Becoming Sukuna

With a final burst of speed, the three of them landed. For Yukino and Hachiman, who had been carried by Sukuna, the experience was more thrilling than any roller coaster.

At least roller coasters have seatbelts and safety bars.

But it wasn't their first rodeo, so they managed not to throw up.

Sukuna looked up at the Shinjuku barrier, his face falling.

Gojo Satoru, noticing their arrival, floated down from the sky with a cheerful smile. "Yo, Sukuna-san, didn't expect them to call you too."

"Tch, what's the big deal? Why do they need both of us?" Sukuna raised an eyebrow. "This is going to cost extra."

"Probably just to be safe," Gojo said with a sly grin.

"Oh, so you didn't tell them about my strength, huh?" Sukuna easily saw through him. "So, why can't you get in?"

"Because I can't," Gojo shrugged. "This barrier is designed to let everyone in and out freely, except for me. To achieve that, they must know my cursed energy very well."

"The mole again, huh?" Sukuna recalled their previous conversation. "Well, you figure out how to break through. We're going in."

He grinned mischievously. "You better hurry, or you'll miss all the fun."

"20 minutes," Gojo declared.

Sukuna didn't question him and simply passed through the barrier with Yukino and Hachiman.

He trusted Gojo's judgment. After all, he was probably the only one in the world who could rival Sukuna in strength.

As for Sukuna… Let's wait until he collects all twenty fingers.

They landed at the entrance of Kabukicho, a district not far from the shopping street where Nanami and the others were, but the scene was even more horrific.

A naked woman's body was thrown from a window, her intestines spilling out.

A grotesque curse poked its head out of the shattered window, only to be instantly obliterated by Sukuna's casual slash, which also destroyed the entire building.

"Tch, lost control." Sukuna clicked his tongue.

He turned to Yukino, who was covering her mouth, her eyes wide with horror. Hachiman had already thrown up the yakisoba he had just eaten.

Guess they won't be participating in the fight.

Sukuna sighed internally.

He didn't blame them for their weak stomachs. Even he felt a surge of anger at the sight of such carnage.

"Sukuna sighed. "You two should head back out. Stay with Gojo. At least you'll be safe there."

"No, I can…" Yukino protested weakly, but Sukuna cut her off. "In your current state? What can you even do?"

"..."

Yukino forced down her nausea, taking a deep breath. She looked at Sukuna with a stubborn determination in her eyes.

"I can do it. I can fight."

Sukuna finally relented. He turned to Hachiman. "You too?"

"Let me warn you first. I can't guarantee your safety. This is a terrorist attack, not a sparring session. You could die."

"Then I'll..."

I'll just leave. I'm not strong enough to be of any help anyway.

But the words wouldn't come out.

Hachiman looked at the carnage around him, the closest corpse only five meters away.

It was a man, his body mutilated, half of his head missing, his terrified eyes staring at Hachiman.

Can I really just turn a blind eye to this? Can I just run away?

"I..."

Is there any reason for me to stay?

What am I even hesitating for?!

Do I need a reason to save lives?!

He heard screams coming from a nearby alley. A young couple emerged, running for their lives.

They had been on a date when the attack started.

Now they were trapped in a nightmare.

"Help!"

"Someone save us!"

Yukino reacted quickly, but Sukuna was faster.

Invisible slashes flew from his fingers, cutting down the curses chasing the couple.

Purple blood splattered them, and they froze, then realized they were safe.

Tears streamed down their faces as they embraced.

Hachiman watched, his heart pounding.

Sukuna's words from the summer camp echoed in his mind.

"I don't want my students to be content with scraps."

"I want to instill in them this hunger for strength."

Running away won't make me stronger.

Strong people don't run away…

Conflicting thoughts battled within him.

"I..."

Do I need a reason to fight?

I'm such an idiot! What am I even hesitating for?!

"I'll stay too."

Hachiman finally declared.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm staying too."

With that, Hachiman joined the fight.

Sukuna nodded, his eyes focused on the curses ahead. "Let's go."

The three of them moved quickly, their movements fluid and coordinated.

Sukuna was a blur of motion, his sword slicing through the curses with ease.

Yukino and Hachiman were more cautious, but they were still effective, using their cursed energy to protect themselves and attack the curses.

The curses were outnumbered and outmatched. They were quickly defeated, their bodies falling to the ground.

The survivors cheered, their fear replaced by relief.

"Thank you!"

"You saved us!"

Sukuna waved them off. "No need to thank us. We're just doing our job."

He turned to Yukino and Hachiman. "Let's move on."

They continued their search for the remaining curses, their movements becoming more efficient as they worked together.

The curses were no match for their combined strength.

One by one, the curses were defeated, their bodies falling to the ground.

The streets were quiet, the only sound the occasional moan of a dying curse.

The survivors were grateful for the heroes who had saved them.

Sukuna, Yukino, and Hachiman continued their search, their eyes scanning the streets for any remaining curses.

They were determined to rid Shinjuku of these Curses.

"Another Hyakki Yagyō..." A man with a beard, wearing a brown trench coat, gripped his sword, the blade flashing as he cleanly sliced a curse in half.

"But there are way too many this time!"

Before he could sheathe his sword, another curse attacked.

With a spin and a swing, he cut off the curse's arm and pierced its chest.

A grotesque bird-like curse swooped down.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, a large figure slammed into the bird, crushing its head.

"Kusakabe, maybe look around before you try to show off," Panda said.

"Thanks, Panda." Kusakabe thanked him and charged towards another curse.

"Ha! You should have let that bird peck his head!" Maki Zenin laughed, her staff blurring as she struck a large curse.

The red staff moved like a dragon.

The cursed energy exploded, tearing the curse apart.

"That was a Grade 2... The Zenin clan is blind," Kusakabe commented.

"Fall!"

A voice boomed, and several curses were slammed to the ground.

Toge Inumaki used his throat spray.

"Inumaki and Panda are strong. This year's second-years are something else," Kusakabe mused, then glanced at a figure across the road, a woman with a long white braid, wielding a massive axe.

"Mei Mei is really going at it."

"Forty-seven. I'm paid per kill."

With a powerful swing, she cleaved a curse in two.

This was the main battlefield.

There were two Grade 1 sorcerers, two Grade 2 sorcerers, and a strong Grade 4 sorcerer.

"This is easy," Kusakabe said confidently. "As long as no special grades appear."

As long as no special grades… appear.

The temperature suddenly spiked.

Orange circles appeared beneath their feet.

"Hot! Get out of the circles!"

Kusakabe jumped out of the circle. The others followed suit.

A pillar of fire erupted where Kusakabe had been standing.

Five pillars of fire shot up.

"Five sorcerers, and not a single special grade?" A haughty voice echoed. "Are there no others besides Gojo Satoru?"

Jogo descended.

A special grade!

Everyone tensed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Tch."

In a Shinjuku subway station, Nobara Kugisaki tossed her nails in the air, complaining.

"Why do Itadori and Fushiguro get to be on Nanami's team, while I'm stuck with a drunk old man and a masked weirdo?"

"I want to be with Maki-senpai!"

"Um… I'm a senpai too."

The "masked weirdo" was Takuma Ino, a Grade 2 sorcerer.

He wore a bandit-like mask because his technique, Séance Technique: Invited Beast, required him to cover his face to act as a medium and channel the abilities of four different spirit beasts.

The "drunk old man" was a white-haired man in a martial arts uniform, casually strolling behind them, occasionally taking a swig from his gourd.

He was also the current head of the Zenin clan, one of the three great sorcerer families, Naobito Zenin.

"Huh?! What did you say?!"

Nobara, in a fit of pique, slammed her hammer against one of her nails, sending it flying into a nearby curse.

With a clench of her fist, the cursed energy in the nail exploded, obliterating the curse.

"There's nothing here." Ino tilted his head, pulling down his mask slightly. "First-years are scary..."

He had heard that the first-years had two new additions, one of them being Sukuna's vessel!

Ino focused his cursed energy, creating a spiraling horn in his hand.

"Invited Beast Number One: 獬豸 (Xiezhi)!"

The horn spun rapidly and shot out like a projectile, piercing several curses.

"You two are too slow."

Naobito's voice echoed through the station. Nobara and Ino's eyes widened.

In the few seconds it had taken them to deal with the curses in front of them, all the other curses in the station had been eliminated.

Did that drunk old man do it?

This is… the strength of a Grade 1 sorcerer!

"The station is clear. Let's move on. These are just small fries." Naobito took a swig from his gourd.

"Where to next?" Ino asked.

Naobito pondered for a moment, then grinned. "We're in Tokyo. Might as well visit Kabukicho!"

He laughed and led the way. The other two had no choice but to follow.

"Is there even a connection between those two things?" Ino mumbled.

"That perverted geezer!" Nobara grumbled, following them.

...

Boom! Boom!

Flames raged, incinerating everything in their path.

The asphalt melted, and fire erupted from the sewers. Glass windows shattered, the shards melting into orange droplets.

"This is… a special grade?!" Maki and the others fled in panic.

"We have to retreat! We can't handle this!"

Kusakabe rolled out of the way just as a massive fireball exploded where he had been standing a moment ago. He crashed into a wall, his body aching.

He looked around frantically, but couldn't find the curse.

"Looking for me?"

A playful voice whispered in his ear. Jogo grinned, pressing his hand against Kusakabe's face.

"What?!" Kusakabe's eyes widened in terror.

This is it, I'm going to die…

Slap!

Just as he gave up hope, a loud slap echoed through the air.

The heat on his face vanished. Kusakabe gasped for breath and turned to see a tall figure beside him. "You saved me, Todo."

Aoi Todo, a student from Kyoto Jujutsu High, a Grade 1 sorcerer, stood there with a confident smirk. He had a distinctive scar running down his left eye.

"A special grade, huh? Quite the intimidating presence."

Jogo, momentarily surprised by the sudden switch, quickly dismissed it with a sneer. "Another one here to die?"

Nearby, the other Kyoto students watched the chaotic scene, wisely choosing not to engage.

"That's beyond our level. Let's go somewhere else," Noritoshi Kamo said. "Momo, you scout from the air and report any curse sightings. Try to stay away from that battlefield."

"Got it." Momo Nishimiya, with her twintails and a broom, floated in the air like a witch.

The three students and a robot moved away from the battlefield, exorcising curses along the way.

Jogo noticed their retreat, but didn't care. Those weaklings weren't even worth his time.

"What's wrong? Not going to attack?" he taunted the others. "You'll lose your chance if you wait too long."

"Tch, even with Todo here, we're still outnumbered. Three Grade 1 sorcerers are no match for a special grade," Kusakabe muttered, looking for an escape route.

But instead of an escape route, he noticed that someone was missing.

"Eh?! Where's Mei Mei?"

That graceful figure had vanished without a trace.

"Damn it, Mei Mei already retreated! We need to get out of here too!"

Kusakabe panicked, seeing that they had lost a valuable Grade 1 sorcerer.

"No, we can't just run," Todo said, analyzing the situation. "The enemy is underestimating us. But if we try to escape, he'll probably kill us all."

Maki, Panda, and Inumaki gathered around, listening to his analysis.

"Our only option is to fight. We'll use his arrogance against him, keep attacking, and then find a chance to escape separately." Todo cracked his knuckles, a confident grin on his face. "He might be a special grade, but I have no intention of dying here."

"I haven't even met my beloved!"

"Tch, I wanted to run, but I guess you're right." Kusakabe reluctantly agreed.

Besides, he wasn't confident he could outrun that volcano-headed curse.

"I don't like trusting you, but we have no choice," Maki said, gripping her staff. "Don't let me down, Todo!"

"Of course not."

"Then I'm getting serious too!" Panda declared, his muscles bulging as his head shifted into a more gorilla-like shape.

"Salmon, salmon!" Inumaki agreed.

Seeing their fighting spirit, Jogo grinned, revealing his sharp teeth. "Done with your strategy meeting?"

"Then die."

He slammed his hand onto the ground.

The earth shook violently, and the street before them turned into molten lava.

Everyone scattered. Maki charged forward, using the buildings as stepping stones as she ran towards Jogo, her staff whipping towards his head.

"Too slow!" Jogo sneered, thrusting his palm forward.

BAM!

Flames erupted from his palm, blasting a hole through a building.

A whistling sound came from behind. Jogo quickly turned to see the staff hurtling towards him.

He was knocked back, but quickly recovered and shot a blast of fire at Maki.

BAM!

In the blink of an eye, Jogo and Maki switched places, and Jogo was engulfed in flames.

He switched places again? Is that the brat's technique?

Jogo thought of Todo.

The flames died down, and Panda, now in his gorilla mode, appeared behind Jogo, slamming his fist towards his head.

Jogo effortlessly blocked the attack, but just as he was about to incinerate Panda, that annoying clapping sound echoed once more.

Todo appeared in Jogo's place, a confident smile on his face.

Is clapping the activation condition?

Jogo thought, then grinned. I'll adapt to this technique soon enough!

Footsteps approached rapidly, and Kusakabe's sword flashed as he slashed at Todo, aiming for his neck.

But Jogo was faster. He leaped into the air, dodging the attack.

"Fall!" Inumaki shouted.

Jogo plummeted to the ground, creating cracks in the pavement.

Inumaki coughed up blood, suffering from the backlash of his technique.

"Thank you, Inumaki!"

Maki's staff slammed into Jogo's jaw, sending him flying. Panda leaped into the air, his fist connecting with Jogo's face.

The combined attacks finally injured the special grade curse.

And that seemed to truly anger him.

"You little brats!!!"

Jogo roared, and a pillar of fire erupted from his head, accompanied by a swarm of tiny insects.

"Fire Locusts!"

The insects shot towards the sorcerers like a volley of arrows. Inumaki stepped forward, shielding the others. "Explode!"

Although the fire locusts weren't individually powerful, there were simply too many of them. Inumaki's throat burned with the backlash.

But his cursed speech took effect.

The fire locusts froze mid-air, then exploded one after another, like fireworks.

A figure emerged from the smoke and flames. Jogo, his hands covered in flames, charged towards them.

Todo picked up a pebble and imbued it with cursed energy, then threw it with all his might towards the edge of the barrier.

Clap!

Jogo vanished, and the pebble fell harmlessly to the ground.

"Scatter!"

Everyone fled in different directions.

Jogo landed on a rooftop, stunned for a moment before reacting with a furious roar. Three pillars of fire erupted from his head, melting the building beneath his feet.

"You dared to trick me!!!"

He had memorized their cursed energy signatures. He would burn them all to ashes!

He locked onto the closest target and gave chase.

...

"I finally escaped."

Kusakabe sprinted through the streets, ignoring the curses he encountered, desperate to get away from the battlefield.

"He won't come after me, right?" he muttered.

His luck couldn't be that bad...

...Could it?

Suddenly, he felt an immense surge of cursed energy behind him, and the temperature spiked. His face paled.

Jogo reappeared before him.

And he was alone.

"Eh..."

"No way… Am I really fighting a special grade?"

Kusakabe wanted to cry.