No Reward for Running Fast, Punishment for Running Slow

When Kenjaku returned to the abandoned guesthouse with the instant rice balls and oden he bought from the convenience store, Uraume had already returned as well.

"Where have you been?" Uraume asked, sitting up from the beach chair.

Kenjaku shook the bag in her hand. "Buying dinner."

"Did you succeed on your end? Where is 'Prison Realm'?" Uraume asked again.

Kenjaku lay down on another beach chair and casually placed her shopping bags on the table next to her.

It's neither a success nor a failure.

"Satoru Gojo has at least been successfully sealed, but Shiratori Gotsu's strength should not be underestimated."

I failed to bring "Prison Realm" back from him.

"That's strange," Uraume couldn't help but remark, "So you can have these kinds of mishaps too."

Kenjaku glanced away. "I fought him four hundred years ago in another body; he wasn't this strong back then."

"Furthermore, he knows a lot, so I became very interested in him and wanted to see what he could do."

"I never imagined that my impulsive decision back then would become the biggest obstacle to my current plans."

He closed his eyes, his face expressionless. "Our next series of operations probably won't go too smoothly."

"However, successfully activating [Culling Game] shouldn't be a problem."

What about your end?

Uraume pouted:

"The enemy's reinforcements arrived too quickly, so the plan to awaken Sukuna by forcing Yuji Itadori to eat a large number of fingers failed."

"Or rather, a complete failure."

She took out the package containing Sukuna's Finger from her clothes and handed it to Kenjaku.

Kenjaku opened the package and stared blankly at the neatly arranged fingers inside for several minutes.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he grinned dramatically. "That's right... there's Sukuna too!"

The faint sense of death that had accumulated on him from his repeated setbacks against Shiratori Gotsu suddenly vanished, replaced by excitement. "Uraume..."

"Oh?" Seeing his expression, Uraume's curiosity was piqued.

"I suddenly had a better idea... it's related to Sukuna's resurrection."

How so?

"It'll be a secret for now... but I promise, it's going to be incredibly, incredibly, incredibly fun!"

"Shiratori Gotsu... just you wait and see, I promise I'll give you a big surprise..."

September 18, 2018.

Tuesday.

After learning that Satoru Gojo had been sealed in "Prison Realm" and could not be unsealed for the time being, Yuta Okkotsu and Yuki Tsukumo returned to their country one after another.

On the same day, the Jujutsu Headquarters issued a notice:

1. Suguru Geto confirmed to be alive, and is sentenced to death again, to be carried out by Shiratori Gotsu, a newly promoted Special Grade Sorcerer who had a direct confrontation with him during the [Goodwill Event Incident].

2. Satoru Gojo is considered a co-perpetrator of the "Goodwill Event Incident" and permanently expelled from the Jujutsu Society. Any attempt to break his seal will be considered a crime.

3. Masamichi Yaga instigated Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto to instigate the "Goodwill Event Incident," which resulted in injuries to several students. He was removed from his position as principal and sentenced to Limitless imprisonment.

IV. Yuji Itadori's suspended death sentence is cancelled and will be carried out three days later.

5. Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, and Junpei Yoshino are considered potential dangerous individuals and are confined to the Jujutsu High for one month, prohibited from acting independently; otherwise, they will be sentenced to imprisonment.

6. Yoshinobu Gakuganji will be temporarily appointed as the co-principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High and Kyoto Jujutsu High.

Looking at the notice in black and white, stamped with the red seal of the Jujutsu Headquarters, Shiratori Gotsu laughed in anger.

He casually crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the trash can, then turned to look at Fushiguro standing to the side:

"Hui, what do you think?"

"Isn't that utter nonsense?" Before Fushiguro could even speak, Kugisaki couldn't hold back anymore.

"Indeed, the evidence provided by Senior Mingbai Shiratori is quite clear: an ancient Curse User named Kenjaku possessed Suguru Geto's remains."

Fushiguro chimed in, "The Jujutsu Headquarters issuing such a notice is clearly a distortion of the facts."

"So, what do you think I should do?" Shiratori Gotsu asked again.

Everyone fell silent.

"But the higher-ups are still the higher-ups. Do we have any choice but to obey?" Junpei, his face full of conflict.

"Senior..." Fushiguro cast a questioning look at Shiratori Gotsu.

"I read this notice over and over again, trying to decipher every word between the lines. The entire notice was densely covered with the words 'want to die.'"

Without hesitation, Shiratori Gotsu said, "There's only one word I can think of—kill."

"The Jujutsu Society is too corrupt these days; those higher-ups at the top are capable of anything for their own benefit."

"We haven't resolved the external threats yet; we can't afford to let internal problems cause us further trouble."

As she spoke, Shiratori Gotsu stood up under the gazes of the four people, each with their own distinct emotions.

He stretched and walked towards the door. "Wait for my good news."

"Shiratori -senpai..." Itadori subconsciously raised his hand.

"What's wrong?"

"Is it really necessary to do this..." Itadori hesitated, "It's not that I think the higher-ups are right, I'm just worried about you, senior..."

Seeing that Itadori had stopped halfway through his sentence, Fushiguro spoke up and continued with the second half:

"If that senior really did such a thing, he would probably be immediately listed as the number one enemy of the Jujutsu Society..."

"If it's for us, is it all worth it?" Junpei's eyes were dark.

After hearing these words, Shiratori Gotsu's lips curled up slightly.

He asked, "If I actually do it, will you choose to stand by my side?"

"Of course!" the four of them said in unison.

"Then there's absolutely no problem!" Shiratori Gotsu gave himself a thumbs-up. "After all, in this situation, I'm the strongest!"

"Just wait for my good news!"

After saying that, he pushed open the door without hesitation and strode away.

As Shiratori Gotsu reached the exit, he bumped into an unfamiliar assistant supervisor.

The other person bowed slightly to him, then got straight to the point. "Mr. Shiratori, the senior management of the Jujutsu Headquarters wants to see you."

'Oh, what a coincidence...'

Thinking this, Shiratori Gotsu immediately adopted a submissive demeanor:

"Perfect timing! I'd also like to meet the higher-ups, so please take me there."

"OK."

Conference room of the Jujutsu Headquarters.

This is the first time Shiratori Gotsu has been here.

He casually walked over to a chair in the middle of a circle of screens, sat down, crossed his legs, and wore a gentle smile on his face:

"What brings you here, sirs?"

His initial demeanor, which had a touch of "Gojo Tiao's" air about him, really made the old men sitting behind the screen sweat a little.

However, upon hearing the respect in his tone and the honorifics he used, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

An aged voice came from behind the screen on the right:

"Mr. Shiratori, this is our first meeting, isn't it? It's said that you're Jujutsu Sorcerer Incarnation into the modern world four hundred years ago."

"Yes, is there a problem?" Shiratori Gotsu still had that smiling look on her face.

"Or rather, is there anything you need me to do by calling me here?"

"Since Mr. Shiratori is so willing to cooperate, let's get straight to the point." This time it was another voice.

"You received the notice issued earlier today, didn't you? We need you to be in charge of carrying out Yuji Itadori's execution."

"After that, we can offer you the position of principal of the Tokyo Jujutsu High."

"Of course, no problem~" Shiratori Gotsu gave a thumbs up, then got up and walked towards the door.

The moment he grasped the doorknob, he paused suddenly, then turned around and said:

"However, before I go to carry out your instructions, I have one more request. I wonder if I may obtain your permission?"

At this moment, the group of executives sitting behind the screen had completely relaxed.

From their perspective, Shiratori Gotsu was, at that moment, a "good subordinate" who was obedient, spoke pleasantly, and knew how to respect them.

"No problem, just say the word. As long as it's within the bounds of the charter, we won't treat you unfairly."

"Then thank you very much, esteemed gentlemen."

Shiratori Gotsu turned and bowed, her tone still relaxed and gentle:

"My request is simple: it must be within your capabilities and concerned with the bright future of the Jujutsu Society."

"Then, please speak freely!"

"For the sake of the future of the Jujutsu Society, I urge you, esteemed sirs, to commit suicide here and depart for heaven."

As he finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the surroundings.

After a long pause, a slightly hesitant voice finally rang out from behind the screen:

"Shiratori... if this is a joke, we can tell you definitively that it's not funny."

"Oh dear, what are you saying?"

Shiratori Gotsu the back of his head and laughed, "Of course it's a joke."

Just as the people behind the screen breathed a sigh of relief, Shiratori Gotsu's next words followed immediately:

"After all, it's impossible for you to commit suicide or anything like that. I was just joking."

Just kidding~

"I will personally slaughter you all."

"What outrageous nonsense are you spouting?!" An angry roar came from behind the screen:

"Do you think you can do whatever you want here?!"

"It's so noisy, let's start with you then."

Shiratori Gotsu scratched his ears, which were itchy from the vibration, and then raised his hand.

Mahoraga immediately sprang out from his shadow, and his "Sword of Extermination" pierced straight through the screen in front of him.

With a soft splatter, blood splattered everywhere.

Mahoraga withdrew his hand and stood quietly in place.

"Alright, let's see who runs faster! The fastest runner gets no reward, and the slowest runner gets a penalty!"

Shiratori Gotsu clapped his hands with a smile.

The next moment, screams, curses, and the sounds of people running and bumping into each other filled the room. The entire conference room was in complete chaos.

The only option was for Mahoraga to drink it while it was still hot.

Amidst the chaos, the strongest Shikigami of the [Ten Shadows Technique] moved with unparalleled precision, each strike cleanly and decisively beheading its prey.

The youngest among the senior executives survived to the end thanks to the flexibility afforded by his age.

He fled in disarray amidst the chaos, finally reaching the door through a pool of blood and grabbing the doorknob.

'Great...!' The moment this thought crossed his mind, Shiratori Gotsu's voice rang out again.

"[The Corpse Attraction Shock Blast] has already touched that doorknob."

"Varied...!"

Boom!

The sound of the explosion echoed in the room, and the heavy door panel, which had been shattered, slid open a crack because the latch was gone.

A sliver of sunlight pierced through the crack and into the room.

Everything returned to calm.