The Plan

"Yeah."

Kaneki replied, "In the original future..."

"You and Choso fought to protect Tengen. You died at Kenjaku's hands, while Tengen sent the badly wounded Choso away."

"With our current strength, there's no way we can kill Kenjaku without losing a few people."

"In that case, we're better off abandoning Tengen and preserving the fighters we have."

"Besides..."

"No matter what we do, Tengen can't escape being absorbed by Kenjaku as a cursed spirit."

Given their current situation...

They couldn't kill Kenjaku without losing either Okkotsu or Yuki Tsukumo.

Rather than keeping Tengen alive...

They were better off keeping Yuki Tsukumo alive.

That was the fundamental reason he had chosen to abandon Tengen.

Everyone froze, exclaiming, "A cursed spirit?!!!"

"That's right."

Then Kaneki revealed a shocking conclusion. "After evolving, Tengen's composition became closer to that of a cursed spirit, making Tengen a valid target for Cursed Spirit Manipulation."

"With Kenjaku's strength, he can absorb Tengen instantly as long as he can make contact."

At those words...

All three were shocked.

Their steps briefly faltered.

"If Kenjaku absorbs Tengen..."

Kaneki continued, "Our only real problem is that if we fail to kill Kenjaku and his plan succeeds, roughly a hundred million people in Japan will merge with Tengen."

"In theory..."

"Merging with Tengen would turn those hundred million people into an entirely new, unknown form, taking them completely beyond the bounds of humanity."

"But..."

"Whether that change would be for better or worse is still unknown."

After all...

That particular point...

Had never been shown in the original story either.

Choso didn't care about any of that. He asked, "What's the second option?"

"The second option..."

As he spoke, Kaneki looked at Choso. "Is for you and me to fight Kenjaku."

"Okay."

Choso didn't ask why.

On their way here, Itadori had already told him that he trusted Ken Kaneki.

Since...

Itadori trusted him...

He would trust Ken Kaneki unconditionally too.

"What?"

Okkotsu was stunned and was just about to object.

Yuki Tsukumo spoke up first, refusing. "No. If you two face Kenjaku, you'll..."

Before she could finish...

Kaneki interrupted her. "Hear me out."

"Having Choso and me fight Kenjaku is the best option, and it doesn't mean certain death."

"As long as you two don't show yourselves, or stay outside his domain's range, there's a very good chance he won't expand his domain."

Then...

He used Sukuna as an example.

And roughly estimated the range of Kenjaku's domain.

Even if he used a binding vow that allowed people to enter and leave freely in exchange for a greater attack range, its radius would still only be two hundred meters.

Kaneki added, "Once he realizes the situation isn't in his favor, he'll naturally choose to leave."

To Kenjaku...

Survival and his plan came before everything else.

Even if he expanded his domain and killed the two of them...

Once his cursed technique burned out, Okkotsu and Yuki Tsukumo could arrive and join forces to kill him.

"Even if he doesn't expand his domain," Yuki Tsukumo said gravely, "you two still aren't a match for him."

Okkotsu nodded in agreement.

Choso was one thing.

But Ken Kaneki had awakened his cursed technique less than a day ago. What could he possibly use against a sorcerer who had lived for over a thousand years?

Kaneki said, "Don't forget, I still have Mahoraga."

"The moment I sense something's wrong, I'll summon Mahoraga."

"Mahoraga?"

Okkotsu and Choso looked bewildered.

Neither of them had seen the backup plan Kaneki had left behind, so naturally, they knew nothing about Mahoraga's abilities.

Yuki Tsukumo knew about Mahoraga.

And she now understood where Ken Kaneki's confidence came from.

"Mahoraga..."

Kaneki explained, "Is the strongest shikigami of the [Ten Shadows Technique]."

"It can adapt to any and all phenomena."

"As long as it isn't killed in a single blow, it can keep adapting."

"Kenjaku should know about Mahoraga's cursed technique."

As someone who had twice lost to Six Eyes sorcerers from the Gojo Clan...

How could he possibly not have investigated the head of the Zenin Clan who had died alongside a Six Eyes sorcerer in battle?

"Once I summon Mahoraga, he'll probably try to kill it in a single blow. So we can't let Kenjaku use [Uzumaki]."

Aside from his domain...

The only known move capable of killing Mahoraga in one hit was [Maximum Technique-Uzumaki]!

Whether [Gravity] could kill it in one hit was still unknown.

At the mention of [Uzumaki]...

Okkotsu couldn't help remembering that Christmas Eve.

Thinking Choso might not know about it, Kaneki added, "[Uzumaki] is the Maximum Technique of Cursed Spirit Manipulation. It combines the cursed spirits the user possesses into one and attacks the opponent with incredibly dense cursed energy."

"That move is immensely powerful. It would definitely kill Mahoraga."

"The only problem is that I'm not strong enough to tame it yet, so I'll have to initiate a taming ritual with multiple participants."

"That comes with a serious drawback."

As he spoke, Kaneki looked at Choso. "Once the taming ritual begins, Mahoraga will attack me first. It'll also see you as an enemy."

"When that happens..."

"I might not be able to help."

"You'll have to watch out for both Mahoraga and Kenjaku."

"The best thing you can do is get as far away from me as possible when I start the taming ritual."

"That way..."

"Mahoraga might attack Kenjaku first."

Hearing that...

Choso nodded to show he understood, then asked, "Then... how do we deal with that person called Uraume?"

He remembered...

Kenjaku and Uraume had left together.

If they really did come to the Tombs of the Star Corridor, they would very likely show up together.

Kaneki stopped in his tracks.

Seeing that, the other three stopped as well and looked at him in confusion.

Kaneki's expression darkened.

He looked at Choso. "If you hadn't mentioned it... I really would have overlooked her."

In the original story...

Kenjaku had come alone.

The best way to deal with Uraume was to bring in her old opponent.

-Kinji Hakari.

But now, it was too late to call him.

Hearing that, the other three also understood that Uraume hadn't appeared in the original future.

Then...

Kaneki started running again.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "If..."

"Uraume shows up, I'll start the taming ritual immediately. As long as we can protect Mahoraga, we might still have a fighting chance."

"I'll stay."

Okkotsu spoke up.

"No." Kaneki refused without the slightest hesitation. "If you stay, Kenjaku will definitely expand his domain."

Yuki Tsukumo picked up on the implication and asked, "Uraume doesn't have a domain?"

Kaneki nodded. "In the future I saw, Uraume most likely didn't have a domain."

Kinji Hakari had already expanded his domain.

Yet she still hadn't used one.

That most likely meant she didn't have one.

As he spoke, Kaneki took out the Communication Puppet, pressed it, and said, "The situation has changed."

"Have Aoi Todo and Naobito Zenin come to the Tombs of the Star Corridor."

"I'll heal Naobito Zenin's severed arm."

[Round Deer] of the Ten Shadows Technique could heal others, unlike humans, whose healing output on others was only half as effective as when healing themselves.

"Okay."

Yū Shinji's reply soon came from the other end.

After thinking it over, Kaneki added, "Never mind. Let Aoi Todo stay with his brother. Send Kusakabe instead."

"If Kusakabe refuses, have Nanami come."

Ideally, Todo would come.

But...

He was afraid his presence might cause an unexpected change on Sukuna's side, so it was best to leave Todo there to protect Megumi Fushiguro.

They couldn't afford to fail to rescue Satoru Gojo and then have Sukuna take over Megumi Fushiguro's body too.

"Tell them..."

Kaneki said, "This operation is extremely dangerous. If they're coming, they need to be prepared to put their lives on the line."

If they were lucky...

They wouldn't run into Kenjaku.

If they weren't, they would have no choice but to fight with their backs against the wall!