Cursed | Ryomen Sukuna & Gojo Satoru

(5) Again

The first light of dawn had yet to break the horizon when Kasaii awoke. The sky was still dark, a blanket of stars fading into the approaching day. She moved steadily, dressing in her Uchiha robe and mentally preparing for the day ahead.

She knew what needed to be done, and there was no time to waste.

Arriving at Tokyo High, she found the dormitory room where Yuji was staying. Without hesitation, she knocked forcefully on his door. There was no response, so she knocked harder, the door rattling under her fist.

"Itadori, wake up," she called out, her voice brooking no argument.

Inside, Yuji groaned, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he stumbled to the door. He opened it to find Kasaii standing there, her expression stern.

"What's going on?" he asked, still groggy.

"Training," she replied curtly. "Get dressed and meet me outside. You have five minutes."

Yuji blinked in confusion, but the urgency in Kasaii's tone left no room for debate. He quickly threw on his red hoodie and headed outside, where Kasaii was already waiting. The early morning air was crisp, a cold breeze rustling the leaves. Yuji barely had time to process what was happening before he found himself outside in the cold morning air, still struggling to fully wake up.

Kasaii stood with her arms crossed, her white hair glowing faintly in the predawn light. She looked every bit the formidable sorceress that he heard she was, and Yuji felt a twinge of nervousness as he approached her.

"Uchiha-Sensei," he said, trying to sound more awake than he felt. "Are we going to go kill some curses!"

"No," Kasaii replied, her eyes sharp. "We're going to train until you drop. Then, we train some more."

Yuji swallowed hard, realizing that this was not going to be an ordinary mission day. Kasaii's intensity was something else completely, and he knew that she was not one to be taken lightly.

"They assigned me to look after you indefinitely," Kasaii continued. "We need to strengthen your body and make sure you don't die as the vessel of Sukuna. Understood?"

"Understood," Yuji nodded slowly, determination in his eyes.

"Good," Kasaii said, a small, approving smile breaking her stern facade. "Let's start with some warm-up exercises."

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The chill bit at his skin, but Kasaii showed no signs of slowing down. She pushed Yuji to his limits and beyond, her methods intense and unrelenting. Yuji's muscles already screamed in protest, but Kasaii showed no mercy. She was barely breaking a sweat while Yuji struggled to keep up, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Focus," Kasaii commanded, her voice sharp. "You need to control your energy better. If you can't handle this, how will you manage Sukuna?"

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, casting a golden hue over the training ground, the training only intensified. Kasaii's goal was clear. Yuji needed to increase his physical endurance and cursed energy enough to survive the ingestion of more fingers.

She couldn't afford to be gentle.

She demonstrated techniques with fluidity and effortlessness, guiding Yuji through basic maneuvers and challenging him to perfect each one. Each time he got it wrong, she corrected him, making him repeat the exercises until he got them right.

"Again," she said for what felt like the hundredth time.

Yuji's legs felt like lead, his arms heavy, but he grit his teeth and pushed on, determined not to disappoint.