Ambushed

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed since September 23.

Jujutsu High had a four-year program, but all four of them chose to graduate a year early at the end of their third year.

Though they had graduated, their youth would not end with graduation. That summer would forever remain a blazing memory.

Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto chose to stay at Jujutsu High as teachers, guiding the next generation.

Shoko became a doctor, putting the medical knowledge she had learned into practice.

Ze Zenin chose to return to the Zenin Clan, beat Ogi Zenin to a pulp, and become the clan head.

He then formally joined the higher-ups and established his own faction among them.

He intended to become the supreme leader of Jujutsu Headquarters and change the rotten Jujutsu Society at an institutional level...

Although he dearly wanted to wipe out all the higher-ups at once, Jujutsu Society was currently quite stable. Eliminating them without cause would inevitably provoke resentment, if not outright resistance, from the other clans...

That would undermine social stability, so Ze Zenin decided to leave the hidebound higher-ups in place for now while steadily bringing in new people.

Ze Zenin gradually began building the world he dreamed of...

Inside Tokyo Jujutsu High.

Nanako and Mimiko kept whispering to each other in their seats. Suguru Geto, who had just reached the classroom door, felt a headache coming on as he watched them.

"Lord Geto just keeps getting more handsome. I adore him!"

"Lord Zenin too! But we haven't seen him in ages."

"..."

The two continued chatting back and forth, completely oblivious to Suguru Geto standing at the door.

Just as Suguru Geto was about to speak, a hand patted his shoulder, and a quiet voice said, "Geto, want to spar with me on the field?"

"Gojo?" Suguru Geto turned toward the grinning Gojo, then glanced at Nanako and Mimiko's happy smiles.

Oh well... as long as they're happy.

Some time later.

"Gojo, your Taijutsu just keeps getting better!"

"Geto, you've learned Reverse Cursed Technique too?"

On the field, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto lay on the ground, panting as they called out to each other.

They looked at one another and burst out laughing again.

Suddenly, Satoru Gojo said, "We haven't seen Ze in ages, have we?"

"Yeah," Suguru Geto replied wistfully. "After graduation, Ze became the Zenin Clan's head to pursue his dream. He wants to change this world through its institutions..."

"These days, we pretty much have to go to the Zenin Clan to see him." Satoru Gojo smiled. "If I stayed at Jujutsu High to change this world too, what about you, Geto?"

"As for me..." Suguru Geto recalled that night three months ago and narrowed his eyes. "I think I've probably found my direction in life!"

"You're still holding out on me, you jerk?!"

Satoru Gojo stood up, clasped his hands behind his head, and looked up at the sky with a soft chuckle.

"I've still got a mission to take care of. Let's get Ze and Shoko together sometime and have another reunion, just the four of us!"

"Sure..." Suguru Geto smiled and waved goodbye to Satoru Gojo.

He then walked Nanako and Mimiko to the entrance of their dormitory building and reminded them, "Remember to go to bed early!"

"Yes, Mr. Geto!" Nanako and Mimiko answered in unison, mischievous smiles on their faces.

"Ah..."

One look at their smiles told Suguru Geto they would not listen.

After watching Nanako and Mimiko go inside, he left Jujutsu High as well.

Suguru Geto headed toward the house he had bought in the city.

As he walked, his surroundings grew darker and darker. Suddenly, he stopped.

"Who's there?!" Suguru Geto demanded coldly. "Stop playing games."

"Heh..."

A chuckle rang out. "As expected of Suguru Geto, one of the four Special Grade Sorcerers. You noticed me so quickly."

A man emerged from the darkness. His appearance was unremarkable.

If there was anything that set him apart, it was the line of stitches running around his entire forehead.

"Who are you? A curse user?"

Suguru Geto questioned him warily, raising both hands into a fighting stance. He had not encountered a curse user in a long time.

"You don't need to know that much..." Kenjaku smiled faintly. "All you need to know is that I'm here for your Cursed Spirit Manipulation..."

With that, Kenjaku attacked Suguru Geto, reinforcing his punch with cursed energy.

He moved so fast that Suguru Geto was sent flying before he could react.

So fast... he's almost as fast as Gojo!

Alarm surged through Suguru Geto. He stared at the smiling man before him as though facing a formidable enemy and said gravely:

"Whoever you are... I won't let my guard down!"

An enormous white dragon hurtled toward the man at a speed like light. He had immediately brought out one of his trump cards!

But to Suguru Geto's astonishment, Rainbow Dragon was inexplicably pinned to the ground!

Then an inexplicable pressure settled over him too, and Suguru Geto instantly found himself unable to keep his footing.

This man's cursed technique... is it gravity?

Crushed beneath the powerful force, Suguru Geto's mind raced.

But at that moment, Kenjaku had already rushed to Suguru Geto's side with a dagger in hand.

His blade flashed, severing Suguru Geto's finger.

Kenjaku picked up the finger from the ground, a cold smile returning to his face. "I've got what I came for. Next..."

Suguru Geto wrenched himself free, and several enormous centipede cursed spirits appeared. Before Kenjaku could activate his gravity cursed technique, they bound him.

At the same time, Reverse Cursed Technique began healing his finger. Watching Kenjaku's smile, Suguru Geto suddenly felt a foreboding sense of dread.

Several beads of blood suddenly appeared beside Kenjaku, then shot through the centipede cursed spirits. Soon, Kenjaku was smiling again as though nothing had happened. He looked at Suguru Geto and said:

"I won't kill you yet, because I don't know whether the cursed spirits you've subdued would go berserk. Otherwise, I wouldn't have taken this approach to steal your cursed technique..."

"Besides, that man from the Zenin Clan seems to be wary of me already."

"Blood Manipulation too... are you from the Kamo Clan?"

Suguru Geto narrowed his eyes as he analyzed the situation. "Looks like I'll have to use Simple Domain to neutralize his cursed technique!"

Suguru Geto summoned Slit-Mouthed Woman, who activated Simple Domain. In an instant, the gravity imposed on Suguru Geto vanished.

Kenjaku activated Wicker Basket. "Simple Domain? Unfortunately for you..."

"Domain Expansion-Constant Weight Village!"

This was the domain Kenjaku had developed from the gravity cursed technique he had stolen. Within it, he applied varying amounts of cursed energy to his opponent according to their cursed energy.

Slit-Mouthed Woman's Simple Domain was instantly overwhelmed by Kenjaku's domain, and Suguru Geto once again felt as though a mountain were crushing his body.

Kenjaku gathered cursed energy and coated his hand with it, then used Body Flicker Technique to appear before Suguru Geto and punch him in the stomach.

"He blocked it?"

Kenjaku stared in surprise as Suguru Geto blocked his fist. His Taijutsu truly was exceptional.

He smiled helplessly. "You really... I'm not going to kill you yet. How many times do I have to say it?"

His gaze sharpened, and he seized Suguru Geto by the throat. "We can begin now. In exchange for using your cursed technique, I can offer up my Anti-Gravity Cursed Technique."

"That should be acceptable... King of Cursed Spirit?"

"King of Cursed Spirit?"

Suguru Geto struggled to breathe, but he continued carefully analyzing the man's words and trying to escape Kenjaku's grip.

"What exactly are you after?!"

Kenjaku did not answer. Instead, he looked up at the sky, where a black bead suddenly appeared.

It fell into Kenjaku's hand. He leered at Suguru Geto, then fused the black bead into Suguru Geto's body as flesh and blood.

Kenjaku released Suguru Geto and smiled faintly as he watched him gasp for breath.

"You don't need to know what comes next. I have to keep Zenin and Gojo from learning about me so soon...

After all, I don't want to face those two this early."

"That's also one of the reasons I dared to show myself. Now I've achieved one of my objectives.

We'll meet again..."

The gears of Kenjaku's plan began turning at that moment.

Suguru Geto raised his head and stared at Kenjaku's face, trying to burn it into his memory as his thoughts raced.

This guy is afraid of Gojo and Ze. Who the hell is he? Damn it, my eyelids are getting heavier...

After finishing his words, Kenjaku gave Suguru Geto a long, searching look.

Were it not for his fear that the thousands-perhaps nearly ten thousand-cursed spirits Suguru Geto had absorbed would go berserk and attack him upon his death, he would certainly have used his cursed technique to take over the man's body!

Without another thought, he immediately turned and left. Afraid that Ze Zenin or Satoru Gojo might suddenly arrive, Kenjaku did not dare linger.

Suguru Geto's vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground as though he had fallen asleep.

Kenjaku immediately raced toward the airport, smiling coldly.

"Then... let's get ready to begin!"