From Danmachi to God of Ninja

Chapter 160: Chapter 160

Maki’s mood had begun to sink when she suddenly felt someone pat her calf twice.

”Could you pick me up before having your existential crisis?” Kiriya complained from the ground.

”Leaving an injured man lying in the dirt is deeply inhumane.”

Maki looked down at his half-dead appearance and remembered the terrible condition he had been in when he first arrived.

He was incredibly strong, but that strength came at a brutal cost.

”I risk my life every day to defeat evil and protect the peace of the jujutsu world,” Kiriya continued, his face filled with righteous sorrow.

”And this is how I’m treated? A hero gives his blood and sweat for society, only to be abandoned when he needs help most.”

His performance was so passionate that he looked like the tragic lead in a drama about a hero betrayed by the people he had saved.

”All right, all right. I’ll carry you.”

Maki crouched and pulled Kiriya onto her back, hooking her arms beneath his legs.

Gojo remained silent throughout the entire exchange, simply watching the two of them.

Maki had almost left the grove when he finally spoke.

”Kiriya... what did Geto say to you?”

”Nothing important.”

Kiriya shrugged from Maki’s back.

”He said I was a once-in-a-generation genius with extraordinary potential and wanted me to join him in accomplishing some great cause.”

”What cause?” Maki asked curiously.

”How would I know?”

Kiriya leaned closer to her ear and lowered his voice.

”Listen carefully, young lady. Whenever someone starts talking about a grand mission or some great cause you need to devote your life to.... run.”

”Don’t hesitate. People like that are either con artists or lunatics, and both are dangerous!”

”I get it, so stop leaning so close to me...”

His warm breath brushed her ear, turning it bright red. Maki glared at him over her shoulder.

”My, how vicious. Bullying a wounded patient like this?”

Kiriya immediately began groaning again.

”It’s over! The jujutsu world has no future.”

”Will you shut up?”

Maki stamped her foot in frustration, though she was careful not to jostle him too badly.

”Kiriya.”

After another moment of hesitation, Gojo asked the question he had been trying to avoid.

”How is Geto?”

”He’s injured,” Kiriya answered. ”But with his resources and connections, it shouldn’t be fatal.”

”I see.”

Gojo’s expression remained calm, but some of the tension left his body.

Their paths had completely diverged, yet Geto was still his best friend.

No matter what had happened between them, Gojo could not stop himself from caring.

”Gojo-sensei.”

Kiriya tapped Maki on the shoulder, signaling for her to stop, then looked at the distracted teacher.

”I went out on a routine assignment and somehow ran into the final boss. Does this count as a workplace injury?”

”Shouldn’t I receive some compensation?”

”That seems reasonable.”

Gojo returned his attention to him.

”What would you like?”

”Cursed spirits! Preferably large concentrations of them.”

Kiriya had tasted the benefits of destroying Geto’s army, and the feeling of spiritual energy pouring into his eyes in massive waves had been incredible.

Hunting curses one at a time now seemed painfully inefficient.

For the rest of his visit, he planned to target the largest nests he could find and increase his ocular power as quickly as possible.

Perhaps he could even awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan before leaving this world.

The possibility thrilled him.

”What do you need so many curses for?” Maki asked.

”Exorcising them makes me stronger.”

Maki fell silent.

An ability that allowed someone to grow stronger by destroying curses was almost absurdly convenient.

”Fine,” Gojo agreed without hesitation. ”The Gojo clan maintains a reserve of curses for training the younger generation. There should be around five or six hundred of them, mostly Grade 2s and Grade 3s.”

”I don’t need them, so you can have the whole lot.”

”Seriously?”

Kiriya’s exhaustion briefly vanished beneath his excitement.

That alone was already an unexpected windfall.

Gojo was not finished.

”The Kamo and Zenin clans have similar training stockpiles. Each one should contain several hundred curses collected over multiple generations.”

”Whoa...”

Kiriya’s heart began pounding.

He wanted to rush into all three compounds immediately and slaughter everything inside.

Unfortunately, his body was completely spent. He would need at least a full day of rest before he could fight properly again.

”Is that really going to work?” Maki asked, the corner of her eye twitching.

”The Gojo clan is one thing. You’re its head, after all. But the Zenin and Kamo clans are filled with arrogant traditionalists. Why would they willingly hand over resources they’ve spent generations collecting?”

”It’ll be fine.”

Gojo’s voice remained cheerful.

”If I personally visit and ask politely, surely those old gentlemen will show me a little respect.”

”And I’m not taking them for free. I’ll pay the market price! hahaha.”

Maki stared at him.

Those curses had to be worth billions of yen.

Was this what it meant to be truly filthy rich?

”Wait, you have to pay for them?”

Kiriya frowned.

”Don’t worry about it. That’s pocket change.”

Gojo waved dismissively, treating the enormous sum as though it meant nothing.

”Think of it as an investment.”

”There may come a time when I’ll need your help with something.”

Kiriya looked at his sincere smile and returned it.

”All right. I’ll remember that.”

”Can we go back to the dorm now?” Maki interrupted. ”What he needs most is rest.”

Without waiting for another argument, she carried Kiriya toward the dormitories.

...

At the headquarters of the Star Religious Group, Manami Suda stared at Geto’s battered appearance in disbelief.

”Master Geto... what happened to you?”

Once the shock passed, she hurried forward and helped him sit on a sofa.

Her hands clenched tightly at her sides before she finally made a decision.

”I’ll contact some curse users who possess healing abilities.”

”That won’t be necessary.”

Geto raised one hand.

”I’ve already treated the worst of it with Small Mouth. Those curse users are hardly trustworthy. It would be better if they didn’t learn about my condition.”

Small Mouth was a curse shaped like a human mouth.

It could consume the life force of one person and transfer it to another, producing an effect similar to healing.

Manami relaxed slightly, but her curiosity remained.

”What happened to you? Did you fight Satoru Gojo?”

In her mind, he was the only sorcerer capable of leaving Geto in such a state.

”No. It wasn’t Satoru.”

A smile appeared on Geto’s face as he remembered the battle.

”It was someone else. A boy.”

”A boy do this you?”

Manami could hardly believe it.

”Mm.”

Geto leaned back and considered his next move.

”Manami, inform everyone that they are not to provoke that boy. They shouldn’t approach him either.”

”I’ll handle him personally.”

His thoughts returned to the curses he had lost.

Perhaps it was time to begin hunting powerful cursed spirits again.

If he could collect several special grades, he might possess enough overwhelming force to defeat Kiriya decisively during their next encounter.

”There are a few places I should visit.”

Geto closed his eyes, already making plans.