[Forest Outside the Abandoned Factory]
(Kaori's POV)
Kaori had to admit that her son was stronger than she had anticipated.
That attack had nearly killed her. If she hadn't prepared that cursed tool beforehand, she doubted she would have walked away from the encounter.
Months of research had been destroyed in a matter of minutes.
And yet, Kaori couldn't bring herself to be angry with him.
If anything, she was pleased.
He had exceeded her expectations.
Kaori smiled to herself.
There was, however, one small problem.
Her son was becoming far too troublesome to observe directly.
Fortunately, that was no longer much of an issue.
With Sukuna residing within his body, her son now had something far more important to worry about than finding her. Controlling Sukuna would consume most of his attention.
And that gave Kaori all the time she needed.
She had no intention of abandoning her son.
Quite the opposite.
She intended to make certain that he became the strongest being the world had ever seen.
---
[Several Hours Later]
[Underground Laboratory — Vermont]
"I've finally finished the genetic sequencing."
Kaori stood before a wall of monitors, her expression calm as she studied the results.
"The results are fascinating. These genetic structures are far more compatible than I anticipated."
She picked up a syringe containing a strange, translucent serum.
"With this, I should be able to create an artificial organism capable of combining the traits of multiple supernatural species."
A faint smile crossed her face.
"Of course, the human body may disagree."
Behind her, rows of cages lined the walls.
Each contained a different subject.
Some were children crying desperately for their parents. Others were older, their expressions vacant after spending far too long in captivity.
Kaori smiled.
Had the children been able to see that smile, they would have cried even harder.
But the smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
Kaori turned toward the cages and approached the first group of human subjects.
After studying them for a moment, she selected a teenage boy.
"Don't worry. It will all be over soon."
She secured him to the examination table and injected the serum into his arm.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then the boy's breathing quickened.
His eyes changed first.
A moment later, his entire body began reacting violently to the foreign genetic material.
Kaori watched with genuine curiosity.
"Ah. It seems your body is too weak."
The boy's condition deteriorated rapidly. His nervous system could not withstand the sudden influx of unfamiliar biological information.
Within moments, he became still.
Kaori leaned closer, carefully studying the results.
"So the serum successfully activates the foreign genetic traits. Unfortunately, the human nervous system can't withstand the sensory overload."
She calmly wrote something on her notepad.
Subject deceased. Cause: Complete sensory overload.
She removed the restraints and moved the failed subject aside.
"Still, one failure proves nothing."
Kaori's smile returned.
"Let's try something a little more supernatural."
Her attention shifted toward the next cage.
Inside was a teenage werewolf.
Kaori studied him for several seconds.
"A pre-existing supernatural physiology should provide a more reliable experiment."
She secured the werewolf to the examination table and administered the serum.
Nothing happened.
One minute passed.
Then another.
Kaori waited patiently.
Three minutes.
Still nothing.
She finally reached for her notepad.
But before she could write anything down, the werewolf suddenly reacted.
His body began transforming, but the process quickly became unstable. The supernatural traits within him clashed with the foreign genetic material.
The creature cried out before abruptly becoming still.
Kaori watched without blinking.
After several seconds, she sighed.
"It seems even a werewolf's body can't properly withstand the genetic alteration."
She picked up her notepad.
"Though I suppose that makes sense. Werewolf biology is fundamentally incompatible with several other supernatural species."
She wrote another observation.
Subject deceased. Cause: Rejection of foreign genetic traits.
Kaori placed the notepad down.
"So even supernatural physiology cannot properly withstand the alteration."
She paused.
"How disappointing."
Her gaze wandered across the laboratory.
"No body seems capable of holding multiple supernatural genetic traits simultaneously."
For several moments, Kaori stood in silence.
Then she smiled.
"Although... there is still one possibility."
Her eyes shifted toward a different cage.
Unlike the others, this cage contained only one occupant.
A sorcerer.
Kaori opened the cage door.
"Come."
The sorcerer obediently stepped outside and sat upon the examination table.
He offered no resistance when Kaori injected the serum into his arm.
One hour passed.
Then another.
Nothing happened.
The sorcerer remained alive.
His breathing was steady.
His body showed no signs of rejecting the serum.
Kaori's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh?"
She approached him and began examining the changes.
His sclera had turned pitch black, while his eyes had become an unnatural crimson. His skin had grown noticeably paler, and his heartbeat was strangely difficult to detect.
Even his fingers had developed sharp claws.
Yet the sorcerer's body remained stable.
No catastrophic rejection.
No neurological collapse.
No obvious signs that his body was failing.
Kaori's smile slowly widened.
"Perfect."
She grabbed her notepad and recorded the results.
No significant adverse reaction.
Her expression softened into something almost maternal.
"This is wonderful."
Immediately, her thoughts turned toward her son.
She imagined a body capable of adapting to supernatural traits without rejecting them.
A sorcerer who could evolve beyond the limitations imposed upon modern jujutsu.
A being capable of surpassing every known boundary.
Her son could become something even greater than Sukuna.
He could surpass the limits of jujutsu itself.
"My dear boy..." Kaori chuckled quietly.
"You really are going to become something extraordinary."
She stared at the sorcerer for another moment.
Then her expression became thoughtful.
"But first..."
Kaori raised one hand toward him.
"I need to confirm one final thing."
Her cursed energy surged.
The atmosphere inside the laboratory suddenly became oppressive as gravity compressed the sorcerer's body against the examination table.
Kaori watched carefully.
She waited.
The hybrid remained motionless beneath the pressure.
Then, slowly, Kaori smiled.
"Good."
She lowered her hand.
"Now I know it works."
Her thoughts immediately returned to her son.
"I wonder how my son will fare against it."
Kaori turned away from the examination table and walked toward the exit.
Her hand rested against the door.
"And besides..."
She glanced back at the experiment.
"I have plenty of time."
The door closed behind her.
For several seconds, the laboratory was silent.
Then the silence was broken by the frightened voices of the children still trapped inside their cages, desperately begging to be released.
Kaori, however, was already gone.
She stepped into the elevator and watched the laboratory disappear behind the closing doors.
As the elevator began ascending, a small smile appeared on her face.
"Now, the real question is..."
Kaori rested a hand against her chin.
"How do I get my son to consume the hybrid I created?"
Far below her, the laboratory remained silent.
Then the body on the examination table moved.
The hybrid slowly sat upright.
Its body began recovering from the damage inflicted by Kaori's experiment.
Its eyes opened.
Across the laboratory, dozens of frightened children stared back at it from their cages.
The creature stared at the children with a look of intolerant hunger.
——–
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