It was not until many years after Sukuna had vanished completely that Jujutsu Society finally discovered the existence of Sukuna's Fingers.
Sukuna's Fingers had been scattered throughout Japan. Cursed spirits that swallowed them grew vastly stronger, leaving Jujutsu Society scrambling to deal with the chaos.
Several hundred years passed like this, and Jujutsu Society gradually declined, until a sorcerer with the Six Eyes appeared.
Rumor had it that the Six Eyes sorcerer was a descendant of Sugawara no Michizane, one of Japan's Three Great Vengeful Spirits. With that, the Gojo Clan rose to prominence, joining the Zenin Clan and the Kamo Clan as the Three Great Families.
All of Sukuna's Fingers were covered in sealing talismans and placed in the custody of various factions.
"Six Eyes! Why do you insist on stopping me?!"
A man with grotesque stitches across his forehead lay on the ground, covered in wounds. He struggled to lift his head, glaring at the man in the sky.
With silver-white hair and strange, azure eyes devoid of emotion, the man known as Six Eyes hovered high in the air.
"As long as I'm here, none of your schemes will ever succeed."
"Why? Why?! Ryomen Sukuna is already dead! Why would another monster like you be born? You shouldn't even exist in this world!"
Kenjaku had lost all his usual composure. He screamed himself hoarse, unable to accept this outcome. Hundreds of years of planning had fallen apart at the hands of Six Eyes.
"Run. I won't kill you. I'll allow you to escape, and I'll allow you to seek revenge against me. But no matter what you do, you'll never defeat me!"
Six Eyes laughed with wild arrogance. Kenjaku caught a glimpse of Sukuna in him, and genuine fear took hold. He fled without looking back.
He did not even know why Six Eyes had let him leave. Perhaps, in those eyes, he was nothing more than a clown-a toy to pass the time when boredom struck.
"Six Eyes! I'll have my revenge!"
Kenjaku fled north. Along the way, treatment with Reverse Cursed Technique had already healed his wounds, but the grotesque wound on his forehead remained.
"My lord, what do we do next?" One of Kenjaku's few remaining subordinates found him.
Over several hundred years, his followers had grown to staggering numbers. Unfortunately, nearly all of them had been wiped out while holding off the jujutsu sorcerers.
Only a handful had escaped with him, and they could hardly be called powerful. Everything he had built over those centuries had been utterly destroyed.
"As long as we kill that accursed Six Eyes sorcerer, our plan won't fail."
Kenjaku came up with an excellent idea. Since he could not defeat the Six Eyes sorcerer, he would simply wait until the man died of old age before stopping Tengen's assimilation.
"But my lord, there are still five hundred years until Tengen's body ages again. Who can guarantee that another Six Eyes sorcerer won't be born during that time?"
"It's only five hundred years. If I capture Tengen during that time, I'll keep him imprisoned until he evolves, no matter what it takes."
A crazed smile spread across Kenjaku's face, making him look like a deranged obsessive.
"Also, you must find me a new body. I need to appear before Jujutsu Society under a different identity. I can't let them discover who I am."
"Yes, my lord."
Time flew. Two hundred years passed in the blink of an eye, and Kenjaku had changed bodies more times than he could count.
Over those long years, he had also collected several of Sukuna's Fingers. Although he could not use them himself, they still bolstered his forces.
He could feed Sukuna's Fingers directly to grade 1 cursed spirits, forcibly turning them into special grade cursed spirits, then leave Jujutsu Society busy dealing with them. It spared him a great deal of trouble.
At the very least, they could inflict heavy casualties.
"My lord, everyone has arrived. Shall we begin the attack now?"
"Hahaha! Let those old fools with their rotten souls see what true annihilation looks like!"
At Kenjaku's command, two enormous cursed spirits charged ahead, followed closely by the curse users behind him.
The barrier around the Jujutsu Academy, the predecessor of Jujutsu High, had been torn open. Countless curse users and gigantic cursed spirits surged inside.
A tremendous roar rang out. Every jujutsu sorcerer in the Jujutsu Academy rushed out to meet the attack. The survival of all Japan hinged on this battle.
"Who are you? Why are you attacking our Jujutsu Academy without cause?!" The principal, a Special Grade Sorcerer, was the first to charge out.
The powerful teaching staff followed close behind, along with students who had already become grade 1 jujutsu sorcerers.
Kenjaku wasted no words. He ordered all his subordinates forward, and the two sides immediately clashed in utter chaos.
Ignoring the battlefield entirely, Kenjaku slipped around the back alone. His target was clear-the Tombs of the Star Corridor!
Nearly everyone from the Jujutsu Academy whom he encountered along the way died in a single blow, but a Grade 4 Sorcerer finally blocked his path.
"Who are you? Why are you forcing your way into our Jujutsu Academy?"
A burly man, all bulging muscle, stood before Kenjaku. An enormous blade hung on his back, and not a trace of cursed energy emanated from him.
"Oh? Interesting. An incomplete heavenly restriction. No wonder you could withstand my cursed technique. What a pity!"
Without another word, Kenjaku charged, bombarding the burly man with his cursed technique. Unfortunately, the man successfully dodged most of the attacks.
"You're certainly fast, but that's all."
Watching the burly man before him, Kenjaku felt there was no need to rush. After all, Six Eyes had yet to be born. He was utterly confident that he would succeed this time.
The sounds of their battle drew many people over, but Kenjaku killed anyone who dared take a single step closer.
The burly man fighting him could only worry helplessly. There was nothing he could do to help; he could feel just how powerful Kenjaku was.
"What?! The Jujutsu Academy's defenses have been breached? I'll send reinforcements immediately. Please hold on a little longer." After hearing the Jujutsu Academy's plea for aid, the members of the Gojo Clan were momentarily at a loss.
"What should we do? Six Eyes hasn't been born yet. Even if we go, we won't be much help with our strength alone. But we can't simply stay away."
Since the previous clan head's death, a long time had passed without another Six Eyes being born into the Gojo Clan.
As a result, the Gojo Clan still did not have a single Special Grade Sorcerer. Even their strongest were merely grade 1 jujutsu sorcerers.
"No matter what, we have to go to the Jujutsu Academy. Some of our clan's most promising youngsters are still there!"
After a moment's thought, an old man spoke. "The other two clans should be sending people as well. Let me lead this time. I don't have much time left anyway. Let this old man make one more contribution to the clan."
No one said another word. They, too, knew that this was the best choice.
"As expected of a heavenly restriction. Even before it's fully awakened, your hand-to-hand combat is this formidable."
Kenjaku spat out a mouthful of blood. A punch to the face had knocked out half his teeth, but to keep up his swagger, he had swallowed them all.
"But it's time to end this. Domain Expansion!"
That major nuisance was finally dealt with. Next came Tengen.
Just as he strode confidently toward the Tombs of the Star Corridor, a group surrounded him. The moment he recognized them, his expression darkened.
"Damn it! I actually forgot about you Three Great Families. What a blunder."
Battle erupted in an instant. Under the combined assault of the Kamo Clan's two special grade sorcerers, Limitless, and Projection Cursed Technique, even the powerful Kenjaku could not hold his ground.
It was not yet time to reveal his trump card. He could not even expand his domain; his plan would not allow it.
Finally, another slash struck his back, and blood gushed from his mouth. Almost immediately, Kenjaku shattered the Kamo Clan's domain with a split-second Domain Expansion, then fled.
He left only one final threat. "Kamo Clan, I'll remember you! I'll ruin your name!" His venomous words drifted back from afar, but no one paid them any heed.
Under their combined assault, everyone who had attacked the Jujutsu Academy was killed on the spot. They also successfully seized two of Sukuna's Fingers.
"Haha, you young friends from the Kamo Clan really came through. This old man thought he'd die here."
The Gojo Clan's Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer spoke with a beaming smile. He truly had not expected the other two clans to send reinforcements so quickly that they would meet on the way.
"Oh, come now, sir. So many of our clan's youngsters are still in the Jujutsu Academy. Sending aid was only natural. Haha."
The barrier was repaired, and everyone returned to their respective homes.
In a remote mountain village, Kenjaku furiously destroyed everything around him as a wicked idea took shape in his mind.