Loot Drop!

All things considered.

In the hands of certain people, this ability could have been used in far more creative ways.

Kokichi Muta had wasted his talent. Shaking my head, sighing.

"We're here."

Having arrived ahead of time and taken up position, Kana Shizumi waited with the others for a while before seeming to sense something and slightly raising his head.

The already dim sky had only the streetlights left to illuminate it... yet even so, the sudden gloom that spread overhead brought an unmistakable surge of cursed energy.

It was a Curtain.

It was also the kind with an exceptionally high completion level and concealment strength.

Kana Shizumi slightly raised his head, looking at the sky that seemed to have been cut off from the world, and could not help sighing inwardly.

He had spent half a month cramming Barrier Technique under Kenjaku and had raised it to the "high" rank.

But that was, in truth, the level an ordinary person could achieve—Kenjaku had merely used his own understanding and instruction to shorten something that normally required decades of relentless polishing.

Like a cram-school approach to education, it allowed Kana Shizumi to understand the true essence of Barrier Technique, but not to wield it at a genuinely top-tier level.

Across the entirety of the original story, Kenjaku and Tengen's Barrier Technique were unquestionably at the very top.

Sukuna's two open-barrier domains also showed just how deeply he had studied the subject. Ranking further down... Kana Shizumi's current level was probably about equal to Ijichi's during the Shinjuku Showdown.

He could independently create barriers and add a few of his own "clever ideas."

That was all.

As his thoughts churned, Kana Shizumi narrowed his eyes and watched a shadow approach from afar.

Above them, a vulture-like cursed spirit beat its wings and slowly skimmed over the ground.

Kenjaku and Mahito jumped down from its back. Both nodded to Kana Shizumi in greeting. Then... Kenjaku rubbed his chin with a subtle expression as he scrutinized Kokichi Muta's mechanical puppet.

They had arrived... the historic meeting of three parties.

"I see. So this is another result of Heavenly Restriction—a curse brought about by exchanging the body for cursed energy?"

Kenjaku seemed to have seen straight through everything at a glance.

Kokichi Muta did not need to introduce himself. Kenjaku had already obtained everything he wanted to "see."

Good grief... just how far could those eyes see?

Of course, that was only a joke. For someone who had lived for a thousand years, Heavenly Restriction was hardly that rare.

The reason it could still pique his interest now was most likely because Kokichi Muta's technique itself could produce a chemical reaction when combined with such a gift.

"Unblemished, well done."

Kenjaku smiled at him and nodded slightly before casually raising his right hand in a light wave.

"Go back and rest for now. I have other matters to assign you later."

—That was another form of dismissal.

It seemed Kenjaku did not intend to let him continue listening in... but that was hardly surprising. This concerned one part of the high-difficulty dungeon known as the Gojo Operation, so there was no such thing as being too cautious.

After all, if the Prison Realm ended up sealing the wrong person or something—

The so-called villain faction would probably be steamrolled by the White-Haired Madman in minutes... and Sukuna would not even get a chance to struggle.

As long as Yuji chewed slowly and ate the fingers one by one, Sukuna would have nowhere to cry inside.

He would be literally locked up for life!

"Thanks for the effort today! I'll come play with you later!"

Seeing Mahito wave at him happily, Kana Shizumi forced a smile and was just about to turn and leave.

Kenjaku suddenly spoke.

"Oh, right... no time to waste. Give me the items first."

Kana Shizumi quickly understood.

He turned back, took out the wooden box containing the fingers along with the bracelet, and handed them to Kenjaku.

There was no need to hide the motion. Mahito was a rotten bastard to begin with, so it did not matter... sooner or later, he would become a ticket for the battle royale.

And Kokichi Muta beside them?

Ever since Kenjaku had dropped the Curtain, he had kept making motions as if looking around.

Most likely, something had been added to the Curtain, cutting off his means of contacting the outside world...

For someone who had probably never experienced walking since birth, the failure of Puppet Manipulation was clearly deeply uncomfortable.

To put it bluntly, Kenjaku standing here basically meant Kana Shizumi had already been completely pinned down by him, so Kana Shizumi did not care much about what Kokichi Muta thought.

Kenjaku's gaze swept over the items before he took the wooden box containing the fingers.

He opened it and examined the object within... the corners of Kenjaku's mouth could not stop rising.

It was not quite the absurd level of looking like he was about to climax, but every feature on his face was pulled into a visibly delighted smile.

"Sukuna's Fingers... heh heh, this really is something to look forward to."

Others would not understand, but Kana Shizumi roughly did.

Kenjaku was probably looking forward to Yuji's growth too... if Sukuna heard that, he would likely mutter, "Disgusting Kenjaku."

"I'll take this, then. It isn't of any use to you, after all."

What else could I do? Could I even refuse?

Kana Shizumi nodded slightly as Kenjaku picked up the bracelet on the other side and held it in his palm, inspecting it briefly.

Then, in a rather nostalgic tone, he said,

"I never thought I would see this thing again after so many years... heh heh, as expected, if one lives long enough, one will always encounter unexpected things."

There was something subtle in that tone. Kana Shizumi raised his brows and looked up, only to see Kenjaku lift his head as well and look back at him.

"Unblemished, this Cursed Tool is something I left behind long ago... it can be used together with Crimson Blood Manipulation. However, there are still a few minor issues that need correcting. Give me some time, and I'll pass it on to you afterward."

Was Jail Mom about to drop gear again?

Awesome!!!

Kenjaku's understanding of Crimson Blood Manipulation was absolutely beyond the current meta. It was precisely because he had learned it himself that he was so familiar with techniques like Piercing Blood.

Otherwise, things like spinning one's head to dissipate force were simply too demanding on the imagination...

Kana Shizumi's rapid progress in Crimson Blood Manipulation these days was also partly due to having a famous teacher's guidance.

By comparison, Itadori had it much worse in this regard.

With Choso's eagle-like communication system, there was no way to expect him to teach anything useful.

Kana Shizumi happily agreed, but at that moment, Kokichi Muta, who had already waited past his limit, spoke up.

"How much longer are you going to make me wait?!"