To assess the new student, Nobara Kugisaki, Satoru Gojo specifically set up a Curtain near an unfinished building that had bred curses and brought the group there.
He had Megumi Fushiguro stay behind and, under the guise of a test, sent Yuji and Nobara inside to exorcise the curses.
Although there were some hiccups, Nobara Kugisaki passed the assessment successfully.
People in the jujutsu sorcerer profession were basically all crazy. After confirming Nobara's character, Satoru Gojo watched the two students slowly emerge from the building's entrance.
"You're... ridiculously strong. Isn't that a bit much?"
"It's just using cursed energy to enhance my body. You'll be able to do it too eventually, Kugisaki-san."
"No, no, no." Nobara waved her hands repeatedly, looking disgusted. "That's way too rough. It doesn't fit my style as a beautiful girl at all!"
"Isn't a beautiful girl fighting curses already pretty rough?"
"That's different. At least I look good when I fight."
"..."
Satoru Gojo looked up at the sky. The setting sun sank past the edge of the buildings, dyeing everything orange-red. The evening breeze blew gently.
"Alright, alright, it's getting late." He clapped his hands. "Let's go eat. My treat!"
"Really?! I want sushi! The fancy kind!"
Nobara's eyes instantly lit up. After starving all day, she finally had a meal to look forward to.
Yuji hesitated, then said: "I want to get desserts."
"Huh? Desserts?" Nobara immediately protested. "I'm starving! Desserts won't fill me up!"
"I know—I mean after we eat. Because..."
Yuji scratched the back of his head.
"Sukuna is from a different era, so he probably hasn't had anything good. I want him to try modern food."
"...?"
The air went quiet for a moment.
Satoru Gojo looked at Yuji, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Yuji, are you trying to communicate with Sukuna?"
"Sort of." Yuji nodded. "Though he's mostly uncooperative."
"Wait—Sukuna? What are you guys talking about?"
Nobara was lost.
Megumi explained flatly: "Sukuna is the King of Curses from a thousand years ago. His fingers are Special Grade cursed objects. Itadori swallowed one, and now Sukuna's soul resides in his body."
"Eh? Swallowed a Special Grade cursed object?! That's so unsanitary!"
Nobara looked mildly horrified. At that moment, a slit opened on Yuji's face. An eyeball and a mouth emerged, the voice hoarse and irritable.
"Shut up! Brat, I don't want your crappy desserts!"
"Eh? But we agreed yesterday..."
Yuji looked disappointed.
"Who agreed with you?!" Sukuna's voice rose, tinged with embarrassment. "Stop making things up!"
"You literally said, 'If I'm in a good mood, I might force myself to try it.'"
"Shut up!"
"Pfft."
Listening to the two bicker, Satoru Gojo finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
He'd assumed the King of Curses was the irritable old-man type—someone who'd cut down anyone he didn't like, act decisively, and look down on everyone.
Turns out he was like this?
"Hey, white-haired brat. What are you laughing at? Once I take over this body, you'll be the first one I kill."
Sukuna's voice carried a note of displeasure.
It's one thing for me to argue with Yuji, but why are you butting in?
Satoru Gojo wasn't fazed. He shrugged, tone playful. "Oh my, to be remembered by the King of Curses—I'm truly honored."
"Hmph."
The mouth on Yuji's face vanished. Sukuna clearly had no interest in continuing the exchange.
"Gojo-sensei, I heard you're the strongest jujutsu sorcerer." Seeing Gojo's relaxed attitude, Nobara asked: "Who's stronger—you or this Ryomen Sukuna?"
"Well, if Sukuna collected all twenty fingers, it might be a bit troublesome."
"I see..."
"But I'd win."
Satoru Gojo smiled.
"It's getting late. Let's go," Megumi said.
The setting sun stretched their four shadows long. Nobara was checking sushi restaurant ratings on her phone. Megumi walked with his hands in his pockets, looking aloof as always. Yuji and Satoru Gojo brought up the rear.
"Gojo-sensei."
"Hm?"
"Nanami-san told you about those two curses, right?"
Satoru Gojo nodded. "Yeah. Intelligent curses are rare. For two to appear at once is unusual."
"The one with the stitched face can alter souls through touch. The other one—looks like some kind of forest spirit—seems to control plants. I'll draw their portraits for you later. Both are extremely dangerous. Please warn everyone to be careful on missions from now on."
"Will do." Satoru Gojo replied. "Good work, Yuji."
Yuji nodded but didn't continue.
He was hesitating.
The four Disaster Curses. Kenjaku. The Culling Game... he remembered these vaguely. If he told Satoru Gojo everything, with Gojo's strength and resources, they could definitely prepare in advance—maybe even locate Kenjaku's hideout and wipe them all out.
But would that old fox really give him such an opportunity?
In his past life, Yuji hadn't noticed it. But whether it was when he first swallowed Sukuna's finger in Sendai, the subsequent detention center incident, or the recent Mahito situation—Kenjaku's shadow was everywhere.
In Yuji's assessment, Kenjaku had perfectly avoided Satoru Gojo every single time. That meant the bastard might be monitoring Gojo's every move around the clock.
The Six Eyes could indeed perceive cursed energy flow with a 360-degree field of vision. But if Satoru Gojo wasn't deliberately focusing, he probably wouldn't notice Kenjaku using long-range surveillance curses from eight hundred meters away.
And then there was Kenjaku's spy inside Jujutsu High.
Mechamaru. Someone with a Heavenly Restriction. Because his body was nearly crippled—kept alive only by nutrient fluids—he'd gained extraordinary talent as a jujutsu sorcerer. Furthermore, he specialized in machinery and technology.
Mechamaru had once used micro-drones to record battles involving Satoru Gojo and others, then handed the footage to Kenjaku. Kenjaku had then passed those recordings to the US President at the White House, cooperating to send American soldiers into the Culling Game barriers.
Yuji didn't know that Mechamaru had recorded their fights. But he knew that perhaps at this very moment, hidden in the corners of these seemingly ordinary buildings, there were micro-drones devoid of cursed energy.
Mechamaru's surveillance was pervasive.
If even a little information leaked—if Kenjaku discovered that Satoru Gojo knew his plan—that old fox would simply take the four Disaster Curses and flee abroad. Run to some place no one could find and scheme anew. Then Yuji's intelligence advantage would vanish completely.
Even if Kenjaku didn't run, the Prison Realm was still a problem.
The condition for sealing someone with the Prison Realm was "one minute must pass in the target's mind."
That condition was absurd.
Telling Satoru Gojo that Kenjaku was occupying Suguru Geto's body might just prompt Kenjaku to find another way to seal him.
Even after sixty-eight years, Yuji couldn't afford to lower his guard against a broken-level cursed object like the Prison Realm.
"Yuji, what are you thinking about? You look pretty absorbed."
While Yuji was lost in thought, Satoru Gojo's voice reached his ears.
"..."
"Gojo-sensei, have you ever lost someone important to you?"
Yuji lowered his eyes slightly. The orange-red sunset fell on the grayish-white road, reflecting the lush shadows of ginkgo trees. The surroundings were quiet, with only the four of them and the overlapping tree shadows.
Satoru Gojo's steps paused briefly. Then he spoke, expression relaxed.
"Yeah, I have. Not just important people—even ordinary friends."
"Even though your teacher is strong, I can't save everyone."
Yuji was silent for a moment.
"...Gojo-sensei, you must be exhausted."
Satoru Gojo looked at him, tilting his head in surprise. "Why do you say that?"
"Because I can tell. From what I've heard from Fushiguro too. It just seems... unfair."
Yuji lowered his gaze, his pace slowing. Satoru Gojo noticed and matched him.
Not far ahead, Nobara and Megumi were walking further away, the distance gradually widening.
"Just because you're the strongest doesn't mean all the responsibilities should fall on you. Nanami-san scolded me for disobeying orders and acting alone—but that's actually because I want to take on responsibilities. No matter how I look at it, we can't just rely on you for everything, Sensei."
Yuji's voice was calm. As he voiced his thoughts, he continued pondering the question from before.
"..."
Satoru Gojo was quiet for a moment. A hint of surprise flickered in the cerulean blue eyes behind his blindfold.
"Yuji, you..."
"You really are kind."
A smile spread across Satoru Gojo's face. Then he returned to his usual playful tone. "Someone like you is definitely going to be popular with girls. When you get a girlfriend, Sensei will screen her for you."
"...Everyone relies on you too much, Sensei. I don't want to do that."
Yuji shook his head, his voice slightly muffled.
"Isn't it normal to rely on your teacher?" Satoru Gojo shrugged like it was obvious. "You're all students. I'm an adult. Even if you're special jujutsu sorcerers, you're still kids. It's only natural for kids to rely on adults."
"I'm not a kid."
Yuji frowned—but he couldn't exactly tell Satoru Gojo about his sixty-eight years of experience.
The corners of Satoru Gojo's mouth curved upward. "Oh my, kids always say that."
"Anyway," Yuji shook his head. "I've grown up. So I won't rely on you anymore, Sensei."
"..."
Satoru Gojo stopped walking.
Noticing, Yuji stopped too and looked at him in confusion.
The evening sun fell on Satoru Gojo, dyeing his white hair a different shade. He looked at Yuji and shook his head helplessly.
"Yuji, not relying on your teacher doesn't mean you've grown up."
"On the contrary."
Satoru Gojo reached out and placed his hand on Yuji's head, ruffling his short pink hair.
"If students can't even rely on their teacher, wouldn't that make me a useless teacher?"
"..."
Yuji's eyes widened.
"You, Fushiguro, Kugisaki, the upperclassmen—you're all my precious students. So I will look after you. And you can rely on me."
"It's not about whether I'm tired. It's my duty as a teacher."
Satoru Gojo chuckled. "I don't want to be a useless teacher, Yuji."
After all... because I was useless, I couldn't keep Suguru. I couldn't save Riko. I couldn't save Haibara. I couldn't protect anyone...
So I can't afford to lose you students too.
Hearing Satoru Gojo's words, Yuji stood frozen for a long moment.
Then warmth spread through his chest. Besides his grandfather, in sixty-eight years, he'd rarely been cared for like this.
"Don't worry!"
Satoru Gojo walked ahead on his own, then raised his arm and gave Yuji a thumbs-up.
"Your teacher is the strongest! Just leave everything to me!"
"What you need to do is slowly grow up under my protection."
"After all, being a jujutsu sorcerer is cruel. Robbing young people of their youth is unforgivable!"
Satoru Gojo said with a smile.
"..."
"I know, Sensei."
Yuji didn't argue anymore. He just nodded silently.
"Let's go. Those two have gotten pretty far ahead."
"...Yeah."
Yuji followed behind him, his steps lighter than before.
He looked at Satoru Gojo's back. The tall, white-haired man cast a long shadow in the setting sun, blocking the glaring light ahead.
Yuji Itadori made a silent vow.
He couldn't let Gojo-sensei bear the pain of killing his best friend again.
He couldn't let him carry all the burdens alone anymore.
Kenjaku. I will be the one to kill him.
July 4, 2018. 6:31 PM.
While Satoru Gojo took his students shopping.
Several black sedans drove in single file through the gates of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Naoya Zenin stepped out from the back seat of the second car. The hem of his black haori swayed gently with his movement. The blonde man raised a hand to brush the hair from his forehead, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding buildings.
"The Tokyo school. Same as always—so rustic."
"Naoya-sama, your luggage has been sent to the dorm," an attendant said respectfully from behind.
"Hm."
Naoya waved dismissively, signaling the attendant to step back. He didn't follow the main group to the dorm. Instead, he walked alone along the stone path deeper into Jujutsu High.
A few minutes later, he arrived at an open-air training ground.
The grounds weren't large—surrounded by tall trees and a few dim streetlights. In the center, a green-haired girl with a ponytail stood before a wooden dummy, gripping a training sword, swinging it repeatedly. Sweat rolled down her cheeks.
Maki Zenin.
Naoya stood at the edge of the training ground, hands in his haori pockets, tilting his head to look at her.
"Yo, little Maki. Long time no see."
Maki's movements paused. She didn't turn her head, but clearly sensed who had arrived.
"Ah, the eldest young master of the Zenin Clan. Can I help you with something?"
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