An incredibly fast Piercing Blood broke the sound barrier and shot straight at Kinoshita.
Kinoshita's spirits plummeted. He never thought his second life would end just like that!
Had he still not mastered the art of talking his way out of trouble?
He was a man who had flamed his way across the internet without a single worthy opponent!!
Bang!!!
The Piercing Blood didn't hit Kinoshita or Itadori as expected. Instead, it looked as though it had deliberately missed.
After holding back this time, Choso completely dispersed the cursed energy gathered in his blood. He stared resolutely at Kinoshita and Itadori.
"If you dare joke about my little brother, I'll hunt you down and kill you, even if I have to follow you into Yomi!"
Kinoshita cracked one eye open. Finding himself unharmed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. "What a relief!"
Kinoshita didn't take Choso's threat to heart at all.
After all, everything he had said was true. Besides, he still had seven lives left.
"We're not fighting anymore?" Itadori rubbed his nose.
Kinoshita swept his bangs aside with a stylish flick. "How about it? Is your bro Kinoshita awesome or what?"
"I said I'd handle it, and I handled it!"
Itadori stepped off the escalator somewhat hesitantly, his eyes fixed on Choso's hands. The moment Choso raised them, Itadori would launch himself forward.
That blood blast packs a serious punch. Getting close to Choso gives me an advantage. At the very least, it works in my favor. With that thought, Itadori began questioning Kinoshita.
"Who exactly are you? Why do you know so much?"
Kinoshita waved dismissively. "What matters isn't what I know. What matters is that I can help you!"
"Satoru Gojo isn't going to be unsealed."
The instant he said that, Itadori stepped forward and demanded, "What do you mean?"
Kinoshita thought it over.
According to the upcoming timeline, Suguru Geto's former followers-the two girls, Nanako and Mimiko-would feed Sukuna's Finger to Itadori.
Then Jogo would come along...
"We can't stay here. Jogo has a domain. You two stand no chance against him." Kinoshita pointed outside. "Kenjaku-ah, Suguru Geto, that is-has already run off with the Prison Realm."
"Even if you go down there now, you'll only run into cursed spirits with domains."
"Also, Jogo is looking for you with ten fingers on him."
Kinoshita pointed at Itadori.
Choso's expression tightened. He also knew that Jogo was searching for Itadori, and that his goal was to revive Sukuna.
Looking at it that way, this guy's information was almost entirely accurate. He even knew exactly what had just happened.
"He's right. Jogo really is looking for you," Choso added.
"Hmph... don't underestimate my information network!" Kinoshita curled his lip.
"But why is he looking for me with ten fingers?" Itadori asked in confusion. "Could it be..."
"Exactly..." Kinoshita nodded.
"Could Jogo be a mole?! He wants to help us seal Sukuna!"
Kinoshita nearly choked on Itadori's words.
"Isn't that idea a little too far-fetched?"
Choso looked speechlessly at Kinoshita. Really, wasn't "biological brothers with different mothers and fathers" the truly alien phrase here?
Though he badly wanted to point that out, he genuinely couldn't find a flaw in Kinoshita's explanation.
"If you eat too many of Sukuna's Fingers at once, Sukuna will briefly take control of your body," Kinoshita told Itadori earnestly.
"If Sukuna appears in a busy district like Shibuya while Satoru Gojo is sealed, you understand what the consequences would be, right?"
Itadori took a deep breath, a faint chill creeping down his back.
He nodded firmly. "You're right..."
"But!"
"No buts!" Kinoshita snapped. "I don't want to take another Dismantle from Sukuna!"
"If you go down there now, not only will you fail to save the civilians, you might let Sukuna out!"
Kinoshita didn't explain that he had been crushed to death.
After all, being cut down by Sukuna's Dismantle at least sounded somewhat respectable.
But being crushed by a chunk of rock shattered by Dismantle? That was just embarrassing.
When you were out in the world, you had to make yourself look good!
"You've actually fought Sukuna?" Choso looked at Kinoshita in surprise.
This man clearly didn't have much cursed energy, yet he casually brought up figures on the level of the King of Curses. He had even survived a fight against Sukuna.
Combined with the information he possessed...
This guy was not to be underestimated!!
"Let's listen to him. Until I see Suguru Geto... Kenjaku, I won't attack you," Choso said, narrowing his eyes.
"Is that so? Looks like we need to notify the others. We'll at least have to find another Grade 1 Sorcerer to learn what's happened to my teacher." Itadori sighed.
"As for the civilians in the station, we have to find a way to rescue them!"
Though he was straightforward in his thinking, he understood his own importance even better.
Throwing his life away foolishly would be one thing, but if he let Sukuna out, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
And so, the three kept a safe distance from one another as they slowly headed upward.
Only Kinoshita moved between the other two, chatting away.
After all, without direct evidence proving their relationship, Choso and Itadori still had to remain wary of each other.
"Found him!"
They had barely taken a few steps out of the station when two pretty figures immediately blocked their path.
"Yuji Itadori! As long as we feed him the finger, Sukuna can grant our wish!" Mimiko immediately took out a wrapped Sukuna's Finger.
Kinoshita's face darkened. He hadn't expected to run into them even here.
If they opened the wrapping around Sukuna's Finger, that damned thing's aura would immediately draw every powerful fighter in the area!
Then Jogo would kill all three of them as easily as taking a drink of water!
"Oh, crap! Stop them! They're going to feed Itadori a finger!" Kinoshita shouted.
Nanako had blonde hair, and her cursed technique was Cellphone Manipulation.
She raised her phone and aimed it at Itadori.
With a single click, Itadori instantly appeared between the two girls.
Mimiko had black hair, and her cursed technique, Doll Strangulation, allowed her to strangle enemies using a doll.
It was as if they had rehearsed it beforehand: Nanako brought Itadori close, then Mimiko restrained him by strangling him!
"What?!" Choso saw Itadori clutching his throat, struggling to breathe.
He hesitated over whether he should save Itadori!
"Hey! You're on the cursed spirits' side too, right? Help us!" Nanako looked warily at Kinoshita.
Itadori's eyes were bloodshot, his face turning purple from suffocation, as though he might pass out at any moment.
Kinoshita wasn't all that anxious. After all, his only goal was to keep Sukuna from coming out.
He simply pointed at Sukuna's Finger and said, "Don't let her unwrap Sukuna's Finger, or it'll draw Jogo here!"
After a moment's hesitation, Choso decided to act first.
Bang!
Itadori beat him to it, slamming the ground with all his strength. As the floor collapsed, the doll slipped from Mimiko's grasp, breaking her control.
"You...!" Itadori clutched his throat and was just about to attack.
Nanako immediately pulled out her phone.
"Throw the finger!"
Mimiko did as she was told.
Click! Click! Click! Click!
As the shutter clicked incessantly, a sudden change unfolded!
Before you continue