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Chapter Text

Sukuna was an unwanted wretch. No one celebrated his birth, and many wished for his death. His disfigured form and extra limbs marked him as a devil. Even his mother did not want him, blinded by the belief that his existence was her curse. She wasn’t wrong. After all, following his birth, his mother had been chased away from the village, with people believing her to be touched by a demon. How else could she have given birth to a monster with four eyes, four arms, and two mouths?

So, she ran away and settled in a crumbling shack at the edge of the woods, far enough from the village so the residents wouldn’t hunt her, yet still close enough to civilization. Even so, living in the wild was not easy for a single woman. His mother was forced to travel to another village that did not know about her horrible child to barter for food. But that did not last long, as rumors soon spread. Though they allowed her a short visit, they rejected her staying in their village. Sometimes, she would go into the woods and try to catch small prey like rabbits or fish. With her husband dead, she had no one but herself to rely on to survive.

Though she cursed the babe she had birthed, she did not abandon Sukuna or try to kill him. She shared her food, meager though it was, and kept him alive. Perhaps she hoped that he would help her find food when he grew up. After all, who would want to marry a woman who had birthed a devil? She was as abandoned by the world as he was. And so, Sukuna grew up surrounded by curses his mother spat at him.

Those words did not hurt him. How could they, when Sukuna could see how pathetic and weak the woman was? When he reached the age of five, his mother had fallen sick and could no longer move from her thin bedding. Ailments constantly hounded her, and she would not stop coughing. Thankfully, Sukuna was a genius, and despite his young age, he could already grasp the strange power within him. Hunting was not a difficult task with the invisible slashes he could easily summon with a wave of his hand. Rabbits were his first targets, but it didn’t take long before he became bold enough to face the powerful beasts that roamed the jungle. Mighty though they might be, all of them died by his hands.

Not understanding the art of cooking, Sukuna would often simply roast them over an open fire. The scraps he had not eaten would be given to his ailing mother. He ignored her curses about his attitude and the small portions. He kept her alive, and that was enough. Time passed peacefully, and Sukuna honed his power by hunting many jungle beasts. Sometimes, he would even stumble upon villagers who ventured into the forest to harvest herbs. Many would cower when they saw his visage, but those who were bolder would try to attack him. Not liking their presumptuousness, Sukuna would cut them down ruthlessly. It wasn’t long before rumors of a demon prowling the forest spread to nearby villages.

The young boy felt glee as he saw his infamy grow. Though he was happy that nobody dared to raise a hand against him, he also slowly grew bored of his life. Hunting beasts was no longer fun. Even the creatures that roamed during the night could not provide enough entertainment. It was at this moment that his life changed. He was six years old when he returned to the old shack to find two unknown signatures nearby. One was quickly snuffed out, while the other remained strong.

When Sukuna stood at the entrance, he saw an unknown man lying face down on the ground. His mother no longer drew breath, but he could see her thin clothes were disheveled. Not far from them stood another man wielding a sword. Sukuna’s eyes widened as he saw familiar cherry blossom-colored hair on another person. Sharp red eyes locked on him, and the boy could only stare back.

They looked at each other for several seconds before the man said, “I’m sorry, I arrived too late.”

Sukuna blinked as he tried to understand the man’s words. Then, he realized what had just occurred within this forsaken shack. The dead man must have stumbled into the hovel and tried to assault the woman. The second man had arrived too late, but he had killed the assailant with his sword.

“Who are you?” Sukuna asked, not caring at all about the woman’s passing.

The man tilted his head as if he expected Sukuna to ask about his mother, but instead, he replied, “You can call me Ryou.”

“You’re not my father,” Sukuna said. The woman had always told him that his father was dead, yet he could not deny their resemblance. His mother had regular black hair, and this man was the only person he had met who had the same hair and eye colors as him.

“No,” the man replied, “but as you can see, there’s a blood connection between us. I had hoped that I could lend a hand, but I came too late. At least you are safe.”

Sukuna frowned. “I have no need for a relative.”

“You are a child, and your mother is dead,” Ryou pointed out.

“So? I’ve taken care of myself all this time.” The boy turned to make his way back to the forest. “You better be gone from this place before my return.”

Sukuna did not wait for a reply. As he entered the forest again, he began to search for his prey. The death of his mother did not stir any emotion in his heart. He knew that woman would not live long in this world, but he could not deny that it quite vexed him that Ryou was the one who had killed the unknown man. She had been pathetic to let some random person have his way with her, and he had been impudent for daring to enter his territory.

Sukuna unleashed his invisible slashes in an attempt to calm himself. Many trees fell due to his anger, scaring nearby prey away. Yet that did not bother the boy. He could easily catch up with them thanks to his speed. He stayed in the woods until the sky darkened.

When he returned, Sukuna expected the area to be vacant, but he was surprised to see that the man remained. There was a new mound near the rundown hovel, likely the burial spot for the woman. Ryou was sitting in front of a small campfire, cooking several fish.

“Oh, you’re back,” Ryou said. “I can’t make anything fancy since I didn’t have the time or tools for it. Do you want some fish?”

Sukuna scrunched his nose in distaste. The audacity. He had allowed this man to leave, yet he refused to listen. Never one to tolerate disrespect, the boy unleashed Dismantle upon the man.

TCHING!

Four red eyes widened as Sukuna saw his attack being deflected easily by the man. Impossible. Nobody could see his slashes. Everyone always fell to his technique and was cut to pieces. Yet now, there was someone who could deflect his attack.

“You don’t have to get physical if you don’t like it,” Ryou chided.

Sukuna’s face flushed red at the man’s tone. How dare this nobody lord over him?! So what if he could block one slash? He would just cut him more! Without hesitation, the boy threw even more Dismantles at his opponent, but Ryou blocked all of them masterfully. It was as if he was simply swatting away the childish strikes of a harmless creature.

When Sukuna started panting, Ryou asked, “Are you done?”

“No!!!” the boy shouted.

This time, Sukuna opted to get closer and began throwing punches at the man. The other didn’t even try to move, blocking the boy’s four hands with his two. Even when Sukuna enhanced his body with his energy, Ryou could still keep up with him.

Fine!

Sukuna finally decided to use the new power he had been testing. Instead of throwing invisible slashes at the man, he slammed his palm onto Ryou’s arm. The boy grinned, fully expecting the limb to be chopped apart. Yet… nothing happened.

Sukuna’s eyes widened.

He was so shocked that he failed to dodge Ryou’s punch, which sent him flying into the air.

“That’s a dangerous technique,” Ryou said. “You could kill someone with that.”

That was the plan!

Sukuna got up to his feet and wiped away the blood that came out of the edge of his mouth. For the first time in his life, the boy felt a hint of fear. Yet, along with it was the ecstasy of facing someone strong. He was wrong. This man was not some common tramp. He was strong. Someone worthy to be called a foe. Sukuna grinned.

Seeing his expression, Ryou sighed and got up to his feet. “Fine, let’s just finish this quickly. I want to eat.”

Without waiting any longer, Sukuna lunged and began his assault. He tried to mix his close combat with his techniques, yet none of his attacks managed to land. Ryou could see his invisible slashes, and he blocked them with his blade. Yet, instead of using that weapon to strike him, he only used his fists and feet to knock Sukuna down.

The man was underestimating Sukuna.

How dare he?!

“I’ll kill you!” Sukuna shouted as he increased the ferocity of his attacks. Unfortunately, his emotions did not translate to an increase in power or speed, and Ryou finally knocked him down with a solid hit on his stomach. As the boy crumpled to the ground from that strike, the man sighed once more.

“I hope that’s enough to use up all of your energy. Come on, let’s eat.” Ryou did not wait for the boy to get up and return to his spot. After a minute, Sukuna recovered. He could not understand how that attack could be so painful. He had been punched before, but nothing could ever harm him. This was different.

Sukuna narrowed his eyes at the man. He had to think of a new tactic to get past his defense. The man was simply too fast and strong for the current him. The thought made him frustrated, but he was also quite invigorated. This was the first time he had met someone much stronger than him. He would defeat this man and kill him!

As if sensing his thoughts, Ryou sent him a dry look. “Are you just going to sit there? Are you not hungry?”

Sukuna scrunched his nose.

His pride refused to accept such an offer.

The boy turned his head away and ran back to the forest.

Ryou sighed. “I suppose grilled fish are too simple for the King of Curses…”

Sukuna spent the rest of the night in the woods. It wasn’t hard to hunt some prey for his dinner, but instead of sleeping, he spent the time training. Although he was very curious about exploring his power, this was the first time he ever worked this hard. Perhaps having a goal to reach was doing wonders for his motivation and energy. Sukuna clenched his teeth. He would do it. He would kill him the next time they met!

Sukuna did not return immediately when the sun rose. He knew he was not yet ready. Several days passed, and the boy only stopped briefly near his house to keep an eye on the man. Ryou had not left the area and seemed intent on staying there. He did go to nearby villages to purchase some things, and he seemed to be doing something with the house. Not that Sukuna cared. He had no need for such a hovel. The man could take it if he wanted.

A week passed before Sukuna deemed himself ready to challenge Ryou. It was afternoon when the boy decided to reappear. He could feel the man’s presence inside the house, and it only took him a minute to come out.

“Oh, are you finally done hiding?” Ryou asked.

Sukuna scowled. “This is the day of your death.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

Instead of replying, the boy threw himself at the man and started his second assault. After training hard for the whole week, he had felt improvements in his technique. Besides strengthening his body, his attacks were much more powerful. He believed he could finally take down Ryou.

As the two exchanged blows, Ryou still kept holding back when facing against the boy. That would be his mistake. Sukuna was able to place his hands firmly on the man’s chest and sent Cleave into him. This time, there was a light cut.

He did it!

BAM!

Yet in the next moment, he was struck in the jaw, which sent him crumpling to the ground.

“Good job,” Ryou said as the light wound on his chest closed itself. “You really are a genius to be able to progress that much in such a short time, but aren’t you focusing too much on raw power?”

Sukuna rubbed his sore jaw and narrowed his eyes.

The man explained, “You can get away by just throwing your techniques wildly all this time, but that won’t work against sorcerers like me. You’ll need to start to observe your enemies and look for weak spots. While you can have plenty of raw power, you are now lacking in perceptiveness.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Sukuna asked, but his brain firmly held on to the new information he had received. Sorcerers huh? He had heard of that title from some of the villagers, but they seemed to be lofty figures in big cities. He had never encountered one before this man.

Ryou shrugged. “Perhaps it’s just painful to see you swing your fists and techniques around like a baby having a tantrum.”

Sukuna felt a vein in his forehead throbbing. “Don’t you dare call me that!”

“You certainly act like one,” the man said.

Sukuna threw himself at the man again, but like before, he was easily defeated. His technique could not even get past the man’s defense again. For the second time that day, the boy found himself sprawled on the ground.

“How do you do that?” Sukuna grumbled. “Nobody could block my attack.” He had always believed himself to be invincible, yet this frustrating man easily knocked him down as if he were nothing but an annoying mutt.

Ryou rubbed his chin. “Hmm? I guess I have good eyes and as for your close-range technique I’m using Domain Amplification.”

“What?” Sukuna’s eyes widened in interest.

Seeing his curiosity, Ryou smirked. “Curious? Well, maybe I’ll tell you some stuff if you agree to have a meal with me.”

Sukuna frowned, suspicious. 

“What’s with that look? I’m not going to poison you, and that would be a waste of food,” Ryou said. “We’re not nobles who can throw away meals so easily. If I want to kill you, I can just stab you with my sword.”

Not waiting for the boy to get up, Ryou turned around and entered the shack. Sukuna was curious enough to follow the man inside and saw a new item within. There was a kamado cooking food in a large pot. Ryou crouched in front of the stove, opened the lid, and released a delicious smell into the air. The boy’s nose twitched as he tried to sniff more.

Ryou then used a large ladle to transfer the contents into two clay bowls. Once they were full, he turned around and offered one to Sukuna. “Here.”

The boy stayed near the door for a few seconds, but the temptation of food was too much. He had always liked eating, and though his cooking skills had improved, he could not make anything beyond grilled meat. Whatever the man had cooked, it was unlike any meal he had ever eaten before.

Sukuna gave one last suspicious look at the man before reaching out to grab the bowl. Ryou did not comment on his speed and turned to grab the second bowl for himself. There were no seats within the house, so they ate while sitting on the ground.

Sukuna was too focused on eating. The meal Ryou had cooked was a simple soup. However, he applied modern culinary knowledge and had found some herbs and even salt. Unlike in the modern era, salt was a rare commodity that only the powerful and wealthy could obtain. Luckily, Ryou had some contacts and ample funds, so he could get this basic seasoning at a hefty price.

Seeing Sukuna’s bright face, it seemed that his tactic worked. The boy was able to finish the meal within twenty seconds despite the soup’s temperature. Seeing his glances at the pot, it was obvious he wanted seconds. Ryou offered his hand to ask for the bowl back. Sukuna narrowed his eyes at him but reluctantly returned the bowl. 

The man took the item and filled another bowl for the boy. He knew the kid had a massive appetite, so he made a lot. As he watched Sukuna eat his second serving, Ryou wondered whether his savings could support this gluttonous boy. 

In the end, Sukuna finished four bowls while Ryou only had one. The boy did not look ashamed at all after consuming so much expensive food, but his mood seemed to have improved. 

“You have yet to tell me anything!” Sukuna said as he placed his hands on his hips.

“You were the one who focused so much on eating,” Ryou pointed out.

The boy scoffed. “Don’t break your word, or I shall make you regret it.”

“Sure you will.” Ryou rolled his eyes. “Alright, what do you know about sorcerers?”

“Not much. They’re those powerful people who seem to work with the nobles.”

Ryou replied, “I suppose many do have allegiances to big clans, but sorcerers are actually just people who fight curses.”

“Curses?”

“The monsters that like to roam at night and eat people. You can see them, right?”

Sukuna nodded. He didn’t know their names, but many had dared to challenge him, and he cut all of them down. “They don’t seem that powerful.”

“For you, no. But they’re quite troublesome for sorcerers and very dangerous to regular humans. Except for those who are blessed with the sight, most people can’t see them.”

So, that was another thing that separated him from everyone. He could always see those creatures as they scuttled around, unseen by everyone else. He had never thought of himself as insane or wrong because he knew that he was right.

Ryou continued, “Those who can see them can’t always be sorcerers. You usually need to have cursed techniques to become one, but some people become strong sorcerers with their pure physical power and cursed tools. However, the headquarters rarely acknowledge the second type. They only favor those who are worthy enough to possess cursed techniques. A foolish notion, if you ask me.”

“So my invisible slashes are my technique?” Sukuna asked.

Ryou nodded. “You’re definitely a genius to be able to discover and master it despite being so young. Most people without inherited techniques have trouble using their power, but you can use them without any guidance.”

Sukuna frowned as he stomped the strange feeling in his chest. “It hardly matters. I still can’t beat you.”

“I’m much older than you.”

“Unimportant. If you keep underestimating me, I’ll kill you.”

“Of course you are,” Ryou said, yet his tone betrayed his true thoughts.

Sukuna glared at the man. He would defeat him eventually. “You have yet to explain Domain Amplification.”

“That thing? It’s just an application of Domain Expansion,” Ryou replied. “There are not many sorcerers who can use this ability, and it’s considered to be the peak of Jujutsu sorcery. You will need to bring out your innate domain into the world. While inside, your Domain will strengthen your body while also increasing the lethality of your attacks. You can also attempt to apply sure-hit attacks on your technique. It’s not something that many sorcerers even dream of achieving.”

“And I assume this Domain Amplification is much harder,” Sukuna said.

The man shrugged. “In a way, but I doubt you will have trouble mastering them in the future. You are quite talented.”

“That is an obvious statement,” the boy said haughtily. He knew he was smart and powerful and that he would grow stronger as he aged. Yet after being humbled twice by this man, he felt like his words were mockery. 

“That will be the end of today’s lecture,” Ryou said as he clapped his hands. “For your first training, you will need to cut down some trees to my requested thickness.”

“What?” the boy asked.

“Did you forget? I said that you lack control and perception. Try to observe the things that you cut and be mindful of where you apply your technique. Your wild attacks will only work against mindless beasts, or are you content with your current state?”

Sukuna’s face became fierce. “Silent! I certainly can achieve such a simple task.”

“Well then, I expect to see those planks nearby tomorrow,” Ryou replied. 

“What do you want with them?” the boy asked dubiously.

“To build a new house, I cannot stand to stay in this leaky hovel any longer,” Ryou said. 

“So you order me to become your woodman?!”

“Your technique is very handy to cut down many trees in a short time, so make yourself useful.” Ryou waved his hand in a shooing motion.

Sukuna’s face turned red at the other’s impudence. He wanted to throw Dismantle at the man, but the boy was already kicked out of the house. Feeling the sore spot on his back, he grumpily returned to the woods. His logic told him that it would not be wise to challenge the man so soon.

With a heavy heart, Sukuna followed the man’s instructions and began to try to hone his senses. He had never needed to actually focus on his opponent. His basic senses could easily tell their location and where they might run next. Yet Ryou’s words were true. He had only challenged wild creatures and weak curses who could not fight back with intelligence. The sorcerer was the first person he could consider a worthy opponent.

With that new goal in mind, Sukuna began to focus on his training. As he closed his eyes, he touched the nearest tree with his hand. While plants did not produce cursed energy, they still had their own presence. It was subtle and inoffensive. Nature had always tended to silently grow and thrive, unlike humans with their bright energies and tendency for destruction. Once he grasped the full shape of the tree, he sent Cleave through his palm, cutting the plant apart like a weed.

Unfortunately, the shapes were not even at all. Sukuna frowned as he looked at the fallen log. Though he detested it, what the man said was correct. The boy lacked control. Fine, that was just another thing on his list. Time passed quickly as he focused all his attention on his training. Even when the sun set and the sky grew dark, Sukuna kept going well into the night. Unlike most people, the boy had better vision and did not fear the dark.

It was only when his stomach grumbled that the boy stopped. His mind instantly went to the meal he had that afternoon, but he squashed the desire to return. He would not show up until he had completed his task. So, Sukuna could only hunt a wild animal, which he easily skinned and roasted. Unfortunately, the usual fragrance of meat did not rouse his appetite as it usually did, after he had eaten Ryou’s meal. Although it mostly consisted of vegetables with bits of meat, the boy had enjoyed the food very much. He even had to admit it might have been the best meal he had ever tasted in his life.

Sukuna cursed the man as he chewed his dinner.

He would make him pay!

After filling his stomach, Sukuna continued his training. That night the sound of fallen trees filled the forest. Unbeknownst to the boy, Ryou was standing at the edge of the woods as he stared at the kid’s rough location. He was wondering whether or not he should tell the kid to rest but he knew that Sukuna would not appreciate being ordered around. In the end, the man could only return inside to have his rest.

When the sun rose the next day, there were several piles of wood that the boy had dragged from the forest. Ryou examined the result with sharp eyes while Sukuna stood silently nearby. The boy pretended not to care as he crossed his arms and looked into a faraway distance. 

After a long minute, the man said, “Good job, I see you’ve improved.”

“But…” Sukuna said. He could feel that there was something else the sorcerer wanted to say.

“But you still tend to use uneven power. See this.” Ryou pointed at one edge of the wood planks. “This cut was much sharper while this one wasn’t. You have to pay attention to that if you want to improve.”

The boy scowled at the criticism but accepted it.

The man smiled. “You’ve still improved a lot. I doubt there are many kids who can progress as fast as you.”

“I’m not like them,” Sukuna said. He was not like everyone. He was different. 

Ryou did not say a thing but his lips thinned slightly. “Either way, let’s have breakfast first, oh, and try not to train during the night, you made an awful ruckus and disturbed my sleep.”

“Were you not the one who told me to bring these wood to you by morning?” the boy retorted.

Shrugging, the man turned around and went inside the house to have his meal. Sukuna had plenty of other things he wanted to say, but the thought of food made him silent. Damn that man. This was definitely a tactic to make him obedient. Unfortunately, the boy’s biggest weakness had always been food. Though he attempted to turn around and continue to train, he could not resist his hunger and ended up following him.

The meal was as tasty as yesterday.

Sukuna cursed internally.

The boy instantly escaped outside and returned to the forest, while Ryou only sighed and turned his attention to the piles of wood. Although he wasn’t overly familiar with building a house, he would need to do it himself since it was unlikely he could find a trusted builder nearby. He also doubted Sukuna would appreciate having strangers so near his house, so the task of building the house could only fall on the man. Anyway, it didn’t have to be anything too fancy. He just needed to have something that could keep the wind and rain out and was structurally sound.

While Ryou focused on his building task, Sukuna devoted his being to training. Weeks passed with the two developing a habit. The boy would return during meal times but kept himself away the rest of the time. The sorcerer would teach him about Jujutsu, but sometimes he would talk about other stories. Although the kid insisted on listening about sorcery, he could not deny that those tales interested him quite a bit. He had been trapped in this area ever since his birth and he had wondered what kind of world existed beyond this region.

“Perhaps I can take you there one day,” Ryou said. 

Sukuna frowned. “No need.”

He knew he would not be welcomed. His disfigured body would scare away everybody, and he would be chased away from the city.

Ryou gave him a sad smile.

Since the house that Ryou was building only had two rooms, he was able to finish it after one month. The man looked pridefully at his work. It wasn’t easy and he even had to ask for some tips and information from a nearby builder when he encountered some difficult problems, but the house had stood here now.

Although Sukuna knew of the new house that Ryou had built, the boy still refused to come inside except for mealtime. He had gotten used to sleeping outdoors, and it wasn’t as if there could be anything that could harm him. The man tried to coax him inside, but nothing worked. 

Eventually, Ryou had to force the boy to come inside when there was a storm raging. Although he knew that the kid could handle himself, allowing that boy to remain outside while he was safe and warm inside was not acceptable. The man had to physically subdue the kid and slung him over his shoulder.

“Let me go!” Sukuna screamed as he hit the man’s back.

“No can do,” Ryou said. “Maybe I’ll change my mind if you can get out of my grasp but you can’t even do that.”

The boy tried to slam Cleave into him, but the sorcerer activated his Domain Amplification to protect himself. Unlike adult Sukuna, his child version could not output as much power, and thus, his attacks were quite harmless to Ryou.

The man was finally able to drop the kid inside the new house and firmly closed the door. He even threw a seal at the entrance to ensure it would stay closed. Sukuna dropped and hissed like a wet and very angry cat. The man only snorted and pulled out a dry cloth, which he threw at the kid. 

“Dry yourself,” Ryou said.

Sukuna scrunched his nose in protest but still listened to the man. He had lost, and struggling any further would be unsightly. After ensuring the boy was dry, Ryou pulled out a yukata that he had made himself. When the boy received the garment, his face turned perplexed as he noticed the second set of sleeves underneath the first one.

“I made it myself. What do you think?” Ryou asked as the boy continued to stare at the clothing.

Sukuna’s current clothing was already very tattered and old. Since he was the only person with four arms, he had to rip a hole under his first set of arms so his secondary arms could fit through. It certainly made him look like a vagrant, but there was nothing else he could do.

“It took some time for me to figure out the design,” the man continued, “luckily, I have more experience sewing than building houses, so this task was easier for me. Are you going to put it on or not?”

Seeing the man’s expectant look, Sukuna hesitantly took off his current garment and put on the yukata. The fabric was very soft, and it was clearly something no commoner could obtain. Ryou had mentioned traveling to many places and meeting various people, so it wasn’t too strange that he had this kind of fabric. But to use it to make clothing for a boy he had just met? Absurd. Yet, Sukuna could not deny that it was the best garment he had ever worn.

Others might politely decline out of propriety, but Sukuna had always been greedy. The world had deprived him of everything, so he had to fight tooth and nail for every piece of comfort and joy he could find. This might have come by luck, but he would take it nonetheless.

“Alright, now that that’s done.” Ryou pulled out a wooden comb and began to slowly detangle Sukuna’s messy hair. Although the boy had kept it short, it was still very tangled after years of neglect. Sukuna allowed the man to work on his hair. When the man was done, the boy realized he had accidentally closed his eyes and promptly raised his hands to touch his head. Instead of thick clumps, his hair strands had become soft and light.

“You’ll still need a proper bath tomorrow, but that will do for today,” Ryou said.

The two had already eaten their dinner before the storm started, so all that was left was to rest.

“Unfortunately, there’s only one bedding, so we’ll need to share,” Ryou said as he gently pushed the boy into it. Sukuna stared suspiciously at the unusually soft bed. Seeing his hesitation, the man laid down first and patted the empty spot beside him. Since the lamp was not turned on, the room was quite dark, but the boy had no issue seeing the expectant expression on the man’s face. After another second of pondering, the boy threw himself down onto the bedding.

It was soft.

“Good night,” Ryou said as he closed his eyes.

It didn’t take long for the man’s breaths to slow as he descended into slumber. While the sorcerer slept, Sukuna remained awake, listening to the sound of thunder and rain. After a moment, he rose and placed his hand on the man’s neck.

Sukuna could kill him now.

If he did it fast enough, the man would stay asleep, and he could end his life with his technique.

Four red eyes stared silently at the sleeping man.

The hand on the neck tightened for a moment before relaxing again.

Sukuna huffed out a breath and lay back down.

No.

It wouldn’t be fair to kill him like this.

A dead man also couldn’t make food.

Killing him now wouldn’t be wise.

With those considerations, Sukuna closed his eyes and slowly drifted into sleep. The warm body beside him was certainly more welcoming than the cold, hard ground of the forest. Despite his wariness, it didn’t take long before the boy slipped into the land of dreams.

Once Sukuna was fully asleep, Ryou’s eyes slid open as he glanced at the boy. He wasn’t truly asleep, as he was rather curious about what the young King of Curses would do. He certainly wasn’t disappointed. Still bloodthirsty, through and through. At least like this, the wild cat seemed like a tame one. The man smiled as he patted the boy’s head and closed his eyes again.

Omake:

Sukuna: What is this?

Ryou: Affection.

Sukuna: Disgusting.

Sukuna: ...

Sukuna: Give me more.

Chapter Text

After that day, Sukuna continued to stay inside the house. After all, why should he make himself suffer by sleeping in the forest when there was a serviceable house he could use? Even if Ryou kicked him out, he would not comply with his demand. He would not return what had been given to him. While the boy had expected the man to shoo him outside once the weather had calmed, the sorcerer did not say a word and acted as if his presence was expected.

Their routine did not change much. While they often shared a meal, Sukuna would always return to the forest and remain there for most of the day, while Ryou either stayed in the house or visited neighboring villages. However, unlike before, the boy would no longer spend the night outside and would return before sundown. The man had demanded that he always take a bath after frolicking outside. Although the kid could not understand why that was necessary, he still relented after Ryou threw him straight into the river one day. It was the rule of the strong. As long as Sukuna could not defeat the man, he had to obey him.

That would not be forever.

Sukuna knew that there would come a day when he could stand a chance against him.

For now, the boy would need to listen.

Nothing much occurred for several weeks as Sukuna adjusted to this new situation. Ryou did not push him much, beyond telling him how he should improve himself. Sometimes the man would bother him about not keeping himself clean and not properly washing his hands, but beyond that, he let the boy do as he wished.

The first strange thing that occurred after Sukuna moved in was Ryou growing a garden. Initially, the kid could not see the point of this action since the forest contained many wild vegetables and fruits that they could harvest. He later changed his mind when he saw that the ones the man planned to grow were rare plants that did not grow near this area. The sorcerer explained how he made his food when the boy watched him cook one evening.

“Shouldn’t you keep these to yourself?” Sukuna asked. Although he was young, he knew that information and knowledge were precious. Why else would scholars even exist? The nobles also hoarded their knowledge by locking away the precious books within their estates and did not allow filthy commoners to touch them. Yet Ryou was never stingy with sharing everything he knew with Sukuna.

“What are you talking about? These are just basic life skills,” the man said. “I expect you to start helping me soon, once I know you won’t mess this up. That reminds me... Perhaps I should start teaching you how to sew too.”

Sukuna scrunched his nose. “Aren’t those supposed to be the work of a wife?”

“First of all, these skills are something everyone should know,” Ryou said. “Second of all, I doubt you’ll ever have a wife.”

The certain tone of the man made the boy bristle a bit, but then again, he had to admit that he had no interest in people. All of them were weak and pathetic, and they would just run away after seeing his disfigured form.

Seeing his annoyed look, the man smiled. “Don’t worry, at least you’ll have me.”

Sukuna turned his face away with a frown. “Who says I want you around that long?”

Ryou only chuckled.

As the kid stopped remembering that past conversation, he continued to look doubtfully at the man, who was crouching over the freshly tilled soil. He had already planted the vegetables they would use for ingredients, but he was still planting more things on the ground. They were flowers.

“What are you doing?” Sukuna asked after failing to find a proper reason for this strange action.

“Planting flowers.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

Sukuna frowned. “They’re useless, and you can find a lot of them in the wild.”

“No, they’re not. They’re very important to the ecosystem.”

The boy could already detect the start of another lecture. While he did not mind the man rambling about his knowledge, he still needed to get to the bottom of this issue. “Okay, but you can’t eat them.”

Ryou looked affronted at his words. “Well, not these, and why would you?”

“Then why plant them?”

“Because they’re beautiful, and I like them.”

Sukuna scowled. “What a waste of energy and time.”

The man sighed. “One day, you’ll need to start thinking beyond things related to your empty stomach.”

“I think about other matters!” Sukuna protested. He thought about a lot of things, like how foolish this guy was behaving!

“Well, I suppose you also obsess over Jujutsu too,” the man admitted. “But Sukuna, you need to understand that there are things in life beyond your hunger and your thirst for sorcery.”

“What? Like those stupid flowers?” the boy asked as he crossed his arms. Asking the man about the flowers was a huge mistake.

“Like these flowers.” Ryou nodded sagely. “You’re still so young, yet you can’t seem to stop running ahead without slowing down and appreciating the smaller things in life. You should try to stand still and enjoy the present.”

Sukuna scowled even harder. Somehow, this turned into another round of lectures. “I don’t see what’s so interesting about them.”

“Maybe you will if you actually try to understand,” the man replied.

The conversation ended with Sukuna still feeling vexed over the garden. Unfortunately, Ryou did not pay attention to his displeasure and tended to his growing plants every day. The boy had half a mind to just cut down those damned flowers, but one sharp look from the sorcerer made him rethink his plan. He had no doubt that the sorcerer could easily stop him and then punish him for his daring act. While the kid was not afraid of pain, the man would always accompany his punishment with a long lecture. Although Sukuna kept his distance from the garden, Ryou was able to eventually coax him with promises of more Jujutsu knowledge if he agreed to help the man tend to his garden.

“This is pointless,” Sukuna couldn’t help but grumble as he carefully poured water on the plants.

Ryou sighed. “Do we really need to repeat this argument?”

“This conversation wouldn’t be necessary if you dropped this useless act,” the boy said.

The man explained, “There is nothing useless about farming. How else do you think people can feed themselves? Farmers may not have a high status, but a society cannot stand without them.”

“Then, they should just starve and die. Why depend on others for your food? That is foolish.”

The two stared at each other in silence for several seconds before the sorcerer closed his eyes. “Sukuna… you need to understand that nobody in this world lives by themselves. No matter how much you try to isolate yourself, we’re all connected in one way or another.”

The boy only scoffed and turned his head away. He had always been alone, and he was happy. It was only this vexing man who continued to stay in his presence willingly. The kid was only humoring him because he wanted to know more about Jujutsu. Nothing more.

Ryou raised his hand, and though Sukuna tried to dodge, he was too slow to avoid the palm that landed on top of his head. After patting his hair, the sorcerer said, “It’s okay if you don’t get it now, but I hope you will understand later.”

Sukuna remained silent.

Although the boy continued to hold his opinion on the uselessness of the flowers, he did not utter more complaints whenever the man asked him to help. Unwillingly, Sukuna began to learn how to take care of plants and even the meanings of various flowers. Hearing the pointless significance that people placed on these plants made him even more certain of his stance, but he knew better than to voice them.

Despite some light disagreements between them, their life continued peacefully. Besides learning Jujutsu from the sorcerer, Ryou had also taught him various other skills. Although cooking was the first one the boy expected to learn, the man actually decided to help him master reading. Such a skill wasn’t something a commoner like him could ever hope to learn. After all, reading and books were only reserved for nobles and rich people.

Watching the various skills Ryou had mastered made Sukuna wonder about his actual background. It would not surprise him if he were a noble.

“I was raised in a temple,” Ryou explained when the boy asked. “It’s nothing that interesting, but the monks there were quite learned, and they were happy to impart their knowledge to young children.”

“No wonder you tend to talk so much,” Sukuna muttered, which earned him a light flick on the forehead.

“Believe it or not, I do not like to talk this much,” the man replied. “My colleagues would not have believed it if you claimed that I am this verbose. You should be grateful that I speak this often to you.”

The boy felt like he would appreciate it more if the sorcerer would cease his never-ending lectures. Yet he knew that was the price for listening to the knowledge of sorcery the man gave him.

Initially, Ryou taught him how to write using a stick and the ground. The boy soaked up the knowledge and easily remembered the meaning of each new word and the grammar that bound them. Once the man was sure that he had gotten the basics, he even bought him some paper and a brush. Knowing the price of such a thing made the kid raise an eyebrow, but he did not reject the gift. Like many skills he had attempted before, it was not hard for Sukuna to learn calligraphy. The man also did not look surprised at his progress but merely commended him. The boy only scowled in return.

Though he had grasped the basics, Sukuna still had to continue studying before he could call himself a master. The first stock of paper and ink quickly ran out, and it was during this time that Ryou offered to bring him to a nearby town.

“That is not wise,” Sukuna said. He knew how people would react upon seeing him.

“Are you planning to stay hidden from the world forever then?” Ryou asked. “That’s foolish. It is time for you to step outside this small area and see what lies beyond.”

In the end, Sukuna only agreed to come if he could wear a large haori and a kasa to hide his strange features. The man looked disapproving but agreed to his demand. Before the two departed, Sukuna saw the man place a barrier around their house to prevent anyone from coming in and stealing their belongings.

The journey to the town was quite far, and they had to walk for one day and one night to get there. It was obvious that Ryou could go faster, but the man opted to slow his speed so Sukuna could keep up with him. This wordless act made the boy feel like he had to train harder. He had yet to reach the man’s level despite his efforts these past months. Thankfully, they were not regular humans, or else they might need to spend one week reaching the city. When they got close, the two slowed their speed and walked normally toward the gate.

Sukuna stayed close to Ryou when they entered. This was not because he was scared, but because he wanted to use the man’s body to hide the right side of his face further. He also kept his secondary arms tucked in to avoid being seen. Ryou shook his head but let the boy remain close.

As the two walked through the streets, Sukuna carefully examined the lively city that he had never witnessed before. The people wore slightly better clothing than the commoners in small villages, and their bodies were more plump. At one point, they had to stop to allow a noble riding a palanquin to pass through. Sukuna felt his hand twitch as he desired to cut down this insect. How dare it act so loftily when he could easily cut it apart like a pig?

Ryou noticed his rising killing intent and grabbed one of his hands. That startled the kid, and the two got into a silent struggle, with the man winning. Unable to pry his hand away from the sorcerer’s grasp, he could only silently endure the physical touch. The two carefully navigated their way through the city before arriving at a small but luxuriously decorated shop. When they entered, they were greeted by a servant who instantly recognized Ryou. He quickly took them to the second floor, where they met the owner of the shop.

Based on Sukuna’s perception, the man seemed to be a sorcerer, but much weaker than Ryou. The boy wasn’t sure whether he should be happy or disappointed at this revelation. He had expected sorcerers to be strong, but the man had claimed that few could challenge him in battle. It seemed this unknown man was not one of them. Sukuna categorized him as uninteresting and turned his attention to the room.

While Sukuna was silently observing the area, Ryou greeted this old acquaintance of his. Many of the rare things he had obtained came from this fellow sorcerer. Watanabe was a member of the Gojo clan, which was currently only a small branch of the powerful Sugawara clan. They had gained more attention and respect with the birth of the first Six Eyes bearer, Gojo Hasegawa. It was due to Ryou’s connection with Hasegawa that he could obtain various rare objects with ease.

Watanabe gave him a smile upon seeing Ryou’s arrival, though he also shot a curious look at the boy beside the man. Watanabe was a weak sorcerer whose main role was to support sorcerers in this region with various items. He mostly helped provide healing or cursed tools, but he could also offer other valuable things thanks to his regular shop. Ryou had become a common sight in his store, and Watanabe had always looked forward to meeting this mysterious man. Not many people knew his face, but his name was quite well-known in certain circles. Unlike many sorcerers who wanted to show their prowess, Ryou was someone who preferred to be ignored and remained in the shadows. Thus, not many people knew of this powerhouse that loved to roam the land unnoticed.

Watanabe was quite surprised to hear that Ryou had settled near an unknown village. The man himself did not share much, but after seeing the child beside him, Watanabe felt he had found the reason.

“Are you bringing your son here today, Ryou-san?” Watanabe asked.

Sukuna tensed at those words and instantly retorted, “He’s not my father.”

Watanabe blinked at the powerful wave of cursed energy that the child emitted. How could someone so young be so strong?

Ryou said, “He’s only my nephew, at most. His mother passed away not too long ago, so I’ve been taking care of him.”

Watanabe nodded understandingly, trying to ignore the dark glares the boy shot at him under his kasa. His gut feeling told him he should not test this child. “Do you need something, Ryou-san? More papers, perhaps?”

Sukuna remained silent as he let the two adults discuss the purchase. The annoyance in his chest had not fully abated, and he wanted to throw a Dismantle at the man, but he knew Ryou would stop him. Hearing Watanabe call Ryou his father seemed like an insult. His father had been so useless that he died from some sickness. But then again, that suited his mother, who was also weak and pathetic. It was a good thing they were both dead now.

Once Ryou had bought what they needed, the man visited other stores and purchased more items. They also bought some meals from a stall on the side of the road. After eating Ryou’s cooking for many weeks, the food tasted bland on Sukuna’s tongue, but he did not complain. He was hungry enough that he would eat anything.

After the two were done, the sorcerer asked, “Do you want to explore?”

Sukuna shook his head. He had had his fill of seeing the city. There were too many people, and nothing noteworthy caught his attention. He did notice some sorcerers who stayed in the town, yet none seemed to have the same prowess as Ryou.

“Let’s go home then,” Ryou said.

Their journey back was rather calm. They had to camp overnight after leaving the city. While regular humans might encounter danger from curses, the sorcerer easily set up a barrier that kept the weaker ones away. Even if they encountered a stronger curse, they could easily handle those monsters. Although no creatures were foolish enough to assault them, their sleep was disturbed by a chilling scream. There were countless wild animals that made noises during the night, but this one belonged to a human. Several more terrified shouts accompanied the first one.

Sukuna unwillingly got up when he saw Ryou standing upright from his spot. Although they were quite far away, he could sense the large curse that had attacked the nearby village. Initially, he had wanted to just go back to sleep and leave those people to their fate, but the sorcerer seemed to think differently. The man didn’t even glance at the boy before running toward the source of the screams. The boy grumpily followed a step behind, and they arrived to witness the chaos that had spread through the village.

The curse that had attacked the settlement seemed to be a Grade One. Its size was massive, and it took the shape of a Reiki. People in the Heian era feared various yokai and gods, and the curses they bred reflected these beliefs. It seemed this monster had been believed to be a mountain god, and the people’s fear had powered the Oni.

While many people were screaming in horror as they witnessed the monstrous creature eat humans and destroy their homes, Sukuna caught a heated scream from a man.

“This is all your fault! I told you to stay out of that mountain!” the unknown man shouted at a young person. “Look what you’ve done!”

The young man couldn’t reply and only stared in fear at the monster.

Sukuna scoffed at their ignorance, but his attention was drawn to Ryou, who turned his head toward him. “Exorcise it.”

“Why?” the boy asked. He saw no point in saving these witless peasants. After all, according to him, this bad fate was brought on by daring to step into the territory of a mountain god.

“Because I told you so,” the sorcerer said, “and because I want to see your progress. Don’t use your technique. I want to see how you can defeat this curse with pure cursed energy.”

Sukuna sent a dry look at the man. No doubt he was planning to save these villagers and just wanted to rope the boy into it. Though they had not been together for long, the kid had noticed the man’s too-soft heart. Sukuna could not understand how someone so strong could care that much about these weak insects, yet he never failed to preach to him at least once a day. His ears felt itchy just imagining the lectures he had heard, and he knew the man would not stop pestering him about this.

Sighing lowly, Sukuna easily jumped down from his position on the rooftop and landed squarely before the curse. The Reiki’s attention was instantly drawn toward the big threat that had approached him. Its massive red eyes narrowed in caution and anger. The Oni had lived and grown within the mountain, nourished by the people’s fear. It would eat those who wandered too close and never strayed too far from its birthplace. Yet, one unfortunate day, one prey was able to escape from its grasp. Unable to let go, the curse finally decided to step outside its domain and ventured into the village during the night. As it began to taste the wondrous human flesh, it wondered why it had not done this sooner. Its feast had just started, but there was already an intruder who wished to stop it.

The curse had never encountered a sorcerer before, but it knew that whoever this kid was, he was dangerous. Without hesitation, the Oni threw its hand toward the boy, wanting to crush his body into a pulp. Yet its fist only struck the ground after Sukuna easily dodged the slow attack. The kid leaped into the curse’s massive arm and ran along the limb. Jumping high, Sukuna reached the height of the monster’s face. Enhancing his fist, the boy threw a mighty punch that knocked the monster back.

The force sent the massive creature flying as the villagers watched with wide eyes. They could not believe that someone so small could defeat this monstrous thing. However, that one punch was not enough, as the Oni started to get back up. Not wanting to waste any more time here, Sukuna leaped high and landed heavily on the curse’s chest, forcing the creature to stay down. He threw another punch, but this time he channeled his full power and completely blew off the monster’s head.

The mighty Reiki finally dropped dead, and its body started to crumble into dust. Sukuna examined the body beneath him to ensure it would not get up again before turning around. The boy was about to head toward Ryou when he saw several people running toward him.

“Thank you so much, we—” the woman began, but then she froze when she realized the boy who had saved them had four eyes and arms.

Sukuna scowled back. He had no need to hear these insects’ grateful words or praises.

Seeing the glowing, bright eyes of the boy made several villagers take a step back in fear. Before the peasants could figure out what they should do next, a man suddenly dropped down right next to the strange kid. He lifted his right hand and dragged Sukuna closer, so his whole body pressed against his side. The boy struggled against the hold, but his shoulders relaxed at the man’s touch.

The villagers’ eyes widened at seeing this new person. The man seemed to be related to the kid due to their similar appearance, but luckily this one had a normal set of limbs. Though those red eyes were still as sharp as the boy’s.

“The creature that attacked you was a curse,” Ryou explained. “We’re sorcerers who exorcise them.”

The man who had been screaming at the young teen finally came forward. He seemed to be the head of this village. With a smile plastered on his face, the villager quickly gave a deep bow to the two people.

“Thank you so much for saving us,” the man muttered. “We thought that was the end of our village. Please, if there’s anything you want, you can ask it of us.”

Ryou shook his head. “We’re just passing by. There’s no need for you to offer thanks. Exorcising that curse was also good training for him.”

The village head looked confused, not understanding how fighting such a monstrous being could be considered training. Then again, these were people who seemed to have divine power and could quickly kill that yokai.

“If that’s all, we will take our leave,” Ryou said.

As the two sorcerers began to head out, the village head quickly shouted, “Please wait!”

They turned around in curiosity.

“W-What if another yokai appears? What should we do?” the village head asked.

Sukuna frowned. No doubt these peasants hoped that Ryou would stick around and become their full-time protector. He rejected the idea deeply and sent a dark look at the old man. The village head flinched under the force of that stare.

Ryou squeezed Sukuna’s shoulder before replying. “I do not believe that will happen. A curse that powerful will not be born again any time soon. However, if you happen to encounter other cursed spirits, you may visit my house.”

Sukuna sent an incredulous look at the man, but the other only patted his head as he told the village head the rough location of their home. Only when the two left the area did the boy spit out the words he wanted to say: “Have you gone mad? Why did you tell them where we live?!”

Ryou sighed. “There is no harm. Even if an unwelcome person arrives, they won’t be able to get close due to the barrier I’ve set up around the building. We’ll need to willingly meet them if they want to come close.”

“That’s even worse,” the boy said. “Why did you want to help those insects?”

“People, they’re people,” Ryou corrected the annoyed boy. “A sorcerer’s duty is to exorcise curses, after all.”

“I’m not a sorcerer,” Sukuna retorted.

“Well, you’re learning from one,” the man replied. “You will also need to gain more fighting experience, and I doubt the small curses near our home can provide you with enough of a challenge.”

“That thing isn’t even that powerful,” Sukuna said. He could’ve easily torn apart that creature with his cursed technique, but Ryou wanted him to beat it with only his fists and cursed energy.

“True. That’s why you will need to start going out,” the sorcerer replied. “Since you don’t want to become an official sorcerer, hearing out the requests of nearby villagers and exorcising curses they’ve encountered should suffice.”

Sukuna still had many complaints about this new arrangement. He knew that those people only dared to continue being that welcoming because of Ryou. If he were to come alone, he knew that those peasants would scream and call him a demon. Unfortunately, he knew the man’s stubbornness would win out, and the boy could only swallow his protests.

They finally arrived at their home in the afternoon, and nobody bothered them for a week. Sukuna was not eager to go outside any time soon after visiting the town, and he was happy to just wander in the forest and return home at night. Ryou continued to monitor his progress over the various skills he was learning. The boy would’ve been content to spend his days idly, but one day Ryou felt someone trying to breach his barrier.

It turned out that the tale of their feat had spread quite far, and some idiots had started to share wild stories of benevolent Onmyoji living in this area. Sukuna scowled at the improper title those peasants had stuck on them, but Ryou still decided to meet with this intruder. The one who was trying to find them was a young man from a neighboring village.

The young man’s expression brightened when he saw Ryou, but it quickly turned dark when his eyes landed on Sukuna. “Y-You! Why are you here? You beast!”

Sukuna’s hand twitched as his bloodlust rose from the insult. Yet before he could attack the peasant, Ryou raised his hand and used his yukata sleeve to cover the boy.

“The one you are insulting is my nephew,” the sorcerer said. “Please watch your words.”

The young man’s mouth went agape at that claim. There had been tales of the four-armed demon child who lived in the mountain. The neighboring villages had agreed to keep their distance from the area unless it was necessary. They believed that the region was safe after hearing about the benevolent Onmyoji who had decided to dwell there. Yet that did not seem to be the case.

“I…” the young man blurted out, unsure of what to say next.

Ryou sighed. “Speak of your intention. Why did you decide to intrude on our home?”

Reminded of his goal for coming here, the villager quickly spoke, “Please help us! There is a man-eating monster that has been haunting our village! At first, we thought it was an act of murder, but someone was able to escape and saw the culprit! It was a monster!”

Ryou hummed. “I see. I do not mind following you to your village, but the one who will exorcise this curse will not be me. It will be my nephew.”

“Eh?”

“He was the one who exorcised that other curse,” the sorcerer said. “This should not be a problem, no?”

The villager was confused by this turn of events. He had initially come here to beg the help of the Onmyoji, yet somehow it was the demon child who would lend his help to his village. What an absurd notion. It was more likely that this kid would destroy the whole settlement!

Seeing his expression, Ryou continued, “If you have problems with the arrangement, you can seek other sorcerers to address this issue.”

“B-but we don’t have time!” the young man exclaimed. “Three people are already dead!”

The sorcerer remained unmoved by his plea.

Not knowing any other options, the villager eventually said with a deep bow, “A-Alright. I understand. Please, just save our village.”

Ryou nodded. “I understand. We will head there when the sun sets. Just ensure everyone stays inside their homes tonight.”

The young man offered another deep bow in thanks before leaving. When the intruder was gone, Sukuna threw a dark look at the sorcerer. “Why do I have to help them again?”

“It’s for training, remember?” Ryou reminded him. “Anyhow, I do not believe it’s good for you to stay locked up here forever.”

“I have no interest in mingling with those in- peasants,” Sukuna retorted. “You saw how they reacted to me. They hated me.”

“They’re not bad. They’re just afraid,” the sorcerer explained as he patted the boy. “People tend to show fear of things they cannot understand. Unfortunately, your unusual appearance marks you as different from a regular human.”

“But I am different,” Sukuna said. He knew he wasn’t like others. He wasn’t as fragile as normal kids. He wasn’t as stupid as most people. His extra limbs marked him as physically different, but he knew he was also different inside. He wasn’t like them.

Ryou replied, “You are, but so is everyone. No one is the same. We’re all different in our own ways. And just because you have extra arms and eyes doesn’t make you a monster. You’re still a human.”

Sukuna scowled as he finally batted away the hand that the man had not removed from his head. What a foolish notion. People hated those they deemed different. This was the truth of the world. Just because the sorcerer had this wildly idealistic belief did not make it the truth.

Ryou sighed as he watched the kid stomp away.

Despite his displeasure, Sukuna still followed Ryou to the village that night. Unlike the Reiki, the curse in this settlement did not show up promptly, forcing the sorcerer to lower a curtain over the village to draw out the creature. The boy ignored the anxious presence of the villagers, who had followed the sorcerer’s order to stay inside. The street was only dimly lit by meager lamps, leaving the area covered in darkness. Yet this posed no problem for Sukuna, who could see everything.

As the veil fell over the village, the night sky grew even darker. After several seconds, the curse finally appeared. It seemed to be a spirit based on snakes. Its body was that of a reptile, but its head was human. While regular people would scream in fear, the kid only scoffed at this enemy. This thing wasn’t even on the level of that Oni. At most, it was only Grade Two. Like before, Sukuna didn’t use his cursed technique and lunged at his target.

The cursed spirit hissed in anger as it tried to bite the unknown kid, but the boy easily dodged its attack. He wrapped his hands and feet around the curse’s neck and began to squeeze. While curses didn’t need to breathe, Sukuna was planning on grotesquely ripping off the monster’s head.

Feeling the dangerous pressure around its neck, the curse began to wildly fling its body around in an attempt to throw the boy off. It even started excreting disgusting oil from its skin, which made holding onto it difficult. With a heavy swing, the curse managed to fling Sukuna away, but the kid didn’t stay down for long. He lunged back again and punched the curse directly in the face. The attack stunned the creature, giving the boy a chance to embed his hand into its chest and rip a hole in its body. He then jammed his three other hands into the hole and ripped the monster in two.

Sukuna grinned down at his work while Ryou approached the kid with a sigh. “You need to stop playing with your enemies like that. Underestimating your opponent will get you killed.”

“It was too weak to pose any threat,” the boy replied, earning him an unimpressed look.

The young man who had gone to find them was the first person to dare peek his head out. Seeing the corpse of the monster, the villager quickly ran toward the two sorcerers. He gave a deep bow to Ryou before saying, “T-Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“I think you should say that to my nephew,” the sorcerer said. “He was the one who exorcised it, not me.”

The young man looked shocked at the demand and shot an uncertain glance at the frowning boy. Sukuna refused to turn his head toward the villager, opting instead to keep watching the curse’s body flake away.

After several seconds of hesitation, the young man finally bowed again and said, “Thank you.”

“Keep your empty thanks,” Sukuna shot back.

Ryou sighed again.

The two did not stay in the village for long and soon returned to their home. As they prepared to go to bed, the man said, “You did a great job.”

Sukuna snorted. “That was a weak curse. Nothing praiseworthy about it.”

“No, I’m complimenting your response to that young man,” Ryou replied. “You were still quite rude, but at least you didn’t try to cut him apart.”

“Maybe I should’ve,” the boy muttered darkly.

The man patted the kid on the head. “You know, just because people call you a monster doesn’t mean you have to act like one. And you didn’t, so I’m happy.”

Sukuna scowled and slapped the hand away before throwing himself on his bedding. The man had made the second one not long after he decided to stay inside the house. Although it was made out of the same material and even had the same softness, Sukuna felt like it wasn’t as good. While the kid turned his face toward the wall, Ryou shook his head and laid down on his own bedding.

The man quickly fell asleep while Sukuna remained awake for some time. The boy couldn’t understand the sorcerer’s insistence on him interacting peacefully with those people. He had no interest in endearing himself to them. They hated him, and that was fine. He didn’t need to be surrounded by sycophants. He had always been fine alone.

Sukuna turned around on his bedding so he could look at the sleeping man on the other side of the room.

Then again, having him around wasn’t that bad, either.

Omake:

Ryou: *Taking Sukuna out on a walk, but people get too close*

Sukuna: *Hisses angrily*

Ryou: Sorry, he’s not friendly. 

Chapter Text

Despite Sukuna’s protests, they continued to help villagers who encountered curses. To make matters worse, Ryou always insisted that it had to be him who would take care of the monsters. He only agreed to lend a hand if there were creatures that the boy couldn’t handle himself. Such things were improbable to occur, and thus, the kid was forced to keep interacting with peasants. Fortunately, big attacks from curses were not that regular, and the boy did not have to experience unpleasant tasks often.

The villagers never did get used to him but at least they stopped trying to attack and only kept their distance. Sukuna was not sure what Ryou wanted to happen. He had no interest in interacting with the peasants and they did not want to get to know the demon child. Both of their feelings were mutual, yet the man kept pushing the boy to continue socializing.

“Has this farce not gone on long enough?” Sukuna asked one day after they finished exorcising another curse at the behest of another village. It was an old argument they kept revisiting.

Ryou only turned his head toward him.

“Your attempts at endearing me to those groups of peasants are useless,” the boy continued, “they do not like me and I, in turn, loathe them.”

The man sighed. “You do know this is for your own good. Isolating yourself is not good for you.”

“Neither is being forced to interact with people who hate my being,” Sukuna retorted.

“They don’t hate you. I admit that they hold fears, but they do not hate you,” Ryou said.

Sukuna huffed. 

“I know it’s difficult, but I don’t want you to end up alone,” the man continued. “Maybe if you stop scowling for a moment, they will stop being so afraid of you.”

The boy only glowered further. 

Ryou chuckled and raised his hand to mess with Sukuna’s hair. 

The boy tried to get away, but he managed only after his hair became a bird nest.

With the exception of pesky villagers with their never-ending requests for aid, Sukuna’s life was rather peaceful and regular. He would get up alongside Ryou, and they would spend their morning making meals. This was a rather unusual habit since the boy knew that most people only had two meals a day. When asked about this, the man only replied that it was not good to forgo food when you were hungry. Since eating was one of his favorite pastimes, the kid did not ask further and accepted the answer.

After they had eaten, they would tend to the small garden that had gotten larger as time went by. Ryou would usually water them while Sukuna was tasked with pruning and killing any pests that he found. Then, he would complete his daily exercise when the sun was out in the sky. He had already mastered reading and writing, but he still had to work on his calligraphy before he could move on to another skill. When noon arrived, they would eat another meal before Sukuna went to training. Most of the time, he spent those practice sessions by himself, but Ryou would sometimes offer to spar with him.

Though Sukuna had improved a lot, he had yet to be able to truly challenge the man; the other could still effortlessly move around Sukuna and never get hurt in the slightest. Whenever he asked what the sorcerer’s technique was, the other would always reply with a smirk, “I’ll tell you when you can force me to use it.”

Sukuna accepted that challenge.

In the end, it took him years before he could finally make Ryou take him seriously. Sukuna was thirteen when he was able to get a glimpse of the sorcerer’s ability. Sukuna had already gotten a rough idea of what the man could do, but that day was the first time he truly got a good look at it. The two were exchanging blows in an open clearing they had accidentally created within the forest after they had used the location as a sparring ground for so long. Many trees had already been cut down in the first year, and now the whole area had only patches of grass growing on it. 

Although Sukuna was only thirteen years old, he had grown quite tall and no longer had to look up to Ryou as much. This allowed him to have a more even standing in terms of pure close combat. His secondary arms were also another advantage that he had over the man. As the two exchanged blows, Sukuna also threw in some of his invisible slashes. After sparring for so long, the man could easily read his body, but the teen had also learned how to exploit that expectation. He did not use this tactic often, but this time, he decided to go for a feint. He pretended to throw a punch with his left hand, but his right hands were the ones truly attacking. Ryou was tricked for a second, and that brief opening gave Sukuna a chance to slam his fists into the man’s jaw and side.

While the teen did not hold back, his hit barely stunned the man. The other retaliated by throwing him into the air, but Sukuna threw a series of Dismantles that interconnected with each other. It was only for a brief moment, but the teen was able to notice the unusual sight. Ryou’s red eyes flashed and changed. The edges of his iris became blue while the red remained to surround his pupils. With a calm expression, the man raised his sword and cut apart the invisible slashes that had intertwined and dispelled them.

Sukuna fell back to the ground and tried to get a look again, but Ryou’s eyes already returned to normal. “You have a special sight.”

Ryou gave a small smile. “Congratulations on making me use it. It’s nothing as fancy as the Six Eyes but it’s quite useful in some ways.”

“Is that why you can see and neutralize my technique?” the teen asked eagerly. The question that had bothered him for a long time was finally about to be answered.

The man nodded. “My technique lets me see the weak points of all things and that includes other sorcerers’ techniques. If I strike those points, I can easily tear apart anything. Technically, I do not need to use a sword but the extra reach certainly helps.”

Sukuna’s eyes narrowed as he began to digest the new information he had been granted. It was a rather simple technique, but he could see how it could be powerful and lethal in the right hands. After all, Ryou was the only person who could see and deflect his Dismantles with ease. 

“That’s not all, is it?” Sukuna asked. 

Ryou smirked. “Well, you’d have to find that out yourself.”

Sukuna replied by attacking the sorcerer again. The two fought for an hour more, but the teen failed to force the man to use his power again. The failure did not bother him. More often than not, he was the one losing in these spars. The times that he won, he was always deeply aware that Ryou had been holding back. He looked forward to the day when he could make the man fight him seriously instead of handling him like a child. 

The next day the two planned on visiting a rather faraway city to pick up an item that Ryou had purchased from a familiar merchant. It was nothing important just another one of his whims related to his favorite pastime. Sukuna had to suffer several sessions of ramblings about the Ginkgo tree. He could not quite get what was so special about this plant but he had learned to just let the man talk.

The journey to their destination would normally take a month, but they could reach it within a week. Sukuna had not dropped his habit of covering his face and body whenever he wandered into big settlements. The last time he dared not to hide his strange figure, some foolish sorcerers went ahead and caused trouble for him. While the teen held no fear against these weaklings, he had earned Ryou’s disapproval after he smashed them into a civilian’s building. Sukuna opted to continue using a large haori and kasa to avoid needless trouble. 

When they arrived at the city, it was filled with numerous regular humans walking around. Although they looked busy, Sukuna could easily notice a hint of uneasiness in the air. Ryou was also aware of this, but they still went to the shop near the heart of the city. The man inside recognized Ryou’s face and quickly brought them to his master. The merchant was someone that Ryou knew during his time wandering. He wasn’t a sorcerer, only a window.

“Ryou-san! Are you here to pick up the tree sapling?” the merchant asked, but he didn’t wait for Ryou to answer before he went to pick up the plant. The sapling was kept in a sturdy wooden box. Sukuna wondered how much this damn weed cost, but he knew that pointing that out would be useless since the man would ignore him. Ryou examined the sapling with careful eyes but soon nodded to show his approval.

The merchant gave a bright grin. Although he was not that familiar with Ryou, this sorcerer had become a rather regular customer. While the headquarters offered a wage for windows like him, it was not quite enough to fulfill his needs, and he had to operate a shop to make more income. Ryou was definitely his favorite type of customer. He was reasonable, did not demand anything unrealistic, and paid well.

Instead of leaving immediately, Ryou decided to ask, “Did something happen in the city? I noticed people are quite tense.”

“Ah, well, there has been talk about a plague breaking out in nearby villages,” the merchant replied. “I heard that there are many villagers who are sick and not waking up. I believe the regional governor has announced that he’ll be handling the matter but we all know how those court officials act.”

Ryou nodded understandingly. While nobody dared to denounce or criticize the emperor outright, there were people who did not like the court, especially with the heavy influence of the Fujiwara clan. Some of these dissatisfactions were likely fanned by other clans, such as the Taira and Minamoto clans, but there was no denying that the sheer strength of the Fujiwara clan had made some of its members become rather corrupt and crooked. It would only be a matter of time before this grand clan fell due to its own rottenness. 

Sukuna scoffed lowly. He had never been impressed with these so-called nobles who believed themselves to be above the peasants. In his eyes, all of them were the same. They were all weaklings who would easily die by his power. None of them were worthy of even being remembered. 

After they left the shop, the two went to visit other stores to buy other items. They also visited a popular stall to get some food before finally leaving the city. Instead of heading back home, Ryou went to one of the villages that had been struck by the plague.

“You don’t have to follow me,” Ryou said, “You could get sick.”

“Do not be foolish. I’ve never gotten sick,” Sukuna replied. He was blessed with a very strong body, and he had never suffered the common sicknesses that often took the lives of many children. Such a disease would not be able to take him down. That would be pathetic. 

Ryou sent him an exasperated look. “Just keep your distance from coughing people.”

The village they visited was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere. There were still people who worked in the field, but their numbers were not as high as they should have been. Once they reached the settlement, they could hear sobbing from a woman. Ryou made his way toward the house which was crowded by several women and children. The villagers turned toward the strangers.

People tended to be rather wary of those they did not know, but Ryou’s and Sukuna’s quality clothing marked them as someone with a high status so they did not dare to be outwardly hostile.

“Excuse me, young master, is there something that you need?” a woman asked.

“I heard someone crying,” Ryou replied. “Did something happen?”

The women exchanged glances with each other before the first woman replied, “Ami’s only son has gotten sick and he has gotten weaker with every passing day.”

“Do you mind if I come inside to check on him?” Ryou asked.

Everyone looked surprised at the offer. Even Sukuna’s eyes widened before he narrowed them. He wanted to drag the man back and stop him from acting upon whatever foolish notion that had gotten into his head. Unfortunately, the mother inside seemed to have heard their conversation, and she had desperately gone outside. 

“C-Can you? Please?” the mother asked. She was thin and had sunken eyes. No doubt her body had been battered by years of working hard on the field. While the men were expected to do the job, the women were not spared from performing back-breaking work. Only nobles and other high-ranking members of society had the luxury of keeping their daughters within their gilded cages.

Ryou nodded. “Although I cannot call myself a physician, I’ve some knowledge of healing.”

The woman eagerly nodded. She had already believed that her son would die, and she would accept any flicker of hope that would help him get better. The other people moved to clear the way so the two unknown visitors could enter. The sick young boy was lying on top of a pile of straw. His face was pale, and he barely seemed to breathe. 

Ryou crouched beside the boy and placed his hand on the child’s forehead. The others watched silently as they tried to see what the man would do. Sukuna could see the sorcerer using his Reverse Cursed Technique on the kid. While the teen could use it on himself, he had not yet mastered the ability to output positive energy. After several long minutes, Ryou breathed out and opened his eyes. Following him was the boy who also blearily slid open his eyes to see the sight of many people within his small house. The mother let out a heartbroken sound as she threw herself at her only child. 

Ryou quickly pulled back and went outside. Some villagers tried to invite the man as a thank you, but Sukuna glared at them to make the peasants back off. After healing that child, there was a concentrated look that had not left the sorcerer’s face. The two excused themselves from the village, and they began to head home.

Sukuna waited for the man to speak, but the other man remained silent. Unable to bear it any longer, the teen asked, “What happened?”

Ryou shook his head. “I’m not quite sure. I’ll need to investigate it some more, no, perhaps it’ll be best to contact others first.”

Sukuna wanted to probe the man more, but he knew that Ryou had a habit of keeping important things to himself. Although he liked to talk about a lot of topics, the man could be frustratingly silent about certain matters. Their journey back home was peaceful, and they did not encounter any unexpected problems. Ryou also did not display any troubled expression and went to plant his new tree. Sukuna kept an eye on the man, but it did not seem like the other person would open his mouth.

The teen decided to wait. The man would tell him eventually, and he had learned to be patient. Unfortunately, a catastrophe suddenly struck. Sukuna did not think anything of it at first. He had woken up slightly dizzy one morning, but he quickly shook it off. The next day, he had gotten a headache. The day after, he found his vision becoming fuzzy. On the fourth day, Sukuna collapsed. 

Ryou quickly took the teen back to the house and checked on him. After running the Reverse Cursed Technique, Sukuna recovered somewhat, but his body still felt strangely weak. It felt as if all of his strength had been sapped away, leaving him hollow and empty. He hated it.

“What?” Sukuna croaked out.

“You fell unconscious,” Ryou said. 

“That shouldn’t be possible,” the teen replied.

“But it did, stay down,” the man said as he forced the teen to lie down again after he attempted to get back up. 

Sukuna glared up at the man. He hated being treated like a weakling. He was not weak. 

Ryou ignored his angry look and focused on opening some books. The teen kept his eyes on the man and failed to notice himself falling asleep again. When he woke up, it was already night, and Ryou was still sitting beside him.

“Finally awake?” the man said. “Do you think you can eat?”

Normally, such a question would be an idiotic thing to ask but for the first time in his life, Sukuna did not have the appetite for food. The teen frowned. 

Ryou patted his head and went to grab a bowl of soup for Sukuna. The teen refused to be fed by the man and quickly gulped down the food. Accepting the empty bowl, the man gave him an exasperated look before he helped the teen lay down again. 

“This is infuriating,” Sukuna said. He had expected his body to recover somewhat after the unnecessary rest and food, yet he did not feel himself get better.

“You’re sick,” Ryou replied.

“No, I’m being weak,” the teen gritted out. He hated this. This should not have happened. He should’ve been stronger. Yet somehow, he had been struck down by an unknown illness that made him as weak as a newborn. This was humiliating. 

The man patted him on his chest and laid down beside him. “Well, that’s what happens when one gets sick. It’s okay. You will get better soon.”

Sukuna grumbled wordlessly, but he closed his eyes. Sleepiness quickly dragged him down as the teen’s eyelids became heavier. The last thing he heard was Ryou’s breathing and the steady pat from the man’s hand on his chest. He hoped he would be well the following morning.

Sukuna did not get better.

In fact, he had steadily gotten worse. 

Ryou tried to use the Reverse Cursed Technique on him, but that seemed to only stave off the disease. The treatment would make the teen feel better for a short moment before he returned to his sluggish state. There were many dark words he wanted to curse out, yet he could barely keep himself awake. The times that he was cognizant enough, he could see Ryou’s face becoming even more haggard. Papers and books were scattered inside their home and the smell of herbs filled the air. 

A week passed without any sign of recovery before Ryou finally decided to call for Gojo Watanabe. Sukuna was luckily awake at that moment, and he could hear brief snippets of their conversation.

“Thank you for coming, I know it’s a big request,” Ryou said. 

“It is no trouble, Ryou-san, after what you’ve done for our lady and young master this is the least I can do,” Watanabe replied.

When Ryou came inside to show Watanabe the room, Sukuna immediately noticed the outfit the man was wearing. It was one that he used to travel long distances. “Are you leaving?”

Ryou crouched beside the teen who had tried to force himself up. “Stay down. You’ll only hurt yourself like this.”

“I’m not that weak,” Sukuna protested, yet his limbs shook like a newborn fawn. How could he end up being so weak?

The man sighed and finally forced the teen down. Sukuna glared up at him. “It’s okay. I’m just heading somewhere for a short time. Watanabe will take care of you while I’m away, okay?”

“I can take care of myself!” Sukuna growled. As if being weak in front of Ryou wasn’t humiliating enough, there was now another person who witnessed this pathetic moment. 

“Sukuna, to be sick is not a sin,” Ryou said. “Someone has to keep an eye on you and ensure you get enough food. Don’t worry; I’ve told Watanabe to keep his distance unless you really need help. He won’t fuss over you as if you’re a babe.”

Sukuna only glowered.

Ryou patted his head. “Don’t be unreasonable, okay? I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, you should focus on recovering and taking care of the garden and the tree. I won’t forgive you if any of them die under your watch.”

The teen scoffed. “You and your damn plants.”

The man squeezed his hand for a long moment before he finally got up. Sukuna turned his head so he could watch the man nod at Watanabe before he left the house. That figure had never looked so far away as now. 

When the door closed, Sukuna also closed his eyes.

Watanabe was a surprisingly decent man. He seemed to be aware that Sukuna did not appreciate his presence, and he did not bother the sick teen much. He only ensured that he was well-fed and took care of the garden. Sukuna wanted to get up and do that duty himself, but he could not get his feet to stop shaking.

At one point, his sickness seemed to have gotten worse to the point that he lost consciousness. He felt as if he was dragged into a dark depth without escape. It was as if he was swallowed by the sea, whose current kept dragging him downward. He thought that was the end, and this was how he was going to die, just like his pathetic father and mother. Yet as he sunk deeper, he suddenly felt a flash of bright light that suddenly propelled him back to the land of the living. 

When Sukuna woke up, he found Watanabe looking down on him with worried eyes. “You’re awake!”

The teen only glowered back and pushed the man’s face away. For the first time in a long while, he felt his strength coming back to him. Despite not being able to even stand, Sukuna could finally sit up without wheezing. It seemed the man had maintained the place while he was unconscious, and nothing was missing. At least Ryou’s trust in the man was not fully unwarranted. 

That night, Watanabe made a large roast that was not even worthy to be compared to Ryou’s cooking. However, Sukuna was famished, and the teen easily devoured the food. It did not take long for him to be fully restored back to full health. Once he could stand on his own feet, he told Watanabe that he no longer needed to stay in the house. Knowing that he was no longer welcomed, the man did not protest and left, promising him that he would send him news about Ryou if he got one.

Sukuna nodded and focused his attention on regaining full body motion and tending to the garden. None of the plants had died while he was sick, but they were not in their best condition either. Although he usually never took joy in taking care of these expensive weeds, he was quite enjoying being able to move his body and not feeling dizzy. 

Sukuna passed his days training and tending to the garden. After living for so long with Ryou, he had developed a daily habit that he still performed even when the man wasn’t present. He never failed to take a bath at least once a day and even still went to check on the nearby villages. It wasn’t out of goodwill. The teen just wanted to hunt something that could at least make him move. Unfortunately, there were none and the teen was forced to return back home. Without Ryou or Watanabe to cook for him, Sukuna had to make his own meals. After watching the man cook for many years, he had gotten a hang of this skill, but he had to admit that he still preferred the sorcerer’s cooking.

A week passed before Sukuna started to get curious about what took Ryou so long. He went to visit Watanabe in the town, but the man told him there was no news. The teen returned back home to continue waiting. He still carefully tended the garden and the Ginkgo tree. Apparently, this expensive thing would grow into maturity after fifty years. Sukuna was not looking forward to having to deal with the damn thing for the rest of his life.

Another week passed. Ryou still did not return. Sukuna continued to wait for two more weeks before he visited Watanabe again. The man shook his head. No news. He returned back home and went to rummage through the sorcerer’s belongings. He only found stacks of medical and Jujutsu texts. The man had never prevented him from looking through his collection, but Sukuna wanted to see whether there were any letters that could give him a clue about where Ryou had gone. Unfortunately, there was none. He had exchanged letters with some of his colleagues, but he also had the habit of burning everything away afterward. 

Without anything else he could do, Sukuna could only wait.

Another week passed. The teen spent that time focusing on his training while not neglecting the damn plants that should’ve been the responsibility of the missing man. Sukuna promised that he would make the man pay after making him tend to his garden for this long.

And waited.

A month passed without news. Sukuna tried to ask Watanabe whether he had other colleagues who might know about Ryou’s location. The man said that Ryou liked to keep his presence hidden so that not many people would know about him. 

And waited.

Several months came and went, and there was still no sign of Ryou. The eager expectation had dimmed, leaving barely a flicker of hope. A part of Sukuna had started to think that perhaps the man had decided to abandon him after seeing what a disappointment he was when he had gotten sick. Yet Ryou’s comforting words would always push back against those dark thoughts.

And waited.

The new year arrived, and Ryou still had not returned. Sukuna could only watch blankly as the plants in the garden withered and died under the coldness of winter. Fortunately, he had never struggled against the low temperature, and he easily survived the winter alone. When the season returned back to Spring, he discovered that the ginkgo tree somehow survived. Sukuna’s hand twitched as the desire to cut it down appeared in his mind. 

“It’ll sprout beautiful yellow leaves,” Ryou’s voice whispered. “You’ll like it.”

Sukuna dropped down his raised hand.

And waited.

Another year passed, and Sukuna had reached the age of fifteen. This was the second year he had spent his birthday alone. Not that he knew when he was born. His mother didn’t bother to tell him, and Ryou offered to share his birthday date with him so they could celebrate it. Sukuna had scoffed back then, but after spending two years by himself, he wondered why he felt so hollow. It was as if something important had been torn out of his chest. 

Sukuna turned his eyes to watch over the area. He had not planted the garden again after the first winter without Ryou. He had not seen the point. Deep down, he knew the man would not return, yet he had still foolishly stayed behind. How pathetic. Look what those two years of waiting gave him. Nothing. 

Sukuna stared at the tree that had stubbornly grown without being tended to. There were countless moments when the teen was overwhelmed with the desire to cut it apart yet something had always stopped him at the last moment. 

But he had enough now.

Sukuna gave one last look at the house where he had stayed for nine years. It remained sturdy and well-kept despite being built by an amateur person who did not know what he was doing. It was the place that had kept him warm and safe. Yet now it was also a place that kept him caged as if it were a prison. 

Sukuna let out a deep breath and closed his eyes.

With a resolute motion, the teen turned around and walked away.

He did not bring anything with him, except the clothes on his back.

He knew that he would survive just fine out there.

He was strong.

He could handle himself.

He did not need anyone.

He kept on walking.

And walking.

And walking.

And he did not look back.

Omake:

Sukuna: I don't need anyone.

Chapter Text

Many people told Uraume that they were lucky. They were born into a family of peasants who struggled to feed themselves regularly. They had been raised to believe they would become a farmer and spend their life tending to their land for the rest of their days. Yet one day, when they reached the age of ten, a monk stumbled upon their humble home and saw Uraume. The monk claimed that the child was blessed by fate and that sending them to a temple would be wise. Their parents were quite conflicted hearing the news.

On the one hand, they would part from the child and lose a potential worker. On the other hand, this was a rare chance to climb up the social ladder since Uraume would enter a prestigious temple. Their parents still had another child, so losing Uraume would not hurt them much. Ultimately, Uraume’s fate was decided without their input, and they were taken to the temple to become a Chigo.

It was as if Uraume had entered another world. Never had they entered a place with such opulence. Numerous monks wandered in their long robes and kasaya, and some were followed by young acolytes called Chigo. Unlike the monks, who were required to shave off their hair, the Chigos were expected to keep their long locks. After all, some Chigos were sons from noble families who were sent to a temple to learn various skills. It took some time for Uraume to understand their situation thoroughly.

With Buddhism's influence over Japan and the Imperial family, the temples became hotspots for political influence. Many of the large monasteries connected with the elite clans that ruled this nation. Sending their sons to spend time in a big temple and establish connections with other noble sons had become a habit among the upper class. After all, creating allies was essential to ensure your family's survival in the unforgiving political currents. So, their parents sent them to live in the temple for several years before they could return home.

Uraume’s acceptance into the temple as a Chigo was uncommon. They were not from a noble family and had no outstanding skills that would separate them from other peasants’ children. No. There was only one thing that Uraume had over others. It was their soft and gentle appearance and their unique hair color. 

Though Chigo’s primary role was to learn skills and perform religious ceremonies, these young boys had another role within a temple. They were to be companions to adult monks. Though the Buddha expected those who wished to be enlightened to refrain from losing themselves in earthly pleasure, many believed that physical relationships between Chigo and monks were not the same. Children were the closest to divinity, and the act was considered a ritual.

Uraume could only follow the current. Every day, they would wake up, wear their Suikan outfit, and adorn their face with thick makeup. Though they hated their long hair, Uraume could only let it continue to grow and tied it into a simple ponytail. The people outside would no doubt envy their ideal life. Unlike their sibling, Uraume could learn various skills that should only belong to the upper class. They did not have to worry about food or shelter since the temple provided everything. 

Yet Uraume was discontent. They had no desire to continue being a bird in this luxurious cage. The only thing that stopped them from leaving was that some of the monks were also sorcerers. Monk Kagemori was the person who had taken them into the temple and made them a Chigo. Perhaps it was not just the child’s face that grabbed the monk’s attention but also their talent for Jujutsu. While many Chigo could only learn the regular arts and skills, Uraume had the blessing of learning sorcery. This difference further set them apart from the other young boys. Envious looks were thrown in their way, yet none dared to challenge Uraume after seeing the frost they could command. 

Uraume planned to continue living in the temple until they could learn everything from the monk. Yet, one day, a disaster struck the monastery. It was not a natural calamity. It was caused by a person, a very powerful sorcerer. Uraume had heard of the tales of Ryoumen Sukuna, the demon that had taken a human form. This infamous figure had thrown the Jujutsu society into chaos after he started a long chain of massacres. All the sorcerers that dared to stand against him would be ruthlessly cut down with his technique. None had managed to survive. The big clans had begun to get restless at this audacious act, and they were planning to take down this dangerous curse user once and for all.

For some reason, this walking calamity had shown himself in this temple. Many monks panicked as they looked for someone who could stand a chance against this monster. Monk Kagemori and the other adult sorcerers were the first to face Ryoumen Sukuna.

Uraume, who was fifteen, often had to look up when they had to speak with Monk Kagemori. Yet now, that man had to be the one who looked up as he faced Ryoumen Sukuna, who was over two meters tall. While many could only cower and cover their eyes in horror, Uraume stood as they watched the unfolding events.

“Why did you come here, Ryoumen Sukuna?” Monk Kagemori demanded. 

“Oh? I thought the temples accepted anyone who wished to visit?” Sukuna replied with a smirk.

“Not you. A monster like you who has murdered many people is not welcomed in this temple,” the monk replied. 

“And what if I refuse to leave?” Sukuna asked.

Monk Kagemori’s expression became grave. “Then you shall die!”

As one, all the sorcerers leaped and attempted to kill Ryoumen Sukuna. Yet before their weapons and techniques could even reach him, all of their bodies were instantly cut apart by invisible blades. Blood and organs splattered everywhere, and terrified screams rang out. Sukuna clicked his tongue in annoyance over the volume, but his red eyes soon landed on Uraume, still standing nearby.

The man raised one hand and gestured for them to come closer. Uraume obediently listened to the order and stood before this infamous figure with their head held low. “Bring me to this temple library.”

Uraume’s head shot up at the unexpected request, but they quickly lowered it when they met the four sharp red eyes. They had thought that the sorcerer would demand to see the treasury room, or that perhaps he wanted to bed Uraume, but that did not seem to be the case. Then again, the library held Jujutsu texts that could not be found outside the temple. Someone as powerful as Sukuna would want to learn more about sorcery to hone his technique. 

Uraume nodded and turned around to lead the unwelcome guest into the library. Since this location was one of the most prominent temples in Japan, numerous valuable and rare books were kept safely within the library. The monks brought some in, but many were gifts from noble families who wished to gain favor from the temple. Uraume had visited this place several times, but Monk Kagemori always accompanied them. The thought of that man made the teen pause. He was dead now. Killed by Ryoumen Sukuna.

Sukuna remained silent and did not say a word as they walked through the empty hallways. Whimpers came from several chambers they passed, but the sorcerer did not pay them any mind. Once they arrived at their destination, the man closed the big door behind him, leaving Uraume standing outside. The teen kept looking at the closed door in silence. 

Knowing they could not stand there forever, the teen soon forced themselves to walk away. Once he left the building, Uraume was accosted by another Chigo, Jun. He was one of the noble sons who had entered the temple a year after Uraume. While the teen did not have friends, there were several Chigo with whom he had a closer relationship than others.

“You’re alive!” Jun exclaimed. “I thought he was going to eat you!”

Uraume shook their head. “No, Sukuna-sama only wishes to see the library.”

“The library?” the teen looked confused. “That doesn’t matter. We should escape now while that monster is still occupied!”

Uraume wanted to point out that a sorcerer of Sukuna’s caliber could still hear Jun’s words at this distance. However, they did not want to suffer his panic, so they kept silent. “I will stay; Someone must attend to him. You should leave.”

“B-But!” Jun exclaimed. He was torn between his desire to flee to safety and his loyalty to Uraume. Ultimately, his fear won out, and the other said, “O-Okay, but don’t worry Uraume, the Imperial court should send someone soon to kill that dastardly creature! Just hold on for a while!”

Uraume watched silently as various monks, Chigo, and servants escaped the temple. It did not take long for the silence to settle over the area. The teen wandered the empty hallways as they ensured no stragglers were left. The temple had always been lively before, and there was always someone moving through the passages, yet now only the sound of wind could be heard. Eventually, Uraume’s feet brought them back to the courtyard, where the sorcerers tried to fight Sukuna. Blood and flesh had remained splattered on the ground, a pitiful fate of esteemed monks who claimed to be enlightened.

As Uraume stared at the chunks of meat, an idea came into their mind. The teen began to examine the cuts of flesh as they tried to see which one was the best. Luckily, Sukuna had not cut them to shreds, and there were still some that seemed acceptable. 

Uraume carefully picked them up, ignoring the blood that stained their sleeves. They then went to the kitchen to start cooking a meal. Luckily, the area was left intact despite the panic, so the teen could still cook. Although they had never used meat as an ingredient before, they had heard of the best ways to cook it from several Chigo who had wished to eat meat instead of vegetables daily. The teen was also quite confident with their cooking skill, and they did not hold back on the seasonings. No one could reprimand them anymore. 

It took several hours before the meal was ready. Uraume carefully plated their creation and brought the food carefully to the library. After a moment of hesitation, the teen gathered enough will to knock on the door. “Excuse me, Sukuna-sama, I’ve brought you a meal.”

There was a moment of pause before the man replied, “Come in.”

The teen opened the door and made their way inside. Sukuna turned his head toward Uraume but did not speak until the other placed the food tray before them. “I had thought you had escaped alongside everyone.”

“There’s nowhere else I could go,” Uraume replied as they kept their head low.

“And so you decided to try and endear yourself to me?” Sukuna replied.

Uraume kept silent.

The man picked up the plate of meat and sniffed it. “Did you use the remains of those monks as an ingredient?”

The teen nodded. “I do not see the point of wasting such meat.”

A lengthy moment of silence made Uraume wonder if they had made a mistake. They had heard how Ryoumen Sukuna had sometimes eaten the foes he had taken down. Of course, this was all only a rumor; they had never seen it with their own eyes. Just as they started to berate themselves for their rushed thinking, Sukuna picked up a piece of meat with a chopstick and ate it.

After chewing it thoroughly, the man replied, “Serviceable, but nothing impressive.”

Uraume bit their lip. This was the first time someone was unimpressed with their cooking. The monks had always praised them for their ability to make even the blandest meal taste good, yet their creation did not satisfy Sukuna.

The man replied, “I do not need a cook. After all, someone told me that cooking is a skill everyone must learn.” 

Uraume blinked.

Sukuna put down the plate of meat and began to stretch his neck. “If you believed that this type of offering could impress me, you would be wrong.”

Suddenly, the man grabbed the back of Uraume’s Suikan and threw them out of the window. Uraume landed on their feet as Sukuna stepped outside. The teen tensed as they watched the other cross his arms.

“Daring to bother me with such a frivolous gesture, I should kill you,” the man said.

Uraume frowned as they prepared themselves. They knew it was a risky move. Yet they still did it. Why? They were not sure. Perhaps it was because of Sukuna’s strength. Something about it drew the teen close. Perhaps it was because the man was the person who cut their previous master down like a pig. Perhaps they wanted to prove themselves. 

“What? Too afraid to even move?” Sukuna mocked.

Uraume bit their lip. Their reasoning wasn’t important. Right now, they had to fight. The teen sent Frost Calm toward the man, yet Sukuna did not move and activated his technique to cut the ice apart. Instead of attacking directly, the teen released a thick fog of frost covering the courtyard. Sukuna hummed but remained in his spot.

The icy mist fully covered Uraume, and most people would’ve struggled to locate them, yet Sukuna knew his enemy’s exact position. Uraume did not get closer and summoned a ball of ice that began to spit out numerous ice shards. Dismantles flew into the air and cut them apart like leaves. 

While Sukuna held his head up, Uraume suddenly appeared nearby with a sharp ice blade in their hand. Before the teen could slam the weapon into the man’s flesh, one of his arms grabbed the attacker.

“You’re too obvious,” Sukuna said, then he used another hand to punch Uraume in the stomach. 

CRASH!

The attack sent the teen flying into a building. Sukuna did not bother to chase after Uraume and sighed, “What a bore.”

The man began to turn around to enter the library, yet another shard of ice flew toward him. Though it was destroyed before reaching its target, Sukuna turned his head to watch Uraume climb out of the hole. The teen wiped the blood off their mouth and said, “I’m not done.”

“Well, I’m done with you,” Sukuna said and sent a Dismantle to the teen. 

Instead of dodging away, Uraume lunged forward and sacrificed their left arm. Sukuna’s eyes widened and did not dodge as the teen finally slammed their hand into the man’s torso and froze it instantly.

Sukuna hummed but did not look panicked. After grabbing the back of Uraume’s Suikan to pull them up, he easily used his cursed technique to break the layer of ice upon his skin before healing the damage with the Reverse Cursed Technique.

“A daring tactic but still foolish,” Sukuna said.

Uraume could only wheeze and close their eyes. Those attacks had taken everything out of them, but their ice could not even faze the sorcerer. “You did not plan to kill me. I do not feel killing intent from you.”

“And so you think this is a test,” Sukuna replied. 

When the teen did not reply, the man scoffed. Uraume’s tired eyes suddenly snapped open as they felt a current of positive cursed energy enter them. They had not felt something like this. It was as if liquid fire was poured into their veins, and they could do nothing to stop it. The teen looked down to see their missing hand slowly regrowing back. After a minute, all the flesh and bones had regenerated, leaving Uraume hale and whole.

Once the process was finished, Sukuna dropped Uraume back to their feet and said, “Be grateful that I’m in a decent mood.”

With those words, the man returned to the library. Uraume remained standing there for a long moment before they felt their vision going fuzzy. Knowing they still needed some rest, the teen went to a nearby room to sleep.

When Uraume woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. The teen quickly went to the kitchen. Although Sukuna had berated them yesterday, they still wanted to try again. Yet surprisingly, Uraume met the infamous sorcerer cooking inside the kitchen. It was a rather bizarre sight, considering the man’s stature. Seeing him hunched over a kamado was not something the teen had ever expected, but the man moved as if he knew his way around the kitchen. A surprising discovery. It was a common belief that cooking was a woman’s duty and that the only reason people in the temple had men cooking was that women weren’t allowed inside the monastery.

Sukuna did not address Uraume and kept his eyes on the kamado. Once the soup was done, the man prepared two bowls and offered one to the teen.

Uraume could only blink at the gesture, but they quickly accepted the bowl. A good amount of deer meat accompanied the expertly cut pieces of vegetables, making it a very decadent meal. The delicious smell that wafted off the bowl made Uraume’s empty stomach grumble. Sukuna scoffed as the teen’s face reddened. Although they could use any other room in the temple, the two stayed in the kitchen as they ate. 

When Uraume tasted the soup, they understood why the man wasn’t impressed with their meal. They had never experienced such delicious food like this.

Seeing the teen’s face, Sukuna said, “This is not my recipe; someone taught me this.”

This someone again. Sukuna mentioned this figure yesterday, but he did not name them. Though Uraume was curious, they knew better than to ask. Once the two were done eating, the man returned to the library while Uraume cleaned the dishes. Since their clothes and body were dirty, the teen took a bath. Instead of picking up another Suikan, Uraume opted to wear one of the monk’s robes. They paused as they touched their face. With no monks within the temple, nobody could demand them to wear makeup. The teen kept their face bare and went outside to hunt wild animals. 

Although Sukuna had shown them the difference between their cooking skills, Uraume was not deterred. They would improve. The teen could catch a wild boar easily with their technique, and they brought the fresh meat home to be cooked. When night arrived, Uraume presented the meal to Sukuna. The man only scoffed but ate the offering. It seemed the sorcerer had lost track of time as he went through the texts within the library.

Uraume wondered what the other was looking for. Near the man was a decent pile of Jujutsu texts, but there were records of the people who had visited or lived in the temple next to him.

Noticing their glance, Sukuna asked, “Curious?”

Uraume lowered their head in shame at being so easy to read but soon nodded. “You’ve been staying here for a long time.”

“I’m not looking for anything specific. I’m simply reading for the sake of it,” the man replied.

Uraume sent a doubtful look and glanced at the pile of records.

Sukuna sighed. “It’s nothing important.”

Knowing that was not a truthful answer, Uraume still accepted it. Once Sukuna finished eating, the teen picked up the tray and headed toward the door. Before they could leave, the man said, “Next time, just bring your meal here too.”

Uraume’s eyes widened but nodded.

Peace remained for several days before a group of sorcerers finally arrived. Uraume was inside the kitchen when it occurred, but they saw Sukuna facing the enemies when they went outside.

“Ryoumen Sukuna! I thought that you would hide within the temple in fear!” a brave idiot shouted.

“The only reason I deign to show my face outside is because I do not wish for you fool to barge inside and ruin the library,” Sukuna replied drily.

“Hah! Lies. The Fujiwara clan has had enough of your evils, and you’ve been marked for death! All sorcerers are ordered to kill you on sight!” the brave idiot exclaimed.

“Oh?” Sukuna replied, not interested at all.

Another fool growled in annoyance at the lack of fear, but his eyes soon landed on Uraume, who was watching from afar. “You fiend! Have you kidnapped a Chigo and forced him to satisfy your evil desires!”

Uraume frowned as their hand twitched at the desire to send Frost Calm at this fool. How dare they throw such a baseless accusation?

Sukuna snorted. “I have done no such thing. The fact that was the first thing that came to your mind said more of your character.”

“Silence! You bastard!” idiot number three shouted.

“Die in the name of the Fujiwara clan!” the brave idiot screamed.

The sorcerers fared slightly better than the monks, yet they were no match against Ryoumen Sukuna. The Fujiwara clan had granted them powerful cursed tools, but they were all easily batted away like toys. Their divine summons were also knocked down like a common mutt. Soon, another massacre occurred within this temple, and only Sukuna remained standing. The man did not even glance at the pool of blood under his feet and returned to the library. Uraume decided to approach the corpses and took them to the kitchen; there was no sense in wasting meat.

Sukuna stayed within the temple for a month, and during that time, several groups of sorcerers kept appearing and challenging the infamous figure. All were ruthlessly cut down. Rumors spread that a demon lived within the temple and nobody should go near. Uraume remained close and served Sukuna dutifully. There was not much that the teen had to do. While Uraume was on cooking duty, the man sometimes went into the kitchen to cook a meal. However, the majority of his time was spent within the library. Uraume also took the cleaning duty by themselves. Sukuna had not initially seen the need, but when the teen insisted, the other relented.

Once a month had passed, Sukuna finished reading all the books in the massive library. It did not seem like he had found what he was searching for, as his face showed disquiet. 

“Is there something wrong, Sukuna-sama?” Uraume asked. After accompanying the man for a month, the teen had gained a semblance of confidence when interacting with the man. Though the sorcerer had a terrible reputation, he would not strike unexpectedly.

“It’s nothing,” Sukuna said.

“Something is bothering you,” Uraume pushed.

The man pursed his lips but eventually said, “Do you know a monk by the name of Takuto?” 

Uraume frowned as they tried to recall one such name. The teen shook their head.

Sukuna closed his eyes. 

“Are you looking for him?” Uraume asked.

“Not exactly.”

The man explained nothing further, and they finally left the abandoned temple. Uraume had thought that Sukuna would shoo them away, but since the sorcerer did not say a word, the teen considered that acceptance. Uraume did not ask where they were going and obediently followed their new master. Compared to Monk Kagemori, Sukuna was a much more preferable master. He did not have unreasonable expectations and preferred to remain by himself. He did not ask Uraume to wear makeup and never tried to bed them. Sometimes, he even taught the teen Jujutsu when he had free time. He was not a gentle teacher, but he made sure Uraume understood. At one point, the man asked whether they wanted him to cut their hair short.

“You hate it,” Sukuna said.

Uraume touched the long locks of hair that they were forced to maintain due to their role as Chigo. The teen nodded and let the sorcerer use his technique to cut their hair until it was short.

“Thank you,” Uraume said.

Sukuna only hummed.

As they traveled past various villages and towns, Uraume learned much about Sukuna. He would not hesitate to kill sorcerers or anyone who dared to raise their weapons against him, yet he ignored civilians. As long as they remained out of the man’s path, he would treat them as if they were air. 

“I have no interest in weaklings,” Sukuna said.

Uraume knew their master appreciated a good fight, so he targeted those who could use Jujutsu. Yet they felt that this reasoning to ignore the peasants was not that simple. Despite spending their days near Sukuna, there were still many things that Uraume did not know. The man did not like to share his past, but sometimes, he would mutter a short sentence that gave clues about his childhood. The most prominent topic was this unnamed someone who greatly impacted Sukuna.

The fact that the man did not wish to talk much about this person implied a complicated history between them. Yet it seemed Sukuna was searching for him. This was only based on conjectures, but this unknown figure had a connection with the temples. Why else would Sukuna rummage through the records? 

Uraume was curious but followed their master obediently. Many sorcerers, curse users, and even cursed spirits tried to get in Sukuna’s way as they traveled throughout Japan. Nobody could survive the encounter. His act of killing sorcerers ruthlessly had made the man the enemy of the great clans, but Sukuna’s habit of barging into temples also made him even more infamous. They called him a demon. After all, only a monster would dare to ruin such sacred places. 

Sukuna scoffed at this claim. 

Their long journey finally stopped when they encountered a small temple. Unlike the place where Uraume grew up, this monastery was very isolated. There was no big city nearby, only small villages. No doubt, the lack of funds and contact with the nobility made this temple remain small and ignored. The buildings looked old but still quite taken care of. Some structures showed signs of damage but had been patched up years ago. Sukuna stopped near the entrance as his eyes were drawn to the Ginkgo tree growing in the courtyard. 

Their presence was quickly noticed, and the highest-ranking monk greeted them. Uraume could easily tell there was no sorcerer among them. Such an isolated temple would not gain the attention of the Jujutsu headquarters. Despite his small stature compared to Sukuna, the old man bravely looked up. “I welcome you to our humble temple, but this monk cannot help but wonder why a famous sorcerer like yourself deigns to visit this small place.”

Sukuna grinned. “I tire after journeying for so long. I wonder if you will suffer my short stay?”

The monk closed his eyes. “This monk believes our temple cannot bear to house such mighty presence. We have no grand room or great food. This is merely a humble place.”

“That is fine,” Sukuna replied.

Knowing nothing else he could do, the monk said, “I see… then please follow this monk.”

Sukuna allowed the regular human to lead him to one of their empty room while Uraume followed behind. The other monks in the area kept their distance, but the teen noticed that there were not many of them. This temple was tiny and humble. None of the rooms were furnished except for the bare necessities. It was indeed the polar opposite of the temple where Uraume grew up. There were no gilded pillars or silk clothes. There were no expensive paintings or massive sculptures. Even the monks’ robes were simple and rough. 

The room given to Sukuna was arguably the best condition, yet it was also barebones and lacked amenities. Normally, Uraume would see this as a sign of disrespect, but since Sukuna had not said a word and had accepted the offer, the teen remained silent. 

Once the two were alone, Sukuna sat at one of the beddings and said, “You should explore.”

Understanding the unspoken order, Uraume nodded. The monks would be too afraid to speak in front of Sukuna, but they would have less fear when facing Uraume. The teen decided to roam the temple ground in interest before they stopped near the Ginkgo tree. It was fall now, so the green leaves had turned golden. Uraume wondered what was so interesting about this plant that it pulled Sukuna’s attention.

It seemed the teen did not have to wait long before the elder monk approached them again. Uraume turned around to face the monk.

“Why do you follow that man?” the monk asked.

“Sukuna-sama is my master,” Uraume replied. They waited for the rebuke, but the other merely sighed.

The monk then raised his eyes to look at the tree behind them. “That child always loved to sit under this tree. You came here because of him right?”

“Him?” Uraume asked.

The monk blinked. “Am I mistaken? No. That man looks too similar. Oh well, follow me.”

The teen curiously followed the elder as he led him to the storage room. The chamber was the primary place to keep all the important items, from books to tools. The monk rummaged through the shelves for a long time and disturbed clouds of dust that made him cough. Then, he finally pulled out a small box made of thin wood. 

The monk tapped the box gently and said, “I had hoped to give it to him myself, but I suppose giving it to a relative is good, too.”

Uraume gently accepted the box carefully. It was relatively light and filled with papers. 

“You have questions, correct?” the monk continued. “That’s why he sent you out. Let’s not speak here, there’s too much dust.”

The monk invited him back outside, and they sat on a simple wooden bench. There was no specific question that Uraume could ask, so the old man told him about the temple’s history. Apparently, the place was almost wholly abandoned before Monk Takuto decided to move here. The previous head monk had been raised within a big temple, but he had gotten sick of all the corruption and politics that had dirtied the temple. Unwilling to stay longer, Monk Takuto moved to this isolated temple, where he continued teaching Buddhism. It took a long time, but slowly, more people joined to become monks and stayed in this small monastery. Yet one day, their peaceful life was disturbed when Monk Takuto brought home a small babe. The old man did not share much about how he found the kid, but he insisted on raising the child. 

“Ryou was a strange child,” the monk said, “He did not cry or make a fuss. He would just sit there and watch the world go by. Heh. Sometimes we would try to scare him to get a reaction but he would look at us like a statue.”

The monk told Uraume various tales about Ryou’s childhood. It seemed the child had grown up healthy and safe until a disaster struck. 

“There was a monster,” the monk said. “It attacked at night and killed many monks including Monk Takuto. I was knocked up during the attack but when I woke up the temple was still standing. Ryou was already gathering the dead bodies to prepare for their funerals.”

Curses. The temple was likely attacked by one. That would explain the damage that was left on the structures. 

“And then?” Uraume asked.

“And then he left. I’m not sure of his reason but that child insisted that he had to leave, and he never came back.”

At the end of that tale, Uraume returned to bring Sukuna their findings. The man listened intently as the teen recounted what they had heard from the monk. Once Uraume was done speaking, the sorcerer opened the box to reveal a stack of papers and some old toys. Sukuna examined each of these items intently before carefully placing them down.

Although Uraume did not try to take the items, they could see that many seemed to be writings from a child. They were neat, but there was a hint of unsteadiness. Nothing particularly important was written down. These writings were only daily journals of that child as he recounted what he had done that day. Yet Sukuna read them as if they were the rarest Jujutsu text.

Uraume wondered about their connection. The monk said that Sukuna was a relative of this unknown person named Ryou. Their master often spoke of this man as if he were an elder who taught him many things. Was Ryou their father? Then why call him that man? Many questions swirled in Uraume’s mind, but the teen could only keep them to themselves. Once Sukuna was done reading, the man returned all the items to the box and did not say a word.

The two stayed for a week before they departed. During that time, Sukuna only silently observed the temple and the monks as they tried to continue their daily activities while ignoring the infamous figure that had taken residence in their home. Uraume made themselves comfortable in the kitchen. While they could cook meat, the teen had refrained since that would not be polite toward the monks. Sukuna seemed to hold a small respect for this place and its people, so Uraume would follow their master’s attitude. 

After they departed from that small temple, Sukuna continued to roam. There was no true direction that their master followed, so they traveled throughout the land. As the years passed, so did Sukuna’s infamy. People had started to call him the King of Curses, yet their master firmly claimed that title after he slaughtered the Sun, Moon, and Stars Squad and the Five Empty Generals from the Fujiwara clan. 

It was nothing intentional. Sukuna had merely cut down any challengers who dared to show their faces before him, and the big clans somehow took this as defiance. Thus, the clash between the King of Curses and the Jujutsu headquarters could not be avoided. The Fujiwara clan took the lead, but the Abe clan and the remains of the Sugawara clan also joined.

Uraume had not joined in the fight since they knew that their master could handle all of these sorcerers. Those that tried to attack them would be taken down ruthlessly. After all, the monk held the box their master had given them to protect. 

When the battle ended, the ground was covered in bodies and a river of blood. As Sukuna stood atop the mountain of corpses, his face remained impassive. Uraume had noticed that although their master enjoyed the thrill of battles and facing strong opponents, a part of him always remained cold. That small part that would stay unmoved no matter how much his bloodlust would rise. 

After that grand battle, no sorcerers truly dared to challenge the King of Curses. With the defeat of the sorcerers, Sukuna’s reign had firmly cemented itself in the Heian era. Although the nobles tried their best to endear themselves to Sukuna, they would only met with mocking laughter at most. None of their praises, wealth, or women could affect him. He only saw the nobles as a group of dancing fools. Yet even that shallow entertainment could only last so long.

With no more worthy foes left to fight, Sukuna and Uraume retreated to the estate. Nobody dared to visit, and the barriers the King of Curses had placed around the building kept everyone away. Almost everyone. Uraume frowned as they felt an annoying presence returned. The monk had never liked this curse user. The man was too sly for their taste and seemed to hold too much interest in Sukuna.

The King of Curses only tolerated the man’s presence. Unfortunately, he could not exactly keep the other fully away using barriers since the man was better than Sukuna in this aspect. Of course, he could cut down the annoying gnat with his technique, but he was sorely lacking in entertainment that he did not wish to kill the one person who was somewhat interesting.

“Look at your glum faces!” Kenjaku said as he slapped his fan on his palm. “Did something terrible happen?”

‘Yes, your arrival,’ Uraume thought darkly.

“Anyway, stop being so depressed! Your friend has visited you!” the curse user said.

‘You’re no friend of Sukuna-sama!’

Sukuna clicked his tongue and continued to sip his sake. “Speak of your intention or begone.”

Kenjaku tutted. “So cold! Even though we’ve known each other for many years!”

‘Because you won’t stop bothering Sukuna-sama!’ Uraume thought.

Without waiting for an invitation, the man made himself comfortable and poured a cup of sake. Uraume wanted to swat the hand away, but since Sukuna did not reprimand the man, the monk could only swallow their dissatisfaction.

“So have you thought about my proposal?” Kenjaku asked. “I know you’ve gotten very bored, and I can assure you things will be very interesting in the future!”

Uraume pursed their lips. Ah yes, Kenjaku’s grand plan where he wanted to turn them into cursed objects so they could be incarnated in the future. The ancient sorcerer had always been madder than even the most insane sorcerer and wished to see the true potential of cursed energy. Only someone with his cursed technique could afford to create such a convoluted and long plan.

Sukuna hummed as he swirled the sake in his cup. “I refuse.”

“Eh? Why?” the man pouted. “I really need you, you know!”

“And I do not need you,” the King of Curses replied.

“Eh?”

“I already know how to turn myself into cursed objects.”

“Eeeeeeeh?” the curse user looked so flabbergasted that Uraume wanted to laugh. “But how?! This isn’t a skill you can just pick up.”

Sukuna only sipped his drink and refused to answer.

“Fine, be like that. You will regret it, I tell you!” Kenjaku said as he stood up. With a dramatic flourish, the man turned around in his lengthy robe and walked out. Yet before he could fully leave their sights, he said, “Don’t tell me you’ve learned how to do it from some other master?”

Sukuna narrowed his eyes.

After a moment of tense silence, Kenjaku laughed and waved away. “Well, whatever. I assume we’ll see each other sometime in the future. Such is fate!”

When the man had finally left their estate, Uraume sighed. They had never liked that man. Instead of continuing to drink, the King of Curses stood up from his spot and said, “It’s time for us to go.”

The monk blinked but quickly followed their master’s order. The man had not told them about their destination, so Uraume was surprised to see them not going to the capital. They had assumed the King of Curses wanted to mess with the nobles again, but that did not seem to be the case. 

Their journey took them south toward the wilderness. Used to the lengthy journey alongside their master, Uraume easily followed the punishing pace Sukuna had set. It took them several weeks, but they finally arrived at their destination. Truthfully, the monk was unaware that they had arrived until they felt themselves suddenly entering another area. Uraume looked up to find them within an unknown barrier. It did not seem to have been created by Sukuna, yet it felt familiar.

The King of Curses strode forward with certainty, and the two entered an open clearing where a small house and a large Ginkgo tree stood. Uraume kept their silence as the man looked up at the plant. He stood there for a long moment before lightly pressing his palm upon its bark. The golden leaves swayed gently in the wind as if welcoming them.

With a sigh, the King of Curses went to the house next. It was a simple house with only two rooms. Although it remained standing, the structure seemed to be made by an amateur since there were some construction mistakes that Uraume could easily catch. Heavy dust had settled over the building and its interiors, implying that their occupants had not returned for a long time. 

When Sukuna took a seat on the floor, Uraume followed suit. The King of Curses did not speak long before he said, “I grew up here.”

Uraume blinked in surprise. Their master had not spoken of his past willingly despite them accompanying the man for many years. All this time, the monk could barely piece together the events using meager information and short sentences. 

“My childhood was nothing interesting,” Sukuna continued, “I was an unwanted child. My father died before I was born and my mother passed away when I was six. I would’ve been fine by myself but then that man showed up. Ryou. You’ve heard of him.”

Uraume nodded. The mysterious person that seemed to haunt their master.

“He was the one who raised me. He was a strong sorcerer and the only person who could deflect my technique.”

The monk’s eyes widened. That… should not be possible. Nobody could do such a feat. At most, they could only fortify their bodies with cursed energy, but to block Dismantle directly? 

Sukuna smirked. “Unbelievable isn’t it? He promised he would tell me more if I could force him to get serious, but he disappeared before I could do it.”

“He abandoned you?” Uraume asked, outraged. 

“Only Heaven knows,” the King of Curses replied. “Perhaps he left me. Perhaps he died. I do not know.”

“You searched for him…” Uraume muttered. That was why Sukuna had visited all of those temples. Ryou had been raised in one so it was not impossible that he joined one after he left Sukuna.

“Regardless of his fate, I have accepted that he will not return,” Sukuna said. “It is time to move on.”

Uraume doubted that. The fact that they had returned here seemed to imply some attachment was still left in Sukuna. Despite years of abandonment, their master wanted to see that man again. Yet after all these years had passed, that reunion seemed even more impossible.

“We shall stay here for a while,” Sukuna continued. “I will need to reread these texts once more before I can transform us into cursed objects. I will turn you first but I can handle my transformation.”

Uraume nodded. The thought of rejecting this decision never crossed Uraume’s mind. They had followed Sukuna all these years, and they would continue to follow him. 

While their master continued reading, the monk began to clean the house. There was some plant growth but nothing that they could not handle. The area itself was untouched, and there did not seem to be anyone who had wandered in. As Uraume observed their surroundings, they began to wonder. Ryou most certainly created the powerful barrier that protected this location. Was he also the one who taught him about it? Those Jujutsu texts that Sukuna was reading… were likely made by that man, too. Based on what they had heard, Ryou seemed to be a very powerful sorcerer. If Sukuna deemed him a strong opponent, Uraume wondered what kind of creature could kill him should he not abandon their master. Sadly, all their questions would remain unanswered.

The two stayed there for several days, which gave Uraume time to imagine the idyllic childhood that Sukuna might have had while he grew up. The house and its nearby area were very peaceful. No curses would dare to come close due to the barrier, and the house's location was perfect for Sukuna, who hated people. A fresh river was flowing near the house, and the forest was full of life. Although many years had passed, the marks that Sukuna had left remained. It seemed their master had spent many hours traipsing through these woods. Sadly, these were just reminders of a bygone past that one could never return to.

When Sukuna was ready, he called Uraume back to the house. The texts Ryou had left were only theories the man had developed. The King of Curses had accidentally found them after he returned here before he met Uraume. Back then, he had failed to notice the secret compartment Ryou had placed on the ground, but after years of honing his skills, he noticed the subtle barrier the man had inscribed onto the ground to hide its location. After some careful digging, the young Sukuna discovered this work. 

Sukuna had always known that Ryou was a genius, but these writings confirmed that fact more. Although the King of Curses was smart, it took him a long time to fully decipher its contents. Ryou seemed to have expected his action since he left a short note on one of the papers.

“Study responsibly - Ryou”

Sukuna had quickly ignored the piercing pain in his chest when he read those words. Thankfully, these Jujutsu texts taught him many things. Although Ryou had not held back on teaching him, there was no denying that the man left halfway through his study. These notes helped Sukuna teach himself. While he was sure he could master his techniques and other Jujutsu skills eventually, having Ryou’s writings hastened his progress. 

It was also within these texts that he found a way to turn himself into cursed objects. He wondered why Ryou even bothered to think of a way to do this, but the man did not answer that question. Sukuna could only use the gift he had. 

It was time to move on.

After successfully turning Uraume into a cursed object, Sukuna stood under the Ginkgo tree. The damn plant was still alive despite being abandoned for so longer. Perhaps they were similar. As he gazed at those golden leaves, Ryou’s voice whispered, “Do you like it?”

Sukuna closed his eyes. “Still just a damn plant.”

The ghost of that man chuckled.

The King of Curses sat under the tree and cast one last look at his childhood home. He had decided to move here because he did not want Kenjaku to get his grubby hands on his remains. That man was too sly and devious. While he was used to working with untrustworthy people, Sukuna did not see the need to needlessly tie himself with a Binding Vow with that man when he knew he could just turn himself into cursed objects without his help. He was indeed bored with the current era, and the thought of incarnating in the future interested him, but he was not foolish enough to make a deal with that devil when it was unnecessary. 

It was time.

Sukuna closed his eyes and slowly began to channel all his cursed energies into his fingers. No matter how strong Ryou’s barrier was, it would eventually break down without proper maintenance. At that point, his remains would be left to the mercy of the world. Yet he had full faith in himself that he would be incarnated.

It was fate.

As Sukuna lost consciousness, the golden leaves swayed again in the wind. The lone plant was the sole witness to the King of Curses' departure. 

Omake:

Sukuna: Farewell.

Chapter Text

As the heir to the esteemed Gojo clan, Satoru should not lack anything. He was born blessed, and everyone around him knew that he was fated for great things. The most talented chefs prepared his food, his clothing was made from the highest-quality textiles, and the best teachers taught him Jujutsu. Truly, Gojo Satoru was the child blessed by Heaven. Yet he was dissatisfied. 

No matter how delicious the food was prepared for him, how beautiful and well-made the clothing he wore, and how smart his teachers were, Satoru was bored. After living for so long like a caged canary, the white-haired boy could not stomach the same routine every damn day. The desire to do something different and stimulating kept pestering him. He had enough of the elders controlling every minute of his life. He wanted freedom. Of course, the first thing the boy did was sneak out of the Gojo clan estate to explore the city. Although the sparkling lights and the throngs of people caught his full attention, it took only a short time before he got used to the sights. He discovered the joy of visiting candy shops and was sure to see at least one during his outing.

However, that day, Satoru was not interested in going outside. He had no desire to be assaulted by waves of information from his Six Eyes as he navigated the lively city streets. Yet the boy still wanted to go on an adventure that afternoon. An idea suddenly popped into the kid’s mind. He could sneak into the warehouse. The Gojo family was a massive Jujutsu clan that had existed for many years. With the fall of the Sugawara clan, the branch was finally able to spread its wings and become one of the most prominent clans in Jujutsu society. Countless treasures had entered the warehouse, and Satoru was bored enough to want to look around. 

As the heir, Satoru technically had access to the warehouse, but the deepest sections were still off-limits to him. It was too dangerous, they said. What a load of crap. He had Limitless. Nothing could hurt him. With that thought in mind, the boy headed toward the warehouse entrance. As expected, a guard was standing before the door. The most direct way was to ask the servant to step aside, but Satoru was on a stealth mission that day, so he wanted to avoid being noticed. 

The kid climbed to the rooftop and carefully aimed a small ball of Blue toward a corner of the massive courtyard. The technique was weak, so the blue sphere instantly dissipated when it hit the plant, causing the leaves to shake. This caught the attention of the servant, and the man quickly investigated. Satoru gave himself a thumbs-up before leaping silently and sneaking inside the warehouse. 

Nobody was within the massive chamber where the Gojo clan held their prized possession. Satoru ignored the shelves of rare cursed tools and texts and headed toward the secret trapdoor at the corner of the room. Most people would’ve failed to notice it, believing they had seen the full scope of the Gojo clan’s warehouse, but this was false. The Six Eyes could instantly detect the presence of this hidden opening, and Satoru crouched down to examine the seals placed on it. 

Although the boy had just been taught about the art of sealings, he could grasp the basics within a day. While he would not call himself a master, he was confident in his ability. He was a genius, after all. After examining the seal, he discovered the elders had also inserted his signature into it so it would not harm him and only prevent him from entering. Usually, he would still need a key to gain access, but this level of acceptance from the seal was enough for the boy to tinker with it. 

He pulled out the basic warehouse key that granted him access to the first floor and formed a layer of seal over it. Most sorcerers had to use proper sealing ink and paper to make a talisman and other sealing creations, but Satoru had already mastered the ability to create seals using his cursed energy instantly. Once he had tinkered with the key, he carefully slotted it into the hidden keyhole to open the passage.

“Mission success!” Satoru whispered with a grin.

The boy headed downstairs and entered the hidden section of the Gojo clan warehouse. Like the upper floor, the underground chamber contained numerous cursed tools and Jujutsu texts. Curse users would have killed each other for a chance to obtain one article from this warehouse. Yet Satoru’s face remained impassive as he examined the new area. It was undoubtedly a warehouse, and his Six Eyes detected some exciting things, but nothing could genuinely catch his attention. Frankly, it was quite dull. 

Before the boy could leave and end his short adventure, he saw a short tanto sword propped up on a stand. The kid tilted his head. Something about the item seemed to draw his Six Eyes. The child approached the weapon with wide eyes as he fully observed this strange object.

From the outside, it looked like an antique tanto that a rich family would keep as decoration. At most, it was a cursed tool. Yet his Six Eyes told him that this was something special. Something worthy of his attention. Satoru wasn’t sure, but he knew better than to doubt his eyes. The boy carefully plucked the sheathed blade from its stand and examined it even closer. The weapon contained a trace of cursed energy, yet its level was nowhere near the other cursed tools in this chamber. Yet somehow, the clan still decided to keep this sword here. The child tried to pull out the weapon, but it refused to budge out of its sheath.

How intriguing.

Satoru’s eyes glinted with interest.

The boy placed the sword in his kimono and finally left the warehouse. The servant outside looked surprised to see the heir walking out of the building. He seemed to want to ask when the kid had strode inside, yet he knew the young master's snappish temperament, so he held his tongue. Satoru hummed happily as he went back to his room.

Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, the boy could not detect anything significant from the tanto. It was as if the blade in his hand were only a simple weapon. No matter how much he tried to use his Six Eyes, it kept telling him that this was important. Annoyed by the lack of progress, the child threw the sword onto his bed and forgot about his new find for the rest of the day. Only when nighttime arrived did he remember the sword inside his chamber. None of the servants dared to remove any items from his room, so they only adjusted their placement, and it was now sitting innocently on the table. 

Satoru once again picked up the strange weapon and narrowed his eyes. Still nothing. The boy huffed and tossed it back on the bed before changing his clothes and readying himself for sleep. As soon as he could take care of himself, the kid refused to have servants around him at all times. The servants had opted to stay outside near the entrance, ready to be called whenever the heir needed them. Not that he ever would.

Satoru threw himself on the soft bedding before his hand reached out to grab the tanto. He tried to pull the sword out again, but still, it refused to move. The boy huffed in annoyance and decided to go to sleep. The mystery could be solved tomorrow.

Satoru found himself lulled quickly into the land of sleep, but instead of being greeted by his own dream, the boy somehow stood in an endless green plain of grass and blue sky. The child blinked several times as he attempted to find out where he was. Had he been kidnapped? Impossible. The boy turned around and saw a massive Ginkgo tree with lush golden leaves. Leaning on its trunk was a man with cherry blossom hair. He was asleep.

Satoru approached the sleeping figure and crouched beside the unknown person. This person bore the same signature as the blade the boy held as he went to sleep. Was he the owner of this weapon? Before the kid could ponder further, a voice suddenly cut through his thoughts, “Watching people asleep is rather impolite.”

Sharp red eyes met the swirling blue orbs.

Satoru tensed and leaped back. Pointing his finger at the man, he shouted, “You’re the one who’s a stranger here!”

“Am I?” the man asked as he sat straighter and began to stretch. “As far as I’m aware, you are the one who intrudes upon my domain.”

The boy scrunched his nose. “No, you’re the one who dragged me here! I was asleep on my bed!”

The man tilted his head. “Is that so?”

Satoru scoffed and crossed his arms. “Who are you anyway?! I found that ancient blade in the Gojo clan warehouse, and you seem to have a connection with it!”

“A blade?” the man asked. “Ah… Forgive me. I can’t seem to remember anything.”

Satoru’s mouth went agape. “Don’t tell me you’re an amnesiac!”

The man shrugged. 

The boy placed a hand on his chin. “Then again that tanto is very strange. Touching it seems to bring me to this place during my sleep, but… this doesn’t seem like a cursed technique…”

Seeing the kid’s suspicious glare, the unknown man sighed. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s not my fault. I’ve only just woken up and I can’t forcefully drag you here. I suppose you being asleep certainly helps with lowering your mental barrier, but the act of entering my domain is wholly your fault.”

“You dare to blame me?!” Satoru asked. “The audacity! For all I know, you could be some ancient evil sorcerer, like that Ryoumen Sukuna!”

“Who?” the man asked.

“You don’t remember anything, huh?” the boy muttered. After being surrounded by clan politics since childhood, Satoru had become an expert at reading other people’s faces. He knew when someone was lying to him, but this did not seem to be the case. The unknown man did not remember anything. Based on the man’s cursed energy, he was a sorcerer, so it was unlikely that he had never heard of the name the King of Curses. “Do you even know your name?”

“Name…” the man trailed off and went silent for a long time as he tried to recall his hazy memories. “... I think someone called me Ryou in the past.”

Satoru frowned. That sounded awfully similar to Ryoumen Sukuna. The child ignored the exasperated look on the man’s face as he observed the other person with even more scrutiny. To be fair, Ryou did not have four arms or eyes. The boy needed to open the man’s kimono to check whether he had a second mouth on his stomach, but he doubted he would find it. Although the man was suspicious, his aura did not feel horrible or evil. It was calm, albeit very weak. 

“Let’s say I believe you, what the hell are you anyway?” Satoru asked. He had never heard of a talking cursed tool before. Even weapons made from dead sorcerers never gained sentience and only inherited their user’s cursed technique. However, the person before him seemed to be human.

“Did I not say that I can’t remember a thing?” Ryou said. “My memories are gone and it’s only your intrusion that woke me up. I felt like I’ve slept for a long time.”

“You certainly did,” Satoru said. He wasn’t quite sure when the weapon was created, but it felt ancient. The boy gave a considering look at the man for a long time before he continued, “Fine, I will give you the benefit of the doubt, but make no mistake; if you show yourself as dangerous, I’ll kill you.”

Ryou looked at him amusedly. “Oh, is that so?”

Noticing the man’s tone, Satoru glared and channeled his cursed energy into his eyes. The famed Six Eyes began to glow brightly. It was a trick the boy had often used, especially against the Gojo elders. Everyone knew the power of the Six Eyes, but the act did not impress the man. Ryou only raised an eyebrow. 

Annoyed, Satoru finally shot Blue straight at the man. Since he didn’t want to hurt the other, he made a very weak sphere that would dissipate upon impact. Yet, before reaching its target, Ryou plucked a small branch from the tree and cut the technique. 

Swish!

Satoru’s mouth went agape as he watched his technique being dispelled for the first time in his life. How? The boy’s posture became tense as his alarm rose. The man wasn’t someone he could take lightly. 

Seeing the kid’s reaction, Ryou sighed. Why did he feel a sense of deja vu? “Hey, how about you calm-”

Satoru didn’t wait to listen and threw a kick at the man. The other easily caught his foot, but before he could throw him away, the boy pulled up his upper half and tried to punch the man. Ryou caught his fist and then finally threw him away. 

Satoru landed on his feet and shot another Blue at the man. This time, instead of deflecting the attack, Ryou evaded the technique and dashed toward the boy. The kid instantly activated his Infinity, and the man confidently swung his branch at him.

Slash.

Satoru’s eyes widened as that branch pierced through Infinity and poked the center of his forehead. With a smirk, Ryou said, “You’re dead now.”

Poke.

The second jab jolted Satoru out of his surprise, and the boy swatted the branch away. He glared up at the smiling man. “Is that your technique? What a cheat.”

Ryou snorted. “This is coming from the person who has a nigh impenetrable shield.”

“It’s not impenetrable now, is it?” Satoru asked, crossing his arms. All his life, he had been assured of his strength due to the Infinity that surrounded him. No harm could truly reach him. He was invincible. Even if he would struggle to beat an opponent due to his young age, he knew he would survive any encounter. Yet now, that belief was suddenly thrown into question. He was no longer the untouchable human god who could not be harmed. In front of this man, he was just a boy.

Ryou sighed and raised his hand. Satoru tensed further, seeing the man’s action, but he did not move as the other lowered his hand to pat his head. “Okay, enough with that look. I’m not going to kill you, so you can stop staring at me as if  I’m going to stab you.” Then he yawned. “I’m still sleepy, anyway.”

The man turned away from the boy and sat at the tree's base. Satoru remained in his spot as he watched Ryou make himself comfortable. 

“We’ll talk again later,” the man said, kicking him out of the strange dream.

Satoru woke up on his bed, breathing heavily. His eyes flicked down to see the sheathed blade firmly in his grasp, and then he looked around for the clock. It was three in the morning. Unable to go back to sleep after experiencing such a strange thing, the kid got up and went outside. He didn’t even bother to change clothes and kept wearing his night yukata as he headed toward the warehouse again. The servants who kept a vigil were surprised when the heir barged out of his chamber. They had never seen the young master wake up before seven o’clock, but now the boy was already awake at three.

“Satoru-sama!” a servant called, but she was ignored.

Satoru was too focused on discovering the truth about this strange, cursed blade. He didn’t even bother to sneak around and directly entered the hidden chamber within the warehouse. The servants could only watch with wide eyes as the heir entered the building. Once there, the boy started looking for any text explaining the blade's origin. He ignored the rare Jujutsu texts and tried to find warehouse records. Due to the history of the Gojo clan, there were several stacks of them. 

Satoru stared at the ancient texts with tired eyes, but his determination made him push through. Hours passed as the kid spent his time carefully perusing the records. The servants finally dared to inform one of the elders about the young master, who had been locking himself within the warehouse since early morning. 

The current head of the Gojo clan, Osamu, decided to speak with the heir himself. Although Satoru was not his child and was born to a low-ranking member, Osamu had been responsible for the heir’s upbringing from the start. The child had been rather sensible during his first few years of life, but he had started to act up when he reached the age of six. Although Satoru was still only eight, he had become quite a nightmare for the Gojo clan members. 

Osamu had expected the child to make a mess out of the warehouse, but he discovered the naughty boy was sitting on the ground surrounded by piles of texts. A part of him wanted to ask how the kid got inside this level, but knowing the boy’s genius, he knew the brat would only roll his eyes. The problem with raising such a bright child was that nothing you could say would make them respect you. 

“Are you searching for something, Satoru?” Osamu asked.

The boy turned his head, and tired blue eyes stared at him for a long moment. Before the man could ask another question, Satoru shoved a cursed tool at him. “Do you know where this came from?”

Osamu blinked and tried to get a better look at the sheathed tanto. Due to the sheer number of items within the warehouse, he could not remember everything inside this building. Based on his brief observation, the short blade did not seem remarkable. The man shook his head. “I do not know, but you can ask Elder Shoji. He’s the one who’s assigned to keep an eye on the warehouse.”

“Where is he then?” Satoru asked.

“He’s currently out of the estate due to a business trip,” Osamu replied.

The boy scoffed, clearly expecting the elder to quickly return and come to him as if he were a servant. Not for the first time, Osamu got the urge to whack the kid on the head for his lack of respect, but he knew the heir would just use his Infinity. Discipline didn’t work on a boy who could keep all harm away with his invulnerable shield. 

“When is he going to return?” Satoru asked.

“In a few days most likely,” Osaumu said.

The boy’s face scrunched in displeasure. With a huff, the boy exited the warehouse, leaving Osamu with the mess the kid had made, that brat.

True to the clan head’s words, Elder Shoji did not return until a few days had passed. During that waiting period, Satoru was incredibly snappish toward everyone. The lack of answers made him frustrated and annoyed. Though he still attended his lessons and training, he was impatient with everyone. Every night, he expected to return to that grass field with the lone Ginkgo tree, yet he only slumbered normally. When Elder Shoji returned to the estate, the old man was surprised to see the heir waiting at the entrance. He was not that close to the child. No, to be more correct, the boy was not close to anyone. He kept to himself and never showed particular regard to any individual, including his blood parents. 

‘Why was the heir waiting for a low-ranking elder like him?’ Elder Shoji wondered.

“There you are,” Satoru said. “You certainly took your sweet time, old man.”

Unbothered by the impertinence, Elder Shoji replied, “Is there something you require from me, Satoru-sama?”

“I need you to tell me this blade’s origin,” Satoru replied as he shoved a sheathed tanto at him.

Elder Shoji bent his back so he could carefully examine the cursed weapon. It took him some time, but he finally remembered seeing this item in the inner chamber of the warehouse. He wanted to ask how the child got it, but knowing the heir’s temperament, he probably broke in and took the blade. “Hmm… I cannot remember its origin but I know where I can find the record regarding this item. If you don’t mind, can you follow me, Satoru-sama?”

The boy huffed in annoyance. “Fine.”

The two went to the man’s office, where Elder Shoji carefully searched numerous shelves. Although some records were kept within the warehouse, they also kept some within the office of the elder in charge. Due to the age of the cursed tool, it took some time for the old man to find the record that contained its entry. The pages were completely yellowed, and the ink had faded somewhat. Elder Shoji had to carefully search through the old writings before he finally found what he was looking for.

“Here, according to this record, that blade was brought by Lady Kayo,” Elder Shoji said.

“Lady Kayo?” Satoru asked.

“If I remember correctly, she was the blood mother of the first Six Eyes bearer,” the old man replied, “It happened back in the Heian era, and we didn’t have a lot of records left. The Gojo clan was only a branch of the Sugawara clan. After the fall of the main clan, many texts were destroyed and other belongings were stolen in the chaos. Such a pity.”

Satoru ignored the old man’s rambling as he stared at the sheathed blade suspiciously. The Heian era, huh? Wasn’t that also the time when the King of Curses lived?

“I told you I’m not the King of Curses,” Ryou said.

Satoru flinched at hearing the man’s voice despite not being asleep. Elder Shoji noticed this and asked, “Is there something wrong, Satoru-sama?”

The boy shook his head. “It’s nothing.” 

Without wasting any more time, the kid fled from the room and returned to his private chamber. Once inside, he raised the cursed weapon to eye level. “Since when did you start being aware of the outside world?” He had thought the man was blind to everything since he lacked any senses, but it seemed he was wrong.

“Just today,” Ryou replied. “I’m still quite sleepy so don’t expect me to stay awake for long.”

“Haven’t you been asleep since the Heian period?” Satoru pointed out.

“Whatever caused the piece of my soul to get stuck to this blade seems to make it necessary,” the man said. “Don’t ask me what happened. I still don’t remember anything.”

“Useless,” Satoru said.

“You have no tact,” Ryou said. “I would say thanks for trying to find out about my past, but I believe you did it to satisfy your curiosity.”

“The only thing that I discovered is that the blade has existed since the Heian era,” Satoru said. That era was the golden period of Jujutsu. While the boy had never encountered a cursed tool that had gained sentience, the fact that it was created in that era explained some things. What kind of sorcerer could create such a thing? Why would they do that? A blade that could talk and complain seemed like a bad and annoying idea. What if you hated your weapon? 

“Hey, what kind of nonsense are you thinking?” Ryou cut in. “I’m a human, or I was one. I don’t know what happened to myself that made a piece of my soul get stuck to what I assume was my weapon, but I assure you that you won’t find other weapons like me.”

“Says the amnesiac,” Satoru said. 

“Believe what you want.” The man sighed. “What are you going to do now? Are you going to report to your elders about me?”

“Of course not!” the boy said. “I found you so you’re mine now!”

“It wasn’t you who found me. Apparently, it was someone named Lady Kayo who brought me here.”

“She’s dead, so I call dibs!” the child said. Ryou’s origin was still a complete mystery, but the fact that the mother of the first Six Eyes bearer brought this blade to the estate seemed like fate. As the newest Six Eyes user, Satoru would take the duty of holding on to this weapon.

“You do know that I’m not a thing, right?” Ryou said exasperatedly.

“Hah! As if you can do anything in the real world,” Satoru said. “You might’ve beaten me in that domain of yours, but you have no power here!”

“... Okay.” Ryou sighed. 

And so, a new habit was formed. The members of the Gojo clan quickly noticed that the heir had started to carry around a short tanto wherever he went. From classes to bed, that blade never left his side. Although they didn’t see the point of carrying such an unremarkable weapon, everyone accepted the new development. At least the heir didn’t destroy a building this time.

As time passed, Ryou slowly regained more strength. Initially, Satoru could only have a short conversation with the man daily, but later on, he found he could keep talking with this invisible person all day. It had also become a regular occurrence for the boy to drop into the man’s domain. At first, the man tried to keep him out, but Satoru soon found a way to get in. This was mainly because of Ryou’s limited power, which he didn’t want to waste to keep the persistent menace away.

“Aren’t you tired of getting beaten every day?” Ryou asked after he tossed Satoru down again. 

The two had gotten into a habit of sparring with the domain. To be fair, sparring was a bit of a stretch since it was more of a one-sided beatdown. Despite his weakened condition, Ryou was able to keep up with Satoru. The kid had never experienced such one-sided defeat before meeting the man, and he refused to give up.

“Shut up! I’ll beat you one day!” Satoru exclaimed.

“Even if you do, you’re just going to win against this small shard of me. Isn’t that a bit unfair?” Ryou pointed out. He hoped the reasoning would make the kid stop bothering him so much.

“Well, then how can we restore you?” the boy asked.

The man rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I assume I’ll need to retrieve the other pieces of my soul, but how likely is that to happen?” Although he had been asleep for so long, he would no doubt awaken when he encountered the other pieces of his soul. Yet he remained in slumber for so long until Satoru awoke him. His past was still missing, and he could not form a theory about how he ended up here.

“We probably can’t go far while I’m still so young,” Satoru said. “But I’m sure I can explore everywhere when I grow up! You may not believe it yet, but I’m very strong and I’ll be even stronger! The strongest even! So you should be grateful that I want to help you.”

“I didn’t ask though?” Ryou said, tilting his head.

Satoru’s face went red as he puffed up his cheeks.

The man chuckled and rubbed the boy’s hair. “I’m just joking. Thank you for your effort. Why do you care so much about me anyway?”

Satoru huffed and batted the hand away, not answering. He wasn’t quite sure either. He had never cared so much about another person before this. Everyone was equally dull in his eyes. Perhaps it was the man’s strength that made him more interesting. 

Yeah, that was the reason.

Besides sparring and talking, Satoru also liked showing Ryou the modern world. Since the man was supposedly born in the Heian period, he had expected to see his jaw figuratively drop as he took him to the city. Yet Ryou disappointed him by only humming slightly with interest.

“Aren’t you even the slightest bit surprised?” Satoru whispered as they walked through the crowded street. Although he stuffed the blade into his jacket pocket, Ryou could still fully perceive the world around him.

“No, but I suppose it’s a bit interesting,” Ryou said.

Although the man didn’t react with adequate surprise, explaining the aspects of the modern world was somewhat entertaining to Satoru. At least his stroll in the city wasn’t boring like before. Some curse users tried to attack him whenever he got outside, but one glare at them was usually enough to make them back down. Those who didn’t have a working brain were promptly given a good head trauma. These days, it was fairly safe for Satoru to explore without being bothered by curse users.

Despite Ryou’s disapproval, Satoru still frequently visited various sweet stores. The man never failed to say, “You should stop eating these sugary snacks too much. You’ll get sick.”

“Shut up. You’re not my parent,” Satoru said, shoving another spoonful of cake into his mouth as he sat on a cafe table.

“Well clearly someone has to act like one around you since you seem to scare all the adults away.”

Satoru snickered at the indirect insult towards the elders.

“I’m serious,” Ryou continued, “Perhaps it won’t be as worrying if you have the Reverse Cursed Technique.”

“I’ll master that,” the boy said. He knew that he would master that difficult technique eventually. Just like he knew that he would master Hollow Purple.

“Even when you do, I still don’t recommend continuing this bad habit.”

Satoru ate another piece of cake. “You can’t stop me.”

“No, but I can throw you around like a sack of potatoes in my domain tonight.”

Satoru grinned. “I’d like to see you try.”

Ryou fulfilled his promise by repeatedly throwing Satorur around like a sack of potatoes that night. He stopped when the boy promised to limit his daily cake consumption to three slices. However, he made up for his lack of sugar intake by eating more candies. 

Ryou sighed in defeat.

Whenever they visited the city, they usually ended their trip by renting movie DVDs they would then watch at home. Usually, movie-renting shops wouldn’t let a child as young as him borrow some of the movies he picked, but he discovered a small shop with an owner who didn’t ask any questions as long as you paid. That was how the boy could take home numerous horror and gory movies. Ryou preferred documentaries and watched them sometimes, but they consumed various film genres. 

The Gojo clan members did not miss the heir talking to himself daily. It seemed he was speaking to his favorite short sword that he always carried around. They didn’t stop it since at least the boy wasn’t terrorizing the clan members. Perhaps it was just another phase. 

A year passed with Satoru spending his days with Ryou. Although his teachers still taught him, he found learning from the man was better. Despite his lack of memories, he still had access to his Jujutsu knowledge. It wasn’t that the teachers the Gojo clan assigned to him were bad. However, they also treated him as the heir of the clan first and a student second. That made study sessions with them always boring and stuffy with unnecessary politeness. 

Ryou had never cared about his status and sometimes smacked him when he said something idiotic. There was also the fact that Ryou could force him to listen by getting past his Infinity. Satoru felt like his forehead had a permanent red spot from the number of times the man flicked him there. 

Their days passed peacefully until one winter day. The three big clans were holding a meeting, and the Gojo clan heir was expected to attend the stuffy event. No matter how much he protested, the elders refused to budge; they even ordered him to leave the sword back in his chamber. 

Satoru was about to shoot them with Blue when Ryou cut in, “Just humor them. This is your duty as the heir. I’ll be fine waiting in your room.”

The boy pursed his lips but gave a tight nod at the clan head before leaving the room. He still wasn’t happy about the whole thing. Frankly, he would rather read manga with Ryou than spend any second with those idiotic clan elders and children. All of them had a stick so high up their asses he wondered why their voice didn’t become a soprano.

After allowing the servants to help him wear the elaborate kimono, Satoru touched the blade to say, “I’ll be back.”

“I’m not the child here,” Ryou said. “Try to have some fun.”

“Oh, I will.” Satoru’s eyes glinted. Several prank ideas had already formed in his mind, and he was eager to try them. 

Ryou could only sigh as the boy happily left his bedroom, knowing he was about to cause chaos. Several hours passed in silence before an unexpected guest entered the private room. Nobody was allowed inside without Satoru’s explicit permission. All servants were aware of this, and nobody was daring enough to enter the heir’s bedroom. The person who intruded was not a Gojo clan member. This man belonged to another big clan.

Zen'in Toji calmly observed the room. He had escaped from the stuffy meeting Naobito had dragged him into. Initially, he just wanted to leave, but then a thought crossed his mind. After meeting the Six Eyes brat, he was about to leave the estate, but an idea struck his head. Since the brat had annoyed him, he wanted to see if he could steal something from the kid. It's not like he would miss it, considering his status. 

Satoru’s chamber was located deep within the Gojo clan estate. Numerous guards were stationed around the area, and guests weren’t expected to wander into this section. Thanks to his Heavenly Restriction, Toji could easily bypass the guards and reach his objective. As expected, the room was richly decorated, and all the pieces of furniture were made from the best materials. Toji could grab anything in this chamber and get some pretty pennies. Yet, as he strolled into the room, his eyes landed on the short blade on the bed.

Picking it up, the man examined the weapon closely and said, “What do we have here?”

Omake:

Ryou: … 

Ryou: I just want one night of peace. 

Chapter Text

Toji had obtained all sorts of cursed tools in his miserable twenty years of life. He had to. After all, unlike sorcerers, the man did not have cursed energy and had to rely on cursed weapons to exorcise curses. Initially, his collection was somewhat limited, but ever since he had tamed the Inventory Curse, he could carry all sorts of tools wherever he wanted. He knew his shits around cursed weapons, and the blade that he held now did not look that impressive at first glance. It was a well-made one despite its age, but it did not have the same aura as the special-grade weapons he had, like the Split Soul Katana. Frankly, it looked something like a regular tanto. 

Yet, as Toji continued to stare at the sheathed weapon, his instinct kept telling him that something was off about the object. Considering that it was kept within the Gojo brat’s chamber, this was the boy’s belonging. Why would the invulnerable Six Eyes bearer need a sword when he could blast them away with his legendary technique? Perhaps his Six Eyes also saw something interesting about this tanto. 

Toji attempted to unsheath the blade, but he found it stuck. The man frowned and used his full strength to pull it out. Still no dice. Now, Toji was getting very interested. A blade that refused to unsheath itself. Did it only listen to its master? Too bad. The man was already set on taking this item with him. He would need to figure out its origin and name first, but it could likely see well. 

Toji hummed as he slipped the tanto into the inner pocket of his sleeve before he finally exited the chamber. Unbeknownst to the man, Ryou was silently cursing the thief who had unknowingly kidnapped him. He wasn’t that worried since he was sure that Satoru would stop at nothing to find him, but he was apprehensive about the fallout. 

Toji did not waste any more time in the Gojo brat’s chamber and returned to his room in the Zen’in estate. It wasn’t as if his presence was missed. Everyone in that meeting was so full of themselves that he doubted they could perceive others unless they wanted something from them. Once Toji arrived in his room, he examined the blade he had just obtained. Nothing had changed. It still did not look that special. He would’ve dismissed the weapon any other time if not for the fact that it was found within Gojo brat’s bedroom. 

He tried to play around with the blade to see if it would show something interesting to him. With its sheath still on, Toji struck the weapon on the blade, but it did not unleash any technique, and only a dull thud could be heard. His next experiment was to try to break open the sheath using the Split Soul Katana. A bit over the top, but he was really curious about the blade hidden within its sheath. Unfortunately, striking the special-grade weapon against this cursed tool did not work either. 

Clang!

The moment the Split Soul Katana was about to strike the sheath, a foreign cursed energy repelled it. Toji’s eyebrows rose in interest. He tried to hit the blade again, but his katana was pushed back again. 

Intriguing. 

Toji picked up the sheathed tanto again, half expecting to be attacked after his daring act, but the weapon remained silent. The man hummed as he narrowed his eyes. Okay, he was fully invested now. Since messing with the blade did not give him more information, the man decided to do some digging to learn about the origin of this mysterious tanto. Unfortunately, since he could not unsheath the blade, he could not figure out whether there was engraving on the sword. 

He had some books that listed all the cursed tools that had been discovered. They were quite pricey but very useful since he could tell apart which weapons to keep or sell. After reading those books several times, he had become familiar with their contents, but he still carefully read each entry to ensure he did not miss any mention of the strange tanto.

Toji found plenty of cursed tools in the shape of a short blade. Many were of lower grade and had barely any description since they weren’t that useful. However, none matched the description of this unknown tanto. Either the length wasn’t quite right, or the shape was wrong. He kept reading through the night but could not find an answer. Perhaps he would need to sneak into the Gojo clan’s estate to read their warehouse record, but he preferred to save that as a last resort. After that first encounter with the Gojo brat, he knew that kid could detect his presence. 

Admitting defeat for the day, Toji opted to get some rest. Although he did not enjoy being forced to participate in that stupid event, at least the food was good, and he went to bed full. Yet when he fully entered his slumber, it was not his regular dreams that greeted him. No, this time, he stood in a field of grass, and before him stood a large Ginkgo tree and an unknown man. Red eyes stared at him impassively.

“Stealing is already not a good habit, but you even stole from a child,” the man said.

Not feeling any hostility from the unknown person, Toji said, “Eh, the brat can afford to lose a single blade.” He then glanced at his surroundings to get a better look. It seemed he had been dragged into some sort of an innate domain during his sleep. How strange. “So, you’re what makes the blade so special eh? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sentient and sapient cursed tool before.”

“I’m not a cursed tool,” the man said. “And I have a name, you can call me Ryou.”

“Zen’in Toji,” Toji replied with a smirk. “I would say nice to meet you but I don’t think you’d agree.”

“You did steal me from Satoru,” Ryou pointed out.

“Oh, so that brat is your master?” 

The man shook his head. “No, but I suppose he has seen himself as such. He’ll not take kindly to your action. I suggest you return me before he hunts you down.”

Toji snorted. “I’m not afraid of a brat.” Even if Gojo Satoru was the famed Six Eyes bearer, he was still just a brat right now. Even when that brat became an adult, Toji refused to become one of those cowards who lowered their heads before the mighty clan heir.

Ryou observed him silently before sighing. 

“Let’s move on from that brat,” Toji said. “I know your name but you haven’t explained what you are. You seem to be a human but I’m not so sure about that. There are some curses who look humanoid after all.”

“Why should I answer you?” Ryou asked. “From my perspective, you’re my kidnapper here.”

“Oh?” Toji said as he stretched his shoulders. “I suppose I need to convince you a bit then.” 

Ryou narrowed his red eyes.

In the next second, Toji dashed forward and threw a punch, which Ryou caught. Toji’s eyes widened slightly, interested. There weren’t many sorcerers who could keep up with his speed. They tended to rely on their cursed techniques, and shikigami users were the worst offenders. 

Toji threw a kick next, but Ryou was able to block that attack, too. Not bothered, the black-haired man increased his speed further, and the two exchanged blows. Although the Zen’in clan called Toji trash, the man was a master at fighting. He was sure he could take down the majority of sorcerers and curses. Perhaps he would need some preparation to deal with the special grade ones, but he believed he had a chance of beating them.

With cursed energy utterly absent in his body, Toji had gained superhuman capabilities that allowed him to use strength and speed that was not possible for many people. Even sorcerers with their enhanced strength rarely could beat him in this aspect unless they were also geniuses. Yet Ryou was able to meet him blow for blow. 

Despite Toji becoming aggressive, the other man still lacked any sign of hostility. He seemed only to be humoring the black-haired man. Ryou was able to catch Toji’s arm when he threw another punch. The man quickly locked down the limb before attempting to throw Toji to the ground. The black-haired man twisted his body so he could pull his arm out of Ryou’s hold. However, that move made him open to Ryou’s kick, but Toji was able to block the attack at the last second. The impact pushed the man back several feet, and they stared at each other.

“Are you done?” Ryou asked. “Why do I keep meeting people who love to fight?”

“Did the Gojo brat try to attack you too?” Toji asked with a smirk.

“His name is Satoru and yes he did,” Ryou said. “Anyway, I can’t tell you much about myself since I don’t have any memories of my past. I just woke up last year when Satoru found me. He also couldn’t discover much. As far as we know, I’m just a shard of soul stuck on this old blade from the Heian era.”

A soul stuck into a blade? That was the first time Toji had heard of such a thing. Some sorcerers turned into curses when they died, filled with hatred and regret, and did not get killed with cursed techniques. However, he had never heard of a shard of a soul getting attached to a cursed tool. There was also the fact that Ryou seemed to lack the required negativity that fueled curses. The man did not show any sign of hostility to humans and did not try to hurt Toji even when he attacked him.

“That’s very informative,” Toji said. “Why did you suddenly become so cooperative? I thought you didn’t trust me?”

Ryou shrugged. He wasn’t sure either. Something about the other man seemed important, and his instinct was telling him to keep an eye on him. Not in a bad way since Toji didn’t seem like an enemy. “I just want you to stop bothering me. I’m sure that Satoru won’t stop until he finds me, so this is my warning to you.”

With those words, Ryou kicked Toji out of the domain. Toji blinked at the ceiling and turned his head toward the window to see the sunlight streaming through the small opening. It was already afternoon. It took him a while for him to make sure that wasn’t a dream. After yawning loudly, the man picked up his phone and called Shiu Kong. He became acquainted with the man last year, and he was knowledgeable about various things in the Jujutsu society despite not being a sorcerer. 

“Yo,” Toji said when the other man picked up.

“What do you want?” Shiu Kong asked. The sound of typing could be heard from the other side. The other man did not deem him important enough to stop doing his job. “I don’t have a job for you.”

“Rude,” Toji replied. “I have a request for you. I found this strange cursed tool with an unknown origin. Do you think you can find someone who knows more about this stuff?”

“Hmm, can you give me the description and photo?” Shiu Kong asked.

Toji described the strange properties of the cursed tool and even sent a photo to the handler. He didn’t tell him that Toji stole it from the heir of the Gojo clan and Ryou’s existence, though. That would just make Shiu Kong want to wash his hands of this matter. After listening to Toji’s words, Shiu Kong said, “Damn, that sounds weird.”

“Right? I can’t find any entry about this sword in the books I have. Can you do it?” Toji asked.

“I suppose I can contact some people, but you need to pay though,” Shiu Kong replied. He knew of Toji's habit of being a cheapskate. The man was a talented fighter, but he was lousy about money.

Toji groaned. “Fine, I’ll pay.”

While Toji was busy trying to figure out the tanto’s origin, the Gojo clan was in chaos. After discovering Ryou was missing from his room, Satoru exploded in anger. He had just returned after the lengthy event and was ready to get some rest. Unfortunately, his mood was utterly ruined when he found out someone had stolen the tanto. He immediately ordered the servants to search for the thieves, but there was not much they could do. The people who visited were powerful figures within the Jujutsu society, and they could not afford to offend them with such a small matter. Luckily, the servants were able to convince the boy to meet with several elders in a separate room and not bother the guests.

“Satoru-sama, how about we find you another blade?” an elder coaxed. “We have much rarer and unique weapons that you can take.”

Satoru shot the old man with a disgusted look of pure loathing. It was a look that wordlessly asked them whether they actually dared to suggest such a foolish thing. Another blade? How stupid! There was no way a dumb weapon could replace Ryou!

“This whole thing is your fault, stupid elders!” Satoru said. “If you hadn’t told me to leave the blade in my room, nobody would have stolen it! Better yet, is the Gojo clan’s security so lacking that a thief could sneak into my bedroom?! Maybe I should step up and become the clan head already!” 

“Mind your words, boy!” Osamu chided the angry kid.

Satoru only glared at the old man, unfazed.

The clan head sighed and closed his eyes. Although he could not understand the boy’s attachment to that plain blade, he could not deny that this incident was a slap to the Gojo clan’s face. Infiltrating their estate and then stealing from the heir. How could they let such a thing slide? The problem was they could not find any trace of the culprit, and the item that was stolen was only a cursed tool with no rank. If the Gojo clan made a fuss over such a slight loss, that was also unacceptable. 

In the end, the elders were able to appease the angry Satoru slightly by promising to try their best to track the thief and find the tanto. In return, the boy would not bother the guests, and they wouldn’t force the kid to leave the weapon again. 

Days passed without results, and Satoru’s mood became even worse. If the kid was a brat before, he had become an utter terror to everyone. He still attended his lessons, but he threw himself into the spar with a fervor unseen before. It was as if he wanted to tear someone apart, but he couldn’t, so he could only mercilessly slam his opponent around. The servants could only shakily watch as the eight-year-old kid completely humiliated a Grade One sorcerer. His teachers also couldn’t say anything since the boy wasn’t truly hurting anyone, and his control over his techniques was still near perfect. 

Whenever Satoru encountered an elder passing through, the boy would never fail to send death glares at the old man. He never uttered a word, yet his mere gaze promised death. Osamu even tried to send the boy’s blood parents to coax the kid, but the child merely gave them a cold glance before leaving. It was a pointless move. Although the couple was his birth parents, he did not hold any special feelings toward them. In his eyes, they were just members of the Gojo clan. 

Not knowing when the heir’s patience would run out, the Gojo clan used their full power to find any clue of the blade’s location. After another day passed, a window from the Gojo clan was able to find out info from a curse user. According to the woman, she had received a request to discover the origin of a short tanto. It was a rather strange blade since it looked more like a regular human’s weapon than a cursed tool. She had thought it was just a prank to waste her time, but then she heard of the Gojo clan searching for it. The woman decided that spilling the info to the Gojo clan was a better deal since she would get extra money from them. 

“The person you hired is shit,” Toji said when he heard the curse user had blabbed to the Gojo clan. The man had opted to leave the Zen’in estate for a while and was now in the Shiga region, east of Kyoto. 

Shiu Kong could only sigh. “I suppose it’s my fault for picking her. I’ll return half of your money.”

“Only half?” Toji asked.

“Hey, I still did the work even though it fell apart afterward,” Shiu Kong said. “What’s so special about this weapon anyway?”

“Curious?” Toji grinned. “I stole it from the Gojo clan heir.”

Beep!

Shiu Kong ended the call.

Toji clicked his tongue.

“Didn’t I tell you to return me to Satoru?” Ryou asked. The blade was mainly silent, but after their meeting, he would sometimes pipe up to say things to Toji. Most of them were requests to return him to the brat.

“And didn’t I say that I won’t?” Toji said. “What kind of person would I be if I just fold under pressure like that?”

‘It would make you not a thief,’ Ryou thought. “What are you going to do then?”

Toji hummed as he stared at Lake Biwa in front of him. He knew that it wouldn’t take long before his name got out, but Toji didn’t care that much. The Zen’in clan didn’t care about him, and he wasn’t afraid of the Gojo clan. Let them throw sorcerers at him. He would simply kill them all. “Maybe I should sell you to someone else? No doubt there will be a crazy person who wants to get their hands on you.”

“That is not a wise decision,” Ryou said. “Besides, I could simply remain silent and they would only see a plain blade.”

“If I can’t find anyone who will buy you, I’ll just chuck you into the ocean,” Toji said. “Let’s see if the Six Eyes can see things under the sea.”

“... Are you really that petty?” Ryou asked, exasperated. 

Toji shrugged. “I need to make my money back and since I must keep a low profile in the Jujutsu world after this, I’m really lacking in funds right now.” 

After saying that, the man decided to go into an Off-Track Betting Facility. He was in quite a bad mood right now, and betting had always improved it a bit. Luckily, there were some boat races today, and Toji quickly went to make his bets. 

“Are you… gambling?” Ryou asked as Toji purchased his betting tickets. 

“What else?” Toji murmured as he took a seat to mark down his bets. He was pretty familiar with the boat riders, and he knew which ones he wanted to pick.

“You need money, correct?” Ryou said. “I can help you gain some back if you allow me to help you make your guess.”

“... What?” Toji blurted out, earning some glances from nearby patrons. However, after seeing Toji’s appearance, they quickly turned away, afraid of drawing the man’s anger.

“I believe I have a knack for winning any gambles that I enter,”  Ryou explained.

“Are you sure this isn’t just some desperate act to prevent you from getting sold off?”

“... You can chuck me into the sea if I fail to win.”

Toji grinned. “Okay, sure. This is your own decision okay? No takebacks.”

Although Toji claimed he was short of funds, the man actually still had some savings, and he wouldn’t have to worry about food for a month or so. Ryou’s offer also intrigued the man, and he was never someone who liked to hold back from making a gamble. Ryou did not seem to understand the mechanics and rules of boat racing at all, and he only guessed blindly. Toji was a bit doubtful of the man’s choices, but he still ended up marking down his picks. 

After inserting the betting card into the vending machine, Toji decided to sit down and watch the race. Many other watchers also came to the boat racing stadium, but they kept their distance from Toji. When the racers prepared themselves on the start line, Toji leaned his body as he paid close attention. The boats performed three laps, and Toji’s eyes widened when they reached the last one. 

Since he wanted to test Ryou’s luck, he actually told him to bet on all betting types. Ryou’s pick was rather questionable since the racer wasn’t that outstanding compared to the favorite. However, the man insisted on choosing that boat. In the end, as all the boats raced to the finish line, Toji could only stare at the result and then down at the ticket in his hand. Ryou’s guesses were correct. 

What?

“It seems you won’t have a chance to chuck me into the sea, after all,” Ryou said.

Toji just kept staring ahead. 

“Are you okay?” Ryou asked.

After several seconds of silence, Toji eventually smiled brightly at the sword that he was hiding in his jacket pocket. “How about we make another guess for the next round?”

Ryou had never seen a man look so happy before. He felt as if he could see flowers blooming around Toji’s face. “... Just for today.”

The two spent the rest of their day gambling. True to Ryou’s words. He had great luck in gambling. His guesses weren’t always correct, but he averaged an eighty percent accuracy. Near the end of the boat racing event, Toji was cackling in his seat. The other boat watchers kept their distance from the seemingly insane man. 

“Maybe we should try horse racing next,” Toji said happily as he exited the venue. 

“Haven’t you already made enough?” Ryou asked.

“Of course not! You can never have enough money!” Toji said as he patted his significantly thicker wallet. He had never made so much from gambling before. He even had to slap himself one time to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“... I think you just like gambling.”

“So what?”

“It’s not a good habit.” Ryou sighed. “At least Satoru only likes to eat sweets and not spend his money on something so wasteful.”

“Hey, it’s not wasteful with you around!” Toji exclaimed. “I’ve decided to keep you!”

“... Satoru won’t agree to that.”

Toji scoffed. “Well, that brat can go cry about it.”

“...” Ryou doubted that Satoru would just cry. He felt like the boy’s retaliation would include a lot of destruction.

After obtaining so much money, Toji treated himself by renting a great room near Lake Biwa. He placed Ryou’s blade near the window so he could see the view better. Lake Biwa was the largest freshwater lake in Japan. Sometimes, you could even think it was the sea instead of a lake. He had never stayed in such a nice room before, so Toji fully intended to enjoy his time here. 

The two did not speak for a long time before Ryou said, “You’re a member of the Zen’in clan, right? Are you not worried about their reaction should they hear of this incident?”

Toji scoffed as he ate the takoyaki he bought from outside. “Nah, those guys won’t care about me. In their eyes, I’m just the trash of the clan. They’ll be delighted to have a reason to kick me out.”

Ryou was aware of Toji’s reputation within the Zen’in clan. After staying with the man for this past week, he had seen how the other members treated him. Coldness and disdain barely described the depths of their feelings toward Toji. They deemed the man to be less than dirt, which was something that Ryou couldn’t understand. Their despise seemed to stem from the man’s lack of cursed energy and technique. While techniques were important in the Jujutsu world, Toji wasn’t someone who required such a thing. His Heavenly Restriction made him powerful enough to challenge even special grades. During the short time that Ryou and Toji had exchanged blows, the man was able to gauge the other’s capabilities. Toji wasn’t someone many people could afford to look down upon, yet his clan continued to despise him.

“They do not like you,” Ryou said.

“More like they hate me,” Toji replied. “They probably wish I died in my mother’s womb or something. Too bad I tend to be very hard to kill.”

Toji’s words seemed to stir something in Ryou. Something connected to his past. Yet he could not put into words what it was exactly. “... I suppose it’s a good thing that you left. Why did you not leave that clan sooner?”

Toji did not respond immediately. He wasn’t sure either. Despite all the harsh words and dark looks thrown his way, the man always returned to that forsaken place. As someone with no cursed technique, he was forced to join the Kukuru Unit, where he learned the majority of his martial arts. There were other clan members with little cursed energies or weak techniques. Many were either dumped to the Kukuru Unit or the Akashi. All of them were a miserable lot, yet more hate was thrown his way because Toji was someone who dared to become so strong despite his lack of an innate technique. His existence challenged the long-held belief that cursed energy and techniques were important to Jujutsu society. He was different. Yet despite the harsh attitudes, he still returned to that place. Perhaps a part of him continued to wish he would be accepted. How pathetic. Only recently did Toji decide to leave, but it was mostly because he refused to consider allowing Naobito to get Ryou’s tanto.

“Where else would I go?” Toji said.

“Anywhere,” Ryou said. “The world is big. Perhaps it’s time for you to spread your wings.”

“Heh.” Toji chuckled. “You do know that I’m going to drag you with me, right?”

“... Perhaps you should tell that to Satoru instead,” Ryou said.

BANG!

The door to Toji’s hotel room was slammed open to reveal a furious white-haired boy. Satoru’s Six Eyes shone brightly as his cursed energy crackled. “You thief! I’ll eviscerate you!”

“Should a kid as young as you talk like that?” Toji asked, not even bothering to get up from his seat. “What would your mother think?”

“Shut up!” 

“Satoru, no-!” Ryou shouted. 

Unfortunately, the two ignored him, and Satoru blasted Blue at Toji. The man dodged the attack by jumping out of the window and taking the tanto with him. He easily used the railings as footing to slow his fall as he descended from the tenth floor. Satoru also flew out using Infinity and chased after the man towards the edge of the lake. A Gojo clan member had dropped a veil above their head, which should keep the civilians away from the fight.

Despite his small size, Satoru was able to keep up with Toji and began to throw physical attacks at the man. If the boy were fighting any other enemy, he would be able to defeat them. Unfortunately, his opponent was Toji, who had an advanced Heavenly Restriction. The man was not taking the fight seriously, and he did not use his full speed against the boy.

Enraged at being underestimated, Satoru sent another blast of Blue that sent Toji flying into the tree. Although the tree broke down under the impact, the man easily got up again and jumped to another tree. The boy could only keep his eyes wide open as he tried to keep track of the man. Toji did not have a cursed energy signature, so he was almost invisible to Satoru, even with his Six Eyes. The only thing that made him able to track the man was Ryou’s tanto, which he still held in his hand. 

Although they were not in a forest, there were still quite many trees planted in this area. Tired of trying to track the man through the forest, Satoru unleashed a maximum output Blue and destroyed the plants nearby. With the obstacles removed, the child tried to locate the man again, but suddenly, another signature lunged toward him. A Grade One cursed spirit had been drawn out due to the veil and had deemed Satoru its snack. While regular sorcerers might get shocked at the sudden assault, Satoru was only annoyed and destroyed it with a concentrated Blue. Just as the kid exorcised the curse, Toji suddenly appeared behind him and attacked. 

Satoru barely had time to look back and see Toji aiming Ryou’s tanto at him. However, Infinity stopped the weapon from getting close. A bead of sweat rolled down the boy’s cheek as Satoru said, “What? Do you truly think that you can use that weapon to tear my Infinity?”

Toji raised an eyebrow. “You seemed quite panicked when I aimed this weapon at you. Is that Ryou’s technique then? So he can tear apart your Infinity?”

“How do you know him?!” Satoru did not expect Ryou to actually talk to this guy. 

Toji smirked. “You think he only talks to you? Too bad, I think he likes me more. We’ve become friends, you see.”

“You liar!” Satoru gritted his teeth as he prepared to blast the man away again.

“Enough,” Ryou cut in.

The two stopped.

“It’s obvious that you two are at a stalemate,” Ryou continued. “Satoru, you have no chance of winning against Toji with your current abilities.” 

The boy flinched at the man’s words. 

“Toji, you won’t be able to truly hurt Satoru unless you plan to kill him. So this fight is pointless for you.” 

Toji clicked his tongue but eased his posture. 

Although the two paused their battle, they still continued to glare at each other. It was clear that they both wanted nothing more than to pummel the other’s face into the ground.

 Ryou sighed. “... You two are hopeless.”

“But Ryou! I came here to save you!” Satoru protested.

“You wouldn’t need to save him if the guards in your estate actually did their job,” Toji mocked. 

Satoru growled. “Don’t worry, I’ll ensure they’ll be ready the next time a thief like you comes in.”

Toji smirked. “I doubt that.” 

Blue and black eyes clashed. 

“That’s enough,” Ryou cut in again. “Toji, can you just give me to Satoru if he promises to leave you alone?”

“No way! I need you to help me with the betting, remember?” Toji said.

“What?! Have you been dragging Ryou into gambling?!” Satoru exclaimed in anger. “How dare you!”

“Shut up, brat. This is an adult’s hobby. A kid like you wouldn't understand,” Toji said condescendingly.

“Of course I can! I’m mature enough!”

“Calm down, Satoru,” Ryou said to the incensed boy. “And don’t you dare pick up gambling too. You have enough bad habits already.”

Satoru pouted. “Why do you keep siding with him? Do you like him better than me?”

“What if he does?” Toji taunted.

The two glared at each other again. The air around them crackled as the threat of another fight commencing became stronger.

“... Toji, stop bullying a kid,” Ryou said tiredly. “And Satoru, stop getting so easily baited.”

Toji huffed while Satoru crossed his hands. 

“Alright, I think I have a solution,” the man said. “Since the two of you won’t back down, you will need to make an agreement. How about we just agree that I will stay with Satoru for a month and then Toji can take me along the following month?”

“What?!” Satoru exclaimed in horror. “That’s not acceptable! I found you first!”

“Why does that even matter?” Toji asked. “I’m sure staying with a brat like you all day is boring to Ryou. Unlike you who’s stuck in Kyoto, at least I can travel around Japan and help him find out about his origin.”

“You told him about that too?!” Satoru asked Ryou.

“... I didn’t see anything wrong with it.” 

The white-haired boy sent a deeply betrayed look at the tanto. He had thought they were in this together, but it was obvious that the man did not despise the time with Toji that much.

“... Don’t look at me like that,” Ryou said. “We’ll still travel when you’re older. I’m sure your Six Eyes will notice things that Toji misses.”

Satoru only pouted at the man’s attempt to coax him.

“Look at you, acting all bratty,” Toji mocked.

“Toji shut up,” Ryou said.

Toji huffed again but finally stopped goading the boy.

“Fine, if that’s what you want,” Satoru muttered. He still did not like this new arrangement, but he also did not want to prevent Ryou from having a chance to restore his memories. Since Satoru was still just a child, he could not leave Kyoto without permission. Toji had no such restriction, and Satoru could not find a good enough argument against it. “But we better make a Binding Vow!”

Toji rolled his eyes. “Sure whatever.”

As the two shook hands to make their agreement official, the sound of chains echoed within their souls. Ryou felt like making a Binding Vow over this matter was a bit much, but the two did not trust each other. Anyway, even if they had to break it later when Ryou had regained his memories in full, as long as the two parties agreed, it should not be a problem. 

Satoru finally grabbed Ryou’s tanto back, and he shot one last glare at Toji. Ryou would stay with the boy for a month before Toji could bring him around. The man waved cheerily as the kid walked away while still shooting dark looks over his shoulder. Satoru had ordered the other Gojo clan members to keep their distance so they did not hear their conversation. They did see the heir talk with the thief, and it seemed they had parted somewhat amicably. The Gojo clan members exchanged glances with each other, but they did not dare to ask what had happened due to Satoru’s dark expression. The boy entered the passenger seat and held the blade close to his chest.

“Should we return to the estate immediately, Satoru-sama?” the driver asked.

“Yes,” Satoru replied. He had planned to punish the thief who had dared to steal Ryou from him. However, not only did he fail to beat that man despite Satoru’s talents and powers, but he also had to allow that suspicious guy to take Ryou away from him regularly. The only thing in his mind was that if he had been stronger, this wouldn’t have happened.

Seeing the ever-present pout on the boy’s face, Ryou knew that it would take a long time to coax the kid. He wanted to argue that Toji wasn’t that bad, but the two seemed insistent on being hostile toward each other. The man could only hope this did not become even more chaotic.

Omake:

Ryou: … Why do I feel like a single parent?

Chapter Text

After retrieving Ryou from Toji, Satoru was inconsolable. The kid tried to keep his feelings a secret, but his constant pouting betrayed his mood. It wasn’t intentional, but whenever the boy’s mind wandered, Toji’s annoying face would appear in his head, putting him squarely back in a bad mood. The Gojo clan members could not understand why the heir was still upset despite recovering his beloved sword. He was still ruthless during training and even specifically requested to focus more on martial arts. The instructor, who had to face the heir, shuddered when he remembered the kid’s bloodthirsty expression as the kid attempted to bash the man’s face into the ground. 

Unlike what the clan members loved to believe, Satoru did not like to act like a brat. He prided himself on being mature for his age. He had always looked down on other kids who threw a temper tantrum over the slightest issues. However, this wasn’t just an insignificant outburst over not getting to eat his favorite sweet. No. He had lost to Toji, and his failure resulted in him having to share Ryou. He could not accept that.

Satoru had heard of Toji. Everyone called him the trash of the Zen’in clan. While Satoru had not paid much attention to the man before, he knew the outcast had powerful physical prowess based on the rumors around him. Initially, he had not thought that it was anything special. Some people were blessed with super strength thanks to Heavenly Restrictions, and regular sorcerers were expected to enhance their bodies using cursed energy. Yet what he saw that day was not merely enhanced strength. Toji was fast, too fast. Even with the power of his Six Eyes, he could barely track the guy. If that man had not been holding Ryou’s tanto, it would have been impossible for the boy to locate him.

Although Satoru knew he was still young and would grow stronger, the gap between them still infuriated him. He was supposed to be a genius and become the strongest sorcerer in the modern era, yet he was soundly defeated.

“Satoru, you have no chance of winning against Toji with your current abilities.” Ryou’s words echoed again in his mind.

It was a harsh but fair assessment. Satoru wasn’t sure how Toji could get past his Infinity, but the man might have a trick up his sleeve since Ryou said that. Had he been too complacent due to his cursed technique? He would not deny that his Infinity preventing most attacks from reaching him had made him fearless in any fight he had entered. However, after meeting Ryou and then Toji, the boy was harshly slapped into realization. 

Ryou sighed as he watched the boy continue training despite his instructor telling him they were done. The boy had placed the tanto on a nearby bench as he trained outside. Although Satoru did not keep Ryou at arm's length these days, the kid’s mood was constantly low after meeting Toji. The boy was quite prideful of his strength and talents, and for good reason, but it was easy to see that he did not take defeat well. Calling him a sore loser would not be false, but Ryou doubted the kid would appreciate it. 

Ryou decided to wait until night arrived. After establishing a firm bond, it was easy for the man to pull the kid into his innate domain. The boy did not look surprised when he woke up and saw the familiar Ginkgo tree. 

“I thought you didn’t want to train me today,” Satoru said as he watched the man get up from his favorite spot at the tree's base. 

“No, I think you’ve trained hard enough today,” Ryou said.

“Are you not the one who said that a sorcerer should always maintain their skills,” the boy pointed out.

“True, but that is not the same as venting out your negative feelings during training,” Ryou replied. “You’ve been distracted.”

Satoru’s shoulders tensed as he thinned his lips.

Seeing the boy pouting again, the man rubbed the bridge of his nose. “How about a change of scenery?”

The man clapped his hands, and a ring echoed within the innate domain. A moment later, the sounds of waves resounded as a beach suddenly appeared to their right. Satoru’s eyes widened at the change in scenery. The grass field and the Ginkgo tree did not disappear, but the endless green horizon was replaced by a blue ocean.

“I can’t maintain this for a long time,” Ryou explained as he walked toward the beach. “An innate domain reflects its master’s psyche and while I can manipulate what appears within this realm it takes a lot of concentration.”

“You don’t need to do this,” Satoru said as he sat beside the man. The white sand underneath them was warm while the cool wind gently blew from the sea. 

“Maybe I just want to see something different today,” Ryou said. “Though I’m quite surprised that I’m able to pull this off. Have I seen the sea before or am I just basing this off Lake Biwa?”

Satoru’s face soured when he was reminded of Toji. Despite only interacting with him briefly, that guy had proven himself to be the bane of Satoru’s existence. He had a feeling that man would continue to annoy him.

Seeing the kid’s dark expression, Ryou smiled exasperatedly. This boy. “So are you going to stay silent or will you speak up about what’s bothering you?”

Satoru pursed his lips and shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s clearly something since you continue to make that sour face,” Ryou pointed out. “Are you still angry that you couldn’t beat Toji?”

Satoru huffed. “If I were older I could’ve defeated him.”

“Perhaps, but you weren’t older, and even if you were, I don’t think you can defeat Toji that easily.”

The boy puffed out his cheeks. “Why are you defending him again?! Do you like him so much?!”

Ryou shook his head. “No, but battles aren’t all about power. Strength does matter but other factors will affect the result. Say that Toji had to face you when you were older and had mastery over Infinity. His best method would be to use stealth and ambush to quickly take you down. With his Heavenly Restriction, as long as he used a cursed weapon that could get past your Infinity, you would be soundly defeated.”

“Do you want him to beat me that much?” Satoru grumbled as he crossed his arms. 

“No, but what I want you to understand is that losing isn’t a moral fault,” the man explained. “You faced an opponent who was much older and more experienced than you. It’s understandable that you lost. Even when you are older and stronger, accepting defeats is something you have to learn.”

“But I’m supposed to be strong,” Satoru muttered, the strongest even. That was why his birth had shaken the Jujutsu society so much. The bearer of the Six Eyes was fated to have a grand destiny. The Limitless was believed to be the strongest cursed technique ever to exist, and many had tried to obtain it, only to end in failure. Only those chosen by fate were born with these powerful eyes, yet somehow, Satoru had tasted failures so early.

Ryou observed the boy’s face for several seconds before saying, “Satoru, why do you study Jujutsu and become a sorcerer?”

The kid blinked at the question. 

When the boy didn’t answer, Ryou continued, “Do you even want to learn sorcery? You know that you don’t have to become a sorcerer just because you’re born with those eyes, right?”

“Of course I do!” Satoru said. Why else would he be born with these eyes, then?

Ryou smiled. “For a boy who likes to ignore adults’ words, you are strangely obedient in some aspects. Since you are still young, I don’t think you can do much against your elders at this point, but when you’re an adult, you have a choice to walk away from Jujutsu society.”

Satoru could only stare at the man. Although he could understand the words the other was saying, he could not fully comprehend them. All his life, he had been told he would be a powerful sorcerer leading the Gojo clan into another golden age. He was the first Six Eyes bearer to be born in centuries. It was his fate. Yet now Ryou was saying the exact opposite.

“I’m not telling you to quit,” Ryou said, “but the life of a sorcerer is not an easy path to follow. It’s filled with hardships and tragedy. Only those with conviction will be able to walk this road.” 

“What does this have to do with me being unhappy about Toji defeating me?” Satoru asked.

“Well, are you angry because it’s Toji who beat you or because you were defeated in the first place?”

Satoru scowled. “Both.”

Ryou laughed. “Okay, let’s focus on the second reason. Why are you so angry that you got beaten?”

“Because I’m supposed to be strong.”

“But there will always be someone stronger than you,” Ryou pointed out.

“Then, I’ll just be the strongest,” Satoru said.

The man nodded. “With your technique and talents, that is certainly a possibility for you. Is that your reason for becoming a sorcerer then? Because you want to be the strongest?” 

“Is that wrong?” the boy asked, tilting his head. Countless people praised him for his strength. He knew he was strong and would become even stronger. Was it wrong for him to want to see how far he would go?

“No, but I think that using that as your main drive will only take you so far,” Ryou said. “After all, once you’re on the top, there’s nothing left for you to do.”

“Why did you become a sorcerer, then?” Satoru asked.

Ryou gazed at the horizon in silence before answering, “Hmm… I can’t remember the exact reason but… I believe there are things that I want to protect.”

Satoru blinked. Protect, huh? Since Ryou’s tanto should’ve existed since the Heian era, shouldn’t that mean the things he cared about were already erased by the currents of time? Would he be sad when he remembered everything he had lost? 

“Anyway, this conversation isn’t about me,” the man continued. “If you still want to continue to be a sorcerer, I would prefer if you have another motivation to keep you going, but for now, getting stronger for the sake of it is fine. One of the most important things about becoming stronger is to learn from failures. You’ve been very lucky to be born with a powerful innate technique that makes you nigh invincible. Facing opponents who can truly challenge you to your limits will be rare, so you should treasure it. In short, don’t be a sore loser.” 

Ryou ended that lecture with a pat on the boy’s head.

Satoru puffed out his cheeks. “I’m not a sore loser!”

“Uh huh, says the boy who keeps pouting every single day,” the man said.

“I did not pout!” the boy protested as he stood up to glare Ryou straight in the eyes.

“Of course, you didn’t. Perhaps it’s my eyes that have gotten too old and blurry,” Ryou said, raising his hands in surrender. Satoru only glared harder at the man’s response. Ryou coughed before continuing, “Let’s move on to the other reason then. Why do you dislike Toji so much?”

“Do I even need to explain?” Satoru asked with a loud voice. “He stole you from my room. Then, he dragged you into gambling dens and forced me into making a Binding Vow with him.” Ryou wanted to argue that it was Satoru who suggested the idea, but he stayed silent as the boy continued to rant. “Now, he wants to continue to use you as if you’re a lucky charm so he can win more money off gambling. He’s simply a bad influence and an even worse person!” 

“Really? I think the two of you are quite alike,” Ryou replied.

“Absolutely not!” the boy exclaimed in horror. How could they be similar at all?! They were like night and day!

The man began to raise his fingers as he listed his arguments. “Well, first, you are both equally stubborn and selfish. Second, both of you can’t stand each other. Third, the two of you act as if you were my master. Fourth, you are both lonely.”

“I am not!” Satoru said. “What makes you think that?”

“Why else would you stick to me like a leech? I doubt it’s because of my charm,” Ryou said. “Not to mention, you don’t have any friends.”

“I don’t need friends,” the boy hissed. The other kids his age were all stupid and childish. They were so focused on meaningless things like toys that they could barely hold an engaging conversation. Many of them would also run to their parents over the smallest issues. Crybabies! Why would he want to hang around them?

Why did Ryou get another feeling of deja vu? The man sighed. “You’re just proving my point.”

Satoru huffed and crossed his arms again.

“So, since you don’t need any friends, then you wouldn’t mind me sticking around Toji longer then?” the man asked.

“Of course not! That’s not the deal!” the boy exclaimed in anger. “I also found you first so I should have higher priority.”

“Did I not tell you to stop acting as if I’m your property?” Ryou asked tiredly. 

Satoru only crossed his arms and scrunched his nose.

Oh dear. The kid was upset again. Ryou quickly patted the boy’s head. “Okay, okay, I’ll make sure that Toji returns me on time.”

“He better,” Satoru hissed.

Instead of sitting back next to the man, the boy dropped himself on Ryou’s lap. The man blinked in surprise, but his body quickly reacted to adjust the kid’s position so he would be sitting more comfortably. Huh… Ryou wondered if he had to take care of another child in the past. 

Satoru did not mind being manhandled and rested his head on Ryou’s shoulder. “You make quite a comfortable seat.”

“Should I say thanks for the compliment?” Ryou asked drily but did not push the boy off him. 

“Of course, you should be honored, I’m the great Gojo Satoru!” the boy exclaimed. “Anyway, you better not forget me while you’re hanging around that no good old man. If he ever bullies you, you should tell me!”

‘I don’t think that would be necessary,’ Ryou thought but did not say a word.

“Maybe I should send a servant to monitor him while he’s holding you. Who knows what kind of mess he’ll get into?” Satoru yawned. “That’s a good idea. I need to do that first thing in the morning. Hmmm…”

Satoru finally drifted off to sleep. Ryou adjusted the kid’s position further so he would be more comfortable. Once the man was sure the boy was fully asleep, he said, “Good night.”

Since Toji wanted to avoid getting seen by Gojo clan members, Satoru had to sneak out of the estate and meet him in the city. While the kid usually enjoyed going behind the elders’ backs, he did not like the reason behind his trip that day. Toji asked him to meet him near a takoyaki stand, and the man was eating a snack when Satoru arrived.

“I won’t offer you any,” Toji said as a greeting when the boy approached him.

“I don’t want it anyway,” Satoru said with distaste, quickly shoving the tanto to the man. “Make sure you’re not late or you know what will happen.”

“I know how Binding Vows work, kid,” Toji replied, rolling his eyes.

Satoru did not stay long and left the area soon after. Ryou kept an eye on the kid while Toji continued to eat his snack leisurely. After the man was done eating, he dragged Ryou into another gambling session. 

When Ryou protested, Toji said, “We need funds if we want to travel.”

“Where did the money you gained from the previous gambling session?” Ryou asked.

“I lost it all,” Toji said with a shrug. “Sadly, I’m not as lucky as you.”

“... You really need to fix this bad habit,” Ryou replied.

Despite Ryou’s reluctance, the man still helped Toji earn more money. He stopped Toji before they could spend all day gambling and refused to say the likely winners during the next round. Toji scowled but finally left the off-track betting facility.

Since Ryou had no memory, there was no exact destination they could go to. However, Toji left Kyoto and headed northeast toward the capital city. Instead of riding the shinkansen, Toji picked slower means of transport so they could take their time exploring. This was the first time Toji had traveled with someone. Back in the Zen’in clan, the man had always been isolated since nobody wanted to hang around the family's trash. Perhaps many hoped he would die during his missions, but the battles he experienced only made him stronger. 

Toji would’ve already left Kyoto if he hadn’t been waiting to get Ryou from the Gojo brat. The sorcerer wasn’t a bad company. Nor was he a chatterbox, so their journey on the bus was mostly silent. Ryou seemed more interested in observing the new scenery. Although rare, this wasn’t the first time Toji traveled outside Kyoto. They ended up stopping for a short while in Nagoya prefecture.

Shiu Kong had given him a contract he could fulfill in this city. Nothing too fancy. A curse user had attacked a random rich guy's daughter. Although the young woman survived, she had sustained a grievous wound that sent her to the hospital. The father wasn’t a sorcerer, but his family had several sorcerers. The man did not have a talent for sorcery despite his ability to see curses, and he had no interest in joining the Jujutsu society. Instead, he made big bucks by starting a company. Things went fine until his daughter unfortunately got entangled with a curse user. Apparently, the guy was head over heels for the young woman. Toji didn’t care much for it. The bottom line was that the father wanted him to kill the curse user.

Technically, the father could follow an official procedure to report the crime. The problem was that the process tended to be slow since the headquarters was always short of people. Since the father wanted the culprit to be punished immediately, he hired someone else. That’s where Toji came in. His instructions were simple. He had to rough up the curse user, Fujita Tetsuhito, and teach him a lesson, but if he killed the curse user, that was fine, too. 

Tracking his target was the most tricky part. The curse user wasn’t a total idiot, so he had been keeping a low profile after he attacked the young girl for rejecting him. Toji didn’t get the whole romance thing. He was more interested in money and food. In his opinion, women were just problems that were best kept at a distance. 

Fujita had tried his best to hide his tracks, but nothing in this world could disappear without a trace. Curse users were also not the type of people who were overly loyal to each other. Toji just had to beat the shit out of the other curse users who were known to hang around Fujita to make them speak. Toji’s investigation led him to rundown apartment areas where the curse user hid. Small curses scurried in the shadows, but the man did not pay them attention and went to the fourth floor.

Allegedly, Fujita had been renting one of the rooms in this apartment building. The stench of smoke and trash filled the air as Toji carefully made his way up. Being a curse user wasn’t an easy thing. Unless you were talented, you would have trouble making money. Competition was high, and unlike sorcerers with its regulations, no law would protect you. If you made too much noise, the headquarters would turn its attention on you and throw you into jail in the best-case scenario or kill you in the worst case. 

Toji stopped in front of Fujita’s apartment door and tried to listen. He ignored the noises of city life and attempted to find out whether his target was inside the room. It took several seconds, but the man could hear the resident's low footsteps as he moved around the room. Now, the question was whether the person inside was indeed Fujita.

“I think it’s him,” Ryou said. “I can feel his cursed energy. He should be at least a curse user.”

Toji nodded in acknowledgment. While his Heavenly Restriction increased his regular senses while still allowing him to see cursed energy, he was not very good at sensing it. Regular sorcerers could feel strong cursed energy signatures near them, while freaks like Gojo Satoru could sense even farther away.

Without hesitation, Toji slammed the door open and lunged at his target. The curse user didn’t even have a chance to scream before the man slammed his body into the wall. 

“Fujita, right?” Toji grinned down at the wiry-looking man. The other’s face went pale, and he tried to escape, but Toji was too strong. “Did you think the father of the young woman you attacked wouldn’t retaliate? Really stupid of you.”

Fujita’s response was muffled since Toji’s hand was covering his mouth. Not that Toji was interested in listening to his defense. He was just completing a contract.

“Now, he told me to teach you a good lesson but he also doesn’t mind me killing you,” Toji said. “What do you think I should do?”

Toji never cared much about killing. He had killed a human before. A sorcerer's life wasn’t peaceful, and while they were meant to exorcise curses, it wasn’t rare for them to clash with curse users or even other sorcerers.

“Any input, Ryou?” Toji asked, ignoring Fujita’s confused look. After all, there was only one attacker within this room.

“Why do you ask me?” Ryou asked.

“I just can’t make up my mind right now,” Toji said. “Help a guy out.”

After a moment of silence, Ryou said, “Won’t killing him cause trouble for you?”

“Nah, this guy is a repeat offender,” Toji replied as he tightened his hold over Fujita, who continued his struggle. “His face and name should already be recorded on the headquarters’ shit lists, so when the cops show up and discover his body, they’ll just pretend it’s an unsolved case.”

With the Japanese government in the know, the cops were used to ignore skirmishes between curse users and sorcerers. There was no point in dipping your toes into Jujutsu society's deep and dangerous currents. Those who dared to become curse users were marked as outlaws. 

“I see,” Ryou said. “I still would prefer if you don’t kill him.”

“Okay,” Toji said. He released his hold over Fujita’s mouth and used his other hand to punch the guy in the face. He kept hitting the man until his face became a bloody mess. Letting the body crumple to the ground, Toji picked up a discarded rag and shoved it into the curse user’s mouth. Although the man was already half unconscious due to his wounds, he was jolted back to consciousness when Toji broke all of his arms and legs. 

“Ummphhh!!!! Hhhhhhh!!!!” Fujita screamed into the rag. Tears slid down his cheeks as Toji tossed his broken limbs to the ground. The black-haired man pulled out his phone to photograph the curse user’s sorry state. After showing the proof of his work to his client, he waved cheerily at Fujita before leaving the room.

As Toji descended the stairs of the rundown apartment, the man said, “You’re surprisingly nice for someone who was born in the ancient times.”

“Is that so?” Ryou said. “I simply do not see the point of causing harm when there is no need.”

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those idealistic idiots who refuse to kill,” Toji said with a scoff.

“No, I’ll kill when I deem it necessary,” the sorcerer said, “but you were not in a battle, and he has not tried to kill you.”

Toji clicked his tongue. “You do know that guy isn’t an innocent, right? Attacking that girl just because she rejected him wasn’t the first crime he had commited. He could do more since you asked me to spare his life.”

“Then why humor me?” Ryou asked. “Anyhow, I doubt that person can even live normally after what you did to his limbs.”

“Just doing my job,” Toji said. He couldn’t have his client complain about his work and reduce his pay. 

After completing that contract, Toji continued to stay in Nagoya for several days. They visited various places as they tried to find clues about Ryou’s past and jog his memory. Regrettably, they did not get significant results, but Ryou seemed slightly drawn to Buddhist temples. 

“This explains why you’re too nice,” Toji said as they visited Arako Kannon Temple.

“These temples just feel more familiar than the concrete jungle you’ve dragged me into,” Ryou replied. 

They didn’t get anything more useful than that, though. Ryou did not regain any old memories or sense any other soul shard as they explored the prefecture. After spending a week at Nagoya, the two continued their journey northeast. While many people would be eager to see Tokyo, Toji was not interested in going there. That area had the highest number of sorcerers, and he did not like being near the headquarters. They still spent some days in the capital city since Toji wanted to ensure they didn’t miss anything. Ultimately, their progress remained stagnant, and Toji decided to go to Saitama. He had another contract that he had to complete in this region. 

The client was another rich dude, but instead of hunting a curse user, Toji’s current job was to ensure there were no cursed spirits in a plot of land. The man was planning on constructing new buildings in this area and requested that the headquarters check the location for any dangerous curses. Many months passed, yet there was no news. Since the client was short on time and couldn’t wait any longer, he finally hired a contractor who could handle this matter immediately. Shiu Kong recommended Toji for the job since he was nearby and had a relatively good track record.

Toji would’ve normally ignored such boring jobs, but the pay was pretty good, so he accepted. It was also a good reason to leave Tokyo. Although Toji could track curses independently, he asked Ryou to locate possible targets when they arrived on the site. The sorcerer seemed to be a good sensor. Nothing comparable to the Gojo brat’s Six Eyes, but Toji could confidently say the man was more sensitive to cursed energy than most sorcerers. 

“There are a group of curses here with the strongest being a Grade One but…” Ryou said, “I think there is a regular person inside.” 

Toji clicked his tongue. How annoying. Although it wasn’t within his contract, he knew the client wouldn’t be pleased to have to deal with a murder case on his property. He would try to save the idiot if he encountered them. Toji followed Ryou’s direction and quickly arrived at their target’s location. Since they did not have an assistant to open a curtain, they relied on the nighttime to draw the curses out. Toji’s lack of cursed energy also helped to avoid the situation where the curses hid from him. 

Toji arrived just in time to hear a woman shriek as she attempted to avoid being mauled by the Grade One. The man ordered the Inventory Curse to release his Split Soul Katana, and with several quick slashes, Toji cut the creature into pieces. Once he was sure the monster was dead, he turned to see the shaking woman. She had short, unruly black hair and wore a blue hoodie with dark long pants. Seeing the tiny pup in her hold, Toji could easily guess that the woman had wandered in after attempting to catch the damn mutt. Idiots.

“Are you going to sit there forever?” Toji asked the woman who was staring at him with her mouth agape. “Go away already. This place isn’t safe.”

“I-I…” The woman opened and closed her mouth several times before saying, “T-thank you for saving me! What was that thing anyway?”

“Nothing you should concern yourself with,” Toji said. “Now go. Leave.”

The woman did not look offended at his gesture and only stood up while securely holding the whimpering pup. “Hold on. You can’t just expect me to forget this kind of stuff!”

Toji rolled his eyes. Damn, mundanes.

“I don’t believe it’s wise to let her go alone,” Ryou said. “A group of curses is heading this way.”

After the death of the Grade One curse, the small fries realized that they had a chance to take over the territory. Sensing prey nearby, the curses had finally stopped keeping their distance and had entered a hunting mode. Toji sighed in annoyance. “Change of plan. Stick close to me unless you want to die.”

“Eh?” the woman asked.

Her questions were quickly forgotten as numerous small curses began to run toward them. Some began to fight against each other, but many were focused on reaching the two humans. Toji brandished his katana and gazed at the critters with a bored gaze. He didn’t even widen his stance and simply swung his arms to exorcise all the weak curses.

Most were Grade Three curses, but there were also a handful of Grade Two. Some attempted to target the woman first, but Toji got in their way and cut them all down. Within a minute, the maddened screeches went silent while numerous disintegrating corpses littered the ground before Toji.

The woman could only watch with wide eyes as this unknown man easily tore apart the strange creatures that had attacked them. “Who are you? What were those things?”

“Didn’t I say that it’s none of your business?” Toji said as he placed his katana back into the Inventory Curse. “Follow me. I can’t have you die in this building.”

Although it was unlikely for the woman to get attacked again after Toji exorcised all of those curses, the man did not want to take any chance. Toji ignored the woman’s endless questions and brought her outside.

“There, you should be safe now,” Toji said. “Now go home and leave this place.”

The woman frowned at Toji and replied, “Stop telling me to leave. You haven’t answered any of my questions!”

“And you won’t get any answers,” Toji said. “Go away woman.”

“I have a name! It’s Fushiguro Aki!” the woman replied.

“Did I ask?” Toji snorted.

“You should. It’s the proper thing to do,” Aki said, putting one of her hands on her hip while the other held the dog. “Tell me, are you some sort of a monster hunter or something?”

Toji sighed. “Those creatures were curses. It’s not something you should concern yourself with. Just stop entering abandoned buildings like an idiot, now shoo.” 

“You really have no manners, huh?” Aki said with a raised eyebrow. “But since you’re my savior, I’ll forgive you this once. How about I treat you some food as thanks?”

This was just a trick so the woman could ask him more questions. Toji was about to rudely reject her when his stomach grumbled loudly. 

Aki blinked before smirking. “Sounds like someone is hungry.”

Toji looked at the woman dryly but said, “Fine, since you’re offering, but don’t cry when I empty your wallet because I eat a lot.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t cry,” Aki replied.

Since there were no more curses in the building, Toji sent a message to Shiu Kong. The man would inform the client that he had completed the mission. Toji didn’t lack money right now. He had completed some contracts that paid well, and with Ryou around, he could just gamble to make more if he had to. However, he was certainly not planning on paying for his dinner tonight. The woman had offered to pay after all.

“Toji,” Ryou said disapprovingly as he watched Toji shamelessly order numerous dishes when the two arrived at a small restaurant. 

Toji only shrugged.

Aki had dropped off the dog at her friend’s house on the way, so the restaurant didn’t prevent her entry, but since she still hadn’t changed her dirty clothes, she garnered some looks from other patrons. The woman ignored these glances and only kept her curious eyes on Toji.

“Say what you want and stop staring at me like a creep,” Toji said as he picked up a piece of karaage chicken. 

“Are you going to answer my questions now?” Aki asked.

“Maybe.”

The woman narrowed her eyes and took a sip of her tea. “Those monsters were curses so that makes you…”

“Sorcerers are people who exorcise curses but you can’t consider me one since I don’t have cursed energy,” Toji said.

Aki blinked. “What?” 

Toji stopped eating in favor of leaning close. With a grin, he said, “Wanna know something interesting? There’s actually a secret society that works for the government, and it has existed since ancient times. Their goal is to exorcise curses born from negative human emotions, but the public shouldn’t know about this.”

Hearing such a ludicrous claim, Aki could only stare at the man wide-eyed.

Ryou sighed. “Is this wise? Aren’t you supposed to keep this a secret?”

Toji shrugged and shoved more meat into his mouth. “She’s curious, so why not tell her? It’s not as if anyone can tell me what to do.”

Aki was snapped out of her shock after hearing Toji’s words, but she remained confused since it didn’t seem like the man was talking to her. “What’s that? Did you just spout conspiracy theories at me?”

Toji rolled his eyes. “Believe whatever you want. I’m already done eating anyway. Thanks for the food.”

Without waiting for her reply, the man got up and left the restaurant. Aki looked down to see that the numerous plates of food were empty, and when she looked up again, Toji was already gone from the vicinity.

“You could’ve paid for those orders,” Ryou chided as Toji walked leisurely on the sidewalk. 

“She offered, remember?” Toji said as he used a toothpick to remove gunk from his teeth. 

“That doesn’t excuse you from acting so brazenly,” the other replied.

Toji only shrugged in response. It wasn’t as if they would meet again. That woman was just an idiot who stumbled on a curse, and Toji was nearby to save her. She should consider tonight her lucky day. Paying for his dinner was the least she could do.

They continued to stay in Saitama as they traveled around the prefecture to see whether there was any clue about Ryou’s origin. Despite their best efforts, they could not find anything to uncover this mystery. Toji even tried to meet other contacts from Shiu Kong who might know something about ancient cursed tools, but none could answer him. 

Ryou wasn’t disappointed. He knew this was the most likely outcome. Even so, Toji kept exploring Saitama and other nearby regions. Another week passed when they stumbled on Fushiguro Aki again. It was a moonless night, and Toji was roaming the empty streets when he heard a loud yowl followed by a woman’s shriek.

A part of Toji wanted to turn around and leave, but he knew that Ryou would disapprove, so he could only sigh and head toward the source of the noise. His expression turned sour when he discovered that it was the woman again. It seemed she hadn’t learned from her past mistake and was still wandering at night to rescue wild animals.

A large Grade Two curse had marked her as its target and was now trying to eat her. The creature was holding the woman upside down while she was still holding a screaming cat. Her panicked expression turned bright when she saw Toji. “Ah! The mysterious weirdo!”

“Who are you calling weirdo?” Toji asked and cut down the curse’s arm before slashing it into two. Aki fell hard to the ground and accidentally released the cat, which quickly took its chance to escape.

“Ah! Don’t run away!” the woman exclaimed at the fleeing cat.

“You’re really an idiot,” Toji said. “Why do you keep heading outside at night after what you experienced?”

Aki got up to her feet and placed her hands on her hips. “I’m only free at night so of course I can only head out during this time.”

“Then just go home and stop wandering around,” Toji said. “How unlucky can you be to encounter curses this often? Are you cursed or something?”

“Of course not! I just tend to have bad luck, that’s all!” Aki said. “Hey, since you’ve saved me how about I treat you to another meal!”

“No way,” Toji replied and quickly escaped from the woman. He had no interest in interacting with her further, and he wasn’t hungry, so her offer wasn’t tempting. 

Toji was sure that was the last time he would see her, but apparently, fate liked to throw her right into his path because he just kept meeting her. The woman seemed to have brain damage since she kept ignoring his warnings. During those encounters, Toji had unwillingly learned more about this troublemaker. Fushiguro Aki was working as a vet, and she had a habit of saving various stray animals. That was the reason why she often wandered alone at night. 

After saving her the fourth time, Toji finally couldn’t hold himself back and held her up by her lapels, “Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Ryou, are you sure she’s not cursed?”

“No, I can’t feel any foreign signature on her,” Ryou said. The man was also very concerned about the number of incidents the woman had gotten into during their short stay at Saitama. 

Aki wasn’t bothered by Toji’s rough handling and asked, “Who’re you talking to? Do you have telephatic abilities or something?”

“Don’t be stupid, I’m talking to him,” Toji replied as he held up Ryou’s tanto.

“A sword?” Aki asked while looking at the sheathed blade.

“A talking sword. Not that you can hear him.” 

“Maybe we should give her a talisman,” Ryou suggested.

Toji wanted to reject the idea since he didn’t want to spend money on this woman, but he was tired of having to save her ass so many times. Deep down, he hoped he would never see Aki again, but he knew that wouldn’t be possible. Fate seemed to enjoy throwing them into each other’s path. “Fine, give me your phone number,” Toji said. “I’ll contact you when I find a talisman that should keep curses away from your unlucky ass.”

“Oh? Am I finally going to learn your name, mysterious weirdo?” Aki asked.

“I said stop calling me that!” Toji growled. “My name is Toji.”

“Just Toji?” 

“Yeah.”

The woman was curious about the topic but didn’t pursue it further. She happily gave him her number, and Toji didn’t waste time leaving.

“See you later!” Aki said, waving her hand.

Toji ignored her.

Finding a talisman wasn’t hard, but obtaining one appropriate for a regular person was another matter. Talismans themselves were also cursed objects, so they had to be handled carefully, or they might harm mundane people. Since they wanted Aki to bring this item during her nightly escapade, they had to ensure the talisman seal was secure enough. Unfortunately, the ones that Toji could find did not meet Ryou’s standard. 

Ryou explained, “I think it’s better if we just make a new one ourselves, but since I don’t have hands and you can’t use cursed energy, we’ll need someone else’s help.”

“You mean the Gojo brat,” Toji said with a sour face.

“Satoru is still young, but he’s talented,” Ryou said.

“Can’t we just hire a curse user?” the man asked.

“No. I would prefer if I could make this talisman,” Ryou replied. He had seen how they worked and didn’t have much faith in them. He was also a master at sealing, so he didn’t see the point of delegating this task to a random person.

“Hold on. If I need to return you to that brat, doesn’t that mean I’m stuck baby sitting that woman?” Toji asked.

“Someone has to ensure she doesn’t get into trouble in the meantime,” Ryou said matter of factly.

Toji groaned. “Why do we care so much about her anyway? Can’t we just break her legs or something? That will keep her still, no?”

“Don’t be absurd,” Ryou chided. “Besides, you like her.”

Toji said, “I don’t.”

“You do.”

“I don’t.”

“Denial isn’t a good thing, Toji,” Ryou said. “If you really hated her, you would’ve just left her to die.”

Toji pointed out, “It’s because I know you would disapprove if I did that.”

“Don’t blame this on me. You have done plenty of things that I disapprove of,” Ryou replied. “You also seem to like Saitama so you can continue to stay here if you wish.”

Toji frowned. “Don’t be stupid. Didn’t I promise you that I will help you recover your memories?” 

They might not have much luck for now, but the man was sure they would find something eventually. After all, they had only explored some cities and still hadn't visited many regions in Japan.

“It’s okay, no need to force yourself for my sake,” Ryou said. “I’ve a feeling that it’s not yet time for me to uncover my past. Perhaps we shall need to be more patient.”

Toji huffed. “I’m not doing this just for you, old man. I also wanted to travel around Japan so it’s a win-win situation.”

Ryou chuckled. “If you say so.”

Satoru was over the moon when he finally got Ryou back from Toji. Although the boy was used to being alone, the silence had gotten too grating after a year with the man. Noticing the heir’s dark mood, the servants and other Gojo clan members tried to cheer him up, but the kid only locked himself away and focused on training. Despite knowing Toji couldn’t break the Binding Vow, the boy still waited eagerly at the train station to grab the tanto from the man. Toji only had a chance to roll his eyes before Satoru left the man. 

“Satoru, I’ve something to ask of you,” Ryou said as Satoru happily exited the station.

“What is it? Did Toji bully you? Has he done something horrible? I knew that man was not good news!” Satoru exclaimed, ready to inflict divine judgment upon the devil called Toji.

“No, that’s not it. Listen to me first.”

Ryou then told him about Fushiguro Aki and how they wanted to give her a small talisman to keep curses away from her. Satoru’s eyebrow rose at the strange story, not believing that a rough man like Toji could care about a random woman like that. The boy could never understand why people seemed so interested in romance. Many movies and stories had romantic subplots, and he found that to be the most boring part of the story. 

After living inside the whirlpool of clan politics, Satoru knew that true love didn’t exist. Many men would spout things like devotion and love while cheating behind their wife’s backs with much younger women. In short, Satoru wasn’t impressed at all. Then again, if Toji got romantically entangled with this woman, wouldn’t that mean he would lose interest in Ryou? Satoru’s eyes sparkled. 

“You need help to find a suitable talisman, right?” Satoru asked. “That’s easy. You can depend on me!”

As the heir of the Gojo clan, Satoru had access to many rare artifacts and cursed objects. While he could search for it himself, the boy simply asked his servants to find the appropriate talisman from the warehouse. It only took them an hour before the servants offered the heir his requested item. The boy examined the object for several seconds before nodding his head. The servants sighed in relief at the heir’s approval. After seeing the boy’s constant dark look for a month, everyone walked on eggshells around the heir. This was the first time they saw him in such a great mood in a while.

Satoru didn’t explain why he needed such a thing and locked himself in his bedroom. Since Ryou didn’t have a physical body, the man could only verbally help the boy work on the seals that would suppress the cursed object while still allowing enough power to seep through. It was quite an interesting project since one had to be extra careful with the design. Talismans were generally left at hotspots where many curses often spawned, but this one would be given to a regular human, so they had to be meticulous. Thankfully, it was not impossible with Ryou’s expertise and Satoru’s talent. The two finished the talisman that evening, and Satoru smiled happily at his work.

“Now we just need to give it to Toji,” Ryou said.

“Oh, I have a good idea about that,” Satoru replied with a grin.

“You like her.”

Ryou’s words kept echoing in Toji’s head, and he was tired of hearing them. No. He certainly wasn’t developing feelings for a random woman he just met. That Aki was nothing but trouble. Despite Ryou’s orders to keep a close eye on the woman, Toji kept his distance. Even so, he still stumbled on her again while doing his contract in Saitama. The man wondered whether he should leave the prefecture to escape this strange curse.

“I really should leave you to die already,” Toji said as he cut down another curse that had targeted the idiot woman.

“Hey, Toji! Thanks for saving me again,” Aki replied as she got up.

“I wouldn’t have to save you if you actually use your brain,” Toji shot back. “Can’t you just leave those strays be? Nobody is going to miss them even if they die.”

Aki frowned as she held the mewling kittens to her chest. “Don’t say things like that. Every life is precious, even these pitiful animals.”

Toji rolled his eyes. What a stupid belief. These high-sounding morals were only for kids who didn’t understand the real world. The truth was much crueler. People would kill and hurt each other over the most minor things. If every life were so precious, then Toji wouldn’t have so many contracts where he had to kill people. If every life were equally precious, then each child born into this world would be loved equally regardless of their talents or status. But that wasn’t the case. Only those deemed worthy could stand on top of the pyramid, while those considered trash would be tossed aside. What a joke.

Though Toji had many dark rebuttals against the woman, he kept it to himself. The man merely huffed and walked away. 

Before Toji could leave the vicinity, Aki said, “Hey, why don’t you accompany me back home? You haven’t had dinner right?”

Toji turned to glare at the woman, but the other only smiled back. The man closed his eyes and said, “Fine.”

Aki’s home was small, and the space became even more limited due to the pet carriers and cages. It seemed the woman had saved many animals and was taking care of several strays. 

“They’re only going to stay with me until I’m sure they’re healthy,” Aki explained. “Then, I can send them to foster parents who will take care of them until they can find someone who will adopt them.”

Toji didn’t reply and only looked at the animals. Some looked pretty roughed up, but those that were healthy tried to reach out to the woman. Toji sat on the sofa while Aki set up the kittens' crate before preparing to make dinner. The food was decent, but Toji wasn’t overly picky and would eat anything edible. 

After meeting each other many times, Aki learned quite a bit about sorcerers andJujutsu society. Despite not being born into this secret world, the woman wasn’t afraid and only showed intrigue whenever Toji talked about it. The Zen’in elders would get a heart attack if they knew Toji was spilling these secrets to a random mundane woman, but the man didn’t give a shit about their opinions. It was pretty entertaining to see the shocked look on Aki’s face whenever Toji talked about the weird and wondrous world of sorcery. Strangely enough, the woman never doubted his words, but then again, she was crazy enough to keep heading into the night to save a couple of strays. 

Despite the limited space in Aki’s apartment, the woman had a spare bedroom that Toji could use for the night. The man could technically rent a room since he didn’t lack the funds, but he didn’t see the point in spending his money when he could sleep here for free. When he woke up the next day, Aki was already gone from her apartment, but she had left the spare key for Toji.

“Is she stupid?” Toji muttered to himself as he pocketed the spare key. 

The man wandered the city and spent some time in gambling. Without Ryou’s help, he could only lose all of his bets. Annoyed, the man went to hunt some curses to vent his anger. When he finished eradicating all nearby curses, he discovered he was near Aki’s apartment. The man visited the woman again, and the two shared another dinner.

Somehow, it became a habit. Toji spent his days in the city but always returned to the apartment at night. He told himself it was because she offered free meals and lodging, and Toji was always a cheapskate. Aki didn’t say a word of complaint and always greeted him with a smile. She only asked him to help her handle the big dogs that she had recently rescued. The mutt had almost bit her hand off when she attempted to clean its wounds.

“Why do you even bother?” Toji asked as he securely held down the dog. “It doesn’t want your help.”

“Maybe, but he needs it, right?” Aki replied as she gently cleaned the wound. “He’s just afraid. He’s in so much pain right now that he can only think of pushing everyone away. So I don’t blame him for biting me.”

“Idiot,” Toji said.

Fushiguro Aki was a gentle woman born and raised in a peaceful, mundane world. There weren’t many women from the Jujutsu world with her personality. Although sorcerers were mainly men’s jobs, women were still expected to be able to fight and hold themselves against curses. Kindness wasn’t an important thing in that world. In fact, it was seen as a weakness. To be kind was to be weak. After all, you couldn’t be kind toward your enemies.

Perhaps that was why Toji couldn’t interact with Aki. She was simply too different from him, too kind, too gentle, too fragile. A part of him told him it was better to keep his distance, yet Toji continued returning to that apartment.

Two weeks passed, and Toji had developed a new routine. Since Aki had expected his presence daily, the woman started to ask him to feed and take care of the animals in her home. Since she had to go to work early, Toji had the duty to feed the animals in the afternoon. Once he was done, the man wondered whether he should go to a betting facility, but he wasn’t in the mood that day, so he spent his time watching TV. Aki was quite surprised at seeing him still at her apartment, but she only smiled at him.

The woman quickly went to make dinner, but before they could eat, they heard the sound of a knock outside. Aki carefully placed the plate of food on the table before opening the door. Toji leaned to see the visitor's identity. Although Aki’s body covered most of the entrance, he could still see that iconic white hair.

“Excuse me, ma’am, is Toji here?” the Gojo brat asked politely. Instead of his traditional kimono, the boy wore a simple hoodie, short pants, and sneakers. 

“Oh? Are you Toji’s friend?” Aki cooed as she crouched down so she could see eye-to-eye with the boy.

Toji stood up and stomped toward the entrance. While the man glowered at the unwelcome visitor, Gojo Satoru only smiled angelically. “I suppose you can say that.”

Ryou sighed. “I tried to stop him.”

Omake:

Satoru: Operation “make Toji fall in love so he will leave Ryou alone” begins!

Ryou: Satoru, please…

Toji: I’m going to murder this brat.

Chapter Text

Aki seemed to be fully unaware of the storm that raged between Toji and Satoru. The woman invited the boy into her apartment and offered him dinner. Before the boy could answer, Toji butted in and said, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Toji!” Aki chided. “Don’t say things like that! Especially to a child!”

Instead of retorting with heated words like usual, Satoru widened his eyes, furrowed his brow, and wobbled his lips. His expression made him look like a poor kid who had just been mistreated. Most people would’ve believed the act, but Toji knew the menace. Gojo Satoru was like an oleander. His soft and ethereal appearance would fool and distract others, so they overlooked the danger he hid beneath his angelic smile. 

Unfortunately, Aki didn’t know the true nature of this two-faced brat. The woman quickly comforted the child and said, “Don’t listen to Toji. What’s your name? Wait, how about you come inside first?”

Satoru wiped away the nonexistent tears from his stupidly big blue eyes before shooting another bright grin at the woman. Toji wanted to warn Aki, but it was too late. The woman was utterly charmed by this midget. Toji could only breathe in deeply to control his anger as Aki guided Satoru inside. 

“My name is Gojo Satoru,” the boy said as he walked beside the woman. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“Mine is Fushiguro Aki, but you can just call me Aki,” the woman replied. “Why did you come here so late at night? Did Toji tell you to go to my apartment?”

Toji frowned and shot a glare at the brat. He hadn’t told Aki’s address to anyone, and he had handed over Ryou to Satoru before he found out her home. The kid had to have used his connections to dig up her location. The two continued to chatter away as Toji sat down on his seat with a deep scowl. The boy absolutely fooled Aki with his innocent face, and he was able to spit out numerous lies at the woman.

Satoru claimed that he was Toji's distant cousin and that he had been visiting Saitama for a short time. Now that the boy brought it up, the man wondered how the hell the kid was able to get here. The Gojo clan was extremely protective of the Six Eyes bearer. Did the damn kid actually sneak away and come to this distant prefecture by himself? 

When Aki decided to go to the kitchen and prepare the rest of the dishes, Toji and Satoru quickly threw middle fingers at each other. The man growled lowly, “What the fuck are you planning?”

“You should be careful of how you act around me,” Satoru said with a smug smirk, “I heard women like men who are good with children.”

“What the hell does that have to do with anything?” Toji asked.

“Oh, I heard that you’re trying to charm your way into a woman’s grace,” the boy replied. “I figure you may need my help.”

“Toji, please just humor him a bit,” Ryou said. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t get too out of control.”

Toji wanted nothing more than to kick the brat out of the apartment, but before he could throw threats at Satoru, Aki had already returned from the kitchen. The woman wasn’t a bad cook, but she certainly was nowhere near the chefs hired by the Gojo clan. Toji glared at the kid when he ate a spoonful of curry. He expected the boy to complain about the taste, but Satoru only smiled and complimented Aki on her cooking. Seeing the two happily interacting with each other, Toji forced himself to focus on eating. 

When everyone was done eating, Satoru pulled an item from his pocket and placed it on the table. It was a talisman. “Oh, I almost forgot. Toji asked me to give this to you.”

“This is…” Aki said as she picked up the necklace. 

Since the talisman had the shape of a small round ball, Satoru had the idea to place it inside a spherical pendant and turn it into a necklace. He even had to hire an artisan to make one and that was why his journey to Tokyo was delayed. At least the waiting time gave him a chance to convince the elders to allow him to visit the capital. He was supposed to stay in Jujutsu High, but the boy sneaked away so he could go to Saitama. As far as the servants believed, the kid was holed up inside the library. 

“You can think of it as a good luck charm!” Satoru explained. “Toji told me that you often get into accidents and he was so worried sick that he asked me to find you this!”

Toji wanted the kid to shut up and stop putting words into his mouth, but Aki seemed to eat up Satoru’s lies. The woman examined the talisman with wide eyes before looking at the grumpy man. 

“What? I’m tired of having to save you,” Toji said gruffly. “You better wear that damn thing every day.”

“Of course! Thank you for the gift!” Aki said with a smile before putting on the necklace. 

Satoru continued chatting with Aki for some time while Toji remained silent. The boy seemed intent on trying to make the man look good, which was hilarious considering how much the kid hated his guts. Toji still couldn’t understand what Satoru was planning, but he knew it was nothing good.

Thankfully, the boy finally excused himself from Aki’s apartment. The woman offered to accompany him back to his house, but the kid refused. As Aki watched Satoru walk down the hallway, Toji said, “You know that damn kid is lying, right?”

“About?” Aki asked.

“For one, he’s not my nephew,” Toji said. 

“But you know him.”

Toji scowled. “Unfortunately.”

“So he’s also a sorcerer like you?” Aki asked, tilting her head.

“How many times do I need to say that I’m not one?” Toji replied, “But that kid is a sorcerer, yeah. A damn good one too. Don’t be fooled by his pretty eyes.”

Aki blinked at his harsh tone. “Why are you so hostile to that boy? He’s just a kid.”

“Did you even hear what I just said, woman?” the man asked.

“Uh huh, so what does that matter?” Aki asked. “So Satoru is your friend instead of your nephew and he’s a sorcerer, but I don’t see what’s that got to do with  him being a child?”

Toji wanted to slap his face in exasperation, but he just turned his body away and walked toward his room. “Whatever.”

Aki let him walk away several steps before saying, “I still like the necklace by the way.”

“It’s a talisman, and it was Ryou who nagged me to give one to you!” Toji replied and shut the door.

“Even so, thank you!”

Toji didn’t reply.

Satoru didn’t visit Tokyo just for Toji. The man didn’t deserve that much effort. No. One of the reasons he came here was to help Ryou find clues about his past. When the man said Toji failed to uncover anything useful, Satoru knew it was his chance to shine. After giving the talisman to Aki, the kid did not visit the woman again. He had asked her for her number, and they sent messages to each other. It seemed the talisman was working, since the woman was no longer attacked by curses now that she was constantly wearing it.

Satoru couldn’t understand why a kind woman like that would be drawn to a rough man like Toji. They were like water and fire. Although he was young, he could see there was something between the two adults. It seemed he didn’t need to do much meddling to get them together. So Satoru spent his time checking Jujutsu High’s library. Unlike Toji, who the Zen’in clan had exiled after the incident, Satoru was the heir of the Gojo clan. It wasn’t hard to get access to various amenities that many could only dream of. Even entering Jujutsu High was considered an honor, but Satoru could already stroll in without being a student or a full-fledged sorcerer. 

The elders didn’t understand why he had to go to Tokyo instead of visiting the Kyoto branch, but the boy had insisted he wanted to visit the big city. Although they were reluctant, they also didn’t want the heir to throw another fit of temper. While the elders would rather keep the boy close, Tokyo was safe due to the numerous sorcerers stationed there. There were also members of the Gojo clan who were assigned there, so they didn’t worry about security. Even if a lucky curse user could get close, Satoru had proven himself strong enough to handle a Grade One sorcerer. 

Although Satoru was motivated when he started his research, several days passed without him making an ounce of progress. The library at Jujutsu High was quite extensive and contained many valuable Jujutsu texts. The boy focused his research on those written in the Heian period. He had hoped that reading them with Ryou might jog his memory. Besides covering the ancient sorcerer clans, the Heian period texts mainly talked about the King of Curses and his reign of terror. The topic wasn’t foreign to Satoru. All children born in the Jujutsu society were told about this ancient evil that had terrorized the world in the past. Some parents would even threaten their children about being eaten by Ryoumen Sukuna if they didn’t behave. 

Satoru was half lying on the table as he lazily read the text while Ryou’s tanto was placed leaning on his shoulder. The boy stopped skimming the text when he flipped a page and saw an old drawing of the infamous sorcerer. The yellowed paper portrayed a massive figure sitting on a platform. One of his four hands rested on his left leg while the rest were placed on the floor. His hair was short and wild and didn’t hide the four sharp eyes gazing into the distance. The King of Curses didn’t wear a kimono; he only had a black haori laid haphazardly on his back.” The painter also drew a person standing near the infamous sorcerer, but his brush strokes were much looser and didn’t capture much detail of the second subject.

“Hmm?”

“What is it?” Satoru asked. “Did you remember something?”

“No, but something about that drawing captured my interest,” Ryou said. “Ryoumen Sukuna, huh? Based on what I’ve heard, he seemed to be quite a fearsome figure. It’s somewhat surprising the painter dared to draw him.”

“The painter probably saw him during the harvest ritual,” Satoru explained, “I think after he defeated all the combined forces of the big sorcerer clans in the Heian period, he forced the nobles to pray to him for a plentiful harvest.”

“... Why?” 

Satoru shrugged. “To mess with the nobles? To insult the emperor? Maybe he just wanted to rub it in their faces. It’s not as if they could do anything after he single-handedly beat the Fujiwara clan’s elite forces.”

“That sounds extremely petty and improper,” Ryou said with a hint of reproach. 

Satoru laughed. “Ryou, you’re talking about the King of Curses here. I don’t think he cared about being nice. Do you really not know him? I thought you were supposed to be born in the Heian period too.”

Ryou sighed. “Perhaps I perished before his rise to power. I can’t recall anything about him.I admit he feels a bit familiar but then again… you also feel familiar to me too.”

Satoru blinked. “Really?”

“I can’t put it into words,” Ryou replied, “perhaps I’ve met with a previous Six Eyes bearer? Wasn’t the first one born in the Heian period?”

Satoru pouted. “Come on, Ryou. Don’t mistake me with my lousy ancestors. They might have bore the Six Eyes too but no one could wield it like me!”

“You truly need to work on your big ego…”

The boy puffed up his cheeks. “Keep being like that and I’m going to leave you here! Let’s see how you like being trapped inside a library!”

“No, you won’t. You’re too attached to me to willingly leave me alone.”

Satoru wanted to protest but knew he couldn’t deny Ryou’s words. Well, who could blame him? Everyone else was boring or annoying. Ever since his birth, he was surrounded by fearful servants and expectant elders. Sometimes, the monotony would be broken by daring curse users who wanted to assassinate him, but they could barely entertain him with their lackluster fighting skills. The world was dull, but Ryou wiped away all that tedium with his existence. 

The man was strong and smart. He didn’t treat Satoru like a child or the revered Six Eyes bearer. He saw Satoru as himself and would always speak frankly to him. Ryou’s mysterious past and condition also helped to keep Satoru’s attention on him. Who else could claim they had met a talking sword with sapience? In this boring world, engaging with Ryou was the best entertainment Satoru had for a long time. 

That train of thought eventually led Satoru back to Toji, who had annoyingly inserted himself into his life. The boy still had to get rid of the man, so he had to ensure that Toji would get occupied with Fushiguro Aki. Since the library was unlikely to hold any clues to Ryou’s origin, the kid decided to sneak out of Jujutsu High again. After contacting Aki, Satoru found out the woman was currently at work but would leave the clinic in an hour. With nothing else better to do, the boy decided to visit her. 

Satoru arrived just in time to encounter Aki, who was leaving the clinic. The woman smiled and waved when she saw the boy. “Satoru-kun! Are you here looking for Toji?”

The kid shook his head. “No, I was just in the area so I decided to pay a visit. Are you going to rescue more strays today, Aki-san?”

“Yup, someone reported hearing some kittens near an abandoned building,” Aki said. “Do you want to come along?”

“Sure!” Satoru replied. 

Their destination wasn’t far away, so the two opted to walk there. As they strolled on the sideways, Aki said, “Say, Satoru-kun, I know that you’re a sorcerer and all that, but are your parents so lenient that they allow you to wander around by yourself?”

Satoru blinked. During their interactions, he hadn’t told the woman about him being a sorcerer. “Did Toji tell you that?”

The woman nodded.

Satoru tapped his chin. “Hmm. Not really. I actually sneaked out to find Toji, but I think you are already somewhat aware of that since that man must have told you about my lies.”

“He did. Lying is not a good habit, Satoru-kun,” Aki said. “Why did you feel the need to lie to me?”

The boy shrugged and replied, “Lying just comes naturally to sorcerers, Aki-san, especially when we’re dealing with mundane people. Toji’s frank attitude was out of the ordinary. Maybe it’s because he likes you.”

Aki flushed and only adjusted her bag, slung over her shoulder.

Satoru smirked. Good, good. His plan was coming together. The boy continued to walk with a slight bounce on his steps. 

The kittens that Aki wanted to rescue had indeed been hiding inside an abandoned building. While animals couldn’t see curses, they could still feel dangerous intent from the invisible monsters. This instinct only worked for higher grades curses, though, and animals often failed to notice weaker spirits. Satoru easily detected numerous small curses that had made this structure their home. Most were only Grade Four curses, so the boy ignored their existence. 

Satoru wondered whether he should offer to use his technique to catch the kittens, but it seemed Aki had it handled. The cats were still very young, so they weren’t that nimble. After bribing them with some pet food, it was easy to draw them out. The boy watched the scene silently as he continued to observe the surroundings. The talisman was working properly, and the weak curses kept their distance from the woman. 

“Satoru-kun, can you help me push the crate closer?” Aki asked as she attempted to stop the wriggling kittens from escaping her hold.

“Su-” Satoru tensed and narrowed his eyes as he felt a relatively strong curse running toward their direction. 

Aki turned to look at the kid and saw the boy staring at something in the distance. His blue eyes glowed eerily bright.

“Satoru-kun?” Aki asked.

Instead of the kid answering, a sudden screech sounded from behind her. The woman whipped her head around to see nothing for a second, but then something shimmered in the air. A second later, she finally saw a monster lunging at her with its mouth wide open, a curse.

Aki could only stare blankly as the creature got closer.

Yet before it could swallow her, an unseen force suddenly propelled the spirit back and slammed it to the wall. The creature fell limply to the ground, and Satoru suddenly appeared beside it. The boy stared at the monster for one second before he turned his head to look in a random direction.

Unbeknownst to Aki, Satoru was locking eyes with a curse user watching them through binoculars. The man stiffened when he realized those bright blue eyes were glaring at him. 

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. 

Hayashi Kenji knew those fucking eyes. Why the hell was the Six Eyes bearer here? While he wasn’t one of those fools who foolishly believed they could assassinate the Gojo heir, anyone worth their salt knew the existence of those dreadful eyes. He had to run. He had to leave this place. Go!

“Leaving so soon?” a young voice suddenly said right next to him.

Kenji whipped his head around to meet with the lens of a camera. 

Click! 

The man could only blink as the boy took a photo of his stunned face. The Six Eyes bearer had somehow gotten right next to him within seconds, and was now floating upside down while aiming a portable camera at him. 

Fuck!

Impish blue eyes met panicked grey orbs. Instead of trying to take away the device, Kenji opted to run away from the rooftop where he had been standing to observe Aki. Satoru watched as the man tripped over his feet as he attempted to escape from him.

“Are you not going to chase after him?” Ryou asked.

“Nope,” the boy replied as he landed on the rooftop. “He won’t get too far anyway.”

When Satoru saw the rampaging curse, he knew something was off with the creature. Cursed spirits did not like to wander far from their birthplace, and something was clearly setting off the monster. After incapacitating the curse, his Six Eyes easily registered the cursed technique applied to the monster. It was akin to cursed spirit manipulation, but the man’s power was limited to forcing a curse to become aggressive against one target. Tracking the curse user wasn’t difficult since he was still powering the technique. This curse user likely caused the numerous curse attacks that Aki had suffered.

Ryou sighed after he listened to Satoru’s explanation. “I should’ve known it’s not just Aki having terrible bad luck.”

“It’s not your fault, Ryou!” Satoru defended the man. “That idiot Toji must have exorcised all the curses immediately so you couldn’t notice the cursed technique applied to the spirits. Do you see it now? Someone perceptive like me is a better partner than that damn brute! If I were there, you wouldn’t need to waste your time like this!”

Ryou stared silently as the kid puffed up his chest in pride. The man wanted to rebuke the boy for his usual big ego and his insults against Toji, but he knew Satoru had done something right this time. “Good job.”

“Hehehe.”

Kenji wheezed as he finally stopped running. The man dared not look back as he sprinted through the city. While he didn’t know the details about the Six Eyes, there were many legends about those powerful eyes. They said no one could escape its sight once it locked onto you. The curse user was sure the boy would catch up with him any time soon, yet he somehow arrived at his home safely.

Kenji hunkered down in the corner of his small apartment as he waited for his death to arrive. Minutes passed, yet he was still alone. Did he actually manage to escape? The man couldn’t believe it. Yet as more time passed, the man felt like perhaps he had a chance. Without waiting any longer, he gathered his important belongings into a bag and left his apartment.

As Kenji ran through the dimly lit alleys under the moonlight, he cursed his luck. He had been in love with Fushiguro Aki for many years now. They were classmates back in high school, and that young woman was the only nice person around him. After years of hesitating, he had failed to confess his feelings to her. When he had begun to believe he would never see her again, the man accidentally encountered Aki in Saitama. He knew it was fate then.

Unfortunately, Kenji still had not developed enough courage to approach Aki directly. He knew he was unworthy of her. That was why he thought up a plan where he would become her savior. Knowing the woman was working as a vet and actively rescuing strays, the man decided to drop anonymous tips about animals needing rescue. He always picked empty buildings with curses. His plan failed several times since it seemed Aki always had good luck and could escape without encountering any curses. However, Kenji believed he finally had his chance when the woman entered an abandoned plot of land teeming with spirits. Yet another man suddenly showed up before he could come to her rescue.

Zen’in Toji. Kenji knew that man. Although he was called the trash of the Zen’in clan, curse users knew better than to challenge that monster. Kenji understood he would not be able to defeat Toji in a fight. Thus, he kept trying to drag Aki into more dangerous situations. Since giving anonymous tips wasn’t enough, Kenji began to use his cursed technique to draw curses toward Aki, but somehow that damn interloper always showed up to save her.

It should’ve been him! Not Toji!

Despite the string of bad luck, Kenji kept trying and continued his plan. This evening was the first time where he believed he had his chance to finally become Aki’s savior. That was why he had been so eager to spring that curse at her. In his eagerness, he failed to register that the white-haired boy beside her was the Six Eyes. 

Kenji slammed his fist to the wall as he stopped at an empty alley near the station. “Fuck! It’s all that guy’s fault!” Now, Kenji had no choice but to leave the prefecture, if not the country. The Six Eyes might only be a child, but he was not someone a small fry like him could afford to offend.

“Whose fault again?” a deep voice suddenly spoke up.

“Wha-?!”

BAM!

Kenji choked out a breath as a hand suddenly gripped the front of his shirt and slammed him to the wall. Before he could recover, the man slammed his body again and again until he felt one of his ribs broke.

“You know, I was hoping I could spend the day gambling, but then that brat contacted me and told me I need to clean up some trash.”

Choking out a mouthful of blood, Kenji slowly raised his bleary eyes to see Zen’in Toji staring coldly at him. 

“Zen’in…” Kenji croaked out.

BAM!!!

Toji slammed him again to the wall. Not only did the structure behind him crack, but several more of Kenji’s ribs broke under the force. Blood drops fell on Toji’s arm as the curse user coughed, but the man remained unmoved.

“So you are the idiot who has been bothering Aki,” Toji said. “Why did you target that woman, anyway? I don’t think she has the heart to hurt anyone.”

“Y-You…!” Kenji gasped. “You wouldn’t understand! I-”

Before Kenji could speak more, Toji cut in, “Yeah, yeah, whatever. It’s not like I care about your motives or reasoning. Regardless of what you say, you’ll die today.”

With one swift move, Toji pulled out a knife and slashed Kenji’s throat open. The curse user covered the open wound with his palm, but then Toji slammed the knife again into his temple. The black-haired man stared at his victim impassively as Kenji fell to the ground. He watched the body cool for a minute before he left the area.

Twenty minutes later, a black car stopped near the alley, and a sorcerer stepped out. The man was a member of the Gojo clan, and Satoru had requested him to check the area to apprehend a curse user who had tried to assassinate him. When the Gojo sorcerer arrived, he saw the dead body lying in a pool of his own blood. The sorcerer crouched down to examine the corpse but could not find any cursed energy signature. Perhaps the curse user had been mugged during his nightly stroll. 

The Gojo sorcerer wasn’t sure why this small fry dared to attack the heir. Did he genuinely think he had a chance of killing the Six Eyes? How stupid. Then again, the Gojo sorcerer also didn’t know why the heir insisted on ordering him to chase after the curse user. Perhaps the man had annoyed the boy, but the heir didn’t have the patience to deal with the curse user himself. Either way, the sorcerer knew that he had to resolve this mess.

After informing the headquarters of the dead curse user, an ambulance arrived not long after. The workers quickly took the corpse into the vehicle and cleaned the bloodstains at the scene. After ensuring no traces were left, the workers sent the body to be cremated. Like any other curse user or executed criminal, Hayashi Kenji did not even earn a tombstone. No one spoke of his name again.

Nobody told Aki the truth about the cause of her string of bad luck. As far as the woman was aware, it was the talisman that drove away most of the cursed spirits. However, she commented that it was strange that she no longer had that anonymous person inform her about stray animals in need of rescue.

“I hope they’re okay,” Aki said.

Toji snorted into his coffee.

Satoru continued to stay in Tokyo for a few weeks before he had to hand Ryou’s tanto over to Toji. After shooting some threats and insults at the man, the boy returned to Kyoto. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, Satoru could not uncover anything about Ryou’s past. While the boy returned to his hometown, Toji also decided it was time to leave Saitama. 

“Are you sure? You don’t need to travel for my sake,” Ryou said as Toji headed toward the station.

“I’m not doing this just for you,” the man said, “I also want to travel around Japan.”

“What about Aki?”

“What about her?” Toji asked. “The curse user is dead, so she won’t be bothered by curses anymore.”

“Don’t act obtuse, I’m not blind to the feelings between you two.”

“That’s enough, Ryou,” Toji said. “She’s a regular human. It’s better if she keeps her distance from me.”

Ryou sighed. 

In the end, the two continued their travel and headed north. Despite Toji acting as if there was no longer any connection between him and Aki, the woman seemed to fail to get the memo. While the man continued to visit various cities, Aki sent regular messages and even called Toji during the weekends. Ryou kept his mouth shut whenever Toji’s face brightened after seeing a message from Aki.

Although Satoru had expected Toji to relinquish his temporary ownership over Ryou’s tanto, there was no change in the Binding Vow. The boy never failed to show his displeasure when facing Toji. On the other side, the man only retorted that he was doing Ryou a favor. Ryou himself did not believe they would uncover anything significant during their search. A year had passed, and there was still no progress. Ryou’s past remained a mystery, and the man felt it would stay that way forever. Whenever he mentioned the possibility, Satoru and Toji would rebuke his words heatedly. It almost made the man wonder which one of them was the amnesiac.

Regardless of his opinion, Ryou continued to spend time with Toji and Satoru. While Satoru’s life was rather monotonous and simple due to his young age, Toji’s journey around Japan contained much more excitement. The man spent most of his time either completing contracts or gambling, but what caught Ryou’s interest was the slow change in Toji's attitude toward Aki. It seemed Aki’s strategy was working. Despite the man’s attempts to keep his distance, the woman’s persistence in contacting him for over a year had softened his attitude. However, it seemed Toji still needed a last push. While Ryou preferred to keep his nose out of people’s private business, he felt like he had watched this slow dance long enough.

“You know that she won’t wait for you forever, right?” Ryou said one day when he saw Toji smiling at another message from Aki.

“What?” Toji asked.

“I admit, I’m not someone well versed in the art of romantic relationships since I have no interest in them, but even I can see that you two share the same feelings. What are you waiting for?”

Toji opened his mouth, ready to deny Ryou’s words.

“Stop repeating that old excuse,” Ryou cut in. “Although Aki is a regular human, she’s an adult who also knows about the Jujutsu society. She’s well aware of who you are.”

“No, she doesn’t,” Toji replied. “She doesn’t know that I’m an exiled person. She doesn’t know that I’m a murderer who has killed people.”

“I suppose that is true,” Ryou replied, “but I don’t believe I have seen you kill anyone except for the curse user who had attacked Aki.”

“That’s because you’re around,” the other man replied.

“Don’t blame this on me. Even Shiu Kong has commented how you have rejected all the assassination contracts and only took exorcism or retrieval missions.”

“Che, it’s because I don’t have the patience to hunt idiots.”

Ryou sighed. “If you are done denying the truth. I suggest you start to act like an adult and talk with Aki directly about this. Frankly, I cannot stomach this strange dance between you two.”

Toji clicked his tongue. “Ugh, if you’re that tired of my presence, I’ll just dissolve the Binding Vow with that brat and give you to him.”

“Toji,” Ryou chided. “You know that’s not what I’m talking about. I’ll just say this once. Aki likes you. It’s time for you to stop sabotaging your own happiness and try to reach out to her. How long are you going to keep her hanging like this?”

After saying those words, Ryou cut off his connection with the outside world and locked himself in his innate domain. Toji seemed to get the message since he didn’t try to bother the man. Ryou did not get an answer even when he was returned to Satoru. 

Since Satoru could not leave Kyoto, it was always Toji who had to return to the prefecture to give Ryou back to the boy. The two met at their usual spot, which was a small cafe near the station. After the man arrived, he quickly shoved the small bag containing the tanto back to Satoru and said, “Let’s dissolve the Binding Vow.”

Hearing those words, Satoru choked on the milk tea he was drinking and had to hit his chest several times. After coughing out his lungs, he said, “What?”

Toji scowled. “I thought you would be happy, brat.”

“No, of course, I’m happy, but why the sudden change of attitude?” Satoru asked and immediately took the sword.

“None of your business,” Toji said. “Now stop asking questions and just dissolve the Vow.”

Satoru narrowed his eyes but nodded. Dissolving a Binding Vow was a rare thing. Most of the time, Binding Vows were completed, or one of the parties accidentally broke the agreement. Unlike regular contracts, which require some sort of lawyer or third party, dissolving a Binding Vow only needed intent from the involved parties. As Satoru and Toji shook their hands, a distant sound of chains breaking could be heard from the depths of their souls. Once they were sure the Binding Vow was no more, Satoru exclaimed joyfully, “Finally!”

Toji rolled his eyes and left the cafe. The boy observed the man until he was gone from his view before he turned to look at the covered tanto. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Satoru asked.

Ryou sighed. “Perhaps I acted too forceful.”

The boy tilted his head in confusion, but when the man refused to elaborate, he quickly shrugged it off. His mission was completed, and he was happy. There was no need to waste time thinking about stupid Toji.

Despite his concern for Toji, Ryou still focused his attention on teaching Satoru Jujutsu. Although the kid still had his instructors, he often complained about the lessons being boring and useless. Fortunately, though his past remained a mystery, his grasp over Jujutsu was still firm, and he could mentor the young genius.

Several months passed without any news from Toji until one sunny day, Satoru received a short message from the man.

[Stupid Toji: Tell Ryou I did what he wanted.]

Satoru blinked and asked, “What did you tell him to do?”

“Oh, I didn’t expect him to finally do it,” Ryou said as he read the message. “I told him to talk with Fushiguro Aki and stop dancing around her. It seems he mustered enough courage and they finally got into a relationship.”

“Ooooh!” Satoru whistled and opened another chat to message Aki.

[Me: Hey! Hey! Hey! I heard Toji confess to you! Is that true?!]

Twenty minutes passed before the woman replied. 

[Fushiguro Aki: Oh, did Toji tell you that? No, it was me who spoke up first. But Satoru-kun, aren’t you too young to talk about romance?]

[Me: :p I don’t care about that boring stuff, but I’m tired of dealing with that grumpy man. So good job at making him stop moping around.]

Although it was technically Ryou who made Toji dissolve the Vow, Satoru still considered the mission a great success. Hopefully, Aki could distract that idiot man forever, and the boy would not have to see his ugly mug.

Satoru’s life continued peacefully. Besides training and studying, the boy did not miss any chance to sneak out to the city with Ryou. Some foolish curse users still popped up sometimes, but Satoru easily took care of them. While Toji did not contact the boy often, if at all, the kid still got updates from Aki. 

It seemed the two had gotten serious, and they were planning on marrying each other in September. Since Satoru couldn’t leave the prefecture, he sent piles of gifts to the couple. Of course, all of them were for Aki. Toji certainly didn’t need any gifts. In return, the woman thanked him a lot and sent many photos of their wedding day. Satoru had attended several weddings before and was used to the scenes. However, seeing the strangely soft look on Toji’s face in the photos made him pause a bit.

“He’s happy,” Ryou said. “That’s good.”

Satoru clicked his tongue. “Hmph! Aki is just too good for him.”

“Are you going to keep insulting him forever?” Ryou asked exasperatedly.

“I’m not insulting him. I’m just speaking the truth!”

Ryou sighed.

Time passed, and it was 2001. While Satoru’s life remained mostly the same, Aki and Toji’s life had changed significantly, especially with the news of a child coming. Satoru wondered what kind of personality the kid would have, considering their parents. After hearing the news, the boy did what he could do best and showered the expecting parents with gifts. It wasn’t like he was short on funds. After all, he didn’t want Toji to bug Ryou again because he lacked the money to feed his kid after spending it all on gambling.

It was December when the baby was born. Toji actually sent a photo of the kid’s face to Satoru, and the boy quickly responded.

[Me: Why is he ugly?]

[Stupid Toji: At least he looks better than you.]

[Me: 凸(⊙▂⊙✖ )]

“Ryou! He said I’m uglier than that stupid baby!” Satoru exclaimed in anger as he slammed his fist into his bed. Although the tanto was laid on the bedding, Ryou could still see the screen.

“What do you expect after insulting a child in front of his father?” Ryou asked. “All babies look like that. They were just born.”

Satoru pouted. “Not all of them. My parents said I look perfect! I certainly did not look like that wrinkly mole!” Not that he cared about their opinions, but he had to win this argument!

Ryou could only remain silent hearing that ridiculous statement.

“You don’t believe me? I’ll show you!” Satoru ordered the servant to bring the albums that contained his photos as a child, and he quickly showed the picture to Ryou. The man stared at the picture-perfect baby captured on the camera for several seconds. Indeed, Satoru did not lie when he said he had looked better than the other baby after he was born.

“... Good job?”

Satoru smiled smugly, took a photo of the old picture, and sent it to Toji. The boy waited for a response from the man, but the other man did not reply. Undeterred, the kid simply waited patiently. However, when he woke up the next day, there was still no answer. Satoru decided to message Aki, yet the woman did not respond.

“Are they ignoring me or something?” Satoru asked.

Ryou replied, “Satoru, be reasonable, they just have their first child. It's understandable, they’re going to be distracted.”

Satoru pouted but continued to wait. Many days passed with no answer, and the boy had finally had enough and decided to call the woman. Nobody answered. After calling five times without receiving any response, the boy opted to contact Toji. The first call was left unanswered, so the kid called again. Toji finally picked up on his third call.

“What the fuck do you want?” Toji asked with a low voice. 

“Is this how you act toward someone who’s just worried? I tried to call Aki, but she hasn’t responded yet,” Satoru replied. “Do you even help your wife or do you let her take care of the baby at all hours?”

The man did not say anything for a long moment. “... Aki is dead.”

“Eh?”

“If that’s all, goodbye.” 

Toji ended the call.

Satoru could only stare at his phone screen for several seconds. “Ryou… Did he just say…?”

“Try to call him again,” Ryou urged.

Satoru nodded and attempted to contact the man. Unfortunately, the other refused to pick up, and the boy was forced to send numerous messages, which also remained unanswered. Frustrated, the boy threw his phone on the bed and lay down.

“That damn idiot isn’t answering!” Satoru exclaimed.

“... We need to check on him.” After spending so much time with the man, Ryou knew what kind of person Toji was. He tried to act cold as though he did not care about anything, but he cared a lot about some things to the point that it hurt. With Aki’s passing, Ryou knew Toji’s mental state would be in shambles.

“I know,” Satoru said and got up. He had thought of running away from Kyoto and just traveling around without anyone’s supervision. The only reason he had not done so was because Ryou was around, and he didn’t want the man to berate him for acting recklessly. It did not take long for the boy to gather the most essential belongings that he would require to go to Saitama. Sneaking out of the estate was not a difficult task either since nobody expected the heir to leave his own house without informing anyone. 

Luckily, Satoru didn’t have to wait for long to ride the shinkansen. The two-hour travel time was spent with Ryou and Satoru constantly glancing at the phone screen. There was still no response from Toji. When the two arrived in Tokyo, they had to take a taxi to reach Saitama. Although Aki and Toji had moved out of the woman’s apartment when they got married, the woman had given Satoru their address so they didn’t have to waste time trying to find the house.

Satoru pressed the doorbell, but nobody answered. Annoyed, the kid decided to fly up and break into the room through the window. Since it wasn’t locked, the boy was able to jump in without having to break the glass. Satoru didn’t even try to hide his footsteps and stomped toward the living room. There, he found Toji sitting listlessly on the couch. 

“Why the fuck are you here?” the man asked.

“You didn’t answer the phone or my messages, so Ryou got worried,” Satoru replied. Without waiting for the invitation, the boy sat on the sofa and crossed his arms. “What happened?”

Toji growled. “Who do you think you are demanding answers like that, brat?”

“Toji,” Ryou cut in. 

The man stiffened and closed his eyes. “... Fine. She died after giving birth to Megumi. Something about her heart being weak.”

“Oh…”

Satoru remained silent. He wasn’t unfamiliar with death. He had been born in the Jujutsu world, after all, but Aki’s death seemed to hit him differently. She was a mundane person, so he had assumed deep down that she would be fine. She didn’t have to fight curses or go on dangerous missions. Unless she encountered dangerous people, she should be safe. Yet death was not a being who discriminated, and it took everyone equally. 

Toji also didn’t expect this to happen. He had been more than ready to start a new life with Aki. Hell, he had even considered ditching the Jujutsu world entirely, but she was dead now. Her death struck him like a bullet, and he felt like there was a gaping wound in his heart. This wasn’t supposed to happen. 

“What about Megumi?” Ryou asked.

“He’s in his room,” Toji replied, “he should be as-”

As if the baby had heard his father mention him, a loud wail came from a nearby room. Toji immediately got up, and Satoru followed him. The man quickly picked up the crying child, but the baby remained inconsolable and continued to cry. Satoru winced as the decibel reached another level, while Toji’s face became even more stressed as he tried to figure out what was bothering the kid.

“Toji, can you place the tanto near the baby?” Ryou said. “Let me see if I can comfort him.”

Not knowing what else to do to stop Megumi from crying, Toji put the baby back in his crib and placed the sheathed blade right next to the child. Ryou immediately reached out and sent small tendrils of positive cursed energy. Since he didn’t want to overwhelm the baby, he only did so in small doses, which required a lot of effort and control. Slowly, the wail turned into cries, and eventually, Megumi stopped crying.

Toji and Satoru sighed in relief. 

“How can a baby be so loud?” Satoru muttered. 

Toji only rubbed his eyes tiredly.

“I think he’ll go back to sleep again,” Ryou said. Although it was only a small trick, the action had tired the man considerably. He was only a small piece of a soul stuck to an old sword, after all. 

“I see, thank you I guess,” Toji said. “Since you have your answers, you can leave now.”

“No way,” Satoru replied. “I just got here. There’s no way you can order me to go back so soon.”

Toji glared at the boy. “Aren’t your elders going to look for you?”

Satoru shrugged. “Then let them. Anyway, it’s not as if you can handle your own kid alone. You’re clearly in no state to take care of yourself.”

Toji snorted. “As if you can offer any help.”

“I can!”

Ryou shushed them when he felt Megumi stirred again. “Stop arguing like children. If you want to talk, head outside.”

The two grumbled but followed the order. Once they were outside, they continued to glare at each other.

“Don’t test my patience, brat,” Toji said.

“I think I should be the one warning you,” Satoru said. “Since Aki isn’t here, you’re the only one Megumi can depend on, so I have to make sure you act like a father.”

The man rolled his eyes. “Look at you. Talking all big despite being just a brat.”

Satoru huffed and crossed his arms. “Well, I’m certainly more mature than you.”

Ultimately, Satoru and Ryou continued to stay in Toji’s house. The man wasn’t sure whether he should feel annoyed or touched. After Aki’s passing, Toji was unable to function fully. A part of him still believed this was all just a nightmare and he would wake up soon and see his wife sleeping beside him. Yet days passed, and he woke up alone. 

Toji had expected Satoru to start complaining about boredom, but the kid continued staying in his house. He spent his days trying to coax Megumi and teasing him. The boy seemed to be quite interested in the child. At least the distraction worked, and the baby was too busy frowning at the menace instead of crying his lungs out. While Toji still handled feeding and changing the baby’s diaper, Ryou seemed to have a knack for calming the child down. Before the two’s arrival, Megumi would keep wailing for hours on end, but he didn’t cry much when Ryou was around. 

“It’s just a trick using positive cursed energy,” Ryou explained. “I think your baby has… what is it called? Colic?”

Toji didn’t ask more and was grateful he didn’t have to suffer hearing problems. Megumi was not an easy child. The boy also had that ever prevent frown, making it seem like he was judging everyone around him. Satoru even poked fun at the baby for this, but it ended up with him having his finger being chewed on. Not that it could hurt Satoru. For one, Megumi didn’t have teeth yet, and Satoru could just use Infinity if there were any threat he would get hurt.

Toji let the two brats amuse each other and went outside to buy some stuff. He also brought Ryou’s tanto along since he felt bad for keeping the man stuck inside the same room all hours. They went to a nearby supermarket to purchase more food and baby essentials. As the man walked back home, he found his footsteps slowed down as he neared a familiar park. Aki had liked to drag him to this place every Sunday. There was nothing special about this place, but the woman didn’t like being stuck at home. When she had gotten pregnant, she would talk about having a family picnic there. Yet she was dead now so that that dream would remain unrealized.

“Toji?” Ryou said.

“She’s gone, huh?” Toji muttered. He knew she was gone. He had an urn filled with her ashes at home. He would need to wait for several weeks to pass before he could bury her. Toji wondered if it was his fault. It seemed like Aki had good luck before meeting him, but her life had gone to hell after getting close to him. He had warned her about staying away, but that woman just wouldn’t listen. Look what happened now.

As if hearing his thoughts, Ryou said, “It’s not your fault.”

“Isn’t it?” Toji murmured. Several seconds passed as he kept staring into the distance. “Say Ryou, what should I do now? I know I need to care for Megumi, but I don’t know if I can. Is it even a good idea for him to be near me?”

“Toji, he’s your child,” Ryou said. “Of course, he wants to be near you. Even if you were to give him to someone else, who else could raise him?”

“The Zen’in could,” Toji replied. “If Megumi has a cursed technique, which I suspect he does, then he would grow well there.”

“Don’t be foolish,” Ryou rebuked him. “I may have only spent a week in there, but that place is no good to raise a child.”

“It’s better than having to be raised by me,” Toji said. He had no clue how to raise a child. Nobody had raised him, so he had no idea how to be a good role model. Even during his short time with Megumi alone, that kid nearly cried his lungs out. Was he worthy to be a parent?

Ryou replied, “... I think… this is a hard time for you. You’re grieving Aki right now while also having to raise a child on your own. It’s okay that you’re struggling. Just… try to be patient with yourself and remember that you’re not alone.” 

Toji closed his eyes and breathed out. After several seconds passed, he said, “What? Because you and that brat are here?”

“Well, Satoru certainly won’t appreciate having his new little friend being handed off to the Zen’in,” Ryou said, “but yes, you have me too.”

Toji snorted but finally moved his legs to return to his house. When he arrived, he was greeted with an angry screech from Satoru. The white-haired boy was holding the baby away as if he was a sack of trash. 

“Toji! Your damn kid just pooped on me!” Satoru exclaimed angrily while Megumi glared at the boy for his rough handling.

Toji barked out a laugh. “What? Didn’t you have your Infinity on?” 

“Of course, I activated it! But it was still disgusting! How can a baby poop so much?! Ugh!” Since Toji was out, Satoru was the only one in the house when Megumi became fussy. After smelling the disgusting stench coming from the baby’s diaper, the boy knew he had to change it. The bastard decided to use that chance to try to cover his hands in poop!

Toji shrugged and dropped the plastic bags on the table. “That’s what you have to deal with when you’re a parent.”

“I’m never having a child,” Satoru grumbled darkly. 

Chapter Text

June 2018

Itadori Yuuji wasn’t sure how his life had turned out like this. He was a normal high schooler who had to care for his ailing grandfather. That day was like any other. After finishing his club activity, he visited the hospital, where he watched his only living relative pass away. The old man had said some high-sounding last words as he attempted to act cool. Yet before the sadness could fully set in, Yuuji was quickly approached by an unknown teen who claimed he was holding a cursed object. 

Apparently, invisible monsters called curses were real, and he was in danger while holding onto that old box. Yuuji did not fully believe the boy’s words at first, but he was fine with returning the box. Unfortunately, now they had to race back to his high school and save his seniors. All doubts the teen had about Fushiguro’s words vanished when he had to jump in and help the other boy as he fought the strange creatures. Despite the cool-looking dogs and Yuuji’s strength, the two were no match against the curse.

As Yuuji held the crusty finger, Yuuji thought, ‘I just need some cursed energy, right?’

And so he ate it.

Gulp.

The moment the teen consumed the powerful cursed object, the soul of the King of Curses immediately settled within his vessel. While Fushiguro could only stare in horror, a massive grin appeared on the teen’s face as four red eyes slid open. When the curse noticed the creature that was holding him, he cut it apart using Dismantle with a wave of his hands.

Maddened laughter began to echo throughout the empty high school as the King of Curses realized that he had finally been incarnated. Ignoring the weak sorcerer nearby, Sukuna turned his attention toward the unfamiliar sights. Interesting. It seemed humanity had progressed much during his time as cursed objects. As he stretched his senses, he could feel the massive number of people who were currently living in this area. Yet before the King of Curses could start to form a plan on what he would do in this new era, he felt one of his hands grabbing his chin.

Using their shared mouth, Sukuna heard his vessel speak, “What do you think you’re doing with my body? Give it back!” 

“How are you able to move?” Sukuna asked in wonder. It should’ve been impossible. Vessels generally could not fight against the curses inhabiting their body. His own vessel should not even stir from his slumber, considering the King of Curses’ strength.

“Um… It is my body, you know?” the boy replied.

Before Sukuna could utter a response, the King of Curses felt hands dragging him down. The curse fought back valiantly against his vessel, but the boy was able to quickly take back control. As Sukuna descended into his innate domain, he could hear his vessel, Itadori Yuuji, talking with the weak sorcerer.

Annoyed and confused, the King of Curses took a seat on his throne of bones as he attempted to understand his current situation. This shouldn’t have happened. Considering his power, there should be nobody who could do this. The chance of a vessel being strong enough to handle his power was already low enough, much less someone who could suppress him. Sukuna attempted to gain back control of the body, yet Yuuji’s hold over it was too firm. The curse knew that there was no way he could forcefully claim it back unless the brat gave him the reign willingly or if he was weakened significantly.

Unacceptable.

Was it now his fate to be locked away within this prison of a body just moments after he was incarnated? No, Sukuna refused. There was no way he would allow this situation to continue. He had to find a way to take over the body. Before he could start forming a plan, the King of Curses' attention was drawn outside as a powerful presence suddenly appeared near the brat.

It took him several seconds to guess the new sorcerer’s identity. White hair wasn’t very common, even among sorcerers, but what caught his attention was the blindfold the man was wearing. It could be a side effect of a unique cursed technique, but Sukuna’s mind immediately jumped to a clan that had slowly gained power with the fall of Sugawara. Gojo. The black-haired teen’s words confirmed his suspicion. 

Although Sukuna was still angry at being trapped within this cage, his interest was piqued as he heard the sorcerer order the brat to let him out. He was probably attempting to test the kid’s control over him, but that still gave him a chance to face this interesting opponent. He had heard of the Six Eyes bearer’s might. Unfortunately, the first user died while he was young. However, Ryou had told him some interesting details about the Limitless technique. 

Sukuna grinned as he felt the brat finally giving up his control over the body. Ten seconds. That was how long he had. It was too short, but he would make full use of it. It was obvious Gojo was underestimating the King of Curses. The man even turned his back on the curse to talk with his student. Sukuna lunged toward his opponent and attempted to Cleave the man apart, but the other suddenly appeared behind him and even sat on his back. 

‘Fast,’ the curse thought.

Undeterred, Sukuna continued to launch a series of attacks, which Gojo dodged with his unnaturally fast speed. This was no mere cursed energy enhancement. The man was using his technique. Although the curse could only use one finger's worth of power, he could still judge the strength of his opponent. In his current state, Sukuna was no match against this Gojo sorcerer, but he would not let that stop him. 

After landing a solid hit on Sukuna’s face, the man punched the air with his right hand, and an unseen force blew the King of Curses back. The railing caught his falling body, and a grin appeared on his face. “You Jujutsu sorcerers are always trouble, no matter what the era!”

The curse lunged again toward the man and sent a powerful blow at his opponent. The impact made a massive hole in the building behind the sorcerers, but when the smoke disappeared, Gojo and Fushiguro remained unharmed.

‘So, he has the Limitless technique,’ Sukuna thought. Although he was extremely weakened, that attack would’ve gravely injured any other sorcerer. Interesting. The King of Curses wanted to test his mettle against this strong sorcerer, but his fun was cut short as the brat took back control when the ten seconds were finally over.

Before Sukuna fully lost control over the body, he said, “Six Eyes bearer, you are now my target.”

The eyes behind the blindfold widened when he heard the King of Curses’ words. No doubt the man didn’t expect him to grasp his technique and identity that quickly. 

Perhaps incarnating himself wasn’t completely a mistake after all.

Now, if only Sukuna had a way to deal with the brat.

Satoru observed the sleeping face as the boy continued slumbering while being held within the Isolation Chamber. There was only one person with that shade of hair and it had been many years since he last saw him. Somehow, Satoru had found another one. When he laid his eyes on the boy, it took all of his self-control from immediately grabbing the teen’s face. He looked eerily similar. Not completely. No.

Itadori Yuuji had softer features than Ryou. While the man had red eyes, the boy had golden eyes. At least he had those colors until Sukuna took over, and those orbs turned into familiar red. Perhaps Satoru would’ve mistook Sukuna for Ryou if not for the fact that the King of Curses had a horrendous personality. 

Satoru had done some light investigation about the kid. He was a completely normal kid. Yuuji was born in Sendai and was raised by his grandfather after his parents’ death. The only strange thing about the boy was his superhuman strength, which even beat Maki with her Heavenly Restriction. What a strange and interesting kid. 

Several hours passed before the boy finally woke up. Normally, Satoru wouldn’t have this much time to waste, but the higher-ups panicked after hearing the news of the revival of the King of Curses. Obviously, they would want to ensure the strongest sorcerer was around to handle this matter. Not that Satoru minded. Yuuji was more interesting than some boring curses that he could easily kill with a flick of his finger. 

When the boy finally stirred, Satoru smiled as he realized that Yuuji had control over the body. Very interesting. Vessels usually drew the short end of a stick when dealing with their possessors, but Yuuji was different and could handle Sukuna just fine. Satoru’s interest rose even further as he took in the teen’s reaction to his situation. Most people would’ve panicked when they heard that they were going to be executed, but the boy was strangely calm. 

Instead of asking more about his fate, Yuuji asked whether he could handle his grandfather’s funeral and visit his seniors who got hurt that night. Wow, what a bleeding heart. It wasn’t hard to see what kind of person Yuuji was. He was one of those people who liked to prioritize others before themselves. Someone like Suguru. While the kid hadn’t yet given his answer, Satoru could already guess what he would say.

With that thought in mind, he humored the teen’s request and accompanied him back to Sendai. The higher-ups made a huge fuss over this, but Satoru ignored their blatherings. It wasn’t like they could do anything against his decision. Even with one finger’s worth of power, the King of Curses was already quite a handful for most sorcerers. Everyone would feel safer when it was Satoru who kept an eye on the vessel, so there was no way they would reassign him. 

The man watched Yuuji silently as he went to the Sugisawa hospital to speak with his seniors and then went to the crematorium for his grandfather. It was sad to see the teen silently pick up the bones of his only remaining family member during the Kotsuage ceremony. There should have been many people who performed this ritual, but there was only one child.

When Yuuji was done moving his grandfather’s remains into the urn, he gave Satoru a determined look. “Do you still have that finger?”

The man readily gave the second finger to the teen. Despite commenting on how disgusting the cursed object looked, the boy still swallowed the finger. Sukuna’s potent cursed energy immediately exploded outward as another finger was consumed by the vessel. Satoru flexed his right hand as he half-expected the King of Curses to attack him again. Another second passed, and that dark energy finally receded as Yuuji entirely took control. 

Satoru grinned. He was correct, then. Itadori Yuuji was indeed a proper vessel for Ryoumen Sukuna. With that theory confirmed, the man confidently continued his plan to enrol Yuuji in Jujutsu High. While those geezers believed the kid would be executed once he had consumed all the fingers, Satoru was aiming to turn Yuuji into a great sorcerer. It was obvious that the kid could handle Sukuna. Killing him would not just be a waste. It was also a cruel act.

While many still opposed the idea, Yuuji’s enrollment at Jujutsu High was a fixed thing. Yaga even tried to throw a performative test at the teen, but it was apparent that the man only wanted to get to know the kid. Yuuji was definitely a bit naive, but he had a good heart, and Satoru was sure he would become a great sorcerer. He just had to make sure the kid would grow strong enough under his care so he could survive not just the curses but also those foolish higher-ups. 

Despite the rough start, Yuuji felt like he could get used to being a sorcerer. Everyone he met had been very nice and welcoming. Sure, Fushiguro had that constant scowl on his face, but he seemed pissed off at all hours. Gojo was definitely a unique teacher with his laissez-faire attitude. The man even customized his uniform. Although Fushiguro warned him about the man’s bad habit, Yuuji thought it was nice!

However, Yuuji’s first challenge as a sorcerer came in the form of his second classmate, Kugisaki Nobara. The girl appeared to hold great prejudice toward him, but luckily, she seemed to treat all of them equally. Yuuji’s attention was quickly drawn back to Gojo when the man promised them to go on a tour of Tokyo, but it was a lie! The man brought them to an abandoned building, which he claimed was in Roppongi!

Oh well. Although Yuuji was disappointed, he knew that he was supposed to learn how to be a sorcerer from Gojo. While Kugisaki was still ranting to herself, the boy listened intently to Gojo’s and Fushiguro’s explanations.

“I want you two to go on a test field,” Gojo said.

Apparently, there were curses inside this abandoned structure, and it was their job to exorcise all of them. Since Yuuji couldn’t use cursed energy yet, the man gave him a cool-looking sword called Slaughter Demon. Before the kid could head inside the building, the man stopped him again and offered him another weapon.

“Hmm? What’s this?” Yuuji asked as he took the short tanto. When he tried to unsheath the blade, it refused to come out. “Eh?”

“It’s a special blade, Yuuji-kun!” Satoru exclaimed with a grin. “You should keep it close to you but don’t expect to use it as a weapon, though.”

“Huh?” Yuuji asked as he tilted his head. Why did he even bring the sword with him if he couldn’t use the it?

Seeing his confusion, the man explained, “This is an extremely powerful weapon that can only be drawn by its chosen person, Yuuji! Who knows maybe it’ll pick you!”

“Haaah?” Fushiguro said as his eye twitched. It was obviously a lie, but Yuuji readily accepted the answer.

With a look of wonder, Yuuji examined the tanto and said, “Is this like the legendary Excalibur or something?”

“Who knows? Maybe?” Satoru replied teasingly while dodging Fushiguro's attempt to hit him.

“Stop telling nonsense,” the black-haired boy said. “Itadori, that tanto belongs to Gojo-sensei. It’s an important item to him, so don’t lose it.”

“Eh? But if it’s so important then why give it to me?” Yuuji asked. “You should take it back, sensei!”

Gojo shook his head. “Nope! You should keep it.”

Their argument drew the attention of the King of Curses, and Yuuji could feel the curse stirring within him. That lazy presence quickly turned sharp when he noticed the tanto in the boy’s hand. 

One red eye slid open as a mouth manifested on the teen’s cheek. “You! Where did you get that sword?!”

“Oh? You know something about this tanto, King of Curses?” Gojo asked with a grin.

The red eye glared at the white-haired man. “Nothing you deserve to know.”

“Is that so?” Gojo said and then poked the corner of the curse’s mouth. “Maybe I should force you to spit out your secrets.”

“As if you can,” Sukuna growled.

“Ugh! Sensei! Please stop poking my cheek!” Yuuji protested as the white-haired man continued to jab his finger at him.

“Sorry!” Gojo said as he held up his hand. 

Nobara, who had been waiting for the idiot to come after her, finally lost her patience and shouted, “Hey, you dumbass! How long are you going to waste time standing there!”

Yuuji rubbed his head as he followed the angry girl inside. When the two were gone from their view, Fushiguro asked, “Why did you give that to Itadori?” 

“Just curiosity,” Gojo replied, “Who knows? Maybe something interesting will happen.”

Yuuji and Kugisaki’s first mission together went smoothly. There was a bit of a hitch when the girl encountered a curse who took a child as a hostage, but luckily, the boy was nearby and was able to lend a hand. As a reward for their success, their teacher offered to treat them to a meal, which the two teens eagerly accepted.

Sukuna scowled as he continued to stare at the dark sky within his innate domain. There was not much he could do while the brat was in control. When the kid had consumed his second finger, the curse had tried his best to take over, yet the teen quickly reigned over the wave of power and kept it under control. Such a feat would’ve impressed the King of Curses normally, but he could not find much appreciation since he was the victim in this situation. He hated being contained like this. 

Itadori Yuuji was not just a strong vessel; he was also annoying. The brat was awfully cheerful and bright to the point of making him sick. Although he preferred to keep to himself, there were moments when the curse broke his silence just to spit insults at the kid. How naive? Saving everyone? Giving everyone a good death? What a joke. Sukuna could not wait until reality crushed those foolish dreams into pieces.

Besides attempting to keep his sanity while being trapped within his vessel, the only other thing that caught his attention was that familiar tanto. The last time he saw that weapon was when Ryou left him. How could it end up becoming a possession of Gojo? Sukuna narrowed his eyes. Then again, Ryou always had a connection with that clan. Perhaps it wasn’t that strange that one of his weapons had fallen into the hands of the Gojo clan. 

Not that it mattered. One millennium had passed since that time, and there was no chance of Ryou being alive. Sukuna had given up on ever meeting that man again. Although that tanto still carried a hint of Ryou’s cursed energy, the sword was likely a cursed tool made after his death. 

It didn’t matter at all.

Sukuna kept a lazy watch over the brat’s activities as he attended Jujutsu High and learned how to become a sorcerer. It was truly a bore. Sukuna had already learned these basics, and the kid struggled so much. Fortunately, things got a bit more interesting when the brats received a mission to hunt a cursed womb. 

The assistant said that the thing could become a special grade, which interested the curse somewhat. If the curse was really that powerful, then there might be a chance that the brat would be forced to ask for his help. His teacher was also not nearby and wouldn’t be able to come to their rescue. This reeked of conspiracy. Perhaps those fools at the top were tired of dealing with his vessel and wanted to get rid of him early. Sukuna chuckled.

The King of Curses kept an eye on the teens as they made their way into the detention center. They quickly got into a fight when the brat insisted on dragging the corpse of an unnamed person with him. Fushiguro quickly rebuked his classmate, and the two quarreled like kids. The only girl on the team got taken elsewhere via a portal, which drew the attention of the teens. Sukuna was almost tuning them out, but then he noticed the presence of a curse suddenly appearing near them.

Oh?

Despite their high-sounding words and determination, the two young sorcerers were no match for this newborn. Sukuna quickly noticed the thing was using one of his fingers as a source of power. How vexing. He wondered how many times these lowlifes had claimed his power before he incarnated.

Sukuna’s dark musing was stopped when Yuuji addressed him directly. Somehow, the brat had lost his left hand not long after this weak curse showed up. How pathetic. As he listened to the teen attempting to bargain with him, the King of Curses laughed. 

“I refuse,” Sukuna said as he manifested outside. “Even if I die, I still have eighteen more fingers scattered around. That said, if you want me to save you then you would need to give up your body. When that happens, I’ll kill Fushiguro here and then that girl, Kugisaki.”

“I won’t let that happen!” Yuuji replied heatedly.

“I figured as much,” Sukuna grinned. “But if you’re too distracted with me, your friends might die!”

Yuuji knew that he stood no chance against this cursed spirit and ordered Fushiguro to escape with Kugisaki. It seemed the brat wanted them to be at a safe distance before he released Sukuna. How foolish. Did he think that he couldn’t easily get to them, even with this trick? Normally, Sukuna had no interest in such weak sorcerers, but after being jailed by this brat, he was quite angry and wanted to kill something. 

“Sukuna,” a familiar reprimanding voice echoed in his head.

The King of Curses closed his eyes. Begone. A dead man had no right to tell him what to do. When he returned his attention outward, the brat was being squarely beaten by this newborn curse. Pathetic. Fear and despair began to flood the teen’s mind as he faced against this unbeatable foe. All of his high-sounding aspirations burned to ash as he faced death. 

“RAAAAAH” Yuuji screamed as he fought back against his fears and the powerful cursed energy blast from the special grade. Yet despite his best attempt, he was still thrown back to the wall. Sukuna watched emotionlessly as the brat finally realized his weakness. Die on his own terms? What a joke. Only the strongest could have that luxury, and this brat was nowhere near that.

Yuuji got back to his feet and began to channel cursed energy into his remaining hand. Live and death situations did tend to bring out revelations in a sorcerer. Though that brat gave his all, the newborn spirit still easily caught his attack. 

“Damn it!” Yuuji cursed.

Yet at that moment, a howl rang through the detention center. “Arroooo!”

Sukuna suddenly found himself back at the front and in control of the body. Clicking his tongue, the King of Curses forced the spirit to release his hand. The newborn was shocked at the sudden surge of power from its opponent, and it could only stare blankly as Sukuna began to think of a scheme to ruin Yuuji’s plan. He definitely had no desire to help the brats, so he couldn’t kill this thing, but it might be possible to take this newborn outside and make the remaining sorcerers fight it.

“Come, follow me,” Sukuna said as he healed the brat’s fingers so he could flick his index digit at the newborn.

As the King of Curses turned his back, the spirit was finally able to move. Knowing the opponent before, it was much stronger now. It knew it had to use its full power if it wished to survive. Without hesitation, it threw a beam of cursed energy straight at Sukuna.

“You fool,” the King of Curses said as he turned around to block the weak attack. Did it seriously think it stood a chance against him? Unfortunately, he accidentally healed the brat's other hand when he stopped that blast. How troublesome. Fine. Since this curse didn’t want to play along, then Sukuna would just kill it.

The assistant manager claimed this thing should be a special grade. Did those fools put Sukuna and this weakling on the same level? Annoyed, the King of Curses took his time playing around with this newborn. Not only had it dared to consume his finger, but it even tried to attack him. The least it could do was entertain him for a while before he had to be shoved back inside by the brat.

After slamming the curse down to the floor, Sukuna stomped his feet on its face and broke the structure underneath. The spirit attempted to throw him away after grabbing his foot, but the King of Curses cut off its arm before goading the creature, “Even a cursed spirit, needs an arm, right?”

Seeing the panic on the curse’s face made Sukuna laugh wildly. Perhaps it was because he had been asleep and then trapped within the brat for so long, but Sukuna never had this much fun torturing a weakling like this. He would need to make full use of this brief freedom before Yuuji trapped him again.

Sukuna cut the remaining limbs of the curse and then slammed its body into a wall. It remained stunned there for several seconds while the King of Curses observed him. He could kill it but that might make the kid take back control. So he waited. The curse finally used that chance to heal its missing limbs. 

Seeing the satisfied grin on its face, Sukuna mocked, “You look so proud of yourself. Do you want me to applaud? But healing yourself with cursed energy is something curses can do easily compared to humans.”

Despite the fun he had been having, Sukuna felt bored again. This newborn was already too predictable and uninteresting. Not wanting to waste more time on this creature, the King of Curses made a mudra and summoned his Malevolent Shrine. Cleaves easily cut the newborn apart to the point it could not heal itself. Sukuna sighed in disappointment before grabbing his finger from the creature. 

Once he was sure the curse was fully exorcised, Sukuna shouted, “I’m done! How annoying! If you want to take back control, do it already!”

No response.

“Brat?” 

Still nothing.

A grin showed up on Sukuna’s face. So that’s how it worked. It seemed back in that high school the brat was able to quickly take control after making a Binding Vow with Gojo. Since there was none in place at this moment, it was much harder for the kid to suppress him. Oh, the King of Curses was sure Yuuji would return eventually. He was that annoyingly persistent, but at least this would give him a chance to play with the brat’s friends.

As Sukuna started to head outside, his arm brushed against the sheathed tanto that Yuuji kept holding. He paused. His hand automatically went to take the sword and raised it to his eye level. After examining the cursed tool for several seconds, he confirmed that it was Ryou’s belonging. Despite its age, it was still in pristine condition. A familiar cursed energy signature brushed against him as the King of Curses examined the weapon for too long. 

“Sukuna,” that familiar voice echoed again.

The curse closed his eyes and sighed before putting it back on his belt. How annoying. He said, “Silence. A dead man should keep his mouth shut.”

The tanto did not reply, and Sukuna continued walking toward the exit. He had some brats who needed to be taught a lesson. 

Omake:

Sukuna: Shut up, you’re noisy.

Ryou: But I’m not saying anything?

Chapter Text

When Sukuna exited the detention center, he was quite disappointed to discover that Kugisaki had managed to escape. Seeing only one target left, the King of Curses used his enhanced speed to reach the boy in seconds. The curse smirked when he saw the young sorcerer’s face pale as he realized it was Sukuna before him and not Yuuji.

“The brat isn’t coming back,” Sukuna said with his hands stuffed in his pockets. “Not so soon, anyway.”

Fushiguro only glared at him with apprehension.

Sukuna continued, “No need to be so tense, I’m in a good mood right now, but before we start…” The curse ripped apart the boy’s uniform and took out the boy’s heart with one swift movement. 

Fushiguro flinched at the gruesome act and uttered, “What?”

The King of Curses smirked and tossed aside the organ. “I’m taking the brat hostage. Unlike that kid, I can live without this thing.” Just to make sure Yuuji couldn’t interfere before he had his fun, Sukuna also consumed the finger he had just obtained from the newborn spirit. “Alright, you can get scared now.”

Fushiguro frowned. “Itadori will return even if it means his death. He’s that kind of person.”

Sukuna scoffed. The boy hadn’t seen the brat crying his eyes out as he faced death. Despite his big words, that kid was just like any other human who cowered before their end. “You give him too much credit. He’s merely tougher and duller than most people. That brat doesn’t have the guts to kill himself. I’m sure of it.”

The young sorcerer didn’t reply and only made a sign with his hands. Sukuna could see him trying to make a plan. It wasn’t hard to guess; the boy had to think of forcing him to use the Reverse Cursed Technique before the brat switched with him. A simple but effective plan, but that would only work if the teen could force him to that point.

Fushiguro summoned Nue and immediately ordered the bird to fly away. Sukuna grinned and allowed the teen to come close so they could fight in close combat. Interesting. Most shikigami users would cower in the distance, but this young sorcerer wasn’t afraid to fight hand-to-hand. He wasn’t that good, though, and it was easy for the King of Curses to land a hit on the teen’s face. The boy quickly recovered and made another sign to summon a massive snake from his shadow. The shikigami closed its massive jaw around Sukuna, and in the next second, Nue flew toward him and attacked the curse from behind.

It was a solid hit, but that level of power couldn’t harm the King of Curses. With a wide smile, the curse destroyed the snake shikigami before grabbing the teen and flinging him into the air. Fushiguro couldn’t react, and Sukuna was able to hit him in the back in mid-air. Nue flew to rescue its summoner, and the bird became a cushion when the teen landed painfully on the ground.

Sukuna landed a few steps in front of the young sorcerer and said, “You use shadows as an intermediary correct?”

“So what?” Fushiguro retorted.

The King of Curses hummed. Had he heard of such a technique before? He wasn’t quite sure. In his long life, he had met numerous sorcerers with unique techniques. Many of them were disappointing and weak, but Fushiguro’s technique had potential. Perhaps he was a descendant of that Masakado Taira? Sukuna had never encountered that Great Vengeful Spirit, but he had heard of the budding new clan born from his lineage. 

“I don’t quite understand,” Sukuna said, “Why did you run away back then?”

The boy only looked confused.

The King of Curses continued, “What a wasted opportunity. Anyhow, if you keep going like this, you won’t be able to fix his heart.”

Fushiguro tensed when Sukuna pointed out his plan, but the sorcerer got back on his feet. 

Sukuna snorted. “This brat isn’t worth that much effort.”

The teen didn’t reply for a long time, and when he finally moved, a massive flow of cursed energy emerged from the kid. The King of Curses smiled wildly when he realized the sorcerer had finally gotten serious. He was certainly curious about the limit of his cursed technique. So far, Fushiguro had proven himself to be a good potential vessel. Since Yuuji was a prison for him, Sukuna knew he had to find another body where he could incarnate. 

“Show me what you got, Fushiguro Megumi!” Sukuna exclaimed.

“With this treasure, I summon…” the teen chanted.

Yet before they could continue their fight, the King of Curses felt a strong pull from within. Shit. The brat was awake already? He assumed he had more time, considering he had just consumed another finger. How troublesome. Sukuna needed to find a way to keep this kid under control. Despite his annoyance, the curse could only let himself get dragged back into his innate domain as the brat took control of the body. 

Without him being in control, the wound in Yuuji’s chest immediately bled a river of blood. Sukuna was irritated when he felt slightly impressed that the brat proved him wrong. Perhaps his desire to protect his friend was stronger than his fear of death. The two exchanged words before, finally, the teen dropped to the ground due to his lethal wound.

“Live a long life, okay?”

Satoru was absolutely enraged when he received the news. He didn’t expect those geezers to be this brazen. How dare they try to kill one of his students, and they even succeeded! Unforgivable. A part of Satoru wanted to storm the council chamber and kill all of those low-lives. Had he been so lenient toward them that they believed they could do such a thing? Yuuji was his student. He was under his protection. Yet those fools thought they could get away with messing with the strongest sorcerer when he could easily rip off their bald heads from their withered bodies? 

Ijichi whimpered as he felt the bloodlust coming from Satoru. After being the sorcerer’s primary assistant manager, the man was used to his senior’s childish antics. While Ijichi always suffered under the man’s whims, he would rather deal with that than suffer the wrath of Gojo Satoru. The assistant manager could only close his eyes as he berated himself for not being more careful regarding Satoru’s students. He wasn’t sure whether he should feel grateful or not that there was only one kid who died instead of all three of them.

The tense atmosphere broke when Shoko entered the morgue. The woman whistled when she noticed Satoru’s angry frown. “You’re being emotional for once. It seems you have a soft spot for that kid.”

“Of course, I’m his teacher,” Satoru replied, still half growling.

Unbothered by his bad mood, Shoko said, “Well try not to pick on Ijichi too much. He’s caught between us and the higher-ups.”

Her words made Ijichi tear up, but Satoru retorted, “I don’t care about his hardships.”

Shoko could only sigh after hearing her friend’s childish answer and approached the autopsy table. The teen’s body was covered in white cloth, which she pulled aside with one smooth motion. Her eyes widened when she saw the boy’s face. “He is…”

“He looks like him, doesn’t he?” Satoru muttered.

Shoko examined the pale face for several seconds before replying, “I can see why you’re so upset.”

“Che, even if they didn’t look alike, I would still be upset!”

Not understanding what they were talking about, Ijichi could only glance between the two people. However, knowing it wasn’t his business, the man kept his mouth shut.

“Are you sure you want me to dissect him?” Shoko asked.

Satoru didn’t reply for a long moment and instinctively grabbed the tanto placed near him. He had thought that perhaps giving this to Yuuji would offer him some protection. Perhaps Ryou would even return after all these years of silence. Maybe he was being too unrealistic.

“You better make it worth it,” Satoru said.

Yuuji blinked several times as he stared at the bright blue sky above him. Several seconds passed before the boy finally remembered what happened. Sukuna had killed him by ripping out his heart. The thought made the teen sit up and touch his chest, but he found no hole in his torso. Actually, where was he right now? Before him was an endless plain of green grass. Yuuji squinted as he tried to see farther away, but it felt like there was no end or border. When he turned his head around, the boy’s eyes widened as he saw a massive Ginkgo tree. Under its golden leaves sat a man who seemed to be in a deep sleep. Yet what caught his attention was his appearance.

He looked just like Yuuji.

At least they looked similar enough that the teen could claim they were related.

The unknown man had the same shade of cherry blossom hair that Yuuji had only ever seen on his grandfather’s and father’s heads. Yet there was now another man who looked like him.

Yuuji kept staring at the sleeping man, expecting him to wake up. After a long moment of waiting, no response came from the slumbering figure.

Curious, the boy finally moved from his spot and approached the unknown person. Still no response. Yuuji reached out his hand and tried to shake the man awake. Before he could touch the person’s shoulder, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Yuuji immediately attempted to pull his hand away, but his grasp was too firm and solid. Even when he used his entire body weight, the man refused to let him go.

Yuuji quickly changed his tactics and bowed to say, “S-sorry! I just wanted to see if you were awake! Please forgive me!” 

No answer.

Yuuji glanced up to see the man’s eyes were still closed.

Eh?

“U-um, hello?” Yuuji asked.

The other continued to sleep.

Not knowing what else he could do, Yuuji tried to pry off the hand holding him with his free hand. Yet no matter how hard he tried, the other refused to let go.

Okay, this was getting ridiculous.

Annoyed, Yuuji decided to shout, “Hello! Is anyone home?!”

Still no response.

The boy became bolder and tried to grab the man’s shoulder again. This time, no hand attempted to stop him. He began to shake the sleeping person and said, “Please wake up! You’re the only one around, and I don’t know where I am! I’m sorry for waking you, but this is important! So wake up alr-!”

Before he could finish his sentence, the man’s other hand shot up and hit the teen’s jaw. The boy folded to the ground while the unknown person was still firmly grasping his left hand. 

“Uugh, that hurts,” Yuuji groaned as he rubbed his sore jaw.

When the teen sat up again, he met the red gaze of the man and froze. The two stared at each other for a long moment before Yuuji raised his free hand timidly and said, “Sorry for being disrespectful, but I really need you to wake up so- hold on don’t go to sleep again!”

While Yuuji was talking, the man’s eyes were about to flutter close again, which sent a jolt of panic through the teen. “Come on! I don’t want to shake you awake and get hit for the second time!”

The man blinked tiredly several times before finally locking eyes with Yuuji. After a long second, the other said, “You…”

“Itadori Yuuji!” the teen quickly replied. “I’m really sorry for bothering you but I suddenly found myself here and I’m wondering if you can tell me where I am?”

It took a while before the man replied, “You… you’re dead.”

Yuuji froze. Well, that was true. He was dead since Sukuna killed him, but how did this man know that?

“Dead but not quite.” The unknown man sighed tiredly. “There’s life in you still.”

“Uh, wow, those sure are some cryptic words,” Yuuji muttered. He wasn’t sure whether he should take the words of a sleep-deprived man seriously, but he didn’t seem hostile. Although the man had hit him before, it was probably because the teen was rudely shaking him awake. The boy sat beside the unknown person and asked, “Who are you, mister?”

Like before, it took several seconds for the man to reply. He seemed to be struggling even to form a simple response. “...Ryou.”

“Ryou-san then?”

The man frowned. “Just Ryou.”

“Oh, okay?” Yuuji said. Most adults prefer to be addressed with an honorific suffix, but this man seemed different. “Can you tell me where I am, Ryou?”

“... Here? My innate domain.”

Yuuji tilted his head in confusion. He had never heard of something like that, but it might be a Jujutsu term. “Can you explain more?”

The man opened his mouth to answer, but a yawn came out instead. Oh wow, the guy sure seemed to need a lot more sleep. 

“Do you need to nap some more?” Yuuji asked. He wouldn’t mind waiting for the guy to get enough rest. It wasn’t as if he was in a hurry or anything, and this place seemed safe and peaceful, so he didn’t mind staying here longer.

Ryou stared at him momentarily before saying, “... You should go, but… be careful.”

“Eh?”

The man didn’t elaborate more and finally released his hold over Yuuji’s wrist to place his hand on the boy’s head. After patting him several times, he lowered his hand to poke the teen on the forehead.

Suddenly, Yuuji was falling. The boy screamed with his hands flailing wildly in the air. He was able to turn around just in time to find himself diving face-first into a lake of blood. The teen coughed his lungs out for several seconds when he realized he hadn’t died for the second time that day.

Sukuna watched the pathetic display. He had been waiting for the brat to show up in his innate domain, but the kid hadn’t shown up for a long time. The curse almost thought that he had accidentally locked himself within his innate domain forever while the brat left to enter the cycle of reincarnation. Annoyed, the King of Curses was about to hurl another insult at the kid when Yuuji finally raised his head to glare up at him.

Sukuna froze.

He had known that his vessel had the same shade of hair as him, but he had assumed that to be a coincidence. Although rare, it wasn’t impossible for another human to be born with cherry blossom hair. The King of Curses was not interested in examining the brat’s visage, so he never paid attention to the boy’s recollection of his appearance. Perhaps that was a mistake because before him was the face of a dead man.

“You! Sukuna!” Yuuji exclaimed. He was quite confused about how he found another person with his face, but deep down, the teen knew the being before him was the King of Curses. The curse was covered in tattoos as a miasmic aura, and his four red eyes could only belong to one person.

Sukuna didn’t reply and only glared down at the boy. 

Annoyed at being ignored, the teen picked up one of the numerous bull skulls and threw the object at the curse. Sukuna easily dodged the attack and suddenly appeared in front of the boy. Yuuji tried to hit the curse on the face, but the other caught his hand and used his other hand to grab the boy’s face.

“Wha?” Yuuji blurted out and tried to kick the curse away, yet his attack didn’t faze the man.

The King of Curses ignored the brat’s struggle and focused on examining the face before him. Similar but not the same. Besides the different eye color, the boy’s features were softer, and he also lacked the calmness Ryou always embodied. Sukuna scoffed at himself. He really needed to stop allowing that ghost to continue haunting him.

“Let go already!” Yuuji screamed.

The King of Curses fulfilled the brat’s wish by throwing him at a nearby stack of bones. The kid crashed into the structure, but he soon got up and ran again toward the curse in anger. Humoring the teen, Sukuna exchanged blows with the annoyed Yuuji. The boy was able to dodge a punch by lowering his body. Expecting an attack from below, the curse glanced down but soon noticed the foot flying toward his face. Such an attack might’ve caught a weakling, but the brat was too slow. Sukuna evaded the attack and kicked the boy on the back before sitting on him.

“Graaaaah!!!! Get off me!” Yuuji shouted as he struggled against the curse on his back.

Sukuna scoffed. “Calm down, brat. Aren’t you curious where we are?”

“We’re in an innate domain right?!” Yuuji retorted.

“Oh, it seems you’re paying attention, surprising,” the King of Curses said.

A vein in Yuuji’s head throbbed when he heard the curse’s mocking tone. Yet he didn’t utter a protest since he knew this from Ryou, who just told him.

“Since we’re still here, that means we’re not dead yet,” Sukuna continued, “If you accept my terms, I’ll fix your heart and revive you.”

“Look at you, talking all big but you’re also afraid of dying huh?” Yuuji mocked back.

The King of Curses wasn’t bothered by the brat’s insult and replied, “Well, things may get interesting.” After seeing Fushiguro, he was sure the teen could become his vessel. Sukuna merely needed a chance to strike and claim that body as his.

“I have two conditions, you agree to let me take over your body for one minute when I chant ‘enchain’,” the curse said, “and that you will forget about this agreement.”

“No way! I don’t get what you’re after but this is too suspicious!” Yuuji exclaimed. “After what you’ve done, I know I can’t ever let you out again!”

“What if I promise I won’t kill anyone in that one minute, will that do?” Sukuna said with a sigh.

“Like I’d believe you!” 

Seeing how ignorant the brat was, Sukuna scoffed. “It’s not about you believing me. This is a Binding Vow. One cannot break a promise that binds one’s soul so lightly. There are consequences.”

Yuuji glared up at him for a second and then said, “Fine I accept. Now get off me!”

Sukuna humored the brat’s request, yet the moment the kid stood up, he threw a punch that landed straight on the curse’s cheek. This fool!

“Like I’d say that!” Yuuji growled. “Revive me without any conditions! You were the one who got me killed after all!”

Sukuna smiled angrily. “How about this? A fight to the death. If you win, no conditions, but if I win then I revive you with the Binding Vow.”

Hearing the offer, the brat’s face brightened with interest. The curse’s hand twitched when the brat opened his mouth, but he soon closed it again.

“What is it now?” Sukuna asked when the teen only frowned.

Unbeknownst to the King of Curses, Ryou’s warning had echoed within Yuuji’s head when he was about to say yes. He wasn’t sure why he hesitated, but he shook his head and said, “No! I refuse!”

“Ha?!” 

“What? Do you think I’ll just accept?! Do you think I’m that dumb!” Yuuji asked.

Frankly, yes. The brat was so stupid that Sukuna was sure he could fool the teen with this gamble. He has seen how self-assured the brat was despite his weakness. Why did he change his mind suddenly?

“I see, I can’t believe you’re that much of a coward,” Sukuna goaded. He had to make Yuuji agree, and then he could easily chop off the brat’s head.

“Mock me however you want!” Yuuji exclaimed while crossing his arms. “From my perspective, you’re the one who’s desperate here! I don’t mind dying if I can be sure that you won’t harm any more people! Anyway, I’m not going to change my mind unless you agree to revive me without any conditions!” 

When the teen finished speaking, he sat cross-legged on the lake of blood with his back against the King of Curses. Sukuna was almost tempted to cut the brat down for the daring act. As if rejecting his offer wasn’t bad enough, he dared to show this much disrespect toward him.

Feeling his enmity, Yuuji glared over his shoulder and muttered to himself, “He expects me to trust him? What a joke. If it were that other guy, then maybe I’d consider it.”

Sukuna frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Yuuji tensed at the question but didn’t reply.

“Oi, brat. Who were you talking to?” Sukuna demanded. It should be impossible for the kid to speak with someone else after he was physically dead. The King of Curses also didn’t feel any cursed technique being applied to the body. Wait. It did take a while for the teen to show up. Was that when the kid spoke with someone else?

“Why are you so curious?” Yuuji asked. “If you must know, I met a guy named Ryou.”

Sukuna froze.

What? 

He hadn’t expected that name to come out of the brat’s mouth. That shouldn’t be possible. He tried to recall whether the teen knew someone by that name, but the answer was no. So this should’ve occurred after the kid became his vessel, but Sukuna was sure he had never seen another person with that name while dwelling inside this body. The only thing related to that man was that old tanto.

Could it be?

“You better tell me everything that you know!” Sukuna ordered the teen. “How did you meet him?!”

Yuuji flinched at the curse’s sudden change of attitude. When he saw the King of Curses’ impatient face, an idea appeared in his head. “Oh? You wanna know more? Sure. I’ll tell you everything if you agree to revive me without those conditions.”

Sukuna gritted his teeth in anger. How dare this brat demand things from him?! The audacity. “How bold of you? What makes you think I can’t forcefully pry those secrets out of your mouth? Do you believe you can stand being tortured?”

Yuuji lifted his chin and retorted, “Give it your best. I’m sure I can hold out until my body gets cremated. At that point, it won’t matter anymore whether you accept my deal or not!”

Sukuna was half tempted to make the brat eat his words, yet the curiosity that bubbled within him halted his hand. It didn’t matter. So what if Yuuji had met someone named Ryou? It could be any other Ryou. There was a high chance there was another sorcerer with that name. Even if it were that man, why should he care? Sukuna frowned and flexed his hands.

Yuuji watched the King of Curses warily as Sukuna remained silent for a long time.

A millennium had passed, yet now was the moment when Sukuna found a hint about him. How ridiculous. This had to be a lie. Sukuna should ignore the brat’s muttering and get him to agree to his conditions. That was more important. Why should he care about that dead man? He was gone. He had promised to himself that he had moved on.

Sukuna closed his eyes and prepared himself to reject the brat’s demand mockingly, yet the words that came out were, “Fine, I agree.”

The sounds of chains echoed within their souls.

Yuuji blinked, not expecting the curse to relent.

Seeing the kid only gaping at him like a fish, Sukuna growled, “You better speak up now, brat.”

“Ah-um, okay. I didn’t expect that to be so easy.” Yuuji ignored the King of Curses’ glare and continued, “So, before I came here, I actually woke up in another area- um… innate domain? It was a much better place by the way! A lush green field, blue sky, and that one big Ginkgo tree!”

Sukuna stopped himself from stiffening when he heard of that damned plant. 

“There was also this man who looked a lot like me, but he had red eyes!” Yuuji continued. “He was asleep when I arrived and it took a lot to make him wake up. When he did he was still very sluggish and could hardly respond to my questions. Anyway, he just told me that I was dead but not quite, his name was Ryou, and I was in his innate domain, but then he told me to be careful before I suddenly found myself here.”

Sukuna waited for the brat to continue and realized that was all. “That’s it?”

Yuuji had enough conscience to look sheepish. “That’s it.”

A vein in Sukuna’s head throbbed in anger, and the curse flicked his hand to cut off the boy’s head. As the body fell and sunk into the blood lake, the King of Curses returned to his throne and sat down heavily. While rubbing his eyes tiredly, he refused to acknowledge that the brat had bested him. Outside his innate domain, he could hear the surprise from Gojo and the other sorcerers when they saw the brat waking up. The curse ignored them and tried to process what Yuuji had told him.

‘Why do you come back now?’ Sukuna wondered.

Omake:

Sukuna: Fuck you!

Yuuji: Fuck you!

Ryou: Can’t you guys just get along?

Chapter Text

Many weird things happen in the Jujutsu world, but seeing a kid waking up from death certainly takes the cake. Shoko felt a slight disappointment that she couldn’t dissect Sukuna’s vessel. It was very rare to encounter a vessel, especially one that hosted such a powerful curse. However, at least like this, Satoru lost his murderous aura. As she watched Itadori Yuuji talk with his teacher, an old memory resurfaced in her mind. 

It was a bright, sunny day during the rainy season. Shoko was staring at nothing as she considered her new classmates. She first encountered a black-haired boy born and raised in the mundane world. Geto Suguru was very polite, but she did question his sense of fashion. Why pick those overly baggy pants? He could change anything in his uniform, and that was what he wanted to adjust. Were regular pants not good enough? Fortunately, Shoko knew some manners and kept her comments to herself. Anyway, as long as they could get alone during school, she was okay with Geto.

However, what caught Shoko’s attention more was her other classmate. Gojo Satoru was a well-known name in the Jujutsu society, the heir of the Gojo clan and the bearer of Six Eyes. Everyone had expected great things from this young genius. Shoko hadn’t even expected to meet the guy. Since the main estates of the major clans were located in Kyoto, people assumed that the Six Eyes would join the Kyoto branch, but that wasn't the case.

While Geto was polite and friendly, Gojo was the direct opposite. He had no sense of propriety or respect and seemed to look down on everyone. Perhaps it was because of his height. Seriously, why were the two boys her age much taller than her? Gojo had never acted unpleasant toward her, but he was much harder to get along with than Geto with his polite smiles. 

True to the rumors, Gojo was a genius. He aced various tests and didn’t seem to bother learning and reading the books Yaga had assigned them. Their teacher had looked angry when he learned of the boy’s laziness, but there was nothing he could say when Gojo could answer his questions perfectly. Let’s not even talk about his Jujutsu. Gojo’s technique was unfair, and seeing him demolish a group of Grade Two curses with a flick of his hand made her understand why people already expected him to be the strongest sorcerer. Perhaps the only one who could somewhat challenge him would be Geto, another special-grade sorcerer due to his technique. Controlling curses was a strong ability that would be dangerous against many sorcerers, but Shoko couldn’t see how Geto could get past Gojo’s Infinity.

While Shoko learned many things about her classmates during the short time she spent with them, the number one thing she noticed was the cursed tool that Gojo always brought. It was a sheathed tanto that Shoko had never seen him use. Not that he would need it, considering his technique, but that made her even more curious. Gojo had never parted with the item, always carrying it around. But the strangest thing about this was that he always talked with the sword. Oh, he tried to keep it a secret, but it’s hard to keep things hidden since they lived in the same dorm and went to the same class every day. Geto and Yaga also noticed this, but the two hadn’t asked the boy their questions. 

Several months passed before Geto felt comfortable enough to breach the topic. The two had formed this strange rivalry, and they seemed eager to punch each other at least once daily. Yet, strangely, they seemed to be getting along. Shoko couldn’t fully understand. Maybe it was because she wasn’t a boy. Either way, Geto was much closer to Gojo than she was, and he was the first one to ask, “I’ve always wondered why you’re always carrying that blade.”

Gojo blinked at Geto’s words before grinning and raising his beloved weapon. “Oh, this? I haven’t told you about him yet?”

Him?

Geto shook his head exasperatedly. “You know you haven’t. What’s so special about that cursed tool? Is that a gift from someone?”

“A gift?! Absolutely not! I found him myself!” Gojo protested heatedly but soon fell into silence. As the boy tilted his head toward the weapon in his hand, Shoko and Geto exchanged a glance with each other. This was the habit that made them question Gojo’s sanity. Whenever Gojo was being exceptionally unbearable, he would often go silent and then turn his attention to the tanto. He then would mutter to himself as if speaking with the object.

“You know what I mean,” Gojo muttered. Another silence. “Fine. I didn’t tell them because I wanted to be considerate of you. Ugh.”

After completing his one-sided argument with himself, Gojo huffed and turned his attention back to his classmates, who were watching him with wide eyes. “Listen you two! This is a secret, okay?  you better not blabber to others about this!”

Shoko and Geto automatically nodded at the boy’s demand. They were very curious about what Gojo had been hiding. It had to be connected to that cursed tool he always carried around.

Seeing their expectant gazes, Gojo grinned. “Curious? Alright, I’ll tell you guys!” He raised the tanto high and exclaimed, “This is Ryou!”

“Who?” Shoko asked. 

“Is that the name of the blade?” Geto asked.

Gojo tutted. “Don’t be stupid. Of course not! The blade has no name. This is Ryou’s tanto. I just happened to find it when I was a kid, but that’s not important.” He stretched the hand holding the weapon toward them. “Here, you two should touch it.”

Shoko and Geto exchanged glances with each other. They were sure this wasn’t a prank since Gojo wouldn’t have time to prepare one for them. The weapon itself seemed to be dormant, and there was no cursed technique that would harm them if they touched it.

Seeing their hesitance, Gojo clicked his tongue. “Come on, do you guys not trust me?”

Frankly, no. Shoko could trust Gojo to exorcise any curses and protect her from harm during missions, but she had no confidence that Gojo would not prank them. Gojo’s words seemed to work on Geto, though, and he soon placed his finger on the tip of the handle. When nothing happened, Shoko also put her finger on the edge of the sheath. 

Nothing occurred for a moment, and then-

Shoko blinked when she suddenly found herself in another location. Beside her, Geto became as stiff as a plank as the two observed their new surrounding. They were standing on a green grassy field with a lone Ginkgo tree. While the two first-years were tense, Gojo quickly approached the unknown man observing them. 

“Ryou!” Gojo exclaimed as he slung an arm over Ryou's shoulder. Ryou sent him a dry look but didn’t push Gojo away. 

“Ryou?” Geto asked as he examined the new person.

“Yup, this is Ryou!” Gojo said as he framed Ryou’s face with his palm, which the man swatted away. “I found him in the Gojo clan’s warehouse when I was a kid.”

Ryou sighed. “What he meant is that he discovered my tanto inside the clan’s warehouse. I’m currently only a shard of soul stuck to this ancient weapon.”

“So, Gojo hasn’t been talking to himself like a madman?” Shoko asked, which earned a gasp from Gojo.

“Ieiri! How could you! There is no way I could ever go crazy!” Gojo exclaimed. 

“No, you just make everyone around you crazy with your antics,” Geto retorted.

Shoko ignored the two as they went into another habitual quarrel and said, “A soul attached to a cursed weapon? I’ve never heard of that before.”

“No I doubt you have,” Ryou said. “Unfortunately, I can’t share any knowledge about this since I lack my memories.”

“You don’t remember anything?” Shoko asked.

Ryou shook his head. “None. Satoru has been trying to help me uncover my past but we have found nothing.”

“Yet,” Gojo added. 

While the two exchanged a glance, Shoko commented, “Satoru, huh? You two seem to be close then.”

“Of course! As the one who owns the tanto, I’m Ryou's number one friend!” Gojo replied.

“You’re more like a brat I’ve to keep an eye on,” Ryou said as he hit Gojo on the head. 

“Ouch!” Gojo exclaimed as he covered his head. “Why do you keep hitting me when I visit you?”

“It’s because I can’t hit you in the real world when you act out,” Ryou replied drily.

Shoko and Geto watched with wide eyes as their arrogant classmate whined and pouted like a child. While Gojo had never acted very maturely, he always held himself with a degree of arrogance. Even when interacting with their teacher, it wasn’t rare to see him being stubborn. He still respected Yaga and somewhat listened to his instructions, but there was always a hint of distance between them. Shoko couldn’t see it when Gojo was interacting with Ryou.

“Enough about this kid,” Ryou said while ignoring the still-pouting Gojo. “Forgive me for suddenly bringing you two into my innate domain, but I figure that meeting directly like this would be best. I notice that Satoru has been drawing attention due to his strange habit of talking to himself.” Ryou sighed. “I kept telling him that revealing my existence to you two shouldn’t be a problem but the kid insisted that he wanted to observe the situation first.”

“Didn’t I tell you that I don’t want that incident with Toji occurring again?!” Gojo protested. “Who knows? Maybe one of them would steal you if they knew. I mean, nobody has ever seen a talking sword.”

Ryou scowled. “I’m not a talking sword.”

“You know what I mean!” Gojo exclaimed as he waved his hands wildly.

“Stop with this foolishness, Satoru,” Ryou replied while pinching the bridge of his nose. “I can see that you’re already fond of these two within weeks.”

“Hmm?” Shoko and Geto shot a mix of incredulous and teasing looks at their friend. 

Gojo’s face became slightly red, and he slapped Ryou on the arm. “You’re the one who should stop talking nonsense!” While Ryou rolled his eyes, Gojo glared at his classmates and said, “You two better not tell anyone about this! There is only one other person, well maybe two, who knows about Ryou. If I hear rumors about a talking sword going around, I know who I have to hunt down.”

Shoko and Geto didn’t take the threat seriously. It’s hard to consider it a grave warning since Ryou was pinching Gojo’s ear for repeatedly calling him a talking sword. The two also knew their friend’s temperament. He tended to act over the top and dramatic, but he rarely took things seriously. Not that Shoko planned to blabber about Gojo’s secret to anyone. She was interested in learning more about Ryou’s strange situation but knew when to stay silent.

“Shoko!” Satoru called, breaking her out of her reverie.

Seeing him gesturing for her to come closer, she did as he asked and followed him outside. Itadori remained in the morgue with Ijichi while the two adults talked. As they walked through the empty hallway, Shoko asked, “Do I need to change the report?”

“Nope. Leave it as it is,” Satoru said while shaking his head. “I’d like to give Yuuji some basic training before making him a target again. So leave him as deceased in the report.”

That request would end up causing her trouble when the truth was revealed. Not that Shoko was worried. Sorcerers unlocking the Reverse Cursed Technique was rare enough, much less someone who could output it at her level. The worst thing they would do was give her a slap on the wrist. “Doesn’t that mean Itadori will have to go into hiding forever?”

“I’ll have him ready before the Goodwill Event,” Satoru replied with a smirk. Shoko could already see the gears in his brain turning. He was likely thinking of a good way to shock the higher-ups with Itadori’s return.

“Why?” Shoko asked.

“Easy, no one is allowed to take youth away from young people,” Satoru said.

Shoko huffed. How funny. This guy somehow had a responsible bone in his body. Should she thank Ryou for that? “Sure, I’ll lie on the report, but remember to buy me a bag of my favorite coffee beans.”

“Shoko! Can’t you do this for free for your pal?” Satoru pouted.

Shoko rolled her eyes. “You’re rich, so pay up.” 

“Ugh, everyone becomes a gold digger when they’re around me.”

Yuuji was quite surprised when he was taken to Gojo’s house in Tokyo. He had expected to return to his dorm room, but apparently, his teacher wanted to hide him away for a while. In the meantime, Gojo would give him some training he badly needed. After seeing how terribly he failed against the newborn curse, Yuuji knew he had to get stronger. Others might say it was okay since the enemy was a special grade, but he wanted to help people so he had to get stronger. 

During the journey to Gojo’s house, Yuuji thought of various training sessions that he might have to perform, but he did not expect to watch movies. Although it sounded simple, he had to watch these films alongside an aggressive teddy bear that would punch him in the face if he let his guard down. Gojo had left him alone in the basement to watch the movie since he was quite busy but said he would check on him in the evening. Yuuji’s jaw was already sore after being hit so many times. Thankfully, the number of times the doll woke up seemed to have lessened, making him slightly proud of himself. 

After finishing another thriller film, Yuuji decided to take a break for a while since he was a bit hungry. Although Gojo had brought him bags of snacks, they weren’t proper meals, and his stomach grumbled angrily. He climbed up the stairs and out of the basement. Gojo’s house was quite large, with two floors and several rooms. He felt a bit out of place when he first arrived since everything looked so expensive. Gojo assured him he could make himself at home since Yuuji would stay here for a while. 

It seemed Gojo hadn’t returned since Yuuji was alone in the house. Gojo had given him a quick tour of the area when they brought Yuuji here, so he knew the location of the kitchen. The appliances and utensils looked clean and untouched. It was likely that Gojo wasn’t a big fan of cooking. Considering his wealth, Yuuji wouldn’t be surprised if his diet consisted of restaurant meals. After glancing out the window and seeing the darkening sky outside, he decided to make a big meal that would also feed Gojo. Thankfully, there were some ingredients inside the fridge. All of them seemed to have been recently bought. Perhaps Gojo wanted to ensure Yuuji didn’t starve himself while hiding at his house.

After checking the available ingredients, Yuuji opted to make some curry. It was fairly easy, and he was sure Gojo would like it. As he began preparing the vegetables for the dish, he felt Sukuna stirring within him. A moment later, he manifested outside with his familiar red eye opening. Sukuna did not say anything for a while, and Yuuji focused on his task. 

“You can cook,” Sukuna eventually said.

“What do you mean by that?” Yuuji asked, offended. “What makes you think I can’t cook?”

Sukuna scoffed. “Perhaps it’s because of your lack of intelligence.”

Yuuji felt tempted to shove the carrot in his hand into Sukuna’s mouth, but his instinct told him it wouldn’t be a good idea. “What does my intelligence have to do with my cooking skills? Let me tell you, my grandpa always said that cooking is a skill that everyone should know!”

“... Then your grandfather was a wiser man than you,” Sukuna grumbled.

Yuuji blinked, not expecting praise coming from Sukuna. “Thanks, I guess.”

After saying that, Sukuna stopped manifesting on his body and returned inside, but Yuuji could still feel him paying attention. He continued cutting the vegetables into even pieces, but as he grabbed another carrot, a question appeared in his mind.

“Hey, Sukuna, you seem to know Ryou,” Yuuji said. “Do you guys have a history or something?”

Sukuna did not reply for a long moment before the red eye slid open again to glare up at him. “It’s none of your business.”

Yuuji huffed. “I think it sort of is, considering that you agreed to revive me because you want info about that guy.”

“And I’m still irritated at you for tricking me,” Sukuna replied.

“I didn’t trick you! I told you everything that happened! It’s not my fault that I didn’t interact with Ryou for that long.” 

“Oh? Care to tell me more about that?” another voice suddenly piped up.

Yuuji whirled around and automatically pointed the kitchen knife at the unexpected visitor. Before him stood a man with dark hair and eyes. There was a scar at the right corner of his lips. The man jokingly raised his hands in surrender, but Yuuji knew that this unknown person was strong. 

Sukuna narrowed his eye at the man. He had not felt his presence and only noticed him when the man spoke up. Even when he observed the man directly, he could not feel any cursed energy coming from him. Heavenly Restriction. One that was so advanced to the point that no cursed energy was within his body. Ryou had talked about such a phenomenon to him during his youth, but he had never encountered a person with this level of Heavenly Restriction before. 

“Who are you?” Yuuji asked, gripping the knife in his hand tightly. Gojo said that there was a barrier protecting this house so regular intruders couldn’t enter. Most people knew better than to mess with the strongest sorcerer, but this man had somehow sneaked inside. Was this another assassin sent by the higher-ups?

“Calm down, kid. I’m not an enemy,” the man said.

Yuuji frowned, wondering how he could contact Gojo. He could try to attack the man, but that might destroy some furniture, and Yuuji really didn’t want to cause trouble for Gojo. He had allowed Yuuji to stay here, and destroying his property wasn’t a good way to repay that kindness.

Seeing the rising tension from Yuuji, the man sighed and said, “Oh, wow, you’re really different from how Megumi talked about you.”

“Megumi?” Yuuji blinked. “You mean Fushiguro?”

“Yup, he’s my kid,” the man grinned. “The name is Fushiguro Toji, by the way.”

Yuuji lowered the knife in his hand as he examined Toji. After hearing his claim, Yuuji could see some resemblance between his classmate and this man. They had different eyes, and Fushiguro’s hair was wilder, but they had the same facial structure. 

“Believe me now?” Toji asked as he dropped his raised hands. 

“Why are you here? Are you looking for Gojo-sensei?” Yuuji asked. 

“Sort of,” Toji replied. “I was wondering why my kid was so mopey, and he only said that his classmate was dead. The girl is still alive, so I figured it’s Sukuna’s vessel that died. I wanted to hear more details from Gojo, but I couldn’t find him at Jujutsu High, so I decided to visit his house, and somehow I found you here.”

Yuuji tensed once more, wondering whether he had gotten Gojo into trouble. He wasn’t supposed to be seen by anyone.

“Geez, why are kids these days so jumpy?” Toji asked while scratching his head. “I suggest you contact your idiotic teacher. He should tell you that it’s fine that I’m here.”

Not knowing what else to do, Yuuji followed Toji’s instructions and pulled out his phone. Before he tapped the call button, he asked, “Wait, can’t you just call him yourself?”

Toji shrugged. “That idiot would just block my call.”

Eh? 

“Aren’t you two supposed to be friends?” Yuuji asked.

Toji barked out a laugh. “Friends? With that guy? I would rather eat glass.”

Yuuji wasn’t sure how to react to the insult against Gojo, but he ended up calling his teacher. The phone rang several times before Gojo picked up. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Uh, Gojo-sensei. There’s this man who claimed to be Fushiguro’s father? What should I-”

“Huh?! Why is that guy there?! That piece of shit. Che. Give me a second, Yuuji. I’ll go home shortly.”

Gojo ended the call afterward, leaving Yuuji to stare blankly at his phone screen. Toji decided to sit at the dinner chair and observed Yuuji’s face with interest. Feeling the intense stare, Yuuji turned to look at Toji and asked, “Is there something on my face?”

“Nah, you just reminded me of someone, that’s all.”

Sukuna, who had stopped manifesting after not feeling hostility from Toji, perked up at those words. It took Yuuji a second to put the facts together. Sukuna reacted somewhat similarly when seeing Yuuji’s face. He said, “Are you… talking about Ryou?”

“Yeah, you know that guy?” Toji asked. “I heard you talk about him with the King of Curses.”

Before Yuuji could reply, Gojo suddenly showed up in the room. While Yuuji was still shocked at his sudden appearance, Gojo scowled at Toji, who lounged lazily in his seat. “You bastard. Didn’t I tell you you’re not welcome here?”

“Didn’t I tell you that I don’t give a shit?” Toji retorted.

“Oh, you should, since I’m about to blast you with Blue,” Gojo said as he cracked his fingers.

While most people would cower at that threat, Toji only smirked. “Are you sure about that? You’re going to ruin your property and maybe even risk revealing the fact that Sukuna’s vessel is still alive.”

Gojo glowered but relaxed his aggressive posture somewhat. “Why are you here anyway? Don’t you know that you can contact me by phone if something important happens? There’s no need for you to barge into my home like a thief. Oh wait, don’t tell me you’re planning to steal the tanto again?”

“As if you would ever leave that thing behind,” Toji muttered. “Nope. Anyway, it’s your own fault that I couldn’t contact you and was forced to look for you. You still blocked my number, you dipshit.”

“Oh!” Gojo had indeed blocked Toji’s number a week ago. Whenever the other man annoyed him too much, Gojo would sometimes block his number for a while before lifting it sometime later.

Yuuji glanced between the two quarreling adults, unsure about their relationship. They clearly weren’t friends, but they weren’t enemies either. 

“So care to explain why Itadori is still alive even though Megumi has been moping like hell these past few days?” Toji asked. 

Despite the blindfold covering his face, everyone noticed Gojo rolling his eyes. “Blame that on Sukuna. That curse just ripped out Yuuji’s heart before restoring him while he was on the dissection table.”

Toji said, “That’s strange. Why the sudden change of heart?”

Seeing the two stares aimed at him, Yuuji quickly replied, “Uh, I made a Binding Vow with him?”

Gojo tensed and grabbed Yuuji’s shoulder. “You did?! What did he ask of you? Don’t tell me you give him free access to use your body!”

“Nothing like that! I mean, he did try to scam me and force me to let him use my body for one minute and then forget the deal, but I didn’t accept that!” Yuuji replied. “We made another Binding Vow, though.”

Yuuji could feel Sukuna watching from inside him. Usually, the King of Curses preferred to distance himself from Yuuji. That meant he noticed it fairly quickly when Sukuna was active and pressing closely against the border between their minds. He waited for Sukuna to protest, but when none came, he said, “Sensei, do you know someone named Ryou?”

Gojo froze briefly and asked, “Where did you hear that name?”

“Actually, after Sukuna ripped out my heart, I stumbled into an innate domain,” Yuuji said. “It’s a pretty nice place, and I met a man there. He was in a deep sleep but when I managed to wake him up, he said his name was Ryou.”

So, Gojo’s guess was correct. Perhaps there was a strange link between Yuuji and Ryou. He had never been able to reach out to Ryou since that day, but Yuuji could. 

“Did he say anything else?” Gojo asked.

“Nothing much. He was very sleepy and had a hard time responding. He only said that I was still alive and I was in his innate domain. After that, he told me to be careful, and then I got dumped into Sukuna’s innate domain,” Yuuji replied. “Sukuna seems to know him, though. After I accidentally mentioned Ryou, he got very worked up and demanded that I told him everything.”

“So you asked him to agree to revive you before you told him anything,” Gojo concluded.

Yuuji nodded.

Gojo patted Yuuji on the head approvingly. “That’s very smart of you, but remind me to give you a thorough lesson on Binding Vows. This is not something you can make willy-nilly.”

“Okay, but how do you know Ryou, sensei?” Yuuji asked. 

“Now, that’s something I’d like to answer, but why don’t we talk to our King of Curses first?” Gojo said. 

One red eye on Yuuji’s cheek opened to glare at Gojo. “I have no interest in trading stories with you, sorcerers.”

“Eh? Are you still salty that Yuuji bested you?” Gojo teased.

Sukuna scoffed. “Believe what you want.”

“Come on, aren’t you curious about what Ryou has been doing in the modern era? You know him, right?” Gojo asked, tilting his head. 

“Perhaps, but that is no concern of yours.” After saying that, Sukuna retreated into Yuuji’s mind, and he felt a thick barrier raised between him and Sukuna.

“I think he’s ignoring us,” Yuuji said.

Gojo clicked his tongue. How annoying. He had hoped that he could finally learn something about Ryou’s past. Still, it was pretty surprising that Ryou had a connection with Sukuna. Perhaps his childish suspicions in his youth weren’t entirely false.

After retreating from the outside world, Sukuna returned to his throne of bones within his innate domain. Despite not participating much in that conversation, he obtained more information through observation. Somehow, Ryou existed in this modern era and encountered Gojo and Toji. Yet something must have happened since they looked surprised when hearing that Yuuji had contacted Ryou. Considering that Gojo gave that old tanto to Yuuji, it should be safe to assume that Ryou’s appearance was tied to that weapon. Did a piece of his soul attach itself to that tanto? How would that even work?

The process of creating a cursed object wasn’t easy, and Sukuna had to use his own body parts to ensure its stability. Even he wouldn’t dare to attach his power and soul to a dead thing like that tanto, but Ryou managed to do it. Perhaps Sukuna shouldn’t be surprised, considering Ryou’s writings helped him learn this ability. Yet that still left the question of why. Why would Ryou attach a piece of his soul to that weapon? Why had he not returned? What had happened a millennium ago?

Questions bubbled forth in his mind, but no answers could be found. Sukuna frowned. There were still many mysteries left, but he was sure he would be more successful at uncovering the truth this time. Unfortunately, his instinct told him he would likely need to stick around Yuuji to discover more. The brat was the only person who had successfully contacted Ryou recently. Even Gojo, who had gotten to know Ryou, could not speak with him for an unknown period. 

Sukuna sighed. 

So many questions, yet so few answers.

Omake:

Yuuji: Why are so many people interested in this guy named Ryou?

Ryou: I don’t know, you tell me.

Chapter Text

Although Yuuji was supposed to be hiding, some wild things still occurred after he was revived from death. Besides meeting Fushiguro’s father, he also encountered another special grade curse not long after. Apparently, Gojo had gotten into a fight with the curse after he left his house to meet with Yaga. Somehow, he thought it was wise to drag Yuuji into the fight by teleporting him back to the house and then to the battlefield again. Facing that special grade was a harrowing experience. The newborn curse at the detention center was already too strong for Yuuji, but this unknown special grade was even stronger. That night, Yuuji fully understood that Gojo’s claim as the strongest sorcerer wasn’t mere talk. His teacher was truly strong.

Unfortunately, Gojo didn’t manage to exorcise the special grade since another one showed up to save it. Yuuji wasn’t quite sure what to think of powerful cursed spirits working together, but Gojo didn’t seem that fazed by the development. After making sure that no cursed spirits were nearby, Gojo brought Yuuji back to the basement before saying, “Crap! I forgot that I have a meeting with Yaga!”

With those words, Gojo disappeared again within a blink. Yuuji stared at the empty space for several seconds. “Uwah, it’s still so strange. Teleporting around like that should be something from a sci-fi film, no?”

“It’s merely another application of his technique,” Sukuna suddenly said. 

“Eh?” Yuuji blinked as he felt Sukuna’s mouth manifest on his cheek.

Although Sukuna had not said a word for a long time, he had been watching the unfolding events with full attention. It was not every day that he could witness a cursed technique like Limitless in action. Ryou had told him about how this technique worked in the past, and he was very curious to see it with his own eyes. It was certainly a very powerful technique that many would die to obtain. Even then, Sukuna was sure that only those with proper talent could utilize it. 

“He basically warped the space around him,” Sukuna said. “His technique allows him to compress the distance between him and his target destination, but I’m sure there are limitations.”

“You got all that from observation?” Yuuji asked.

“No, someone informed me about it,” Sukuna replied, “but I suppose seeing it myself helped me understand it better.” That application of his technique might also explain why Gojo was so fast during his short fight against Sukuna on the high school rooftop. Sukuna’s eyes were sharp, and he could catch even the fastest movement, but Gojo was simply too fast. He would really like the chance to go all out against that sorcerer in his full power. 

Yuuji didn’t say a word as Sukuna trailed off into a thoughtful pause. He didn’t quite get the King of Curses. Sukuna had proven himself to be evil and cruel. He even ripped out Yuuji’s heart and killed him! Yuuji felt like he should be extremely resentful and wary of Sukuna, but the curse also had this strangely amicable side. Was Sukuna trying to trick him again? Yuuji didn’t feel that was the case. Even if Sukuna tried to make him agree to a Binding Vow and give up control of his body, Yuuji had received a thorough lesson from Gojo about the topic. He definitely wouldn’t make that critical mistake. The train of thought eventually led Yuuji to the pressing question that had been bothering him.

“The person who told you about it… was it Ryou?” Yuuji asked.

“... What makes you think that?” Sukuna replied.

Yuuji shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, you and Gojo-sensei seem to know that guy well.”

Sukuna snorted. “Do you even think? Your teacher was born a millennium after my birth. The people that I used to know are already dust.”

“Not Ryou, though,” Yuuji pointed out. “I met him, or someone that looks like him? Come to think of it, why do I look like him? Or why does he look like me?”

“And you ask me this?” Sukuna said. If he knew the answer, then he wouldn’t be as frustrated about this confusing situation. Although he believed himself to be a cold person who wasn’t influenced by sentiment, he had to admit that Yuuji’s similarities to Ryou were throwing him off a bit. So much so that he had accidentally returned to his bad habit of talking about his Jujutsu theories. Ryou had often dragged him into a debate or discussion about various aspects of sorcery, and he had developed a habit of talking his thoughts out loud whenever he was near the man. Uraume had been another person he found himself comfortable enough to talk with. Somehow, Yuuji had become the third recipient without Sukuna’s active consent.

“Well, you clearly know more about Ryou than me?” Yuuji said. “Why didn’t you talk with Gojo-sensei anyway? Aren’t you curious about that guy?”

“Keep your pestering to yourself,” Sukuna replied. “I shall do whatever I please.”

Sukuna retreated into his innate domain and shut Yuuji out again. Yuuji sighed at Sukuna’s act. He was just curious about Ryou. Everyone seemed to know the man, but nobody wanted to tell Yuuji anything about him. During their short interaction, Ryou seemed to be a pretty nice guy, albeit very sleepy. Yuuji was also thankful for his warning, even though he wasn’t sure what Ryou had wanted to warn him about. 

Yuuji returned to the basement to continue his training. He had planned to watch two more movies before going to bed, but he accidentally dozed off during the second film. Thankfully, his mastery over cursed energy had developed well enough that the cursed doll didn’t punch him into alertness. The bad news was he woke up to a person slamming their fist into his head.

“Ouch!!!” Yuuji yelped as he covered his sore head before turning around. He was about to shout a sharp retort at the attacker when he met the twin glares from his classmates. “Uh… hi?”

Kugisaki and Fushiguro stared unimpressed at Yuuji’s awkward smile. While cracking her knuckles menacingly, Kugisaki growled, “Look at this guy. We thought you were dead but here you are, dozing off on a sofa after having a movie night.”

“No, no, no, no! This is for training! I swear!” Yuuji protested. 

“Oh? Does your training also require you to consume those bags of chips and cans of soda?” Fushiguro asked as he glanced at the heap of trash Yuuji had piled up.

“I can explain!” Yuuji exclaimed. 

Kugisaki grabbed the front of Yuuji’s hoodie and glared down at him. “I’ll give you thirty seconds.”

After gulping, Yuuji quickly blurted out the series of events that led him to stay in Gojo’s basement. The explanation definitely went over the time limit, but his two friends didn’t seem keen on hitting him again. 

“How did you guys find me here?” Yuuji asked after he was done explaining. “I thought nobody else was supposed to know? Did Gojo-sensei tell you?”

“No, it was my father,” Fushiguro replied. 

“Oh! Toji-san!”

Fushiguro nodded. “You’ve met him, right? He was gone for a while to complete a contract and just returned a few days ago.”

Yuuji nodded “Oh, he told me about that too. Your father doesn’t seem to get along with Gojo-sensei, though.”

“Just ignore them,” Fushiguro said while rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Those two always act even more like children whenever they’re around each other. If they get too physical, just call Yaga-san.”

“But I can’t, though? I’m supposed to be dead, remember?” Yuuji said.

“Ah! That reminds me!” Kugisaki shouted. “Itadori, you better come back to life! We need to kick the asses of those Kyoto assholes! Aaargh! Just remembering her face makes me want to punch something!”

“Don’t punch me again! It’s not my fault!” Yuuji said as he covered his face. “How about you guys tell me what happened?”

While Kugisaki was still stewing in anger, Fushiguro blandly told him the things that occurred during his absence. Apparently, they met their seniors and some Kyoto students. Although it was still some time before the exchange event, the Kyoto students were already in Tokyo, and two of them had harassed his classmates. 

“That’s unforgivable!” Yuuji exclaimed. “We should teach them a lesson!”

“Definitely! You better make sure to target that short-haired ugly bitch!” Kugisaki shouted.

Fushiguro looked at his classmates drily. “Calm down. While we will likely beat Mai, Todo isn’t someone we can afford to underestimate. How’s your training, Itadori?”

“Gojo-sensei has been telling me to control my cursed energy!” Yuuji explained as he lifted up the cursed corpse. The doll had continued to doze peacefully in his hold despite his emotions fluctuating. 

“That cute doll?” Kugisaki asked, narrowing her eyes.

“It’s Yaga-san’s cursed corpse,” Fushiguro replied. “I see. That’s quite some useful training for you. If you can control your cursed energy, then you can enhance your body further. That should be more than enough to deal with the Kyoto students.”

Yuuji beamed at Fushiguro’s praise, but soon, a question appeared in his mind. “Come to think of it, aren’t you two supposed to be in class right now?”

“Ugh, I can’t give a shit about Gojo right now,” Kugisaki said as she looked through the stacks of movie DVDs. “Hey, which one should we watch?”

Yuuji wasn’t sure about his friends skipping a class, but he quickly replied, “We should watch Human Earthworm!”

Fushiguro and Kugisaki sent a half-questioning, half-disgusted look at Yuuji. The film title didn’t give them much confidence about its quality. 

“It’ll be fun!” Yuuji exclaimed.

Kugisaki clicked her tongue. “Fine, it’s not as if I have any idea what I want to watch right now.”

It was indeed fun watching Human Earthworm with his classmates. Fushiguro kept grimacing at various scenes in the film while Kugisaki ranted at the unrealistic premise and other inconsistencies. Yuuji was just happy to hang out with his friends. Although he understood why he had to hide from the world, he couldn’t deny that he missed his classmates. Despite meeting them recently, he felt like he had forged a great bond with them.

The first-year students were able to finish the first film when Gojo finally found them. The man raised an eyebrow at his students, who were too busy chatting and eating snacks to pay attention to him. “Ei, since when have my students been such truants? I can’t believe that even my studious Megumi developed this bad habit.”

Kugisaki shot a dark look at Gojo and said, “Shut it, old man! It’s your own damn fault for hiding Itadori even though you knew he was alive!”

“But I’m still training, sensei!” Yuuji protested as he raised the still-sleeping doll.

“My father told me that Itadori was still alive and staying at your house,” Fushiguro said.

Gojo’s face soured at the name, and he hissed, “Toji.”

Fushiguro gave a look that said, ‘Do you see it, now?’ at Yuuji.

After clicking his tongue annoyedly, Gojo quickly changed his expression again into a pout. “But couldn’t you guys at least tell me where you were? Your poor teacher was panicking! I even thought those geezers had sunk their claws into you two!”

Kugisaki’s eyes glinted in interest. “Did you kill someone?”

Gojo tutted. “Bad Nobara, but unfortunately, no. Ijichi stopped me before I could storm into their usual hiding spot and said he saw you two sneaking out of Jujutsu High. He assumed that you went to my house since he heard Nobara muttering about pummeling Yuuji to death.”

Kugisaki groaned as Yuuji and Fushiguro glanced at her. “Don’t change the subject! I’m still mad at you for lying to us! I get that you have to hide Potato Face from those geezers, but was there any need for you to lie to Fushiguro?! That guy looked like he wanted to cry all day!”

Fushiguro glared offendedly at Kusigaki. “I didn’t want to cry at any point! Weren’t you the one who was about to cry the morning after Itadori’s supposed death?”

Kugisaki exclaimed, “Don’t speak lies, Urchin Head!”

“Okay, okay, calm down, my cute little students,” Gojo cut in as he patted the two quarreling teens on the head, which caused them to quickly scoot away in disgust. “I just thought that Yuuji needed the time to focus on training, and since he wouldn’t be able to train with you two I figured that it would be cool if he returned after he became more powerful and dependable. I actually planned on having him show up at the exchange event.”

Yuuji gasped in excitement at the thought. “That sounds cool, sensei!”

“See! Yuuji gets me!” Gojo said as he rubbed Yuuji’s head affectionately. “That plan has turned to ashes, but we may still be able to surprise and impress the second years!”

“Yosh!” Yuuji beamed in agreement.

Kugisaki and Fushiguro gave a disgusted look at the duo. 

“They share the same brain cell,” Kugisaki muttered. 

“Idiots,” Fushiguro added.

Although Gojo didn’t mind them knowing that Yuuji was still alive, he still ordered the two teens to return to school. Yuuji would need to continue staying at Gojo’s house and continue his training alone. While Fushiguro and Kugisaki couldn’t visit Yuuji often, they still contacted each other through their phones. Unlike Yuuji, who was training his cursed energy control, Kugisaki and Fushiguro were being mentored by second-year students to enhance their physical strength. They even sent him some photos of their seniors. Yuuji looked forward to meeting them all, but he was very curious about Panda. Like, who even expected that there would be a walking and talking Panda? Apparently, there was another second-year student, but he was currently abroad.

A month passed with Yuuji honing his cursed energy control and sparring with Gojo. One day in September, his teacher introduced him to an adult Grade One sorcerer named Nanami Kento. Nanami was the direct opposite of Gojo. While his teacher was someone who was laissez-faire and had a relaxed attitude toward many things, Nanami was very uptight and professional. Getting along with him was definitely a challenge. 

After getting stuck in Gojo’s house for a month, Yuuji was quite eager to stretch his legs and complete a mission. Gojo was quite busy and had to go abroad so he let Nanami monitor Yuuji during his absence. Their mission was to investigate a strange murder case at a movie theater. 

“Can you see them? The residuals of cursed energy,” Nanami asked as the two stood in an empty hallway in the movie theater.

Yuuji squinted his eyes as he tried to see what Nanami was apparently seeing. He really couldn’t perceive anything except for the dust and dirt that had gathered on the floor.

“Idiot, use your senses first. Are you even a sorcerer?” Sukuna said. 

Yuuji flinched at the sudden input from Sukuna. Although the curse still preferred to keep to himself, there were moments when he would speak to Yuuji. His words were always spoken in a mocking tone, but he was strangely helpful. Despite being annoyed at Sukuna’s derision, Yuuji still did as he asked and tried to stretch out his senses. It took a while, but he finally grasped something on the ground. A moment later, he finally perceived the cursed energy residue that Nanami mentioned.

“Whoa! I see it!” Yuuji said. “You know, I still don’t get why you’re strangely helpful toward me. This kind of tactic won’t make me trust you and let you out.”

Sukuna scoffed. “I have no need to use such a pathetic method to take care of you. Seeing your sheer incompetence is hurting me. The least you could do is to be a passable sorcerer, considering you’re my vessel.”

“Oh, if you keep doing this, then I might one day beat you in a fight,” Yuuji said.

“Impossible. Such a weakling like you has no chance of defeating me,” Sukuna replied.

“Just you wait and see!” 

“Itadori,” Nanami said, breaking Yuuji out of his internal conversation with Sukuna. “You’ve been staring dazedly at nothing for a minute now. Is there something wrong?”

Yuuji shook his head. “No, no! It just took me a while to see the residue, but I see it!”

Nanami stared at him for a moment but nodded and began to explain more about how the residue showed up on the ground. The two went up the rooftops, where they encountered two cursed spirits. Defeating the creatures was very easy, especially with the new Divergent Fist ability Yuuji had recently unlocked. His better grasp of cursed energy also helped him to be faster and stronger. 

However, before he could land a killing blow, Nanami stopped him to take a photo of the cursed spirit. Yuuji was confused when he saw the monster visible on the screen, but his confusion turned to horror when Ieiri told them through a call that the creatures they were fighting had been humans. Although Ieiri tried to comfort him by telling him that they died due to the horrific transformation, Yuuji still felt responsible. He had to get to the bottom of this.

Their investigation continued with Nanami ordering Yuuji to confront the teenager who had been seen inside the movie theater when the incident occurred. Their plan was simple. They had to find out whether the teenager could see curses so Ijichi wanted to release a Fly Head at the suspect. If the teenager could see cursed spirits or was a curse user, then Yuuji would need to apprehend the suspect. 

When the two released the Fly Head, they had thought that Junpei was finally alone. Unfortunately, an unknown civilian man suddenly approached Junpei which ruined their plan. Yuuji had to jump after the escaping curse but he ended up leaping toward the two talking people. As he turned his head, Junpei’s eyes widened when he saw the Fly Head in Yuuji’s grasp.

‘He can see it!’

Yuuji landed on his feet and stuffed the small curse into his pocket before confronting Junpei. “Hey, there’s something I gotta ask you. Come with me for a second.”

“Hold on! Can’t you see that I’m talking with him!” the unknown man cut in.

Yuuji said, “Sorry, but this is important.”

“Important? What does some kid know about such a thing?” the man exclaimed.

The reply ticked off Yuuji enough that he decided to pull down the man’s pants with one swift motion. The man tried to fight back, but Yuuji was able to steal the clothing and run away. He decided to go around the block and dumped the pants at a nearby bush before returning to talk with Junpei alone.

“Alright! Let’s go!” Yuuji said when he approached Junpei from behind.

“Huh?! That was quick!” Junpei exclaimed as he turned around to face Yuuji. “You didn’t have to do that, you know. You could’ve just dragged me away.”

“I guess… but you don’t like him, right?” Yuuji asked. He had seen Junpei’s expression as he talked with the man. Watching the frustration and anger on Junpei’s face made Yuuji want to help him. Perhaps Junpei was their culprit, but at that moment, he looked just like any other kid who was being harassed by an adult.

Fortunately, coaxing Junpei into a conversation wasn’t hard. Perhaps it was due to their age. They went to the edge of a river where Yuuji attempted to call Ijichi. Nobody responded after several tries, so Yuuji had to ask Junpei directly.

“Hey, you were at the movie theater where some people died recently, right?” Yuuji asked and pulled out the Fly Head he had stuffed into his pocket. “Did you see something similar to this thing when the murder happened?”

“No, I didn’t,” Junpei replied. “I was only able to see these things recently.”

“Oh…” Yuuji said, then plopped down to sit next to Junpei. “Well, I got nothing else for you.”

“Eh? That’s it?” Junpei asked.

“That’s it, but my superior will come by soon, so can you wait a bit?” Yuuji asked.

“Sure…”

Before the conversation could trail off to an awkward silence, Yuuji quickly asked, “So, what were you watching?”

Junpei shot a dubious look at the teen. “It’s an old movie, nothing that you would know about.”

“Tell me! Tell me!”

“It’s Human Earthworm 3,” Junpei replied.

“Oh! Oh! I watched those recently, too, with my friends!” Yuuji said.

Junpei blinked, clearly not expecting to meet another person to watch those old, unpopular films. “Really?” 

“Yeah, the third one was really boring, though. I can’t remember how many times I got punched because of it.”

The conversation became much easier now that the two teenagers had a topic they could bond over. Half an hour passed as they talked about various films they had watched, but their conversation was halted when a woman approached them.

“Huh? Junpei?” the smoking woman said.

“Who’s that?” Yuuji asked

“Mom!” Junpei said.

The two teens stood up as the woman went down the steps to approach them. Junpei’s mom seemed very cool, and she even invited him to dinner. Hearing the loud growl that his stomach made, Yuuji didn’t see anything wrong with accepting the offer. He had a hunch that Ijichi and Nanami wouldn’t show up any time soon. He finally managed to get on a call with Ijichi, who seemed a bit stressed when he found out that Yuuji was hanging out with their prime suspect. Yuuji didn’t see any point in being overly cautious, and the time he spent at Yoshino’s house was fun. He got along well with Junpei’s mom, who had a sense of humor similar to his. Then again, it could just be the alcohol she was consuming. 

The woman eventually fell asleep mid-conversation. While Junpei was covering her with a blanket, Yuuji received a call from Nanami, who was quite cross with him heading off with Junpei. After assuring him he was okay, Yuuji ended the call and heard Junpei ask, “You’re a Jujutsu sorcerer, right?”

“Yeah,” Yuuji automatically replied but then wondered whether it was okay to tell Junpei that.

Before Yuuji could begin berating himself, Junpei asked a hard question, “Have you… ever killed anyone?”

“No…” Yuuji said, but his mind went back to the face of the transfigured humans he encountered on the rooftop.

“But you will eventually run into bad sorcerers, right? What will you do then?” Junpei asked. 

“I’d still rather not kill anyone if possible,” Yuuji said.

“Why? They’re bad people.”

“Um… I mean… I definitely will have to face the choice of having to kill someone,” Yuuji said, “but I would question the value of life at that point…and then maybe the lives of those who are important to me will become vague, and that possibility scares me.”

Junpei stopped pressing after that. As Yuuji exited Yoshino’s house and went to the bus stop where Ijichi planned to pick him up, he asked, “Hey, Sukuna, you’ve killed people, right?”

“What sort of imbecilic question is that?” Sukuna asked. “Have you forgotten the tales your teacher and classmates told you?”

Yuuji pursed his lips. He hadn’t forgotten. Gojo and Fushiguro had warned him many times about Sukuna, how the King of Curses had rampaged in the Heian era and become the strongest sorcerer in the past, and how he had killed numerous people who stood against him. “Why did you do it?”

Sukuna scoffed. “Do you expect me to give you a grand justification, brat? I kill because I can. I kill because those fools dared to challenge me.”

Yuuji stopped walking and clenched his fists. “How could you…”

“Do you truly believe everyone shares your idiotically naive and idealistic view? Open your eyes, brat. Many are more than happy to kill others if it could give them benefits and advantages. In this world, only strength truly matters. Your foolish belief about the value of life is pointless. Using each other is what all human relationships amount to.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Keep fooling yourself,” Sukuna said.

Yuuji gritted his teeth. “I’m not lying to myself. Humans aren’t tools, and there is inherent value in every life. If you could only see those you could exploit as valuable, then you are wrong.”

Yuuji waited for Sukuna to laugh and retort, but the curse remained silent. After a moment, Sukuna retreated and raised a thick barrier between their minds. Yuuji huffed and continued his walk.

Sukuna knew he should just ignore the brat’s idealistic ramble. It was not the first time he had encountered those who believed in such naive ideals. He had cut many down as they tried to stop the great evil before them. The problem with Itadori Yuuji was his similarities to Ryou. While Sukuna could easily point out their differences, there were moments where they were awfully alike. Although Yuuji was too idiotic and impatient to be mistaken for Ryou, they both shared the same stubbornness. That foolish ideal was another thing they had in common. While Ryou was much more practical and reasonable, the two still believed that life was something worth cherishing.

Despite Sukuna’s attempt to forget the conversation, his mind was drawn to an old memory in his youth. It was another unremarkable day where Ryou dragged him to another useless rescue. The cursed spirit was pathetically weak, and Sukuna easily beat it within seconds. He didn’t bother to hear the tearful thanks from the peasants, but Ryou had talked with them for several minutes. 

As the two finally left the village and headed back to their home, Ryou said, “Come on, speak up. I know you have something to say.”

Sukuna crossed his four arms and turned his head away from the man. He had some complaints but knew better than to voice them out. Yet since Ryou was the one to bring it up, he said, “Che, you know what I think about these useless endeavors.”

“Hmm… I can’t deny that your sour face still makes you very unpopular.” Ryou ignored Sukuna’s derisive snort and continued, “But Sukuna, you need to start to empathize with others.”

“Ha?” Sukuna asked.

“Try to look at things from their perspective. You will see that all of us are very similar to each other.”

“How foolish.” Sukuna scoffed. The difference between him and those peasants was nothing smaller than a chasm. While they cowered like pathetic lambs, he was strong and could handle any danger that pursued him. Unlike them who huddled in groups due to their weakness, he was someone who stood alone. 

Ryou smiled wryly as if he had read his thoughts. “Perhaps one day you will learn to accept that acknowledging your vulnerabilities and opening your heart is not a sign of weakness, but strength.”

Even now after many years had passed, Sukuna remained unable to understand Ryou's words. That man had often lectured him about various topics but he was very fond of talking about morals and other philosophical subjects. Sukuna could see that this was Ryou's attempt to make him turn into a new leaf. Sukuna had merely humored Ryou in his youth and followed the man’s whims, but after he had disappeared… 

Sukuna sighed. It seemed Yuuji had been picked up by Ijichi while he was distracted. The teen reported that Junpei wasn't the culprit when he met with Nanami, which earned a scoff from Sukuna. Although that boy was not the one who killed those humans, Sukuna knew he was hiding something. Yuuji was either too foolish or too willfully ignorant not to notice it.

Sukuna's guess was proven true when Yuuji received a new update regarding the case. Junpei’s mother was found dead in her house alongside one of Sukuna's fingers. Not long after, a veil had dropped over Satozakura High School. It wasn't difficult to assume that Junpei might have a role in this incident. Despite Ijichi’s plea, Yuuji still went to the high school to confront his new friend. Sukuna watched silently as the two teenagers exchanged blows.

Combat wise it was nothing noteworthy. The two of them were still painfully inexperienced, though Yuuji had shown some improvements compared to the time he fought that newborn special grade. Emotions were running high. It seemed Junpei was blaming his classmates for the death of his mother. Had someone put that notion into his head? If Sukuna were a better person like Ryou hoped him to be, perhaps he would feel something over the woman's death since his finger was used to commit her murder. Yet he felt nothing. He didn't see any worth in her and thus he cared not for her life.

Yuuji and Junpei were currently screaming at each other as their fists and ideals clashed. The two leaped outside the building. As Yuuji chased after the other teen, Junpei tried to attack him with his shikigami but Yuuji easily dodged the tentacles. Without hesitation, Yuuji closed the distance between them and slammed his fist onto Junpei's cheek. The boy flew back into the building and landed harshly on the stairs.

“I don't get why you're doing this, Junpei,” Yuuji said. “But is it worth throwing your life away like this?!” While Junpei remained unmoving, Yuuji jumped through the broken window and into the building. “Having a heart is a sham… can you say such a thing to your mom?!”

“People don't have hearts,” Junpei replied.

“You’re still-”

“They don't!” Junpei shouted. “Or else… or else… Are you saying that my mother and I are cursed by people with hearts?!”

Yuuji froze seeing Junpei's tear-stricken face.

“I don't even know what's right…” Junpei got up to his feet. “Or wrong anymore…”

Pointing his index finger at Yuuji, Junpei ordered his shikigami to strike him in the chest. Yuuji didn't bother to dodge.

“Why? Why didn't you dodge?!” Junpei asked and unconsciously dismissed his shikigami.

Instead of retaliating, Yuuji approached Junpei and crouched before the kneeling teen. “I'm sorry… I said those things without understanding what you're going through, but… you can talk to me. I promise I won't judge you Junpei! So please, Junpei…“ Yuuji grasped Junpei's hands. “Come to Jujutsu High. There are many people who can help you there. I'm sure that if we work together we can find out the person who cursed your mom. Let's fight together!”

While the brat was too busy talking with Junpei, Sukuna's attention was fully fixed on the cursed spirit approaching them. Based on his observation, the curse should be what sorcerers considered a special grade. As the curse stepped down the stairs, Yuuji finally noticed the unexpected visitor.

“Who are you?!” Yuuji asked.

“Nice to meet you, Sukuna’s vessel,” the curse said as he transfigured his left arm.

“Wait, Mahito!” Junpei shouted but the curse continued his attack and slammed Yuuji into the windows. The transfigured limb pinned him to the structure, preventing him from moving.

Yuuji realized that the curse was the culprit that had killed the humans in the movie theater and shouted, “Junpei! Run! I don't know how you know this guy, but you have to escape!”

“Don't worry, Itadori! Mahito isn't a bad per-” Junpei said but trailed off. 

Mahito approached Junpei and touched his shoulder. “Junpei, you're a pretty smart guy but you tend to overthink things, which often puts you into a bad spot. And you know, those guys that you call stupid? Well, you're one of them. That's why…” The curse grinned as he activated his technique. “... You're going to die.”

Yuuji could only watch as Mahito transfigured Junpei into a bipedal monster. Releasing his hold over Yuuji, the curse ordered his new creation, “Time for round two.”

Junpei lunged toward Yuuji and slammed his massive fist into his face. Instead of dodging away, Yuuji grabbed Junpei's head and attempted to hold him down. “Junpei! Get it together! I'm gonna help you!”

Junpei replied by slamming his fist into Yuuji's side. 

“Ugh!” Yuuji gritted his teeth. This wasn't good. Beating Junpei was not difficult at all, but he was afraid that if he attacked Junpei it would just kill him. “Sukuna! Sukuna!”

“What?” Sukuna asked.

“I’ll do anything!” Yuuji shouted. “Do whatever you want with me, but please save Junpei!”

The most obvious move was to demand Yuuji to enter the Binding Vow he had suggested before. The brat had managed to squirrel out of it back then, but this was the perfect chance to get Yuuji to agree to his demand. Yet as he opened his mouth, he became hyper-aware of Ryou's tanto that Yuuji was still carrying on his belt.

Sukuna sighed and wordlessly channeled positive cursed energy through Yuuji's hands. It seemed the brat was half ready to let go of his body’s control so it was easy for Sukuna to puppeteer his arms. He narrowed his eyes when he realized what Mahito had done. “I can't save him.”

“Eh?” Yuuji said.

Sukuna replied, “This isn't just a simple transformation. This boy’s soul is twisted to a new shape, so no amount of Reverse Cursed Technique can fix him.”

“Wow! How very perceptive of you, King of Curses!” Mahito clapped. Perhaps he shouldn't have transfigured Junpei to this point. Making him into a hostage was a better move. It was too late now though. 

Despite Sukuna's treatment which had stabilized his condition somewhat, Junpei lost consciousness and began to collapse. Before finally dropping to the floor, he desperately grasped Yuuji's uniform. “Yuu… ji… why?”

Yuuji stared in horrified silence as his new friend collapsed. In the next moment, he lunged toward Mahito and punched the curse in the face. Mahito backflipped before landing on his feet.

“It's useless! As long as I maintain the shape of my soul I-” Mahito said but stopped talking when he felt blood dripping out of his nostrils. Yuuji had hurt him. With that single punch, he had attacked the shape of Mahito’s soul.

“I'm gonna kill you!” Yuuji growled in rage.

“Don't you mean exorcise, Jujutsu sorcerer?” Mahito taunted.

Yuuji attempted to hit him again, but Mahito dodged his attack by transforming his hands into wings and flying to the upper floor. Before Yuuji could get close, Mahito changed his right hand into several long chain weapons that cut the structure apart. Yuuji was forced to retreat outside and into the open field. 

Not letting up his attacks, Mahito shifted his hand into a drill and shot it at Yuuji, who caught the rope that connected the drill to the curse’s body. While Yuuji was trying to pull him down, Mahito stabbed his hands with several big needles. Instead of flinching from pain, Yuuji grasped the rope tighter and pulled Mahito into the air before slamming him into a building. 

Yuuji immediately got close and slammed his fists into the curse. Mahito retaliated by creating several massive spikes from his body which pierced Yuuji's torso. 

“You can't beat me,” Mahito said and reached out to grab the tanto hanging on Yuuji's belt. “Oh! Is this the thing he wants me to look at? How interesting~”

Sukuna, who had been observing impassively as Yuuji lost his cool, straightened on his throne. As he watched Mahito touch and examine the blade, Sukuna's anger rose. How dare he?!

“Brat, you better let me out so I can eviscerate that curse,” Sukuna growled. He would make an example out of Mahito. The only reason he let the brat touch the tanto was because he was his vessel. Mahito had no such excuse.

“No way! I'll be the one who kills him!” Yuuji exclaimed back.

As the two fought against each other, Mahito activated his cursed technique on the blade. He sensed a piece of soul that had somehow attached itself to this weapon and he was very curious. Yet the moment his cursed energy attempted to enter the sword, it fought back. Suddenly, the space folded into itself, and all of them fell.

Omake:

Mahito: *Touches Ryou's tanto*

Sukuna: So you've chosen death.

Chapter Text

It felt as if Yuuji was falling forever, and out of the blue, he found himself lying on hard ground. Getting up to his feet, he began to search for Mahito but found himself alone. He was somehow standing in a lush forest that was eerily silent. His eyes were then drawn to the tanto, which had dropped several feet away from him. He grabbed the weapon and asked, “Hey, Sukuna, do you know where we are?”

Sukuna did not reply for a moment, then said, “... Somewhere we shouldn’t enter.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Yuuji asked as he looked at his surroundings. The area around him looked like a normal forest, albeit the strange lack of animals. “Where’s Mahito? Can you sense him?”

“All I can say is that he’s not nearby,” Sukuna replied.

Before Yuuji could ask more questions, he finally heard a sound from the woods. It was a sharp growl. One that was made from the mouth of a beast rather than a human. Without thinking, his feet headed toward the source of the noise, and he discovered a curse attempting to eat a human baby.

“You! Get away from them!” Yuuji lunged at the creature and attempted to punch it. His fist should’ve destroyed the Grade Four curse, yet he phased through the creature. “What?”

Yuuji turned around and tried to attack again, but he failed to touch the curse. Narrowing his eyes, he wondered whether this was a cursed technique. 

“Calm down, brat,” Sukuna said. “This isn’t real.”

“What are you talking about?” Yuuji asked.

“What you see before you… should be a memory.”

Yuuji frowned and turned his attention to the two figures in front of him. The curse wasn’t very big, but it towered over the baby that had been left abandoned on the ground. Now that Yuuji took more time to look at the child, it seemed to be a boy. Yuuji’s expression turned into a grimace as he realized the curse was gnawing on the baby’s leg. Yet even as he was being eaten alive, the child did not scream or shed a tear. Blood-red eyes gazed silently at the monster that was tearing his flesh apart. What was even more strange was the head of cherry blossom hair. If Yuuji didn’t see the boy’s red eyes, he might’ve assumed the baby was him. Then again, he had never remembered being abandoned in the woods or being eaten alive by a curse.

Yuuji felt Sukuna stir within him, but the curse did not say a word. Although Yuuji knew that there was nothing he could do, he still felt like he had to stop whatever was going on. A kid was being eaten alive, damn it! Just as Yuuji was about to try to attack the monster again, a sound of footsteps came from behind. Turning around, he saw a woman wearing an elaborate kimono approaching him.

“Who are you?” Yuuji asked, but the woman didn’t respond. Her eyes were locked on the baby being consumed by the curse. Lifting her index finger, she channeled her cursed energy and shot a condensed projectile at the monster, instantly exorcising it. As she approached the baby, she accidentally brushed against Yuuji, but he couldn’t feel any contact since she phased through him like a ghost.

With wide eyes, Yuuji watched as the woman crouched down to pick up the wounded child. Blood had soaked the thin and rough clothing that barely covered the baby’s body. Seeing the chunks of flesh missing from the child’s foot made Yuuji grimace further. The woman’s expression remained cold and unmoved as she examined the wound. Placing her palm on the bleeding leg, she used positive cursed energy to heal the injury.

While the woman was busy using the Reverse Cursed Technique, several people arrived from the direction she had come from. There was a look of panic on their faces before they saw the woman still crouching on the ground. 

“Tengen-sama, please don’t just head off on your own!” a man said.

“There is no need to worry yourself over my well-being,” Tengen replied, still healing the child. “I can protect myself.”

“Even so! It’s our duty to protect you,” the man said, but then saw the baby in Tengen’s arms. “Is that-?”

Tengen didn’t reply and only stood up. When she tossed aside the blood-soaked clothing, one of the men automatically took off his haori and offered it to her. She accepted the item wordlessly and covered the baby. Despite being surrounded by strangers, the child did not cry or make any sound of distress. 

“Let us depart,” Tengen said and walked away. 

Yuuji tried to follow the group, yet a moment later, he suddenly found himself falling once more. It took a second for him to regain his bearings, but he was able to land on his feet. Instead of the woods, he was now standing in a strange, dark space. 

“Where the heck am I?” Yuuji exclaimed. He expected his voice to echo, yet it felt as if all sound was being absorbed into a void.

Sukuna sighed. “This is what I meant when I said we’re somewhere we shouldn’t enter. We were lucky enough to land in that stable pocket of space.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Yuuji asked.

“Think, brat. Do you not remember that you felt a somewhat similar pull when Gojo used his teleportation technique? We’ve been thrown into another space, but I’m not sure where.”

“Uh, is this one of those innate domains or something?” Yuuji said.

Sukuna replied, “That would’ve been preferable, but I do not believe that is the case this time. Just keep moving and watch where you’re going.”

“Where am I supposed to go?! I’m literally standing inside a void!” Yuuji shouted as he waved his arms around wildly. 

Sukuna scoffed. “That just showed your lack of wit. Use the tanto, brat. It took us here, and it should be able to take us out.”

Yuuji blinked and immediately grabbed the weapon that he had put back on his belt. “This? Wait… hold on… if the tanto brought us here, then… does that mean that baby was Ryou?!”

Sukuna groaned. “Why did I end up with such a stupid person as my vessel? Just try to see whether you can use it.”

Yuuji rolled his eyes at the insult but examined the tanto. The weapon still refused to unsheath from its scabbard, but he felt a strange thrumming coming from it. He instinctively closed his eyes and attempted to use his senses to feel the weapon. Something responded and drew his attention to a faraway place. Somehow, he saw a golden glint in the distance. 

“Is that it? Do you see that, too?” Yuuji asked as he squinted his eyes.

“Start moving, brat.”

Yuuji followed Sukuna’s order and made his way toward the light. Despite not being able to see anything in the darkness, he felt like there were dangers all around him. It was as if something primal within him was telling him that one wrong step would lead him to his death. The journey toward the light was short but unnerving. He could not hear the sound of his footsteps, and it was as if he were walking in the air. There were many moments when he expected himself to fall into the void, but thankfully, he safely arrived at his destination. When he got close enough, the source of the golden light was actually a glowing Ginkgo leaf. Without hesitation, he reached out and touched it.

In the next moment, Yuuji suddenly found himself in an ancient village. Like the forest, it was strangely empty, except for the group of sorcerers that had taken the child. Knowing nobody would see him, he approached Tengen, who was currently sitting on an engawa. Ryou, who was currently a baby, was still held in her arms. 

“How is it?” Tengen asked.

A man shook his head. “We tried to talk to the villagers, but all of them refused to open their mouths.”

Before Tengen could reply, another man approached the group while dragging an old woman dressed in ragged clothing. The old woman became tense as a plank when the man pushed her forward to face Tengen. With shaky limbs, she dropped to her knees and performed a deep bow.

“N-noble lady, is there something you need from this lowly peasant?” the old woman asked.

Tengen pursed her lips. “I’m no noble, but this child… he’s supposed to be born here, correct?”

The old woman glanced up to look at the red-eyed child in Tengen’s hold. Her expression darkened as he lowered her head again. “You should toss aside that thing, my lady. That one is a curse.”

While Tengen only raised an eyebrow, Yuuji exclaimed, “What are you talking about? That’s just a kid!”

“Oh? Why is that?” Tengen asked.

The old woman replied, “That thing has cursed this village with its birth, my lady! Not only has it killed its parents, but it has killed many others! You should throw that thing away before it brings bad luck and calamity upon you, too!”

The sorcerers exchanged glances. They knew that the baby was not a curse. There were no powerful curses in this village, and Tengen had not sensed any cursed technique placed upon the area. 

Seeing their disbelieving looks, the old woman continued, “I swear! That thing has killed so many people! It even killed another babe that was born a day after it, and many adults had become weaker and weaker as the time of its birth got near! That thing isn’t a babe! It didn’t cry when it was born! It did not shed any tears! It’s a monster! Nobody in the village dared to kill it, so we threw it away into the forest!”

Tengen sighed. “I see.”

Knowing they couldn’t glean any useful information from the emotional old woman, Tengen told her attendants to take her away. It was easy to see that a wave of sickness had struck the village when the boy was born. Not understanding what had happened to them, the villagers blamed the newborn baby as the cause. It was likely his uniquely colored eyes that brought him the misfortune of being marked as a curse. 

“What do you wish to do, Tengen-sama?” a female attendant asked.

Tengen closed her eyes, and Yuuji fell into the void once more as the memory ended. He frowned and tightened his grip on the tanto. He knew that there were many injustices and pain caused by ignorance, especially in the past, but to see one with his own eyes was something else. The whole village agreed to throw away a baby just because they believed that child was a curse. How could they?

Yuuji expected Sukuna to chortle and talk about how he was right. That people were cruel and uncaring. That they only cared about themselves. That they were more than happy to sacrifice and kill a powerless child for their safety. Yet Sukuna remained silent. 

“Let’s keep moving,” Yuuji muttered.

The tanto led them to another Ginkgo leaf, bringing them another memory. This time, there was no Tengen, and only Ryou was nearby. The boy was no longer a baby and seemed to be around the age of five. He was sitting under a large Ginkgo tree with some wooden toys before him that were left untouched. Cold eyes gazed at nothing as the boy continued to sit there in silence like a doll. Two young monks materialized from the edge of the memory. Their chatter trailed off to a stop as one of the boys turned to look at Ryou.

“You know I’ve always wondered what was wrong with that child,” the first boy said.

“What? Ryou?” the second boy asked. “There is no need to worry about him. He’s Monk Takuto’s ward.”

“I might be new, but I know that,” the first boy said exasperatedly. “It’s just… doesn't anyone else feel strange seeing his unchanging face? I don’t believe I have ever seen that child cry or laugh.”

“... I admit it is slightly strange,” the second boy said.

“Boys, you do know that gossiping is not a good habit, especially for monks like us,” an adult said after suddenly appearing behind the two young monks. The boys tensed and whirled around to meet the gaze of an old man. 

“Uh-ah… Monk Takuto. Forgive us… we’re just…” the second boy said.

Monk Takuto sighed and shook his head. “Go speak with Monk Hiroki.”

The two young boys didn’t utter a word of protest and only bowed before scurrying off. Monk Takuto then approached Ryou, who had not moved a muscle during the whole conversation. After sitting down next to the child, he said, “Are you not going to play with those toys, Ryou?”

Ryou shook his head. 

“Do you not like them?” Monk Takuto asked.

“They’re acceptable. I simply do not wish to play with them,” Ryou said.

“I see… do you want to do other activities then? Children like you should be more active.”

Ryou looked up at Monk Takuto. “Have you not always ordered the young monks to keep still and to always remain calm?”

“Those boys need to be reigned in. You, on the other hand…” Monk Takuto said and stood up. “Come, follow me.”

Yuuji followed the two people as they headed into the storage room. Monk Takuto searched the shelves and offered some pieces of paper to Ryou. “Here, I believe it’s time for you to start writing down your thoughts. I’ve heard from Monk Hiroki that you’ve grasped the skill.”

Ryou nodded. “But are these papers not expensive?”

“They are, but I know you have a talent for calligraphy,” Monk Takuto replied. “And I believe it’ll do you some good if you start writing down what you’re feeling every day.”

Ryou blinked. “That is not necessary. I do not feel much, and… is it not the Buddhist way to be detached from everything?”

“I see you’ve been listening to the lectures.” Monk Takuto smiled and rubbed the child’s head. “But Ryou, to be a Buddhist is not to distance ourselves from everything in this world. While we must not get attached to anything, it is also important for us to appreciate and understand life.  How can one attain enlightenment when one cannot even understand oneself?”

With that, the memory ended, and Yuuji returned to the void, but it didn’t take long for him to find another light. Touching the golden Ginkgo leaf brought him to another memory. He was back at the temple, but this time, the peaceful monastery was thrown into chaos. Moonlight shone its light and showed the cursed spirit that was currently rampaging in the area. Screams of terror and pain rang in the air. Yuuji’s body tensed, wanting to jump and help, but he knew there was nothing he could do. 

Amidst the fleeing people, Ryou was the only one approaching the massive beast that had attacked the temple. Instead of directly going after the curse, he crouched down beside the wounded Monk Takuto. Blood was seeping out of his robe and into the ground. The man had been tossed aside by the curse, who had deemed him to be less appealing due to his age. The impact shattered his bones, and one of his ribs had even pierced his lungs. 

Coughing out a mouthful of blood, Monk Takuto said, “... Run.”

Ryou gazed at him silently. There was no hint of distress or worry on his face. The two stared at each other for a long moment before Ryou stood up and began approaching the curse. After swallowing its current victim, the monster turned its massive head and locked its sight upon the prey that was offering itself to it. Based on Yuuji’s estimation, the curse should be at least a Grade One. It had the shape of a wolf, but it had four hindlegs and two tails. Its massive stature also indicated that it was not a common beast.

Yet despite facing this monstrous foe, Ryou faced the creature with calm eyes. He adjusted his hold on the small knife he had stolen from the kitchen and lowered his posture. With one fast leap, he closed the distance between him and the curse. The monster hadn’t expected such a small human to pose a threat to itself, so it had not raised its defense. 

SLASH!

Despite only using a small and dull knife, Ryou easily cut a deep gash into the curse’s flesh. The beast screeched in pain and rage. It activated its cursed energy to push Ryou away. The force sent him flying backwards, but he was able to land on his feet. Knowing its current prey wasn’t a defenseless creature. The curse launched a counterattack. With a howl, it summoned a powerful lightning bolt from above.

BANG!

Ryou was able to dodge the powerful attack, but the impact still sent him flying into the air. The curse saw its chance and lunged toward Ryou. Seeing an open maw heading toward him, he tried to dodge the oncoming attack, but the curse was able to clamp its jaw on his left hand. While Yuuji gasped in horror at the situation, Ryou’s face remained calm as he adjusted his hold on the knife. Without any hesitation, he raised his right hand toward his trapped limb and cut it off with one swift movement. 

RIP!

The curse made a confused noise at the change in weight. It looked down to see Ryou staring at him with wide, glowing eyes. Instead of pure red, there was now a ring of eerie blue on the outer part of his irises. Annoyed that its prey had escaped again, the curse sent another lightning bolt at Ryou. Instead of dodging, he simply raised his knife and deflected the oncoming bolt. 

Tchang!

The sight shocked the monster, giving Ryou a chance to leap upwards and land on the curse’s head. Before it could try to buck him off, he impaled the short sword straight into its temple. The curse froze. As Ryou jumped off the monster’s head, he swung his knife once more, beheading it. The body fell with a loud thump, and it slowly disintegrated into dust. He stared silently at the curse’s remains before turning around to approach Monk Takuto. 

“Your hand!” Yuuji said anxiously. He knew the boy couldn’t hear him, but how could he not get worried after seeing him amputate his limb without care? 

“Calm down, brat,” Sukuna said. “Look, it’s already healing.”

Yuuji blinked when he saw the cut-off arm had already stopped bleeding. The open wound had become a stump, and he could see that it was slowly regenerating. Yuuji was shocked that such a young child had already mastered the Reverse Cursed Technique, which, according to Gojo, was a very rare skill. 

Monk Takuto coughed out another mouthful of blood, but he gave Ryou a wan smile. “Look at you… so young but already so strong…”

Ryou didn’t reply.

“... Thank you… for exorcising that curse.” Monk Takuto coughed again. “I had thought that help wouldn’t arrive… before that beast had eaten everyone in the temple.”

“... I’m sorry,” Ryou said with a lowered head. 

“For… what?” Monk Takuto asked. Ryou did not say a word and only looked at the old man’s chest. Monk Takuto smiled. “It’s okay… I’m old… This is… merely my time… to depart.” 

He wheezed out a breath and closed his eyes. Yuuji had assumed the man had died, but a moment later, he spoke again. “Ryou… you should go… go… search for… Tengen-sama… She can help you… so…” 

Monk Takuto raised his hand, which Ryou caught. “I know… that you were never meant… *cough*... to stay here forever…” He tried to tighten his hold on Ryou’s hand, but his fingers barely moved. “Forgive me… I… cannot… accompany you…any longer…”

With that, Monk Takuto exhaled his last breath. 

Ryou did not move. Yuuji raised his hand, wanting to comfort the child, but like before, he could not touch anyone. He could only sit down next to Ryou, who remained unmoving. The memory continued, and they waited. 

Slowly, people returned when they realized the threat was gone. The monks quickly gathered around Monk Takuto and Ryou. One tried to pry off his hand that held the old man’s, but he refused to let go. 

Eventually, an older monk named Hiroki showed up and crouched next to Ryou. With gentle hands, he covered Ryou’s hand, which was gripping Monk Takuto’s with his own. “It’s okay, Ryou. You’ve done well. Leave the rest to us.”

Ryou’s cold expression did not change, but he slowly let go, and that was the end of the memory. When Yuuji returned to the void, he didn’t say a word to Sukuna. Seeing that old monk die reminded him too much of his grandfather. His heart, which was recently wounded after seeing Junpei die, throbbed in pain once more. 

As Yuuji observed the dark horizon, he saw another light in the distance. This one seemed much brighter than the previous ones. When he got closer, he realized that the source of light was not just a golden leaf but a big Ginkgo tree. As he approached the glowing plant, the tanto in his hand thrummed even stronger. He hastened his steps in expectation, but before he could get too close, someone suddenly attacked him from behind.

Yuuji yelped, but he was able to dodge at the last second, so he only received light wounds. However, he gritted his teeth in anger as he faced Mahito. “You!”

“We meet again, Itadori!” Mahito greeted him and swung his left hand, which he had transfigured into long chains of blades. Unlike Yuuji, who had been guided by Ryou’s memories, Mahito was dropped into utter darkness. Most people would have gotten lost in this void of nothingness, but the special grade was extremely attuned to the soul. It was easy for him to detect the soul shard that was shining brightly like a star. Just as he reached this location, he saw Yuuji, whose attention was fully fixed on the Ginkgo tree. 

Yuuji dodged Mahito’s flurry of attacks, but those long chains had long range. While he was able to evade getting hit, some of them managed to strike the Ginkgo tree. The impact caused an unseen ripple in this strange space.

“Brat! You better let me out so I can deal with that imbecile! Or I swear-!” Sukuna shouted.

Damn it! It wasn’t like Yuuji didn’t know that Sukuna could handle Mahito better than him, but he really couldn’t trust the curse that much! After what happened before, he didn’t want to make the same mistake again. Although he was sure, Sukuna would deal with Mahito, who knew what he would do while Yuuji was not in control after that?

Yuuji gritted his teeth and tanked one of Mahito’s attacks with his arm so he could get close. The curse transfigured his whole body to create numerous spikes that prevented him from attacking directly. Unfettered, Yuuji began to break the spikes with his fist, but before he could get to Mahito, the curse shifted his shape once more before running away.

“Stay still!” Yuuji screamed in annoyance.

Mahito responded by throwing up several small, transfigured humans, which he then transformed into bigger monsters. “Attack the kid.”

Yuuji’s eyes widened as he was forced to face the transfigured humans. Although they weren’t powerful, it was difficult for him to kill them since he knew they were actually Mahito’s victims. One managed to drag Yuuji down and grabbed his neck. Shit. This wasn’t good.

“If you can’t handle this trash, then let me take over! I’m not as weak-willed as you, brat!” Sukuna exclaimed.

‘I get it okay! I get it!’ Yuuji shouted back.

He sent a pained look at the transfigured humans but steeled his resolve. He was a sorcerer. Channeling his cursed energy into his fist, he punched the monster in the face and destroyed its head. The others tried to attack him, but Yuuji quickly defeated them.

Unfortunately, while Yuuji was distracted by the transfigured humans, Mahito approached the Ginkgo tree. Whistling in happiness, the special grade placed his hand on the tree’s trunk. “You’re quite something, aren’t you? Only a shard of a soul, but you’re still this strong. You’ve gained my interest. I wonder what kind of creation I can make out of you.”

“Mahito! Get away from that tree!” Yuuji shouted as he tried to get close.

Mahito ignored Yuuji’s scream and activated his technique. Like before, there was resistance against his power, but the curse had learned after the previous failed attempt. He increased his output and then-

“Who do you think you are?”

Mahito’s eyes widened as he looked up. 

Sitting on the tree’s branch was a man with cherry blossom hair and red eyes who glared down at him coldly. Snapping off a small branch growing on the tree, the man slashed Mahito’s hand off with his technique. Then, the space between them folded once more. As Yuuji felt himself being warped away once more, he felt the tanto thrum even more. Right before he was teleported out of that void, he saw the tree turn into a shard light before flying straight into the weapon. 

“Oof!” Yuuji was barely able to land on his feet when he was sent back to Satozakura High School. Instead of spending time examining the environment, he locked his sight on Mahito, who was attempting to heal his amputated limb. Seeing Yuuji targeting him again, Mahito threw up another round of transfigured humans and sent them after him. Their numbers slowed Yuuji down enough that Mahito was getting farther away.

“Mahito!” Yuuji screamed. He refused to let Mahito go. He had to make him pay for killing Junpei!

Mahito grinned widely at the angry Yuuji, but before he could get away, a blade came after his head. He was able to dodge the attack at the last moment. Turning his body, he faced the stern-looking Nanami. “You’re looking good, 7:3 sorcerer.”

Nanami didn’t respond and only observed his enemy. Surprisingly, Mahito seemed to be quite wounded. Could it be? “Itadori, what’s the situation?”

Yuuji, who had finally dealt with the transfigured humans, replied, “I’m fine! Just got some holes in me, but a bunch of students and teachers are knocked out at the gym.”

“... I see. I assume you’re the one who hurt the curse?” Nanami asked.

“A bit,” Yuuji said. 

What? Nanami had some more questions, but it was clear Mahito wouldn’t let them chat any longer. “Let’s talk later. For now, let’s work together to create openings for each other. We have to exorcise him right here!”

“Got it!” Yuuji replied. 

With Nanami joining the fight, the tide of battle was squarely on the sorcerers’ side. Despite his wounds, Yuuji forced himself to keep up and continue attacking. Mahito transfigured his hands into blades to clash against Nanami’s weapon. He was nimble enough to hold against Yuuji’s and Nanami’s attack. Yet Yuuji was able to see an opening where he could smash his fist against Mahito’s side. Nanami quickly attacked the curse from behind and attempted to strike him on the head. Mahito knew he had to change his shape right before the hit landed on him, but Yuuji interrupted his thought by smashing another fist into his face. That finally gave Nanami the chance to land his technique on the curse. After that, Mahito had no chance to defend himself. The two sorcerers relentlessly landed their attacks on the special grade.

Just when Yuuji thought they would win this fight, Mahito opened his mouth wide. Four hands appeared within it to make a domain expansion sign. A dark barrier suddenly expanded and pushed Yuuji away while Nanami was swallowed within the domain. Fuck! He had to get in!

“You’re kidding me!” Yuuji began to pummel his fists into the domain’s barrier desperately. He had to help Nanami. Unlike Gojo, Nanami couldn’t open his own domain, so he was vulnerable to Mahito’s technique. Yuuji screamed in frustration and swung his fist with all his might. He refused to lose another person!

Crash!

That attack finally broke down the barrier, allowing Yuuji to enter the domain. Mahito’s and Nanami’s eyes widened at the unexpected intruder. While most people would refuse to step foot into another person’s domain, Yuuji had no such fear.

“Finally.”

Mahito froze when he suddenly found himself standing before the King of Curses. Four red eyes glared down at him in distaste as Sukuna sat on top of his throne. 

“You’ve been testing my patience for long enough.”

With a flick of his fingers, Dismantle cut into Mahito’s flesh. Two deep slashes appeared on the curse’s torso, wounding him enough that it destroyed his domain. Unfortunately, since Sukuna wasn’t in control of Yuuji’s body, he could not use his full power. If that were the case, he would’ve cut Mahito into tiny pieces. 

The moment the barrier broke down, Yuuji dashed toward the wounded Mahito. Sukuna’s attack had deeply injured the curse. This was Yuuji's chance to kill him! Mahito knew he no longer had a chance of winning. With that thought in mind, the special grade inflated his whole body like a balloon. Yuuji was surprised at the sudden transformation but threw a Divergent Fist at Mahito. 

Pop!

Instead of hitting solid flesh, Yuuji felt like he was hitting a balloon. He quickly shifted his attention to see Mahito changing the shape of his body so he could escape through the sewers. 

“See ya!” Mahito said with a wave of his hands.

“Get back here!” Yuuji screamed, spitting out a mouthful of blood. 

Nanami attempted to strike the fleeing curse, but he only attacked the sewer grate. Knowing they had to keep pursuing their target, he called Ino to inform him about the situation. Although Yuuji was still angry and wanted to chase after Mahito, his body couldn’t hold for much longer. His vision blurred, and he collapsed on the ground. The last thing he saw was Nanami’s worried face. 

Omake:

Mahito: *Keeps messing around*

Sukuna: LET ME OUT!!!! *Shakes the cage bars wildly*

Chapter Text

When Yuuji woke up, he found himself lying on a familiar grass plain. Instead of immediately getting up, he continued to lay there for a long moment, staring at the blue sky. He failed. Goddamn it. He had promised himself that he would kill Mahito, but the curse was able to escape from his grasp. He had been so close. If only he didn’t lose consciousness, then…

“Yuuji.”

Hearing someone calling him, Yuuji blinked and sat up. Turning his head, he met Ryou’s watchful red eyes. The man was still sitting at the base of the tree. He raised his hand and patted the empty spot beside him. Yuuji stared at him briefly before following Ryou’s silent request and moving next to him.

“So… are you awake now?” Yuuji asked.

Ryou replied by yawning widely. “For a short while. Manifesting myself outside like that… takes a toll on me, but I believe… I should be able to manage a short conversation with you.”

“That’s good,” Yuuji replied, but then was unsure of what he should say next. He had witnessed Ryou’s memories. While it was unintentional, it still felt like a breach of privacy. 

As if reading his thoughts, Ryou said, “It’s alright, I don’t mind that you saw my memories.”

“You know about that?” Yuuji asked.

“I’m somewhat aware of the outside world even though I’m mostly asleep,” Ryou said. “That’s why I’m aware that you’ve seen my past, how you fought that special grade, and…”

Although Ryou didn’t continue, Yuuji could guess what he was about to say. “... I failed him. I could’ve saved him. If I had been faster, I could’ve…” Junpei’s tear-stricken face flashed in his mind. Junpei might’ve been wrong to attack the school out of anger, but that didn’t mean he deserved to get transfigured into a monster by Mahito. Yuuji was so close. He knew that if Mahito hadn’t barged in at that moment, he could’ve convinced Junpei to agree to follow him to Jujutsu High. Things might’ve gotten a bit dicey after what Junpei had done, but he was sure that Gojo would ensure that his friend was okay. Junpei could’ve joined Jujutsu High and become a sorcerer. He could’ve gained good friends who would support him. Unfortunately, those things would remain what-ifs. Junpei was dead. He was dead because Yuuji was too weak. 

“Yuuji.” 

A warm hand gently touched his shoulder.

Yuuji realized that he had unintentionally curled into himself. “... Sorry.”

“It’s okay, Yuuji,” Ryou said. “It’s not your fault. What happened to Junpei is a tragedy, but the blame lies solely on that special grade curse.”

Yuuji knew that Mahito was the main culprit for killing Junpei, but at the same time, he also blamed himself for not being able to stop him. Seeing the stubbornly dark look on his face, Ryou’s sighed. 

“Yuuji, do you remember how I lost Monk Takuto?” Ryou asked. 

“... Yeah.” How could Yuuji forget? Watching a small child fight against such a powerful curse was horrifying. There were many moments where he had to remind himself that he wasn't able to help. He still couldn’t understand how Ryou could face a curse with a calm face. Although Yuuji wasn’t afraid of them, he doubted his child self could handle fighting monsters at such a young age.

“Do you think it’s my fault that I failed to arrive sooner and exorcise that curse?” Ryou asked.

“Of course not!” Yuuji exclaimed. 

“Why not? If I had been able to arrive moments sooner, there would’ve been fewer victims.”

“But you were just a kid!”

“So are you,” Ryou pointed out. 

Yuuji froze.

“As far as I’m aware, you’re only a fifteen-year-old child who had just become a sorcerer a month ago,” Ryou said. “To expect you to be able to handle a special grade curse like Mahito would be a folly.”

“It’s different,” Yuuji muttered.

“Is it?” Ryou said. 

Yuuji didn’t reply and only pursed his lips.

Ryou smiled sadly. “It’s hard, isn’t it? Most of us tend to be harsher on ourselves than others. I understand, Yuuji. It may be hard to believe when you hear others say that it’s not your fault. At least, I want you to know that I don’t think you are at fault for failing to save Junpei.”

Yuuji lowered his head. “For someone Sukuna supposedly knows well… you’re surprisingly nice.”

Ryou covered his mouth as he released another big yawn before replying, “Sukuna, huh… That is a name I’ve heard many times. Unfortunately, I cannot give you an answer. My memories have not fully returned. That shard of my soul you’ve managed to find only made me recall my childhood. I do not believe I’ve yet encountered Sukuna at that point.”

“Do you remember Gojo-sensei and Toji-san?” Yuuji asked.

Ryou nodded. “I met those two when I woke up after being trapped in this sword…” Releasing another big yawn, his red eyes began to droop in sleepiness. “I see that many years have passed since that time… I’m sorry… I don’t think I can stay awake any longer… Thank you for retrieving that soul shard… perhaps we’ll talk again… someday…”

Satoru was pissed off. When he sent Yuuji to accompany Nanami during his time abroad, he expected the kid to gain some useful experience. Nanami was a bit stiff and cold, but he had a good heart. He knew that Nanami would ensure that Yuuji remained safe while Satoru was away. Unfortunately, another incident had occurred. When he heard what had happened after returning to Japan, he was ready to blast those elders into nothing. Unfortunately, Ijichi informed him that this wasn’t likely another ploy from the higher-ups. The geezers still remained unaware of Yuuji’s survival, so the kid was just too unlucky to encounter another special grade. 

Nanami told him what happened during the mission. Apparently, Yuuji had gotten close to the teenage suspect who had been killed by the special grade. He had been forced to engage with the dangerous curse before Nanami could arrive and help him. Seeing Yuuji lying motionlessly on the bed reminded him of the time he saw the kid’s body lying on the morgue table. Thankfully, Yuuji didn’t receive any lethal wounds and was only unconscious due to fatigue and, well, the numerous holes he got after fighting that special grade. 

After he was done grilling Ijichi and Nanami for more details, he returned to the room where Yuuji was sleeping, only to find the bed empty. For a second, he thought someone had kidnapped him, but then his logic kicked in, and he began to search for Yuuji’s signature. He found Yuuji standing inside the morgue, watching the bagged bodies of the curse’s victims. Seeing the hunched figure, Satoru knew that Yuuji was taking the death of Yoshino Junpei really hard. 

“Yuuji,” Satoru said.

Yuuji turned his head toward him and said, “Sensei.”

The two stood side by side as they looked at the bodies lying on the tables. Death was a familiar subject to Satoru. He had seen many people die. Most of them were unfortunate victims of a curse, but he had also witnessed plenty of sorcerers’ deaths. The life of a sorcerer was grim and dark. Someone who was as bright and kind as Yuuji was rather incompatible with this profession. Unfortunately, the moment he became Sukuna’s vessel, his fate was sealed. Satoru knew it was inevitable that Yuuji would witness great tragedies if he continued to become a sorcerer, but he had hoped that the kid wouldn’t have to face it this soon. 

“It’s not your fault, you know,” Satoru said. 

Yuuji’s eyes widened slightly, and he smiled. “Ryou said the same thing.”

Satoru straightened his spine. He wanted to immediately ask Yuuji questions, but even he knew that wasn’t appropriate. Yuuji was grieving, and this wasn’t the time to ask those questions.

Despite his attempt to hide it, Yuuji still noticed and said, “It’s okay. Do you want to know more, sensei? Unfortunately, we didn’t talk for long this time either… He did thank me for finding a… piece of his soul? Anyway, he seemed much more alert and he said some of his memories have returned.”

“Is that so?” Satoru asked with a bright expression. Although he had promised Ryou he would help him recover his memories, he had utterly failed in that mission. After Ryou became silent, the chance of him fulfilling that promise became even lower. “How is he, by the way?”

“Fine? Just mostly sleepy… Sensei, how do you know Ryou?” Yuuji asked.

Not seeing any reason to hide it from his student, Satoru replied, “It’s nothing that dramatic, honestly. I found the tanto in the Gojo clan’s warehouse. We met face to face when Ryou pulled me into his innate domain. He couldn’t remember anything, you see. I promised to recover his memories but it seems you’ve done my job, Yuuji-kun.”

“It’s nothing intentional,” Yuuji said. “I think Mahito’s attempt to do something to the tanto made Ryou react.”

“Oh? Do tell me more about it,” Satoru said, leaning close.

Yuuji began to explain what had happened before Nanami arrived. Apparently, his student had gone off on an adventure where he witnessed Ryou’s past before recovering the first shard of his soul. Satoru felt a bit annoyed that he wasn’t there to see it with his own eyes. He had been dying to know more about Ryou’s mysterious past. For a moment, he wondered whether it would be possible to just stick to Yuuji all the time until he gathered all of Ryou’s shards, but a moment of pondering easily showed that it wasn’t possible. Satoru was simply too busy, and there was no way those geezers would leave him alone for that long.

“That’s what happened,” Yuuji said. 

Satoru nodded. “Great work, Yuuji-kun! I knew I could believe in you.”

“Like I said, I didn’t do much,” Yuuji said, scratching his cheek. 

“Well, I don’t think this would’ve happened without you around, Yuuji,” Satoru said. “You’ve also done well to be able to stand up against that special grade. Don’t worry; your sensei will make sure to wipe that curse off the face of the earth if he sees him in the future!” Maybe not before he tortured that piece of shit first. Based on what he had heard, that thing had not just messed with his student but also attempted to harm Ryou. He would never let those acts slide. 

Yuuji gave a weak smile, seeing Satoru’s confident grin. “Thanks, sensei.”

Deep within a mountain, Jogo was sitting leisurely next to a hot spring in a secluded spot. The curse was more than happy to spend his recovery time in peace, but Mahito suddenly came running toward him before leaping into the hot water. Although he wasn’t afraid of water, his kiseru was no longer working now. Before he could chide the young curse, Kenjaku approached him, “Looks like you’re back to normal.”

Jogo glanced at the black-haired human and replied, “Yeah, it’s more comfortable without humans around.” Present company excluded. They had agreed to work with this shady curse user, so Jogo had to tolerate his existence.

“Not having a body is a pain!” Mahito grumbled. 

“You also lack cursed energy, Mahito,” Kenjaku commented.

“Yeah, turns out Sukuna and his vessel are my mortal enemies,” Mahito said. “Ugh, I really should’ve used that toy as a hostage instead of breaking him too fast. That situation might’ve forced Itadori to make a Binding Vow with Sukuna. Then again, that guy seemed to also hate my guts.”

“I doubt that would work. Forcing others into a Binding Vow is rarely successful,” Kenjaku said. “But do tell me more why you think Sukuna hates you.”

“Oh, he immediately attacked me and broke my newly established domain, rude!” Mahito complained. 

“His vessel willingly broke into your domain, correct?” Kenjaku asked, which earned a sullen nod from Mahito. “In that case, he might’ve felt insulted that you attempted to use your technique on his soul even though it was unintentional.”

“Ugh, I don’t get along well with a stuck-up gramp like him,” Mahito said as he got out of the hot spring. “By the way, I managed to take a look at that strange blade you’re so interested in.”

“Oh?” Kenjaku raised an eyebrow.

Mahito “It’s super interesting! I’ve never seen a soul stuck to a weapon like that before. I wanted to play around with it, but it fought back! It dumped me and Sukuna’s vessel into this other dimension. I even saw this weird tree that seemed to be a manifestation of another soul shard. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get my hands on it either since the soul cut off my hand.”

 “I see… it seems after all these years Ryou is still holding up quite well,” Kenjaku said.

“What’s this stuff about that weird sword?” Jogo asked. “I thought our plan is to revive the King of Curses to start the age of curses.”

“That’s still our plan,” Kenjaku replied, “but it’s best to understand Ryou’s situation. That man is quite important to Sukuna.”

“He’s also the same amount of grumpy as Sukuna,” Mahito muttered, rubbing his right wrist. That was the first time he got his limb chopped off, and that man had only used a simple branch. Were all ancient sorcerers this strong?

“Do we have to worry about him?” Jogo asked.

“No need to fret,” Kenjaku said with a smile. “I’ll handle Ryou.”

After the encounter with that young special grade, things became peaceful. While Yuuji returned to his daily training activities, Sukuna could only watch everything in boredom. He had heard of the conversation between Yuuji and Gojo about Ryou. It seemed the brat had met Ryou for the second time after he lost consciousness. 

Sukuna was quite vexed at the fact that Yuuji was the only one Ryou had responded to. No matter how many times he tried to reach out to the soul that dwelled within that blade, he received no response. Perhaps with more of his soul shards being gathered, Ryou would become more awake, but for now, Sukuna’s gut was telling him that he would need Yuuji. How annoying. The brat was completely uncooperative with him. All of that nonsense could’ve been avoided if he let Sukuna out. Now, that special grade had scuttled away into his hiding spot and away from Sukuna’s tender mercies.

Sukuna barely paid attention as Yuuji and his group met with the Kyoto students. Apparently, there was a tournament between brats. Not that Sukuna was interested. He doubted that brats-against-brats violence would be in any way entertaining. The Tokyo group quickly spread out, and Yuuji faced a third-year Kyoto student, Todo Aoi. It didn’t take long for the brat to get his head pummeled. Sukuna snickered as he watched Todo continue to stomp his foot on Yuuji’s head. The brat still got up, though, and he began to talk about stupid topics, such as the type of girls that they liked. Sukuna completely zoned out at that point. He really had no desire to listen any longer. 

However, his attention was drawn back outside when he felt several new presences surrounding Yuuji. It was obvious that they were planning on murdering the brat again. Not that Sukuna would let them. As much as Yuuji annoyed him, he needed him alive to find out the truth behind Ryou’s disappearance. Having Yuuji die wasn’t part of the plan. Thankfully, he didn’t have to get his hands dirty by getting involved in this brat violence. Todo didn’t seem to take kindly to these intruders who were interrupting his fight with Yuuji. 

As the Kyoto students pulled back, Sukuna could feel them clashing against the Tokyo students not long after. In the meantime, Yuuji was somehow being tutored by his enemy turned self-proclaimed best friend, Todo. It seemed idiots could identify one another since the two quickly got along. Todo was able to make Yuuji understand the simple concept of cursed energy flow, which neither Sukuna nor Gojo struggled with. At least now the brat could properly use cursed energy-enhanced hit instead of his silly Divergent Fist. 

Things finally got more interesting when another special grade appeared within Jujutsu High ground. Everyone’s attention was drawn when a curtain suddenly showed up above the hunting area. Yuuji and Todo immediately stopped their friendly spar to search for other students. They arrived just in time to rescue Fushiguro and Maki from the unregistered special grade. Sukuna raised an eyebrow when he saw Yuuji land a Black Flash against the curse. It was something that most sorcerers failed to even perform once during their lives, but it seemed the brat had a knack for it. Guess he wasn’t a complete useless kid then. 

That Todo kid also had quite a tricky technique. Switching people was a simple technique on paper, but it was one of those rare powers that you couldn't completely guard against even when you know how it works. With the two working together, they were able to slowly corner the curse. The special grade got threatened enough that it actually attempted to unleash its Domain Expansion. Unfortunately for it, Gojo decided that was the moment for him to step onto the stage. 

The curtain finally broke down, revealing Gojo hovering midair with his blindfold off. It was over at that point. Gojo easily took down the intruders and even blasted another powerful attack using the Limitless technique. Sukuna’s eyes narrowed as he observed that blast of energy. That was something even he had to be careful against. With all of their enemies taken care of, the teachers herded the students back to a safe place. Although everyone was curious, none of the adults told them anything about the situation outside. Sukuna knew that this attack was merely a distraction and that whatever the enemy group was planning seemed to have been successful. 

Mahito smiled as he played around with Sukuna’s fingers. Unlike the real deal, these cursed objects were silent. They exuded powerful cursed energy despite their dormant state. If Mahito hadn’t already understood after facing Sukuna, he would’ve understood it now after obtaining these fingers. The King of Curses truly deserved his title. He was still a bit on the fence between killing Itadori and following Kenjaku’s plan. On the one hand, unleashing Sukuna to cause as much chaos to humans as possible seemed fun, but he also wanted to kill Itadori. After retreating and helping Hanami, they went to Dagon’s domain, where their group was hiding. 

Kenjaku was still sitting leisurely on one of the beach chairs they had set up. The man closed the book he was reading to look at the wounded Hanami and Mahito. While Jogo quickly got up to help their injured ally, Mahito approached the curse user. 

“I got the fingers~,” Mahito said as he dumped the items on Kenjaku’s lap. The man opened the bag and examined the items.

“Good job, you’ve all six Sukuna’s fingers and the three Death-Painting Wombs,” Kenjaku said as he picked up one of the tubes. The cursed womb wriggled within its container as if it were attempting to get farther away from the man. 

“Are we set?” Mahito asked. 

“Not quite, we’ll need to gather some more of Sukuna’s fingers,” Kenjaku said. “I’ll also need to prepare other things before we can launch our plan.”

While the two talked, a white-haired monk watched the scene with furrowed brows. Their dark pink eyes were stuck on Kenjaku as they continued to glare at the curse user. 

Kenjaku didn’t fail to notice the hateful glare thrown into his way, and he only turned his head to smile at Uraume. “Come on, I’m trying to do you a favor here. Don’t you want to meet with your master?”

Uraume replied coldly, “Enough with your nonsense. I know Sukuna-sama should’ve killed you when he first saw you.”

“Why so harsh?” Kenjaku sighed sadly. “Here I am, just trying to be a good friend to Sukuna.”

“You’re no friend of Sukuna-sama.”

“Perhaps, but I’m the only one he has.”

Uraume only scowled. 

“Anyhow, you should look forward to the future,” Kenjaku smiled as he picked up one of Sukuna’s fingers. “After all, we’re going to seal away the Six Eyes in Shibuya on October 31st.”

Omake:

Kenjaku: Everything is going according to plan.

Chapter Text

Although the sudden attack from the special grade and curse users shocked the young sorcerers, it didn’t take long for them to return to their routine. Unfortunately, that just meant more boredom for Sukuna. The brats ended up playing baseball against each other. He had learned the game's rules from Yuuji’s memories so he was quite familiar with it. It was rather obvious that some of the students didn’t know how to play baseball, especially those from the Kyoto branch. Ultimately, it was Tokyo students who won that match. 

With the exchange event coming to an end, the Kyoto students left Tokyo. Several boring days passed before the first-year students received another mission. This time, they were tasked to investigate a series of unexplained murders where random people were killed at their apartment entrances. Sukuna had no high hopes of being entertained by this mission. He barely paid attention to the outside world while the brats visited Saitama Urami East Junior High to obtain more information. 

Yuuji acted like a fool alongside Kugisaki while Fushiguro had to reign them in. Apparently, Fushiguro studied here during middle school. As they learned more about this curse, Sukuna could easily see that something was bothering Fushiguro. Fortunately, Yuuji wasn’t a complete airhead and soon realized that Fushiguro planned to head off independently after separating from them. Sukuna clicked his tongue as he watched Fushiguro remain unaware as his two buffoons of classmates followed behind him. 

Sukuna’s attention was soon drawn away as he felt a familiar signature coming from a nearby curse. It seemed they had found another one of his fingers. Not that he would warn the brats. Although he had no plans to let Yuuji die, that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy watching the brat squirm. Let him struggle on his own. Consider it as combat experience. If these brats couldn’t even beat such a weak curse, then there would be no hope for them to be sorcerers. 

When the group entered the domain, they were surprised to see that the curse looked weak. Sukuna knew it was only a farce but kept his mouth shut to enjoy the show. Unfortunately, an intruder showed up before they could engage with their target. Sukuna’s interest was piqued when he noticed the strangeness of this curse. It was not a cursed spirit. No, this thing was an incarnated being. 

“Fushiguro, you guys focus on that one,” Yuuji said. “I’ll handle this!”

The incarnated being was pathetically weak and stood no chance against Yuuji. Sukuna sighed in disappointment as the brat quickly knocked the wind out of the curse with his powerful strikes. Fortunately, things didn’t get too dull since Kugisaki got kidnapped for the second time. Both Yuuji and the incarnated being entered the portal, leaving Fushiguro alone to deal with the Yasohachi Bridge curse. Sukuna pondered about hinting at the brat regarding the true nature of that curse but opted not to since that was more entertaining. 

While Yuuji was busy chasing after the incarnated being, Sukuna could feel his finger stirring into action. How unfortunate. He doubted the brats could return quick enough to help their friend and allowed Sukuna to witness how he performed against the Finger Bearer. Now, it was up to Fushiguro alone to survive against one of his fingers. Based on his estimation, this curse should be stronger than the one in the detention center. This was the perfect moment for Fushiguro to prove he could live up to his potential. Sukuna got his answer when he felt his finger’s signature becoming stronger as Fushiguro defeated the curse. With the barrier destroyed, Sukuna’s power leaked out, alerting sorcerers and curses nearby of its presence.

Yuuji also noticed the presence of Sukuna’s finger, but he continued to chase after his target. The two jumped out of the forest to encounter another incarnated being who had kidnapped Kugisaki. Unlike his brother, Eso was much stronger. The brats were forced to retreat as Eso unleashed his cursed technique. That blood was poisonous and corrosive enough to melt stone. Despite Yuuji carrying Kugisaki, the two got ambushed by Kechizu, who spat a mouthful of blood at Yuuji. Kugisaki got hit by Eso not long after, and the two of them became poisoned. 

Sukuna remained unimpressed at the fight. He could’ve killed these two in less than a second if he were in control. Yuuji might’ve gotten better at fighting, but he was not good enough to be considered a strong sorcerer. While Yuuji could handle the pain and poison, Kugisaki had no such resistance. Sukuna expected the girl to be the first to fall, but she surprised him by stabbing herself with her nail.

“Let’s play a game of chicken, shall we?” Kugisaki said with a mad grin.

Oh, so that was what she was planning. Although the poisonous blood of the two brothers was dangerous, they also served as a direct link to the curses. Kugisaki’s technique was a bad match since she could exploit this connection to her benefit. Although Eso tried to tough it out and fight back, the curse eventually folded when he saw his younger brother crying. Sukuna clicked his tongue. How pathetic. To be weak at heart was a vulnerability that many people suffered. If Eso hadn’t deactivated his technique, he might have had a better chance of winning against the brats. 

With Yuuji performing another Black Flash alongside Kugisaki, the winner of this battle had been decided. Unfortunately, the two failed to finish Eso off due to their shock. Yuuji froze seeing his enemy cry, as he watched Kechizu perish under Kugisaki’s Hairpin. On the other hand, Kugisaki was surprised to see the body of the supposed curse remain on the ground. Eso used this chance to flee the area by riding a truck that passed through the road they were fighting on. He didn’t get too far since Kugisaki used Resonance to stun him. 

As Yuuji aimed his fist at the falling curse, he said, “Sorry…”

BAM!

His fist pierced through Eso’s chest, killing him instantly. The body fell to the ground with a thump, and Yuuji stared at his bloodied hand. 

“... Damn, that hurt.”

Somehow, Sukuna knew Yuuji wasn’t talking about the poisonous blood that covered his fist. The mood became heavy as the two returned to Yasohachi Bridge to find Fushiguro. Exorcising curses and killing those two brothers felt different to the two young sorcerers. Yuuji was especially bothered. He had never felt hesitation when facing dangerous enemies, but something about those two seemed different. Unfortunately, they were dead now, and Yuuji could not do anything about it. 

The two found Fushiguro collapsed at the bottom of the bridge. Luckily, he was merely exhausted and quickly got up due to the commotion. After the brats were done arguing about what to do with Sukuna’s finger, Sukuna decided just to eat it himself when Fushiguro offered the cursed object to Yuuji. 

“We told you not to eat it!” Fushiguro and Kugisaki shouted.

“Huh?! I didn’t mean to!” Yuuji exclaimed back. Staring at his palm where Sukuna’s mouth had manifested a second ago, he muttered, “No way! This guy didn’t even help this time!”

“Why should I?” Sukuna retorted. 

“You bastard!” Yuuji shouted. “You definitely knew that finger was nearby!”

“What if I did?” Sukuna asked. 

“Why didn’t you tell us?!”

“What makes you think I have a responsibility to inform you about such a thing? It’s your own fault for not realizing it yourself. I refuse to be a detector.”

Yuuji wanted to argue more, but the assistant manager showed up to berate them for heading off on their own. With their mission accomplished, the three first-year students returned to Jujutsu High to get patched up. Despite their success, Yaga berated them for their reckless actions, especially for the civilians' involvement. The three students could only lower their heads as the headmaster lectured them for several hours. When Yuuji returned to his room, he threw himself on the bed and said, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten that you acted like an asshole and didn’t warn us.”

Knowing Yuuji was addressing him, Sukuna manifested outside and replied, “And you think I care?”

“Che! Don’t you want to get more of your power?” Yuuji asked as he sat on his bed.

“What, so you can fulfill your destiny of being executed after consuming all of my fingers?” Sukuna said. “How foolish. Even now, you still naively believe you can help everyone. Let me tell you something interesting, brat. The Yasohachi Bridge curse only became active after you consumed my finger.”

Yuuji froze.

Sukuna’s red eye curved. “Don’t you get it? The moment you became my vessel and I woke up, all of my fingers began to resonate. The Yasohachi Bridge curse was only one of them, who knows what the others are doing? Helping people. How sickening. Do you think you still have the ability to stand on that moral high ground? Because of you, people will die.”

“Hey,” Yuuji cut in. “Don’t tell Fushiguro. Don’t you dare tell him!”

Sukuna clicked his tongue. This brat. Even now, he was still thinking of others. “You think your friend is as stupid as you? Someone as smart as Fushiguro would no doubt have already noticed this event. How unfortunate, your desire to spare your friend’s feelings is useless.”

Yuuji clenched his fist and didn’t say a word for a long time. Sukuna could feel the storm of negative emotions within him. No doubt this naive brat felt anguished for even having a role in harming innocents. 

“You… can’t you stop it?” Yuuji asked. 

Sukuna scoffed. “Don’t be foolish. Although those fingers belong to me, I have no such fine control over them, especially if they’ve been claimed by curses, and even if I could, why should I?”

“You-!” Yuuji gritted his teeth. “I… I really can’t understand you. Why do you keep hurting others…? Why can’t you exist without causing suffering?”

“Why should I care?” Sukuna said. “That’s how the world works. The strong rule over the weak. Don’t try to deny that truth. Everyone only cares about themselves. Those who are strong merely have more power to exert their selfishness over others. You’ve seen it everywhere. From the bullies at school who tortured that brat Junpei to those elders who want to kill you just because they’re scared of your existence.”

“That doesn’t make it right!” Yuuji shouted. “Just because there are those who continue to be horrible doesn’t mean that everyone has to follow them! If that happens… I can’t… I can’t accept such cruel world.”

What a naive response. Sukuna had expected Yuuji to be less foolish after what he had experienced, but he still insisted on being obtuse. 

“And!” Yuuji continued. “And what would Ryou think if he heard that from you?”

Sukuna narrowed his eye. “Don’t you dare bring that man into this conversation.”

“Why not?!” Yuuji exclaimed. 

“You brat! You know nothing about him!”

“I still don’t get what’s going on between you two, but it’s clear that you care about him. I may only have met him twice, but I know Ryou is not someone cruel. He will never agree to what you’re saying!”

Sukuna only growled and retreated. Yuuji sighed and pulled his knees to his chest. The news Sukuna brought was absolutely tearing him apart, but he knew there was nothing he could do except to consume more fingers as fast as possible. Then, everyone would be safe… right? Yuuji looked at the tanto on the table and got up to pick up the item. Ryou still hadn’t contacted him again after the last time. He wondered what the man would say should he meet Sukuna. The two had a deep history that was unknown to everyone. He couldn’t understand how someone so kind could have a connection with a cruel and angry person like Sukuna. 

Although his main priority was to consume Sukuna’s fingers, Gojo also gave him the task of recovering more of Ryou’s soul shards. He wondered what would happen if he found all the fingers first before he could help Ryou. Would Gojo allow him to continue to live despite the execution waiting for him? That didn’t sound too bad. Although Yuuji didn’t fear death, he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed being a sorcerer and hanging out with his friends. He just wanted…

Yuuji sighed. 

“It would be really nice if I could talk to you again, Ryou,” Yuuji muttered.

Time passed relatively quickly as their group prepared for October 31st. Thankfully, everything was set and they even handled Kokichi Muta. Kenjaku observed the situation calmly as they finally launched their plan. Everything was going very smoothly so far. The three barriers he had set up over Shibuya still remained strong. They were able to drag a large group of humans into the station while keeping the sorcerers out. It wasn’t long until the main star arrived. Gojo Satoru strolled into the obvious trap with a relaxed attitude. Kenjaku had met numerous sorcerers in his long life, but he had to admit that Gojo Satoru was one of the few people who truly deserved to be that arrogant. While there were others who had been born with the Six Eyes and the Limitless technique, he was the first who could take it to the next level. Both hard working and a genius, it was no wonder that he was called the strongest sorcerer. 

Unfortunately, Gojo was simply too powerful to be left alone. Kenjaku had to restrain him before he could start his true plan. He let the curses become distractions for Gojo. Although Kenjaku could fight, he preferred acting as a strategist rather than a fighter. It wouldn’t be good if he got taken out before they sprung their trap. When Gojo descended to Fukutoshi Line, the three curses faced the strongest sorcerer head-on. 

Gojo and Jogo exchanged some biting words with each other. Despite being outnumbered and surrounded by civilians, Gojo kept calm as he assessed his situation. As the humans were thrown into the railway tracks, the three curses immediately attacked Gojo. As expected, the human meat shield did its job. Soft hearts had always been a prime weakness of those who believed they stood on the good side. Although Gojo wouldn’t be overly mentally anguished over the humans the curses kill, the civilians’ presence would still greatly restrict his movement. Jogo and Hanami approached Gojo while Choso kept his distance. 

By activating their Domain Amplification, the two special grades could neutralize Gojo’s Infinity. Not that it would work. Kenjaku knew that Gojo was not just strong simply because of his Infinity. It took a second for Gojo to pull back and figure out the curses’ plan. Despite the tide of battle going against him, Gojo remained calm and finally pulled off his blindfold to reveal his revered Six Eyes. It seemed Gojo finally decided to get serious. 

“Hey weed,” Gojo said, pointing at Hanami. “This is the third time we’ve met, right? And you still haven’t learned a thing! You’re going down first.”

This time, Gojo opted to turn off his Infinity and focused on the offensive. Despite his words that he would target Hanami, he was solely attacking Jogo. Dodging their combined attacks, he quickly dismembered Jogo’s right arm and used it as a shield to cover himself from Hanami’s attack. Jogo became scared and distanced himself from Gojo, which prompted him to chase after the curse. Hanami felt that Gojo was targeting their ally and decided to turn off their Amplification to activate their technique. Wrong move. That was what Gojo was hoping for. When Hanami called forth the roots, Gojo turned around with a wild grin and dodged the waves of attacks from the special grade. Landing on their shoulders, Gojo grabbed the branches growing out of Hanami’s eye holes. 

“Someone told me these are your weak spots,” Gojo said with a mad grin. With a swift move, he pulled out Hanami’s branches, deeply wounding them. The curse collapsed helplessly to the ground, and Choso chose to attack at that moment.

Splash!

Unfortunately, Gojo had activated his Infinity again. He glanced at the Death Painting that kept his distance coldly and decided not to pursue the third attacker. Knowing they could not let up their assault, the injured Hanami and Jogo attacked again with Domain Amplification. Due to the damage they had received, Hanami could no longer keep up with the others. Gojo also knew this and decided to increase his output. Jogo, realizing what he was planning, attempted to distract Gojo. Pointing his hand at the group of humans, he shouted, “Gojo Satoru! Look over here!”

Gojo kept his gaze locked on his target and increased his output further. Hanami, who could not fight any more, was crushed by his technique. 

SPLAT!

While Jogo looked horrifiedly at the splatter of blood on the wall, Kenjaku only hummed. Not yet. Jogo was thoroughly spooked and fled from Gojo, who stomped his way toward his next target. Kenjaku chuckled at the ridiculous sight. There were not many people who could make cursed spirits feel fear. Although Choso helped attack Gojo, he still kept his distance from the man. Jogo, who had gotten desperate, looked toward the darkness where the train was supposed to come. As if summoned by his desperation, the vehicle finally arrived, and with it, numerous transfigured humans that Mahito had created. 

Screams rang within the cramped station as monsters began to attack the remaining civilians. Even Gojo, who had hardened his heart, was shocked at the sight. “What are they thinking?”

Gojo’s attention was quickly drawn to the new opponent who arrived with the train. That stitched face. That curse had to be Mahito. The one who had hurt Yuuji and Ryou. Gojo narrowed his eyes. Unlike Jogo, Mahito held no fear toward Gojo and manipulated a human’s body, which he used to quickly get close to him. Gojo glared coldly at Mahito as he laughed, “I really can’t touch you!”

Before Gojo could start figuring out how he would like to deal with this curse, Mahito decided to dump even more humans from the upper floor to the railway tracks. Shit. Were they planning to throw everyone trapped on this floor?! The amount of bloodshed. No. He couldn’t allow that. As if Gojo wasn’t stressed enough, the three remaining curses launched a simultaneous attack at him. Although his Infinity protected him, the civilians around him didn’t have the same luxury. Blood and organs splattered onto his invisible shield. He clenched his fists. They definitely wanted to push him into a corner. At this moment, the only possible move was to use Domain Expansion. Fine.

The smug look on the curses’ faces was wiped clean when they saw Gojo raising his hand. “Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void.”

0.2 seconds. That was the time he gave himself. Gojo had to kill all the transfigured humans within the area. Even with his strength, this feat took a lot out of him. It was only due to his domain and technique that he could reach this speed. When he could feel no more transfigured humans, he stopped and wheezed. He needed a second to recover, but his sight was drawn to a large box lying on the ground. 

That’s!

Kenjaku said, “Prison Realm… Gate Open.”

Gojo stared blankly as that cursed object activated and unraveled itself. One massive eye looked back at him, painting him as its target. He had to go. Gojo turned around, prepared to distance himself from the Prison Realm, but suddenly, he heard someone call him.

“Satoru.”

“Huh?” Gojo turned around automatically. He knew that voice. His Six Eyes widened as he saw a man with cherry blossom hair standing before him.

“It’s been a while,” the man said softly.

That couldn’t be. Was he a fake? An illusion someone made with a technique? Some kind of transformation technique? No. His Six Eyes rejected all of those possibilities. The person before him was real.

Ryou was standing there, smiling at Satoru.

Right at that moment, years of memories flooded into his brain. From their first encounter when Gojo met that man to the last time he saw his face. Those precious memories resurfaced in his mind, reminding him of his childhood and teenage years. Barely a minute passed in the real world, yet that fleeting moment of recollection activated the Prison Realm.

Whoosh!

Gojo froze as he felt the cursed object wrap itself around him. Fuck! They got him. Gojo gritted his teeth. He could no longer feel his cursed energy, and his muscles refused to move. This was checkmate.

Breathing heavily, Gojo lifted his head to glare at the man standing before him. “Who the hell are you?!”

Ryou stared down blankly at Gojo. 

Omake:

Kenjaku: Ah yes, my plan… it’s going so well.

Chapter Text

Satoru glared at the man, who appeared to be Ryou. From his body to his cursed energy, everything told him that the person before him was Ryou, but he couldn’t believe it. There was no way Ryou would show up in this place, much less work for the enemy. Ryou remained silent.

“My Six Eyes tell me that you’re Ryou,” Satoru growled, “but my soul knows you’re not the man I knew! So hurry up and answer! Who the hell are you?!”

Ryou’s face remained impassive. 

A sound of clapping came from nearby, drawing Satoru’s attention to an unknown man with short black hair. There was a line of stitches on his forehead, and like Ryou, he was also wearing a traditional kimono.

“I’m quite surprised that you can still notice something is off,” the man said as he stopped beside Ryou. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Six Eyes.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Satoru asked as he narrowed his eyes. 

“You can call me Kenjaku,” the man replied. “It took a lot of work to get this guy ready, you know. I don’t think you understand how hard it is to gather lost soul-shards that hide themselves in the wild space. Itadori Yuuji has had an easier time thus far due to the piece of soul that attached itself to that old blade. Even so, I think I have to thank you. If you hadn’t awoken that shard, it would have been impossible for me to retrieve them. Placing these soul shards into a proper vessel is another headache I’ve to suffer through, but I’ll spare you the detail.”

“You bastard,” Satoru growled. So this guy was controlling Ryou? Was that his technique? But something was also off with Kenjaku. 

“Oh, should I perhaps also thank you for your soft spot for Ryou?” Kenjaku said. “I actually tried to target your old friend, Geto Suguru, but that man is surprisingly slippery. I failed to get my hands on him, so I had to resort to this riskier move. How unfortunate. I would’ve liked to claim his cursed technique. Although I know you’ve had that tanto for many years, I couldn’t be sure that you would drop your guard when you were faced against Ryou in the flesh.”

“Che!” Satoru bared his teeth. 

“No need to look so angry,” Kenjaku said with a smile. “The sealing process will be quick, but well, you’ll need to wait for a hundred or even a thousand years before you can escape from the Prison Realm. You’re too strong, Gojo Satoru. You will get in the way of my plans. Goodnight, let us meet again in the new world. Gate… Close.”

The last thing Satoru saw was Ryou’s cold gaze, looking down at him.

SNAP!

Yuuji was following Mei Mei and Ui Ui as they traveled on the underground railway track from Meiji-Jingu-Mae Station when he suddenly felt something around his ears. 

“Can you hear me, Itadori Yuuji? Listen care-”

Yuuji automatically pulled away the strange device. He was about to destroy it when it shouted for mercy. “Wait, wait, wait! I’m on your side! This is Mechamaru from Kyoto High!”

Yuuji stopped trying to break the headphones into dust and stared down dubiously at the device. Seeing that the device was no longer about to be destroyed, he continued, “We don’t have much time, so I’ll just say it once.”

Mei Mei and Ui Ui approached Yuuji out of curiosity. 

“Gojo Satoru has been sealed,” Mechamaru said.

Yuuji’s eyes widened.

Mechamaru explained in detail why they should believe him, but Yuuji could barely pay any attention. Gojo, sealed? That shouldn’t be possible. He had seen how strong his teacher was. How could there be anyone who could defeat him? Before Yuuji could get lost in his spiraling thoughts, his attention was drawn to dangerous presences heading toward them. Apparently, the situation was even more dire than they had thought. Mei Mei and Ui Ui would stay behind to handle the curses, while Yuuji had to return to Meiji-Jingu-Mae Station so he could head above ground and notify everyone about Gojo being sealed. 

As he sprinted through the empty Shibuya street, Mechamaru informed him of good news. It seemed the bad guys were unable to move Gojo from B5 despite sealing him. He didn’t quite get the reason, but he trusted his teacher. Yuuji just had to back up that trust by saving him. After taking down some rampaging transfigured humans, he jumped to the top of a tall building and shouted, “NA! NA! MIIIIN! NANAMIN!! ARE YOU THERE?! GOJO SENSEI HAS BEEN SEALED!!”

For the first time since he was incarnated in the modern world, Sukuna sat up straight on his throne. Not that he cared about Gojo’s fate. If that idiot got sealed because he let his guard down, then that was his fault. No, what bothered him was the fact that this whole situation stank of Kenjaku’s meddling. With Tengen’s Pure Barrier over Japan, few people learned the traditional barrier techniques. Besides Tengen, only two other people that Sukuna knew could create these complex curtains. The first one was Ryou, but that man would never do anything like this. The other one was Kenjaku. Considering his ability to switch bodies, it wouldn’t be surprising if he stayed alive until now. 

Sukuna remained silent as he watched the outside world. After Yuuji reconvened with Nanami and his group, they decided to split up with the adult sorcerer to handle the barriers. They attempted to break the barrier with pure force, but that was useless. This type of barrier wouldn’t break that easily. Thankfully, Sukuna didn’t need to cut in and enlighten this stupid bunch since they eventually figured out that the barriers’ source should be located outside. They assumed that the barrier nails should be placed on Shibuya Tower, which was the highest building in the area.

A group of curse users were waiting for them at the top, but they were able to land a surprise attack on them. Yuuji and Fushiguro handled the ugly man while Ino stayed on the roof to face the old woman and her grandson. The curse user had a unique but useless cursed technique allowing him to withstand powerful blows. It took some time, but the brats (Fushiguro) were able to figure out the trick before Sukuna got too bored. After beating him with the right amount of force, the curse user crumpled to the ground like a pathetic sack of trash. Fushiguro decided to get up and check on Ino, who turned out to be wounded.

“Sorry, kids, that grandma had a tricky technique and used her grandson to channel a powerful sorcerer from the dead,” Ino explained. “But don’t worry, I managed to win in the end!”

Although Ino was grinning and giving a thumbs up, Yuuji and Fushiguro gave a doubtful look at his bloody face. It was obvious that Ino couldn’t continue to head inside, where even more dangerous enemies were roaming. 

Fushiguro sighed. “I’ll need to help Ino-san get to Ieiri-san. You..”

Yuuji caught Fushiguro’s unsure look and said, “Don’t worry! I’ll head to the station!”

“That’s what I was about to say.” Fushiguro frowned. “Anyway, you better be careful.”

“I know! Or else you’ll kill me yourself, right?”

Fushiguro scoffed. 

Despite Ino’s protest, Fushiguro still put the man above Nue, and the two walked away while Yuuji continued to head deeper into the city. On the way, he encountered Inumaki, who helped Yuuji deal with the transfigured humans so the brat could head into the station without worrying. That was as far as his luck went, though, because the moment he headed underground, he was forced to face a powerful foe. 

The two barely locked eyes before Choso immediately shot Piercing Blood at Yuuji. Yuuji attempted to block the attack with his arms, but it was so strong that it nearly pierced through his flesh and bones. After deflecting the blood projectile, Yuuji immediately dashed toward Choso to force him into close combat. Unfortunately, the attack had wounded Yuuji’s arm enough that he couldn’t move his left. Sukuna could’ve healed the wound, but he was curious about whether or not the brat could handle this weak opponent. 

Instead of continuing his attack, Choso asked, “There’s something… I have to ask you. Did my younger brothers leave any final words with you?”

“Younger brothers?” Yuuji asked.

“Che! I’m talking about the two that you killed!” Choso shouted in anger.

Yuuji blinked as he remembered the faces of the siblings he had fought with Kugisaki. A familiar feeling of guilt raised within him. “Not really, but… They did cry…”

Choso froze for a moment, but then his bloodthirstiness rose. “Eso! Kechizu! Take a good look! This is your older brother!”

Although Yuuji tried to prepare himself, fighting Choso was difficult. His Blood Piercing attack was very powerful and fast. Yuuji couldn’t afford to get hit by it again, so he attempted to taunt Choso into attacking him to control his attack's timing. Despite being able to dodge and close the distance, Choso had already guessed Yuuji’s plan and retaliated with Supernova. The blood explosion detonated behind Yuuji’s back, wounding him. Choso stabbed Yuuji in the foot, but the brat ignored the pain and tried to kick Choso on the head with that same limb. He could land two solid kicks on Choso, but that distance gave him a chance to land Piercing Blood on Yuuji’s lower torso.

The situation was getting dire, but Mechamaru decided to activate again. After informing Yuuji about Choso’s technique, he suggested that Yuuji go to the toilet so they could use the water to interfere with the Blood Manipulation technique. Despite their trap working, Choso was still able to face Yuuji in a hand-to-hand fight for a short time. That period was enough to give him the idea to condense his blood within his palm so he could slam Piercing Blood straight through Yuuji’s liver. With Yuuji heavily wounded, he could no longer keep up against Choso in a hand-to-hand fight. After landing a hit that took a chunk out of Yuuji’s shoulder and another punch to his chest, the brat finally lost.

Sukuna clicked his tongue. “How boring. How can you lose to a nobody?”

Just as Sukuna was considering what he should do next, he discovered that Choso’s intent to kill had suddenly disappeared. Instead of finishing the brat off, Choso grabbed his head in pain and stumbled away. What? Sukuna couldn’t quite understand what was happening, but he didn’t have to deal with that weakling. Now, how much did he need to heal the brat so he could keep going but still learn from his lesson?

While Yuuji was fighting Choso, Megumi was able to escort Ino to Ieiri before heading back to Shibuya Station. Although he wanted to chase after his classmate, his attention was quickly drawn to a domain that had appeared on the Inokashira Line. Knowing that not many sorcerers could use Domain Expansion, Megumi understood that he had to step in. He might not be able to close his Domain yet, but it should be enough to mess with the enemy’s. It seemed he had arrived just in time to save Maki from the special grade curse.

Megumi quickly extended his shadow to give Playful Cloud to Maki. It was one of several cursed tools his father had given him. Although he had acted like a savior, clashing against a proper Domain was something he wasn’t ready for yet. He could feel the pressure from Dagon’s Domain pressing against his. He wouldn’t be able to last long.

Knowing that his sure-hit effect was no longer working as long as Megumi’s Domain was around, Dagon sent a couple of sea monsters at him. Fortunately, Nanami got in the way and killed those monsters with one strike. The situation was not good. Although Naobito and Maki were doing their best to attack Dagon, the curse still held up well against the sorcerers. If they couldn’t finish this fight before Megumi collapsed from exhaustion, everyone would die. Shit. They needed to escape from this Domain.

“Nanami!” Megumi shouted. “We need to leave. I won’t be able to win a domain clash against that octopus, so instead, I’ll try to open a barrier so we can escape. It’ll only last several seconds, but it should be possible. Then, when that octopus’ technique is exhausted, we can win the fight!”

“I hope you don’t plan on staying behind,” Nanami said.

“Don’t worry,” Megumi said. “Gojo already berated me enough about that. I don’t plan on throwing my life away.”

Accepting his answer, Nanami shouted, “You two! Assemble!”

Dagon looked confused as Maki and Naobito dashed toward their two allies, but he quickly realized something was off when he felt Megumi breach his barrier. Not wanting his prey to escape, Dagon chased after them. Yet before he could reach the group, someone suddenly emerged from the hole Megumi created.

Megumi’s eyes widened as he watched Toji land within the Domain with ease. “Yo, thanks for opening the door, but that wasn’t necessary anyway.”

“F-Father?!” Megumi exclaimed.

Naobito and Maki stared at the newcomer in shock, while Nanami sighed.

“You certainly took your time,” Nanami said. After giving the wounded Ijichi to Shoko and informing the higher-ups, he also contacted Toji to request his backup. The man didn’t like to meddle too much in sorcerers’ business, but since his son was involved in this mess, he was sure that Toji would lend some help.

“Hey, you should be grateful that I was in the area,” Toji replied. “This whole mess is the Gojo brat’s fault anyway, and I’m just here to fix it.”

Dagon stared at the new challenger doubtfully. The person before him had no cursed energy, and he couldn’t understand why the sorcerers wanted this person as a backup. “What a waste of time,” Dagon said as he sent another sea monster at his opponent.

Toji pulled out the Split Soul Katana from his Inventory Curse and cut the thing apart. Dagon barely had time to react to dodge the man’s attack, giving Toji the chance to cut off his left arm. Dagon quickly pulled back and sent waves of sea monsters at Toji. Although the curse tried to get deeper into the water, Toji chased after him by running on its surface. Dagon couldn’t understand how a man without cursed energy could defeat his shikigami as if they were just stray animals. Even the strongest monster he summoned fell before Toji’s blade. Since going into the water wasn’t working, Dagon decided to fly into the air. Yet before he could get too far, Naobito showed up above him and kicked him down. Toji leaped into the air and swung his katana at Dagon, cutting him in half.

With Dagon’s death, the barrier broke and released the sorcerers into the real world. Megumi dropped to his knees in exhaustion. The others also finally relaxed as the big threat was gone. Toji returned the katana to the inventory curse and said, “Alright, that’s done. You guys should head back to Ieiri before you bleed out and die. I’ll go and save that Gojo idiot.”

Nanami frowned. “Are you sure? There are even more dangers inside. I believe there could be several more special grades roaming around.”

Toji clicked his tongue. “Look at you, Nanami. I doubt you can offer much help with your condition.”

Nanami pursed his lips. Before they could continue arguing, the group suddenly felt a dangerous and powerful aura exploding somewhere within Shibuya.

“That’s!” Megumi gasped. He knew that aura. That was Sukuna!

Jogo hadn’t expected himself to be so lucky. When Mahito suggested that game, he wasn’t sure he would be the first to find Sukuna’s vessel. Mahito was already troublesome enough, but with Choso going along with his stupid plan, the chance of Jogo locating the vessel seemed low. As he walked through the abandoned station, he eventually smelled the stench of human blood. Following it led him to the wounded Itadori Yuuji. It seemed that Choso had managed to track him first, but for some reason, he hadn’t finished off Itadori. Jogo didn’t question it further and simply considered it good luck.

“It’s time to wake up, Sukuna,” Jogo said as he pulled out the bag that contained the cursed objects.

With Itadori unconscious, shoving the fingers down his throat was easy. It took him a minute to force the vessel to consume the fingers. After eating those ten objects, Sukuna should now have recovered three-fourths of his full power. True to Kenjaku’s words, the markings on Itadori’s skin remained as he failed to contain Sukuna’s power. Jogo wondered when Sukuna would wake up, but his attention was drawn away when he felt a powerful presence disappear from the vicinity. Was that… Dagon?

Jogo was conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to check on his fellow curse, but he still needed to stay close to Sukuna. At least he had to ensure that Sukuna could force Itadori into a Binding Vow. Before he could make up his mind, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arms.

“You have one second.”

Jogo’s eyes widened as he looked down and met the red gaze of the King of Curses.

“Move.”

Jogo instantly leaped away from Sukuna. Danger and death. Those words appeared in Jogo’s mind as he watched Sukuna get up. He couldn’t even feel anger at having his limbs cut apart. Facing this ancient curse reminded him of Gojo Satoru. While that sorcerer’s aura was like a cold and biting winter, Sukuna’s aura reminded him of death and hellfire. Don’t move. Don’t you dare move? That was what his instincts told him.

Sukuna lazily flicked his hair backward and said, “Holding your head a little high, don’t you think?”

Jogo dropped to one knee without even thinking. Yet before he could finish that thought, he felt the top of his head being cut off.

BOOM!

Blood poured down Jogo’s face after Sukuna inflicted a massive wound on his head. Sukuna scoffed and said, “You think kneeling down on one knee would be enough? The greatest men bow the lowest, or so it goes. I see you value your head quite lightly.”

Jogo didn’t dare reply. Should he bow lower now? Wouldn’t that already be too late? He wasn’t sure what to do, so his body froze.

“You seem eager to meet me,” Sukuna continued. “Do you need something, cursed spirit?”

“N…Nothing,” Jogo stuttered.

“What?” Sukuna asked with narrowed eyes.

“Our objective is to revive you,” Jogo said. “Right now, Itadori is helpless to do anything, but that’s only temporary. Surely you know that. Make a Binding Vow with Itadori so you can take over his body permanently! Shibuya is crawling with his friends! You can use them as leverage!”

“Not necessary,” Sukuna replied coldly. Although it wasn’t the worst suggestion, he had no desire to follow the whims of a weak curse. There was also the issue of Yuuji’s connection with Ryou. Removing that brat so soon wouldn’t be wise. As much as he detested the thought, Yuuji was the only one who had interacted with that man recently.

Jogo looked flabbergasted at the response.

“I have my own plans,” Sukuna replied. “Anyhow, as a token of my appreciation for retrieving those ten fingers, how about we play a game? One hit. I'll humor one of your requests if you can land even one hit on me. How about it?”

This was a dangerous game. Although he had just met Sukuna, Jogo knew deep down that he was no match for him. The King of Curses and the strongest sorcerer were alike. Both were on another level. Just as he had no confidence in beating Gojo, he also held no belief that he could stand a chance against Sukuna. But…

Jogo looked at Sukuna’s taunting expression.

Sukuna was clearly in the mood to play around. It was unlikely that he would go all out. All Jogo had to do was land a hit. That should be possible for him.

“It’s a deal.”

Tonight was shit. Kusakabe Atsuya thought that this mission would be a piece of cake since Gojo was around, but somehow, that guy got sealed away, and now everyone was expected to throw their lives away to rescue him. No way. Atsuya didn’t think his life was worth that little. Any being that could beat the strongest sorcerer wasn’t something that Atsuya wanted to challenge. He would just let the others handle it. In the meantime, he would just distract Panda while walking in circles in this empty street. Thankfully, Panda had no sense of direction, so it was easy to fool him. However, their peace was suddenly broken by a huge explosion. 

KABOOOM!!!!

Atsuya and Panda looked in horror as they felt the presence of two powerful curses. For some reason, the two were currently fighting against each other. Even from this far away, he could see that one of them was kicking the other’s ass. Atsuya finally got out of his shock when he saw one of the curses slamming the other through numerous layers of a skyscraper. 

Goddamn!

No matter how you looked at it, those two were special grades!

Atsuya’s fear was proven correct when the building exploded into a fiery tornado a moment later. Fuck! They had to run!

“Panda! Let’s go! We’ve to-!” Atsuya shouted as he saw a massive meteor appearing in the sky.

“Where do you think you’re going?” 

Atsuya and Panda froze in their spots. What the fuck? How did one of them suddenly show up next to them? He knew that this curse was strong, but standing right next to him made Atsuya fully realize how fucked they were. Oh. He was totally going to die today. 

“To all humans in the vicinity,” the curse said, “until I say otherwise, you’re forbidden from moving. If you break this rule, I’ll kill you.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Atsuya could feel the heat as that bigass meteor headed toward them.

“... Itadori?” Panda muttered uncertainly. 

“Heh. heh.” Sukuna laughed. “Hold on.”

Atsuya dared to glance back.

“Not yet.”

As the meteor came closer, he could feel the heat on his back.

“Not yet.”

Goddamn it, Gojo! This was all your fault!

“Not yet.”

Panda twitched on his spot.

“Now!”

When Sukuna clapped his hands, Atsuya and Panda leaped out of the way. Although he used his maximum output to enhance his speed, he was still thrown away by the impact as the meteor landed on the street.

BAM!!!!!

A pile of debris fell on top of Atsuya as he landed on the ground. Thankfully, he wasn’t crushed to death. It took some time, but Panda was able to dig him out. 

“Panda, that wasn’t what was discussed,” Atsuya growled. 

“What?” Panda tilted his head.

“I mean Itadori,” Atsuya said.

“No, that was Sukuna.”

“But Itadori should have control over his body,” Atsuya said as he got up, “I’m telling you right now. If Gojo disappears, no matter what punishment Itadori receives, I won’t interfere. I agree that he should get the death penalty.”

The area around them was a total mess. Thankfully, Atsuya was sure there shouldn’t be any civilians in the vicinity of that fight. Although he was a coward, he still used his time and escorted all trapped civilians to another area. He couldn’t be sure if he and Panda had missed anyone. 

Sukuna watched as Jogo’s corpse burned to ashes. While playing around after being trapped for some time was fun, he was still unsatisfied. He could feel Yuuji struggling against Sukuna’s control, but those ten fingers' effect wasn’t quite gone yet. 

“You bastard! How dare you!” Yuuji screamed in their shared mind space. 

“What? You should be thankful that I tried to avoid those humans that still roamed this city,” Sukuna said. He had been quite mindful as he fought against Jogo in Shibuya. He could’ve gone all out and destroyed everything in his path.

“You dragged Panda and that other sorcerer into your fight!” Yuuji shouted.

“How noisy,” Sukuna said as he scratched his ear. “Those two should’ve survived that attack. If they died, then that’s their fault.”

“You-!” 

Sukuna ignored the brat in favor of looking for his next target. Stretching out his senses, he noticed some strong presence. Most of them seemed to be underground, but he noticed a distant but annoying presence. Narrowing his eyes, Sukuna leaped off Jogo’s meteor to head toward Mahito’s location. That curse escaped Sukuna’s grasp, but now it was time for payback. 

Sukuna found Mahito hiding near Dogenzaka ticket gate. It seemed he noticed Sukuna’s presence and was attempting to hide himself. Unfortunately, not many people could hide from him.

“Are you going to come out, or must I drag you out?” Sukuna asked, placing his hands into his pockets. 

Mahito finally crawled out of his hiding hole after being pressured. “Yo, long time no see. I see that Jogo managed to find Itadori first.”

“Yeah, and now he’s dead,” Sukuna said. “It’s your turn now.”

Mahito readied his stance. Although he knew that Sukuna was much stronger after being fed ten more fingers than the previous time Mahito had met him, he still didn’t plan on dying. Based on his knowledge, it might be possible for him to drag out the fight and wait until Itadori took back control.

“Hey! Let me out!” Yuuji shouted at Sukuna. “That curse is mine! I’ll be the one who kills him, damn it!”

“You’re getting too brazen, brat,” Sukuna said, “but fine. I’m in quite a good mood today, so let’s play a game.”

“A game?” Mahito asked. 

“Yes, the brat wants to be the one to challenge you while you prefer to face him instead of me,” Sukuna said. Although Mahito was called a special grade, Sukuna could easily kill him, just as he dealt with Jogo. Fighting him one-on-one wouldn’t be that interesting, so setting up a game like this would at least entertain him for some time. “So I’ll humor your two. I won’t go all out, so let’s see whether or not you can survive long enough for the brat to take back control. Let’s begin.”

Mahito instantly launched Body Repel at Sukuna. The new creation grew in size within a split second and lunged toward Sukuna, who tanked the attack with one hand. Instead of running away, Mahito traveled through the transfigured humans to try to slash Sukuna in the face. Unfortunately for the curse, Sukuna could easily see his attack and block that hand. With one powerful kick, he sent Mahito flying away alongside his creation. 

BAM!!!

The two crashed against the wall on the other side. While Mahito got up and created some distance, Sukuna lazily walked toward him. There was no rush. No matter how far Mahito ran, Sukuna could easily catch up. Mahito sent a group of transfigured humans to Sukuna, but he cut all of them down with Dismantles. 

A bead of sweat rolled down Mahito’s cheek. Man, this wasn’t fun. He used to be the hunter, but he was now firmly playing as the prey. That stupid Jogo had to feed all those fingers. If it had been that weaker Sukuna, Mahito would have had more chances, but now it was impossible. He had to get Yuuji to return. 

Sukuna allowed Mahito to run past a corner. When he finally turned, he came face to face with two humans. 

“A student?” one of them muttered.

“Hey, you should stay away from that place! It’s filled with monsters!” the other exclaimed.

Sukuna didn’t bother to answer and cut the humans apart with Dismantles. 

“Sukuna! Stop!” Yuuji shouted in horror as he fought harder against Sukuna.

The curse only rolled his eyes. “Pay attention, brat. They were already gone.”

True to Sukuna’s words, Mahito quickly extricated himself from the flesh suit that he had hidden himself in. While transforming back to his full form, he sent another Body Repel to Sukuna, which he cut apart with Cleaves.

“This is getting boring,” Sukuna said. “If you can’t be more entertaining, I’ll kill you.”

Mahito could only run to the upper floor to hunt more live humans. His only hope was to make Yuuji desperate enough, and he would suppress Sukuna. The King of Curses would not care about these humans dying, but Yuuji was a bleeding heart. He was able to grab three who remained alive after Dagon at the majority of them. Shrieks of terror rang in the empty station, and Sukuna leisurely walked up.

“No!” Yuuji shouted, but he could only watch as Mahito transfigured them before his eyes.

Sukuna scoffed. “Trying to make the brat desperate? How boring.” That didn’t mean it didn’t work, though. Sukuna could feel his firm control slowly unraveling as Yuuji became more emotional. After sending another wave of transfigured humans at Sukuna, Mahito continued his path toward the surface. Sukuna killed all the creatures attacking him before slowly following his prey. Just as he was thinking of slamming Dismantle at Mahito, he suddenly saw the curse fall to his knees as black spikes emerged from his torso.

“Oh?” Sukuna said as he approached the injured Mahito. That technique should belong to Kugisaki. It seemed that her power was also effective against this curse. Grabbing Mahito by the hair, Sukuna pulled him up. “Come on. If you don’t fight harder, you’ll die. Being defeated by a mere first-year student. How pathetic.”

The damage from Resonance was too severe since Mahito could barely reply. Sukuna snorted and threw Mahito straight into the wall on the other side. 

CRACK!

Mahito spat out a mouthful of blood as he struggled to get back on his feet. This wasn’t good. It seemed his clone had encountered another tricky opponent. Fine. He could still turn this situation in his favor. Sukuna was still not aiming to kill. As long as he could reach that girl with his main body, he could force Yuuji out. 

Sukuna watched in disinterest as Mahito continued to flee. “This game of cat and mouse is getting tiring.”

Mahito kept his eyes forward as he felt Sukuna chase after him. So close. Just a few more seconds. There! Mahito grinned as he saw his clone appearing from a corner. Sukuna raised an eyebrow but soon narrowed his eyes as he felt another presence chasing after the second Mahito. Yuuji only realized what was happening when he saw Kugisaki appearing after the clone. 

“No! No! No!” Yuuji shouted.

Mahito laughed wildly as he passed his clone and reached out toward Kugisaki, who was shocked to see another Mahito and Yuuji. 

“Itadori?” Kugisaki muttered. “Wait, no!”

“Run! Kugisaki! Run!” Yuuji desperately clawed against the barrier that kept him down. He had to get out. He had to save his friend!

Sukuna clicked his tongue. “How annoying.”

Kugisaki’s eyes widened as she saw Mahito’s palm approaching her face. Oh no.

Clap.

“Alright, that’s the end of the game.”

Mahito and Kugisaki could only stare blankly as Sukuna suddenly appeared between them. The King of Curses was holding Mahito’s arm tightly, preventing the curse from touching Kugisaki. Mahito thought that he was going to die this time, but he saw the tattoos on Yuuji’s body disappearing. Before it could fully dissipate, Yuuji had already regained control and slammed his fist against Mahito’s face.

BAM!

“I’ll kill you! Mahito!” Yuuji exclaimed in anger.

Sukuna sighed as he was pushed back into his innate domain. He expected the brat to say at least a word of gratitude, considering he had just saved his friend, but Yuuji was too busy getting angry and fighting Mahito. Sukuna couldn’t understand why he even bothered to save Kugisaki. He could’ve easily let her die. Hmph. Then again, if he had let her die, Ryou might’ve berated him when they met. Based on Yuuji’s words to Gojo, that man was somewhat aware of the events around him. Sukuna had no desire to hear another lecture from Ryou. 

When he returned his attention to the outside world, he noticed two more sorcerers nearby. One of them was the weirdo from Kyoto who self-proclaimed himself as Yuuji’s best friend. Luck was truly not on Mahito’s side. Sukuna was quite sure that the brat could win against the special grade, but with Todo’s help, that possibility increased significantly. 

Knowing he was outnumbered, Mahito used Body Repel to force his opponents out. Yuuji and Todo were taken outside while Kugisaki and Nita were forced to deal with a group of transfigured humans inside. With the tide of battle going against him, Mahito knew he needed extra help. Using his newfound knowledge, he forced souls with weak rejection into one body, creating a Polymorphic Soul Isomer. The new type of transfigured human knocked Todo away, leaving Yuuji to fight Mahito alone. The curse sent a massive wave of Body Repe,l which Yuuji dodged expertly. Without hesitation, he lunged toward Mahito and tried to kick him in the face, but that just gave the curse a chance to grab Yuuji’s leg and throw him away. 

Mahito chased after his target with a manic grin, but it soon turned into a glare as he saw Todo returning to Yuuji’s side. The two Polymorphic Soul Isomers weren’t enough to defeat Todo. The three faced against each other in silence before Mahito suddenly opened his Domain Expansion.

Oh?

Sukuna raised an eyebrow. This was something else. It seemed the young curse had learned a new trick. If it had been a regular Domain Expansion, Sukuna would’ve instantly hit Mahito with Dismantle. However, this Domain would only last a split second. Did something interesting happen when Mahito fought Gojo? How unfortunate that he wasn’t there to witness it. 

“So, did I pass safely, Sukuna?” Mahito asked as he manifested within Sukuna’s innate domain. “For someone like you, you must have set up a barrier between you and Itadori. I won’t let you switch with him again. I’ll kill him first. Just stay here and watch.”

Sukuna only smirked at him. 

In the real world, Todo was forced to amputate his left arm since Mahito managed to transfigure his limb in that 0.2-second Domain. While Yuuji was still shocked, Mahito ran toward Todo to slam a Black Flash on his stomach. Fortunately, Todo automatically enforced his abdomen to protect his organs. That was not the end of Mahito’s assault. Since he had only opened his domain for a very short moment, his technique had already recovered. He targeted Todo again, but the sorcerer retaliated by clapping his right hand against Mahito.

Clap!

That clap activated Todo’s technique and switched his position with Yuuji’s, giving him a chance to land a Black Flash on Mahito. With Todo being out of commission, Yuuji had to deal with Mahito alone. After sending another Polymorphic Soul Isomer, Mahito used that moment to use his new ability, Instant Spirit Body of Distorted Killing. With this new body, Mahito was much stronger and durable than before. Even Yuuji’s powerful blow could not damage him. He could only win this fight if he could land a Black Flash. 

Most sorcerers would’ve given up at this point. There was no way to hope to land a Black Flash intentionally, but Yuuji was different. Sukuna could not quite understand how it worked, but the brat had a talent for using Black Flashes. Mahito was also wounded after getting hit by the previous Black Flash, so they were on equal footing here. Everything would be decided in the next clash. 

“Heh, heh, it looks like both of us still have a lot left in the tank,” Mahito said, slamming his foot into the water inside the crater he had made and creating a huge wave.

Although Yuuji’s vision was blocked, he remained calm and lowered his body. Covering himself with cursed energy, he could push away the water around him. Mahito appeared a moment later behind Yuuji, but he could dodge the attack. While exchanging blows, Mahito attempted to trick Yuuji by removing the armor on the left side of his body. Unfortunately, he didn’t consider that Yuuji would use his Divergent Fist. The delayed hit stunned the curse long enough that Yuuji could land the final blow.

BLACK FLASH!

The impact sent Mahito flying out of the crater. Yuuji leaped out to chase his target, who was scrambling away out of fear. After that battle, Mahito could not even run properly and had to crawl on his knees. He could not fight anymore. He had run out of transfigured humans, and he was too injured.

“How pathetic,” Sukuna muttered.

Yuuji remained silent as he followed after Mahito.

It didn’t take long for the special grade to get too exhausted to continue fleeing. Yuuji towered over the cowering curse. His cold eyes glared down at his mortal enemy. Mahito could only stare in horror as Yuuji raised his fist, but someone suddenly appeared before them.

Yuuji’s eyes widened when he saw the person standing before him.

What caught Yuuji’s attention first was that cherry blossom hair. It was the same shade as his. The next thing he saw was a pair of emotionless red eyes looking at him.

Sukuna stood up from his throne. “It can’t be!”

It took Yuuji a moment before he could open his mouth and say, “... Ryou?”

Ryou remained silent as he pulled out his katana.

Omake:

Kenjaku: Oh dear, should I save you, Mahito?

Chapter Text

Yuuji could only watch as Ryou raised his katana and placed it at his throat. The cold edge of the blade lightly kissed his skin, promising death. What? He couldn’t understand what was happening. Why was Ryou… Was he trying to kill him? But why?

“Ryou?” Yuuji called out again. 

Ryou remained silent. 

It wasn’t just Yuuji who was confused. He could feel Sukuna’s swirling bewilderment and wariness. Usually, Yuuji could hardly feel anything from Sukuna due to the barrier between their minds, but the curse was so shocked that he accidentally lowered his guard.

How could Ryou show up here? That didn’t make sense. Yuuji’s arm grazed against the sheathed tanto still hanging on his belt. Looking at the red-eyed man before him, it was obvious that he was Ryou. But how could that be possible?

Before Yuuji could open his mouth to ask another question, he saw someone else approaching them. The unknown man had black hair and was wearing a kimono. His face was unremarkable, but the stitches across his forehead made him stand out. Yuuji felt another wave of shock coming from Sukuna, but it was soon replaced with anger.

“Kenjaku,” Sukuna hissed.

Kenjaku? The person who had sealed Gojo? The culprit behind this whole mess? Yuuji was about to run toward the new enemy when Sukuna shouted, “Brat, you better let me out. I’m serious. This isn’t someone you can win against.”

Yuuji knew that Sukuna wasn’t trying to fool him. Although he had never met Kenjaku, something about the man was creeping him out. His instinct told him that Kenjaku was dangerous. However, Yuuji was still quite reluctant to let Sukuna out again. While the curse had refrained from massacring the humans trapped within Shinjuku and even saved Kugisaki, he had still caused a lot of destruction. Yuuji didn’t want to cause more trouble for everyone else.

“Itadori Yuuji,” Kenjaku said as he stopped near Ryou. His eyes then flicked downwards and landed on Mahito. The special grade was still crouching on the ground, not daring to move. “You seem to be in quite a bad state. Shall I save you, Mahito?”

“Like hell I’ll let you!” Yuuji shouted.

Kenjaku smiled and said, “Ryou, how about you play around with Itadori for a moment.”

“Curses! Run, brat!” Sukuna shouted.

Yuuji didn’t have time to react before Ryou suddenly kicked him away, sending him several feet flying. Still suspended in the air, Ryou appeared right above him. Yuuji automatically raised his arms just before Ryou slammed his foot down.

BAM!

That simple kick caused Yuuji to crash hard against the ground, leaving a large crater. Ryou didn’t attack further, giving Yuuji a chance to spit out a mouthful of blood. While Yuuji was distracted by Ryou, Kenjaku approached Mahito, who was looking at him with wide eyes.

“Kenjaku,” Mahito said before suddenly lunging forward to try and touch Kenjaku.

The man slapped the hand away before striking Mahito on the back. After the damage he had received from Yuuji’s assault, the curse could no longer endure more hits and quickly collapsed again.

“I knew…” Mahito muttered. “I knew this would happen… After all, I was born from humans…”

“You should feel honored,” Kenjaku said. “You will help start a new era.”

Mahito barked out a harsh laugh.

After rummaging through his inner pocket, Kenjaku pulled out a small Dogu figurine. “I would’ve preferred to use Geto’s cursed technique for this. Unfortunately, since that man continues to elude my grasp, I must resort to using a cursed object. I suppose I have to thank my long life for allowing me to gather these handy trinkets.”

As Kenjaku activated the cursed object, Mahito could only hope that Yuuji would suffer. Whatever Kenjaku was planning would undoubtedly cause chaos for humans. It was truly a pity that he couldn’t witness it himself.

“Dogu… Activate,” Kenjaku said. The small figurine suddenly expanded and separated into several pieces. In the blink of an eye, it completely trapped Mahito within itself and shrank back down to its original size. Kenjaku observed the cursed object as it glowed brightly in his palm. It was currently processing Mahito and his cursed technique. Kenjaku’s initial plan had been to claim Geto’s cursed technique after obtaining his corpse. Unfortunately, he had failed to kill the man, so he had to resort to plan B and obtain a cursed object that could steal cursed techniques. Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration was vital for his plan to work.

Kenjaku turned his attention to Ryou and Yuuji, who were still fighting. Although Ryou was not going all out, Yuuji was still struggling against the man whose simple attacks easily knocked the wind out of him. Yet no matter how many times Ryou knocked him down, Yuuji kept getting back up.

“Ryou! What’s wrong with you?!” Yuuji shouted, dodging another swing aimed at his head.

Ryou didn’t respond and kept on swinging his katana.

“Enough, brat! Let me out already!” Sukuna roared. “Kenjaku must have done something to him! Stop being so stubborn, and let me handle this!”

Yuuji stubbornly refused. He couldn’t let Sukuna out, not again, not after what he did in Shibuya. Sukuna, noticing Yuuji’s resistance, sneered. “Look over there! Kenjaku has already claimed your prey! I’m certain he’s plotting something devious with that cursed object.”

After dodging another one of Ryou’s attacks, Yuuji glanced at Kenjaku, who stood alone. In his hand, he was holding something. He couldn’t see the item clearly, but it was likely the cursed object Sukuna had mentioned.

“Kenjaku!” Yuuji shouted as he lunged toward him. He couldn’t let him take Mahito away. He hadn’t even rescued Gojo yet!

Yuuji took several steps toward Kenjaku when Ryou appeared in front of him, swinging his sword. He barely had time to raise his arms to protect his face and back away.

Slash!

A deep gash appeared on his forearm.

Before Yuuji could retaliate, Ryou used his free hand to punch him in the stomach. Normally, physical attacks didn’t do much against him, but Ryou’s hit was so powerful that it made him crumple to his knees.

“I’m quite surprised you didn’t release Sukuna,” Kenjaku said. “He must be screaming at you to let him out, no?”

Yuuji could only glare up at Kenjaku, heaving in pain.

Sukuna growled and manifested his mouth on Yuuji’s cheek. One blood-red eye slid open to glower at the smirking Kenjaku. “You worm. I really should’ve killed you when we first met. What have you done to Ryou?!”

“Can’t you at least show me a bit of gratitude?” Kenjaku asked. “It took a lot of effort to find Ryou’s soul shards after that man recklessly tore the fabric of reality apart. I would’ve called it impressive if not for the headache and problems it caused me.”

Sukuna narrowed his eye and said, “So you admit you had a hand in his disappearance.”

Kenjaku smiled and replied, “Perhaps I do. I won’t say more, though. That would make it too easy, wouldn’t it?”

Instead of continuing, he looked up and locked eyes with Nishimiya, who was flying above him on her broom. In the next second, arrows flew toward Kenjaku, but he easily dodged them.

Pow!

Not letting up their assault, Mai attempted to shoot Kenjaku in the head with her sniper rifle. Unfortunately, the bullet failed to reach its target as Kenjaku opened a portal that swallowed the projectile.

Schink!

While Kenjaku was distracted by Mai’s attack, Miwa appeared behind him, ready to draw her sword. Using a Binding Vow to enhance her power and speed, Miwa was willing to give up her ability to use her katana as long as she could kill Kenjaku.

Bato Sword Drawing!

Kchk!

Snap!

Though Miwa put all her heart and soul into the strike, Kenjaku effortlessly caught her attack with his bare hand before breaking the sword in two. While Miwa stared blankly at her broken weapon, she failed to notice Ryou suddenly appearing right next to her. Without a word, he swung his sword, aiming to annihilate her.

“Don’t! Stop! Ryou!” Yuuji shouted, half-standing. He wanted to run but knew he wouldn’t reach them in time.

BLAST!

The sword swing obliterated the ground where Miwa was standing, sending out a powerful shockwave and creating a massive dust explosion.

“New Shadow Style, huh?” Kenjaku said. “It’s certainly nice to meet someone with a little know-how.”

As the dust settled, it revealed Kusakabe standing over Miwa while Nishimiya and Iori crouched at her sides. When they saw Miwa about to be cut down, the two immediately ran to cover her. Fortunately, Kusakabe was faster and managed to block Ryou’s attack. 

“Um… Itadori…” 

Yuuji perked up as he sensed someone beside him. Glancing to his side, he saw Panda in his gorilla form while another Kyoto student, Kamo Noritoshi, stood slightly behind him.

“Panda-senpai!” Yuuji shouted in joy.

“Good, you’re back,” Panda said.

“Does that man have Gojo Satoru and the Prison Realm?” Kamo asked.

“So it seems,” Panda replied. “But what’s so great about carrying around that public nuisance?”

"Who is he?" Kamo asked, staring at Kenjaku. He had never heard of a curse user so powerful and intelligent. To be able to stage an incident like this meant that this person was someone they couldn’t afford to underestimate.

As if to answer their questions, Choso entered the battlefield. His face was twisted in pain as he stared at Kenjaku, who slowly turned his head toward the newcomer.

“Hi, Choso.”

“That guy is…” Yuuji trailed off, surprised to see the man who had almost killed him before. But Choso didn’t seem interested in another attempt to pierce his heart with Piercing Blood. No, Choso’s attention was completely fixed on Kenjaku.

“So, you’ve noticed,” Kenjaku said.

“That’s how it was…” Choso growled, curling his fists tightly. “Kamo Noritoshi!”

The name caused both confusion and understanding among those watching nearby. With the mastermind’s true identity revealed, it was easy for Kusakabe to piece everything together. Yuuji still couldn’t comprehend what was happening, and Sukuna remained silent. However, Yuuji could feel the roiling anger emanating from the curse.

“Kamo Noritoshi is only one name among many I have,” Kenjaku said. “Call me whatever you wish.”

Gritting his teeth, Choso stomped toward Kenjaku. “How dare you… how dare you make me kill my little brother, Itadori!”

What?

Yuuji was confident he didn’t have a brother. He was an only child, and Choso had obviously tried to kill him for murdering his two brothers. Why had he suddenly changed his tune?

Choso immediately tried to shoot Piercing Blood at Kenjaku, but Ryou quickly stepped between them and blocked the attack with his katana. Choso attempted to increase the pressure, but Ryou pushed forward against the powerful blood projectile.

Kenjaku, who had dodged the initial attack, attempted to strike Choso from behind. However, Choso altered the direction of his Piercing Blood toward Kenjaku. Leaping into the air, Kenjaku narrowly dodged the redirected bloodstream while Ryou appeared next to Choso a moment later.

Choso swung at Ryou, aiming for his face, but Ryou effortlessly redirected the attack before slamming the bottom of his katana handle into Choso’s side.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Choso stumbled back several steps. Powerful. He wiped the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Who was this man? He had often seen him lingering near Kenjaku, but Ryou had always remained as silent as a statue.

Seeing Choso struggling against their opponents, Yuuji got back to his feet. “We need to help him!” Yuuji still wasn’t sure why Choso was defending him against Kenjaku now, but since he was helping, Yuuji decided to accept it.

“I agree. We must take advantage of this,” Kamo said.

“I’ve still got two cores left, so I’ll take the front,” Panda added. “If we all attack together, we can create an opening.”

As the sorcerers began to head toward their enemies, Kenjaku tilted his head and sighed. “How about you join the fun, Uraume?”

Ice Formation: Frost Calm.

In the blink of an eye, a massive ice structure enveloped their entire bodies, freezing them in place and preventing any movement. A monk with short white hair walked toward Kenjaku. Although they were supposed to be allies, the murderous look on the newcomer’s face was unmistakable.

“Uraume?” Sukuna said in shock. He had not expected to see his servant here. When he was incarnated in the modern world, he assumed he would need to locate Uraume’s cursed object to incarnate them. Kenjaku must have found the item first, as he had years to track it down. But why was Uraume working with him? Sukuna could clearly remember the distaste they held toward Kenjaku.

“You know them?” Yuuji asked through chattering teeth. Although he wasn’t trapped by the ice structure for some reason, just being near it was already a struggle.

“I do. That damned Kenjaku must’ve done something to them. There’s no reason for Uraume to work for that man, especially considering how much they hated him.”

Now, they had two people who wouldn’t normally work under Kenjaku but were defending him. Was this his cursed technique? But wasn’t Kenjaku’s power the ability to move between bodies? Yuuji couldn’t dwell on it further; he was the only one who could deal with Kenjaku. Without hesitation, he dashed toward Choso, shattering his icy prison.

“You’re our ally, right?” Yuuji shouted as he slid backwards.

“No!” Choso replied.

“Huh?”

“I’m your older brother.”

“Take this seriously, would you?!” Yuuji exclaimed in annoyance. He had no time to deal with this nonsense. 

“Why don’t you try calling me ‘big brother’?” Choso asked, but Yuuji ignored him as his attention shifted to Nishimiya. The Kyoto student flew low, shooting a powerful gust of wind at Kenjaku. Uraume, who was standing next to him, blocked the attack with their bare hand.

“Argh!” Nishimiya growled in frustration. “Itadori! We’re the only ones who can move now! We have to buy time until Utahime-sensei is ready!”

“Now, that won’t do,” Kenjaku said. “Uraume.”

Uraume clicked their tongue and unleashed another powerful wave of ice.

Ice Formation: Ice Fall!

Although Yuuji tried to dodge, Uraume’s attack was simply too fast. A block of ice immediately struck him from the front, immobilizing him. Looking up, he saw sharp ice shards falling toward them at high speed.

They were going to die.

CRASH!

Yuuji expected pain to explode all over his body, yet when he opened his eyes, he saw Toji standing before him. The man rested the Split Soul Katana, which he had just used to cut apart Uraume’s ice, on his shoulder and said, “Oi oi, are you guys having fun without me?”

“Fushiguro Toji,” Kenjaku said. “You’ll have to forgive me. I’m a rather private person, and I don’t like being surrounded by too many people.”

“Oh? But you certainly don’t mind hanging around those two guard dogs,” Toji replied. His sharp eyes locked on Ryou, who was still silently standing beside Kenjaku.

“What can I say? They’re very useful. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s something I must do.”

Before Toji could react, Kenjaku dropped to his knee and slammed the cursed tool, which had consumed Mahito, into the ground. The moment it shattered into pieces, a massive seal expanded on the ground and then appeared in the sky like an ominous aurora.

Toji didn’t understand what the hell was going on, but he knew he had to kill Kenjaku. He lunged toward his target, but Ryou got in his path, and the two clashed blades. Toji stared into the cold red eyes that showed no spark of recognition.

“Are you going to continue being stubborn, brat?” Sukuna asked. “If you haven’t noticed, your side has no chance of winning.”

“I know, damn it.” Yuuji tried to break free from the ice, but Uraume’s technique was too strong. All his muscles could not move due to the freezing temperature emanating from the ice.

Sukuna scoffed. “Then you should know that the best thing to do is to let me out.”

“I—” Yuuji knew that was the best thing they could do now. Although Toji was strong, there was no way he could win against Kenjaku, Ryou, and Uraume. Sukuna was powerful and could turn the tide of battle in their favor.

Sensing his hesitation, Sukuna sighed. “Alright, how about I agree not to kill or hurt your allies? That’s what you’re so worried about, right?”

“A Binding Vow?”

“What else?”

Yuuji looked at Toji, who was struggling against Ryou. It was clear the man wasn’t going all out, not wanting to kill his opponent.

Closing his eyes, Yuuji said, “… Okay.”

The sound of chains echoed within their souls, and Yuuji let go of his control. Somehow, the temperature, already unbearably low due to the ice, dropped even further as the King of Curses took over Yuuji’s body. The moment Sukuna gained control, he used Cleave and Dismantle to tear apart Uraume’s ice. Panda and Kamo managed to get back on their feet, but Kusakabe and Nishimiya collapsed to the ground.

Uraume’s eyes widened as they felt the familiar aura. “Sukuna-sama!”

Sensing a dangerous energy behind him, Toji disengaged from Ryou and turned to look at Sukuna, who was staring coldly at Kenjaku. Meanwhile, Ryou leaped back to position himself beside the curse user. None of the sorcerers dared to move as they witnessed the King of Curses standing against their enemies. Even Kusakabe, who just wanted to sprawl on the ground, forced himself to sit upright. He had met Sukuna briefly before, and he never expected to get this close to him again so soon. To make matters worse, Sukuna looked pissed off this time instead of the playful mood he had when facing that falling meteor. Talk about bad luck.

“Kenjaku,” Sukuna said. “You’ve really outdone yourself.”

“Thank you for the compliment,” Kenjaku replied with a smile.

“It’s not meant to be one.”

“I’ll still accept it as such,” Kenjaku said shamelessly. “What do you think about it? It’s already starting, you know. The plan I’ve been waiting to set in motion. The world of Heian. The golden age of cursed techniques.”

“I’ve no interest in your pointless schemes,” Sukuna growled. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll tell me everything you’ve done to Ryou and Uraume.”

“Hmm? But based on your expression, you seem intent on killing me,” Kenjaku said.

Sukuna flexed his hands. “Oh, you will die today, but depending on how willing you are to talk, I might let you die less painfully.”

“How scary,” Kenjaku said, not looking afraid at all. “But I don’t want to tell you anything if you’re like that. You know, we could still work together, right?”

Sukuna only narrowed his eyes. In the blink of an eye, he suddenly appeared right next to Kenjaku, but Ryou intercepted his Dismantle with a simple swing of his sword. Uraume sent numerous shards of ice toward the King of Curses, which he easily destroyed with his technique. However, the falling ice allowed Ryou to close in and slam his fist into Sukuna’s torso, pushing him back.

Kenjaku watched leisurely as Sukuna fought Ryou. “You are very smart, Sukuna. I know you’ve already realized something is amiss with Yuuji. Well, as his parent, I’d like to tell you that he’s one of my best creations. Creating a vessel that could hold your power isn’t a simple matter, but those years of hard work also gave me time to complete a useful side project.”

Raising his hand, Kenjaku made a simple hand sign and said, “Seal… Activate.”

Sukuna instantly fell to his knees as a sharp pain tore through his chest. Something was forcefully pulling him back inside, as though strong chains were wrapping around his soul and holding him down.

“Yuuji is your perfect vessel,” Kenjaku said, “but he’s also your perfect prison.”

“Kenjaku!” Sukuna choked out in anger before his hold over Yuuji’s body disappeared, pushing the kid back into control.

“What?! Hey! Sukuna!” Yuuji touched his chest, feeling the connection between him and Sukuna vanish. “What did you do to him?”

“Oh? I’m surprised. Did you two really get along that well?” Kenjaku said, raising an eyebrow.

Before Yuuji could reply, Toji closed in again, attempting to backstab Kenjaku. Unfortunately, Ryou remained hyper-vigilant and continued to block any harm from getting close to the man.

“You guys should give up,” Kenjaku said. “The only people who could challenge Ryou are Gojo Satoru or Sukuna. Both of them are already under my control.”

Kenjaku pulled the Prison Realm from one of his pockets.

Yuuji froze when he saw the box with its many eyes. “Gojo-sensei!”

Despite knowing it was useless, Yuuji ran toward Kenjaku to take the Prison Realm. Yet, at that moment, Kenjaku opened several portals from which numerous cursed spirits crawled out. The unexpected wave of monsters gave Kenjaku enough time to escape through another portal, with Ryou and Uraume also stepping through.

“Let us meet in the new era.”

Omake:

Sukuna: I’m gonna kill you.

Kenjaku: How about no?

Chapter Text

Notice from Jujutsu Headquarters:

1. Gojo Satoru is hereby permanently exiled from the Jujutsu world due to his failure during the Shibuya incident. He is held responsible for Ryoumen Sukuna’s rampage, and removing his seal will be considered a criminal act.
2. Yaga Masamichi is sentenced to death for inciting Gojo Satoru.
3. The suspension of Itadori Yuuji’s death sentence has been revoked, and the execution is to be carried out immediately.
4. Special Grade sorcerer Okkotsu Yuta is appointed as Itadori Yuuji’s executioner. 

The aftermath of the Shibuya incident was an utter mess. Not only did they fail to rescue Gojo, but Kenjaku also managed to unleash even more chaos in Japan. Yuuji was unsure of what was happening in the outside world since he had been ordered to go into hiding. Toji had taken him to one of his hiding spots, a simple apartment near Shibuya. The only thing that stopped him from leaving was the assurance that everyone else was mostly okay. Nanami had been badly hurt while fighting another Special Grade, but Ieiri was able to heal him. All of the Jujutsu High students had also survived, though Toji said things had gotten quite dicey before he arrived.

Fushiguro and Kugisaki had been reluctant to leave Yuuji, but they knew it would be too suspicious if they disappeared right away. The apartment where he was staying wasn’t too bad, and if he were in any other situation, he wouldn’t have minded staying there. The problem was that he couldn’t sit still after everything that had happened. Whatever Kenjaku had done had completely severed his ability to contact Sukuna. Yuuji had never expected that there would come a time when he couldn’t hear the King of Curses. Perhaps when he was executed, he would finally find peace, but he had always assumed he would have to endure Sukuna’s presence until his death. It was strange to miss that acerbic voice that always commented on everything Yuuji was doing.

And yet now, Sukuna was gone.

Not completely. Yuuji could still faintly feel Sukuna’s presence within him, but it was as if Sukuna was trapped deep underground while Yuuji stood on the surface. It was strange, and Yuuji wasn’t sure how he should feel about it. Logically, it wasn’t a good thing. Sukuna seemed to know Kenjaku well, and if they could ask him questions, they might gain insight into what the curse user was planning. The fact that Kenjaku had to seal Sukuna away only proved that the King of Curses wasn’t his ally.

Then, there was the issue with Ryou. Yuuji still didn’t understand how the man had appeared in Shibuya and even defended Kenjaku. Something was terribly wrong.

Fuck. Everything was going wrong.

Yuuji’s hand instinctively went to the tanto he had been carrying constantly. No matter how much he begged, internally and out loud, Ryou had not responded to his pleas. The sword remained silent. Yuuji rubbed his eyes.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

“Yuuji.”

Yuuji looked up to see Choso entering the apartment, holding a plastic bag filled with various daily necessities. Since Yuuji was discouraged from going out, Choso had been the one visiting the nearby convenience store. Although they had spent several days together, Yuuji still couldn’t understand why Choso insisted on fussing over him.

Choso had explained that they were blood-related, something Yuuji couldn’t wrap his mind around. According to Choso, they were both connected through Kenjaku, who had also claimed to be his parent. But Yuuji could clearly remember his father's face. Even if his memory had been faulty, his grandfather had many photos of him. He was sure that Kenjaku wasn’t his father.

Did that mean Kenjaku was his mother, then? How would that even work? Kenjaku’s cursed technique allowed him to move between bodies, so imagining him taking over a woman’s corpse wasn’t that difficult. But… Yuuji shook his head, chasing away the unsettling image of his father being close to Kenjaku.

“Is something wrong?” Choso asked, putting down the bag on a nearby table. 

“No, I’m just thinking,” Yuuji said. “What’s the situation outside?”

“Not much has changed,” Choso replied. “But I’ve noticed there are fewer sorcerers around. It seems they’ve been pulled to another area. Do you want to go outside?”

Yuuji frowned. “But I was told to stay inside. We can’t have anyone seeing my face.”

“You’ve been stuck here for many days, little brother,” Choso said. “I don’t think it’s wrong for you to want to stretch your legs.”

Choso wasn’t wrong. Yuuji had grown quite tired of being stuck inside the apartment. He had always been an active guy who liked to run around. Even when he was hiding at Gojo’s house, the man had allowed him to walk around his large property.

“I still don’t think that’s a good idea,” Yuuji said.

Choso continued to press on. “Don’t worry, Yuuji. I’ve checked the route we can take and our destination. I’ve detected some curses we can hunt quickly. That should help you burn off some of your energy, no?”

Yuuji stared at Choso for several seconds. He was definitely trying to act like Yuuji’s older brother. Yuuji sort of wanted to tell him to cut it out, but he knew Choso would ignore his protest. Although it was still weird having someone who had been his enemy act like his brother, at least Choso wasn’t being hostile.

Seeing Choso continuing to look at him, Yuuji sighed and said, “Fine. Let’s go out for a bit.”

Zen'in Naoya was in a good mood. Great, even. His father had returned from his mission in Shibuya with a missing arm. Although Ieiri had tried her best to heal his wounds, regrowing an entire limb was no easy feat. Fortunately for Naoya, Naobito had lost the amputated limb, so Ieiri couldn’t reattach it. There was also the issue of timing. The reverse cursed technique worked best when applied quickly. Due to the chaos in Shibuya, Naobito hadn’t been able to see Ieiri until it was too late. While she was able to heal his wound, regrowing his arm was next to impossible. It seemed the perfect opportunity for someone else to take over the Zen'in clan had finally arrived.

Naoya had thought he’d have to wait for the old man to kick the bucket, but this situation could work just as well. Losing a limb wasn’t something a sorcerer could easily shrug off, and considering Naobito’s age, the elders might soon start pressuring him to relinquish his position. As Naobito’s only son, Naoya knew the title would inevitably fall to him.

With an easy smile, Naoya entered Naobito’s room. He wasn’t surprised to find his father chugging a bottle of sake. Naobito’s bad habit of excessive drinking was no secret. It was a wonder his liver hadn’t failed yet. Unlike Gojo Satoru, Naobito couldn’t use the reverse cursed technique.

Naoya had always looked down on his father’s dependence on alcohol. To him, it was a sign of weakness to rely so heavily on something as trivial as a drink. Despite his disdainful thoughts, Naoya smiled pleasantly and said, “I see you’re recovering well, father.”

“Hic—Naoya—hic—why are you here?” Naobito slurred, obviously half-drunk.

Naoya’s gaze flicked to the empty sake bottles scattered around the room. With a calm tone, he replied, “I wanted to check on your condition. As your son, of course, I’m worried about you.”

Naobito scoffed. “Stop your stupid act—hic. I’ve always known you’re after my seat. Hic. You must’ve been annoyed I didn’t die in Shibuya.”

“What are you talking about, father?” Naoya asked smoothly. “What makes you think I’d feel such a thing?”

Naobito downed another large gulp of sake before carelessly tossing the empty bottle aside. “I’ve no interest in playing along with your charade—hic. The prattling of those elders must’ve already reached your ears. How annoying—hic. Listen, Naoya.”

“Yes, father?”

“You’re a talented sorcerer and a strong one,” Naobito began. “The seat of clan head would’ve normally fallen to you, but…”

“But?” Annoyance and dissatisfaction sparked within Naoya, though he kept his pleasant mask intact.

“But Gojo is gone. Hic . I might not have liked the guy, but he was the foundation of modern Jujutsu society. What happened in Shibuya… there’s going to be more chaos. The clan needs someone truly powerful.”

“You don’t think I’m worthy?” Naoya asked coldly. The insult burned through him, though he maintained his composure. How dare this drunk old man question his ability? Naobito might be his father, but he’d long lost Naoya’s respect. He had no right to look down on him.

Naobito ignored his son’s glare and continued, “Fushiguro Megumi. Hic. That fool Toji somehow managed to sire a son like that. The boy is strong. He’s still young, but his potential is immense. The Ten Shadows technique belongs to the Zen’in clan. It’s only fitting for the clan head seat to fall to him.”

“What?” Naoya’s eyes widened in fury.

Megumi? That useless son? He might be Toji’s child, but that didn’t mean he deserved to be the clan head more than Naoya. Megumi was weak. Naoya had met that useless boy before. Too cowardly. Too lacking in ambition. The only thing Megumi had going for him was his powerful cursed technique. Even then, he still couldn’t fully master all the shikigami. Naoya had heard of Megumi’s feat of opening a Domain, but it was half-assed at best, and he couldn’t even close it yet. Everyone called him a genius. Naoya was also a genius. Why should he step down for someone like him? Impossible. Naoya wouldn’t let it happen. He was one of the strongest. He wouldn’t let that whelp beat him. He would kill Fushiguro Megumi. 

Naobito didn’t comment as Naoya stormed out of the room, only yelling at the servants, “Hey! Bring me more sake!”

Standing on an empty bridge in Shibuya, Yuuji raised his hands high and began to clap.

Clap!

Clap!

Clap!

Clap!

Wrooo!!!

The silence that had fallen upon the ruined city was immediately broken by massive cursed spirits emerging from the river. Yuuji sprinted away, dodging various monsters that got in his path. He turned around to head into an underground area where Choso was waiting for him. “Choso!”

Choso raised his clasped hands and pointed them at the oncoming curses behind Yuuji. “Piercing Blood.”

Gwooom!

The attack instantly killed a row of curses that had squeezed themselves into the tunnel. One managed to get away, but Yuuji quickly locked onto it and slammed his fist into its flesh.

Fwam!

Yuuji sighed as he stretched his neck. It felt really good to finally move his muscles. Those curses weren’t that strong, but Yuuji was happy he could exorcise them before they could hurt more people.

“As impressive as ever, little brother,” Choso said.

“Why do you keep calling me that?” Yuuji asked, exasperated.

“I’ll keep calling you that,” Choso replied. “You’re my brother after all.”

“Dude, I’m pretty sure I’m an only child,” Yuuji said.

Choso shook his head. “Try to recall your memories. Your father… he must’ve had stitches on his forehead, didn’t he?”

Yuuji opened his mouth to deny that claim but suddenly felt a presence behind him. Turning around, he saw a man with short, dyed blond hair standing on a railing.

“I don’t see Megumi,” Naoya said, looking around. “Am I the first one here? Is that possible? Is he that slow? Or does he not care about his friend?”

“Who are you?” Yuuji shouted.

Naoya looked down at them and said, “You two stand out like a sore thumb. Aren’t you going to run?”

“Ha?!”

“Huh? Don’t you know? Your death sentence is back on since Satoru’s support is gone,” Naoya replied casually.

Yuuji knew about that, but he was more curious about why this guy mentioned Megumi. “What do you want with me and Fushiguro?”

“Honestly, I don’t care about you, but I can’t have you running around, so I’ll break your legs,” Naoya said with a smirk. “As for Megumi, I think I’ll kill him after he writes something first, that is.”

Yuuji narrowed his eyes, his body tensing as he prepared to fight this stranger who wanted to harm his friend. Before he could react, Naoya suddenly appeared between him and Choso. Fast. Too fast. Yuuji spun around to try and hit Naoya, but the man was quicker, slamming his fist into Yuuji’s cheek first.

Choso moved in to help, and with Yuuji’s quick recovery, the two tried to corner their opponent. Unfortunately, Naoya was unnaturally fast, managing to slip free with ease.

“It’s probably a cursed technique,” Choso muttered, keeping his eyes on Naoya, who now stood calmly on the other side of the road.

“Shall I try upping my speed?” Naoya taunted with a smug grin.

Unbeknownst to the three, two individuals were observing their fight from a distance. A black-haired man sighed and rubbed his nose. “Kids these days. Can’t they just sit still in one place? I thought Itadori was supposed to be hiding?”

"Should I help them?" Okkotsu Yuta asked as he watched his junior intently. He had heard a lot about Yuuji from Gojo, and after being asked by his teacher to keep an eye on him, Okkotsu’s curiosity only grew. Despite becoming a sorcerer just a few months ago, Yuuji was already able to hold his own against Naoya, who was considered a Special Grade One sorcerer.

“Please do,” the man replied. “But I’ll need to stay behind. We can’t have Naoya seeing my face.”

“Of course.”

With a big leap, Okkotsu landed on top of a nearby railing. 

CRASH!!!

The impact of his landing shattered the structure, immediately drawing everyone’s attention. Yuuji and Choso looked shocked while Naoya raised his hands in a show of non-aggression.

“You’re Okkotsu, right? I’m on your side,” Naoya said quickly, not wanting to be a target of this Special Grade.

“Who are you?” Okkotsu asked, his gaze sharp.

“I’m Zen’in Naoya, Maki’s cousin. I’m also here to kill Itadori, but I won’t get in your way,” Naoya explained nonchalantly. “In return, could you refrain from informing the higher-ups for a while? I want to use him as bait for someone.”

Yuuji’s eyes darted to the newcomer. This person’s presence felt eerily similar to Gojo’s, though there was something darker, something unsettling about his aura. Okkotsu… Megumi had told him about this senior. Was he here to kill him?

“Yuuji, you have to run,” Choso whispered urgently. “I’ll handle the blondie. He may be fast, but it’s just a trick. I can deal with him.”

“But are you going to be okay?” Yuuji asked, hesitation in his voice.

Choso muttered under his breath as he began to prepare his technique. “Just focus on escaping. This Okkotsu… he’s likely on the same level as Gojo. If you fight him, you’ll die.”

“Very well. I’ll leave the other to you,” Okkotsu said.

In the blink of an eye, Yuuji bolted away, with Okkotsu chasing after him, leaving Choso and Naoya to their fight. The man on the rooftop continued to observe the battles closely, his focus lingering on Yuuji. Despite going up against Okkotsu, one of the strongest sorcerers, Yuuji managed to keep up with him in terms of speed. When the man saw Yuuji hurl a car with pure strength, he raised an eyebrow in surprise. Throwing a car wasn’t impossible for sorcerers, but they generally needed to use cursed energy. Yet, based on his observation, Yuuji seemed to be relying solely on his muscles.

‘Really, Satoru, where did you find these children? First Okkotsu, and now this one...’

Unfortunately, despite his strength and speed, Yuuji was no match for Okkotsu. The two fought fiercely, with Yuuji even breaking Okkotsu’s sword. But the fight ultimately ended with Okkotsu stabbing Yuuji in the chest while Rika held him firmly in place.

Shifting his attention, the man turned to the other fight, which was also nearing its conclusion. The incarnated being, Choso, seemed to have more tricks up his sleeve as Naoya was visibly slowing down. While Projection Sorcery wasn’t an ancient technique, it was exceptionally strong, and most sorcerers would likely fail to defeat Naoya. However, Choso proved to be a poor match for him due to his unique abilities.

Dragging Yuuji’s unconscious body behind him, Okkotsu appeared beside Choso and knocked him out with a swift blow. Glancing down at Naoya, who was wheezing on the ground due to Choso’s blood circulating through his system, Okkotsu asked, “Do you need help, Naoya?”

For a moment, Naoya didn’t reply, but his face twisted into a scowl. The offer of help was an insult to someone as arrogant as him. His insufferable personality hadn’t changed, even in defeat. However, Choso’s blood was too poisonous, and Naoya soon began vomiting onto the ground.

“Shall I heal you?” Okkotsu asked, raising a hand glowing with cursed energy. “My reverse cursed technique can heal people. In return, I’ll ask you to inform the headquarters of Itadori’s death.”

Since Naoya was far from any assistance, he had no choice but to accept Okkotsu’s offer and retreat. Once the troublesome individual was out of sight, the man sighed and muttered, “Alright, now let’s find the other troublemaker.”

Yuuji was dreaming.

He knew he was dreaming.

Yet, he couldn’t seem to wake up.

Someone was holding him tightly. Looking up, he saw his father’s face. The man was wearing glasses, and there was a gentle smile on his lips.

“Jin…” a familiar voice called out.

“Yes, father?” Jin replied. “If this is about her, I’m leaving.”

“Jin, you can live your life however you like, but give up on that woman,” Wasuke said firmly. “You’ll die.”

Jin ignored his father’s warning and raised baby Yuuji high. “Don’t say things like that. They say babies remember more than we think.”

“I know you wanted a child, one you couldn’t have with Kaori!” Wasuke shouted, agitated. “But her death was—!”

Before the argument could continue, someone else entered the room. Yuuji turned his head slightly, catching sight of a woman walking in. She had short black hair, but the most striking thing about her was the line of stitches across her forehead.

“Father-in-law, what are you talking about?” she asked calmly.

Yuuji gasped awake. The sky above him was dark, and he could feel the cold, hard ground underneath him. Someone had put his jacket over his body as a makeshift blanket. Getting up, Yuuji turned his head to meet Okkotsu’s dark gaze.

Those black eyes stared at him for a moment before Okkotsu laughed. Shoulders relaxing, he said, “Thank goodness!”

???

Didn’t this guy want to kill him?

Seeing his confusion, Okkotsu explained, “Sorry, but I had to put up an act. We need to ensure that Zen’in Naoya won’t become suspicious. Although it’s unpleasant, he should fully believe that you’re dead now, which means the headquarters won’t bother us for a while.”

“Act?” Yuuji muttered.

“Gojo-sensei asked me to watch over you. It was around September, I think,” Okkotsu explained. “We knew the headquarters wouldn’t stop until you were dead, so we figured having me act as your executioner would be the best idea.”

Yuuji continued to stare at Okkotsu, dumbfounded.

Okkotsu clapped his hands together and said, “I’m really sorry. Unlike what Gojo-sensei said, those elders aren’t that stupid, and they forced me into a Binding Vow where I had to kill you. So… that’s why I stabbed you and then revived you. It was a gamble, but based on what I’d heard, I assumed you’d be able to survive that attack.”

Yuuji opened his mouth, wanting to ask more questions, but someone spoke up first.

“Itadori.”

Yuuji turned his head to see Fushiguro walking toward him. Beside him was an unknown man whose face was slightly hidden by a hoodie.

“Fushiguro!” Yuuji shouted. “I thought you were supposed to be back at Jujutsu High.”

Instead of Fushiguro, the unknown man replied, “Well, you see, you and your friend are quite alike. Instead of staying put and listening to adults, he decided to go off alone to find you. Like teacher, like students, I suppose.”

Fushiguro frowned in disgust. “Please don’t compare me to Gojo-sensei, Geto-san.”

The man laughed.

“Geto… san?” Yuuji said, looking at the man. Geto pulled off his hoodie to reveal long dark hair and eyes.

With a smile, Geto said, “It’s nice to meet you, Itadori Yuuji.”

Yuuji blankly nodded and said, “Nice to meet you, too.”

“Geto-san is Gojo-sensei’s old friend,” Okkotsu explained as Geto and Fushiguro sat beside them by the campfire. “He’s another Special Grade like me, and he’s been helping me train. We were abroad when the Shibuya incident happened, so that’s why we couldn’t come to help. I’m really sorry."

“No need to be like that, Okkotsu,” Geto said. “That idiot Satoru must’ve let his guard down to get sealed away like that. I suppose he deserves it a bit.”

“Let’s put aside whether Gojo-sensei deserves to be put on ‘time out,’” Fushiguro said. “Having him missing is not ideal, especially considering the Culling Game that Kenjaku started.”

“The Culling Game?” Yuuji asked. It sounded like a bad idea, no matter how you looked at it. What was Kenjaku planning next?

“Hmm, to put it simply, you can consider it a death match,” Geto explained. “Kenjaku has established several colonies throughout Japan, and those who entered one are forced to fight each other to the death. The problem is, he isn’t just dragging Jujutsu sorcerers and curse users.”

Fushiguro thinned his lips. “After the Shibuya incident, there are reports of mundane humans developing cursed techniques. One of those people… is Tsumiki.”

“Your sister?!” Yuuji exclaimed. He had heard of Fushiguro’s sister, who was comatose back when they were investigating the Yasohachi Bridge. It was easy to see how much he cared about his sibling. “I thought she was in a coma?”

“The seal is likely the work of Kenjaku,” Geto replied. “We’re still unsure how he did it, but Fushiguro Tsumiki is now awake and capable of seeing curses and cursed energy. Unfortunately, she’s automatically considered a participant, and unless she starts fighting, she’ll die.”

“Die?!” Yuuji shouted. “How?”

Geto explained the complicated rules Kenjaku had established for the Culling Game. It was a lot to take in, but basically, you had to kill if you wanted to survive. It was a horrific game. What was Kenjaku's aim in setting up something like this?

“What should we do then?” Yuuji asked.

“First, we’ll need to return to Jujutsu High and meet with Master Tengen,” Geto said. “They will likely know of a way to break open the Prison Realm, and we’ll also need to find more information about Kenjaku’s goals.”

“The biggest problem we face right now is Tengen’s concealing barrier,” Okkotsu explained. “There are one thousand doors that constantly shuffle around, but only one will lead to the Tombs of the Star Corridor.”

“I’ve visited the Tombs of the Star Corridor before, but we may need Tsukumo's help if we want to meet Tengen,” Geto said, rubbing his chin.

“Tsukumo?” That was another name Yuuji wasn’t familiar with.

“She’s another Special Grade sorcerer,” Geto said. “She’s somewhat familiar with Tengen, but they have a complicated history that I won’t get into.”

“About that barrier,” Choso suddenly spoke up as his face revealed itself from the darkness.

Fushiguro flinched in his seat while Yuta said lightly, “Oh, you were listening?”

“What do you mean, Choso?” Yuuji asked.

“Mahito once stole Sukuna’s Fingers and the Death Painting wombs, right?” Choso said. “We can do the same thing. Between the doors and the Tombs lies the warehouse where Jujutsu High stores cursed tools and objects. It also holds the remains of my younger brothers. Since I can feel their presence, I should be able to use their location as guidance.”

“Wow, that’s good news,” Geto said with a smile. “But… who are you?” He had seen Choso fighting alongside Yuuji, but nobody had explained why someone with an aura that felt more like a curse’s was defending a sorcerer.

“Think of him as… my big brother,” Yuuji said reluctantly.

Choso froze at the acknowledgment of his big brother position and shouted passionately, “Yuuji!”

Yuuji ignored him and stood up. “Let’s go.”

As the group made their way toward Jujutsu High, Yuuji kept glancing at Geto with curiosity. The man didn’t miss these glances and slowed his footsteps so he could walk next to him. “You have questions?”

“Ah, no… I’m just wondering why I haven’t heard Gojo-sensei talk about you,” Yuuji said. “He’s awfully chatty, and you said you’re old friends with him…”

“Well, I suppose it’s because of our complicated history,” Geto explained. “Since we’re going to work together, I should tell you this; I’m not a sorcerer. I’m a curse user.”

“Eh?!” Yuuji shouted, eyes widening. All of the curse users he had encountered before this were considered bad guys. They were always hostile toward sorcerers. “Then… why are you helping us?”

“I can’t exactly let that idiot get locked up like that, can I?” Geto said lightly.

Yuuji blinked. “You two… are really good friends, huh?” Despite Gojo’s antics, most people showed a degree of respect toward him due to his power and position. However, Geto didn’t show any of that and would often jokingly mock Gojo. The way he spoke about Yuuji’s teacher also showed their closeness.

“I suppose you could call us that,” Geto said. “Unfortunately, growing up together means growing apart.”

“Eh?” Yuuji tilted his head in confusion.

Geto smiled. “I used to be a sorcerer too. I even attended Jujutsu High. That’s where I met Satoru.”

“But?” Because there had to be a but.

“But I left,” Geto said, closing his eyes. Although many years had passed, he could still remember that summer clearly.

It was just like any other sunny summer day. The buzzing of cicadas could be heard from the forest as Suguru and Satoru sat in their seats. Yaga stood at his desk in the classroom, giving his two troublesome students a serious look. “I have a critical mission for you two. You’ll need to protect the Star Plasma Vessel and ensure that she reaches Tengen-sama!"

Omake: 

Suguru: Kids these days. They can’t even sit still and listen to orders.

Shoko: *Stares dead-eyed into the distance as she remembers all the shenanigans he and Satoru got into*