The next day.
When Itadori woke up, Satoru Gojo explained the situation to him. Although he had been sentenced to death, Gojo had gotten his sentence suspended.
"A suspended sentence? Does that mean it won't happen right away?"
"That's right. Let me explain it again."
He then took out another of Ryomen Sukuna's fingers. "This is the same as the one you ate. There are twenty in total, and we have six of them in our custody."
"Twenty? Are you counting his fingers and toes?"
At the thought of having to eat someone else's toes, Itadori looked constipated.
"Of course not. Ryomen Sukuna had four hands, so he had twenty fingers. These things can't be destroyed. They carry a powerful curse, and it's growing stronger by the day, faster than the sorcerers alive today can reinforce their seals."
"That's where you come in. If you die, the Ryomen Sukuna inside you will die too, so a few cowardly old folks have been clamoring to have you killed."
"But that would be such a waste."
Itadori looked puzzled. "A waste?"
"Right. We don't know whether another vessel capable of containing Ryomen Sukuna will ever appear, so I suggested killing you after you've eaten all his fingers."
"If we're going to kill you anyway, we might as well wait until you've absorbed all of Ryomen Sukuna's fingers and take him down with you."
Yuji Itadori had exceptionally high emotional intelligence and a strong sense of empathy. He cared not only about his companions and friends, but could also understand the feelings of anyone he met and show them concern.
He was also willing to sacrifice himself for others, possessing an almost inhuman fearlessness.
"Does this curse stuff happen a lot?"
Satoru Gojo thought for a moment.
"This case is pretty unusual. People get killed every few days, and when you run into a curse, an ordinary death is about the best you can hope for. Even being reduced to pulp is a relatively good outcome."
"If you go looking for Ryomen Sukuna, you'll probably run into things like that. I can't guarantee you won't die horribly, either."
"But you might as well choose the hell you like."
None of that could scare Yuji Itadori.
He recalled his grandfather's final words. If Araki Itsuki hadn't shown up, his upperclassmen would surely have been hurt.
"If Ryomen Sukuna disappears completely, fewer people will be killed by curses, right?"
Satoru Gojo gave Yuji Itadori a surprised look. "Of course."
"I'm in. Do you have that finger?"
Gojo handed Itadori the finger he had brought, intending to watch him swallow it.
But after taking a closer look, Itadori broke into a cold sweat. "Looking at it like this, it's really disgusting!"
He hesitated. "Can I eat it a little later?"
"Of course."
The two then went outside.
Araki Itsuki was sitting on a bench, sampling some local food. Beside him sat a listless Fushiguro, his face covered in bandages.
Seeing Araki Itsuki, Yuji Itadori looked as though he had found his savior. He hurried over to the two of them. "Araki, do you still have that stuff?"
Araki Itsuki chuckled, pulled a plastic jar stuffed with lemon, bird's-eye chilies, and various other ingredients from his pocket, and tossed it to Yuji Itadori.
"I told you you'd thank me. Who could stomach a chicken foot that's been air-dried for a thousand years?"
Yuji Itadori breathed a sigh of relief. Without hesitation, he stuffed Ryomen Sukuna's finger into the plastic jar to marinate briefly, then swallowed it together with two bird's-eye chilies.
His face twisted for a moment before returning to normal as he suppressed Ryomen Sukuna's will.
"Sorry, Mr. Gojo. After trying the pickled-chili-flavored thousand-year-old chicken foot, I can't get it down without some seasoning."
Satoru Gojo laughed. "And here I thought you'd gotten scared."
The instant Yuji Itadori stuffed Ryomen Sukuna's finger into the plastic jar, however, Sukuna's mouth appeared on his cheek.
He snarled furiously at Araki Itsuki, "You rotten brat! Once I take control of this body, you'll be the first one I kill!"
The thousand-year-old King of Curses, marinated in seasonings. This was outrageous!
Yuji Itadori hurriedly covered his cheek. "Sorry. He pops out sometimes and makes things really weird."
Araki Itsuki waved it off, completely unconcerned.
Satoru Gojo rubbed his chin. "Don't you feel honored to have caught Ryomen Sukuna's attention, Araki? He's the King of Curses from a thousand years ago!"
Stuffing potato chips into his mouth, Araki Itsuki said with amusement, "Have you ever seen an adult get serious with a little kid?"
"Besides, what King of Curses?"
"He's just some ordinary mortal who wasn't born in my era."
Fushiguro: "..."
Satoru Gojo: "..."
Yuji Itadori: "..."
Ryomen Sukuna gave a vicious grin and said nothing more.
He had made a deal with Kenjaku a thousand years ago. Once he returned to the world, he would be sure to savor Araki Itsuki's terror.
Satoru Gojo hurriedly cleared his throat twice. Such masterful swagger. You've earned my approval.
Yuji Itadori asked curiously, "Is this guy famous?"
"Of course. Ryomen Sukuna is a mythical demon god with four arms and two faces, but he was actually a real person who lived a thousand years ago."
"Jujutsu was at its peak back then. Both jujutsu sorcerers and cursed spirits were more vicious than they are today. The sorcerers gathered all their strength to challenge him, but they lost."
"From then on, he bore the name Sukuna. Even after all these years since his death, jujutsu sorcerers still can't destroy his remains."
"He truly deserves the title King of Curses."
Yuji Itadori asked curiously, "Then who's stronger, him or you?"
"Hmm... well, if Ryomen Sukuna regained all his power, he'd probably be pretty tough to handle."
"Would you lose?"
"I'd win."
Araki Itsuki chuckled at that. 2.5 Gojo sure talks with confidence.
Still, Limitless really was terrifying, and Satoru Gojo's combat instincts and experience were extraordinary. But none of that could stand up to someone using a conceptual cheat that could cut through space itself.
Then again, in a profession like jujutsu sorcery, where eighty percent of your strength was decided at birth, how were you supposed to get stronger without cheating?
After chatting, the group headed to Tokyo.
Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School.
The school stood deep in the forested mountains of Tokyo, presenting itself to the outside world as a private religious school. Many jujutsu sorcerers continued to use it as their base of operations even after graduating.
Besides serving as an educational institution, the school also assigned missions and provided support, making it a key site in Jujutsu Society.
"Araki, Itadori, I'll take you to your interviews."
Araki Itsuki breathed in the fresh air and complained, "I'm already as strong as a special grade, aren't I? Why do I still need an admissions interview?"
Satoru Gojo spread his hands helplessly. "Those old fossils at the top won't agree to suddenly adding another special grade. That would mean allocating a huge amount of resources to you. Besides, you barely have any cursed energy."
Araki Itsuki gave a savage grin. "If you ask me, those old bastards should hurry up and go to hell. Keeping them around just gets in the way."
"They're also the ones who ordered Itadori's execution."
Araki Itsuki had no fondness whatsoever for those old fossils.
After the Shibuya Incident, they had immediately sold out Satoru Gojo, their former savior, and ordered Itadori's execution as well. They even treated anyone attempting a rescue as an accomplice.
If Gojo hadn't entrusted Itadori to his executioner, Yuta Okkotsu, beforehand, Itadori would have died without even knowing what was going on.
Itadori huffed. "I'm not happy about it, but we can't just leave curses alone. I'll eat all of Ryomen Sukuna's fingers first, then worry about the rest."
Satoru Gojo gave it some serious thought. "Let's keep those old fossils around for now. I don't have any experience managing things, after all."
He then led the two of them inside to meet the principal.
Masamichi Yaga, the principal of Jujutsu High, wore dark sunglasses and was intently carving something cute.
"You're late, Satoru."
"You're always a few minutes late, just short of getting yourself a scolding. Didn't I tell you to break that bad habit?"
Satoru Gojo sighed. "If it's not enough to get me a scolding, don't bring it up. You're making dolls anyway. So I'm late, big deal."
Masamichi Yaga set down the doll in his hands and turned his gaze toward Araki Itsuki and Yuji Itadori.
He addressed Araki Itsuki first. "What is your goal?"
Araki Itsuki studied the poor man curiously. After Satoru Gojo was sealed, the higher-ups had immediately ordered Yaga's execution, and his own old friend had carried it out.
He held up two fingers, a smile tugging at his lips.
"My goals in life?"
"First, I'll do whatever the fuck I want."
"Second, I don't eat beef."
Masamichi Yaga fell silent. He didn't understand, but he recalled what Fushiguro's report had said about Araki Itsuki's strength.
"A firm conviction."
"You pass!"
Before you continue