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.

Because 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 literal sense.

Though it was theoretically open year-round, visitors could only enter after nine o'clock each day.

Since Kana Shizumi himself held a certain reverence for these strange things, he had originally planned to wait until it opened before paying a solemn visit.

But after seeing the ticket price, he made his decision in 0.2 seconds.

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

Kana Shizumi did not get paid for his work, after all. Unlike those jujutsu sorcerers next door, who received dedicated wages even when Jujutsu High sent them on missions.

Jail Mom did not pay him... Once she was done using him, he could only beg for food himself, 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 probably been built around the eleventh century. It had undergone a series of repairs and renovations afterward, but overall it had been well preserved—a rather respectable old-style building.

Kana Shizumi made a quick circuit around it.

With the sky still pitch-black, there was basically nothing useful to see... Of course, the more definitive evidence was that he did not sense any resonance from cursed energy.

Kenjaku had always acted with a purpose. He should not be capable of treating people like fools and messing with them like this.

"..."

Probably.

Before long, Kana Shizumi had circled the temple once, but he found no obvious resonance.

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

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

Following the signs inside the temple, Kana Shizumi began heading in that direction.

At the same time.

Kenjaku sat on an apartment balcony, leafing through a paper book from his collection, when he heard movement behind him and casually turned halfway around.

"Welcome back. How did the mission go?"

Hanami emerged from the shadows, walked forward, and handed over the item in its arms.

Sukuna's Fingers had been successfully recovered.

The sealing talisman was intact, without any sign of damage... After giving it a simple inspection and confirming that the seal was sound, Kenjaku nodded in satisfaction.

"You've worked hard. Rest for a while. There will be other matters for you to handle later."

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

By comparison, cursed spirits possessed innate advantages, and with the Jujutsu Higher-Ups making their usual inhuman decisions, they could instead act quite "freely" at this stage.

Unexpectedly, however, Hanami did not turn and leave.

It simply remained standing there, its strange and ferocious face fixed directly toward Kenjaku...

Silent.

Clap.

Kenjaku 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 spoke in an even tone.

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

"He can barely be considered one of my proud works. Special plans... I cannot say for now. What is it?"

Hanami did not reply at once. As though it were thinking—or perhaps weighing its wording—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 such hard-won friendships.

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

"Hah, you've already gotten along with cursed spirits so well? That is quite surprising."

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

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

"..."

Hanami did not understand what he was getting at.

But it did not matter. Hanami was essentially just a weed anyway.

Kenjaku merely treated it as a potted vegetable that could talk, and his urge to confide in someone 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 devised based on the Death Paintings, my contemplation of immortality and indestructibility, and the rebirth that followed."

In other words.

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

Tilting his head slightly upward, Kenjaku said with a light laugh.

"As a point of reference, I need another individual under my control, personally cultivated and watered bit by bit, as a case study."

Back to the point.

"You said just now that you were worried about Unblemished's strength, right?"

—Though gossiping about someone behind his back was rather inappropriate, honestly speaking, that was indeed true.

"Yes."

"That is only the surface. Once he retrieves everything I designed for him before, his strength will increase tremendously as well."

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

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

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 at you viciously, then take the chance to fleece you into making a pact before finding an opportunity to kick you aside.

All that could be said was that Sukuna had actually held back somewhat when it came to liking Itadori. That guy really ate people in his previous life...

If, during possession, he suddenly developed an appetite and went to enjoy himself with a feast, then once he switched back, Itadori would probably have to cry while getting his stomach pumped.

"What exactly did you do?"

Hanami rarely showed emotional fluctuations.

That was only natural. Kenjaku kept talking in circles, yet never provided any useful information.

If someone like you went off to write novels, there was an eighty-percent chance people would curse you to have babies without assholes...

So, to put it plainly.

"I left him six very interesting things."

Kenjaku seemed to savor his own words. In a slow, deliberate tone, as though chewing every syllable, he repeated.

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