The training grounds were unusually calm, if one ignored the faint hum of cursed energy thrumming through the air. Gojo stood at the center, leaning casually on his staff, blindfold slightly askew. He clapped his hands, scattering the quiet like a pebble across a pond.

“Alright, squad,” he said, grinning like mischief incarnate. “Today’s lesson is teamwork. Shocking, I know—because apparently, punching everything in sight isn’t always the best strategy.” Yuji bounced on his heels, fists ready. “So… group sparring?” Megumi folded his arms, clearly unimpressed. “That’s obvious.” Nobara smirked, cracking her knuckles. “Finally. I was getting bored of letting you two flail around.”

Nanami, standing a step back, observed them with his usual surgical calm. Tie perfectly straight, glasses catching the sunlight, he didn’t flinch at Gojo’s theatrics. “Focus,” he said. “This is training, not a playground.”

Gojo snorted. “And yet somehow, it’s way more fun than a playground.”

The exercise began. Gojo snapped his fingers, and malformed cursed puppets erupted from the ground, writhing and shrieking. Yuji charged first, fists smashing through a puppet’s head, raw strength splintering it apart. Another lunged from the side—only to be restrained by Megumi’s shadow, swift and precise.

Nobara hung back, calculating. She aimed, skewered, and detonated a puppet with pinpoint cursed energy control. “Try keeping up,” she called, smirking.

Yuji adjusted his stance, responding to Megumi’s warnings. Nobara shifted without being told. Even Gojo tilted his head, intrigued despite himself.

Nanami intervened when Yuji overextended, planting his blade between a puppet’s joints and dismantling it with surgical precision. “Power without restraint leads to wasted motion,” he said evenly. “Observe your stamina. If you were on a real mission, one misstep—”

He paused. The words hung, unfinished, like a threat half-spoken. Gojo’s grin widened. “Ah, classic Nanami! Leaving the poor kids in suspense. I love it!”

Yuji frowned. “Wait… one misstep what?”

Nobara chuckled. “Never mind, Yuji. It’s Nanami. He always leaves things halfway. It’s his… thing.”

Megumi simply exhaled and returned to analyzing the field. Despite the interruption, the lesson sank in: focus, efficiency, control.

The session continued, sweat glistening on foreheads, energy crackling through the air. Yuji and Nobara learned to anticipate Megumi’s shadows; Megumi, in turn, allowed himself to trust their instincts more. Gojo occasionally demonstrated flashy techniques, letting cursed energy ripple across the field like a live wire, teasing them to adapt faster.

Hours passed. Puppets fell, talismans scorched the earth, and dirt streaked uniforms. The trio, exhausted but exhilarated, finally collapsed onto the training ground..

Gojo flopped onto his back, arms behind his head. “See? Teamwork makes the dream work. And by dream, I mean not dying.”

Nanami, adjusting his glasses and tie once more, surveyed the trio with the faintest trace of approval. “Acceptable… for a training exercise. But remember efficiency, or next time, a mission—”

He left the sentence dangling, his voice trailing off into silence.

Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi exchanged glances. Somehow, that unfinished warning felt heavier than any curse they had faced today.

Gojo laughed. “And that, kids, is how you learn fear and fun at the same time!”

Even Nanami couldn’t argue with that.