Chapter 127: Exclusive Strategy
Rin slowly walked toward the center of the training ground, standing in confrontation with Gojo Satoru.
Sunlight fell upon his blood-red pupils, refracting a calm light.
He was not intimidated by the aura of "the strongest." Instead, he quickly sorted through his analysis of Gojo Satoru's close-combat mode in his mind.
Gojo Satoru's close combat was inherently the ceiling of the modern Jujutsu World, regardless of whether he activated his Limitless defense.
Rin knew clearly that the opponent's close combat was divided into two core modes.
One was the complete form combining Cursed Techniques and Taijutsu, which was practically unsolvable due to the defense of Limitless and the endurance provided by the Reverse Cursed Technique.
The other was the pure Taijutsu mode, stripping away Cursed Technique assistance and relying solely on Cursed Energy to reinforce the body.
Just like his battle with Miguel back then, even without Cursed Technique augmentation, Gojo Satoru could still steadily suppress his opponent but couldn't end the fight quickly.
Miguel's close combat was already top-tier, allowing him to drag Gojo Satoru into a "prolonged battle," which provided Rin with a way to break the situation.
His courage to proactively challenge "the strongest" was definitely not a momentary impulse.
Before this, Rin had always been troubled by a flaw.
He had copied a large number of Cursed Techniques, but he couldn't activate them simultaneously. The energy flows of different Cursed Techniques would conflict in his brain, leading to Cursed Technique failure at best, and self-destruction at worst.
But now, he had completely overcome this problem.
The key lay in his pair of blood-red Sharingan.
This pair of special pupils was not merely a "Cursed Technique storage device," but rather a "Dual-Line Cursed Technique System" independent of the brain.
The Cursed Techniques stored in the Sharingan had their energy flow completely bypass the central brain, operating instead through the Cursed Energy circuit inherent to the pupils.
This meant he could simultaneously activate his brain's innate Cursed Technique, [Weapons of War], and two Cursed Techniques stored in the Sharingan, where the three would not interfere with each other and would form a stacking effect.
"Are you ready?"
Gojo Satoru's voice interrupted his thoughts. His azure Rikugan / Six Eyes held a playful glint, having clearly detected the unusual flow of Cursed Energy on Rin.
Rin did not reply, simply closing his eyes slowly.
When he opened them again, a faint Cursed Energy halo emanated from his blood-red pupils. Scarlet patterns appeared in his left eye, while his right eye was enveloped in a soft, silvery-white shimmer.
The skill combination exclusive to this confrontation was now activated.
Rin's strategy for dealing with Gojo Satoru was [Weapons of War] from his brain + [Crimson Blood Manipulation - Crimson Scale Leap] in his left eye + [Hymn of Prayer] + [Sharingan: Insight] in his right eye.
Among these, [Crimson Blood Manipulation - Crimson Scale Leap] and [Hymn of Prayer] enhanced his physical functions such as strength, speed, and stamina. These conditions, combined with Rin's already powerful physical constitution and the use of the [Sharingan] to observe the opponent's movements.
[Hymn of Prayer] could also weaken the opponent's Cursed Techniques.
This entire skill combination was prepared specifically for this fight.
"Oh? This Cursed Technique combination is quite interesting."
Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his azure Rikugan / Six Eyes:
"Activating three Cursed Techniques simultaneously? And selectively weakening me? Those eyes of yours are truly remarkable."
He could clearly feel the circulation of Cursed Energy within him becoming sluggish. The power he could originally unleash effortlessly seemed to be suppressed by an invisible barrier, which only made him more excited:
"It looks like this sparring match won't be boring!"
Rin wasted no words. He stomped his feet violently, cracking a shallow mark in the ground, and shot toward Gojo Satoru like an arrow released from a bowstring.
The speed boost provided by [Scarlet Scale Leap] left a faint afterimage in his wake, far surpassing his performance during the battle against Gojo Satoru in Shinjuku previously.
The fighting spirit in Gojo Satoru's eyes intensified, and he likewise stepped forward to meet him.
Even while weakened by [Hymn of Prayer], his speed was still astonishing. His Cursed Energy-reinforced fist struck toward Rin's face with a fierce wind-breaking force.
This punch was without any flourish, yet contained the purest power and skill—the ultimate manifestation of top-tier Taijutsu.
"Bang!"
Fist and palm crashed violently together.
Using [Insight], Rin anticipated the attack trajectory and raised his hand for a precise block. The Cursed Technique effects formed by [Weapons of War] collided with Gojo Satoru's Cursed Energy, creating a dull, massive sound.
A tremendous force traveled up his arm. Rin's knees bent slightly, but he stabilized himself using the muscles reinforced by [Scarlet Scale Leap], not retreating a single step.
"Nice force!"
Gojo Satoru grinned. With a twist of his wrist, his fist became a palm, moving to grab Rin's wrist, while his left foot swept horizontally, aiming for his lower body.
Rin was prepared. His body swayed sideways like willow catkins to dodge. His right hand slid down Gojo Satoru's arm, and the Cursed Energy condensed at his fingertips, augmented by the Bullet Cursed Technique, slicing straight toward his elbow joint.
This strike accurately hit a weak point in Gojo Satoru's Cursed Energy circulation, forcing him to withdraw his hand and retreat.
The two separated immediately after contact, resetting their distance. The airflow around them was disturbed by the fierce collision.
The three people by the training ground watched, dumbfounded.
Panda clenched his paws, his tone shocked:
"My god... Classmate Rin can actually take Teacher Gojo's punch? And counterattack?"
Inumaki Toge also nodded repeatedly, shouting urgently:
"tuna! tuna!" (Meaning: "That's amazing! That's amazing!")
Maki Zen'in's gaze was fixed on Rin's eyes, her brow slightly furrowed:
"Those eyes... they can activate multiple Cursed Techniques simultaneously and even weaken the opponent? That ability is too unfair, isn't it?"
She could see that Rin's every counterattack accurately hit Gojo Satoru's weak points, and his speed and strength were in no way inferior to "the strongest." This was definitely not mere Taijutsu talent, but rather the "information differential" and "enhancement bonus" provided by those eyes, allowing him the possibility of challenging a higher grade.
Gojo Satoru flexed his elbow, feeling the sluggishness of his Cursed Energy circulation, and the smile on his lips deepened:
"Cursed Energy weakening + precise anticipation + body enhancement... this combination of yours is practically tailor-made to deal with me."
"So what if it is?"
Rin's breathing was slightly rapid, but he remained calm:
"Give it your all, Gojo Satoru."
He could feel that even with the four-skill combination active, Gojo Satoru's strength remained unfathomable.
The residual force from that previous punch left his arm numb. If [Scarlet Scale Leap] hadn't reinforced his muscle resilience, he would likely have been injured.
This was the foundation of "the strongest"; even when Cursed Techniques and defense were restricted, his pure Taijutsu still possessed overwhelming power.
Gojo Satoru stopped wasting words. His figure flashed, and he attacked again.
This time, his speed was faster and his attack angles were more cunning. Fists, elbow strikes, knee strikes, sweeping kicks—every move contained techniques honed by a thousand trials. Cursed Energy circulated rapidly within his body, trying its best to counteract the weakening effect of [Hymn of Prayer].
Rin, relying on [Insight], proceeded cautiously. [Scarlet Scale Leap] made his dodges and counterattacks lightning-fast, the Cursed Energy armor of [Weapons of War] continuously neutralized the aftershocks of the attacks, and the silvery-white Cursed Energy of [Hymn of Prayer] constantly enveloped his body.
The two figures rapidly intertwined in the center of the training ground. Collision sounds and wind-breaking noises rose and fell. The ground was stamped with dense, shallow pits, and the kicked-up dust was dispersed by Cursed Energy, forming an invisible aura.
This seemingly "fair" Taijutsu sparring match was actually Rin using all his trump cards for a higher-grade challenge, and it was also Gojo Satoru's display of strength under restrictive conditions.
Under the sunlight, red afterimages and white figures intertwined. A peak duel between "the strongest" and the "newly promoted Special Grade" was escalating fiercely.
But Rin was already close to gaining the upper hand.