Gojo's eyes widened for a moment, brows knitting together as his high came crashing down. Standing right before him was the last person he wanted to see in this world, along with the orchestrator of his own failed death and Riko Amanai's execution.
A slow, sharp grin carved its way across his face as he stepped forward, one hand casually sliding into his pocket. "We meet again, Sasuke," Gojo chuckled, the weight of old grudges thick in his voice. Sasuke raised his head, staggering slightly as his Reverse Cursed Technique strained to mend his injuries. His Sharingan glared into the Six Eyes, both orbs locking in silent war.
"I would've preferred better circumstances, Gojo," Sasuke rasped, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "But it seems... we're destined to be at each other's throats for life."
Gojo tilted his head slightly, amused. "Could've fooled me. You've been running from me all this time. We could've settled this ages ago. You might've even given me a little trouble back then... but now?"
The air shuddered. The Limitless activated, and a wave of attraction surged outward — loose debris and rubble were yanked toward Gojo's figure as if pulled by a black hole. He stood at the center of the storm, hands still buried in his pockets, like some untouchable god.
Sasuke exhaled slowly. He wasn't in any shape to fight a post-awakening Gojo. Not now. Lifting his hands in mock surrender, he muttered, "Didn't come here to fight, buddy. But much as I hate to admit it... Toji's my only family. Can't let you kill him.."
That last word hit the air like a blade. Gojo's expression flickered in surprise, then a hollow laugh. "So I was right all along. A heavenly-restricted man... and the scourge of Jujutsu. I'm not one for playing hero, but putting you two down would be the best favor I could ever do this world."
Gojo never knew when to stop, and Sasuke knew it. The moment Gojo raised his palm and flooded the Limitless with Blue, an irresistible pull latched onto Sasuke and Toji, yanking them toward him at terrifying speed. Sasuke gritted his teeth, flipping through the air, sharp instincts kicking in. In a flash, he substituted Toji with a log, letting himself be flung toward Gojo alone.
SWOOSH!
Cutting through the air like a missile, Sasuke twisted mid-flight, the Sharingan burning bright as he read Gojo's every muscle twitch, every shift of cursed energy.
'If he comes at me with hand-to-hand, I'll end it in one blow... but if he uses a technique, I'll dodge.' But Gojo was already a step ahead.
BOOM!
An orb of warped, azure energy burst forth from Gojo's palm, Blue, its core a devouring black hole, tearing space apart as it howled toward Sasuke. The gravitational pull was monstrous, but if Ninjutsu excelled in anything, it was the art of escape.
The moment before Blue detonated, Sasuke vanished, reappearing crouched atop a nearby pole, just like Itachi used to do. His eyes narrowed coldly as he glared at Gojo, who strolled casually out of the chaos, grinning like a lunatic. Neither man could be easily hit, and both knew it.
Just as Gojo prepared to go on the offensive, his Six Eyes flared. He sensed multiple cursed energy signatures behind him. His body instantly shifted into the Infinity's red state. Space bent violently, lifting him off the ground as a bloody aura twisted around him. The ground beneath his feet shattered under the pressure.
'Clones,' he thought, watching as Sasuke's copies soared toward him, blades aimed to tear him apart. But Gojo didn't move. He didn't have to. The repulsive field around him lashed out, an invisible wall of destructive force that tore through the clones the moment they stepped too close.
Sasuke's real body seized the fleeting opportunity. With the Infinity temporarily deactivated, he flickered into the air directly above Gojo. His eyes spun, Mangekyō patterns bleeding into existence as a colossal ribcage of purple chakra snapped around him. The Susano'o.
A massive, skeletal arm extended forward, fist clenched.
BANG!
The Susano'o's fist crashed into Gojo with the force of a small mountain, rocking the entire area with a brutal shockwave. Dust and debris filled the sky.
Landing hard, Sasuke knelt, coughing blood as pain lanced through his body. His strength was being strangled from the inside out by Kenjaku's cursed poison, but even now, he refused to fall. Reverse Cursed Technique slowed down the destruction of his cursed energy pathways. When the dust finally cleared, a lone figure strolled out of the destruction, perfectly unharmed.
Gojo. Hands still in his pockets, his head tilted with a curious smirk. "Not bad. I thought you almost had me there."
Sasuke straightened up, spitting blood, and cracked his neck lazily. "You're a monster... "
Gojo brushed his hair back with a laugh, strolling north as if the battle was just a casual walk. "Monster? Tsk. Says the guy who can juggle RCT and cursed energy like it's nothing. How the hell is that even possible?"
Sasuke fell into step beside him, hand resting on the hilt of his Kusanagi. His Mangekyō stared daggers into Gojo's back. Both of them walked on side by side, separated by a dozen meters of land.
"You've automated Infinity, haven't you?" Sasuke finally muttered. Gojo grinned wider. "Bingo. Been working out the math since we started. Only way to keep up with a lunatic like you."
Sasuke scoffed, shaking his head. "And here I thought you were actually trying." Gojo shrugged, chuckling. "You're one to talk. You've been fighting me at 60% this whole time." They both came to a slow stop.
"Heh. To think we've been pitted against each other all this time," Sasuke said, cracking a rare smile. "Truth is... I don't even want to be enemies."
Gojo's grin widened, eyes glinting. "Yeah, same here. That's not my style.."
For a moment, the tension vanished — just two warriors, bonded by fate, standing on the edge of another inevitable clash. And then Gojo's cursed energy flared again.
Blue warped space around him into a distorted field of attraction, pulling everything nearby into its orbit. He stood, untouchable and unstoppable.
Across from him, Sasuke slowly unsheathed the Kusanagi. A single tear of blood slid down his cheek as black hellflames erupted around him, the cursed Amaterasu igniting the battlefield.
Two monsters. Two warriors. The storm was about to begin.
A/N: Bless me with reviews. Second chapter incoming.