The Inumaki Clan Prodigy [Jujutsu Kaisen]

Isamu flexed his left hand, forming a fist before releasing it. He was glad jujutsu high had such an experienced and competent reverse cursed technique user such as Shoko or Isamu's life as a swordsman would be over. At least until he awakened reverse cursed technique for himself that is.

Isamu leaned on a wall in the back of the observation room which he and the others had moved to after his fight with Yuji. Isamu was currently watching Maki and Kamo duke it out, a smile on his face all the while.

Kamo was heavily disadvantaged by Maki's superior strength and speed. He was only able to keep up when using Flowing Red Scales which just put a timer on him as the constant cursed energy usage would eventually wear him down.

So it was just a matter of time before Maki landed a critical blow or Kamo ran out of energy. Watching on with pride at his girlfriend and part time instructor, Isamu's smile only grew.

As expected, Kamo's reserves began to run dry. He began to slow down from fatigue which was just the thing Maki needed.

Maki darted forward and swung her pole arm towards Kamo. He brought his arms up to block the attack but when Maki fainted it and redirected the blow downwards, Kamo was too slow to stop it.

Maki struck the inner part of his right knee, causing him to stumble forward. Maki spun again, landing a clean blow on Kamo's temple with the butt of her staff. Kamo dropped like a sack of potatoes, too tired and beaten up to mount any resistance.

Their fight was longer than Isamu's fight with Yuji as neither had the power to deal truly debilitating damage. Maki was breathing heavily as her chest rose and fell at an increased speed. But apart from that, Maki was in perfect condition.

Perhaps if it was a real fight where killing was allowed, the fight would've gone differently. But as it was, Maki took home the victory. Still, even with the sight of his happy girlfriend in front of him, Isamu couldn't stop a wave of guilt from spreading through his body.

——

"Are you ok? Inumaki really creamed you huh?" Nobara asked the still recovering Yuji in his medical bed. She and Megumi, who was standing to her left closer to the foot of Yuji's bed, had decided to visit their fellow first year while Maki and Kamo duked it out.

Nobara and Megumi weren't disinterested in the fight mind you. But after the first bit of the fight, it was clear to them who'd win. So they decided to pay Yuji, and Shoko by extension, a visit.

"How's he doing?" Asked Megumi, directing his questions towards Shoko who stood opposite of them on Yuji's right.

"You should count yourself lucky Itadori. If it weren't for your superhuman body, you'd probably be dead by now. Most of your wounds were easy enough to heal, just muscle and tissue damage. But those final 8 cuts really could've spelt the end for you." Shoko said, dimming down her words a bit to make them more detestable for the… eh… well Yuji wasn't exactly the brightest bulb on stage.

"Really? They were that bad?" Yuji said, completely oblivious of the situation his body was in not even an hour ago.

"Yes, your left lung was cut to ribbons, your digestive tract was heavily damaged, one of your kidneys was destroyed, and that's without mentioning all of the internal bleeding you suffered. If you'd gotten on my table even 10 minutes later, I'd be examining your corpus right now." Shoko continued.

"Damn, was Isamu trying to kill him or something?" Nobara asked bluntly.

"I doubt it, Isamu isn't the type. I'm not an expert on New Shadow Style techniques or even swords in general but from what I understand, what Isamu used on you, Yuji, was a first for him. He pulled off an incredibly advanced and difficult technique for the first time and didn't know how to hold back its power. That's just my theory though." Megumi explained, sticking up a bit for the first grade.

"Geez, and here I was. Thinking I wasn't that far off from being a first grade. Looks like I have a long way to go if Isamu's the standard." Yuji said, a bit disheartened but more determined than ever.

"Isamu is far from the standard." Shoko said. "You shouldn't compare yourself to him, you'll only disappoint yourself if you do."

——

'Good job.' Isamu signed, congratulating his girlfriend once she'd returned from the battle field.

"Thanks." She said simply, leaning up to give him a brief but loving kiss. Isamu reciprocated and could barely stop himself from taking the kiss further.

They talked for a bit, well, Maki talked while Isamu signed, as Kamo was wheeled away and taken care of. Between each round was a 20 minute break so they had some time.

They stood, just the two of them, in one of the many lounges in jujutsu high. It was furnished with a few coughs and lounge chairs with a coffee table with a few magazines on it in the middle of the room. Overall, it look like a higher quality waiting room.

Isamu walked over to a couch and threw himself on it, Maki quickly joining him. Isamu laid on the couch, his back leaning on one of its arms. Maki sat in his lap and leaned backwards, using his chest as her own object to lean on.

Isamu just brought his hands up and wrapped them around her waist, pulling her close.

"That was really something, the technique you used on Itadori I mean. But don't you think you went a little hard?" Maki asked as she turned to look into his eyes over her shoulder.

Maki saw a guilty look in his eye and looked away. That was good. Isamu already felt bad so she didn't need to scold him or push him to apologize. That was one of the many things she liked about him.

Maki sighed as she relaxed melting into Isamu's embrace. Her muscles sore from the fight. Her mind wondered from subject to subject but eventually found its way to her current bed.

Isamu was improving. Nearly every bit of free time he'd gotten since their little talk had been spent with her. To the point Isamu was starting to feel a bit clingy. Not that Maki minded in the least.

Whether this improvement was due to a genuine change in Isamu or just because he didn't have a lot of free time and was always close to her due to the goodwill event was still up in the air. So it'd be a little while till Maki knew for sure. She had a good feeling though.

They laid there for the next 20 minutes. Not speaking a word, just enjoying each other's company. Relaxing. It was nice. For once, Isamu's mind was completely absent of thought.

He wasn't thinking of new sword techniques or how to improve his technique. He wasn't reflecting on a fight or brainstorming new ways to manipulate his cursed energy. Instead, he just laid there. Enjoying Maki's body heat and the sound of her breathing.

Sadly, all good things had to come to an end. And who better to ruin a mood than Saturo Gojo.

——

After being retrieved by Gojo, Isamu, Maki, and Gojo made their way towards the battle field. About halfway there, Todo joined them, everyone else watching from the observation room with the help of Mei Mei and her cursed technique. Once they arrived, they examined the battle ground.

Unlike the previous battles which had taken place in traditional cursed places, this one was a simple ring. About 30 meters across the arena they stood in front of was quite spacious.

"Since there are three of you, you'll be fighting in a free for all. Since such a fight would be a bit unfair and wouldn't really work in an arena similar to the ones you fought in during previous matches, you'll be fighting here instead." Gojo explained, gesturing to the large area.

Maki and Isamu exchanged a look. They didn't like fighting each other in this way. Sure, they spared all the time. But that was always, always, with wrapped blades or practice weapons. They never bore sharpened edges at each other.

There was just something wrong with the idea of spilling each other's blood. Something that made Isamu want to puke at the thought. Maki felt the exact same, and before Isamu could say anything, she spoke.

"I'll sit this one out." Maki said, taking one for the team.

'No, you should fight. I've already learned plenty from this event.' Isamu signed.

"No, I'd probably lose. You have a better chance." Maki said while slowly walking backwards. 'If you win, I'll make it worth your while.' She signed, making sure no one else could see, before turning a walking toward the main building, on her way to the observation room.

Isamu blushed a bit at that but he quickly dismissed the thoughts. He needed to focus on the fight in front of him.

"Well, that makes things a lot simpler. Alright, both of you hop in, someone will give you the go ahead over the speakers." Gojo said, referring to the large speakers attached to polls which surround the arena.

Isamu and todo quickly complied, jumping the wooden fence before walking towards the middle of the area while Gojo headed towards the main entrance.

"Isamu." Todo said, gaining his attention. "No matter your feelings, I want you to come at me with all you have. No holding back for even a second. If you do, I'll kill ya." Todo finished.

Isamu just nodded. For once, he figured he would. Finally let loose a little. For most of his fights, Isamu was concerned about his opponent and held back. Or in the case of the cursed spirit, he needed to hold back so he could better synergize with his team mates.

But here, with Todo's permission and Shoko on stand by, he didn't need to hold back. Now standing in the middle of the arena, Isamu having zoned out for a bit, they heard principal Yaga's voice over the speakers.

"Let the final match of the 2018 sister school goodwill event, commence!" He announced, shouting the last part.

"New Shadow Style: Simple Domain." Isamu wasted no time. Instantly forming a simple domain with the intent to attack. Todo grind in response as he quickly brought his hands together.

Knowing Todo was about to activate his technique, Isamu countered with his own.

"Crush." Isamu spoke, using his head start binding vow to bypass Todos defenses and command him anyway. Todo's right arm was pulverized in an instant, his bones stabbing through his skin to emerge like a forest of bone.

The damage was enough to make the arm, and more importantly the hand, unusable but not enough to make it permanent even with Shoko's help.

Todo wasn't all that surprised by the injury but was still put off his guard by the sheer pain. Isamu took full advantage.

"New Shadow Style: Nihongō!" Isamu chanted before racing forward. His output increased to 120% for a brief moment, Isamu rocketed towards at higher speeds than was normally possible as he lunged at the vulnerable Todo.

Todo was still Todo however and was able to overcome the pain in record time. But not fast enough to come out of the exchange without a scratch. Todo was able to strike the flat of the blade with his left hand, sending it slightly off course.

Instead of piercing straight through his stomach in a fight ending attack, Isamu's technique was redirected towards Todos right hip. A large chunk was still taken from Todo's abdominal area however.

Isamu didn't let up. He slashed out two more times, scoring two deep cuts on his chest before he crouched low and spun, sweeping Todo off his feet.

As he fell, Isamu reversed his gripped on his sword and delivered it into Todo's mid thigh. He then ripped the blade down all the way down his leg, through his calf, and out his foot.

Isamu backed away and he retracted his sword as Todo lay limp but still conscious.

"Good job."