Special Grade Cursed Object

Kana Shizumi did not set out in a hurry. He lingered in the fast-food restaurant until around three in the morning before leaving.

After all, if he went too early, Rokudo Chinnō-ji Temple would not even be open yet...

In fact, it really was a small tourist attraction in the most literal sense.

Though it was theoretically open year-round, visitors could not enter until after nine every day.

Since Kana Shizumi himself held a certain reverence for these strange things, he had originally intended to wait until it opened before formally entering to pay his respects.

But after seeing the exact ticket price, the man made his decision in a swift 0.2 seconds.

—Are you kidding me? You want me to pay? I'll just climb the wall and take a look!

Kana Shizumi did not get paid for his work, after all. Unlike the neighboring sorcerers, who received dedicated wages even when Jujutsu High sent them on assignments.

Jail Mom did not pay him... Once you used it up, you could only go beg for food yourself, okay?

At around five in the morning, Kana Shizumi quietly climbed over the wall and slipped inside.

Along the way, Kana Shizumi also crammed some relevant knowledge and information.

The temple had likely been built around the eleventh century. It had undergone a series of repairs and renovations afterward, but overall, it had been well preserved—a respectable ancient structure.

Kana Shizumi took a quick look around.

It was pitch-black, so there was basically nothing useful to see... Of course, the more certain and compelling evidence was that he had not sensed any response from cursed energy.

Kenjaku had never acted without purpose. He should not be capable of treating people like fools and toying with them like this.

"..."

Probably.

Kana Shizumi soon circled the temple once, but he found no obvious response.

Just as he scratched his head in confusion, he looked toward the distance and belatedly realized—the Hell's Mouth he had specifically searched for before, also known as the Crossroads of the Six Realms.

It was not inside the temple, but on a small road nearby.

Following the signs within the temple grounds, Kana Shizumi began making his way in that direction.

At the same time.

Kenjaku, seated on his apartment balcony and leafing through a physical book from his collection, heard movement behind him and casually turned halfway around.

"Welcome back. How did the mission go?"

Hanami emerged from the shadows, walked forward, and offered the object in its arms.

Sukuna's Fingers had been successfully recovered.

The sealing strip was intact, without any signs of damage... After conducting a simple inspection and confirming that the storage was secure, Kenjaku nodded in satisfaction.

"Good work. Take a short rest. There will be other matters for you to handle later."

Just as he had said before, there was a White-Haired Madman outside who could fly all over Japan thanks to Limitless. Under those circumstances, Kenjaku could only show his face as little as possible.

By comparison, due to their innate advantages and the Jujutsu Higher-Ups' usual inhuman decision-making, Cursed Spirits could instead act quite "freely" at this stage.

Yet unexpectedly, Hanami did not turn to leave.

It merely remained standing there, its strange and grotesque face fixed directly toward Kenjaku...

Silent.

Snap.

The latter closed the book in his hands and turned halfway around.

"What is it? Is there something you want to ask?"

"Kana Shizumi..."

After a brief pause, Hanami stated in an even tone.

"That person is your creation, right? Do you have any special plans for him later?"

"For now, he counts as one of my proudest works. Special plans... I cannot really say. Why?"

Hanami did not answer immediately. As though pondering—or perhaps carefully choosing its words—it continued only after a moment.

"Then find a way to make him stronger. Right now... he is too weak."

Cursed Spirits did not have many companions, so when circumstances allowed, they selectively cherished this "hard-won" friendship.

Though they had not spent much time together, from Hanami's perspective, they were already companions.

"Ha, you have already gotten along with Cursed Spirits so well? That truly is surprising."

Kenjaku smiled and turned his head back. Facing the pale light beginning to rise in the distance, he narrowed his eyes and spoke in a subtle tone.

"This is a rare opportunity... I am in a very good mood today. Would you like to hear some of my 'nonsense'?"

"..."

Hanami did not understand what he was getting at.

But it did not matter. Hanami was essentially a weed, after all.

Kenjaku simply regarded it as a talking potted plant, and his urge to talk happened to be overflowing...

He was now ready to open fire unilaterally.

"I said before that the Form of Purity was a fiction and hypothesis I created based on the Death Paintings, my conception of immortality and indestructibility, and the rebirth that followed."

In other words.

"In a sense, it is also one of my expectations. But... one uncontrollable specimen is already enough."

Tilting his head back slightly, Kenjaku said with a soft laugh.

"As a reference, I need another individual under my control, one I can personally cultivate and nurture drop by drop, as a case study."

To get back to the point.

"You said just now that Unblemished's strength was worrying, correct?"

—Although talking behind someone's back was inappropriate, honestly, that was indeed true.

"Yes."

"That is merely an outward appearance. Once he retrieves everything I designed for him beforehand, his strength will also increase tremendously."

If Kana Shizumi had overheard this, he probably would not have been able to stop himself from complaining.

—You did not hide a second Sukuna somewhere for me, did you?

—No, better not. That would be way too disgusting...

After all, the Jujutsu World was different from Naruto.

If something happened to you, Sukuna would only laugh viciously at you, then seize the chance to fleece you by making a contract before looking for an opportunity to kick you aside.

It could only be said that Sukuna had actually held back somewhat when it came to being a fan of Itadori. That guy had really eaten people in his previous life...

If he suddenly got hungry during the possession and went out for a satisfying meal, then once they switched back, Itadori would most likely have to cry while getting his stomach pumped.

"What exactly did you do?"

Hanami rarely showed emotional fluctuations.

That was only natural. Kenjaku spoke in endless layers, yet never offered any useful information.

If someone like you wrote novels, nine times out of ten, people would curse you to have babies without assholes...

So, to be frank.

"I left him six very interesting things."

Kenjaku seemed to savor his own words. In a deliberate, word-by-word tone, he repeated them as though chewing each syllable carefully.

"Oh, right. To describe it in slightly more accurate terms... I left him no fewer than six 'Special Grade Cursed Objects' that only he can use."