Becoming Sukuna

"No! Please don't!"

A businessman in a suit stared in terror at the approaching claws, glinting menacingly in the moonlight.

Everything seemed to slow down. He could see every detail of the curse's grotesque form, its leering grin, even the drool dripping from its fangs.

Time stretched out agonizingly, his heightened senses a cruel torment.

Then, an invisible slash cut through the air, severing the curse's arm at the wrist. Dark purple blood splattered the ground.

A figure closed in, a fist infused with cursed energy slamming into the curse's unguarded chest.

The curse was blasted backwards, a gaping hole in its torso.

"Are you alright? Can you move?"

Yukino asked the stunned man.

"Y-yes!"

The man scrambled to his feet, but his legs gave way, and he collapsed back onto the ground.

"Just a bit shaky... I'll be fine! In a moment!"

He frantically tried to get up, as if afraid of being left behind.

"Don't worry, once you've recovered, head towards the main entrance of Kabukicho. It's safe there, and there are other survivors," Yukino said, then hurried off.

Hachiman, who had finally caught up, glanced at the man, then followed Yukino.

They had been searching the streets, clearing out curses and rescuing survivors, but Yukino was always in a hurry.

Hachiman understood her urgency, but he couldn't keep up with her monstrous stamina.

"Yukinoshita!" he finally called out.

Yukino stopped and turned to see Hachiman panting heavily. She realized he was exhausted.

She frowned, torn between the need to rest and the urgency of the situation.

If I leave Hachiman here to rest, he might be in danger if he encounters a curse...

Sensing her dilemma, Hachiman said, "You go ahead. I'll catch up."

"...Okay, be careful." Yukino nodded and left without hesitation.

Hachiman slumped onto a nearby step, sighing heavily.

He felt something wet beneath him. It was blood, staining his shorts.

He didn't care and simply shifted to a dry spot.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, but he was getting used to it.

He had seen countless corpses along the way, both human and curse...

He was becoming numb to the death around him, driven only by the need to save as many lives as possible.

"The adaptability of humans is truly remarkable," Hachiman thought with a bitter smile.

Then, his expression changed. A wave of fear washed over him.

Why… am I getting used to this?

He remembered the first corpse he had seen, the one with half its head missing.

The disgust he had felt then was still vivid, but now, he no longer reacted the same way to gruesome deaths.

Have I become cold-hearted? Or is it because these are strangers? Or have I simply accepted the brutality of the jujutsu world?

What if… it was Komachi?

He imagined his sister's mangled body.

Hachiman gagged, nausea rising in his throat. He couldn't bear to think about it.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Yukino had returned after clearing a building. She found Hachiman sitting on the steps, his expression twisted.

"I-I'm fine," he said after a while. "I'm ready to go now."

He got up, his face pale, then forced himself to calm down.

Sadness and anger filled his eyes.

He would no longer force himself to ignore the horrors around him, to adapt and remain indifferent. He would face the tragedy head-on, carry it with him, and move forward.

He would respect both life and death.

Only then could he avoid losing himself in the midst of this carnage.

"I can't sense any curses nearby," Yukino announced, opening her eyes as they stood on the deserted street.

"Looks like we've cleared this area." Hachiman sighed in relief. "How many have we exorcised?"

"About twenty, I think."

Yukino looked back at the path of destruction they had left behind. "I wonder where Sukuna-kun went."

Meanwhile, Sukuna had already demolished an entire street.

"Hmm?"

He suddenly looked up, sensing a powerful cursed energy signature to the east. It was undoubtedly a special grade.

He glanced in the direction of Yukino and Hachiman. "A semi-Grade 1 and a weak curse user... They should be able to handle it."

"A special grade, huh? Must be related to this incident."

With that, he vanished, leaving behind a trail of destruction....

"Brat, you seem to be having fun."

Jogo grinned, revealing his sharp teeth. Purple flames ignited in his hand, distorting the air around him.

This is bad...

Kusakabe drew his sword, assuming a fighting stance. "Who are you calling a brat? I'm a grown man."

It's do or die now!

I'll strike first!

New Shadow Style: Simple Domain… Huh?!

Kusakabe couldn't activate his Simple Domain. A far more powerful cursed energy had appeared behind him.

"What's this…?" Jogo's flames died down as he stared at the newcomer.

Sukuna emerged from the shadows.

What's going on?

Such pressure…

Jogo's eyes widened. He felt fear.

Am I actually scared? Of a kid?

"Volcano head..." Sukuna smirked. "So you're the one who got his ass kicked by Gojo."

"You brat!" Jogo was enraged.

This guy knows Gojo? An ally then.

Kusakabe relaxed.

This guy is strong.

"Sukuna-san, right? I'll leave this to you," Kusakabe said, retreating.

Sukuna ignored him and slicked back his hair.

"This attack... It was your group, wasn't it? What's your goal?" His eyes gleamed.

"...Don't underestimate me!"

Jogo unleashed a torrent of flames.

"Heh, that's it?"

But the flames were dispersed.

"You fool." Sukuna cracked his knuckles.

Black markings appeared on his face.

"Sukuna?!" Jogo's eyes widened. "No, he should still be sealed! Who are you?!"

Sukuna charged.

Before Jogo could react, he was sent flying. He tried to counterattack, but his hands were sliced apart.

Slashes… Sukuna's technique...

Sukuna's fist caved in Jogo's face, sending him crashing into a building.

Sukuna used Nue as a stepping stone and leaped.

A beam of energy shot out.

The beam was severed, and the building began to collapse.

Sukuna caught Jogo and dragged him out.

He threw Jogo like a baseball.

Jogo crashed into a wall.

What's going on…?

Jogo felt a massive surge of cursed energy.

Buildings were engulfed in flames.

A tornado of fire formed.

The flames parted before Sukuna.

The insects swarmed him.

A giant snake emerged, protecting Sukuna.

The snake vanished.

Sukuna was already close.

He slammed his fist into Jogo's stomach.

Jogo was pummeled.

Finally, Jogo was sent flying.

Sukuna saw a group of civilians.

He threw them out a hole, where Nue caught them.

Jogo healed his wounds.

He saw Sukuna charging.

But Sukuna stopped. "Ready to talk?"

The plan... They're at Jujutsu High!

Jogo remembered.

"Fine."

"Our goal is Sukuna's fingers. This is a diversion."

"It's too late."

"Hold on." Sukuna called Gojo.

The barrier shattered, and Gojo appeared.

"Hello, this is Gojo. I've taken care of the barrier," Gojo's voice came from the phone.

Sukuna felt annoyed.

"Well then, I guess I won't bother helping them." He hung up.

Gojo appeared beside him.

"Honestly, you're so childish." He looked at Jogo. "Oh, isn't that the volcano head?"

"No one to save you this time?"

I was just trying to buy time... Jogo felt a cold sweat.

"So, what happened at Jujutsu High?" Gojo asked.

"Sukuna's fingers," Sukuna said.

"What?!"

"Anyone left there?"

"Principal Yaga," Gojo said.

"I'll head back now."

"Die."

Gojo vanished.

Jogo breathed a sigh of relief.

Sukuna turned back to Jogo. "I'll give you a quick death."

He formed hand seals.

"Don't worry."

He chanted softly:

"Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine."

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

In a pure white space, Jogo stared blankly ahead. After a while, he looked down at his hands, his mind surprisingly calm.

"Jogo."

A gentle voice called out from behind him. Jogo turned around. "Mahito..."

Mahito smiled at him reassuringly. "You did your best. That guy is strong, even stronger than Sukuna. There's no shame in losing to him."

He shrugged. "Honestly, he's a monster. I watched him beat Sukuna, the so-called King of Curses, to a pulp in his own Domain. I wonder who the real King of Curses is."

Jogo, hunched over, looked at Mahito, who didn't seem to regret his own death. "Dagon and Hanami are still out there. They will carry on our will."

"Our will?" Mahito scoffed. "We're not really dead, are we? We'll be reborn eventually."

"But we won't be the same." Jogo's eyes softened. "Even so, I look forward to the day we meet again. We are the true humans."

"Eh? That's an interesting thought."

A new voice suddenly spoke from behind Jogo. Sukuna grinned, his hands in his pockets.

"You..."

"Born from human cursed energy and negative emotions, yet you want to become human?"

"We don't want to become human. We want to replace them," Jogo retorted.

"Is that so?" Sukuna chuckled. "What do you think it means to be human?"

"Ugly, deceitful creatures," Jogo replied without hesitation.

Sukuna burst out laughing. "It seems your ideals are nothing special. If that's all you think of humans, you'll never replace them."

"Well, it doesn't matter now. Goodbye."

Sukuna waved and vanished from Jogo's sight.

He watched the fading sparks of Jogo's disappearing form, then looked up at the night sky.

...

Twenty minutes earlier, at Tokyo Jujutsu High…

The ground in the forest suddenly bulged, and thick roots erupted from the earth.

Hanami and "Geto" emerged.

"Where are Sukuna's fingers kept?" Hanami asked, its voice echoing directly in their minds.

"Don't worry."

"Geto" stretched and explained. "The temples and shrines here are mostly decoys. Thanks to Tengen's barrier technique, their locations change daily."

"Among the thousands of doors, only one leads to the vault where they keep dangerous cursed objects, including Sukuna's fingers."

"Only Tengen knows which door it is." He sighed dramatically. "I had it all planned out. I attached a cursed charm made with Mahito's cursed energy to the finger we gave them. Mahito would have been able to find the vault easily."

"But unfortunately, he died. It seems Jujutsu High has a new player. We were just unlucky."

If only he knew that the finger was already inside Itadori Yuji...

"Then how are you going to find the vault? The barrier in Shinjuku won't hold Gojo for long," Hanami said, concerned.

"It'll be tricky, but I'll need some time." "Geto" smirked. "Didn't I say? Only Tengen knows."

"You're planning to…?"

Before Hanami could finish, they both looked towards the forest.

"It seems my decision to stay was the right one. Another diversion, huh? Jujutsu High was your real target all along." Masamichi Yaga approached, followed by a small army of cursed dolls.

He had been right.

But then he saw the intruders and froze in disbelief. "Suguru Geto... Impossible!"

"You're supposed to be dead!"

Stitches…

Yaga, a master doll maker, was sensitive to such things. He immediately noticed the stitches on "Geto's" forehead.

So Gojo didn't dispose of Geto's body.

Yaga's body was enveloped in a blue aura. "I don't know who you are, but I won't let you get any closer."

The dolls behind him sprang to life, their eyes glowing red.

"How terrifying." "Geto" chuckled, then summoned several Grade 1 curses. "Hanami, I'll leave this to you."

"Make sure you kill him. My identity can't be revealed to Gojo yet."

With that, he turned and left.

"Understood."

Hanami ripped off the cloth covering its left arm, revealing a black limb and a closed red flower bud on its shoulder.

"I won't let you escape so easily."

Yaga charged towards "Geto," his cursed dolls attacking Hanami and the curses.

Hanami vanished, and the curses clashed with the dolls.

Yaga's path was blocked by Hanami.

"Foolish human, give up "

A fierce battle erupted.

Yaga punched Hanami, breaking its branches and sending it stumbling backward.

He then swept its legs out from under it.

Without pausing, he charged towards "Geto."

Stopping him is my top priority!

But a sudden sense of danger made him stop and dodge.

Thick roots erupted from the ground, narrowly missing him.

"Tch, special grades are tough..."

"Geto" had already vanished.

"I guess I'll have to deal with you first."

Yaga turned to face Hanami.

But then...

A large shadow appeared behind Hanami. It turned and blocked the attack from a panda-shaped cursed doll.

The sheer number of cursed dolls was overwhelming, enough to hold back the Grade 1 curses while assisting Yaga.

Yaga seized the opportunity. "Don't blame me for being underhanded, curse."

He punched Hanami, sending it flying.

A killer rabbit-shaped cursed doll chased after Hanami, pummeling it with a flurry of blows.

Hanami landed, creating deep gouges in the ground.

More dolls swarmed it, burying it under a pile of plush bodies.

Yaga knew it wouldn't be that easy.

As expected, Hanami erupted from the pile, its body covered in sharp branches that had pierced the dolls' cores.

"Special grades are indeed troublesome."

"If it were any other curse, you might have had a chance, but..." Hanami said, forming seeds in its hands. "You're facing me. What a pity."

It flung the seeds, each one hitting a doll.

The seeds burrowed into the dolls, and strange flowers bloomed from the wounds, their mouths filled with sharp teeth.

The dolls' bodies shrank as their cursed energy was drained, turning back into inanimate toys before being torn apart.

Nearly ten dolls were destroyed. Yaga's forces were dwindling.

"I have to stop it!"

He charged towards Hanami.

But Hanami was also adept at preventing close combat.

Roots erupted, forcing Yaga to dodge.

Hanami continued to destroy his dolls one by one.

"In that case, I'll focus all my forces on it!"

Yaga changed his strategy, directing all remaining dolls to attack Hanami.

Hanami destroyed two more dolls, but its seed attacks stopped as the dolls closed in.

It leaped onto a platform of roots, escaping the encirclement.

As the dolls climbed after it, the platform vanished, sending them falling to the ground.

However, some dolls remained on the ground. They linked hands and flung their comrades upwards. Yaga also attacked from below.

A pincer attack!

Hanami quickly dissolved the platform, falling towards the ground.

Yaga grabbed a falling doll and threw it downwards with all his might. The doll, now imbued with immense force, slammed into Hanami's chest.

The impact created a crater in the ground, and the dolls swarmed the fallen curse!