The butterfly effect

Drawn by Itadori's shouts, powered by nothing but brute strength, Megumi Fushiguro's group was the first to meet up with Hajime Kashimo.

"Huh-Junpei!!!!"

Itadori stared at Junpei Yoshino, who had appeared behind him beside Megumi Fushiguro, and froze on the spot.

Itadori had never imagined meeting his friend, seemingly returned from the dead, under these circumstances. He had no idea how Junpei had survived Mahito and joined Jujutsu High, nor could he make sense of it.

But when he saw the awkward smile on Junpei's face and Fushiguro's expression that said, "Yep, that's how it is," even someone as thickheaded as Itadori understood who was behind this-

Satoru Gojo.

"Save the reunion for later, Itadori."

Kento Nanami strode forward, interrupting the touching reunion between Itadori and Junpei after their long separation.

Right now, information about Satoru Gojo's sealing mattered more than their friendship.

"Satoru Gojo was sealed. What exactly happened?"

In response to Nanami's serious question, Itadori took the communication device away from his ear and switched it to speaker mode, following Yu Xingji's instructions.

Based on Yu Xingji's explanation, Kento Nanami had largely grasped the current situation:

The faction of curse users led by "Pseudo-Suguru Geto" had joined forces with special grade cursed spirits and the lesser cursed spirits they had brought along, and now occupied Shibuya Station.

Large numbers of transfigured humans and ordinary people had been scattered throughout the station as defensive bargaining chips and pawns. To put it bluntly, all of Shibuya Station was now one enormous den of monsters.

The Prison Realm, with Satoru Gojo sealed inside, lay at the very bottom of that den. For some unknown reason, Suguru Geto currently could not move the special grade cursed object containing him.

"If this information is accurate, the fastest attack route would be through the surrounding subway stations."

Nanami, a Grade 1 Sorcerer, immediately made his judgment.

Compared with a frontal assault on Shibuya Station, where huge numbers of cursed spirits, transfigured humans, and ordinary people were gathered, approaching along the tracks from the lowest levels of other subway stations was clearly the fastest and safest option when accounting for casualties among sorcerers and civilians.

But to do that, they first had to lift the curtain preventing sorcerers from entering or leaving.

"This is an emergency. We'll have to split up."

"Some requests can only be made by a Grade 1 Sorcerer, so I'll head outside and handle the necessary procedures with Mr. Ijichi. The rest of you will lift the [Curtain] blocking sorcerers from entering."

Kento Nanami was already moving as he spoke. Before leaving, he shared one more piece of information:

Atsuya Kusakabe, another Grade 1 Sorcerer, and Naobito Zenin, a Special Grade 1 Sorcerer, were also inside this curtain. If they met either of them, they were to pass along the information and ask for help.

"And... Ino."

"I'm leaving them in your hands."

Nanami's parting request instantly fired up Ino, who idolized him.

To demonstrate his advantage as their "senior," before starting the mission, he needed to explain to Itadori, Fushiguro, and the others just how serious Satoru Gojo's sealing was.

In fact, the greatest apparent threat right now-the sealing of Jujutsu High's strongest fighter-was actually the least of their problems.

What mattered was the chain reaction that would follow Satoru Gojo's sealing:

As Head of the Gojo Clan, Satoru Gojo single-handedly supported the immense organization that was the Gojo Clan, one of the Three Great Families, the most powerful clans in Jujutsu Society today.

With titles and authority ranging from Head of the Gojo Clan to Strongest of the Modern Era and Special Grade Sorcerer, Satoru Gojo had used his position to save many sorcerers and curse users who had committed offenses, entirely as he pleased.

Sukuna's vessel, [Yuji Itadori], was one.

[Megumi Fushiguro], the Zenin Clan's property whose contract he had bought out for a fortune before taking him away himself, was another.

[Junpei Yoshino], sentenced to death for attacking ordinary people, certainly counted too.

Even Hajime Kashimo, who had broken through Jujutsu High's barrier and should have been imprisoned for observation, counted as one.

Everyone standing here had some connection to Satoru Gojo and had benefited from his kindness.

And if that was true of everyone here...

What about those who weren't?

Cursed spirits, cursed objects, sorcerers, organizations...

While Satoru Gojo was around, the Jujutsu Higher-Ups might have turned a blind eye out of deference to his status and strength.

But now that Satoru Gojo had been sealed, those with a record of wrongdoing or who posed a threat, anyone who might become a problem at any moment, were all very likely to face the [death penalty]...

[When the tiger leaves the mountain, the monkeys crown themselves kings].

That was more or less what it came down to.

But that wasn't all.

The internal unrest and infighting at Jujutsu High after Satoru Gojo's sealing were one thing.

But the stirrings of outside forces would add fuel to the fire in a Jujutsu Society already teetering on the brink.

[Six Eyes], [Limitless], [Reverse Cursed Technique], [Strongest of the Modern Era].

Satoru Gojo's reputation alone could keep countless restless cursed spirits and curse users in check.

Now, however, word of Satoru Gojo's sealing would inevitably spread far and wide.

When that happened, Jujutsu High would face attacks from both within and without...

"If that happens, Japan is done for, right?"

Kashimo understood what Ino was trying to say. He had already sensed that things would deteriorate to this point.

That was what it meant to be an absolute powerhouse.

Alongside the loneliness of standing at an unreachable height came only mountain-heavy responsibilities and authority.

He knew every word Ino had said was true. Unless something unexpected happened, once the events in Shibuya ended, Jujutsu High would immediately purge the factions and individuals aligned with Satoru Gojo...

If the Strongest of the Modern Era was gone...

Who else could take up his burden and protect these people through sheer strength?

For the first time in his life, Kashimo felt a sense of urgency.

It was a sliver of concern for the people of Tokyo Jujutsu High, squeezed out from deep within his heart-a thought he had never had four hundred years ago or after his incarnation.

In his previous life, Kashimo had lived only for himself, only for the ultimate mastery of [martial arts].

He had no ties or attachments. Even when faced with Kenjaku's invitation to reincarnate through incarnation, he had readily agreed.

But his time with them in this life had made him realize something.

The everyday moments he had once dismissed were, instead, an indispensable seasoning in his pursuit of the pinnacle of martial arts.

"Let's move. Our first objective is to lift the outermost curtain."

"Let's show these bastards that sorcerers other than Satoru Gojo can send every last one of these small fry flying!"