Six years later.
In the Gojo Clan's dojo, two small figures dashed under the blazing sun.
"Satoru, hurry up! I've already lapped you thirty times!"
Satoru Gojo gazed at his elder brother Sawa Gojo's back, on the verge of tears.
"Big brother, you… slow down! It's too hot—I feel like I'm burning up!"
"What's that, Satoru? You feel it too? That's right—it's the fire of youth blazing!"
Sawa Gojo, drenched in sweat, harbored a formidable physique in his small frame.
"Come on, Satoru, shout it with me loud and clear: Effort! Struggle!"
"Effort! Struggle!"
"Louder, I can't hear you!"
"EFFORT! STRUGGLE!"
"I can't hear you! Can't hear means can't hear! With a voice that soft, you think you can become the strongest jujutsu sorcerer?"
"EFFORT!! STRUGGLE!!!"
"Good! That's the spirit!"
The Gojo Clan elders, watching this scene, wore gratified smiles on their weathered faces.
Though young, Satoru Gojo already showed a carefree, lazy, and mischievous streak.
Fortunately, his elder brother Sawa, mature and steady from a young age, had embarked on a grueling training regimen since he could reason.
Not content to train alone, he dragged Satoru along with him.
From basic physical techniques to mastering the Limitless technique and developing the Six Eyes.
Their relentless effort had already shattered the Gojo Clan's historical training records at such a tender age.
At just six years old, both had fully mastered the Limitless technique's "absolute defense" and learned Technique Forward: Blue!
Sawa, in particular, could skillfully use Blue for long-distance teleportation.
Truly, the young were to be feared!
"Alright! Three hours of full-speed running training—complete!"
With Sawa's triumphant shout, Satoru, trailing behind, collapsed butt-first onto the ground.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Satoru panted heavily, looking utterly defeated.
"Don't sit on the ground right after exercise—get up and walk a bit!"
Sawa stepped forward, offering a hand to pull Satoru up.
Satoru glared resentfully at his cheap big brother, asking the question he'd posed eight hundred times before:
"Big brother, do we really have to grind this hard?"
Of course we do!
Sawa rolled his eyes, thinking to himself:
My foolish little otouto, you think your onii-chan wants to slack off and laze around?
That sly Kenjaku's scheming in the shadows, and the big boss Sukuna's eyeing us like a tiger.
Your big brother can't even sleep soundly at night!
The thought of Satoru getting bisected in the future—and possibly himself meeting the same fate—kept Sawa restless.
He was practically spiraling into despair!
Only by rapidly boosting his strength, becoming truly invincible—"I alone am supreme under heaven and earth"—could he find some peace.
Call it a phobia of insufficient firepower, perhaps!
Looking at Satoru beside him, Sawa said sternly, "Satoru, you don't think mastering the Limitless technique makes you invincible, do you?"
Satoru blinked, "Isn't it?"
"…"
Sawa's face screamed you're hopeless.
"The Limitless technique's absolute defense is still a cursed energy technique. What if something ignores cursed energy or disrupts the technique's structure?"
Knowing the plot, Sawa was well aware that countering the Limitless wasn't impossible.
First, special cursed tools like the Inverted Spear of Heaven or Black Rope could bypass cursed energy, nullifying the technique.
Second, specific techniques like Domain Amplification could envelop the user in a tight, body-hugging domain, neutralizing the Limitless' defense with its guaranteed-hit effect.
Of course, the second method was trickier, requiring mastery of Domain Expansion.
Shrinking a domain to cling to the body demanded exceptional cursed energy control.
Hearing Sawa's words, Satoru fell into rare contemplation.
But soon, he flashed a confident grin.
"No problem! I've already learned to use Blue for short-range teleportation. Even if someone can break the Limitless, they'll never catch me!"
Seeing Satoru's budding "Greased-Up Satoru" arrogance and stubbornness, Sawa said no more.
Some people won't turn back until they hit a wall.
Fine, let Toji Fushiguro teach you a lesson in the future!
My foolish little otouto!
Sawa shook his head. "Alright, rest up then. I'm off to train physical techniques!"
He was currently practicing the Gojo Clan's True Martial Style, a centuries-old system blending swordsmanship, fist techniques, palm strikes, kicks, and even sumo.
Refined over generations, this battle-tested system was highly effective in combat.
Satoru, however, wasn't a fan.
Some True Martial Style training required wearing a fundoshi for sumo-style stomping, which was far too embarrassing for his "Greased-Up Satoru" persona!
"Oh, right, Satoru, forgot to mention—I passed the True Martial Style disciple test two days ago. I've reached Full Transmission!"
"Huh?"
Satoru froze.
Martial schools typically ranked disciples as Paper-Cutter, Catalog, Full Transmission, Licensed Full Transmission, and Innovating Master.
Paper-Cutter: entry-level disciples practicing basics, not yet eligible for the school's unique techniques.
Catalog: officially enrolled, able to study formally.
Full Transmission: mastery of the school's techniques, able to represent the school in spars.
Licensed Full Transmission: flawless skill, able to teach the school's techniques without permission, a founder-like figure.
Innovating Master: surpassing predecessors by improving the school's techniques, a true martial grandmaster.
At six, Sawa had reached Full Transmission—a feat other Gojo Clan members took over a decade to achieve.
As for Satoru… he was still a Paper-Cutter.
"Big brother, I'm begging you, stop grinding so hard!"
Satoru gazed at his brother's figure, tears streaming down his face.
He felt perpetually stuck in his onii-chan's shadow.
Satoru rushed forward, clinging to Sawa's leg, looking up pitifully as if to say, Keep grinding, and I'll just give up!
The clan elders stepped in, advising, "Young Master Sawa, too much is as bad as too little. Training should balance work and rest. Why not take the boys out for a walk today?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!"
Satoru's head bobbed like a rattle.
Sawa sighed, "Fine, fine, we'll take it easy today!"
"Hooray!"
Satoru wept with joy, seeing a bright future ahead.
"Genso, you're in charge of Young Masters Sawa and Satoru's safety!"
The elders entrusted the brothers' protection to Genso Gojo, an outstanding Grade 1 sorcerer of the clan.
The trio changed into casual clothes, left the Gojo Clan's grounds, and headed to the bustling streets of Akihabara.