Chapter Text
The Seventh Loop: 2005
Yuji stared at the familiar surroundings before him. Jujutsu High. This was the seventh time he had returned to this specific point in history. The hood of his red hoodie partially obscured his face, but it couldn't hide the faint scar at the corner of his lip, or the two missing fingers on his left hand, tucked deep into his pocket.
He knew changing the past would never be simple. He was clear about the consequences, yet he persisted, searching for that elusive equilibrium where a shift in the past would finally yield the future he hoped for.
"Hey! Who are you?"
"Satoru, you're being rude."
Yuji glanced calmly toward the source of the shouting. A youth with snow-white hair and dark sunglasses approached him. Beside him was a black-haired boy with narrow, piercing eyes.
It was the same scene he had witnessed in the previous sixth timelines.
Yuji’s emotions no longer flickered the way they had the first time. He offered them a bright smile, a mask that had become second nature to him, one he could wear effortlessly without feeling a thing.
"I’m a first-year student," Yuji said, his voice steady with the experience of a thousand such encounters.
"Oh? You’re our classmate? How come I didn't know?" The white-haired boy leaned in, scrutinizing Yuji’s face with intense curiosity.
Blue eyes narrowed behind those glasses, sensing something inherently wrong with the boy before him. It wasn't just Yuji's strange cursed energy, but the absence of two fingers on his left hand. They weren't fresh wounds; they were old scars, long since healed.
The boy with the narrow eyes nudged his friend aside and introduced himself. "I thought there were only three first-years. Were you a late recruit? I’m Geto Suguru, and this is my friend, Gojo Satoru. I assume you’ve heard of him."
Geto seemed friendly and polite, a sharp contrast to Gojo, who acted as if he had just discovered a fascinating new toy.
"Hello. I'm Yuji... just Yuji."
"Huh?! You don't have a family name?" Gojo blinked in disbelief, looking the hooded boy up and down.
Geto joined in the surprise. "That’s unusual. Are you sure you don’t want to tell us which family you’re from?"
Yuji had made a mistake in the first timeline by revealing his surname. It had triggered consequences far more troublesome than he had anticipated.
"Sorry, I can't tell you," Yuji replied, his tone implying a secret he was bound to keep.
As for how he was recruited into Jujutsu High in this era, the power of Time Reverse had done its work, weaving a plausible background for his entry.
In a distant future, a version of Yuji who had defeated Sukuna and become immortal encountered an entity that offered him a deal: the Cursed Technique Time Reverse. Yuji had entered a Binding Vow out of a desperate curiosity to see if the past could be mended.
In his immortality, he had lost everything, merely waiting for the day he would become a cursed object. The entity's offer was the only spark in his hollow existence.
Time Reverse allowed him to return to the past, but with strict conditions: he could not exist near the Itadori Yuji of the original timeline, and his existence in the past was capped at three years.
After much deliberation, he realized targeting a timeline where he was already an adult would be too risky. It wouldn't fix the root of the problem.
So, he chose the year 2005, an era he had studied from the history of his teacher, Gojo-sensei. Here, he didn't have to worry about running into his infant self. He could move freely and cut the roots of the Culling Game before they ever took hold.
Yuji blinked slowly, brushing away the shadows of disappointment from his expression.
"Why?" Gojo finally pulled off his glasses. His Six Eyes were now peeling back the layers of Yuji’s existence.
Geto shifted into a wary stance, though his face remained polite.
"It's not something you need to worry about," Yuji answered, his voice measured and cool.
He wasn't afraid of the Six Eyes. Even if Gojo saw something unusual, he could never grasp the full truth. Time Reverse was a power that transcended the Six Eyes, a gift from a cosmic entity.
"Hey, what are you guys doing? Class is about to start!"
Right on cue, a girl with short brown hair appeared. The perfect interruption.
"Oh, Shoko! Guess what? We have a new classmate!" Gojo waved her over.
"A new student? Oh right, Yaga-sensei mentioned it. Some arrangement by the higher-ups, he said. Your name is Yuji, right?" Shoko walked up, unknowingly providing the perfect cover story prepared by the technique.
Yuji nodded, a smile on his lips that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Ah? Yaga-sensei already knew?" Gojo finally lowered his guard slightly and slid his glasses back on.
Geto exhaled a sigh of relief, his expression softening.
"Let's get to class before Yaga-sensei punishes us again!" Shoko said, her energy bright and lively.
"Come on, Yuji," Geto invited, slinging an arm around Gojo as they turned to lead the way.
The moment their backs were turned, Yuji’s smile vanished. His eyes were heavy with exhaustion. His soul essence was nearly depleted from the strain of the jump. Before it vanished entirely, he would have to transform into a cursed object, but only after he changed the future.
With every use of Time Reverse, his emotions eroded. He hoped that by the time he became a cursed object, he wouldn't turn into a second Sukuna.
That was the end he had scripted for himself.
They entered the classroom where Masamichi Yaga was waiting, arms crossed and brow furrowed.
"You're late! Especially you, Satoru! You're the reason they're all behind schedule!"
"Ah, here he goes again," Gojo groaned, rolling his eyes.
Shoko giggled while Geto shook his head with a fond, amused smile. The three of them took their seats, while Yuji remained standing by the door.
Yaga gestured for him to enter. "This is your new classmate. Treat him well. And don't ask unnecessary questions!"
The last part was directed pointedly at Gojo, who was still staring intensely at Yuji.
The lesson followed, a lecture on basic cursed techniques and the world of Jujutsu. Yuji had sat through this five times before; he knew the material by heart.
"We'll be having a sparring session this afternoon," Yaga announced as class ended.
It was identical to the previous timelines. Peaceful days that never lasted.
Yuji caught his reflection in the window. The same face, only younger. Time Reverse allowed him to alter his appearance to fit the timeline, though it, too, drained his soul.
If he used his true form, he wouldn't pass for a first-year student.
However, some things couldn't be changed: the scars on his face remained, and his fingers stayed severed. He kept his hand in his pocket to hide it, but he knew Gojo had already noticed.
"Hey, tell us, Yuji. Who are you, really?" Shoko turned from her desk, her eyes wide with curiosity.
Both Gojo and Geto went still, waiting for his answer.
"I am the result of an experiment. As for the rest, I'm forbidden from telling you. It's a sort of... vow," Yuji said truthfully, his voice flat.
Time Reverse came with conditions: he could never reveal his identity as a time traveler. It was a Binding Vow required to harness the full power of the technique.
The expressions of the three teenagers shifted instantly at the word "experiment."
"What did those damn higher-ups do to you?!" Gojo snapped, his anger palpable.
Yuji didn't answer. He only offered a faint, tired smile. His eyes, hollow and somber, answered for him. They were the eyes of someone who had seen too much, someone who had reached the point where emotions were no longer a luxury they could afford.
Gojo saw it. He had seen it earlier. This pink-haired boy felt like an anomaly in their world. He didn't know why, but looking at Yuji filled him with a profound, confusing sense of grief.
Yuji shook his head. He didn't want Gojo wasting his energy hating the higher-ups. They weren't the primary cause.
"It wasn't the higher-ups. This is more... classified than that. Can we talk about something else?" Yuji asked, pulling his hood back up.
The fabric finally hid his indifferent eyes.
"You..." Gojo started, but the words died in his throat. Frustrated, he stormed out of the room.
Geto followed, casting a long, lingering look at Yuji before leaving. Only Shoko remained, her expression one of quiet concern.
"Ignore them. Satoru is always impulsive like that. I won't pry into your identity, so you can relax, Yuji," she said casually.
"Thank you."
Yuji was grateful. Shoko was always the same in the past, different from the more apathetic Ieiri-san he knew in the future.
Yuji retreated to his dorm room after the chat. He sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought.
Staring at his missing fingers, he reflected on the failures of his previous loops. He had always lacked enough information.
In the first timeline, he knew nothing of Geto Suguru’s defection or the death of Riko Amanai. Every attempt since then had been a desperate scramble to find a better plan.
Timeline 1: His surname "Itadori" caused a paradox, and he was ejected from the past before he could act.
Timeline 2: He failed to stop Geto’s defection because he didn't understand the why.
Timeline 3: Riko Amanai was killed while he was busy tracking Kenjaku.
Timeline 4: Kenjaku escaped, causing a chain reaction where the original Yuji in that timeline was almost killed, forcing a reset.
Timeline 5: He tried to strike a deal with Master Tengen, but it triggered another paradox.
Timeline 6: He almost succeeded, but Kenjaku, the most cunning enemy in history, outmaneuvered him again.
So, this time, the seventh loop, he had to succeed, no matter the cost.
He clenched his fist, his gaze sharpening.
His emotions were dulling, a side effect of his soul being consumed. Even simple nostalgia was hard to grasp. It wasn't that he could never feel again, but he was running out of time, and time was not his ally.
In the end, he would become a cursed object regardless. He was just waiting for the right moment. He was someone who had lost everything and lived too long, someone who was simply, profoundly tired.
Yuji hoped that this time, he would finally find an end for himself.
That afternoon, the training session began. Shoko didn't participate; she had a separate class for Reverse Cursed Technique.
"Yuji, Satoru. You two start!" Yaga commanded.
Gojo kept his sunglasses on, a relaxed smirk on his face. He noted that Yuji didn't seem even slightly intimidated by the prospect of fighting him.
Yuji attacked first, keeping his strength at a minimum. He didn't intend to underestimate Gojo, but he wasn't ready to reveal his full hand yet.
Gojo caught his fist and swept at his legs. Yuji stepped back, dodging with a fluid grace before launching another punch, purely physical, no cursed energy.
He hit an invisible wall. Limitless.
"Your physical strength is incredible, Yuji," Gojo praised, counter-attacking while keeping his Infinity active.
Even though Yuji had done this a dozen times, he found himself enjoying the rarity of the moment. Something flickered in his numb heart, a memory of a future Gojo-sensei training him in secret.
A flash of genuine emotion crossed Yuji's eyes when he finally managed to land a hit on Gojo’s shoulder, a moment where Gojo had intentionally flicked his Infinity off.
"Stop! That's enough!" Yaga clapped, ending the bout.
Gojo looked stunned, staring at Yuji with wide eyes. Behind his glasses, his blue eyes sparkled. He had finally seen a spark of life in the somber boy's gaze. For some reason, it made him incredibly happy.
"Hahaha! Yuji, let's train together again sometime, okay?" Gojo approached, clapping a friendly hand on Yuji’s shoulder.
Yuji blinked, confused. This hadn't happened in the previous timelines. But he nodded anyway. "Sure, Gojo-se... Gojo-san."
The slip-up happened because of the sudden rush of memories. He had almost forgotten who the person in front of him actually was.
Was it because in previous loops he had been too guarded? Too isolated? He had failed because he was afraid of forming bonds again. He knew he was destined to be a cursed object; he shouldn't have any attachments. But that approach had only made Gojo Satoru distrust him, making everything harder.
This time, perhaps he needed to lower his guard just a little.
Gojo frowned, looking displeased with the formal address. "Just call me Satoru!"
Yuji recoiled slightly. It felt wrong. He had always called him Gojo-sensei or Gojo-san. Being that familiar felt like a betrayal of his own timeline.
"I think that's a bit disrespectful, Gojo-san." Yuji took a step back, intentionally putting distance between them.
Geto stepped in to stop Gojo from throwing a tantrum. "Satoru, you can't force him."
"Hmph, fine. Whatever," Gojo huffed, turning on his heel and walking away in a fit of pique.
The Gojo Satoru of the past was still so volatile. Yuji understood that, which was exactly why he didn't want to get too close. It would only cause more trouble in the end.
***