The Great Sukuna-Fighting Plan

In the Jujutsu High infirmary, Shiratori Gotsu sat bolt upright on his deathbed, springing out of bed in a daze.

Shoko Ieiri, who had been monitoring his vital signs beside him, paused in surprise.

"You're awake already? It hasn't even been five minutes. I thought you'd be a vegetable for the rest of your life."

Shiratori Gotsu looked down at his bare upper body, then glanced at Shoko Ieiri and said awkwardly:

"Sorry to trouble you, Miss Shoko, but could you get me something to wear?"

Shoko casually pulled a spare white coat from nearby. "Your clothes are torn to shreds. You look about my size, so try this."

"Thanks!"

Shiratori Gotsu quickly put on the white coat. It fit him perfectly.

He jumped out of bed and asked as he put on his shoes:

"How are things going now?"

"After Ui Ui brought you back, Yuta and Ishigori retreated too. They should be waiting for you to wake up in the hall."

"Hajime Kashimo went in as you arranged. He's probably fighting Sukuna as we speak."

Shoko walked out of the infirmary and lit a cigarette.

"What, are you thinking of going back to the front lines?"

Shiratori Gotsu smiled.

"No rush. Okkotsu and Ishigori are still waiting for me, after all. And after that, judging by the time..."

"It'll be about time to carry out the fourth step of my 'Great Sukuna-Fighting Plan'!"

The so-called "Great Sukuna-Fighting Plan" was actually the "relay baton strategy" that Shiratori Gotsu had pestered Satoru Gojo about day and night during their special training, until Gojo finally ran out of options and agreed.

After discussing and adjusting it with everyone at yesterday afternoon's pre-battle meeting, they had arrived at the final version, removing such excessively shameless tactics as "sending a septic truck flying alongside Unlimited Void."

The whole plan was actually quite simple.

Step one:

Satoru Gojo would fight first and weaken Sukuna. Sukuna would most likely use Mahoraga, so Gojo couldn't prolong the fight and give it a chance to adapt. Once he had injured Sukuna enough to prevent him from expanding his domain, he would retreat.

Step two:

Shiratori Gotsu, Ryu Ishigori, and Yuta Okkotsu would take over, adapt to the situation, and weaken Sukuna as much as possible. If circumstances allowed, they would deal with Mahoraga. If things got out of hand, they would retreat immediately.

Step three:

Hajime Kashimo would take over. Since his goal from the beginning had been to challenge Sukuna, he could fight however he wanted. While achieving his own goal, he would do his best to force Sukuna to restart his Incarnation and transform.

Although there had been a few minor mishaps during step two...

After Mahoraga was countered by Fate Track Binding Curse, Sukuna went straight into his original form without being pressured, then used two lightning Binding Vows to unleash a domain with doubled power.

That had left Shiratori Gotsu scrambling to escape, and he had nearly been beaten to death...

But overall, the plan had gone perfectly so far!

And as for the fourth step they were about to carry out...

"Yo, Okkotsu, Ishigori! Prison Teacher Gojo's here too!"

Shiratori Gotsu entered the hall and waved at the three people waiting anxiously, a broad smile on his face.

"Sorry for the wait, I'm back!"

"Yo, Shiratori!"

"'Prison Realm,' open!"

The instant Satoru Gojo turned his head, Shiratori Gotsu called those words out.

Then the atmosphere froze.

It was as though crows were flying overhead.

"Pfft..." Satoru Gojo was the first to crack, laughing so hard he couldn't stand straight. "That's you all right! You've barely escaped death, and you're already running over to joke around without a care in the world!"

"I was just trying to lighten the mood. Okkotsu, Ishigori, why aren't you laughing? Wasn't it funny?" Shiratori Gotsu scratched his head with an embarrassed laugh.

"Shiratori... I'm so glad you're out of danger..."

At the sight of Okkotsu's expression, Shiratori immediately sensed trouble.

He had just started to rush over when Ryu Ishigori darted in front of him and wrapped him in a crushing hug.

"You shitty bastard! You're not dead!"

Shiratori Gotsu realized he could no longer stop Okkotsu from unleashing that move...

-"Yokatta!"

In Jujutsu High's outer corridor, Satoru Gojo and Shiratori Gotsu walked one behind the other toward the mountain behind the school.

"You found Kugisaki's grandmother, right?" Shiratori Gotsu asked to confirm.

"Yeah. The moment she heard we needed her help, she rushed over without stopping."

Satoru Gojo clasped his hands behind his head.

"According to the assistant supervisor, she got here this morning and has been waiting over there for quite a while."

In the center of a cylindrical room, Sukuna's last finger hung in midair, bound by countless threads.

Yoshinobu Gakuganji and Utahime Iori had been waiting there for some time with Nobara Kugisaki's grandmother.

"Yo, Utahime, old man." Satoru Gojo pushed the door open and greeted the people in the room.

"It's about time. Once they're in position and the fighting starts over there, let's get to work."

Shiratori Gotsu spoke with a mischievous grin.

At the front lines, the battle had reached a fever pitch.

Having unleashed Mythical Beast Amber and fully transformed into a mythical beast, Hajime Kashimo charged at Sukuna without hesitation.

The instant Kashimo reached him, Sukuna grabbed both his hands and pressed his other two hands against Kashimo's abdomen.

"Dismantle!"

A grid of slashes instantly destroyed Hajime Kashimo's Cursed Energy core.

Sukuna then swung Hajime Kashimo, who could barely control his body anymore, downward and slammed him hard into the ground.

Finally, he formed a hand sign.

"Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine."

The next moment, Hajime Kashimo's consciousness returned once more to that hillside four hundred years ago.

He became his old, decrepit self again.

He looked up at the familiar sky, and Sukuna's voice came from behind him.

"Many strong people must have come to challenge you, and they must have wagered everything they had."

"They only wanted your acknowledgment, to find out who they were. And you killed them with your own hands."

There was no expression on Sukuna's face.

"If that isn't love, then what is?"

"We're loved simply because we're strong, so we respond to that love with our own strength. Even so, you still feel lonely."

"That's why I say you're too greedy."

Hearing this, Hajime Kashimo, who had returned to his youthful appearance, closed his eyes and frowned.

"Does that satisfy you?"

"Then why did you divide your soul and turn it into Cursed Objects to come to the present, a thousand years later?"

Sukuna spoke with a look of contempt.

"Because I understand, I can say for certain that love and such things are utterly boring."

"I've never expected anyone else to satisfy me. I eat when I want to eat, kill whatever offends my sight, and play with anyone I find interesting."

"Whether it was you, Satoru Gojo, or Shiratori Gotsu, I've always followed those same principles of mine."

"If others can't understand me, that's their own problem."

After listening quietly to it all, Hajime Kashimo's lips curved into a brilliant smile.

"Don't you get bored?"

Sukuna glanced to the side.

"Surprisingly, humans come in a variety of flavors, all fleeting."

"Strong people like Satoru Gojo, the same kind as you; or people like Shiratori Gotsu, who dance on a knife's edge through schemes and cunning..."

"Taking my time to savor them, one bite at a time, to pass the time before death..."

"Nothing could be more fitting."

As Hajime Kashimo's battered corpse fell to the ground, a massive block of ice suddenly descended from above.

Standing atop it was Uraume, who had been blown away at the start by the aftermath of Satoru Gojo's 350% Hollow Technique: Purple.

Sukuna looked up, dispelled the domain he had maintained for less than five seconds, and raised his right hand.

The block of ice melted, quickly turning into a shower of icy rain that washed over the wreckage of the battlefield.

At the same time, a Cursed Tool landed lightly in Sukuna's raised hand.

It was the Cursed Tool Yorozu had forged for Sukuna in the Sendai Colony, using the last of her life to activate her Construction Technique: Kamutoke.

"Lord Sukuna, I apologize for arriving late."

Uraume landed, dropped to one knee before Sukuna, and bowed.

"It's fine. If anything, your timing is perfect..."

Sukuna narrowed his eyes and looked at two figures approaching from a distance.

Yuta Okkotsu and Ryu Ishigori had returned to the battlefield, side by side.