Curse analysis

After sealing Sukuna's Finger, which had already lost its cursed aura, Satoru Gojo took Dai Li back to Jujutsu High.

The Higher-Ups responsible for managing Cursed Objects were no fools either. They could tell that this Sukuna's Finger had lost its curse.

"Satoru Gojo, this Sukuna's Finger no longer contains any curse. What happened?"

"No idea. Maybe the curse accidentally wandered out after a thousand years. Living inside a finger all that time must be pretty boring."

"That's impossible! Even after another thousand years, the curse inside Sukuna's Finger would never dissipate! What exactly did you do?"

Another of Jujutsu Society's Higher-Ups refused to accept Satoru Gojo's casual, vague explanation. He was clearly trying to hide the truth behind the incident. The disappearance of the curse inside Sukuna's Finger was an unprecedented variable.

Although stripping Sukuna's Finger of its curse seemed like a good thing, it also meant that someone had taken the immense cursed energy contained within it. That was the real reason the Higher-Ups were so hysterical.

"Old men should try to stay calm. Getting too worked up won't help you live longer."

"You must give us a reasonable explanation. You're concealing information about Ryomen Sukuna from all of Jujutsu Society."

After discussing it, the Jujutsu Higher-Ups decided to use their standing in Jujutsu Society to pressure Satoru Gojo. They had to get him to explain exactly how this Sukuna's Finger had lost its curse.

"I'll be straight with you. I don't understand it either. Yes, I exorcised that cursed spirit, but by the time I got the finger, the curse was already gone."

Satoru Gojo maintained that he knew nothing about it either, but the Higher-Ups did not believe him and planned to force him to talk through other means.

"I recall that one of the students you're currently teaching accompanied you to the scene on this mission to retrieve Sukuna's Finger.

We should question that student of yours as well."

At that, Satoru Gojo slowly raised a hand, hooked a fingertip under the white bandages wrapped beside his ear, and gently tugged them down.

His clear, azure left eye was fully exposed. The cold gaze unique to the Six Eyes pierced the dim room, locking precisely onto every person behind the screens.

"I suggest you keep your hands off my students."

His azure eye now radiated an overwhelming pressure utterly unlike his usual demeanor.

"I'll investigate this matter. We're done here for today."

Through the immense cursed energy he released, he made one thing clear to those foolish old men: his students were a line they must never cross.

Satoru Gojo then walked out, step by step. Having felt that cursed energy, the Higher-Ups hiding behind the screens watched him leave in silence. Not one dared stop him.

On the stone steps outside the torii, Dai Li had been sitting in a deep squat. When he saw Satoru Gojo emerge, he immediately stood and waved to greet him.

"Done already? What did the Higher-Ups say?"

"Nothing much. They just told me to investigate what happened."

Satoru Gojo had both hands in his pockets. Seeing Dai Li wave at him, he took his right hand out and gave a small wave in return.

A can of sparkling orange juice was tossed into the air, falling toward Satoru Gojo. Just before it could hit him, however, it stopped motionless in midair.

"Here, some juice for you."

"One can of sparkling juice? That's a pretty stingy thank-you gift."

Dai Li opened a can for himself as well. It was something he drank often. As far as juice-and-soda combinations went, there probably wasn't anything better.

"If you don't want it, give it back."

"Just kidding, just kidding. How could I possibly ask a student to prepare an expensive thank-you gift?"

Opening the pull tab with one hand, Satoru Gojo chatted with Dai Li about the Jujutsu Higher-Ups as they drank.

The two of them walked all the way to the Cursed Tool storeroom at Jujutsu High, stopping before an ordinary Bronze Gate.

Satoru Gojo and Dai Li entered the Cursed Tool storeroom. The interior was fairly spacious, with rows of dark metal display racks lining both sides.

The lighting inside was soft, and the air was clean and cool, without a speck of dust. It was clear that the Cursed Tools here were regularly maintained.

The racks were neatly divided into sections and held Cursed Tools of all shapes: standard-issue cursed blades, Long-Handled Blades, Horse-Cutting Sabers, long spears, halberds, daggers, and small knives.

"Most of Jujutsu High's Cursed Tools are here. You need to analyze them before you can project them, right? Feel free to analyze everything in here. Staying a few hours is no problem."

"One look is enough for ordinary Cursed Tools. I only need to touch the ones with slightly stronger curses inside them. It won't take too long."

Dai Li immediately set his sights on a silver longsword resting on a rack. Sight alone was not enough for him to finish analyzing this sword. At most, he could only project its appearance.

"Trace On. Synchronization initiated.

Basic structure, analyzed. Constituent materials, analyzed. Contained curse, analyzed."

A longsword identical to the one on the rack abruptly appeared in Dai Li's right hand.

"Both the weapon's material and the curse it contains are flawless reproductions. You've got quite a knack for this, Dai Li."

Dai Li gazed at the Cursed Tool in his hand, lost in thought. Even with its careful maintenance, he could clearly tell that this longsword had seen plenty of combat.

"What's the story behind this Cursed Tool? The curse inside it is strong. Judging by its former wielder's handling memories, its original owner must have been pretty powerful."

"This sword is a relic left behind by a Grade 1 Sorcerer. It became a Cursed Tool because it was frequently infused with large amounts of cursed energy.

And what do you mean by the wielder's memories?"

Dai Li looked at the projection of the silver longsword in his hand. It was an exceedingly plain Cursed Tool. Its owner must have been a pragmatist; the Crossguard and slender blade were its only distinguishing features.

"If someone has used an item I project, I can obtain the original user's memories of handling it. That lets me pick up and use a projected weapon right away.

Those memories won't immediately make me as proficient as the original user, but after some practice, I should come pretty close. They only help me quickly get the hang of a projected weapon. They don't tell me what the user went through."

"I didn't expect your Projection Cursed Technique to come with that feature. I was planning to send you to Maki to properly learn how to use Cursed Tools."

Satoru Gojo himself rarely used Cursed Tools. Teaching Dai Li how to channel cursed energy into a weapon was one thing, but teaching him to use swords, spears, short blades, and daggers was a bit beyond him.

Fortunately, this year's students included a weapons master like Maki. He could simply leave it to her.

Over the time that followed, Dai Li analyzed every Cursed Tool in the storeroom. He could now summon around twenty Cursed Tools at once to attack, though doing so was somewhat taxing.

It was not that he lacked cursed energy. Controlling that many Cursed Tools simultaneously required a high level of cursed energy control. Having them all attack a single point was manageable, but controlling them separately to cut off an enemy's movements would be extremely difficult.

I still need to train my cursed energy control. Taking out a loan to improve it permanently would come at a steep price, about the same as directly increasing my cursed energy reserves.

But the price and cursed energy required for a temporary boost are just about manageable. It's like the difference between buying a home and renting one.

"Teacher Gojo, teach me how to improve my cursed energy control!"

"What am I going to do with you? I really can't turn down a request from my adorable student."