"You're the [Traitor], aren't you?"
Deep in the woods, Hajime Kashimo's opening words nearly made Mechamaru crush his communicator and call Noritoshi Kamo for help.
His frail heart pounded, but he knew this mechanical puppet's face could never show any expression. So he merely lowered his voice, gave a quiet, derisive laugh, and told Hajime Kashimo to produce evidence.
"I don't have any evidence, but I don't have a problem with you colluding with them."
Hajime Kashimo leaned against a tree trunk and shrugged. His answer caught Mechamaru off guard.
Evidence aside, the very fact that Hajime Kashimo had said this after exposing him as a spy left Mechamaru baffled.
If you don't have a problem with it, why seek me out alone?
Could it be... he has the same goal?
Ten thousand possibilities flashed through Mechamaru's mind, but Hajime Kashimo seemed to see right through him. He raised a hand, interrupting his thoughts.
"Remember, the one who made a binding vow with you is a human, not a cursed spirit."
"Even if you get what you want, can you stay alive long enough to enjoy it?"
"If you can't survive, what will you really have gained?"
Mechamaru gave no answer to Hajime Kashimo's questions.
At this point, Mechamaru could be certain that the other man really did know he was working with curse users...
He also understood what Hajime Kashimo was trying to say...
But he couldn't accept it.
He simply "couldn't accept it."
He believed in his own abilities, in the countless days and nights he had spent preparing to escape this body, and in the countless possibilities he had tried.
He refused to give up!
"Do you have any little gadgets that send out an alarm when you crush them, and transmit your location while they're at it?"
When Mechamaru didn't answer his questions, Hajime Kashimo couldn't be bothered to press him. He simply held out his hand.
"What?"
Mechamaru's fingers tightened slightly. He did indeed have something like that-
Because he was holding one right now...
"Give me two. One to notify me when you're about to fulfill the terms of your binding vow with them, and another to tell me you've gotten what you wanted."
"You're strong, and you're talented."
"I also respect your willingness to do whatever it takes to fulfill your wish."
"So I'll help you. Free of charge."
Hajime Kashimo's answer made Mechamaru take a wary half step back.
He didn't believe this stranger, who had no background he knew of and no reason to help him...
Yet the man's formidable strength and apparent lack of hostility were like an irresistible piece of candy, constantly tempting him to take a taste...
"What... do you get out of this?"
Mechamaru's question was met with silence.
The [Strongest] of four hundred years ago frowned slightly, genuinely lost in thought.
What was he getting out of it?
If he hadn't been resurrected, he wouldn't have bothered with any of this crap.
He had only wanted to fight Sukuna and prove that he stood at the pinnacle of [Martial Arts].
But only now did he seem to understand that he had never even touched that pinnacle.
Only the union of [Martial Skill] and [martial virtue] could be called the [ultimate in martial arts].
The same held true for [the strongest], [loneliness], and [love].
To truly surpass his limits and become the strongest in the truest sense, he had to try to accept and embrace the life he had once disregarded...
So perhaps helping Mechamaru was simply Hajime Kashimo's way of proving that he hadn't abandoned the element of [love]...
Love for the weak, love for the gifted...
Love for his [companions]...
"Maybe what I want is for you to become my [companions]."
"If there's only one strong person, that's far too lonely."
"So I'll help you, but you'll have to prove your abilities to me, too."
Two bronze-colored mechanical chips dropped into Hajime Kashimo's palm.
Though Mechamaru had no idea what this guy was muttering about, if he was a freak who wouldn't expose him, then Mechamaru was happy to have another contingency...
Still...
"To be safe, I want to make a [binding vow] with you."
"Until this is over, you mustn't reveal any information about me to anyone else."
"In return, I'll keep your involvement secret from that guy. Of course, if you expose yourself, I won't take responsibility..."
The voices deep in the forest grew quieter and quieter.
By the time Mechamaru returned to Noritoshi Kamo's line of sight, the other three had recovered and regrouped.
But aside from Mai Zenin, Momo Nishimiya and Kasumi Miwa were effectively unable to keep fighting-
The former's broom had been snapped, leaving her unable to fly.
The latter's katana had taken a heavy blow and was now badly bent out of shape...
Both decided to return to their base to repair their equipment before setting out again. Naturally, the tasks of hunting down Yuji Itadori and exorcising the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit fell to Mai, Noritoshi, and Mechamaru, who had been largely unaffected.
"Are you all right?"
Noritoshi Kamo looked at Mechamaru as he returned from deep in the woods. Once he learned that Hajime Kashimo would neither threaten them nor interfere with their actions, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
If the other man insisted on continuing the fight, killing Itadori or winning the team battle would be out of the question.
Whether they could even make it out of the forest would be uncertain...
"Saying hello?! Who says hello like that?!"
They split into two groups.
Momo Nishimiya fumed the entire way.
Her broom had been broken the most thoroughly, and although an external application of Reverse Cursed Technique had healed her, she had also taken the most hits.
So as she returned to camp with Kasumi Miwa, she kept cursing Hajime Kashimo for his surprise attack and for treating a petite girl so violently.
Kasumi Miwa was frustrated too, but a gap in strength was a gap in strength. As a practitioner of the New Shadow Style, she could accept defeat in battle.
Besides, he had healed them afterward and only broken their weapons. In effect, he had given them a second chance to fight...
"Stupid cursed spirit! Get lost!!"
Her broken broom swept out a wind blade of cursed energy, slicing through a Grade 4 cursed spirit blocking their path.
With no other outlet, Momo Nishimiya could only vent her anger on these low-grade cursed spirits, soothing her heart as it pounded with rage.
This forest had all sorts of things in it.
There were all kinds of small animals, as well as low-grade cursed spirits scattered throughout...
Of course...
There were animal cursed spirits, too.
Green slit pupils silently lit up in the pitch-black shadows. To fulfill its "promise," Thousand Fangs had transformed into a harmless animal and quietly slipped into the Goodwill Event.
It had no need to follow Hanami and the other cursed spirits in their invasion-
Its unique nature even allowed it to bypass the special Alert Barrier Jujutsu High had set up specifically for the Goodwill Event...
"Since you've come right to my door..."
"I suppose I'll gladly accept..."
Thousand Fangs' body writhed, but a moment later, it abruptly stopped transforming and continued concealing itself-
Because it had noticed another group rapidly approaching its position...
Before you continue