Chapter 50: An Invitation from Suguru Geto.
This Cursed Spirit was much smarter than Yuto Mi's mother; it even knew how to predict attacks!
This was what Tatsuro thought as he sent Shura flying. Although he felt a little guilty for hitting its head, that was all. After all, it was his own son, and he had a pretty good idea of how much of a beating it could take.
This punch would, at most, daze it for a few seconds, and then it would be back to its lively self.
Sensing the Cursed Spirit's strength, Tatsuro decided not to engage in close combat any longer. He planted the blade in his right hand into the ground, his hands quickly forming seals, preparing for a surprise ninjutsu attack!
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!!"
His cursed energy plummeted by 200. A torrential inferno, like a sea of fire, rushed towards the Cursed Spirit floating in place. The rolling heatwaves caused the glass in the shopping street to explode instantly. The five-meter distance was covered in a flash, engulfing the Cursed Spirit.
"Boom!!"
The Cursed Spirit swatted its large hand, directly extinguishing the flames. Though there were burn marks on its body, it paid them no mind. It raised both hands simultaneously, its index and middle fingers circling.
Two pillars of light appeared in the sky, descending even faster than before. The moment they lit up, the light pillars instantly fell.
Tatsuro's expression didn't show much panic. After all, he was a man who dared to spar with a semi-first grade Cursed Spirit. Although his victory had a hint of coincidence, he had won nonetheless!
His Sharingan activated instantly. He grabbed the blade stuck in the ground and dodged, simultaneously issuing an attack command to Shura. After all, the two light pillars were falling too quickly; he couldn't get through himself. Without a surprise attack, he really couldn't win.
Shura shook its somewhat dazed head. Just as it was about to attack, its foot slipped, and it crashed headfirst into a wall.
"Awooo~"
"..."
Tatsuro was utterly speechless but didn't say anything. After all, this was just a child of a little over three months; he shouldn't expect too much. For now, he could only pin his hopes on Yuta and Toge. His own abilities weren't enough against a battle-hardened semi-first grade Cursed Spirit.
But he could still stall for a bit. As for that stupid dog, there was no need to worry about it. It was better to give it a simple task.
"Shura, go sniff out if there are any other unfamiliar scents here."
"Woo~ (Headache QAQ)" Shura laying on the ground, holding its head with its paws, tears welling up in its eyes.
"..."
Tatsuro felt like cursing, but then remembered it was still just a child. He helplessly consoled it, "Be good. Daddy will give you big beef bones tonight, and double portions of beef leg meat."
"Master, if you'd said there was food earlier, I wouldn't have pretended to be in pain!"
Shura immediately got up and sniffed the mixed scents in the air. Although many scents lingered, their owners had already left. For the sake of the double beef leg meat and big beef bones tonight, it had to try even harder to distinguish them!
"..."
"This gluttonous stupid dog... Aren't you afraid I'll righteously eliminate a relative and chop you up one day?" Tatsuro complained internally. He then stopped getting distracted. After all, it was the son he had raised; he still trusted it. What he needed to do now was figure out how to kill this troublesome Cursed Spirit!
"Are you okay?" Okkotsu Yuta, knowing his own strength was insufficient, helped Inumaki Toge behind a stone pillar. Watching Tatsuro entangled with the Cursed Spirit, he said in a low voice:
"Tatsuro-kun is really amazing. The decisions he makes are always so firm. He just rushed over without a second thought."
"Cough... Bonito flakes..." Inumaki Toge shook his head, signaling he was fine, then took out the throat medicine from his bag, unscrewed it, and drank it down. Although the backlash couldn't be healed, at least he could speak now.
"That's good. However, I need to go help Tatsuro-kun. Inumaki-san, you rest here for a while."
Okkotsu Yuta finished speaking and was about to rush out, but Inumaki Toge grabbed him, shaking his head to signal him not to go out. Instead, Toge stood up himself, pulled down his neckwarmer with his left hand, stepped out from behind the stone pillar, took a deep breath, and shouted at the Cursed Spirit currently fighting Tatsuro:
"Be... crushed!!"
These words were successfully uttered, and the boar Cursed Spirit, as if crushed from both sides by some irresistible force, its obese body instantly imploded.
Red blood splattered all over Tatsuro, but he didn't pay it much mind, calmly wiping the blood from his face. After all, he couldn't have beaten this thing; Inumaki Toge destroying it was just a matter of one word.
He shouted, "Thanks!!"
"Cough, cough, cough!!!" Inumaki Toge knelt on the ground again, spitting out another mouthful of blood. He slowly raised his right hand and gave Tatsuro an OK gesture.
"Inumaki-san! Why are you doing this again? Your body clearly can't take it anymore." Okkotsu Yuta lifted Inumaki Toge with a guilty look. After all, in this battle, he felt like the one who had been slacking off the entire time, completely useless.
With the dispersal of the semi-first grade Cursed Spirit, the Curtain was also dispelled.
Shura, who had been sniffing scents for a long time, had now found the other person hiding in the area, barking furiously at an elevator on a high platform.
"Well done! Extra food tonight!"
Having learned the precise location, Tatsuro rushed towards the high platform. Isn't it just trading one blow and then running?
He was familiar with that!
Regardless of whether he would die or not, he had to make contact. Otherwise, the system mission would get stuck, and the lack of strength progression would make him uneasy. Compared to that unease, he was more willing to go crazy for a bit!
"Tatsuro-kun! Where are you going?"
To Okkotsu Yuta's worried question, Tatsuro simply replied, "I'm going to the toilet," and then left directly. After all, he was going alone to his potential death; how could he bring his friends along?
Crossing a complex network of paths, he finally saw Suguru Geto sitting on a deactivated elevator, waiting.
He seemed to know Tatsuro was coming, merely sitting there calmly with a smile, watching him. The words he spoke were full of care, like an big brother.
"Hello, my name is Suguru Geto. The last time I saw you, you were still very weak. Only two months have passed, and you've grown so quickly."
"How did you find me here? Was it because of that dog? Truly remarkable. Special eyes, and a shikigami, proficient taijutsu, passable cursed technique. If you were to learn Cursed Technique Reversal, you'd be well-rounded. Hasn't that Gojo fellow taught you yet?"
"..."
Why do I suddenly feel like defecting to the enemy...
He felt that under Suguru Geto's guidance, his growth rate might be even faster than with Gojo Satoru.
At least Geto had summed up his entire current situation in one breath.
"N-no..."
"No? That's truly a pity." Suguru Geto said with some regret, "That's right, that Gojo fellow is carefree and irresponsible all day. How about coming over to my side? I believe you'll be very interested in my plans."
"Uhh..."
This plot development felt a bit off. Never mind him, I'll complete the system mission first.
Tatsuro swallowed, slowly extending his right hand, and said, "My name is Tatsuro. How about we shake hands first? To, uh, increase our friendship?"