Itadori and Hanami

Tokyo Jujutsu High on the Douna Continent.

Araki Itsuki watched Yoshinobu Gakuganji kneel, then released Mordekaiser's power and turned back into a laid-back teenager.

In the original story, Satoru Gojo had let the old man go with nothing more than, "You're just an executioner, too."

Araki Itsuki wasn't about to indulge him. You should have thought about the consequences before coming after me.

What if you refused to cooperate?

Simple. I, the great philanthropist Araki, pulled you out of death's shadow.

Surely it's only natural to be grateful to the man who saved your life!

What's that?

You're saying I'm the one who killed you?

I'll sue you for slander.

"Get lost."

Araki Itsuki waved him away. A flicker of anger crossed the humiliated Yoshinobu Gakuganji's face.

His body obediently bowed to Araki Itsuki, however. Then he lowered his head and slowly backed away, still kneeling in obeisance.

Araki Itsuki watched his humiliated expression with a mocking smile.

What do you do when the higher-ups won't listen?

Kill them all, then enslave and control them.

Death Omen Star Mordekaiser held dominion over the dead.

He had once been a mighty star god and had founded a kingdom that worshipped the light.

But his kingdom had been destroyed in an unexpected disaster, and Mordekaiser had fallen with it. The power of the Death Omen Star had then corrupted that galaxy.

It had twisted Mordekaiser and his dead kingdom into horrific beings filled with hatred.

Elsewhere.

The battle between Fushiguro's group and Hanami was on the verge of erupting.

"Divine Dogs!"

Fushiguro formed a canine hand sign, summoning a savage black Divine Dog that lunged at Hanami with bared fangs.

If Fushiguro's shikigami were completely destroyed, they could never manifest again. Their power would be inherited by other shikigami.

The sole remaining dog, Totality, pounced on Hanami with razor-sharp claws, gouging a notch in her arm, which resembled white armor.

So fast. Are they planning to disable one of my arms first?

In that moment of distraction, Maki had already charged in at full speed. The wind swept her bangs aside, lending her a strikingly fierce look.

The cursed sword in her hands slashed straight at Hanami's head, fast and vicious.

Hanami blocked it with a fist, but before she could counterattack, Todo arrived.

Dense cursed energy gathered around his iron fist, and the blow made Hanami stagger.

Meanwhile, Yuji Itadori grabbed a thick branch as he sprinted forward, nimbly using the surrounding terrain to drop from above and stomp toward Hanami's chest.

Under their combined assault, Hanami retreated again and again. Outnumbered, she took a few hits here and there.

Then she suddenly spread both arms and made a grasping motion toward the four of them.

Thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip!

More than a dozen thin, sharp roots burst from the ground. Their tips gleamed coldly as they shot toward the four like crossbow bolts.

Yuji Itadori darted from side to side as the ground beneath his feet was pierced through. Relying on reflexes far beyond those of ordinary people, he evaded the attacks.

Todo and Maki retreated rather than advanced, then closed in on Hanami while dodging the sharp roots.

Fushiguro was slightly less capable in close combat and barely managed to gain some distance with his Divine Dog's help.

No, I'll have to provide support from the rear. If I get up close, I'll only get in their way.

Fushiguro's hand-to-hand skills weren't bad, but that was relative.

Once Fushiguro withdrew, Todo immediately began teaming up with Yuji Itadori to pummel Hanami.

Maki, meanwhile, was like a deadly assassin. She took out a Three-Section Staff, ready to crack Hanami over the head at any moment.

Cursed tools, as their name suggested, were weapons imbued with curses.

Like sorcerers, they were ranked from grade four to grade one according to their power and effectiveness. The higher a cursed tool's grade, the greater the advantage it offered in jujutsu combat.

The cursed tool in Maki's hands was the Special Grade Cursed Tool, Playful Cloud.

If sold, it would fetch no less than five hundred million.

Bang!

A simple strike from Maki against Hanami's arms sent an enormous shock wave spreading more than ten meters into the distance.

Broken stone and dirt flew everywhere. Hanami had never expected such terrifying force.

Her white-armored body hurtled backward, knocking down more than a dozen trees in her path.

Hanami braced one hand against the ground to steady herself. Her ability to withstand blows was the greatest among cursed spirits.

This one's certainly impressive!

While Hanami was sent flying, Todo immediately began his lesson. He wanted his Best Friend to grow stronger.

"Itadori, your cursed energy lags because you're channeling it. Many jujutsu sorcerers consciously go through that process."

"Cursed energy extracted from negative emotions flows throughout the body, starting at the navel.

"From the navel, it passes through the chest, shoulders, and arms before finally reaching the fists."

Todo demonstrated as he explained, bending his knees and waist before unleashing terrifying power in an instant.

His burly, 190-centimeter frame was built like a bear. His massive fist whistled through the air, driving a blast of wind toward Hanami.

He channeled cursed energy extremely quickly, and its flow was difficult to discern.

Hanami and Todo exchanged blows at high speed. In the end, he and Maki joined forces to send her flying.

"That awareness of dividing your body into separate parts is what causes your cursed energy to lag."

"There's nothing wrong with channeling cursed energy itself, but that's only the first step. You can't get too fixated on it.

"The better the jujutsu sorcerer, the harder it is to read the flow of their cursed energy."

Todo paused there, then offered an example.

"You should learn more from Araki. I can't sense the flow of cursed energy in him at all. It's even more extreme than with Mr. Gojo!"

Fushiguro broke into an embarrassed sweat at that.

What damned flow of cursed energy? Araki Itsuki is just putting on an act!

After marveling at how well Araki Itsuki concealed his cursed energy, Todo continued his lesson.

"Do we think with our stomachs? Can we express anger with our brains?"

"Listen carefully, Itadori."

Todo looked at the thoughtful Yuji Itadori and instructed him with complete faith in his Best Friend.

"We exist in this world with our whole being."

"It's so obvious that everyone forgets it."

Yuji Itadori froze for a moment, then crossed his fists with a serious expression and lunged fiercely at Hanami.

"Thanks, Todo. I think I get it now."

Hanami looked at Ryomen Sukuna's vessel. She knew she couldn't kill him, but she still had to teach him a lesson.

She redirected her cursed energy, pouring it into her cursed technique.

Several black Tree Balls floated before her. Under her control, sharp wooden spikes shot toward Yuji Itadori like crossbow bolts.

Yuji Itadori moved more nimbly than a monkey, using the surrounding trees as cover to evade the Tree Balls' attacks.

Then he pushed off the ground, charged beneath a fallen ancient tree riddled with holes, and whipped a kick at Hanami.

Hanami raised her arms to block, only to find that she was a fraction too slow. The kick struck her head.

Surprised by Yuji Itadori's explosive power, Hanami quickly assessed his strength.

So fast!

His explosive speed is even greater than that girl's, but his strikes lack power!

But Yuji Itadori had already planned ahead. His last strike had only been a setup.

Her torso is completely exposed. That attack I held back on cleared away all her doubts. Now's the perfect moment.

His right fist tensed, then drove toward Hanami's chest so fast it left afterimages.

Black Flash!

But then.

Hanami's armored arm squarely blocked the blow, and she kicked Yuji Itadori away.

Black Flash had failed.

Hanami immediately pressed her advantage, flashing in front of Yuji Itadori and throwing a thunderous punch imbued with terrifying cursed energy.

"Stop!"

Inumaki pulled down his collar, revealing the strange markings on his tongue and at the corners of his mouth.

He commanded Hanami like a sovereign.

Hanami instantly lost control of her body.

Cursed Speech forcibly halted her, leaving her rooted in place.

Knowing how terrifyingly powerful this special grade cursed spirit was, Inumaki hadn't acted rashly. The backlash from Cursed Voice would seriously harm his body.

Like Fushiguro, he therefore provided support, waiting for an opening to enter the battle.

"Nue!"

An owl descended from the sky amid the crackle of lightning, clawing at Hanami's back. Maki rapidly swung Playful Cloud, leaving a trail of afterimages.

The sounds of tigers roaring and dragons bellowing rang out through the ravaged forest.

Maki leaped and spun, the muscles in her arms bulging as she gathered her strength.

Then she unleashed all the power in her body at once, smashing the staff into Hanami's white body.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

A deep furrow was blasted straight into the ground. Hanami hurtled backward at tremendous speed and vanished into the dust.

Smack!

Todo slapped his Best Friend across the face, trying to snap him out of it.

"Anger is an important trigger for a sorcerer.

"Sometimes, deliberately enraging an opponent can create an opportunity for the weaker side to defeat the stronger.

"The reverse is also true. Anger can disrupt your cursed energy, preventing you from displaying your full strength and making you lose outright.

"I completely understand why you'd be furious that our honeymoon time as Best Friends was interrupted.

"But that anger is far too much for you."

Smack.

Todo slapped Yuji Itadori across the face again. Beside them, Fushiguro and Inumaki stared at the pair as though they were idiots.

They couldn't understand how these two Best Friends' minds worked.

"Are the distracting thoughts gone?"

Yuji Itadori smiled gratefully. "Yeah. They've all blown away. Not a trace left."

"Now watch me work!"