Chapter 297: It's Still Not Too Late to Quit Now

"Alright, I'm looking forward to it. See you on the battlefield." Satoshi smiled, his snow-white teeth flashing.

"Satoshi, we're opponents this time. Are you really sure about this?" Ieiri Shoko looked up at him with concern.

She knew very well how strong Satoshi was. But over the past few days, she had been training alongside Satoru and Suguru. She had witnessed firsthand the effort and preparation they had put into this Goodwill Event. If Satoshi underestimated them, he would definitely suffer for it.

Satoshi nodded with a smile and patted her gently on the head. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. Just keep an eye on Satoru and Suguru."

Hearing this, Shoko finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Since Satoshi said so, then everything must be fine.

Hearing the conversation between Satoshi and Shoko, Satoru's expression twisted slightly in annoyance.

He looked at his brother with a hint of contempt and said indignantly, "Hey, what's with that? You're asking Shoko to take care of us? It should be the other way around!"

"Satoshi, you better worry about yourself. If you underestimate me and Suguru, you're going to eat dirt!"

Shoko rolled her eyes, shoved Satoru aside, and said flatly, "You and Suguru are both troublemakers. Forget about protecting me. I'll be fine. Just try not to get yourselves hurt."

Satoru quickly stabilized himself, then glared at Shoko. "Tch. You better keep your attention on Satoshi. Suguru and I aren't losing to him this time."

But he wasn't really worried about Shoko. After all, the rules of the Goodwill Event didn't prohibit the use of Cursed Tools.

To be precise, most Cursed Tools were allowed—and that included Zanpakutō.

Banning Zanpakutō would be a disadvantage to Satoshi. Since he could use his Zanpakutō, Shoko could also protect herself with hers. Not to mention, she wasn't the main target.

Satoshi would clearly be focused on Suguru and Satoru.

From a threat perspective, both he and Suguru were more dangerous than Shoko.

While they were chatting, someone nearby was also watching Satoshi closely.

"So that's the other Gojo genius, Gojo Satoshi?" Kamo Kenshin said calmly.

He had naturally heard of Satoshi. The name was already famous across the jujutsu world. But this was the first time they had met in person.

It was rumored that Satoshi possessed terrifying physical combat ability. Even without using Cursed Energy, no sorcerer had ever bested him in hand-to-hand combat. He was known as the new generation's sorcerer slayer.

But right now, he didn't look nearly as intimidating as the rumors suggested.

Kenshin stared at him, eyes slightly puzzled.

He had expected Satoshi to be some muscle-bound maniac.

But the person standing before him didn't look physically imposing at all. In fact, his posture was upright but somewhat slender—almost delicate.

"Kenshin-senpai, you really shouldn't underestimate Gojo Satoshi," Iori Utahime said seriously. "Shoko and I just saw it with our own eyes. When he goes on the offensive... it's terrifying."

Recalling the scene where Satoshi simultaneously wielded two Zanpakutō with demonic force, even Utahime, usually calm and reserved, felt her throat tighten and involuntarily swallowed.

Even though this wasn't a deathmatch, and both sides were sure to hold back to some degree...

Just the thought of facing Satoshi in combat made her already pounding heart race even faster.

"Yes, Gojo Satoshi is extremely powerful. In a one-on-one match, I doubt anyone here could defeat him." Mei Mei also nodded in agreement.

Kenshin's brow furrowed slightly.

"I imagine Tokyo High will focus on Gojo Satoshi as their main threat. If that's the case, it'll be six against one. Leave the rest to me."

After all, he still had the trump card passed down from the Kamo clan.

Originally, it was meant to deal with Gojo Satoru. But if Satoshi really turned out to be as dangerous as everyone claimed, Kenshin wouldn't hesitate to use it against him instead.

Thinking this, he stared at Satoshi's calm smile with a trace of sarcasm.

This is still the world of jujutsu. No matter how strong your physical techniques are, there are limits in a team battle. If you really think you can take down both schools alone, that's just arrogance.

Satoshi had long been a thorn in his father's side.

If he could defeat Satoshi here, it would certainly earn him favor with his father.

As if reading his thoughts, Iori Utahime frowned and said, "We can't sense any Cursed Energy from Gojo Satoshi, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have any. He's already mastered jujutsu. If we underestimate him now, we're going to regret it..."

"Don't worry, Utahime." Kenshin smiled calmly. "Even if Gojo Satoshi is strong, Gojo Satoru and Suguru together aren't far behind him."

"Let them fight each other first. Once they're both worn out, we'll clean up the rest."

Mei Mei couldn't help but frown at this.

So, the plan was to let Satoru's group deal with Satoshi alone?

"Satoru's group can't defeat Satoshi," Utahime said, her voice firm. "Kenshin-senpai, we shouldn't betray them."

Kenshin's expression darkened slightly at her words. "How would you know without trying? Gojo Satoru is a genius among geniuses. Same with Suguru. They're not like us."

His sarcasm cut deep.

Utahime opened her mouth to reply but found no words. She frowned, her expression conflicted.

Kenshin wasn't wrong.

Compared to those two teams, theirs did seem the most... ordinary.

Did they really have the power to intervene?

Or would they just be criticized as weak and useless?

Still, Kenshin had made a tactical call. As captain, his decision wasn't baseless—it was what gave their team the best chance of victory.

...

Soon after, Sekiguchi Seiji appeared, walking toward the group with a relaxed smile.

Unlike Gakuganji's formal robes and the Zenin clan's traditional kimono, Sekiguchi wore a neatly pressed black suit today, his graying hair carefully combed.

He looked more like he was attending a formal ceremony than a battle event.

Yaga Masamichi wore a similar slim-cut suit, both of them solemn and poised.

Sekiguchi looked at Satoshi, stroked his beard, and smiled.

"Gojo Satoshi, it's still not too late to back out."

"This was originally a Goodwill Event between two schools. A third-party team joining does go against the rules."

(To be continued.)

***

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