No More Composure

by Bacardi_Luna

Summary:

The JJK core cast watch their future, namely the Shibuya Incident. Expect a new arrivals.

Inspired by Slow and Steady.

Notes:

• For ToyBunny, AnotherSummerOfSleep.
• Inspired by Slow and Steady by ToyBunny

Chapter 1: It's Like That

Notes:

WARNING: Certain horrific references (DONT LOOK THEM UP), inappropriately humorous tone (wrote this while high on caffeine) and Mechamaru.
Anyway, enjoy (๑ > ᴗ < ๑)

So, all residents of the box dimension found themselves back at the viewing room.

Roughly a day of rest passed by, with everyone doing their own thing before returning for the inevitable future forecast when commanded to.

At the first glance, everyone seems fine, seated, snacks in hand, the Tokyo students in one row, the Kyoto in the row behind it, and the teachers scattered between them. They seemed all ready to go.

But reality told a different story.

A simple cursory look at their expressions showed weird thousand-yard stares mixed with their usual anticipatory demeanors, which were roughly spaced out from the least (like the group youngsters), to the most (the third and second years and the teachers). In fact, the likes of Gojo, Nanami, Yaga, Maki, Yuta, and Inumaki didn’t show any signs of having even slept a wink at all, considering the bags underneath their eyes that are worthy of Shoko Ieri herself.

Meanwhile, Yuji, Megumi, Nobara, and Miwa were quite disturbed at this development, and internally begged the screen to get a move on and turn up already, because the atmosphere was just that unbearable.

As for what incited it...

---

Roughly a day ago

The Jujutsu students sped up across the corridors to locate that energy signature, led by Yuta and Inumaki.

“Fuck, when did it get so damn long?!” Yuji screeched as he caught up to his two upperclassmen, the corridors growing suspiciously drudgery.

“Reminds me of the one Iori-sensei got stuck in a while back!” Miwa commented as she sprang on her steps.

“Are you absolutely sure it’s what you think it is?!” Nobara loudly questioned, almost falling behind.

“I hate to admit, but it is!” Todo answered while running.

When they reached the crossways, they met up with Maki and Mai.

“Oh, Maki-san! Thank goodness!” “Mai-chan!” Yuta and Momo declared in relief as the two girls joined the group.

“What the hell’s going on!? You look like animals scuttling!” Mai enquired.

“You’ll know when we find Gojo!” Panda swiftly replied as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along, to her anger.

After clearing yet another crossway, the feeling got closer and closer, but it only frightened Yuta, Inumaki and Panda. “How could it possibly be?! How did they do it?! What are they even playing it!!?”

Upon making it to the last floor upstairs, even the other students have to concede with Yuji that the passages were unusually stretched out compared to how they remember.

Finally, they turned to the last corridor, “Sensei!!” yelled Megumi.

And he, alongside everyone, was met with a flabbergasting view.

Gojo was accompanied by Shoko, Yaga, Nanami and Utahime, and, well... what petrified them into silence at the moment was none other than freaking Suguru Geto himself, for some reason.

The man looked exactly as they remembered him, his long, spiky hair done up in a bun, and still wearing the Buddhist robes. Perhaps the most egregious quandary is that everyone, upon getting a closer look, was absolutely certain there were no stitch marks on that Geto’s forehead. And to top it off, the eerie, wraithlike aura that emanated from his figure affected the nearby atmosphere, spreading a chill that landed on their skins. And perhaps even worse, despite the energy signature absolutely screaming the real Suguru Geto, there was a sense of wrongness about it, and indeed, about him, that put them as well as the adults on guard real fast. It almost felt as if he shouldn’t even exist in any capacity, yet he did, and this violation of a simple law of nature was freakier than any Special Grade Curse, perhaps freakier than the existence of Satoru Gojo himself.

The students and the teachers readied themselves for potential alteraction; Yuji, Panda, Kamo and Todo took a fighting stance, Megumi and Utahime were prepared to perform the invocations, Nobara, Maki, Yuta, Mai, Kasumi, Momo, Mechamaru and Nanami busted out their respective weapons. This left Yaga, Shoko and especially Satoru as the ones who didn’t attempt to do anything to react. The latter three just stood, stock-still, as they assessed the sight in front of them.

“... Satoru..?” the heavy silence was instantly cleaved through by a simple word from the man. Contrary to their expectations, it’s evident that Suguru is not all there, with no idea what the hell just happened and is continuing to happen.

Gojo took  a couple tentative steps towards him, blinking restlessly all the time as he took in his whole being. He barely gathered what was left of his faculties to respond

“...I-it’s really you. But, how...?”. No matter how hard his Six Eyes analyzed and scrutinized, this was the one and only Cursed Spirit User he knew for so long. Getting inches closer to his face allowed him to sense Geto’s shallow breaths on his skin, confirming beyond a shadow of doubt the truth behind what the Eyes saw.

Trying to collect himself, Geto’s eyes raked over everyone present around him. They settled on his long-time brunette friend, still as disheveled as he remembers “Shoko...”, her eyes surprisingly lighting up in reaction, not being as spooked compared to the rest as her posture relaxed when he drew near. Then, he turned to see Yaga, his former teacher, now clearly a principal, who in contrast, was still eyeing him fixedly, holding his ground. However, his vision landed on a certain teenager in a white uniform shirt with a sword behind his back. In a second, it was as if his appearance was superimposed by phosphenes of a dark, grotesque entity behind him.

“ARGH!!” Before he knew it, a sharp pang suddenly flared up within Geto’s cranium, as he staggered while holding his forehead. Suddenly, all the warm memories that filled his head just a while ago vanished, as if they were gone in thin air.

“SUGURU!” Gojo held Geto as he came close to collapsing on the ground, worry marring his usually pristine Six Eyes. Shoko helped clutching her once best friend as he threw back and forth in immense pain, breathing rapidly. “What’s wrong?!”

“Ugh, uhhh... I don’t...” he desperately wanted to know why. All of a sudden, his perfectly functioning brain was scrambled up, everything he thought happened not long ago reduced to indistinct, rapid-fire images in his mind. “H-Haibara... Riko...”

Everybody’s nostrils flared as their pupils shrank in shock. Why, of all things, he recalled those two?! Gojo, Shoko, Nanami and Yaga already guessed the reason for that, and it opened an even bigger can of worms about his current existence, something the students began to gradually catch on.

“Oi, hold it together...!” Gojo pleaded, checking to realize that his body weakened considerably, along with him going down with a fever at the drop of a hat. Then again, even in his helpless state, Geto couldn’t help but let his tired, unfocused eyes wander all over the place, now aware that Okkotsu and Rika, his killers, were in here. Only to suddenly stop when he was glimpsed upon another dark-haired teenage boy wearing Tokyo Jujutsu Tech uniform. Except... his resemblance to him was astounding, almost looking like a younger-aged clone of him. The one that took them away so coldly. The one that ruined his life. The one who started it all. For nearly a minute, his condition seems to have stabilized, if only due to focusing that unruly energy on boring a hole into Megumi’s soul with his murderous, dead-eyed stare. He seemed in the clear for a while, but soon, those initially scribbled out images and voices that flashed in his mind now have been purified, becoming perfectly comprehensible.

“I want to be with everyone for longer!”

“You sound so self-righteous, I hate this stuff!”

“This part of you rejecting non-Sorcerers, and the this part of you rejecting that idea...”

 “I love you, Kuroi! I always would!”

“For all your blessing, you still lost to a monkey with no Cursed Energy”

“You should’ve been killed as babies!”

“... Because I killed Satoru Gojo”

“Love is the most twisted curse of all”

“I thought you said we weren’t allowed to kill when there was no point in it!”

“Suguru... should we kill these guys?”

“It's true love"

Geto couldn’t bear the racing thoughts inside his now-alive, functioning brain that was pumped by his now beating heart, or at least the artifice of one. So he blacked out right after when he appeared to have recovered.

“OI! Suguru!” Gojo frantically nudges him. He didn’t know what was going on anymore, all his focus was now on him.

“Calm down, he’s just out cold” spelled out Shoko after running a few checks on his limp body. Gojo sighed in relief, but almost immediately took it back when yet another notification came up on their phones.

All of the students, even some of the adults, groaned furiously, “NOT THE TIME!!” yelled out Nobara.

“Not like we have much of a choice...” Yuji and Yuta just sucked it up as they pulled up his mobile to see what’s the deal.

Achievement has been delivered!

Just give the new guest some time to adjust.

Upcoming Achievement: 30:23:10... 9... 8... 7... 6....

A lengthy silence permeated as the Sorcerers present struggled to process all the new developments that have taken place in such a short while, the only sounds heard being the ragged, labored breaths almost everyone let out. The older students were much slower to calm down on this issue, for reasons that should be obvious.

During this interval, Gojo took the opportunity to go with Shoko and place the unconscious Geto atop an unused bed in their sleeping quarters. Afterwards, only Shoko returned. Taking note of the uneasy silence, she suddenly spoke out, “... Well?”

“Well?! That bastard’s literally here, alive and kicking!!” Maki voiced her opinion brusquely.

 “Is h-he real? A r-reanimated c-corpse?! Or e-even a ghost!??” Miwa stammered, her face pale in comical terror.

“How could that possibly happen?!?” Yuji questioned, shocked.

“How did the messenger reanimated Geto’s corpse?! Or is this some mediumship ability?” and Yuta too.

“Calm down, everyone, please” Nanami stepped up to mollify to the freaked out youngsters, “We will handle this new development ourselves, so there’s no need to be on edge.”

“That’s right. It’s too early to ascertain the purpose behind it, but I believe it might have something to do with an issue the past viewing raised” Yaga worked out, his fingers stroking his chin.

“An... issue?” Megumi reiterate slowly, before it hit him. He, and soon the rest of his friends, recalled Geto’s reasonings for his turn to the dark side.

“Nevermind that, what’s this counter?!” Yuji raised the just-as important concern, as he showed his phone with the countdown having already reached 30:18:57 and going down.

“It says Upcoming Achievement...” Uttered Momo as her eyes, and soon the rest of the sorcerers’ eyes, were blown wide from realization.

“Please tell me it’s not yet another person who’s probably dead!” Panda blurted.

“At this rate, I don’t think it’s...” Mechamaru trailed off, not having any satisfactory reply.

However, Gojo himself soon left the chamber and returned to the group, his face quite hard to read after all that’s transpired.

Faced by his concerned co-workers nonverbally seeking answers, he sighs resignedly and begins “It’s gonna be alright. Some instructions and other helpful extra info were given to me by the Messenger, regarding... him. So you can relax! And besides, even when he wakes up, he can’t pose any danger to you” he forced a smile at the last statement, hoping he got the point across his students.

Said students were admittedly unsure, since the problem wasn’t precisely with Geto.

“I’ll tell you everything about this later, as I’ll be watching him. So don’t stress over it and go get some rest, since you have a whole free day before a series of long, successive viewings”

“Even about this counter?”

“Yep”

---

Back to the Present

“I mean, if nothing else... having the previous Jujutsu world terrorist connected to Gojo-sensei join us is a nice way to shake up this viewing, I suppose” Nobara tried her hand at lighting up the situation. It was met with a mixed reception.

“I swear your sense of humor is just getting worse” Maki grumbled, her trust in the messenger who trapped them here crumbling as her anxiety shot up. It’s one thing to be able to see into the future, or heck, all periods, but it’s another to bring back a deceased person.

“Actually I agree with Kugisaki” Yuji spoke up, “like Yaga-sensei said earlier, there has to be a certian purpose behind it” And the thing is, there’s actually someone I want to ask of him later.

After what seemed like an hour, the screen began flickering.

“Oh, oh! It’s starting!” Exclaimed Miwa as she and everyone else took seats.

Yuji Itadori, Nobara Kugisaki and Megumi Fushiguro were walking down the street of Tokyo downtown.

“It’s... so peaceful” Yuta remarked.

“Like it’d last” the rest of the students deadpanned.

Stretching his arms out roughly, Gojo tried to put everything, including the latest arrival, behind him so he can properly have fun with this new content. Besides, he now has more reasons to be high spirits...

Yuji expressed a desire to see a movie, while Nobara wanted to go shopping while it was still early. Both of them were scrolling down their phones. On the other hand, Megumi decided to leave home when the car driven by Ijichi pulled up.

Suddenly, a new face made its way to the room.

“Uh... Satoru?”

Everybody’s head whipped behind them in a second, their eyes meeting Suguru Geto’s dark, narrow ones.

He was now fully awake and looks (somewhat) more healthy, but he appears to have ditched his robes in favour of a black Tokyo Jujutsu Tech uniform nearly identical to that of Gojo’s, which was found atop the bed near the one he lied on. Contrary to his unhinged mood earlier, he’s a lot calmer and relaxed, the energy around him much more stable as he cautiously made his way down the small staircase.

“Whoah! Heya, Suguru! You can come ‘ere” Gojo waved carefreely at his once-friend-turned-enemy as he pointed to the seat right behind him. His unusually laid-back attitude about Geto surprised his students, but attracted glances of suspicion from his fellow teachers and more mature adolescents.

“... Thanks, but I’d rather be on my own” Geto chose an empty seat that was much farther by two rows.

Usually, tension would be rather high with him along, but things quickly quietened down as the viewing resumed.

The students and teachers remembered Gojo informing them a while before that Geto is only here temporarily because of a, quoting the messenger, experiment. What this experiment entailed, no one had a concrete answer, but while some were a bit relieved he wasn’t permanently revived, Geto’s old friends weren’t exactly at ease that he only had a few days left to spend with them.

Gojo was still watching Geto in the meantime, if only by checking the air around him with his Six Eyes. He wasn’t about to leave him alone for so long, not even after he narrated everything that’s happened so far after Geto recovered and got up.

Geto on the other hand never felt this awkward for so long. Only a while ago, he was in a brutal battle against Jujutsu Tech sorcerers, before being obliterated by Okkotsu and Rika and then finished off by Gojo. There was a lot to unpack, not helped by Okkotsu himself being the most terrified of him.

Yuji asked Nobara, who also went separately, if she wanted to watch some movies. When she about it, Yuji replied that it’s Human Earthworm 4, to the girl’s disgust, on top of not having seen the first three installments. Yuji recaps the story, which is about a human fused with an earthworm by a crazy scientist who ends up in a love story with a normal girl despite his grotesque appearance, before devolving into a... madcap ending.

Yuji’s interest in western media is already well-known, but this one takes the cake in terms of its outlandishness. Though for some, it was for different reasons.

“Pffft, wow, Human Earthworm, huh? Such vulgar taste” Mai ridiculed Yuji. He gave her quite the annoyed stink-eye. Also, not everyone was on-board with her criticism due to how weird it was.

“Says the hipster, ‘cuz you sure talk like one”. He countered, before getting up and declaring hammily “Human Earthworm is a movie franchise that’s celebrated around the world for its universal themes, engaging storytelling and sense of camp! So you’ve no right deciding what constitutes high media!”

“Universal themes? Yeah sure, that’s like saying lowbrow comedy movies espouse anti-establishment” retorted Mai.

“SHADDUP! I’m not here to discuss a movie ‘bout a freakin’ worm-man!” Nobara and Maki, respectively, bonked both Yuji and Mai in the head for their dumb rivalry.

Yuji is unusually enthusiastic about it as he summarizes its theme, but Nobara is nonplussed, not wanting anything to do with a worm man. She asks Yuji if he wants to join her shopping, but he’s beyond insistent on seeing Human Earthworm 4 instead. Thus, they go their own separate ways.

When Yuji explained the movie and plot in full, Shoko sighed in relief as she leaned back on her seat “Damn, my ears must be busted, ‘cuz I couldn’t help but mishear it as Human Centipede”.

“HUH?!?” They definitely didn’t see that coming, including, even Geto. Many gagged in nausea at the mere idea of something like that existing. Also, how could she mishear it?! Meanwhile, Gojo, Nanami and Utahime suddenly shivered at the awakening of a memory they’d do a lot better without.

“Ewww! What the hell, Shoko-san?! What bet did you lose to even think of watching that disgusting-ass excuse of a euroshlock!!” Nobara squawked in horror, covering her mouth, forgetting her etiquette entirely. “It was a Halloween movie night after I graduated from Jujutsu High, so His Honour here decided that what we really needed was a European indie movie” Nanami helped explain, voice laced with thinly-veiled distaste as he shot a glower at the cheekily whistling Gojo “Because, in his words, they’re super-creative with horror concepts”.

“More like super gross” Nobara, Yuji and Mai muttered amongst themselves.

“And that is exactly why, since then, he’s not allowed to choose movies anymore” summarized Shoko. She gently patted Utahime on the shoulder, the latter traumatized as she hid her mouth with her sleeve, “I could watch through its entirety just fine, but poor Utahime left after that one single scene and didn’t contact us for weeks, losing her appetite entirely.”

The viewers winced in sympathy, especially Utahime’s students. It’s not everyday that a Jujutsu Sorcerer used to gore and viscera would want to tune out a grossout fictional movie. It seriously made them wonder why the hell didn't Curses emerge from Europe if this is typical for their media.

However, what they didn’t anticipate was accidentally witnessing Geto not-so-subtly leaning forward to listen on his former classmates’ story. If memory served right, the reason Gojo’s movie recommendations as a teen were so stellar is because Geto was in charge of filtering out the bad seed, unless they were in the mood for something awesomely bad. So it ended badly for everyone when he was out of the picture, revoltingly so. The sight low-key wound Geto up, wanting nothing more than to tell Gojo about the kind of stuff he nearly recommended to his underclassmen before he stopped him several times over. However, he was reluctant to speak up. Moreover, he was astonished at how comfortable he easily made himself here. Not even two minutes and he was already feeling nostalgic, to his chagrin.

Gojo turned back to find that Geto was a bit too close eavesdropping, but the latter returned to his place and avoided meeting his eyes, to the white-haired man's frustration.

While walking, Yuji was being noticed from afar by a tall girl with short light brown hair styled in trimmed bangs who wears a sweater and a long skirt.

Yuji perked up upon seeing the girl on-screen, immediately recognizing her as his former middle school classmate Yuko Ozawa, despite how drastically different she looks.

But most shockingly, Todo does the same, somehow!

He leans closer to whisper in Yuji’s ear, “brother, is she who I think it is?”

“The very same” Yuji confirmed, although he neglected to bring up how the hell Todo even remembered her. When he realized it, the poor boy was scared out of his wits, but chose not to bother with the topic further.

“You know her, Itadori?” Asked Nobara, who overheard everything.

“I think it’ll be showcased” he simply responds.

A voiceover by an enigmatic man, implied to be one of the Jujutsu society higher-ups, about the ranking of Jujutsu Sorcerers is heard, explaining how First Grade Sorcerers are meant to be the heads of the pack in terms of peril, secrecy and salary, and must lead by that example. This is overlaid by a scene of Aoi Todo and Mei Mei meeting up with Yoshinobu Gakuganji in his office. It turns out that they wanted to recommend Maki, Panda, Nobara, Megumi and Yuji as First Grade Sorcerers.

The mentioned Tokyo students were excited at learning of their current game.

A starry-eyed Yuji turned to face Todo, “Is it true!? You’d recommend me??”

“Of course, I can’t settle for less, brother!” he exclaimed back at him.

“You’d recommend us too?!” Nobara was similarly mirthful, dropping her dislike for the guy for the first time ever as she joined Yuji in bouncing up and down. Megumi was also surprised, but more cautiously optimistic about it, remembering Todo’s criticism the day before.

Meanwhile, Maki and Panda were pleasantly surprised at Mei Mei of all people advocating for them, the former smirking in triumph, though, much like Megumi, she was a bit wary, aware the behind-scenes reasons for her current grade.

“I’m so happy for you, Maki-san, Panda!” Yuta applauded them, “You’re honestly one of the worthiest of being First Grade Sorcerers!

“Indeed, it’s great that your potential has been finally noticed” told Yaga to Panda.

This was enough for the two to blush profusely, hardly used to such positive support. Maki took it in stride as proof of her progress, while Panda quickly melted from the words, before backing up and addressing Yaga “If I do make it as a First Grade, I promise not to disappoint!”

Upon finishing, Todo and Mei Mei prepare to play a game of ping-pong while talking about how, as First Grades, the Sorcerers they recommended must carry out multiple, hard missions under their wing, or at least an equivalent, and if they make it through, they can be considered at least Semi-First Grade. Todo concludes that Yuji would accept this recommendation, as with Ryomen Sukuna still uncooperative, he has to learn to fend for himself by accepting more challenging missions so he can find additional fingers.

At the first mention of Sukuna since quite a while, the mood slightly wound down. Yuji, upon hearing of Todo’s reasons for recommending him, went from joyous to serious and quiet at the drop of a hat, which Nobara and Todo himself took note of. What the Kyoto upperclassman said was more than true; he needed to hurry through this mission already, lest more people he knows get endangered. But several questions needed to be answered, like what is Sukuna doing right now, and why he’s never showed up ever since the Death Paintings battle. And then there’s that one problem that’s been rankling within ever since it was raised.

It’s been a while since he thought of it, but now, he wished he kept it out of mind. He regrets not asking Gojo or Nanami about it after they finished last day. But unbeknownst to him, he wasn’t even the only one.

The two begin playing, their movements swift yet hard-hitting, with Todo scoring his first win as he raves about his future dream teamup with his brother, Yuji, and how certain he is of the latter’s success in this endeavour, capping it off by proclaiming his belief in that destiny.

“Damn, I missed me some nice ping pong game” Utahime admitted as she watched Todo and Mei Mei’s match.

“Mmh, it’s quite soothing” agreed Gojo and Nanami.

“Sometimes I hate to own up how multi-talented Todo is, all things considered” Momo remarks. The “all things” being self-explanatory.

“Todo-kun, I’m sure you’re aware that now you recommended him personally to Principal Gakuganji, Itadori-kun can’t join you in missions.” Nanami jogged the Boogie Woogie user’s memory about one essential rule.

Todo was instantly down in the dumps, comical scribbles atop of his head. “Ah, yes...”. His classmates nearby were giggling, but Yuji was more sympathetic, as he tried to comfort him. “But why can’t he though?” he turned to ask Nanami.

“There are a myriad reasons for this, but it mostly boils down to anti-nepotism” clarified Nanami, “since a lot of time, it's a major clan Sorcerer who'd usually give recommendations."

"Perhaps, but it soon turned to something else. Something about leaving the recomended Sorcerers to their own devices away from the guidance of their superior or something" sighed Gojo.

Only for Mei Mei to remind him that Sorcerers who recommend Itadori can’t be assigned to accompany him, so someone else is granted that mission. The realization comically brings down Todo’s spirits as he misses a shot from Mei Mei. By the end, he was so bummed out, the Chinese woman outscored him by 11 versus 5, leaving him in the dust (almost literally when she turns off the lights).

“Aww, it would’ve been so great if we teamed up though” Yuji voiced out in disappointment.

“I’ve never been over the moon as much as I am now that you think the same, brotha!!” Todo instantly recovered and brought said brother close to his chest while clenching his fist in delight.

His classmates blinked, wondering if he can get used to his... idiosyncracies this fast.

“But on the bright side, if this were to happen later down the line, there’s still Nanamin!” he continued while pointing to Nanami “even if Todo-senpai were to recommend me, you’d be available, right?”

Nanami’s eyes widened, before he nodded graciously "It would be nice to work with each other again."

Yuji bumps up a fist in delight.

Back to Nobara, who has just finished shopping as she sipped from an iced coffee, that same girl from before was quietly walking behind her. She verbally gets her attention as she approaches her, showing their noticeable height gap. The girl, Yuko Ozawa, asks her about Yuji, to Nobara’s surprise.

“Looks exactly like the kinda girl that’d click with him” whispered Nobara to Megumi, who hummed in support.

“Ozawa, huh?” Yuji spoke out, “wonder why she’s reaching out to me.”

“Who?” Pressed Nobara.

“Seems to be a former schoolmate of ours” replied Todo as he tries to rummage through “memories”, once again, deep in the delulu forest, making everyone nearby shudder.

“Please tell me he’s wrong!” Panda, Momo, Mai and Nobara screamed at Yuji.

“Erm...” but words lost the boy as he sweatdropped.

Heading to a family restaurant, after ordering, the two strike a chat. Ozawa shows Nobara a photo of herself as a middle schooler, when she was significantly shorter and chubbier, completely flummoxing the Straw Doll user as she sheepishly admits she grew about fifteen centimeters taller thanks to the stress of moving to Tokyo and and adapting to the new environment. Sitting down, Nobara expresses audible shock, comparing Ozawa to Kuroko Sato.

Almost everyone was saucer-eyed at the dramatic before-after, but nowhere near the shock at the reveal that she WAS a friend of Itadori in middle school.

“Does he have a second Cursed Technique at this rate or somthing?!” They all thought accusingly about Todo.

“W-wow...” Miwa stuttered, “I understand the weight part, but the height?!”

“She probably just hit a late growth spurt from lifestyle changes” Panda guessed.

“Wonder why she went to Tokyo..." Nobara asked as she narrowed her eyes, already having an inkling of an idea.

Amongst the photos Yuko has, there’s one of her and Yuji, which Nobara recognizes. Yuko reveals that she barely worked up the courage to ask him to pose with her for a photo. She also wanted to ask for his phone number, but since the two were moving to Tokyo anyways, that didn’t come to fruition. When she encountered Yuji little while ago, she thought that with her new appearance, she might have a better chance.

Nobara soon realizes what Yuko is hinting.

Nobara (befuddled (and suckily drawn from the viewers’ imagination)): It’s like that, right?

Yuko (also horribly drawn): Yes, it’s like that.

Despite the ambiguous representation, the viewers still perfectly understood what was going on as they exchanged glances. Well, except Yuji (or so it seems), who suddenly starts hearing his classmates tittering, as well as Gojo.

“Dayum, Itadori, didn’t think you of all people got game!” Nobara cheekily told him.

“Seems like there’s a lot we don’t know about you, huh?” Panda did the same.

“Yeah, what does she see in you anyway?” Maki flatly questioned.

“W-W... hold on...!” he stammered as he looked to the screen and back at his friends “You actually think she has a crush on me?!”

The teens (and panda) were half-lidded in disbelief

“Please don’t be that dense" begged Nobara and Panda.

"Onigiri" and so did Inumaki. Please.

Nobara wastes no time calling up Ijichi with an over-the-top serious expression, asking if he turn back to park the restaurant whose URL she just sent, because she needed Megumi. Yuko was rather nervous the whole time.

Hanging up, Nobara informs her that another friend of Yuji will arrive here soon, so they can discuss the matter with him.

Most of the audience struggled not to burst out laughing at the mere idea of Megumi being a potential wingman with Nobara. The raven-haired teen just twitched in annoyance at Nobara’s scheme.

“Not holding any punches about this matter, eh?” Maki commented about Nobara.

Yuko shyly asks Nobara if she’s similarly interested in Yuji. The other girl demurs with a grimace on her face, proclaiming that it’ll never happen even if hell froze over and danced the lambada.

Nobara’s blunt response startled the teens, who were questioning if there’s more to it.

“You sure? What if it’s just Tsund–?” Asked Momo.

“Not anyone that denies interest is playing hard to get” Utahime austerely cut off Momo.

“Believe it or not, there actually is such thing as a girl who just plain doesn’t like someone” punctuated Mai.

“So there’s nothing between you two?” Miwa innocently asked Nobara.

“Not a chance!” she firmly put forth. At her reply, Yuji sighed in relief, which Todo chuckled at.

But upon saying it, she feels a sudden heart murmur, fearing that it skipped a beat.

“Oh I wonder why such thing could possibly happen~” Panda melodically teased his caramel-haired Kouhai.

“It’s NOT what you think it is, pervy wingman wannabe!” she lashed out, knowing full well the reason for that reaction of hers in the future.

Cue Megumi coming up to the two, irritated, as he questions what the big idea for calling him here was.

“... uh, rise and shine, Fushiguro?” Nobara hesitantly remarked towards the cantankerous Megumi, who scoffed.

“Still can’t believe you interrupted Ijichi-san’s detour for this” he shook his head.

“Poor Ijichi-san...” the Tokyo students, as well as Gojo, Shoko and Yaga, lamented.

Geto, who was confused to as why the premonitive viewing is centering on such a down-to-earth event (not that he minded too much; he knew it wouldn’t last like the others, and besides, the shenanigans Satoru’s students are getting themselves to honestly reminded him of himself when he was a student as well as a confused teen alongside his buddies), got a good look at Megumi, which he didn’t have the opportunity to do when the boy was under Gojo’s care and has yet to transfer to Jujutsu Tech, and to say he felt conflicted was putting it mildly, dark thoughts springing up in the back of his mind, which he tried to stamp out.

And that’s not even mentioning the boy whom this viewing is centered on, Yuji Itadori, who he learned has become Ryomen Sukuna’s vessel after devouring one of his fingers (how he survived is beyond him), or Yuta Okkotsu, who has grown so much more powerful after their latest meeting (enough to have possibly triggered his migraine), or the realization that now everyone knows his story and why he became a Cursed User.

But most of all, the fact that someone else stole his body and is scheming with Special Grade Curses. Now that was a striking discovery, since it confirmed that Satoru didn’t even cremate his corpse after he killed him. Seriously, he wasn’t too long into this and he had so many questions and concerns.

Before he dwelled on this much further, he noticed with surprise that Gojo disappeared from his seat. From the corner of his eyes, the white-haired man made himself comfortable right next to him. This caused the other to jump out of his skin in shock, leading the adults to look behind them and see that Gojo teleported, and eventually everyone else. “WHAT THE– What are you doing here?!”

“I didn’t have it in my heart to just leave you so alone and isolated after we just got reunited. If you want to feel all isolated, lemme at least share that feeling with ya” he responded as a matter-of-factly as he pulled up his sunglasses to face Suguru.

The latter inaudibly groaned to himself, rolling his eyes as he faced away from the other man’s incessant eye contact, “Am I cursed to return to you in one way or another...?” he sarcastically asked no one in particular.

“That’s precisely what I was thinking!” but Gojo still replied, making Geto’s head slump down in defeat.

Nobara cheerfully greets him while asking if Yuji has a girlfriend, before introducing Yuko to him. She also briefs him on the recent findings in a very weird, incomprehensible lingo.

Megumi (who somehow understood, dead serious): So it’s like that?!

Nobara (even more serious): Yeah, it’s like that!

“You understood that?!” Most students yelled at Megumi in incredulity.

“She might’ve actually told him Ozawa-san is in love with Itadori-kun but it was filtered because she talked too fast for us to comprehend” Miwa pondered with a thoughtful look on her face.

“... that’s... not too far off” Mechamaru slowly said, shocked alongside the nearby teens that Miwa of all people deduced it.

“Huh? But I understood what she said without taking the task into consideration” Megumi stated in slight confusion, leaving everyone even more stumped.

“I guess it makes sense. I mean, even I am starting to undertand Inumaki-senpai’s language” Yuji added.

“Ohhhhh...” The Kyoto second-years’s eyes widened in understanding.

For a certain dark-haired former cult leader, however, the sight reminded him of his hijinks with Shoko and especially Satoru whenever they or a student they knew showed a sign of giving the green light, the bond between them so profound they could tell what the other was thinking at that very moment, but was interrupted by a packet of odango touching his face.

“Someone’s reminiscing here, or did I miss something?” Gojo ribbed. Geto refused to even humor him, but he knew the Six Eyes user would do everything in his power to break down his defences for this session.

Sitting with Nobara, Megumi politely replies that Yuji doesn’t have a girlfriend, bringing up the fact that he wasn’t too upset at having to transfer to Tokyo, in addition to having a pinup poster in his room of a tall, hippy blonde in a bikini, which someone in a relationship wouldn’t own.

“... W-why did you sell me out like that?” A mortified Yuji crouched, adopting the same pose as Todo’s when he got depressed. Surprisingly, Megumi was torn between being uncaring and apologetic.

“Don’t sweat it, Itadori, that you’re properly ashamed already elevates you atop most teenage guys” Nobara patted him on the back, but her amazingly condescending words of comfort didn’t do him any favors.

“ARE YOU EVEN TRYNA COMFORT ME?!!” He comically wailed at her.

“Also, this is kind of a breach of privacy. Shouldn’t the viewing have glossed this over?” Kamo points out.

“It is, it’s almost as if these forecasts have a bone to pick with Itadori-kun or something” Gojo comments while chewing on dangos in one hand, and forcing another stick of them in Geto’s mouth, the latter not doing anything to put them in his mouth.

Noticing that Megumi ordered black, unsweetened coffee, Nobara accuses him of drinking it in mixed company to play up his tall, dark and handsome image. Vexed, Megumi in turn accuses her of summoning him here to complain about this, before clarifying that he always takes it black.

“It’s not like he needs it anyway” Momo chimed in with noticeable bedroom eyes.

“Not that his stick-in-the-mud attitude helps him” Maki countered.

Megumi didn’t know what to feel about these contradictory observations.

Ozawa then asks the two about Yuji’s preferred type. Megumi responds that he mentioned liking tall girls. The discovery proves to be a boon for the girls, most especially Ozawa, as Nobara slams down her phone to call Yuji here since the former has a chance now. In their chat, Nobara orders him to just come here, reasons not that important at the moment.

“Say, Itadori, are you even interested in entering a relationship? Let’s say she confessed to you.” Nobara suddenly asked, startling Yuji.

At first, he was a bit mystified, although he recognized Nobara raised an important point. Most of the students were heavily dubious about the whole affair, since not only is he a Jujutsu sorcerer, but above all...

“... l-let’s see how it goes down first” he suggested, not wanting to rush ahead with his response.

A moment later, the boy arrives to the restaurant carrying groceries, showing surprise at Megumi being here, with his classmates in turn showing surprise at him making it so fast. Soon, Nobara realizes that she kind of shot herself in the foot for not telling him about Yuko Ozawa, fearing he wouldn’t recognize her after changing so dramatically from middle school.

“I’m genuinely beyond impressed you recognized her so easily, brother” told him Todo, “the two of you didn’t even talk for more than half an hour throughout the entirety of your time in middle school.”

“Yeah, I doubt I’d be able to do the same if I were you” Panda contended.

“Could it be you made out a certain cue about her other than her looks?” questioned Kamo.

Yuji turned to the screen and replied with a cheeky smile “Well, you could say that”

“But what could that cue possibly be?” wonders Nobara.

This seems to be proven right when Yuji turns to Yuko and asks who she is, with Nobara hissing internally that this is NOT something anyone wants to hear when reuniting with a loved one for the first time since forever.

Before trying to explain this, however, Yuji turns out to have actually recognized Ozawa, wondering what brings her here. At such display of smoothness, Nobara and Megumi comedically express their approval by pulling up signs with 10 on them.

Most viewers were both shocked, impressed, tickled pink and even briefly lovey-dovey.

“Now THAT’s what I call suave!” Gojo hollered in approval, draping his arm around the exasperated Geto.

Maki, Panda and Megumi acknowledged how badly they underestimated Yuji’s emotional intelligence, the former fixing her glasses with a grin.

“S-so... pure~” Miwa and Momo squeaked in amazement.

“Mufufufu... I wouldn’t be surprised if I were you, because Itadori already knew who it was the moment his eyes landed on her!” Todo proudly revealed, confounding the young Sorcerers even further.

“So it probably is a cue only he could notice... that or Itadori can actually remember faces!” Nobara concluded, “but either way... mad respect!” she wiped her (comedic) joyous tears as she pulled up a 10/10 sign out of nowhere like she did on-screen.

Meanwhile, Yuji nearly combusted at the amount of positive attention he garnered, wondering what he did to deserve it.

A brief flashback is shown. A boy is heard asking Yuji what type of girls he’s into. Middle school-aged Ozawa, who was heftier than now and was nearby, listens to this from a classroom and blushes to herself.

Yuji replies that he has none to think of, so his classmates ask him to pick at least one girl he finds attractive. The boy mentions Ozawa, to the other two’s surprise because of her fatness. Yuji agrees, but also admits that he finds her elegant manners and handwriting to be quite pretty.

“Truly, he is a cut above the rest!” Nobara, Todo, Yuta, Panda, Miwa and Momo dramatically took out handkerchiefs out of nowhere (which came alongside the snacks) to wipe their tears.

 “He’s not my student for nothing!” Gojo also praised while carrying a similar kerchief, whereas the nearby Geto’s left eye twitched, a feeling shared by the rest of the adults. Though he was going to admit, this Yuji Itadori is far more complicated than he ever thought.

While continuing to chat, with one of them reminding Yuji of his original tall, big-butted girl type, to which the latter claims it had nothing to do it, Ozawa heads off and goes down the stairs. Picking up her shoes to exit the school, she sees Yuji approaching and hides behind the stall, monologuing about easy it is for girls to get fat, and how even she woudn’t go for someone who won’t go for her first. Walking outside the school in an idyllic, soft-hued environment, the girl thinks about how Yuji saw sides in her she didn’t even care for, elevating him above all boys she’s ever known.

“Sorry for thinking you were a shallow dunderhead” Nobara apologized to Yuji, who was completely lost at what the hell’s happening, but also felt somewhat insulted.

Still, remembering his school crush on Ozawa from back then warmed his face a little, but also reminded him of his standards, which he never admitted to anyone else. In fact, there’s a lot about himself that he didn’t show to his new friends, and even his all-powerful teacher.

Back to the present, Ozawa is with Yuji, believing she might have a chance now that she conformed to his favorite type. But a part of herself wonders if she’s now behaving and living by the same standards that restricted her, standards she once hated. In her memory, after separating from his friends, Yuji turns behind him and notices Ozawa looking at him.

He cheerfully salutes her, something he repeats in the present, having presumably finished catching up with her.

“Poor girl...” Miwa found herself relating quite a bit to Ozawa.

“Must everyone be so full of themselves so early in life?!” Panda questions on her behalf

“Full of themselves is putting it lightly...” Megumi growled, his experiences in middle school being even worse, while Yuta rubbed the nape of his neck, unpleasant memories of his middle school bubbling at the surface. But none of them let their opinions invalidate Ozawa’s feelings in any way.

“And that’s only scratching the surface.” Mechamaru asserts, aware of the deeper problem behind Ozawa’s ostracisation. His declaration struck a huge chord, it’s because that negativity is the very foundation of the Curses’ existence, and subsequently, their existence as Jujutsu Sorcerers.

Ozawa is shown leaving to take the train, the sun about to set. She was walking slowly, looking as if she’s on the verge of tears, before stopping in front of tracks as a train arrived and the doors opened.

Everyone instantly knew what that implied.

“Y-you let her down–” Miwa was surprised by such conclusion as her features saddened. But when she turned to see Yuji, she was met with a silent, still individual with a shadow obscuring his features, making it hard to discern what he’s feeling at first.

However, when his reaction brought down the whole mood in the room, everyone, including Miwa herself, gradually got an idea behind the reason.

Contrary to what they believe, everytime Yuji saw someone from his past on-screen following his initiation to Jujutsu Tech, there was a certain young man occupying his mind the entire time.

It wasn’t so difficult not to entertain that               thought. That future with Mahito and Junpei Yoshino shook him to the core, which alongside his  new, dangerous career as a Sorcerer, his eventual fate when he consumes all of Ryomen Sukuna’s fingers, but even most of all, Sukuna himself, axed any chances of him even thinking of involving another normal civilian. He can never justify doing such thing in any capacity. This is why everybody near him were secretly relieved that things had to end this way instead.

That being said, even if none of these things happened, Yuji, to his internal dismay, still had trouble envisioning himself still holding a torch for Ozawa. He knew exactly why, but didn’t want to admit it to himself, much less to the others, so he closed the eyes to it.

Meanwhile, Megumi, who was accompanying Nobara while helping carry the groceries, asked if that’s okay, noting that the two could have at least exchanged numbers. Nobara reassures that she exchanged hers with Ozawa, so it’ll be fine.

“You did the correct thing, brother. It’s all for her own good” Todo tried to bolster the noticeably bummed-out Yuji.

“That’s right, Itadori-kun, there’s no need for you to feel ashamed” Yuta also reassured, taking a leaf out of his own troubled social life following his entry to Jujutsu Tech.

“Of course, I was honestly worried you’d do something stupid with that information otherwise” admitted Nobara, showing her secret misgivings about Yuji getting into a relationship.

After a brief moment, the pink-haired boy’s body finally relaxes, and he exhales a sigh, smiling comfortably “Thanks

“But it’s still so heartbreaking that all what Ozawa-san did so that Itadori can notice her was for nothing” Panda pointed out sadly, something everyone, particularly Yuji, was forced to accept.

She also reveals her own feelings regarding this matter: namely, the mere idea of Yuji landing a date before her really irked her.

Most teens and certain adults (i.e Gojo) broke into surprised snickers.

“Ah, so that’s why...” Panda, Maki and Momo made a sound of realization.

“It was jealousy, but of a much different caliber” Mai commented while side-eyeing Nobara.

“Well, hopefully Kugisaki might score soon...” Megumi said in a strangely patronizing way.

“Are you insulting me?!” too bad she noticed it and hounded her dark-haired friend.

Yuji quickly pulled alongside the two with a smiley hello, before questioning what they were talking about when he wasn’t around. The three share some banter as Megumi gives back Yuji his groceries, while Nobara gives him her shopping bags as well. The pink-haired teen soon rushes to catch up with the movie, forcing the girl to run alongside him, before Megumi joins in the jog as well, both repulsed by Yuji’s idea of a movie night, to his chagrin.

In a later, rainier day, Utahime Iori was waiting at a parking location, a solemn look present on her face.

Many who watched this got the impression that things would go south not too longer after, most especially Gojo, Nanami, Geto and, weirdly enough, Mechamaru.

“... Iori-sensei?” her younger students whispered.

Said teacher herself blinked at seeing herself again.

She thinks back to the conversation she had with Gojo long ago about the possibility of a traitor in their ranks, the number of active Cursed Spirits leading him to reach that conclusion, before entrusting Utahime to investigate this matter. From the looks of it, it’s clear she found her answer. When she heard a car arriving, she recognized it and signaled for it.

“Oh... that.” Gojo voiced out, having a weird feeling about the matter.

Geto near him tensed up considerably, remembering all the unpleasant events his former friend recapped to him. If intuition served him right, his imposter might have planted someone within their ranks.

“So there really was a traitor...” said Yuta as he and everyone puckered a brow. However, certain viewers, such as Todo, Kamo, Panda, Utahime, and especially Mechamaru, stiffened. Gojo’s eyes, on the other hand, steeled.

The Tokyo first years were sent to answer her call. She clued them in of the possible traitor Gojo told them about, and that one way to reach the figure to whom the information is passed to is to intercept the informant themself. She tells them of one possible suspect that they’re going to have to interrogate to make sure.

“... b-but, why the Tokyo students? Why not... us...?” Miwa uttered, a sinking feeling in her stomach, which extended to her classmates.

Momo heaved a sigh, that one probability sinking in “... that speaks for itself right about now”.

“You mean it’s... one from Kyoto?!” Yuji slowly articulated as he (like the others) turned to observe them.

“... P-perhaps it’s not really a student, could be a teacher...” Panda nervously raised.

In the meantime, someone was in the middle of an internal freakout despite his apparent stoicism. Well, more of an internal... myriad of turbulent emotions, but panic was chief amongst them.

Mechamaru cursed himself up and down for neglecting that variable so easily when they’re being shown the future, as tons of things were brought to light. He knew right now, it was a matter of seconds before all the precious friendships he worked so long to build crumbled in a moment, particularly the one he spent cultivating with Miwa. That was enought to turn him into stone, taking too long to resign himself to the upcoming reprisal in favor of that one fear, so much that he didn’t notice Todo and Utahime glancing at him. The icing on the cake  is that even if he’s discovered, everyone can and will be able guess his motivations insultingly easily.

Nobara asks if it’s one of Kyoto high, since this is the only probable explanation for her requesting Tokyo students for help, a conclusion Yuji can’t help but be impressed by. However, Utahime is noticeably a bit dismal at Nobara figuring it out, confirming that it is the case. A brief silence later, Utahime unveils the mole’s identity...

... and the scene cuts to Miwa addressing Mechamaru as she entered his work room.

A chilling silence set inside the room, all eyes slowly darting to the direction of one singular figure.

It’s safe to say the Kyoto members were by far the hardest hit by the discovery. While the reveal wasn’t too on-the-nose, it was still graspable, with their reactions being a mix of disbelief, shock, dismay, disappointment, and even denial. While Todo and Mai had a slightly better time accepting it, despite their visible disenchantment, Kamo, Nishimiya, and especially Miwa were thunderstruck, the latter being extremely slow to digest the information, much less acknowledge it. Utahime dragged a palm across her face, bitterly sighing at her fears turning real.

The rest wasn’t as badly affected, more silent about it, but the likes of Yuji, Yuta and Panda were just as distressed by the information as Mechamaru’s own classmates.

“H-huh... why did... why is Mechamaru focused on...?” Miwa stuttered, her eyes locked on the screen, as if she’s still processing it. Some finished doing that quickly, as evidence Kamo shot up from his seat and tackled Mechamaru from behind, grabbing him by the collar. Mechamaru’s artificial eyes met Kamo’s enraged, yet hurt ones.

“The hell, Muta!? WHAT. THE HELL!?" shouted Kamo at his him, his grip trembling. Soon, the other students stood up in worry, not liking where is this heading.

"Hey, Kamo...!" Todo came up to him and tried to at least stop him from getting violent, but the Blood Manipulator still continued.

"Tell me if it's just a fluke or that Iori-sensei was just mistaken! Just... because if it truly is... then y-you... all this time...!" He got less mad and more frantic with every word he let out, unable to bring himself to actually whale on his underclassman despite the latter's treachery.

“P-please stop, Senpai! Hold on...!” Miwa got in between the two, “W-what makes you think it’s Mechamaru?! What makes ALL of you jump to this s-so quickly?!” she addressed, devastated at seeing her friends actually buying into this. “Todo-senpai... Mai-chan...” she glanced at them only to be met with their detached yet still bewildered faces, Todo himself not knowing what to say to Miwa as he looked to the ground. “K-Kamo-senpai...?” she turned to him, but he was beyond resolute on beating answers out of Mechamaru, Miwa’s pleads leaving him unable to even look her in the eye “Nishimiya-senpai..”, but the blond, twin-tailed girl also avoiding eye contact with her.

“E-everyone...” Miwa never felt so alone fighting a battle she knew was beyond winning, so her eyes darted to her teacher, Utahime, as a last resort. Only, there was absolutely little warmth or even wavering in her look, compared to her on-screen self. The scarred woman, who was standing up, shot a strict gaze at her, but one that all but implored her to bow out, and let the ones with more authority handle this. Miwa’s eyes continued to scurry across everyone in the room, but, with the exception of the conflicted Yuji and Panda, their harsh glares meant personal business, greatly rattling her.

“... Mechamaru, is... this true...?” after what felt like forever, Miwa finally asked the boy himself.

Unsurprisingly, Mechamaru, or rather Kokichi Muta, didn’t put any form of resistance, and in fact, was all too willing to let nature take its course as the adults zeroed in on him, waiting for a response

“That’s right, Miwa” he said, “What Iori-sensei found out is all too true.”

The girl soon fell to pieces, reality finally sinking in within her as she stared off to the distance, words leaving her. Nishimiya came up behind Miwa and helped her up when she stumbled on her step a bit, and with Todo’s help, they put her back to her seat.

The teachers looked amongst themselves, before nodding. If what the Messenger told them was accurate, certain special abilities are dispelled functioning in this dimension, which includes Binding Vows, meaning their rules and possible effects cease working altogether. This ensures that interrogating Muta later would be non-issue, in this case.

She sees that he’s here, and tells him that it’s about time he turned in his notebook. Approaching him, she wonders if he’s even listening. Mechamaru voices out that he wants to sleep for a bit, so she can take the notebook on his desk. Miwa points out it’s only evening, and when he seemingly dozes off, she pouts before poking him on his (artificial) head with her index, only to realize that he’s indeed asleep, while wondering where his real body is.

When the dust settled to some extent, the viewers began to discern the situation more objectively after the initial outbreak. Gojo made himself visible as he got to his feet, bringing all attention to him

“So let’s get this straight: Mechamaru, aka Kokichi Muta, was the mole, and he answered to none other than the Disaster Curses and...” he gulps as he takes notice of the man beside him, before clearing his throat “... Fake Suguru Geto. Correct?” he addresses the automated clone, who affirms all allegations with silence.

Yaga was the one to continue “You helped leak information about Jujutsu Sorcerers from both Tokyo and Kyoto, namely about their techniques, strengths and weaknesses, which you probably achieved by leveraging your Cursed Technique, using the multiple puppets and bots you constructed to survey them in secret. I believe this is what happened?”.

Mechamaru, again, was silent.

“... And it’s feasible to assume it was a deal between you and them of some sort” spoke Utahime, “from what was shown during this viewing, and from general observations about you, we have a reason to believe that you accepted this pact because of one benefit: which is to gain a healthier physique.”

This time, a slight flinch could be felt from the automation, as odd as that seemed.

Yuji got up and protested, having a strange feeling about Utahime’s last words “But, what if he was forced to do this!?”

Yuta did the same, “Yeah, What if they knew about that desire and manipulated him into a Binding Vow so that can help him fulfill it?!”

“You’re correct, and in fact, we thought about this.” Answers Nanami, “but this could mean a lot of things, as we don't know when did Fake Suguru Geto start becoming involved against us enough to get his hands on the students, much less glean so much information on them. The viewing will probably show it though."

As a result of pressure, Mechamaru makes up his mind to part way with his classmates, and everyone on the front row, in favor of sitting at the back end.

"Either way, we'll decide on his punishment later depending on the stakes involved" finished Utahime as she watched her student closely leaving to the back.

Mechamaru was only two rows away from Gojo and Geto, who glanced at him before turning their gaze back at the screen. The latter was now quite invested in this, added with perturbation over who Mechamaru worked with, and their endgame for Satoru.

"If only you disposed of me..."

Cutting back to Utahime and the rest, who takes them to the school building’s basement, where Kokichi Muta’s body is. She reminds the students that it’s more about everyone else being in the clean compared to Kokichi, leaving him as the suspect by process of elimination. Yuji opens the door to the basement, showing a long corridor that the four walk through. Utahime explains Mechamaru’s Cursed Technique being related to puppetry, which due to his Heavenly Restriction, is powerful enough that its range can extend throughout the whole country. The amount of puppets he has on his disposal makes it easy for him to leak information whenever he wanted, revealing to Yuji that said puppets can be of any size or shape he wishes.

While seemingly inside his personal room, the bandaged, tubed up Kokichi hears the noise and declares that they’ve arrived.

Some viewers tensed up, not many were able to get used to the poor state of Kokichi’s true body. Miwa’s eyes moistened in response.

However, most of them, especially those closest to him, doubted he could let himself be caught off guard so easily.

A noticeably hesitant Utahime turns the doorknob to open the door, in doing so, putting Kokichi on guard.

Or so it seems.

Yuji and the others see that the whole room is deserted save for a single chair.

“Shit” hissed Megumi, “he really did anticipate this”.

“Meaning he now knows they’re on to him” Nanami concludes.

Utahime is taken aback, thinking Mechamaru knew it and got them. Megumi and Nobara take it as an open confirmation that he was the traitor after all.

The Kyoto students have a lot of mixed feelings about the honest confirmation, as if even Mechamaru’s words held little weight to them, no matter how nonsensical this conclusion was.

A mentally wrought Miwa snuggled next to Mai, who reciprocated it, amusingly enough.

Meanwhile, Mechamaru addresses his actual visitors, the Fake Suguru Geto and Mahito, about how they found him.

Seeing the duo after so long, everybody was on high alert, with Yuji’s face immediately contorting to barely controlled fury at seeing his most reviled adversary once again. Clearly, screwing with him and Junpei will never be enough for him. That anger soon spread over to the rest of the teens, not just because of the crap he pulled on Yuji and Nanami, but also for going after Mechamaru. The awareness that their friend’s situation was eerily similar to that of Junpei Yoshino’s fanned the flames, with Todo, Nishimiya, Kamo and particularly Miwa now glaring daggers at the Human Curse.

Gojo frowned as his eyes bore into the impostor, before instantly glancing at Geto next to him. His reaction couldn’t have been more predictable.

It was this downright creepy, dreamlike moment on-screen that Geto concluded that now matter how outlandish the situation he was in, or how many times he’s been told about this person that stole his body, it all paled in comparison to actually seeing it with his own eyes. That was definitely him, or rather his body, no question about it, still dressed in the same garments he had on when he got done in. It would look as if the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons never happened if not for the stitches on that... figure’s forehead, giving the impression of having recovered from the killing blow somehow. But that’s beside the point, namely, he didn’t even know what to think of this development. Getting mad about his body being seized would be tone-deaf considering how many lives he took for a decade on, so he had no right to do so. No, what truly paralyzed him in place was the fates of his followers. Gojo did inform him that they're still alive and went their separate ways, but he suspects they never truly let go of him, most notably the girls he adopted, Mimiko and Nanako.

When this is over, he was going to find a way to get in touch with them, his current fragile existence be damned. And also settle a score with that damned impostor.

Fake Geto reminds Mechamaru that can’t possibly make a mistake in that regard, due to the nature of the pact he’s under. Mahito complains about the moldy smell in the room.

The patchwork Curse proposes that they get rid of Mechamaru, since they’re on different sides of the conflict. Geto talks him out of it, since he agreed to cooperate with them to supply them with information, in return for gaining a normal, healthy body with the help of Idle Transfiguration, as per the Binding Vow he set up.

“Agreed?!” Kamo exclaimed as he turned to glower at Mechamaru, the rest of Kyoto students visibly deflating in disillusionment at the reveal, except for Miwa, who refused to lose hope in Muta despite all odds, crumpling up her trousers with her fists.

“So he did approach them on his own after all...” Maki scowled.

However, a few believed held unto hope like Miwa, since the presence of a Binding Vow means that Mechamaru must have placed a set of rules, and they’ve yet to know of them.

He caps it off by telling Mahito that he’s free to kill him once the transaction is finished.

Miwa gasped, before glaring fearfully at the impostor, her grip getting stronger.

Many who heard this declaration wondered, a bit anxiously, if Mechamaru will make it when he’s done with the deal. His teacher, and the rest of the adolescents, didn’t want to think about it, least of all Miwa herself. His betrayal was painful enough, but he didn’t have it in themselves to actually want him dead.

Mechamaru, on the other hand, wasn’t particularly moved regarding that prospect. Sure, his friends would be devastated and he’ll never be able to tell Miwa about his feelings, but he doubted about that outcome when he sold them out so shamelessly for his own self-centred ends. He mused on whether it was even worth the pain he gave them.

Kokichi spat that they broke it already when they attacked Tokyo and Kyoto schools during the Freewill Event despite the Vow commanding them not to, something that Mahito blames on Hanami.

The Kyoto students gaped, taken aback, while Utahime and Todo blinked.

A little bit of life returned to Miwa’s eyes when she heard it, as she tried to push herself off Mai’s shoulder “s-so, Mechamaru still wanted to protect us after all?!”, she wiped a tear from her eye, feeling a little bit at ease knowing he still valued them.

Even the Tokyo students and teachers, as well as Geto, were surprised by such gesture, though they were unsure if the rule included them, considering Mahito’s actions before the Freewill Events. Yuji and Panda couldn’t help but sigh a little in relief.

Kokichi declines wanting to get into any debate with Cursed Spirits, before rudely ordering Mahito to fix him up.

“Yeesh, quite the unexpected mouth on him!” commented Gojo,

“As he should” Yuji and Nobara vocally approved, though.

Mahito grins to himself as he toys with the idea of turning Kokichi into a caterpillar, but Fake Geto warns him against it, notifying him about the possible penalty associated Vows forged with others compared to those made by oneself. The blue-haired Curse gets discouraged the further the other man explains, before finally giving up and agreeing to fulfilling his part of the deal.

“Tch, manbaby” Momo spat.

“I find the idea of that being the culmination of humanity’s collective truth ludicrous yet somehow very believable” Megumi remarked, to much favourable nods.

He approaches Kokichi to heal him with his Idle Transfiguration, claiming that vermin like him should be grateful. The technique takes effect, the teen’s body glowing as the bandages around him get loosened up, and when Mahito’s done, all blemishes are gone in thin air, to the point Kokichi frees himself from the tubes injected upon him.

Staggering forward as he slowly regains his full consciousness, Kokichi’s true form is revealed to be that of a youthful, handsome, toned boy with black hair tied up in a short, upturned ponytail and a scar across his cheek. Testing his now functional body parts, he can’t help but be overcome with wonder.

Mechamaru sucked in a sharp inhale (despite communicating from a puppet) at witnessing his dream finally coming true, consequences be damned. It was just like Gojo’s defeat the earlier day, the whole thing being too unreal for him to even properly appreciate. From his residual true body, he could somehow feel his eyes dewing and body tremble, the still picture of him as an ordinary, healthy young Sorcerer engraved in the back of his mind. Given that he drenched his hands in so much blood (not just Junpai Yoshino's), he, again, asked himself if he even deserved it. Or maybe it was just a typical consequence of wanting compared to actually having.

When Kokichi Muta’s healed, ideal form was displayed, the sense of marvel increased, the likes of Gojo, Shoko, Nanami, Yuta and Yuji even bending forward to confirm that yes, Muta’s body was reconstructed perfectly, all for their own individual reasons, ranging from interest by a practiced physician specializing in Reverse Cursed Technique, curiosity from two Special Grade Sorcerers who also use RCT, to the blonde ex-salaryman and first-year Sorcerer who actually witnessed Idle Transfiguration’s healing proprieties first-hand, all five comparing notes. Though in the latter’s case, this just served to incense him, memories of Mahito disfiguring Junpei and Sukuna declining to heal him rearing their ugly heads.

Geto was concentrating on the scene, very curious about the Disaster Curse despite himself, as he ponders on whether he could gain that Technique had he, hypothetically speaking, succeeded in absorbing him.

But mostly, the Kyoto group was shocked at actually seeing Mechamaru’s human body in its entirety, having gotten too used to his automata or his sickly, crippled, bandaged self, so it was hard to familiarize with the sight.

Though it didn’t come anywhere close to covering Miwa’s response; the girl’s face heating up as her eyes are blown wide at the healed Muta. Since he was stark naked save for bandages, his torso visible, she felt steam pouring out of her head from the flushing, forcing her to cover her face in mortification. Somehow, it was enough for her to momentarily overlook Muta’s crime. Too bad Momo, Mai and Todo noticed, reacting with incredulity.

“Uh, Miwa?” addressed a deadpan Mai, “do you even know what the heck you’re doing?”

But Miwa just wanted to be in this moment just this once and forget everything, as she set her hands aside, showing her beaming, flushed pink face “Yeah, and I want this to last forever~”

“NOOO KASUMI! DON’T YOU TODO ALL OVER ME!!” Momo shrieked, whimpering in the last part as she shook the girl violently like a ragdoll, to say nothing of Momo’s remark comically piercing Todo through the gut. But Miwa was still ogling. Kamo and Mai seemed embarrassed to have even known Miwa right now, while the isolated Mechamaru was just... lost, as if his puppet’s processing system rebooted or something.

Utahime was seen facepalming, though she didn’t blame Miwa one bit, surmising that her students desperately needed a break from this.

“Oi Utahime, leave her in her little space for a bit, would ya!” Gojo exclaimed from afar at the miko, giving her further stress.

But the rest were either perplexed, or, like Nobara and Panda, have gotten cheeky at learning that Miwa did have feelings for Muta after all.

Mahito walks back with a huff, telling Kokichi that he ought to celebrate more than this. The latter answers that he’ll do that after he’s done here.

The slightly hopeful mood vanished the instant they recalled Mahito and his threat on Muta’s life.

“He needs to leave, now that he can move!” Yuji gritted out, knowing damn well where this is going.

“... Oh... n-no... Mechamaru, get out of there!!” Miwa yelled at his on-screen self.

“After you’re done..? Bastard, don’t tell me he’s planning on fighting him?!” Kamo angrily questioned, still worried for Muta’s wellbeing despite everything.

“But maybe his recovered body, along with his Heavenly Restriction, might grant him more of an advantage” Yuta reminded them.

“Yeah, and to top it off, there’s no way he didn’t prepare contigencies in case the Vow was complete” added Panda.

“In any case, I wanna see how he fares now that he has best of both worlds” declared Todo. The viewers decided to watch on silently to observe such results.

Mechamaru, or Muta, on the other hand, was not too sure, despite the amount of information he has on Mahito.

The grey-haired Special Grade Curse concurs, aware of what Kokichi is thinking right now as he readies himself in a battle stance, his left hand coated in Energy.

Kokichi does the same, invoking the large number of Mechamaru puppets he has in disposal, which he sends to ambush Mahito. The Curse is confident he alone can deal with, in his own words, his toy.

“Please make it out alive, so you can return to them.” Yuji anxiously thought, Muta being Mahito’s target leaving him in unease.

He puts up a good fight against the puppets, only using his bare hands mixed with his shapeshifting abilities before wrecking them all in one swoop with an enlarged fist. However, he notices that Kokichi is nowhere to be found after he’s done. Mahito grumbles that Kokichi doesn’t owe them a fight, disappointing him.

Sighs of reprieve were heard, from Miwa especially, believing Kokichi did decide escape after all. But his classmates were unconvinced.

Only to be blindsided by the ground underneath crumbling, a surge of Cursed Energy emerging up at full force enough to destroy the entire building they were in. Mahito, who was sent flying, lands on the nearby dam. Taking a good look at the new arrival rising from the waters, Mahito cackles that this more like it.

Many gasped, bewildered at just what on earth has Muta possibly cooked up.

“... nevermind” Mai muttered to herself, the anxiety shooting up once again, with Miwa clasping her hands over her head.

“Whoah! That’s some crazy-ass amount of energy!!” Yuji exclaimed.

“I second that!” Nobara agreed.

“Well, he didn’t get himself into this half-baked, I’ll give him that” Gojo commented, already helping himself to popcorn.

“Heh, so that’s what you decided to step up your game with, Muta?” Todo smirks to himself, recognizing the source of the power blast.

“D’ya know what that is?” Yuji asked Todo once he heard him.

“You’ll see.”

The source of power turns out to be, astoundingly enough, an enormous, silver-coated, EVA-shaped Mechamaru suit.

.....

Okay, as Jujutsu Sorcerers, they’ve seen stuff just as weird or even weirder, but...

The adults stared, their eyeballs close to popping out of their sockets despite their apparently calm demeanors. Gojo and Yaga’s sunglasses even fell off the bridge of their noses as they took a better look at Mechamaru’s secret weapon. Even Geto, whose mind was elsewhere, was hooked on the sight of the mecha, part of him amazed at the puppeteer’s engineering abilities, even more when it was clearly inspired by something.

But the students were so much worse. The Kyoto group were admittedly aware that Mechamaru was in the process of creating the ultimate invention, which he claimed was still in development. Of course, it’s clear it was finished long ago, factoring to their sheer astonishment at learning what it was actually like.

“Ah, so he did finish the whole series...” Kamo, Todo, Mai and Momo thought amongst themselves.

As for the Tokyo students...

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” said Nobara, who was watching blankly.

“Yes” affirmed Megumi.

“Are you absolutely sure you know what you’re seeing” said a wide-eyed Miwa too.

“Yes” Yuta and Panda replied.

“What in the name of everything that’s holy...?” muttered Maki.

“ ‘Cause dude just done built a motherfucking MECHA SUIT!!” Shouted out Nobara, on the verge of losing her marbles as her eyes glinted

“And NOT any mecha suit! He built a freakin’ EVA UNIT!!” Hollered Yuji, his eyes shining too.

“And Evangelion Unit-02 at that!” Miwa from behind stridently added.

“Oh... my god...” Yuji tried to contain himself from exploding into stars and confetti, or just jumping at the solitary Mechamaru for its location. “Forget about no Rasengan, Zanpakuto, One for All, Spirit Gun... there’s a real, true to life Evangelion Unit out there I’m not aware of, and it functions. I-I can’t be trusted with this information you guys...”

Yuta, however, stared at the mecha, scary recollections of when Rika forced him to watch that show with her as kids emerging full force, causing him to fidget slightly. Honestly, the EVAs just seemed to be mechanical versions of Curses to him in retrospect.

“Interesting, didn’t you say you didn’t understand anything from Neon Genesis Evangelion save for that Katsuragi chick” Gojo at the back made sure to tell Yuji. His classmates shot him an unamused stare.

“I thought you gave away those DVDs I gifted you ‘cause you found the show too creepy” Kamo similarly questioned Miwa.

“Oh I do now” Yuji and Miwa made up their mind, both shooting thrilled glances at Mechamaru in the back, who shrank back in comical worry.

“Did they just forget everything after he made a mecha?!!” was the current widespread question.

Mahito is kind of amazed Kokichi was building something like that in secret, showing that he didn’t waste his previous shut-in status. He guesses that Kokichi is hiding within the cockpit, preventing the Curse from touching him, almost as if he put it up specifically as a counter against him.

At the center of the mecha, Kokichi at his designated seat, surrounded by advanced machinery and settings worthy of a Gundam or Evangelion. He discovers that Geto lowered a Veil as he divulged his trump card, cutting him off from reaching others. Knowing he won’t be able to bypass this problem like Satoru Gojo did way back in the Freewill Events, he decided to use any means he can find to get in touch with Gojo and inform him about the Shibuya plot, so he can gain protection.

“A-a-and a cockpit too...?!” Yuji, Yuta, Nobara and Miwa stumbled over their own words.

“Man, that’s advanced as hell” Gojo spoke up in approval. Megumi, Geto, Yaga, Nanami and especially Utahime were having a headache at this entire situation.

“That’d take decades to build and perfect, but you did it in mere years! Not like I’ll let everything else slide, but well done, Muta” complimented Todo.

"I wouldn't be so excited about this if I were you. I mean, did you guys forget what happened to Unit-" Gojo was about to give them, in his words, a dose of reality, only for Geto to smack him down his head, to the shock of the onlookers, since he deactivated his Infinity around him. He only beat the students and a few teachers to it, though.

“And how you all forgotten Mechamaru is now fighting to SURVIVE??!” Utahime loudly, and angrily interjected as well.

They all quickly got the memo and turned to focus on the current issue instead. It’s clear the farce was partly a subconscious attempt to drown out the unbearable stress that accumulated inside the room since Muta was exposed, but even they agreed enough is enough.

Now thoughts were centered on how the puppeteer will be able to overcome a powerful Disaster Curse such as Mahito or even the Veil if he wants to escape, namely due to the latter living through a ludicrous amount of punishment, including a point-blank attack by Sukuna.

Miwa was now on edge, just like her friends, as she kept on watching.

Manipulating the mecha with his Technique, the ponytailed Sorcerer notes that even putting Geto and the veil aside, Mahito is the central danger in here, so he has to exorcize him first.

From the screens, he witnesses Fake Geto lackaidisically gesturing at him to go ahead and not mind him. Even when recognizing this drawback, he decides to take all available chances to win. On cue, the rest of the screens around him light up, showing recordings of previous battles that have taken place, including Sukuna’s manifestation, Yuji’s first confrontation against Mahito, and the Freewill Events.

“You’ve been watching us over... all this time?” whispering Yuji, stunned at seeing the cursed womb debacle, his possession and death at Sukuna’s hands, fight against Mahito, and the Freewill events having been recorded. The viewers had their own expressions of shock, not to mention a bit of paranoia, at the display as well, especially Megumi and Nanami.

“Well, that’s one clever usage of his puppets” Maki mentioned.

“More like terrifying!” Nobara shivers.

“That must mean he assembled enough Energy to go for a whole day” Muta’s classmates surmised.

With all the energy and information he amassed all years he lived, he was fully willing to give it his all. This is accentuated by Miwa coming into view in his mind, seemingly as encouragement.

Miwa was slack-jawed, a blush spreading over her face and ears, before shaking her head to cool down a little bit. She found it hard to believe, because if she, in particular, appeared to him, this can only mean one thing...

Her classmates and the Tokyo students took note of this and gazed at the embarrassed Miwa. Usually, in such situation, especially when reciprocation has been confirmed, they’d tease her to death or offer her whackjob romantic advice. However, previous events made the idea of it more touchy than they’d admit.

“Todo” the older, well-built Kyoto sorcerer turned to see Kamo, who whispers “level with us here, does Muta have any chances of winning this fight, or even making it out alive?” with the other students leaning in to listen.

Sighing, he tried to explain "There's no denying the amount of power he accumulated, as well as his near-infinite of pools Cursed Energy that's equal to Gojo himself. Mahito is a constantly evolving Curse, able to improve on his flaws and adapt during a confrontation, and he didn't even reach his true essence. If I were being frank, if nothing Muta has in disposal throws at him, which spans 17 batteries, can bring him down, he'll have to throw in the towel".

The Kyoto students were a bit let down as they let Todo's analysis sink in, but Mechamaru was actually interested in seeing how he'll perform.

He consumes up one year’s worth of Energy to charge up a devastating wave motion blast from the palm of his strongest creation, Ultimate Mechamaru, potent enough to annihilate the dam in one shot, aimed towards Mahito.

The tension was on an all-high as Muta made the first move, everyone grabbing on to their seats.

Kokichi Muta: ULTRA CANNON!!

But, when it seemed to be continuing, the screen suddenly froze at that very moment, confounding everyone present. Normally, it’d turn black.

“Uh, did it glitch?” Nobara wondered.

Until suddenly, a notification from all their phones flared again.

Shaking off the sensation of an upcoming, gigantic migraine, the viewers just pulled up to see, and they creased their brow when it turned out to be the timer from before having just hit zero (00:00:00)

Achievement: Pride

“What is this now!?” Utahime snapped.

“ A new viewer?” Yuta thought in concern.

Everyone groaned. They barely managed to deal with Suguru Geto here, who could possibly be next?

“Hopefully it’s not a walking corpse as well” Gojo answered just as carefreely as always while scratching the back of his head, with Geto giving him the stink-eye in response.

“That ain’t funny, dumb blindfold!” complained Maki.

A minute passed by, yet worryingly, there’s no sign of any novel presence, unlike before. Everyone was exchanging glances.

Geto, meanwhile, has been staring at the notification on Gojo’s phone for longer than normal, his eyes lost in that one specific word, Pride.

“Y’know what, I’ll go see who it is!” Yuji said as he ran through the stairs.

“Hold up!” a frantic Nobara ran to follow him

... but before they could reach that door, it suddenly goes flying, breaking into three pieces against the opposing wall.

Everyone halted in place, either readying themselves for a fight, to activate their Techniques or already holding on to a weapon at their disposal. Thing is, there’s something about this new presence that’s absolutely off compared to earlier.

It’s almost as if no one was there, despite plenty of evidence (read: broken door) otherwise.

No energy could be felt whatsoever, compared to Geto.

What could’ve been another arrival that they ought to get used to instead crashed a wave of terror, absolutely no one, even Mechamaru, who was the nearest to the door, daring to move a single inch.

Gojo was thrown back yet again to that headspace, the one he’s grown to hate so much ever since he got stuck in here. Biting down his lip, he checked on Suguru, but now he wished he didn’t.

Because it’s been nearly a decade since he saw his once friend this... homicidal. Not even in his days as a Curse User he was glimpsed upon such dark, nearly explosive aura, threatening to boil over and melt down this entire place.

The new intruder made themselves inside the room, with a walk that had little care about the world in it, yet had a sense of feeling unfamiliar and endangered about it.

Viewers now got an even better look than before at the individual, and... well, they could feel themselves in Gojo and Geto’s shoes. Twelve years ago, to be exact.

“... the hell’s this place?!”

Drawled out the deep, sonorous voice of the tall, muscular, raven-haired, green-eyed, black-clad visitor.

... after a minute of silence, which the guest played along with.

“WHAT THE FUCK’S EVEN GOING OOOOOOOOOOON?!?!?!?”

To be continued

Notes:

Hope i hit the mark, 'cause i got too anxious about my writing these days.
Wanna know your opinions about the interactions and characters.
Also I don't actually like to write too much words, but well [insert Kermit's dark self ordering him to "do it"] intrusive thoughts.
As for Geto, I hope i gave him enough lines, 'cuz if u think he didn't participate enough in the watching, it's because he's still getting used to his unfamiliar environment and shocking developments (including his resurrection, which i'll explain in the next chapter, alongside that of the newest guest's😈) and just so you know, there are tons of reasons i decided to introduce Geto, which have nothing to do with fanservice (but it is kinda influenced by it) and the same goes for the upcoming characters.
Have a nice day😼👍

Chapter 2: Evening Festival

Notes:

Hope you enjoy, but I swear won't write flowery nonsense again. my wrist hurts
WARNING: professional child support dodger (no ongoing maltreatment to Megumi, thankfully, but Gojo and Geto are a different story...), Mechamaru. (maybe too much fluff overdose after angst), and... someone else

Life never ceased to be hilariously strange for a certain Zenin-descended monkey.

Him not developing any Technique was one thing, receiving the ability to slaughter through anyone whenever he fancied in return was another. Someone like him finding love was also one thing, but he was already soured to the idea when it didn’t last longer than three years, so after being burned out by incomprehensible notions of power as well as love, he turned to money instead. It was simple, formed the foundation for civilization as everyone knew it, and didn’t really come with any upshots more significant than the amount or dearth of it.

But another thing was his initially grand job, with one of his biggest prizes yet (and greatest kills he could claim), blowing up in his face spectacularly, ending with him losing half of his stomach as penalty for forgoing the only one thing he valued.

Or... did that happen? It’s just, to the man, the memory was too hazy and bizarre, almost as if he daydreamed it up.

But that’s not the impression Toji got when suddenly, he blinked and found himself in the middle of a strange, narrow hallway. The place was an odd mix of modern and traditional, rather reminiscent of the Star Tomb’s innerways. As if he were swimming in a sublime, serene dream and got woken up so rudely, the subsequent hypnopompia induced a splitting migraine all of a sudden, the memories of that dream gtting jumbled up before just fading to black.

Yet that’s hardly important next to his senses picking up noise echoing across the corridors. Several of them, in fact, as if there were multiple people, but most especially what he perceived to be some sort of audio mixed with, creating a cacophony that’s more fitting of a theatre.

Naturally, Toji let his instincts guide him as he sprinted straight to the location of the racket, cursing the annoyingly long and vertigo-inducing lobby. The closer he got, the faster he went. And along the way, the migraine got worse, interpersed with images of his bloodied hand

And eventually, upon arriving at the source, behind a steel door, the heightened adrenaline from the course as well as festering memories of his demise didn’t leave much chances for an attempt to just knock or swing it, so that door went flying off its hinges with a roundhouse kick.

From the corner of his eyes, he could make out a giant screen on the left, and a group of people in front of it.

“... the hell’s this place?!”

Catching his breath (not from the run, exactly, but from the pain and confusion of it all), Toji’s eyes darted over everyone inside the room. And boy, did that headache get worse.

Nevermind the group of kids who are very obviously training Jujutsu Sorcerers from their uniforms (Also, was that an actual panda?!? Huh?), and especially forget about that Gojo brat somehow in the middle of them, looking creepily hale and healthy, as if the Spear of Heaven didn’t tear him apart and stab him in the head, as if he didn’t lose his marbles forcing himself back to life with Reverse Cursed Technqiue, or his Curse Manipulator friend who was in the exact same boat. As if...

Suddenly, his vision landed on one figure that stood out amongst the rest to him. When the two locked eyes, the older Fushiguro’s disorder seems to have slightly subsided, but not in a soothed sort of way; rather, he looks as pale as a ghost, unable to conceive what he just came across. He might’ve been frantic earlier, but he was still kind of focused, now, nothing made sense at all, raising further questions

It was like traveling back in time and running into his younger, adolescent self, if he didn’t have a gash on his lip, or had a messy haircut. Speaking of which, the hair, as well as certian subtle features and complexion, weren’t lost on him. They weren’t exactly his, but he could do a lot better without remembering where they came from. He was so absorbed by the view that the other boy got visibly uncomfortable, and he failed to notice an assault on him...

Meanwhile,  the students were struggling not to blow a fuse at this new, terrible joke the host decided to play on them, except for a few surprisingly interested and excited ones (even if they tried to hide it, in the case of Maki and Todo), with Yuji in particular being one of the worst off in this regard.

“WHAT THE FUCK’S EVEN GOING OOOOOOOOOON?!?!?” but mercifully he screamed out inside his head instead, holding his temples as his face bit by bit twisted to comical terror

Turning to his other male classmate, Yuji was concerned, but not exactly shocked. Megumi, who seemed as if life was slowly being sucked out of him as he stood stiffly, his mouth hung open and eyes blown out wide. The scene went on slower than he liked in his perception, as that man slowly turned to look at him. In that brief second, it was as if millions of possibilities played in his head with him now seemingly alive. But he absolutely hated this. He thought he left all that spot of bother far behind him, but clearly fate (or the messenger, in this case) had other plans. However, one thing that’s certain is that this session is going to be an absolute pain in the rear now. Yuji and Nobara were aware of this, and inched themselves closer to Megumi in preparation for anything going wrong here.

And then there was Geto.

No matter how peculiar the situation and state he landed in here was, no matter how throbbing the pain of having his memories tampered with, or having to stand in close proximity with his once-dear friends and the younger generation, he still carried on and strove to live up to the end of the contract with the entity that summoned him, and maybe hopefully reconnect with everyone, even if for less than a month. All the time in the world sufficed. But then, after... this, he was left wondering if the messenger just tried to make his brief respite harder.

Forget about making it harder, the root of everything that went horribly wrong in his life, as well as the lives of his acquaintances and (even if he finds it difficult to admit) ordinary humans was standing right there. The part of him that wanted things to go back the way they were, back when he was equal with Satoru, back when he was content being a cog, overrode his rational senses and didn’t hesitate to go for the kill.

Taking advantage of the chaotic situation, Geto immediately tried to whip out one of the spirits up his sleeve, seeming as if he’s too willing to bring out even Uzumaki. Gojo noticed this, and moved instantly to stop him...

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!”

Too bad Yuji's earlier efforts were all for naught, as he got beat by a certain blue-haired New Shadow Style user, the whole tension from the upcoming confrontation torn through like wet paper.

Her shrill scream reverberated across the entire box dimension, and was powerful enough to affect the ears of everyone present, and in the case of the two Heavenly Restricted two, almost burst their eardrums to the point of having to clutch their heads in pain.

One would think that if Cursed Speech was employed alongside it, it'd probably be more than enough to pierce through Gojo's Infinity, or hell, knock him out in one go. Screw it, maybe even break this dimension apart.

Mechamaru, despite not moving out of his place (not even for the new guest), was close to do so upon hearing Miwa out of instinct as he jerked up and looked behind him. But it wasn't nearly as grave as it seemed.

Recovering from the sudden onslaught, Momo took her hands our of her ears in disbelief "Kasumi what was THAT?!"

She turned to the girl in question, who was sprawled on top of Todo's arms, having tumbled back and collapsed like a (almost literal) piece of paper on her Senpai.

"Uh... uhhh" not a single thought ran in her head.

"Whelp, seems like Miwa finally unraveled" Todo shrugged, the girl in his arms reaching the point of giving up her spirit.

But he, well as Mechamaru, and the rest of the Sorcerers, fully realized that it was the stress building up from the recent devastating reveals and the possibility of witnessing Mechamaru’s impending (and probably fatal) confrontation against the most powerful and savage Cursed Spirit ever conceived that crashed down, only faciliated by the Sorcerer Killer’s unexpected arrival.

"Unravel, huh?" Mai repeated as she snapped her fingers at her, "Ayyoo? You still there?" But the girl was unresponsive.

"How's she even still alive?!" Nobara wondered as she inspected paper-Miwa.

"She's just that lucky, I think" Kamo answered.

"She’ll need way more than that at this rate" Panda said as he shook his head.

However, the shriek also roused Geto's memory about a certain voice Technique deployed against him as he last remembers, slightly unnerving him as he ceased trying to attack Toji.

"Sheesh, guess someone finally broke your scream queen streak, Utahime" Gojo teased the Miko, but didn't even muster the strength to do more than groaning tiredly, burnt out from the sudden pause, as the nearby Shoko giggled, adding to Utahime's misery further.

"OI!" But an enraged voice, once again, interrupted through the brief interval "as amazingly weird this whole shitshow is, I know for damn sure this ain't a Domain, so..." he threatened, his stance raw and bestial as he aimed his sight at one man in particular "Care to explain where the hell's this and why're ya sober now, Satoru Gojo?!"

Once again, the other guests were on guard, especially Geto and Megumi, both for drastically different reasons. The latter boy was flanked by his two classmates, Yuji and Nobara.

But Gojo was still as composed as ever, leisurely walking up to Toji, who took one step back in caution, instinctively holding the left side of his stomach, but still holding his ground. Though now that he was closer to him, he could notice the other man was actually a bit taller and more well-built than he remembers, his facial features slightly more chiseled and mature. Also, his other friend’s hair was longer

“Not gonna lie, I maybe thirty percent predicted you’d end up here after he did, but still...” though in the overall air was a sense of apprehensiveness, as if his presence was just as affecting to him as Geto’s, “I know you wanna beat some answers out of most here, so I’ll just cut to the chase. We’re currently in the process of seeing our future, summoned here thanks to a teleportation-rigged letter that may be a weird Cursed Tool whose sender we’ve no information about, also might be the .”

Toji went silent, his stance a bit less rigid, but also rather limp. What kind of tool is even that?! Is this even real? But his senses didn’t pick up anything that contradicted the statement.

 “Here’s the thing” he proceeded to shine light on the timeline, “... you’re dead, I killed you twelve years ago.” Pointing at Toji’s left torso “... I blew a hole in your stomach. Afterwards, I gained custody of your son Megumi and stepdaughter Tsumiki. Thanks to you, I rose to the top of the world, and I’m now a teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu Tech. Suguru here was driven to become a crazy cult leader Curse user no thanks to you and nearly annihilated Tokyo last year before my student, Yuta Okkotsu here, defeated him. He’s a Special Grade Sorcerer now and is able to control a Cursed Spirit powerful beyond any stretch of imagination that happens to be his dead childhood friend, AND he’s my distant relative even if he’s not a Gojo by name. And by the way, he got the help of your junior counterpart, it’s your cousin if you still remember her, Maki Zenin” he turned to the direction of the bespectacled girl in a ponytail, who was staring agape at Toji, as if she’s blown away by his aura, “...And to make things worse, this one kid here, Yuji Itadori, ate one of Ryomen Sukuna’s fingers while trying to save your son Megumi and ended up becoming the King of Curses’ host and is set to be executed after...”

“What the fuck is he doing?!” Nobara harshly whispered to Yuji and still-in-lalaland Megumi.

“Hell if I knew!” an even more flabbergasted Yuji replied under his breath

Geto, Yaga, Nanami and Utahime on the other hand were just plain humiliated, wanting nothing more than to either slip away from this room the more that blindfolded dickhead rambled or to secretly steal Maki’s Inverted Spear of Heaven to jam it into his head.

“... and then those Disaster Curses banded under the thing that stole Suguru’s face and body and have used a mole in Kyoto Jujutsu high, but he turned against them and is now fighting against that weird shapeshifting patchface in a makeshift mecha suit. How’s that for a recap?”

“..............”

*FWISH*

A gust of wind blew over everyone, and especially over Gojo, whose Infinity still didn’t protect him from said current. From the left corner of his eyes, was Geto barely dodging a roundhouse kick from Toji by bending his upper body backwards before the attack connected.

The abrupt attack triggered everyone’s fight instincts, but none as badly as Geto or even Gojo and Shoko themselves. The Curse Manipulator for almost reliving that crushing defeat at the same damn assassin’s hand, the nasty déja vu setting him off enough to take a bit longer than a second to duck, before responding with another backhand at Toji’s jaw. As for his two former friends, it was clearly second-hand rage at the now palpable pattern, because from Toji’s perspective, it hasn’t even been a day since Geto fell to him. The doctor in particular tensed up heavily, identifying the headspace her former friend was currently in the middle of almost instantly, arousing a strong emotion towards the former Zen’in never felt before.

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!!” Gojo got up to his face and yelled fiercely.

“WHO THE FUCK DIED AND MADE YA COMEDIAN?! WHADDAYA MEAN I DIED BEFORE YOU STOLE AWAY MY SON?!? HOW’S IT MY FUCKING FAULT THAT MONK BRAT TURNED TO A BATSHIT CULTIST?! AND HOW DID I TURN MY SIGHT FOR MINUTES AND SUDDENLY SOME WEIRDO WENT ON AND ATE ONE OF RYOMEN FUCKING SUKUNA’S PARTS LIKE IT WAS CHICKEN NUGGETS?!?!” he shouted even more brutally at Gojo’s face. Yeah, he forgot all about his death throes, alright.

“HEY!” an affronted Yuji tried to interject, but Nobara and Megumi abruptly grabbed him and gagged his mouth, the latter’s irritation rising the more bile was spewed out of that man’s mouth.

Then again, it didn’t miss Toji’s notice that most everyone, including Gojo himself, crinkled their brows when he brought up Megumi, memory of his one infamous moment regarding him still fresh in their minds. But on the other hand, Toji himself accepted the fact that he bit the dust a bit quicker than he liked. Maybe it’s because otherwise, his weird recollections made a lot of sense.

“Right, first off, congratulations for actually remembering Megumi” shrugged Gojo, “I thought that one time was just life flashing before your eyes. Second of all, IT’S THE TRUTH! Take it or leave! Just so ya know, Pokémon’s also on its 22^nd season, I can show it to you!”

“Don’t make me bust your head again!” he snarled.

“Does that mean it’s the reason you went for Suguru?” quickly brought up Shoko while raising an eyebrow, but her tone indicated she already knew the answer.

“Compromises need to be made” Toji also quickly, and casually, replied.

This only pissed the Strongest Duo off further, with Geto walking up to him threateningly “Compromise? Is that what you thought when you went to kill Kuroi-san?!”

“For someone who’s twelve years older since then, you sure moved on” snarked Toji.

“You still run your mouth like you’re hot shit you fucking mo–!”

“Suguru!” sharply interrupted Gojo.

“Did me kicking you in the head fuck you up for the rest of your life so badly?” but Toji just won’t buckle. Using that word around him just made things worse.

“ENOUGH!” Thankfully, Yaga was here to dissolve it with one single order booming with authority. He got in between the three men, who halted in their tracks, glaring at each one of them. “That’s enough for the reunion”

“Seriously, as much as I’m concerned about his presence, none of you is going anywhere with this farce” Uthaime reminded them, the tumult getting to her as much as it did to Miwa.

Meanwhile, Toji realized he’s lost his cool easily more often than he could count, palming the bridge of his nose to restrain his now volatile temper. This made no sense at all. Did the battle he engage with against Gojo a while back (actually more than a decade ago, something he barely managed to accept) amplify his adrenaline too much? Was it the teleportation? Or...

“Doesn’t everyone think we should just continue? I mean, sure, the Sorcerer Killer’s here, and everything went to hell, but right now, I’m more concerned about Muta and Mahito” Kamo spoke up seriously, pointing his thumb at the paused screen behind him.

“Indeed.” Agreed Nanami, “there are no further notifications unlike the last one, which makes me believe it’s safe to continue.”

Utahime then walked up to Toji and stated “By the way, if it’s the same as him” she peered at Geto, “ then you won’t be staying here for long. In this plane of existence, at least”

“Huh?” Toji raised an eyebrow, and upon taking note the serious expressions around him, fully absorbed the information and sighed “Alright...”

Megumi was slower to return back to his seat, still wanting to watch him up close.

 “Oh well, then I guess I gotta make the most of it~” he all but propositioned Utahime, leaning a bit too close to her face and attempting to touch her arm, the half-lidded, enticing smirk said it all. Poor Megumi’s interest was destoyed in a flash, as he stormed off angrily to his place.

Before Utahime could deliver a truly emasculating rebuff, far more painful than any evisceration he could suffer, the man got yanked out by his shirt and dragged away courtesy of none other than Gojo “Yeah right, the only thing you’ll make the most of here is working off your damn gambling debts including your child support bills!” Toji groans at the last part “But anyway, you’re coming with me where I can watch you”.

“So much for trying my luck” he thinks as he lets himself get dragged around so submissively.

“Satoru!!” Geto rumbled out of his teeth in outrage at him. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna have this mon– bastard besides you too?!”

“What?! I can handle the situation better up close” he ‘assured’, subtly referring to Megumi “Also, just like with you, I don’t want him to feel out of place.”

“Do you even know what you’re doing?! You KNOW damn well what he did!” he protested, unable to believe how

“Oh I do– actually...!” now Gojo is the one who’s tired here, throwing his arm up in the air “are we gonna go through this again now?!? Both of you are DONE FOR! You’re on borrowed time here!! So please...” he trailed off, as Geto’s expression briefly unwound, uncertainty colored all over him instead.

“I’m gonna have him several meters away from you, anyway” Gojo made sure to inform him, as they all kept on trying to reach their seats.

Miwa’s eyelids start flapping, and she soon wakes up, to the relief of those closest to her “Mmmh... my throat feels so harsh...” when she moves and finds herself in Todo’s arms, she immediately jumps to the ground with a cute yelp “AH! I-I-I’m sorry T-Todo-senpai!”

“Don’t mention it. Seemed like you needed some pause” he waved off.

“Your magnamonious sacrifice was almost in vain, though” Nishimiya subtly taunted Miwa as she brought her on her feet.

“What sacrifice?!”

Nishimiya shot her an unamused frown “Don’t play dumb, I know what you just did.”

“W-what did I do?” Miwa still had no idea.

Or... did she not?

But Mai rolled her eyes and pushed the girl back to the seat “You embarrassed us enough as it is in front of the Sorcerer Killer, just can it”. As she finished the sentence, Mai took one last glance at Toji, who was still in place, conflict on his face, before moving to sit down. She didn’t even need to look at her sister to ascertain that she was probably the only one in this place even remotely interested in knowing more about him, but even then, it only goes as far as his abilities and history with the Zenin clan. Maki now believed that with him here, she has a great chance at attaining her goal, Mai’s constant obstruction be damned.

Gojo sitting Toji close to him and Geto, or at least two seats away from him, was not exactly the greatest idea ever as far as everyone (like Toji himself) attested, due to the sheer bad blood between the ex-assassin and the ex-cult leader, but the Six Eyes user had a goal behind this. It wasn’t too dependable, but he was sure about it.

It might’ve worked... a little. Then again, Toji did quieten down after the early spat (Utahime aside).

The viewing resumed to showcase the giant Mechamaru suit, known as Ultimate Mechamaru Mode: Absolute Armored Puppet Ultimate Mechamaru Prototype 0 about to fire the Ultra Cannon, with Mahito in the line of fire. The cannon attack was potent enough to cleave through the dam.

Toji, who was cleaning out his ears, was stunned by the viewing, namely that Gojo brat didn’t embellish anything about his story “Huh? Thought we’re gonna watch the future, not a live-action remix of that one philosophical jumbo mumbo of a giant robot cartoon ‘bout the kid who came all over–“

Cue a katana flying straight at him, piercing the seat right behind him and only avoiding scratching him by milimeters. The nearby Geto and especially Gojo were similarly caught off guard. He was befuddled for several seconds, before turning his eyes to see that it was thrown by none other than an outraged Miwa. “Geez, someone’s touchy”. His nonchalant answer just set the Kyoto group off even further.

“YOU’VE no idea what you’re talking about!” she raged.

“Miwa... please, just...” Kamo hauled her over to place, not even able to face her.

 “Guys, I know there’s no saving him, all you could do is to ignore him” a facepalming Utahime wearily advised Miwa, who settled down, still glowering at him. That damn offer was only the beginning.

Actually, if the scowl Geto gave to a sheepish Gojo was any indication, that was only the warmup.

“What was she even offended at? Insulting Evangelion, or Mechamaru?” some teens wondered to themselves.

“This reminds me, does that mecha have a name?” Panda asked Mechamaru at the back, cutting through the tension.

Despite hesitating at first, he coughs and answers “It’s Absolute Armored Puppet Ultimate Mechamaru Prototype 0”

Many students inquisitively oohed, amazement in their eyes. But Nobara was none too convinced.

“Don’t wanna pronounce the whole name through this session, how ‘bout we call it UMP-0 or just UM-0?” she suggested.

“Yeah, sounds catchy that way!” agreed Yuji.

However, Mahito emerges from the flames, a bit injured,  and runs across the top of the dam by shifting his feet to paws. He mockingly questions if Muta is planning on going after him until he burns out all his Cursed Energy. He threatens to pull him out of the suit, a gesture made worse by Mahito’s still regenerating eye muscle tissue swallowing the screen.

Mahito’s nightmarish expression clearly got into Yuji, who flinched.

“There’s no pain worse to deal with than that Technique” Todo admitted, already working his brain to analyze Mahito’s moves, having been forced to come up with countermeasures early on.

But Geto, when exposed to the first usage of Idle Transfiguration, was quite drawn to the fight, enough to briefly turn away his attention from the Sorcerer Killer four seats near him. If Gojo’s simple description was anything to go by, Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration mainly affects the soul, including the Curse’s own, which is what facilliates the versatile shapeshifting, which opens up a lot of possibilities regarding its potential use.

He wasn’t interested at all in him for his latent as part of his arsenal. Not at all. Eating a mere Grade-4 was gross enough as it is. A Disaster Curse will just flat-out kill his taste for weeks.

Muta uses Ultimate Mechamaru’s fist to strike Mahito, admitting that he won’t be able to touch the Curse’s soul to deliver any damage, something Mahito is aware of too. Going after him with another punch, the Human Curse dodges it, but he follows it with a flurry of attacks that Mahito similarly deftly avoids, the last one making him fall off the bridge.

Suddenly, Yuji shot up from his seat and cheered. “GO FOR IT! MECHAMARU!!”

Everyone was startled, especially the Kyoto students and Yuji’s own classmates.

Noticing this, he blushed a little and said “C’mon guys! I know it’s the future and he can’t hear us, but... a little morale boost doesn’t hurt, right?! Kinda like a pro sport match or e-tournament, and ‘sides...” he turns to the screen, aiming his sight at the falling form of Mahito and narrows his eyes,  before turning to see Mechamaru himself in the back “he really needs it”.

Reactions were understandably mixed, ranging from the likes of Miwa and Yuta wanting to go with the flow too, if only out of concern for Muta’s safety, to the others who, because of a lack of sufficient information about the full extent of Mechamaru’s abilities, were moreso cautiously optimistic, hoping the future would unveil it.

Miwa was staring at Mechamaru for a while now, not even bothering to hide it, but hearing Yuji hype him up despite his relation to the conflict being Mahito’s involvement, reignited some fire in her. Her spending the whole session stressed out of her mind might’ve only added to Mechamaru’s torment, and to her other friends as well.

“Y-Yeah...” she whispers, before similarly standing up with a glimmering expression “YEAH! YOU CAN DO IT!!”

“SHOW US WHAT UM0 IS MADE OF!!” Yuji and Miwa both hollered.

Todo gazes at the two open-mouthed, before smirking to himself, getting up near Yuji to pat him in the back “Now you know why there’s no one like you!”

Gojo, who was also baffled, turns to look at the slack-jawed Geto, Shoko and Nanami, but concedes “... Itadori’s a little... out of it, sure, but he’s got the spirit pat-down!”

“Hopefully the buoyancy nets some results unlike last time” Shoko said, referencing the ill-fated debacle with Junpei and Amanai.

“So awkward...!” the rest of the students, Yuta on top of them, just cringed at the display.

“They better not be making so much noise though” Maki cracked her fingers menacingly, “I still wanna properly hear the recording”

And then there was Mechamaru, who, if he willed it, could just die of cringe right then and there. But he didn’t. And it’s not hard to determine the reason he still found the gesture touching.

Finally, Toji, who couldn’t care less due to the focus on a certain black-haired Tokyo student, was tempted to fix his eyes on that Sukuna vessel, not really expecting him to– actually, he totally expected him to be kinda empty-headed if he ate one of the King of Curses’ fingers just like that. However, he was also surprisngly positive for such figure. One could also say too wet behind the ears, but then again, he only recently got inducted to Jujutsu society. It was only a matter of time before the world that pulled him down chewed him up and left a husk behind it, even without factoring Ryomen Sukuna’s position, which according to Gojo, was far from favorable. But from what he discerned, he and Megumi were on good terms. In fact, he helped rescue him.

As for Megumi himself awakening Ten Shadows and becoming a Jujutsu sorcerer, and everything about Tsumiki, that’s for a different time. As he yawned, he found himself waiting for that brat to return back to focus.

And then Ultimate Mechamaru’s fist carves straight through the other side of the dam, aiming for the Curse, something the latter similarly escapes by changing to a fish and plunging into the water.

Muta charges up two more years for another blast against the lake, the Miracle Cannon, to force Mahito out. However, the latter comes out of the waters near Ultimate Mechamaru, preparing an enlargened fist. Muta reveals that he’s deliberately stalling Mahito by using his direct attacks, allowing him to get the drop on him with something he prepared, a cylindrical tube in his hand. Knowing that the mecha will get wrecked if he lets Mahito repeatedly assault him, Muta places that tube on the controls, revealing it to be a Simple Domain compressed in the shape of a projectile, or at least a copy of it. With four chances in hand, he points the UM’s index, which opens at the end, displaying a smaller cannon.

 “What’s... that?” whispered Miwa.

He aims at the winged Mahito’s direction and fires what turns out to be that same projectile, hitting the Curse in his chest. He questions what on earth is Muta even playing at, only for that shell to activate and disfigure him, making the left side of his body explode in a way similar to how Idle Transfiguration works.

 “... it’s a miniature Simple Domain” Megumi revealed.

“Eh?” Yuji blinked.

“Seeing that Mahito’s soul was actually harmed by that projectile, it’s without doubt a Domain detonated upon contact.” Todo explains to him, “Remember back when the Goodwill Events took place and you barely dodged Miwa’s barrier? She was going to unleash her Simple Domain, powered by her New Shadow Style strike, to prevent you from accessing your Cursed Energy, and thus be able to fight back.”

“Not that bad of an idea. Wonder how he thought that up?” Nishimiya contemplated.

“If he somehow managed build a giant mecha in a short timeframe, then this is probably nothing for him” said Yuta.

"hokke okana" voiced Inumaki. Wonder what else he has in store?

"I bet there's a lot" Panda replied.

“Provided that Simple Domains are potentially accessible to sorcerers, it’s really fascinating to see Muta capable of recreating their surefire effects and mass-producing them like that.” Gojo commented.

UM0 takes advantage of this to hit Mahito point-blank with its sole, sending him crashing to the nearby forest. It turns out the capsule somehow managed to hit him straight in his soul.

“OOF!”

“Awesome!”

“GET FLATTENED BITCH!!”

As painful as it is to get hit-point blank by a mecha, not many could bring themselves to even slightly recoil, because of the recipient.

Wasting no time, UM0 jumps to the forest’s direction and crashes against Mahito. The Curse barely scrapes by through forming wings to fly and even a bird’s head, which Muta ridicules, only for him to realize Mahito managed to regenerate his arm.

Though he does deduce he simply tweaked the shape of his soul to fool him into thinking he regenerated because of how he blatantly shows it off. He decides to take advantage of the situation to put more pressure on him.

“Now he can also create illusions?” Mai grumbled exhaustedly.

“Again, this is the soul we’re talking about here” Kamo reminded her.

Fake Geto, who was watching the fight, chuckles at how Mahito was legtimately affected by the shell, noting the Special Grade-level Cursed Energy input Muta has in disposal against the Curse, however temporary it was.

Geto was just starting to get used to his future fate, and that person, but now he was instead interested in their identity and the sheer magnitude of their knowledge, which might put them on a bigger footing than even him.

And then there’s Toji, who was stunned at seeing Geto in the future look so... demented. Again, crazy cult leader is too generous to describe that. Yes, that wasn’t the real Geto, he knows that, but the mere idea was just worth a few laughs, explaining why he hounded him so much earlier.

“Damn, to think he reached that point...” luckily he said that part in his mind.

With steam coming out of its joints, Muta jumps to charge five years straight up to unleash Pigeon Viola, compressing Energy into UM0’s chest in the form of five orbs, which when released, are blasted against Mahito, and keep on following him like a target as he tries to outmaneuver them.

“Pigeon Viola? It resembles infrared homing projectiles.” Yaga remarks.

 “Infrared what?” Yuji and Nobara repeated dumbly.

“It’s a missile with in-built special sensors that detect heat emission by a target, and when fired, follows that heat signature until it hits said target” Nanami clarifies.

“In simple terms, that missile is guided towards a source of strong heat, like an aircraft, and it follows it smoothly” continues Todo, “remember when you watch war or action movies and you often see a fired missile chase a target persistently?”

“AHA!!!” the duo finally understood as they banged their palms, to the brief chuckling amusement of their upperclassmen, and frustration of their other classmate Megumi.

“In this case, this Pigeon Viola move must have been set to pursue the highest concentration of Cursed Energy in this area. Namely, Mahito” Utahime said.

“Precisely” Gojo and Todo concurred.

He flies down the forest, giving him an easier time evading them as he shapeshifts into multiple animals to help run through the dense woods, from a dog to a cat to a mouse to a wolf to a rabbit to a rat and even a gorilla swinging through the branches and flying with enlargened hands, before reforming to his normal body except with multiple arms and then wings. All in all, he grouses at the amount of trouble he was given.

“Omusubi” uttered Inumaki, unable to contain his awe at the transformation.

“Yeah, I mean no love lost for that fucker... but his Technique is just unreal” Nobara admitted, engrossed by the multiple forms Mahito took on.

“ ‘s okay, Kugisaki, I’m can't blame you” Yuji breathed out.

“And he knows how to employ it” Geto noted.

“Still, is he even going all out?” Most viewers like Nanami, Todo, Utahime and Yaga were wondering. After all, it’s clear a long has been since Mahito’s last scruffle against Yuji. He must’ve developed new tricks that time. The realization suddenly put Yuji himself on edge, being the last to notice this.

Mahito flies straight towards UM0, running across the suit’s mechanical arms as he ponders which of his attacks could hurt his soul. To make sure, he turns his hand to a massive saw and cuts the cords that were attached to the mecha, before leaving it in the bullseye of the Pigeon Viola assault, putting a dent on it and the inner control systems.

Miwa’s breath hitched, and suddenly she reached a hand to Nishimiya’s shirt and kept clutching.

When Mechamaru’s attack was redirected towards him, Miwa palmed her mouth to stifle a horrified gasp, Momo, Kamo clenched their armrests, while Utahime, Todo and Mai stiffened in their seats.

Yuji gritted his teeth, his hands shaking

“Maybe I jinxed it too soon” Gojo internally chided himself, not at all missing how the comparison he brought up earlier scraily lined up with those events, including the power cords being cut.

Nevertheless, UM0 hangs on and delivering yet another punch that sent Mahito flying to the mountain again. Muta immediately loads another Simple Domain tube into the panel and prepares the mecha to fire it, coming out in the shape of a jagged drill in its finger. He aims at Mahito while musing on his desire to see his friends once again.

“Hurry it up, Mechamaru!” barked Miwa, desperation visible in her voice “do it and just leave this place already!”

Seeing how they never left Muta’s thoughts all the time he was fighting, the Kyoto members who were already troubled at the turn of events, were now set to think. If he really cared about the closeness they had with one other, why would he screw them over like this? And yes, he did try to protect them, but he could only do so far. Mai, Kamo and Nishimiya were still confounded at how invested they were in Muta’s fight, taking into account that he brought it on himself for deciding to take on them in an attempt to redeem himself, which was either noble or just plain self-justifying.

Only Todo and Miwa were willing to cut him some slack, the former at least so that he can see the ramifications of that alliance.

A mauled Mahito, however, gets up and activates his Domain Expansion: Self-Embodiment of Perfection. Multiple giant hands emerge and drag Ultimate Mechamaru Prototype 0 and Muta into the domain.

The simmering disquiet now blew over. Mechamaru, when sighted to this, couldn’t help but slightly flinch. After all, when Mahito amplifies his Domain, the drawback of needing physical contact is ignored. Not even his ultimate weapon might be able to protect him at this rate.

“NO!!! MECHAMARU RUN!!” Miwa went off like a gun from her seat; screaming at the on-screen Muta, whose mecha was caught by Mahito’s Domain.

“Fuck!!” many mouthed off under their breaths, like Yuji, Yuta and Panda. Utahime and Momo bit down their nails.

“GET OUTTA THERE!!” the pink-haired boy in particular also shouted his head off.

And right in front of Mahito himself: You’re finished.

....

Inside, Mahito is shown sitting in front of a collapsed, unmoving UM0. All it took was an invocation of his Technique for the mecha to stop functioning altogether. The Human Curse reminds Muta that he doesn’t necessarily need to touch him once he’s in his domain, something he ought to know. The mecha controls, showcase that 9 years, 5 months and 6 days were still left, but the screens eventually lack out.

To say everyone was on serious edge was an understatement. The only viable thing left to do was to just keep watching. Seeing the remaining runtime was a relief at first, but when everything went black, some could even feel goosebumps standing up.

Yuji and Nanami in particular were left believing that luck was the only reason they survived Self-Embodiment of Perfection in the future. That and Sukuna, but Yuji wasn’t too thankful.

Miwa’s vocal dismay slowly descended to uncanny quietness. Her features were still pallid, dry sweat all over her skin, as she stared at the screen.

Muta is still alive, his hand shown as he reveals that “that” Technique is still available.

Faint sighs of relief were heard, but the tension was nowhere close to fading away; it only kept escalating.

 “But how is he gonna pull it off? The mecha broke down” Nishimiya worriedly asked. “Or did it?”

“He can probably will it to move” Panda proposed, “Just because everything went off doesn’t mean he can’t reanimate it.”

“We’ll have to wait and see” concluded Kamo.

Other than that, near total silence permeated. Even the likes of Miwa and Yuji didn’t breathe a word.

Mahito talks about how Muta thought he’s hold back his Cursed Energy in preparation for Halloween in the next ten days, since ten days is more than enough for him recover after using up his Domain.

The puppeteer sorcerer is still in the cockpit, surrounded by other screens blacking out one by one:  This was devised in the Heian era, which was full of fierce Cursed Spirits and Curse Users when Jujutsu was its height, by Sadatsuna Ashiya to protect his pupils...

Mahito: Don’t incorporate hopes and dreams into your strategy, because I feel so bad for you I don’t know what expression to make.

“Come on, Mechamaru! Do it...!” Miwa just mentally egged on her classmate, her eyes fixated upon his motionless automaton.

Muta, who’s barely hanging on to consciousness:... it was passed down his school,  and a Vow forbade his students from intentionally conveying that Technique to others. It’s a means for them to protect themselves from others’ domains.

“Uh, sorry if I’m ruining the mood but... how come others can use Simple Domain if it’s the case?” Yuji broke the silence as he quietly addressed his peers in curiosity.

“Simple: you see it and copy the movements to the last minute detail” Todo responds, “there are many ways you can get around a Binding Vow according to the nature of pact formed, and this is just one of them”.

Knowing what Muta was going to pull off, Gojo snickered, unable to stop from entertaining himself by counting down “It’s all set in three... two...”

A light shines besides Muta, and when Mahito walks away from the UM0, it manages to get up and raise its head, the mechanical eyes gleaming: a domain for the weak...

“Oh, this is gonna be golden...” Panda commented.

“... one...”

Mahito was suddenly impaled by the spiked drill from the mecha’s finger, to his shock.

“And there it is!” Gojo said a bit more loudly.

“Yessss!” younger students bumped their fists in excitement and relief, while the rest felt their lips curl to a smile, no matter how very much they didn’t like this spontaneous reaction.

“GREAT!!” Yuji cheered, glad

Miwa felt light return to her face once more, and she grinned in a mix of triumph and reprieve.

Muta: New Shadow Style, Simple Domain!

This one trump card is clearly based on Kasumi Miwa, as seen by a phantom visualization of her unsheathing her sword as she triggers her Technique.

Said New Shadow Style swordswoman blinked, and when it finally hit her, a slight blush spread across her cheeks. Mechamaru from behind could somehow feel it, but still tried to pay no heed to it.

At this point, not many viewers were surprised, not even those familiar with Mechamaru and Miwa. From the look of it, she inspired him a lot more than anyone could imagine.

One thing they unanimously agreed on was that when this is over, Mechamaru/Muta and Miwa have a lot of things to clear up.

It’s effective enough to disrupt Mahito’s physique and powers, causing his Idle Transfiguration to go haywire before his body bursts. The Domain Expansion falls out as a result.

Even in his Ultimate puppet, Mechamaru’s body language, namely his straightened posture, still betrayed a sense of astonishment over the possible outcome of his fight against Mahito.

“Does that mean Mahito’s now down for the count?” Yuji questions, still happy over Mechamaru’s victory.

“Well, his Domain Expansion was nullified, after all” Megumi answers, but an there was an undertone of being unconvinced.

Not that he was alone. Deep down, that unease has yet to settle within Yuji, despite wanting to ignore it. Also, the adults like Gojo, Utahime and especially Nanami and Geto were unsure of that outcome. It wasn’t even a rational conclusion, it’s just kind of like that one itch that never stops flaming on your skin.

When this happens, Muta grins to himself in exhausted victory as the damaged, malfunctionin giant Ultimate Mechamaru roars to express that victory.

“Heh, now that truly is an Evangelion” Toji suddenly chortles aloud, giving Gojo and Geto, as well as nearby students, a turn. To the man’s credit, he did watch some of it on TV, but he only remembered it for other things.

“Come to think of it, it roaring does remind me of Unit-01” Yuta recalls, but soon shudders at the memory.

“This probably doesn’t mean a single thing.” Yuji, Nobara and Miwa reassured themselves, those damn words of comfort Gojo gave them about a certain Unit-02 rearing their ugly heads.

Fake Geto, still spectating, is genuinely impressed by the Simple Domain’s effect, recounting its effect of neutralizing Cursed Techniques, and how even attacks infused with it can land, even on someone as untouchable as Satoru Gojo, explaining what exactly happened to Mahito when that tube was fired on him earlier.

The viewers remembered the Veil Fake Geto lowered on the area and tensed up again.

“He still has to bypass the Veil, probably by gunning for Geto” a concerned Utahime says.

“Dammit, and here we thought he was gonna in the clear!” hissed Kamo.

“This made me realize we never saw the impostor showcase Geto-san’s Technique once” Yuta stated.

Gojo hums thoughtfully, before remembering something and getting close to Geto’s ear “I forgot to tell you, but after that... night”.

“You mean when you killed me?” a deadpan Geto questioned.

“... Yeah, but that’s beside the point. Thing is, nary a single Curse under your command was seen afterwards”

Geto’s eyes went wide, and he faced Gojo, “He took ahold of it shorty afterwards.” It was a factual statement, not even a enquiry.

“Most certainly” Gojo affirmed.

The black-haired former Jujutsu sorcerer returned to the screen and crossed his arms, hoping to tell Gojo about his own misgivings “do you think they were gunning for you all along?”

“Of course they did” the other man shrugs, “from the look of it, they’re aiming for something much bigger down the line, enough to want me out of the picture. I might be interested in seeing how they'll pull off that Prison Realm phase of the plan, sure, especially with them wearing your face,  but I'm even more curious to see what he is exactly after. The fact that I've no idea about them at the time until it was shown to me says a lot about how meticulous they truly were."

With the mecha still trying to move, the imposter decides that it’s time to take some action. It turns out Muta is after Geto next, confident of his ability to go toe-to-toe against him with one Simple Domain left and nine years worth of Cursed Energy. As he prepares to fire another blast, he seems elated at the possibility to reuniting with everyone, including especially Miwa...

“He seems all too eager to go up against him, considering that it’s the body of a Special Grade Sorcerer” Maki stated.

... and then Muta gets speared in the neck, blood spurting, courtesy of Mahito making it inside the mecha and transfiguring a spiked drill on his forehead.

Many audience members choked in horror, even Gojo, Geto, Nanami and Toji juddered forward at the sudden image.

“WHAT THE FUCK!?!” most Tokyo students, chief amongst them Maki and Panda, roared out.

“MUTA!!!” Todo, Kamo, Nishimiya and Utahime yelled, the latter even rising out of her seat.

“OH MY GOD!!!” Miwa screamed, clutching her head as tears of fear formed on her eyes, feeling her world turn pitch black again. It was enough for her to collapse on the ground in a vain attempt to reach the on-screen Muta.

"THAT FUCKING BASTARD AGAIN!!?” Yuji raged, his voice downright feral, almost close to pouncing at Mahito’s detestably grinning face.

Utahime fell back on her seat, her hand near her mouth as her body quaked, much to the worry of Shoko besides her. This entire time, despite the horrible situation her student found himself in, she still hung on and carried herself with aplomb. After all, it was the future. Sure, it turned out Muta was selling them out at the exact moment they were whisked to the theatre, but now that he got caught, the situation didn’t degenerate yet. But, witnessing her promising, diligent, dedicated apprentice throw himself into one sticky ordeal after another in his fight actually cut deep through her, no matter how well she masked it.

“BUT HOW?! He hit him with a Simple Domain point-blank! Did he recover from that so fast?!” Nishimiya screeched in bewilderment. By now, Todo and Kamo already knew why...

“It’s either that... or he just faked it” Nanami finally lays out the possibilities, a glare aimed at the Human Curse marring his face.

“Fake...?”

He sucked in a breath and continued, “It's easier to think he just healed so fast, just as he did when he got hit by Simple Domain earlier, but it's so obvious he took a bit long to regenerate, so maybe he capitalized on this as well. But with such a point-blank attack strong enough to cost him his Domain Expansion, that process would take even longer. Regardless of the possibility, he managed to get Muta-kun off his back".

“He lulled him further into false security just like that.” Finished Geto, drawing from his own conclusions about the Curse “the illusion of victory emboldened Muta, which allowed that spirit to sneak inside the suit uninterrupted, not helped by it already being in poor condition”.

Now that the reality cleared out, the fight left most students and they just descended into shocked silence, all hope that was being cultivated smashed to smithereens. Again.

Yuji couldn’t help but let out a broken chuckle as his eyes bore to the screen. This was the third time in a row he set himself up for disappointment. From Junpei, to Amanai, and now Muta. He was now starting to notice a very ominous pattern throughout this session. A pattern that was not lost on the rest of his compatriots.

In spite of the still-alive Cursed Spirit breathing on his neck (almost literally), he summons a puppet Mechamaru to defend him. With one Simple Domain tube in his hand, Muta decides to use it directly against Mahito with the help of Mechamaru. The puppet tears through all of the Curse’ transfigured hands, firing a blast from its mouth at the latter, which he barely ducks. Mechamaru continues the assault before being torn apart by Idle Transfiguration, giving Muta the chance to stab Mahito with the Simple Domain.

Both of the opponents aim their hands at each other at the same time, leaving the victor ambiguous as the screen goes to black.

...

Not a single voice was heard. Even shallow breaths from before subsided. At this point, anticipation was just... redundant. To the dismay of a certain large Kyoto upperclassman, none of his predictions went anywhere near assuring his survival. He accepted it far faster than his friends, but this only showed the limitations of his high intellect. After all, when things click faster within him, this leaves no hope for any wishful thinking or baseless hope. Morbidly, this seems to be a running theme here or something.

It shifts to a Kyoto Jujutsu school  classroom, with Miwa sitting peacefully besides Mechamaru as the sun sets.

Miwa: Hey, Mechamaru. Is it okay if I pay you a visit sometimes? Since the exchange event, and since the baseball game, I feel like we’ve all become closer to each other. Maybe it’s because we all work as Jujutsu Sorcerers, but I feel like there was a distance between us, even if we all got along. I suppose that ‘s because being too close would it even more painful if we died.

The young sorcerers’ eyes flickered at the sudden scene cut, a bit of light returning to their orbs. However, it was most definitely not the good one.

Miwa’s words, however, resonated hard with certain viewers, namely the experienced adults, but most of all Geto himself. It also didn’t miss the students’ notice that something similar occured back when they watched Gojo’s past, namely everything about Yu Haibara.

Now smiling: But I love the relationship we have now, and you couldn’t quite participate in the baseball game, remember? So you had a pitching machine fill in for you.

But, I want to be even closer to you, Mechamaru. So one day, I will come see you.

The scene shows Ultimate Mechamaru Prototype 0 absolutely wrecked from the inside out.

This was the final straw for Miwa, who was the last to cease her attempts at holding on for something better. Tears gushed out of her eyes, drops falling on to her trembling hands, which she used to hide her face to stop them. But they won’t. Eventually the poor girl just broke down and started sniveling. This forced Nishimiya and Mai to give her a hand or at least a shoulder to cry on, though perhaps some space was better.

Speaking of the other two girls, as well as Kamo and Todo, they were looking at the screen vacantly, even when they inched closer to Miwa, unable to break eye contact from the mecha that looked as if it went through a shredder. Even though it should have been kind of obvious at first, like many other times something was left to imagination, sometimes it was hard to take something at the grain of salt. Todo at least has the benefit of having figured it out way earlier the moment Muta was stabbed by Mahito, something Kamo only realized when the scene changed to Miwa and Mechamaru back in their school.

Miwa was conversing in the air, with an inert puppet.

Soon, tears formed on Nishimiya’s eyes, and she slapped a hand on her mouth to stifle down a sob. Todo held his head down after gazing too much, his expression blank, Mai and Kamo were shaking, to their genuine shock; after all, aside of Mahito, they shouldn’t have cared less about their traitor classmate biting it. They were Jujutsu sorcerers, that’s for sure, and going up against stronger Curses or Curse users was an inevitability, but what was even more inevitable was their shortened life expentancy, hence Miwa’s declaration just now. Yet, the possibility of losing one of their own to that same darkness, namely through betrayal, was not only something they found hard to relate to, but instead brought parallels to a situation they bore witness to not too long ago, about someone who’s now sitting with them as if nothing happened.

Or maybe after all, those bonds couldn’t help themselves. Which was especially remarkable for Mai and Noritoshi, who spent much of their early lives alienated or abused.

As Miwa’s sobs echoed through the room, Utahime just faced the ground, bangs hiding her face, unable to continue seeing that any longer. As much as she tore Gojo a new one for his turmoil about his past, he at least had no issue biting the bullet and re-experiencing his failings, which she proved unable to do in the end. Maybe it’s because he already went through them, compared to her just learning about it in a contrived way. It didn’t matter how much she tried to research into the traitor early on, because were it not for that message, those people were one step. When all's said and done, it was just because she failed as a teacher and a guide for aspiring sorcerers. If only she conversed to Muta about his complex way back when he started the year and watched over him better...

Actually, speaking of Muta, his Ultimate Mechamaru self’s reaction wasn’t that heated. When he witnessed his own fall to Mahito, he didn’t know whether to be terrified that for all emergencies he prepared, Mahito still trounced him, making him a far bigger threat to everyone than he thoght, or to actually be relieved at the schadenfreude. At the end of the day, he still betrayed his friends and teacher for a chance to rise beyond the current status he was in, prioritizing his own selfish vision of what he considered to be worthy of companionship over the lives of not just fellow Jujutsu sorcerers, but also potentially normal humans, causing him to see it as richly-deserved karma. However, his classmates’ response was a whole different beast. In particular, he was dumbfounded at Miwa’s devastation over his death, and his other seniors’ distress. It wasn’t at all what he expected, but it really him feel like the lowest of the low when he believed they’d turn on him in a heartbeat, but had no idea what to exactly do. When he caught Utahime looking over at him, he noticed the woman, depressed-looking yet seemingly hopeful, give him a nod, almost as if she read his mind.

Surprisingly (or not), the rest didn’t really take it well either. The Tokyo students were agape as their shrunken pupils lingered on UM0’s fallen form. Panda eventually let it sink in and shook his head, every part of him quivering. Inumaki, and eventually Yuta, shuffled closer to him. As for the other teachers, like Gojo and Nanami, they scowled deeply. Turning to Utahime, they recognized her current pain all too well. Geto instead was preoccupied with the audience’ reactions, namely Gojo, Nanami, Utahime and Kyoto students, melancholy written all over his face. His hunch told him many dreadful things about to go down soon in the future, but he’d hoped the kids would at least be able to separate reality from premonition, to exercise a bit more composure. Then again, would he do the same if he saw, say, Gojo or any of his students being picked off one by one? Because no matter how much he tried to numb it, his heart said otherwise.

But Yuji was only second behind Miwa. Unlike the rest, his unresponsive stare seemed to convey shock, but he appeared as if he could jump out and punch something or someone, preferably a certain Disaster Curse. He slowly balled his fists as he struggled to keep those thoughts at bay. He assumed he was done wringing his hands at something he knew was already written or has yet to occur, or was it all about Mahito?

“... You know, I am certain this won’t be the end by a long shot”.

He gasped at the sudden intrusion in his mind. It’s been so long since he last heard his voice, and it was far from welcome.

“Tsk, I never knew how much I missed when you were silent. Why’re ya here?!”

“I saw what was going on the whole time, idiot. And if I didn’t, well... your current mood would explain it far better.”

“You couldn’t have possibly chosen a better time. Just...!” he scrunched up his face and shut out that damn voice. But his chuckles still reverberated inside his head.

While Miwa kept crying, she felt a new presence right behind her. Whipping her head back, it was almost as if all her terrors and worries vanished at the blink of an eye. She, as well as her classmates, wanted to bang their heads at a wall for being so swept up in this brutal fight that they missed the actual Mechamaru being there all along. It wasn’t hard of a mistake to make, considering how he isolated himself from them and sat alone in the back this entire time. Nevertheless, the rush of emotion led Miwa to rise from her place and catch him with a surprise embrace.

“... Oh, Mechamaru! I’m s-so sorry...!” she let out, before stopping to wipe her face.

“Why are you apologizing, Miwa? I’m the one who reapt what I sowed in here. You didn’t do anything wrong...” he glanced at every one of his classmates, “none of you guys did everything wrong. I’m perfectly fine with this being my providence”

 “B-but... if I didn’t insist on... being friends... if I only just kept distance from everyone, you wouldn’t have to go this far to be normal...!”

“No one can help themselves when it comes to forming connections. Trust me, you’re not the only one for whom that ship has sailed” he reassured her, “in fact, you should blame me for getting attached first. If I didn’t, maybe things would’ve gone differently, hopefully”

“You mean your desire for a normal body wasn’t just for us?” Kamo asked.

Mechamaru shook his head, “It’s complicated. I only knew being this way for my whole life, and sometimes had thoughts of things going differently for me, maybe even ending up like Maki-san... but I knew there was undoing. I... began entertaining those fantasies when I met you guys. All those times, I saw students in our school come and go, and was fine with it, but I held on to something more just this once. And that was when, during a mission I undertook a while ago, I encountered them.”

Unbeknownst to them, the rest of the adults were listening intently to the story, especially when he brought up having seen Fake Suguru Geto much earlier, to the surprise of Gojo and Geto.

“The impostor’s group?” guessed Nishimiya.

He nodded, “A Grade-1 mission turned out to be far more than I anticipated. I was naturally taken aback that he survived, and allied with Curses on top of that. I thought I was going to have a hard time against them, but was stunned when that man told me he could fulfill my wish. Had no idea how he knew about me, but what I did know is that suddenly all of my flights of fancy were going to become concrete. Because of that, everything went like a blur, and next thing I realized, I just made a pact with Mahito.”

Mechamaru tightened his grip on Miwa, his voice shivering “but the worst part is: I didn’t even knew if this was for you guys, or my own idea of what I thought you’d accept. Maybe I was just that insecure, you know...” he loosened in recognition “like that girl from, Ozawa, who was searching for Yuji Itadori”.

Hearing that, the teens (including Yuji) were not only at a loss for words, several few like Nobara and Todo even began drawing conclusions.

“Wait, do you mean...?” Miwa herself figured it out.

“I... did this, because... ” but words stumbled in his mouth. And all of a sudden, a set of notifications resounded. And before they knew it, particles of light rose out of the place where Mechamaru stood, startling Miwa and the rest.

Taking time to read the notification, it was a new Achievement, but beneath it were the words “Kokichi Muta”, front and center.

Those shining specks condensed further, enveloping Mechamaru in bright light. Almost everyone was agitated by this development, a few other students and teachers like Utahime rising from their seats to seize the source.

“M-Mechamaru?! What’s this??” Miwa yelped in panic as she reached her hand to the light

Instead of freaking out, the automaton ironically was awash in peaceful rapture he’d never experienced before. He didn’t know why, but now, all fears, doubts and second thoughts left him, and his own body felt so light and sublime, his next words coming out so merrily.

“... I wanted nothing more than to be with you longer, Miwa”

The girl was immediately frozen in place, having finally received those words from his real, present-time mouth. But didn’t know how to react and what to say, being instead distracted by the light. Though one thing she knew, she’d have a lot of things to say later on.

That glow began to disperse, and what was left was one the most puzzling views.

It was Mechamaru’s original body, Kokichi Muta, in the flesh. Clad in Kyoto uniform, but still wrapped in bandages all over. However, his physique seemed slightly healthier, a far cry from his usually emaciated, oddly-colored form. Though when he immediately tripped up and fell in Miwa’s arms, it was evident he was still far from able.

A brief pause later.

“Oh... my... God!” Nishimiya punctuated, her eyes boring holes into Muta’s actual body manifesting.

“What the... ?!” Mai, Maki, Panda, Nobara and Yuji blurted.

“Woah, Mecha– no, Muta-kun!” she breathed out, as she helped him on his feet and put his arm behind her neck “how did this happen?”

“... if... this was an Achievement... then perhaps, it was an epiphany I had...” he considered, unable to hide his amazement at being transformed into his original body. It was still weakened, but the lack of pain and ability to breathe normally point to him being given a better physique to help keep up with the forecasts. Then again, it was hardly fit for moving around.

“Epiphany? You mean confessing to Miwa?” Todo asked amusedly.

Both teens exploded into a blush, especially in the case of Muta, whose face was now visible.

“M-m-maybe...” he averted his gaze from everyone.

Seeing his expressions in real time, and in front of her, did a number on Miwa’s fragile heart, and she smiled tenderly (yet bashfully) “I... I really ought to get used to this...”

“But why’re you still like this? I think the entity can and will perfectly heal you up” Kamo wonders.

“Maybe it’s a stipulation” Utahime supposed, “Muta-kun was unable to absolve himself of his mistake, and so with this body, he wanted to be reminded of the trouble he almost gave to everyone.”

“Damn, that’s poetic as hell!” Gojo besides her expressed. “Seriously, that Messenger just keeps dazzling us one after the other. Is there no end to this?”

“We already know that” Mai told him with a sigh. She didn’t even have it in herself to be let down after all the weird shit that went down. It was hard to remember they were still in the present, after all.

“... still, what’s going to happen to you now...?” Miwa murmured to Muta.

Utahime cleared her throat, other teachers such as Nanami and Yaga facing Muta “The punishment is still in the cards, even though we’ve yet to agree on it. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too harsh, since at this point, those Curses have yet to cause any damage thanks to you. I hope you comprehend this, Muta-kun.”

“Yes, Iori-sensei.” Of course he did, no one was in favor of the reprimand more than himself.

When the noise died down and everything was (somewhat) resolved, everyone returned back to their seats. Miwa made sure to adjust Muta on his seat by herself, before huddling close to him. So close, she was afraid if she let go, he’ll disappear away.

Geto was watching Muta from afar, unable to conceive how much of himself he saw in him. The parallels were surface-only, but the feeling of being misunderstood by his friends, and the belief he had their best interests at heart... it still hit too close.

When Gojo returned back and stretched backward on his seat, from the corner of his eyes, he saw... Toji surrounded by snacks, a rice mochi stuck between his teeth. At being caught, he froze like a deer in the headlights.

“Are you kidding me right now?” a half-lidded Gojo AND Geto bristle at the same time in disbelief. This whole drama, and the old man was procuring(!) food?!

“What!? Am I not allowed to eat?!” Toji furiously defended himself, after swallowing that mochi gracefully. He was downright unrepentant. The two other men just returned to face the screen, shaking their heads.

Fake Geto, who was walking away: that was a bit dangerous for you, you know.                           

Mahito, fixing his joints: I made myself burst apart at the same instant his Technique activated. Undoing my domain after that would make him think I’m dead, right? It was all calculated, and wasn’t too dangerous after all. So that was another use of Simple Domain? Good thing we got to see it in action before the main event, huh?

A fresh wave of fury (too often tearful) flooded upon the audience. Nary a single one didn’t look as if they could set on-screen Fake Geto and especially Mahito on fire with their glares, Yuji above all.

 Hugging Mechamaru close, Miwa’s previously happy countenance morphed out of the blue, her now cold, dead eyes piercing through that damn Curse.

“Seems like the second possibility was right after all, Nanami, Geto” Yaga told the two, with Geto breathing out slightly, a bit surprised at himself for easily reading through Mahito.

Yuji clicked his tongue at the information. If things progressed the way they did, he’d be practically untouchable. He has to intercept him when this is over.

Geto, as he takes out the nail used to install the Veil: Yeah, I was able to finish adjusting the entrusted Veil too. There won’t be any problems with entrusting the Cursed Energy and chant to others.

Shibuya, Tokyo

The sheer emptiness of the downtown Shibuya district juxtaposed with the illuminating billboards forecasting the weather in November 1^st had a sense of eerieness about it.

“What the hell happened?!” Nobara croaked out at the sight, “it should be the annual Halloween, but it’s so... deserted!”

“Forget about Halloween, it’s usually bustling even at night” Maki asserted, “this sight looks just plain wrong!”

“It looks like it’s been vacated recently” replies Nanami, who narrows his eyes in concern.

“Vacated? It’s almost as if everyone just popped out of existence!” Gojo declared, his Six Eyes scanning for any anomalies in the place.

Narrator voice: Just after 7PM on October 31^st, 2018, a roughly 400-meter radius Veil was lowered, centered around Tokyu Department Store’s Toyoko outlet.

And he was proven right in no time, even before the narration confirmed it.

Wait, narration?

“Who’s this talking?!” Yuji questioned.

“Looks like a narrator of some sort, and it sounds female” Megumi responds.

“What if that’s the Messenger!?” Yuta exclaims.

“Takana” said Inumaki. Perhaps.

“HEEEYYY!! ARE YOU THE ONE THAT GOT US HERE?!” Yuji of course loudly addressed the screen, much to Megumi and Nobara’s displeasure, both pulling him back to his seat by the blazer in embarrassment. The only thing he gained was everybody laughing at him, with Gojo being the loudest of them all.

Even a minute later, no reply was heard.

“Nevermind” the boy sheepishly apologized in a tiny voice.

Surprisingly, out of the blue (or was it?), life was breathed to it, as people were everywhere. To celebrate Halloween, most visitors donned costume (with one of them even having a Human Earthworm disguise on), and started partying in earnest, various newcomers commenting on the racket, cosplayers taking photos, and so on. One of the people in the commotion, a Wonder Woman cosplayer, took notice of something enveloping the full moon, which her male acquaintance couldn’t.

“Huh? Everything’s back to normal” Panda said in confusion.

“I think it’s shown out of sequence or something” Nanami speculated.

"Look! It's the Human Earthworm!" Yuji excitedly points at the cosplayer.

“Fuuuck, that worm-man again?!” on the other hand, Nobara squealed in chagrin at the sight, clinging to Maki behind her.

“THAT AIN'T THE ISSUE HERE!” Maki  punted both idiots back to their place.

Geto in contrast was stirred out of his thoughts by the sight of non-sorcerers. The same group he tried to wipe out not too long ago, not too far from the location where he began his operations. And they were having such a good time, unaware of...

However, he soon caught on to the window to a very ugly side of himself opening within his mind, and closed it down, doing his best to disregard it, and by extension, disregard those people. Like Gojo said, he wasn’t gonna spend a lot of time here, so it’s best he doesn’t waste that precious interlude getting bent out of shape by something he knew was ultimately of no value.

“... when did I even start thinking this way?” he noticed, befuddled at his unexpected self-possession.               

That thing was a Veil being lowered on the entire distrinct.

One of the rowdy partygoers in the alleyway ends up bumping against the Veil, thinking it’s a wall.

Soon after, the danger gradually built up until out of nowhere, a crowd of people ended up being flown away by a brutal gust of wind, possibly by the Veil.

“WHAT?!” “WHAT’S GOING ON?!” a lot of youngsters were stunned at people being literally taken by the wind.

“That’s a Veil that traps anyone caught close to it inside” Gojo spells out to them, “if you were caught in a Veil that ensnared sorcerers in, you’d also be flying like that”.

Most shuddered at the thought.

Elsewhere near Tokyo Metro Shibuya Station, Kento Nanami and Kiyotaka Ijichi were conversing.

Ijichi: it’s a Veil that traps only regular people inside. Regular people are only able to enter it, but Sorcerers and assistant supervisors are able to come and go.

“Whoah! Ijichi-san! It’s been a while since I last saw him!” Yuji beamed.

“I know, right!?” Nobara did the same.

“Traps just normal people inside? What is the meaning of this?” Yuta’s eyes narrowed.

“If it’s what I think it is” the adults reflected on previous conversations by the Fake Geto, “then they might havea way to back Gojo into a corner”

Nanami: and the signal?

Ijichi: it’s blocked. Please use assistant supervisors like us, or first exit the Veil in order to communicate.

Nanami, who was flanked by Megumi Fushiguro, as well as Takuma Ino, a Grade-2 Sorcerer: this is becoming awfully troublesome.

“Who’s that?” asked Yuji.

“Takuma Ino, he’s a Tokyo Jujutsu Tech graduate and Grade-2 Sorcerer who’s still working with us” Megumi answers.

A mischievous Ino bugs Megumi: Hey, Fushiguro, Fushiguro. Did you know that when adding effects to the barrier of a Veil, you can basically only apply them to “things with Cursed Energy”? that’s roughly people, Cursed Spirits and Cursed Objects. So blocking cell phones signals is just a side effect of a Veil being lowered, and you can’t actually integrate the surrounding signal into a Veil’s barrier.

Many found themselves giggling, “for a graduate, he sure acts more like a newbie than anything” Nobara spoke up, recalling at least one mission she had with him. 

"Okaka" a surprisingly cheeky Inumaki wasn't about to disagree.

“Once a starry-eyed Kouhai, always a starry-eyed Kouhai” Panda joked.

“Things with Cursed Energy, huh...?” Yuta said aloud, deep in thought, but before he knew it, he found his eyes darting to the direction of his classmate Maki. Before she could notice it, he instead found himself turning to see Toji instead.

He wasn’t alone. Bolstered by Yuta’s remark, almost everyone turned to gawk at a certain Energyless source in the room. In their case, especially Gojo and Geto’s, a certain breach to the Tomb of the Star a decade ago came to mind, which wasn’t all too pleasant to remember for the Six Eyes user and Curse Manipulator.

Toji himself for the most part was torn between watching the screen, his son, his hand, and then he became aware of the eyes on him, “The hell are y’all looking at?”

The teens automatically went back to facing the screen, still poker-faced, “Nothing!” mouthed Nobara.

“But what about Maki-san?” whispered Yuji to Megumi afterwards.

“I... no comment”

Megumi, deadpan: Oh, yes. I knew that.

Nanami: Ino-kun, he’s a talented man, so keep the Senpai act in check.

Ino, dismayed: What do you mean, Nanami-san?!

Nanami: so, what about Gojo-san?

“Aww, he’s just so earnest” Miwa confesses, “Like Itadori-kun!”. Even Muta besides her was inclined to admit the same.

Said Itadori blushed and scratched his head at the observation.

“Still, Nanamin sure has a knack for taking excitable guys under his wing” Gojo couldn’t help but note this.

“He does, alright” Shoko agreed.

Nanami wasn’t about to respond, but instead, he flashed back to something Yuji asked him about Haibara last time.

Meanwhile, outside the Veil in Shibuya Mark City, Restaurant avenue entrance, Maki Zen’in, Nobara Kugisaki, Akari Nitta, and Naobito Zen’in were gathered.

Nobara: No one’s here at the scramble crossing in front of the station? This is Shibuya on Halloween!

Akari: It would seem something has happened there. Everyone who came running up to the edge of the Veil to escape said the same thing, “Bring Satoru Gojo!”

The adults were now even more apprehensive, their guesswork all but confirmed.

“It seems like they’re luring Gojo-sensei into a trap” Megumi inferred.

“Most likely” Yuta was on the same page, his fingers grasping his chin. “But what kind of trap, exactly?”

Suddenly, when he remembered the kind of plan hinted at by Fake Geto, as well as the limitations around Gojo's Technique, Yuta lifted his head as he slowly paled. He turned to his friends, and to Megumi, who also faced him. They were beginning to realize the same thing. Worry started to simmer amongst them, not helped at all by the infamously brutal defeat of Gojo by Toji early on living rent free in their heads. Are they going to see the same thing? But now with the Prison Realm?

The adults like Gojo were quite impressed at seeing the youngsters work this scheme out. The Six Eyes user rested his head atop his palm, hoping that maybe, on the occasion that plan came to fruition, they'll eventually pick up the slack.

Naobito: there’s no way any non-sorcerer knows his name, they’re forced to say that. Can’t we break the Veil?

“Oh God, it’s him...” Toji muttered, a borderline revolted grimace forming on his face. “Didn’t all that booze kill him yet?! I swear the only difference between how I remember and now is the moustache and grey hair!”

“Naobito?” Megumi hazarded a guess in annoyance. Maki might've told him about the Zen'in, but he didn’t meet any of them, and didn’t want to, and from their reactions, it was all too apparent why.

“Naobito” Maki, Mai, Kamo, Todo, Gojo, Nanami, Yaga, Shoko, Utahime and even Geto and Toji all said simultaneously, bearing the exact same grimace.

But Toji was shocked at himself for finally engaging with Megumi, even if by accident. He dragged his eyes away from the similarly stunned boy, choosing to stare at his snacks.

“At least he’s the only one that came. Horrifyingly enough, I’d soon take him over that sorry excuse of a sperm dispenser or fucktard” Maki thought to herself.

Akari: we’re having a hard time with that, the Veil isn’t preventing Sorcerers from entering or leaving, we can’t just break it by force. It’ll be much easier to find the Curse User who lowered it and just beat them up.

Maki: then our job is to help with that, right?

Akari: No! You all are to wait here on standby.

Elsewhere in Shibuya Station southern entrance, Panda was walking alongside Atsuya Kusakabe, a Grade-1 Sorcerer and the second-year teacher at Jujutsu Tech.

Kusakabe: they lowered an advanced barrier and called out Satoru Gojo by name. This is likely the same culprits behind the attack on the Exchange Event. The upper brass wanted to minimize casualties, so they’ve decided to send Satoru Gojo in alone to restore order in Shibuya. So all of us, Nanami, the old Zen’in and even Mei Mei. We’re all here on standby outside the Veil to catch any of Gojo’s rebounds, not we’d be able to stay in contact if we got in, anyway.

“Kusakabe-sensei!!” Yuta and Panda cried out in bright-eyed joy.

“I almost forgot about him!” Maki expresses similar thrill.

“Shiokara” agreed Inumaki.

“You mean that’s your teacher?” Yuji wondered. They all nodded. He watched with newfound curiosity about the rest of the faculty.

“I could say the same, though. Been a while since I last saw him, I could always count on him to keep everyone grounded” Gojo said.

“More like keep you grounded” Geto groused.

Panda, frowning: Minimize casualties? They’re talking about Sorcerer casualties, aren’t they. They don’t care about any casualties among regular people, do they?

Almost everybody either deflated at the implications, or just fumed, especially a certain white-haired Jujutsu teacher and former Curse user. If it wasn’t Fake Geto or any of the Disaster Curses (but mostly Mahito), they could always count on the higher-ups to make things go out of the frying pan and into the fire. This firmly cemented why Geto didn’t trust them with his mission (aside of also not liking them that much), and why Gojo had to do something about it.

Kusakabe: Don’t get bristly with me. Unlike last year’s Night Parade of a Hundred Demons on Christmas, events are already in motion, so I think this was the best call. Besides, I had a peek inside the Veil earlier, and it was pretty peaceful; regular people were panicking, sure, but there weren’t any Cursed Spirits or Curse Users going around and killing them. Right now, those regular people are just trapped inside. Though honestly I don’t want to go back inside there again.

“Gee, can’t believe a year has passed since the Parade!” Gojo spoke out while giving a stink-eye at the instigator besides him, who didn’t say anything. He didn’t know whether to be proud or peeved. Meanwhile, the teachers and some students, namely the seniors, were thrown off for a bit at the realization.

“Even if the situation is under control, it’s only a matter of time before it that one trigger is set” Nanami pointed out, “don’t forget what Mahito said earlier. About conserving his energy for the Halloween.” He told them, and they, Yuji, Muta and Miwa especially, were now on guard, nodding as they watched on somberly.

Panda: Why is that?

Kusakabe: It was in Hikarie, I think. Most likely, there’s lots of Special-Grade Cursed Spirits underground.

“That’s... a start” Shoko said.

“Right now, it’s all like a bomb waiting to go off” Yaga surmised grimly.

“Let’s hope Gojo-sensei comes just in time to deal with it” Yuta voiced.

Inside the Veil, in Bunkamura Street Dongenaza 2-Chrome East, there was outcry, with some demanding Satoru Gojo’s appearance immediately, having been told his presence is the only way they can escape the Veil. Others were a bit more nonchalant while dismissing the alarm, finding the situation none too different from a horror movie while finding reassurance in knowing help will arrive soon. One of the panicking citizens brings up how people near the intersection just got sucked into the barrier like water while deriding everyone’s carefreeness.

“Hey it’s not so... bad?” Panda was at first hopeful, and then the civilians started a small riot.

“What do you think was going to happen when you got sucked into a Veil like wind carrying leaves?” Maki rudely pointed out.

“Dealing with them when the Barrier is broken is easily one of the worst things ever” Mai complains.

“Worst is putting it mildly” a very dark part of Geto couldn’t help but concede. No matter how hard he tried to clamp up that side of him, it’s just fool’s endeavor. From his perspective, only a few hours ago he was raving about how he can’t bear to live side by side with baseline humans. Or monkeys, as he called them. But, his unique situation will definitely force his hand into trying to address this problem

“Look on the bright side, there are way more people just chilling out!” Yuji points out to the blasé people.

“I don’t even know who to side with here...” Nobara muttered.

Suddenly, a figure comes out of the Veil hand-first, bumping into the civilian by accident.

It was none other than the strongest Sorcerer of today himself.

Satoru Gojo: oh, sorry.

“Oh, here am I” he casually said

“FINALLY!” several students exclaimed.

“I wouldn’t worry too much now! With him there, it’ll be salvaged” an enthusiastic Yuji contended.

“But, would it really?” but way more other voices exercised vigilance about the matter.

To be continued

Notes:

It was such a chore, but I hope you find it serviceable
it only came out two weeks later because i was on another work.
This will probably once every saturday... i hope
i eventually decided that i'm just gonna write normal episodes. i'll combine two later on, especially since i've yet to finish introducing the roster...
Peace out, everyone! And remember to ask as i described below!
And PLEASE i'd like comments more diverse than anticipating the next chapter. I know you'd all say that until the final chapter, plus it kinda kills enthusiasm when everyone says the same things😁🤌

Chapter 3: Shibuya Incident

Notes:

Skipped my deadline. roast me in the comments all you want
Everything worked against me, from the PC to the blackout
WARNING: Mind numbing stupidity, Meimei, and some meanspirited humor (with a side order of epic foreshadowing, poor Megumi...)
Be careful, there are a lot of edits that need to be done.

During the brief pause after the last viewing, everyone decided that they were in desperate need for one thing: food. The last events put a damper on their appetite, with a few (dishonorable) exceptions, but even though barely an hour passed, they figured out some nourishment might help light the mood.

Shoko was in the process of checking Kokichi Muta’s current state out of both curiosity (as well as that of everyone else) and at the behest of Utahime and Miwa. Although he tried to pretend he was healthy, Muta slightly hissed whenever his arm or shin got moved more than 30 degrees, and his attempt at getting on his feet showed that his muscles are still rather atrophied.

Miwa, who has finished gathering snacks and was met with Shoko and Muta, stood the whole time near them. When Shoko was finished, the blue-haired girl asked “How is it?”

“His ability to control any part other than his face and even breathe normally without any intravenous add-ons is more than enough to indicate that he’s somewhat in the clear, to say nothing of his much firmer skin tissue and muscle” she says, “but it’s not much. While he’s able to a few steps, his poor motor control won’t let him move so much without help”.

“But, why is he like this?” Utahime questioned, glancing at Geto and Toji in particular “Those two were channeled here with the full appearance and indication of life, even though we’ve yet to know how that happened. So why was Muta-kun’s treatment more, so to say...”

“... half-assed?” Mai completed for her.

“More or less”

Muta himself didn’t come up with any response. In fact, there was a brief silence as the listeners mulled over this discovery. A lot of them where actually thinking about it ever since Muta fully manifested in this realm, but Muta himself, when he got settled down on his seat, wasn’t too inclined to say it.

“Maybe the issue isn’t the messenger...” Todo contemplated.

“You mean...” Miwa’s eyes widened as she took in his words, before slowly turning to Muta, who sighed.

Soon, silence descended on the room as the gist of the situation was cleared in the minds of those present, particularly upon remembering the Puppet sorcerer’s own resigned response to the discovery of his other allegiances.

However, a few more cynical members weren’t easily convinced of Muta’s repentance. They thought he was only manipulating them by painting himself as a victim of the Disaster Curses, and would turn on them if the leash on him was loosened. One of them were, unsurprisingly enough, his classmate Mai

“Look, the screen’s flickering!” Panda exclaims, bringing everyone’s attention back to it.

“Then let’s scram!” Yuji wasted no second jumping back to his place with a few bags of popcorn in hand. “I wanna see Gojo-sensei in action!”

“You’re not alone” Yuta and Nobara agreed as they joined him in the back and at his left, respectively.

Hikarie, Shibuya at 8:38PM

A large number of civilians and tourists were huddled together inside the station. Gojo was watching over them from above. He muses on the presence of the secondary Veil that traps non-sorcerers inside, before deciding to descend down. He seems as if he’ll land on of the citizens, but instead walks on air right above everyone, skipping slightly in his steps before reaching the rails. Their number is even bigger than it seemed.

Gojo guesses what the masterminds are after, and decides to play along.

“Um, Muta-kun” Miwa addressed her classmate, “You... well, worked with them, right? So do you know at least something about how they’ll deal with Gojo-san?”

“While I did only manage to obtain information regarding the Prison Realm at first, from the look of it, their scheme is to essentially employ Gojo’s most glaring weakness against him.”

Many of Gojo’s students turned to Muta in shock at the information.

“.. weakness?!” Yuji, alongside his classmates, was embarrassed at himself for still refusing to accept the mere idea, despite seeing their teacher brutally killed not too long ago (even if temporarily) when he was their age

"To make a long story short, he can't coordinate freely with too many people by his side. This forces him to focus on shielding them, since his powers and techniques are quite deadly at close range. So the Disaster Curses decide to put him in a bind to prevent him from accessing the entirety of his arsenal, and thus wipe them out effortlessly. After all, dominion over space is only absolute if it's completely empty."

"And Satoru isn't the type to just endanger innocent civilians, making the outcome even more uncertain" Yaga asserts;

With this, a new sense of unease washed over most previously uninformed viewers. Those who were on to it were still thinking about how it'd all unfold. That being said, both groups realized that they would rather see it with their eyes instead of wasting time speculating, despite the gravity of the implications.

In Aoyama cemetary just a minute later after the fact.

Yuji Itadori was on standby alongside Mei Mei and another boy, Ui Ui, her younger brother, who’s carrying her weapon.

Yuji, shocked: They’re making Gojo-sensei do this alone?! I understand the logic, but there has to be something we can do, too! Like being his backup or something!

“Thanks for the thought! As expected of one of my most beloved students” Gojo playfully raved while waving a granola bar around, before adding in “... but you probably shouldn’t”

“Why?!”

“I’m not going to keep carrying you like my backpack all the time, you know!”

Yuji didn't like it. He honestly would’ve wanted to help his teacher with protecting the civilians, especially after Muta's warning, but given that he and the rest of other teachers probably know better about what’s happening, he decided to keep it to himself.

Ui Ui interrupts Yuji by handing him Mei Mei’s axe, before returning to place a cloth on the spot where Mei Mei is planning to sit.

Mei Mei: Yeah. That’s why we’re heading to Shibuya as well.

The boy then rather rudely takes away the axe from Yuji, to the latter’s indignation.

“Oh, Ui Ui!” pointed out Panda, “It’s been a while since Mei-san brought him”

“Ui Ui?” Repeated Yuji, “What kinda name is that? Sounds too cutesy”

“That’s Mei-san’s younger brother” answered Yuta, “he’s her primary assistant and a sorcerer that specializes in advanced Simple Domain techniques”.

“Sorcerer?! But he’s just a kid!!” Yuji exclaimed, “He can’t be older than ten! And how could she drag a young family member into such danger?!”. It’s not like he didn’t know about the woman’s fixation on money atop everything else, but he was taken aback at how everything else seemed to include her own flesh and blood too.

“Well, when I was half his age I could clap the entirety of Tokyo in half!” Gojo retorted, somehow shifting the whole subject to himself. “and besides, Mei-san’s outlook on her family is... interesting, to say the least”.

“That comparison makes no sense when you use yourself as a point of reference” Megumi deadpanned.

“Just sayin’”

The adults near him just grumbled.

Ui Ui: To force Nee-sama to be his backup... Satoru Gojo must think he’s some big-shot.

Mei Mei: You shouldn’t treat him like some ordinary guy.

Ui Ui: You’re hardly an ordinary woman yourself, Nee-sama!

Yuji watches the remainder of their... close interactions in utter bewilderment. A weirdly fawning Ui Ui in particular brings up the fact that he’s just her work partner despite being her family, something Mei Mei lauds for recognizing.

Meanwhile, the current Yuji has nearly the exact same face as his future self, except for the popcorn nearly spilling from his mouth.

Some sorcerers shifted nervously in their seats, others sighed in defeat at the Chinese woman’s... eccentricities, but the likes of Mai and Toji had to stifle a devious snicker at the interaction.

“... he’s really reverential to her” Yuta finally said.

“Too reverential if you ask me” added Megumi and Nobara, who weren’t amused.

“Kombu” affirmed Inumaki. You mean creepy.

“Couldn’t relate” quipped a chuckling Mai, much to the nearby Maki’s exasperation.

“Her work partner...? Uhh, I know it’s been a while since I talked to her, but was Mei-san always this detached?” Utahime scratched her head.

“Detached??” most students couldn’t help but note the contradictory choice of words here.

“It really has been a while since you talked to her, Utahime” Shoko rolled her eyes.

“Hey guys, don’t tell me that...” Yuji started jumping to the worst conclusion.

“If it’s what you think it is then no need to be this alarmed.” Todo suddenly stated, “Mei-san’s relationships might be as transactional as the others, but I’m sure that’s all to what’s between her and Ui Ui...”

........

“... I hope.”                                           

Several students nearly face-faulted.

“THAT ANSWERS SHIT!” Yuji, Nobara, Panda and Maki yelled.

Poor Yuji is still stumped, even after Mei Mei gets a call confirming a change in position. When she gets up to leave alongside Ui Ui, the woman reveals that another Veil was lowered over Meiji Shrine station. She reminds him that they’ll need to run, something Yuji complies with.

“Another Veil?!” Yuta shouted.

“The one from before already managed to trap non-sorcerers inside, what is this new one supposed to achieve?” Megumi questioned.

“Maybe to isolate Gojo-san in addition” Nanami guessed.

“I doubt it. Can’t remember the last time someone managed to craft a Veil that could lock him inside” Shoko remarked.

“There is a way they can do it, though" Geto suddenly asserts, to the youngsters' surprise. Even though he did interact for a bit (with Gojo most of the time), seeing him address them was startling.

Todo soon figures it out, but isn't too certain "Maybe... it's so that other sorcerers can't interfere"

Back at Hikarie, Gojo floats down to the massive rails in the middle of the station.

Gojo, chuckling: I see you’re all fully prepared.

Facing him meters away are the two Disaster Curses, Hanami, the Forest Curse, Jogo, the Volcano Curse, and Choso, the older Death Painting brother.

Jogo in the middle: You came.

“It’s that Curse from the Goodwill Events and Mt. Fuji again!” Yuji pointed, taking extra interest in the latter Curse alongside Todo.

“You still call him that?!” they stared at him in perplexion.

Then again, a certain Sorcerer Killer was in agreement with the boy. He was quite surprised at being able to see and hear Cursed spirits clearly for the first time ever, in no part thanks to the unusual programming of the forecast (even though he already saw one before, but that was too human to count; or at least, looked superficially human), and those two really lived up to the illustrations he was glimpsed with. Though the one on the left was sleeker; the one in the middle AKA Mt. Fuji as that kid called him reminded him of a tiny old man if anything.

Meanwhile, Geto, the one who has most experience taming Curses, felt his intrigue pique again at being shown other Special Grades, even if two. And judging by the moniker and especially appearances, they did live up to their origin of creation. All what's left is witnessing their feats on his own.

“He’s back again?” Gojo said in lowkey annoyance at Jogo’s smug demeanor, “What is he? Cruising for another bruising?”

“Nevermind! The other Death Painting’s with them!” Nobara pressed as she caught sight of Choso.

“Yeah, I believe his name was Choso” Megumi frowned, recalling that at that point, his fellow Death Paintings were killed.

“I don’t think he’s here for the Disaster Curses’ plan...” Yuta stated, casting a glance at Yuji and Nobara, who stiffened.

“Nevermind that, Gojo has to deal with them quickly. If this keeps up, it’s not going to end well” Muta firmly declares.

Gojo: You won’t have any excuses left when you lose this time

Jogo: And have you given thought to the first excuse you’ll use when you lose?

“He’s so conceited for someone who got hit with Limitless and had his head ripped off in his latest fight” Maki griped.

“He better make a worthier impression this time, either way, I’ll have to snuff him out for real” Gojo remarked.

Back at Meiji Shrine station, Yuji, Mei Mei and Ui Ui were shown with an auxiliary assistant, who sketches a rough portrait of the Veil’s location and expanse in the Hikarie underground subway, as well as that of an additional Veil that locks out Sorcerers. She concludes that the one who put on the Veils is located in the middle of the area they’re placed so that they guard the second barrier due to the defeat of two managers.

"I was right?" Todo was a bit stunned by the reveal.

"So this is how they'll isolate him?!" Mai huffed, "What if he just, I dunno, left?"

"Did you just forget the amount of people stuck in there?!" Kamo and Nishimiya sharply remind her.

Also, she hesitantly uncovers the fact that transfigured humans were found between the Veils, much to Yuji’s intense alarm.

That reveal was enough to stun most viewers, but none more than Yuji, Miwa and Muta, who went rigid and gaped at the screen, all traces of emotions leaving their faces.

“Of course he’s gonna be here” Nobara quietly growled.

Miwa was that close to blinking back tears, to her mortification. Now that knowledge will haunt her for the rest of her days, especially when they return to the real world.

Yuji took a fleeting glance at her and Muta, before turning back to the screen. This made him realize that there are other things that need to be corrected.

Outside, two crows were seen flying inside the station, which were deployed by Mei Mei. Yuji begs her to hurry up, but Ui Ui silences him since it takes Mei Mei a lot of concentration to share her perception with crows. When the woman admits she doesn’t mind, Ui Ui starts to whine.

“Mei-san can look through other animals’ eyes?!” Yuji gaped in wonder.

“Crows, but yes. This forms the basis of her Cursed technique, Black Bird Manipulation” Nanami replies.

“That sounds really neat” Nobara said, “I heard she can use some really dangerous aces in the hole in her disposal with that power”.

“Of course” Gojo confirms, “it might seem weird coming from me, but one of those moves can probably destroy a Special Grade easily!”

“But won’t her senses be, I dunno, trafficked by the amount of crows she can possess?” asked Miwa.

“That’s why concentration is key” Kamo replies.

The crows get slain, confirming Mei Mei’s suspicions. She asks Yuji whether he should take on a dozen weak transfigured humans or one powerful Cursed Spirit, easily foreseeing his response on the matter. She shows him the map of the station on her phone. Curses are lurking around level B4, while the bulk of people are at the train platform at B5 just below, revealing that this is the reason the crows she sent couldn’t make it past B5. Her guess is that civilians are cooped up underground to make it easier for Curses to hunt them down. Also, Mei Mei’s crows were only killed between B1 and B2, implying the Cursed Spirit or Curse User who set up the Veil is there. Their purpose behind installing two Veils, beyond probably keeping any human from leaving, is unknown to her.

“They managed to get two feet ahead Satoru's , which is no easy feat. Question is, would he realize this and find a way?” Geto reflected.

Yuji, however, believes that Mahito is in that junction, as he points to the subway. Mei Mei isn’t too sure as her crows were rid of before they could see him, but the presence of transfigured humans make it very likely.

“What if you did manage to find him there?” Megumi asks Yuji seriously, “do you really think you can take on him? After what he did to Muta-senpai?”

“... Not if I try” Yuji affirms as he gazes at his hands. “After all, he can’t touch my soul easily, so I have a better chance at persevering”.

“This isn’t about persevering, Itadori! You can’t even fire more than a Black Flash at that point, how do you think you’ll outlast a being that increased in power so much in a short time?!”

Part of Yuji didn't want to bother Megumi anymore with this tension, so to avoid the conversation, he went ahead and mocked “Somehow I don’t really feel like taking advice from a guy who tried to throw out Mahoraga four times. No wait, FIVE times!” Now that was brutal enough to pierce Megumi of all people in the gut. Next thing he knew, everyone couldn’t help from cringing, though some bursted out laughing against their better natures at the burb.

“Pktffff-Good one, Itadori!” Nobara slapped him in the back several times while stifling her guffaw.

“Nice comeback, brother!” Todo cheered as well.

"He's not gonna live that down any time soon" Kamo sighed, with Maki, Mai and Nishimiya following suit.

"Okaka" Inumaki agreed as he poked the sulking Megumi with a pocky stick while Panda tried to comfort him as well.

At this moment, said Ten Shadows user wouldn’t have minded if future Yuji just went ahead and got blown up like confetti against Mahito, but he shook off that thought. Even though it was such a low blow, deep down he didn't even have it in himself to be personally attacked.

But Nanami wasn't really into the whole mess, so he addressed Yuji "Itadori-kun, I know that subject might be sensitive for you, but that was rather unnecessary".

"Yeah, it honestly felt like kind of mean for someone like you" Yuta admitted.

Yuji fully took in the rebuke, however, and bowed applogetically "I... didn't mean to...". However, he found it shockingly hard to outright face Megumi, which frustrated him.

Several people were watching this from the corners of their eyes and frowning, including even Megumi himself.

Toji felt as if he got kicked in the teeth at learning about this, his eyes bulging out. “You WHAT?!?”. Normally he’d be over the moon that his own child actually inherited the Zen’in clan’s most precious technique, not to mention spitefully proud of the fact that he conceived its wielder, but for him to resort to it so many times. He doesn’t like that he feels bad about it, but something tells him this is going to be a huge problem sooner than later...

“He tried to what now?!” Geto blurted out in shock, his shoulders slumping. He knew Mahoraga referred to the Eight Handled Sword Divergent Silla General Mahoraga, a Shikigami so monstrously powerful not one Ten Shadows Technique user could tame it, and so much that summoning it is equivalent to dropping a nuke... except that boy tried to do it four times apparently.

Seriously, what is going on with the Zen’ins?

“... Yyyyeeaaaah” Gojo drawled, though worry and bitterness was traceable in his tone “The apple didn't fall far from the tree, as it seems"

A vein popped inside Toji’s forehead at overhearing that. “Weren’t you the one supposed to be his teacher, what’s up with that!?” he argued.

“Well, one of those times was ‘cuz of YOU, for starters!” the white-haired man countered.

"Satoru, with all due respect, and as much as I hate to say this, he's not wide of the mark" Geto bluntly told him.

Gojo already acknowledged that, but the snappy side of him was awakened by Toji's presence, leaving him unable to make a strong case for himself. At Geto's words, he loosened his shoulders and heaved a worn sigh, glancing at Megumi.

"It just gets easier, huh?"

To make sure, Mei Mei formulates a plan to intercept the enemies, by having Yuji head directly to B2 whereas she and Ui Ui go to the exit so they could recover the civilians, and that he could change route to the exit if it proves too dangerous.

Afterwards, they go their separate ways.

Mei Mei: Though if I can be greedy, I hope that by the time we reunite, the Veil will be lifted and the civilians will be freed, and we’ll know what our opponent in B5 is after.

Yuji enters the B2 section of Tokyo Metro’s Meiji Shrine Station, showing that it’s already 9:03PM

Yuji: Don’t worry... I won’t lose anymore.

Only, the scene cuts immediately to Yuji staring in shock at something in B2.

Nearly everyone tensed in concern and anticipation, some especially laser-focused on Yuji’s reaction.

“Already?” Nanami and Muta flinched.

“Why now?!” a concerned Megumi voices.

... actually, it’s only a monstrous grasshopper-looking Curse feasting on a human’s head.

Ko-guy: What are you looking at?

....

 “... Oh” All viewers except Yuji, Yuta, Yaga, Utahime and Nanami just uttered, not sure whether they should be relieved or let down.

They would be lying if they didn’t feel the escalating tension pop like a balloon for a milisecond. It took seeing that corpse to force them back on their guard again.

“WHADDAYA MEAN ‘OH’?!?” Yuji jumped at everyone and squawked in outrage.

“S-sorry, Itadori” Nobara clasped her palms at him in sheepish apology.

“IT’S  STILL A CURSE KILLING SOMEONE!!” Yuta did the same.

“I’m sorry, Okkotsu-senpai...” the other students faced on the ground remorsefully, “I-it’s just...”

“Don’t tell me you hoped it’d be Mahito?!” Yuji demanded, before looking the avoidant Megumi straight in the eyes in disappointment “And to think you were so fretful about me beforehand...”

Meanwhile, Mai just gagged and covered her mouth, while a certain Straw Doll user was twitching and shaking in revulsion at she ended up laying her eyes on. Right now, she wished it was just Mahito, despite what this would entail for Yuji. “A-AAAAUGH!! WHY?!” Nobara wailed as she held on to her seat as if her life depended on it.

“You can’t even handle a bug after clearing how many even uglier Curses?” Panda expressed his disbelief.

“I CAN!!” she fired back “But I don’t have to LIKE IT!!”

The dead man’s hand twitching makes the display worse, infuriating Yuji.

Ko-guy, done with eating from the corpse: Y-you’re a... J-juchu... Jujuchu... Juj... Jujutsu sorcerer! Right? Right? I’m clever!

The sorcerers’ (and two Heavenly Restricted ones) hair just rumpled on its own at the sheer display of the Curse’s “cleverness”.

“... Look, this is probably a 1^st or 2^nd Grade Curse if it’s so capable of coherent speech ^{which isn’t saying much}” Maki went on before whispering the last part, “meaning it’s quite strong as well.”

“So even if it’s not Mahito, future Itadori-kun should still watch his back” Yuta concluded.

“Its level of intelligence still clocks at 3^rd grade, though” Megumi interjected.

“Maybe he just spawned recently” Yuji brought up.

Yuji, deadpan: The patchfaced Cursed Spirit is here, right? Where is he?

Ko-guy, utterly lost: Patch... face? Patchface?

“I don’t feel like blaming him, it’s not like we knew his name beforehand” Kamo admitted.

“But still...!” Mai groaned.

Yuji has to literally explain to it how Mahito looks like in frustration.

Ko-guy: Don’t make a fool of me! I know that much, I’m clever! Mahito is below, I’m here protecting the Veil.

Comical sighs of relief were exhaled.

“I mean, it makes sense, haha...” Nishimiya nervously pointed out, “There’s no way Mahito would employ someone with the IQ of a toaster, even if it’s a Curse”

“That’s an insult to toasters...” Nobara and Maki commented.

Yuji realizes that the patchwork Curse’s name is Mahito, remembering Junpei calling him that as well, before reminding himself of the more important mission here.

He flashes back to Gojo in a previous lesson: Barriers are pretty complicated, yeah. There are plenty of people who are strong and still can’t do them. Though I’m both strong and capable!

“It is. Even someone as strong and capable can sometimes fail to pull it off” Yaga said before shooting a glower at Gojo, unwilling to let him live down all those times he forgot to install one as a teen, including the one they’ve seen before.

“Yeah yeah, sure” Gojo annoyedly waved off, “Jeez, I’ve never seen someone hold grudges for so long like you, principal”

“Like you weren’t the bane of his existence” Geto and Shoko unironically rolled their eyes.

“It’d be weirder if he didn’t” Utahime rebuked Gojo.

Because of this, Yuji doubts the Grasshopper Curse is responsible for casting the Veil. But right behind it as it rambles on, he notices a large nail wrapped with papers. He concludes that the Curse is merely protecting the Veil, and did not necessarily create it, which motivates him to destroy that nail just in case.

“No shit, if that Grasshopper thing did create it then that’d the biggest plot twist in history” ridiculed Maki.

Ko-guy: Did you know, the humans he transfigures lose their flavour? I’m CLEVER so I can tell the difference–!

“Itadori please hurry up and stomp it with a Black Flash or whatever!” Nobara held on to her armrest tightly while gnashing her teeth. Right now, the Curse’ voice was infinitely more bothersome than its appearance. Her friends were torn between sympathizing with her and being irritated by her petty grievance. In fact, only Yuji seems to have taken his threat level seriously due to still remembering his recent atrocity.

“I dunno about you guys, this one’s a total riot” Gojo giggled, more amused at the scene than anything.

Only for Yuji to interrupt him with a hard kick to its face, before aiming a punch at its midsection, sending it crashing through the wall...

“THANK YOU!” she shouted in victory.

Yuji, in a fighting pose: All of you need to stop underestimating humans.

Ko-guy, emerging from the rubble:... I take it t-that you’re n-not clever, huh? You don’t know what Curse I am, do you? Did you know... the not-clever ones die first in this world?!

“Actual clever people don’t tell everyone they’re all that once every second” Todo said while yawning.

“Even if his observation isn’t that far off the mark, I can’t see it as anything but projection” Panda added.

Yuji who notices what kind of Curse it is: You look just like one.

Ko-guy takes this comment badly... in the most overdramatic way possible: HAAAH?!? T-that guy is... clever!

At this point, even the most straitlaced or carefree watchers felt their eyelids twitch and hands reaching out to anything that could destroy the screen.

Gojo and Toji were now guffawing their hearts out to the point of nearly falling off their chair, whereas the one man close to them was massaging his temples.

“Now I know why Kugisaki wanted it dead” Yuji and Megumi admitted with bland faces.

Poor Yuji is just nonplussed.

Suddenly, the same narrator voice from before: Locust plague; a large-scale disaster arising from an outbreak of locusts. The locusts will not just consume crops, but also paper, clothes, buildings... anything and everything made from plant fibers. A locust is required to eat its own weight in food every day to grow, so a locust swarm weighing one ton must consume 2500 people’s worth of food each day. The abnormal sounds of chewing fill the air around the swarm all day and night... Mankind has long feared and cursed such demonic pests.

.....

“Again, we’re supposed to watch the future, not a fucking NATURE DOCUMENTARY!” Toji snarled at having to register so much words quickly. As much as some loathed him, they couldn’t disagree.

“I hate to admit, but Fushiguro’s dad got a fair point” Yuji complained “WHY’S the Messenger thinking this is a great time for some documentary?!”

“Well, it explains why there’s such thing as a Grasshopper Curse” Gojo rhetorically answered.

“We could’ve fucked around and found it in CLASS, not HERE!” Nobara objects.

“You actually like classes?” but a few teachers and students noted.

"Or maybe the Messenger is just screwing with us, who knows?" Gojo soon defended

Still, there were several viewers that actually appreciated the brief lesson, concentrating on the remainder of it.

The grasshopper curse chases after Yuji with a series of bites strong enough to tear cleanly through solid objects, which the boy barely evades.

“Basically an orthopterophobic’s worst nightmare” Todo commented aloud as he watched just how strong Ko-guy’s jaw was.

 “What’s an ortho-whatever...?” Yuji and Nobara struggled to understand what Todo just said.

“Phobia of grasshoppers” Shoko replied.

Yuji can’t help but be awed by his movements, which along with his ability to understand speech, hints at it being more powerful than a typical Curse. Ko-guy quickly blitzes right behind Yuji, and tries to hit him, but he manages to somersault out of the way. In response, Ko-guy spreads his wings, and uses them to enhance its speed, rushing straight at Yuji, forcing him to duck over just as fast.

“Not the wings...” a shaking Nobara mewled.

“Now I have to agree with you, Kugisaki. Flying bugs ARE  a big no-no!” Yuji soon joined her.

“Idiots” their classmates were none too amused.

Realizing he ran through the hole he was punched through, the giant grasshopper kicks yet another hole through the wall to chase after the teen, coming very close to watching him before he slipped through its fingers, while destroying the walls around to try to limit Yuji’s movement. When he avoids all his attacks, the Grasshopper grumbles at its inability to catch him.

The fluid performance on-screen really got to the majority of audience, who found themselves scrutinizing every move, from Yuji’s near-flawless dodges to his impressive reaction time. Given how well he handled himself against Special Grades, albeit with a lot of help, many wondered how he’d fare on his own.

The visitors, Geto and Toji, in particular, were quite curious to see what kind of combatant the vessel of Sukuna was. If Megumi's words were any indication, he probably didn't awaken any Innate Technique (or at least yet), so the fact that he survived two Special Grade Curses was nothing short of fascinating.

Yuji on the other hand concludes that Ko-guy doesn’t have much in the way of tricks. When he asks him why he keeps running away and which is it with him, he in return questions what he means

Ko-guy: Are you clever, or are you not clever?! I’m... clever!

Yuji: Clever people shouldn’t really go around calling themselves clever.

Todo couldn’t have been more euphoric he and Yuji were on the same page, to the latter’s astonishment and their classmates’ fright.

“Takana?” voiced out a wide-eyed Inumaki. Coincidence much?

“Is it true that peculiar minds think alike?” some of the students and teachers mused to themselves

Ko-guy has the gall to act shocked as he covers his mouth: REALLY!?

But now no one knew whether to laugh in derision, or just tear out their hair.

“Look, I have to admit one thing... I don’t know whether to hate him or just feel sorry” Yuta conceded.

“Didn’t you get mad that we didn’t take him seriously ‘cuz he ate someone alive?” Maki jeered.

Yuta just gave up and bowed to the ground, “I... don’t know what to say anymore.”

The pink-haired young sorcerer walks up to him until they’re basically face-to-face. His serious facade is a contrast to the Curse’ visible terror.

“For a relative newbie, he sure understood the assignment quickly” Mai commented. “Don’t remember the last time a sentient Curse truly felt such fear.”

“Mmh” neither Nobara nor Maki and Panda were about to deny that.

“Now if only he stopped worrying too much about others at his own expense...”

Yuji channels Cursed Energy into his hands and prepares for a real beatdown, forcing the grasshopper to try to whale on him, his expression still fear-stricken as the blows finally connect and they both exchange a flurry of punches.

Ko-guy: Let’s go fist-to-fist! Your two arms versus my four!

“Who do you think will come on top at that point, Itadori?” Megumi questions Yuji.

“I really have no idea” he slumped apologetically, “I tried, but had trouble tracking my progress”.

“It’s alright. With the notes I have taken, this should not be problem" Nanami reassured Yuji.

The boy smiled gratefully, "Thanks, Nanamin"

Yuji clearly has the upper hand, however, as he backs it to a corner. When he breaks through its defenseshis he proceeds to deal fierce blows against its body, much to his disbelief the entire time.

Many were amazed at the beatdown (except for a few wincing), especially since the opponent was of a higher grade than Yuji was at the moment.

"Well, no wonder he was recommended later" Kamo said.

"Itadori was right, surprisingly enough, that Curse was too simplistic in its approach" Maki said.

"No matter how powerful someone is, it's worth nothing if you're not crafty enough with it" Todo affirmed.

When he’s done and the Curse is left damaged, Yuji decides to deliver the coup-de-grace. As a last resort, the insectoid shoots poison from its mouth, which the sorcerer barely dodges.

“That’s quite the useful appendage” Shoko said with interest.

Ko-guy: Still, I am the more clever one!

“SHADDUP ALREADY!!”. Many students begged to not meet him anytime in the future, because if that happened, they'd one-shot him before he says a single word.

Narrator voice again: Locusts lay their eggs underground. To faciliate this, they’re capable of extending their abdomens, the tips of which are hard and long to nearly three times their normal lengths.

The Locust Curse then elongates his abdomen so it hits Yuji’s face when he does duck from its poison, claiming that it won...

Now even the guys began freaking out.

“EEEEWWWW!!” Yuji and Nobara hugged each other in mutual disgust.

“Eugh!” most students’ faces went green from the visceral sight.

“Uh, at least he showed some creative bone at last” Gojo laughed nervously.

“Really doubt it’d save him, though” Shoko opined.

... and then the other boy just turns up and punches through its stomach instead, making the stiff part fall off, showing remains of the corpse he fed from earlier. Yuji realizes that it did have a trick, as he raises his hand from the pool of blood surrounding what’s left.

“Sudden test: do not even think of throwing up!” Gojo got up and announced to the students, “You can’t be exemplary sorcerers if this is enough to gross you out. What if you were faced against it and got killed because of that?”

“SEEING IT ONSCREEN ISN’T LIKE SEEING IT IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE!!” said students furiously shrieked at him.

“I swear, usually they’re an incredible new generation, but sometimes...” Yaga palmed his face.

Yuji, glaring:... but more importantly, you’ve eaten people. You’re prepared for what that means, right?

Narrator voice: There was a gap in their strength that no trick could overcome. This was emphasized by the Curse bracing itself for next (in absolute dread).

“Whelp, doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. Anyway, great job, Itadori!” commended Panda.

“This fight was frankly a piece of cake, you’ve grown so much ever since” Todo tells him.

“Now I really wanna force you to reach that level after this is over!" Maki added.

“Aww, stop it guys...” Yuji nearly curls up in embarrassment, before remembering “Wait... if I just vanquished a 2^nd Grade Curse, does this mean I’m eligible to be a 1^st Grade Sorcerer?!” Yuji realized out loud.

“Given how well you handled yourself, and how lopsided the confrontation was in your favor, this is reasonable” Nanami states, much to Yuji’s bouncing exhilaration.

“However, it would take exorcizing a 1^st Grade Curse for you to officially earn it”

“Oh. This makes sense” the boy surprisingly took this in stride.

Thus, Yuji immediately got rid of the nail.

“Step one is done with” Yuta says, “now all what’s left is to reach Gojo-sensei.”

Then again, he and the others inwardly agreed that it’s the hardest part of the mission.

In the meantime, at B7, Mei Mei and Ui Ui are shown to have disposed of quite a few Curses... or transfigured humans.

Upon glancing at the murdered beings, the celebratory mood from before grinds to a halt.

“T-those...” Miwa trails off as her smile fades.

“... transfigured humans” Muta grits out

“Mahito...” Yuji is aware that he’s not too far off from him.

Mei Mei: The Veil was lifted. Let’s wait for Itadori-kun and then descend to B5.

Yuji was shown supplicating over the corpse of the half-eaten man from before, clearly remorseful at not being able to save him just in time.

Even though some measure of altruism is desperately needed in this line of work (not helped by many sorcerers, even some who are inside the room, being burnt out about this notion), seeing someone deliver it so freely was quite unusual. Even moreso considering the kind of being he hosted inside of him.

Back in Meiji Shrine Station B5, Harajuku section at 9:14PM, Mahito smirks to himself as he senses something.

Mahito, walking besides a stationary train: Ko-guy was exorcised, huh? That must mean a skilled sorcerer is here. What a shame, I wanted to fight them too. But I can’t, huh? Got a job to do.

Yuji sucked in a breath the moment Mahito appeared, trying to rein in the multitude of feelings he has about him, something his other direct victim surprisingly handled better. However, his brief scene allowed carried an undercurrent of ill portent.

“His name was Ko-guy? Is he for real?” Maki was baffled.

“Ume” Inumaki relays. So uncreative.

Yuji, Mei Mei and Ui Ui run towards B4.

Mei Mei: Impressive, Itadori-kun. To be honest, I thought you’d struggle a bit. You’re practically a First-Grade already, I haven’t seen anyone get this far without a Technique since Kusakabe.

“SEE? Even Mei-san thinks the same!” Yuji was grinning.

Itadori: It wasn’t Patchface. It I had been fighting him, it wouldn’t have gone so easily.

“Definitely” he acknowledged this in the present, due to seeing the outcome of Mahito’s latest fight firsthand.

A very mad Ui Ui: Nee-sama is praising you! Just accept it!

Yuji: THANK YOU! I’m honored!

“Whipped siscon” Mai derisively remarks. That kid’s attitude pushed too many of her buttons for comfort, which Maki didn't fail to notice.

“CAN YOU EVEN HEAR YOURSELF! He’s just a child for crying out loud!” Yuji understandably objected as he threw his arms in the air, “In fact, how old is even Mei-san?!”

“Probably around her early-to-mid thirti...” Utahime’s answer was cut short by her trailing off as the inference eventually got to her, and she just sat there sporting the same expression Yuji had earlier.

In fact, thanks to a short mental alghebra exercise, everyone gradually scowled with the same energy Todo pulled when he was told he can’t accompany Yuji.

...

“There are many things I need to ask that woman...” Nanami finally told himself while pinching the bridge of his nose. He wasn't well-acquainted with her family side, so seeing it firsthand made him wonder.

When they finally reach the floor, they were too late as they find no one in there. Yuji sees a woman sitting on the ground near a pillar and calls for her.

But that woman had a blank, traumatized expression.

“This is gonna end well” Nobara snarked.

“Is it me or does this have Mahito written all over it for some reason?” Panda wondered.

“I just know it does” Yuji exhaled wearily, now very worried about the woman.

In B5, Gojo notices that everything is being locked by long branches conjured by Hanami.

Gojo: Why did you need to do this? I’m not going anywhere. I mean, if I did run away, you guys would kill every human in here, right? I did come here for you.

He was still facing Jogo, Hanami and Choso.

Some civilians were commenting on their conversation from afar. One only noticed Gojo and Choso, but the other clearly saw the Disaster Curses as well.

“Wait... but how?” Yuji certainly noticed it.

“Non-sorcerers’ latent Cursed Energy varies from one person to another” Megumi explains, “some are high enough to be able to see and interact with Curses, even if they don’t develop any latent techniques.”

Jogo: If you ran, huh? The correct answer is..

A flashback shows Geto and Jogo at a children’s playground, both inside of a large slide.

....

“Huh?” many furrowed their brows in irritated confusion. Not that it was the first time they’d seen the Disaster Curses loiter without a care in the world (that football match and school LARPing came to mind), and this is pretty tame in comparison, but it’s hard to get used to.

“What gave them to hang ‘round a playground like some child predators?!” Nobara exclaimed. That accusation made many listeners wince, but it heavily stung a certain former Curse user whose body has been taken in particular.

“Yeah, why do you look like a pedo in–?” Gojo tried to tease again.

“ –Shut up” Geto brutally cut him off.

“C’mon, you look like you'd indoctrinate some hapless kid into a cult out of the blue" Toji provoked.

“You’re the last person on earth, much less here, who should run his mouth” Geto declared as he shot a dark glare at the Sorcerer killer, before darting his eyes to the latter’s son. He couldn’t help but groan.

“Suguru Geto”: Do you understand when Satoru Gojo is able to use his full power?

Jogo: Quit with the buildup and say it.

“Geto”: Well, it’s when he’s alone.

"Someone did their homework, huh?” Gojo’s lips twisted, fully aware where this situation  is heading.

Back in the present, Jogo’s answer is emphasized by automatic doors sliding all of a sudden, forcing civilians who were near the rails out in the middle of the confrontation.

When they thought it can't get bad, they were all proven wrong as gasps of shock resounded, with several shaking their fists in terror and anger.

Jogo:... Whether you run or not!

Many people fall right next to Gojo, who warns them to leave this place. He deduces that the reason they sealed off the exits is to create a blind that makes it difficult for him to destroy them without potentially hurting people on the other side that he doesn’t know of.

“It really was about the civilians all along” Utahime declares, her eyes wide.

“Can’t Sensei do anything?! Like, teleport all of them?" Yuji loudly suggested.

"Even if he could, hundreds of people is just impossible" Nanami grunted.

"Not to mention the Curses" Yuta adds, "Gojo-sensei may not be fast enough to intercept them in case they turned their fangs to the humans, causing only needless deaths."

Cut to Jogo’s flashback

“Geto”, blowing bubbles: Any Jujutsu sorcerer with him is basically just a hindrance. So we’ll go one step lower and surround him completely with non-sorcerers.

“Now he’s blowing bubbles...” Most students noted, their noses crinkled.

“Oh it gets worse” Gojo added, humorously uncaring of his closest former friend’s annoyance.

“If you keep in mind that kids can’t see Curses, you’ll soon realize that from their point of view, there’s a weird monk hanging out watching over them and talking to himself!!” Shoko jocularly pointed out, inspiring much mocking giggles from the youngers.

“Wish I didn’t know that” Yuji had to stifle a cringing chuckle, “Now I can’t even take those cuts seriously!”

If Geto could be knocked down several pegs further, he'd become one with the ground. The only way this'll get worse is if that other bastard cut in.

And lo and behold, Toji was seen clearly preventing himself from exploding in laughter.

"This is hell..." Geto just drowned on his seat in resignation.

In the present, Jogo gathers Energy in his palms and immediately goes out for blood, namely, killing nearby humans by setting them on fire or dismembering them, causing panic. Hanami does the same with his Technique.

With all the misfortune he suffered, it was easy to forget how deadly Jogo was, which was showcased in the worst way possible

“SHIT!” many students screeched, their teeth.

“DAMMIT!!” Yuji clenched his jaw.

"No..." Miwa couldn't even bear to see, but still did.

While they were trembling in their seats, Gojo and the rest of the adults and older teens were still trying to hold on to their composure, despite knowing that it’ll all go down the shitter in record time.

This leaves Choso on his own to attack Gojo with his Blood Manipulation, Slicing Exorcism move, amassing blood from the markings on his face and compressing it to a projectile. But it bounces off Gojo’s Infinity.

“Hold on, that’s–!” Megumi and Yuji gasped

“Blood Manipulation” Kamo choked out, "So he's the only one of them who could use it."

But when it’s over, Gojo finds Jogo and Hanami about to jump him at the same time with the help of Cursed energy embuement.

“Geto”, who blew so much bubble it nearly filled the playground: The minimum output of his Cursed Technique Reversal is double that of his Amplification. It’ll be nearly impossible for him to use it without catching non-sorcerers in it, too. He probably won’t be able to charge his Blue up to an effective output, either. It should prove difficult for him to use Blue for high-speed movement, as well. It would make him a dumptruck, as far as non-sorcerers are concerned. Get hit and it’s instant death.

Many viewers did not exactly like how right they got it, including Muta himself.

Weirdly enough, Hanami, Dagon and even MAHITO are shown playing there with the children, with them and their parents being none the wiser.

“... Now I don’t know whether to laugh at him, or worry about the kids in there” Yuji confessed.

“Same.” Other teens empathized.

“Especially when that patchfaced bitch is THERE!!” Nobara suddenly shouted.

“I KNOW that! I’m just trying to ignore it”

“Geto”: So in that situation, Satoru Gojo will have to focus his energy on defense.

In the present, their attacks still couldn’t penetrate through Infinity (of course), to Gojo’s amusement.

“Do you think that alone could tear through Infinity?” Megumi asked Gojo.

The teacher hummed briefly, before concluding “As much as I hate to say this, yes.”

Many were astonished by the answer, even though for some, it made sense.

“I told you guys way back how Domain Amplification works, right? That’s what they’re trying to use now. But don't worry, I seriously doubt they'll actually hit me".

But Hanami adds another fist very close to Gojo’s face, before Jogo does the same.

Jogo and Hanami: DOMAIN AMPLIFICATION!

With an additional helping of anti-domain Technique, they resume their attempt to crack through Infinity, but Gojo is still in place. They did make a slight budge, until the Six Eyes user teleports out of the place, causing both Curses to hit one other hard enough to cause a shockwave.

“... That was nerve-racking!” Yuji breathed out.

“It was hard to ascertain thanks to him teleporting, but I think they nearly got him!” Yuta stated.

Gojo, who jumped at the edge of the rail: It makes sense. I suppose you would think of that after allying with Curse users.

He instantly realized what Technique the Disaster Curses resorted to, which isn’t unlike Simple Domain, as it also works to neutralize any other technique or Domain Expansion by channeling their own Domain. This implies they could potentially cancel out his Infinity.

Jogo: What do we do about this Domain, Infinite Void?

“Geto”, still blowing bubbles: The only ones unaffected by Infinite Void are Satoru Gojo himself and anyone he touches. Even if he does have the skill to selectively trap you all in it, a great number of non-sorcerers would get crushed to death in the space left between his Domain and the Veil. Chances are 99% that he won’t use it. But that means you mustn’t use your Domains either. If you draw a large mass of non-sorcerers into your Domain, he’ll be forced to give up on them and use his too. And you already realize that you can’t win a tug-of-war of Domains, right? At any rate, you just need to get Satoru Gojo to focus on defeating Cursed spirits and rescuing non-sorcerers.

Now they all knew why that wasn't an option.

One of the civilians thrown into the rails starts panicking loudly, so another one with an afro jumps in and to help her and tries to calm her down.

However, he suddenly gets impaled in the abdomen by Jogo, his blood dripping on the even more traumatized girl’s face.

Jogo, who seems to have done it out of spite against Gojo: I thought I told you not to run. Can you not understand unless I do this?

No one could do anything but witness yet another violent display, their blistering fury at Jogo off the roof.

"If only that idiot didn't escape..." Maki chided.

"But Gojo-sensei had no way of knowing about their intentions" Yuta said, faltered.

"People were thrown in between this fight, it was obvious as heck!" Panda fumed.

"Listen... I know it's hard to accept, but even with Six Eyes, he can't protect everyone at once" Shoko told them, surprising convinction in her tone "I mean, you should've seen this one coming. After what we watched last time." 

.... "Right" Maki turned back to the screen almost robotically, along with her classmates.

Gojo could positively feel their frustration in the air, and he totally agreed with it. It might've hurt, but there's a reason they were here. Maybe what he used to do well, he has to do even better.

The Earth Curse prompty incinerates that man.

Gojo scoffs: Honestly, I’m shocked.

Jogo: What? Making excuses?

Gojo: Not at all, baldy...

He proceeds to take off his blindfold, revealing the look of subtle yet sheer, affronted fury on his face, accentuated by the creepy glow on his Six Eyes.

Gojo: ... I’m saying I’m shocked that you ever thought you could beat me if this is all you’ve got.

Despite still smirking, Jogo is now a bit on edge at the sight.

The declaration was enough to make chills reverberate through every corner in the room, including inside the bones of everyone who watched this, except for Gojo himself, who almost depersonalized. It wasn't so often that Satoru Gojo was enraged, save for a few glimpses that were more indicative of something else. But this was a battle, one that'll decide the fate of current Jujustu society. Perhaps he'll take off the gloves from here on out.

And they were never more motivated than now.

"Damn, Sensei... you look metal" Nobara sincerely said.

"I second that" bursted Yuji, who was admittedly terrified of that glare.

"So cool..." Yuta intoned, his inner fanboy coming out full force.

"It's high time time he finally cut loose" many anticipated.

Regardless of the horror from before, many looked up in silent prayer and leaned forward, unable to contain the shiver of eager hope. Despite how many times it was ripped away from this, the viewers wanted to gamble just one last time, wishing he lived up the end of his vow.

“Geto”: I want you to hold out for at least 20 minutes. After that, it’s time for me and the Prison Realm.

The sinister words sowed even more uncertainty than ever.

"Can he salvage the situation before that trump card comes to fruition?" this is was the only question pervading the room as of now.

"... Somehow, I don't think so" but a few skeptical voices wanted to be heard out.

 

Notes:

Now we'll get to the real meat of the plot soon...

More diverse feedback and meaningful discussion would be appreciated

Chapter 4: Gate Open

Notes:

SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY EVERYONE q(╥﹏╥)p
It was so hard and brutal to slave through, especially with a PC missing for a week, on top of making you suffer waiting for nearly a month. I rewrote the last part so many times I don't even know what I'm doing anymore
I hope you enjoy what I churned out so far
Edits are being ran.
WARNING: Lots of violence, death, turmoil, and one essential member crossed off

Usually, the premonitive viewing gave the viewers a total of twenty minutes to present the scenarios in their entirety. It was a pattern detected by Gojo himself at the outset, but the others began noticing it as well.

Only a couple few times this didn’t happen. The first during the first encounter against Mahito, where the sheer shock and rage over his actions willed the viewing to carry on, and the second was Amanai’s murder.

The presence of her murderer in the room not accounted for, again. For now.

This time, after a few minutes, it just continued.

Those with full intimate knowledge about the Prison Realm’s mechanism were the most invested in the outcome of the upcoming confrontation. Because it all circled back to one essential question: How could Gojo of all people possibly lose focus for a whole minute? That impostor seemed too confident of his gamble, worryingly so, implying that it’s enough to penetrate through Gojo’s strongest defences, physical and mental.

Geto was the first to entertain a solid idea of what it could be, and thought Gojo already did long before him. But despite the ample opportunity, he found it hard to just pose that question to him point-blank, so he just resigned to watching it unfold by himself.

It didn’t help that Gojo’s other associates, like Yaga, Nanami and especially Shoko, thought the same. However, Toji, for all his disdain towards the white-haired man most of the time (not without good reason), was now genuinely invested upon seeing his cold, ruthless side firsthand.

All in all, right now, it might not be a matter of if, but when.

[Gojo was still standing atop of the guardrails, his eyes visible, after he issued his threat to the Disaster Curses]

Gojo: You’re first, weed.

[He gestures at Hanami]

Gojo [hopping from the guards and walking up to Hanami and Jogo]: What’s wrong? I thought you’re the ones who told me not to run away.

“So, uh, what do you think he’s gonna do?” Miwa asked.

“What else except going old-school?”Panda suggested.

“Thought this too, but this is frustrating.” Yuji lamented, “I know Sensei could smoke them in a second, yet they forced his hand in such a scummy way!”

“Actual real life combat has no need for such rules. Jujutsu is no exception” Nanami reminds the boy. “Especially when the scales are so lopsided”.

“Also, it’s quite interesting to see more of what he actually is made of when his trump cards aren’t in the equation” Todo surmised.

“It’s true, we haven’t seen enough of his hand-to-hand capabilities” Kamo stated.

“I just know they’re also honed to perfection” Yuta said, “no one becomes the strongest of all time with just a few overpowered tricks”.

Watching over the teens arguing, Gojo was a bit absentminded as he heard them, not knowing whether to be surprised or not at their staunch defense of him, despite having seen his unpleasantly imperfect side beforehand, and the proofs that he’s hardly the omnipotent figure he’s presented as. Still, he was more worried about the outcome of this battle than he’d like to admit to anyone else...

[He’s now between the two Curses, the tension thick in the middle.

Jogo tries to attack first, but  the Six Eyes wielder catches the Curse’s wrist and hoists him over himself whilst avoiding Hanami’s kick by the skin of his teeth

“Here it comes..!” Yuta gasps.

Gojo jumps over Jogo and straddles his shoulder, giving him the opportunity to slowly rip off his arm stuck between his legs]

Gojo: Ready, steady...

[And it’s  separated from the rest of Jogo’s body, who hisses

A fleeting sense of satisfaction passed by the viewers, beacuse of what Jogo did just a while ago. Well, except Miwa, who was taken aback at Gojo’s position, her cheeks reddening madly. She didn’t take this quite well, as not only this was not the time, but to her, Gojo was always something of an older admirable figure, but she often got things mixed up due to his good looks on top of that. Despite this, Muta failed to notice any of this. Or rather, his mind was elsewhere.

“Did you really need to do that?!” mutters Utahime at Gojo.

“Do what?”

“You could’ve just ripped his arm off like paper” Maki points out, “you seemed like you had too much fun with it”.

“Yeah, and although it’s hardly the first time you treated Volcano-head this way, now you actually just seem like a sadist.” Yuji adds.

“He always was one though” several viewers would beg to differ.

“Wouldn’t blame him, considering all the people he reduced to ash” Megumi bluntly admitted.

“Fair enough” Yuji sighed and conceded.

When Hanami goes behind Gojo, the latter uses Jogo’s arm to block the Forest Curse’s punch while kicking him on the stomach, before throwing Jogo away

Although Jogo quickly regenerates his arm, the sorcerer is still gunning for him, something Hanami immediately notes despite him claiming otherwise earlier, along with the fact that he deactivated Limitless]

Hanami [in his thoughts]: He decided to stop focusing on his Cursed technique since the number of people started to thin out. Does he plan to use Cursed energy to keep this fight confined to close quarters? But if that’s the case, then there’s no point in getting the crowd involved anymore. All I need to do... is use my Cursed technique!

“The way he attacked them and is psyching them out... is he trying to deflect them from turning to the civilians?” Nanami observed. “Then again, most of the bystanders are beginning to notice how dangerous where they are, so maybe they’ll scatter away and give Gojo-san a wider field.”

“But does Satoru need to do that? There’s no way he’s not fast enough to just one-shot them, one way or another” Suguru was more critical of Gojo’s dillydallying, a sentiment that would soon spread to the other viewers.

Then there’s Toji, who, despite himself, still had a sliver of curiosity about the Six Eyes wielder’s development over a decade. Taking in his movements, it’s obvious he’s not taking this fight as seriously as he ought to, showcasing how far he's come to and how nothing could ever phase him. But that won't last forever, as he learnt the hard way.

Jogo: HANAMI! Don’t deactivate your Domain Amplification!!

[As if on cue, Gojo turned his crazed sights on the Forest Curse

Many vocally shuddered from the view, unpleasant memories about insane, power-high teen Gojo creeping in. But Toji was an especially surprising case, those eyes made his spine tingle for some reason. He was pretty irritated at the prospect.

“Oh man... he really is enjoying it” Nishimiya utters.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen him go haywire like this” Shoko thoughtfully remarks.

“We all did see him that way not even two days ago, Shoko” Utahime brusquely jogs Shoko’s memory about the Star Plasma Vessel mission.

“They must’ve really pissed off Sensei...” Yuji faintly realizes.

He wasted no second flash stepping to the Curse and landing on his chest, before grabbing his wooden horns, all with a manic grin on his face]

Gojo: Someone told me... this is your weak point!

[And rips out the long branch-like horns, making Hanami cry out in pain as purple blood spurted out]

The students recoiled despite themselves, unlike with Jogo.

“Ugh!” the younger ones gagged, some covering their mouths at the fluids gushing.

“That's beyond sadism now, Sensei” Yuji deadpanned.

“Don’t get too carried away” Megumi annoyedly cautions, “this is serious”.

Many, including Gojo himself, were of the same mind as Megumi.

Gojo: Just as I thought, you can’t use your Domain Amplification and Innate technique at the same time.

“Just as I suspected” whispered Todo.

“But why? What does Amplification exactly do?” wonders Yuji.“I thought it was like Simple Domain or something”.

“It is, amplifying your Domain requires focusing your energy on maintaining it, yet unlike Simple Domain, you can't employ it with your Innate technique unless you know how to merge said technique with it" clarifies Todo.

Jogo: The only reason I survived earlier was because the amplification was protecting me. He’s this strong even though he’s only using Cursed energy manipulation and martial arts? Satoru Gojo... what else you don’t have?

[Gojo was standing calmly after the assault just as Piercing Blood came at him, stopping thanks to Infinity and splashing all over the invisible barrier.

“It’s the Cursed Womb once again” Utahime pointed out in concern, having seen how he supercharges that move beforehand alongside the other adults.

“Not to insult you, but seeing that he has no need for bloodbags, he’s probably leagues ahead of you in a certain regard” Mai casually told Kamo.

“None taken” he didn’t even deny it, “being part-Curse, he’s probably capable of regenerating, giving him an endless supply of blood”.

“If that’s so, then taking him out would be a problem” stated Megumi.

“It is. Not to mention as the direct progenitor of my original namesake, he must have a lot of other Blood Manipulation abilities in store that were lost to the Kamo family clan history due to my ancestor’s reputation, so there’s that” Kamo elaborates.

The source was Choso, who clicked his tongue, several people having been torn through by the move.

The more people were harmed, the more the future tested on their patience. The worst part is that they’ll have to get used to this and bury it to memory if they do want to make it better. At this point, some younger members just averted their eyes, but the glares fixed upon Choso were anything but forgiving.

The sorcerer identifies him as a Cursed Womb Death Painting, but doesn’t see him as a pressing concern compared to the two Disaster Curses.

“ ‘Cuz he couldn’t care less about them, that I’m sure of” Nobara commented.

“I wonder how our encounter in the future against him would go.” said Yuji.

“Poorly” the other students just flatly told him.

Yuji and Nobara had strained frowns on their faces. It was hard to forget Choso’s reaction to learning about the death of his brothers. There’s nothing like being at the receiving end of righteous vengeance. The reveal of the extent of the Death Painting’ power just added salt to the wound.

Hanami and Jogo try to hit Gojo again at the same time with Domain Amplification, the shockwave from their impact against Infinity causing a blackout.

The only source of light was the Curses’ fists colliding as they surround the sorcerer]

“Still defaulting to that?” Maki complained.

“You know, even if it does affect Gojo-sensei’s powers, that’s hardly a fix.” Yuta argues, “He's far more flexible in his use of Infinity. Like, he has no problem pushing back against non-Innate techniques with one of his own, for one”.

“You hit the nail there, Okkotsu!” Gojo said aloud, “Also aside of the nonsorcerer hostage situation, the Curses kinda half-assed their preparations. I expected better.”

“That is, if they were given much to work with anyway” Muta shakes his head. He was now starting to doubt the impostor’s reasons for gathering the Disaster Curses in the first place.

It was almost as if Geto read the puppeteer sorcerer’s mind. He was admittedly curious about that fake's alliance with beings his body had the ability to incapacitate and absorb. Is there more to it?

Gojo [leisurely]: You sure about that? Even if you do neutralize Infinity with Amplification, I’ll just strengthen my Cursed technique.

[Glancing at Hanami] This useless tree here might not be up to the challenge, though.

[He punctuates his last remark by turning towards Hanami, much to Jogo’s alarm.

Not many would say it out loud, but Gojo’s threat towards Hanami could only mean one thing.

With an rather wide grin, Gojo walks up to Hanami before trapping him in the corner by blasting out his Limitless, increasing his output the more he steps forward, slowly crushing the helpless Hanami.

“That’s a lot of... Limitless in there” Miwa breathed out.

The more they watched, the more obvious what’s about to happen in seconds. Gojo’s expressions on-screen did not help matters at all.

“What is he doing?” Yuji asked, “Is... Sensei trying to flatten him?!”

“...all I can say is that the tree’s about as good as dead right now” Gojo finally declared.

“This’ll be soo great!” Nobara bounced in her seat, her tone almost bloodthirsty. Megumi hid it well, but also anticipated the upshot.

As a desperate measure, Jogo tries to threaten the civilians to get Gojo to turn his sight away from Hanami, but he doesn’t even budge.

*SPLAAAAT*

Hanami was reduced to a literal, huge bloodstain on the wall, a sizable dent left from the impact.

Many jerked backwards in shock, before a similarly stunned calm replaced it.

All eyes were transfixed on the damaged wall with the blood splash on it, mouths slowly gaped from the swift yet brutal retribution that was dispensed.

The students that actually faced Hanami head-on, most especially Yuji and Todo, just stared at the gruesome aftermath, a thousand thoughts coursing through their minds.

In all honestly, it absolutely had to happen. With one Disaster Curse dispatched, the chances of exorcizing the rest were very high.

But he was the Curse they were most well-acquainted with... in a life-or-death battle against their will kind of way, and Yuji kinda credits his appearance with helping him master Black Flash.

“So... one down” Shoko blankly announced.                                                                                   

“After everything that happened...” Yuji put forth, looking noticeably unenthused as he faced his lap, “... it felt so...” gripping his fists as he turned forward to the screen, “... easy.”

“This is Gojo-sensei we’re talking about here, it had to be easy” Megumi says to him.

“One murder-happy Curse is about as good as enough right now” Nobara adds.

Yet, although they hated the mere thought of it, as much as they wanted to celebrate, a bad taste in their mouth was left from Hanami’s death. To say nothing about how laughably early their relief is.

Jogo [genuinely distraught]: ... Hanami?

The Earth Curse’s reaction was even more shocking. Viewers couldn’t deny the hint of devastation in his voice at Hanami’s death. But this genuinely caught some of them, like Yuji and Yuta, off-guard, seeing as they were inherently Curses. However, this made them look back to the brief light-hearted clips that showcased them spending time together. In retrospect, maybe the messenger was actually trying to tell them something.

Gojo was gazing at his latest kill on the wall, smoke flowing out and encircling him.

[Turning menacingly to Jogo]: ... You’re next.

“Damn. The tables were turned at the blink of an eye” Panda simply remarked while resting his cheek on her hand.

 “Good” some teens concurred, a hint of a victorious smirk curling on their lips.

[The Earth Curse was forced to flee from the rails as fast as he could, with Gojo taking his time pursuing him like a predator playing with its food.

“Even though seeing him scrambling with his tail between his legs is nice, Gojo has to take him out immediately. He’s the biggest threat to civilians around here” Maki counselled.

“Tarako” agrees Inumaki.

“Actually, why is Sensei so carefree in this mission?” Yuji raised, “you’d think he’d put in more of an effort now that it’s the fourth time those Curses sowed trouble, to say nothing of the many people that got killed”.

“It’s hard to dispute that point, especially the casualties” Nanami agreed with Yuji as he subtly side-eyed Gojo, whose lips thinned in recognition, “however, when looking over it, there’s a lot to unpack”.

Yuji blinks, before puckering his brow “What do you mean?”

“Idiot. Did you forget that right now, in that future, we only know that several Veils were lifted, nothing more?!” Nobara piped up at him.

“I can’t fault any of you for not realizing it, but in the future, I...” Muta chimed in while being held close by Miwa. The girl slightly flinched at the reminder of her classmate’s grisly fate, which she pushed out of mind for now save for Mahito “... didn’t really succeed in sending my message, none of you learnt about the Halloween plan”.

Yuji’s eyes fell to the ground when he digested that information.

“All those times we clashed against them, they never gave any indication about further involvement in the future” Nanami points out. "And so far, us in that timeline didn't even see the mastermind..."

That information put everyone on edge, but not as much as Geto, who flinched a bit at Nanami exposing everything that drove him up the wall about this viewing.

“Sure, but that hardly explains why that jackass let power get over his head like this” Maki huffed.

“Now that is a conversation for another time” Nanami admitted, “but a bit of a perspective is good for understanding a situation”.

Jogo went to hide in the middle of the unsuspecting crowd, and when he sees the Jujutsu sorcerer still hot on his trail, he tackles any nearby human he could find and throws them at Gojo to slow him down, but they’re all caught by Infinity

Previously, the deaths of humans would rattle the onlookers, but now many of them were baffled at Jogo’s shameless desperation, some unable to stop snickering.

“Already outta options?!” Nishimiya giggled at the ludicrous scene.

“Where’d all that bravado go?” Mai exasperatedly questions.

“Probably ‘cause he realized his actual role in all of this...” Shoko suddenly relays, “... as a meat shield”.

“Meat shield?!” Yuji exclaimed in surprise. His classmates and teacher had none of it and facepalmed. Why is he a bundle of insight in one minute and a moron in another?

“Aside of that, why does it seem like Volcano-head’s doing the same song-and-dance, especially in vicinity with Gojo-sensei?” Nobara noted.

“When you kids grow up you’ll start to realize that some people, or Curses in this case, are just made for bullying” Gojo playfully responds. That statement made some students, alongside Yaga, Nanami and Utahime, heave a sigh.

“Hopefully that “bullying” of yours doesn’t bite you in the ass later. Hopefully” Toji chortled while making air quotes.

Viewers furrowed their brows at Toji, particularly Megumi, but in a sense, his taunt kind of seemed like an attempt at an indirect advice. He knows from firsthand experience what it means when you don’t fulfil your mission meticulously, after all.

Although he scoffed, Gojo couldn’t refute Toji’s assessment, and neither could Geto.

He then uses the opportunity to go after him with his Domain Amplification, but when Gojo blocks it, he instantly gets away to disappear in the crowd

Jogo [frantically running]: Don’t let Hanami’s death be in vain. Hide amongst the humans, hit them with the extension, and RUN!

 [Yelling out] CHOSO! IF YOU DON’T HELP I’LL KILL YOU!!

After a while, many in the room began to agree that meat shield is the most accurate description of what’s going on on-screen.

Though for Geto, it was a bit more than that. He didn’t have much luck acquiring sapient Special Grade Curses, and won’t anytime soon, so finally getting to see one for a long stretch of time was quite intriguing. It was hard to disagree that Jogo is a walking contradiction; a powerful, cruel Special Grade Curse on one hand, an unlucky buffon on the other. Which, combined with the reveal of how deep the camaraderie between his compatriots runs, made for a strangely fascinating figure.

Choso [apathetically]: Yeah, yeah

[On cue, he fires another Piercing Blood attack against Gojo, which cuts through many people’s heads. But it was still blocked by the barrier

At this point, a lot of viewers turned off a part of their brains at the amount of human life loss, knowing there’s no use agonizing about it when it’s just a timeline they haven’t experienced yet. But it didn’t mean it was easy to see, making Choso one of the top people on their shitlist to deal with when they return.

“They know nothing’s gonna work. Are they doing this to just rub it in Sensei’s face?” Megumi heatedly questions.

“Certainly, it’s hard to think of another sensible reason” Yaga confirms, subtly glancing at his former student, who was staring at himself on-screen, subtly penitent at his less-than-stellar handling of the situation.

Gojo [unimpressed yet worried about the turn of events]: You’re not far from the action, but not too close. But you must be reaching your limit. The people who can’t see the Curses are starting to disperse away, if their numbers keep dwindling and the space opens up then I’ll get a chance to catch Volcano-head. I won’t be able to lure him out anymore by deactivating my technique, because I already revealed my hand about destroying them up close. It’d be bad if he coordinated with the Death Painting and attacked the crowd again.

A semblance of genuine hope was restored when this was revealed.

“Great!” many students cheered.

“Now Sensei can finally counterattack!” Yuji beamed in relief.

Sorry... I won’t be able to save everyone.

Even if for a brief moment, and despite a few wanting to lash out for this, deep down, the students have already accepted this since the Star Plasma Vessel viewing. Maybe it’s because it never happened, and never would. Or maybe they expected too much of Gojo than he could handle. They might not let him forget it, but they can actually understand. When you get as powerful as this, there are many workarounds, and the enemies managed to get their hands on one of them.

Already halfway to his fight, and Gojo had a lot of arguments in his head about this. He shut out all of them.

[Out loud] But I promise to exorcise them in return.

“Then hurry” this was the only concern his associates had in mind.

[While Jogo was running, he flashed to a conversation he had with “Geto” and the rest of the Special Grade Curses a while ago...]

“Geto”: Prison Realm is a living barrier; the final remains of the Buddhist monk Genshin. There is nothing it can’t seal. But then there must be conditions to using it...

“What?! But how...?! How does someone turn to THAT!? Is that a Curse or something?” Yuji cried out in surprise.

“It.’s a... fairly long story” Todo replies, “but in short, the Prison Realm is a Cursed Object formed in a way not unlike Ryomen Sukuna’s fingers. Genshin was someone with an abnormally high Cursed energy level, but no way to contain it, so it turned on him."

"Ohh" that tidbit of trivia was still easily impressive to the pink-haired teen.

[They were all playing mah-jong in the outdoors of a small villa in the woods. “Geto” moves a piece]

One minute.

Hanami: What?                  

“Geto”: After opening the Prison Realm, we have to keep Satoru Gojo within a four-meter radius for one minute.

“But how are they going to accomplish that?” Maki wondered.

“Yeah. Sensei’s attention is kind of hard to divert” Yuta says, before his gaze hardens “not even killing that much people is going to throw him off his game so easily”.

“Takana Shake” utters Inumaki. “Maybe they have something else in store”

“It’s possible. After all...” Todo states, “... we’ve yet to see Mahito alongside them”

His mere mention subtly set off the other teens, with Yuji, Miwa and Muta. They weren't amused, as this would prove to be a problem for them down the line when they meet him. But since they're the ones most connected to him (in no way good), that drive is still useful.

[The silence between the Curses was stifling]

Jogo [lowly]: Hey... [he looks visibly enraged at the idea as he threatens “Geto”] I’m gonna roast you alive...! [Burning the mahjong pieces as steam flies out of his head] Surely you didn’t team up with us to assign such a ridiculous task against THAT, did you?! Under those circumstances??! Even a thousand measely human lives wouldn’t be enough to distract him!!

Many were saucer-eyed at Jogo’s statement, though hardly surprised.

“Mind you. Shoko-sensei was right. They were all meat shields” Yuji muttered.

In fact, a few people were starting to feel kinda sorry for the Disaster Curses with the exception of Mahito. Several have speculated that this probably was the actual reason for “Geto”s alliance with them.

 [Back to the present]

Jogo [exhaustedly dragging himself by the feet]: What’s taking him so long?! It must’ve been 20 minutes by now!

[In the middle of the dark tunnel, the Geto impostor was comfortably seated atop Dagon]

“Geto”: It’s still too easy for Satoru Gojo. We have to get him on edge more.

“Wait, now that he mentioned it, where is he...?” Yuji thought as he recalled a non present Cursed Spirit in the fray.

“He would be quite vital in that plan” Nanami wondered.

In the meantime...

[Yuji, Mei Mei and Ui Ui were faced with the shocked woman from before in B4.

Worried, Yuji runs to her side]

“Salmon” said Inumaki. We’re back.

Yuta nodded, “What are the chances Mahito could have been there?”

Yuji: Hey, are you oka–

Woman: People were turned to monsters . They didn’t let me in... they said the train was full...

[Suddenly her head grotesquely deforms and she gets transfigured fully, before falling dead, showing Mahito already got to her.

Yuji [shocked, before gritting his teeth]: Dammit! He was here!

While a few gasps were let out, more inhaled sharply at the outcome, scowls visible on their faces.

However, a certain line raised the hairs of almost everyone who caught on it.

“Wait... a train?” Yaga lowly reiterates.

Realizing this, the mood went down as everyone exchanged looks of slow realization with each other.

“So, if this lady was already transfigured, and wanted to pick a train...” Miwa apprehensively said, her tone heightening, “then what’s in there?”

Todo now really regrets jinxing it, in more ways than one.

[However, he recalls her last words, and when an announcer voice reveals that a train has already headed from Harajuku, where he is, his expression shifts to panic]

Nanami’s eyes widened, “Harajuku is only a kilometre or two away from B5F, give or take, and there’s only one continuous line leading there...”

Yuji:... Gojo-sensei!

[Back in B5F, Gojo is startled by the noise of an incoming train.

Except it really is, as it reaches the station and pulls up next to the civilians]

Jogo [audibly relieved]: it’s here!

“H-hold on...” the younger viewers gradually pieced the two and two together when they saw Yuji’s anxiety and Jogo’s elation, their brows puckering as their expressions morphed to terror.

[Meanwhile the people are overjoyed, as they swarm the train. When one of them runs through the rest to get to it first and looks inside from the doors, however...

... it’s completely packed with transfigured humans.

.......

“... Shit” from the silence rippled Toji’s voice, all in a hilariously resigned tone.

In fact, almost everyone’s pupils shrunk significantly, their bodies uncomfortably stiff.

The doors slide, and one of those hapless beings bite off the unlucky non-sorcerers’ head

And then the remainder come out of the train and terrorize everyone, and much bloodshed ensues as screams of horror echo across the place

The whole room devolved into hectic dismay and fury in short order.

“HOLY CRAP!” “THERE’S SO MUCH IN THERE!!” Panda and Miwa yelled in horror.

“Oh that disfigured son of a BITCH!!” Nobara growled.

 “I knew it...!” Yuta and Todo groaned.

“I’ll kill him, I swear to God!” Yuji was on verge of exploding. Again.

“Oh God..:” Megumi, Yaga and Utahime sweat.

“So this is what they meant by costing him focus after all...” Nanami remarked as he took his goggles off to get a better, more visceral view at the mayhem, to his disquietment.

Gojo was stunned still as the chaos and bloodshed unfolded

Out of the train doors, runs out a certain patch-faced Curse]

Mahito  [cheerfully]: Jogooo ~ !

It took the force of both Megumi and Nobara to hold Yuji in place from instinctively jumping forwards at the sight of Mahito by the shoulder.

“Don’t, Itadori” stated the Ten Shadow user user, “save that energy for after we’re released from this place”.

“Trust us, that'll be of great use later" Nobara emphasized.

[Taking in the environment he created] Mmm, fresh air... full of fear! Maybe we should let a few humans survive... on the weekends, we’ll let them loose in the forest and hunt them!

Everyone’s nostrils flared, their jaws clenched at yet another grim reminder of Mahito’s insouciant sadism.

“When we’re back, he’s first” snarled Maki.

“Mentaiko” affirmed Inumaki. Goes without saying.

Jogo: Can I burn down the forest?

Mahito: Hanami would be upset.

Jogo: Hanami’s dead.

Mahito [befuddled]: Wait, seriously?!

Even in their alert, agitated state, viewers still discerned a tone of apathy in Mahito’s reaction regarding Hanami, a sharp contrast to Jogo’s more emotional state.

Despite his distaste for him, Yuji was rather curious about the Human Curse’s relationship with his partners in opposition. It seemed a bit more amicable, as expected, despite some wrinkles. Yet, Mahito didn’t muster such a strong reaction about the potential death of his comrade for all the times they spent together.

[Gojo was still immobile, horrified at the sheer carnage happening around him, not understanding why the Curses thought this could even benefit them.

The current Gojo was lost in his head. That strategy was beyond perfect against someone like him. And to see it flawlessly leveraged against him, that made him brainstorm many potential counters for it. But knowing this endgame, he probably didn't need to. He'll go up against them and one-shot every single one of them, no questions asked, least they try something like that without him or find a way around it if he did. He already disappointed everyone that relied on him more times than he could count, he can't disappoint his own conscience on top of it.

From the crowd emerges Mahito, riding on a large snake-like being he transfigured. He rushes straight at Gojo to stab him with a shapeshifted blade from below his wrist.

He’s stopped due to Infinity]

Despite full awareness of Infinity, Yuji and Miwa still involuntarily flinched at Mahito approaching Gojo.

Mahito: Haha! I really can’t hit you!

[Gojo recognizes him as the Cursed spirit Yuji and Nanami fought against.

The patch-bodied Curse dodges a hit from Gojo, before retreating in the middle of the mayhem]

Mahito: Let me to share one thing I can’t stand about humans...

[A huge number of people fall from the atrium above]

Mahito: ... there’s just too many of them.

A lot of them screamed.

“WHAT THE FUCK NOW!??” 

“YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME–!”

“This literally can’t get any worse!!”

“Those were right atop of the wood binds” Nanami reveals, “it’s the reason why they got established”

“But there are many floors atop this one” Utahime argues, “We’ve yet to see the top, so what if there’s more?!”

“In that case, he’s gotta do something, and fast” Yaga stresses.

“Fuck this! This is just so unfair!” Yuji clenched his fists, feeling all the rage he had for Mahito go off the roof, as if it weren’t possible already.

[It turns out the weeds used to seal off the atrium were removed, leaving all hapless people caught in its blind side to fall into the crowd underneath, making a troublesome situation even worse. This leaves Gojo briefly wondering if they’re planning to dump everyone in Meiji Shrine here

 “This shitshow will go south even further if that happens!” Maki cried.

“Can’t Gojo-sensei do ANYTHING about this?!” Yuji implored.

“Anything he’d try would kill other nonsorcerers” Megumi answered, none too happy.

“Not unless he gets really creative, though” a stray thought crossed the other teachers’ (and Geto’s) mind. When it happened, they turned to observe Gojo, who was silently watching, not moving his eyes from the TV, or even a single muscle.

Choso and Mahito prepare to assult Gojo]

Choso: Blood Manipulation, Convergence... Supernova!

Mahito: Idle Transfiguration, Soul Multiplicity... Body Repel!

[The supernova rips through dozens of innocents, but is blocked alongside Body Repel, the latter of which similarly splats.

“They’re not even thinking of actually harming him, they’re just trying to make his turmoil even worse!” Yuta spat.

Jogo follows it up with a sneak attack on the eerily quiet Six Eyed sorcerer from above, but is caught and loses his arm again. He disappears into the panicking crowd soon after]

“Oh come on! You’re last fucking thing he needs!” Nobara threw her hands up in the air.

At the sheer discord this harvested, Shoko clearly had enough. From the corner of her eyes, she could clearly see the quiet torment in Gojo’s shadowed eyes as he forced himself to see yet another letdown of his. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she stands up and addresses everyone “Guys...”

At the reverb of her surprisingly booming voice, all noise faded from the teens’ throats as they slowly turned to her.

“This is just a vision of the future. There’s no need to get so worked up” she declared in a tired tone. “I know the whole lot of you are upset by the last events, but... isn’t this why we’re here.”

For such a usually lethargic woman, her words stroke a strange chord. It’s been so long since she got this persuasive.

While they all genuinely wanted nothing more than to settle down and see how things play out, the teens couldn’t understand why this broadcast discomfit them as much as it did. They thought it was the senseless loss of human life, which it is... in a way. Rather, it’s the easily preventable loss of human life, and the knowledge that someone powerful enough to stop it was there didn't sit terribly well with them, despite many factors outside his and everyone else's control.

Weren't they supposed to have accepted that a while ago when he went up against Toji?

Mahito [intently observing Gojo]: Satoru Gojo is different from Yuji Itadori in that he’s capable of being hard-hearted, and is willing to make certain sacrifices in order to exorcize us...

Jogo [while hiding]: However, now that casualties are mounting and more live humans are in the fray, he’s nearing the limit of what he’s willing to sacrifice. You’ve been put in a position where your only option is to cast a Domain. By using Unlimited Void, you can easily kill us Curses, but you’ll also kill every human in here. You could save everyone outside of the Domain, plus everyone not down here in the fifth-floor basement, but you can’t! You won’t! Because your concept of sacrifice is limited to humans killed by Curses, not those killed by you!

Suddenly, a new idea formed in Gojo’s mind as he processed something that Jogo mentioned.

[Gojo was in the middle of the cacophony, stock-still as wind drifts by him, almost as if he’s dissociated from the happenings]

The silence surrounding on-screen Gojo was so dissonant to the bloodshed near him, it was troubling. And for a good reason. Quietude in the middle of such occurrence was never a good sign. In fact, it reminded a select few onlookers, particularly Geto, of the Six Eyes user’s state after he killed Toji and retrieved Amanai’s corpse from the Time Vessel Association. So for them, it seemed as if he would snap and just kill everyone else if he was pushed even a little bit, but that felt underestimating of Gojo’s willpower.

“... what are you thinking now? Is “there” even any way?”

That being said, the nature of the conflict shown rubbed off Geto the wrong way, for some reason. Everyone from Tokyo and Kyoto High were just as emotionally frustrated by the moral dilemma Gojo was forced to face, namely, the more pragmatic members of them. None of them wanted to sacrifice any human life, especially when it’s already being done, something Jogo himself pointed out earlier, but by now, clinging to such high-minded ideal was nothing short of useless since more people would die anyway.

However, for Geto, it was something more. The confrontation and deaths all circled to one big obstacle: the non-sorcerers. Now, it was brain-dead of him to blame them when it was the Special Grade Curses that weaponized their existence against Gojo in the first place, and they had nothing to do with the plan.

But he absolutely loathed the dark part of him wanting to see his once best friend just cut corners. His past self would’ve really wanted to.

Jogo: Keep on thinking... agonize... concentrate!

When he forced himself to care just for a little bit, Toji was mildly let down, yet bewildered. He knew from experience that none of the Jujutsu sorcerers he knew (aka his family) gave a shit about causing damage to fulfill their mission or just get what they want. Non-sorcerers were just useful contributions, nothing more, and just like that Panda thing said earlier in the future broadcast, this extended to the Jujutsu elders as well. Seeing someone with such prestige, and such profound effect on the world, not abuse their gift, was almost too good to be true. Sure, it was more of a hindrance in the long run, as displayed, but it was still remarkable of him. He wrote off Gojo's tale of him changing him forever as flattery, but maybe there was merit behind it.

[And then all of a sudden, something none of the Curses saw coming as they paused in shock]

Mahito:... What?!

[It was Gojo, who held his hand with his index and middle finger interwined]:

Domain Expansion... Unlimited Void!

“WHAT?!?” Yuji and the rest shouted.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!”

“Sensei...?” but Yuta figured it out.

“... are you...?” and so did Yaga and Shoko.

[The whole space distorted from his where he stood and enveloped the entire area, including the civilians, Curses (and Choso) and transfigured humans. Everything came to a halt as their brains were slowly being shorted out

As much as they wanted to protest, many students and some teachers eventually relented, the place quieting down as they slowly loosened up in their seats. There’s just no way Gojo didn’t have a concrete plan for such dangerous venture.

... meanwhile, Gojo was running at near-supersonic speed across the platform between the bloated crowd, slaughtering every transfigured human in his line of sight with insane efficacy as decapitated heads flew around, drenching nearby areas with blood, all without hitting a single human.

Narrator Voice: Satoru Gojo’s all-or-nothing gamble... a Domain Expansion of 0.2 seconds. The time was just a guess. He conjectured that a non-sorcerer could withstand 0.2 seconds inside the Domain without any lasting consequences. While just a rough estimate, the amount of information that flooded the non-sorcerers’ brains, including transfigured humans, was a half year’s worth. Everyone was left standing unconscious. In the aftermath, the humans who survived in B5F would be rehabilitated and rejoin society two months later.

... meanwhile, from the state of the viewers, one could be forgiven for thinking they were hit by Unlimited Void as well, judging by their vacant stares. But behind those looks were minds pumping the information shown overtime.

Would a fraction of a second be enough?

Without exception, eyes raked over every single movement, starting from his laser-focused task on catching and cleanly ripping apart any transfigured victim in his path in the matter of milliseconds, to his analysis of the environment around him thanks to his technique. The speed he used up left no room for interruptions or distractions. All what mattered were the targets.

Gojo himself drowned in the sight of himself like that, feeling as if he’s sharing consciousness with his future self. He imagined how it’d feel to force his body beyond its limits, with only Reverse Cursed technique to propel him forwards. He always wanted to try something like this, having never made enough effort his entire life, so that feeling must’ve been exhilarating as it was draining.

Simply speaking, the level of Unlimited Void could allow Special Grade Curses to awaken at any moment. Taking into consideration a counterattack, the targets were narrowed down to just transfigured humans.

[The screen pans up to reveal Gojo in the station, surrounded by multiple dead transfigured humans while also holding the decapitated heads of two of them. He was panting in exhaustion, the side of his face tainted with blood]

The approximately 1000 transfigured humans who have been released within B5F of the Fukutoshin line were annihilated in 299 seconds... after the activation of the Domain at the hands of the strongest Jujutsu sorcerer alive.

.....

Everyone wanted to feel a lot of things from such breathtaking display. Their jaws nearly fell on the floor.

“.. W-wow” Nobara whispered, overcome with shock.

“No way...” Kamo was in the same boat.

“1000 ex-humans... in just 5 minutes?” uttered Nishimiya.

Those with evenly-matched traveling speed thought over their own performances if that happened to them. For Yuta, reinforcing his body with Cursed energy might net that result, but lack of mastery over Reverse Cursed technique won't do much good for him. As for Toji, he's beyond confident of his capacity of easily surpassing that feat without breaking a sweat. One thing he did take note of was how close Gojo was in contesting his pace.

The others were regaining their wits about, still processing all th

“Holy shit, Sensei... that was INCREDIBLE!” an awed Yuji finally bursted as he turned to him.

“No wonder you’re the Strongest!” Yuta also gushed.

“Damn...” Shoko smiled as she wiped sweat from her brow, “you didn’t rust after all”

“RUST?!?” his youngest students were in disbelief.

“You’ve done well, Gojo-san. That was surprising ingenious of you” Nanami couldn’t help but applaud.

“It is” agreed Yaga, “but still...” a vein pops in his neck.

“THAT WAS DANGEROUS!” he barked at him without warning.

"Uh, principal...?" Gojo was befuddled at Yaga's change in temperament.

"What if some of those people died from it?!" Utahime scolded him as well.

"You think you know my technique better than I, Senpai?" but he countered.

"Whatever! You got your money's worth there" Nobara congratulated with her arm around Megumi.

Megumi wouldn't confess that he was beyond astounded and at the edge of his seat the whole time, so he settled for a simple tired smirk.

"Come on now you all..." Gojo was close to spontaneously combusting from an overdose of rapture, due to having been a bit starved for them for a while now.

[After taking time to catch his breath, Gojo turns behind to scour his surroundings...

... only to find a single cube wrapped in seals]

The celebrations halted as everyone froze.

Soon, the air in the room was filled with dread when realization set in.

“I-is that...?” Megumi stuttered.

“... the Prison Realm” Nanami flatly replied.

Some of the viewers’ mouths slowly hung open as they examined the object shown on secret, only to confirm that yes, that cube really IS the Prison Realm.

However, a few people already saw the forgone conclusion of this moment, and swallowed.

“Suguru Geto”: Prison Realm, Gate Open.

[The cube splits into four segments, all of them opening a red fleshy compartment with a single huge eye in the middle, which was staring at Gojo.

Nearly all viewers’ get goosebumps at the sight of the infamous Special Grade Cursed object being released. It more than lived up to its name, and it’s not even fully in action yet.

Yuji slightly gagged at its appearance, but it didn’t compare to the absolute terror he had for his teacher’s safety.

He instantly recognizes what’s going on, and tries to get away...]

“Oh no...” Megumi voiced out as he leaned forwards in worry. He read enough about the object to know the result of being near it.

“Sensei, get out of there!” Yuta yelled out.

“He’s out of breath and worn out, if he doesn’t dust off, he’ll be fair game for the object!” Utahime stressed.

“Can’t he get out of it, like, at all?!” Yuji fervently questions.

Everyone shook their heads at him, “Like said before, there’s nothing it can’t seal. No exceptions” told him Nanami. “In fact, it also has the ability to drop Cursed energy of any being ensnared within it to absolute zero, and I doubt Gojo-san is any exception”.

“Geto”: Yo, Satoru.

Before they knew it, Gojo and Geto’s eyes almost bore through the screen.

For both of them, it was the first time Gojo’s future self saw Geto after his death, compared to how it’s old news to him. So he won’t see that coming, and he knows it will probably end poorly for him. However, it’s safe to say that there might be a chance to learn just who is that impostor.

Gojo [looking behind with wide eyes]: ... Huh?

“Geto”: It’s been a while.

The actual Geto felt a chill run up inside him. Just from seeing a few snippets of him, this... whoever it was, hardly acted like him. He would freely admit that he was nowhere near as far-sighted as he believed, and in retrospect, nothing he ever did from the village arson and onwards had any believable rhyme or reason to it, but it was too early for that conversation at the back of his head. Point it, it’s obvious that the impostor might have deliberately avoided running into any of his older comrades, whether from Jujutsu High or from his cult, keeping the charade ongoing.

“Itadori.” Todo spoke to Yuji.

“Yeah?”

“Remember what Nanami said earlier about the impostor and his group?”

“Yeah.”

“Well...” Todo took a cursory glance at the rigid Gojo and Geto, before turning back to the TV “this just writes itself.”

“What do you mean...?” but soon, Yuji thinks over those words from before, and replays them inside him.

[The white-haired sorcerer was utterly stumped. It was his once best friend in the flesh. He was beyond sure he killed him a year ago, so why was he here? He couldn’t possibly be some impostor or a transformer. His Six Eyes told him just that.

Shoko soon realized it. She slapped a palm over her face.

“... fuck” she lambasted herself for forgetting about that already.

Her two friends from school turned to see her, and despite being a bit far, couldn’t deny the aura of terrible, frustrated realization that enveloped her. Why wouldn’t it be, when they already went through that seveal times in their heads, but unlike her, they gave up any pretense of things going to be better, especially Geto.

When it finally hit him that he’s the real deal, all three years worth of memories of his youth as a student with Geto long before tragedy struck flashed before his very eyes]

No one could tell, but the air got so cold around them, almost as if they were in a completely different season.

After all, for the Prison Realm, one minute wasn’t measured by the amount of time that passed in reality. Because when it comes to a person being sealed, the rules are quite flexible. Infuriatingly so, in fact. This was something certain adult members realized the hard way when looking back on the impostor’s plan... which hinged entirely on him wearing the face of the one man that shape change Gojo’s worldview.

When faced by the one true mistake that could cost him and everyone else forever in that timeline, Gojo didn’t know whether to deflate or laugh at himself in mockery.

Meanwhile, the students were stunned at being shown a film of everything Gojo experienced as a teen. As if, almost the same scenes they were privy to. Suddenly, that past viewing was meant to prepare them for a lot more, as if that weren’t clear before.

“Geto”: Don’t worry. When I say one minute, it’s one minute of time inside Gojo’s brain.

[Even though it was for an instant, from Gojo’s point of view, a minute has already passed.

....

“Huh?” Yuji was so lost now.

“Wait, how...?” and so was Megumi. In fact, it took nearly a while for them to accept it.

“A-a minute already pass...” but Yuta was basically in denial.

“What is he talking about?” Nobara breathed out.

“... that was the gambit all along” Todo grasped it all and let everyone know aloud.

The Prison Realm’s fleshy segments elongate and restrain Gojo.

Loud, sharp gasps were heard across the place.

“S-sensei... SENSEI!!” the first-years bellowed in dismay.

“It’s over” Yuta grimly said, air leaving his body, “... h-he’s now done for it”

Gojo himself was startled, the shades now out of his face as his Six Eyes fully absorbed the weight of what’s about to happen so. Seeing himself entrapped and helpless did wonders to him and his self-confidence, despite having been through a worse situation. He could feel a gigantic headache splitting him inside, almost as a reprimand for his casual handling of the situation as it unfolded, before leaning his head back on the seat

“So... I fucked up in the end?”

Well, at least he got warned about it before.

Everyone was beyond high-strung, throats dry, eyes staring at Gojo captured by the Prison Realm,

The weird part, especially for the teens, is that they experienced the same thing when Gojo was almost killed by Toji and Amanai’s death as a result of this, but back then, it was just the past. There was no delusion of anything ending any differently. But this... this would be his fate from months later had he not learned about Suguru Geto’s impostor.

It’s probably clear as day that is why they got summoned here. The whole mystery made so much sense now, that everything they thought was elusive just made them feel like shit for dismissing it.

He grits his teeth, realizing in horror that he was baited. He finds he can’t use or feel any kind of Cursed energy within him, and can’t even move, leaving him checkmated without a shadow of doubt. 

He still musters up power to speak]

Gojo: So... who are you?

Nevertheless, despite the hopeless outcome, many composed themselves back in place, recognizing the nature of this task, and their obligation to fight this destiny.

“... well, at least, we may know soon just who that is” Yuji weakly reassured.

His classmates hum in accord.                                                                                                                    

“Geto”: Suguru Geto, of course. It’s so sad you already forgot.

“Is he serious now?” Gojo griped as he shook his head.

“Shut up... just, shut up” the real Geto channelled all that rage he had for the impostor to so brazenly lie like that. If he didn’t hate whoever that was before for this farce, he now wholeheartedly does.

“Mind games, what else?” Shoko rolled her eyes.

Gojo: Your body... even your Cursed energy... my Six Eyes tell me you’re Suguru Geto... BUT MY SOUL KNOWS OTHERWISE!! HURRY UP AND ANSWER!!

They were caught off guard by that reply, even overwhelmed. The only other time Gojo spoke with such raw, desperate ferocity, was when Geto left Tokyo High. At the sight of him, he actually acted like a believable, decent human being, and not the bothersome front he always put on.

All on behalf of someone who stabbed him in the back and spat on everything he once espoused.

A few raised an eyebrow at the line, though, like Shoko, Nobara, and even Geto.

“Your soul... knows otherwise?” the doctor repeated.

“Wow, I know you two were such great friends. But this is something else...” said Maki in genuine surprise.

Well, that reaction made a lot of sense. After all, seeing him again was the reason for his current predicament.

“Really? I sound corny as all hell” but Gojo snorted, a bit mortified.

[In response, “Geto” takes out a thread attached to the stitches on his forehead... and the entire upper half of his head falls out, exposing a brain with teeth on it]

Kenjaku [with a creepily artificial expression]: Yeesh! How’d you know?

The suffocating silence threatening to boil over into a nausea factory was so palpable, those with Heavenly Restriction could easily smell it.

All colour left the adolescents’ faces at... whatever the fuck they just saw. It was even worse due to accompanying the actual Geto, allowing them to notice every single horribly wrong detail in that image compared to the real deal. Soon, their digestive systems followed suit, turning their faces from pallid to green, before trying to avoid the view altogether.

Then there’s the adults, especially Gojo, who seemed like they wanted to carefully examine that thing inside Geto’s head, but now just wanted to retch instead. That face told them everything. That’s a literal carcass being moved around by it as if it were a marionette, or a machine. To say absolutely nothing of the brain with teeth. In all their years fighting even more grotesque, bizarre entities, this one truly ate the cake. Maybe it had something to do with the body it possessed. He once was still one of their own, despite everything, and seeing what happened to him down the line was hardly comfortable to look at.

But none of those reactions compared to Suguru Geto. He now looked like the actual corpse he was supposed to be, tuning out everything else around him in favour of that one moment. This was so him, yet definitely not. Actually, he doesn’t even know. Well, he does know how that happened, but the state he was in, that smile... there’s no way it wasn’t some form of twisted retribution for all crimes he committed across a decade. And a very fitting one at that. But his body didn’t quite acknowledge the fact, since his stomach was actually working, and it was twisting inside of him like crazy.

“... What the fuck am I looking at?” Maki said lifelessly.

“I-I don’t even know anymore...” Yuta wagged his head in utter defeat, just like everyone else did.

Most of them cursed themselves for not thinking harder of the purpose behind the stitches on the impostor’s forehead.

Toji froze dead in his tracks. That... wasn't what he had in mind when he needled about that monk's 180cm turn, but compared to the Curse he always used to have, he actually managed it. And after a while, found it morbidly funny for some reason.

[Gojo is shocked and furious at what he saw, clicking his teeth]

Kenjaku: It’s a Cursed technique that allows me to hop in between bodies by switching brains. Of course, it also allows me to use the host body’s techniques. I coveted his Curse Manipulation and those exact circumstances. You didn’t have Shoko Ieri get rid of Suguru Geto’s body, did you?

Eyes were now narrowed at what the thing said. Gojo and Shoko avoided the screen upon confirming their own role in letting this happen, while Geto, after barely recovering from his stupor, sucked in a breath and clutched his chest.

“So it was trailing us all along?” Nanami let out.

“There’s no other reason” Yaga responded.

Geto shot a look at the dazed Gojo’s face that had “told you so” written all over it.

[Placing the upper head back] You’re only considerate during such awkward moments, thanks to that, I was able to obtain his body without much trouble. But don’t worry the seal will be over soon... in a hundred, no, thousand years. You know you’re too strong, you’ll only get in the way of my plans.

“... his plans?” Megumi utters.

“It wasn’t just about Gojo.” Muta said, scaring Miwa back to reality. Noticing the eyes slowly darting towards him, he continued, albeit uneasily, “I didn’t get much, but there’s no way they could proceed with their actual scheme with him around. I’m not too sure, but it might have something to do with...”

He turned to face Yuji, “... Sukuna.”

The boy clenched his jaw, sweating a bit as he faced down at his raised hand. Sukuna’s mouth was still closed. Despite often whispering in his head then and now, he didn’t fully activate or even speak out loud for quite a while now.

Gojo [suddenly smirks]: Heh. You don’t remember? Before that body was killed by me, remember who beat it up?

On top of the stress Yuta is feeling over Gojo’s situation, the eyes looking through him did not help one bit, making him shrink in reflex.

“Gojo’s not wrong... you can easily destroy him again when we return” Panda remarked.

“If you’re a Special Grade Sorcerer, what’s stopping you from finishing the job?” Maki dared.

“Okaka” Inumaki tried to egg on Yuta further.

Gojo was a bit wounded. Like, he was still here. Are they still disappointed at him?

Geto on the other hand creased his brow, due to the kids he once fought casually discussing his brutal defeat at the hands of Okkotsu.

Toji was briefly glancing at the two, a derisive smile tugging at his lips.

“But guys... Sensei is right over there” Yuji feebly reminded the students whilst pointing at Gojo.

“That’s right! Now that we’re shown everything, he can make it right better than I possibly can do!” Yuta fired off while sitting up stiffly.

“I mean, he can” Maki considered.

“We’re just curious if you could pull it off again. You’ve grown so much stronger since the last year” Panda explains.

“Oh... I see.” Yuta relaxed a bit, before he frowns “but that entity that possessed Geto-san... it claimed to have hopped on to several bodies. Not to mention, it showed a very impressive amount of familiarity with a lot of techniques. What’s to say it doesn’t just have Curse Manipulation?”

Everyone’s lips twisted

“Besides, there are the Disaster Curses..." he added, "without Sensei, everyone else is still First Grade at the highest, and I don't think even combining forces can get any results against them, especially the likes of Jogo and Mahito."

Kenjaku: Yuta Okkotsu, huh? I don’t get what everyone sees in him. His ability to copy Cursed techniques, and his boundless Cursed energy... both are the results of having to detain his loved one’s soul. Sorry to say, but... Yuta Okkotsu can’t become the next Satoru Gojo.

“Wait!” Nobara announced a pause, “Something he just said now doesn’t add up”.

Gojo knows what it is, and when he confirmed it, a sneer escaped his countenance. Geto, upon noticing this, is left briefly confused.

“That’s right... wasn’t Okkotsu’s immense power the result of his descent from Michizane Sugawara, the legendary Gojo-descended sorcerer?” Todo finished for her.

“... yeah” Megumi stroked his chin, “and from the way he put it, he didn’t seem like he knows about that”.

“Then that means...” Yuji blurted.

“Seems we have a card that bastard finally doesn’t get to see” Maki stretched in her seat, smiling in satisfaction.

“... something finally went right for us in that timeline” Panda flatly commented.

[He looks back to a scowling Gojo] Good night. Let us meet again in the new world.

A formidable chill hung above the audience as that one realization sank in. It was hard to forget that right now, in that frame of time, Gojo might have been successfully sealed. In October 31^st, they were all left to their own devices. This wasn’t a Veil situation or convenient absence. That was quite possibly permanent. This age of Jujutsu sorcery was shaped by his birth and rise in power.

And now, he was taken out of the board.

“Yep, we’re FUBAR’ed” Mai said in grim resignation.

“Mai!” Maki and Miwa hiss at her.

“Give it a day or two, and the results shall speak for themselves” Nishimiya added.

“You say that as if it’s not gonna be over in the span of a single night” Toji joined in the ridicule.

“SHADDUP OLD FART!!” Maki exploded at the dark-haired man from afar. Although he didn’t talk much, Megumi was rather troubled whenever he actually did, but didn't know why. Or rather, refused to acknowledge why.

The worst part of the ludicrously pessimistic observations is that, on a certain level, the more pragmatic adolescents, and the adults, including Gojo and Geto, actually agreed with it. The latter two much to their embarrassment.

“Come on now, guys!” Yuji angrily objected, “I know Gojo-sensei is really strong, but we’re not such pushovers we’d be done for like that! I mean, we still have Okkotsu-senp–”

“–who’s in Kenya as we speak” Nobara, Maki and Panda simultaneously interrupted. Yuta avoided eye contact as he sweatdropped.

“–there’s still Nanamin, Fushiguro, Maki-san and Todo-senpai” he still ran his mouth.

“While I’m glad you still have hope in us, you're still know of the odds against us, like Okkotsu described" Todo made sure to remind Yuji, who sighed.

“Actually, is there even anything that can destroy the Prison Realm?” Megumi turned behind and queried.

“To answer that, there needs to be something that cancels Cursed Energy and technique in return. And something more powerful than the Prison Realm, so non-Innate techniques are out." Yaga elucidated. "In other words, there needs to be a technique for that purpose."

"And where can we find that?" asked Yuji.

"There are still lots of powerful sorcerers left unaccounted for, or aren't part of the Jujutsu foundation" Nanami replies, trying to recall a few figures that are still active.

Gojo and the Tokyo second-years found themselves suddenly remembering a certain third-year duo that left the premises not too long ago.

"Then... what about Todo-senpai's mentor, Yuki Tsukumo?" Miwa chimed in, "she's a Special Grade sorcerer, right? She might be a great help".

Todo grunted at her mention, and surprisingly, Geto and Toji's heads perked up as well, "Master has kind of an annoying wanderlust. She's rarely in this country, and while I can easily call her up, it'd take forever to actually get her in here. But, you've got a point"

"That lady, huh?" hearing her brought up in a conversation briefly sidetracked Yuji's train of thought. He was embarrassed to admit looking forward to seeing her one day.

"In this case, forget about it, we'll just bulldoze through all that on our own" Nobara badgered while crossing her arms.

"And lose a few limbs in the process" Panda finished just as lackadaisically.

"Man, you only just got sealed. That's some pessimism worthy of a Grade 1 Curse" Shoko chuckled.

"Now you get me!" Gojo annoyedly groaned. But what truly bothered him was how the atmosphere, despite its apparent light-heartedness, had an overtone of over-the-top coping carrying it. He, as well as Yaga, Nanami and Utahime, were pretty concerned for the students' actual wellbeing.

.....

In the underground tunnels...

Yuji [startled]: What the–?!

Mei Mei and Ui Ui look back in alarm.

Yuji was aware that unbeknownst to his future self, what’s about to come might be the biggest challenge

Ui Ui: What’s wrong?

Yuji: there’s something on my ear...

[That something is a small compact Mechamaru puppet in the size of a headphone piece]

Mechamaru/Kokichi Muta: Can you hear me, Yuji Itadori?

Everyone’s eyes shot wide open, especially the Kyoto High members, when they recognized that voice.

“I-It can’t be...” Nishimiya couldn’t believe her eyes. And neither the rest could.

“MECHAMARU?!?!”

 “Y-you’re... alive?” Miwa cupped her mouth as brief euphoria washed over her being, unshed tears threatening to leak again.

“No way?! How...” Kamo stuttered.

Todo and Utahime, however, found out when they scoured that device closely. The former learnt about it from Muta himself personally a while ago, but not in the way

“They’re a failsafe I installed” Muta promptly responded, “If I were to die, all my Cursed energy would power the remainder of my puppets to seek out nearby allies”

“... Oh” Miwa deflated just as quickly.

“Then why did it activate only now?!” Nobara demanded.

“... because I rigged it to do so in the occasion of Satoru Gojo’s sealing” he professed.

“Couldn’t you have sent them after us if you didn’t return?!” Kamo questioned.

“Did you think the impostor wouldn’t notice?” he fired back, albeit in a more restrained way, “If I got killed before you learnt anything, the Binding Vow will have no meaning left, and he knows I don’t truly buy into his agenda, so he and the rest of the Disaster Curses could clear any loose ends I left without hassle. I had to think of another way, and this one seemed to work much better.”

“Because when they find you, it’ll all be for nothing. Right?” Utahime steepled her fingers together. Muta silently nodded.

“But what’s the point when Sensei is already done in?” Panda threw his arms up in frustration.

“Earlier, none of you had a plan with the Special Grades. I figured out the least I could do is let you know what you’re going to deal with. And...” Muta’s eyes shifted to melancholy as he gazed at each of his classmates, all with their own different reactions, before he settled on Miwa. Soon, he felt his throat dry up

When they turned to the screen, it already faded to black, going on standby mode, signalling it’ll be a while before anything new would be shown.

A couple of minutes passed by in almost complete stillness, save for everyone glancing at each other.

"You know what...” Maki stretched her arms, before removing her glasses to rub her eyes and leaving the seat, heading for the exit “... I’ll take a rain check for now.”

“Tarako...” Took the words outta my mouth. Inumaki wiped down his face, just as he tagged along, his feet and hips hurting from sitting for so long.

“Wait, Maki-san!” Yuta was surprised and shot up from his seat.

“You’re coming?” Panda, who eventually decided to go with her and Inumaki, asked the young Special Grade.

“Huh? But...”

“C’mon, Okkotsu-senpai” Nobara grabbed Yuta by the collar and made him follow her and Maki, “you were wide awake last day, there are rings around yer eyes, and they’re painful to look at!”

“I want nothing more than sleep all this off like a terrible hangover...” and so did Yuji. All fatigue from insufficient sleep crashing down on him and every other youngster at once.

“Say less” Nishimiya, Kamo and Mai also left, the Kyoto students needing just as much, if not more, recharging, than the Tokyo ones. Todo opted to stride besides Yuji, whereas Miwa helped walk Muta. According to him, he wanted to stay in a separate room from the others. This saddened her a bit, but his own wants came first, so she complied.

“Well, it’s for the best” Gojo watched them leave, some still bothering to take their uneaten snacks with them, “your brain chemicals took a real beating today, huh?”

The students couldn’t even gather enough energy to look to their side at Gojo, save for Yuta and Yuji, “you don’t say...” the latter yawned.

“Trainwreck doesn’t even begin to describe it...” as much as Shoko wanted to leave and drink herself to sleep, she couldn’t bring herself to.

“Please, Shoko, you were exposed to as much” but Utahime tried to propel her upwards, to no avail.

“If you truly wanna help, then bring me some canned bear. At least seven of ‘em”

“Don't get too generous with your RCT!!”

“Wasn’t that bad a fortune-telling session” Toji cracked his neck, and then took off from his place, parkouring across the seats behind him before reaching the exit, but not without forgetting to fetch a beer can.

“What did you even see to get wasted?” those remaining felt their eyes twitch.

“Sensei” Megumi, who was one the latest to leave, approached Gojo “I don’t feel like resting. Can I stay here with–?“

“–Nope” but his teacher, who just put on back his blindfold, slapped him on the back to the exit’s direction, “if you wanna help, join your friends instead. It’d be good for them and for you”.

Megumi lightly rubbed his middle back in annoyance, before caving in and departing.

With all the students absent, the adults in here turned to face one other. But mostly, to face Satoru Gojo himself, who prepared himself.

His Six Eyes might not give him a lot of practical foresight, but it did show him the repercussions of this gathering.

Despite avoiding eye contact with him, Gojo could never forget the eerie, haunted eyes on the kids as they left. The bags that now became visible underneath, their tight, thinned lips, and the worry marking their features. It all hit harder due to the reason for it, and the true source of such disturbance.

While watching the door, Gojo whipped his head to where Geto was still sitting. His eyes were similarly baggy, but to a much lesser extent.

Whirling over to meet the faces of Nanami, who removed his goggles and stared down at him, and Yaga, who was in the process of doing the same. The Six Eyes owner knew what was about to come, and, still not moving an inch, just braced himself.

---

Somewhere else, in a realm drowned in blood and carcasses, atop his skeleton-formed throne, a singular figure learnt quite a lot. Now that was actually novel, interesting information.

However, that outcome left a... lot to be desired. His disillusioned grimace was the most visible feature on him.

“To think I actually expected it to come to fruition... I couldn’t have been more surprised, to be honest”

The shadow of the man with glowing cerulean blue eyes reflected in his gaze.

“What’s the point of reaching the fullest, best version of you when you can’t vanquish all that stands in your way, including yourself?”

Notes:

I might not have focused enough on Gojo's reaction to being sealed, but that's not something that bothers him. Also, that's for the next chapter.

If my writing took a nosedive after so long let me know.

Diverse, complex comments and discussion about the chapter and characters is much appreciated. Thank you. Especially both dark and funny bits. I really wanna know how i'm faring in that department, especially since other authors of react fics receive plenty of them,

And important update: this fic actually takes place after the Goodwill Events, not the institution mission.

Chapter 5: Pandemonium

Notes:

Here you all go. It took a while but I'm glad

I'm gonna have to admit right now that english is not my native langauge, so you'll find some cluttered sentences and repetitive moments, feel free to inform me as such

EDIT: I upgraded the chapter with a proofread version. Big thanks to BECAUSEIAMBATMAN for your help💖

WARNING: a new death(?)

A loud yawn echoed through the nearly empty viewing room. Nearly eleven hours passed since the bombshell that was the last broadcast.

Relaxing his Reverse Cursed Technique input, Gojo let himself doze off for a bit after overclocking his brain with what-ifs and plans for the last few hours. He’s been running on fumes ever since having watched his past as a student, no thanks to a certain shocking arrival… who’s probably still right next to him. Who knows? And who cares? He just wanted to drift off and rest his mind and body.

Contrary to all expectations, his former teacher, former underclassman and even classmates were of the idea that if something ain’t broke, there’s no need to fix it.

Gojo wasn’t an obstinate idiot who needed to be yelled and chewed at to get what was wrong, and they knew it despite their preconceptions otherwise, leaving him all alone to carry the weight of his hypothetical failures.

Not that he was the only one, if Utahime ultimately joining Shoko in knocking back a few cans is any indication. But what more was her response to the recent viewings. The Mechamaru situation ultimately got to her despite her apparent dignity and stoicism while handling the matter. But he couldn’t deny the feeling of her Cursed energy being knocked off balance at several points, as well as her constant loss of focus leading her eyes towards Muta and Miwa. He couldn’t blame her. Utahime always prided herself on being principled and honorable, and expected the same from her cohorts. She might not have teached Muta personally, but was a great help to him in coping with his

Shoko was the same, but to a much lesser extent. She’s the kind of person who could manage pretty easily, and actually saw most of that stuff coming already thanks to their whole presence in here. However, when some time was spared, the two women immediately joined Yaga and Nanami in conferring their next move, and what to do with the new revelations when they’re all outside.

 “… Satoru?”

Gojo flinched, his eyes shot awake at the sudden voice despite the abundant Cursed energy in close proximity to him. From the corner of his Six Eyes, he caught Geto abruptly whipping his head away from him, seeming as if he regretted letting his intrusive thoughts win. But it’s not his fault he couldn’t beat that.

“Watching me sleep, huh? I expected less of you” he mocked, before wiping his whole face with his palm, setting his RCT alight once again.

Geto rolled his eyes, completely shredding his initial hesitance in favor of a deadpan face, before coughing “Yeah, for four minutes.”

……

“Anyway, I’m just surprised all that was enough to drain you. Not like it was the first time, but all you did was watch”.

Obviously, both of the men were inwardly staggered at how a conversation naturally came for them. After all, last Geto knew, he was facing the one who literally killed him, and vice versa for Gojo. He’s supposed to be a bit squeamish from the prospect, even without taking into account their damaged relationship. But the awkwardness formed from their close yet silent proximity for more than 10 hours was so debilitating that something needed to be done about it.

That being said, they deliberately paid no heed to this one elephant in the living room and went on as if the last decade never happened. It was a strange feeling, but they were in dire need of it.

“I know, right? You should try it out.” He sardonically replied. “Nothing beats seeing yourself hijacked by a living brain, after all”.

A pause passed. “… okay, I walked right into that one.”

Geto’s shoulders slumped, before leaning back in his seat, “but, after everything else… “. He sees Gojo’s gaze piercing through him as he gathers his words, making the task more difficult than it ought to be.

“I know your next words are ‘I probably deserved it or ‘I don’t really care’ “ the Six Eyes wielder cut him off, “but keep telling yourself that”.

“Because you most definitely didn’t spend the next hours wanting to bang your head on a wall for what transpired” the former terrorist counters.

To his credit, Gojo recognizes this and comically hunches his head down.

The white-haired sorcerer breathed out, “There’s nothing like seeing stuff and being unable to do anything about it because, at the end… I’m just seeing myself taking the choices I would’ve” he trailed off, “and of course, taking everything I built myself up to for granted”.

Geto thought over it and it still didn’t click within him. This… thing they were involved in was more than just a fever dream. It was all too good to be even just a dream. And it left him relaxed and nervous at the same time, contributing greatly to his indifferent demeanor for most of the session.

“Actually, speaking of being hijacked, I can’t help but recall a certain unstable compound we have at hand…”

“You mean…” Geto mused as he stared through Gojo. Returning to this plane of existence somehow was one thing, but being in the same place as the near-mythologized King of Curses was downright bizarre. Despite how easily he seems to have digested it, the circumstances regarding Sukuna’s incarnation still bugged him to an extent.

“Yes, that” Gojo lifted his chin, “Didn’t pop up for quite a while now, even Itadori got spooked. Though I do get the distinct feeling of him still leering. I can sometimes catch Itadori being distracted by something or rubbing his extra eye. As for why doesn’t speak… yeah, that’s exactly the most bothersome part”.

“You’re saying that he knows everything that’s going on here?!” demanded Geto.

“It won’t be an issue” Gojo lifts himself up from the seat, “Like I told you earlier, only Itadori can decide if he can take over or not, thanks to their Binding Vow. So unless he’s backed to a corner, he’s not a factor…

… at the moment”. The Curse Manipulator creased his brow.            

“Considering what we’re dealing with, and how many fingers are left, it’s only a matter of time before that Vow is rendered obsolete. I trust that you’re rather interested in Itadori because of his predicament. Perhaps his circumstances hit a little close to home to a certain…”

When Geto knitted his eyebrows at him, aware of his next words, Gojo just trailed off.

“But enough of that already…!” he abruptly threw his head back, “I thought you’d be a little more curious about your ‘impostor’ compared to all that”.

The other man’s lips thinned, not just because of the reminder. “I–“

“Normally he should’ve been, as well as the rest of us, if there was even anything resembling a clue about their identity”

A new voice pierced the silence, with both sorcerers not even needing to hear it or turn behind to recognize the suited blonde man. Without missing a beat, Geto whipped his head away and kept staring at the space, mentally taking himself out of the discussion.

“Seems like the party’s finally about to reassemble” grinned Gojo.

Nanami rolls his eyes, before walking over to take a seat “All our attempts to gaugetheir true nature will go nowhere, since there isn’t that much to work from. The only thing that’s certain is that, from the wealth of their knowledge, they have a lot of years on their hands. Not even elderly sorcerers of our time are privileged with this much compared to them”

“So… the brain’s old?” Gojo put forth. “Like, really old?”

“The only other clue we have on them, which entails their knowledge on the Cursed Womb Death Paintings, enough to be able to revive them” said Yaga after he similarly entered the room.

“Despite ruminating over this for so long, we have nothing on the table, or even some actually solid hints. So we decided to just wrap this up and keep watching” finally there was Shoko, who hovered near Gojo, before sitting right on his left.

“You’re changing places?” he asked.

“Eh, wanted a change in scenery. Besides, I kinda prefer the back”

Everyone sat in total quiet, to the point of boredom in the case of Gojo and Shoko, who tried to nap several times.

Half an hour later, the incoming sound of chatter drew nearer and nearer, before the door opened once more to reveal Nobara ahead of the rest of Jujutsu High students.

“Good morning!” some greeted, completely uncaring of the actual time zone in here but most curiously, some seemed to outright avoid eye contact with Gojo.

“Morning, kids. Hope you’re ready for the next batch” but neither did Gojo care.

Suddenly, their expressions twisted to fierce fortitude.

“We’re born ready, Sensei” Yuji avows as he fixes his cuffs. “

“Please. This’ll be nothin’!” Nobara boasted.

“If we can’t conquer this future coming ahead then what are we good at?” Panda also blustered, with a bicep-polishing gesture to boot, posing alongside Inumaki, “Shake Okaka!”

…..

The adults blinked “Intense”.

“Where are you going at, a warzone?” Gojo mentally quipped.

“Did you really get sleep?” an unconvinced Shoko prodded.

“YES!!” they hastily replied.

“SHIO!” was Inumaki’s response.

“Look, Shoko, even Okkotsu’s eyebags faded out” Panda grabbed Yuta by the arm and presented his face, to his embarrassment.

“Good for you, Itadori-kun eavesdropping a few hours ago aside” Nanami nonchalantly reveals.

Yuji did a 180 and froze in place, much to the glee of the younger teachers, who knew, and shock and irritation of his classmates.

“Huh?! You said you wanted to grab something when I saw you” a grimacing Nobara looked him straight in the eye. “You bastard!”

“Er, um… I, uh…” Yuji congealed like a brick when confronted.              

“Morning!” The Kyoto students followed suit, most of them in different outfits, save for Miwa and Mechamaru. Surprisingly, the latter was atop a wheelchair, with Miwa walking him. At the head of the group was Utahime, whose walk was slightly wobblier despite her outwardly normal appearance. It was a great opportunity to deflect the attention.

“That looks neat! Where did you get it?” the pink-haired sorcerer turned over to ask Miwa and Muta.

“Oh, we suddenly found it in our sleeping quarters” Miwa responds good-naturedly.

“The sender probably didn’t want Miwa to strain her arms carrying him all the time, so that might have been it” Utahime clarifies, before she wipes her face.

“MORNING, BROTHA!”(could be BRUDDA OR BRUZZA) and Todo suddenly ran up from behind the group and tackled Yuji with his arm, “Are you ready to take on a new day!”

“You betcha!”

“Wait…” Gojo looked around, “Where is he?”

“Who?” asked Shoko.

“Well… he?” he repeats with a strained smile, forming a mark on his lip for emphasis. In response, most of his students stopped what they were doing and clenched their teeth, while Geto’s face fell. The other adults felt a headache coming from that reaction. Megumi, on the other hand, pretended not to hear and just went to sit.

“If you mean Fushiguro’s dad, he refused to come” Yuji, who was picking some food alongside Nobara and Todo, turned to reply.

“ ‘Refused’ is too kind” a vein in Maki’s head burst as she trembled in fury, the students near grimacing horribly “… after I knocked the door to that shitty old fart’s designated room many times to no avail, I tried to open it, but was met instead with a beer can throw so strong it pushed the door back and left a dent!”. They wondered what could have happened if they opened the door all the way, which just displeased them further.

“Yeesh, so good for his potential family!” Gojo shuddered. Geto was the opposite. He was quite glad he won’t have to deal with him, even if for a short while.

And with that, everyone waited for the viewing to return. Unlike before, there wasn’t much in the way of chatter, and there was a feeling of disturbance in the air despite the rather positive mood from before.

 [It all began with a loading screen, which showed a very familiar logo. When it finished, it displayed what seemed to be the perspective of a camera installed in the sewers.

“That logo…” Kamo remarked.                                                           

“It’s Mechamaru’s signature emblem” Utahime said, “so that must be how you rigged your backup puppets”.

Mechamaru nodded, “The reach of my Cursed energy is not only large enough to encompass a wide area, but also tamper with nearby machinery.”

“You mean like some kinda technopath?” Yuji inquired.

“More or less”.

The scene resumed Yuji’s surprise over the new presence, or rather contraption, on his ear, that was a small Mechamaru pod]

Mechamaru/Muta: Can you hear me, Itadori Yuji? Listen and–

[Only for Yuji to take out the ear piece and slam it to the ground in reflex.

“MECHAMARU!!” Miwa cries in shock.

“Ooof!” some students, including Yuji himself, winced.

“Sorry…” he quietly apologized to Muta over there.

“You shouldn’t justify your understandable instincts.” The puppeteer reassures.

Some students were mystified at how lenient Yuji was towards Muta. Of course, they’re not in the same school. But even his own classmates showed a great deal more of distrust. Todo, however, is aware that this doesn’t really have much to do with the puppeteer himself exactly…

When it bounces upwards, the boy grabs it tightly in his hand in an attempt to crush it]

Mechamaru [screaming from the piece]: Wait, wait, WAIT!! I’m your ally, idiot!

Miwa heaved a sigh in relief.

[Yuji blinks in surprise at the words. He shows it to Mei Mei and Ui Ui and lets the speaker finish]

Mechamaru: Listen, and undertand the first time… Satoru Gojo has been sealed.

[Yuji is stunned]

That reminder alone plunged the room into disquiet once again, some of the youngsters’ expressions morphing to unrest, while the rest took it in stride, even the man himself, but( were more concerned with how they will react to this information in the future, but especially what it would mean for the tide of battle.

[Back at the B5F section of the Meiji Shrine Station, Gojo was still contained by the Prison Realm’s tentacles, as it prepares to lock him inside]

Kenjaku: Good night, Satoru Gojo. We’ll meet again in the new world.

“Great… we’re back to that” Yuji made a face.

“Didn’t it finish containing him yet?” Megumi questions.

“Well, it’s me, so of course it’d take a while” Gojo shrugs.

“You seem to have accepted that fate of yours pretty well” noted Shoko.

“It’s just the future, duh. Plenty o’ time to fix it” he said with a huff.

Gojo [smiling in resignation]: Maybe for me, but it’s time for you to wake up already.

[His Six Eyes, however, weren’t really looking at the entity..] How long will you keep letting it have its way with you, Suguru?

Geto cocked his head forward, frowning, just as Shoko suddenly regained focus, while the rest stiffened from the sudden turn of phrase, especially who it is addressing.

“Satoru? Wait, are you…?” the dark-haired former Curse user and doctor narrowed their eyes.

“Sensei, why are you trying to–“ Megumi looked on in suspicion.

[Suddenly, the impostor’s right hand twitches on its own, before moving completely independent of its owner’s intention and rushing to throttle him

“EEEEHHH?!??!” several teens were slack-jawed.

“WHA– HOW?!?” Yuji yelled.

“Holy shit! Is that the REAL Geto!?!” Nobara did the same.

“He’s still alive?! But… how did it even–?!” Yuta was at a loss for words, but a sense of intrigue about this development soon settled within them as they stared at the stray hand on-screen.

The adults weren’t any less bewildered, Gojo, Geto and Shoko being the worst out of them. The blue-eyed man nearly choked on his spit, before freezing like a deer in the headlights as he let that sight sink in. Shoko’s face tightened, her hands gripping on her armrest despite her attempts to seem collected.

Geto, however, automatically felt up his own body                            

When he realizes it, Kenjaku breaks into demented laughter]

Kenjaku: Incredible! This is a first!

“… I don’t understand, wasn’t he supposed to have been dead?” Megumi asked.

Geto and Gojo were a bit lost, especially the former. The Six-eyed sorcerer turned to him and glanced in a way of summoning up his concerns about the other man’s fate in the hereafter. The former cult leader was still gawking at the screen

“If Sensei’s words were all it took for… this, to happen, what if a part of Geto-san was still in there?” Yuta mulled over, “still a constant in his own body somehow?”

“Maybe” Shoko said, “If there is one complicated imprint unique to the human body because of its metaphysical nature, it’s the soul. And to this day, despite plenty of breakthroughs in Jujutsu, no one has a single terminal definition or even opinion regarding it”.

Hearing this, Yuji, Nanami and Muta recollect the mechanics of Mahito’s technique.

“Does this mean his soul still hasn’t passed on?” Nanami ponders.

“Probably, that could’ve been a reflex from its residue still in there” Shoko maintained.

[The humans in the place were still catatonic from Unlimited Void, just as one of them is knocked down by Mahito, who just woke up from his trance]

Mahito [staggering dizzily towards Kenjaku]: Hey, Geto…

A lot weren’t amused by how fast Mahito recovered. However, knowing how Special Grade Curses, not only share(do they have) different cerebral activity, but have Cursed energy strong enough to tank a Domain Expansion, it wasn’t all that surprising.

Kenjaku: Mahito, look at this. You proposed that the soul exists before the body. [showing the hand still strangling him, as he slowly nudges it away from him] But actually, the body is actually part of the soul, and the soul is part of the body. There’s no other way to explain this phenomenon, or the fact that the body’s memories flow into my brain as I swap the hosts.

A lot of students were fascinated by the explanation, despite their distaste for the man speaking those words. “That’s… quite the way to put it” Todo comments.

“It’s so confusing” Yuji scratches his head, “but it does explain Mahito’s technique somewhat”.

“Glad to see you got back on track, brother” .

“It’s not really far-fetched to assume that the existence of Jujutsu might muck around with that definition” Yaga spoke out. “Especially with how outlandish and esoteric some techniques can be. Take Idle Transfiguration for example like what Itadori said”.

“Or better yet, Gojo-san’s Infinity” Added Nanami, “in fact, one can throw in Black Flash as another proof of this, due to its capacity to warp the physics around it”.

“Now that does make sense”

Mahito [perplexed]: Does it have to be a universal truth? Are you sure the world doesn’t operate differently for your technique and mine?

“True” admits Shoko, “that technique might make it seem as if it works that way, when it’s probably a constant that’s unique to it.”

While enlightening to some people, for certain students, like Yuji, Nobara and Miwa (God bless them), scribbles could be seen atop their heads as they absorb the information, much less understand it.

Gojo and Utahime popped veins on their foreheads at the sight.

Kenjaku: So each technique is its own worldview? I like it, what a lovely idea.

[But Gojo loudly cuts them off]

Gojo [exasperated]: If you’re going to do this, hurry up already. Not only does it smell aboslutely foul, but the view here is terrible too.

“Nice to see you got your priorities straight” Maki griped.

“Like there’s anything left to do or think at the moment” Gojo sighs.

“If it smells foul in there then what about inside of the Prison Realm?!” Miwa bleats in revulsion.

The teacher frowns deeply, “Now you gave me even more incentive to fuck up that timeline”.

Kenjaku: I wanted to enjoy this sight for a bit longer, but… Indeed, I wouldn’t want anything to happen.

[Commands the Prison Realm] Gate close!

“Can’t blame him. That is truly the achievement of the century, apropos of nothing” Panda confessed.

Gojo chuckled darkly “Just you wait, whoever you are”

[Multiple eyes open all over the fleshy apparatuses, before they rapidly enclose on Gojo, somehow fitting his whole body into what’s going to turn back to a cube.

The last sight Gojo sees before it’s all closed on him is Geto, unbeknownst to him Kenjaku’s, serene, lidded smile.

The cube shuts him over, before it shrinks further, and lands on Kenjaku’s palm. The eyes all close when it does]

Everyone was on the edge of their seats as the sequence played out to the last minute detail

The former trio from Jujutsu High just stared with near dead eyes, the worst offender being the strongest sorcerer himself. Seeing it all to the end felt like a some sort of repeat of the Star Plasma Vessel fiasco, where his pride and overconfidence bit him hard in the rear end due to forces unexpected.

Mahito [looking at it]: Now we can’t use this anymore, right?

Kenjaku: Yeah, it only holds one. Unless the man inside kills himself, it’s unusable now.

“Not that you mentioned it, I heard that guy say it before but completely forgot to bring it up. Does he mean Sensei will still be the same even a thousand years later?!” Yuji barked.

“Yes. the Realm keeps them in stasis. Accurate estimates aren’t well known since there isn’t much information on when was the last time it’s been used, but it’s implied that even someone who gets stuck for half a millennium will be no worse for the wear physically” Nanami answers.

“Physically” the last word was ringing in everyone’s ears, leaving very unsettling implications about his state of mind.

 [The Prison Realm’s color shifts from red to light gray]

Mahito: Huh, lame. Well, in any case–

Kenjaku:–The sealing is complete.

[Elsewhere, Ui Ui was nodding off briefly from exhaustion]

Mei Mei [not really believing Mechamaru]: We’re talking about Satoru Gojo. What proof do you have for me to believe you?

Mechamaru: Sorry, but I have nothing. If I must provide something, it’s the fact that I’m here. I was killed on October 19^th by the Special Grade Cursed spirit called Mahito. What’s here is just the insurance I left when I was still alive. It’s quite advanced too, so I had no choice but to set its condition for activating to “after Satoru Gojo is sealed” to decrease the risk of it not going off. I only managed to sneak these puppets into three locations ahead of time. Yuji Itadori was the Jujutsu High sorcerer least likely to be leaking information. And Mei Mei, given the situation, I’m now certain you’re in the clear too.

Some people furrowed their brow. That date engraved itself at the back of Muta’s mind, as a reminder of the consequences of what he walked into.

“We were brought here at August 8^th”  Nanami states as he looks back on his notes.

“And from what the Messenger relayed to us, time outside here isn’t necessarily frozen, but is just crawling at a snail’s pace” continued Gojo. “and probably even slower. Previously, they estimated that not even ten minutes passed outside yet”.

“That’s a great relief” Yuta smiled.

Mei Mei [interested]: Why is it?

Mechamaru: Because someone as skilled at intelligence gathering as you were dispatchedhereto Meiji Shrine Station instead of acting in the shadows at Shibuya. Itadori wasn’t even part of Jujutsu society until several months ago, either.

Mei Mei: Hey, that might have been so I’d have an excuse to refuse aiding them. Besides, I’m the one who kept stopping Itadori-kun from heading straight to Shibuya all this time. Even if I was ordered to be on standby.

“Well, you certainly chose well” Todo commends Muta, “but I doubt Mei-san will unconditionally have your back”.

“I know. But I believe my future self has some semblance of leverage over her” Muta said.

“Unless everything goes south for us, of course” Panda points out, “then there’s nothing getting in her way.”

“Though she needs a really good excuse. Mei-san isn’t that cheap. Or reckless” Gojo agrees.

[Ui Ui is seen giggling to himself for some reason]

Everyone’s lids fell over their eyes at Ui Ui. The mixed messages he and Mei Mei are sending proved to be disturbing.

Mechamaru: Then why is a Curse user currently heading your way to eliminate you?

[Yuji, Mei Mei and Ui Ui’s heads whipped to the other side of the tunnel, where two presences made themselves known]

“I hope it’s no one too brutal” Yuji wiped his brow, “we don’t have much time left to find and retrieve Gojo-sensei”

“With Mei-san with you, it won’t be a problem” Megumi told him.

“I hope so.”

Mei Mei [turning to Yuji in assurance]: Itadori-kun, which is stronger? These two, or the Cursed spirit you fought earlier?

Yuji: They’re probably stronger than that grasshoppper.

“Then close to First Grade, if we go by the grasshopper Curse” Todo claims.

“Meaning they’re on your level at that point” Yuta said to Yuji.

[Mei Mei recalled how Ko-guy was probably a semi-First Grade if his ability to speak normally is anything to go by, and with the unusually strong people coming out of the woodwork today, she wonders what’s about to go down.

“I’m more surprised we haven’t caught wind of them faster” Nanami cogitates, “even though the change in recent Curse user activity should be enough proof. Not to mention those hired guns brought to Kyoto High”.

“The impostor has prepared a lot for this plan. And I believe this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg” Yaga said.

She tries to call one of the sorcerers]

Mei Mei: Let’s ignore the Curse users and move forwards, we need to confirm Gojo-kun’s status first.

Mechamaru: Don’t… the situation in Shibuya has already changed. Their barrier techniques are several degrees better than ours. There are currently four Veils lowered in Shibuya: A, the Veil trapping normal people inside. B, the Veil trapping Satoru Gojo inside. C, the Veil keeping sorcerers from entering. And D, another Veil used to keep people trapped inside.

“What the–?!” Yuji, Panda and Maki were audibly surprised, with the rest looking ruffled. The situation has changed a lot since the sealing.

“Don’t bother. From the location Mechamaru described, all of us are already inside of C Veil” Megumi declares.

“But that didn’t exist at all!” Miwa objected, “no one ever noticed such Veil”.

“Maybe they activated it after Gojo’s sealing, to prevent anyone from reaching him” Kamo speculates.

“They pulled no punches at all” Utahime grimly remarked, “even though it’s obvious why they needed more”

Ui Ui: and you’re saying the area further down these tracks is blocked by C, correct?

Mechamaru: That’s right. The sorcerers on standby are already inside the Veil. And you can’t use cell phones inside of it.

Mei Mei [after trying to call]: Looks like that’s not all, either. I can’t get ahold of the assistant supervisors who are supposed to be outside the Veils.

“Looks like it’ll be just us” Maki noted, “unless something can be done about those Veils”.

“Perhaps we can be enough. But some reinforcements are definitely needed.” Megumi adds, “to say nothing about the lack of any Special-Grade sorcerer in our ranks, which is rather precarious considering that there are at least three Special-Grades we must fend off to reach Gojo-sensei”.

“Then we’ll have no choice but to work together closely and adapt” Nanami spoke out, “because only in numbers can we make a difference”.

Mechamaru: Please, follow my directions. This insurance of mine won’t last long.

Yuji [after thinking it over along with the two sorcerers]: Mei-san…

Mei Mei:… alright, tell us.

Mechamaru: Itadori, return to Meiji Shrine station and head to Shibuya from the surface. Tell all the sorcerers there about Gojo being sealed, and get them to share our goal of locating him.

Yuji [who puts on the small Mechamaru puppet on his ear to serve as correspondence, before readying his fists]: Right!

“So it all hinges on me now” Yuji mused. “I won’t disappoint”.

Mechamaru: Mei Mei, clear a way for Itadori to escape. After defeating the Curse users, I’d like you to follow this track, for starters. But I don’t know what moves the enemy will make.

Mei Mei [who holds up her huge axe]: So adapt and respond, huh… [glancing at Mechamaru] by the way, they haven’t frozen your bank account yet, right?  [this stuns Mechamaru, but makes Ui Ui snicker]

Now everyone let out a wide berth, having seen that coming.

“Knew it” Miwa pouted.

“Huh? Are you rich?” Yuji asked Muta.

“He’s quite comfortably loaded. Maybe not insanely so like the three major clans, but well, his technique has its uses” Todo responds in his stead.

Mechamaru: If Satoru Gojo disappears, both Jujutsu and human society will be upended. I’m sorry, but stake your life on this.

[A brief image of Miwa flashes on the screen]

And I even thought that would be worth it once. I’m the worst

Miwa’s eyes raked sadly over Muta, who wore a stony, impassive face over those words. Strangely, despite his earlier warmth towards her, she noticed how he began distancing himself the moment the future started going south, leaving a rift wider than she thought.

Some Kyoto members, while definitely aware of where it came from, felt rather ambivalently. Todo wanted to give him the benefit of doubt, being the one most attuned to his struggles as the school’s strongest students, and so did Nishimiya, because of how great of a help he was in fixing her Cursed Tools, but Kamo and Mai weren’t going to take any chances. Or at least, not now.

Ui Ui: So, what about me?

Mechamaru: Follow whoever one you prefer.

Ui Ui [overjoyed]: Alright! Nee-sama, it’d be ~ !

“Wish I had a doting sibling like that” Nishimiya snarked.

“In your fantasies” Mai fired back.

“Didn’t know that’s how brothers acted…” Kamo was none too convinced.

“Me neither” Megumi added.

“I feel like I wanna learn more, but… for some reason” Nobara said as she glanced at her shoulder uncomfortably, “my instincts are screaming at me not to.”

[The Curse users are approaching]

Mei Mei: Everyone, they’re here.

[It turns out to be an odd-looking shirtless man in a dog hoodie walking an actual bulldog, who asks if it’s Mei Mei he’s facing]

….

“Why is every Curse user a walking fashion cataclysm?” Mai’s eye twitched as she voiced the most predominant opinion the younger viewers had of the Curse user.

“I mean, that old man and Geto don’t look too bad” Nobara argues.

Geto most certainly heard that, and in all honesty, he was weirded out, blinking several times in a row.

“Hey, Suguru, look, you got some fans” Gojo said with a mix of playfulness and apprehension.

“I’M NOT HIS FAN, GODDAMMIT!!” Nobara threw an empty coffee can at Gojo, or rather, at his Infinity. It recoiled back close to Geto’s direction, but he caught it.

“Says the kid who thought I was hung up on him” Gojo snorted.

Mei Mei [to Yuji, as she prepares for an incoming fight]: Go ahead and do as you wish… I’ll match you.

Yuji: Thanks!

[Back to the B5F

Jogo and Choso awakened from their Unlimited Void-induced trance, seeming as if they were roused from sleep]

“Not gonna lie, I’m kinda envious of those guys’ brains” Nobara admits.

“Of course you’d be. I mean, not even a longer blast of Unlimited Void did too much to Volcano-head” Yuji expressed.

“And yet they tanked it like it was a sleeping gas” Panda observed.

Kenjaku [alongside Mahito]: Looks like you’re all awake. Now for our next–

[But Kenjaku is disrupted by something with the Prison Realm. It suddenly gains several dozens in mass and gets too heavy for him, falling downwards with such strength it shatters the ground beneath where the group is standing]

“WHOAH–!!” most of the group’s collective jaws gaped

“SENSEI?!?” the Jujutsu High first and second-years barked.

“What happened to it!?” Yuji shouted.

“Could Sensei’s power level have been too much even for the Prison Realm?” Yuta loudly guessed.

“There’s no other reason” Nanami validates. “But I doubt it’d still stop it”.

Gojo delightfully whistles at this, “Seems like I’d still be a drag for them for the rest of the night”.

Kenjaku [gritting his teeth]: I can’t believe this guy!

[The eyes that grew on the cube dart around frantically, before leaking tears and closing slowly

“What the hell?!” several yelped.

“Did Sensei possess the cube or somethin’?!” Yuji questioned, “And why are the eyes crying out?!”

“I think his Cursed energy was too much for the cube’s programming, forcing it to take far longer to process it” Shoko answered thoughtfully.

“What is it?! Some computer??” Nobara scuffed her head, mystified.

The inside of the Prison Realm is full of skeletons with skulls laughing wildly]

Fear and morbid fascination swelled within the audience.

Some shuddered, faces pale and noses crinkled, but others were quite intrigued at witnessing the interior of Prison Realm.

“Because that’s definitely the one thing Satoru needed… talking to skeletons for the rest of his life” Panda said, queasy.

“Okaka” Inumaki voiced out. And go crazy.

“I mean, not even I have it in me to wish that kinda fate on him” Maki stated.

“Don’t worry, Sensei! I promise we’ll get you otta there as soon as possible!!” Yuji turned to tell Gojo, but his tone was more that of repugnance for his teacher’s fate.

“You’re not in the future, Itadori” a sardonic Gojo replied. “Besides, it’s nothing much to me, to be honest.”

“As expected of you” Shoko chuckled.

Gojo [casually laying surrounded by bones as he puts his blindfold back on]: Looks like the physical time isn’t passing inside here. Man, I screwed up… this is all kinds of bad. Well, it’ll all work out somehow.

“Maybe… I really hope so” Yuta thinks, guilty at his inability to be there when he was probably needed the most.

He was none the wiser that Gojo already caught on that way back in the previous viewing.

“You said before that time works differently in the Realm. So, how would that look that?” Miwa quizzed aloud.

Gojo hummed, before assessing “if records are to be believed, perhaps one hour outside equals a day inside, or one day equals a week”.

“U-Uhuh?!” his students were supremely horrified, with them turning to face him with crumpled expressions.

“It’s just an estimation. Dunno if it’s actually true!”

[Yuji is shown running out of the subway, while Megumi and Nobara were similarly on standby, unaware of the new developments]

Gojo: I’m counting on you… everyone.

Having a concrete plan for that was easier said than done, but yet, the audience managed to draw together some confidence and have faith in their future selves, no matter how uncertain everything seemed.

Except for the really cynical ones, like Geto. None of them combined together could even hope to(match) half the might Gojo had, but might be able to match Yuta Okkotsu or even himself if they played their cards right.

[It’s 9:22PM in the middle of Shibuya, close to the local station entrance]

Kusakabe [with Panda while sucking on a lollipop]:… it’s true. Even accounting for those trapped inside the station, the crowd density is low…

“And we all know the reason why…” Megumi grimly spoke.

“There are many transfigured humans or Curses that we didn’t account for due to the focus on the action in Meiji Shrine. Who knows how many are still roaming” Todo brings up.

[In Shibuya Mark City, Naobito was guzzling beer cans to his heart’s content, to Nobara and Maki’s disgust]

Naobito:… So the transfigured humans were lying in wait inside the buildings, and now they’ve started attacking non-sorcerers.

Viewers were alarmed at the possibility of those creatures being set free on unlucky people in other stations too.

The view of Naobito’s drinking, however, had the lot of them react just like future Maki and Nobara.

“… Believe me when I say he’s actually one of the most bearable Zen’ins to be around” Utahime gagged.

“D’you have any idea how horribly low that bar is?!” Maki excalimed.

“Also it’s not like he’s as bad as Shoko” Gojo leaned back on his seat, with the brunette side-eyeing him in response.

“EEH?!? “ Yuji and Nobara cringed.

“Shoko’s tolerance really is something else” Utahime sighed.

 [Near Metro Shibuya Station]

Nanami [who began moving ahead alongside Megumi and Ino]:… That’s why we’ve stopped standing by and started to act. There wasn’t much we could do, since our response is falling too far behind. But my biggest concern is…

Megumi [interrupting Ino’s similar declaration, who opted to smile and nod at his speech]: The Veil keeping sorcerers out at the same time, right? It’s been a while since Gojo-sensei arrived at the site. Why did they choose now, of all times?

“It does make sense. Not only is most ofthe enemy temporarily neutralized by the Unlimited Void, there’s a strong chance a sorcerer might make it there and interrupt the sealing” Nanami surmised.

“So Veil C is a guarantee against that” Geto concluded, “which means there was no other way all along”.

“Does that mean none of us could’ve even reached him if we were faster?!” Megumi, Yuji and Yuta were dismayed.

“Seems so” Gojo carefreely responds, though a tinge of annoyance affected his statement.

Nanami: Either something has happened inside, or they needed to wait for this moment as part of their strategy. All I can say for certain… those aren’t the types to face us without a plan. I’ll focus on the enemies who lowered the Veil. As for you two, rescue all the common people you can.

[And with that, all three groups decided to breach the Veil at the same time

Elsewhere, where he separated from Nanami, Ijichi was on the phone with Akari while also searching for a signal on his burner]

Ijichi:… Yes, right. Once you’ve confirmed the situation please exit the Veil again, Nitta-san. With the signal blocked inside we’ll constantly need someone on the outside, so I would like you to take on that role.

“Seeing Ijichi-san alone close to the Veil… am I the only one worried about him?” Nobara apprehensively asks, with Yuji and Megumi, as well as their upperclassmen nervously nodding.

“Y-yeah.” Yuji mumbled.

“Maybe he should’ve tagged alongside Nanami-san and the others” Megumi raises.

“I hope Ijichi-kun leaves as soon as he serves his purpose. I have a bad feeling about this” Nanami opined with a scowl, harkening back to Mei Mei’s remark about the unusually strong enemies present in Shibuya. He feels anger over his future self for just leaving him there.

[Climbing the bridge was a figure with ponytailed hair twirling a weapon that has a hand-shaped handle]

Many felt their veins turn to ice overnight, their fear for Ijichi’s safety hitting an all time high.

“Hold up… that silhouette seems familiar” Mai narrowed her eyes.

“Now you’re right on the money” Nobara affirms in suspicion.

“Wait, are you saying that..?” Kamo and Nishimiya remembered seeing someone like that.

Nanami noticed it as well “That ponytail, and especially the dagger. He resembles Iori-san’s description of the Curse user they met back in Kyoto”. As he did, however,  he soon froze in realization, which began to happen to everyone else, bit by bit.

Ijichi: It should be possible if we mobilize those off-duty and a portion of our wind–

[A cheerful yelp is heard, And something penetrates Ijichi’s body, as evidenced by the sudden grunt

He looks down and sees a blade coming out of his chest

“IJICHI-SAN!!!” Megumi, Nobara, Yuta, Maki and Panda shrieked hysterically as they flew from their seats.

“N-No… It can’t be…” Yuji stuttered, eyes moist and legs turning to liquid.

The Kyoto students, while not as affected, were just as unsettled and furious, with Miwa palming her mouth, eyes moistening, while Todo held on to Yuji to get him to cool down.

“… I-Ijichi-kun…” Yaga trembled, not moving a muscle, despite desperately wanting to. Shoko, Utahime, Gojo and Geto gaped lifelessly, their bodies similarly quaking.

“W-why…?” after nearly a minute, Shoko finally let out as her lips quivered, breaking her blank expression, “why again…?” she tried to hold herself together, remembering that it won’t be the last by a long shot in her lifetime.

For Gojo, it was as if he jinxed it, unable to tear away his eyes from the blade coming out of the manager’s torso. He might’ve bullied and annoyed Ijichi a lot when they were together, but that’s because it’s his safety he was the most genuinely concerned about, and knew he could never survive on the frontlines. He went overboard, sure, but he did not want a repeat of what happened to some of his classmates and students later down the line, and kept on reminding the bespectacled man.

But now, it could be all for naught.

This was what Geto expected, and could see written all over Gojo’s face. Even with all he did, the folks of Jujutsu High still occupied his head at every turn, and didn’t want any harm to come to them. But with that impostor, none of those Curse users have that principle carved within. Actually, most of them were just bloodthirsty thugs, the kind he’d never allow into his ranks if he were still in the past unless he was repogrammed. The long-haired might not be as broken up as the rest, but it’s because he could only take several blows to his morale so far until he was deadened. And that’s what haunts him.

Meanwhile, Nanami suddenly stood up in tandem with the teens, eyes frozen open and boring into the view in front of him. He wanted to scream out just like the teens below, but couldn’t even find his own voice. Watching a train wreck in slow motion would’ve been more preferable at the moment.

While he took some internal comfort in acknowledging that this wouldn’t happen anytime soon, even the mere thought of it almost made him retch. Ijichi could’ve been the latest in a succession of bodies that he’d have to bury, starting with Haibara and ending with him. As one of his longest friends since adolescence, it would’ve gone even worse for him, and for everyone in Jujutsu High, making him question why he even thought picking up his blade was a good idea.

And the perperator takes it out and slams it inside again. Before Ijichi can work up power to see the one behind him…]

Haruta Shigemo: Hey ~ !

It didn’t take long before that anguish gave out to intense, homicidal rage. Aside of a few still finding trouble processing it, most viewers’ bodies were shaking, their breaths coming out erratically as they struggled not to break down at the potential loss of one of their own, reminding themselves that it did NOT happen yet, and never will. Some even held onto each others’ wrists to try and quell it.

Raising his eyes to the sight of Haruta Shigemo, Nanami clenched his jaw,

[Proceeds to deal yet another stab, which causes the auxiliary manager to collapse on the railings, as Haruta stomps his head]

“S-stop it!” Miwa even hid her face, still not able to see yet another savage murder, with Muta wrapping one arm around her shoulder for comfort.

“BASTARD!!” Yuji had to be restrained by his classmates again, but this time, it’s only because his rage would go nowhere, something he and everyone else was forced to ackowledge, which the adults did and Nobara cringed

Haruta: Man, bullying the weak really is the best job for me! Is this what you want?

“FUCK YOU!!!” snarled Nobara as she threw a plate at the screen.

“I’LL KILL THAT FUCKER!” Maki had to stop herself from accessing her weapons and hitting someone with them.

“Son of a bitch…!” Yuji and Megumi ground their teeth, their fists shaking and veins popping in their necks.

“Coward” Yuta, Panda, Todo, Mai, Utahime and Kamo spat out.

The rest were icily silent, but their body language and expressions spoke louder than any proclamations.

That they all sought nothing more than to slaughter the blonde bastard and draw out his death in the most painful way, but now, they settled on just fantasizing about it if it means temporarily putting Ijichi’s horrible fate out of mind.

But not even that brought much satisfaction. They attempt to cool it off as the viewing paused, unable to do anything but pray for Ijichi, whether he’s dead or alive.

 [Behind him is a blank-faced, androgynous person with short, trimmed white hair with red spots clad in black and purple Buddhist nun garb]

Uraume: Yes. Please continue hunting down all the humans in suits outside the Veils.

“… Uraume?” while Yuji amidst the turmoil, Sukuna took a chance to spy through Yuji’s extra eye when that voice from long ago reverberated into his current host.

He was already well-informed of Uraume’s millennium-long agenda that centered around freeing him, just a brief glimpse of them from before told as much. And suspected this was the reason for their alliance with that sicko Kenjaku (not that he’d ever tell this to anyone in this room, least of all the man who got bodyjacked by him. In fact, speaking of which, the way he and that other Heavenly Restriction user were summoned here were a spot of great interest for him concerning the messenger).

If that’s true, then this night would get a lot more entertaining

Taking minutes to calm down and fix themselves, viewers dragged their eyes upwards to the screen when it unpaused, and promptly got confused.

“Wait… that’s the same individual who was with the impostor” Megumi quietly notes.

Nobara nods slightly.

“Is she… or he or whatever also part of the group?” Panda inquired.

Learning about Uraume’s role in this, the sorcerers scowled once again, aiming their fury towards them as well.

“Nevermind, she’s a piece of shit” Maki rumbled while cracking his fingers.

“She is” all Tokyo students concurred, glaring at Uraume.

Haruta: Alright ~ And I can go back inside once I’m finished, right?

[Uraume leans her head and smiles]

Although they appeared to be quite harmless and gentle (despite evidence on the contrary), Yuji couldn’t shake off the sensation of something incredibly off about Uraume even compared to most Curse users.

[Later in Meiji Shrine Station

From the point of view of a camera, the Disaster Curse group were inspecting the Prison Realm, with Mahito wondering what’s this]

Miwa gasps inquisitively, immediately recognizing it “Muta-kun?! Is that you?”

“It is” he replies. Everyone is begrudginly content by this, since it means the ability to track the enemies’ every move

“Ah, oh right! You did say you could rig nearby technology if you could” Nobara remembered.

“Now that’s pretty useful!” Panda asserted, “learning about whaat their endgame would be a cakewalk”

“Yeah!” “Shake!” Yuji and Inumaki bumped their fists.

“But still, what if they find out?” Yuta cautions, “we shouldn’t underestimate that impostor and even one of those Special Grades’ astuteness.”

Kenjaku: The sealing is complete. However, the Prison Realm still hasn’t finished processing all of the information that is Satoru Gojo. We won’t be able to move it for a while

“Wow, you were right, Shoko-san” Nobara piped up, with Shoko softly smiling while tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Conjecturing is good for you, I hope you understand that someday” her response, however, was anything but kind towards Nobara, to the girl’s silent aggravation.

[Mahito, however, turns to look at the camera in alarm, before changing his hand to a whip-like blade to destroy it.

Turns out it was Mechamaru watching them]

Some audience members heavily recoiled at Mahito’s reaction, and when he does break the camera, they wince in defeat. Muta is sighing, Miwa quietly cursed to herself, while Megumi, Maki and Nanami click their tongues, hardly taken aback.

“Whelp, there goes our intel source” Nobara complained.

“Even worse, they now know we got a leg up on them, which will force them to counterattack” Megumi states.

“So we’re still screwed?!” Yuji and Panda annoyedly blurt out.

“But there’s no way Mechamaru won’t pass on that information to everyone, least of all Itadori” Utahime argued.

…..

“Oh. we totally forgot”

The older teens and adults facepalmed, but Gojo stifled a chortle, while Geto sweatdropped.

“If your focus can be compromised in a viewing so easily, then you should try harder” Yaga warned the younger students.

Kenjaku [in tense realization]: They got one over us.

[Back with Yuji and Mechamaru between the Meiji Shrine and Shibuya stations, 9:27PM]

Mechamaru: Good news, Itadori! They can’t move Gojo from where he was sealed on floor B5!

Yuji: Why not?!

Mechamaru: Because he’s Satoru Gojo.

Almost everyone smirks and chuckles despite themselves, even those unacquainted with him.

“Fufufu~ Didn’t know the puppet had a way with words” Gojo didn’t forget to pose confidently.

“I’d suggest you just take the compliment considering you’re now literally a cube” Shoko cut the man’s bravado short by pinching him in the arm.

“Killjoy”.

Yuji [beams in triumph]: Makes sense!

Mechamaru: Let’s encircle them, we’ll have sorcerers follow the subway lines into Shibuya station from each neighboring station. Then, once the Veil keeping sorcerers is lifted, we charge in.

“You’re probably banking on that group not moving from their position afterwards, which doesn’t seem to be a very good strategy, even taking the unmovable Prison Realm into account” Todo reminds Muta.

“I know. But there’s no other choice left if they have to prevent the Special Grades from running amok”

Yuji: Have them follow them? But I can’t get ahold of Ijichi-san!

The reminder of what happened to Ijichi iced the entire atmosphere over at the blink of an eye, the viewers’ expressions darkening heavily as silence fell.

As a result, the teachers and students that looked up to him were lost in thought. Anxiety-inducing, hurtful thoughts

[Mechamaru sounds disappointed, muchto Yuji’s confusion, since Mei Mei didn’t disclose that part]

[Yuji finally makes it to the Veil and forces himself inside… just in time to find pure chaos. Transfigured humans assaulting people, horror and panic vibrating through the air.

It’s almost as if time slowed down around him as he witnesses everything.

The mood, already rather bleak, just got worse. Except with earlier gloom shifting to quiet shock and dismay.

Some, like the adults and those who faced Mahito before, just stared off, unable to look away, others did the opposite.

Yuji felt as if he were experiencing the mayhem like a 3D movie, in the shoes of his teacher when he got transfigured humans dumped on him, forcing him to do theunthinkable.

One of the transfigured humans even audibly begs for death, while another helplessly chases after two women…

Everyone was horror-stricken, to the point of being reminded of Ijichi once more.

“… This is the worst” an irate Megumi grunted, clenching his fists.

“I swear, I won’t let him see another day” Yuji resolved.

But Yuji stops it just in time with a punch, saving the civilians.

Relief spread amongst the group,

“Thank goodness” breathed out Yuta.

“Nice dynamic entry” Nobara commented to Yuji.

“Thanks…”

Other transfigured humans go after him in response, but he easily ducks the attack of one of them and delivers an uppercut at it, before he backhands the other one, and when another bumrushes him, he punches through its torso.

Even with Yuji going on the attack, many couldn’t bring themselves to even observe this like a regular fight due to the nature of the opponent. Most of them just wanted Yuji to put them to rest.

Another, larger rhino-looking transfigured human dashes out of the glasses of a store, before jumping at Yuji]: D-D-Did you c-call me for?!

For a while, at least. That one transfigured person’s appearance was not exactly anticipated.

“Takana?” Inumaki blurts out. Wait, what?

“A rhino? Really?” Gojo questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Didn’t know patchfaced dick was this imaginative” Nobara scowled.

“He could easily change people into anything he wants. He just chooses to disfigure them most of the time” Yuta pointed out.

[It assails him with several brutal punches that hit harder due to its massive frames, but its reduced agility enables Yuji to intercept it by kicking its limbs and, when it falls on him, another one to its face, defeating it.

“The number of transfigured humans seen on the loose is gonna be a detriment to our goals” Megumi uneasily spoke out.

“I know you hate it, but you must reduce their numbers right now if we’re gonna have a fighting chance, Itadori” Nanami gazed at Yuji, who he is aware is watching himself in this against his will.

Using the opportunity from his leaping kick, Yuji grabs on a billboard and climbs up the nearby high-rise building.

“Uh, Itadori, don’t tell me you’re gonna…” Nobara realized it a bit too late.

When he reaches the top, Yuji gathers all his breath, and…]

Yuji: NANAMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!!!

Many couldn’t figure out whether the volume just went up all of a sudden, or just Yuji being THAT loud, but several viewers suddenly recoiled from the scream. It went double for Maki, due to her senses, and Nanami, for Yuji literally calling him by that nickname out in public, though he wasn’t too displeased about that considering the circumstances.

“They’re not even close to that street! You’re just wasting your lungs” complained Maki, who rubbed the inside of her left ear.

“Couldn’t you have brought your phone for that purpse?!” questioned Nobara.

“I… might’ve left it at home” he sheepishly admitted while twiddling with his fingers.

“WHO LEAVES THEIR PHONE HOME IN THIS DAY AND AGE?!?” she bellowed in disbelief.

[He uses up so much of his lungs shouting that it echoes across the street]

“Well, that’s not a bad idea. Thanks to the vacant area, his voice can reach ears far faster and clearer” pointed out Gojo.

Yuji: NANAMIN!!!!! ARE YOU HERE?!?!!!!

[Several people see him in perplexion, but Nanami’s group actually hear him]

Megumi [turning behind]: Itadori?!

“IT WORKED?!”

“Brother’s vocal chords are really something else!” Todo affirmed.

“How come?” wonders Nishimiya.

“Well, aside of my athletic abilities, most people in my life always lauded me for having durable lungs. I could scream at a sports event and deliver a speech with no problem” Yuji shared with everyone.

“… you gave a speech?!” Megumi incredulously asks.

“HE DID!” confirmed Todo, before backtracking “Well, before playing in the middle school baseball nationals, he was invited to rile up the team with a good ol’ rousing speech, and boy, was it heartfel–“

“Please! I don’t wanna remember that…” Yuji slapped Todo’s hand away in shame. That Todo hasn’t been there is of no consequence of him at the moment.

Again, there’s a lot of things they didn’t know about him, leaving his new friends briefly out of their element.

Ino: N-Nanamin?

Most chuckled at Ino finally learning about the interesting developments with Nanami’s social life, seeing as he hasn’t interacted with Jujutsu High for a while, while Nanami was just expressionless.

[Other sorcerers, like Kusakabe and Panda, who are similarly dealing with transfigured humans, also hear him]

Yuji: GOJO-SENSEI HAS BEEN SEEEEAAAAAAAALED!!!!!!!!

[Everyone is shocked at the information, even Nanami]

Several viewers find themselves mentally buckling up for the reaction.

Now that step one is achieved, they all hedge their chances on the mission ending with something resembling an important achievement. If not the impostor’s group, then Gojo. If not Gojo, then the Cursed spirits and Curse users.

Megumi [aghast]: sealed?!

Nanami [addressing Megumi and Ino]: You two, change of plans. We meet up with Itadori-kun at once. If it’s true that he’s been sealed, then it’s over for every human in this country.

[At B5F, Mahito is seen crushing a Mechamaru device with his foot]

Viewers glowered at the scene, not helped at all by who crushed the puppet.

To a certain young swordswoman, it felt like an additional stab in the wound as Mahito was his original murderer.

Mahito: Man, now they know what we’re doing. The sorcerers are going to come here in force now.

Kenjaku: I’ll be staying behind, what about the rest of you?

“So, he will still be in position” Megumi noted.

“That’s convenient” Maki commented.

Choso: I’m getting revenge for my younger brothers and killing Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki. Then I’ll go get the rest of my brothers from where they’re kept in Jujutsu High.

Jogo: I don’t care about Kugisaki, but you can’t kill Itadori. We’re turning him into Sukuna.

While Yuji deflated in worry at Jogo’s plan for him, instinctively scratching his left palm, the adults’ eyes narrowed at the Earth Curse’s declaration.

“They will turn him to Sukuna?” Geto mused.

“I’ll take with a grain of salt that they know about the Vow, considering Mahito’s with them. But this leaves one possibility…” Gojo glanced at Yuji in suspicion.

Choso: Not my problem.

[Jogo is offended, and the two stare down each other in heavy disagreement]

An agitated Yuji protests, “Really? Both Volcanohead and Blood Curse guy hot on my trail? Are you kidding me?! Can this get any damn worse!!”. It’s bad enough that he failed to reach his teacher, now he’s about to be a massive liability to everyone.

“Jogo said he’s gonna turn Itadori into Sukuna. Does… that mean…?” Megumi’s eyes widened. Nearly everyone was aware of Yuji’s new Binding Vow with Sukuna

“I guess now we know why we haven’t had any progress in finding Sukuna’s fingers lately” Gojo muttered in exasperated realization.

“You’re saying they got them?!” Yuta frantically questions.

“Take it easy, guys. It’s not like I will ever let them get anywhere near me!” Yuji disputed.

“Yeah, unless they beat you to a pulp!” fiercely countered Maki, bringing down the pink-haired boy’s spirits as he’s forced to admit her good point.

“Not to mention none of us have any idea about Jogo’s agenda for Itadori-kun at that moment” Nanami offsets. “I doubt any of us, much less him, are gonna anticipate that”.

“And let’s not forget that creep Sukuna probably looking forward to it” added Nobara

“Which is why you need to keep close and work” Yaga emphasizes.

“Nevermind, in any case, the other me shouldn’t pull any punches now that everything; including Gojo-sensei’s status, is on the line” declared Yuji.

Mahito [who breaks them up before facing the Earth Curse]: Jogo, calm down. [cheerfully] To be honest, I wanna kill Itadori too.

“Oh fuck, not him too!!” Nobara whinged, palming her face so hard it nearly turned red.

Yuji honestly wanted to jump and scream at on-screen Mahito to bring it on, because he’s the Curse he truly wants dead from the bottom of his heart. He hated that he felt that so much, but he wasn’t really in the headspace to reflect on it. Not after all that happened from now on.

Jogo: Mahito, what are you–?!

Mahito: From what I could tell after seeing Satoru Gojo in person, now that he’s sealed away, the sorcerers and Cursed spirits are evenly matched. If Sukuna is resurrected, we’ll have a huge advantage and victory is ours, right?

Even then, some of the sorcerers had their own doubts.

Sure, as a coordinated group, and maybe with some additional intel, they can probably make it, but that’ll come at the cost of many casualties. And the least said about the people still in Shibuya due to the Veil, the better.

Kenjaku: Well, that’s true.

Mahito: But then, that also means we’re perfectly capable of winning with the forces we have now, right?

[Grinning] So let’s kill Itadori… it’ll all be fine. Even if we lose Sukuna, we can still win.

“Don’t care. If I meet him again, I’ll make sure to turn him to a splat in the wall” Yuji declares with a murderous intent. “But, if I do die, then he will be gone, and there won’t be any” he punctuates his point by raising his hand to show the mouth on his palm.

While his compatriots were impressed, even understanding of, by his tenacity, some are now more concerned than anything. Megumi, Nobara, Gojo, Todo and Nanami found themselves worrying over Yuji’s treatment of this whole feud. Not to mention his last line felt really eerie, almost as if they’re the ones who are beginning to forget Yuji’s ultimate role.

Miwa should’ve been on the same train as Yuji, even though she’s yet to experience Muta’s loss to him, but also senses herself being impeded by something Yuji doesn’t have, which she isn’t too thrilled by.

Jogo: Are you serious right now?!

Mahito: As serious as onecan be.

[Suddenly a flashback of both of them in a hot spring, with Jogo sitting near it, implying to have made it, and Mahito swimming in the waters, comes up]

Jogo: I don’t need to be the one smiling in the wasteland a century from now. As long as Curses can live as people, that’s all that matters. Sukuna isn’t our ally, we might be the ones facing a greater risk if he is resurrected. But if Sukuna is resurrected, that’s guaranteed to usher in the age of Curses. We are not like humans of today, we do not fear death! And we follow the paths to our goals without falsehoods… that’s the essence of us Curses that those fakes lack!

Although far from understanding or forgiving towards him, the sorcerers found themselves thinking over that speech. 

“He… actually shows a lot of investment over the Curses’ future” Yuta hummed, taking in Jogo’s words,

“Should’ve been obvious. Didn’t you see his reaction to Hanami’s death?” Panda added.

“It is surpring. He’s the last person you’d assume to wax philosophical” Maki alleges.

“I thought it was just him thinking Curses are superior to just because, but it seems there’s a lot more to it” Gojo conceded.

Mahito: You’re wrong. No matter how off-kilter or inconsistent, we always act in accordance with our true desires. That’s what it means to be a Curse. [Jogo was steaming while this was going on] Oh yeah, when I said you were wrong, I meant regarding what Curses are. I agree, the whole resurrection thing is a possibility, nor do I want to fight you over it. So how about we play a game?

By contrast, Mahito’s own view of their situation was rather… hedonistic, to say the least, leaving the sorcerers unimpressed.

“True desires? More like your desires” deadpanned Panda. “To disfigure anyone at a whim”.

“Couldn’t have said it better” Yuji, similarly unamused, agreed with him.

If I run into Itadori first, I’ll kill him. But if you find him first,  you can give him the fingers and let Sukuna regain his powers.

Choso: And if I find him first, I kill him. That okay?

“I can’t believe they’re treating killing Itadori-kun like it’s a match” Miwa bit on her nail, outraged at the Curses.

“Yeesh, three crazy strong Special Grades after your ass. I don’t know why, but I got a bad feeling about this” Nobara rubbed her neck.

“I… let’s just see how that ends” the boy just gives up.

Mahito: Oh, you want in too, Choso? That’s fine, of course. [Turns to Kenjaku] You’re more on Jogo’s side, if you had to pick, right, Geto?

Kenjaku: I have to stay here and watch over the Prison Realm, so I’ll have to pass. Do whatever you like. As far as I’m concerned, Sukuna was just the alternative if the Prison Realm failed.

Viewers raised their eyebows. When they contemplated it for a bit, it painted a very different picture.

“This means that if Gojo managed to avoid the Prison Realm, they’d get him out of the way by pitting him against Sukuna.” Todo concluded “If things went like this, he’d be forced to fight and kill his own student, whom he worked hard to save. Or, Sukuna could kill him, take the body for himself, and… we all know what’s coming”.

Knowing this, the tension amplified, and the sorcerers lowered their heads while frowning deeply. This situation was a classic Morton’s fork, and may have even been what the impostor was banking on.

Yuji’s morale took a severe hit, his lips curling in disappointment, before heaving a long sigh. It was still Sukuna, and would still be him. And if those fingers were in the Curses’ hands, it won’t get any better.

Jogo [shakes his head]: That’s just ridiculous, all the sorcerers, even Itadori, will be heading this way to save Gojo. So all you have to do is wait here as well–

Mahito [who runs ahead]: Ready… GO ~ !

[Jogo witnesses this and a vein pops in his head.

Cackles were heard, but chiefly at the utter disrespect Jogo had to deal with.

It was so weird, because what they did aside, they’re really no different than the any of the students or some teachers at the end of the day.

Choso wastes no time following suit, but not before shooting a playfully mocking grin at Jogo, which is unusual for him]

Jogo [losing his shit]: Wha– WAIT UP THERE!! [And goes after them as Kenjaku watches]

Nobara, Nishimiya, Mai and the Tokyo second-years choked down a laugh.

“Didn’t know he had it in him!” Gojo amusedly remarked.

“Yeah, he seemed about as emo as Fushiguro, if not moreso!” Nobara wiped a tear.

“Right!?” chimed in Yuji.

Megumi fought the urge to glare at her for the burn.

Kenjaku: Those Cursed spirits are smarter than you two.

[He was referring to two figures hiding between the vegetative crowd. They were a pair of girls in school uniforms, one had medium-length brown hair, and the other was tanned with bleached hair in a curly ponytail. They were staring at Kenjaku with cold, dead eyes]

Everything went silent all at once. It’s been a while since they’ve last been seen, and their presence is to be expected. However, one member of the audience felt like his world ceased spinning. Despite only having been with them for a day, it seemed as if he’s been separated from them for so long.

Aghast, Geto rose from his place, anxiety clouding his eyes.

“N-Nanako…? Mimiko?!” he croaked out, lips twitching in disbelief.

Gojo and Shoko were just as taken aback. They’ve never seen the twins

Nanako Hasaba: Give him back.

Mimiko Hasaba: We cooperated with you and kept dropping monkeys for you.

Nanko: Now give us Geto-sama’s body like you promised.

Mimiko: We won’t let you toy with Geto-sama any longer!

Geto lowered his head and bit his lower lip, devastated. The fate of his followers never left his mind ever since he ended up here, sometimes his mind drifted toward darker places while ruminating over their whereabouts. But the twins were special in that regard. He credits them for changing his life forever, more than even that assassin. and to that day, they’re still looking up to him. Before breathing his last, he hoped they’d be able to turn their lives around, but  he knew that was futile. And now, they’re under the mercy of someone who might not even honor that promise, which is the best case scenario.

Kenjaku: Obviously I’m not giving him back. [knocking on his artificial head] I don’t recall leaving your heads empty too. Next time you make a promise with a sorcerer, you should clarify that it’s a Vow. Now begone, unless you want to be killed by this body.

Geto now saw red, his entire body trembling as he gripped the seat in front him, his teeth bared and face a hue of red. His Cursed energy uncontrollably shrouded the area near him, trying to hold himself together with all his power.

“Son of a– if he lays his hands on them…!”

This is the first time he ever was genuinely infuriated at what has come of him, and the one of the things he truly laments not being able to fix due to his undeath. That bastard was too unpredictable, and worse is that the girls won’t let even death get in the way of bringing him back, adding to the misery.

“Suguru…!” Gojo fretted, grasping his sleeve. In a way, it’s also his fault. He didn’t try harder to reach out to all of Geto’s associates,or even at all. He only succeeded with Miguel because of the latter’s own volition. It also didn’t help they hated him for killing their leader in the first place.

Feeling his former classmate’s grip on him, Geto leaned back and turned to meet his troubled gaze. Just in the span of a single eye contact, Gojo already promised to comb the country searching for the twins, and maybe even the other cultists, but especially the twins. Knowing this allowed Geto’s temper to subside a bit,

The audience didn’t even pretend to be surprised by Geto’s reaction. They all had seen his relationship with his followers head-on, and everything he did not just for their sake, but also for the Jujutsu sorcerers’. His downward spiral was a sight to behold, but the incentive behind it left no room for discussion.

[The twins disappear into the crowd, clearly planning something else.]

Nanako: You’ll regret this…

“What are they…?” the Curse manipulator realized what they’re playing, and his palms started sweating up. But what could they possibly achieve? They’re not stupid enough to go up against the impostor, as they might know about Muta. He was thinking up options, wondering what he’d do if he were them. Raising them for a decade let him effortlessly fathom their thought process, but it presented a problem with the kind of people they were.

[When that’s done, Geto impostor decides to sit right besides the Prison Realm, waiting for it to process Gojo]

Kenjaku: … regret, huh? I’ve forgotten what it feels like.

Geto locked eyes with the impostor, at the same moment of their declaration.

The words did a number on him. it’s not like it didn’t overwhelm his mind for decades, but believed he was growing weaker and less motivated just for being occasionally unhappy with his current lot, which was worryingly often for the first few years.

The viewers stared half-lidded, already questioning the true nature of that individual just from a few words.

[In Shibuya]

Yuji [who’s still yelling]: NANAMIIIIIIIN!!!! NA-NA-MIN!! NA-NA-MIN!!!! NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-MIN!!!

Now the viewers’ jaws dropped, except for Gojo, Shoko and Mai, who nearly fell on the ground guffawing.

“YOU’RE STILL FUCKING YELLING?!?” Nobara screeched.

“I needed to make sure they heard me!” he quickly defended.

“B-but… Y-Your lungs…” Yuta, Panda, Miwa and Nishimiya lamented.

“I told you, I can take it!”

“God, now it’s in melody…” Nanami just wanted to plug his ears, but it’s not the sing-yelling that’s the problem.

“DAHAHAHAHA–!!– J-just incredible–! Now everyone will know about you! Na-na-m–“

But a brief, yet overpowering death glare from the blonde was enough to clam him up. He didn’t even turn his face fully.

A nostalgic part of Geto was kinda glad the dynamic between Gojo and Nanami was still the same, sort of.

[Unbeknownst to him, Megumi already reached the top of the billboard where he was standing]

Megumi: Hey. [But Yuji didn’t even hear him and kept on shouting, much to his irritation]: Hey!

Now everyone else started laughing, with Yuji shrinking in embarrassment, and Megumi fuming while shooting a scowl at him.

“You should be more environmentally aware” Todo advised Yuji while patting his shoulder.

Yuji: Na-Na– [But thankfully he punts him on the head to make him stop. When he looks behind him, he finds the group] Fushiguro! Nanamin! [but doesn’t recognize Ino] And, uh, who?

“Okay, I deserved that” Yuji resignedly admits.

“Good for you” Nobara snickered.

Ino [sweatdropping]: You really were referring to Nanami-san with that “Nanamin”, huh? [Meanwhile Nanami looked as if he’s not amused by Ino learning about it]

“What kind of relationship do you have with Ino-senpai?” Nobara turned to ask Nanami, “was he your student? I thought you left Jujutsu High for quite a while”.

Nanami goes on “I returned to duty just in time to end up taking him under my wing when he was in second year. His technique has a lot of potential, which he struggled with for some time, but after some time together, he gained a better insight on its mechanics, and with that, managed to climb the ranks fast enough to become a First Grade at his third year. Though he still insists I was the reason for his growth.”

“Honestly sounds like such a fun guy, can’t wait to meet him” Yuji beamed.

“I’m sure he’d like to be friends with you if he visits one day” Megumiadds.

“Oh, cool!” he bounced on his seat.

[With Mechamaru]

Ino: Geto-san did?

Mechamaru: To be more precise, the thing that’s living within Suguru Geto. The inside of Shibuya station is a real pandemonium that’s full of Special Grades and the Cursed spirits they brought with them, the Curse users tied to Geto, as well as transfigured humans and normal people.

Nanami: In that case, it would be faster to attack through the subway from neighboring stations. But in order to do that we need to lift the Veil first.

“Don’t you think we must deal with the Veil that ensnares civilians first?” Panda suggested.

“There, the best option would be to band together and split our objectives. Disposing of the Veils should be a priority, while also disposing of every Cursed spirit and Curse user in sight, and then we move on to the Special Grades and the fake Geto. Taking on them alone would be a terrible endeavor” Yaga informed.

Mechamaru: It’s an emergency, so please multi-task.

Nanami: I guess this isn’t the time for complaining. There are several requests only a First Grade can fulfill. I’ll step outside and take care of all those with Ijichi-kun. During that time, I want you three to do something about the Veil keeping the sorcerers out. Ino-kun?

Most of the audience were brought down by the mention of Ijichi, most of the teens’ faces fell as they directed their attention to anywhere but the screen. Nanami could feel his stomach drop, while his colleagues instinctively froze at been reminded of something they actively put out of mind.

“Do you think he’ll be ali–?” Nishimiya was about to ask, but Kamo shut her down with a nudge and shook his head.

This whole dilemma was the result of them holding expectations far too high for the job they signed up for, and the amount of times they were emotionally strung along. It wasn’t as often as they thought, but it tended to happen whenever they were sure there was no other possible outcome to one situation that didn’t involve death.

Doing this would risk disappointment again, and kill their optimism for their own future. However, one thing someone like Yuji managed to discern is that hope might be frightening, but it’s what always guides them forward.

 “The only thing left now is just… hope for the best” he simply declared, before he showed everyone his surprisingly bright visage, “we need it if we actually wanna do something about our fate, no?”

His classmates lifted up their heads, stunned at Yuji’s words. It’s true, this is why they’re still going on, and that’s why Gojo carried on when he viewed his past. But it’s also that too much moroseness didn’t look good on their resume.

The insight breathed some semblance of life into the young sorcerers’ drive.

Ino [who was caressing a nearby cat]: Yeah?

Nanami: Kusakabe-san and the Zen’in’s Special First Grade sorcerer should be inside this Veil as well. If you’re able to meet up with them, please tell them about the situation and request their help. Though I think they already understood that situation, thanks to all that shouting.

Ino: Roger that!

Nanami: Also, please take care of these two.

Ino: I will!

 [And with that, Nanami enters the Veil]

Yuji: Ino-san?

Ino: Nanami-san is counting on me… [Shouting] Hey, you two! Before we start the mission, let me make it clear how important this is. The two main issues with losing Gojo-san! First, the collapse of the Gojo clan. It’s already a one-man team of Satoru Gojo himself. There are also lots of sorcerers who have been saved due to Gojo’s influence, pride and whims.

[This point is illustrated by showing a chibi Gojo atop his clan residence yelling “Throughout Heaven and Earth, I Alone Am the Honored One”]

Many adults and older teens sweatdropped.

“Sounds a lot less cooler than the last time” comments Nobara.

“Umeboshi” agrees Inumaki. There’s nothing like that.

“Sensei’s a one-man clan?! How does that even work?! You do have relatives, dont’cha?” Yuji turned behind and bombarded Gojo with questions.

“That’s actually easy!” he was raring to go as well, before his expression slacked “Sadly, the rest of my clansmen are not very impressive power-wise. Despite our prestige, not many of them awakened techniques suitable for battle, much less inherit the Six Eyes or Infinity, leaving them far behind the Kamo clan and especially the Zen’in clan. Without me carrying them singleheadedly, their level is not too different from that of a servant family.”

“Not to mention, for a while, the Gojo clan wasn’t even part of the Big Three Families” Yaga included.

“REALLY?!?” Nobara and Yuji shouted.

“Is that why there’s barely any Jujutsu sorcerer or even auxiliary manager related to you?” Megumi raised, to which Gojo nods passionately. “Yep, it’s that bad.”

“Sorcerers saved by you? You mean like me and Itadori-kun?” Yuta noticed and asked.

“The very same” replied Gojo.

Ino: Itadori, you’re one of those sorcerers, right?

Yuji [with a cute expression]: Yeah ~ !

The students let out a chortle at Yuji’s face.

“He seems so proud!” Miwa beamed, barely preventing from laughing.

“Why wouldn’t I?” he professed.

Ino: So casual about it! All those people are going to find themselves in trouble, and worst case, eliminated. Which brings us to issue no. 2, the collapse of power balance. All Cursed spirits and Curse users who’ve been keeping quiet because Satoru Gojo was around will start taking action all at once. Now those guys from issue two will try starting a war while society’s in disarray from fighting over issue one, which we’ll probably lose. That’s the future as Nanami-san and I see it. So what do you suppose will happen if we do lose?

Then, those same students froze. Everyone else wrinkled their brow, their eyes moving to Yuji and Yuta’s direction.

“W-wait… if Sensei’s gone, then I’d…?” Yuji sputtered, his whole body tense.

Gojo, Nanami and Megumi sigh, before the former says “I’m the only reason they even bothered to give you a chance, Itadori” his tone was laced with contempt “and they always hated my guts. So now that I’m out of the picture…”

Now the group harked back to the other, most devastating consequence of Gojo’s absence, which was glossed over earlier due to ambiguity over how the rescue raid would go later on.

Also, for Geto, this underlined one of the reasons he had so little faith in Gojo’s cause back in his years

“They can’t be serious! Future me’s not even halfway done with amassing the fingers!” he gripes.

He could feel the eyes of most everyone around him rolling.

“Somehow I doubt they care.” Nanami voiced out, “but it’s not too unwise to consider. Remember, you were already an anomaly, so if you’re gone, the chances of finding someone with the same compatibility are next to zero”.

Yuji’s shoulders slumped. Nanami wasn’t wrong, but this left a really bitter taste in his mouth. He wouldn’t wish this burden on anybody else, even as a hypothetical

“But what about Okkotsu?” brought up Maki, “he’s now a Special Grade sorcercer. There’s no way they can just disppose of him!”

Yuta avoided his classmates’ gaze, chewing on his lower lips. A while before he ended up here, Gojo informed him about a pretty scummy deal given by the elders. The man already declined on his behalf, and got rid of the records for good measure, but it was hard to

“Now that’s debatable” Gojo acquiesced, “although the higher-ups are pretty shocked at his rapid growth, for some others, this just gave birth to other plans.” He had his nose up in the air at the mere possibility of it.

“What plans?” his fellow teachers and other students narrowed their eyes.

“It’s nothing too important” he waved off.

Megumi: At the very least, the age of humans would probably be over for Japan.

Ino: See, you get it. [Nudging down on the mask on his head, before making it towards the Veil as well while lightly slapping both Yuji and Megumi] Now let’s go you guys! We’ll break that Veil before Nanami-san comes back!

[Every Jujutsu sorcerer, Curse and Curse user in Shibuya right now is on the move in preparation for a conflict that will turn the landscape of the country and potentially the world upside down forever]

Let’s rescue Satoru Gojo!

Suddenly, two powerful Curse energy signatures resounded across the place, as if they suddenly blinked into existence.

The sensation ran up in some the viewers’ spines, leaving them temporarily paralyzed.

This was just like yesterday, and the day before too.

Everyone turned their heads towards each other, sweat beginning to form on their faces. One of those presences’ aura was worthy of a Special Grade Sorcerer.

“A new guest?” most of them uttered.

“Guest? That doesn’t seem like a single one at all” Yuta contradicted.

“Guess we’re about to find out” Gojo threw his arms up in resignation as he left his seat, and started walking up to the exit. “Wanna come?” he offered to his friends. Nanami already beat him to the lead when he asked, to his slight displeasure.

“Well…” Shoko threw her arms in the air, almost as if she’s been browbeaten to it. “Where’s the harm?”

And so did Yaga, although he seemed quite conflicted, as if he made out who the possible guest is.

“But… something’s different” Megumi loudly points out, checking his cell phone “there’s no notification!”

When everyone else took out their phones, there indeed was nothing.

“… what if it’s someone who’s actually alive?” suggested Panda.

This actually made the students genuinely relieved. “Then let’s go see for ourselves!” Nobara encourages, before she sprints up the stairs to leave, making all the other students else follow her. Geto was one of the people who decided to just stay.

“You wanna go?” piped up Miwa to Muta.

“Nervemind” He waved his hand in refusal, to which the blue-haired girl pouted.

Todo, upon closer inspection, found the presence very familiar, inspiring him to dash even faster, a hint of excitement forming in his run.

Without further ado, the group left the room and pursued the source, which is taking them to the same place Geto first showed up.

“Who do you guys think it’s gonna be?!” Yuji questioned his upperclassmen.

“I think I might have an idea” replied Yuta, with a slight, enigmatic smile on his face

“But what of the other guy?” Megumi seriously queried, “I don’t think there’s any powerful First Grade sorcerer on that level!”

“Looks about right” Yuta and Maki admitted uneasily.

But when they drew nearer, that sensation in the air got much, much heavier, tingling at the back of the sorcerers’ necks.

“W-why does this feel familiar…?” Yuji was itching all of a sudden

Upon attaining their destination and seeing the two guests, the whole group was a whirlwind of volatile emotions, some of which swung to outright terror.

One was a tall, well-built woman with long blonde hair, dark red eyes, and dressed in a black sleeveless turtleneck and jeans. She was trying to talk to the other figure next to her, when she’s met by both the Tokyo and Kyoto sorcerers.

But the other was more shocking. It was a pale man with stringy black hair held up in two ponytails, dark eyes, and had blood marks extending across the middle of his face. He wore a traditional, loose white robe with a purple gi enveloping his torso. Unlike the woman, he was a lot more on edge, anxiously scouring his surroundings.

No one knew what to make of this outrageous development. Their jaws fell as they observed the people in front of them not once or twice. Yuki Tsukumo was one thing, and to be honest, some already anticipated her to be here, so her appearance here was a lot easier to swallow.

But one of the DEATH PAINTINGS?!

……

“Tsukumo-san?” blurted out Gojo and Nanami.

“Tsukumo?” as well as Yaga.

“Gojo-kun?” let out Yuki. Why is everyone from Tokyo Jujutsu High here? But upon a closer look, it’s not just them…

“SHISHOU!!!” Todo bulldozed through the crowd and ran with the force of a excited child towards Yuki.

“A-Aoi-kun…?” Recognizing that voice, and soon the whole form the woman’s confused expression instantly shifted to delight, suddenly feeling a lot safer.

“AOI-KUN!!” she spread her arms and headed for Todo as well.

“SHISHOU!!” and the two shared a hug

“It’s been so long!! What brought you here?!” she asks her longtime student.

“It’s a long story! You wouldn’t even believe it!” he eagerly responded.

“Uhh, guys…” a scared stiff Nobara raised her hand to point at the other man in there.

Leaving Yuki and Todo in their blissful reunion, everyone turned their eyes to Choso, shedding their earlier shock in favor of readying themselves for a confrontation. Except for the likes of Yuji and Nobara, who couldn’t even move, still staring at the Death Painting.

“Ah well, I so am gonna have a talk with that damn messenger!” Gojo reflected, his lips twitching, as he activated Infinity.

“You’re… those Jujutsu sorcerers?” he breathed out slowly. After one last whiff in the air, confirming his fears, his nostrils flared and the tone of his voice went up

“Where are my brothers?!”

To be continued

Notes:

And this sums it up.
Comments and kudos are appreciated.

Chapter 6: Séance

Notes:

THROUGHOUT COLD AND BLACKOUTS, I ALONE AM THE PERSISTENT ONE ✌🧿👄🧿

Sorry in advance for the prolonged... eh, prologue. This is gonna be the last introductory prologue... because I'm not including Naoya in the group, just so you.

WARNING: Another briefing gone hilariously wrong. Also, another casualty(?)

Seriously.

Why is this already becoming a pattern?

First that one former Jujutsu sorcerer turned terrorist cult leader that just popped up here overnight like it was a birthday surprise. Then one of their own was revealed to be a traitor. Then that jackass assassin and deadbeat that absolutely NO ONE asked for. Then that same traitor got switched up with his original body that’s SOMEHOW healthier and able to withstand the screenlight.

And last but not least…

What made this peculiar is how this began to contradict the Gifter’s description of their powers. Were other letters distributed aside of the one sent to Gojo? If so, why did they take so long to manifest here?

While her presence is incredibly out of field due to her little to no interactions with them even discounting her past self, Tsukumo was at least plausible, being a really powerful Special Grade sorcerer who’d prove to be a valuable ally now that she’s here with them.

But Choso? The eldest of the Cursed Womb Death Paintings who’d oppose them?!

And is right now in the process of doing exactly that. Though to his credit, he didn’t immediately charge in guns blazing like a certain cutthroat, merely being on guard, but it was only a matter of time.

Almost everybody was akin to a deer in the headlights, and while their safety could be guaranteed, the tension surging up is another thing entirely.

“Why did they send him here?!” Megumi harshly questioned Gojo.

“Don’t ask me like I’m the one really in charge here!” he responded just as hoarsely.

“What have you done to them… where are Eso and Kechizu!?” Choso’s tone was even more ruthless, evidenced by the blood on his facial marks effervescing. “I know you sorcerers have been looking for us

Yuki was standing besides Todo, completely out of the loop as she leaned towards him and whispered “You know him? Pardon me, but his something about him is quite… off, but not really in bad way”

“Like I said before, it’s a very long story” he admitted.

However, Choso couldn’t do anything if he wanted to, since he suddenly felt a pressure encasing him, leaving him unable to move, to his shock.

Its source was none other than the tall, snow-haired man with a blindfold calmly treading towards him. choso instantly recognized him as the one in a million prodigy and lynchpin of this age, Satoru of the Gojo clan. He knew as much from the Curses that freed him and his brothers. And this kind of sapped some of the courage out of him,

Besides him was Yaga, who approached, his body language bearing no aggressive intent compared to the younger man

“We know you’re one of the Death Paintings” he began, “but right now, we can’t really do anything to you. We are all in the same situation.”

Choso and Yuki’s heads perked up, surprise visible in their eyes, which soon settled to confusion. But in Choso’s case, it didn’t do much to alleviate his misgivings.

“Tsukumo-san, did you receive some sort of letter before you ended up here?” Nanami comes to inquire Yuki.

“A le– oh yeah!” she perked up, slapping a fist on her palm “I was in the middle of a trip in Mongolia, and have just returned to my suite when found a letter right next to me on the bed. Inside, the sender talked about using up their Cursed energy to show me the future in repayment for my contributions or something. It was kinda vague. When I found the order at the end, however, I got foolhardy and tried it out like a poll. Next thing I knew, I, uh, blinked and now was here.”

“Contribution?” Gojo paid attention to that wording. That’s not what was described in his message. Also, it was sent to him specifically, so how were Yuki and Choso added?

“And what about you?” he turned to the startled Choso.

The Death Painting took a while to respond, even seeming to refuse to, still posing defensively.

“If you answer, we can assure you that both Eso and Kechizu are certainly safe and sound”

A while later,  Choso let the pressure subside.

“… I… I got the same thing. Me and my siblings were exploring when” he evaded making eye contact with any of them, “… I found a piece of paper in my sleeve. Didn’t know how it got there, and when I tried to read it, I was alarmed at the words, and why it was sent to me exactly, but when I tried to do as it was instructed alongside my siblings, I found myself here… but not them.”

The group digested the answer, but this just left a new slew of other questions, least of all the most obvious one, which didn’t need to be repeated.

“I see, well…” Gojo scratched his back, “the only thing’s left is to relay the news.” He presented most of the sorcerers, “As you can see, most of us Tokyo alumni are in here. Most. Not to mention the ones from Kyoto” he turned to the respective group.

“Whoah! Hey, Okkotsu-kun!” Yuki rushed towards the stunned Yuta, “Fancy seeing you here!”

“H-Hello, Yuki-san” Yuta blushed heavily, rubbing the back of his head “So do I”.

“You two seem to have met already, Senpai” Nobara told him.

“Well, I was just getting used to my new rank, and Sensei introduced me to her to help me familiarize with the

“Master! You won’t believe who just joined us!” Todo ran up to her, grabbing the rather suspiciously avoidant Yuji by the arm “It’s Itadori! My sworn brother from middle school! Remember him?” Unsurprisingly enough, Yuji tried to release himself from Todo’s grip, but the reason didn’t really have much to do with the Kyoto upperclassman’s embarrassing shenanigans. “He’s now a bonafide Jujutsu sorcerer!”

Yuki was silent for a bit as her eyes raked over him, heavily flustering Yuji, before her memory came back in full force “Oh my God! It’s you! The Sukuna kid!” she inspects his appearance all over, turning his face into a deep shade of red with every movement, “Can’t believe I finally met you face to face! I’ve heard you’re quite the fascinating young man. I’m Yuki Tsukumo. Say, what’s your type of woman~?”

He took a while to respond, his whole face a deep shade of red as he struggled to turn the ideas that formed in his heads into words. And none of those ideas were exactly good. “I-I like…” but now he fought the urge to just bail out. His fellow sorcerers stared in shock at the total 180 Yuji pulled upon meeting Yuki, which extended to the teachers as well.

“… nothing!” but he soon gave up and returned to insert himself between his classmates. “L-let’s just get into this!”

Their jaws dropped, and so did the Kyoto students’, Todo most of all. The teachers were similarly stunned as well, but Gojo’s face morphed to a mischievous smirk at this development. He’s going to milk this for all its worth. Yuki, on the other hand, was slightly bummed out (it reminded her of the last time this happened), though his attitude towards her did amuse her.

“Itadori, what the heck happened?” a flabbergasted Megumi asked.

Yuji faced the ground, “Dunno. I felt so… intimidated for some reason. Not even Gojo-sensei made me feel this way.”

But the others knew better. Nobara, Panda and Inumaki shared a knowing, almost conspiratorial troll face, whereas Todo went over to Yuji.

“It’s fine, brother. You didn’t change much from middle school” he ‘assured, to his increasing irritation.

While walking to the viewing room, Yuki and Choso, flanked by the other sorcerers, had the entire setup explained to them.

“… No way” Yuki’s mouth hung open, and soon, sparkles formed in her eyes, before she drew in a sharp breath and clasped her hands together “Who could have possibly possessed this much Cursed energy, enough to craft all of this, and film this whole entire reality as we know it like a motion picture??”

“Believe it or not, this isn’t the weirdest one yet, not by a long shot” Gojo said, half-lidded.

Yuki gasps, “What else happened?!”

“You’ll see for yourself” Shoko just replied, just as they drew nearer to the theatre.

“This reminds me…” Yuta strokes his chin, “why did it take so long for Tsukumo-san and, uh, Choso, to be brought here? Didn’t the Gifter seek Gojo-sensei specifically?”

“Now that… maybe the rules changed in tandem with our extended stay in here. Or perhaps, something new happened.” Gojo plainly repsonded, locking the other sorcerers deep in thought. He opened the doors to the theatre room.

“Damn, a home theatre too?” Yuki was very impressed by the layout, “This just is–“

But couldn’t even finish her thoughts properly when her eyes fell on the least expected person ever, before they slowly bulged out.

Geto, who was just sitting there, was roused by an incoming new voice. But his alarms instantly went off when his brain recognized its source. The moment that new individual got in, he whipped his head as fast as he could. The moment he caught them, he couldn’t be blamed if he figured out that the Gifter was actively trying to make his stay here worse.

“… Geto-kun?!” Yuki stood in place, flabbergasted.

The ex-terrorist couldn’t even budge, her red, catlike eyes surrounding him from every corner.

She sauntered to his direction, blinking slowly, trying to analyze the view in front of her. Every sign indicated he was for all intents and purposes part of the living, but he was still different from the others, in a way she couldn't put into words.

“That is, uh, also a very long story.” Gojo nervously points out, “Actually, neither of us have any idea”.

“Explaining all this is gonna be a pain” Shoko snorted.

On the other hand, Choso similarly paused and turned to look, before gasping in astonishment “Huh?!”. That’s man who released him and his brothers! Though upon a closer inspection, he didn’t have those forehead stitches, throwing him down a loop for a while, something the students and teachers caught on, making some of them sigh. Not even Toji’s indictment seemed difficult in retrospect.

The other remaining member, Muta, was just as stunned, turning to see the guests. Perplexion instantly got ahold of him. Those two were alive, unlike Geto and Toji, but the Gifter only had enough Cursed energy for one trip. What changed?

When Miwa returned to the seat beside him and greeted him with a bright smile, he instantly defaulted back to his emotionlessness, much to the girl's visible discontent. She assumed he'd react more strongly than this.

“Holy moly… it really IS YOU!!” Yuki jumped at Geto’s face, “But you bit the dust a year ago! How come?!” she tries to touch him with her finger, but he inches away, “and you couldn’t have been channelled by a medium since you look obviously alive! Or is this a new type of séance–?!”

“Alright! Cool your jets, Tsukumo!” Gojo, exasperated by Yuki’s places his hand on her face and pushes her off Geto, “Here’s the thing, he’s not even the most shocking of guests in here” he informs her, stunning her even further.

“Who?!” but the arriving Nanami cuts interrupts her wonder, “I think it’s more important to let Tsukumo-san know what’s about to come right now”

“Yeah” Utahime agrees, before she glances at the counfounded Choso near her, “and him too”.

“No time to waste. Believe me, you’ll get your mind truly blown now” Gojo grinned, giving them a taste for what’s about to come. But while Yuki brightened up, Choso’s intuition told a different story

That anxiety extended to the sorcerers as well

Yuji, Nobara and Megumi exchanged looks amongst each other

“Sensei” addressed the vessel of Sukuna, “I feel responsible for that mission’s outcome, even though it never came to pass, and… maybe I need to do this”.

“Itadori, do you even know what you’re doing!? What if you fuck up even worse than him?” Nobara interjected, to Gojo’s indignation “That wasn’t very nice”. His own recap was fine, thank you very much. Toji’s reaction wasn’t his fault.

“How about you also have his back?” Proposed Megumi to Nobara, “it’s not like it was just Itadori that did it.”

She wanted to protest, but she held it down and sighed, “A’ight”. She might’ve been a pragmatist, but that didn’t extend to accountability.

10 minutes later

……

“WHAT?”

Choso’s quiet, yet otherwordly, vicious snarl singleheadedly activated the survival instinct of everyone in the room.

At the blink of an eye, all audacity left the two first-year students like a poltergeist leaving a person alone. Next thing they knew, they had to fight the urge to just hide behind their teacher’s back, now they’re visibly struggling to maintain composure.

Ostensibly, imparting their experiences was effortless, helped by the new guests being actually from the same timeframe they themselves were brought in, so no need for further elaborations.

But nothing could have ever prepared the youngsters for a powerful Cursed Womb Death Painting now genuinely out for blood. More specifically, the blood of those who’d wrong him a week from now.

“You… did what?!” he walked up closer, now fully intent on ripping those facing him piece by piece. This forced Gojo to come up behind Yuji and Nobara, knowing where this is heading.

But Yuji still stood his ground, continuing “There wasn’t anything we could do. You and your brothers–!”

*THUMP*

Everyone was beyond right. He was stupid for even thinking he could take it from here in lieu of Gojo. And this was proven when the only thing separating Choso’s hand and his neck was Infinity.

And then negotiations fell. In one sweep, Nanami, Maki, Yuta and Todo all leapt and held Choso in place, the former three having their weapons outstretched thanks to Megumi unleashing his Shadow technique.

Never a single second made Yuji feel so defenseless, as he slowly tumbled back, legs almost liquefying. It’s only thanks to Gojo behind him that he doesn’t  fall. Nobara was just standing there stiffly, before her body similarly went slack.

“LET GO OF ME!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM?!?” Choso roared out.

“Q-quit it!” Maki gritted out, her Playful Cloud garroting the increasingly berserk half-Curse.

“It didn’t happen… please calm down!” Yuta fiercely insisted to him.

“WHERE ARE THEY?!” Choso can’t see reason anymore now. Not after they dropped that bombshell. Not after they claimed to be responsible for it. He knew deep in his bones that he’s being too hysterical, since it was just a forecast, and he’s yet to experience what the sorcerers did, so he couldn’t even accept. But, he’s supposed to be their guardian. They relied on him to keep them together from any harm ever since they started crawling, and now, they’ve been separated, again.

“Flowing Red SCALE!!” he gathered up all ambient heat inside his bloodstream and used it to strengthen himself, breaking free from the sorcerers’ grip hard enough to sent them tumbling backwards. Some of them crashed on the seats behind, nearly tearing some of them off hinges.

“Okkotsu! Kamo!” Todo shouted at the two, already with a plan. Yuta, understanding the task, resumed the assault and ran at Choso, summoning Rika, and Kamo immediately joined him

“Crimson Binding!” both of them chant at the same time, breaking out blood and shaping it into a net that they use to

“Damn it!” Choso hissed, not expecting two Blood Manipulators in the same place. With two blood ropes heavily restraining him, he had no choice but upgrade his Flowing Red Scale to the even higher Stack mode

But he was met by Gojo, who gradually closed the gap between them, freezing him in place.

“I’m really sorry, and I absolutely get where you’re coming from, but I don’t think you’re gonna listen to anymore reason, so…”

Those were the last words he heard before falling victim to a neck chop strong enough to echo across the place. Not even a second flat, his eyes rolled back to his head, and he fell on Gojo’s arm, the blood bindings dissipating around him.

After this, absolute calm dispersed, as if nothing happened. Shoko hovered over the sorcerers who confronted Choso, trying to see if they’re okay. They all shrugged it off, thanks to Nanami, Todo and Maki’s durability, and Yuta’s Reverse Cursed technique healing the slits he made from copying Blood Manipulation. The crack on the flatscreen, the scattered snacks, and especially the others’ pants, gave off the feel of an aftermath, though more that of a dispute than a flat out battle.

“Do you think this is necessary?” Yuji quietly asked.

His teacher heaved a sigh, “All I need to say, we’ll need a round two for that chat. Unlike those other two, he still has options, so it was harder to stomach.”

“Then what’s the purpose for his presence here?” Mai queried, “I know the same same should be said about those two,

“I can only speculate about the part he’s going to play in the future, especially the outcome of the viewing. He’s still alive there, so that’s a huge probability” Todo declared.

“… A part he’s going to play?” Yuji thought as his eyes raked over the out cold Death Painting. If Choso only followed that brain for vendetta, what else was left for him? That was easy to answer, and it added to the mystery behind him.

“Yeesh. So this is the original Death Painting? Never thought of the day I’d see one of them fully incarnated” Yuki, in the reach of Choso as Gojo placed him on one of the seats close to the exit, expressed. “Did this happen when Geto-kun was brought here?”

“Not really. It went a lot smoother, save for everyone else, but you know why” answered Shoko.

All of a sudden, a row of thundering steps drew nearer towards the room.

*SLAM*

And the doors got violently swung open. Yuki, who heard it coming, grabbed Shoko’s wrist and quickly hurled her behind her before she was caught by the slam.

The culprit was all too painfully obvious. But when the Special Grade sorcereress caught sight of him, this time, she was rendered genuinely speechless in alarm, not marvel.

Geto, who was also standing at the edge of the theatre, quickly stiffened as Toji stomped on the ground beside him.

“Good morning, sunshine” Gojo sarcastically greeted.

“-Don’t!” Toji turned to him and uttered, revealing his bloodshot eyes, which unnerved everyone who saw it. That expression was too alive for a channeled spirit. “Can’t even get a single fucking wink!”

“Hey! This was outta my and everyone else’s control!”

“I’m talking ‘bout that Kirby brat!” Yuji apologetically winced, with his classmates and Nanami side-eyeing him. His on-screen shouts must’ve been real head-hurting ”or these–“ when the Sorcerer killer whirled over to see the residents, he’s blindsided by a new guy he never saw befo– wait… was this that half-Curse Blood Manipulation guy or whatever from the viewing?! What’s going on now?

“Toji-kun?”

He recovered fast enough from the surprise at the presence of yet another headache, except this one he identified all too well, before loudly groaning “Ffffucking hell… Not you!”

“You too, huh?” She piped up, “Damn, what brought this about?”

Gojo threw his arms up in the air in resignation, “That’s what we’re about to find out soon”

She gazed one last time at Toji, who took several steps away from her, avoidance in his expression, before deciding “Ah yes, now I’m really excited to see what’s got this plan cooking.”

“Yeah, right now, it’s the fucking opposite!” Nobara bitterly complained, glaring at Choso on the ground. “This is really starting to lose its momentum!”

“Says the one who folded and hid behind Sensei” Panda ridiculed her.

“SO DID ITADORI! But I mean no harm though” she backtracked, to the amusement of no one, least of all Yuji himself, though he quickly forgave it and put down her accusing hand.

“It’s alright, Kugisaki. You hit the nail on the hand here” he was a bit down, guilty for letting other people clean up the mess that he considered to be his own fault. Nobara and Megumi both noticed it, and sighed.

“Anyway, I really want this to be the last time.” Megumi said, thinking about his own father “more of this and Gojo-sensei might have to Hollow Purple this whole place, future be damned.”

“Oh c’mon, Megumi. More guests begets more fun” the teacher said

“We don’t exactly share your sense of fun” Nanami insult

Time passed as the residents cleaned up the mess in the viewing room, like erecting the fallen jukebox. The screen, despite the small scratch on it beforehand, was suddenly pristine, with no flaw to be found.

All sorcerers’ eyes darted to Choso, who was seated close to Gojo, making him the third outlier he had to police (a term they used loosely).

“Heh, beats responsibility” he quipped.

Geto’s brows dropped. If one was to ask him, the early mayhem was honestly another Tuesday for him. His high school years, as well as day job in the Star Religious group, didn’t lack such spectacles (since he caused most of them in both cases). But the inclusion of someone his impostor recruited did not quite fit into that. It put him on edge, but at the same time, Choso’s nature inspired his curiosity as much as other elements he didn’t account for. In fact, he was the biggest one of them.

His, as well as everyone else’s thoughts were cut short when the screen turned on. Yuki, who took a seat up the right side of Toji, leaned forward, more prepared for every single minute that’s coming up.

[Near the secondary Veil of Shibuya, Yuji, alongside Megumi and Ino, is seen trying to break it with his punches, to no avail. However his blows were strong enough to creative some brief shockwaves]

Yuji [disappointed]: No good. It’s not budging at all.

The newcomers were surprised at Yuji’s strength, as he showed no indication of having reinforced his body beforehand.

“Eeh? Wasn’t sure it could be done without taking off the nails” Nobara remarked.

“It takes a lot of force, and something that cancels emanating Cursed energy for good measure” Todo said.

“Do anti-Domain techniques count?” posed Miwa.

“Yes, but focusing them on a single, specific point is a bit of a challenge” Yuta replies.

Ino: W-well, that was some decent force. [thinking] Is this guy for real? He could give Nanami-san a run for his money in terms of physical blows. Though I suppose that’s why…

“Oh, of course, Nanamin’s already impressive without any energy!” Yuji remembered.

“But Itadori-kun’s even more powerful” Nanami thought otherwise.

Yuki turned to Yuji, with Todo already picking up what she’s looking for.

“Were you always this physically gifted, Itadori-kun?” she curiously asks, to the boy’s blushing agitation.

He nods fervently, “M-Mhm!”

Megumi: That Veil is quite sturdy. We’ll have to search for its weak point and put a hole in it, even if it’s only for a second. And we can’t get anywhere without getting inside first.

[In the background not only is one of the Divine Dogs seen preying on a Cursed spirit, Yuji also went to kick another (presumable) one]

Yuji: Huh? Why not?

“Last time in the Goodwill Events, the architects behind the Veil lowered it from outside the forest” Utahime brings up. “Maybe this won’t be any different.”

“True. If they were truly inside the Veil, there’d be much less work done to weed them out” Nanami reflected.

“But they could be banking on the Special Grades or other Curse users in there doing the work to distract us” Megumi drew attention.

“Not if they go their own separate ways. To say nothing of just how spacious the Shibuya area really is”.

Ino: Why not? Listen, this is a Veil meant to keep the sorcerers out, a barrier. Barriers are all designed to surround you and protect yourself, right? Which fundamentally means that whoever lowered this Veil is inside it.

[Yuji thinks back to Harajuku in response]

“Not like that guy was the most orthodox foe we’ve ever encountered” Gojo scoffed, admitting that the faker really does

“True” Shoko admitted.

Yuki’s interest in the impostor was piqued even further by Gojo’s comment. It actually was ever since she learnt about the scope of the information in his disposal.

…

Ino: … I see, so staying outside the Veil instead of surrounding themselves with it increases the risk of being discovered and defeated, thereby raising the strength of the Veil. Such a real egg of Colombus idea. [Yuji is confused by the reference] Though, man, they’re completely ignoring the fundamentals of barriers! What a crazy idea! Now I can see why the barrier didn’t break from Yuji’s earlier blow.

Megumi: If that’s the logic, then the source of the Veil should be somewhere that really stands out, right?

“Then won’t finding it would be a cakewalk?” Nobara titled her head.

“But that will render the work they did to hide all for nothing” Panda declares.

“It can’t be helped, placing the nails in a more inconspicuous location would risk losing them.” Yaga explained, “they need a somewhere more strategic. And it’s not like everyone can recall every single location in Shibuya, much less Tokyo.”

Ino: By increasing the risk of discovery, they’re furthering its strength, right?

Yuji:… somewhere that stands out?

[Slowly, their eyes take them to the nearby Shibuya Central Tower, the highest point in the district

“Are they really up there?” some wondered.

“Maybe it’s a misdirection” Megumi, Maki and Todo were doubtful.

At the top]

Jiro Awasaka: Think the sorcerers will realize it? This is the place that stands out the most within the Veil, right?

When their thoughts got confirmed, viewers raised their heads, some a bit surprised.

“That was easy” blurted out Nishimiya.

“So those are the Curse users that cast the Veil.” Said Yuta, still wary “their current position isn’t too optimal, though”.

“They’re too vulnerable, so they probably anticipated being found out and have prepared for it” Kamo suggested.

[A buff, yet short old moustachioed Curse user in clothes that were too small for him was watching down the tower alongside two others, an elderly woman kneeling on the ground, and a younger man who’s besides her]

Gojo squinted at the view of Ogami and Awasaka. Something about them was kind of familiar.

Geto and Toji, however, actually did recognize Ogami, straightening themselves as their eyes widened. In Toji’s case, he got into contact with her a couple of times back in his days, usually for his job.

The Six Eyes owner noticed it, turning to his old friend in concern, “You know them?”. Everyone else also turned to Geto

“The old woman? Yeah.” He clenched his jaw, “I’ve heard about her in my… early days out of Jujutsu High.” He bit down on his tongue at the last sentence, before continuing “five years ago, she requested to be part of the Star Religious Group. But when I learnt she just wanted the protection I provided to continue her carnage and didn’t care about my ideology at all, I kicked her out”.

“Do you know about her technique?” Shoko questions.

“… I didn’t catch on anything other than her being a medium, and might’ve been capable of shapeshifting into people with her technique.”

“Well, good tip” Gojo slowly cheered him up, much to his ambivalence.

“And by the way, do you know her?” Yuki leaned in to ask the startled Toji, “you clearly grimaced the moment she showedup on screen”. Gojo and Shoko also gazed at Toji

Toji scoffed, inching away from the blonde woman, “Other than her being a shotacon? Not much. She wouldn’t even tell me.”

“Her being WHAT?!?” students yelled out, disgust crawling up their spines.

“Why am I even surprised?” Panda grunted.

“Okaka” said Inumaki while shrugging his shoulder. Not even the first. Seeing Mei Mei’s relationships firsthand and the reactions to it put some really outrageous thoughts within him.

“What about the old man?” asked Utahime.

Geto shook his head, “No idea”. Toji’s avoidance of their faces was enough of an answer.

Ogami: Probably

Ogami’s grandson: But even if they do realize it–

Geto didn’t get in touch with Ogami that much to ascertain, but Toji, on the other hand, was absolutely sure that guy was just a brat when he last saw him. And it was only a year before his Star Plasma Vessel hit.

He could phase it out of mind, but with his now-nearly adult son in tow, it was getting harder to differentiate what’s real and what’s not.

Ogami: Yeah. The lower floors are swarming with those transfigured humans.

Awasaka: They won’t be able to climb up here that fast.

Yuji lightly chortled, a solution already in mind “Who said that’d be even necessary?”

“Tell me you’re not gonna climb it up like Spider-Man?” Nobara, Panda and Maki deadpanned at him, with Inumaki raising an eyebrow for emphasis.

“Take a guess!”

[Suddenly, long thin wires surround them, and they’re snagged.

The wires were held by Yuji and Megumi’s Nue, which was implied to be the method he used to sidestep having to climb the tower

“Wow!” the younger sorcerers hollered

“Now that is a strategy!” Yuta and Todo approved

“Told ya!” Yuji grinned confidently,

“Didn’t Maki have some of those?” Panda wondered, which Inumaki nodded.

“Might’ve supplied him beforehand” Maki presumes.

A brief flashback reveals that Maki was the one to supply Yuji with the wires.

“Eh? She still trusted him with her stuff after that one… incident?” Megumi, Gojo and Nobara were a bit befuddled.

“I know it won’t happen, but thanks anyway, Maki-san!” Yuji expressed towards the bespectacled girl.

Maki closed her eyes and smiled, wiped her nose, “Don’t mention it. It’s about whether you can use it right or not”.

He uses the threads to serparate the Curse users away from each other, much to Awasaka’s shock.

Ino arrives at the fray and finds the talisman-encrusted nail used to create the Veil]: Good! Just as planned!

“Not bad, kids” Gojo praised.

“Though Fushiguro probably was the brains in this” Yuji considered, trying to downplay his own role.

“My chances of achieving that would’ve been lower without you or Ino-san's assistance, especially with your agility” Megumi tries to set Yuji’s mind at rest.

Ino [carrying the nail used to envelope Meiji Shrine Station]: So this is the source of the Veil?

Yuji: Yeah, according to Mei-san. It already has the barrier programmed in, and it just needs someone to pour Cursed energy in.

Megumi: Which means as long as we destroy those, we can ignore the Curse users until later.

Viewers concurred. They don’t know how much time they have until the Prison Realm finishes processing Gojo and the impostor can escape with it at will. They’re not gonna waste those minutes on some fodder.

[In the present, Ino learns there are actually three of them, since knocking one off didn’t cancel the Veil, and wonders where the remaining two are.

“I hate to say this, but I think I have an idea…” Yuki said out loud, drilling her finger in her forehead

The answer turns out to be in Awasaka’s hands, whom Yuji seeks out. He gathers all the wires and maneuvers them to entrap Awasaka fully while running to jump out of the tower]

“… That.” She pointed with a sigh.

“What?!” some students groaned, but many completely anticipated it.

“Now we have to wrestle those nails outta him?!” Yuji nagged.

“The faster you quit thinking anything will go the way you like, the better it will be” Gojo offsets solemnly, “Besides, the faker doesn’t hit me like the kind to just waltz out of a brewing battlefield.”

“You’re… not actually wrong” Yuta was in accord.

“He has something much bigger planned for this occasion, I can feel that” Geto put across similar doubt, “Taking Satoru out of the equation was just a difficult first step. But… why do I even bother about it?”. He’s long dead, and that wasn’t him, so he feels disconnected from the future happenings. But something pulls him to it, kind of against his will. And no, it’s not just his former friends and the next generation sorcerers being endangered (i.e Ijichi).

Or so he hopes.

Yuji [dangling on the wire while reaching the bottom]; Fushiguro! Dismiss Nue!

[He drops Awasaka to the ground, before falling straight to the direction of a room, breaking through the glass in the process, and his body lands on the wall.

“Well, that gave a new meaning to hitting two birds with one stone” Nobara smirked.

“But how are you gonna leave that place now? Will you also jump down?” a worried Miwa questioned.

Yuji nervously chuckled, “I, uh, doubt even I can survive a fall that high, and the building won’t allow me to just scale it down”.

“If you can’t, then neither that geezer can” Maki said, “Unless his technique can help him survive, of course”.

Meanwhile, Ino is confronting Ogami and her grandson]

Ogami: Grandson?

The grandson: Yes, I know, granny.

“She seems to be relying on her “grandson” as the primary muscle” Panda commented.

“If she survived being a Curse user for so long, her technique must be something else” Kamo speculates.

Ino [putting on the mask on his head]: I have really endearing underclassmen now. So it’s time to earn some achievements so I can become a First-Grade, too!

Nanami can’t help but admit to looking forward to see how far Ino has come, especially with such an experienced opponent.

“Ino’s gonna square off? Wonder what he built on” Gojo was the same.

Yuji [making it out of the building into a toll road while taking out a few transfigured humans on the way]: Fushiguro! Where is he?!

Some, including Yuji, furrowed their brows in disbelief at how the pink-haired teen was yet again treating Curses like ragdolls.

“Seems kinda schadenfreude-ish, not gonna lie” Mai had to prevent from giggling.

Megumi [calmly]: Right there.

[A few meters away from them is the immobile body of Awasaka laid on the ground, strewn by wires]

“Takana…?” Inumaki, alongside everyone, instantly noticed many red flags coming from that view. What the..?

“For someone who fell 180m down, there’s a significant shortage of any blood or missing body parts” a suspicious Shoko twisted her lips.

“Let me guess, that’s his technique, right?” Yuji’s brows snapped together.

“There can’t possibly be any other explanation” Nobara shrugs.

Megumi: His body is too clean. Even if he is a sorcerer, he plummeted from the 41^st floor… [channeling his Cursed energy] Get up already, old trickster!

Awasaka [who casually gets up, and faces the teen with a crazed expression]: Good grief… youngsters these days have no pity for the elderly.

Now the audience’s brains started working in earnest, trying to figure out how he came out unscathed.

“Not a single scratch” Utahime uttered.

“I don’t think even Reverse Cursed technique mastery will guarantee such results” Yuki opined, “as if it was this common”.

“Geez. Another psycho boomer Curse user” Nishimiya grumbled, “The first one was at least kinda personable, though. This one makes my skin crawl for some reason”.

Megumi: We can’t waste time here.

Yuji: It won’t take long.

“Hope so. That guy seems to be a lot of trouble” Megumi’s face hardened.

“Like Gojo-sensei said, it’s gonna be fine” Yuji assured him.

[The scene cuts to a rendezvous between Nanami and Ino in a restaurant a while ago]

Nanami: Why are so insistent on my recommendation? You could easily become Semi-First Grade with your technique.

Nanami recalled that meeting. It was just a couple of months after the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. Ino held his own during that event quite well, disposing of dozens of lesser-grade Curses on his own and one Semi-Grade with some assistance. This is how the second-years learnt about Ino in the first place.

“Would be even more surprising if Nanami didn’t recommend him” Maki remarked.

“I wanted to, but Ino-kun’s outlook got in the way of that” Nanami spelled out, adjusting his goggles.

“Outlook?” Megumi repeated.

“Just observe”.

Ino: Because I believe it’s important to do things the right way, especially in such bloody line of work that is being a sorcerer. But I’m not bright, so sometimes, I don’t know what the right way is. So whenever I’m at a loss, I think to myself… What would Nanami-san do? So it wouldn’t be right to become a First-Grader without your approval.

Yuji’s face lit up noticeably, so much that even his compatriots caught on it. That was probably the first sorcerer, aside of Haibara to an extent, he related to to a heavy degree, not just in terms of personality. There was no denying he cherished his friends from Jujutsu high, but Ino’s worldview and attitude towards sorcery resonated with him better, so much he found it hard to accept that he’s an adult with plenty of experience. He thought most lost that emotional luster by then.

[In the present]

Ino: Auspicious Beast Summon #1, Kaichi!

“He’s a medium too?” Utahime said, surprised.

Nanami nodded, “His specialty is channeling the Four Aspicious Beasts by masking his face, that action allows him to access their powers”.

“That seems pretty cool!” Yuji bounced up.

“But doesn’t it kinda sound like Shikigami summoning?” Miwa pondered.

“I actually manifest the Shikigami into this realm using my shadows, Ino-senpai needs to mask himself for that” Megumi explained.

“Kaichi? As in, Xièzhi, one of the four beasts from Chinese myth?” Yuki chimed in inquisitively.

A few were baffled by her sudden use of Mandarin, to the point Nobara and Inumaki had to search it up on their phones. Though many, especially Yuji, were awed by her fluency in the language.

“Y-yep, the very same” Panda confirmed after looking at Inumaki’s search results.

 [He creates a drill-shaped projectile, which flies straight to Ogami’s grandson. He avoids it, but it corrects course and hits him in the forearm, carving some of his flesh out.]

Ogami’s grandson: It’s homing?

“A drill?” some teens blinked.

“What’s Kaichi even supposed to be?” Nobara wonders.

“Kaichi an ox-like creature with a long horn on its forehead that’s depicted as being capable of judge people based on their morals. If it comes across an evil person, it rams their horn into them to kill them” Yuta reads what his classmates found.

When Ino fired it at Ogami’s grandson, viewers looked on with huge interest.

“Punishing corruption with its horn? Quite the fitting motif” Todo marveled.

“It is, and makes me wonder about the rest of the Beasts’ abilities” Yuki confessed.

Narrator: The Séance technique, Auspicious Beast Summon. By hiding his face, Ino can become a spiritual medium used to manifest the powers of the four Auspicious Beasts.

Ogami’s grandson: Granny, was that…?

Ogami: Yes, quite the coincidence.

“Medium vs medium?” Mai leaned on her crossed-out arms, “nice mirror match”.

“Indeed” Kamo and Nishimiya nodded.

“But the old lady has yet to unveil her own technique” Miwa spoke in uncertainty.

Ino: Number #2, Reiki [he summons a black liquid substance that he can control at will] Nanami-san entrusted those two to me, so I can’t just leave them alone. But it would be a bad idea to lead these two to them, too. The best option is to kill them fast and rejoin them.

The Tokyo students shyly beamed at Ino’s inward declaration, despite themselves.

“He’s such a good upperclassman” Panda admitted.

“I know, right” Gojo hummed.

The other Tokyo teachers, particularly Nanami, were content, a smile tugging at the blonde ex-salaryman’s mouth in relief and satisfaction at seeing Ino still holding on to his code.

[Ino uses Reiki to slide across the floor, before engaging in hand-to-hand against the grandson. He evades all his attacks before striking back from his blind spot several times, displaying a lot of agility amidst it]

“Reiki, or Línggui, is basically the spirit tortoise” Megumi expounded, without even needing a source, “so the nature of number 2# Beast’s ability should be self-explanatory”.

“You being a Youkai buff is not as surprising as it should be” Nobara snickers.

“There’s no way you don’t know what a spirit tortoise is” he mocked.

“Not bad considering he’s literally gliding on water” Panda notes.

“I’m more impressed he could hold his own under it” Yuji declared, eyes locked on Ino’s fighting style, “

“It doesn’t look like he’s having a hard time against him” Yuta seriously pointed out, “and that old lady is still sitting on the ground”.

“He’s not the central threat, because obviously trying to give her some space so she can activate her technique” Kamo deduced.

“If that’s the case, then Ino should hurry up” Todo said, his forehead creased “Call it a hunch, but I don’t quite like what that woman has got in her sleeve”.

Ino: Adapt to the facts and maintain self-control… cast pride aside.

[In the intervening time, Yuji and Megumi were squaring off against Awasaka, with Yuji delivering punches to the old man’s torso. But he shrugs them off like they were nothing.

Many started to get even more suspicious at Awasaka.

“This can’t be, Itadori’s punches literally create shockwaves! He should’ve turned to a pulp after receiving at least one of them, much less get internal damage” Panda exclaims.

“Could he not have reinforced his body?” suggested Miwa.

“That takes concentration, to say nothing of the lack of visual evidence of him employing any Cursed energy” Megumi asserts.

“Kakuni” Inumaki simply declared with arms outstretched. Then it’s just his technique.

Megumi’s Divine Dog also joins in, trying to bite his head off before slashing his face with its claws. And then both Megumi and Yuji prepare to land more attacks. Megumi notes that matching pace with Yuji is even more difficult than matching that of the enemy.

“He’s not even getting wounded!?” Nobara exclaimed.

“Divine Dogs’ claw slashes can tear clean through Curses and sorcerers higher of grade than that, but somehow he tanked that?” Megumi questioned.

“Did you all idiots forget he’s somehow still whole after slamming to the ground?” Maki sharply reminded them.

“We didn’t even see how he actually fell, so it’s hard to ascertain” Nobara defended.

“What if superhuman durability was his technique?” Nishimiya put forward.

“That’s the theory we’re gonna have to work with for now” Yuta responded, but deep down, he had a couple of guesses about what it could be.

After hitting him hard a couple of time, Megumi and Yuji prepare to finish him off at the same time, but Awasaka somehow evades both of them, before slashing Yuji with a knife he had hidden. No matter how much he fends him off, Awasaka never budges. Megumi’s Toad grabs Awasaka with its tongue, before hurling him into an overpass]

Yuji surprisingly flinches from the knife injury.

Megumi [alarmed]: Itadori!

Yuji: No problem! It’s just a scratch!

Awasaka [on the overpass, clearly unharmed]: So full of life… what promising futures… [lands down] Makes it even more worth killing you!

“Whatever, boomer” the more occasionally-online students all dismissively waved off.

Gojo and Yuki laughed at their reactions, but Nanami and especially Yaga and Utahime were less than pleased.

[Megumi and Yuji are in disbelief that despite their attacks, the Demon Dog’s claws that could harm even Special Grades, and Yuji’s freight-train level hitting force, Awasaka is no worse for the wear.]

Megumi: I thought this wouldn’t take long?

Yuji: No comment…

The current Megumi and Yuji dropped their heads down, disenchanted at the turn of events.

“No comment indeed” their surrounding classmates, mainly Nobara, Maki, Nishimiya, Panda heaved a sigh.

“Don’t worry, y’all will definitely manage” Gojo ‘comforted’ them while waving.

“It’s easy for you ‘cuz guess whose fault it is you got boxed!” Maki loudly snapped up.

[Back to the Shibuya tower, Ogami is praying with her beads while chanting something, whereas Ino and her grandson are still exchanging blows, with the latter actively obstructing the former several times from reaching her, taking some damage in the process, as seen with his panting after Ino ceases his assault]

“What is she trying to channel exactly?” Yuji frowned.

“If that… guy’s explanation could be taken with a grain of salt, maybe her technique relies on her taking on the form of a spirit” Maki replied.

“We know there are many types of mediumship as seen with Ino-san, but what if she wore the body of a dead person?” Miwa thought over.

Yuji, Nobara, Maki, Panda, Inumaki, Mai and Nishimiya were none too amused “… I think it’s best we just watch” a queasy Nishimiya turned her view to the screen while rebuking.

“Ino-san is dominating this fight” Megumi remarked, a bit cautiously optimistic “perhaps he can get to her sooner than later.”

“But time seems to be running out, and she already began manifesting an obscene amount of Cursed energy” Yuta noticed.

The onlookers were definitely of the belief that she should be finished off immediately, but a sliver of curiosity about Ogami’s ability still held on them.

Ino: Just as I thought, he’s not that strong. But he’s doing whatever it takes and sacrificing himself to protect that old hag. There’s something more to them, I should hurry!

[Ogami focuses enormous amounts of Cursed energy into her body, with Ino noticing that their aura changed]

“Did she finish?!” Miwa yelped.

“The guy stopped actively fighting back, so yeah” Kamo corroborated.

“Quick, Ino-san!” Yuta shouted in concern.

Ogami: We’re all set now.

The grandson: Got it, granny.

Everyon’s breath hitched, some disappointed that Ino couldn’t stop them.

But for more curious minds like Yuki, there was an opportunity.

Ino: I WON’T LET YOU!! [summons Kaichi again]

[Ogami’s grandson takes out a tiny capsule with what’s heavily implied to be DNA remains.

Ino fires Kaichi at him.

The grandson swallows the pill]

Ogami: Toji Zen’in…!

……

“… What?” the teens faintly uttered.

The surge of quiet that crashed on the room was so instantaneous, the sound of an empty beer dropping on the ground seemed suddenly louder than it actually was.

The source of it, Toji himself, ceased whatever idleness he was indulging in and went stock still. His green eyes contracted significantly, while his jaw slacked, trickles of drink sipping at the corner of his scarred lip. If he were honest, seeing how she’s possibly going to accomplish that added a new layer of outrage, far more than the fact that he was apparently buried with his old family name “Huh?”

As for the rest, while all sorcerers were shocked by the name reveal, it was in varying degrees, ranging from comedic horror, disbelief, to and anxiety.

 “… You’ve gotta be kidding me” a rapidly resigning Gojo pushed down his blindfold.

Megumi gaped, him and the teachers’ whole imagined plan for the fight going completely downhill. It’s bad enough that hag is somehow about to invoke him, but not only does Ino have to fight that, so will do everyone unless she had a way to cancel the technique. But he was completely something else in terms of power, so the chances of her doing that are next to none.

And that includes him. Then again, from his own point of view, it wouldn’t be that bad with his future self still in the dark about him, though he doubted he’d remain that way after some scrutinizing. Zen’in genes weren’t a fluke.

Speaking of Zen’in, Maki and Mai forced their lips into a firm line. Especially Maki, who also suspects she might encounter him in that timeline. She hasn’t seen enough of his power for proper comparison, because while he was genuinely out of this world, he also pulled himself up by his tactical acumen and espcially his assortment of Cursed Tools. He couldn’t have gotten an edge on Gojo were it not for the latter, so this might be a great chance for material to work on

Geto, on the other hand, experienced all of it, in the span of a single minute. At least, one mystery he and everyone else that plagued him was crossed out, for now. But this opened a huge can of worm concerning his potential role in this if this is the case…

[Her grandson catches the drill with one bare hand before it hits her, or… so he seems, much to Ino’s surprise]

After spending the whole fight being tossed around like a rag, seeing that hand casually grab the super fast Kaichi horn was downright frightening.

Ogami: How is it, Grandson?

[….]: Yeah, it’s great… Granny.

[It’s shown that his face has shifted halfways to that of Toji Fushiguro’s, complete with his distinctive lip scar and features]

Toji: Better than any before.

“… yep, the mission’s gonna be a dead end” a laconic Maki thought, closing her eyes in disappointment over the sheer danger her upperclassman is in.

And soon, everyone’s face contorted, a sense of looming defeat crashing on them.

“FIRST SENSEI GOT SEALED AND NOW HIM?!?” Nobara screeched in panic

“FUSHIGURO’S OLD MAN JUST GOT EDO TENSEI’D!?!” Yuji did just the same.

“THAT’S JUST CHEATING!” Miwa whined.

“We always cheat in our battles, did you forget?” Todo poked her in the head, seemingly cool with the situation.

“That’s not the point! How is Ino-senpai supposed to do against the guy who nearly killed Satoru!? SATORU!!” Panda stressed.

“The only hope left is for him to bail out before he gets reduced to a smear” Yaga exhorted, taking off his shades

Tumult took ahold of Nanami’s state of mind again, as his face and palms started sweating. There will never be an end to this.

“At least he doesn’t have most of his tools” Miwa said

“Not like he even needs that ” Maki threateningly informed her, “I could crush your head like a toothpaste without any weapons, so how would it be any different for him?!”

“Seriously, did you not learn anything from your last encounter with her?” Utahime rubbed her temples.

“And what if the hag sets him on everybody else in Shibuya?” Todo raised in concern.

“Maybe there’s a time limit for her technique” Kamo countered.

“Only mediums for the most part can control the ritual, including its runtime” Utahime postulates. "But that's a point that should be considered".

“Also” Megumi interjected, “That pill he swallowed… was that supposed to be his DNA?”

Those words triggered something in the otherwise still stunned Toji, his body going from stiff and focus to lame in an instant. To be fair, it was probably his fault, and it was too early to jump into conclusions but…

The students’s faces turned green in response, some to a greater degree. “Fuck! Where could’ve she even gotten that?!” cussed out Nobara.

“Where was he buried anyway?” Shoko questioned Gojo.

“Can’t remember” he casually answered.

Almost everyone else, including Geto himself (who was never informed about it), face-faulted out of their seats. “HAH?!” of all of the responses Megumi, Maki and Mai anticipated, that sure wasn’t.

“HOW CAN YOU FORGET SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!” screeched Yaga and Utahime.

“ARE YOU FUCKIN’ SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!?” Toji didn’t take this very well and jumped at him. Were it not for Infinity, he would have hoisted Gojo by the collar.

“T’was just a joke, Chill!” he rescinded, but it was still rather poorly received as everyone glared even harder “I just put you to rest somewhere else no one knows about but me. It was either that or the Zen’in clan, and I know damn well you would’ve broken through Infinity if that were the case. Point is, I had to protect your anonymity somehow ‘cuz the last thing you needed was being cut up!”

Toji froze, pupils dilated . This wasn’t an answer he saw coming as well. Were his expectations for him too low?

“Then this means that DNA could have been anything you left behind, like a nail, or hair strand, or other things” Shoko emphasized.

This possibility was slightly more palatable for the young sorcerers, but still creepy in practice. Not to mention odd from their perspective unless her familiarity with Toji played into how it worked out.

For Toji, he took it to mean that Ogami’s eyes were always on him the moment they were acquainted with one another. It made a lot of sense for someone like her. To him, she was always that weird collector who’d never give him a straight answer about her proclivities, forcing him to find out on his own.

But now, he saw how he was reduced to an artifice, his whole body, which was the one thing he spent time cultivating, disrespected and worn as a skin. He conveniently ignored the fact that he disrespected himself long ago, and acted proud about it too, so why did he expect anything else?

 [The scene cuts to a view in Tokyo, but it’s quite different than nowadays.

December 7^th, 1989.

Satoru Gojo was but a newborn resting in his mother’s arms. He slowly opens his eyes to reveal a pair of cerulean blue orbs, carrying his clan’s ancestral trait.

One brief pause later…

“AAAAWWWWWW~!!!” most of the youngsters started cooing madly, sporting shining heart eyes.

“SENSEI’S SOOO CUTE!!” Nobara shamelessly fawned over the baby version of her teacher.

“HE IS!” the similarly simpering Yuji, Yuta, Inumaki, Nishimiya and especially Miwa agreed.

“Only minutes old and yet he already looks like a cherub painting!” Panda said in amazement.

“That’s not fair!” a few like Maki, Megumi and Utahime bit on their sleeves, knowing well what it did to him.

No one wasted any minute, and the trainee sorcerers immediately started taking photos of the infant, hoping it will last longer.

Said teacher, by the way, put his blindfold back on, except to hide most of his face, embarrassed chuckles coming out, “D’aww, stop it you guys.” It honestly felt like someone found his baby pictures, but he found it hard to believe this was enough to make him fold.

“Well, you refused to show us any of your photos, so consider this karma” Shoko snickered at her colleague.

“No way he was born like us, he HAS to have been delivered by a stork!” Miwa avidly proclaims with trying to prevent from crying in joy.

“Takana!” enthusiastically added Inumaki. Or an angel!

“Unfortunately, he was so loved, it did a number on him and everyone in his vicinity later in life” Yaga sets the record straight, a vein in his forehead.

“Now that, it’s hard to deny” they muttered amongst themselves.

“Come ooonnn, don’t ruin it! Seeing my pupils go gaga over me for the first time is a special event!” the Six Eyes sorcerer chided his own former teacher while pouting.

“For the first time?” Geto stared at him, his eyelids slacked in incredulity.

“Although…” but when Gojo noticed Shoko and Utahime taking photos as well, he scowled “I don’t think that blackmail material is gonna be of any benefit, as they’ve already seen everything.”

“It’s so that everyone else, like Kusakabe and Ijichi, will get the memo” Shoko simply replied.

In an apartment somewhere else, a teenage girl comes up behind the curtains covering the living room to surprise her father]

Honoka: Happy birthday, daddy.

Some were confused by the scene shift, especially with people they didn’t recognize. But didn’t mind, as the reminiscence caught most of the adults’ interest.

“I know it’s off-topic, I really miss those sailor uniforms!!” Panda exlaimed.

“I know, right!?” Nobara, Miwa and Nishimiya saw Panda eye to eye.

“Really simple times” Utahime ruminated. She was only two years old back then, and wore that kind of uniform as a result.

“Except for the economic bubble, that is” Shoko grunted.

“And the advent of Nintendo” added of Gojo with a grin.

“Now we’re talking.”

 [Her father looks on approvingly with a glass of wine in hand]

Honoka: Your present is seeing me in my uniform. Isn’t it cute? I’m glad I went with Mori High after all.

“Am I the only one who finds something… off about this?” Yuta pondered

“Yeah, it’s like something bad will soon happen” Yuji nodded.

“It’s best we see for ourselves…” Megumi said.

Father: That’s all well and good, but if you do this with that much confidence, you’ll turn out just like your mother.

Honoka [in a childish voice]: Huh? Do you hate mom? [She sits up on his lap and embraces him]

Father: I don’t hate her, but she did cheat on me.

Honoka:… right.

[But as she nuzzles in his chest, the father suddenly gasps and drops the glass His “daughter” stabbed him in the back of his neck with a thin knife]

“… Shit” Maki cursed, echoing the feeling of shock most of the audience experienced at the sudden twist, as predictable as it seemed beforehand.

“Why do I get the feeling that’s not even the real girl?” Nobara brought up.

“Because it isn’t” Geto and Toji both said, knowing who the real culprit was.

Honoka: Poor daddy. [Choking in his own blood, he asks who is it. But it turns out to be a younger Ogami wearing Honoka’s face, as the disguise slowly peels off]

“Of course it was her” Nobara and Megumi muttered.

“What about the girl whose disguise she used?!” Yuta worriedly questions. As he does so, a pang of fury aches within the sorcerers.

Father: Where’s my daughter?!

Ogami: I killed her. I need a corpse in order to transform into someone I’ve called. [She gets up from the now dead man’s lap and walks away in her full true appearance] It was her mother that she screamed for when she died.

Glares were aimed at Ogami, the intensity of which increased when she revealed the girl’s fate.

But what made this sentiment so much worse was her modeus operandi.

“If that’s her technique… then how many murders has she gotten away with?!” Megumi growled.

“Definitely around dozens. She’d be practically undetectable by the ordinary public” Nanami answered, tapping his finger in disquiet as he thought over it along with Yaga, Gojo, Shoko and Utahime. That this newfound knowledge was worthless in the long run heaped more vehemence amongst the sorcerers.

[Elsewhere, deep inside a forest, shrieks of a man desperately apologizing reverberated.

A younger Awasaka was in the midst of killing several people and skinning them alive. One of his victims buried inside the dirt with only his badly bruised head stricking out. Next to him was a halfway skinned head]: Please, let me out of here!

Absolute disgust and fury overtook the sorcerers’ faces in record time, blistering the moment one of those people were fully shown.

Miwa was so horror-stricken she buried her face on Muta’s shoulder. It was like watching a slasher flick, except this one definitely happened at one point.

“Oh God…” Todo, Nanami, Yaga, Utahime and Kamo’s faces paled.

“Ugh!” even Gojo and Yuki choked on their own spit. The only ones who handled it well were Shoko, Geto and Toji. But they  still looked rather constipated.

“… What the fuck?!” an enraged Yuji snarled, shaking and swallowing bile in his throat at the brutal fate that innocent man endured.

“We’re far gone past that point!” Nobara covered her mouth, her face wrinkled.

“Curse users turning out to be deranged, color me shocked” Nishimiya derides.

Awasaka [apathetically]: it only halfway ripped through.

“Principal, should we also hunt for them when we’re out?” Megumi inquired, barely numbing down his ire. “There’s no way they’re not continuing this bloodshed as we speak.”

“That goes without saying” Yaga firmly stated, “and we’ve already decided to do so beforehand.”

“But something about this bothers me… he must have racked up as many victims as Ogami, if not moreso, so how wasn’t HE caught to this day?” Yuta sharply questioned, “Unlike her, he doesn’t even have a way to bypass recognition!”

Yuta’s take weighed on the more experienced viewers, especially Gojo, who was aware that despite the young Special Grade’s growth, he still had a lot to learn.

“Because unlike the hag, he might have deliberately chose more vulnerable targets” Geto finally said, catching everyone, Yuta and Gojo included, by surprise, “there are people who aren’t taken into account by far and large, like the homeless, criminals, and social and ethnic minorities, or just those who are accused of contributing nothing to society no matter their reasons. Those without any resources to fall back on. It’s difficult to notice this outline, because rarely everyone is taught to notice or care.“

it’s pretty obvious to the listeners from where he based this response. “Add to that our lack of knowledge about his exact death count, unknown whereabouts of those victims, and you get a better idea why he never got detected, even with the intersection of law enfrocement and Jujutsu society” Nanami finished.

Yuta, as well as the younger teens eyes’ shifted back to the screen, with a new perspective. They didn’t think about it too much in their missions because the social status of the Curses’ and Curse users’ victims was the last thing to take heed of. 

Victim: Why are you doing this?!

Awasaka [he bends down behind him and takes out a knife, before cutting the middle of his head]: My job is killing people, so I need to understand how the human body really works. [and proceeds to rip his skin from inside the cut]

Some decided enough was enough. They struggled with their snacks coming out of their stomachs, while desperately reminding themselves that they’ve seen worse things. Or maybe it was the distance they felt from Cursed spirits, so witnessing a human being, an innocent, being brutalized like this closed that distance.

But a brave few determined themselves to see it all, commit it to memory.

One thing Toji concluded is that not even fellow Curse users interested him, having more in common with Ogami than the other geezer. While he’d sometimes find himself really into the thrill of hunt, that didn’t truly matter to him compared to the benefits. He didn’t see anything worthwhile about torturing someone until they were unrecognizable. That was way too much like his old clan for comfort, and yet not even they got this visceral.

Awasaka’s voiceover: We were free… the sorcerers had their hands full with the Cursed spirits that had grown more active over the years. As long as we did things right, we could easily earn a living without being tied down by anything. We Curse users were free to live and do as we pleased.

A cold silence descended on the room, as the audience let those words sink in. Not that they all wanted to hear anymore of that crap after what they just saw.

Shortly after feeling his rage simmer over, Yuji suddenly settled into immobile quiet, shrunken pupils staring at the screen.

“This… I don’t get it,... how does Jujutsu sorcery give anyone the license to turn into… that?!” after cooling down, Miwa demanded.

“You’re saying this like they were even well in the head to begin with!” Maki snapped up. “And I’d die on that hill”.

“Being a sorcerer is hardly anything to celebrate, but the feeling and burden of responsibility you have over the lives of other people is what drives you forward” Nanami put in plain words, “A lot of times, sorcerers will lose respect for the power they’ve blessed with, with horrible consequences for anyone caught in their way”.

Geto suddenly froze upon hearing Nanami, eyes darting away from his former colleages. It flipped his stomach that he’s considered to be in the same leagues as them. Maybe the part of him hating baseline people would, but not even that would waste time with a victim as much as Awasaka did. That was too low, it seemed.

“But then again, like Megumi and Maki said, they were definitely looking for an outlet” Gojo shrugged, before giving the nearby Geto a brief once-over.

Yuji hung his head low, mouth set in a hard line. He absolutely hated to accept it, but on a certain level, he could actually understand the Disaster Curses, but especially Mahito. The nature behind their existence left little room for any self-actualization, and he could totally fathom that in theory and practice.

But what was THEIR excuse?! They’re normal humans just like him, who were born and raised as ordinary people. Maybe they sustained a lot of hardship, considering their age, but it’s not like that’s a very compelling excuse. The lot of Curse users he came across prioritized their own comfort at the expense of everything else, so was Yaga on to something? The excuse of them, who’s in this room, at least had some logic he could get behind.

 [But he and Ogami are shown being informed about Satoru Gojo through intermediaries, namely, the 100 million yen bounty on his head, and the hunt for it was cutthroat, forcing the two Curse users to step up their game.

“Damn. The game for me was already on back then, huh?” Gojo said amusedly.

“It was on the moment you were born, smartass” Toji, who was just a teenager back the, flatly told him.

“Must have been an achievement to rack up such a huge bounty, huh?” Todo said.

“Of course it is!” he boasted nilly-willy, “But I’m more interested in how those geezers in particular wanted my head. I should’ve seen them coming, but I can’t even remember that.”

“You forgot you even bumped into him. Trust me, it’s not unique to them” Shoko reminded him while pointing at the disgruntled Toji.

“I was only six! Just cuz I had Six Eyes doesn’t mean my brain matter developed”

“There are times where I doubt it even completed its development” Yaga and Megumi inwardly voice.

“I don’t think they could even achieve that. I mean, anyone would easily be disarmed by your full cheeks!” Yuki said.

“Well said.”

The next day, they take positions where Gojo supposedly is going to be. Awasaka was at the roof of a building, while Ogami was in a restaurant, watching from the window.

In the middle of the crowd, a young boy with white hair, blue jacket and black shorts was walking idly.

Despite having seen him as a kid earlier, the coos still resumed.

“Dammit, Sensei… you look so huggable!” Yuji flattered.

“I dunno, man. He gives off dumb spoiled brat aura now compared to his baby self” Nobara opposed.

“Not give off. He was totally one” Shoko, Utahime and Nanami corrected her. Geto did, but only in his head.

After inspecting his form closely, quite a few adolescents burst out chuckling.

“What?” Gojo noticed those reactions and asked.

“S-sorry… it’s just that you look like Sans!” Yuji laughed.

“Who? Oh! You mean THE Sans?” the Limitless user excitedly recalled, but soon it turned to confusion “Wait, really?”

Immediately, Inumaki showed him a photo of Sans “Shake”. Notice anything?

“HOLY SHIT! He really does!!” Nobara, Panda, and Nishimiya guffawed.

“This gives Sans’ glowing blue eye a whole new meaning!” Yuji commented.

“That’s kinda foul” Gojo just huffed. “At least I have two.”

“Did you play Undertale too? You recognized Sans” Nobara eagerly asked.

He smiled and nodded, “It was a nice break, especially when Shoko and Ijichi joined me. Oh, Principal Yaga’s the one who introduced it to us by the way.”

They gaped, “Whoah, him?!”. When they aimed their sparkling sights on him, Yaga bashfully coughed a few times

“Oh yeah” Panda asserted, “he was always on the lookout for new models to build for his Cursed Corpses, and often dipped his head into several franchises for this purpose.”

“Still, it wasn’t enough for Satoru, so he ventured into its fanworks, before giving up completely” Yaga revealed.

“Of course he did” the half-lidded Megumi, Panda, Geto and Utahime were barely surprised. Gojo’s attention (and dedication) span was kind of poor. Speaking of which, Geto couldn’t help but remember the Hasaba twins playing something that resembled it back in their compound.

“Not like I could help it…” said man sheepishly made a clean breast.

“Again, why is everyone suddenly harping about that?!” Megumi, Maki, Mai and Kamo did not quite relate, but couldn’t decide if it was due to annoyance by the subject change or their lack of exposure to it. Heck, even their old principal played it.

Suddenly, Awasaka and Ogami got rattled, the former losing his ability to even move, while the latter struggled to hold her coffee cup.

Then, young Gojo turns to look up where his would-be killers are, flashing his Six Eyes, before continuing walking.

Ogami was so terrified, she dropped her cup and scrambled away from the table facing the window, whereas Awasaka collapsed on his knees, both of them shaking.

“Hey, that’s kinda like when he met Fushiguro's dad” Yuji pointed out as soon as his memory kicked.

“Wait, you’re right!” Yuta, Nobara and Maki recalled it.

“This is how you warded off your enemies? Damn” Mai snickered.

Said mister wasn’t too happy at being called that like he was familiar to him, mind you. But the boy was right, and it’s why it got on your nerves when it happened again. Was it part of his routine, like they said? Would that mean their first meeting wasn’t a fluke?

Awasaka: Cursed spirits were growing stronger lately, and in that instant, I understood exactly why… because of him! Satoru Gojo! It was the same as when an insurmountable track and field record was suddenly broken, the same as when figure skaters all started adding more revolutions to their jumps due to one athlete…

… the balance of the world changed when Satoru Gojo was born!

The sorcerers, especially the older ones and Special Grades, looked over themselves, contemplating this conclusion. Namely, about how on-point Awasaka exactly was.

Most students were in awe at the very idea, especially Yuji and Yuta, but a feeling of ambiguity and uncertainty about the implications of such phenomenon seeped into their thinking.

If Gojo was never born, would Special Grade Curses have even been that strong? In fact, would there have been even Special Grades period?

Same for the sorcerers. If the increase in Curses’ power forced them to step up their game, would the balance scale back considerably if Gojo was to pass away?

The one, however, who had the most in-deep answers based on personal experience, was none other than Ryomen Sukuna, the actual oldest sorcerer in the room.

In a way, yes, he’s correct. The reason behind the Curses chaotically brimming in the Heian era was the distribution of Jujutsu sorcery amongst people, when it was only restricted to a couple of few sages, the sudden change of which resulted in the Curses having to make up for the widening gap. But his own birth and rapid rise to power, and his consolidation of a lot of that power by preying on everyone else, contributed to the Curse-sorcerer strife getting even bloodier, reaching its nadir near when the Genpei War broke out. Then again, Sukuna perished, or at least, disappeared during the Heian’s twilight, just as humans retook the land. This was why, despite the later periods in Japan being just as brutal and violent, if not moreso, no Curse or sorcerer reached those heights again. It’s only the first users of Ten Shadows and Six Eyes that came close, so there were plenty of powerful sorcerers who could never find their true potential due to the gradual decline of Jujutsu.

Young Gojo [scornfully]: Quit looking at me, weakling.

The viewers comedically grimaced.

“Classic Sensei” Nobara and Maki remarked

“But they deserve it!” Yuji argued. “Remember?”

Of course, no way in hell anyone would forget the bloodshed those two left behind, and the number of people for whom justice wasn’t served.

Awasaka: We were free… but in our later years, that freedom was stolen from us!

[His monologuing coincided with the present, where he was fighting for his life against Yuji and Megumi]

Teachers collectively rolled their eyes.

“Oh, shut the fuck up!” Maki had enough of the bastard, almost tempted to throw a noodle cup

“You don’t even know what that word means!” Nobara yelled.

Yuji decided that maybe trying to understand their point of view was kind of useless at this point.

Awasaka [kicking Yuji with both his feet]: Screw him!

“Ooh, somebody has a grudge” Gojo cheekily noted.

“He must’ve held that disasterous assassination quest against you for as long as you lived” Panda snorted.

“It’s easy to do so when he literally made him and that hag shit themselves by doing nothing” Maki added, “that must’ve been humiliating.”

[Megumi aims his sword at him, which Awasaka dodges before moving to kick him as well. Megumi manages to grab his leg and hit him with the hilt]

Awasaka: I’ll never retire! I’ll trample over the weak ‘til the day I die! [He somersaults and tries to kick Megumi roundhouse style] ‘Cause this is fun! [he gets on his feet and moves to slash the Ten Shadows user, but the latter still scores a hit on his face… to no avail]

How many lows could that bastard even reach?

“Trample on the–?” Mai groaned, “Try being original for once, ‘cuz that ain’t working!”

“It won’t, that’s the exact same thing that blondie said to Ijichi-san!” Maki groused.

“And don’t forget another old miserable coot in here” Nobara piped up while subtly pointing her thumb at Yuji “Cough*king of*cough*coots*cough”.

Snickers followed, and when Yuji got to the bottom line, even he had to stifle down the urge to bray in laughter in a hyena.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but now I kinda miss him” said Nishimiya, “Is he plotting something?”

“He’s still tormenting me in my head, though” a stone-faced Yuji clarified, “Can’t help but think he got bored being here.”

“Not even remotely wrong” Gojo conceded, though some unease began festering within the audience at the fact.

Yuji [now just exhausted]: Seriously! What IS with this guy?! It’s not even about him being tough at this point!

Megumi: It’s most certainly the result of his technique. Is it damage nullification? No…

[When Awasaka bounces back up, there’s a bruise on his head from Megumi]

Many quickly noticed at the bruise on Awasaka’s head, and their eyes widened.

Megumi: Hey! Satoru Gojo is here in Shibuya! Why don’t you leave those foundations for the Veil behind and get out while you still can?!

Most teens laughed, coupled with Megumi chewing on his lips from the attention. Toji chuckled at how the similarities between him and his offspring couldn’t be more way off.

“Megumi, I thought you were better than this!” Maki said in between laughs.

“Ume takana” Imumaki reminded. Entirety of that area heard him, y’know.

“Yes, thank you very much” a disgruntled Megumi retorted, “except that’s not the problem here!”

“We know already, it’s just that lying still doesn’t come naturally to you” Maki added.

“Huh? Know already? About what?” an adorably clueless Yuji wondered.

His associates sighed at his slowness, “you’ll find out soon”.

Awasaka [laughing]: What a lousy bluff! “Satoru Gojo has been sealed”, you were the one shouting that out so loudly. That’s why we’re out here having fun, you know. If Gojo was active, we’d be sleeping at home.

Megumi: I knew it, he can’t beat Gojo-sensei.

Yuji [obliviously]: Fushiguro, you suck at lying.

“Pot calling kettle back” he grumbled.

“But at least I have an excuse, I thought a seasoned guy like you might make it” the other boy boasted.

“To be honest, every last one of you kids still lack necessary social finesse to bullshit your way into and out of situations, from what I observed” Gojo set the record straight.

“Not you talking about social finesse!!” they were predictably offended, including surprisingly Geto.

Megumi: So this guy’s technique can’t be something grand as nullification.

“Oh, I see!” it finally clicked within Yuji, “If that’s the case, then he could easily match blows with Gojo-sensei, yet he actively avoided coming into contact with him!”

“Well done, brother” Todo congratulated him.

“You’re progressing. Good work” Nanami did the same.

Yuji [trying to ardently reassure Megumi]: But that’s okay!

Megumi [irritated]: Shut up.

“No. That’s not okay at all” Mai’s lip twitched.

Awasaka [cracking his collarbone]: If you don’t want to fight, then I’ll kill you.

Yuji: Here he comes!

[Megumi summons the Fleeting Hares with his shadow puppetry, bringing out hundreds of white rabbits. When they come up at Awasaka, one of them lightly hits his shoulder, which he is slightly affected by.

“Look! It happened again!” Yuji loudly observed.

“A tiny bunny putting more dent on him than Itadori-kun? Now that’s new!” Yuki joked.

As minutes went by, the idea everyone had in their heads began to take on a concrete form as they thought back to how the blows affected Awasaka according to their intensity.

When that theory was about to get tested, some experienced sorcerers briefly smiled to themselves.

The young sorcerer notices this, before the rabbits join together and form a huge, white rabbit-shaped swarm.]

Megumi [flinging Yuji back by the hood]: Fall back for now, I’ve figured out his technique.

On cue, Maki whispers something to Megumi, and he responds in kind, before their upperclassmen do the same. Todo, Kamo and Nishimiya join in, but to a lesser extent.

Yuji sees this and tries to intervene, “what’s up?”

All of them automatically fall back to their seats, startled, “It ain’t important, don’t worry.” Assured Todo.

“That you excluded us makes this a little sus, though” Nobara scowled. “You found out his technique, didn’tcha?!”

The students collectively exhaled, “I promise, it’d be better if you see it firsthand”.

[Atop of the tower, Ino was sweating bullets, short of breath from constant movements and summoning]

Ino: That was a séance ritual. So that hag is a medium?! But that’s not the problem here… who is that? Is he some famous sorcerer? I can tell by his stance… he’s hella strong!

“Oh no… he’s still going up against him!” Yuta’s face went pallid.

“He doesn’t have much fight left in him, he has to fall back too” Shoko insists.

“Ino-kun would never leave other sorcerers to clean up a mess he considers himelf to be responsible for” Nanami argued, grimly, “so the chances of that happening are slim.”

[Facing him is Toji, or at least his spirit channeled into the body of Ogami’s grandson, standing confidently]

Regardless his alleged spirit status, the aura flowing from incarnated Toji’s presence on-screen set everyone’s hairs up.

Toji was torn between being absorbed by his own view from an outside persepctive, and feeling dissociated from it. The longer he gazed at it, the bigger the rift separating his actual self and the idea others had of him.

A lot of it had to do with who that is in actuality. After seeing Ogami’s technique firsthand, many believed it was just him personified as her grandson, complete with his abilities. It’s left to be seen if that’s the case.

Ino: Number #4, Ryu!

[In the blink of an eye, Toji snatches away Ino’s mask.

Intimidated gasps filled the theatre.

 “The fuck… i-it was...” Maki uttered, simultaneously astonished yet impressed. Could she even get to this level of speed?

“… not even a single second went by…” Megumi voiced out, shaken.

“D-did he teleport?!” Yuji exclaimed.

Before Ino has the time to properly react, he gets punched in the face, before being held by the hem of his shirt.

Toji proceeds to deal Ino’s face dozens of blows at an insane speed, so much that blood is splattered from his hands]

The shock quickly morphed to dismay, with everybody wincing at the punch.

And when Ino gets ragdolled at the speed of sound, that dismay got up so much that the sorcerers averted their eyes. The brutality of the beatdown instilling both panic and fury within Ino’s closest associates.

Most of them, however, instead turned to glower at Toji, as pointless it was since that might not even be actually him.

“Now Ino-san too…?” Yuta choked

“It’s even worse. Imagine him coming over to help out that Curse user” Shoko, seemingly calm but actually anxious over the students, raised.

A fresh feeling of terror reverberated within the audience, notably Yuji and Megumi, whose future selves were not too far from the scene. Then there was Toji, who just stared numbly. It’s as if he didn’t know whether to be impressed by his still existing, or worried about the identity of “Toji” on-screen. It was a like a muted trainwreck in his head.

“Even as a corpse, you still won’t leave kids alone, I guess” Gojo contemptuously remarked.

“Won’t leave kids alone? Ah, oh yeah, the Star¨Plasma incident” Yuki recollected, and now wanted to beat herself up for letting that slipping from the back of her head, all things considering

Geto certainly thought the same, as seen by the rigid cords on his neck, visible under the uniform’s collar, and his icy gaze at Toji’s quick, bloody work.

This was only rivaled, if not outright surpassed, by Nanami. It was amazing he didn’t snap on Toji, due to his trembling body holding back a lot suppressed fury and despair at the recent losses. They all circled back to someone close to him somehow. What would this mean for the future him? Will he or anyone else be able to save them just in time?

[On the road below, Awasaka is still imprisoned by the Fleeting Hares swarm.

Awasaka [looking around cautiously]: What is this? The type of Shikigami that distracts with numbers? So they’re planning to launch a big attack from the cover of these hares, huh?

“In a way… yes. But big? Well, the neat part will come soon…” Megumi internally answered Awasaka’s inquiry.

“Why hasn’t he broken out yet?” Kamo questioned. “If he could easily stalemate Itadori and Fushiguro, should the hares be any trouble?”

Kamo voiced exactly what everyone found weird about the moment, and for many, it strengthened the theory they crafted further.

“That’s… yeah” Nishimiya agreed, narrowing her eyes.

However, both students turned slightly to the back, having a sinking feeling they’re the ones far behind when it comes to this.

“Oi, Todo. You hiding something?” the pigtailed girl curtly addressed her still stoic classmate.

“Don’t be so impatient” he calmly chided.

[Soon enough, all the hares dissipate and disappear into wind. Awasaka thinks to his shock that Yuji and Megumi escaped.

From above, enters Megumi with one of his summons]

Megumi: Max Elephant!

“EEYYY!! THAT’s a dynamic entry!” shouted Nobara and Panda.

 [And drops the giant pink elephant on Awasaka hard enough to leave a giant crater]

“Not like it’ll affect him” Mai deadpanned.

“But it’ll still knock him off balance!” Miwa maintained.

“ ‘sides, who doesn’t like seeing a good Goompa stomp” Nobara jokingly added.

Awasaka [who easily catches it from below]: Haha! What is this? Appearing and disappearing, talk about restless! If you’re a man be clear and decisive!

“Yeah, not how it works, sorry” Toji begged to differ.

“Well sorry for actually using our brains for the first time!” Huffed Yuji.

“Your” Nobara and Megumi flatly corrected him.

Megumi [standing atop a lamppost]: That stuff’s not my role. [and points his finger to his left]

[When Awasaka sees where he’s pointing, he’s met with Yuji bench pressing a car, before throwing it at him.

Several students’ eyes bulged out before they spat out their foodstuff, and leaned forwards.

“Dayum! Tryna be Superman now?” Gojo laughed.

“I just didn’t reveal my true power level yet” Yuji crossed his arms.

“Wish you’d do that more often” Todo advised Yuji, “using every object and appliance in vicinity as a weapon is an underrated misdirection tactic, and your strength would help a lot in that”.

“That means you can throw a vending machine? A lamppost? Or even a van?!” Miwa enthusiastically demanded.

“Oh come on, all this is too over-the-top, plus, I’m really not a fan of property damage” Yuji shyly protested.

“It’s alright, it’s not like you’d have a choice anyway” Nobara patted him on the shoulder.

For the adults, many expected it, although Utahime and Geto’s faces froze, having been caught off guard, while Gojo, Yuki and Toji grinned. Especially the latter, as he similarly used such approach on his missions.

Even though he grabs it, Awasaka is a bit freaked out by Yuji’s strength.

After hurling it away, Megumi jumps from the lamppost to hit him with the sword in tow]

Megumi: For now, keep attacking away.

Awasaka [blocking the blade before counter attacking with his own dagger]: This guy’s engine keeps revving up… Yes! Yes!

[Yuji joins Megumi, his fist embued with Cursed energy, and together, the two rush Awasaka, intent on striking him at the same time. Awasaka recognizes they’re about to deliver a coup de gràce, and shields himself with his biceps]

Awasaka: My technique is Inverse, when activated, attacks that hit me are made weaker the stronger they are, and the weaker they are the stronger they become. No person has ever managed to dodge my counter after landing their finishing blow. The more serious you two get, the less chance you have against me!

“Eeeeehh?” Yuji and Nobara breathed out in epiphany

Megumi lazed on his seat, barely preventing from smiling in vindication.

“Our guess was just as good” suddenly said Maki.

“Hold on! That’s his technique?” Yuji loudly asked, “what if he, I dunno, gets a flicked in the forehead?!”

“Or even just gets slapped?” put in Nobara as well.

The mere idea nearly made some viewers struggle to suppress a chortle.

“That’s a good question, brother. But you need to rewatch his statement or even the blows he was handed before you jump to that conclusion” Todo said.

“He explicity said ‘attacks’, which can be construed as direct threats to him. A simple finger flick might not really count, unless it’s in a threatening context.” Yuki detailed, “but then again, there’s no way he would survive for so long even if it’s the case, so maybe the strike should carry with it a bit more force. Or maybe he can turn it on and off at will”.

[When their blow connects, however, something else happens…]

Megumi [to Yuji after they had Awasaka restrained by the Fleeting Hares]: I’ve figured out his technique… it’s probably Inverse or something. The attack I threw out of sync landed more effectively than your own. The Fleeting Hares isn’t meant for offense, but he didn’t try to immediately break through once he was surrounded. I think that’s also how he managed to stay perfectly fine after slamming into the ground.

Yuji: So we can defeat him with a  forehead flick?

“Huh?!” Yuji was audibly shocked at his future self somehow thinking the same, but his classmates definitely weren’t.

“What? Surprised you share a braincell with… you?” Nobara snarked.

“It’s still quite the coincidence though” Panda mentions.

Megumi: No, the attack can’t be too weak. If it were a pure inversion of force, activating it would kill himself with the minor force of air resistance

“That’s a lot more reasonable” Yuta concurred.

“It has to. There’s a limit to how much a technique can be more of a curse than a blessing” Gojo spoke up.

Yuji [didn’t understand anything]: True…

It wasn’t long before Yuji’s ears swallowed more racuous chuckles at his expense from most students, and of course, more judgemental, strict stares from his teachers.

“Relatable” Nobara, Panda and Miwa commented.

And if that wasn’t bad, a brief glance to his left showed a displeased Megumi with cross popping veins on his cheek, just sealed the deal further “My ‘offer’ still stands, just so you know.”

“Gee, thanks” Yuji slumped further into the seat.

Megumi: Since that didn’t happen, there must be an upper and lower limit to his inversion. Even with it activated, he was still matching our attacks and using Cursed energy to defend himself from slashes and the effects of our techniques, right?

Yuji: Makes sense.

Megumi: That also explains why he can’t beat an anomaly like Gojo-sensei, and his technique’s a bad match against complex techniques too.

“Does that mean there’s a threshold to how much Inversion can hold out?” Utahime mulled over.

“Probably. That technique is best suited for defense, I don’t see it increasing his damage output more than a typical sorcerer, which was should’ve tipped me off long before everyone else” Gojo stated, tapping his fingetip on his head.

Yuji: Which means we need to strike together. Hit him with a powerful attack and a somewhat weak attack at the same time! [Pumps his fist]

Megumi: But we don’t want him to realize we’ve figured out his technique, so we’ll keep going at full power and make a show of our crazy strength.

[Currently, Awasaka got hit hard enough to spurt blood, due a simple tongue lash by Gama]

Megumi: We’ll start with a weak blow by Gama, then we pummel him with a rush.

“What? THAT was enough to actually hurt him?!” Nobara choked in disbelief.

“Well, not quite a forehead flick, but still not even much of an impact” Mai mocked.

“Gama’s tongue hits a lot harder than you think” Maki corrected her.

“I’d take it that he deliberately provokes his opponents to go all out on him at the outset” Nanami made clear.

[Both of the teens start repeatedly punching out Awasaka, actually damaging him for real this time]

“But how can he get hurt for real now?” Nishimiya raised an eyebrow.

“That momentary lapse might have affected his momentum

“Nevermind. I’m glad the fucker’s FINALLY getting ground into a pulp” Maki smirked, having crossed her legs.

No one blamed her, especially Yuji, Megumi, Yuta, Miwa and Nanami, who were still reeling from Awasaka’s atrocities.

Awasaka [while being beaten up]: They figured it out?! But still… [He reinforces his knife slashes with Cursed energy to ward Yuji and Megumi off] DON’T GET TOO COCKY OVER THAT YOU BRATS!!!

[Behind him, Yuji runs to attack him again. Awasaka retaliates with his knife as well. Both aimed at each other at the same time.

“Here comes the cross counter…” Panda rubbed his hands together in abject anticipation.

It seems as if Awasaka managed to stab Yuji, but the latter’s fist didn’t even touch Awasaka’s face.

“Oh?” everyone knew what was about to happen.

At least until he nudges it slowly upward, then the resulting backlash was so intense it caved Awasaka’s face in and sent him flying]

Awasaka: He… stopped it? He killed his momentum just for a moment…

 [He lands on the nearby rails, crushing them beneath his body. The young sorcerers were watching him in the aftermath

“Yes!” A few students cheered

“Can’t be the only one who missed that was enough to punt him across the road” Kamo pointed out, still stunned at the finishing blow.

“Seems like a law of equivalence stuff, the less hard it is, the harder it feels” Nishimiya supposed.

“Anyway, We got the nails!” Yuji announced, as he bumped knuckles with the reluctant Megumi.

“Now that’s what I’d call a recommendation-worthy!” Gojo cheered them up

“You both did a great work” Nanami genuinely congratulated.

However, his face immediately darkened, “All that’s left is to get Ino-kun.”

His mention naturally halted the joy, everyone descending into quiet concern, including Toji, who drew in a sharp breath at his mention, or at least the man who shapeshifted into him, although that premise is slowly being disproved minute after minute.

Megumi and Yuji looked at one other, brows furrowed in worry. Would the séance hopefully terminated before that came to pass? If not, is he actually going after them next?

Then again, everyone noted that the nails have been disposed of, yet there’s no sight of him yet. That provided some semblance of comfort, as fleeting as it was.

Megumi: You’re surprisingly adept.

Yuji: Really?

Megumi sighed, turning to face Yuji “I’ll admit, you did come a long way since then” he ackowledges.

In response, Yuji feels a smile creeping into his face, “This reminds me…” he averted his eyes to observe the screen, now with a beaming face “I finally managed to keep up with you”

“That’s right, seems like our Death Painting encounter beat a lot of those lessons into your head, huh?” Nobara asked him, eyes glinting with mischief, but also something else.

“Yep, you could say that. Does that mean I owe you?” he meekly presumed.

The girl lightly punched his shoulder in faux frustration, “That attitude of yours will get you into trouble”

However, while the audience was winding down, the immobile Choso’s eyes started flickering, noise pouring into his head as awareness of the stimuli around him returned.

To be continued

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed reading. I know the episode was rather uneventful like the last one, but that's why imma hurry up and post the big Nanami chapter.

Sorry for not granting Choso more lines in this. That's for the next chapter, which is coming soon.

Chapter 7: Dull Knife

Notes:

Now it's EVERYONE's turn... Just kidding. Not yet

WARNING: senseless death and violence, implications of backstory abuse/SA, self-esteem problems

[9:44PM in Tokyo Metro, Shibuya Station Exit 13]

Nanami: Getting irritated at my own failings never has been and never will be part of my life.

“Hey, isn’t that where Ijichi-san was–?” Nobara pointed out.

“…” Nanami faced down, his eyelids heavy. Did he make it in time?

At first, bits of burden were relieved from some viewers’ minds, but that wasn’t a guarantee.

[He was walking up the stairs in the same location where Ijichi was attacked.

He sights him collapsed, bleeding, and immediately runs over to his side. For a brief second, he’s reminded of Haibara]

Students closed their eyes, drawing in a sharp breath with hands clenched.

The adults’ mouths twitched, especially Nanami, despite their (attempts at) blank faces. Though their calm fell apart the moment the image of a dead Haibara flashed over Nanami’s perspective. Gojo, Shoko and Yaga’s expressions closed up at the brief view.

Nanami’s gasped as his eyes glazed over in shock at the sudden memory. Given the oracle’s ability to trace thoughts, it’s no surprise it somehow guessed his own current thoughts. 

The same went for Geto, given he was there with Nanami on that fated day. Knowing that everyone watched his own past perturbed him enough, to say nothing of that part.

“Is Ijichi-san gonna be okay?” Yuji softly asked, unable to bring up the other, more pressing question about his life.

“He lost a lot of blood, but I can see faint signs of him breathing” Gojo responded, his eyes uncovered.

“Until he’s brought to me, there’s a 40% he could make it.” Shoko estimates.

Relief set on everyone’s faces. 

I will simply confront the evils that force this reality upon us. I will simply…

Nanami [blankly staring]: Arrogant bastards.

“Please, be safe” the young Tokyo students inwardly pleaded.

[Back at the Meiji Shrine Station underground metro]

Mei Mei: You know my technique, right? Manipulating crows.

[The Curse user that set upon her before is now crawling away from her, having lost his left leg]

An overwhelming feeling of schadenfreude colored viewers’ faces at the Curse user’s “performance”, though some felt guilt for it, especially Yuji and Yuta.

“Oh! Mei-chan’s there too?” Yuki declared, leaning forwards in interest, “It’s been quite some time.”

“Didn’t think those two were also buddy-buddy” Utahime admitted to Shoko.

“Of course they’d be, Mei-san trained under her” Shoko revealed.

“Huh?” Utahime blinked.

“Really?” Miwa and Nobara were just as surprised.

“Yep, I gave her some refreshers on the basics of Kempo to diversify her skills, but man, it didn’t take a week until she gave up half her royalties for that” Yuki reminisced with a dopey grin. However, something about her statement didn’t quite make the cut.

“Hold up, Mei-san actually recompensed you?” Gojo slowly questioned, mouth open in shock.

“Yeah… about 16,000¥, that is” Yuki answered with a tick mark on her face.

“It’s nice to know she’s still consistent” Yaga sighed in exasperation

“At least she didn’t charge her for putting her through hell” Todo sympathized.

Mei Mei: Weak, right? That’s why I trained myself so desperately when I was young. That way, I could fight without my technique. It wasn’t a waste, either. Being able to overwhelm you like this proves that to me.

“Kinda curious about that ‘training’ to be honest” Nobara spoke up.

“Pretty much all Eastern martial arts” Yuki replied, “I was only one of her many instructors.”

“That’s awesome!” Yuji beamed.

“And instantly mastered most of them” Todo added.

“So did I!” Gojo interjected, “She also claims to have reached Zen, or whatever her version of it means” he dubiously stated.

“It’s so obvious” pretty much everyone sweatdropped.

“Then why does she default to a single weapon?” Nishimiya wondered.

“Maybe a preference?” suggested Miwa.

Curse user: STOP! I’ll pull out of this incident now! So please, spare m–!

Ui Ui: –Quiet. Nee-sama is still in the middle of speaking.

Mei Mei [strutting in an elegant yet exaggerated way]: So I used to convince myself that a sorcerer’s true value wasn’t their technique, but you know! I hit my limit where I couldn’t improve more than I already have or rely on the ability to enhance them using my Cursed energy forever, I was crushed! I had lost my heart, so I decided to confront my own technique once more, and that’s when I came into full bloom as a Grade 1 sorcerer!

“She looks like she’s in a catwalk” Nobara approvingly remarks; “gotta respect that”.

“Sorcerers’ true value wasn’t their technique” those words rubbed Maki, Mai and Toji in all the wrong ways because of their respective experiences. That Mei Mei dropped that idea was of no surprise to Mai and Toji. But the latter felt a surge of anger coming through.

Similarly, Yuji let out a small sigh. He’d have to confront that fact too sooner or later, at least until the time comes. But he can’t let it come too soon, so has no other choice.

Ui Ui [clapping]: Applause.

“Okkotsu and Itadori need to learn more from that brat when it comes to Gojo!” Mai taunted.

“At least we’re NOT related to Sensei!” Yuji lashed out at her. “And even he can be too much!”

“Kinda weird coming from you, though” Nobara fired back too.

“You said something?” a now-irritated Mai glared at her.

But Nishimiya pushed her face away, “Deal with your family issues on your own, Mai.”

“When was that any of your business?” Mai huffed, only for Nishimiya, Kamo and Todo to give her an unamused glance. Maki, who witnessed this, sighed and shook her head, with Inumaki and Panda sympathizing.

[The Curse user also claps, but in bewilderment]

Mei Mei: Now I’ll kill you. [he’s shocked by the sudden statement] I just wanted to kill time by chatting, anyway…

Cursed user [bowing down]: I’M SORRY! I WON’T DO ANYTHING BAD EVER AGAIN! SO PLEASE, PLEASE SPARE MY LIFE!!

Viewers shot deadpan looks at him, not even the most compassionate of them being unable to take him at his words, still remembering the majority of the Curse users’ crimes firsthand.

Mei Mei [to her brother]: Ui Ui, tell me the value of a life. How would you measure the weight of a life?

Ui Ui [cheerfully raises his hand]: OF COURSE! It’s how valuable are to you, Nee-sama!

“Why didn’t I see that coming?” Utahime said with a grimace.

“It’s kinda creepy” Yuta remarked, still overestimating her empathy (or lack thereof).

“Mentaiko” added Inumaki. And exploitative.

“There’s nothing left to do except get used to it” Todo waved off.

Mei Mei: Thank you. [She turns to the Curse user] And you?

Curse user: Huh? I… uh…

Mei Mei: You can’t immediately describe the scale you use to measure the lives you hunt down. That’s why you lost. [Mei Mei is now looming over him with her axe, sporting a murderous grin] Coincidentally, I measure lives by their potential assets.

“True, but that just makes her seem hypocritical” Megumi said.

“It’s not the case. It’s more complicated than that, actually” Todo tried to elaborate, “Mei-san is antisocial by nature, and thus can’t really understand or respect mores. Unlike certain people that turn on the system, however, she created a code specific to herself, which ensures her loyalty to the Jujutsu world’s mission, and keep her from overindulging, thus giving her more avenues.”

Many students were fascinated by the details, but some were apprehensive all the same.

“I’m pretty sure it’s the profitability of the system and its comparatively low risk that kept her on our side for so long” Nanami put forth.

“Can’t blame her. A certain brat’s worth is more than I could ever make” Toji randomly added.

Gojo let out a mirthless laughter at the remark. Geto was on accord with him, unsurprisingly, as he’d seen himself how Mei Mei inserted herself into Gojo’s affairs.

[And she brings down the axe on the victim.

10:04PM in Shuto Expressway No.3, Shibuya Route, Yuji crushes the nails that were in the possession of Awasaka, taking off the Veil that blocked sorcerers]

Yuji [looking up]: Huh? Only the Veil keeping sorcerers out was lifted, even though we just broke three of them with Ino-san.

Megumi: Either they used all three to lower one Veil, or the two were dummies. Either way, now sorcerers can act freely in Shibuya. That just leaves the Veil trapping Gojo-sensei in, and the Veil trapping ordinary people in. [he looks down at Awasaka, who they just bound] I wanted to ask this geezer a lot of questions, but he won’t wake up soon. We should rejoin Ino-san and–

[Megumi suddenly falls silent when he sees the top of Cerulean Tower]

Megumi [in alarm]: INO-SAN!!

The majority of viewers tensed up, not just for Ino’s safety, but also the possibility of running into him. Megumi’s jaw tightened while thinking the worst.

[He runs frantically towards the tower while summoning up Nue. Yuji follows suit, and when they make it to the entrance, he witnesses Ino’s body falling downwards.

“Ino-san” Megumi whispered sadly.

Thankfully, Nue catches Ino, and throws him at Yuji. His whole face was bloody and bruised, leaving the young sorcerer genuinely shaken.

“Motherfucker turned him into a paste” Nobara snarled.

“It’s the grandson who did that, mind you” Mai corrected.

“I know that!”

Back at the Cerulean tower]

“Toji”: The Veil’s lifted. What now, granny? [His voice suddenly slurs] W-Wh-Wh-Wh-What do we do now…?

“What’s going on?” Maki narrowed her eyes.

“Is the mediumship technique deactivating?” Kamo offered.

“No…” older sorcerers like Yaga and Yuki had a different conclusion brewing altogether.

Ogami: It won’t hurt to keep Satoru Gojo out of play. So go down below and kill all the sorcerers.

[Suddenly, her grandson’s body goes limp, and he doesn’t answer]

Ogami:… Grandson?

Toji: Who the hell do you think you’re ordering around… [He whips his head behind, only to show his face contorted in rage as he glares at her] Old hag?!

The audience’s eyes shot wide open, whereas Toji was overwhelmed, taking in a sharp breath. That edge to his voice…

“Uh oh” Gojo let out, sounding downright defeated.

“Oookay, I’m starting to think that’s not quite the bodyguard…” Panda burred.

“No shit!” Maki and Nobara snapped.

“He hijacked the body” Yaga stated.

“WHAT!?”

“How does that even happen?”

“That depends on which part of the spirit is invoked, whether it’s the physical form or the memories associated with it” Yuki explains, “Because the information stored over a lifetime are what fundamentally composes a soul, a lot of time, it trumps over the physical component.”

Sorcerers flashed back to when Geto’s body briefly overrode the impostor’s control, especially his and Mahito’s debate about the soul, with the long-haired former Curse user supporting that claim.

“But that guy was in control the whole time until that happened” Megumi reminded.

Meanwhile, Toji whistled in surprise, fully knowing what happened and how it did. But, if it’s really the case, then that night is about to get really wild.

Ogami [overcome by fear, quickly stumbling behind] What’s the meaning of this!? I only channeled the body’s information!

Toji: Channeled? Oh, so that’s why.

“Then that removes the information premise out of the equation” Nanami surmises, mouth set in a hard line “which only leaves…”

Realization soon dawns on everyone’s faces, something that leaves the initlally carefree Toji slightly uneasy.

Ogami [terrified]: Yes, I’ve made it a point not to channel the soul’s information to prevent accidents like this ahead of time!

Toji: I don’t really get it… but my body’s special. I guess it just means this guy’s soul couldn’t win against my body

“Heavenly Restriction” Maki finally verbalized the prevailing thought out loud.

“I mean, when you think about it, there’s no other way…” Yuta said.

“How come?” asked Yuji.

“Mediumship in itself is powered by Cursed energy, even if it doesn’t rely on an Innate technique.” Megumi clarified, “but, when you have zero energy to spare, sometimes, that won’t matter.” He peered at the silent, thoughtful Maki.

The repercussions of such development were not lost on anyone in this room, least of all those who were affected by Toji the most.

Ogami: A soul losing to a body?! No… that’s impossible!

Toji:… kill sorcerers, huh?

[He flash steps right in front of Ogami, looming over her menacingly]

Youngsters gasped at the fast step, already knowing what’s going to come over Ogami.

Toji: You’re a sorcerer too, right?

[And with that, he kills her too.

“… so, what now?” Miwa raised, eyes darting towards everyone.

“… Now we know why he was summoned here.” Megumi sternly wrapped up, gesturing to the now invested Toji. As for the repercussions, that’s where his anxiety began building up.

“Not gonna lie, this will prove really exciting” Yuki piped up with a huge smile, “Unless her mediumship dies out with her, which doesn’t seem to be the case, there’s the likelihood of him receiving a second chance of some sorts.”

“Second chance?” the word reverberated inside Toji’s head, to the point he ignored her obviously fixated tone. At the same time, the teachers’ lips curled. “Exactly what this future needed” Gojo inwardly snarked. Geto, in the meantime, fumed. There were far more people out there deserving that second shot. Even if it made sense, why did it have to fall on him?!

“That seems so nice and dandy except not only is he the freaking Sorcerer Killer, but is now free to do as he pleases in Shibuya!” Maki stridently reckoned. Then again, just like Yuki, a huge part of her was incredibly curious about this development

“Does this mean he’s gonna come after us too?” Yuji worried.

“He doesn’t have any obligation for that” Mai flatly stated, alerting everyone, who recalled the Sorcerer Killer’s motivations.

“ ‘sides, there’re other, far bigger things to worry about here” Toji suddenly said. Nearby adults instantly recognized what he meant and closed their eyes in defeat.

“Oh fuck off y–!” Nobara was about to lash out, but upon turning around, her face instantly paled.

When the teens did the same, their jaws dropped. Meanwhile, the teachers who noticed this firsthand forced a sigh, but still got on the defensive.

Choso was wide awake, watching alongside them. When all eyes set on him, he didn’t even budge.

“What…?” they said.

“How long has he been awake?” Yuta slowly questioned Gojo with a glower.

“Since the Ijichi-san scene”.

“Why didn’t you TALK?!” most teens grumbled.

“I’m the one watching over him, just so you know. He can’t bust a move ‘cause I’ll just knock him out cold again” he responded.

“You think…?” Yuji and Nobara turned their gaze at Choso, who didn’t even seem to acknowledge their existence. For a while, anyway. He was actually watching over them and everyone else, but only when they didn’t notice. He stopped once Gojo caught him.

“Just try not to dwell too much on it” Shoko blankly advised.

“Like that’s easy!” Nobara protested.

“It’s gonna be fine” Yuji assured, “after all… he’s hardly the most dangerous one here, right?”

“Says you” Maki dryly mocked, with Yuji shrinking at her retort.

Meanwhile, Choso was felt left out by the conversation going on. He didn’t mind too much, as he’d rather not engage with the people that antagonized him and his siblings. But that’s where things got thorny. From the looks of it, they’re antagonizing that man who freed him and his siblings.

And they’re none the wiser about his identity.

He’d reasily admit that he was about to strike again after regaining consciousness, but for some reason, he wasn’t compelled to. Did he overreact? That’s stupid. He did what a good, reliable older brother should have done. Regardless, that they confessed to him about it so transparently despite being on opposing sides told a lot about the situation they were in, so he decided to throw in his lot for the moment.

Speaking of which, he found himself adjusting remarkably to the place despite early hostilities, as he read and explored a lot about the current world he was incarnated in, learning out about a lot of fascinating amenities. It wasn’t hard for him with Eso and Kechizu on his side.

But what he did find hard was the existence of that sorcerer’s meatsuit in here, somehow alive and whole. He scrutinized him, and found zero traces of Kenjaku. Worse, he seemed alive, but it’s as if his energy was being tied to something, or rather someone else’s. The same went for the short-haired man who sat the closest to him, except it was more noticeable due to his Heavenly Restriction. What is going on with those two?

He might’ve gotten his answers, but they weren’t sufficient. Who set up this facility? Why are so many powerful sorcerers gathered here yet no sign of the group that freed him? And why is Yuji Itadori’s future this important?

… Is it Ryomen Sukuna? Did he do something later down the line that necessiated this entire charade?

It seemed confusing, but that was the only viable option. Besides, he has suspicions about Sukuna considering Yuji is right there. Yet, it seems there’s a lot more to it…

Elsewhere, Maki is seen dealing with Cursed spirits]

Maki: They hit Ijichi-san?! [before disposing of another with a kick and a couple of slashes]

Nobara [alongside Akari]: It sounded like he got attacked while on the phone with Nitta-chan, so it probably happened after he left Fushiguro’s group. He might be in trouble by himself now!

Maki: Nobara, go with Akari-san to Ijichi-san. We can’t use our cellphones in here, so we won’t get anywhere without the assistant supervisors.

“Won’t that put Nitta-san in danger too?” Yuta protested, “Remember, that Curse user was told to specifically go after the black-suited sorcerers.”

“I’ll keep her safe” affirmed Nobara.

“We don’t know much about Haruta Shigemo.” Nanami said with a worried frown, “Even if you’re a Grade 1 candidate, the human element to the confrontation makes it more dicey.”

“I know, but I can’t make any progress if I don’t take risks, no?” she argued.

“Heh, that’s the spirit, Kugisaki” Gojo approved.

[The inside of the station is full of dead people eaten by Curses, already half-eaten corpses… and a bored Naobito]

The viewers’ faces twisted at the bloodbath, Yuji and Yuta being especially affected, but the view of Naobito just sitting around idly fueled their frustration.

Maki: I doubt that idiot would ever lose, but this whole situation is smelling even fishier. I’ll tak care of things here for now. That old man is slacking off too much.

Naobito: Hey, booze!

“Tch, that’s a Zen’in, alright” Nishimiya mocked. Gojo, Shoko, Utahime, Nobara, and all the present Zen’ins nodded.

“But Fushiguro and Maki-san are Zen’ins technically, yet they’re still fine” Yuji quizzically added.

“In spite of it.” Maki highlighted.

Maki [annoyed]: Ignore him. Now go.

Nobara & Akari: Yes! [And they immediately leave]

Maki: Once they’re outside the Veil, they’ll be able to run if the worst happens.

[Back at Shuto expressway, Yuji and Megumi are seen tending to Ino]

Yuji: How’s Ino-san?

Megumi: He’s… not okay. But he’s not dead.

Many viewers were relieved, but Nanami and Megumi were still somewhat concerned over Ino’s condition.

“It’s such a good thing Shoko-san’s nearby” Yuta reassured himself.

Yuji [looks at the tower from where Ino fell]: I’m gonna punch them!

“Sorry, Itadori, but you’d probably last only a few more seconds than Ino-san” Nobara pitifully informed him.

“I…” Yuji couldn’t even come up with a defense for that, knowing the kind of opponent waiting, so his shoulders loosened “… right.”

“Mmh, but if you do that ol’ “switch”, maybe that’ll present a challenge” Toji advised with a grin. His words sent a chill down Yuji’s spine. He felt a brief movement on his face, but it went away as soon as he noticed it.

 “Oi oi, where’d that self-confidence suddenly come from?” an irritated Gojo came up at his face, “I still distinctly remember taking off a…” he seized up his body, “… bite of you, so to say.”

Now it was Toji’s turn to flip off, “That was one single fucking time. Yer still high off that?!”

“Of course I am! It’s been a damn whole decade, old geezer. You’re like 1/20 of my current level now!”

As the two kept on squabbling, Geto, despite looking immensely thankful for choosing to sit left of Gojo away from this travesty, was secretly delighted to see Toji knocked down a few more pegs after everything he did. He didn’t get to witness Gojo’s retribution 12 years ago (or even his corpse), so this was the closest he could get to a respite.

Really? Him again? You’re still hung up over those 3 days?

But there were some conversations Geto was just not in the mood to even pay attention to.

On the other hand, the rest of viewers’ eyes twitched, Yuki was giggling, and Choso, Yuji and Miwa were just plain lost, doing everything to not look at them. But Megumi… the boy was that close to violently turning on both of them, but he curbed those urges down.

“Whoah really?! Like I’m the one who fumbled hundreds and got boxed by a fuckin’ high school reunion!”

“AND I AIN’T THE ONE WHO KILLED A KID FOR BETTING MONEY!!”

The aggressive shout left a stunned, uncomfortable quiet in its wake. And that discomfort quickly got to Gojo himself, who felt his throat dry alarmingly fast after shooting his shot. When his brain caught up with his body, he settled back in place. But not before catching a glimpse of Geto gazing at him too, at least until the latter withdrew it just as quick.

Immediately, much of the audience, despite wholly being on Gojo’s side, just wanted to forget this happened. It was kind of like watching their teacher snap in anger or give them the cold shoulder, which would give anyone listening the idea.

Megumi: Itadori! I understand how you feel, but hold back! What’s our highest priority right now?

Yuji:… Gojo-sensei.

“There’s that too.” Yuji acknowledged.

“Oh wait! I can’t believe I just realized it, but Gojo-san is actually really lucky he’s sealed” Miwa blurted.

“Huh?”

“Well… in that timeline, he didn’t know about the ritual. So… were he still active, he’d stumble across not only Geto-san, but also, uh… him” she glanced at Toji.

“Then he better consider himself lucky” Gojo darkly said, much to Toji’s annoyance.

“I don’t who I should feel relieved for here” a sweatdrop fell out of the viewers’ face.    

Megumi: The Veil was lifted. The people at the top might have escaped already anyway. I’ll take Ino-san with me and head outside the Veil for a bit.

Yuji [preparing to leave]: Take care of Ino-san for me. I’ll go on ahead to the station.

“… You’ll be there on your own” Megumi told Yuji, sounding somewhat troubled. Considering the target he has on his back, he’s not wrong.

“Yeah, what if the Disaster Curses set out to get you?” Miwa voiced

“C’mon, you guys. It’s not like Fushiguro will take that long” Yuji softly chuckled.

“Don’t forget him too” Todo gestured his head to Choso.

“Uhhh…” again, Yuji’s smile fell off his face. “Well, I’ll also have to take risks” he replied, taking a leaf out of Nobara’s page.

Choso wasn’t too convinced. Unless, of course, he set that thing free. But his angry, vengeful future self would never allow that to happen.

Megumi: That’s right. That’s the best course. Though operating alone in Shibuya right now isn’t… Alright, but…

Yuji: If I die, you’ll kill me, right?

[Megumi huffs]

“Ain’t I right though?” Yuji leaned besides Megumi while snickering.

As much as he felt like doing it, Megumi held himself from scoffing like he did on-screen, instead shying away from meeting his eyes.

“Still can’t get over that sentence.” Mai chortled.

“Fushiguro can be plenty cringe when he wants to” Nobara shrugged her shoulders.

Yuji: Besides, I have Mechamaru with me. Though I haven’t heard any response from Mechamaru for a while now…

Miwa’s face dropped, while everyone else including her classmates suddenly turned quiet. Worry bubbling through, she turned to Muta, who now looked like he might as well be one of his puppets. He didn’t even look at her when she did.

Megumi: So long as you understand. [Nue carries Ino on its back as Megumi is heading away. Before that, he gives Yuji one last once-over] See you later.

Yuji: Yeah!

The two boys and their teammates smiled exhaustedly.

Yet even then, why did that moment feel so… strange? Especially for Yuji and Megumi.

 [Inside the tunnels connecting Shibuya and Meiji Shrine stations, the Curse user that confronted Mei Mei is seen dead]

Ui Ui: Nee-sama?

Mei Mei: Looks like the Veil has been lifted. The thought of how much I’ll get for making Satoru Gojo owe me a favor is making me excited.

“Maybe being sealed wasn’t so bad after all? Haha” Gojo chuckled tensely.

“Why do you make it seem as if she’s gonna rob your estate if they fail?” Utahime ridiculed him.

“I’d be more worried about her calling quits” Shoko admitted.

 [At the other end of the tunnel, Kenjaku is seen standing on the wall, commenting how fast that went.

Currently 9:40PM, Nobara and Akari were running across Shoto Bunkamura street where Ijichi was stabbed]

Nobara: Nitta-chan, stop! [she shields her with her arm, getting her hammer out]

Haruta [from afar]: OH! It’s a woman in a suit! I’m so happy! I was getting sick of all of them being men.

“Well, well, look who just crawled out…” Maki hissed, her and everyone else doing a complete 180°.

“Yeah, to get skewered” Nobara snarled, a bloodthirsty smirk forming on her face.

“I’m really looking forward to see how far you’ve come too, Kugisaki” Yuji tells her encouragingly.

Nobara nods, “Nitta-chan’s life is in my hands. Screwing this up is NOT an option.”

Nobara: Nitta-chan, hide. I’ll deal with this quickly.

[Meanwhile, Nanami is carrying Ijichi on his back as he traverses the alley. Dozens of auxiliary assistants were found dead in the way]

Shock and fury contorted everyone’s faces as their fists clenched, veins visible on their skin. Gojo, Yaga, Shoko, Utahime and Geto ruefully snapped their eyes shut, but Nanami’s were wide open, showing a glower that promised so much pain to the culprit.

“… so many of them…” Megumi’s voice trembled.

Nobara [to Akari]: Pretend to hide in Bunkamura, then keep going and slip through Tokyu. From the way he’s talking, he probably took out Ijichi-san. Which means we need to hurry.

Akari: Right. Kugisaki-san, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard, either.

“Hopefully there won’t be more accomplices, like the Curse user that called the shots” Nanami thinks.

Haruta: Whispering to each other? Now you got me curious!

[He throws his dagger at them, which Nobara swats away with her hammer.

The two girls then split up, with Nobara charging at Haruta]

Haruta: Aw, she went and hid.

[Several nails reinforced with Cursed energy were flung at him, which he nonchalantly dodges. But he barely avoided Nobara jumping him straight ahead and trying to hit him]

Nobara: Coming at me unarmed? You throwing the match?!

“You need to be more careful. Despite his sloppy movements, he clearly knows what he’s doing” Megumi explicates to Nobara.

“More like it’s ‘cause he’s fully in his element” Todo said, “and that implies he has something else up his sleeve that gives him a leg up over everyone else, like most powerful other sorcerers.”

“Let me guess, it’s his Cursed technique” Nobara states.

“Kombu” Inumaki shrugs. Hard to think of anything else.

Haruta [who similarly dodges her strikes before controlling his blade]: Hey, we did meet.

[The hand on the dagger starts moving on its fingertips as it seemingly returns to Haruta]

“EH?! It can move?” Yuji yelped.

“That was a Cursed Tool all along?” Nishimiya said in surprise.

“Should’ve seen that coming considering its design” Mai snorted.

“Then the fight won’t be as lopsided. Not many people who rely on them are really hard hitters” Miwa guessed.

“Still…” Megumi is uncertain, the lack of any knowledge on his Cursed technique leaving the situation in a fog.

Nobara: Cursed Tool users tend be long or mid-range fighters. So keep up the attack.  [Throws another hit at him] So who are you again?!

[Akari has entered Bunkamura mall, but it turns out the blade-hand thing is following her instead.

Everyone got alarmed,

“Kugisaki must return to her side now!” Nishimiya pressed.

“And set that bastard on her?!” Maki shouted.

“Confronting him without putting her on the line of fire is about to be inevitable now” Todo declares, secretly dreading for his underclassman Arata’s sister safety.

Nobara unloads a couple of nails at Haruta, which he evades by running behind a waiting spot]

Haruta: Shooting nails is dangerous, y’know!

Nobara: I’ll make it even more dangerous!

[In the mall, the hand-blade has caught up to Akari and manages to slash both of her tendons, making her fall]

Akari: OW!

“NO!!” the teens yelled out. The teachers’ lips thinned, and Nanami completely stiffened, fighting the urge to lose himself again upon seeing assistant being hurt after barely saving Ijichi.

“Shit” Nobara clicked her tongue, her face.quickly paling, before noticing her hands were now shivering. Will she even be able to succeed? That stray thought was violently shook off by the girl before it disseminated.

Haruta [who senses this]: Hey, So she wasn’t hiding!

[He runs towards the mall, and Nobara follows suit in concern. When he bashes the doors open, he finds Akari on the ground]

“FUCK! Hurry up already!” Nobara mentally freaked out at her future self, her and the rest of the viewers at the edge of their seats.

Nobara: NITTA-CHAN!

Haruta: [rushes at Akari in manic glee, before violently kicking her in the gut] SHOOT!

It was all it took for the room to descend into a frenzy.

“NITTA-CHAN!!” Nobara shrieked.

“N-Nitta-san” Miwa sobbed, frightened by Haruta’s brutality.

“FUCKING BASTARD!!” everyone else

“He’s insane” Yuta harshly hissed.

“He’s just a piece of shit!” Mai growled, inhaling sharply. That treatment hit uncomfortably too close to home.

“And deader than dead when it’s over!” Maki threatened, her and everyone else glaring fiercely at the blonde.

At this point, Nanami was downright stunned at the level of poise he exhibited. Sure, most of the teachers were just as controlled, but it had an undertone of being lost between dismissal at this future reality and burning desire to leave to check up everyone in Jujutsu High, especially those who were found dead or close to it.

Nobara [furiously]: WHY YOU?!

[Haruta turns to face her with an unnerving smug, before grabbing the hand-blade he used to catch Akari]

Nobara [sees this and backpedals from a potential attack]: Is that… the sword he dropped earlier?

[In dodging his swing, she ends up falling on the ground, before somersaulting far away and firing off four other nails at Haruta, but he swipes them off so that they land on the roof]

Haruta: Too bad.

“Goddammit. It’s just a single sorcerer! Didn’t you help kill two Death Paintings?” her mind repeated anxiously, as her head limped downwards, before wiping her whole face.

Yuji and Megumi noticed this from the corner of their eyes, concerned.

Nobara [back on her feet]: Hairpin!

[She detonates the energy in the nails to crush the roof they’re stuck on, making bits of it fall on Haruta. However, he does nothing to avoid it, instead standing in place and posing as debris falls all around him, creating a lot of smoke]

Haruta’s response to the attack threw Nobara and the rest of the sorcerers down a loop.

“Why is he not running from the rubble?” Yuta anxiously wondered.

“It’s as if he’s welcoming it” Kamo noted.

“Do you think that’s–?” Utahime turned to Gojo and Yaga.

The white-haired sorcerer nodded, but it did nothing to alleviate the storming questions.

“Please tell me that’s not some damage-nullifying thingy like that old man’s” Miwa groans when she hears them, but her classmates made a face at that.

“Kugisaki…” Yuji thought as he glanced at Nobara, who gaped with abated breath.

Nobara [who dusts herself off, before turning to her other concern]: Nitta-cha–

[Only for Haruta’s blade to suddenly spring out of nowhere and clock her in the face, the hand guard balling up into a fist. The punch was hard enough that not only a brief X-ray of her skull was superimposed over it, but a double take of it was shown.

Audible gasps and winces echoed from the impact on-screen. Some of them actually sensed it beforehand.

“KUGISAKI!” her closest friends shrieked in outrage.

“Shit, right in the chin too…” Maki breathed out.

Not that everyone shared the sentiment. The suddenness of the moment, especially the interna shots, forced a brief snigger out of Toji.

Nobara falls on her knees from blunt trauma as a result]

Nobara’s jaw dropped, as bile began forming in her throat at the sight. That fearsome thought was about to come true…

“No!” she refused to accept it. To accept that her level was this… this is too humiliating to even entertain.

Haruta [emerging from the smoke completely unharmed]: Man, you really are dangerous. Oh, did it hit your chin? Can’t stand? Hey can you stand? [He crouches near her eye level] Hey, come on…

“Get away from her!” Yuji roared.

“This is so not the time…” Megumi grunted.

[Nobara’s facial muscles seem to have gone numb]

“C’mon, Nobara! That’s nothing!” Maki egged her on.

“Yeah!” as well as Yuji.

Nobara avoided everyone’s gaze and slumped down. After fighting through painful injuries and a fatal poison, a mere punch was enough to bring her down? The force of it didn’t even matter. How is that worthy of a Grade 1 sorcerer?!

Haruta: You know, you’ve gotten an awful lot stronger since we last met. So much I didn’t even recognize you. But still, being strong isn’t enough to win in this world. Especially when my technique’s involved. Though I don’t really understand my own technique all that well.

The mention of how much “stronger” she’s supposedly got was yet another stab on Nobara’s psyche. The only reason she didn’t curl up and die on the spot from mortification was to see the “fruits” of her labor, even though it hurt even worse.

“Kugisaki?” Yuji turned to speak, but she was not in the mood.

“What does that mean?” some took note of Haruta’s vague allusion at his own technique.

[The hand-blade returns back to Haruta’s grasp]

Haruta: Now, which one of you should I kill first? [aiming at Nobara]

Tension was even worse than ever, the audience. Nobara raised her head to see the screen, staring at her future counterpart in contempt.

“Get up already. That was one punch. You want her to die?! Get the FUCK up!”

Nobara: Wh-What… [The blonde Curse user turns to her, and she’s willing her jaw muscles to move just to buy time]... are you… after?

Many were relieved Nobara is slowly getting herself back up. It was enough for light to return to Nobara’s eyes, but barely.

Haruta: Oh, they said something about wanting to seal Satoru Gojo.

Nobara:… I was asking you!

Haruta: Oh, me? Hmm… What do you think someone with a great talent and love for soccer would do if they were born in a world without soccer?

At his point, a tumbleweed (or in this case, an empty wrap) might as well pass through the room from the flabbergasted silence that statement left.

“Huh?” Yuji, Megumi, Yuta, Nishimiya, Kamo and Inumaki gagged.

“Born into a world without socc–?” Panda repeated, before shaking his head “What the hell is even that?!”

“Your average Curse user, duh. I mean, I’m shocked you still haven’t had it figured out” Mai sighed with an eyeroll. Nobody disputed anything she said, not after what they’ve observed so far.

“How is it that Cursed spirits make more sense now?” Gojo and Geto grimaced as their faces scrunched up. However, the cherry on top was the plain fact that when one stops and thinks about it, Geto was hardly any different. Something he was slowly beginning to recognize.

Toji arched an eyebrow at that. Even if it made some sense, it also didn’t sit well with him considering his own distaste for such half-assed, philsophical crap.

[Akari is struggling to move away from the Curse user, while Nobara is trying to pick up her hammer]

Haruta: No, that’s not right. I can’t explain it well. Though, is the reason all that important? Who cares? It’s fun, right? As long as I have fun, what else matters?!

Viewers scowled.

“So, a one dollar store Mahito.” Shoko quipped.

“That’s giving him way too much credit” Gojo mocked.

“Indeed” agreed Yuta. Mahito might get a slight pass; as his motivations were more complicated than that.

Mai was honestly on point about renegade sorcerers. Except for Geto’s group, there’s a strange drought in creativity for those people’s excuses.

[And stabs Akari’s hip with his sword] Don’t you think so too?

“FUCK!”

“SON OF A–!”

“Shit! Hurry. Come on up and do it!”

Nobara: STOP IT!

Haruta deals more stabs at Akari’s legs as she squeals out in pain]

“This is horrible!” Miwa covered her eyes. Her classmates were wincing at every stab, but Mai was an odd case. She was just staring at the ongoing torture. Everything about Haruta harkened back to someone in her old estate. Someone that she’d love to forget compared to everyone else in there. She didn’t give that memory much heed before, but now, the fog around it gradually dissipated.

“No… Nitta-san…” Yuji, Megumi, Yuta and Maki were torn between murderous fury and horror at Akari’s predicament, but it was useless to unload it, so they just turned away from the sight, their bodies shaking like leaves.

For the rest, especially her co-workers, it was a miracle their blood vessels didn’t burst open. Because instead, they all descended into eerie quiet, not unlike Nobara. 

Haruta [mockingly]: Then make me stop. Don’t let me commit anymore cri– Ah, I flubbed it! It’s full of phlegms…

Some students threw most of their leftovers at the screen before flipping Haruta off.

“CHOKE ON A DICK AND DIE ALREADY!!” Maki screeched.

[Nanami walks into Bunkamura while this is happening.                                                                                      

Relief washed over them overnight. Nanami felt it likewise, but after all that turmoil, it hit so different.

“Whoa- Nanamin!” Yuji cried out in joy.

“Finally!” The rest of his classmates practically rejoiced.

“Just in time, now go get them!” Panda encouraged.

Nobara manages to stand up and goes to hit him while his back is turned. He ducks with no issue, and even trips her up, calling her out for wobbling.

Despite her rather poor performance, Nobara’s friends still mentally commended her resolve to keep going.

She still goes at it again, but before he could swing his sword at her, the sound of glass breaking puts an end to this. Both of them stop, their weapons interwined, and turn behind to see the intruder.

Nanami.

“Yesss!” Yuji, Maki and Yuta gleamed, the rest of the sorcerers’ faces softening.

“Phew, never disappoint at late-minute rescues” Gojo sighed as he extoled his fellow sorcerer.

“Ohh, Nanami’s about to take out some trash” Maki stretched her hands out.

“I’m more than looking forwards to it” Panda smirked.

The blonde uses this opportunity to kick Nobara away, prepared for the new guest in the fray]

Haruta: It was okay, right? To kill people in suits that aren’t black, too?

“if I were him, I’d run as fast as I could” Todo taunted.

“Don’t want him to get any ideas” Mai countered, “I want it to be as slow and painful as possible.”

“Okay, you win this time.”

[Nanami takes off his tie and binds his own hand with it]

Nobara: Nanami-san? He came to Shibuya with Fushiguro, right?

[Nanami marches towards them, deathly silent]

Haruta: Come on now, look around you. Why are you strutting this way? Can’t you see I’m holding a woman a hostage here? [Except Akari is not there, only her blood remains, confounding him as he realizes she escaped above using the escalator] Hey, she ran away.

Sighs were heard, “The escalator, huh? Good choice” commented Yaga.

[What he doesn’t realize immediately is Nanami coming right behind him]

Nanami [calmly]: What’s the number and location of your allies?

He seemed calm, but everyone in the room, even veterans and hardened killers like Gojo, Geto and Toji, automatically froze at the order. Yet that feeling only produced more exhilaration, knowing Nanami is gonna go absolutely ham.

Haruta [slashing him upwards]: I don’t know.

[He tries to kick him in the stomach as well, but Nanami doesn’t as much move a muscle from the blow]

Many couldn’t help themselves from grinning, knowing that was a proof battle would inevitably get one-sided.

Haruta: Huh, a wall? [he inspects his appearance] It didn’t cut him?

“Sorry, but Nanamin fought a Special-Grade. Don’t think that’ll end well for ya!” Yuji jokingly addressed.

Nanami [with barely restrained anger this time, clenching his fist tightly]: What’s the number and location of your allies?!

“Eeek, he’s getting so mad now!” squealed  a (playfully) frightened Miwa.

“Mad is an understatement” everyone around her attested.

Haruta [now a bit frightened]: I don’t kno–!

[And is met with a brutal, Ratio-enhanced punch that sends him flying to the nearby glass exhibit, breaking through it.

“OOOF!!” most teens yelled out.

Everybody else cackled, especially Gojo and Shoko, “Nice going, Nanamin!’

However, Nanami himself didn’t feel much thrill. None of that would ever bring back all those murdered assistants. But even then, his success in rescuing Ijichi and Nitta gave him far more reprieve than he ever expected.

This show of raw strength leaves Nobara stunned speechless.

Haruta [twitching in pain and terror]: H-huh? I died? I would have died without my technique!? I-I have to run!

 [He couldn’t even make a break for it, as Nanami walks up to him and grabs him by his ponytail, before forcing him to meet his eyes]

Nanami [now genuinely pissed, corded veins all over his face and body]: What’s the number and location of your allies?!

The enthusiasm shifted to terror, with many students shuddering as they gaped. Nanami’s vengeful rage wasn’t a sight they were exactly accustomed to, especially from someone normally cool-headed.

Yuji sucked in a breath sharply, “So scary.”

“Takana!” Inumaki commented aloud. And cool!

“Cool is definitely the word we’re looking for here” Panda, Maki, and Nishimiya concurred.

Haruta: I told you, I don’t–!

“What if he actually doesn’t know?” Miwa said.

“That’s a secondary concern at best, right now” Kamo coolly answered, “and you know why.”

[The suited sorcerer has enough and delivers a powerful strike at his midsection, shattering the wall behind him and the electric circuits attached to it, with Haruta throwing up blood before falling to the ground.

“HA! EAT SHIT!!” Maki yelled.

“I’d rather not have him pass out just when it’s getting good!” Yuji flashed a grin.

“When did Itadori get this sadistic?” Megumi wondered. He didn’t have it in him to blame him; deep down, he was just as pleased to see Haruta getting his just desserts. He was just too embarrassed to cheer with the rest, especially with his idiot teacher and that old man watching.

It’s been so long everyone was so satisfied. It was enough to make up for all the deaths that bastard caused, if only for a while.

That being said, during the noise, some viewers could spot something about Haruta’s appearance.

“Uh, Satoru, why is his face…?” Shoko, upon noticing it, faced Gojo.

“You saw it too, huh?” Gojo spoke.

“At least, there’s a clue” Nanami was tempted to note this down, a lot of theories he had suggested.

On cue, when they observed his face, even Geto and Toji found something missing off it, the former’s eyes enlargning in recognition as an idea manifested.

As Nanami still watched over him from above, the ponytailed Curse user tried to call his Cursed Tool to strike Nanami behind his back. Thankfully, Nobara stopped it by shooting a nail at its hand, pinning it on the roof]

Nobara: Like I’d let you!

“Now you’ve got it down pat, Nobara!” Maki cheered.

“Great! Were it not for you, Nanamin would’ve gotten injured” Yuji encouragingly told Nobara. She flinched out of her trance, glancing at her classmate, but suddenly, her face flushed at meeting everyone else’s eyes.

She bitterly chuckled “Me? Got it? That shitshow’s worthy of a recommandation?!”

“Oh, come on, Nobara. It’s not like any of us have an idea about his technique, you’re selling yourself too short.” Panda tried to assure her.

“Nitta-chan put her life on the line relying on me!” she called out, close to tears “and I could… couldn’t even… see around that well. Next to you, and Fushiguro, this is just…!” she trailed off as her eyes darted towards Yuji.

“You were alone” Megumi told, “and we were together. If I were honest, I didn’t fare much better than you on my own, as you and everybody else has seen. And I’m supposed to be the wielder of the one of the most powerful techniques out there.”

Nobara’s features begrudgingly relaxed, as her mind wandered to their experience fending off the attack on Kyoto school, and her friends’ frustration with their minimal achievements, even if they were facing up a whole ass Disaster Curse. Or the couple of missions they undertook shortly before they were transported here, one that could have ended badly for her and Yuji were it not for Megumi, and vice versa in the second one. Or even their future going up against the Death Paintings.

“Trust me, this feeling is hardly unique to you.” Maki finished.

Nobara’s head slowly turned to face the screen, and so did the others. She was far from appeased or anything of the sort, but looking back on it, she’s left with a new perspective.

Gojo, who has noticed her torment, exchanged looks with Yaga and Nanami. This made him worry if he’s beginning to neglect Nobara a bit too much compared to Megumi and Yuji. She has just begun the year and her career in Jujutsu, and while she doesn’t have the baggage Yuji possesses, that’s even more of a reason to be more involved in  guiding her forward. He was the one in charge of teaching her, for heaven’s sake! And although he was renowned for his unconventional practices, he still had it in him to just pass down something more conventional this time.

“Say, Kugisaki”, The girl spontaneously whirled to face him, hesitancy in both of their faces, “I’ve got lots of stuff in store for you. When it’s timeout, feel free to hear them.”

She didn’t expect such gesture, to say the least, especially from someone she assumed would ignore her or leave her to fend for herself. She gulped down, a sudden blush finding its way to her face.

“Uh, whatever” the apathetic intent was lost because of her obviously nervous delivery.

Everyone witnessed this with curved brows. Megumi, Maki, Nanami, Shoko, Utahime and even Geto didn’t imagine Gojo to be this unironic. There’s no denying his genuine care for them, but his game now felt so different that it was kind of… out of character. Wholesomely so. And definitely not in a way that made them want to see more of it. Nope. Only Yuta and Yaga felt validated.

“Is it me, or is this the first time Kugisaki actually felt cute?” Nobara asked no one in particular.

Panda’s upcoming response was immediately ruined by Nobara’s shadowed, fierce glare tearing holes into his and Yuji’s face.

“Nevermind.” And with that, a snickers came out the students’ mouths, infecting even Yuji and Panda.

Haruta: Read the room!

[The blonde sorcerer grabs him by the throat and hoists his whole body up]

Nanami [growling, energy dripping from his bandaged fist]: On my way here, I found several of our supervisors dead. [His expression is set in a harsh glare] That was you, wasn’t it?

Haruta [tearing up]: I’m sorry…!

“Too late for that” Maki and Mai groused.

“He should save it for the people he slaughtered!” Megumi curtly said

“And Ijichi-san!” Yuji, Yuta and Panda added.

“And Nitta-san!” Nishimiya and Miwa shouted out too.

“It honestly hurts how many of them completely drop the bravado when the shove comes to the above” Mai remarked.

“What happens when your nose is so high up in the air” Todo puts it plainly.

On the other hand, he distinctly recalled Haruta having at least four markings under his eyes, but now he saw that there are only two. The teachers pinpointed it as well, which furthered the credibility of their speculation.

[He gets dropped, just as Nanami hits him in the face with even harder force than before. As in, hard enough to throw him out of the building and into another, with a billboard falling on him for good measure]

Younger students hollered as if they were watching a goal.

“WHA-HAHA!! Now THAT’s a homerun!” Gojo, Panda and Maki laughed.

“That was SO COOL, Nanamiiiin!” Yuji crooned in joy alongside Yuta and Miwa.

“Ugh, zip it, y’all sound like the idiot’s screams from before” Nobara disgustedly cuts them off,

Nobara [staring at the action]: That was unbelievable… so this is a Grade 1 sorcerer!

Nanami [to Nobara after finishing]:… Let’s make our way to Nitta-san.

After the intial fire died down, Kugisaki rubbed her face with her sleeve and dusted herself off. She refused to be the next one to experience a pity party. She had something in mind to remedy this issue.

[Back in the tunnels, Mei Mei ends up encountering someone unexpected]

Mei Mei: Well, now. You, huh?

[Facing her far ahead is Kenjaku, hidden in shadows]

“Geto”: Long time no see, Mei-san.

“Oh dear” Shoko’s face fell.

“Well, hello there, fuckface” Gojo sneered, “or brainface, in this case.”

“Do any of you guys think she might stand a chance?” Maki considered. “I know she’s a 1^st Grade, but what of that thing you said about her trump card?” she asked Gojo.

“I think you guys might find out soon.”

Mei Mei: Quite the thing to say after sending an assassin after me, Geto-kun. How is he alive? Did Gojo-kun screw up last year?

“Screw up is putting it mildly right about now” Shoko crinkled her nose. Gojo grimaced hard, and the rest followed suit.

“Were Gojo-kun and Geto-kun in this whole commotion together? No, definitely not. Gojo-kun could kill every person in this country all on his own. There would be no need and no point in setting up these tricks or getting anyone else involved…

Mei Mei [Setting down the axe]: I actually held you in higher regard than Gojo-kun, you know. Your nihilistic smile was quite charming. It’s a bitter shame I’ll have to kill you now. It really is quite a shame.

“Why am I even surprised?” a half-lidded Megumi commented at Mei Mei’s opinion.

“I mean, I can see where she’s coming from” Nobara admitted. As twisted as Geto ended up becoming, he seemed a lot more personable and bearable to be around back then than Satoru “protecting the weak is a hassle” Gojo.

Gojo, in contrast, pouted. Not like he wasn’t aware she saw him as a living wallet, but comparing him to Geto was just a step too far.

This Geto-kun is most likely a fake.

Kenjaku: Mei-san, I think it’s a shame too… [He channels a huge, grey-colored, legless Cursed spirit with a huge silver mane, two large arms, a row of teeth down on the mane, and its whole body is covered in chickenpox-like blemishes] That I have to go after my former upperclassman.

“So he does have that technique after all?” Yuta grimly noted.

“But what Curse is that?” Miwa asked.

Geto didn’t quite recognize that Cursed spirit. Judging by its general appearance, based on his extensive experience with them, it seems to be born from a disease of some sort.

Mei Mei: Curse Manipulation? Did I read this wrong?

Kenjaku: The Special Grade Disease Curse, Smallpox Diety. I did use up my stock of Cursed spirits last year. But they haven’t lost their quality. Just to be safe, I want to keep the humans on B5F. I’ll be waiting down this line. If you manage to exorcize that, I’ll take you on.

“We were right after all” Yaga commented.

“There’s no preventing him from stockpiling more” Utahime said, “It’s been nearly a year since his takeover of his body, after all.”

“And that’s only one reason why going up against him is too risky” Nanami stated, filling the audience with the knowledge of the impostor’s expertise.

After ingesting his words, Yuki started thinking about everything she was told regarding, before starting “I take it that none of you found anything about his actual agenda? So…” she faced the startled Choso, “What about you? You’re the one working for him, after all.”

Choso shook his head “No idea, and didn’t care.”

They grumbled in disappointment, “At this rate, I doubt even the Disaster Curses have any idea” Utahime said.

“That might’ve been the point” Nanami presumed, which Yuki and Gojo agreed with. But they quickly gave it a rest, because why are they here if they’re gonna fret over it? Instead, most returned of the other thing the impostor said.

“Is everyone in B5F even gonna be safe?” Panda seriously asked.

“That’s why the rest of us need to regroup and head there all all at once” Maki finished, “Not just Nanami, Nobara, the old fart, but also you and Kusakabe-sensei, if we manage to reach you.”

“And me too!” Yuji raised a hand, “Future me is going there!”

[And leaves them in the mercy of the Smallpox Deity.

The Curse expands its Domain at once, something the caught up Mei Mei finds very troublesome.

“It can use Domain Expansion?!” Yuji exclaimed.

“So it’s a Special Grade” everyone concluded.

Next thing she knows, she’s trapped inside a coffin, the Domain Expansion having transported them into an ancient location]

“Does anyone have any idea about its origin?” Yuta asked, finding it hard to guess.

“Probably a Disease Curse” Geto quietly replied

“Then again, that’s some really funky Domain” Mai mentioned.

Ui Ui [who’s unscathed]: Nee-sama!

[Then a large stone suddenly falls on the coffin, shocking Ui Ui.

“GAH?!” no one really saw that coming.

“Is Mei-san okay!?” Miwa cried out.

“Hell if I know!” yelled Nishimiya in return.

The Curse counts down from three, to the point Mei Mei breaks out of the stone marker AND coffin with her awe]

“Oh, mind you” Miwa said.

“How did she even emerge alive and whole?” Nobara confusedly asked, “Wouldn’t that flatten her?”

“… It’s a Domain?” Panda recommended, just as perplexed.

Mei Mei: How many years has it been since something threatened my life?!

Ui Ui [cheering so hard he nearly falls off]: NEE-SAMA ~ ¯

[10:10PM, Yuji made it to the Shibuya Station]

Yuji: There’s absolutely no one here. I thought there was a huge crowd trapped inside the station?

Their eyes widened in shock.

“Wasn’t the whole place shock full of braindead people!?” Nobara exclaimed.

“In Meiji Shrine Station” Todo reminded her, “then again, the neighboring locations were similarly jam-packed with civilians.”

“What is the meaning of this?” Megumi worriedly inquired.

[Back at Bunkamura, Nobara, Nanami and Akari were sitting together, the former having tended to the latter]

Akari: So Ijichi-san’s okay, then?

Nanami: I did what I could, and he was originally aiming to be a sorcerer. [Akari sighs in relief] Though it looks you all really haven’t heard about Gojo-san yet.

Everyone smiled in respite, with Nanami heaving a grateful sigh.

“Thank goodness” Megumi breathed out.

“At least, not all hope was lost” Yuta gladly declared.

Akari: We entered the building right away, so that was probably why.

Nobara [thoughtfully]: The fact that he’s still holding out after being sealed makes it sound real.

Nanami: You two, please wait here for rescue. I’ll join Zen’in-san and head down for the B5F.

Nobara: Then can I–?

Nanami: No, you won’t. [she grumbles] I’m the minimum level required for the fights ahead. You would hinder me, and be in the way. Please wait here. [he then goes off]

“Well… Nanami-san’s right on the mark here.” Nobara sighed, “Besides, Nitta-chan is in need of company.”

Nanami nodded slightly, “It’s good you caught on.”

Of course, Nobara knew the actual truth, but now, she could probably live with that.

[In Shibuya Station, Yuji jumped down several escalators, before finding a certain Death Painting waiting in there. When he spots him]

The eagerness was wiped off Yuji’s expression as he found out his opponent. Likewise, Choso, who’s been completely laconic throughout the session, actually emoted for the first time upon seeing himself on-screen. Something about his own figure and complexion there was so… vacant. And he was alone on top of it. As if he didn’t need a bigger proof of their depature.

“Oh… him” Nobara similarly deflated.

“I mean, it’s still better than one of the Disaster Curses.” Nishimiya offered.

“He’s after his head, how’s that better!?” Yuta objected.

“At least he won’t have to swallow a certain something” Mai answers. In response, Yuji freezes.

“I know what you’re thinking. What did I say about dying?” Megumi cuts him off.

“No you don’t! And I’m not that pessimistic! I just thought over how I’m gonna get a good hit” Yuji retorted.

“You and Nobara handled the other two just fine, what’s a–?” Panda tried to add, but Choso suddenly hissed at the name drop, Cursed energy instantly flaring up. If they thought it was all over and done with that bombshell, they’re all barking up the wrong tree. And to think they had the gall to make light of it.

“Oh shit!” the Cursed corpse quickly shut his mouth.

“Way to go, genius!” Maki wacked him up his head.

Choso [wrathfully]: Yuji Itadori… [conjuring up an especially scalding Piercing Blood] I’ll avenge my brothers!

The current elder Death Painting knitted his brows at seeing just how out for blood he became. That future was too painful to even think about.

Yuji, as well as Nobara, swallowed in anticipation. The sentiment was shared by much of the audience, particularly Nanami.

Notes:

Next up is the slow beginning of the end.

I noticed far less engagements previously, but I hope this changes things.

Make what you will of certain subtext.

Chapter 8: Red Scale (EDITED)

Notes:

Finally, it's done🌹🌹🌹
The Onii-chan arc has yet to start, but it's close.
WARNING: Beginning of a disaster, epic loss, incoming trauma, mind-shattering revelations

EDIT: I have rehauled a certain part of the chapter. Sorry but my plans changed overnight

MINUTES AGO

[Yuji was in the process of running across Shibuya to reach the station, when his eyes fell on the carnage down the bridge he was on; a lot of transformed humans were attacking and killing innocents left and right]

Yuji and most other viewers’ faces contorted at the scene. No matter how many times they see, it never loses its edge, and stays a reminder for what they’ll have to make right.

“Dammit” Panda cursed.

“Everybody else’s too occupied with the mission” Shoko clicks her tongue.

“What about Panda-senpai and Kusakabe-sensei?” Megumi suggests.

“I think they’re charged to deal with civilian evacuation. Notice how they weren’t called near the station” Nanami supposes.

“Pretty reasonable, though. Kusakabe’s… not really the frontline fighter type.” Gojo comments with a backspace.

“What was he trying to say?” the Tokyo second-years weren’t exactly pleased with the burn. Yes, Kusakabe’s selective with his opponents, but he was NOT a coward.

Yuji: There are so many of them, I can’t just watch it happen! But, I don’t have the time to save everyone. Dammit, what should I do?!

Yuji looks on in sympathy. He was mentally wrestling with the part that wanted the mission to wait until everyone in Shibuya was safe and sound. This might’ve been what Gojo-sensei expected him to do. But the other reminded him of the more far-reaching consequences of leaving the strongest sorcerer trapped.

[His glance fell on the Shibuya station were Gojo was last sighted]

Yuji: The station, Gojo-sensei is right there before me!

A lot of the audience, including Gojo himself, pondered whether the cube finished processing him before being moved out of place yet. If “Geto” waiting outside the station was any indication, it was probably the former case.

Inumaki: Mentaiko! Over here!

“Hey, that’s–“ Nobara immediately recognizes the lingo just like everyone and a smile slowly finds its way to their face.

Yuji: That word… [he looks down and finds Inumaki on the stair connecting to the bridge] Inumaki-senpai!

Inumaki [with a loudspeaker in hand pulling a V-sign]: Shake. I got this.

“Toge!” Panda similarly cheers.

“Just in time!” the other students express similar relief.

“Umeboshi” Inumaki faces down. Shoulda been notified earlier. He’s rather bummed he wasn’t called with the rest of students earlier.

“It’s alright, all that matters is that you came” Yuta happily reassures him.

“And who knows, you might’ve dealt with the other incidents before this one” Maki also puts in perspective.

Inumaki looks down, briefly flustered by the praise, before collecting himself.

Yuji: I’ll leave it to you [he parkours down the street]

Inumaki: Shake, shake. Get back safely. [He unzips his jacket to reveal his mouth]

DON’T MOVE.

Although it was confined on-screen, and thus didn’t go off, the words still kicked off an involuntary chill within the audience. Yuki, Toji and Choso recognized the technique, with the former two getting surprised that an Inumaki is still alive in this generation. Geto’s his heart skipped a beat without warning, an involuntary reaction that he found incredibly debasing.

“W-wow” Yuji breathes out.

“Won’t the sheer scope of attacks damage you?” Megumi asked Inumaki.

“Shake” waved off the Cursed speech user. It’s nothing, really.

10:01PM, inide the Shibuya Station

[One figure was walking idly around.          

Another rushed as if their life depended on it.

“We’re back to that same moment?” Maki noted.

“It might’ve been cut away so we can see Inumaki-senpai’s contribution” Nobara guessed.

As soon as Yuji jumped down and ended up in Choso’s field of vision, the latter immediately locked in]

Choso [glaring with his mark flowing in blood]: Yuji Itadori! I will avenge my brothers…

Back to this prologue, everyone watching, from the kids to the adults, was immediately locked in, putting all their focus strictly on the upcoming confrontation. It was significant as it would decide the fate of the mission. Judging by the time, Nanami realized that this potentially happened while he was resting with Nobara and Nitta. And soon, he, Maki and Naobito might come across this place.

Since he’s the first person she technically encountered here, Yuki slowly developed an interest in the Death Painting, watching over him even when he’s out cold. When given another opportunity to assess the new competition, this time a notable one too, she’s never been much happier.

Yuji was easily the most alert of them. He gripped the fabric of his pants as he leaned forwards. This time, everyone is relying on him to at least clear the space for the returning sorcerers.

Choso, on the other hand, was both fascinated and dubious. His future self would clearly be after Yuji’s head for his and Nobara’s transgression, and it will not be painless. But he missed out on the showcase of his abilities, so he doesn’t know what Yuji is exactly made of. And that’s without taking Ryomen Sukuna into account.

[Compresses most blood in his body into a small, compact sphere that he concentrates between his palms, before launching at Yuji, which with Cursed energy, gets pumped to a project speed close to the speed of sound] Convergence!

“So, what do we know about him for now?” Nobara tacitly questioned the others.

“If his strengths compared to Kamo are any indication, he’d definitely be a step above a normal First Grade” Todo expounds, “he’s said to be the strongest of the Death Painting siblings after all. Then again, like you said, we haven’t seen enough to judge.”

“Let’s just keep watching” Yuji cut them all off, mouth set in a straight line.

[The blast hits Yuji’s wrist as he shields himself, but he successfully repels it way. It’s deflected above, piercing through the road and a cutting a stray sign in two]

Everyone was wide-eyed from the reach of the attack.

Nishimiya inhaled sharply, “Now that’s what I call an upgrade.”

“His Convergence is even faster” Kamo comments, “the added blood provided more density needed to enhance its damage potential.”

Choso [channels another one]: Piercing Blood!

[He aims the sharp torrent at Yuji, who barely dodges it, and keeps on chasing him with it, shattering most objects in vicinity.

Yuji reaches Choso and cuts him off with a punch to the forearm. Choso stumbled away from the double impact, but is left briefly impressed by it

The pink-haired boy was still gathering his breath, blood from the earlier blast still dripping down his hand. Everything around them was malfunctioning]

“Just starting off and I’ve already took a dent” Yuji said with a wince.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this…” Miwa admitted.

if Todo were honest, neither he was, a small part of him feeling more tentative “Indeed. But right now, Itadori has no choice but to adapt.”

“And while this may not be of any help now, Piercing Blood is not as fast in its later stages as it is in the beginning.” Kamo relayed, much to the surprise of the younger sorcerers who briefly forgot about Kamo’s fight against Megumi in the, but this made Choso realize a bit too late that that guy’s technically his descendant, in a way, something he internally mocks himself for overlooking due to his fixation on more pressing issues.

“Really?” said Yuji as he turned to the Kyoto third-year.

“It’s liquid, after all, extracted directly from the body, so of course it doesn’t exactly follow Cursed energy logic.” Yuta adds.

“That’s pretty neat, but do you think the other Itadori will pick on this?” Maki wonders.

“Of course I will” he stated with confidence, though when he saw all eyes on him, he recoiled a bit in embarrassment, “I mean, I’d try my best to.”

“And that’s the Itadori we all know and love!” Nobara and Panda cooed.

“Okaka.” Inumaki agreed with a thumbs-up. Keep it up.

“Don’t you worry, faith in you is an all time high!” Gojo addressed as well. “But it’s best you have it in yourself too.”

“You guys…” the teen shrunk even further. This was enough to make him and everyone else forget the tension this combat will bring out. The teachers didn’t really forget, particularly Nanami, who was viewing both the current Yuji and the one in the future.

Choso: I have one question… Did my brothers leave any final words?

The current Choso perked up apprehensively, the dormant rage he had for their future killers bubbing up slightly.

Yuji: Your brothers?

Choso [irritated]: My goodness… the two men you just killed!

Yuji is unimpressed by his future self’s obliviousness, inasmuch as it made sense, but seeing their bond and Choso’s reaction to them firsthand fueled his reaction.

Yuji [recalling Eso and Kechizu]: No, they didn’t say anything specific. But… [their last moments briefly flash by] They cried.

Seeing their demises, even for a split-second, induced a severe whiplash for the Death Painting watching. The reveal of their final moments just worsened the deep fracture that’s formed in his heart ever since he learnt about it here. It also amplified his fury, which forced him to curb it down as he clenched on the sleeves of his robe and faced the ground. He needed to see this. He has to.

Yes, he was now jam-packed with malevolent emotions, but conversely, he didn’t really feel like… unloading them. It’s not even a willful suppression at this point, and more like a voice in his head convincing him not to rush things.

But the part of him still furious for his siblings was not really in the mood to hear it. He just wanted to see them again and check on their whereabouts. He was far from comfortable being here. Hell, he still doesn’t even know why that sender manifested him here in the first place.

[Choso boiled with rage at the answer]

Choso: Eso, Kechizu… Just you watch…

[He summons up a violent flow of blood from behind]… This is your elder brother!!

Everybody’s nostrils flared, now fearful for Yuji’s safety after Choso’s rage was fully stroked. Yuji himself was… a bit less so. The reason for the half-Curse’s wrath is probably what contributed to it.

[Said blood envelopes the ceiling above Choso, which he uses it to power up a far bigger Convergence.

Yuji notices this and rushes to prevent it, tackling Choso on the ground as he slaps the blood sphere falls out of his hand and it splats on the ground.

“Eh? Didn’t know you could just… slap it away just like that” Yuji blinked.

“Blood Manipulation is not that impenetrable” Kamo stated. “There’s a reason we make sure not to expose ourselves when charging up such techniques.”

The Death Painting dodges the punch dealt towards his face, before he kicks Yuji off him unto the ground.

Yuji sees a series of blood arrows above him, which are aimed at him, and runs to evade them. Choso then drowns him in a blood wave, and proceeds to summon up all that blood into his hand and heat it up, before trying to strike him with it by tripping him up.

Kamo was not going to lie. Choso’s control over his own blood was nothing short of phenomenal, as he found himself gaping slightly the moment the Death Painting conjured so much of it from his back earlier. Because when it comes to it, he basically represents the pinnacle of the Kamo clan.

… except, that doesn’t even remotely mean he’s foolproof.

The awareness loaded the young heir with sudden euphoria, as he beat himself over for not knowing this sooner. Yet, his spirits were instantly down the moment he remembered that Yuji was on his own there, and he doesn’t have much information about them. But he remembers Mechamaru, who unfortunately, has been inactive since the last hour.

Actually, speaking of Mechamaru…

The young sorcerer barely ducks it, and the palm strike hits the nearby wall, caking it in blood. But Choso is far from over, as he grabs Yuji’s arm and manages to score a hit to his chest, sending him backwards.

As Yuji resumes, the blood on him and everywhere is once again channeled back between Choso’s palms.

All that’s left to do is for the teen to brace for another ray, both of them on a stand-off]

Yuji [sweating bullets]: Damn. He’s widened the gap again. His blood beam is too fast, I only have a 50% chance of avoiding it. It I make the wrong guess and get hit in the head, I’m done for. [Gulping, before proceeding to jump upwards] The least I can do is control the timing of the launch.

“Wait… Itadori! Tell me you’re not gonna–?!” Megumi immediately caught on it, like the rest, and confronted Yuji.

“Hey! Not like I’m him!” He frantically gestured with his arms.

“This’ll be my brother’s biggest venture yet!” in contrast, Todo was more enthusiastic.

“Venture my ass! His head’s gonna blow up like a fruit!” Nobara loudly objected.

“But isn’t this what it means to take risks?” Mai questioned her.

Nobara wearily scoffed, as Mai was far from wrong in that regard.

The adults were even less amused, with Nanami being the most worried by far. Only Gojo and Yuki seeming intrigued at Yuji’s next move, but the former’s poker face was losing its steadiness.

“I guess this will decide if you know what you’re even doing there…” he reflected.

Choso: Is he luring me to attack? I’m all in.                                                  

[As soon as Yuji’s feet touch the ground, Choso fires Piercing Blood.

Yuji ducks his head under the beam by the skin of his teeth, but still gets grazed on the bridge of his nose.

Many students flinched audibly at the scratch, though it gave away to deep relief and even a few chuckles.

“That was scary” Yuta declared.

“But man, are you a madlad!” Nobara slapped Yuji’s back rather roughly, making him choke.

“Still nothing compared to our thing in…” but was unable to finish that sentence because of a certain other presence. “… Kyoto.” he hurriedly swaps out.

“I know, right?!” Todo excitedly concurs, seemingly not noticing anything odd with the subject change.

He wastes no time running towards Choso, who adjusted his aim to target him, but doesn’t reach him]

Yuji: That’s right… the technique is only fast at the first moment. Once I dodge it, I can approach him!

“Wait, you figured it out!” Nobara exclaims.

“Good job! You worked it out yourself” Gojo applauded, “If you keep this up, not even you would believe the results!”

“Ehe, thanks, Sensei.” once again, Yuji grinned to himself at the praise.

“Hell yes he will!” Todo cheered on him.

“Maybe he’s not that hopeless after all…” Kamo and most other students thought amongst themselves in relief.

[When Yuji’s fist is close to connecting with Choso’s face…]

Choso:… Supernova.

[Three small blood globe surround Yuji, before exploding all over him.

Earlier excitement faded away as soon as he got caught off guard that way.

Choso takes one of those globes and turns it into a blade, which he uses to stab both of the other boy’s feet, making him gasp in pain.

The current Yuji is slightly wincing, frustrated at the constant hits he ate “The fuck? Only a few minutes yet I’ve yet to even land a good hit on him!”

Similarly, sorcerers began worrying whether the fight is a bit too over Yuji’s weight class after all.

But at the same time, they began analyzing the two figures on-screen, if only to kill time.

Even in such state, he slams his injured foot unto Choso, before hitting him again with his other.

However, the Death Painting recovers from the kicks and darts behind Yuji, preparing to unleash yet another attack. Yuji notices this and tries to avoid it, but it’s a bit too late as he’s blasted away.]

Choso: I was too hasty. [Creates additional spheres] The compression is not sufficient.

Yuji [clutching his wounded stomach, one of his organs exposed]: Damn, this guy… [from his persepctive, Choso is even more intimidating with his shadowed face, glowing eyes and blood clots floating around him]… is really strong!

[Suddenly, Yuji hears the voice from the Mechapod and takes it out]

Mechamaru: What’s the situation now?

“Mechamaru?!” Kamo, Nishimiya and Mai yelped.

“Muta-kun!” Miwa’s was pretty elated, holding the actual Muta’s hand besides her tight as she gazed warmly at both of them.

Utahime’s attention was rapt by the return too, a little bit of hope returning back to her as a small smile formed on her face.

The puppeteer sorcerer was broken out of his quiet from hearing his own voice after a while, though the only visible change were his eyes slightly widening.

“Sheesh, you were alive? Thought the battery already ran out” Mai said.

“… My energy won’t fade that fast” Muta finally spoke up after a lengthy pause, albeit barely above a whipser, startling Miwa and the rest of the teens. “Not even an hour passed since then. Could it be that the whole time, what I was doing…?”

Yuji: Mechamaru?! Why didn’t you…?

Mechamaru: There is something else I must do, so I need to save energy. Is it Blood Manipulation that Choso uses?

“Ah, so that’s what it…” Miwa held her chest in visible relief, but…

“Something he must do?” Utahime, Todo, Kamo and Nishimiya noticed those words and cocked their eyebrows, glancing at the silent Muta.

Yuji: You know it?

Mechamaru: Because Kamo uses the same technique.

Yuji [cartwheeling away behind a pillar to avoid Choso]: The sleepy-eyed third grader? So you…

“Sleepy-eyed…?” Kamo’s face crumpled in annoyance.                                              

“Yes, you have ‘em” his classmates frankly confirmed the description.

Mechamaru: I don’t know the weakness of this technique. Blood Manipulation is one of the highly valued techniques passed down in Kamo family. Convergence compresses and condenses the blood, leading to Piercing Blood and Blood Edge. It can be used from any distance because of the balanced power of the technique. Choso without blood loss has almost no weaknesses.

Yuji: Well, thank you for the information–

[He flinches away from a Piercing Blood that speared the billboard next to him]

Mechamaru: I don’t know his weaknesses, but I have an idea.

Yuji: What is it?                                   

Mechamaru: Go to the bathroom.

Kamo and Todo gaped, soon exchanging looks. The rest of the students, especially those closest to Kamo, noticed this, and soon, a knowing expression creeped into their faces.

Choso slowly comprehended why that traitor chose the restroom, and that put him on slight edge. It’s not like his technique would get completely neutralized there, but it’d be a lot more work to use. From what he gathered, the boy’s physical prowess was top notch, easily equal to his own, which alongside the closed space, might give him some trouble.

With emphasis on “some”.

None of that meant he would have an actual chance, though. Out there, he was giving his all as much as Yuji did, and he has the advantage of a century’s worth of experience. So, yeah, that victory was far-fetched.

Yuji: Bathroom? Why?

Mechamaru: I’ll explain later. It only has a 10% chance of success. Sorry, if it fails you’ll have to die.

“Way to be positive there” Nishimiya sarcastically noted.

“Nah, he’s just a realist” Mai countered, rightfully pointing to the multiple injuries Yuji already sustained in a short time.

“But 10% is too far off a number!” Nobara criticizes. Besides her, Yuji’s shoulders slumped from the estimation, but he dusted that uncertainty off. He had no choice ending up in that position, so he’ll accept whatever bet that comes his way.

After all, that’s probably nowhere near what they’ll go up against.

Yuji: Come on now…

Mechamaru: Dragging out will only make it worse. You’ll get killed by him anyway

“YOU’RE NOT EVEN BEING REMOTELY ENCOURAGING!!” but Mechamaru himself was not being terribly accommodating, something Yuji loudly protested, even though he couldn’t help but feel his point.

“The other me is actually being too generous with the facts, if anything” Muta calmly points out.

“That’s still not a way to support someone in such a struggle. Why can’t you be more like Todo?” Panda implored.

All Kyoto, and some Tokyo students, shot the Cursed Corpse a deadpan glare.

“Mentaiko” Inumaki huffed. Why are you like this?

[He couldn’t even finish as one of those blood rays reached Yuji and hit the wall behind him. He tries to escape, but Choso unloads far more rays in his way, such as crumbling the ceiling above the boy, but he makes it out and rushes to the nearby corridor]

Choso: Idiot. There’s only a restroom and an escalator. [Walking to where Yuji has headed, Convergence still active] I’ll catch you, no matter where you run off to.

[Suddenly, he hears a crashing noise from there]

Choso: What’s that sound? He defeated my brothers, an idiot can never do that. Then what could the sound be? He’s definitely up to something in there. [Crushes one of the spheres in impatience as he hears something else]

Mechamaru: What? Aren’t you coming over? You are such a coward, just like your little brothers.

Everybody grimaced, while Yuji, Yuta and Miwa were downright horrified at the callous delivery. Yes, it was necessary, and no different than any trash talk, but damn if it didn’t leave a bad taste in everybody’s mouths, especially Yuji and Nobara’s. Eso and Kechizu were the farthest from what they were described as.

“You didn’t need to be this harsh, Muta-kun!” Miwa objected.

Muta avoided her gaze, feeling bad about this too on some level, but he didn’t like directly confronting Miwa.

Then there’s Choso, who fumed intensely at the words, teeth clenched as he forced himself to stay put lest he pounces on the culprit several seats away from him. 

Choso [immediately dashes over, riled up from the trash talk]: I’ll kill you!

Mechamaru: You are all the same. All three of you share such brotherly love…

The adults found themselves bitterly acknowledging the effectiveness of such tactic. Utahime especially wore a deep frown on her face. Muta definitely had to learn from completely different sources.

[When Choso finds the bathroom, it’s completely totaled, with water sprinkling everywhere] so it’s easy to manipulate you.

But the sight restores a bit of life in the viewers, hoping that this disadvantage would turn this battle around.

However, when future Choso located the Mechamaru pod, the latter’s classmates and teachers were alarmed.

“He found you!”

[He destroys the Mechamaru device with Piercing Blood in one shot as soon as he locates it…

“NO!!!” Miwa shrieks.

“It’s okay. This is only one of hundreds” he reassured.

“B-but…” even if so, she and the rest of Kyoto faculty had no way of knowing about the other puppets.

Only for Yuji to come up from behind]

“That was the true catch all along” Yuki surmised.

“Really…?” Yuji, however, was rather upset at seeing the pod get destroyed, even if it’s replaceable. Regardless of everything, Muta did help them through the whole incident to atone, even risking a second death for them.

Mechamaru: So far, everything has gone well. Now you have to take a gamble, Yuji Itadori!

[With an energy-infused fist, Yuji punches out Choso, but the latter is completely unaffected, crushing a piece of debris that fell in his hand]

Choso: What a pity. That was your last chance. Now you’re the one with no escape.

[However, his multiple Convergence spheres imploded upon coming into contact with the water, much to Choso’s shock. It turns out not even Blood Manipulation is immune to clotting, which is better controlled to enhance the technique, [osmotic pressure, red blood cells swell and cell membranes rupture, so he can’t control blood with less than 50% red cells]

“Nice!” Nobara smirked.

“Figured as much” Kamo expressed.

“Uh, Kamo-senpai” Yuji addressed the young heir from Kyoto, “I hope you guys don’t jump me for this, but… how did that happen?”

The rest stared at him half-lidded, making poor Yuji balk. “I mean, I know it’s got something to do with water weakening it, but what’s more?”

“When water comes into contact with blood, the cell membranes swell and explode from the resultant osmotic pressure” he clarifies.

“Osmotic pressure?” Nobara repeated.

“Diffusion of molecules” Nanami answered, “in this case, it’s dissemination of red blood cells, which weakens the essence of blood.”

“Oh.” the two first-years concur as they resume their positions. Strangely, Megumi didn’t feel the need to give them an earful. And neither did Gojo, for that matter.

Yuji [marching forwards]: Mechamaru was right. Now Choso can’t control the blood outside his body. [This is showcased by his various techniques dissolving. Choso was left silent at this development, trying to find another compromise…]

Choso: Flowing Red Scale… Stack. [He was left with no other choice but to complete Blood Manipulation inside his body]

“That might’ve taken only half of his arsenal, though” Kamo skeptically thought. It might’ve been a good strategy on paper, but Choso is more on the know of various ways to employ their ancestral technique. From the looks on the teachers and guests, it appears even they’re still stressed.

“Itadori’s other self mustn’t get too cocky, this won’t be the end by a long shot” Megumi informed.

“Oh I know.” he concurs.                                     

Yuji: I don’t figure it out. I didn’t have time to ask him either, but I’m sure about one thing… I have the control here now.

[Both of them face one another in fighting stances, as the restroom is close to becoming overflooded.

Soon enough, Yuji makes the first move, kicking off the manhole on the ground at Choso to disorient him, before rushing him with a kick. Choso’s counterattack throws him off balance for a bit, with the former scoring a couple good hits. Yet, Yuji manages to duck above, before propelling himself downwards, only to get grabbed by the face and tossed away.

In response, Yuji flips over away to maintain some distance, and when Choso reaches him, they exchange several blows. In one of them, Choso tries to tackle the boy by the collar, only for Yuji to bite down his hand and headbutt him as well. In the Death Painting’s attempt to hit him, Yuji surprises him from behind with a powered kick straight to his face.]

Many sorcerers thought of how incredible his performance looked. Something about the boy’s feats made him seem even more remarkable. It might’ve been the additional pressure put on him (i.e his debilitating wounds and the environment around him) compared to other fights, but it’s the same strain that planted  seeds of concern within them.

“Can he even dish any lasting, grievous damage at this point?” Geto mused cynically.

Yuji: I can win.

[Only for Choso to deliver a Blood Asteroid through the sleeve of his robes, which perforated through Yuji’s liver. It’s revealed that he actually compressed the blood in his body to the maximum to avoid contact with water, and with Cursed energy, he can still make use of it]

Everyone gasped in panic.

“ITADORI!!” most of his classmates, especially Nobara and Todo, screamed.

“Oh fuck no!” Yuji defeatedly wailed. Why there?! He lost focus again,

“Shit. That’s where his liver is!” Shoko hissed, horrifying the nearby adults. Nanami and Yaga clenched their jaws

“How could I have forgotten that!?” Kamo rebuked himself.

“What was that?! It didn’t seem like Piercing Blood.” Megumi questioned.

“Blood Asteroid.” Kamo responded, “It’s a small but heavy blood orb that, when fired properly, can perforate through flesh. It’s not as fast as Piercing Blood, but from what happened, you can guess what it tends to be normally used for.”

“In other words, he got hit by the equivalent of a lead bullet” Maki concludes, the corner of her mouth lifted in displeasure.

“Takanazuke.” Inumaki puts in; and in the worst possible location too.

Yuji [delirious from injury]: I was… too careless. I thought he had no other long-range attacks… Where is it? Where was I hit? This is different from the last time I got hit in the stomach… a vital part was shot… I’ll lose… I’ll die!

“Well, shit” Panda said.

“Is this it?!” Miwa barked, to the embarrassment of Nishimiya.

“Is he still gonna continue?!” Yuta fearfully presumes.

“Calm down, guys!” he shouted to them, “I’ve been through even worse, that’s not gonna drag me down!”

“Dude, you were hit in the LIVER! And how long are you even gonna last before you take him out!?” Nobara shot him down.

“Like I said… I won’t let that get in the way. You gotta trust me! Because I… I won’t let any of you down.” his voice started to break in the last part, which startled his fellow classmates, especially Megumi.

“Not Gojo-sensei, not Nanamin, not Maki-san… no one. I didn’t come so far for this to happen!”

A solid minute passed by without any word, or movement from the screen. Yuji, after realizing the surge of emotion within him, got self-conscious and retreated back in place, but while the other students tried to drag their eyes back to the TV, the teachers still stared fixedly at him

“Besides, if I do win, maybe it’s not gonna be that bad…” he let the quiet part slip through.    

As brief as his relief was, Megumi and Nobara still saw through him, their faces dulling in response.

[Though, he still stands his ground despite it]

Yuji: I understand my duty now… [images of Megumi, Nobara, Nanami, Maki, Toge, Panda, and Gojo] to enable Fushiguro, Kugisaki, Nanamin and other seniors to pass through here and get to Gojo-sensei… I have to disable him from fighting again, even if I have to die… So I understand, if I’m not the one who saves Gojo-sensei…

Viewers shot poignant looks at the currently-serene Yuji. Gojo was surprisingly moved by those thoughts, but also left rather saddened. He might’ve hedged his expectations on him to reach a level of power comparable to his own, but was far too early for the teen to deal with any of this. Starting his year in Jujutsu High and he was forced to survive against a total of three Special Grades. And wasn’t given anything in return. The worst part has got to be that regardless of how it ends, it will definitely end horribly, one way or another.

That is, if certain outside factors didn’t come into play. Now that was the thing Gojo was most concerned about a lot but decided to push aside until the result of the showdown.

“Itadori-kun…” Nanami’s countenance closed up as the same realization seeped in. Not even the optimist in him about the outcome could convince him of the possibility of reaching Yuji before he succumbs to his wounds and get him to Shoko in time.

Choso: Three times. Only three times. [he coughs on his hand and sees that a bloody tooth fell out] Except for the attacks I blocked, Itadori only hit me three times yet it’s caused such damage. Blood Asteroid is only hard, it isn’t comparable to Piercing Blood in terms of speed and power. I probably couldn’t have pierced him if I hadn’t caught him off guard.

Surprise spread through viewers, but moreso Choso. This is the first legitimate damage he actually received.

[He uses the blood to cover his arm with a solid coating]

[Blood Manipulation doesn’t usually solidify blood like Blood Asteroid, Blood Edge is only for an outline, allowing blood to circulate at high speeds and increase lethality. Blood Manipulation users aren’t usually able to extend their consciousness to all their blood vessels, but he deems the risk worth it due to his opponent]

“So it’s dangerous even for him to overextend it?” Yuta remarked.

“There’s only much anyone’s body can accomplish without the whole system breaking down in short order” Todo replied. “And A half-Curse like him is certainly more aware of his limits.”

Choso: Come on.

[He and Yuji, standing defensively, are only a few centimers away from each other, but Yuji’s hand is a bit more faltered.

Choso throws the first punch, which the other boy barely turns over backwards to avoid while handing the same. From then, it becomes a battle of attrition as they give it all to wear the other down. Choso even fires off his tooth, distracting Yuji, before using the opportunity to punch him away to the wall.

Yuki closely observed both sorcerers. Despite some comedowns then and there, Choso still came into his own and lived up to the reputation of his bloodline. But at the same time, her interest in said bloodline added to her intrigue with him, especially from what she learnt about the Cursed Womb mission. It actually seems like, with the presence of so many amazing factors in this locale, not just Choso, there’s plenty of opportunity to resume her life work.

Yuji rises again, tossing another manhole cover to divert his opponent away as he runs to change position. The two resume their blows, this time Choso getting the upper hand and forcing him on the ground because of the other’s wounds, yet he jumps out and kicks him. The tattooed man grips his foot and flings him away, before forming a blood spear and aiming it at Yuji’s eye.

“He’s not bad.” Through the whole time, Toji was nothing short of impressed at Yuji. Just a kid who was brought into this world overnight, but his level is remarkable, and while his fighting style is unrefined (which is fair enough on his part), he sniffs out stuff easily, and takes full advantage of his surroundings. However, he won’t deny not finding something off about all of this. And about him in general. He’s not as overly fixated as Geto, but when something catches his fancy in a good way, he’d like to see it pay off.

The latter manages to grab it when it was milimeters away from his left eyeball. But its prolonged exposure to water makes it dissolve anyway on both of their faces. The pink-haired sorcerer grabs the nearby handrail and double kicks Choso hard enough to break through glass.

Todo is very pleased by the display, and glad Yuji truly found his footing and embraced it. It was hard seeing him collapse on-screen several times and get broken several times, but that just made it sweeter when he wrestled through it all while still keeping his cards close to himself.

As soon as Yuji runs up to him, Choso defends himself from his fist, before firing off claws from his bloodied hand, slashing Yuji across his right shoulder. The latter barely evades the next retaliatory hit, and when Choso tries to graze him with the blood claws, they dissolve again. In the ensuring moment, the boy gets kicked down, but gets up and keeps on continues his assault, sustaining several other injuries in the process.

Nanami, Megumi and Nobara, however, continue to hold on to the hope that he at least has some sort of plan. Notably, he’s yet to whip out Black Flash or anything like that for the confrontation. This leads them to believe he’s saved it for the climax.

He’s left with no other choice but to  run behind the restroom stalls, and attack Choso from behind one of them, and force him away with a frankensteiner]

Yuji: I haven’t thrown a left-handed punch since the first one. He probably thought my left hand is useless now.

[When he gets in contact with Choso, he blocks his right hand, and gets ready to throw an enhanced hook]

So I’ll mislead him with my right hand, then punch him….

[And he does hit him. But the sound that reverberates in the air tells another story]

Shock similarly resounds across the room. Choso immediately figures the reason why, and disappointment slowly dawns on his face. Looks like it’s already checkmate. As for Yuji, dread suddenly pools into his chest.

“What was that?!” Megumi uttered.

“It sounded like…” Kamo trailed off, his face paling when he deduced it.

…

Yuji [bewildered]: What is this? The feeling of hitting him…

[Choso elbows him and hits him with the blood claw, taking off a good chunk of his right arm.

No one could even muster up the energy to shout, instead just watching Yuji get grisly mauled with horror overtaking their visages. Only a few anticipated this outcome, and just sighed in discontent.

Said teen was shaken to the core, fully knowing what’s about to follow.

“Ita… dori…” Nobara stuttered.

“No…” a surprisingly frighteend Nanami nearly bolted from his seat on instinct, while Gojo and Shoko found themselves unable to even lift a finger.

“This can’t be…” Although far from pessimistic, as there’s obviously more content from what he gathered, Gojo didn’t want to gamble on his student’s life again, not when said kid seemed so petrified in the first row.

Before finally delivering a blow to his chest, hurling Yuji to the glass wall in a coup de grace powerful enough to shatter it.

Pained winces abound in the place. However, Yuji fell silent, his mind completely tuning out the choatic, incomprehensible yells from his classmates and teachers, and the worried gazes they gave him, to the point of it feeling unreal.

Is this it? Was this the fruit of his vow to help out the sorcerers? Is this really how much he’s come?

The Death Painting turned out to have indeed coated his midsection with coagulated blood]

Choso: … Pity.

“Just as I suspected.” Yuki concluded. Viewers weren’t even shocked to see the blood coating. All signs pointed towards him using something like that, and they mostly ignored them.

When all’s said and done, the adults and most newcomers held varying opinions about Yuji’s aptitude.

There’s no denying that his strength, agility and battle intuition are nothing short of impressive, especially when taking his background and age into account.

However, he was also sort of… straight on in his approach. Impatient more like it. He didn’t rely enough on defense, and went on attacking with reckless abandon despite possible tricks up his foe’s sleeve.

Yet even then, this only increased Geto, Yuki and Choso’s misgivings about Yuji. If it took only a few months for him to go toe-to-toe with several Special Grades, there had to be something involved. Aside from the obvious.

On the other hand, Choso was rather let down by the outcome. His future quest for vengeance was sated effortlessly, and normally, he couldn’t have been more content, as unsatisfying as it proved to be. But it’s this lack of effort that ruffled his feathers the wrong way. He was thrown here to witness the future through Yuji Itadori’s eyes. That and his status meant his story would me more than that, so why does its apparent end feel so unceremonious?

Coincidentally, this is what disabuse most watchers from the likelihood of his possible demise, including, deep down, Yuji himself.

[Yuji is unconscious yet wide-eyed from the impact]

The view was pretty painful to many viewers, but especially Nobara. She didn’t miss how identical that situation was to her own “fight” against Haruta Shigemo, completely blindsided and beaten to the point of catatonia. This only exacerbated her feelings of shame, since Yuji at least went down swinging here, compared to her completely healthy and sound self.

Choso: You’re still breathing? [approaches him, contemptuously looking down, ready to do him in] Just die, go apologize to my brothers.

[Before he caves his fist in him, it cuts to a different view altogether. Amidst the shadows in a very familiar realm, there was a spectator…]

Ryomen Sukuna: Pathetic. How can you lose to such a nobody?

The audience were swiftly on guard, having recognized that locale.

As the still-catatonic Yuji faced upwards, he was met with the absolute last thing he ever wants to see in this moment. The insult caved his state of mind to new low, as if that weren’t possible, to the point of wanting to curl up.

“Ugh, him again?” Nobara’s mood instantly soured.

“It’s been a while though” Maki contested, “But does this make anyone feel weird for some reason?”

“You ain’t wrong” “Shake” Panda and Inumaki each raised a hand in approval, but Yuta felt more anxious.

“Oh well, … long time no see” an empty smile found its way to Gojo’s face as he registered the figure’s full appearance even in the shadows.

The new guests had their own expressions of astonishment, terror and building thrill upon catching a glimpse of the monster that haunted the Jujutsu society for millennia for the very first time. Everything about Sukuna, from his voice, to his look, to the context of his appearance, signalled the advent of something very big. Far beyond the capacity of anyone in this era, except perhaps Gojo.

All the information he had on the famed figure from Jujutsu world has more than paid off as Geto inspected his appearance. Despite initial dread, he quickly gained as much interest in him as his container, if not moreso. And the sensation he gave off even from a literal flatscreen was more than enough to convey his monstrous power. However, this does not bode well for the current situation.

“So that’s the King of Curses.” Yuki has never been more engrossed than now, if morbidly so. The same went for Toji, who motioned forward while digging his fingers into his pants, eyes lighting up excitement. From the looks of it, it’s possible they’re going to see him in action soon.

After a while, everyone’s brows snapped together, having quickly caught on something up.

“Why is he so calm? Itadori is literally seconds away from death” Megumi suspiciously wonders.

“Itadori can’t even give him control in that state, does he have a way out?” Todo’s mind invoked the memory of their Binding Vow, searching for anything to pick up from with it.

 [Back to the scene, Choso aimed besides Yuji’s head instead, breaking the glass behind him and letting all light in.

A look of pure horror sets on Choso’s face, marked by heavy sweat and lips and hands suddenly quievering.

The viewers’ expressions shifted to confusion when he somehow missed Yuji.

“What’s… going on?” Nishimiya slowly questioned.

“Why does he look so scared?” Yuta remarks as he narrows his eyes.

He limps away from the boy, short of breath, voice choking from inexplicable pain]

Choso was genuinely confounded by this. This never once happened him. The only time it did was when…

Wait…

“Ooookay, where is this exactly coming from?” Nobara inquired, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.

Confusion then turned to utter bewilderment.

“The hell happened to him??” Maki barked.

“Did he lose too much blood?” Miwa geniunely pondered.

“Impossible.” Kamo, Todo, Nishimiya and Mai shot that down instantly.

Choso: W-What is… happening?!

[He clutches his head with his hands, as the environment around him gets dizzy]

“Was… that Sukuna’s doing?” Megumi worriedly asks.

“That…” it came as a massive shock to everyone that even Gojo was out of his element. That’s definitely weird. It doesn’t seem like Sukuna overtook Yuji’s body, the latter still crouched over.

“He definitely saw something” Yuki firmly alleges, casting an eye towards the Death Painting on her right, whose face suddenly went pale.

Narrator: At that moment, something flooded in Choso’s mind.

“I was right?” Yuki’s eyebrows rose in slight surprise.

[A prompt with the text: non-existent memories flashes on-screen, fading away into movie films:

…

[Someone rolls spaghetti into a fork and gives it to another.

Kechizu.

Dressed in normal, human clothing.

“K-Kechizu!?” Choso intoned, awe transforming his features as he jerked from his seat. He doesn’t have any memory like that, he never even saw him dress like that!

Things started out tense enough, but now, it just seems like static has settled into the minds of everyone from the sheer amount of questions that propped up like search tabs. They quickly fell deathly silent as the scene drifted by.

“Why does this look like…?” Kamo couldn’t help but pinpoint something familiar about the screen.

“I-Isn’t that…?!” Panda pointed at Kechizu with a trembling finger.

“That dead Death Painting!?” an agitated Maki finished.

“Uhh, what the fuck is going on here?” Mai bluntly asked.

Viewers tried to come up with something, anything, to use to string up sentences, but there was still nothing but static.

Yuji was the one who gave it to him, before helping him wipe up.

Choso was completely paralyzed, so much thoughts filling his head to the point it hurt.

No…

It took him a while, but now, the answer is right in front of him.

No way.

He and the rest of the Cursed Womb experiments are bound together with a mental link. It triggers an acute reaction whenever any of them get harmed or are driven to the brink of death.

But how is it even possible!?

It went off just miliseconds from murdering Yuji, which can’t possibly be a coincidence.

Then, he…

But if it’s the case, how is one of them still alive in this period?

It was him, wasn’t it?!

A noxious dose of rage intermixed with his current freakout.

He’d still be active even in this age. There can’t be any other explanation.

Honestly. Everything about this only pointed to this singular conclusion.

Nevertheless, the sudden rush of emotions scrambled his thought process before he even tried to think about it.

Meanwhile, everyone’s brains is now close to catching fire.

Yuji’s eyes contracted immediately, his facial muscles slacking “Wha-? What is this?!”

“Itadori?” Megumi utters with a completely blank face, echoing the overwhelming response to this moment.

“How is… what the…?” Nobara nearly loses it.

He, Kechizu, Choso and Eso were together on a picnic in a lush garden, having lunch and acting like a happy family. Except for the tubes containing Cursed Womb fetuses, that is]

Jaws fell so hard, they nearly detached from their skulls. Silence set in for roughly two minutes afterwards as they fully processed what they just saw. One could swear color was washed out of the people inside the room for a brief while.

However, compared to the rest of the audience, Choso was gradually heading towards a mental breakdown, gripping his shaking body as he faces down and sees sweat form in his palms.

“Huh, that’s new.” Yuki told herself, her senses already warning of a debacle.

Many wanted to either shout just how the HELL did Itadori end up in Choso’s memory, massage their overclocked brains, or just beg (or even assault someone) for anything resembling an explanation. But before any of that could happen…

… “Isn’t that… kinda like when Todo-senpai first met Itadori-kun.” Yuta provided the million dollar reply.

Several students panicked upon recognizing the connection a bit too late (to their chagrin), but Todo was even more astounded, unable to fathom what Yuta was getting to (of course).

“Come again?” a few like Nobara, Megumi (surprisingly) and Maki were rather slow to the uptake.

After the question left the young Special Grade’s lips, it’s almost as if something went off inside his and the students’ heads, eyes peering at the stiff Yuji. Only Muta and Megumi hit the nail in the head though, but many other pieces were missing.

“You’re saying he ALSO made up a memory of Itadori just before he finished him off too!?” Panda yelled out.

“YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!” Nobara howled, the mere possibility sending her to frenzy.

“W-wait, hold on! This is too much to take…” Yuji was very startled by the implication, trying to readjust himself after having that bombshell thrown at him “WHY HIM!?? What does HE have to do with me?!”

“TODO YOU BASTARD!!” “WHAT KINDA MENTAL ILLNESS DID YOU PASS ON?!?” Maki and Nishimiya raged on the large Kyoto sorcerer, with Mai, Yuta, and Panda trying to restrain the girls, no less befuddled.

“That was NOT a disease!” Todo doubled down, unfazed by the tug war “All of it was real. And it’s the same for Choso too, which means…” but he trailed off, caught in a feeling he couldn’t comprehend.

That’s true. This seemed like a crazy coincidence, or even the start of some twisted running gag. But it was worse. And Yuji was

For Gojo, the old principle of once is a coincidence, twice is luck, and thrice is a pattern could be considered right now. But when it comes to something this unusual, it’s safe to suspect when it occurs the second time. A thought shared by his colleagues and fellow Special Grade sorcerers. Nanami, Shoko and Yaga tried to wade through the memories

From the corner of his eyes, however, Gojo could spot Geto practically glowering at the screen, as if a certain bugging mystery was put at peace. Or so it seems. He was just as lost as the rest of them, but some additional information provided more pieces for him to put together.

While the cacophony was unfolding, a certain Sorcerer Killer already slipped in for half a second and grabbed another can of sake. “Don’t get what’s really goin’ on, but this is something else.” He didn’t really follow, but what he did managed to felt way too beyond his mental reach (and seriously, what kind of power is collecting imaginary backstories??), so he might just turn his brain off and enjoy the resulting debacle.

Yuji: Come on. Have a bite, Nii-san.

“NII-SAN?!?!” Many felt the whole dilemma somehow hitting terminal velocity.

“I-Itadori’s… his brother?!” Kamo breathed out.

“NO WAY!” “KAMOME!” Nobara and Inumaki screeched.

But Gojo couldn’t take it anymore, and the period of tension and confusion culminated in him bursting out laughing “Geez, Yuji, what’s with you picking up lost relatives like Pokémons?”

“THAT’S NOT FUNNY!!” he got roared at for his trouble, especially by his students and Yaga.

“I DON’T HAVE ANY OTHER REALTIVES!!” Yuji also yelled, but despite that, he couldn’t quite convince himself, eyes flickering in anxiety. Seriously, this is just turning into a farce, akin to some kind of demented recycled script from a show. And for it to happen twice…

What is the meaning of this? What kind of power he has can induce this?

What if Todo was right, and the whole life he’s been treading before Jujutsu was a fog? But this was just ridiculous

What if he wasn’t actually the normal kid he pretended to be

Speaking of which, Choso’s own panic attack got more painful, so much that he curled up in a ball, trying to conceal his turbulence from the view of anyone in the row.

If only it didn’t prove to be useless, since Yuki took note of this already. And then, thanks to Yuki’s intrusion, Geto also did, and despite himself, he felt compelled to bring this to Gojo’s attention. And with that, the Six Eyes user, who wore an anticipatory smirk in response, passed this on to his distracted colleagues, who started to look on as well.

[He gives another spoonful to Choso, which the latter is ready to receive…              

But that memory is superimposed by Choso breaking another glass billboard]

Choso: Why did you…?

[And he walks away, still shambling]

…

No one had an idea, not even any confirmation about Yuji’s fate. And they didn’t have the time to ask about any of it. Only But for Yuji, the latest revelation drowned out everything else in his train thought.

Notably, Gojo, Shoko and Nanami actually remembered something essential, but now, something more important needs to be done to go anywhere.

“Hey.” Yuki’s soft call took Choso out of his turmoil, “Everything’s good?”

He found a bit too late that everyone can now make out clearly the terror clouding his features, which made him reflexively shrink away. Needless to say, the youngsters were taken aback by that expression, since it uncomfortably mirrored that of his future self.

“Y’know, ever since that weirdo dream sequence, you kinda started to look like shit.” Gojo leaned to face him, his eyes exposed with an accusatory look in them. “Any idea what’s that?”

The half-Curse seemed as if he didn’t, or couldn’t, hear anything at the moment. He left his place, mustering enough fortitude to take a couple of tentative steps away, slow enough so as not to alert the sorcerers around him.

“You okay? Can you even listen?” Yuki asked again, now genuinely concerned.

Gojo was the same, and it quickly spread to other sorcerers who were slowly approaching, vigilant about Choso's next move.

“Something’s going up with him” Megumi frowned suspiciously at the display unfolding, already trying to form a pattern with his hands in case.

“He better not escape again.” Nobara growled besides him. Yuji eventually noticed that the rest of the sorcerers were now a stone’s throw away from rushing Choso yet again, judging by their poses. But this time, they got the impression that the threat he posed was not the issue here. This is proven when Yuki’s attempts to get xloser the Death Painting showed him to be more avoidant than anything.

“… Who is that guy?” Yuji’s confusion transformed to curiosity as he turned to see the Death Painting. So much stuff happened lately, but this one had took the cake. And although he should’ve been shaken by the strangeness of this particular case, it only propelled him to seek to know more. The only thing occupying his mind was the persistent need for that matter to be brought to light.

To be continued

Notes:

Yep, it'll all really go downhill from there.

Thanks for reading this and following me despite the delays and having wiped out my tumblr.

And PLEASE, make sure to stop spamming "can't wait til the next chapter" comments😅 Everyone's been waiting for the Yuji vs Choso showdown, so put your money where you mouth is (I'm bad at english idioms)

Chapter 9: Fluctuations

Notes:

Hello, guys! Sorry for being so late. I made some retcons and had to rewrite the opening of the chapter in a way that'll steamline the narrative better.

WARNING: Some death flags are marked, another presence no one asked for

“Yuji, I have some final words… About your parents–“

“Stop! I don’t care”

…

Those words rang in Yuji’s ears relentlessly the closer his feet took him towards Choso. Everybody else’s limbs were itching the whole time, making sure he won’t snap up. Not that Yuji felt threatened or anything. Quite the opposite, the more he stepped forward, the more that feeling familiarity increased. It made no sense at all to him, but it definitely did to the other guy, who now gives him that look…

Despite not even knowing why that suddenly sprang up in his mind, as this situation has (seemingly) nothing to do with, that one unresolved matter still haunted Yuji’s dreams on a couple of occasions, sometimes in the form of memories he swears he lived through but can’t quite differentiate from random deja-vus. Ever since the Kyoto affair, he wanted to pretend that thing happening to Todo was typical of him, but seeing this unfold in real time really made him question that.

He was afraid to tell the Jujutsu faculty about it, but despite dismissing the “Geto” fake at first glance, that strange reverie made a comeback the moment he nodded off after the fact. Maybe the reveal of that talking brain was gross and creepy enough to imprint on his mind, but not when he suddenly remembered having seen those same stitches on someone that came to his dreams. The figure was vague at first, but as months passed, its outline became more visible. It carried him in their arms, fed him, played with him. It even spoke, but he couldn’t make out their words, and it unsettled him enough to wake up in a cold sweat.

Choso is standing face-to-face with Yuji, a bit calmer after his initial outburst, but still very fidgety and stressed out, eyes flitting everywhere, still unsure of how to convey the words that left his mouth soon after.

“So… here’s the thing…”

One thing Gojo was certain of, but had no proof to actually entertain, was the idea that maybe the incident with Yuji and the finger wasn’t really a fluke. It was common knowledge amongst Jujutsu sorcerers, though not quite Yuji himself, that he might not have been all that normal. Whether it entailed having Jujutsu or not, no one really knew. Well, Sukuna knew, but rely on that to spit anything out, especially to his much-hated host. Megumi actually confronted him about it once while discussing Yuji’s progress with taming Sukuna, the teen having been just as suspicious about the matter as he expected, but he had nothing to offer, really.

Yuki learnt a few things about the incident, namely the unique mind link Death Paintings share. It’s no surprise her eyes went straight to the boy who somehow aroused that connection. She did learn the same went for Aoi, but… that’s a different matter. However, what’s really interesting is that Sukuna’s current vessel apparently led a pretty normal life, was born in 2003 to normal parents, and knew nothing about Jujutsu, in contrast to the 200-years-old Death Paintings who were contained in wombs. Could one of his parents use Jujutsu and lived their whole life none the wiser? Did one of Yuji’s parents have the same condition as the woman who birthed the original Cursed Wombs?

“... You and I… we’re the same…” this time, in Choso’s eyes, there was an undeniable shimmer. It was the first time any sign of innocent wonder and happiness was ever sighted in him, and it threw off even Yuji. Why wouldn’t it be? Choso is reuniting with what could be his own long-lost brother, destined for a checkered fate just like him and his other siblings. There was no further questioning why he still has a family line in this era, it was now so obvious so as to feel insulting. But after all… this, he might have a chance.

Almost as if the sentence reverberated across the room, it took the eavesdroppers a while to digest it before bewilderment settled in at once.

“The same…?” Yuji repeated, his tone unusually patient despite usually hating vague statements.

Choso took a deep breath, collecting himself in case he didn’t want to break his further than this “Just like Eso, like Kechizu… we share one blood.”

Now Yuji shrunk further in the background, eyes heavily dilating “…………e-eh?”

“I-I don’t really know how to explain it… but we’re of the same nature” Choso wished it were this simple. This is so unlike him at the moment. He wasn’t one to care about stupid introductions, but there were always exceptions.

“WHA WHA!! Hold on! You sayin’ Itadori’s a Death Painting?!?” Nobara exclaims at him. The other young sorcerers were still befuddled

“H-how does that even work?” Panda choked out.

“Is this Itadori’s doing again?!” Maki accused.

“Please wait.” Yuta extended an arm at them, gesturing at them to not start another argument. However, Inumaki quickly took note of the unusually grim yet mystified expression he has on his face, which was shared by most seniors in the room, especially Gojo and Yuki, the former who decided to intervene

“Ooookay… this created a weird energy in the room today.” Gojo burred, slowly striding forwards towards the supposed brothers, “Mind explain what all that is??”

“I…” Choso was torn. Having to explain Yuji was enough pain as it is, but other sorcerers butting into their business was now getting on his nerves, his expression shifting to defensive “It doesn’t matter, because all you have to know… is that he’s my brother, and I’m his! Always have been!”

Again, color was scrubbed down the place, with the exception of the ever-so oblivious Choso. A discolored Yuji looked up at the Death Painting with a dumb face, before darting towards at the strained-looking Gojo, and darting back again towards everyone else in rapid succession.

Everyone else stared at him and then at each other, some even scratching their heads. The plot completely lost in the most baffling way possible.

“Uhhh… Where the heck did THIS come from?!” now the white-haired man was driven beyond the edge.

“Well, here I said it! I’m not expected to explain anything this private!”

Nobara had none of that and wasted no time coming up at Choso “WELL OF COURSE IT IS! HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU TWO BE RELATED WHEN YOU WERE BORN A CENTURY AGO?!?” while violently shook him like crazy

“Kugisaki PLEASE!” Megumi, of all people, had to drag her away, and as completely lost as he was, still had the responsibility to not let this turn into yet another mayhem like what happened to Toji and Choso previously.

Yuji, who thankfully snapped back to reality, was briefly let go by Choso, but didn’t leave his place, still intending on learning more.

“What in the soap opera is goin’ on here?!” Toji just mentally commentated while STILL sipping beer

“We’re in a Domain Expansion. This whole shitshow was a Domain Expansion that fucker activated and we didn’t know…” Maki would rather take a rain check again after yet another travesty.

“To think Itadori has yet another family I didn’t know of…” Todo, on the other hand, was far more suspicious and frosty about the matter, joining Nobara and Megumi in shielding him close

“Hey guys! I know this is a bad time, but… I have something to say.” Yuki took the opportunity to speak up.

“WHAT now?!” Maki reflexively shouted at the blonde, making her recoil a little, before realizing her mistake.

“I’m sorry, but, there are many layers we are missing here, and… perhaps it’d be best if we get more context later in the viewing” she proposed.

“Layers? Oh, wait… this reminds me.” a metaphorical light bulb found its way in Gojo’s head, before worming himself next to the avoidant Choso again “How come you’ve yet to spit out how does any of the stuff you said worked?”

“Yeah…” Yuji similarly whipped his face at the Death Painting, “how could we be siblings? I clearly saw you were born long ago.”

Choso tensed up heavily again, spontaneously stepping back from the pressure in front of him, which only fueled the others’ impatience.

Concluding one possible thing from his reluctance, surprise colored Yuji’s face as he pressed further “Wait a sec, don’t you–“

“–You also have no idea, don’t you?” a voice from behind them interrupted, which turned out to be Geto, wearing an impassive yet genuinely inquisitive expression.

“HUH?!”

“I mean, think about it. If Itadori was supposed to be related to the Death Painting, this would make him also related to their progenitor, the vile sorcerer Noritoshi Kamo. But the latter passed away centuries ago, so the only way this could work is if he was born from another unique human like your mother, right?”

But while the former Curse user was inquiring, Choso’s mind involuntarily transplanted the image of the person who took over his body with the head stitches unto him, which unlocked a weird sensation. Many onlookers, especially Gojo, Yaga, Shoko and the second-years, were surprised at the interest Geto showed in the topic. It was almost as if

“But, it appears the bond only works on his close family members. There aren’t any Death Paintings we know of other than them, so…” Yuki said skeptically, caressing her chin.

“You did say you have no memory of your parents whatsoever, right?” Megumi asked Yuji.

He nodded, “Gramps never really told me about their fate other than that they left before I could remember.” Hearing this, Choso’s eyes enlarged further, a new hanging thread having been seemingly found

“Didn’t you shut him down before he could divulge that?” Gojo bluntly reminded him, making him grumble. “… uh huh.”

Afterwards, minutes went by without any word being spoken, except rather than dread, it was pure awkwardness permeating the place, mixed with some uncertainty as guests realized their investigation hit a wall. At least, except for a few parties’ eyes being locked on the half-Curse, and said half-Curse never even leaving the newbie sorcerer’s personal space despite the psychological pressure he’s under. And of course, said teen sorcerer and vessel doing the same, torn between having many questions left and not knowing whether they contribute to anything. Yet nevertheless, he was oddly growing comfortable in the tattooed man’s presence.

“You know what, let’s just get on with this, we’re not gonna get any answer this way” Yaga finally lets out while marching over to the crowd, heading towards his designated seat.

“I… uh, okay. Seems you had enough.” Gojo sighed and reluctantly followed suit.

“Nah, he’s right. Ever since the Shibuya battle started, every single projection just threw one dilemma after another. It’s tiring” Shoko stated.

“This doesn’t mean we discounted the still-unsolved elephant in the room. Multiple of them, in fact.” Said Nanami, having got settled in his place.

“Of course… it’s not like we left this situation without some findings.” Yuki, who went to sit right behind Nanami this time, suddenly relayed in a hushed tone.

The white-haired man’s face exploded into a full-blown, knowing grin, “Well, thank God I ain’t the only one who functions well in a break–“

“I can hear y’all, y’know.” Toji spoke up from the right side, now with several packs of popcorns, “Some did already, in fact.”

Yuki’s face wrinkled up, mortified “Was I really that loud?”

“No kidding.” she was snarked at.

Notably, Geto was one of those who managed to form some sort of connection, as shaky as it was due to lack of evidence and Choso not providing enough. Placing himself back, he noticed from the field of his vision that Choso was no longer next to him and Toji. Clearly, he changed elsewhere.

And it’s not really rocket science where.

As the students returned as well, left with more questions than ever, they heard Megumi suddenly jump from his seat

“Wha– You!?”, the black-haired teen immediately got on guard, alerting his classmates. Yuji turned to look beside him, and found none other than Choso sitting in the same row as them.

“What the hell is he doing there!?” Questioned Nobara, but the man actively avoided meeting their faces.

“Actually, just… let him be.” The pink-haired decided hesitated, already exhausted (mentally, at that) from the conflicts that sprang up in a short while. But, most of all, he was

“You sure?” Todo quiered him, taken aback along with the rest at Yuji’s out-of-nowhere familiarity with the Death Painting (and if he were being honest, a little bit threatened).

“He’s been pretty on edge so far, so it’s best to not bother him further.” he insisted, “Fushiguro, can we switch seats?”

Megumi wordlessly complied, moving to where Yuji sat ever since they got in the theatre.

As Yuji settled down, “There’s plenty of food in that section. If you need to, be free to pick some.” he instructed to Choso, trying to be as open as he can.

While Choso was inwardly warmed by the reception, although still seeming stoic, Yuji’s classmates were baffled, with Megumi and Nobara’s mouths still agape. Thankfully, they were just as exhausted from overthinking, and looked forward to the viewing more than any more of this.

Others were still eying him suspiciously, one in particular having already detected several things that might be of help later. Yuta, Maki, Utahime and Muta did not miss the teachers’ chat, especially Yuki Tsukumo’s cryptic warning (and Toji pointing it out). They knew it was gonna end up brought up again anyways, so they just let it be. But that didn’t mean the likes of Muta didn’t start drawing some parallels from what he heard about Yuji…

The screen was unpaused, with the scene cutting somewhere else.

[In the same locale where Yuji and Choso previously fought, Nanako and Mimiko enter the restroom]

Nanako: Found him.

Despite early, temporary serenity, Geto was immediately overcome with terror at the sight of them, flying from his bench “Nanako?! What are they doing here!?”

“Didn’t they claim to have some plan for the impostor?” a concerned Shoko recalled.

“But what do they want from Itadori-ku…?!” Yuta barked, a very bad feeling emanating from the group as he trailed off.

[They stand besides an unconscious Yuji who fell through the glass wall Choso punched earlier

Mimiko: He’s still alive, right?

“Fuck, don’t tell me they’re–?!’ Gojo harshly whispered, his rising panic immediately extending to the rest of the adults and teens, especially Nanami, who then turned to the shocked Yuji, reflexively gripping on his seat’s hold.

“No…” Geto broke into cold sweat, his heart dropping when he instantly figured out what they could possibly want from him. For nearly minutes, he was frozen in silence, ominous images assaulting his mind all the time until he couldn’t take it and barely prevented from breaking down entirely, something that Gojo witnessed and was helpless to do anything about.

Choso recognized those girls as the ones he often spotted spying on them, mainly on that man. The mere thought of him was already incensing as it is, even though he still doesn’t have much of a proof. But more importantly, if they approached Yuji specifically, this could only mean one thing.

Realization instantly hit the half-Curse as his fingers trembled. He left one of his own for the dead because of that disturbance, a fair game for anyone to take advantage of him, like those Disaster Curses.

 “I-I don’t get it, what is going on?” Nishimiya asked aloud.

Nanako: Well… let’s start.

“… they have the fingers.” Muta morbidly revealed.

Dreadful silence set in, with only thing exchanged being the viewers’ fearful glances.

 “Could his body even resist additional fingers?” Gojo, Nanami, and Todo mulled over the more insidious problem with the affair, which wasn’t really known by most other sorcerers.

“How many of them have they got in store?” this was the only coherent question that resounded in Geto’s currently turbulent head space, which forced him to get himself together and, while gathering deep breaths, put it out of mind, at least for now.

“T-that can’t… I…” the realization made Yuji’s veins ice over, the chiling presence of Sukuna making itself known all over his body and mind. However, he, as well as other sorcerers, tried to console himself by remembering the Binding Vow he made with Sukuna.

Nobara and Megumi noticed this, with the former contemplating giving him a comforting hand, but upon seeing him trying to pull himself together, breathing softly, she reluctantly decided against it.

Choso cast an anxious glance at Yuji, now somehow able to discern what’s going on in his head. He wanted nothing more than to get closer and comfort him, but he caused all this and left him in a vulnerable position to begin with, and Yuji probably still blames him for that.

Either way, as the scenery started to change, with heavy hearts, the audience was forced to put this in the backburner.

[The scene cuts to the fight in the Domain erected by Smallpox Deity. Mei Mei was suppressed under yet another gravestone as Ui Ui watches on in worry. Her crows still hovering around the area.

“Ah, I completely forget about her.” Nobara said.

Before the Special Grade Curse could proceed with finishing her off, the Chinese woman breaks through the stone and flies towards it.

Only to be trapped in yet ANOTHER coffin]

“Why do I feel like she’s been through this convo the whole time?” Nishimiya wondered.

“Well, it has been about 20 minutes since she was first sucked into the Domain.” Todo inferred.

“How can you even recall such details?” Nobara bemusedly questions him.

“I don’t think the viewing would present you with something as seemingly inconsequential as time passage and expect you not to make something out of it.” he simply responded.

“More to the point, what’s the goal behind that whole boxing process? Is that part of its Domain Expansion?” Miwa asked.

“I think that’s its own unique guaranteed hit effect” Utahime explains, “seeing how her brother and crows were unharmed, it seems to be the type to automatically trigger in the presence of a higher Cursed energy in the area.”

Mei Mei [exasperated]: So cramped. I get it now. Another giant stone buries the coffin six feet under. Step 1: restrain me in a coffin. Step 2: bury me under a giant gravestone. Step 3: Start a 3 count. And that’s as far as the Domain’s guaranteed-hit effect applies. It is a Special Grade Disease Curse…

[Mei Mei sees a vision of herself surrounded by dead people from every corner, with one of them strangling her and passing their smallpox]

If I don’t break out of this stone coffin before the count is up… I’ll contract that disease and die.

“Eeek!” Miwa was a bit spooked by the sudden imagery, while the other students gagged slightly.

“Hold on, the rash on her skin…” Megumi keenly noted, “… are those blisters?”

“And from the look of it, they seem very reminiscent of… what was its name again??” Nobara snapped her fingers trying to recall it.

“Smallpox?” Yuta offered.

She pointed behind her “That.”

“Then in this case, I assume fear of smallpox must’ve been what created this Curse.” Yuki deduced. “A rather ancient kind of fear, though.”

“But hasn’t this disease practically gone extinct in this era?” Kamo inquired.

“Not quite, especially in areas not particularly affluent.” Yaga clarifies. “Not only that, but it often mutates into different strains, keeping the fundamental rationale behind its fear factor alive and well.”

[As soon as Mei Mei breaks out of the gravestone, she grabs Ui Ui and they hide behind a stone marker. The boy being quite excited at how close they are]

Mei Mei: The real issue is that gravestone. If I eat that attack twice more, I’ll no longer be able to move, and die. [A closeup reveals that pox has already formed on her hand] I wouldn’t want to fight Geto-kun in that state. Ui Ui, are you alright?

“I’m sorry, but why is seeing Mei-san sustain any kind of damage feeling all kinds of wrong here?” Maki commented.

“Indeed. I have yet to see her taking even a small scratch” Utahime concurred.

Ui Ui: Yes, Nee-sama.

Mei Mei [eyes darting around the place]: It’s probably reflexively targeting the person with the strongest Cursed energy in its Domain. Only two crows were sucked into the Domain with me.

[When she gives away her Cursed energy to one of the crows, it gets trapped in a small coffin, before getting crushed by a tombstone. When it’s lifted three seconds later, the crow is shown to be dead]

“That poor crow…” Yuji, Nobara, Yuta and Miwa sadly lament.

“It had to happen” Megumi highlighted.

“Yeah except she now has ONE left!” Panda brings up the bigger issue.

“If anything… that’s where the fun truly starts.” Gojo mysteriously declares as he rubs his palms together.

Mei Mei: I was right? So, in order to take it down, I’ll have to shift its target to Ui Ui, so he can buy me some time to operate freely. But Ui Ui will die after taking one hit from that gravestone.

[As Ui Ui plays with the last crow, images of him dead from the Domain hit flash across the screen]

Many viewers were audibly horrified, and not just from the image…

“What the hell?!” Yuji yelled in outrage.

“Is she serious!?” Megumi spat. “That’s her FAMILY!!”

Todo tried to assure his classmates “Calm down. Besides, Ui Ui has the power to get away from this no matter how wrong it goes.”

“But she’s still willing to risk a child to a horrible fate!” Yuta insisted

“It’s not like that’s the first or last time, to be honest” Nanami gravely disclosed, which only left them mores stunned than ever.

“I mean, what part of ‘she functions on a different wavelength’ did you NOT understand?!” Mai annoyedly argued.

“Even then, it’s still uncomfortable to see it happen” an uneasy Utahime said.

Mei Mei: Ui Ui?

[He turns to her]

Mei Mei: Will you die for me?

[He seems ambivalent at first, but that dissipates quickly when he smiles softly at the request]

Ui Ui: Are you sure that’s alright? May I die for you?

Everyone was just staggered, jaws dropped.

“Man, the two sure are one half of a whole freakshow” Toji murmured.

“Are you that type to think the kid’s lucky by any means?” Gojo flatly questions him.

“Well, he seems to consider himself lucky, if it helps.”

“Just ignore him, Satoru.” Geto subtly pulled Gojo away from the other man, not really in any mood to start another stupid argument, which the Six Eyes user spontaneously complied with. Geto is not denying to fostering a conventionally healthy relationship with Nanako and Mimiko, but there was something about the Chinese siblings’ special “bond” that raised his goosebumps, even ignoring the transactional aspects.

What made it especially unsettling for certain sections of the audience, especially Mei Mei’s associates, is not quite Ui Ui’s survivability rate (they’re aware he can), but rather how they’re now forced to confront the kind of upbringing Mei Mei gave him, and how it unfolded while they watched. Sure, there weren’t many opportunities to meet the young boy himself, but despite harboring those reservations close to their chests, their lines of work and the prevailing views of Jujutsu society convinced them that it’s fruitless in the long run. After all, Mei Mei and her brother were probably the most shining example of such mentality in work.

A lot of what they learned here allowed them to see that it’s more important to live than to survive, which they were slow to fully accept, but they doubt Mei Mei would ever unlearn such lessons.

[He immediately leaves his position, and gathers Cursed energy around him.

The Smallpox diety materializes and prepares to trap him]

Ui Ui: The moment I released my Cursed energy, Nee-sama suppressed hers. I understand everything now, Nee-sama!

[And Mei Mei takes advantage of the distraction provided by him, cutting the Smallpox Deity’s arms off before it could even perceive her]

“Phew! It went better than I thought” Yuji sighs out.

“I know right?” Miwa echoed.

Mei Mei: Did you think I only brought that boy with me to carry my things?

“Honestly it makes more sense” admits Nobara.

“Ui Ui might be just a child, but there’s a reason Mei-san relies on him” Nanami does the same, albeit begrudgingly.

“How strong is he actually?” asked Megumi.

“Ui Ui’s Innate technique relies on teleporting to locations he’s marked previously, so he can easily escape whenever he can. To say nothing of his expertise in Simple Domains, even incorporating modern schools like New Shadow Style to help strengthen his technique.” Todo enlightens.

“So that’s why you guys weren’t freaked out earlier.” Yuji recognized, feeling more relieved now.

[She glances at him, still inside the box]

Ui Ui: Nee-sama’s request that I risk my life, is the signal permitting me to use my Cursed energy. [It turns out he’s a Simple Domain user, namely of the New Shadow Style]

Mei Mei: Ui Ui’s role is dealing with Domains. It goes against my principles to owe anyone anything, so I leave that aspect up to him.

“No wonder they’re such a versatile duo” Maki sardonically says, “they’re the whole-ass mafia.”

“Let’s not forget that weird stuff between them too” Panda added with a shudder.

[She looks aruond her surroundings in case of the Curse’s return as strange shadows form around the area.

And sure enough, the Smallpox Deity emerges from behind her…

But one of Mei Mei’s crows flies right through its torso at an insane speed, somehow having enough force to blast clean through the Curse.

“WHAAAAA–?!?” most youngsters freaked out.

“W-Was that the crow!?” Yuji stuttered.

“THAT TINY THING TORE THROUGH A WHOLE-ASS SPECIAL GRADE?!?” Nobara shouted.

“Dayum” Even Toji couldn’t help but let out a whistle. He’s really liking that lady now. The rest were a mix

“Mei-san’s still got it, huh” the instant-kill move will never stop being pleasing to see for Gojo, to say the least.

“But seriously what was that!?” Yuji begged.

“I think it’ll be shown soon…” Yuta confidently replied.

The woman observes her handicraft in pride]

Mei Mei: What do you think is the greatest way to boost a sorcerer’s base power?...

Ui Ui [from inside the coffin]: it’s using a Vow that puts your life on the line. [breaks out of it] Right, Nee-sama? Indeed. The crowning attack of Nee-sama’s Cursed technique, Black Bird Manipulation is Kamikaze/Bird Strike. She forces her crow to commit suicide, which in return, removes the limit on a crow’s normally feeble Cursed energy as she makes them slam into her opponent. No human is able to stop her Bird Strike, with the sole exception of Satoru Gojo.

“Huh…” mixed emotions crept into Yuji’s face as the explanation sank in. His mind recalled the Binding Vow he made with Sukuna, who’s now silent, and for a while, he thought that was all to it. But, to think its usage is far broader than that…

“Fuck. So she can actually use the hax to the fullest” Nobara surmised defeatedly.

“Wait, is that why she’s so strong?” Mai questioned, “she can spam as many Vows as she can and the worse that could happen is cutting a small part of her supply.”

“That’s only scratching the surface.” Utahime said.

[And with that, both of them exit the Domain, returning back to where they met Kenjaku.

He was already waiting for them, a draconic Cursed spirit wrapped around him]

Mei Mei: Okay, everyone. It’s the main event. [Unleashes her crows] Will you die for me?

Kenjaku: Not bad… For a modern sorcerer.

“… Modern sorcerer?” Yuta reiterated, eyes narrowing.

“That’s… an interesting choice of words” Gojo’s brows puckered while the rest picked up on it, having finally gotten the unambiguous answer.

“So he really is ancient” Yuki mused, staring down deep in thought, “but… how much is ancient in this case?”

“That’s where it gets tricky” Nanami supposed. However, the wording could be easily interpreted, but they still have to amass more proof.

“To say nothing of the stuff he probably does know and didn’t disclose…” Yuki and Geto glanced down at Choso, who in the meantime, suddenly held his breath at the impostor Geto’s appearance, but not quite knowing why.

…

10:20PM

Naobito: So Satoru Gojo has been sealed, huh? I feel like I’ve been buckwacked.

Nanami: So am I. Geto-san is involved, although he’s a fake. I imagine the trick lies here.

Naobito: I’d be happy to toast the fall of the Gojo clan.

“Oh well, congratulations sunovabitch” Maki’s jaw twitches.

“Guess the 30 years wait’s up” Toji snorted.

“Man, I knew the relationship between the clans was bad, but didn’t think it was THIS bad” Yuki chortled.

“Do you actually…?” Maki, Kamo, Megumi, Todo and even Yaga mumble in response.

Meanwhile, Gojo suddenly stifled a rather audible laugh, catching the attention of his colleagues. “I know I’m beating a dead horse in here but what’s up?” Shoko inquires.

“O-oh, it’s just something funny I remembered when I met him…” he waved off her concern. Little did the old Zen’in know what’s in store for him and the clan now that he’s out of the picture. Although Naobito would probably welcome that surprise with open arms, the least said about the rest, the better.

Maki: Go home if you’re not gonna help!

Naobito: Go home, huh? That’s what you should be doing, Maki. Right, First Grade sorcerer, Nanami-dono?

As if his attitude didn’t grate on them, Tokyo students, especially Maki’s classmates, glared at Naobito.

Nanami: Maki-san… you should do what he says in this regard. [Turning to Naobito] Have you been drinking?

Naobito [playing dumb]: No, I hafn’f been dwinking!

“The ‘most bearable Zen’in you said” Gojo eyed Utahime with an unimpressed look, making her shift uncomfortably.

Toji growled while ruffling his hair, already aggravated from hearing only a few words.

Nanami [who’s frustrated rather quickly]: I guess there’s never been a case where I was better off alone.

“True that.” students raised their hands in solidarity with Nanami, even Maki.

“I know I’m being too generous, but Zen’in-san is nowhere near as lackadaisical as he seems” Nanami said, “he’s not the head of the clan for nothing, and his record in missions he was assigned to has been nothing but stellar.”

“Not that it changes the fact that he’s STILL a shitfaced old tree” Maki scoffed, crossing her arms.

[A few minutes later, the trio reach the Meiji Shrine station, which is just as empty]

Maki: Nanami-san.

Nanami: Yes. I’ll take this one.

[The two prepare for a certain presence behind one of the pillars.

Dagon.

“Oh, it’s the octopus Curse” Panda pointed.

“The Ocean Curse, Dagon” Megumi reminded.

“Is it me, or does he look too cute and innocent for a Disaster Curse?” Miwa ponders.

“Again, stop getting distracted” Todo annoyedly scolds her.

“Yeah! Even I am picking up some bad vibes from it and you know how bad I am in that regard!” Yuji stressed out loud.

However, before they even react, Dagon disappears from view… and somehow shows up in Naobito’s hand in the form of a flat frame]

Naobito: You guys are a bit slow.

Youngsters blinked in surprise. “What happened?!” Yuji asked.

“I know that’s his Cursed technique, but is that a frame?” Nobara presumed.

“That’s right” Nanami verifies, “it’s one of the Zen’ins ancestral techniques, in fact.”

“Woah, really?! Other than Fushiguro’s Ten Shadows?”

“Yes, and long story short, it’s called Projection Sorcery, a technique inspired by cel animation” Megumi details.

“How does that work?”

“That’s all what Sensei told us, at least.” Nobara huffs.

“But hey! Isn’t it better to experience the actual thing?” he excitedly waves down, to which the trio sigh in admittance.

[With a crazed cackle, the old Zen’in punches Dagon out of the frame and straight into the pillar]

It might’ve been a Curse, but winces were still heard, with Yuji and Miwa feeling extra bad for Dagon despite recognizing how futile that sentiment was.

Maki: Did you see that?

Nanami: No. It must be his technique.

[Dagon gets all scared from the impact, and after picking himself up, manages to vomit out a long line of thousands of human bones]

The audience collectively gaped in horror, eyes completely blown wide as they instantly construed whom these bones belonged to. Surprisingly, though, Gojo was heavily affected by the sight too, his blindfold pulled down while absorbing the full ramifications of his failed mission in there.

“… Fuck” Shoko grunted..

“Are… are those the remains of the civilians from the B5F?!” Megumi choked out.

“No way! This is…” Yuji was not exactly ready to accept that all of his teacher’s efforts were for nothing. It should’ve been obvious since the people were left in the mercy of “Geto”’s group, but that just made it worse since he and Mei Mei were close to the area, no matter how worthless his contribution would be.

“… Nevermind. That’s not defenseless at all…” Miwa was inwardly disgusted at having judged too early yet again.

Naobito: How many people have you eaten?!

Dagon [helplessly crawling across the skeletal river with tears in his eyes]: Jogo… Mahito… Hanami… [the memory of the deceased Forest Curse snaps something inside it, and its fear quickly shifts to rage]… Hanami..! How dare… How dare you kill Hanami?!

The dichotomy of its helpless, fragile attitude, and its recent offense perplexed most of the viewers. Not that they, except for Yuji and Yuta on a certain extent, even wanted to feel bad. Rather, it’s its feelings about Hanami, the Curse Gojo just killed a while ago. The younger sorcerers found themselves strangely invested in the Curses’ dynamics, with Yuki also expressing newfound interest, but it appears Dagon wore his heart on his sleeve far more than Jogo when it comes to it.

[And he suddenly bursts out of his body in a beam of light]

They balked from the sudden metamorphosis, “What’s happening to him?!”

“After… that, I can only think of one possibility…” Yuta weighed in, still reeling from that scene.

Naobito: I see. No wonder you were weak… you were only a Curse Womb then.

[Dagon’s former flesh is on the ground, and at the top is a completely different-looking Curse with a properly humanoid body, summoning a globe of water atop of it. He releases it, flooding the station]

“Oh… now that’s a Special Grade.” Nobara remarked defeatedly.

“And one that fits the Ocean Curse moniker” commented Panda as well.

“But now Maki-san and Nanamin are in danger!” Yuji shouted.

Maki pursed her lips, despite understanding her (or rather her future self’s) task, there were some doubts to be cleared. Even though she received the First Grade promotion at that point, can her abilities truly stack up to those of a fully-realized Special Grade? That was one level ahead of her, and although Mei Mei vanquished one, she actually had a technique and an assistant backing her up. Maki was still relatively young, and despite respecting Nanami, didn’t like the idea of him having to constantly shield her.

Nanami was even more guarded. His chances alongside Naobito might be higher, but he and everyone else still have zero idea what his future self is going up against, aside from the basics. And Dagon is only the first of many adversaries they have to trespass, with far worse awaiting, alongside the current wild card.

Speaking of a wild card, Toji takes notice of the short once-over Nanami casted over him in the meantime. He exhaled noisily; no, he did not forget the other factor in this mission, but what will come of it

Maki [nearly overtaken by the wave, she penetrates the nearby pillar with her spear to stand on it and avoid the water]: What… Water?! And such a vast amount of it!

Naobito [who contains all the water inside multiple frames]: Cursed spirit, do you know how many frames there are in one second of animation?

“Euh?” “He trapped all of it in a single thin frame?” Yuji and Miwa tilted their heads downwards.

“That’s some toon shit.” Nobara expressed

“But I kinda like it.” the pink-haired teen chirped.

Dagon: It’s not Cursed spirit, it’s Dagon!

Viewers were startled at the Ocean Curse’s pristine vocabulary, a reminder of the power it now wields.

Naobito: There’s a modern tendency to raise resolutions and frame rates–

Dagon: There’s Hanami, Jogo, and Mahito too!

Naobito:–Upscaling to 4K, and 60fps frame interpolation–

Dagon: We all…

Naobito:–They don’t cause anyone any trouble when it’s done for personal use, so that’s fine. However, modern TVs have their damn frame interpolation set to “on” by default. It’s not like unwanted favor has become a dead phrase already! Nothing is more lamentable than that! Creating that soap opera effect–

Knowing Naobito’s favourite wall of text is incoming, Maki, Mai and especially Toji groaned at full volume, “Oh God, anything but that!”

“Hey!” Gojo bellowed at Toji’s loud noise, while Geto was struggling not to blow up at him instead.

In contrast, Megumi’s face loosened up in surprise, “Didn’t know he was into that sorta stuff.”

“It is one of their inherited techniques, so it’s not too strange” Yaga said.

“Wait, Projection Sorcery is an innate Zen’in technique passed down for centuries, right? Then…” Yuta said, “How was it before the TV was even invented?”

“ ‘Cuz it didn’t exist back in the day” Toji nonchalantly answers that for him, astonishing Yuta, but also Gojo, Geto and especially Megumi. The latter hated to admit it, but it felt like he often forgot the old man was even there with how much he blended in the crowd. It made him kind of uncomfortable aknowledging it, so to say.

“They had something else that was similar, I believe it was based on ukyo-e paintings, or something. I dunno, they don’t like sharing, and I wasn’t interested enough to know” Gojo also added.

“I can’t help but think he has a point though” Yuki says regarding Naobito’s commentary, “I mean about the animation. Older shows had more time and budget to spare with less frames, even if the results looked rough, and it had its own unique charm.”

“Unless you like powerpoint representations, that is.” Shoko objected. “Like those original anime videos."

“Nevermind…” the blonde gave up.

“Didn't take her for the nostalgic type. I never liked that recycled crap.” Yuji said about her to Nobara.

"What growing up in the 2000s does to us" she shrugged off.

Dagon: We all have names!!

“Seems not even our Curse friend there is having any of it” Shoko chuckled, whereas Yuji, Panda, Inumaki, Miwa and Nishimiya were struggling to not laugh out loud as well.

Naobito: Don’t you agree that’s unrefined?!

[As they’re about to make a move, Nanami intercepts Dagon and knocks him to the ground.

Maki similarly attacks him from behind, but he blocks her blade with one hand]

Naobito: Whoa, there!

[The Zen’in patriarch intervenes and turns Dagon into a frame, before hurling it above so that Nanami can break it to pieces. But, Dagon frees himself and blocks his sawblade, and resumes his position]

Maki inhaled sharply, stunned that Naobito of all people actually saved her ass in there. The humiliation she started feeling outweighted any relief she had.

Nanami: No damage. Or rather, it feels more like he has endless HP.

[Dagon starts walking, surrounding himself with a ring of water]

Naobito: Can ’t believe two 1^st Grades like us couldn’t exorcize it together. What dire straits.

Maki: Shit… if the old man hasn’t used his technique, I would’ve died there. This is so shameful…

“You’re being too harsh on yourself, Maki-san” Yuta placated Maki, “I know a single stroke wouldn’t kill you that easily.”

“It’s not that, it’s…” Maki pulled away from him, not entirely willing to spit it out

“Can’t blame her. Imagine owing your life to that one asshole that tried to sabotage your career” Nobara informed.

“Shake.” Shrugged Inumaki. Touché.

Even then, he, Panda and Inumaki’s concerns for her never went away.

Naobito: A defensive barrier of water, huh? Can you produce large-scale attacks at the same time too? You have too much Cursed energy. You still have several techniques left, right? So what should I do? It’s actually easy… I’ll kill you quickly. Before you can use any of your techniques!

“Is that task even close to being realistically attainable?” Nanami didn’t want to hope too much, not helped by them having no idea what’s in store, something Naobito himself pointed out.

[As Maki, Nanami and Naobito rush to attack him at once, Dagon suddenly cries something out and repels them away, before flying upwards

Naobito: Of course, you can hover up too. I’d escape from up here as well. [He sneak attacks him and delivers a couple of kicks, sending Dagon down]

Dagon: I can’t activate my technique! [gets punched from behind again, throwing him off balance until he regains it] It’s this man’s fault! [Even when defending him, he’s still vulnerable to Naobito’s devious assaults] He’s fast! Probably faster than Jogo!

“Too bad he couldn’t catch up in the end” Toji quietly sniggered to himself, still proud of the day he, uh, “pranked” Naobito and the rest of those vermin before leaving the clan.

[He’s even denied a chance to counterattack when Naobito sets off his Cursed technique]

Narrator: The Cursed technique of Naobito Zen’in. It splits one second into 24 frames from his field of view and allows him to trace the actions created in those frames at the start. While the technique is active, anyone Naobito touches with his hand must also define their actions within 1/24^th of a second. If they fail to do so, then their action hangs, and they remain frozen for one second.

[Demonstrated by Dagon being converted to a flat frame, before being kicked away again] There are risks. The actions defined cannot be edited halfway through. Creating actions that excessively ignore physics and paths of motions will result in him freezing as well.

“That’s… it’s actually pretty solid” Yuta admitted with curious eyes.

“And cool to use too!” Yuji chirped, “I mean, many techniques are cool, but this one is something else! Can you imagine manipulating your opponent with TV stuff!?”

“It only works if you’re familiar with the fear that spawned it” a deadpan Megumi fires back, as Yuji nervously chuckles in ackowledgement.

“Ten Shadows still outstrips it by a mile wide, though” casually mentioned Gojo, shocking most young listeners, which made him backtrack “or at least, that’s what they seem to think.”

“Projection Sorcery is really powerful in its own right when you know how to use it and experiment with its rules, but unfortunately, the Zen’ins are mainly preoccupied with a simple, quick game-breaking Ultimate” Yuki elaborated.

Gojo angrily scoffed, “Honestly, what to expect from them anyways?"

[Upon recovering, Dagon finally has enough and clasps all his fingers together, only for Naobito to trap him and punch him out for violating the technique’s procedure] Still with his innate sense for frame beats and time, he’s managed to become the fastest sorcerer, aside from Satoru Gojo.

“Seriously, are we gonna hear that catchphrase every single time a strong sorcerer is discussed?!” Nishimiya groused.

“I can’t help it! I broke the world record y’see!” he protested dramatically.

[Naobito, who was standing over Dagon, proceeds to tear into his flesh with his fist]

Naobito: I won’t let you!

[Only to notice the Curse’s knuckles joined together, and beneath is an imprint written on his blood.

“Is that–?!” everybody’s eyes went wide at the motion.

“Oh shit!” Maki mouthed.

The surroundings completely change overnight, with Naobito finding himself in a tropical seashore amidst a sunny summer weather. Nanami and Maki were similarly transported to this locale.

“An island?!” Nobara faltered.

“Then that’s…” Yuji’s breath was abated.

“… it expanded its Domain.” Nanami let out, a bit more distressed now that they’ve this level.

“This is NOT good.” Yuta muttered, his fear for his friends now at an all time high.

Facing them is Dagon, halfway submerged in the ocean]

Dagon: Domain Expansion, Horizon of the Captivating Skandha

“That Domain, it’s actually creepier than most others.” Miwa noted.

“I agree. It looks too… I dunno… mundane?” Kamo says.

“Yep, that. Unlike most Domain Expansions, it just gives off the feel of a peaceful vacation home.” Panda described.

[Maki and Nanami suddenly get slashed on the hip and shoulder, respectively, by ghostly pirahnas]

Maki: A Shikigami?! So this is the Domain’s guaranteed-hit attack? I didn’t notice them until they struck. No… they didn’t even exist until they hit!

“Oh man, how can they even perceive them before their hits land!?” Yuji exclaimed.

“Umeboshi Okaka” replied a tense Inumaki. It’s a battle of just strike wherever the wind blows wrong.

“Maki-san…”

“Nanamin…

Naobito [who has already disposed of one of those Shikigami, an aura enveloping his body]: Secret Art… Falling Blossom Emotion.

Narrator: An anti-Domain technique passed down among the big three clans. Like Simple Domain, the user does not activate their own Domain, and instead, the moment the Domain’s guaranteed-hit attack activates, it protects the user by countering with their own Cursed energy.

“Not gonna lie, it’s a very solid technique. Too bad only the Zen’ins know about it.” Todo commented.

“Learning it could save a lot of trouble in one of those fights” added Megumi.

[The technique warded off even a huge shark Shikigami]

Dagon: I knew that man was different from the others. I’m done testing their strength, so I’ll split my power… 70% on the mustachioed man and 30% to the man in the suit. [he clutches his hands together] Activate Technique: Death Swarm!

“HEY! WHAT ‘BOUT MAKI-SAN?!” Nobara, Panda and Inumaki were offended on their classmate’s behalf before she could even react.

“Maki-san might be close to First-Grade, but with little to no Cursed energy, it’s a wonder he doesn’t take her seriously.” Megumi dourly guessed.

“But..!!” Nobara tries to protest, but couldn’t even come up with anything as the words sink in.

Maki scowled at the offending Curse, but eventually, she lowered her gaze, seeing more fault in herself. She couldn’t even get mad at Megumi as he was entirely correct. Without her specialized tools, she has no chance of ever exorcizing it, and they’re more brittle compared to innate powers. Acknowledging this just started eating away at her confidence for the mission, but she wouldn’t let that happen.

This also striked a very unpleasant chord with Toji, which set off a newfound sense of animosity towards the octopus, expressed in him popping off his knuckles in irritation. Actually speaking of which, the girl with the Heavenly Restriction, his own cousin no less, who he never once met, does indeed seem weaker than he expected. But he quickly remembered that she’s part of twins. And from what he learnt in his time in the clan, her potential won’t go anywhere at this rate, except in one case. But, if that comes into fruition later on, he might be on the speedrun for what could possibly be the happiest day in his life.

In the interim, as if she read Maki’s mind, Mai just side-eyed her, completely pokerfaced. “… When are you close to finally noticing?”

[Right behind him emerges a horde of big, carnivorous fish]

“Great, just exactly what this fight needed: Pirahnas!” Yuji complained.

“And so much worse is in that swarm…” Megumi bit on his lip.

“Nanami…” Shoko whispered, not really meaning to, but something told her

Nanami: Maki-san, the Shikigami aren’t heading straight to us, they’ll be gouging out our flesh in the next instant! Don’t think about it! The moment you feel contact cut them down one after another! That’s the best you can manage with your scant Cursed ener–

[He’s interrupted by a giant eel trying to bite his whole body]

Maki: Nanami-san!

“NANAMIN!!”

“NANAMI-SAN!”

[And then more fish lunge at him at once.

Shouts continued even further, the terror in the room becoming more palpatable by the second, to the point Nanami had to drown out the noise.

His colleagues have now grown on edge, each having their expression of dread and concern as their eyes went towards his stiff form.

For the first time since ever, Gojo genuinely started having qualms about Nanami’s odds in thie showdown. Even if they defeat Dagon by the skin of their teeth, there are still two Special Grades to take care of, and none of the trio will be in shape for any of that. And Itadori is still out cold at the moment with two girls conspiring to awaken Sukuna with the fingers. Even the other reinforcements like other First Grades might not make the cut, since Mei Mei is going up against the impostor, a person rivalling Special Grade sorcerers is on the loose, and there are no words about the likes of Okkotsu and Tsukumo in that time.

Nanami might be very good at what he does, but he never applied himself further into the essence of what he’s practicing in the first place. He didn’t view sorcery as anything more than a means to an end, so he didn’t look further. That is definitely why he showed so little interest in ranks or even getting stronger than he already is. But this could write his potential fate in stone.

Naobito [who avoids their attacks with his anti-Domain]: The surge of Shikigami isn’t abating at all. Is it possible the technique embedded into this Domain is–

[Dagon’s fist lands straight on his face, forcing him backwards. When he tries to reactivate Falling Blossom…]

“As you ladies and gentlemen can see, Simple Domains are not substitutes for real defense, no matter what they are!” Gojo taught, hilariously uncaring about Naobito.

In Toji and Maki’s case, a dark sense of satisfaction crossed their faces when the old man finally suffered from his first injury.

Dagon [who materializes behind him, with one eel Shikigami biting his torso as well]: The sea is the source of all life.

[Maki tries to rush the Ocean Curse but is quickly overwhelmed by the swarm]

Dagon: Weak! You’re first. [kicks her away to the woods, before returning to Naobito] Death Swarm is a swarm of endlessly emerging Shikigami.

“YOU–!!” Yuta unsurprisingly raged at the monster on-screen.

“A single hit like that won’t kill me, remember?” Maki reiterated those words to Yuta as a way of reassurance, which helped him quieten down, even pinpointing the irony of it.

Unbeknownst to them, Toji was overlooking them, beginning to take some measure of interest in Maki after this.

[Another one manhandles Naobito, before a numerous amount of them bite at him simultaneously.

A certain Heavenly Restriction sorcerer, profusely bleeding from her head, gets back up and throws the spear’s shaft to the ground , intending to use just the blade]

Maki: If you’re gonna call me weak, then kill me in a single blow, octobitch.

Yuta and Panda sighed in relief, whereas Maki more or less

“Damn, Maki-san’s in full throttle!” Nobara approvingly grins.

“At least you might buy enough time for the other two to recover” Todo added.

“It’s the least she can try” Mai reflects, contemptuous yet melancholic over it all.

Dagon: Then I’ll devour you.

Maki: Shit. Just like the other two…

[A shadow wave bursts from the ocean, revealing it to be Megumi, who used his Domain to get in here]

Megumi gasped when he came to the fray on-screen, but even moreso from the entrance. His pose, and the shadow portal he blew through, it was clearly…

“FUSHIGURO?!?” his classmates screeched.

“Hold on, did you blow a HOLE in the octopus guy’s Domain?!” Kamo exclaimed.

“Oh my, you’ve finally done it, Megumi?” Gojo leans towards them.

“It… seems so” he simply replied.

“Done what?” Yuji was out of the loop, however.

Megumi: Maki-san!

Maki: Megumi?! [He throws something next to her, namely Playful Cloud, making her grin in excitement before brandishing it] Man, you truly are one hell of a cheeky underclassman!

“Yes! The cavalry’s here!” Nobara and Panda cheered.

“Tuna mayo!” Hollered Inumaki. With an escape plan too!

“Knew I’d rely on you for safekeeping” Maki compliments.

“Don’t mention it. I’m more shocked I succeeded in opening my own Domain” Megumi said, still watching over his accomplishment.

“Right? I told you that routine will eventually pay off” Gojo cheerfully told him, to Megumi’s audible exasperation.

“But, in a single Domain Expansion, won’t an additional Domain overlap over it?” Yuta suddenly brought up.

Yuji turned behind in curiosity, “How does that work?”

“Allegedly, the Domain’s hit-effect centre is destabilized when another one interrupts its foundation, forcing it to focus entirely on maintaining its grip against the other one” Nanami clarified, “and when two fire at the same time, the freshest, most overpowered one comes out at the top.”

Geto and Toji’s eyes widened when they recognized the weapon shown, the latter immediately realizing it was confiscated following his death and ended in that Zen’in girl’s hands. Whereas it seems that, despite appearing initially concerned about the weapon’s re-emergence, Toji’s mind drifted elsewhere at the sight of him.

Megumi [whose attention is set on Dagon down below]: It’s him… the octopus! He’s the source of this Domain.

Dagon: You dare infiltrate my Domain on your own? [Aiming two Shikigami at him] How foolish.

[But Maki sneaks behind him and strikes him with the nunchuck twice, the last one hard enough to send him flying towards the sea]

“WOOHOO! Even he got clapped!” applauded Miwa.

“That’s why Playful Cloud’s a national treasure!” Panda boasted.

“Oi! It’s too early for you idiots to celebrate!” Maki angrily scolded the two.

Dagon: The guaranteed-hit effect of my Domain is gone [turning to Megumi, who’s working hard to maintain his Domain] That boy is deploying his Domain. Right now, his Domain and mine are playing tug-of-war. In order to regain my guaranteed-hit effect, I’ll have to crush his Domain first… Easily done!

Gojo and Nanami glanced at Megumi a couple of times, taking note of his reticent answer earlier, before picking up the hole his future self opened through Dagon’s Domain,

[The Ocean Curse unleashes two giant eels from his belly, both of them intending on chomping him alive as he freezes in panic.

However, a timely intervention from Nanami, who splits one of the eels in two with his Ratio attack, before doing the same to the incoming one, this time horizontally. However, he’s not a very good state, having lost an eye and received multiple cuts across his body]

Viewers’ eyes brightened, relief sweeping over them.

“Nanami-san!” Nobara, Megumi, Maki, Panda grinned.

“You made it!” Yuta said, overjoyed.

“Of course he would!” Yuji confidently affirmed, “He made it out the first time!”

“Now Megumi’s got himself an additional cavalry member!” Gojo squeaked as he palmed happily Nanami’s shoulders.

But upon seeing the injuries he received, the mood went a little down, replaced with disturbed worry.

“Oh God, your eye…” Shoko croaked out, that inward apprehension returning full force. Unfortunately she wasn’t alone, as Geto’s own gut feeling told so much worse, which was distressing already on top of him still thinking about Nanako and Mimiko the entire time. Covertly biting down his thumb finger, he silently hoped it was another misfire like the first time with Ijichi.

“It’s nothing.” He reassure in his own curt manner, which really ticked off his colleagues, especially Gojo and Yaga.

However, the white-haired teacher chose to let it slide, scoffing, “I mean as much an eyepatch will look sick on you, it’d be a detriment for you down the line.”

“I’ll just stop aiming above my usual weight.” he asserted, “and by that I mean a few units below.”

“When were you this cocky?” Gojo playfully sneered, but failing to hide his concern.

Nanami: The other two?

Megumi: Ino-san tapped out, and Itadori’s acting on his own.

Nanami: I’ll protect you. Please focus on your Domain.

Dagon: That man… he endured Death Swarm for roughly a minute?

“And he still came out with so few grievous wounds at that?!” Miwa breathed in faint amazement.

“It’s Nanamin we’re talking about after all!” Yuji enthusiastically argued.

Yuji’s outgoing support for him made Nanami’s features soften compared to his rigid, troubled self minutes ago. Notably, that sensation seems to have infected Gojo, Yaga and Shoko too, as seen with their forms relaxing in response to Nanami’s own change in posture, frowns gradually leaving their faces.

After all, no matter what happens, it’s all in the future. Right? And it’s not like anything major happened yet.

[Cue Naobito emerging from behind, even more grievously wounded and missing an arm]

Dagon: The mustachioed man too!

“But him, on the other hand…” Panda said in a queasy tone, slightly disturbed at the level of damage Naobito sustained.

“Yeesh, if Nanami looks like he barely escaped a car crash, HE seems to have barely survived a paper shredder” Shoko noted.

“Which would make Nanami-san much stronger!” Nobara pridefully stated.

Only to be met with a tap to the head, “Did you forget the old man is at the twilight of his life??” Megumi interjects.

“I can’t blame y’all kids for hating on him. In fact, I’d applaud it, but think about the context in here” Gojo sternly weighed up.

As much as Maki wanted to bask in victory over the geezer’s sorry state, Gojo’s words about the future situation left her feeling rather guilty.

[As Naobito holds him up, Maki attacks from behind, but Dagon sets free two eels to devour them. Maki easily swats one aside, while Naobito stomps the other in half]

Naobito: You only took one measely right arm, but it had 71 years in it. That’s going to cost you!

[Nanami was in the process of slaying the Shikigami from the swarm]

Nanami: If this state keeps up, we have a chance. IF it keeps up.

[But Megumi was out of breath and already bleeding from his nose. He calls out to Nanami]

Yuji and Nobara’s eyes shot up, “W-what’s going on with your…?”

“I might’ve opened my Domain a few times in my attempts to crack into that of the octopus’, or having to contend with a bigger one took its toll on me.” Megumi elucidates, “If you’re aware of the body part that simulates Jujutsu, you’d realize where this is coming from.”

The concern in his friends’ eyes didn’t fade anytime soon, but Yuji calmed a little, his confidence in Megumi’s plan offsetting his worries about the consequences of such gamble. He did promise that won’t throw away his life for nothing in the future, so there might be more to it than it seems.

Megumi: The octopus currently thinks our Domains are pushing for control. But my goal is different. I’ll open a small hole in the barrier of this Domain. The hole I entered through is already sealed, so it’s harder to open one from the inside than outside, but I can open a hole small enough for someone to pass through for a few seconds.

Gojo, Nanami and Yuki, who suspected it and hoped was the case earlier, were proven correct, and it painted a small smile on the former two’s face.

“Great idea! A few seconds is enough for the rest to leave this place.” Yuta happily remarked.

“But then what about the octopus?” Miwa questions.

“If they leave, they can bring back some reinforcements from outside, like Inumaki, Kusakabe and Yaga, or perhaps even Okkotsu if it escalated” Todo continues, but as he finished, his mind wandered to the status of Kyoto High during that time, before settling on his classmate right beside Miwa.

“I doubt I could make it there in time even if I could…” Yuta murmured sadly.

“You’ll be home just fine in a couple of hours and it’ll be nothing!” Gojo tried his own hand at cheering him up.

“If there was one by that time.” Nanami corrects him with a flat tone, briefly upsetting the listeners.

That thing isn’t Gojo-sensei, it shouldn’t be able to use Domain Expansion multiple times in a day. Once we’re all out of this Domain, we win. The edge of his Domain is beneath my feet. I can tell since I touched it when I entered. I’m ready to go at any time! If the three of you jump inside…

Nanami [strictly]: None of this leaving yourself behind alone, all right?

Megumi: I’m risking my life… but I don’t intend to throw it away!

Suddenly, Yuji and Nobara tackled Megumi all of a sudden and started hugging him while crying in pride.

“THANK GOODNESS FUSHIGURO!!!” Yuji wailed.

“YOU FINALLY REACHED ENLIGHTENMENT! THANK GOD!” Nobara dramatically intoned.

“Enlighte–?! GET OFF ME!!” He tossed both of them away.

Their own teacher laughed heartily at this, and even their straitlaced classmates snickered, except for the exasperated Maki.

Nanami [who nods before turning to the fight]: YOU TWO! GATHER ‘ROUND!!

[Hearing this, Naobito and Maki immediately comply and run towards the other side, hopping on each of the frog Shikigami on water]

Dagon: They’re bolstering their defense of the boy? That just groups them up for me to–

[Unfortunately, he instantly realizes what’s happening]

Dagon: NO!!

Megumi sucked in a breath in alarm.

“HE FOUND OUT!” Maki shouted.

“Run!!” Yuji urged.

Nanami [alarmed]: He figured it out? But it’s too late… TO FUSHIGURO-KUN’S FEET!!

[However, as they head towards the hole, it suddenly opens wider, to their shock.

A pair of hands come out of it, and soon the whole body…

… revealing none other than Toji Fushiguro.

…

“Oh, it’s you.” after a nearly a minute, Gojo simply said, his apparent surprise seeming very diluted, though it carried an undercurrent of sounding just… resigned, unable to conclude what that will hold for the rest of the battle. The rest were total opposites, especially Nanami, Shoko and Geto

“HAAAAAAH?!?” but especially everyone else. Easily the most shocked were Zen’ins of the audience, hitting Megumi the hardest as he realized that his future self will end up encountering him, setting up even more complications down the line, something most others don’t know how to measure. Maki’s shock was just as lowkey as Gojo’s, being moreso curious now that her possible match ended up in a battle she was supposed to finish

“AND HOW’D HE GET IN THERE?!?” Panda angrily implored.

“WHY DOES NOTHING GO RIGHT FOR US!?” Yuji similarly complains.

“It might spice up the setting, though.” Todo smirked, none too bothered, instead being even more hyped now.

“HOW THE FUCK’S WILL FIGHTING BOTH OCTOBITCH AND KIDSHOOTER MCDEADBEAT SPICE ANYTHING?!?” Todo barely dodged a nail strike from an outraged Nobara by the skin of his teeth, or neck in this case, as it got stuck on the plush of his seat.

“Oi!!” a vein popped in Toji’s temple at the epithet, ignoring Gojo and Yuki’s involuntary chortle at it. While ruffled at first, he soon settled down and got comfortable with himself at this development, no matter his distaste for it. Because now, he’s a few feet away from his own child, a fact he now dreads because of his future dead self’s zombie condition, to say nothing of the next to zero chances the kid would recognize him anyway. And no one else has any idea what came of him after he killed his summoner, but it ain’t anything good if the darkened eyes he now sported are any indication.

Gazing down below at Megumi, he yawned, wiping his eye before turning to see a stray tear on his finger “… At least, something good might come out of it."

To be continued

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I had to beat my various under the weathers (AGAIN) to post this for y'all

Chapter 10: Fluctuations Pt.2

Notes:

Finally done! That's the last for summer catalogue. Thank you guys so much for the support!❤

WARNING: 2, no... 3, no... 5 PEOPLE ARE SACRIFICED TO THE ALTAR OF THE GEGENATOR💀

They faced an enemy that understood their language, and with their faith in their fellow First Grades indirectly conveying his intentions, the previously excluded possibility of escaping the Domain became an option once more…

“Hmm? Oh that reminds me, what’s that voice?” Yuki asked as her face lit up.

“Supposedly the narrator. It often relays stuff lost to us, often in a vague way, like say, a virtual assistant” Gojo replies, “It can also dip into our thoughts for the same purpose.”

“We think that’s the voice of the person who originally sent this message and summoned us here, but eh” Shoko says while shrugging.

“Spooky....” despite her intrigued response, Yuki was a bit internally alarmed at the thoughts part, especially when she realized she did hear everyone’s thoughts before but somehow failed to check. How did that work? What other technique was involved in crafting such thing? Is this even Jujutsu sorcery anymore? So many questions about this setup are floating by.

Overhearing this, it’s until now that Choso caught on to this. This was true. The device managed to draw a picture of what went in his mind when that connection was established, which he mentally beats himself up for neglecting. Such technique was outside the scope of traditional Jujutsu, which, added with this whole future viewing extravaganza, made the whole affair too convoluted to properly follow. But for the sake of getting his family together, he’ll have to bite.

[The scene of Toji ripping through the hole in Dagon’s Domain has resumed, emerging from the opening as a flew upwards]

It didn’t take long before the audience returned back to the matter at hand. Megumi, Nanami and Maki were the ones most awaiting for it.

“So, dying did not eventually cancel the mediumship, huh?” Utahime mused.

“Does that mean he’s now, for all intents and purpose, permanently resurrected?” Kamo worriedly implored.

Toji’s face twisted, snapping out of the mist his mind was in at seeing himself back. Despite what this prospect would mean for him, he was most definitely not pleased by it. But this also upset him. He was already disturbed at realizing he’s six feet deep, only here because of a technicality, so… why didn’t the idea of a potential second chance click within him?

Gojo and Geto were pretty mixed about this, the former moreso. Their biggest adversary of a lifetime was possibly back in this world, free to do whatever he liked, in the middle of a warzone in Shibuya on top of that, with chances of him having learnt his lesson very slim. The Six Eyes user mentally winced at the repercussions. Were he freed in that timeline, he’ll never know what’s waiting for him.

Then there’s Megumi. He wasn’t in a hurry to curse this future for somehow throwing his much-hated old man right next to him at the absolute worst time, because it was. The man wouldn’t even recognize him! But, he’s not gonna deny the unspoken fact that he actually did when he laid his eyes upon him earlier. It wasn’t a straight, obvious confirmation, but seeing his signature own expression of calm on that man’s face was more than enough.

More importantly, would he be able to identify him in there? It’s only until these sessions that he saw his face. On one hand, the similarities should tick off his future self, but on the other, he’s running exclusively on fumes, unlikely to stop so until the threat is neutralized, leaving no guarantee for what’s coming.

Not to mention considering his unique outlook on family, would Toji himself also do the same?

One who had inherited the Zen’in clan curse from birth, but one who could not completely cast off that curse, both stood in witness… to the one who casted it off all… now manifested in raw flesh… and taking action.

The ominous description filled them with all sorts of emotions, ranging from quiet dread to confusion. But one thing that was certain is that ever since they lived through Toji’s actual death, they all eventually knew what “being unable to cast off that curse” really meant. Well, except for Yuki and Choso, who were both respectively absorbed and out of his depth.

“Zen’in clan curse…?” Megumi whispered, the event of his father’s death suddenly replaying, which gave him goosebumps for some reason.

“Can confirm.” Maki grumbles, before briefly glancing at Toji, and she wasn’t surprised.

Toji’s face was set in a deep, yet conflicted scowl at the portrayal. Why wouldn’t it, when it perfectly summarized how he came undone? Not to mention a reminder of how almost everyone in here saw it unfold. Knowing this was a huge sour spot for him, especially when it came to his son, who’s now certainly viewing him in a different light.

Megumi: Who’s that?!

Maki: A… person? Is it a sorcerer??

[However, Naobito seems to have recognized something about him.

Toji blinked. He didn’t expect Naobito to still identify him after all those years. Though it soon gave away to a faint smile.

Actually, perhaps he should have, seeing what he’s done to him and his kids that day. It’s so obvious that for all that grandstanding, they can never bury down his memory.

Dagon thinks it’s another sorcerer whose help they brought.

Suddenly, however, Toji disappears in mid-air, only to manifest right in front of Maki, grabbing Playful Cloud]

“HE TOOK OFF FROM MID AIR!!?” Yuji and Nobara howled.

“How did he do that!? There’s no momentum to start from in there!” Yuta shouts out.

“Unless he created it by himself… or he just teleported.” Nishimiya reckoned.

“Am I the only one who thinks he’s not quite working like usual?” Panda notes.

“Gee, wonder why.” Toji drawled, his eyes shut in annoyance.

Shoko overheard him and went to point out “It could be that. But a while ago, you looked more lucid. But now, it’s all left your eyes, almost literally.”

“Yeah.” Utahime couldn’t help but agree, but so did her fellow sorcerers.

“Wait, what are you guys talking about?” Questions Maki.

“Just look at his eyes.” Mai demanded, which Maki belligerently does, and is left bewildered when she catches wind of it.

Maki: He’s fast! He was just in mid-air…! That’s not all either, what’s with this strength?!

When he showed up next to Maki, or more exactly, Playful Cloud, the girl got startled just like on-screen. “Wha–?!”

“Of course his first order of business is to snatch a Cursed Tool...” Gojo muttered in exasperation, “As if he weren’t already outta control.”

“They’re my personal stress balls. Ever tried that, what with your “career”?” Toji snarked.

“I don’t use them to make my life worse, or steal ‘em!” he countered. Cue Geto, Shoko, Nanami, Uthaime, and eventually almost everyone staring at him.

“Ever recall that one Rac–“ Shoko brought up.

“Yeah, that was pretty bad! Anyway, let’s continue.” Gojo interrupted her with a robotic cadence. Many were confused at the sudden vibe shift, with Tokyo and Kyoto second-years glancing at each other.

“… Aaaanyway, can Fushiguro-san take it out of Maki-san’s hands easily?” Yuji pointed at the screen, being the first to change the subject.

“Yes.” Maki, Megumi, Gojo, Todo, Kamo and Nanami blankly confirmed.

“He ended people in a second previously, nobody would settle for more.” Kamo added.

[He wrestles it out of her hard enough to throw her in the air, to Megumi’s vocal concern]

Maki furiously breathed in, hardly surprised he got the drop on her, but it didn’t detract from how genuinely taken she was with this.

“So he really is way stronger after all.” most sorcerers noted.  

Maki: I didn’t feel any Cursed energy from him… Did I lose a contest of pure strength!? Me, of all people?

[Meanwhile, the hole has already closed]

Students groaned at this, while Megumi growled at his failure, his mind heading close to blaming it on the old man.

“The icing on this fucking cake!” Yuji threw his arms.

“And even if Fushiguro could reopen his Domain, he already did it several times in a row. If it happened again, he’ll end up tearing a hole in his brain matter instead.” Shoko relayed, horrifying the rookie sorcerers.

“This is…” Yuji’s eyes quickly darted towards Megumi, more upset over the blowback than the other boy ever is.

“She’s not wrong. Even I am not immune, Reverse Cursed technique notwithstanding.” Gojo similarly informed.

“NOT EVEN YOU?!?” Yuji, Nobara, Yuta and Miwa’s eyes bugged out.

“Hey, I said I was the strongest, not that the rules don’t apply to me.” he nonchalantly cleaned out his ear.

“Also, let’s not forget that the octopus saw through us already. He won’t slack off again.” Maki said.

“Tsk. Guess only one option is left...” Nobara insinuates about Toji. “One I’d really rather do without.”

“Me too, but with his level of power, he might be able to close the gap.” Yuta says, clearly still holding Toji’s crimes against him.

Among many other things he started to recontextualize…

Nanami: Fushiguro-kun…

Megumi: It’s no good… the hole has been sealed. To make it worse, it just figured out our goals. It won’t let us open a hole as easily again.

[As Toji walks towards Dagon, Naobito observes him. Upon noticing the familiar smirk on his face, he gasped]

Naobito:… Toji!

Said exiled Zen’in’s early enthusiasm suddenly dwindled at this moment, instead, staring off at the screen for a while even after it shifted. He soon fluttered his eyes, snapping out of it. “The fuck was that?”

[A close-up on the older Fushiguro shows his eyes completely blackened as he wades inside the waters]

Many were a bit creeped out by this when they were focused upon, especially Megumi and Miwa.

Granny Ogami’s séance technique still continued after death. Her summoning of the dead should have ceased once her grandson, the vessel, ran out of Cursed energy. But there was no Cursed energy in the grandson’s soul that was overwritten by Toji Zen’in’s body and his body never expended Cursed energy, either. Her technique has lost its chance to terminate, the compounding irregularities left her technique running rampant, and Toji Zen’in was currently fighting as directed by his instincts until his vessel ultimately broke, becoming an unstoppable murder machine.

Looks of bewildered understanding abounded. While sorcerers were engrossed by the still-active technique’s mechanics, seen by Nanami, Yaga, Muta and Yuki, the questions it raised were even more concerning, especially what it meant for Toji in the long run in that future.

Seeing himself reduced to that kind of troubled the Sorcerer Killer. It must’ve been nice to break free from control a second time, but alas, he lost himself to that adrenaline and devolved to wanting to assert his existence, just like always, and will probably keep doing it until the biggest fish in the sea finds him and ends him. It’s almost like a second punishment. Makes him wonder if he received much of it in the afterlife.

“Wow… I didn’t understand a thing.” after nearly a minute, Yuji promptly announced with a poker face.

This results in face-faults from nearly all who heard him, brief flashes of anger from Megumi and Gojo, and tired facepalms from Nanami, Yaga, Geto, and Utahime. Surprisingly, Toji stifled down a chuckle at this alongside Shoko, which only intensified the above two’s frustration.

“Okay, let’s not get on Itadori’s case this time. The explanation was kinda vague. All I got was that his Heavenly Restriction allowed his soul to consume the other guy’s or something.” Nobara defended him.

“More or less” Utahime says, “But such advantage coming from Heavenly Restriction is rather unusual.”

“But what’s moreso is that his cognition was being chipped away after all.” Nanami remarked.

“Hardly surprising considering the essential rules of séance.” Yaga said.

“Then what if he does vanquish Dagon? Would he chase after the other Curses?” Yuta starts pondering. “And then… what…?”

“Shake mayo.” Inuamki taps his hand on Yuta’s shoulder. No need to rush it.

Dagon [watching]: This man… has no Cursed energy? Not worth my attention, then.

Everybody cringes horribly at this, whereas Toji snorts VERY loudly.

“Couldn’t be me…” Gojo made a face.

“Those words alone tell me everything I need to know about how this fight will end.” Geto heaved a sigh.

[His stomach rapidly expands as he releases a huge eel shikigami to attack him, but Toji obliterates it in one blow with a single swing of Playful Cloud.

…

“Yep, octobitch should count its remaining minutes now.” Nobara blurted out, awed.

“If not seconds.” Yuji admitted, but that gave out to relief “But hey, at least the tide is in our favor now.”

“Not sure how long that’ll last.” Megumi contested, his expression still slightly uneasy, but it’s not hard to guess where it came from. He knew that man was overlooking him as they spoke, and the longer he tried to ignore it, the more it ate away at the back of his mind.

“Could he possibly top his latest performance…?” Todo ponders.

And before Dagon could react, Toji runs up to Dagon, his momentum causing a shockwave around the sea, and strikes the Ocean curse in the head with the same weapon, sending him flying into said water]

His fangs were always… directed towards the strongest.

Now Gojo shared Toji’s same trepidations, before it spread to the rest of the viewers thanks to having seen them firsthand a while ago. Him running on that instinct means he won’t stop until he’s taken out every single powerful sorcerer and Curse in his vicinity.

It also meant Dagon won’t be enough for him.

“I wonder grade was he classified as back in life?” Utahime suddenly posed.

“Well, thing is–“ Gojo tried to clarify.

“–Special Grade?” but Nobara cut him off.

“Special Grade.” Maki flatly responded.

“Of course it’s Special Grade.” Shoko asserted as well.

“What else but Special Grade?” and Nishimiya.

“Takana.” no points for guessing what Inumaki said.

Not that he could blame them for that conclusion seeing as he’s been beaten rather easily as a teen, but it kind of bothered Gojo. Geto’s gradually worsening mood at the reminder besides him is cherry on top. Scoffing, he continued “I was actually gonna say there was no sorcerer registry for him despite his considerable repute. You can all guess why.”

Students immediately connected the dots and they grimace, “Oh those fucking...” Maki spelled out. Toji was aware of this too. It did allow for a lot of freedom, helped by his own partner Shiu Kong, but that fact will forever remain hilarious.

“I mean it’s kind of a theme for them, but to outright stamp out the existence of someone so overpowered can mean several things.” Yaga speculates.

“What else except being pissy about being collectively surpassed by a ‘monkey’?” Gojo air quoted.

“Does that mean he somehow beat them all?” Yuji curiously asked.

Toji honestly wishes that was what actually happened. Still, seeing others openly talking about him as if he weren’t even there irked him, and made him hesitant to contribute anything to the conversation. And even worse, Gojo knew it, as evidenced by his (super annoying) split-second glimpses.

“Pretty safe to assume.” Panda respond.

“Oh it was far worse than that.” Mai rolls her eyes.

[Then, after running after him through the waves, he caught him and repeatedly beat on him with the staff. After enough hits, Dagon conjures three pirahna shikigami, which Toji blocks with Playful Cloud. When one gets into his face, he manages to chomp down on it.

One reason this fight was so significant for onlookers is how it’s the first time Toji doesn’t fall back on his usual subterfuge, being head-on, allowing him to reveal the sum of his strength. His ability to coordinate and adapt to whatever craziness was thrown at him despite his state was nothing short of striking. Even his detractors, from Yuji, Megumi, and Yuta to Geto, couldn’t downplay it.

Dagon gets hit again, summoning dozens of pirahnas at Toji. Upon emerging from the wave, the Sorcerer Killer goes up against the swarm and blast them with the three-section staff at incredible speed, killing them with incredible efficacy, until he reaches Dagon.

Eyes nearly bugged out of their faces at the brutal precision with which he disposed of the shikigami, leaving none behind.

“W-whoa…” Yuji’s mouth fell open in awe.

“That’s about as fast as Gojo-sensei back in Shibuya station.” Megumi remarks.

“No way!” Yuji immediately objected.

“Gojo-san’s far faster! He took out a thousand transfigured person in 3 minutes!” Miwa ardently defends.

“Who’d you think would be the fastest out of them in this case?” Nobara piped up.

“Gojo has an unfair advantage with his technique, RCT and reinforcement. If it’s all taken out, we can then talk.” Todo pointed out.

Said Six Eyes user wouldn’t have been annoyed by the statement, if not when a certain assassin began breathing on his neck, “All naturals win? Who would’ve guessed?”

“That’s still two sides of the same coin.” He casually shoved him away, “We’re both freaks of nature when it comes down to it.”

“Whatever helps ya sleep at night.”

“And besides, at this point, keeping up with you won’t be much of an issue.” he self-assuredly adds.

The Curse brings out an eel from his stomach, helping block the attack from Toji. It then proceeds to transform into a long pair that encircle around the older Fushiguro’s body, before sinking him underwater, where a pack of pirahnas are waiting, AND a much, much bigger isopod.

“Shit! That’s death on all sides!” Yuji shouted.

“Doubt it.” Mai said with certainty.

“With all those feats, who knows?” Maki was just as confident, surprisingly.

Said isopod emerges above, preparing to snack on the trapped man, but he soon frees himself. And with a swing of Playful Cloud, smacks the giant shikigami away.

“HE BROKE FREE!!!” the teens screamed out.

“A-and he smacked it away just like that…” Yuji’s jaw was nearly on the floor.

“What the hell?! He didn’t show this much strength back in his previous fights!” Panda exclaimed.

“As a reanimated corpse, I doubt there are any natural limiters holding him back anymore.” Todo presumes.

“His current state also means self-preservation is hardly a concern on top of that.” Nanami added.

“So all that time…” Geto chewed over, frustration over his last encounter with the Sorcerer Killer nearly eating away at his mind. He could reduce them to mush and still manage to hold back?

And worse of all, not even seeing more to his gift.

Its fall results in a huge wave that crashes down on everyone, even Dagon. Only the Jujutsu sorcerers were protected thanks to Megumi’s Domain.

“Thank goodness for Fushiguro!” Nobara wiped the sweat off her brow.

“But man, is that a tsunami!” Yuji exclaims.

“Yeah.” Maki was, for the most part, out of breath, but a new sign of life burst from inside her, completely unlike what she felt before.

Senses working overtime to repel away any tiny infraction. Blinding speed. High, effortless leaps. Inhuman intuition. Fast adaptation. Muscles and bones harder than diamond.

This is what she’s capable of, what she can potentially achieve, had she only done something right. But no matter how hard she works, a part of her seriously refuses to entertain the possibility that she can get to that level anytime soon.

It’s also not helped by Mai four seats away occasioanlly monitoring her, which she knows so well she starts to suspect the other girl is doing it on purpose in some way.

Toji lands on the shore, and from Dagon’s point of view is blurry, showing how much he’s winded down by the pressure, to the point he doesn’t even respond in time when Toji makes his way (or rather teleports) towards him and prepares to strike him again.

He creates a water shield to prevent it, but Toji dispels it easily, before charging Dagon and hitting him several times]

“The octopus is cornered now.” Shoko said.

“Can already tell it’s gonna end soon.” Yaga notes.

“In only about…” Panda checks the time on his phone “3 minutes?!”

“That’s crazy!” Nobara shouted.

In the meantime, Choso was for the most part baffled at what his eyes witnessed. From his years of existence, he could ascertain that someone about the Heavenly Restriction user was completely disengaged from anything ever recorded. Physical enhancement can only achieve so far, but all of that was normal, and no Cursed energy was ever involved. He didn’t give his opponent any rest or let him use an opening. He was almost certain that man could go toe-to-toe with even the other Special Grade Curses, and maybe even that man–

A sudden pang flared in his head, cutting his train of thought short. This was beginning to get bothersome. Is that man truly him?

Maki [with Naobito]: Old man… who is that?

[Meanwhile, Dagon’s attempt at a counterattack fails when Toji surprises him from behind and throttles him with the staff, before using it to stomp on his head hard enough to bleed]

Naobito:… a ghost. [Maki is wide-eyed at the response]

“So, he still remembers him.” Megumi declares, noticing the haunted tone in Naobito’s delivery “but a ghost?”

“This is so unlike him it’s actually creepy.” Utahime observed, “how bad was that encounter to get him like this?”

“Nothing much, just… ahem, a brief showcase, so to say.” Toji alludes, but the shit-eating grin told away a lot.

“… Okay, should I hate the fact that I kinda wanna see it in present time?” Gojo admitted.

“Shake.” Inumaki approved. Nope, that’s neat.

“Maybe another flashback will be displayed.” Miwa hopefully suggested.

Despite their misgivings, many members were actually down for such thing, especially Maki and Mai.

Nanami: Fushiguro-kun, can you hold out a little longer?

Megumi [who was panting]:… Yes.

Nanami: I’m sorry, but we’re placing our bets on him now.

“Not like we have any other choice.” Megumi ackowledges. “Maybe if he didn’t come over, I could’ve succeeded, and we would have regrouped… but that still left the octopus free to continue its rampage. And we’d just waste more time in getting to Shoko-san. Does this mean he actually…?”

His thoughts drifted towards Toji, his features dulling at the mere idea.

[Upon dominating him, Toji then starts to rub Playful Cloud’s staffs together, causing a sharp noise that irritates all those present, especially Maki]

This translated in the theatre too, with everyone, especially Maki and Toji, sealing their ears from the noise.

“Ooooww!!” Panda mewled.

“I’d rather lose a limb than bear a second of that in current time!” Yuji squawked out.

“How’s he even doing it?! He’s literally in front of it!” Miwa protested.

“He’s already far gone enough!” Nishimiya (loudly) answered that for her.

Megumi: He’s smashing Playful Cloud against itself?

Nanami: He’s changing its shape… is he sharpening it?

“Is… he turning it into…?” Megumi soon realized.

[This is precisely the case as repeated friction hones the staff’s edges, turning them to blades]

“Now that’s a nifty additional feature I should’ve considered.” Maki impressedly comments.

“Makes the already deadly tool even more potent.” Yuta describes.

“Yeesh, the Curse is gonna become sushi meat with that!” Miwa shivered.

“Good.” Nobara affirmed.

Dagon [who barely gets back up, still bleeding and oozing a black breath]: Am I going to lose? Against a human with no Cursed energy?! No, I can feel that boy’s Domain weakening. If I can regain my guaranteed-hit effect, I can kill them all! [jumping above] I need to buy time!

Naobito [who intercepts him, landing on his back]: Of course, you can hover too, right? Do I need to say it again?

 [As Toji leaps towards him with the now-sharpened Playful Cloud, Naobito promptly kicks Dagon towards the Sorcerer Killer, and the latter manages to pierce through his head]

“Can’t believe I’m saying this, but keep it up old man!” Yuji tried half-heartedly to cheer.

“About damn time he’s done something useful.” Maki spat out.

Dagon: It’s not… OVER YET!! [His and Toji’s resistance breaks one of the staff’s sections, but Toji doesn’t relent at all.

Last Dagon sees through his bloodied eyes was Toji aiming the broken section at him… culminating in him absolutely massacring the Curse with stabs at high speeds.

When the coup de grace started, everything was replaced with stunned silence, at least, if it can be called that and not excessive overkill, at least to the softer audience members.

“Ugh…” Yuji gagged at the display. To him, anything more than five stabs was definitely overkill.

Some, like Maki, Todo, Mai and Gojo were more thrilled than grossed out.

This continues until Dagon finally gives out and dies, and as a result, his Domain Expansion dissipates. Everyone returns back to the same station they were in previously]

“… Dayum.” Nishimiya breathed out.

“Now another one’s down.” Yuta states, relief settling upon him.

“It’s over in about 7 minutes, if not even less.” Nanami estimates.

"That's... good" Gojo ambivalently said.

"Good? That's great!" Maki insisted, "we can finally move on forward!"

"But..." Shoko was more dubious however, the issue of the other man not yet resolved.

Maki: The Domain…! He previously exorcized that octopus all by himself.

[Megumi finally collapses from the strain as he bleeds harder, much to Nanami’s concern]

Toji instinctively flinched from the sight; surprisingly.

“Shit, Megumi doesn’t seem to be in any condition to fight, or even use his technique.” Maki frowns.

“I can probably easily recover from that.” Megumi claims, “Nanami-san and Zen’in are in far worse shapes than me.”

“Don’t start with that shit already!” Nobara rebuked.

Nanami: Were it not for Fushiguro-kun, we would’ve been wiped out for sure. Though problems still remain.

[Immediately, all eyes land on the still-present Toji]

Nanami: Is he an ally or not?

“Okaka.” Inuamki growls. Fuck!

“Now that the Curse’s exorcized, is he gonna duke it out with them next?” Panda questioned.

“Really doubt it.” Maki plainly replies. Everyone recognizes she’s correct. If his instincts still function the same, none of those four are anywhere close to what he views as the strongest, not even when combined.

[While Dagon is dissipating into the air, Toji slowly walks up to the sorcerers, before his sight is set on one individual.

Out of nowhere, Megumi is thrown from outside the station, not even registered what just happened as he lands on the ground]

“… Huh?” everyone flatly utters. But Megumi instantly paled at the familiar attack speed, his eyes like saucers when the reality of what happened hit him way faster than others.

 “FUSHIGURO!!?” Yuji and Nobara yelled out.

“W-what just happened?!?” Yuta stammered.

The adults were at a loss for words, but nowhere near Gojo, Nanami and especially Toji’s level. The sudden quiet only communicated the panic setting in once the reason for that became obvious. Toji was close to audibly freaking out

Megumi [frightened]: When did I get forced outside? This goes beyond just fast, he might be even worse than Sukuna! [He was faced by Toji, who stares at him vacantly]

Toji and Megumi both felt like they slammed headfirst into a jam at the moment, each torn between worrying how this situation is escalating and wanting to face one another in current time, or even WHY it even went tits up the way it did.

“Why? Why did the old man single ME out?!”

Then, what if he actually…

But that’s a reach too far. It just can’t be.

“Why Megumi of all people?!” Maki bleated.

“D-did he recognize him!?” Yuji frantically wonders.

“Unless that narration was lying, he’s said to only chase after the densest sources of energy in the area. But Fushiguro-kun is almost certainly completely drained from overclocking his Domain by this point.” Nanami points out, deeply apprehensive.

“Then he must have identified him somehow, because how else does that make sense?” Kamo said.

“… What if he targeted him for his Cursed technique?” Utahime posits, to which the viewers “it’s not out of realm of possibility that he happened to recognize his son by the technique because of which he always saw as a blessing.”

“Even if I were in a better state, it’s not even that strong.” Megumi debunks. “And the odds of him still having enough brainwaves to even sense the potential of a technique are too low.”

“What if he just, I dunno, RECOGNIZED YOU SOMEHOW?!?” Yuji simply argues.

Megumi and Toji are uncomfortable by this notion, but unable to contest the simplest answer to all of this.

Maki [who sees the action from inside]: MEGUMI!

[Unbeknownst to them, Jogo walks into the fray, approaching the disappearing remains of Dagon, before grabbing his hand]

Viewers could positively feel their panic pick up the pace as soon as Jogo appeared.

“THAT’S NOT THE FUCKING TIME!!” Nobara exploded.

“WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE VOLCANO-HEAD!?!” Yuji bursts out.

“Shit!” Gojo sputters, gritting his teeth as he struggles to hold himself in place. That feeling was bugging him for a while since Nanami started taking damage, but now it’s outright clouding his perception.

“Nanami-san, Maki-san…” a frenetic Yuta murmurs, his sight falling on the sorcerer duo, who are anxiously anticipating where this is going.

Jogo [in melancholy]: You’ve passed on, Dagon?

Naobito: Hey, hey, hey! You’re kidding me, right?!

Nanami: This one’s another level stronger… than that Cursed spirit Dagon!

Jogo: Leave the rest to me. Our souls will reincarnate, even without relying on human beings. [Dagon completely fades away] Let us meet again in the wasteland a century from now.

Having seen Jogo’s strong reaction to one of his own being brutally murdered, it wasn’t hard to guess what will befall the sorcerers in his vicinity. But no one wanted to even think about it?

Surely, they’ll be able to hold their own… right?

[Turning to the sorcerers in the area] Now, then…

[Nanami is ambushed by Jogo, who touches his waist]

Jogo: First one down.

[And Nanami is engulfed in enormous fire]

“… Nan… ami?” Shoko suddenly spoke out, her expression completely frozen, vision gradually hazing as the moment played out so slowly. Next to her, Utahime quietly gasped. Yaga took out his shades, lips quivering as he did his best to keep himself together. 

None of it was real, right?

But for now, this wasn’t the case to Gojo or Geto. But the former especially. Ever since Nanami and Maki started taking damage, his senses has been tingling, and not the good kind. But as of now, they went haywire. He was pretty confused since while Jogo is a formidable Special Grade with very lethal flames, Nanami isn’t all that helpless and could have easily reinforced himself before the blast hit. Because like, Ijichi and Ino have survived shit just as bad, so what about this one? At least, if Nanami wasn’t charred at the upper torso, which couldn’t possibly end well even if he made it out.

Geto, on the other hand, saw the image of a certain brown-haired late Jujutsu High student flash over in his head for a split second when the event resumed. However, it didn’t feel like any memory he had of him, and it certainly wasn’t a sudden phantom. Because the moment it happened, that headache from before returned.

“No…” Megumi whispers, whereas the rest of the students fell silent in horror.

“Nanami…!” Yuji choked out, his whole body shaking so hard that he couldn’t even move well anymore, falling out of his seat after trying to stand up and failing. Yes, this is the future and all, but at this moment, it crashed on him whose fault it is that it ended this way.

Witnessing this, it was at this moment Choso began to understand more about his lost brother’s own connections, and truth to be told, he could completely see himself in his shoes, in an uncertain future he’s yet to experience, allowing him to empathize with him. In spite of mind coming up with so many ways he can possibly console Yuji, he still took no further action.

“I can’t… there’s no way…” Maki was trembling in her place, she and so many others desperately comforting themselves about the reality (or lack thereof) of what they’ve seen.

Then there was Nanami himself, who stared off to the distance. Seeing himself get assaulted like this, no matter how hardened he’s become, made him suddenly shiver. This shouldn’t be really shocking; he’s practical and realistic about his chances, not suicidal, so it’d take a while. Much like Gojo, he did think there was a small chance he might tank it somehow, but that’s not the main issue here. Maki is there too, and the Jogo is now very vengeful. What would that mean for her?!

Maki: Nana–!

[But Jogo gets ahold of her too, and sets her top half on fire]

“NOOOO!!!” the next screech, from Yuta, was more pained than anything.

“MAKI-SAN!!” Yuji and Nobara helplessly yelled.

“NOT HER TOO!!” Miwa cries out, on the verge of tears.

But none of that came close to Maki’s shocked, humiliated response. Bile gathered in her throat at such pitiful defeat. She didn’t even get to throw a single punch! All ambitions of her picking up her seniors’ slack seem to have been dashed for at least now, as she hung her head low.

Jogo: Second one down.

This was quite enough for the teachers, who immediately averted their eyes, except Gojo. The white-haired man cast off an unfocused stare, amplified by the subtle glow in his eyes and closed up expression. It was one thing to potentially lose his long-time friend and colleague. His student was a whole different beast altogether. Suddenly, his eye and fingers began subtly twitching at the sight of Jogo.

Nanami was even worse in that regard, his fists clenched as terror and fury overtook his face. That same fury would soon reach the rest of the audience.

No matter how well Mai could hide it, she was genuinely as horrified as the rest of them. When a strangled noise escaped her lips, she immediately covered her mouth before anyone could catch on. All these years of wishing death on Maki might have paid off in that timeline, and it might have sucked deep down, but she wasn’t so sure, knowing her sister’s capabilties. Because if it truly were the case, then maybe she’ll make the most of it in that timeline…

[Naobito tries to escape with his speed, using Projection Sorcery to evade the Curse, but sadly(?) he gets burned from all four sides by projectile fire conjured by Jogo. When the Earth Curse walks up to Noabito after the fact, he’s completely charred]

Not that it inspired much emotion compared to the other two, especially for Maki, Mai, Toji, Megumi and Gojo, but seeing Naobito so quickly disposed of was nonetheless disturbing, especially due to their perception of him for a long time. At the very least, the Zen’in members found themselves having the last laugh at least.

Jogo: Third one down.

The air was never this suffocating ever since they got here. When the dust settled, most viewers struggled to get their lungs working right again, most especially Yuji and Gojo.

Maybe it was too early to judge. Plenty of false alarms have been raised a while now, with one unfortunate exception so far. What does their concern say about Nanami and Maki, powerful First Grade sorcerers in their own right with enhanced durability and (in Maki’s case) fast recovery?

Drawing in a sharp breath, his nerves still on fire, Panda began “O-okay… so Nanami and Maki might’ve been beaten, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves! There’s no way some fire is gonna take them down so easily right?! I mean, remember when Maki once shrugged off the oven exploding and setting the kitchen on fire in Yuta’s apartment?”

“Y-yeah… yeah. True!” Nobara started to agree, feeling some sliver of hope returning back.

“Even Ijichi-san and Ino-san made it out!” Yuta breathes out in reassurance.

“The only best course of action here is to carry on with the viewing.” Todo added, faking a smile along with the rest, but when he turned to Yuji, even that faded away.

The pink-haired boy was on some level rather slow to entertain that thought, which perplexed him. Wasn’t he the one to ensure sorcerers didn’t give up on hope for the first  time when Ijichi appears to have died? It’s not that he doesn’t believe in Nanami and Maki or anything like that.

The actual reason was becoming glaringly obvious to Choso, however.

Not only that, but some members in the room found themselves cringing. It wasn’t the sudden mood shift of it all as much as where it came from. Nanami could trace the strained smiles on the teens’ faces easily as they calmed down, and it stung him rather badly. With a soft sigh, he turned to his colleagues, whose eyes immediately darted away from him. This made him snort. That being said, Gojo, Shoko, and Yaga did eventually manage this better, unlike the kids.

“Maybe living that way could’ve spared me lots of trouble.” Geto bitterly thought to himself upon seeing both the students and his former friends’ response.

[However, the familiar scent of Ryomen Sukuna permeates the air, and Jogo is alarmed]

“What the fuck is that now?!” Nobara croaks out, honestly not wanting to deal with any more of this.

“Uhh… do you remember who came up to Itadori last time?” Kamo slowly turned to the students with a dreadful look. On cue, everyone stiffened in realization, with Yuji’s momentary relief crashing and burning as his face contorted.

Not only that, Geto’s blood froze immediately at the reminder, his change in posture so sudden and abrupt it alerted Gojo. Suddenly all early concerns well forgotten about as he exclusively fixated on Nanako and Mimiko’s whereabouts.

…

It was at this moment that Yuji could sense his own blood pumping much faster, sweat starting to pool on his skin.

Jogo: Sukuna? [stops] Wait, no it’s not… the fingers! Someone has released Sukuna’s fingers somewhere here in Shibuya!

[It cuts to the Hasaba twins feeding Yuji a pair of fingers]

Mimiko: Let’s hurry, Nanako. The fingers might draw Cursed spirits in here.

Nanako: I know. [shoving a finger inside Yuji’s mouth, which is swallowed] Please, come out, Sukuna-sama.

“It doesn’t seem like they have that many.” Yuta remarks. “Probably around three or four.”

“Is it true Sukuna would regain control back if fed more fingers than Itadori can handle? Regardless of the Vow?” Megumi asked.

“Itadori can endure taking up all 20, but that depends on the process. If we’re talking daily for each one or two fingers, it’s fine. But shoving more than 5 at once will take a toll.” Gojo grimly reponds. “Just like prescription medicine, the amount of energy in each finger must be gradually soaked up by the body.

[Jogo quickly runs over to their location, and sees Sukuna’s markings briefly materializing on Yuji’s face]

Dread swelled within the viewers, knowing full well Jogo’s plans for Yuji. Geto breaths started getting even more erratic, to the point he could feel his own internal organs move (which should be impossible). Gojo and those nearby noticed this and tightened their watch over the long-haired Curse manipulator.

“Is it somehow possible to smell a disaster coming a mile away?” Choso grimaced. A very hated thought visited him. It happened because he ran away and left Yuji alone after brutally mauling him through their fight. He had a far bigger hand in this situation going from bad to worse than anyone else, and it crushed him.

Jogo: Tch, you two! How many fingers did you feed him?!

Mimiko: I won’t tell!

Nanako [gets in front of her]: Mimiko!

Jogo: Is that so… then die!

[He blasts them with a fireball, prompting Nanako to take out her cellphone in defense, but they get hit. When it appears they’re burning, Jogo approaches Yuji]

“Wait, why’d she…?!” Yuji pointed out.

“They’ll probably make it out.” Yuta said, aware of Nanako’s Cursed technique.

“Oh yeah! That photo capture move!” Panda remembered.

Geto’s anxiety was merely delayed, however, since knows the girls will not be giving up on their mission anytime soon.

Jogo: Good, the markings haven’t disappeared. This wasn’t an unexpected turn of events, but I’ll make use of it to a great effect.

[In the present, Jogo takes out a packet containing 10 fingers, fully prepared to force-feed Yuji all of them]

Jaws went slack at how many Jogo had in disposal, while Yuji got increasingly distressed.

“That’s HOW MANY?!” Nobara shouted.

“Ten.” Todo blankly replied. “There are ten fingers in there.”

“A-and how many has he swallowed until those twins came?” Maki slowly inquires.

“… two.” Yuji let out.

Gojo now straight up rejects the idea of Yuji handling that many unless a miracle happens, amplifying his worry.

Jogo: Wake up, Sukuna…!

Kenjaku: Yuji Itadori probably wouldn’t transfer control of his body to Sukuna, even after taking in all 20 fingers. But that’s only if he spent 20 days taking one in every day. If he took in 10 at once, his body wouldn’t be able to adapt quickly enough, and control would transfer over to Sukuna, even if only temporarily.

At the possible confirmation of his return, viewers exchanged fearful looks, before eyes landed on the vessel himself, who seems close to shutting out from seeing this entirely, knowing what happened the last time he let Sukuna out. But he ultimately resolved to face the consequences of his failure in that timeline. To see what he can set right.

[A while later, Jogo finishes the process]

Jogo: Now there should be at least 15 fingers inside Itadori.

[Looking over his shoulder, the Earth Curse is shocked to see the twins suddenly emerging away from the ashes, completely unscathed as they gather in their breaths]

Geto couldn’t even feel much relief. If anything, the evidence of his suspicions coming true shot up his dark thoughts.

Jogo: You’re alive? Must have been the technique of one of them. But given how frightened they are, I doubt they can stop me that many times. Don’t waste my time!

[Except when he extends his arm… there’s none, having been chopped off all of a sudden, to the horror of the girls]

The tension gave away to a chilly quiet, all eyes snapping wide when what went down became clear. Subsequently, Yuji’s body stiffened, hands clenching on his lap as the figure returned once more.

Sukuna: I’ll give you one second… [he fully manifests in Yuji’s body, a cold glare marking a face still held by Jogo] Move.

Needless to say, the timing couldn’t have been more bad, which contributed to the even poorer (as if it were possible) reaction to his appearance by sorcerers.

Jogo [after he sprints over to the twins, all of them breaking out in cold sweat and trembling at what they’ve awakened]: This is Sukuna… strength of a different kind than Satoru Gojo… overwhelming evil! Fear that even the slightest move could lead to death!

At getting the first clear sight of Ryomen Sukuna, new viewers have their own mix of reactions.

Yuki was actually excited, taking in his more intimidating, sharp look, posture and voice compared to his host, as well as the extensive age and experience his demeanor exuded. While still concerned about how it would go down, this was her only opportunity experience the full world of Ryomen Sukuna this time at least before there were anymore chances in the new timeline.

Choso was admittedly a bit uneasy at finally seeing the King of Curses with his own eyes for the first time, even if he’s not in his original body, because it’s still the same feeling of malevolence that went down in history. He also wondered why that man thought using him was even an idea in the first place, because his senses are screaming that this era will be over and done with if he goes off script. To say nothing of the tumult his little brother’s in the midst of, despite his apparent calm.

Toji was ambivalent. A small part of him really looks forward to seeing how he stacks up compared to Sukuna, but he was in the process of brutally killing it in his head. It gave him enough trouble in his life as it is. Still, being one of the creatures that shaped Jujutsu society as it is today, it didn’t hurt to be a bit curious at least.

Nanako [holding Mimiko tighter, struggling to even respire]: Breathe… breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe!! It’s okay to breathe, right? He won’t kill us for that, right!?

Geto… really couldn’t care less. His girls and girls are what alone mattered. Because now that he’s gone Nanako and Mimiko are under the mercy of the most powerful and monstrous sorcerer of all time and he can’t do a damn thing about it! Their terror on-screen shattered his heart to pieces, to the point even breathing was becoming a chore. Upon seeing this, Gojo faced down, his old friend’s miserable state leaking into him as well.

Speaking of which, even students were dumbfounded by the twins’ reaction, because of their previous attitudes. Only Megumi intimately empathized with their feeling. This served as a huge reminder of how despite their previous interactions with Sukuna, they never happened when he overrode Yuji’s body, and thus didn’t get a good idea of what they were dealing with.

[The King of Curses slowly marches up to them, tension building up so much that there was no air left, the three perperators unable to bust a single move]

Sukuna: You hold your heads quite high.

[Nanako and Mimiko immediately kneel down, whereas Jogo does but on one knee, which costs him the top half of his head when Sukuna slashes him]

Many gasped, “W-Wha-!??”

Sukuna: Did you believe taking one knee was enough? The greatest men bow the lowest, or so it goes. I see you value your head quite lightly. [Turning to the twins] You brats, I’ll start with you. You wished to speak to me, yes? I’ll grant you a finger’s worth of audience, now speak.

A climate of terror was cultivated from that gesture alone.

“H-holy s-shit…” Miwa wheezed.

“That’s the old fossil, alright…” Nobara said in a small voice.

“All that over Volcanohead not bowing properly!? The fuck?” Maki hissed.

Yuji’s hands clenched even tighter, nails digging into his skin.

As soon as Sukuna addressed the twins, Geto instantly sat upright, laser-focused on the deal about to fold. He was still sweating up a storm, but wanted to forgo this turmoil in favor of going through it. This was already getting emotionally draining for him.

Nanako [in spite of her overwhelming fear]: B-below us, there’s a man in monk’s robes with a suture across his forehead. P-please kill him… please free Geto-sama.

Geto’s faced dulled. Regardless of how it ends, he won’t be returning. It was a true testament to the bond he cultivated with Nanako and Mimiko that they still give a damn about him even as a carcass. There aren’t many people he’d give that privilege if he were alive.

Gojo and Shoko gazed at him, faced with both reservation about that deal and curiosity about Geto’s feelings regarding his old following. What’s worse is that the former can positively feel something wrong going off in there at any moment.

[A scene back when Geto was alive plays in her mind, with the little family enjoying the bright sunny day. Geto was reading a book, Nanako was combing his hair, and Mimiko was relaxing beside them]

Nanako: Geto-sama? Who is Satoru Gojo? He’s super strong, right?

The sudden cut to such idyllic moment astounded the viewers for a bit. Those who engaged with Geto personally after his defection were blindsided by such tender moment, especially Maki, Panda and Inumaki. Kinda like those skits with the impostor and Disaster Curses. It even aroused some curiosity about Geto’s relationships with his cult within some sorcerers like Yuta. But its placement couldn’t have been more foreboding for those familiar with such scenerios, as Yuji and Miwa learnt the hard way…

Geto: Well, he was my best friend… but we had a fight and we haven’t spoken since.

“Was…” Gojo was hardly amused by that understatement. That “fight” was the latest of things to change the trajectory of his life, something he knows Geto is aware of. Shoko, on the other hand, saw ironic hilarity in that statement, having remembered the event quite differently.

However, their once best friend wasn’t even in the headspace to make note of it, and it was getting more unsettling by the second.

I love you…

I love you…

I love you…

The soft words began putting the otherwise hectic Geto under slowly, somehow relieving his palpitations. But why wouldn’t they? He’d always find himself seeking out the twins for comfort, whether he knew it or not, which they were all too happy to provide, because he gave as much in return, if not more.

No matter how bizarre their rapport actually was, there was nothing like it, and he couldn’t be more thankful at this moment.

Nanako: We’ll never forgive Satoru Gojo for killing Geto-sama, for as long as we live.

Mimiko: But we did feel that was appropriate. After all, Satoru Gojo was Geto-sama’s one and only best friend.

Said man slowly faced down, not wanting to relive that night again. Once on-screen was enough.

In that momentary calm, a small chuckle came out of Geto.

[Kenjaku, his impostor, comes into their view]

But you… you are different.

Go to hell!

We’ll make you regret this!

Nanako: We know the location of one other finger. If you kill that man for us, we’ll tell you where it is. So please…

“… Could they have found about it?” Yuta wondered, “but… there are only fifteen in there.” he turned back to Gojo in concern, who similarly glanced towards him.

Sukuna: Raise your heads.

[The girls reluctantly do as they’re told…

… only for Mimiko’s head to get cut off all of a sudden, her blood splattering on Nanako]

…

Yuji completely went limp in place, mouth falling open as his pupils shrank, almost like a drug. Suddenly, it’s as if his mind was pulled out elsewhere. Somewhere that smelled like the dead. Somewhere that smelled like…

“About time, huh?”

That voice violently jerked him out of it, and when the reality of what just happened finally dawned on him and everybody else.

That Sukuna finally killed a person in the future.

The nightmare he used to wake up from everyday has finally unfolded.

And all because he fucked up… he made Nanami and others fix his mistakes only to get them possibly killed. He didn’t achieve anything worthwhile despite his and Gojo’s statements.

Nanako [who starts shaking her sister’s body in loud anguish]: MIMIKO! MIMIKO! MIMIKO!! MIMIKO!! NOOOO!!! MIMIKO!!! NO WAY!! NO WAY!!

Getting over their shock, sorcerers immediately whipped their heads towards Yuji and especially the twins’ guardian himself, and Gojo, in his frantic hurry, couldn’t have regretted it more.

The former Curse user couldn’t properly register what even happened, just staring vacantly at the scene. But gradually, something seemed to crack inside him as his eyes snapped wide open, and suddenly his breaths came out in laborious, shallow bursts. His vision, which was blurry for quite some time, has now cleared out, showing the brutal decapitation of his adoptive child Mimiko in high definition.

“… Suguru…?” Gojo softly called.

Too bad his ears drowned out every single noise in this room.

On the other hand, Nanako's hysterical breakdown for her brutally murdered sister hit Choso something really fierce. Why wouldn't it, when they're cut from the same cloth? He didn't get much of an idea of his initial reaction to Eso and Kechizu's deaths, but it's not like he wanted to. But he could only imagine..

Sukun: Did you think a measely one or two fingers would grant you the right to order me around?

[Nanako was still screaming out Mimiko’s name]

Sukuna [frowning]: How offensive.

Almost everyone was trembling in rage and disgust, fierce glares aimed at the King of Curses. It didn’t matter if those girls were murderous Curse users themselves at this point. They’ve seen how they ended up this way. How they started out and how they emerged. 

Meanwhile, sights were set Yuji, who was almost completely unresponsive, except for his jittery form. Moreover, Nobara and Megumi noticed Choso gazing in melancholy at the boy, seeming as if he wants to comfort him, but finding this out of reach. A shift so drastic it briefly put off Nobara, but there was more pressing stuff.

Nanako [enraged]: SUKUNA!!!! DIE!! [she aims her phone camera at him]

[But the top half of her head gets torn off before she can catch him, and then the rest of her body is diced into numerous, tiny cubes.

…

“What do you mean by that?”. Nanako, Mimiko and Geto were walking down an alleyway at night after the latter splurged most of his savings on getting them takoyaki, not that he paid attention. The girls were 13.

“I know I annoyed you with this one too many times…” Geto mulled over, trying to avoid their curious gazes. A pause later, he resumes “But, you must realize how much all this…” he gestures to himself, “… will eventually cost you. In more ways than one. Do you still not regret choosing this?”

“Actually… I still don’t really care.” Nanako finally responds. She looks over Mimiko, who gave her a similar once-over, before she holds her stray hand “Because everything that pertains to us was a fluke. All that followed afterwards was a testament to this. Only you managed to give some kind of purpose to whatever we are even doing here living.”

Mimiko continues, with a determined look “We realized that ever since we came into existence, we were just going wherever the wind blew. No one even cared to look where we were headed. Only you did. I don’t care what happens, I’m beyond even thinking about that. Because we’re always one step behind you, Geto-sama. Whatever you go, whatever you do. To even think of anything else”

Though before she was even done, Geto’s mind found new ways to make the moment excruciating.

“I want to be with everyone for longer!”

“Geto-sama?”

“I want to see and do so much stuff!”

*BANG!*

Out of the blue, Geto gasped heavily for air, having returned back to the present. Or at least, the future. And what he processed next helped bring him closer to the edge. Opening his eyes, he found tears welling up from devastation.

While trying gain some semblance of control over his raging thoughts, his gaze lingered on the boy who would later contain Sukuna for very long, lots of dangerous ideas consuming him bit by bit.

Just a few miliseconds out of reach. He could get his hands on that thing and end it right then and there before anything else happens.

However, his mind was too cluttered for that. Instead, his body, which seems to have moved on its own, guided him elsewhere, where he can possibly make a difference…

“… Suguru? Suguru, Where are you going!?” demanded Gojo when he saw Geto rushing to leave the premises.

“Need to… need to get out of here…” he rattled off erratically, “I have to get them!”

“Where?! You’re dead!” Shoko came along to push him back, “What is this even gonna achieve? It’s just a damn prop–“

Only for Geto to shove away the woman, the blowback unveiling the utterly manic look in his eyes, “Where is it?!

“CUT IT OUT! You can’t go anywhere!” Gojo irately insisted, “You don’t need to do this, Suguru! When it’s over I–“

“–You’ll what? Retrieve them?”, he viciously laughed at the declaration, with it echoing inside the room “Right ahead of you, Satoru. Right.. ahead…”

Once again, the residents pulled themselves up for YET another confrontation. This really ran to the ground, but now, many don’t even have much energy left for that due to the recent reveals.

“Because… maybe… if you actually had the guts to GET RID OF ME LIKE A PROPER JUJUTSU SORCERER, NONE OF THAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!!!”

His abrupt loud tone boomed in Gojo’s ears, making him freeze with his hand still raised up as those words sank in. He was helpless in front of the next onslaught of rant, just taking all of it until the other man calmed down.

“Some ‘Strongest’ sorcerer of this era you are… never there when anything big happens. NEVER THERE!! Amanai? Kuroi? Haibara? Ijichi? NANAMI?! Why the hell is it that whenever something happens… you’re never anywhere?!”

The crowd was similarly speechless at the outburst, but most especially at the insinuation, stunning the likes of Nanami, Yuta, Maki, Megumi and even Yuji and Toji of all people. Geto might’ve been in a terrible headspace at the moment (and kinda hypocritical), but it still made them stop and wonder...

“And when you actually did… well, the results speak for themselves. So do tell, give me one reason I even think of letting you get ten feet close to—"

"–Oh get a grip already, it's a vision!" Gojo finally fires back after an extended eyeroll, catching the other man off guard "I know where you're coming from, but in all honesty... you still have a long, LONG way to come before you can complain to me about how I do things and the consequences of how YOU have raised THEM!" He pointed to the dead girls on the screen.

…

It was as if the room became haunted with how no one could bring themselves to say a thing, just gawking at Gojo and Geto, who didn’t seem to move an inch, except for the latter still in shock, trying to gather his wits back when the weight of his friend's words sank in and he realized what he just did.

His frenzied outburst eventually subsided, allowing him to perceive his current situation with more clarity. A brief feeling of humiliation arose within him as a result, and he looked away from the man facing him, heavily contrasting his earlier demeanor.

As Geto quietly retreated back to his seat, he picked on Gojo’s brief non-verbal demand for him to sort himself out, which left him more lost.

“Remember, it’s all just one possible road.”

No matter how much this situation simmered down, this one instance would cast a massive shadow over how the rest of the residents would handle what’s next.

As her disembodied hand falls, Sukuna grabs her phone]

Sukuna: Hmm, a cellphone? No, the photo function, huh? It was probably some ability to do something to whatever was pictured in the photo. [breaks it and throws it over to where Jogo was still kneeling] Boring. You’re next, Cursed spirit. What do you want?

Now, the sorcerers decided it would definitely be best to just get this over, like some sort of unorthodox mission. They lashed out far enough as it is over scenarios that had no chance of ever becoming true later on.

The more experienced members tried to loosen up a bit, aware that what’s about to come will be even worse.

Jogo:… I want… nothing.

Sukuna [puzzled]: What?

Jogo: Our objective, Sukuna, is your complete resurrection. Currently, you only have temporary freedom while Itadori struggles to adapt. I’m sure you’re the most aware of that yourself. Even if Sukuna’s healing technique is capable of healing others as well, it can’t do anything about the shape of a soul once it’s changed by Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration. It wasn’t that he didn’t forge a pact back then, it was that he couldn’t.

This was hardly news to the viewers, as they learnt about it way back during the first Mahito encounter, but that didn’t make Yuji any less saltier, what Sukuna did just now notwithstanding. In fact, he could hear that blasted laughter in his ears again somehow.

Forge a pact with Yuji Itadori before he returns! A pact to grant you perpetual authority over this body! Many of Itadori’s allies are already here, there are plenty of ways you could do it.

Everybody glowered, but Yuji was especially seething. He’d sooner die or suffer an even worse fate than give him that satisfaction.

Some, like Yuki, Yaga and Gojo, were wondering how Jogo is expecting Sukuna to even achieve that.

Sukuna:… there’s no need. I already have my own plans. But I see…  you all are desperate too. This is your reward for the fingers, come at me. If you manage to land a single blow on me, I’ll work under you all. For starters, how about I slaughter every human in Shibuya? Except for one.

Despite the initial burnout, his declaration set off the audience’s dread back in full swing, leaving zero room to process the fallout of recent events as they prepared themselves.

[The Earth Curse gets up on his feet, a look of grim perseverance on his face]

Jogo: You’re true to your words, yes?

Yuji’s lips curled back in a snarl, both furious yet anxious about the imminent altercation.

To be continued

Notes:

There's still some editing and expansion I'll be doing, but until then, thanks for reading, and good night🌓🕯

Also Mechamaru/Muta's not active lately. Whatever that means...

Chapter 11: Thunderclap

Notes:

WARNING: attempted filicide (with cars), animal abuse, volcano eruption in Shibuya, the usual fare.

[Toji Fushiguro paced at a distance, facing Megumi.

The father and his son immediately grimaced at the scene.

“Ugh, back to this…” Nobara murmurs.

“Does Fushiguro even stand a chance against him?!” Yuji anxiously asks.

“He’s nearly run out of energy to boot!” Maki adds.

This situation combined to drive a sense of uncertainty within the viewers

Megumi suddenly heard footsteps from behind, so he turned…

Only to gasp when he saw that Toji had already moved behind him.]

“I almost don’t want to watch this…” Panda said.

“M-maybe his dad will snap out of this after a closer look…” Yuji anticipated.

“Too much of a tall order” Todo said, “but we can’t discard that possibility.”

“Yeah… after he’s done flattening him in this case.” Mai remarked.

“Real helpful there…” Miwa sighs.

Toji really isn’t looking forward to any of that, Mai’s warning just making it worse. Megumi was becoming a ball of anxiety bit by bit, a part in his head drilling the possibility that he’s going to be next after Nanami, Maki and Naobito, and at the hands of his own father no less.

Megumi : He’s this fast without any cursed energy? . He’s like Maki-san, fully realized. Focus! Thanks to Inumaki, all the normal people and transfigured humans are out of the way. [Megumi began to make hand signs to summon Shikigami] Visualize it! Visualize how to beat this guy!

“That’s… great.” Yaga voices his relief.

“All thanks to you!” the students gratefully address Inumaki.

“Um… Takana.” The Cursed Speech user hid his face under the collar. Don’t mention it.

“Visualize victory? Sorry but I’m afraid the only thing you’ll have to visualize right now is how to run. Fast.” Shoko bluntly said.

Deep down, this is all what Toji wished in this situation.

“I must still have more in me.” Megumi declares, “he couldn’t have gone after me if it weren’t the case.”

[Toji threw the broken cursed tool to his left hand and got into a thrusting stance]

Megumi : Visualize winning! Rabbit escape! 

[Suddenly, the entire area, with the exception of Toji and Megumi, was covered in a red hue]

Megumi : I just felt Sukuna’s presence! What the hell is happening in Shibuya!?

Viewers paled when they recognized what that signified.

Yuji, who was pretty withdrawn until now, flinched a bit.

[Megumi sprinted through a tower of rabbits, only to gasp and dodge when Toji burst through it]

“YIKES!”

He charged through on pure instinct!

 [Megumi ran into an empty construction site, but Toji leapt down from above and right in front of him]

“Shoko-san’s right, other you’s gotta hightail outta there somehow!” Nobara said.

“But how can he guarantee Toji-san won’t chase him to the ends of the earth?” Yuta wonders.

“We also still have no idea why he’s even after Fushiguro-kun.” Nanami brought up.

‘Shit! I don’t have enough cursed energy to use Domain Expansion!’

[Megumi threw a flurry of punches toward Toji, only to have them effortlessly blocked against, and earning him a backhand to the cheek.

Regardless of the situation, Toji’s hand-to-hand capabilities were nothing short of amazing, even to the man’s son himself, and even moreso his instinctive reactions.

“Didn’t even bat an eye...” Maki whisphered.

“That was crazy!” Yuji croaked out.

“I hope we see more of that.” Todo remarked.

Rabbits leapt toward Toji, but he swept them away using a rabbit in his hand.

“Whoa…!” Yuta let out.

“That’s one throw!” Panda commented aloud.

Megumi then attempted a sweep kick at Toji’s feet, only for his foot to collide with Playful Cloud. Megumi once again attempted to punch Toji, only to have his arm grabbed, leaving him wide open for a headbutt.

“Dammit, there’s no opening at all!” Yuji hissed.

“He broke the sound barrier several times in a row, what did anyone expect honestly?” Utahime reminded.

A rabbit ran across Toji’s arm and tried to kick at his head, but Toji simply bit into its leg and threw it across the room along with Megumi.

Many almost choked from the mere sight of a rabbit throwing hands with Toji, whereas the latter blinked in confusion. Getting kicked in the face by a tiny rabbit was not on the bingo card for what the future held for him, but eh well.

“Even the rabbits!?” Nobara squealed.

“Especially the rabbits.” Mai cheekily notes.

“Didn’t know even they had some FIGHT in them!” Exclaimed Yuji.

“That’s still kinda cute.” Yuta admits.

“And now he just threw him…” Miwa comments sadly.

“Poor bunny.” She and the Tokyo first years lamented.

Hundreds of rabbits dashed towards Toji from all sides, so he threw Playful Cloud into the air and slammed his foot into the ground. This caused the rabbits and debris to float midair. Toji then began poking the floating debris at a superhuman speed, causing them to impact the rabbits and kill them.

Bloodied pieces of rabbit scattered across the warehouse, and Megumi looked on in shock]

Everyone now gaped in horror.

“No, that’s not…” Nobara croaked out.

“You KILLED them!” Yuji cries out to Toji.

“KOMBU!!” Inumaki yells out bombastically. You bastard!!

“Rabbits that somehow know kung fu, but whatever you say.” Toji shrugs off.

“Didn’t think ‘bunnies that know kung fu’ was ever gonna be a sentence that I’ll hear in my lifetime…” Kamo trails off.

“I mean, there was Unit-01 Mechamaru, the box full o’ eyes, the boy that ate Ryomen Sukuna’s fingers and survived, and heck, the whole deal with Geto’s…” Nishimiya briefly peeked at Geto, before continuing, “y’know the drill.”

“Still, I really regret not filming that.” Nishimiya sighed with her phone out.

“OI! Did y’all forget about Fushiguro?!” Yuji loudly addressed, immediately drawing the sorcerers’ attention back to the more important matter at hand.

11:01 PM                                                                                                             

[The scene switched to Panda opening a restroom door]

Panda : Kusakabe, aren’t we done with this area yet? Might still be in the veil. But thanks to Toge, everyone’s been evacuated. So let's head down to Satoru.

[Kusakabe leapt down to the ground below]

Panda : How do we get to floor B5 from here? Toge said the news about him being sealed is real, so let’s hurry up!

Kusakabe [furiously] : Gojo this, Gojo that. Satoru Gojo isn’t the only person in the world, you know !

“Man, what’s getting him all worked up?” Gojo unironically wondered.

“Like he’s the one dawdling around in a box all carefree whereas Shibuya’s burning down.” Toji mocks him.

“YA CALL SPENDING A MILLENNIA WITH SKELETONS A PICNIC?!” fired back the white-haired man.

“Don’tcha mean half an hour?” he needled further.

“Shut up.” Shoko suddenly snapped at both of them, albeit quietly, and they complied (surprisingly).

[Panda gasped at the sudden beratement]

Kusakabe : There’s lots of hidden nooks in Shibuya. What if there’s still people hiding in one of these buildings? Just imagine a bunch of terrified school girls trembling in fear. How would you feel if we didn’t find them? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we’d personally snuffed out somebody’s bright future!

“But, wasn’t everyone evacuated?” Yuji tilted his head.

However, the rest of the students groaned as soon as they realized what Kusakabe was playing at.

“Subtle.” Panda commented to himself.

Panda : Yeah. Maybe you’re right.

Kusakabe : If you understand, then get to scouring every building, every floor, and behind every toilet, dumbass!’ This is bad. I’m gonna run out of excuses soon. But I definitely don’t want to go near floor B5. I’d much rather wander around like this and waste time. Because the truth is I don’t want to die! If Panda knew how to get there, he’d run off to floor B5 on his own. I want to avoid that, too! Because I don’t want to be left alone here either. He might be a panda, but he has more of a human heart than I do. Yet because he’s a panda, he has no sense of direction here in Shibuya. He doesn’t even realize how close we already are to floor B5.

…

“Is that guy really a First Grade sorcerer?” Nishimiya questions, half-lidded.

“He’s just, uhm… the type of sorcerer that knows how to pick his own battles.” Yuta nervously explained.

“Doesn’t sound like he wants to get into any of ‘em for that matter.” Toji derisively remarks, an opinion the rest actually agreed with, except for Kusakabe’s own students.

“I can’t believe that’s what he thinks about me!!” Panda shouted at Kusakabe’s voiceover of him.

“Panda, no offense, really, but you aren’t getting any better in that department.” Maki flatly asserted.

“Shake, tuna mayo.” Inumaki adds. Remember the one who had to keep you on track?

“I’m not as bad as he frames it!” he protests.

Panda : ‘I’ll go look over there!

Kusakabe : Yeah. Be thorough about it, would ya! Maybe I’ll pretend to be lost next. Huge amounts of cursed energy keep appearing and disappearing. It’s gotta be the group who sealed Gojo.I’m not stupid enough to touch that.

“He has to pick himself up together this instant.” Yaga sternly said, “Our members are slowly being picked off.”

“Slowly?” Gojo and the other Tokyo sorcerers side-eye him. The only ones of their own still active at the moment aside of those two are Nobara, Mei Mei and Inumaki. The rest met decidedly sticky ends, and Megumi’s fate’s a whole different beast altogether.

[Suddenly Panda and Kusakabe gasped and turned around.

Above them, standing on a skyway were two unknown Curse Users] You must be the sorcerers from Jujutsu High. Surrender to me. Don’t want to kill you if I don’t have to.

Geto, who was pretty lost in his head for the moment, shook off his funk upon recognizing that voice, his eyes snapping wide open. “Negi?”

“That figure… it’s sorta familiar.” Maki noted.

“Because it’s one of his associates.” Nanami reveals while pointing at Geto.

“Dammit, more of them.” Nobara grumbled.

Kusakabe : Panda?

Panda : I count three more behind him. There are probably more in hiding.

“Are they also in leagues with the impostor?” Utahime asked.

“No other possibilty.” Gojo responded, while casting a glance at their former leader, who’s clearly paying attention now.

At the same time, Geto, barely recovering from seeing Nanako and Mimiko’s grisly fates, was thrown into yet another loop. Despite it being so predictable, he didn’t know if he could bear seeing more disaster befalling his followers. His inability to manage his emotions having already proven to be a burden in this session so far, both to himself and to his old friends. But this time, he found himself feeling strangely numb about the prospect.

[Panda’s response caused Kusakabe to sigh in annoyance]

Kusakabe : I don’t want to get killed, either. But I can’t just roll over and say yes, you know. So why don’t we have a chat? Yeah, a nice long chat.

[The scene switched back to Megumi being thrown to the ground and then being kicked into a truck by Toji.

Megumi and everyone else stared in shock (and admittedly morbid schadenfreude) at the mayhem going on, mixed with surprising guilt in Toji’s case. He can’t even begin to fathom how Megumi could take all that.

Toji then kicked Megumi again, causing him to go flying into the front of a car. Toji then kicked the truck toward Megumi, but he dodged before it reached him.

“MOTHERFUCKER DID NOT JUST THROW A TRUCK AT HIM?!?” Nobara yelled out.

“I knew he was a shit dad but THIS!?” Yuji complained, having jumped to cling at the distraught Megumi.

“D’YA THINK I EVEN KNEW AT THAT POINT?!” Toji jumps in the fray to defend himself, the scene clearly doing a number on hm

“THEN WHY DID YOU GO AFTER FUSHIGURO?!? Why him and not any of the Disaster Curses!?” Nobara sharply interrogated him, albeit rhetorically, as she didn’t expect the present Toji to have any idea.

While Megumi ran into an alley, Toji came to a stop and stared at a manhole cover.

Megumi ran across rooftops as Toji hurled manhole covers towards him. As Megumi continued to evade the manhole covers, suddenly a truck came flying at him, forcing Megumi to slide down the side of a building as the truck exploded behind him.

“WHAT’S WITH THE TRUCKS?!?” Panda and Yuta cried out.

“MEGUMI JUST FORGET ABOUT THAT GEEZER AND GET OUTTA THERE!!!” Maki loudly urged.

“But then WHERE is he supposed to go!?” Panda asked.

Toji’s mind was running in circles, screaming at his maddened future self (or re-animated corpse, in this case); made worse by the teachers glaring at him. Gojo in particular shot him a focused stink-eye, Nobara’s question resonating far more strongly than the other man liked.

“Fuckin’ shitshow…” Mai muttered while pinching the bridge of her nose.

As Megumi was in the middle of jumping from one building to the next, Toji threw Playful Cloud like a javelin at him and Megumi barely avoided it hitting his face.

Megumi then summoned Nue and used it to fly away]

Megumi: The longer this goes on the worse off I am. I’ll have to risk a short, decisive battle! But I still have one advantage.

[The scene switched to Principle Yaga and Shoko Ieiri, having set up a medical tent along the Shibuya Line of the Metropolitan Expressway, and being guarded by cursed corpses]

The cast’s features softened considerably.

“Thank God. Shoko-san’s not too far from the fray.” Nobara smiled.

“Wait, so this mean that’s how Ijichi-san was…” Megumi immediately realizes.

A wave of relief crashes over Nanami when the realization hits him as well.

“Hardly surprising after those news, though.” Gojo said.

10:51 PM

Shoko: Principal, I have your cursed corpses with me, so I’ll be fine on my own.

Yaga: Not a chance. If the enemy finds out about this place, they’ll come straight to kill you. Not even Satoru is capable of healing others with his reverse cursed technique. Ino and Ijichi would both be dead if you weren’t here.

Shoko: That was only because of your quick thinking, Principal. If we’d waited for Nanami to call, we would’ve been too late. It was smart of you to let Nanami operate freely.

[She blew out smoke from her cigarette]

Shoko relapsing to tobacco caught her and her associates (especially Gojo and Utahime) off guard, while most of the students looked at one other before turning to the doctor. While aware of this too because of her past self, this still proved to be pretty upsetting, as it can’t be anything but a sign…

Needless to say, Gojo heaved a frustrated sigh over it, while Shoko was just staring blankly, before shrugging this development.

Yaga: Smoking again? I thought you had quit all that.

Shoko: It’s just I’m feeling a bit nostalgic for my student days.

Many viewers winced, with Gojo and Shoko smiling bitterly, knowing the source of that stress.

[The scene switched to Toji smashing through a window and into an office building. Toji flipped over a table, but instead of finding Megumi, he found his rabbits.

Suddenly the smoke alarm was activated, spraying water throughout the room from the ceiling.

Nue then appeared outside the window and sent an attack of electricity toward Toji, causing the room to explode with mist]

“Oh, great thinking!” Yuji approvingly comments.

“Let’s just hope he outlasts the old man.” Nobara said.

Toji’s face pulled up. Nothing about this confrontation ever invited that possibility, although Megumi was more willing to expect better, even if just for now.

Megumi [leaping towards the ground] I know Ieiri-sensei is close by. So it’s okay to push my body further than I should!

“I’d rather you don’t overdo it ‘til there’s nothing for her to fix.” Gojo warns his ward, his ostensibly playful tone betraying the escalating unease within.

“I’ll… try.” he hesitated.

Meanwhile, Shoko faced down, the frustration from before steadily building up.

[He landed on a pile of rabbits, softening the fall.

Toji leapt down from above]

Megumi: I just need to limit my injuries to something she can heal! [Toji was about to land a strike with Playful Cloud, but Megumi was pulled out of the way at the last second by a frog tongue, and into an alleyway] I’ve narrowed down his options! But his speed is on par with Sukuna’s. It’s nearly impossible to see him. I’ll have to predict his moves. If I mess up the timing, I’m dead.

Over time, Toji’s disquiet dispersed into amazement and pride at how his son managed to outlast him even in his most peak state. That was more than the octopus Curse could lay claim to despite being a Grade higher. He was a resourceful, quick-thinking lad alright, on top of his own unrealized power. He could at least partially thank Gojo for that.

But how much more can he take before his own future self completely destroys the one last glimpse of hope he cultivated ever since that day?

He didn’t want to think about it further. So much, that cold sweat broke out of skin the moment he imaged it.

The viewers were likewise daunted by Megumi’s ingenuity, although it’s still tampered by misgivings about his plan from Gojo and his classmates. If a whole Special Grade Curse was ragdolled so easily, what will come of Megumi? Nothing in the boy’s arsenal could possibly help him overcome that, even if he acted outside the box.

That being said, there is one solution that’ll most definitely eliminate Toji. But no one ever wanted to even dwell on it, for very obvious reasons, least of all Megumi himself.

[Megumi summoned a weapon from his shadows]

Megumi: If I mess up the timing…

[Toji launched toward him with the intent to stab Playful Cloud into his heart]

I’m dead!

[However, Toji’s foot, which was pressed against a rabbit, suddenly became trapped within Megumi’s shadows, causing his strike to miss its intended position and instead be stabbed into Megumi’s stomach.

Megumi’s friends gasped, and his teachers, Gojo and Shoko, flinched.

Toji winced at how he still injured him, and in a dangerous area at that.

“Even then there’s still an opening!” Yuji stated. “This is your only chance, Fushiguro!”

Megumi grabbed onto Toji’s sweater and prepared to stab him with his own weapon. Both of their eyes met for a single second, and Toji leapt back before the strike could land]

Megumi: Damn it!

Many groaned in defeat.

“FUCK!” Nobara cussed.

[Toji stared back at Megumi, his eyes widening in realization of who his opponent really was.

Most viewers took note of this intrusion, but Toji was the most invested, eyes blown out wide just like on-screen.

The scene flashed back to Toji and Naobito having a discussion in public]

The Sorcerer Killer, despite his admitted memory problems, still somehow instantly recognized where this is taking place. His heart skipped a beat. As for the audience, they were both surprised and invested.

“Could he have finally remember you?” Yuji hopefully asks.

Megumi even forgot how to nod, the answer having died in his throat, his attention solely fixed on the sudden flashback, and especially on Toji meeting up with Naobito. Why that memory, exactly?

On the other hand, Gojo did make out what this moment revolved around, and leaned a bit forward, wondering if this is what will finally snap Toji out.

Toji: So about my kid. He’s definitely got potential. When he’s five or six and his technique manifests, I wouldn’t mind giving him to you. Depending on how much you’ll pay, of course. If he has an inherited technique, I’ll take eight. And I’ll take seven if he doesn’t.

Toji’s heart skipped a beat as the scene played out as if it only happened not even a month ago. Which was indeed the case. But what’s weirder is that he couldn’t decide why he started to have second thoughts.

“Waiiiit… that’s when he sold you!” Nobara exclaimed.

Megumi’s initial curiosity faded, be replaced with a conflicted scowl. That was the moment where his own father washed his hands off him and Tsumiki, a brutal reminder of why he’ll never see him as anything resembling family, and why he’s been running from the subject the entire session.

“Actually, why’d he even think that was a good idea!? Weren’t they the ones that abused him?” Miwa questioned.

“No points for guessing why they did that.” Mai hinted with a sigh.

Seconds later, Miwa quickly figured out and was wounded down for a bit. Of course it’s because of that one golden goose.

Megumi stared at his hands in response, trying to envisage his fate had things took a different turn for a split second, before giving up and balling them into fists at the mere idea.

Naobito [laughing]: If he has an inherited technique, I’ll pay you ten.

[With the deal sealed, Toji walked away] 

Seeing this, a pang flared within Megumi’s chest despite himself, his poker face briefly falling off as he watched the man on-screen leave.

He’s getting way too audacious about it. Like, why does he care? He only literally learnt about his existence a few days ago, and not long before he appeared in the flesh, and even then, he refused to even give him the time, no, milisecond of the day. And neither he did, for that matter.

Even if that place was a trash dump to me, it should be better for someone like him, someone with talent. Not that I care anymore. Not that I care at all.

The viewers gaped in surprise. Not that they didn’t anticipate this, especially for those who met him at his most vulnerable (Gojo), and the ones that paid attention to his (first) last words. He was far more self-aware than they gave him credit for, especially after seeing and experiencing what he was like.

Toji didn’t even have the benefit of seeing an action he might undertake. It hasn’t been long since he’s been in that emotional pit. Yet having others witness him like that left a taste of bile in his mouth for some reason, which wasn’t hard to deduce.

If Megumi’s thoughts weren’t already in disarray, they sure are now, and he’s actually kind of getting mad.

This is what all those type of people say when they do shit like this. But at the same time, what could he possibly do? Although he’d like to pretend he did well for himself and Tsumiki before Gojo came into the picture, his and her future weren’t looking too good. But from what he learnt later about his “family”, there was no way he’d ever trust those bastards with Tsumiki, not after seeing what they’ve done to his cousin Mai.

In the end, there was no winning in that situation. In fact, realized to his abject chagrin that a literal miracle is the reason none of that came to pass. Sure, that miracle resulted in his father’s murder, and might have even set off a chain of events that ended with Geto breaking bad and worse, Gojo sealing, but it counted nonetheless.

Please take care of Megumi.

Toji heard the voice of his wife.

The man stirred in alarm at the voice, his lips quivering. It’s been forever since he’s heard her, so much he’s even almost forgotten what she sounded like. But experiencing it again was nothing short of soothing, to the point of almost tearful relief, but he forced himself to stop before it reached that point. He wasn’t allowed to feel this way.

[Present day Toji stared at Megumi.

Megumi prepared to unleash his secret Shikigami.]

Toji [speaking for the first time]: Hey, you. What’s your name?

Toji breathed in sharply, relieved he’s finally back to his senses. Megumi faced upwards, eyes twinkling in anticipation.

The viewers perked up when it appeared Toji finally regained his senses.

[This caused Megumi to look at him in surprise]

Megumi [hesitantly]: Fushiguro.

Toji [with a smile]: You mean your last name is not Zenin?

It didn’t take long before the true meaning behind that question clicked within the audience. Toji’s second guesses about his decision was well known. It literally marked his own first death. Gojo had to prevent from gently smiling. Looks like Toji wasn’t just second guessing himself in his last moments.

But his genuine comfort at the answer engrossed the young son, taking it as proof he meant it when he backed down from that decision, and his brows relaxed.

[Toji brought Playful Cloud up to his head and a splatter of blood appeared on his forearm]

Many gasped out in shock.

“Huh?! What the–“ Maki sputtered, recognizing the source of that spleen.

Toji: Good for you…

[Toji said as Playful Cloud penetrated his skull, blood dripping down the side of his face.

Toji and Megumi’s eyes shot wide open, the latter being especially shaken

“WHAT!?” Yuji exclaimed.

“H-he…” Maki was actually distraught

The adults, however, fully expected this outcome, instead they expressed relief that one huge obstacle is finally dealt with and Megumi is now safe. Even Toji had to admit this as much.

Gojo heaved a melancholic sigh, regardless. “Dunno how to feel about that though…”

A grim atmosphere spread over the group, however, when the news settled in.

Megumi slowly realized that the whole time, future him had zero idea who the man facing him was, and never even knew it despite the devastating resemblances. He was completely outside the loop, and it bothered him, despite his other half not even knowing about Gojo’s history with Toji. But maybe it was for the best. He had no time

Toji was thinking the same meanwhile. A part of him was kind of comforted by the fact that his son didn’t find out because he would never, thanks to their relationship (or total lack thereof). He did feel slightly bad it had to end this way in that timeline, but it must’ve been incredibly perplexing for the boy.

At that moment, almost as if fate played a strange game, Megumi tried to glance at his father from the corner of his eyes, when he was right in the middle of peering deeply through him.

For almost the first time since they were forced with one other here, a very brief feeling of commonality coursed the moment their eyes met. Even as a discomfited Megumi turned away, he did get the impression that he can get used to it much better from now. Same for Toji.

It may be impossible to kill the resident awkwardness and resentment between both of them, but one of them doesn’t even have much left in here, so what gives?

Megumi looked on in shock as Toji fell to the ground, dead.

Yuji eventually sighed as well, before beaming at Megumi, “Well, what’s most important is that you made it out.”

“Yeah! The whole shit was stressful! You better thank you luck.” Nobara added, laying an arm around the dark-haired teen.

“Megumi?” Maki softly calls out.

A brief interval later, Megum’s head jerked up and he turned around to face his classmates, “… O-oh, sorry.” His eyes went downwards, before facing his classmates “But thanks… anyway.”

The small gesture was enough to set Yuji and Nobara’s minds at ease, and eventually, his upperclassmen and teachers, although Gojo was doing a bad attempt at playing it off.

“Still, sucks the old man had to leave you again!” Nobara loudly remarked, involuntarily causing said older Fushiguro to choke on his spit and the rest to sweatdrop in exasperation.

“Well, what’s done had to be done.” Megumi confessed.

At least he didn’t seem to hold it against him this time. Maybe.

Megumi ran to his fallen opponent and turned him over, only to find a completely different face upon the corpse, the face of Ogami’s grandson]

“No wonder the technique wore off.” Yuta observed.

“Right? It almost seemed impossible, what with it being him.” Panda commented.

Megumi: What the hell. Why’d he do that? I can’t worry about that now. I need… I need to get to Ieiri fast. No, I should make sure Maki and the others are safe first.

[As Megumi slowly walked away, his back suddenly erupted in blood and he fell to the ground. As he fell he turned, and was greeted with the face of Haruta Shigemo

Haruta’s teeth and nose were still broken from his fight with Nanami, but he was somehow still alive and moving]

“THAT BITCH IS STILL FUCKING ALIVE!?!” Nobara roared out.

“HOW IS HE NOT DEAD FROM NANAMIN??!” Yuji shouted.

“And… Megumi’s right there…” Panda’s voice faded as horror dawned over his and the group.

“No!” Miwa yelped.

Haruta: You see? This is it! This is what I was born to do!

Everyone’s faces went downright pale, Gojo, Shoko, Nanami and Toji being the worst offenders. That area was several hundreds of meters away from Yaga and Shoko’s hideout, with Megumi being barely able to walk AND quite possibly drained out of energy, they couldn’t picture a possibly good ending.

A stray, fearsome thought visited Megumi amidst this all. It’s safe to say that all the shocks he’s received have mostly worn out their welcome, but this one was different somehow. In a way he couldn’t, no, wouldn’t even dare put his finger on it, least he fears it manifesting.

“Sukuna, he’s supposed to be fighting the Volcano Curse at the moment, right?” Amidst the silence, Geto’s voice whispered, startling Gojo. When he turned to look at him, his eyebrows were knitted, seemingly in concern.

“… Yeah?” It had to be. Toji and Megumi’s scruffle seems to have lasted rather long after Sukuna’s initial awakening. But after a moment, he (and eventually all those who listened) put the two and two together, and an overpowering sense of dread briefly paralyzed Gojo.

“What the heck are you even…?”

Geto turned away from him suddenly, however “Forget what I said. Just some stupid thought I had.”

If the Six Eyes user wasn’t lost, well… this was it now. He slumped back in his chair, wanting to shake off those thoughts for now. Like, really.

Toji, who overheard him, was overcome with nascent terror, but also seemed to be just as lost as his former target. Where was that mad monk even trying to reach?? What does Sukuna have to do with Megumi and– wait…

“… and he also developed a strange fixation on Megumi, which we’re tryna find out the reason why…”

The former Zen’in’s stomach dropped, and he mentally cussed up a storm for forgetting that part. He eventually settled on keeping an eye on his son, apparently out of nothing but a strange instinct he’s barely felt for a long time.

[The scene switched to a flashback Geto’s former henchmen arguing in an abandoned building]

Nanako: Cooperate with that thing? You mean so we can get back Geto’s body, right?

“Huh? How’re they…?” Maki uttered.

“Okaka.” Inumaki answered. It’s a flashback.

Geto wasn’t quite taken aback as much he thought he’d be when he learnt the girls weren’t even the architects of that scheme. He suspected as much since he first saw Negi. But does that mean all his followers were on this?

Negi: No. The true identity and goals of that imposter may be unclear. But, once the world is thrown into chaos, those non-sorcerer monkeys will be the one’s paying the price. Being strong will be necessary for survival. The monkeys will be culled, sorcerers will increase, and Curses will disappear. That is the type of world Geto longed for. That’s why we’ll cooperate. His body is of no concern to us. That’s what it means to inherit his will.

Something else caught the viewers’ attention. Mainly, the few glimpses into the impostor’s plan.

“Sorcerers will increase? And Curses would disappear?” Yuta let out, cocking an eyebrow in confusion.

Many adults immediately kept that one detail in mind, but Yuki blinked several times when the news sank in. Was that a coincidence? Was the impostor even being sincere, actually?

“So… just like him?” Utahime pointed her sight at Geto.

“Maybe? But I’ll be the one to bet that the guy’s probably said so to sucker in Suguru’s former followers.” Gojo speculated.

Nanako [displeased]: Don’t go making this all mixed up and complicated. I won’t just stand by while the body of the man I loved is being manipulated like a zombie! Geto’s story is finished. I won’t let anyone taint his legacy!

Actually, seeing Nanako again after… that, did not feel incredibly well for Geto, to the point he tuned out the whole moment from his head. It’s what had gotten her and Mimiko like that, after all.

Manamo [tiredly]: I wish you would just grow up already, Nanako.

Nanako [scoffing, before yelling]: If you start going on about grown-ups and kids, this conversation is going to be over fast!

[she raised her phone at them

But just as both sides prepared to clash, the man in the middle with hearts on his nipples, Larue, came in]

Larue: Hey!

[Two giant slashes were created in the floor between the group, and causing a fly to drop dead.]

“Oh, it’s that guy again.” Panda actually recognized him. Larue’s reappearance was kind of a pleasant surprise for Geto, but not enough to offset his turmoil about their whole plan.

“Larue was his name, I believe.” Nanami said. “He was one of Geto-san’s most powerful underlings.”

“But what was that technique?” Yuji questioned.

“It reminds me of a certain Sorcerer King I know…” Nobara mutters at Yuji(‘s extra eye).

Larue: Both of you, settle down. The one thing Suguru would want least of all is for us to wind up hurting each other.

[Nanako lowered her phone with a bitter sigh]

Larue: Neither of you is on the wrong side of the argument. So let’s agree to just part ways. We can each do as we please.

Nanako: What’ll you do, Larue?

Larue: I won’t take either side. Neither will Miguel. After all, the only thing I wanted to do was make Suguru king. But all of you, remember this. We’re all in the same family. Someday, somewhere, we’ll all share a meal together again.

The way Larue worded it made Gojo and the rest of Jujutsu High facility feel bitter out of the blue. It was no secret how deeply Geto viewed his associates, if his reaction to Sukuna offing the twins was any indication, but this perfectly illustrated just how alone Geto must have felt with the sorcerers. He was his first and only anchor in a world he didn’t actually comprehend despite initial impressions, and in a way, this is the biggest way he’s ever failed him. The Curse users were probably the first people he’s come to find similar ground with aside of himself, though the difference lied in how exactly equal that rapport was.

As comforted as Geto was by the gesture, it kind of loses that feeling the moment they began putting themselves in peril just for him. It won’t be long before they end up meeting that same grisly fate.

[The scene switched back to the present as Toshihisa Negi stared down at Kusakabe and Panda]

Manami: Understand now? We carry on the will of Geto. If you’re with Jujutsu High, then nothing else needs to be said to you. Will you surrender or not? Hurry up, I hate indecisive men.

Panda: Since I’m a panda, does that apply to me?

Everyone’s heads dropped in exasperation, although Yuji, Yuta and Inumaki did chuckle.

“And you also need to learn to read the room!” Maki instructed.

Kusakabe: Damn it! That conversation was way too short. Still, though. With a group on this level? It’s too perfect. I can take plenty of time just fending them off and dragging this out.

[Kusakabe spat his lollipop to the ground and crouched] New Shadow Style Iai. Evening Moon.

Miwa observed with rapt attention. She’s already planning to scour Kusakabe for more tips upon leaving the place. She refused to stay by idly and let the others do the heavy lifting, not after what’s happened to Muta.

And speaking of him, why doesn’t he seem to be moving a single muscle ever since the last hour? He’s only ever been staring at the screen for an uncomfortably long time. She actually wanted to confront him about this, but something stopped her for some reason.

Negi [raising his arms to attack] So that’s your answer?

[Other Curse Users hiding in the background prepared to attack Kusakabe and Panda as well.

However, just before either party could begin attacking, the lights suddenly cut out.

Sounds of shock reverberated through the room, which was immediately switched for realization when one of the cast members recalled something really important.

“Maybe they’re short on one problem, but…” Toji leaned back, mental fatigue from what’s about to come already setting in.

Negi looks in surprise, and moments later an explosion rang out in the distance.

Sukuna’s cackling could be heard throughout Shibuya as thousands of lights flickered on and off.

That brutal, helpless atmosphere from before returned back with a vengeance, especially in Yuji’s case, while the rest’s focus was intently restored.

The screen flashed back to Sukuna in the tunnels of Shibuya, smiling menacingly toward the screen.

Despite so much stuff about to go wrong, Yuji still resolved to stand his ground and see all this to the end. It did help that the area was cleared out.

Except, that laughter.

The moment Sukuna showed up in full, that noise has been echoing in his head non-stop for some reason. It was faint, but it somehow managed to mute the sounds he’s been hearing from the screen at the moment.

He tried his best to tune it out, but the undercurrent of self-loathing that came forward almost made him regret it.

Sukuna: As a token of appreciation for the fingers. If you manage to land even a single blow on me, I’ll work under you for now. And to begin, how about I slaughter every human in Shibuya? With the exception of one.

He leapt towards Jogo, who had been falling rapidly through the air.

Sukuna: Is that all you’ve got? Cursed Spirit!?

Jogo: Not yet! [he prepared a fire attack by concentrating flames between his palms toward Sukuna.

But before Jogo could even finish summoning the attack, his arms had already been sliced into pieces by Sukuna’s Innate Technique.

“Can he make it?” Yuji dubiously speculates.

“He only survived because Gojo-sensei had mercy on him. If one could call that mercy.” A frown crossed Megumi’s face “So how will Sukuna be any different?”

Now that’s something most were uncertain taking into account. That’s completely true, actually.

Most of the people who have seen him in action so far pondered whether he even showcased the full scope of his powers. Maybe he lost a Domain Expansion battle against Gojo, but then again, it’s Unlimited Void. But that doesn’t change anything of the fact that he still miserably lost without his opponent even breaking a sweat, so they dismissed the possibility that Sukuna will be any different.

To those viewers, it appears as if the Earth Curse forgot all about the last experience and overestimated his confidence again. Unless he prepared something beforehand. In fact, they couldn’t decide what his expression at being challenged even meant. Was he confident? Desperate? Suicidal? A mix of the three?

With very few exceptions, the result of the battle might as well be a foregone conclusion.

Sukuna then threw a large rock toward Jogo, sending him crashing through a building.

Jogo used his Ember Insects to carry him through the air as his arms regenerated.

Jogo then launched dozens of beams of fire at Sukuna only to have them all effortlessly dodged.

Sukuna landed on the side of a building, and a public thermometer in the corner of the screen rapidly increased in temperature.

Yuki winced, “Well, that is what I would call a heated showdown.”

“At the rate they’re going at the whole Shibuya district will melt down!” Utahime worried.

Sukuna entered the building through a window, and the inside is already a blaze, with clothing bursting into flame due to the high temperature.

Sukuna leapt through the building and outside to where Jogo was.

Jogo tried to punch Sukuna, but Sukuna grabbed his fists with his hands.

Jogo then tried to blast Sukuna with fire, but Sukuna cleaved his arms once again.

Jogo fired a beam directly from his head at Sukuna, and the beam traveled straight through a building.

Sukuna had disappeared from Jogo’s sight, but quickly made his presence  known as he grabbed onto Jogo’s cape, swung him around, and tossed him into the streets below.

Some newcomers were just as staggered by the view as they were thrilled, in a way they couldn’t explain. Being given the opportunity to witness one of the pillars of Jujutsu society himself in action was both a blessing and a curse. The latter largely due to that pillar being this room right now, with no idea whether he was physically in there or just passively receiving information.

Jogo collided with street signs, lamps, windows and vehicles before regaining his footing on the ground.

But, just as he regained his balance, Sukuna smashed his head into the ground with a violent hammerfist, sending Jogo through several levels of Shibuya’s underground.

A past conversation between Jogo and the fake Geto could be heard]

Jogo: Geto, how strong would you say I am in terms of Sukuna’s fingers?

“Geto”: A generous estimation would be about eight or nine fingers.

“That’s… not promising at all.” Yuta said, knowing along with the rest how many Yuji was fed.

“It’s too generous, so to say.” Gojo remarks as-a-matter-of-factly.

“And Sukuna has gotten way more fingers ever since.” Kamo states, all but concluding it will be over before it even begins.

[Soda cans started bursting as manhole covers shoot out of the ground.

Jogo burst from the ground upon a tower of lava, directly in front of Sukuna]

I knew… 

I knew he was stronger.

[Jogo surfed on a wave of lava while Sukuna slashed the lava apart, not allowing a single drop to reach him.

The Earth Curse launched several lava-covered soda cans toward Sukuna, but the King of Curses simply turned his head and managed to dodge each and every one of them.

Despite the odds stacked against him, some viewers were impressed Jogo’s application of his own powers. They were also impressed by him taking full advantage of the industrial area around him in tandem with his powers, in spite of what this meant for the locale.

Sukuna jumped to the rooftop of a building, and that, along with all the surrounding buildings, sank into the lava below.

As the rooftop Sukuna stood on, descended into the lava, the windows of the taller buildings around him spat waterfalls of lava out. The rooftop suddenly burst into a mountain of lava as thousands of Ember Insects swarmed Sukuna.

This was quite troubling. This amount of lava will damage the infrastructure of Shibuya beyond repair, and it might even extend beyond the area and encompass the rest of Greater Tokyo Bay. To say nothing of where the survivors are currently stationed. Maybe the cold weather will coagulate it, but with Cursed energy, no one will ever know.

Sukuna leapt across the collapsing sides of buildings and sliced the Ember Insects apart with ease.

As Sukuna was midair, Jogo created a pair of lava hands and smashed the building between Sukuna together.

With how much Jogo was capable of achieving, Nanami, Maki and Naobito’s instantaneous defeats at his hands didn’t sting that much, especially to Maki.

In fact, with how the battlefield unraveled, there was no contesting Jogo’s Special Grade nature. It helps that unlike his last confrontation, he actually went all-out at the outset without sacrificing his most deadly weapon, his Domain.

However, Sukuna cleaved the buildings, along with Jogo’s arm, apart with ease.

Sukuna majestically stood in the air, his arms open, and his body illuminated by the lava behind him. He truly looked like a God.

Something about Sukuna’s majestic form proved to look so wrong, certainly due to the kind of sight surrounding him.

Or, to another part of the group, it was actually right. Because it perfectly illustrated the legend immortalized by Jujutsu since centuries.

In the blink of an eye, He disappeared, and Jogo looked around frantically. But as he looked around, he had no time to react as Sukuna launched himself right at Jogo.

Sukuna sent Jogo hurling into a building, proceeded to kick him through multiple walls, and out the other side.

Jogo: I knew there was a difference in our strength. But not to such a great extent!

“What did you really expect?” viewers sardonically thought about the Curse.

[Sukuna grinned down at Jogo and pushed his hand onto the Cursed Spirit's face. Sukuna pushed Jogo down through the air and through every single floor of the Skyscraper below them, the Curse unable to do anything other than scream as his face crashed through the concrete.

Finally, they reached the final floor of the building and Jogo tried desperately to hold his detached jaw in place.

Some, like Yuji, couldn’t help themselves from wincing, despite the victim.

However, it’s only because they knew deep down Sukuna was just prolonging this bedlam. It wasn’t immediately obvious if it was motivated by sadism, or actually being able to indugle in his desires for the first time since he was awakened. For many seasoned combatants, the line between the two was blurred, because why else would Sukuna goad Jogo into a battle he had no hope whatsoever at coming on top?

Still, this didn’t stop Yuji from considering.

As the moonlight shone down through the broken floors of the building, Sukuna gazed down at the kneeling Jogo who was struggling to regenerate his jaw and other injuries]

Sukuna [mockingly]: The moonlight’s illumination, makes it easier to see how pathetic you are.

[He grabbed Jogo by the hood, pulling him off the ground] Come now. You mustn’t stop trying.

[Jogo’s feet dangled listlessly in the air, before staring at the ground in pure dread] I’ll play with you again and again until I tire of this.

“Yeah, nevermind. He was just ragdolling him.” Mai ultimately conceded.

“How much will keep on doing it until he annihilates the whole city!?” Megumi snarled.

“Until he’s got his dose, ‘t seems.” Toji frankly thought.

[The scene switched to a sweating Kusakabe, his eyes darting around wildly.

Kusakabe: It’s dangerous to stay any longer! [turning around] Run!

The sorcerers tensed, especially Panda. He and Kusakabe were too close to the fray. It won’t be long before they ended up face to face with Sukuna!

Negi: Where are you going? [Two Curse Users appeared behind Kusakabe and Panda]

“Shit! Not the time!” Shoko barked.

Geto couldn’t agree more with her. What’s the point in trying to keep his legacy alive if they were reduced to ash? At least his twins (or one of them) had an excuse. Negi and Manami need to let this go just for once and just focus on actually seeing tomorrow because by all indications, it won’t be the same anymore.

Kusakabe: Look!

[A nearby building was engulfed in several explosions of fire. Kusakabe turned to the building in dismay]

“They’re already here!” Kamo said panickedly.

“Kusakabe-sensei and Panda need to get outta there right NOW!” Yuta called out. He and the rest dreaded the prospect of Sukuna finding other Sorcerers ripe for the picking nearby.

Kusakabe: Listen up you curse users! I don’t know what’s happened, but a couple of special-grades are fighting each other! They’re like elephants tap-dancing on ants!

[The building previously engulfed in flames began to be sucked in on itself, creating a giant ball of fire.

Kusakabe [with Panda jumping on the spot in fright next to him]: And just to be clear, all of us are the ants!

[The ball of fire continued to pull in debris and vehicles like a hurricane, growing larger and larger]

“What the hell is THAT!?” Nobara cried out.

“A fireball? What’s he planning on doing with that much?!” Panda loudly quieried.

One probability made itself into the cast’s mind, and it boded horribly for everyone in close proximity to the Special Grades.

Jogo: Maximum Meteor!

[Sukuna skated through the streets of Shibuya as a massive ball of flame and rock loomed above him, swallowing several buildings whole.

“… that’s a meteor.” Utahime breathed out.

“Coming from the embodiment of Earth’s grievances, that’s quite the development.” Gojo stated.

Jogo soared through the air, his meteor right behind him.

Sukuna looked on with a deranged grin]

Kusakabe: New Shadow Style… Quick Draw! [He sliced through the two Curse Users blocking his path] Panda! Hurry up and run!

Sukuna [appearing between Kusakabe and Panda]: No you won’t.

Everyone gasped in terror, with most of the teachers’ hands clenching anxiously.

“NO! SENSEI!! PANDA-SAN!!” Yuta cried out.

“PANDA-SENPAI!” the underclassmen yelled.

“N-no…!” Yuji was that close to losing his marbles. One of his worst visions have come true again later on. And there is no guarantee he’ll ever spare Panda and Kusakabe

Maki and Toge instinctively inched closer to Panda. The Cursed Corpse, while freaked out at being several centimeters away from Ryomen Sukuna, still held himself together, in hopes of seeing what he’ll do with them.

[Everyone around Sukuna gasped]

Sukuna: I hereby forbid every person in a one hundred-meter radius from moving until I say the word ‘‘now.’’

That proposition, however, was not at all what anyone had expected. It actually slammed Yuji off guard, taking him seconds to register what he ordered.

“He’s… actually giving them a chance?” Nishimiya voiced.

“No way! What if he’s pulling their legs!?” Maki was not about to be pacified at all.

“And that meteor is getting closer…” Panda fearfully noted. Even if the hit won’t disintegrate them, the immense heat approaching might still result in injuries.

[Everyone was frozen in place as the meteor rumbled directly above them]

Sukuna [grinning]: And of course, I’ll kill anyone who violates that rule.

As expected, this just drove everyone’s stress upwards.

“He’s screwing with them too…” Nanami quietly spat.

Not yet…

[Everyone around Sukuna was dripping with sweat]

Still not yet..!

 [The thunderous rumbling kept getting louder]

“Is he even GONNA SAY IT!?!” Nobara raged.

“Quiet down!” Megumi, as upset as he was now, tried to mollify her.

[Kusakabe and Panda bent their knees]

Sukuna [with a handclap]: Now!

Not a second later, the meteor came crashing to the ground with a thunderous explosion, illuminating Shibuya with its overwhelming brightness.

Vehicles were sent flying from the impact, and the remnants of buildings leapt up from the ground.

While many were relieved at first, this reached a halt at the sheer size of destruction, to the point of doubting whether Panda and Kusakabe actually managed to make it out. But they, including Panda himself, opted to not really dwell on it.

This went double for Geto. Manami and Negi must have escaped too, but they were much closer to the meteor than Kusakabe and Panda

Jogo [lauging with pride as he stood on the ball of burned rock that was once his meteor]: Even Sukuna shouldn’t be able to escape that unharmed.

“Goddammit…” Gojo facepalmed. That’s the look of someone who’s really gonna regret saying it seconds later.

“That’s too early of a celebration.” Choso grimly observed.

Sukuna [crouched behind Jogo]: If it had hit.

“That!” Gojo threw his hands towards the screen, as if he predicted it word by word.

Jogo: … huh?

“The deja-vu here can’t be a coincidence…” Yaga said, harkening back to The Curse’s encounter against Gojo.

Sukuna: Why did you decide not to use your domain?

Jogo: I already know I can’t win in a battle of domains with you.

“Someone must’ve learnt that the hard way, huh?” Todo mused.

This left viewers openly questioning what’s even left for Jogo at all.

Sukuna: Is that how it went with Satoru Gojo? Spoken like a true loser. Although, I’ll admit you have managed to pique my interest. So I’ll fight you with your own specialty.

[Sukuna spoke, but no words could be heard through the screen.

The screen cut to black for a second]

Sukuna: Open.

Yuji’s hairs stood up, assuming it was going to be his Domain Expansion.

However, the senior Sorcerers slowly made out what he was about to do, judging from what they knew about his abilities.

[Flames sprung forth from Sukuna’s hands]

Sounds of surprise were heard across the lines.

“He can control fire too?!” Yuji exclaims, “How?”

“That’s his Domain’s secondary ability.” Gojo replied. “I think it was something related to furnaces.”

“It is known as Furnace.” Geto verified.

“I… see.” his eyes drooped down, before he straightened himself up and gazed at the screen.

Jogo [in disbelief]: What’s he holding? Flames? I thought Sukuna’s technique was severing and slicing.

Sukuna: You’re not familiar with this one? I thought it was well-known. But I suppose a cursed spirit like you wouldn’t know about it. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything petty like revealing my technique. [Jogo sweated and gasped in trepidation] Arm yourself. Let’s have a contest of firepower.

[Fire crackled all around as both combatants summoned forth their flames.

If that were the case, Jogo nominally should have a advantage, what with it being his specialty and all. In fact, that was embarrassingly the only thing he could ever stake a claim of superiority towards at this point for many spectators.

Falling glass melted between the two.

Sukuna brought forth an arrow of fire.

Jogo brought forth a ball of condensed fire.

As they watched with abated breaths, the sorcerers’ minds eventually harkened back to the whole point of this altercation.

It’s when they comprehended that it will all end badly regardless of if any of those two won. Jogo wins, he gets Sukuna’s favor and the Disaster Curses all but manage to settle the score with humanity as a whole in a less than a week, along with taking Yuji with them (that is, unless Sukuna actually counted on Jogo losing with that bet).

But Sukuna winning means no one’s left to stop him as he continues sowing discord on Shibuya by himself, maybe even nuking it out of the map entirely just because. He may not last long in either case, but the deed will be done, and people stuck in there are screwed.

They both stared down at each other as the screen faded to white]

The sudden whitening took the guests out entirely, just when they were waiting for the coup de grace.

Jogo: I’m sorry Hanami, Dagon.

[He apologized to his fallen comrades in the afterlife, their surroundings a simple, white void]

“What’s this?” an perplexed Nobara narrowed her eyes.

But gradually, when the other figures came into view, it was crystal clear.

“… Did… did he lose?” Yuji uneasily whispered.

Todo sighs behind him in confirmation “With who’s in there, it goes without saying.”

The connotation of such development left no room for any rest, however, as evidenced by Yuji’s face falling.

Nervous silence slowly descends upon the crowd, bizarrely enough. The Curses’ appearances in the middle of such nowhere, and their unusually soft countenances, were actually eerie, especially in the case of Jogo.

Hanami: There’s still Mahito. [Dagon squaks in agreement] Fear and loathe death. However, it is humans who linger beyond it as well. To humans, death is a mirror. And Mahito is that mirror. Mahito will continue to grow stronger still. Isn’t that why you placed him at the top of our ranks?

That Mahito is the only Disaster Curse out there left amplified the stress inside Yuji, but it also opened a slew of problems for the audience. Now that Sukuna seems to have emerged victorious (not that they’re 100% sure), they will certainly clash. And with how he seems to have trashed Jogo, would Mahito make a difference?

Jogo: We’ll no longer be the same. Especially not after we are reborn. Yet even so, I’ll eagerly await the day that the three of us are together again. [smiling bitterly] Cursed spirits are the true humans, not them.

Yuki cocked her head in interest. A Special Grade Curse gaining full human sapience was noteworthy on its own, but having the capacity to question their purpose beyond what their nature dictated was an especially stellar progress, one that was even more frightening still, with what she heard about Mahito. The hearsays from the group and the Curses were descriptive enough for her, but she wanted to experience the real thing when it comes to pass.

The other sorcerers, upon letting go of the festering issues and absorbing the information, pondered about Jogo’s fixation on humanity. Geto noticed that it went far beyond simple engineered hatred. His words made his sentiment cross into some sort of inferiority complex, which was honestly ultimately fitting for such beings.

Sukuna: What’s this now?

[Jogo turned around to see Sukuna standing in the distance]

“Sukuna?!” Yuji and Nobara gasped.

“What’s HE doing there!?” Yuta questioned.

Sukuna: You wanted to become a human? Oh yeah, I know. You don’t want to actually be human. You want their position. Did I get that right? Even though I understand it, it’s so foolish. Packs of humans. Packs of curses. All of you get together and measure your worth against each other, driving all of you to grow weaker and stunted. You really should’ve just burnt everything down. Burnt everything down to a cinder, without giving it a thought. Casting aside race, future, everything, until you finally reached Satoru Gojo. That hunger to seize your ideals? That’s what you were truly lacking.

“The hunger…” Yuji was intently focused on what that meant.

“… to seize his ideals?” Gojo took a bit longer to digest his words, but when they did, his gaze was vacantly

There’s so much to unpack from what Sukuna was trying to convey towards the Curse. Yes, he was a hedonistic freak. But to attain that height is not the kind of feat someone like that can reach. There was something different in how Sukuna handled it.

Jogo: Hmm. Maybe you’re right.

Sukuna: Even so, you managed to entertain me a bit.

[The Earth Curse looked toward Sukuna in surprise]

Sukuna: I fought humans, sorcerers, and cursed spirits a thousand years ago, and you were still one of the better ones I fought.

Everybody was agape with disbelief. None could believe what they heard. Yuji especially had to check from Megumi if his ears were working right.

“He COMPLIMENTED someone?!?” Yuji almost screamed in his mind.

“And freakin’ Volcanohead at that!?” the younger students did the same.

It might’ve been rather underwhelming, but coming from the being who couldn’t even spare a thought to Satoru Gojo, it was actually mind-boggling.

Sukuna [with a genuine smile on his lips]: Stand proud. You are strong.

This was way too much to process. Of all the ludicrous shit that was burned into their senses, this HAD to top them all. The casualties were expected. Gojo being incapacitated might’ve been a step forward, but it made sense looking back on it.

But Sukuna actually showing respect for Jogo? Even thought the latter lost to him?

When this realization slowly made it to their psyches, another question sprang up in return.

Do they even know Ryomen Sukuna as much as they’d like to think?

At the moment, only Gojo, Toji, and Yuki seemed to have immediately pieced together what Sukuna was saying, and what he was telling about himself as a whole. It shouldn’t be surprising taking into consideration his reputation. It took the rest a while in comparison, if only due to lacking a frame of reference for the source of Sukuna’s viciousness unlike their seniors.

[A tear droplet fell into Jogo’s hand, and he stared at it bewildered]

Jogo [hoarsely]: What am I feeling right now?

Shock and (some) sympathy fell over the teens’ faces, and even some adults like Utahime, because they all knew too well the reason for it.

“What it means being… human.” Yuta answered it for Jogo in his head.

Sukuna: Good question. I wouldn’t know the answer to that.

[The scene cut to Jogo’s flaming corpse. Sukuna blankly stared down at it as a building fell in the background.

Almost everything about the future sequence was astounding in relation to how little they had in terms of emotional investment.

“… seems he’s down for the count as well.” Shoko announced. Some sorcerers nodded their heads slightly.

“By being roasted despite being a freakin’ Volcano Curse.” And Toji curtly added.

“Oi!” Hilariously enough, Nobara actually protested.

“Well, it’s true. As sad as the sendoff was, it’s kinda funny this is how he kicked the bucket.” Nishimiya commented.

“Konbu Takana.” Inumaki told them. Tragic irony or poetic justice?

“His luck is just that unfathomably shitty, in my opinion.” Gojo ultimately concluded.

“That’s unusually fair-minded coming from you.” Nanami cocked an eyebrow.

“Dunno.” the Six Eyes user shrugged his shoulders. For once, even his impulsive mind just didn’t feel like kicking someone down.

Sukuna [to the stranger behind him]: Who’re you?

Uraume: I’ve come to welcome you, Master Sukuna.

Eyebrows were raised over the sudden intrusion, regardless of the exhaustion.

“So they were a follower of him all along?” Miwa asked.

The teachers, on the other hand, began mulling over Uraume’s true nature.

“Master? How long have they known one other?” Yaga conjectured. He couldn’t help but take note of Uraume’s manner of speech, which seemed identical to that of the King of Curses.

Sukuna [in unusual glee]: Uraume!

Uraume: It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?

When they believed nothing will faze them anymore, Sukuna’s second abrupt shift in demeanor put an end to that delusion.

“They’re acquaintances!?” Megumi asked in surprise.

“And the geezer actually likes them?” Nobara spoke up.

“But how?” Kamo raises, “from their tone, it looks like they’ve known Sukuna since he was alive, so how did nothing change about them?”

“Maybe they’re an incarnated sorcerer as well.” Utahime suggests.

“Not maybe. Definitely in this case.” Todo maintained.

Yuji looked back to the screen, his limbs, and gradually, his own facial muscles, stiffening in he could realize it.

It wasn’t a rational idea or anything. It’s only that right now, his gut instinct was virtually eating out at his insides like a cancer. He didn’t want to cave under its pressure and get bent out of shape over what might turn out to be nothing, but he had a feeling this time will be different.

And for the first time since he stepped into this Domain, part of him wanted to stay out of this.

---

Back to the dark, entombed shrine resting deep inside Yuji’s unconscious, Sukuna finally gathered the energy to force himself out of his throne. This was actually better than he thought, and he knew it would only get more… exciting later. Maybe this era wasn’t as disappointing as it seemed after all.

But now, he’s mainly itching for a backup when all’s said and done.

Though, perhaps he could use this free time to return back to them. He granted them enough space. Way more than they deserved.

Notes:

May the Specialz be upon us very soon
Thank you for your continued support

Chapter 12: Thunderclap pt.2

Notes:

I apologize for going AWOL for so long, needed to beat the writer's block because this episode will take a lot out of me.

WARNING: ... Sukuna. Mahoraga. SUKUNA.

Yasuke Itadori: Yuji…

Yuji flinched at the scene, especially the voice that came afterwards.

“Grandpa…”. Why did that moment show up again?

His friends wondered the same thing, with Megumi and Gojo catching very bad feelings about this.

Choso’s face uncharacteristically softens upon seeing him, and he asks Yuji “... is it someone close to you?”

The latter takes a while to respond, still in thought, but eventually he smiles wistfully and responds “My grandpa. He passed away not long before I became a Sorcerer.”

Choso takes in the information, genuinely curious to know more about Yuji’s life and family.

Yuji: Hm?

Yasuke: You’re a strong kid, so try to help others.

[The screen cut to Sukuna, replacing Yuji’s face, standing alone on what was once Jogo’s Maximum Technique.

That moment alone encapsulated the sum of all the audience’s fears, but none more than the vessel himself.

Was his mind channelling this memory while he’s trapped inside of his body?

Or is it actually an omen?

The scene then switched to Megumi, groaning and stumbling through the streets of Shibuya, a trail of blood following his every step]

“Fushiguro!” Nobara and Panda yelped.

“It’s that ponytail bastard ain’t he?!” Maki growled.

Toji’s grip almost completely flattened the armrest his hand was on top of, not wanting to be brought back to see this knowing it will end poorly.

[11:05 PM]         

Megumi: In my Ten Shadows Technique, only two Demon Dogs are granted to the user at first. The other shikigami aren’t granted to the user until they finish subjugating them. The user must continue subjugating each one to increase the shikigami available to them. Until they are finally able to command all ten shikigami.

Megumi’s sudden monologue weirded out the viewers, but none moreso than the boy himself and his father. What is the meaning of this?

Haruta: You done yet? You’re really strong. Just like the girl I thought earlier. So strong and yet still so young. You’re all beat up, yet you give me no openings to get close. Although, with all that blood, I won’t even have to do anything else to you.

Rage and anxiety had the entire room by a chokehold. Toji was genuinely struggling not to jump through the screen and tear out the ponytailed bastard’s arms, as useless as that task would be. The rest were only little better, but from how even Gojo and Nanami’s fingers were twitching despite their outwardly inert demeanors, not by much, the latter deeply regretting not making sure he was actually dead.

“They were reset?” Shoko noticed a few facial marks back on Haruta’s face, puzzling her an even greater deal about his technique.

[Megumi collapsed to the ground with a thud, with Haruta looking on in confusion]

Megumi: Thing is, this subjugation can be done with multiple people. [trying to push himself up off the ground] Although, conducting the subjugation with multiple people will void it afterward. Which means, the ritual becomes pointless, because the technique gets nullified.

“Oi Megumi... tell me you’re not actually...!!?” Gojo started to inwardly freak out, catching on his intentions from the subject alone. Geto besides him, meanwhile, sighed in recognition.

Not like Megumi wanted to see where this is heading either, as evidenced by his increasingly shaken breath and widening eyes. It shouldn’t be a surprise he’s reached that point, after the gauntlet he’s been ran through, but for the first time in ages, shame took over his form, and he tried to not meet anyone’s eyes as the realization sank in, especially not his friends and teacher.

[Haruta watched on in boredom]                                                  

Megumi: Still… even though it’s pointless, it has its uses for a sorcerer.

[A colossal explosion shook the ground, causing Haruta to gasp and turn around with a smile]

Haruta: Who’s making all that noise? Pretty flashy… Huh?

Megumi [now kneeling]: To continue. Now… while shikigami can’t be used without first subjugating it, the user can summon them as many times as necessary for the purpose of subjugating them.

That hunch eventually spread to the entire sorcerer group.

Toji was one of the worst hit by the implication of what was about to happen, and it was amazing he didn’t break down. His son is not in any state to fight, making the purpose behind the ritual clear, and the heavy stress when he remembered its cost made him eventually break out in cold sweat. Is he going to see his bloodline... no, his own child die on the screen soon? All because of him?

But suddenly, awareness of Sukuna’s presence, and Geto’s words, briefly brought him back to a very different, but just as unpleasant reality.

‘‘Are you saying that–’’

[The surrounding lights turned off.

Megumi made a hand sign using his two closed fists]

Everybody’s blood curdled.

“No.. what the fuck are you doing?!” Maki, overcome by sudden dread, urged.

“What are you trying to–!?” Yuji shouted, his instincts flaring up

“It can’t be...!!” Yuta trailed off, leaving his seat.

Mahoraga.

Todo let out a disappointed sigh, echoing the response of his Kyoto classmates, although Miwa and Kamo were just as fretful over this development as the Tokyo students.

“Fushiguro, are you really about to...?” When Nobara faced him, he was almost completely pallid, only managing to weakly dip his head down.

In all of sorcerer history, there’s never been anyone who’s managed to subjugate this one.

Most of the adults were on heavy edge, tightly gripping their seats. This result was already rearing its ugly head when Megumi was first seen accosted by Haruta not too long ago, but even then they still held on to some sort of... hope?

Ironic, seeing as they decried the students’ reliance on that during the viewing, but in reality, it was actually the only thing keeping them going.

How presumptuous of them.

“Is this actually happening? Is he finally gonna do it for real??” Thoughts clogged Yuji’s head as he turned towards everyone, before focusing his attention on Megumi himself, whose face was as pale as a sheet. Seeing this, he found himself hesitating to talk to the boy.

[The scene flashed back to Gojo and Megumi talking within Jujutsu High]

Gojo: Do you know why the Gojo clan and the Zenin clan are on bad terms?

“Ugh, not the time!” Nobara snarled.

Many agreed with her, on some level, having learnt from experience that such anachronic distractions were almost always bad news.

Still, the more inexperienced members were slightly curious about Gojo’s upcoming lesson.

Megumi: I didn’t know they were on bad terms.

Gojo: The worst terms. Sparks have been constantly flying ever since the Edo era. Or was it the Keicho era? I forget which one.

Despite the dread hanging in the air, some sorcerers tried to make the most of that distraction.

“Edo era.” Toji gruffly corrected.

“My bad.” he joked.

“But why? Oh wait, lemme guess, it had something to do with wanting to take the sole seat of the strongest clan, right?” Yuji cynically questioned.

“Bingo.” Maki verifies.

“You’re catching on fast, brother.” Todo smirked.

[The screen showed Haruta rushing towards Megumi desperately in slow motion]

Returning to that moment again briefly ruined the peace. Megumi did everything to not engage with his classmates.

“Does he know what that technique does?” Yuji asked.

“It’s not exactly a secret. That’s one of the, if not the, most powerful Shikigami in history, to Sorcerers and Spirits alike.” Yaga answered.

“The moment that thing is unleashed on him, there’ll be literally nothing left to pick of him.” Nishimiya adds, to the simmering terror of her juniors.

“In fact... it has the potential to match even Ryomen Sukuna.” Muta ominously declares.

But this is what made the sorcerers freeze in their tracks.

Gojo’s Six Eyes glazed over Yuji and Megumi’s forms, before returning to the screen. Geto looked on thoughtfully. Toji gritted his teeth, that statement about Sukuna replaying in his head over and over. The rest, from Yaga, Nanamia and Utahime, to the Tokyo and Kyoto students, stopped to face the ground as Muta’s revelation sank in. But when it came to Yuji and Megumi, violent thoughts flickered through their view, and for minutes, they found it hard to breathe. So far, Shoko, Yuki and Choso simply observed the resulting reaction with laconic faces.

The tension that’s been accumulating from its mention threatened to boil over, and the theory dangling over their heads since before has become more visible than ever.

Seriously, how could they have forgotten that so easily?!

Muta himself wasn’t sorry for what he’d started. Everything that was shown was leading up to it, and he knows even the teachers foresaw it. It was one of the things his future self had to take account for in Shibuya, after all.

Still, he really pitied the two Tokyo freshmen right now. Because only a miracle will prevent what will happen soon.

Gojo: But the heads of the clan at the time got serious during a spectated match. And they killed each other.

Megumi: Who headed the clans back then?

[The Megumi of the present stared back at Haruta, his eyes steeled with resolve]

Gojo: The Gojo family had someone like me who had both the Six-Eyes and the Limitless technique. The Zenin clan had someone with the same technique as you, Megumi.

...

The younger viewers had to literally pick their jaws off the floor.

“S-Six Eyes and Limitless...” Yuji stuttered.

“... and HE STILL GOT KILLED?!” finished Nobara.

“Well, Gojo did nearly get killed by him, so...” Shoko pointed out while side-eying Toji from the back.

“Except the Gojo head from the Edo era was in his prime when the battle happened.” Yuki described.

“In fact, both of the clashing Zen’in and Gojo were in their prime, and so their powers were at their peak.” Utahime made clear.

“Oh wow... how did that duel even look like?” the pink-haired sorcerer heaved.

“A whole mountain range was literally wiped off the map after several days of battle.” Yuta flat-out responded.

“And General Mahoraga was involved.” Nanami adds. “In fact, the Zenin from that time exploited the ritual the same way Fushiguro-kun usually attempted.”

The resulting shock couldn’t even be quantified in words, leading Yuji, Nobara and Miwa to slowly turn back to the screen, jaws still slack.

[Past Megumi turned to Gojo in surprise. The Ten Shadows Technique.]

They were made aware of the technique’s nature already, but to think at its peak, it can even take out a powerhouse like Satoru Gojo...

But how would it look like if Mahoraga was set loose in Tokyo of all places?

Gojo [sitting up]: You understand what I’m getting at? Right?

[The screen cuts back to the present]

Megumi: That doesn’t mean I can become a sorcerer who’s stronger than you. I imagine the head of the clan used this in much the same way back then.

[One by one, the lights all around him gave out]

With this treasure, I summon…

Upon hearing the familiar incantation, Megumi’s shoulders fell, and his face was claimed by a certain kind of... erratic stillness, as if he could project himself into the mind of his future self.

Because something told him that this time, nothing, and nobody, will stop him. Literally none. Most of the sorcerers as of now were out of commissions, with some being possibly dead, and he doubts Nobara will ever reach him anyway.

Was he to blame for this? Was it the Disaster Curses? Gojo himself?

At first, he didn’t think all that mattered anymore, because it’ll never happen anyway, but his conscience viciously bit back at his attempt to dodge blame. But what else was left to do anyway?

Concurrently, the whole theatre fell silent. But unlike many previous cases, it isn’t resignation as much as it was ironically difficulty to formulate an appropriate reaction to this development.

Normally, they’d have taken Megumi to task again for this, despite the two of them not being the same.

However, even his biggest detractors, like Gojo and the students, didn’t have it in them anymore.

Much like Megumi, they didn’t find anyone to blame for him reaching that level.

He literally fought through 3 exhausting, powerful opponents, blasted open a Domain, which should have incapacitated him, and only survived against Toji because the latter took mercy on him.

There’s nothing there left. No Cursed energy, no stamina, no nearby help... nothing.

By that point, some sorcerers, especially Yuji, Nanami, Maki and Nobara, began inwardly rebuking themselves for failing Megumi in the future. It especially stung in Nobara’s case, because she was still active and well, but was forced to stay behind because of her incompetence.

To say nothing of Gojo reflecting on his own failure in containing the situation in Shibuya before it reached this level. They won’t say it out loud, but he knows full well it all falls on him at the end of the day. Toji in particular was drilling this point home by flashing an infuriated scowl the moment his sight landed on the white-haired sorcerer.

[The screen cuts to black

Sukuna turned his head slightly as if sensing a change in the air.

The silence was broken, and eyes violently flew towards Sukuna’s figure as if it were bullseye.

Uraume: Sukuna?

Sukuna:... Urgent business.

Uraume: I see.

Sukuna: It won’t be much longer now before I’m completely free. Do not neglect your preparation.

“Preparation?” That word still resonated in the stunned sorcerers’ thoughts, wondering what they were trying to convey. There’s no denial it had something to do with Megumi, but now, they made it their mission to find out before Sukuna leverages everything that’s seen here.

Several Sorcerers, like Geto, were close to figuring out what that preparation entailed. But they didn’t know how that can work.

[She stiffened]

Sukuna: See you later, Uraume.

[And with that, he walked away]

Uraume [bowing her head]: Sir. I shall be waiting for you.

“... Well, fuck” Nobara just uttered.

That’s all it took to describe the audience’s current feelings.

Ah, yes, Sukuna coming into blows with Mahoraga. What an amazing idea. No seriously, on paper it would a magnificent confrontation. The worst, evilest, strongest Sorcerer of the past, and the strongest Shikigami that ever existed. The likes of Yuki were rather excited inwardly about, unlike the others.

But currently, something began gradually throttling Yuji. A dark, unpleasant miasma of some sorts in his head that clouded his vision slightly. He was too preoccupied by the events of the future to pay heed to it, which made it fester.

[The screen cuts to an unsettling light show.

The scene then switched to a posing Megumi, shadows bending around him to form neat rows of black wolves and white frogs. The wolves howled in reverence.

“H-Holy...” Nobara was at a loss of words. Normally, such event would be terrific, but all it did was inspire fear the likes of which she’s never experienced his whole life. It was her nerves signalling to her that the night of November 1^st will be immortalized in the worst way possible, especially for her two companions.

Her classmates were just as open-mouthed, but not even the majesty of such display by the Shikigami superseded the overpowering fear they had for Megumi at that moment. At least the view snapped Yuji out of the brief trance Sukuna’s essence pulled him into, renewing his focus on Megumi’s fate.

In an instant, both the frogs and wolves vanished, and a large, flaking cocoon appeared behind Megumi with a clang.

Haruta looked on with wide eyes as the blood drained from his face.

Viewers gasped at the creature Megumi just generated from the shadows. Even from the screen, they could sense raw power pulsating from its very being, and it reverberated through their own bones, as impossible as it sounded. Just like when Sukuna and Toji came along.

Haruta [enraged and scared]: He tricked me! started that subjugation ritual! And he’s forcing me to participate in the damn thing with him!

As everyone indifferently watched the Curse User, they contemplated whether him getting hacked to pieces would be worth the following disaster.

Megumi: Eight-Grip Sword… Divergent Sila Divine General… Mahoraga!

[The head of the cocoon was ripped open, revealing a wide maw.

The oldest sorcerers in the room are quite taken by the first glimpse of Mahoraga as it manifested, with varying degrees of astonishment, horror, intrigue.

“No wonder those bastards wanted it so badly...” Toji grimly thought back to his deal with Naobito.

“This will mark the fourteenth time a Zenin will try to tame it.” Yuki was more blasé, “And I guess this one will also be a bust.”

Mist began to leave the cocoon and the strings once attached to it fell to the ground, severed.

Four giant, withered, insect-like wings sprouted from the cocoon's back. The sound of straining fabric rang out as the shikigami untangled itself from its bindings]

Megumi: See you later.

Yuji: Yeah!

Megumi: Sorry Itadori... Hey, you damn bastard! I’ll be dying first, let me see your best shot.

The pink-haired teen winces. Megumi’s bluster seemed tonally misplaced, but at least it might actually bear fruit this time.

[He said with a trimphant, sadistic smirk.

A loud thump rang out, and Megumi was thrown off screen with a back hand from Mahoraga.

“FUSHIGURO!!!” they shrieked, with Yuji, Yuta and Nobara adhering closely to the real Megumi besides them, who was still gaping at his future decision.

“MEGUMI!!” Gojo, Shoko, Yaga and of all people, Toji, similarly reacted, with the latter flying from his seat, his mouth finishing before his brain could. Ironically, it was his father’s voice that shook Megumi out of his funk, long enough for him to see the Sorcerers genuinely afraid for him, even his own blasted parent.

A thud rang out, and Haruta slowly turned his head, only to find a bloodied Megumi laying against a dented roller shutter.

“No, Fushiguro–!” Yuji paled at his friend’s state.

“I-it’s fine... I don’t think that’s enough to kill me...” Megumi wearily told him with the best he could muster, caring only about placating them.

“Yeah but when Mahoraga’s done with that fucker, it will!” Maki fiercely reminds him.

... It will?

Oh yeah. That was the losing condition for the summoning. How did they miss that? When there’s a reason no one could tame it?!

Sukuna’s presence should easily solve that dilemma, but the mere idea is like fighting fire with gasoline. Barely a few Sorcerers accepted it.

Mahoraga stepped toward the frozen Haruta, who turned his head toward the monstrous shikigami. The shikigami had a hulking, muscular humanoid figure, with four wings protruding from his eye sockets, a tail-like appendage extending from the back of his head, and a wheel floating ominously above him.

If the students’ eyes didn’t leave their sockets enough already, they sure are now, only able to rake their eyes across the features of the beast before them, still petrified by the might emanating from its form.

“... you weren’t lying when you said it looked like a heavenly messenger.” Yuta said.

“Messenger?! WHERE! Look at the mouth!” Nobara wheezed.

“Y-yeah...” Panda weakly nodded.

“And that wheel on its head...?” Miwa conjectured.

“Yes, the same.” Todo replied. They were already well acquainted with the nature of its powers.

Meanwhile, during the reactions, Yuji made sure to closely watch over Megumi.

Haruta: No, wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! [He fell on his ass and tried to scurry backward] Oh, fuck you! Dammit!

Actually, that might be worth it. Even the worn out Nobara, Maki, Gojo and Toji smirked at Haruta’s luck going south.

“Kakuni mentaiko...” a freshly irate Inumaki growled, his collar hiding a similarly wry grin. “Hope it delivers on its promise...”

[Mahoraga’s shadow loomed over Haruta as he winded his arm back]

Haruta: Wake up, you shitty sor–                       

[And Mahoraga’s arm crushed Haruta’s form.

The voice of an old woman began to narrate as the screen flashed back to Haruta being beaten to death by Nanami, while the purple markings under his eyes disappeared one by one.

Some of the viewers couldn’t help from glaring sadistically. The least that bastard can do is take the punishment for what he’s created. It was also a pretty good distraction, even though it’s tampered by the underlying anxiety regarding Megumi’s fate.

Narrator: The technique of the curse user, Haruta Shigemo, erases life’s little daily miracles from his memory and stores them up. That stock manifests as the markings under his eyes. And when he is faced with a threat to his life, one miracle is released.

“Whoa– so that’s how he survived Nanami-san?!” Nobara squawked, fury from her “fight” against him

“Just as I suspected.” Gojo stretched out his palms.

“Knew those marks disappearing was suspicious.” Utahime reasoned.

“Marks?” Miwa repeated.

“The ones on his face?” Mai said in disbelief, “Did you not see them?”

In response, Miwa, and soon enough the other students, groaned in shame.

“Was too busy relishing Nanami-san’s revenge to notice that.” Nobara inwardly admitted.

[Mahoraga kneeled down, his fist engraved into the street, but then the Shikigami turned to where he had back-handed Megumi]

“Shit!” Megumi’s classmates cursed out.

This made them internalize the conseqences of Mahoraga succeeding in killing Haruta.

However, he is completely unaware of this fact himself.

“Yeah of fucking course he wasn’t aware of this!” Nishimiya scoffed, recalling the nonsensical soccer monologue.

[Next to where Megumi lay, stood Sukuna, holding a wide eyed Haruta]

Haruta: Huh.

Almost everybody’s hearts skipped a beat at the newest entry. Yuji tightened his fists in response, hatefully facing the King of Curses. His fellow sorcerers were similar shades of equally furious and frightened, but to his confusion, there was something else in Gojo, Geto, Nanami, Shoko and Yaga’s expression, something that’s almost like... acquiescence? No, not quite. But they kind of looked like they already knew how it’s gonna end.

Megumi bit down his lip, the tremors inside his body getting worse. Because this is when he realized... this wasn’t even about Mahoraga coming out and him dying.

[His gaze traveled toward the King of Curses]

Sukuna stared down at the unconscious Megumi.

Sukuna: Suspended animation, huh? Interesting. So saving this piece of trash really was the right move.

Just as suspected, Sukuna is still invested in keeping Megumi alive, which arouses Geto and Yuki’s interest for different reasons, and worries Gojo, Toji, and the rest of the faculty.

He released Haruta’s clothing from his grasp, causing the Curse User to fall to the ground with yelp.

Sukuna: He probably sucked this thing into the subjugation ritual along with him. Once this loser dies, the ritual will be complete. And then Megumi Fushiguro will die as well. [pressing a glowing palm against the unconscious Megumi’s chest] Don’t die yet. There are things I need you to do for me before that.

“Things he needs him for...?” Toji crinkled his nose, leaning forwards to digest the full meaning of that. For some reason, his thoughts traveled to the Zen’ins’ reaction to the birth of Megumi, and how they immediately sought him out, even after his wife’s death.

If there’s one thing Megumi of all people can benefit the King of Curses, there’s absolutely zero contest it’s something inherent to him.

He put the brakes on that immediately, though, because that’d be one hell of a reach. He didn’t like to use his brain much, which made him all the more impressed at what he can come up with.

And besides, how can Sukuna even escape Yuji’s Binding Vow for that to happen?

Haruta: U-Um…

Sukuna: Silence. [calmly walked towards Mahoraga] For Megumi Fushiguro to survive, I’ll have to defeat this Shikigami as an outsider. And nullify his subjugation ritual. [He stopped walking and looked at Mahoraga with an intrigued grin] Now then, time to have a little taste.

Yuji swallowed. Sukuna has no altruistic intentions behind it at all, and he’s still incredibly wary about the prospect, but for him to be able to save Megumi...

He’s the only one seeing the silver lining in the situation, though. Damn near everyone’s worst fear has been confirmed, but none more than Gojo and Geto, but as the truth sank in deeper, Megumi wound up the worst of them all.

The Ten Shadows user could now hear his own veins pumping in his ears, faster as he scampered through most of the possibilities on how such confrontation will end. Unlike everyone else, he no longer cared if he lived or died through it, it was pretty much inevitable, and turning the blame inwards won’t do jack shit.

No. What he’s fixated on most of all is whether Sukuna will end things before it escalates.

Because when it escalates...

[The wheel above Mahoraga’s head creaked ominously.

“That wheel...” Utahime’s eyes widened.

“The technique’s already working.” Shoko said.

“What if it keeps on doing so and manages to surpass even Sukuna’s power? We know how much he loves toying around.” Yuta stiffly questioned.

“I dunno. Sukuna’s not that kind of guy.” Gojo objected.

A blade sprung forth from Mahoraga’s wrist, and Sukuna raised his hand to block the Shikigami’s strike.

The blade meeting Sukuna’s arm sent a shockwave throughout the street, causing the road to break apart into chunks and the windows of every nearby building to explode into glass shards.

Shivers echoed at the damage resulting from such a relatively weak attack, giving a very good idea of the strength Mahoraga possesses independent of its powers. It alerted to all of them that it was just the beginning.

Mahoraga’s blade suddenly brightened.

Sukuna hummed at the glow and seemingly teleported away, leaving Mahoraga’s blade to collide with ground with an explosive thud, before kicking Mahoraga in the face.

While midair, he raised his arm]

Sukuna: Dismantle.

[Three black lined slices collided with Mahoraga, causing an eruption of blood from his chest.

Sukuna landed on the ground and sent another slash towards Mahoraga, but this time Mahoraga swung his arm through the air. This caused both opponents to go crashing backwards.

“Isn’t that sword...?” Miwa quickly guessed.

“The Sword of Extermination, unique to Mahoraga.” Muta answered, “It’s basically a Cursed Tool that can exorcize even a Special Grade Cursed Spirit with just one slash.”

“Just like that?” Yuji exclaimed.

“It’s packed with enough positive Cursed energy to exterminate spirits from 2km wide.” Nanami explained, to the amazement of the teens.

“Not like it’d do a thing to Sukuna though.” Gojo shrugged on his seat.

“Something tells me its technique will bypass that one issue.” Todo assumes.

Mahoraga was sent hurtling into the building next to Haruta and Megumi, while Sukuna crashed through a window on the other side of the street.

Haruta whimpered as he looked at the hole left in Mahoraga’s wake, before slowly turning his head to the approaching Sukuna.

He walked calmly toward the hole left by Mahoraga, in his hands were a soda and a bucket of popcorn.

“... What the fu–“ was the prevalent response to the view. Yuji was massaging his temples to confirm if his feet are still on the ground. He sure as hell never introduced the evil Sorcerer to anything modern, but somehow adapted better than he should have.

“I know we ran out of stupid shit to see in this recording, but the old man holding fast food as if he’s on the way to a fucking movie theatre is on its way to set a record.” Nobara blankly described.

“Kind like us, right now.” Shoko blithely pointed out.

“Damn, this reminds me...” Mai scoots away and heads to get more popcorn.

“Is that really the time right now?!” Nishimiya gritted her teeth at her.

“Trust me, y’all will be grateful by the time this is over.” Mai said as she took out the packets and started to fill them.

“I mean, she’s not wrong. You guys didn’t eat much ever since the situation went tits up.” Gojo noted. “Nothing improves the mood more than the feeling of your full stomach.”

The kids and even adults couldn’t actually argue against that. While they were collecting information to help out in the present, the emotions flowing necessiated keeping themselves occupied somehow.

Also, after he said that, he directed his sight at Megumi again. He’s been scrutinizing the boy as much as he did to the future one for a while now. He knows yet another session will take place when they’re done.

Sukuna [sipping on a soda]: That sword. It’s the Sword of Extermination. [He threw the soda can behind him and spat out what little of it he had drunk] A specialized blade to combat cursed spirits. It’s packed with the same positive energy generated by reverse cursed technique. If I was a cursed spirit, that would have eliminated me with the first blow. |He then shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth. Just Mahoraga slowly walked out of the hole. His expression shifted to one of distaste] Disgusting. [Before spitting out the popcorn]

“He’s not even taking this seriously.” Maki murmured in disbelief.

“He’s still in the stage of toying with it.” Yuta grimaced.

“I can tell he’s already mapped out a plan to take Mahoraga out.” Todo declares. “And is now observing its fighting style and arsenal so he can think of a counterattack in advance.”

Sukuna sent another slash at Mahoraga, ripping through his chest.

The popcorn flew from its bucket as Mahoraga punched Sukuna into a nearby building.

Mahoraga gripped Sukuna’s head in his hand and dragged the King of Curses across the outside of the building.

He then threw Sukuna towards another building, but landed against it gracefully.

Sukuna [viciously yelling]: Come at me!

Sometimes when it began, the crowd’s sounds simmered down.

Recognizing that it’s heating up, all what’s for the audience was to left to was to see the resulting clash with abated breath.

Mahoraga leaped toward Sukuna, but he leapt out of the way just before the Shikigami could strike him.

The two of them raced up the side of the building, Mahorga’s fists ripping through the concrete as if it were water, while Sukuna kept remaining just out of reach.

As they reached the top of the building, Mahoraga clasped his fist together and struck down on Sukuna, only for Sukuna to dodge once more and kick the Shikigami in the face.

While Sukuna was still midair after landing the kick, Mahoraga took the opportunity to grab him by his hood. However, as quickly as Mahoraga had latched onto Sukuna, the Shikigami’s arm had been sliced into pieces.

Sukuna also slashed off one of Mahoraga’s legs, forcing the Shikigami to kneel.

But, just as Mahoraga fell to the ground, he released an explosive roar that sent Sukuna hurtling through multiple buildings.

The more damage the two titans inflicted on the area, the more the stress got into the audience.

Sukuna regained his balance and landed on the side of a building, and as he remained crouched there, he pulled a severed finger from his hood, this belonging to Mahoraga. With a scoff, he threw the finger away.

Mahoraga leapt down towards Sukuna and used his hand to push Sukuna down the building. However, Sukuna stopped his forceful descent by kicking Mahoraga in the face once more, sending the Shikigami into the interior of the building.

Sukuna followed Mahoraga into the building and threw a punch, the Shikigami doing the same. The force of the colliding punch was enough to shatter the windows on multiple floors.

The two of them landed on the floor below and Mahoraga sent a barrage of punches towards Sukuna, only for him to catch all of them in his palm.

As Mahoraga continued his onslaught, Sukuna kept catching every punch, while also sending slashes towards Mahoraga. The slashes traveled throughout the building, destroying it from the inside.

“This is getting bad. Mahoraga is already adapting to Cleave...” Nanami’s eyes narrowed.

“Soon it’ll force Sukuna to whip out his more dangerous attacks.” Gojo mused.

As the building collapsed, Sukuna sent Mahoraga flying into the air above. And before the Shikigami could react, tied him to a floating piece of concrete using a cable and launched him into another building.

While inside the building, Mahoraga threw dozens of cars at Sukuna, who cackled and sliced them up in response.

Sukuna then kicked a few of the cars back towards the building Mahoraga was in, and sent a Dismantle that sliced through Mahoraga’s head.

“I-Impossible. All that punishment, and it did nothing to Mahoraga?!” Yuji cried out.

“That’s part of its adaptation ability. When it receives an attack, the technique enables it to survive and automatically learn it.” Muta explained.

“But if he keeps this up, Mahoraga’s gonna be practicallly unkillable!” Miwa exclaims.

“The only thing that will put down that thing for good is an instantaneous, multi-directional assault that leaves no room for it to regenerate and continue the cycle.” Shoko estimates.

“Then would Sensei’s Hollow Purple do the trick?” Yuta suggested.

“Yep.” the same teacher confirmed, “But the full power it takes to disintegrate it has to be higher than 80%. Meaning I’ll end up laying waste to a massive amount of land to kill it for good.” he elaborated.

“Besides, Sukuna has that same trick.” Nishimiya reminded, “We’ve yet to see Malevolent Shrine at a higher power, y’know.”

That put Yuji to silence once more, the implications of what Gojo and Momo relayed not lost on him. And with that, the miasma in his mind spreaded even further.

But, as the top part of Mahoraga’s head cleanly slid down, the Shikigami pushed it back into place.

The wheel on Mahoraga’s head made a clang.

Sukuna: Oh? Now what was that all about?

“Shit, now it’s round 2.” Maki uneasily said, knowing the bloodshed will triple.

The Shikigami entered through the hole in the building. Alarms blared across Shibuya as flames grew across the screen. Explosions echoed throughout Shibuya.

Children huddled against windows, trying to catch a glimpse of what was causing the chaos.

Terrified civilians whimpered in overcrowded buildings.

Inumaki cautiously looked to the night sky.

Terror struck the viewers at the results of the fight, significantly affecting their composure.

Yuji’s stomach knotted almost painfully, feeling cold sweat grow on his face when the darkness took advantage of his state to take over his psyche further. And the more it did, the clearer he started to see the real picture, the reason behind this.

Sukuna was watching this too.

His eyes were unopened, but he could sense the familiar pressure in his head.

The same from when Sukuna mocked him about Junpei.

And when he made fun of him after Muta’s future death.

...

Although none of the extra eyes have opened, that chill was undeniable. He’s gotten so used to the ancient Sorcerer that he has no need to address him out loud.

But surprisingly, Choso also shared the feeling of turmoil inside him. The connection they unintentionally fostered let the Death Painting feel everything his brother is going through, and it hurt him too. He reluctantly reached a hand behind Yuji’s head, and caressed lightly. For a brief amount of time, the pressure subsided slightly, and he ended up meeting the nervous eyes of his comforter. It was so weird seeing that kind of look on a man who tried to brutally kill him not too long ago, both in the theatre and in the future. The weirdness of it was sidetracking enough for the young Sorcerer, it seems.

Inumaki ground his teeth as a familiar kind of fear enveloped him. He wasn’t one to really give a second thoght about laying down his life for the job, but all those people who depended on him for survival, what will become of them? He was their only line of defense as the Sorcerers began dropping like flies. What if the battle gets worse and this whole area is wiped off the map? Because he can absolutely see Sukuna doing that. Would all their efforts be rendered for naught?

Megumi reclined forward, letting his head fall over so much that his neck hurt, and stared at his own feet. From the looks of it, he doesn’t even need to see the results. The mere thought of that made his heart twist, and made bile gather in his mouth.

Nobara’s other self might be far away from this, but she worried heavily about Inumaki, Megumi, Nanami and Maki. Even if the latter two did manage to survive, they were far too close to the carnage, and while Sukuna’s interest in Megumi might prevent him from getting hurt, the same did not go for Inumaki. To her disquiet, they didn’t even seem to care about that possibility, more unsettled by the amount of civilians around, almost like they lost hope about that.

That timeline is already looking to be absolute shit in far more ways than one.

Haruta whimpered, sweat dripping down his face, as he clumsily ran from the unconscious and blood Megumi.

However, before the Curse User could get far, a car landed right in front of him, making him fall to the ground.

Haruta continued whimpering as he looked to the night sky, only now it was littered with the remnants of buildings, suspended in the air.

Buildings were sent hurtling through the air by Sukuna’s slashes as both he and Mahoraga leapt across Shibuya.

Sukuna landed in the interior of a building, except this one was filled with petrified civilians who shrieked at the sight of him.

Mahoraga crashed through the ceiling and down next to Sukuna.

Sukuna sent a wave of slashes across the room, bisecting many of the terrified civilians.

Heads recoiled from the bloodshed, but for some, that didn’t work anymore.

Immediately, furious, inconsolable glares threatened to piece through the screen. For some, it wasn’t just about the civilians, since they were being used up from the amount of deaths they witnessed so far, which they were responsible for at any rate. This time, it was all about someone important in this room. But it certainly did not help the consciences of Gojo, who was growing more embittered at himself by the second, Nanami, for failing even at thing he was supposed to excel at the worst time, Shoko and Yaga, for being unable to do anything there but prevent the trouble from spilling over to other Tokyo areas, the Kyoto members, who probably didn’t even know what transpired yet (and Muta wanted it to stay that way), and the Tokyo students, for failing to be there when they knew it wasn’t going to stop. Inumaki grew especially paranoid over his position there as of that point. Something will surely go wrong with how much damage the two powerhouses racked up, and it will all fall on him soon to try to do something.

Nobara, who fought so hard not to blow up, found it a pain to even turn around to see her pink-haired friend, and an even worse one to understand what’s going through his head right now.

Yuji briefly ignored the lack of sensation in his head to take in what could be his worst fear yet coming to life in front of him. Despite this, he didn’t immediately freak out or collapse. Because at the outset, it was almost unreal, despite Sukuna’s presence guaranteeing that’ll never be the case. Maybe just watching it from a screen would make him feel distanced from the brutality, but if anything, the more it persisted, the more he put himself in his future self’s shoes. The degree of separation was getting ever so thin by the minute, it was downright sucking him into the screen. Into October’s Shibuya. Before he could realize it, he was basically seeing those people’s blood on his own hands.

And also vomit rushing to his throat.

He forced all that back, desperate to not let anyone see this, even though Sukuna can certainly feel it.

Unfortunately for him, Choso also felt it, and he gently manhandled the now limp young Sorcerer

“Itadori...! Hey, Itadori!” he harshly whispered, tightening his hold on him

“H-hey!” Nobara ignored her guilty conscience to try to get Yuji together. She knows she’s not exactly the best person for the job, because of how much she killed her own emotions during work (until her performance against Haruta in the future anyway), but she sure is not gonna let him walk out on his own advice. “Itadori!”

Yuji jerked up in a frenzy, rapidly glancing at both Choso and Nobara.

“Ah... Kugisaki a-and...” his voice came out rasping.

“Remember what you said before? That none of this is gonna happen, right?” she slowly articulated.

Hearing this, he blinked back at the screen and tried to cool his nerves, drowning out the distant laughter that’s resounding in his ears by breathing in and out as much as he can. Slowly, the world around him came into view.

“Y-yeah.” he stiffly nodded, reminding himself of that in his mind again and again to block out his noise even further. But the more he did that, the more he came to confront something that’s been secretly gnawing at him ever since he first got possessed by Sukuna.

“Itadori.” Choso reluctantly began, “... are you hearing his voice right now?”

One swallow later, Yuji responded “A little. But lately, he’s been rather mum.”

The teachers who were overhearing this, especially Gojo, grew even more troubled over that part. At least the white-haired teacher wouldn’t have to stop the session and drag his student by the ear for not practicing what he preached to them, but when this “fight” is over, he knows he has to put things to a halt, least the Sorcerers can’t handle the overload from what they were being presented.

By the time he was finished with absorbing the taste of what his summoning has done, Megumi’s attention was diverted to the tugs of Nobara beside him. He turned to see Yuji barely hanging by a thread, just from a few deaths. It was then that he fully registered that it’s not just him who’ll suffer the blowback from this decision.

Wiping the sweat that marred his face, as his throat bobbed, Megumi took his eyes, and even mind, off the situation to focus on the people on his right.

At noticing Yuji, Nobara looked from the corner of her eyes just to meet the startled Megumi’s. Contrary to his almost hollowed out expression before, he seemed much more, well, emotionally involved, despite the dismay still apparent on him. His future self may not have internalized his own worth yet, but the slight improvement he made in the present was much more noticeable and better received. Which is why she’s worried this will make him backtrack on it all.

Sukuna then placed his palm against Mahoraga’s chest, sending a barrage of slashes that launched the Shikigami down to the lowest level of the building, an underground parking garage.

He stared down at Mahoraga as the Shikigami laid against the ground in a pool of blood]

Sukuna: That felt odd.

[Mahoraga then leapt up and tried to strike at him, only for Sukuna to dodge his attacks easily.

Mahorga struck his blade at Sukuna’s neck, only for an extra mouth to form there and catch the blade in its teeth. The blade then shattered as the mouth bit down and Sukuna kicked Mahoraga in the chest, sending the Shikigami through the ceiling and into the streets of Shibuya.

Some viewers only just recovered from the first onslaught to keep on watching, even though at this point, it barely mattered who won, because neither result would look good at all. In fact, it was amazing how nobody rooted for any side during this. The whole thing felt pointless, because it was. The only goal here was just bloodthirsty supremacy, at the expense of many people, including their own. And the King of Curses didn’t seem to have much interest in ending this right now.

While midair, Mahoraga was launched into another building filled with cleaning products. Mahoraga spat out the cleaning product he had accidentally swallowed.

The wheel on Mahoraga’s head glowed before revolving.

Sukuna [As he sent slashes at Mahoraga’s chest]: Again. Again!

“Why is he still spamming Cleave? Does he think Mahoraga will also copy the more powerful strikes?” Gojo, rather exhaustedly, surmises on the fight.

—

He pointed his fingers at the Shikigami’s face and sent a barrage of slashes toward him, sending it hurtling through the air.

The screen was now painted in crimson, buildings moving yet frozen, falling yet rising, as if distorted from reality, even as Sukuna’s slashes rained down.

The view caught the audience in a haze not unlike the one on-screen. That was nearly the entirety of Shibuya, and the King of Curses was about to work it loose.

Amidst the crimson glow, Mahoraga white form floated, swimming in the carnage, and his wheel turned once more with a mighty clang.

The King of Curses also floated in the scarlet sea, reveling in the hellscape of his own creation.

I knew it. You’re similar to Yamata No Orochi. You follow my slices and attack with cursed energy. Both started happening after that great wheel of yours revolved.

“So he wasn’t all that familiar with Mahoraga’s technique after all?” Geto doubted.

The audience was quite aware of the creature, having learnt of the myths Sukuna was inolved in, so it was interesting hearing one of those being confirmed.

A blinding glow began to illuminate Mahoraga’s body.

The incantation of sacred treasures and that great wheel, both represent perfect cycles and harmony.

Sukuna’s hands slowly approached one another, his face obscured in darkness, with the only feature visible being his joyous grin.

At this moment, it feels as if Yuji saw the future perfectly into the Sorcerer’s eyes, faster than the screen could show.

No actions neither words were necessary for this.

One extra eye in his cheek opened slightly at the same moment, taking advantage of the boy’s distraction.

“Ah, well... at least you’re gonna get just a glimpse this time.” his voice droned in amusement. However, an undertone of irritation laced his thoughts. Usually, he takes much of his own handiwork for granted, regardless of his current level of power, but this time, seeing what would be a basic achievement for him from a third-person persepctive left him more than a little pleased, to his own surprise. He thought he lost the ability to be impressed anymore, but so far, the viewing has been quite the pandemonium. Modern day Sorcerers and Curses are still nothing like he remembered raw power wise, sure, but the highlights didn’t disappoint one bit. It wasn’t everyday he could see the full potential of someone with a Heavenly Restriction, the way Sorcery has evolved over history along with advancements, the fact that there was yet another powerful Gojo descendant and a Cursed Spirit that can easily match him... it was all so fascinating, so the premise of a Domain that enabled seeing into the future through a display and somehow brought back the dead didn’t appear all that far-fetched.

Unfortunately, that means he’ll have to readjust his plans as of now. He’s well aware several people are catching onto the reason behind his interest in Megumi, and from how this is unfolding, the inevitable confrontation to correct the future would go a lot different this time, meaning a much harder time stringing Yuji along to his preparation.

Which suggests that this Shikigami’s ability is to adapt to anything and everything.

Mahoraga’s head slowly raised, a cold-blooded smile upon his face.

A chill vibrated through Megumi’s skin. Despite the lack of eyes, the way the Shikigami stared at the camera felt almost accusatory, in a referencial kind of way. Almost like an additional nail on the coffin of his devastating failure.

It’s the ultimate late-throw in rock-paper-scissors!

Sukuna’s hands met, his grin now inhumanly wide.

You might have had a chance to defeat me if I was still in the state I was in back then.

A silhouetted Megumi briefly flashed on the screen.

Some were rather surprised at this, including notably Megumi himself, who tried to pay attention more when the Incarnated Sorcerer began alluding to their fight. But soon, guilt overawed him. Sukuna already alluded to the possibility previously, yet to think he could match him evenly had he been better at his technique.

At least, they now know they can get rid of him in a weakened state. It was such a comforting thought, he conveniently glossed over the execution and the whole purpose behind it.

Meanwhile, the theory Toji entertained began to take on a much more concrete form, despite himself. And this time, even Yuki began forming the same conclusion. The blonde woman was much faster at reasoning how Sukuna could leverage that advantage Megumi has, despite momentarily forgetting about Yuji’s Binding Vow, and she lightly smirked, pondering on the many options the King of Curses has in his arsenal. 

Mahoraga’s form now towered over Sukuna,  the body rivaling the immensity of the buildings around him. His arm was extended towards the floating Sukuna, his hand slowly enclosing on the King of Curses.

However, Sukuna did not feel an ounce of fear, his mind filled with laughter.

Now you’ve fascinated me, Megumi Fushiguro!

Shadows burst forth from Sukuna’s form, enveloping the whole screen]

Sukuna: Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine.

A shrine surrounded by bones and skulls emerged around Sukuna.

Normally, a bloody battle coming to an end should be a relief.

Not this one.

Malevolent Shrine was already a brutal finisher just from a smaller distance. But now, with nearly ten additional fingers, and a crazy strong, near-invulnerable Shikigami in front of him, he’s going to need more firepower.

Meaning the whole Shibuya quarter could be easily wiped out, but many tried to not think of it.

Sukuna’s Domain, Malevolent Shrine. Unlike other Domains, it does not cut out a separate space with a barrier. Manifesting an Innate Domain without sealing it in a barrier is like trying to paint a picture in the air without a canvas. It is a truly divine feat

Geto, Yuki, Choso and Toji were rather entranced to varying extents by the full view of the mythical Domain. What the voice said behind the screen was true, and it’s the reason it looked so engrossing to them. Not many Domain Expansions achieved that, and it’s part of what immortalized his name, because by the standards of Jujutsu, he was basically a mutant in many ways.

Civilians lay slumped in the train tunnels beneath Shibuya.

A train that had been ripped from its tracks floated in the air.

Plane parts lay scattered and covered in flames, frozen throughout the air.

Civilians looked on at the chaos, unable to comprehend what they were witnessing.

Students grew increasingly distressed for the survivors, their inability to make any difference just worsening that feeling. Yuta, Maki and Panda glanced at Inumaki, who has pulled his collar down to bite down his knuckles. What can he possibly do?!

To top it off, by adding a pact to allow its victims a path of escape, it vastly increases the range of its guaranteed-hit effect to a maximum of a 200-meter radius. Though out of consideration for its effect on Megumi Fushiguro, he has currently restrained the effect to 140-meter radius limited to the surface.

The sound of something falling to the ground echoed.

140 meter radius?!

But people were still nearby!

Before anyone could protest aloud, though...

Mahoraga erupted into a mountain of blood.

Entire buildings were erased in the blink of an eye.

Slashes ripped through Shibuya.

Whatever words the viewers tried to let out completely faded in their throats as they bore witness to the instantaneous effects of the Domain Expansion.

The subway tunnels lost light.

Inside a building, worried civilians took refuge]

Woman 1: Anything?’’

Woman 2: Nope. No signal.

Woman 3: Same.

This time, everyone sat still in complete silence, as if a single movement could affect the outcome or change the situation the survivors were in.

Woman 2: Yeah, but I don’t think we need to worry about that anymore. Remember the guy with the megaphone? I’m pretty sure he should be-

[In an instant, Shibuya was reduced to dust in the wind.

The young woman's hand was slowly erased from the screen.

Sukuna’s slices are comprised of two types. “Cleave” attacks things with cursed energy in the range of its guaranteed-hit effect.

Next, the young woman’s phone was sliced apart.

And ‘‘Dismantle’’ attacks things without cursed energy.

As if he was the one in Shibuya, Yuji uselessly flung his hand towards the screen, before stopping at the narration, which appears to work to remind him again and again what he’s really doing here.

But how can that matter when... he...

He felt his throat bob painfully, now suddenly getting the urge to just... stop watching altogether. And immediately trying to fight it too.

From the pained looks of the adults around him, it’s painfully clear they want him to do the same, but he’s quite torn on the prospect.

Why should he try to outrun something that was his own fault to begin with?

For all what everyone else extolled, he didn’t see any improvements at all in what he did. It was like all his achievements before running into Choso were mere delusions. And it made him delirious.

So delirious, he began seeing himself growing more distant from the view, bit by bit.

Mahoraga marched toward Sukuna, uncaring of the endless barrage of slashes that assaulted him, regenerating just as quickly as he was torn apart.

Both attack all targets relentlessly until Malevolent Shrine is gone.

“Hurry up and kill it. Please!” Miwa, desolate from the results of their “fight”, just mentally begs.

Sukuna stared at the approaching Shikigami, his triumphant grin falling, his eyes widening, before his grin returned, along with a confident scowl.

His only sure way to defeat Mahoraga, is to slaughter it with the first use of an attack before it can adapt.

Yuki and Toji were the only ones primarily preoccupied with the fight, compared to the radio silence the rest of the audience has entered. And it was quite interesting to see the final phase being a battle of attrition where Sukuna has to put down the monster before its power reaches even greater heights upon regenerating from Malevolent Shrine.

Sukuna separated his hands and held his palms toward Mahoraga. His palms burst into flames.

‘‘Cleave’’ would have fulfilled those conditions, but that wouldn’t necessarily hold true if it had adapted to slices in general rather than to “Dismantle.’’

Buildings continued to erupt into dust.

Sukuna summoned forth a wave of fire from his hands, the force of the flames sending rumbles throughout Shibuya.

Throughout Tokyo, electrical infrastructure was disrupted, countless building lights flickering on and off.

All across Tokyo, civilians watched as a cloud of dust and debris floated above Shibuya.

Mahoraga rose from his kneeling position as his surroundings were set ablaze.

Mahoraga’s regeneration will soon be complete.

The flames slowly crept across Shibuya.

Mahoraga desperately crawled through the flames, trying to reach Sukuna, but it was all for naught, as the King of Curses had already formed his arrow]

Sukuna: Open.

[Shibuya was engulfed in a tide of flames as a beaming spire spun in the middle of it all.

A few seconds passed, and the spire slowly dissipated, leaving only a looming cloud of smoke.

And a lone wheel clattered to the ground before melting into a black liquid.

...

As the inexplicable trance that developed from the witnessing the clash withered away, the whole room slowly settled into a grim, eerie quiet, all from the disquiet that gripped on their psyches, not to mention the realization that this might be only one of the reasons they were dragged to see the future. From what the last message said, things deteroriated slowly but surely in that timeline, so that destruction was just the beginning.

Literally, just the first straw.

That alone was draining to contemplate.

In those seconds when Sukuna annihilated Shibuya, they already passed through all those emotions like how time passed on the TV. The involuntary marvel such era defining showdown inspired quickly whittled away to horrified rage, but soon even that faded, to their shock. Everything they’ve experienced since the Shibuya incident started so far prepared them quite well for this volatile finale, so it possibly didn’t sting as much as it should have. Not to mention that in that headspace, it just registered as that: a showdown of destiny. But that surely didn’t help their conscience, and so the rage returned in, and the cycle just renewed itself.

Gojo fell back and just stared off vacantly, replaying all the destruction and death over and over like a broken record. Because no matter how much he analyzed, it all circled back to one source: him. He literally had one job, and like the complacent moron he was, he not only half-assed it, but fucked it up so hard, someone from the future had to warn him firsthand. But that’s not the worst part: the people he put his trust into to fix that job somehow made it even worse. His face quickly twisted up in guilt at his mind going to that place. By hoisting off the blame, he’d prove his detractors and enemies exactly right. But by taking responsibility for this, he’d deny this generation the chance to correct things on their own. But who the hell was he kidding?! All of them were now cheating by just being here, having information handed over them on a silver platter. This told him that even his best attempts were ultimately futile, and he’s only starting to see the foundations of his beliefs collapsing. He needed to take measures. Fast.

Geto, ironically, was less tense than he ever was after Nanako and Mimiko’s demises, just taking in the view like a distant memory. It was strange how in the future, his impostor, and then Sukuna practically succeeded at what he tried to achieve during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, somehow killing more people than he ever could. Yet his supposed wish, to see the monkeys he ever so hated suffer half of what he and his friends have been through, only granted him momentary, fleeting bliss, before that warped into even worse pits of self-hatred and misery. Because that’s the reason behind all of it in the first place: he wanted to see humans taste one bit of the suffering Sorcerers endured on a regular basis. Forget how many tend to go through even worse (because why else would Curses exist?), the Sorcerers were what mattered, right? They’re the ones keeping their miserable, sedentary existence from taking a turn for worse. And yet after all that, there was no catharsis to be had. Perhaps it has something to do with how his actions indirectly helped bring ruin to the friends he wanted to protect so badly in the near future. Yeah, that probably was it.

Yuki and Toji, after a short of period of being both mesmerized and frightened by just a fraction of the King of Curses’ power, slowly mulled over the effects this could have in that timeline. Yuki was privy to the same irony as Geto, which made her wonder if the massacre could pave the stage for her visionary plan regarding evolution. Now that people even outside Japan will most certainly learn about the Curses’ existence at that rate, there’s a lot of potential to be explored in that future, but also lots of devastation in return. She breathes in sharply, chiding herself for thinking too far ahead. In any case, that impostor has yet to unveil his own endgame. That was the deciding factor.

Toji is dimly aware Yuji’s fate when all is said and done, but is currently more preoccupied with his own son. He did inadvertantly help contribute to this. Unlike many others in here, he believes he’s done the right thing trying to go out in a blaze (yeah) of glory. He could relate to not wanting to die so ignominously, even if he has to screw the whole world over. But knowing of Megumi’s previous issues with Mahoraga, he decided he’d rather take that a bit more seriously, especially since he grew up to be more of a different person than he ever was more. From several seats away at the front, Toji could positively smell the sheer despair radiating off, and he pulls his eyebrows in guilt, instantly confirming that idea.

Yaga’s head was titled downwards, both from the bleak outcome, and the possible outcome of that too. Defeating the remaining Disaster Curse and that impostor and retrieving Gojo won’t achieve anything, nor will it return all those deceased back. The Jujutsu society will come down hard on them in that future for failing to contain the situation in Shibuya, to the point Gojo might not even be freed from the Prison Realm even if secured. He was always a thorn on their side, so he wouldn’t be surprised if they found the best opportunity to get him out of the way. And as his teacher, he will have to share the blame too. And then there’s Yuji and Megumi... there will be no second chance anymore, not after that. The execution will resume, and he’s going to be history immediately after, assuming they’re not gonna use this to hound him about his technique again. Megumi might also suffer scrutiny, but it’s doubtful he’ll lose his life over it, but with Gojo gone, it’s not looking good at all. He hopes he at least told Panda in the future...

Following all that, Shoko found herself craving something to dull the stupefying shock and dread in her stomach, which only worsened her emotional state. Just like Yaga, she realized not even saving Gojo will do much of anything, and will just throw them in even hotter water. But she couldn’t really afford to think of that, because the chances of that possibility coming to fruition has grown much slimmer and slimmer. She just... couldn’t see a happy ending out of this. wasn’t always an optimistic person, but this is one of the few times her pessimism managed to scare even her. Waiting for answers will only give her more ache, so she decided to immediately grab the closest glass of alcohol the moment it’s done. And it’s uncertain if she’ll ever be able to stomach more.

Utahime’s feet bounced on the ground as she mulled over the ramifications of such calamity. In that future, the coverup will be obsolete. All of Japan, no, the world, will learn of their existence. She doesn’t know if the elders would be prepared for this, because from what she’s seen, there’s no idea to be had about the impostor’s existence. The upcoming decisions would cripple the Jujutsu world even further, with the added baggage of ordinary people being dragged into the mess now that the curtains would be lifted. Surely, she and her students would be spared of the worst of it, but she still can’t help but think of her friends from Tokyo, Shoko, Nanami, Ijichi, and even Gojo. The Star Plasma Vessel affair and the Night Parade of a 100 Demons seemed downright breezy in comparison to all... that. Just the look on Shoko’s face right now encapsulated the fallout. She could sense the desire to turn off her brain in them instantly. And that’s without the mess regarding Muta rearing its ugly head full force as she contemplated those possibilities. Not even correcting their future will guarantee his freedom, or life.

Nanami, for all his apparent sangfroid, was hardly doing that great. He came to the same conclusions as Yaga, and it made him genuinely fear for the students and assistants’ future in that timeline, least of all Yuji himself, and his own co-workers. He doesn’t know whether he survived or not, but on the off chance he did, he’s going to witness the world as he knew it unravel spectacularly. But most importantly, the death toll he calculated went up way beyond what he estimated. From the Meiji Shrine Station massacre, to Mahoraga and Sukuna’s clash, that’s an untold amount of pressure on them to prevent from coming to fruition when they get out of here. But next to the pressure on Yuji, it wasn’t much. In fact, speaking of the boy, he caught wind of something shrouding his body. It wasn’t quite the evil pressure unique to Sukuna, but it still wasn’t anything good, judging by his completely rigid form.

Yuta and Maki were overcome by culpability at their absence from the conflict, with just how many have bit the dust, through no fault of their own given just how fast the crisis unraveled, but it was cold comfort to the Gojo successor and the Jujutsu-less Zen’in, given the uncertain fates of their classmates, especially Inumaki, who was very close to the epicenter. The silent boy, for the most part, decided not to gamble on his survival and left it up to fate. It still hurt pondering it, though. His clan was already on its death throes, with his family fixating over him surviving into adulthood and rebuilding it, and now those hopes will be brutally dashed, and for an added nail in the coffin, he failed at his primary mission. It was this part that tore into him from inside out. He genuinely wanted to lash out, to cry, to just get it out of his system before it builds up more when things inevitably worsen, but by contrast, he was dealt a fairer deal than some of his own classmates, like Megumi and Yuji in front of him, so he didn’t think it was worth it.

The Kyoto students were especially mixed. Pretending this didn’t concern them was a losing game. Why? When it all started because of one of their own? Parts of Todo, inspired by his anxiety over Yuji while controlled by Sukuna, Nishimiya, Kamo and Mai, who was still stuck wondering if her sister is alive or not, wanted to lash out at Muta again. Betraying them was one thing, but being directly responsible for the slow destruction of the Jujutsu society as they knew it in the near future was another. Scrutiny will eventuallly bite them as well, so the blame game will reflect badly on them.

Muta tried to retain whatever dignity left when the consequences of his machinations started to come into view, and from his trembling skin, he finally failed. None of that was his doing, but he paved the way for the Curses to learn about the Sorcerers, he helped set up the stage in Shibuya and all that followed, and he screwed over the people who believed in him. As far as he’s concerned, he was beyond guilty of every single wrong thing that transpired. His own eventual death barely registering because he still miserably failed even at the act of betraying. Everyone thought bygones will be bygones as this recording continued, but he was the only one to see the truth behind it all, because why else are they here? And why did whatever entity that shackled them here felt the need to reward him with this body? As far as he’s concerned, he probably deserves staying as an invalid for the rest of his life if that’s what it came to. Ah, yes. On top of his scheduled official punishment, that one will especially be sweet. None of his close ones deserve someone like this in their lives.

Miwa besides him stared off into space, mouth covered by her hands in abject horror. How did everything go so wrong in such a short time?! Just a while back, they were watching Yuji, Nobara and Megumi messing around with the former’s first love, and then Mechamaru was a traitor, got brutally killed, Gojo was sealed, Ijichi and Ino were assaulted, Toji came back to life, Nobara lost painfully, Maki did too, and so did Yuji, and even Nanami and Naobito, and then... it just exploded into this. There was no break at all! But what did she expect anyway? It was a WAR. And one partly engineered by her best friend, something she hated to acknowledge but was the cold, bitter truth. Her classmates resumed their hostility towards Muta, and she can’t hope to do anything about it, with Utahime being more preoccupied with how to prevent this along with the other teachers. Now he was alone in this. And the voice in the back of her head is actively warning her he might do something drastic in response.

And finally, there was Nobara. Regret ate into her for how sidetracked she was by the battle, especially with how it ended, and how it will touch on her two classmates. Surely she’s away from the destruction point with the assistants, probably witnessing it firsthand. But soon it hit her just how... vacant it makes her feel, unlike the rest. She’s yet to experience any genuine, significant loss in that timeline (along with Panda and Kusakabe). The Haruta fight was honestly small bananas compared to what her comrades suffered. Besides, she and Nanami not immediately going to finish him off was what led to this. She felt had to do something later to correct this. Actually, there was so much to note down and account for right now. It killed any delusion of their work going the way they wanted, just like Gojo said way back when the incident began. Funny how she finally succeeded in reading what was between the lines.

Choso was one of the most distraught. Why wouldn’t he, when he’s the direct reason all... this fell down on Yuji? He couldn’t even make things right and return just in time to save his little brother after the realization. He was probably still raving around like an madman while the city burned around him and Yuji was about to see what he’s done. Now that scene of his grandfather made a lot of sense. He failed at the last request he was entrusted with. But the more pressing matter right now, was Yuji himself.

Upon breaking out of their stupor, he and Nobara observed closely, and were more than a little unnerved. His unblinking, flat stare never tore away from the future. He looked like he was still in the throes of processing what Sukuna did to the city and people, like a file in the middle of downloading. That face looked completely wrong on him, as if something horrible will go down if they tried to speak to him. Which certainly did a good job dissuading them from doing exactly that, in favor of carrying on with the viewing along with every Sorcerer in here. Nobara still kept an eye towards Megumi, who was in the exact same state, but more beside himself, both his palms set around his face.

“... Fushiguro?”

Surprisingly, he reacted to her..

He jolted in shock, and then little by little, turned to face the brunette.

The unsettled expression, with his shrunken irises and darkened face, on him was more than a deterrent to her starting any conversation, though, and she wordlessly resumed watching.

The Sorcerer leisurely strolled away from the destruction and dying flames, passing by a frightened and whimpering Haruta]

“A-all that and he’s s-still...” Panda, along with several students, were shaking in fury at the Curse user.

While yes, him coming out alive would guarantee Megumi’s survival, that wasn’t the point.

Sukuna: What the hell are you looking at? Begone.

Haruta’s mouth morphed into a wide smile, showcasing a missing tooth.

Harua: E-e-excuse me!

[He runs with a spring in his step into the barren wasteland that had once been Shibuya] My luck never runs out! For another day…I survived!

…Only for his face to slide off his head.

Shigemo’s stock of miracles had run out in his battle against Kento Nanami.

“Tch, finally.” Nishimiya emotionlessly croaked, echoing the teens who were honestly too shattered to muster up a reply.

However, Mai and Toji barely restrained their laughter at the way the guy went out, against all the oppressive silence around them.

Sukuna [noticing his hand shaking]: Oh, it’s nearly time.

Yuji’s shoulder moved in response to those words, enough to weakly turn his vision back. He didn’t expect his joints to hurt this badly. It was just a few minutes, and he feels like he already atrophied, on top of the sweat that concentrated everywhere on his body. All combined with the chill that pervaded around made just a slight stir torturous.

Ah, yeah. Sukuna did wipe out half of the city. And most of the survivors.

His breaths grew increasingly labored when the conclusion wrote itself.

He knew it was gonna come to this eventually. He knew he can’t alone keep him contained, not when the Curses had ten fingers, and he got beaten in his first real fight. His more pessimistic half was prepared for it to end like this, honestly.

How would his future self possibly react to all that? Would he just stop and fold in? His friends and teachers still needed his help. He can’t turn his back on them after fucking up everything. Like some filthy coward.

Mahito was still around, after all. The only Disaster Curse left.

Ah, Mahito.

But what would be left for that guy anyway?

The next time they’d meet, it’d just be kill on sight... like none of it even mattered. Not Junpei. Not the people he sicced on Gojo.

Speaking of which, was Gojo himself.

He was still stuck... and the impostor had him captive...

... And his friends. And all the other Sorcerers...

Were they still alive? Did... they get away before...?

But that’s okay... that’s just the future. They still have a second–

Ugh, shut up.

To Yuji’s dawning confusion, it felt like his brain activity wasn’t quite reaching his nerves. And it was only more noticeable when Sukuna’s voice suddenly rung in his ears.

Before he could react, the murk that accumulated from before finally dragged him out of this reality altogether. Out of his own body. Out of the environment around him.

“... brat.”

Amidst the enroaching darkness, he could pinpoint the source of his call right behind him, but even turning around was a pain.

“It’s been quite a while. Like what you’ve seen?” that sentence assaulted the boy like a kneecap, enough to rouse an even stronger reply.

“W-what I’ve– THAT’S ALL YOU!” he growled.

“Sure, but... whose fault was it that I got out?” Sukuna leisurely prods, “And no, the Death Painting, Volcano Curse, or those girls don’t really count as answers–“

“DON’T EVEN TRY THAT SHIT!” he already caught on to his games and violently whipped his head at his back. “If you’re gonna bask in being the big bad King of Curses then at fucking least OWN UP TO IT!!”

Sukuna wafted to the front just as Yuji turned behind, “I am doing that just fine in that department. The only one playing stupid games right here and now is just you. Do you even believe what you’re saying?”

“What are you...?!” Yuji stopped, his jaw trembling.

“Lately, you were acting quite... bizarre. Early when you saw those deaths unfold, even if you experienced them firsthand, you still reacted accordingly. But over time, I notice all what you did was just... let nature take its course.”

Yuji paled. Is he implying...?

“I mean, coming from you, it’s a rather interesting development. You never struck me as that kinda brat. Future or not, the lives of thousands are in your hands. Oh, and Gojo too, I guess, but he still does a better job at claiming responsibility than you. All you did was just lie to yourself that you’ll fix this, In fact, how sure are you of the likelihood that you can actually “do better” when you’re done? Hm?”

As the Curse continued, Yuji ceased to offer any resistance.

“Think about it. How is being locked here, with the only promise of your development being friendly spars without any threat of permanent injury or death, ever gonna help you with that? What if the sender of that letter lied, and days have went by without any of you having an idea? What if those Curses already began their plan while you’re all skipping around here, none the wiser?”

“Stop it...” he gritted out,  “I told you... none of that is gonna work!”

“Point is...” but Sukuna only forced himself into the boy’s personal space, or in this case, headspace, much further “Are you even believing what you’re saying?”

“SHUT UP ALREADY!”

Not many people had an idea of the mental war Yuji was currently in the midst of. But not for long, especially when it came to the Kyoto upperclassman or the half-Curse besides him.

[The scene switched to Shoko and Yaga in the medical tent.

Shoko and Yaga were surprised to see Megumi’s unconscious body suddenly appear on the street below]

Yaga: Fushiguro! I just saw Itadori for a moment. No, was it Sukuna?

At least, Megumi was saved, for now.

Yet again, none of that comforted the boy in the slightest, and it was apparent when the skin broke on his lip from how hard he bit down on it, and on his knuckles too. But strangely, pain wouldn’t even register.

He doesn’t deserve that. Nothing could possibly warrant him just walking away scot free from all the bloodbath he caused. He should’ve just let Haruta put him down like a dog if the alternative was getting Shibuya wiped out and killing thousands of innocents.

Some Jujutsu Sorcerer he was...

The thoughts of the praises Gojo, the other First Grade Sorcerers and his fellow students showered upon him rung hollow in his head, and he humorlessly chuckled to himself at them.

Fuck him being at a crossroads. He’s the successor the Zen’ins looked up upon, shouldn’t he have lived up to that?! Even when Gojo was at one, he bit the bullet and overexerted himself because those people still mattered to him!

He’s not about to kid himself any further. He doesn’t truly care about any of them, right? He just wanted a convenient excuse. Because of he did, Yuji wouldn’t have to suffer through what will follow... his only comfort was the possibility that he’ll also share the punishment if they made it through.

 [11:14 PM]                                      

Sukuna returned to Dogenzaka, walking forward for a few seconds before stopping in front of Shibuya 109, a smile growing on his face.

Sukuna: You little brat, be sure to savor this feeling forever.

After speaking those words, the markings in Sukuna’s face dissipated, leaving only Yuji Itadori, the smile on his face disappearing.

Everybody’s nostrils flared, their attention taken away.

“Oh no...” Yuta breathed out in sympathy.

“That... bitchmade cocksucker...” Nobara growled, balling her fists.

“D-don’t tell me he went overboard... just because of Itadori-kun?” Miwa’s lips quievered

“The fuck is his problem?!” It was at this point that it clicked within the steadily irate Gojo and other senior Sorcerers. That kind of malice was too abnormal even for him.

“Itadori...” Todo’s thoughts focused on his brother just a few seats on his right. His body was almost completely limp. But something about that lack of motion was extremely off, unlike the audience’s own shock. And that Death Painting certainly noticed it too, as he slowly poked at him.

“Uh, Itadori?” Choso quietly called out to him, and his eyes bulged when he sensed his flaccid form. He looked down to check on his face, and was alarmed by the view. He nearly panicked,

Silence. That was all that could be heard as Yuji stood in front of a barren landscape that had once contained hundreds of buildings, and thousands of people.

There Yuji stood, unmoving, as he took in the sight that he had created. The canvas that he had painted.

As the view of the desolation haunted the viewers again, Choso was in the middle of shaking Yuji.

Nobara turned to Choso, and was overcome with worry too. “Ugh, again?”

“What happened? Is Itadori okay?” Gojo asked as he moved to the front.

But when Nobara whipped his head up, she and Choso were frozen solid by the face that showed itself to them.

In a split second, Yuji’s irises were completely blood red, several dark markings painted his face, and two additional eyes opened up underneath his real ones, before they closed and the markings dusted off.

But moreso, a sharp aura tingled around the place, rousing everyone’s attention.

“W-was that–?” Yuki immediately got up.

“–Sukuna?!” Nanami barked, and the rest of the adults leaned forwards, ready to intervene.

Megumi pushed himself next to Nobara to see, and was immediately reminded of his other future failure.

“Itadori, you here?!” she waved frantically.

Instantly, light returned back to his eyes and control back to his muscles, and he faced left and right in perplexion, “W-wh...?”

“Sheesh! That was scary!” she exhaled deeply in relief, “The hell happened to you?”

“Huh?”

“You looked like you dissociated, Itadori.” Todo said to him.

“Did Sukuna try to wrestle control?” Yuta asked.

“But that’s impossible!” Panda argued.

“Sukuna’s face actually flashed for a brief second just now. You all felt that too.” Choso informed, sending everyone down a loop.

“... well, that’s odd.” Gojo mulled over with furrowed brows, “That kind of thing only happens when he swallows one of the fingers. And moreso when the number is higher, as we’ve seen.”

“He’s only on like 3 fingers though.” Shoko considers.

“Do you think something in this place is weakening his hold on Sukuna?” Yaga theorized.

Choso ignored the brewing discourse and turned to his brother “Are you feeling okay?”

“I... uh, y-yeah, I’m good.” he stiffly answers, avoiding facing the half-Curse’s face.

“Did you and that geezer talk or anything?” pressed Nobara.

There was a incriminating silence. “Not that I can recall.”

“... really?” neither students nor adults were brought over.

“it’s just... I was really, like, lost in that moment.” he tried to describe (lie), “You know, like when I hyperfocus on an especially intense scene in a film. And maybe, uh, Sukuna tried to annoy me over it.”

“This wasn’t a film, though.” Shoko softly tells him. “Are you... okay after what you’ve seen? You want to continue?”

“What I’ve– oh, well...” he honestly wanted to drop the subject, what with all the looks he’s now receiving. He’s never felt so suffocated in his life. And he’s not eager to tell them anything about his current feelings right now. Nor about his encounter with Sukuna.

“It’s... uhm.” He lowered his gaze, searching for the words but coming up short. “I-it’s okay, really. I can continue.”

Everyone frowned, some deeper than the others, and they were unable to pull their eyes away from him even when focusing on what’s in front of them.

Yuji just kept staring on with widened, hollow eyes.

He released a shaky breath, then another, and another. His hands slowly moved towards his face.

Needless to say, nobody was looking forward to continuing with any of that anymore. Sympathetic glances were cast over the boy who has to suffer the worst backlash of them all.

Yet incongruously, Yuji didn’t feel this way at all.

This only enthused him to focus more. To live that moment with his future self, so he can engrave in his heart what he’s currently fighting, no, keep on living for, right now.

Thousands of people. Thousands of men, women and children. All reduced to dust, because of him.

Haruta’s corpse lay in front of him, blood pouring out of it, the only sign that there was ever any life in this wasteland.

Yuji’s hands dug into his face painfully as his eyes twitched.

Memories poured into his head.

Mimiko and Nanako.

Panda and Kusakabe.

The people, so many people.

Sukuna’s grin.

But such thing only made it worse for himself.

It was like the slow-motion train crash that began after Nanami, Maki and Naobito were dealt with was replayed again, but sped up. In those seconds, Yuji recollected all what transpired over the course of that countdown, especially Mahoraga’s last stand against Sukuna. And all those people...

He wanted to memorize it to the last minute detail. No matter how much it hurt. No matter how he actually wanted to shut down and stop watching because the voices in his head just won’t shut up.

But he has to. He doesn’t want to be...

Yuji collapsed to the ground, releasing a tortured groan, before violently vomiting.

His breathing was erratic, and his body continued to shudder.

He scratched at the ground, leaving bloody marks.

Yuji: Die!

|He yelled to himself as he continued to scratch at the ground]

Only me! Only me!

[He headbutted the ground, tears pooling in his eyes]

Die! Right now!

[He screamed, eyes haunted and grieving.

...

Nothing could have possibly prepared the audience for this backlash, despite their best preparations.

With the exception of the tranquil Yuki, Toji, and Geto, who looked worriedly triumphant at seeing his daughters’ killer being driven through the mud, the agony eventually got to them.

Gojo took off his blindfold in silence, sorrowfully shaking his head while trying to watch anything but the boy’s breakdown, despite the Six Eyes’ urging. All he wanted to do was give Yuji a chance to shape his destiny as he saw fit, but now he can see he just made the process a lot more torturous. He might’ve wished for a meaningful death, but at the rate things are going, he’s going to actively seek it out, and this made him rather scared not the future, but the present. Yaga sighed in dejection, unable to bear a student of his unraveling like this. Not even Geto’s fall from grace got ready enough for this. Shoko’s grimace could surpass anyone’s in here, but she just had to look stronger better than everyone else. Not much Utahime, whose instincts were tugged on hard, and she covered her mouth when she realized the screams were getting to her, although he was not her student. Geto’s expression was still detached; to him, yet another Jujutsu student whose essence was squeezed out until nothing was left, except he could guess the process only truly started. That feeling was shared by Yuki and Toji, for whom the breakdown was just another painful echo of this society’s

Mai, Kamo and Nishimiya exhaustedly looked on, Miwa’s eyes watered and she tried to look away, block out his voice, but nothing worked. Todo genuinely wanted to do the same as her. This was the first time he saw his brother so mentally scarred. He was always the kind of guy who never let anything get past him, and if it did, didn’t let it show, so this was quite the whiplash to the bigger student. All he could do is direct that energy towards the one who broke him so viciously. Already disasteful towards Sukuna for that stunt with Junpei, his hatred stretched to greater heights along with his scowl. They, alongside Utahime, unconsciously recalled the Goodwill Events, when the principal tried to have them kill Yuji. Perhaps, on some level, this was the reason behind it. But some Kyoto students banished the idea before it could take on a concrete form. None of that helped matters one bit, and in fact, their former target might take it seriously sooner than later.

Maki’s obstinate expression was undermined by her quivering lips. He truly had no place in such travesty. And now he’s the one who’ll have to pay for her and everyone else’s incompetence. It was just so unfair. Yuta was much more outwardly affected, horror and devastation warping his face, the whole scene stricking a very uncomfortable chord to his own initial reaction to Rika and her parents’ departure. He never wants to see someone else going through something like that, ever again. Panda’s animalistic features plainly trembled, and he closed his eyes and leaned down at Inumaki, whose slumped head concealed his empty, fatigued eyes. A junior of their own should never need to endure this.

Megumi’s chest was coiling painfully at the sounds. God, he never wanted to throw up so much until now. He doesn’t remember the last time he actually wanted to do that. He thought Yuji was just gonna be another face that won’t last long under the pressure of this job, much like Nobara, with the added wrinkle of his Vow. But after all their time together, he could trust him with his vulnerabilites without fears or excuses, and for the first time since Tsumiki fell comatose, express himself freely around him. It was a weird kind of friendship for sure. Now the cynic in him dreads that might end, depending on how hard Yuji will take it.

Nobara’s lips were downturned, and she blinked back a few tears of her own, but moreso from fury. She certainly had a lot of hatred for Sukuna beforehand, but to her, this sealed in stone that no matter how overdramatic he seemed, there’s a reason the only way out for Yuji was death. She no longer feels like underestimating him, not after seeing the depths of his disdain for his host. Poor Yuji. He didn’t anything to deserve this, much less be all alone after. She wasn’t even that far away. Still, she acknowledges that dumping it all out is what he truly needs right now. It helps that this time, he was much less distraught, a lot more ready to face his destiny.

The same relief crossed over Choso, who was also rather puzzled by the certainty in Yuji’s eyes. That’s mostly because he couldn’t bear seeing or hearing his brother in pain anymore, and wanted to set his mind at rest by focusing on the real, current version of him. But that didn’t make him feel any better. There’s only one known way out left to the Ryomen Sukuna problem, and he already doesn’t want to consider it. He finally found another kin, he can’t bear to lose him.

The screen switched to an overview shot of Shibuya, showing a gaping, dark hole in the middle of the city.

The silently screen panned across the destruction left in Sukuna’s wake.

Empty, broken buildings.

Yuji amazingly managed not to collapse along with his alternate self. He was just too stubborn out for it, despite the tears awaiting in plenty. He didn’t want to give that bastard the satisfaction. He said all those things because he was banking on him to doing exactly that. So he didn’t even think about it.

“You’re a strong kid, so try to help others.”

The sudden memory flashed by, almost as if even his own brain refused to let him be. He aggressively wiped his eyes to ignore it, which only added to the stress. From his blind spot, he witnessed all his friends commiserating with him. It set a strange, warm kind of fire in him. He caused so much damage in that timeline, ruined their jobs, helped destabilize the Jujutsu society, and from Inumaki’s own state with Yuta and Panda moping on his shoulder– Oh shit. Inumaki! He was with all those people. Yuji’s throat ached. Did he make it? Even if he did, would he shoulder the burden of having seen so many die under his watch? He cursed himself several times. Carving through a warpath without care alone wasn’t enough for him, he HAD to drag one of his classmates to it, didn’t he?

Seriously, why would they even bother with him at this rate?

No. Why wouldn’t they? They know the truth.

He’s just a child stuck in a matter far bigger than he can imagine. His only sin was being at the wrong place at the wrong time. All he wanted was to protect others, a motivation that’s grown scarce amongst them, and he was thrown into the gutter for it. What Geto realized years ago was honestly true; Yuji was another casualty of this system. And this will keep on running unless something is done about it. Gojo couldn’t possibly let his resolve fall by the wayside from a display that has yet to materialize. In fact, this is a sign he has to begin, right now, not even wasting time until they’re out of the Domain.

It’s the least he can do to make up for putting his students and friends through all this.

 

The remnants of Jogo’s Maximum Meteor.

Mimiko’s headless corpse kneeling in the tunnels of Shibuya Station, next to the blood splatter that was once her sister.

That tore through Geto’s cold facade, bringing his mood down to match with the rest of the viewers. It also reignited his hostility like never before, despite the rational part of him insisting the teen was as much a victim as his followers and those people. That he a cog in the machine like he used to be.

Recognizing the last part gave his hatred out to bewilderment, and then remembrance. Damn, he thought he was done projecting into others, but every single time, it just takes on a different form.

Buildings that had been slashed in two.

The screen returned to Yuji, still collapsed in front of Shibuya 109.

Yuji: I have to go. I have to fight.

[He stopped scratching, his hands and ground below covered in blood, as he rose up.

His face was the epitome of despair]

Otherwise, I’ll just be… A murderer.

And when the screen faded to black, it was like the viewers were finally able to breathe.

It wouldn’t be much of a shock if bags already formed beneath their eyes.

They really, really wanted to sleep so much things off like they were nightmares, if not for the show shifting.

But at least, Yuji didn’t give into himself and surrender. That was surprisingly enough to calm him, to put all his turbulent demons from before to rest. It reassured him he won’t walk back on his convinction. That everything Sukuna claimed about him was wrong.

 Somewhere in a dark pathway, a wounded figure makes it way through.

Kento Nanami. With half of his face and torso burned beyond recognition. Still carrying his cleaver and ready to fight

Then it all turned to black]

A lot of light returned to the viewers’ faces overnight. Nanami was rather dumbstruck, though. And it wasn’t even his injuries.

Yuji was even moreso, “N-Nanamin?”. Just that lifted his spirits significantly, and made his lips to curl into a smile.

And soon, it extended to Nanami’s colleagues.

“Wh– it’s...!” Gojo was caught off guard

“HE’S ALIVE!!” many students howled.

“YOU’RE ALIVE!” Nobara, Panda and Yuta snapped their heads to him in genuine joy.

Meanwhile, Yuji was still taking his time to absorb in Nanami’s grievous wounds, which somewhat tampered with the relief, but he wasn’t gonna let that happen. His body craved for some serotonin.

“Dammit! You scared us here!” Gojo hammily jumped to the front to hug the blonde, which he decided to allow... for now.

“I knew it won’t be enough to kill you!” Maki extolled.

“Yeah, he’s quite the tank.” Shoko chuckled.

“FINALLY SOME GOOD NEWS!” Miwa’s tears were the sizes of waterfalls.

To say Nanami was overwhelmed by the sudden attention was putting it mildly, and when he studied their reactions, it was clear the phantom of the previous event was still laid heavy on their psyches. Not to mention it was just Nanami. Maki was still an unknown factor as far as she and her classmates knew. But it was more than enough of a silver lining.

And with that, the screen completely turned off, without any static, signaling it won’t turn on for quite some time.

Thanfully, they were given time to sort out their heads. After all, it’s been quite the tempestuous ride. Still, it was a full minute before anyone even busted a move.

Except for one.

When Nanami darted his eyes to the right, he saw Yuji rising from his seat and walking up towards the teachers instead.

He entered the row Nanami was in, and reached the man to face him. After some reluctance, he lifted his head and declared.

“I knew I trusted you.” his smile, although worn out, brightened the mood around him considerably. However, Nanami and those closest to him caught on the twitch in his lips.

Looking at the hand he was given, the blonde didn’t hesitate to take it, if it soothes the teen even a little. He gently

“Me too. I trust that you still has some in you.” He phrased it as if he meant his alternate self,

Now Yuji found himself relaxing, enough he nearly wanted to melt into his arms, as awkward as that would look.

But suddenly his muscles stiffened, and the smile vanished from his face. He spontaneously aimed for the exit.

Before disengaging from the group, he called out.

“Hey, Sensei.”

“Yeah?”

...

“... I’m not going to hesitate anymore.”

It was hard to discern. His tone wasn’t that grave. In fact, it was the opposite. It sounded like Yuji giving a chipper encouragement, as well as reminder of his ultimate mission. But something about it was so foreboding it wasn’t even funny.

Also, to some onlookers like Nobara and Choso, for a brief second, Yuji’s expression wasn’t too dissimilar from the one he put up after his breakdown in the viewing.

“It's best you don't.” Gojo simply replied, likewise avoiding to see him eye to eye.

On cue, Sorcerers left the room one by one, with Utahime advising Yuki and Choso on where to spend the night (or day, or whatever). The latter didn’t want to hear any of it, only thinking about Yuji and seeking to follow him. The same went for frankly everyone else, but none more than Nobara, Gojo and Todo. Megumi was already a prisoner of his own stormy, guilt-ridden mind too. Yuji was the last person he ever wanted to run into again. The rest opted to give Yuji some space.

In the meantime, The pink-haired Sorcerer walked ahead confidently after the fact, making a beeline for the restroom, save for the wobble in his step, but it’s possible sitting for hours just did that to him.

By the time he disappeared from view, he skipped the restroom entirely, fearful some are following him.

He walked for longer distances down the corridor, turned two times, before settling on the last foyer.

His back audibly hit the wall, and his legs gave out, as he let himself slide down until he fell flat on his posterior.

From the hands reaching for his sweaty face and encircling around his head, the story was obvious to anyone that might see.

Pure, unadulterated terror swam in the boy’s darkened eyes. And all inside his head.

It was true, alright. He couldn’t convince even himself in the end.

Notes:

I hope you enjoyed reading. I'm a bit mixed on this chapter tbh.
And for the record, I decided to delay Sukuna's appearance until Yuji's tasted more suffering...☠

Chapter 13: OMAKE: Specialz

Summary:

The JJK cast get to watch the 4th Jujutsu Kaisen opening!

Notes:

Sorry for wasting y'all's time over this. I struggled to fully get back to my other work so I decided to write this to let off some steam. And honestly, it worked! I always wanted to write reactions to this scenario for a long time!

I hope I did it well

“Wait, what?”

Right after finishing watching Yuji and Nobara win against the Death Paintings, everyone went heir own ways, eating, playing, when suddenly Gojo received a tip from their messenger, which showed up underneath the screen while they were outside. Of course, at the news, students to adults all huddled around him (or rather what’s in his hands).

He coughs a little before continuing “Alright. So as you saw, we can’t continue with the future until we witness events that unfolded in the past, which might take quite some time.”

“We already know that.” Megumi deadpanned. Nobara, Yuji, Panda, Inumaki, Momo, Miwa were still slightly bummed out by the news. They were really looking forward to the top secret mission Gojo was talking about in the future.

“Good, good! But thankfully our messenger decided to not hang us dry with anticipation until that point.” He flexed his hand up to reveal a new DVD that they’ve never seen before.

“Eh? What’s this?” the teens inquired.

He cracks the casing open, and a talisman falls out of. Yuji immediately snatches it, and soon all of his peers huddled around him.

“‘Here is an unorthodox intermission to show you what you will face afterwards. Use it wisely. And it’s best you don’t take everything for what it is. Only available for use once.’“ Megumi reads it out loud, before reclining in confusion along with his friends.

“Unorthodox intermission?” Maki raises an eyebrow, “You mean, like those little breaks?”

“It did say ‘things you will face afterwards’, so maybe it’s about future events.” Miwa helpfully recommends.

“This place is supposed to show it to us point-blank, why is it now playing chicken??” a baffled Panda wonders

“Dunno, but this is quite the routine breaker.” Kamo stares on the talisman thoughtfully

“Yeah. Perhaps it’s to test prepare your attention span.” Nanami suggests.

“And it could serve as an accessory to the next viewings as well.” Shoko similarly assessed.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Yuji is already eager at the prospect, “Let’s see it!.”

“It’s best to keep notebooks close to your chests this time.” Utahime advised. “This tape will disappear after use, so we ought to make the most of the experience.”

Everyone decided to return to the theatre room with tools in hand, with Gojo placing the tape

“I wonder what that ‘intermission’ entails, though.” Megumi deliberates.

“And the fact that it said not to take everything for what it is. Perhaps there’s more to it than the main future viewings.” Mechamaru added.

“Let’s see for ourselves.” Maki proclaimd.

Once the tape is slid inside, it all begins after seconds of static.

[The screen opens up with Yuji walking with a group in the middle of the night, before turning to the front, as the music blares up]

You are my special

[Tokyo Sorcerers, students and instructors, march forward outside of a fire lit temple. The Disaster Curses do the same.

“Wha– wait...” before Nobara could say anything, she was blindsided by the melody. At her voice, the screen halted.

“Ume?” Inumaki raised an eyebrow. Music?

“So like, background music?” Miwa asks.

“No... I think this is a music video.” Nishimiya figures out.

“Ehhh...?” many were a bit baffled by this choice, “Is this why it’s called an unorthodox intermission?” Yuta said.

“Maybe it’s to hold your attention better.” Gojo piped up.

“The sound might end up doing the exact opposite of that.” Megumi countered.

“What if it’s the point?” Kamo spoke up.

“The tune is kinda nice though.” Utahime comments. It sounds like an alternative rock song, but the more subtle use of instruments really appealed to her.

“It sure is.” Shoko and Todo handily agreed with her.

“But those lyrics... the heck kinda language are they?” Mai tilted her head.

“That’s english for you are my special.” Nanami replies.

“Now what would that refer to?” Yuji makes an exaggerated pensive pose at this.

“We can learn if we keep up.” Megumi rolls his eyes.

As the video continued, they were treated to themselves marching.

“Damn, we look kinda badass.” Nobara pointed up.

“Almost as if we’re heading to a battle...” Maki was more pessimistic, which was validated by the Disaster Curses appearance.

“Oh, it’s them again.” Yuji said in caution. “Been a while.”

Satoru Gojo and fake Suguru Geto walk in the same formation at split]

You are my special

“I guess we’ll finally get to confront all of the group head-on later.” Panda concludes.

“And something tells me it’s not gonna be a cakewalk.” Megumi worriedly pondered, “Even with Gojo-sensei with us.”

Gojo wouldn’t argue with that, especially due to the emphasis on him and the faker walking at the same tempo. His other self at the time had no idea about Geto’s body being taken over. Their meeting will surely be fun.

[View pans down from the red-lit Shibuya district of Tokyo, and into ambiguous scenes of people being caught in an explosion, Cursed Tools, and a chrysalis about to burst]

A few teens (and adults like Gojo, Shoko and Utahime) were bobbing their heads to the beat despite themselves.

It was so hard to discern what was even going on (except for Nishimiya, who recognized her own broom). What was clear, though, was the location.

“Shibuya?” Nanami blinked up and down. Fake Geto’s group was already transparent about its goal in that place.

He, the teachers, and older students, exchanged knowing glances between one another as realization dawned on them.

The next future event will most certainly involve this plan prophesized by the Disaster Curses.

When Yuji got the hint, he tightened his jaw, with Megumi and Nobara sharing the same feeling. That mission Gojo gave them in the future definitely had something to do with Shibuya, one way or another.

However, despite not really getting it, some Sorcerers were wary at the people being scattered away. Were they flying? Caught up in some kind of phenomena?

You are my special

[It then shows a bird’s view of the Prison Realm, an eye already opened on it, with Geto overlooking it]

“Is that–?” Megumi’s eyes widened.

“– the Prison Realm, yeah.” Gojo revealed.

“That’s what it looks like, huh...” Yuji mused as he sketched its appearance.

“So does that mean you’ll get trapped in it after all?” Mechamaru thoughtfully questioned.

“Don’t you think you’re going too fast!?” Yuji and Yuta strongly (but nervously) protested.

“I’d agree with you, but the tape did tell us to take some things with a grain of salt, right?” Kamo reminded.

“It said to do precisely that, not to dismiss whatever makes us uncomfortable.” The puppeteer argued.

“Plus it’s clearly in its ‘full’ state” Todo remarked, “meaning it did capture someone in there.”

Students fell silent, left to scrape up the full implications of such development.

“Well, it’s true then the question is how did that even happen?” Shoko mulls over.

Gojo wanted to work that question out too, but neither of the possible answers looked good. Mechamaru was right. There are lots of uncomfortable things he has to come into terms with, like the way he could be subdued.

Enjoy the moment, let’s dance

[Sorcerers from Tokyo Jujutsu High all stand poisedly outside of the temple, with new faces accompanying them, such as Naobito Zen’in and Takuma Ino. A few others, led by Kusakabe, Mei Mei and Ui Ui, also follow them outside]

“Oooh, we look so dashing!” Panda gushed.

“Tuna mayo.” Inumaki nods. Like we’re out of an anime.

“Now that you mention it, it DOES look like the opening to an anime!” Nobara exclaimed.

“The music, the movements, the atmosphere... it all really makes sense!” Yuji chimes in with excited eyes. Living out his own Shonen adventures would be really to die for! But... to his disappointment, his journey is not exactly what one should call a path to greatness.

“But who are these guys though?” he instead curiously asks.

“The lad in the beanie’s Takuma Ino, a graduate from our school and independent Sorcerer.” Gojo answers.

“The middle-aged man in a coat is Atsuya Kusakabe, our homeroom teacher.” Yuta fills in. “And the child with Mei-san is Ui Ui, her little brother.”

“Ui Ui?” Yuji and Nobara repeat to themselves, “Odd nomenclature.”.

“... the old man’s Naobito Zen’in, my uncle.” Mai responded, unusually somber.

“Shit, he’s joining us too?!” Maki complains in dismay, nearly crushing the pen in her hand.

“Seems like things REALLY got out of hand there.” Shoko remarks.

“Well, better him and not anyone else in that family.” Gojo said with a scoff. “Imagine having Naoya breathing on your nec–”

“– I’d take Naobito.” Maki, Mai, and Utahime all robotically answer in unison.

Their response was so unnerving to Megumi, he couldn’t decide whether to look further or just ignore everything about his family.

On the frontline of Tokyo, the thriving city

[Gojo walks amidst the populance]

“Wow, next to everyone else, Sensei sure is a giant!” The first-years admitted to themselves.

“On the frontline of Tokyo...” Utahime was absorbed in the lyrics more than anything, writing them down. They could be unconnected, but there’s no way they got inserted so nilly-willy without some sort of worth whatsoever.

Struggle on the verge of giving up

[Mahito cheerfully skips inside of a train, transfiguring any human caught in his touch]

Yuji’s face immediately contorted to fury, roughly grasping at the sketchbook. From the looks of it, even the others’ mood went down considerably, not helped by what he’s doing.

“He’s... transfiguring all those people inside of a train!” Megumi barked.

“So all the civilians down there will be endangered, fatally at that.” Kamo deduces.

“Well, duh! It’s freaking Shibuya!” Maki said aloud.

“Not to mention they said the preparation is gonna start at October 31, Halloween’s Eve.” Yaga brought up, “meaning a lot more people than usual. Which is already saying a lot.”

“Could we possibly prevent that?” Yuji inquires, his face crinkled up in anxiety.

“This tape is supposed to show us the original future in its immutable form. So that’s a stretch.” Todo presumes, only stroking Yuji’s fears further.

Show me your fearless side

[Fake Geto’s group stride inside of a tunnel]

“That’s the metro underneath Shibuya.” Shoko notes.

“Perhaps the plan will launch from that location, if the group was shown walking from there.” Nanami notes down.

“The older Death Painting is there with them.” Yuji and Nobara noticed in concern. There’s no way he wouldn’t want either of their heads.

I love you, baby

[Sukuna’s fingers are unveiled inside of an envelope]

It was at that point the cast remembered some of Sukuna’s fingers were possessed by the Disaster Curses.

“Well, if my intuition is correct, the search for the fingers will be severely whittled down.” Gojo eclectically theorizes.

“It best be.” affirmed Yuji.

“The voice is so soothing... but also creepy.” Mai commented, distracted. Yuji mentally agreed with her. Despite the captivating chorus, there was something about the lyrics and especially the atmosphere that tingled under his skin, but in a manner so delicate he can’t tell if it promised good or bad. From the looks of it, it was probably the bad kind.

Let’s keep eulogizing                                               

[Yuji seemingly agonizes in front of a cemetery as people idly walk by him]

The boy’s breath hitches. That was a mortuary. And the way he was standing in front of it...

Sadly, a few Sorcerers already began drawing the worst conclusions possible, with the sounds of scribbles getting higher.

“Huh? Now what’s that mean?” Nobara squints.

“Eulogizing? So would someone die?” Yuta caught on.

“Definitely, and by the looks of it.” Megumi casts a glance at the troubled Yuji, “– it’s either someone important on our side...”

“Or judging by the shadows, a large score of people.” Nanami somberly infers.

“Oh no...” the mere implication frightened the younger students, who watched over Yuji. The pencil’s head nearly snapped on the paper where he strongly grabbed it.

If that’s what it meant, how could that happen? Also the fact that he was the center of the background meant he was involved. In other words, Sukuna was involved. But how could he get out? Did he let him out? He’d never think of such thing, not after the horde of vivid nightmares he’s been having about him being free. He’d know better than that...

But who was he kidding? Maybe he was just seeing the worst sides to things and building off from that. But it’s nothing he should take lightly anyway.

No matter how ignorant

No matter how homeless

[Ancient drawings of Jogo, as well as Mahoraga, are illuminated by a candle]

While they recognized Jogo, the other figure took a while, except Megumi, who iced over.

“Is that Mahoraga?!” Nishimiya quickly did, though.

“Wh– wait... yeah!” Maki leaned forwards in response.

“Shit, how could I forget it looked like that!?” Nobara rebukes.

“But why would its form show up...?” Mechamaru articulated as his mechanical eyes darted towards Megumi.

“Iiiis this time where we should be applying the ‘not everything is literal’ rule?” Panda slowly interrupted.

“Hell no.” Nobara, Maki and most Kyoto Sorcerers immediately put the lid on that.

“So are we finally gonna see it in action?” Yuji audibly asked, to their annoyance.

“Cod roe.” Inumaki shuts him down. I wouldn’t be so excited about this.

“And here we thought you’d finally cut it out.” Nobara sighs.

After the initial shock wears off, Megumi reclines on his seat in resignation and doubt, “Knowing how I felt about this over the time in the future, there has to be something that went off.”

“Or old habits just die hard.” Gojo loudly offers, but there’s a sense of discontent in his tone, “Well, once we get to that part I’ll decide if it’s a good enough reason.”

“Right.” Megumi didn’t reply out loud.

Every heart-burning move

[Aoi Todo is determinedly holding on to his necklace, as a mysterious being with multiple eyes briefly appears in shadow]

“Oh, it’s you!” Yuji happily claps.

“I told you brother, what we’ve had is only the beginning.” Todo comforted, but was soon taken by the next view.

“Takana?” Inumaki confusedly points at the shadowy figure. The heck is that though?

“... is it me, or does it really remind me of Mechamaru?” Mai narrowed her eyes, before side-eyeing the puppet, who didn’t budge an inch.

In reality, he completely stiffened from shock, recognizing what’s coming to him soon...

“Indeed. Those multiple eyes look exactly like your puppets’.” Kamo confirmed.

“But it looks huge.” Miwa noticed as well.

Once we start running, we can’t turn back

[Kasumi Miwa is weeping as she holds her hands close to her chest]

Mechamaru’s heart twists, and his otherwise inorganic hands start to shake. Yeah, there’s no denying it. He’s going to be exposed very soon. And by the looks of it, his friends are going to suffer for it. He doesn’t know how, or if they’ll find out themselves... he recalled the mission Gojo entrusted to Utahime, and it all came in place.

“Miwa??” The Kyoto students exclaim in surprise.

“E-ehh? Why am I–?” the blue-haired girl is just as lost.

“Y-you’re crying...” Nishimiya now has a very bad, sinking feeling.

“Is something gonna happen to one of ours?” Kamo frantically questioned.

Todo already has something in mind, which he isn’t too pleased about.

You are my special

[From the view of a maw, Yuji is changed to a grinning Sukuna in a spark of flame]

“Oh shit...” the Sorcerers looked on with dread. This one was pretty damn self-explanatory.

“Can’t say I miss his old mug.” Nobara half-whines.

“Tch. Of course he’s gonna return too...” Yuji rumbled, peering at his own extra eyes.

“But how? You wouldn’t ever let him go with the Vow, remember?” Yuta’s brows crease in puzzlement.

“Could easily be an allegory though.” Gojo said, even though he’s similarly disbelieving of his own guess.

“Wouldn’t be so sure about this...” The host sighed.

Could you mess these up more?

[Yuji and Todo appear to be in the midst of fighting against Mahito and his Cursed technique]

“Whoa! Todo!?” Yuji points out in astonishment. Realizing he’s going up against Mahito soon wasn’t much of a surprise, because he knows it’s inevitable. And from the looks of it, it’s gonna be quite the fierce confrontation.

“So I ultimately join you in taking down in Mahito...” This was enough to take Todo’s mind off the previous premonition, as he hammily declares “But of course I’d do... I’d take on any of your burdens no matter what!”

“Can’t wait to see us both in action again!” the teen bumps his fist up in approval.

“With Todo-kun there, the fight would be on much equal grounds.” Nanami hummed.

“That bastard is gonna be ground to paste with him there.” Todo’s classmates victoriously decided.

Devour everything heartily

[Jogo is yelling in desperation

“Either he’s fired up for this battle... or he’s already gotten himself into another snag in the future.” Most Sorcerers speculate about Jogo’s state, some (a certain teacher) more sardonically than the others.

“Nope. It’s definitely a snag.” but Nobara, Maki, Panda, Inumaki and Mai weren’t too far behind.

Choso, the eldest Death Painting, seems to be having a breakdown while water sprinkles all over him

Yuji and Nobara flinched a bit at his expression, but especially Yuji. That was weird. Even if Choso was shaken up by his siblings’ death, he didn’t express it so violently like this. What did happen for such an emotionless guy to react like this? Was it also something bad that unfolded in the future?

A mysterious but strangely familiar man emerges from water

A cold current edges throughout Gojo’s very spine, leaving him completely rigid in his place, his eyes nearly bulging out of his face. Suddenly, an emotion he’s never felt in a VERY long time creeped in on his face.

Are his Six Eyes screwing him over somehow... or is it actually...?

No. This is probably some kind of misdirection. Yeah, just like the talisman implied. There’s literally no way...

Wait, why is he freaking out?

The adult Sorcerers’ eyes also widened upon drinking in that figure’s full form, especially Yaga and Shoko. They were slower to actually identify it, though, unlike Gojo, but the dread it left still crept up on them.

“Uh, who’s... that?” Maki slowly asked.

“No idea.” Most of the students flatly responded. Megumi even turned to the teachers behind, but except Gojo, most of them shake their heads.

He almost immediately notices the pallor on Gojo’s face and frowns “Sensei?”

The white-haired man baulks a little and meets Megumi’s eyes, “O-oh, what’s up?”

“You seemed a bit out of it just now.” the teen said, “what gives?”

“It’s nothing.” Gojo firmly denies.

An uncertain Megumi returned to the screen, but this time, at a closer look, he could sense something... familiar about that guy? He couldn’t put his finger on why though.

Fake Geto seems to be dropping a flame-encrusted remain of a Curse

“What’s... that?” Shoko quietly wondered.

“A Curse? But if it’s in his hands, it’s probably something significant.” Yaga construes.

“Is that a part of his scheme?” Gojo cocked an eyebrow at the moment, momentarily tearing his mind away from that man.

A lifetime of wandering in a maze

[Mei Mei unleashes a murder of crows

“Oh, she’s finally getting involved?” Mai grinned.

“Must’ve been quite the hefty sum for that to happen.” Yaga snarked, much to Gojo’s chagrin.

“More like quite the situation.” Utahime dourly posited.

“Crows? Is that part of Mei-san’s technique?” asked Yuji.

“Yep.” Shoko answers.

Someone is struggling to get up while surrounded by fire

That was also hard to decipher. If fire is involved, then according to a few Sorcerers, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that it has to do with Jogo. But it was hard to make out the features of the person writhing in flames.

Nanami, however, saw something in it that drew him towards it...

Megumi is facing a figure with long sleeves, as glass falls beside them]

“Who’s that fighting Fushiguro?” Panda wondered, “it doesn’t look like any of the Disaster Curses.”

“It seems human. Perhaps one of the Curse users employed by Geto.” Kamo suggested.

Gojo’s hunch told otherwise. That figure gave off the same vibes as the man climbing from water. But then that means... oh God, it makes no sense at all! How could that possibly transpire?!

Megumi wasn’t sure of what to make of this scene, probably dismissing it like Kamo. But something in the back of his head was convinced it wasn’t.

Rendezvous, dizziness

[Nobara, in a room full of chairs, looks up with a hand on her right eye

This one easily beats the record as the most confusing imagery yet, especially for the bewildered Nobara.

Why is she surrounded by chairs? She doesn’t appear to be involved in any physical or mental strife, unlike the others. Naturally, the brunette knows on some level, but fails to draw the exact connection. And why is she covering an eye? That was the most important question that barely anyone had the courage to voice.

“... okay. So are you gonna be down one eye or something?” Except for Mai.

“WHAT THE– out of all things–!!” Nobara suddenly lashed out.

“I mean, why else she’s hiding it with her hand?” she genuinely shrugged at being confronted.

“W-well, it could mean anything!” Yuji reluctantly offers.

“Though unfortunately, it ain’t too much of a leap.” Maki said, “we can’t keep obsessing over everything being figurative.”

“Well, shit.” Nobara slumped down in quiet disbelief.

“It’s okay, Kugisaki.” Yuji tries to comfort her, “Heck, it’s not even obvious yet.”

“Yeah, and ‘sides, there’s enough shit for everybody in the future, you’re not alone.” Panda also tries his hand at this... poorly.

“Are you even tryna help in any capacity?” she tediously mouthed at the Cursed Corpse.

Shoko holds a cigarette while watching from a distance]

Many were dismayed to see her relapsing.

“S-Shoko?” Utahime’s voice trembled.

“Wow, didn’t think I looked this cool doing it.” the doctor worryingly laughed it off.

“This isn’t funny. It’s been a decade.” Yaga reminds her.

“I can think of one reason that could drive her to this level...” Gojo bit the inside of his mouth, the recording already beginning to get under his skin.

You are my special

[Gojo stares off in urgency, as the Prison Realm looms behind him]

A lot of viewers were more visibly disturbed by this singular moment than anything.

Students have ever seen Gojo look so distraught like this the whole time they were together. Only the reveal of fake Geto was close enough, but this...

It was the most eerie thing ever. He looked completely lost in his own mind, somehow.

“Hey, t-that thing behind him...” Panda pointed in urgency.

“The Prison Realm is fully active?!” Yuta barked.

“Which means you do get sealed ultimately.” Megumi sighed.

“Not you too Fushiguro!!” Yuji protests.

Surprisingly, Gojo wasn’t too hung up about that possibility. Something tells him there is one chance such thing could be achieved in that timeline, but didn’t dwell on it until now.

“Yeah! How could Satoru of all people possibly get trapped?!” Panda objected as well.

“Trust me, even I refuse to entertain that idea.” the Ten Shadows user shook his head, “but why else would the Prison Realm appear twice in the recording if it’s ultimately gonna be a bust?”

“And also, why is there so much focus on our and the enemies’ appearances and actions if we’re led to believe Gojo would defeat the Disaster Curses?” Maki argued.

“Normally, Gojo would have eradicated them all quickly if he stuck around, right?” Todo gives his two cents. He doesn’t really want to bring his brother’s spirits down, but it’s important that he understands the way things work.

Some of the younger students deflated in discontent, still unable to fathom such thing happening.

A world spinning in ambiguity

No, no, no! No more composure

[A succession of hands performing Domain Expansions appear, starting with Sukuna, Mahito, Jogo, Choso, Todo, Megumi (which was performing the ritual to summon Mahoraga), and Gojo, before his signature Six Eyes take up the screen]

“Hey, that’s Sukuna’s–!” Yuji yelped.

“–Domain Expansion.” Megumi seriously adds.

“Isn’t that also Mahito’s?” Nobara pointed out at the second.

“That’s definitely Volcano-head’s.” Gojo recognized Jogo’s signs.

“What’s with all these?” Panda questioned.

“... doesn’t that one kinda resemble Kamo-senpai’s technique?” Miwa says about the Cursed Blood pose.

“Huh?” Kamo does already know it’s him, but he’s more confused at its addition, until something clicks in his head and he grounds his jaw. “No... it’s him.”

“Him?” repeated Nishimiya

“The Death Painting.” Mai clarified.

“But earlier, we’ve seen Todo-senpai and Miwa-chan.” Yuta quickly mentions.

“That man is gonna have a far bigger stake in that confict from the looks of it. I wouldn’t discard the possibility.” he arges.

“Look, it’s Todo’s as well!” Yuji noticed, and on cue, Todo sees his own technique signs.

“But of course, he did join you against Mahito after all!” Miwa said.

“Oh look, it’s those familiar hand seals.” Nobara curtly commented.

“The Mahoraga ones!” Yuji panicked.

“They appeared more than once, which also confirms...” Maki gives Megumi the stink-eye at this.

The dark-haired teen looks down in disappointment at himself for this, “Appearing twice– no, thrice. So I couldn’t live up to the end of that bargain, huh?”

A lifetime of wandering in a maze                              

[The screen demonstrates a well-lit aerial view of Tokyo]

At this point, some are left hoping this doesn’t mean anything drastic. Probably something like the whole place getting destroyed, if all the heavy hitters were at the same place, but it’s probably just work-induced cynicism talking.

No matter what others say

[Fake Geto wipes his lip with a smirk, while Gojo grimly pulls down his blindfold]

Gojo figures he’s going to confront that faker quite soon in the future, but isn’t very enthusiastic about how it will go, now that he has all the details he needs.

You are my special

[A final view of the Tokyo Sorcerers in the middle of an intersection in Shibuya]

We’re special

[Yuji idly watches the sunrise on top of a bridge, before turning around and walking away]

...

...

...

Gojo was still humming the song’s chorus despite the music video finishing, attracting all eyes on him and making him shrink a bit, his vocalizations gradually fading into nothingness.

“Anyway, all that can be said is that there’s a lot to unpack from just one minute.” Yaga pushes his glasses up as he readies his findings.

“Like Shoko going off the wagon.” Gojo ‘provides’ an example, eliciting  a lot of winces

“I ain’t gonna hear the end of it for the rest of our stay here, right?” she huffed.

“No need to be harsh on her! I’m sure she has her reasons!” Utahime defended her best friend, but the ‘reasons’ part made some of the audience cringe. She definitely wouldn’t be the only one.

“But still, that song was a banger!” Panda praised.

“You are my special~” Miwa even recites the refrain

“I love you baby~” continued Nobara with far better tonal control.

“I’ve never heard anything like it before. And I can’t find anything about it.” Utahime informed, raising her phone.

“It was probably released in the future.” Maki supposed.

“Maybe... I even made sure to memorize the lyrics. Perhaps there are more hints to be found in them.” she posits.

“All the unclear details aside, it’s easy to construe that we ended up going to war against the Disaster Curses led by the impostor Suguru Geto, which probably snowballed when Gojo-san got sealed.” The last line made the Six Eyes owner recoil despite his neutral facade.

Much of the students, not just Yuji, Yuta and Miwa, tried to compartmentalize that part.

“Well, for now, this is still unclear–“ Miwa tried to defend.

“–Nah, it’s fine. Not much of a problem.” Gojo waved off, before sighing, stretching his arms upwards and bending over to the students, “I have a couple of guesses on how that one might’ve went.”

“And what are they?” Yuji wondered.

“...you’ll find out soon in the viewing.” the teacher apparently backtracks.

Nearly everyone facefaults, but this gives plenty of people ammunition.

“Oh, do my ears trick me? Is Sensei of all people afraid of facing his future demons?” Nobara smarmily needles him.

“And here I thought you’d accept you ain’t all that.” Maki smugly said.

“C’mon, just a hint please?” Panda pleaded.

“Bonito flakes.” Inumaki rolls his eyes at the hintception. And here we have come full circle.

“C-c’mon guys...” Yuji didn’t exactly want everyone to turn against him.

“Well how can I be a good teacher when I have to spoon-feed you all the answers?” Gojo shrugged his arms, “How ‘bout you start working those brains instead and learn to read between the lines? Like, did you even note down the findings? Or were you too distracted by the “spectacular” visuals for that?”

No one expected Gojo to send it back at them, much less harp on them as if they were in class.

“N-no worries! Everything’s here.” Yuta nervously presents his notes.

“Yakitori!” Inumaki showcases his drawings of the video. I even sketched some stuff.

“I hate to admit this, but Sensei’s right. The future was presented to us in a vague way to obfuscate us somehow.” Megumi said.

“Indeed, given the amount of things left undisclosed.” Nanami put forward.

“Like that guy in the sweater.” Kamo showed his sketch of the strange man emerging from the water. It was minimalistic, but still perfectly captured his essence.

“Now that’s a mystery worth pontificating.” Nobara strokes her chin, “Still no idea, anyone?”

“Salmon.” Inuamki threw a guess. A brand new arrival in the future?

“Sensei looked weird when he first appeared. Maybe he knows something.” Megumi mused over as his eyes raked over his teacher’s apprent nonchalance. There was a brewing storm in that expression. The adults similarly looked troubled, as if they had an inkling of an idea but just wouldn’t spit it out.

“There’s also that gigantic thing interpersed between Todo and Kasumi.” Nishimiya added, her brows furrowing at the last part, “And Kasumi herself crying...”

“That thing somehow looks a lot like a Mechamaru puppet...” chimed in Kamo.

“Hey, Mechamaru, what have you pick–“ Mai addressed the puppet, but he looked strangely slack. “...Mechamaru?”

He trembled slightly at the voice addressing, quickly turning to his classmates facing him.

“You were rather quiet since the opening, what’s wrong?” Miwa innocently asked.

His sight was drawn to her. Despite using his puppet proxy, the swordswoman could make out the subtle disturbance in the aura surrounding him.

Before any more words could be exchanged, however, faint noises started buzzing out of the blue.

From their cellphones.

“Huh? A notification?” Shoko cocked an eyebrow, especially when it seems to have reached everyone, to their alarm.

“Achievement: Reflection??” a puzzled Gojo drawled.

... When suddenly, an intense outpour of Cursed energy manifested out of nowhere inside the compound. One that didn’t belong to any of the present Sorcerers.

One that immediately froze the Tokyo second-years and the teachers’ blood.

But especially Gojo’s.

Notes:

Thanks for reading

This chapter takes place in a different timeline from the main series, as you can tell. Here, certain people will appear much earlier than in BFTP and NMC, and the accompanying interactions will be much wilder!

Also for the record I couldn't clearly make out the hand signs at the tail end of the OP so feel free to correct me on any mistake

Notes:

For more discussions about my fic (which you can see in my profile), you can ask me questions on revospring
It's a pretty simple site. Just type a question and i'll give you an answer
And if you want to see my early drafts, just check my twitter page

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of Not the Summer Vacation OR Halloween Everyone Exactly Deserved