Chapter 10
They walked beyond the village, to a mountain area where other members of the family were. They all stopped when Mother Tooru approached. "What brings you here, Yua?"
She turned to Ryomen. "Apparently, someone wishes to challenge me. However I have to make clear of our strength first. Do you mind?" she asked.
They paused, but then, they turned to Sukuna. "Is that boy all right in the head? I mean… he's challenging YOU!" one whispered.
She sighed. "I wished there was another way, and yet, here we are."
Sukuna didn't understand why they were so stunned on him challenging her. He has seen Mother Tooru use curse energy, however, he never made sense of it. Even his past becomes a blur in his mind as he tries to recall what he saw…
"Ryomen, come here please."
All four of his eyes rolled as he approached her. "What?" he demanded. "Are we fighting here?!"
"No, but I want you to show me what you can do." She said gently.
He glared at her. "Why? I show what I can do, you make a counter measure."
Mother Tooru however gave him a stern look. "Very well then, when we fight. I won't use curse energy."
This… confused him greatly. "What? Then you won't fight me!?"
"I didn't say that," she said gently. "I merely say, that I will fight you, but in order to make it far, since you are showing me your technique, I won't fight using curse energy. Is that fair?"
He sneered at the notion, but agreed.
"Good, now, I want you to use your strongest technique on this rock wall. Our family right now is working on making a passage through this mountain…"
"So what?" Sukuna demanded.
Mother Tooru once more glared at him. "Let's see how well you control your technique. Use it upon this mountain."
He smirked to the challenge, Sukuna knew how strong he was even for his age he was a prodigy. So, he approached the mountain, and then placed his hand on the stone.
The mountain trembled.
"EVEYONE RUN!"
Those working on the passage ran for their lives as the rocks came crashing down. Ryomen wasn't startled nor did he move, since he used his technique to turn the rocks to dust. When the dirt settled, everyone paused as he gouged into the mountain a good 200 feet!
He smiled confidently as a smug look came over him. "Well?" he asked of Mother Tooru.
She stared at the mountain, despite everyone running… wait… she didn't leave… she didn't run when the rocks came down… in fact… there was no debris around her.
'How could he have overlooked that?' Gojo thought.
Mother Tooru nodded, she began to approach the odd crater etched into the mountain. She placed a single hand on the stone… that was when Gojo saw it. Sukuna didn't notice it at the time, but, when her hand went onto the rock… she absorbed the residual energy from Sukuna's technique.
"You wasted too much of your strength in carving into the mountain. If you had focuses and done it like this, it would have removed far more rocks than your first attack.
Sukuna jumped as the mountain and the ground trembled. She unleashed a great power from a single hand… in fact, it was just like his cleaver technique, and yet, the markings etched through the stone was that of a spider's web!
The stones came falling down and yet, before any of them could fall. Mother Tooru turned the stone into dust… only to clear it instantly… and reveal the passage through the mountain!
This… made him want to fight her more!
"Wow, you just saved us a good, what? Five years on that, Yua!"
She smiled but turned to Sukuna. "Now Ryomen, what do you think?"
His smile only grew. "Where do we battle?"
Mother Tooru was disappointed in his answer. "It appears you won't be satisfied unless you have battled me… very well, come this way."
#
They went farther out of the village, into a wasteland of sorts that would cause no harm or damage. "Do you truly believe that the likes of you without curse energy can defeat me?" he asked in a smug tone.
Mother Tooru smiled. "Of course, I am your mother." She replied.
'She… still thought of him as a son? He's acting like a total brat!... then again… so did I when I was young… just how YOUNG is he here!?' Gojo didn't quite understand it, but he felt Sukuna's size did not match his age the least bit! That, or is this how he knew what happened to Shin, Rook and Mochi… he understood that when the power grows, the container has to. Resulting in aging the body. This has to be what happened to Sukuna… and perhaps why he is acting this way now, when before he sounded like a meek child.
"Tsk, you say such a thing despite the fact I am not your child…"
"And I'll keep saying it," she decreed. "Now then, you wanted this contest, I will keep to my word, but Ryomen, I need to know something. Why do you want to fight so much?"
The smile spread over his face. "It's it obvious? I want to fight to see if I am the strongest out of the sorcerers in this world, to have the ultimate power and be undisputed!" he said with great passion.
"Why live a lonely life?" she asked gently.
He paused. "What?" he demanded.
"That sounds like a lonely and pathetic existence if you ask me. Sure, it's good to be the strongest, but you are going to be content with others hunting you down, who share your idea that they are going to be the strongest if they defeat you? And if they don't, you win… then what? What if you defeat everyone who has come after you?"
"Then I will be victorious!"
"And then?" she asked.
"What do you mean, and then? I'll fight whoever comes my way!"
"Ryomen… have you asked yourself what you would do… when there is no one left to fight?"
The words confused him. He didn't understand the question the least bit since, after all, the world is full of people, there has to be others out there like him who are as strong as he is… right?
"Enough talking, we battle now!" he ordered.
She sighed and nodded. "Very well, we are not doing so to the death mind you. We will battle until one side can no longer do so. Agreed?"
He nodded. Sukuna didn't even wait for her to decree she was ready. He rushed at her the moment her back turned away from him. Yet, despite his speed, endurance and power, she evaded that!
He was even startled that Mother Tooru avoided the charge, in fact, she moved faster than him!
She kept coming up behind him, he would turn and try to land a strike, but she was already gone. When he turned around again, he would see her just over his shoulder until…
JAB!
He felt a hard strike to his side.
Jab! Jab! Jab!
She wasn't landing hard blows, but precise shots on his back, until… His eyes rolled back.
Mother Tooru didn't strike him with curse energy… she cut off his channels and then blood flow!