means I still get to kick your ass!" Todo said excitedly.
"Hehe! Don't be silly! That whole thing was just a test. I don't mind throwing these hands with all of you! Come at me!" Izuku said with a confident smirk, taking on a fighting stance as his excitement began to rise in anticipation of a good fight.
"Hell no! Listen up, all of you assholes! Midoriya is mine, and mine alone! Get the hell out of here before I kill you all…!" Todo trailed off as a large explosion occurred some distance away, all the way to the other side of the forest actually, and almost immediately after, a veil began to form around the whole forest, causing Todo's eyes to narrow as he realized that something out of the ordinary was happening.
Izuku narrowed his eyes, 'Looks like things are gonna be hectic'
'Want me to join in on the fun?' Sukuna suggested as Izuku unsheathed both Himiko and Ryõba, '...That would be interesting...but maybe we should let Hitachi take the wheel this time'
As Hitachi heard that, he chuckled, 'It would be my pleasure to let loose a bit'
Izuku could only chuckle.
Chapter End.
Hope you guys enjoy...not sure it's to your liking but anyways stay safe and peace out.