"It seems everyone is here."
Inside a dimly lit Japanese-style room, the doors and curtains were tightly shut. The only light source was an old-fashioned chandelier hanging from the ceiling beam, casting a dim glow on the faces of the "people" present.
"Since everyone is here, let's get straight to business."
Kenjaku, his arms crossed over his chest, sat right in the middle, flanked by Mahito, Jogo, and Choso.
Perhaps because their comrades had been successively elbowed to death by Yuji, the two cursed spirits were in no mood to play mahjong or poker.
"You should all be aware that Satoru Gojo has highly likely obtained my intel. Therefore, to prepare for the upcoming Shibuya Incident, I will be going on a long trip for a while."
He said it was to prepare for the Shibuya Incident, but it was actually to prepare for the Culling Game.
He already had some understanding of Shanmei's ability. Its functions were extremely versatile. Compared to the Four Disaster Curses—who were essentially just four high-level thugs—it could be said to be a truly handy "tool."
If possible, Kenjaku wanted it to simulate the colossal cursed spirit that could only be completed through the Culling Game ahead of time.
"Overseas?" Jogo's voice was low and raspy. "Are you running away, Suguru Geto?"
Ever since Hanami died, Jogo hadn't smiled once.
"Running away? Jogo, you must be joking."
Kenjaku spread his hands.
"Then what exactly are you trying to say?"
Jogo spoke expressionlessly.
"I want you all to go to the Big Three Sorcerer Families—the Gojo, Kamo, and Zenin clans—and collect some Grade 1 sorcerer corpses."
Kenjaku picked up the teapot in front of him, tilted it to his lips, and unhurriedly took a sip.
"The other two families don't have any exceptionally strong individuals besides Satoru Gojo, so you can start with the Zenin clan."
"However, during this mission, you might encounter sorcerers sent to the Zenin clan by Jujutsu High. Try to act carefully."
"..."
Jogo stared at Kenjaku's leisurely demeanor, feeling a bit infuriated.
"Will we run into Yuji Itadori on this mission?"
"Perhaps."
"Are you kidding me!"
Jogo slammed a hand on the table, a thick cloud of white steam erupting from his volcano head.
"You bastard—believe it or not, I'll burn you to a crisp right now!" Jogo planted his hands on the tea table, glaring death at Kenjaku. "You want me to fight Yuji Itadori again?! Didn't you say he swallowed three whole fingers at the school? Adding the previous ones, that kid now has eight fingers inside him! He's a whole lot stronger than the last time we met! Are you fucking telling me to deliver myself to death's door?!"
"It's getting hot, Jogo."
Kenjaku raised a hand to fan himself, seeming to ignore the enraged Jogo as he continued speaking.
"Besides, weren't you quite confident before? What was it—'I'm not a wet-behind-the-ears brat like Mahito' and 'Such a failure will never happen to me'? What, has your attitude changed after just two days?"
"Kenjaku, you..."
Jogo ground his teeth audibly.
"And you can rest assured."
"According to my intel, the reason Yuji Itadori could use Sukuna's power last time was because he made some sort of mutually beneficial Binding Vow with Sukuna. But Sukuna couldn't possibly agree to such a thing every time. So Yuji Itadori probably won't let Sukuna out again this time."
BANG!
"Bullshit!"
Jogo slammed his hand down again, nearly overturning the entire table.
"That's what you said last time too! You said Sukuna couldn't possibly take a liking to Yuji Itadori, and what happened? Sukuna lent him his power directly! Before the exchange event, you said Yuji Itadori had sparse cursed energy and wouldn't amount to much, and I almost got cleaved in half by a single slash from him!"
"Jogo, calm down. We have other plans. We probably won't have you stall Yuji Itadori this time."
It wasn't until Mahito spoke up that Jogo's irritable mood gradually calmed down.
"Regardless, I don't want to see Yuji Itadori's face ever again."
Jogo let out a long breath and then returned to his seat.
"Don't be so impatient, Jogo. I still have some good news to tell you."
Kenjaku said, a hypocritical smile appearing on his face.
"Of course I wouldn't have you risk your lives for no reason. After all, we are comrades."
"Remember when I mentioned Shanmei to you earlier? Its cursed technique can manipulate physical flesh and blood in reality."
"And among my subordinates, there just happens to be an old hag who can use Seance Technique. She can summon the soul and physical information of the deceased into a designated target. Although the effect disappears after the technique ends, meaning it won't be a 'resurrection' in the true sense."
"But I've been thinking—what kind of spark would fly if their two cursed techniques were combined?"
"If the plan goes smoothly, we might be able to resurrect Hanami."
"...?"
Kenjaku's flippant words struck Jogo like a bolt of lightning.
The entire room plunged into silence after Kenjaku spoke that final sentence. Choso, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes a crack, and even Mahito wore an expression of surprise.
"What did you say!?"
Jogo grabbed Kenjaku by the shoulder.
"I said—if we can pair Shanmei's physical abilities with the Seance Technique to pull Hanami's soul back, the two might produce a wondrous chemical reaction."
"Although for a cursed spirit without a physical body, this is an extremely difficult task."
"But there's still a very good chance we can resurrect Hanami."
Jogo took a deep breath. "You're not messing with me, are you?"
"I only said it's a possibility," Kenjaku raised a hand to adjust his collar, which had been yanked askew. "Don't go to the Zenin clan with the absolute expectation of resurrecting Hanami, alright? If it fails, you'll only have yourself to blame if you end up crying."
"..."
Jogo was silent for a moment.
"Then what about Yuji Itadori?"
Although his words still held some hesitation, Jogo had secretly made up his mind.
If he could bring back Hanami and Dagon—even if there was only a one-in-a-thousand chance—he had to take the risk.
Even if it meant facing Yuji Itadori and Sukuna, those two terrifying entities, he wouldn't show the slightest hesitation in this matter.
They were comrades!
Going through fire and water for his comrades, sacrificing himself for his comrades—wasn't this exactly the spirit he had always upheld!
"I will arrange for that old hag with the Seance Technique to assist you. She will summon an expert to help. Leave stalling Yuji Itadori to her."
Hanami, Dagon—I'm coming to save you!
Jogo released Kenjaku's shoulder, then got up on his own and left the room, walking out toward the midday sun.
"I'm heading out first. Mahito, follow me, and don't drag me down."
"Hey, wait for me, Jogo."
Mahito and Kenjaku exchanged a glance, and then Mahito also left the room.
Only Choso remained in the room.
"..."
Seeing the first two leave, Choso also stood up, wanting to go.
"In that case, I will also take my leave."
"Wait a moment, Choso."
But before he could take a few steps, Kenjaku stopped him.
"What is it?"
"I'm just a bit surprised," Kenjaku's face broke into a meaningful smile. "To think you actually survived the last incident. I originally thought that if you went up against Yuji Itadori, you'd both end up mutually destroying each other at the very least."
"But not only did you retreat completely, you're not even injured. You really are amazing, Choso."
"...?"
Choso was taken aback. He seemed to understand the implication behind Kenjaku's words.
He quickly adjusted his expression, then turned his head and spoke coldly to Kenjaku:
"You sent me there to die. If it weren't for my younger brothers, I would have turned against you a long time ago. And now you still dare to bring this up in front of me?"
Kenjaku didn't reply directly, merely looking at Choso with a smile.
"Tell me—is there a possibility that Yuji Itadori let you go intentionally? After all, you aren't a cursed spirit either. Strictly speaking, you're an incarnated entity. Given Yuji Itadori's overly soft-hearted nature, seeing someone like you willing to die for his younger brothers, he might have felt pity and couldn't bring himself to kill you."
"Get lost!"
Choso glared at Kenjaku, then turned and walked away.
"Ah, wait."
Kenjaku stopped Choso again.
"Since you're so dissatisfied with my previous arrangement, then don't go this time. I have something else I want to talk to you about."
"...Fine."
This old fox—what is he plotting again? Could it be he already...
This old geezer Kenjaku was simply too shrewd.
The reason Choso didn't follow Yuji back to Jujutsu High was that his other two brothers were still under Kenjaku's control, and he could also act as Yuji's undercover agent, passing on intel from Kenjaku's side.
But Kenjaku seemed to have noticed this, so he specifically kept Choso behind.
Damn it. If this is the case, I won't be able to contact Yuji immediately.
It was already late at night.
"Superimposing simulated spaces of varying sizes onto a limited physical space is the difficult part of Barrier Techniques. Although the 'Curtain'—the foundation of Barrier Techniques—is relatively simple, a Domain is entirely different."
"However, as long as you grasp the trick..."
Yuji sat cross-legged on the floor, explaining the fundamentals of Barrier Techniques to Megumi and Junpei. Just then—
BEEP BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP BEEP—
Naoya Zenin's phone suddenly rang.
"Ah, apologies, Itadori-kun. Let me take this call."
"..."
Naoya Zenin answered the call and put it to his ear. After a while, the man's expression suddenly turned grave.
"The elders of the family have ordered me to return immediately, saying it's my father's intention. I had a really great time today. Although I don't know what happened, I might have to leave first. I'm sorry, everyone."
He bowed slightly toward Yuji, then turned and walked toward the entrance of the dojo.
The three were somewhat puzzled but didn't ask further. However, right at that moment, Yuji's phone also rang.
BEEP BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP BEEP.
The pink-haired young man received an email from Mechamaru—
"Itadori, I've left a letter for you at the dojo entrance. To avoid triggering the Binding Vow's rules, I cannot read the letter, so I can't verbally tell you the cause of this incident. I'm leaving first."
"...?"
Yuji stood up and walked to the dojo entrance, indeed finding a letter placed there. He bent down, picked it up, and then opened it to check its contents. The sender was indeed Choso. The handwriting was rushed and messy, detailing what Choso had heard from Kenjaku today.
"..."
Yuji was silent for a moment.
He turned his head and glanced at Megumi and Junpei, who were still sitting on the floor. He reached out, grabbed his school uniform jacket, draped it over his shoulders, and then walked over to Naoya Zenin, raising a hand to pat the blond man on the shoulder.
"Naoya-senpai, I have a question to ask you."
However, just as he spoke, Naoya Zenin suddenly shed tears—
"Itadori-kun, you actually called me senpai. I'm so moved..."
"..."
A drop of cold sweat slid down Yuji's temple.
"Naoya-senpai, let's talk business. You just said the Zenin clan called you back. Besides you, would Maki-senpai also receive that kind of notification?"
Naoya Zenin thought for a moment. "Yes, the message should be a mass text. When our Zenin clan encounters an emergency, a recall notice is sent to all members currently out on missions. Even for members without cell phones, the clan will send messengers to deliver letters."
"Although Maki-chan is a Grade 4 sorcerer, her surname is Zenin after all, so she will definitely receive it too."
"What's wrong, Itadori-kun? Why the sudden question?" Naoya Zenin asked.
"Naoya-senpai, I want to go back with you," Yuji said earnestly.
A few hours ago, at a Zenin clan estate.
Jogo stood in the corridor, holding an elderly man by the collar.
Naobito Zenin, the 26th head of the Zenin clan, a Special Grade 1 Sorcerer.
But right now, he was like a ragdoll dangled in mid-air by Jogo. The old man's arms hung limply at his sides, his body covered in scorch marks, his eyes rolled back, having already lost consciousness and passed out.
"One down."
Jogo turned around and casually tossed Naobito behind him.
Behind him followed a tall, delicate-featured woman with black hair.
This person was Shanmei. Jogo glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Due to the effects of her cursed technique, she could freely mold a human body for herself. It seemed that because her original monstrous physical form was too inconvenient for combat and public appearances, this entity had fashioned a human skin for itself.
She looked like a woman in her early twenties, with black hair reaching her waist, pale skin, and delicate but somewhat uncoordinated facial features—as if someone had taken features from several different faces and spliced them together.
"This is enough, right?"
Jogo looked at her.
Shanmei's face was expressionless.
"Still need a few more Grade 1 sorcerer corpses."
"Tch," Jogo clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Troublesome."
"..."
Similarly located in a courtyard of the Zenin clan.
Several low-grade sorcerers belonging to the Zenin clan lay on the ground, clearly already dead.
An elderly hag hunched over, standing among the corpses, leaning on a cane. Beside her stood a middle-aged man with a receding hairline.
The old hag took a cloth-wrapped item out of her pocket and handed it to the middle-aged man beside her.
"What is this?"
The middle-aged man took the cloth bundle.
"This is a piece of Toji Fushiguro's bone, and it's also the item I will use for the seance."
"...Granny, who are you going to summon?"
"Toji Fushiguro. He possesses the Heavenly Restriction constitution with absolutely zero cursed energy. Although he's been dead for a long time, I collected his corpse in my early years. Using this as a medium, combined with this old hag's Seance Technique, we can pull that man's departed soul back to the living world."
"My good grandson, from now on, stalling Yuji Itadori will be up to you."
"..."
A drop of cold sweat slid down the middle-aged man's face.
Eh? Me?
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