In the history of sorcery, there have been many sorcerers worthy of being remembered. But today, we'll only talk about the most important ones: Satoru Gojo, "the strongest sorcerer of the modern age"; Ryomen Sukuna, "the strongest sorcerer in history and the King of Curses"; Itadori Yuji, "the strongest of tomorrow"; and, last but not least, Dabura, "the strongest Simurian."
Each of them stood at the very peak of sorcery. But, like everyone who reaches the summit, they all eventually met their end.
With one single exception: Itadori Yuji.
As the perfect vessel for Ryomen Sukuna and something close to a half-curse, his lifespan was far greater than that of the others. Because of that, he set himself a goal: even after death, he would continue watching over jujutsu society and keep exorcising curses.
And so, by his own will, he turned himself into a cursed object.
But the world had other plans for him.
In the city of Nagazora, inside an abandoned factory.
October 17, 2004 — 11:47 PM
Inside that not-so-abandoned factory, a group of armed men moved boxes and bags around. Some were organizing weapons, others were checking equipment, and a few kept watch for the long night that had only just begun.
Every one of them was a mercenary, a veteran from some corner of the world. Country and culture meant nothing to them; the only thing that really mattered was loyalty to the group. And if that loyalty did not come naturally, money could always buy it. After all, nobody says no to money.
Even after finishing the most important part of the job, none of them let their guard down. They knew the night was only beginning. Ever since the hostages had been moved into the warehouse, the tension in the air had only gotten worse.
One of the men on watch suddenly stood up and shouted:
"I already told you all to stay alert tonight! They could show up at any moment! We are not dealing with normal companies here! With what they're paying us, plus the contract money, every single one of us is going to be able to disappear for good!"
One of his subordinates stood up, doubt clear in his voice.
"But boss... doesn't this feel weird to you? They're paying us way too much just to kidnap two kids. They didn't even tell us who they are."
"I don't give a damn who the hell they are. As long as they pay, I don't care. After this, we're retiring for good."
"But boss... what if something goes wrong?"
"Enough. I'm sick of hearing you. You're stressed, so go sleep or rest or whatever, I don't care. Now tell me, what did you do with the two kids?"
"They're both fine. One of them's still awake, though... the other one's sleeping like a rock."
"Good. Nothing can happen to those damn brats. If we so much as touch a single hair on their heads, we're screwed."
"If they both wake up, give them something to eat and drink... maybe that'll stop the girl from crying on her own."
"Got it, boss."
POV: Itadori Yuji
So... this is what it feels like, huh.
After turning myself into a cursed object, I never really got the chance to do much of anything. You slip into something like a "dream," but honestly, the best way to describe it is a pause.
You don't feel hunger, sleepiness, or any other physical discomfort. But cravings? Those stay. Food, for example.
It seems like you only really regain consciousness once you come into contact with a vessel.
While thinking that, I found myself sitting on a replica of a bench in something like a park from my childhood. Birds were singing. Flowers were blooming.
Sendai, huh... I'm not gonna lie, I miss it a little.
Unlike the space I used to share before, one full of death and curses, this place was the complete opposite. Too alive. Too beautiful.
Though, now that I think about it, there's nothing productive to do here. I can't just summon things out of nowhere just because this is supposedly my own inner space, right?
I snapped my fingers. Nothing. I clapped. Still nothing.
Ah... I'm going to lose my mind in this place.
Honestly, I'm not surprised Sukuna got bored out of his skull in here. Is there really nothing to do? Suddenly all that Heian Era nonsense makes a lot more sense.
But... where exactly am I? Under normal circumstances, I'd be able to feel the other person's soul, but there's nothing.
Ah, right. I should try calling the person who ate my finger.
"Hey, buddy, calling home."
"If you're there, answer."
"I'm Itadori Yuji. The strongest sorcerer in history."
Mmm... no answer. Weird.
I'm not supposed to be alone. There should be someone here. How is that even possible?
Ah... Todo was right from the start. This plan made no sense.
But there's nobody here.
And more importantly... I can't feel any cursed energy. There's literally nothing around me. I can't use anything.
How the hell did they do this?
Though, honestly, that's not my problem. Future Itadori Yuji can deal with that. Not me.
So good luck, future me.
After waiting long enough for a reply from my new roommate and confirming there really was no one with me, I came to one simple conclusion:
I have no idea.
...
Did something go wrong? This makes no sense. How did I even reincarnate into this body in the first place?
When I planned to turn myself into a cursed object, I was supposed to reincarnate inside whoever consumed the finger. There was always a backup plan, sure, but we never expected this: a body with no soul. Still... what can you do?
I'm taking this body for myself. I don't care who it used to belong to. I'm going to use it without regrets. So, thank you very much, unknown hero. Your sacrifice will be remembered.
I even gave a little gesture of respect.
Then, once I started taking control of the body, I noticed something. It was way too short to be a proper vessel. I don't think I've got dwarfism or anything, but unfortunately, the moment I saw my own hand, my suspicion was confirmed.
Either I'm a damn brat or a damn dwarf.
I really hope it's the first one.
And my feet are tied up. On top of that, this is an abandoned factory full of that rotten old smell. They didn't even bother leaving the lights on. What, are they afraid of the electric bill?
Are you kidding me? There wasn't a better place for me to reincarnate? What do they think I am, Sukuna?
I never did anything that should make people afraid of me. I only ever "borrowed" money from Yuta to gamble. Nobody's gonna deny me a little cash. Besides, that bumta senpai inherited everything from Gojo-sensei. Some of that should've gone to me.
The higher-ups and the Gojo clan were supposed to safeguard my fingers in case they ever needed my help with curses in the future.
But instead, I'm locked up.
Didn't they read the damn note?
...
Wait.
I forgot to leave the note.
No wonder they locked me up.
Yuji, you really are not the smartest person in the world.
Even while talking to myself, I could still sense more than thirty people nearby. Even without cursed energy, I could still feel the souls around me. Thank God that part hadn't changed. Wait... I'm not even a person right now. I'm a kid. Or a dwarf.
Nobara and the others warned me about the consequences of turning myself into a cursed object. I expected anything: people trying to use my power to conquer the world, restore the golden age of sorcery, or some other stupid nonsense about the evolution of humanity.
But this? This wasn't what I expected.
Still, before worrying about that, there were two more important questions.
First: how do I get out of here?Second: where the hell are we that there's no cursed energy at all?
While trying to sense cursed energy, I found something else.
There was something moving inside me.
That sounded bad.
Yeah, I know.
But seriously... this thing, this energy, feels alive. Like it has intent. Like it wants to take me over and use me.
Unlike Sukuna, who "guided" me, this felt like something that corrupts. It didn't seem like there was any way to use it without being contaminated by it.
And even so, it was way stronger than cursed energy. Ridiculously stronger.
The difference was absurd. It was like going from riding a bicycle to stepping into a Porsche.
Not even that comparison fully covered it. I felt powerful, even in the body of a child.
If Gojo-sensei or Sukuna had ever gotten their hands on this kind of energy, I don't even want to imagine what they could've done. Dabura would probably say something like, "This energy is pretty advanced," and somehow turn into the jujutsu kaisen.
Unlike cursed energy, which is born in the stomach and spreads evenly through the body, this one was born in my chest and spread through the rest of me as if it were following the pattern of a wheel.
Instead of coming from emotion, it felt more like some kind of...
Mmm... what was the term again?
Ah, right.
Nuclear energy.
Mmm... interesting.
Well, whatever. I need to learn how to use it before they drag me off to Okkotsu Island or some other dump like it.
Before I even noticed, someone was pressed up against my side. Not nearby. Not close.
Literally glued to me.
She was hugging me like I was a plush toy. Though, well, I was probably a pretty handsome plush toy. Of course, I had no idea how she was even seeing me right now.
She had long purple hair. Pretty expensive clothes too, if you ask me, for a regular elementary school girl.
Presumably Asian. Pretty cute.
Ufff... thank God. For a second there, I thought I'd ended up in the United States or some other country.
Truth is, I don't know English.
"Dad... help me... dad..."
While hugging me, the girl, who looked about the same age as this body, cried softly.
Thankfully, she spoke Japanese.
Honestly, I had no idea how we ended up here. Were we family? Siblings, maybe?
No, I didn't think so.
She was calling for her father. She was suffering.
Should I comfort her?
Realistically and morally, yes.
But if we wanted to get out of this place, I needed a little more time to understand this energy... and get us both out.
So I decided to hug her a little. She was just a poor girl who had ended up in this situation. And if she was locked up here with me, then she probably wasn't a normal little girl either, considering where we were.
Even so, I did it.
As time passed, she calmed down and eventually fell asleep. She must have had a rough time.
While practicing, I realized something: my techniques should still be there. I just needed to test them.
I could probably use this advanced energy for my abilities. Honestly, it seemed pretty simple. Not easy, exactly, but not that hard either. I had basically gone from an old, rusted engine to something far more modern.
Since using it without getting "corrupted" was tricky, I'd just reduce how much I let out.
First, I had to confirm whether our friends outside were just guards... or our kidnappers.
If I could use Dismantle or Cleave, that'd be enough. I didn't think a child's body could handle enough blood loss for Supernova, but Red Scale might still be possible.
I sensed someone coming, so I pretended to be asleep.
Just as expected, the door opened.
Since I couldn't see well in that moment, I focused on sensing his soul.
An adult man. Pretty tall. Taller than average, I'd say. He looked like he was carrying food and some kind of drink.
When he saw us, he hesitated about waking us, then closed the door and left. For a group of kidnappers, they were pretty damn useless. They left the door open and didn't even bother checking whether we were actually asleep.
"Honestly, I'm starting to get tired of waiting."
I tried cutting the rope with a small application of Cleave.
The rope snapped.
Well, practice paid off. Looks like it's time to find out what the hell is going on out there.
As I tried to move away from the girl without waking her up, she refused to let go. She looked like a koala.
I really am a plush toy.
Well, whatever. Can't blame her.
After a bit of struggling, I finally managed to free myself.
Let's give our "friends" a little demonstration from the strongest sorcerer.
I stood up and opened the door.
POV: Mercenaries
At a table, while playing cards, they talked about what they were going to do with the money to kill time. They were having their very important discussion.
"Tits or ass."
"Neither."
"Eeh, don't look at me like that, I've got a better answer."
"Alright then. Explain."
"Even if, generally speaking, tits or ass is the answer, I personally prefer a smile. It's the ultimate expression of beauty a person can show."
"...."
"The question is simple: ass or tits. There is no third option, so answer. And if you're gay, that's fine too, man."
"But I'm not gay..."
"Answer already, damn it."
"Ass."
"See? Not that hard. Hey, Jeff, they said ass over here. Write that down."
"It was 18-17, so now we're tied."
"Did everyone vote already?"
"Yeah... and how are the kids doing?"
"Last time I checked, they were asleep."
"Thank God. Even if the job was easy, we've spent all damn day locked up in this place. But it's worth it. When are they supposed to contact us?"
"I don't think they'll contact us yet. It's only 1:15 PM."
"I've got another question."
"You ask too many questions."
"I'm curious, alright?"
"Fine. What do you want to know?"
"Who are these kids?"
While lighting a cigarette, the man tossed a few documents onto the table, along with some photos of the children.
"The girl's name is Raiden Mei. She's seven years old, born in Honshu, and she's the daughter of Raiden Ryoma, owner of ME Corp. The other one is Yuji Itadori. Also seven. Born in Sendai. No parents, but his grandfather owns Kallen Corporation."
"So we kidnapped two silver-spoon kids."
"Well, if you want to put it that way, yeah."
Suddenly, another man walked in after finishing his patrol.
"What the hell are you doing? You're supposed to check whether they're awake. Quit slacking off," said a man who seemed to be the boss.
"Boss, they're just kids. Nothing's gonna happen."
"Shut up. I'm on edge. I can feel something bad is about to happen any mom-"
He was cut off by the voice of a child.
"Yeah, something bad is definitely about to happen, my friend."
The entire factory went silent.
"See? I told you people were supposed to check if they were asleep or not."
As he said that and moved toward the child, intending to knock him out, the boy raised his hand and said:
"Dismantle"