Jujutsu Kaisen: Yearning to Become an Immortal God

Ryomen Sukuna was an oni deity from Japanese legend, recorded in the Nihon Shoki. It was said he had two faces and four arms, possessed immense strength, and enjoyed eating people. Another account described him as a local guardian deity—strange-looking, yet benevolent—and worship of him had continued into modern times.

Mahito fell silent. A thousand years ago, Jujutsu Headquarters really had seemed to regard Ryomen Sukuna as a living god, even regularly offering up young boys and girls for Sukuna to devour, utterly abandoning their responsibility to protect humanity.

Tsumiki Fushiguro had not lied. Ryomen Sukuna had truly been regarded as a god in that era.

"One last question." Tsumiki Fushiguro stared directly into Mahito's mismatched eyes. Her gaze seemed to possess tangible force, sending chills down one's spine. "In your group now, do you call the shots, or does Kenjaku?"

Kenjaku said cheerfully, "Him, of course. I'm only the strategist." Tsumiki Fushiguro did not even spare Kenjaku a glance, merely continuing to watch Mahito.

At last, Mahito understood why Kenjaku had surrendered so easily. Tsumiki Fushiguro clearly had not used any cursed energy, yet her intense, undeniable will pressed down upon those she looked at as though it were physical. Mahito felt it with extraordinary clarity.

Tsumiki Fushiguro had spread her will over the entire room. She was clearly lying in a hospital bed, finding even the slightest movement difficult, yet the moment one saw her eyes, saw her casually sweep her gaze over them, they would immediately believe she possessed the regal majesty to command all things.

She was an unquestionable powerhouse.

Mahito's heart began pounding, both because he sensed danger and because—she had already received a [Thought Seal].

Tsumiki Fushiguro is already mine!

Mahito took a deep breath and solemnly said, "I do."

Tsumiki Fushiguro fixed her eyes on Mahito's mismatched pupils. Mahito did not look away or evade her gaze. Only two or three seconds later did she slowly nod. "I understand."

Mahito extended a hand toward Tsumiki Fushiguro. "Though I believe I restored you perfectly, your body has not moved for a long time. Your instincts may have forgotten how to use your arms and legs... Can you get up?"

Tsumiki Fushiguro stared at Mahito's hand. After hesitating for a moment, she took it. "Thank you... I have yet to ask your name. What is it?"

"Mahito." Mahito said, "My name is Mahito. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Tsumiki Fushiguro."

"You want me to turn your tsukumogami into a human form?" Tsumiki Fushiguro looked at the eagerly expectant Mahito in disbelief. Her previously composed expression finally collapsed into a twisted grimace. "Are you even awake?"

"Give it up. That is impossible," Tsumiki Fushiguro declared.

The Coming Surge in Combat Power

Turning Mirokuji Kirigiri into the Yoto Hime had been an idea born the very first moment Mahito saw Mirokuji Kirigiri. After he nurtured her into a true tsukumogami, that idea grew with an uncontrollable madness.

Unfortunately, Mahito tried for a long time without making any progress. He specifically consulted Kenjaku, who did not immediately deny the possibility. He said that the combination of Construction and Idle Transfiguration contained far too many possibilities. It was not impossible.

But this truly was unprecedented in the history of Jujutsu Society. It was complete darkness, something no sorcerer had ever researched.

Research into "half-cursed spirits" at least had a theoretical foundation. Kenjaku had attempted to cultivate them before. In other words, although no half-cursed spirits appeared in the original story, their theory was complete rather than rootless.

But this matter did not even possess the most basic theory. Even with Kenjaku's capabilities, he was at a loss. Kenjaku introduced Mahito to someone: the ancient sorcerer Yorozu.

According to Kenjaku, during his thousand years of wandering, he had seen the finest Construction sorcerers of every era. Yet even after a millennium and countless top-tier Construction sorcerers, Yorozu remained in a class of her own.

With Yorozu's assistance, along with Mahito's Idle Transfiguration—an ability unparalleled in a thousand years—even something Jujutsu Society had never seen before, such as humanizing a tsukumogami, might be possible.

That was what Kenjaku had said.

And now, Yorozu stood before Mahito. Her answer was—

"Impossible." Tsumiki Fushiguro declared, "Give it up, Mahito."

Since they were unsure who had placed the barrier over Tsumiki Fushiguro, Mahito and the others did not dare remain in the hospital for long. Once they confirmed that Tsumiki Fushiguro was willing to follow Mahito for the time being, they returned directly to their base.

Now, Tsumiki Fushiguro was in the room specifically used to store Mist Cutter, carefully examining the tsukumogami made with a replica of the ancient Futsu-no-Mitama blade as its base material. She removed Mist Cutter from its stand and gently drew it from its sheath. The straight greatsword, over two meters long, let out a light metallic chime as it emerged.

She stared at the ancient-blade tsukumogami and praised it. "She has been cultivated exceptionally well, and her spirituality is perfect. If you had not specifically told me that Mirokuji had been cultivated for less than two months, I would have thought I was witnessing a tsukumogami over three hundred years old. She is a beautiful girl. I can sense her tranquility and elegance, like a white swan floating quietly upon the water."

"Just seeing her tells me that you love her deeply." Tsumiki Fushiguro looked up at Mahito and said with a frown, "Repairing her is simple. Two days will be enough... I do not understand why you want to humanize her. What meaning does that have?"

Mahito thought seriously. "Because it's cool."

Tsumiki Fushiguro's mouth twitched. "I hope you are joking."

"I'm not joking. I'm very serious." Mahito said forcefully, "Men should love the Yoto Hime!"

On the way here, Tsumiki Fushiguro had learned that Ashiya Sadatsuna was also here. Originally, she had intended to visit him first. Their relationship a thousand years ago had been rather strange, though that was not Ashiya Sadatsuna's fault—it was entirely Yorozu's own doing. Now, Tsumiki Fushiguro naturally did not want such an odd relationship. She hoped to have an old friend with whom she could communicate normally.

Well, in Tsumiki Fushiguro's eyes, Kenjaku did not count as a friend at all. Compared to Kenjaku, she trusted Ashiya Sadatsuna more.

But Ashiya Sadatsuna, Hanami, and Dagon were currently teaching five newly born intelligent cursed spirits and had not come over yet. Kenjaku had personally gone to call them, so Mahito first brought Tsumiki Fushiguro here to look at Mist Cutter.

She had thought that repairing Mist Cutter would be enough to repay Mahito for the kindness of awakening her. She had indeed been utterly confident in it. She was the strongest Construction sorcerer in a thousand years, as recognized by the thousand-year-old cursed sorcerer Kenjaku. Even though the ancient-blade tsukumogami had suffered structural damage from being struck head-on by Black Flash, repairing it was not difficult for her.

Just as she had said, two days would be enough.

His appointment to fight Yuki Tsukumo was one week later, during the interschool exchange event. At that time, Satoru Gojo would only remain at Tokyo Jujutsu High. Taking that opportunity, Mahito could have a warrior's duel with Yuki Tsukumo.

Time-wise, there was more than enough. Mahito had no complaints about that.

But if there were a better possibility, how could Mahito possibly not pursue it? The Yoto Hime was right before him!

Mahito could not hold himself back. He absolutely could not!

In response, the strongest Construction sorcerer in a thousand years earnestly said:

"Mahito, a sword cannot become a person. Wake up."

"Even you can't do it?"

"This is not a matter of whether it can be done." Tsumiki Fushiguro said in the tone Miyu Emiya used to tell Illya that people could not fly, "The difference in structure between a sword and a person is so vast that one can see it with the naked eye without even studying it. Construction sorcerers need the most basic theory even to create cursed tools."

"You do not merely lack theory. Calling this a fantasy would already be generous. You are simply daydreaming!"

"Can't you try a little harder?" Mahito looked at Tsumiki Fushiguro expectantly.

"Not even a little. Give up." Tsumiki Fushiguro remained expressionless. Mahito was deeply disappointed.

Tsumiki Fushiguro sighed. "I can understand the feelings a swordsman has toward a beloved sword. Ashiya, the swordmaster, once insisted on holding the sword I gave him even while bathing and sleeping. It was only after Lord Sukuna cut that sword apart that his obsession eased somewhat."

"Only somewhat. He still could not let go of that sword."

"I suppose he has not used any other sword even now, because he treated swords as his lifelong pursuit—a feeling deeper than love for a lover."

"I suspect he still keeps that broken blade. Lord Sukuna's slashing technique was perfect, so the cut surface of that broken sword must be perfect too. It would be easy to maintain."

"If a sword could truly become human, I have no doubt he would be even more fanatical than I am toward Lord Sukuna."

Mahito recalled Ashiya's reaction when he had seen Mist Cutter a week ago and had great faith in Tsumiki Fushiguro's judgment. Old Ashiya was exactly that kind of person!

"Kenjaku once said that if anyone in this world could turn an ancient blade into a human, only Miss Yorozu had that possibility." Mahito said, "He holds you in very high regard. I learned much about your exploits from him, and Insect Armor impressed me the most. I thought that if it were you, it might be possible. In this era, Insect Armor is Kamen Rider 1."

Since she could create Kamen Rider 1, creating the Yoto Hime should be possible too, right? That was the expectation Mahito had held.

Tsumiki Fushiguro frowned. "Kamen Rider?"

"I remember your Insect Armor was armor modeled after insects. Isn't that Kamen Rider 1?"

"My Insect Armor is not some fantasy from a tokusatsu show. It is a mature concept." Tsumiki Fushiguro said, "I was once troubled by the overwhelmingly low cursed-energy efficiency of Construction compared to other techniques. Its total output was no weaker than the strongest figures of the Heian Era, but its tremendous cursed-energy consumption made its direct combat strength insufficient."

This was the bottleneck faced by all Construction sorcerers. Even the strongest Construction sorcerer in a thousand years could not escape it.

In the original story, Mai Zenin, the younger sister of Maki Zenin, was also a Construction sorcerer. Matter created through Construction would not disappear after the technique ended, so its cursed-energy consumption was tremendous and placed a great burden on the body.

Mai Zenin's limit within the range her body could withstand was creating one bullet per day. That level of consumption practically eliminated any possibility of direct combat.

"At that time, I heard such a rumor. It was said that a certain bee could cross the ocean, while a wasp could fly more than twenty-five li in a day."

"Furthermore, insects can lift objects hundreds of times their own weight. Relative to their size, they can exert unimaginable biting force, jumping power, and speed."

Tsumiki Fushiguro said proudly:

"Therefore, insect armor is the pinnacle of Construction. It can unleash Construction at maximum output. As long as I wear Insect Armor, I can possess strength, speed, and defense hundreds of times greater than an ordinary human's, as well as the ability to fly."

"Though it lacks the special effects of other cursed tools, its raw output alone is enough to make it unrivaled under heaven." Mahito's mouth twitched. "Isn't that just Kamen Rider 1?"

The setting of Kamen Rider 1 was far too similar to this. Calling them identical would not be entirely accurate, but they were similar in broad terms to an extreme degree. In the original story, when Yorozu put on Insect Armor, she was no different from Kamen Rider.

"Of course they are different." Tsumiki Fushiguro patiently explained, "My Insect Armor is actually something that exists in reality. I could not explain it clearly in my era, but the science and technology of this age far surpasses antiquity, so I can explain it using modern terms."

"The reason insects can produce such enormous output, aside from their body structure, is most importantly because they are very light. If an insect were enlarged to human size, it would absolutely be unable to lift something hundreds of times its own weight. In fact, if they truly became that large, they would not even be able to take a step."

"The reason the Insect Armor created through my Construction cannot be preserved long-term lies in this as well. The moment I wear Insect Armor, my cursed energy begins fighting against this world's physical laws. I must constantly expend cursed energy to maintain its stability."

"That is why matter created through Construction can remain indefinitely, but my Insect Armor is single-use. Has Kamen Rider ever been like that?"

"I am still human. I am a human wearing Insect Armor."

"But Kamen Rider 1... their bodily structure is no longer human." Mahito frowned. "No exceptions?"

"Of course not!" Tsumiki Fushiguro declared.

"But I did it."

"What did you do?"

"I made a body that should not be able to exist remain for the long term, and made it perfectly match everything about me." Mahito held out a hand before Tsumiki Fushiguro's eyes and smiled. "I created a body perfectly compatible with me, a cursed spirit. And I am standing right before you now."

Tsumiki Fushiguro froze. "You are not using an incarnated body?"

"No." Mahito said meaningfully, "My body and my soul are one."

"That's impossible!" Tsumiki Fushiguro immediately grabbed Mahito's hand. Mahito could clearly sense her cursed energy invading his body, but he did not resist and simply allowed it to spread through him.

This seemed to have greatly shaken Tsumiki Fushiguro. The composure she had maintained until now vanished completely. She closed her eyes and sensed Mahito's physical condition while speaking rapidly.

"From the moment humans are born, the compatibility between soul and body is naturally one hundred percent. This is something that has remained impossible to analyze since the birth of Jujutsu Society."

"There was once a Soul Summoning technique in Jujutsu Society. It could make the dead possess other people, and those summoned by it retained their own memories and abilities. They could even remember how they died. It could be confirmed that they truly were the souls of dead people."

"But since Soul Summoning can already be achieved, why has Jujutsu Society never attained true resurrection? Because of the compatibility between soul and body!"

"Those summoned through Soul Summoning can exist only because the technique's effect sustains them, and using a technique continuously consumes cursed energy. In other words, once the possessed person's cursed energy runs out, the summoned soul will return to death no matter how unwilling it may be."

"If they were one hundred percent compatible, would that not mean a soul returned through Soul Summoning could perfectly use everything belonging to the possessed body?"

"If you can truly create a body in an otherwise impossible state, then as long as you find someone to work with you in performing Soul Summoning, you can achieve a divine authority never seen since the birth of Jujutsu Society—"

"—the Resurrection Technique."

This was indeed something Mahito had never considered. Just as Tsumiki Fushiguro said, perhaps if he combined it with the Séance Technique, he really could resurrect someone perfectly? Mahito was not certain.

Perhaps he could try it if he had the chance.

As expected of the strongest Construction sorcerer in a thousand years. Even Kenjaku had not considered this, yet Tsumiki Fushiguro had seen through its possibility in a single statement through her understanding of Construction.

Tsumiki Fushiguro's voice had been rapid at first, but the more she explained, the slower she became. By the end, her voice no longer carried its usual composure.

She opened her eyes and stared blankly at Mahito, asking in disbelief, "How exactly did you do it?"

"Human Transmutation," Mahito blurted out.

Tsumiki Fushiguro became furious. Only now did she finally reveal the manic temperament of the ancient sorcerer Yorozu. She had been so quiet and patient moments ago, but now she screamed as though she had become an entirely different person.

She roared furiously, "Don't joke with me! Do you think I haven't read Fullmetal Alchemist? Let me tell you, so-called equivalent exchange is bullshit in Jujutsu Society! Human Transmutation is bullshit among bullshit! Edward Elric's human transmutation formula in the manga is wrong!"

Wrong? Was it wrong? Mahito truly had not known that. He was a fake fan. Though he knew about Human Transmutation, he had never studied it carefully.

Wait, why did Tsumiki Fushiguro know so much about Human Transmutation? She even knew Edward Elric's transmutation formula was wrong? Could it be... she was an otaku too?

Naturally, Mahito would never say that aloud.

"Kenjaku once said that the development of techniques advances alongside civilization." Mahito said unhurriedly. "The way people understand something determines a technique's effects. The operation of every technique depends on the practitioner's own understanding of the world."

"Miss Tsumiki, Insect Armor may indeed have been astonishing in the Heian Era, but what about in the present day?"

"Even in the modern age, my Insect Armor remains the pinnacle of Construction." Tsumiki Fushiguro said proudly.

"And compared to modern ultimate weapons?" Mahito asked.

What was the modern ultimate weapon? Nuclear weapons.

Only nuclear weapons deserved that honor.

Tsumiki Fushiguro frowned tightly. "I already said that Construction is a technique with extremely low cursed-energy efficiency. Of course I know that if one could create nuclear weapons, they would definitely be stronger than Insect Armor, but no one can do it."

"Leaving aside how one person could memorize blueprints capable of filling an enormous warehouse, even if they could memorize them, producing one would be utterly impossible without infinite cursed energy."

"Besides possessing immensely powerful direct combat ability, Insect Armor also has exceptionally high efficiency. Otherwise, why would I not create eighteen hundred Totsuka-no-Tsurugi to fight with? Who could possibly be my opponent then?"

"No, there is someone with infinite cursed energy," Mahito said.

"What?" Tsumiki Fushiguro froze.

Mahito smiled. "Kinji Hakari, a third-year student at Tokyo Jujutsu High. His Domain Expansion can grant truly infinite cursed energy. The surplus is so great that it automatically performs Reverse Cursed Technique, giving him a genuine immortal body."

"Incidentally, he is one of mine now. The reason I can confidently duel Yuki Tsukumo a week from now is precisely because he will hold Satoru Gojo back, leaving me without worries."

"When he returns, I'll introduce you."

Tsumiki Fushiguro wore an expression of utter disbelief. In this ancient woman's eyes, infinite cursed energy probably existed much like a perpetual-motion machine. She could never have imagined that true infinite cursed energy actually existed.

Mahito slowly said, "You find it unbelievable that I could create Human Transmutation, yet you do not realize that I have the same attitude toward your creation of Insect Armor."

"When I first learned you could create Insect Armor, my first thought was that it was Kamen Rider 1. After speaking with you, I became even more certain of my thought: that is Kamen Rider."

"It was as though the protagonist of a tokusatsu show had stepped into reality."

"No matter what you say, no matter how mature your theory is, if we extend the timespan over a thousand years, no other Construction sorcerer besides you could accomplish what you did. They could not do it. Why?"

"Because they, too, believed your Insect Armor was not jujutsu, not science, and impossible to understand. What was the difference between them and you?"