Ze Zenin stared intently at Amaterasu and activated Kagutsuchi, instantly extinguishing the faint flames.
"What exactly was that?"
"Did it transfer most of Amaterasu's flames somewhere else?"
He recalled how the cursed spirits had moved. There was no way they could have done that themselves...
Ze Zenin kept turning it over in his mind. Though he knew the creature inside the embryo was responsible-
He really couldn't figure out what cursed technique it used with so little information...
Meanwhile, in Japan.
Kenjaku watched the recording in his hands with a grave expression and muttered, "He severely wounded those three cursed spirits so quickly. It looks like he'll be back in Japan soon..."
"I misjudged him!"
Regret covered Kenjaku's face. "I never expected the power of Ten Shadows to far surpass the current Six Eyes. Has fate shifted?"
As far as Kenjaku remembered, Ten Shadows had almost always been outclassed by the Six Eyes. Its best showing had been four hundred years ago, when the two were evenly matched. He had used a scheme to turn them against each other, and they had killed each other in a duel before the shogun...
"This is going to be troublesome."
Kenjaku kept searching his mind for a way out. "Should I awaken Ryomen Sukuna ahead of schedule?"
"No... Yuji Itadori hasn't grown yet. An unrestrained King of Curses would ruin my plans."
"Should I turn them against each other again?"
Kenjaku narrowed his eyes, but then he remembered Ze Zenin's aloof personality.
"This Ten Shadows user has a completely different personality from the one four hundred years ago..."
"Damn it!"
Rubbing his chin, Kenjaku muttered to himself, "It looks like I'll have to deepen my cooperation with those three cursed spirits ahead of schedule.
"They must have some trump card backing them that gave him the nerve to escape and keep opposing Ze Zenin."
"Toji Fushiguro, I hope you'll move a little faster. Hurry up and sever those chains of fate..."
The old schemer Kenjaku wasn't panicking in the slightest.
It was merely one era with two strongest sorcerers.
"But even so, I must obtain his Cursed Spirit Manipulation. It's essential to my plan..."
As he spoke, he tossed a sheet of letter paper into the stove, where the flames slowly consumed it.
Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High, at the foot of Mount Mushiro.
A group stood together beneath the gate of an old, traditional red building, seemingly saying their final goodbyes.
It was now the third day of the mission to protect the star plasma vessel. Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto had escorted Riko Amanai all the way into Jujutsu High.
"Thanks for all your hard work. We're inside Jujutsu High now, so you can relax!"
Suguru Geto explained to Riko Amanai and her maid, Kuroi, "Master Tengen's Barrier Technique protects this place. Ordinary people can't get in."
Hearing that, the young girl in a uniform skirt breathed a sigh of relief. She rested her hands on her knees to catch her breath and said, "Now I can finally stop worrying..."
"Yes."
Kuroi also looked at Riko Amanai with relief, then turned to Suguru Geto. "Thank you both for all your hard work, too."
"It was no trouble, Miss Kuroi." Suguru Geto's voice remained gentle.
Then he looked at Satoru Gojo, who stood nearby, looking tired but still forcing himself to keep going, and said with concern:
"Gojo, you've really had it rough these past few days. You haven't even been sleeping properly, have you? Go get some rest in a bit!"
"Tch. Who wants to babysit some brat?"
Satoru Gojo stretched, curled his lip disdainfully, then deactivated the Limitless he had kept running for the past two days.
But his words never matched his feelings. Feigning indifference, he said, "Don't expect this again. I'm never taking this job again, anyway."
"What? Who wants an unreliable babysitter like you?"
Riko Amanai, displeased at being called a brat, said, "I'm never going to see you again anyway. Hmph!"
Suguru Geto and Kuroi watched the bickering pair with smiles.
But just as everyone let their guard down completely... something unexpected happened!
Before anyone could react, a short blade had already pierced Satoru Gojo's chest!
Satoru Gojo stared in disbelief at the blade protruding from his chest.
Behind him, Toji, dressed in a tight black shirt, smiled. He had accounted for all of this!
"Impossible! We're inside Jujutsu High's barrier!"
Suguru Geto exclaimed in shock, "Who the hell are you?!"
None of the four could believe it. Satoru Gojo, the strongest among them... had actually been wounded!
Satoru Gojo slowly turned his head and saw Toji's face. With difficulty, he forced a smile.
"Have we met somewhere before?"
Toji replied indifferently, "Don't worry about that. I don't go out of my way to remember men's faces."
While Toji was speaking, Satoru Gojo hurriedly pushed the short blade out of his chest, then kicked Toji away to put some distance between them.
Suguru Geto followed Satoru Gojo's attack without missing a beat, summoning a sandworm that swallowed Toji whole and charged onto a massive boulder.
Then he hurriedly turned to Satoru Gojo, who was crouching on the ground. "Gojo, are you all right?!"
"Yeah..." Satoru Gojo managed a smile. "I'm fine."
"I didn't have time to activate my cursed technique, but that stab didn't hit any of my organs...
"And I used cursed energy to restrict the blade's movement, so it didn't cut any other parts of my body.
"This wound is like a pin pushed through a knitted shirt."
"Don't worry about me. Hurry up and get Amanai inside. I'll handle this guy."
Satoru Gojo gestured to Suguru Geto. "That's where our mission ends!"
"All right..."
Out of trust in Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto ultimately chose to take Riko Amanai into the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
With several slashes, Toji completely dismembered the sandworm, splashing purple blood onto the corner of his mouth.
The man now rested a large blade on his shoulder and smiled at Satoru Gojo. "Still alive? I'd hoped that stab would finish you off."
Satoru Gojo studied the man before him carefully, then said with a smile:
"The bounty on Amanai is already gone. Even if you kill her now, you won't get a single yen, idiot!"
Toji gave a disdainful smile. "I'm the one who canceled that bounty. It was just a way to wear you down. Against an opponent like you, who has no openings..."
"If I hadn't deliberately given you a deadline, you wouldn't have relaxed until the mission was over, would you?"
"You're all bravado."
This guy, from the very beginning...
Satoru Gojo was suddenly stunned, and wariness of the man before him rose in his heart.
He demanded of Toji, "What's your connection to the Three Great Families?"
"Oh?" Toji gave Satoru Gojo an odd look. "Does that question matter?"
"Of course it does..."
Satoru Gojo sneered, then immediately raised his hand. "Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!"
Before you continue