Chapter 18: The Beginning of the End
[Author Note]
(Should I delete the A/N chapter, or do you guys like reading comments and stuff on there. I'm worried it breaks the flow of the story.)
Volume 2 has officially started.
Now, we are in the teenage years.
Gojo is Gojo now. Satoru will only be used in dialogue with Gojo.
Am I the only one who thinks Kashimo is a bum? Not that he isn't strong, but he glazes Sukuna and gets waffled.
He was cool in his fight against Hakari, but meh afterward.
...
There will be no backshot details. Stop asking.
__________
Three and a Half Years Later
*Sigh* How unfortunate to have died so young and before she could have her first child.
To most people, she would be dead, but to the foolish, they would be overjoyed to see their wife come back home after such a tragic fate.
I have performed experiments with the death paintings, but this event is entirely different. I was going to create a future vessel for Ryomen Sukuna.
The king of curses, Ryomen Sukuna, is the strongest Jujutsu sorcerer to have walked the earth. He is a four-armed, four-eyed, two-mouthed demon of sorcery.
While called the king of curses, the title is misleading. He was a Jujutsu sorcerer who became a cursed object to incarnate.
There have been the strongest sorcerers of every era, including Hajime Kashimo, the strongest of the edo period.
In this era, that title currently belongs to me, but the height of Jujutsu sorcery, the Heian period, was the home of Ryomen Sukuna.
No one could rival him in his period, and with age, I approached him with a binding vow. I assisted him with the ability to incarnate in the future.
A binding vow that would cause blood to rain across sorcerers and non-sorcerers alike.
The issue with a proper vessel of a cursed object like Sukuna's fingers is compatibility with the host.
Ryomen Sukuna happens to have one of the most poisonous cursed energies. Any average person consuming a part of Sukuna would die instantly.
Specific steps must occur to create a human vessel for such energy, and the stars must align for the perfect creation.
Curses, however, thrive on the type of cursed energy his fingers have and can become entirely different monsters, even with just a finger.
How fascinating, nothing as glorious as this has ever been done in Jujutsu history. I was going to create a perfect vessel.
I pull the thin wire on my forehead to open my skull.
Using basic cursed energy reinforcement, I carefully slash open her forehead to avoid damaging the body too much.
Opening her skull, I remove the brain, which makes a squelching sound, before grabbing my own.
...
...
...
After performing the...operation, I tested out my voice. "Mhm ah, to be inside a new body with such a useful cursed technique. The voice change is strange since the past few bodies have been male. At least this will shut Uraume up."
I quickly run through all of Kaori's memories before pinpointing one of the brightest people in her life.
Jin Itadori.
Kaori, now Kenjaku, smiled. "Time to go home."
Naohiro
It's my twelfth birthday, and of course, I'm getting dragged everywhere—not literally, but mentally.
Ever since I beat Gojo and unlocked my latent potential, things have been rough for me in terms of planning and society.
First off, the higher-ups have been pressuring the Zenin clan into making me their pawn.
It was phrased differently, but you get the idea.
The next difficult thing was trying to think of a way to awaken Gojo and interacting with Hidden Inventory.
Acting like a side character and purposely letting Toji nearly kill him and make Geto go on his racist spree doesn't sit right with me.
Since Geto is currently alive, I should assume that Kenjaku knows about his cursed technique, [Cursed Spirit Manipulation].
Preventing Kenjaku from accessing his body and having a Geto on our side will be the ideal scenario, but who knows what Kenjaku has planned.
What's the point of my entire existence if I don't stop the shit show that goes on in Shibuya, the culling games, or Shinjuku.
If I go all out right now, I can fight Naobito back and forth. Regarding speed, I am completely outclassed, but with my adaptations and cursed energy reinforcement, he has a hard time knocking me down.
Over the years, I've changed my perception of Naobito. After all of the bullshit we went through during my early years, he started to warm up to me. It's been twelve years, and he has been a core component of my life.
I can't dislike him anymore. I can't spend the energy to stay away and ignore him.
Naoya is complicated right now. He hasn't been the same since the tournament.
In terms of my ability, though...
It might be too early, but I think my durability can rival even Dagon's at twelve years old. However, even Dagon doesn't stand a chance against the later characters.
I also figured out a few...techniques along the way. While not able to match the heavy hitters that show up, I have a damn good start.
My domain is almost complete. The only issue is that I'm feeling something is missing.
I can use a solid barrier and my cursed technique but need something else.
My reverse cursed technique needs work since I've mostly relied on my regeneration, which rivals the reverse cursed technique.
Another great thing is my technique is now fully automatic. Even if I sleep, my basic adaptations will be turned on.
I thought there would be some cursed energy issue, but I can consciously turn it off to regain cursed energy when needed.
Basic adaptations don't take that much cursed energy, but healing and other complex ones like Infinity or Projection Sorcery are where dents get made.
Also, I've put myself in harsh conditions like freezing water, gaining the ability to breathe underwater and ignore the cold. Fire is a non-issue for me unless a volcano head curse or fire arrow from a certain someone comes flying at me.
Previously, my adaptations were resistances, which was stupid on my end, but I started to take advantage of them and use them as a phenomenon change rather than adding a simple resistance.
Right now, I'm the second strongest person in the Zenin clan, and even then, I am not that far off from Naobito.
Ogi isn't even a close match for me. His slashes will only tickle me since I received the adaptation for fire and blazing courage on a grade-one level. I can't help but think about the Nanami scene with Ogi placed in Haruta's shoes.
I've now given levels to my adaptations. My adaptations have different levels depending on the strike I take, the times I interact with it, and the power behind the technique.
Speaking about Ogi...
I learned recently that someone named Reiko Zenin was pregnant with twins.
(A/N - "We don't know the name of Maki/Mai's mother, so I just named her Reiko.")
Unfortunately, they won't be able to grow up with a dad. I'm still trying to figure out how to pull that one off without becoming a rogue curse user, but he'll die eventually.
Another kid named Ranta was born in the Zenin clan a year ago, but I didn't pay attention to him.
My ability to grow has far surpassed what I thought was possible.
Normally, while beneficial in a sorcerer's growth, a black flash didn't affect me like others.
The amplification that a single one gave me was astronomical.
My body adapted to the massive increase of ability that Black Flash gives you after performing one, making it a part of me.
This shot up my growth to 120% of what it used to be and made my control only second to a Six Eyes user.
My body was practically 'in the zone' 24/7.
Hitting a black flash was the greatest thing that had happened to me since coming to this hellhole that Gege calls his child.
I am officially at the level of a grade-one sorcerer.
When I get to Jujutsu Tech in three to four more years, the only person who can match me is Toji or an awakened Gojo.
I am leagues above the current Gojo.
He is likely stronger than his manga counterpart when he was twelve since he has been training to get to my level.
I could go back and forth with him in bare fists without the usage of cursed techniques, but I've already adapted to his only two techniques and have more of my own, making any fight with me suicide.
I wondered if Gojo could awaken by himself because of my interference, making him the future *pft*...second strongest.
The most troublesome thing so far is dealing with Kenjaku. I haven't met Kenjaku yet, which surprised me since I thought he would be bolder and show himself.
I won't be stupid enough to ignore that my actions made him change some of his plans.
It is around the time when he took the shots if you know what I mean, so he is bothered by the Itadoris for now.
Now, then, enough lying around. I need to get working on the reverse cursed technique.