Tokyo, Shibuya City. The trio of Hiroshi, Suguru, and Satoru were leisurely strolling along the streets of Shibuya, simply enjoying the day.
Seated outside a café, Hiroshi proposed, "Suguru, Satoru, how about a trip to India?"
The two exchanged questioning looks. "Why India specifically?" Satoru inquired.
"There's a rather powerful cursed spirit that just spawned there," Hiroshi explained.
"Did you sense it through the trees?" Suguru asked.
"Yeah," Hiroshi confirmed.
"Your reach has extended further," Suguru noted.
"I can actually already do this, but it requires an excessive amount of cursed energy," Hiroshi mentioned as he sipped on his boba.
"Then I'd probably like to visit Thailand and learn Muay Thai," Hiroshi continued.
"Muay Thai?" Satoru questioned.
"The Art of Eight Limbs," Suguru explained to Satoru. Then he looked back at Hiroshi. "Have you been watching too much MMA?"
"Yeah, and I'd like to expand my repertoire of moves. I feel like Muay Thai could do it," Hiroshi explained.
As they conversed, they were approached by an agent.
"Excuse me?" she addressed the trio.
They looked at her with curiosity.
"I'm an agent for a fashion magazine, and we're running a poll for the Top 10 most attractive men in Japan. You guys seem to fit the bill, particularly this gentleman right here," she gestured to Satoru Gojo.
Satoru smiled and took off his glasses. "Why, thank you," he replied, causing the agent's heart to skip a beat.
"Shall we? Just for fun," Hiroshi smirked, addressing Satoru and Suguru.
Satoru and Suguru shrugged it off. If Hiroshi wanted to do it, then they were in for the fun of it.
Hiroshi turned to the agent. "We can do it, but put us on the front page of this month's issue," he negotiated.
The agent hesitated initially, but Hiroshi made a call on his phone.
A few minutes later, the agent's phone rang.
"This is Aiko," she answered.
"Aiko, is Senju Hiroshi still there?" the caller inquired excitedly.
"Senju who?" Aiko asked, confused.
"This is why you should listen to mainstream news. Senju Hiroshi, the Patriarch of the Senju Clan and the world's richest man. The Senju Clan donated billions just to feature him and his friends on the cover page of this month's issue. Take him to the studio ASAP!" the caller instructed.
The call ended, leaving Aiko with a completely changed perspective.
Hiroshi observed her expression of surprise and awe. "It's always nice to see the expressions of the common people," he thought.
Half a day of modeling later, Hiroshi asked, "So, see you at the airport tomorrow?"
As the trio walked away from the studio, Satoru replied, "I'll be there."
"It will be a nice change of pace, as well as a new cursed spirit in my inventory soon," Suguru added.
Hiroshi nodded, and the trio parted ways.
---
Tokyo Jujutsu Tech, 7:00 PM, Infirmary.
Shoko Ieiri was still working late due to the influx of sorcerers being injured from missions. Hiroshi arrived outside and saw her writing something as her assistants treated superficial injuries.
Sneaking up behind her, Hiroshi put his arms around her waist and positioned his cheek against hers. Sensing the familiar gesture, Shoko planted a kiss on Hiroshi's cheek.
"What do you have there?" Hiroshi asked.
"Just recording the injuries for today," she replied.
"Patriarch, good evening," the nurses greeted in unison.
Hiroshi waved at them before turning his attention back to Shoko.
"Working late is bad for your health," Hiroshi remarked.
"This is just a special case. There was a huge influx of cursed spirits today, so there were a lot of injuries," Shoko explained.
Hiroshi handed her a bag of seeds, more like beans. "Take this. You don't have to spend time healing everyone; just let them eat it. Senzu Beans," Hiroshi said.
"From the anime?" Shoko asked, knowing Hiroshi's fondness for anime.
"Not with its potency. Just enough to heal and restore limbs, but without the additional effects like being full for 10 days and energy restoration," Hiroshi clarified.
"Think of it as a poor man's version of Senzu Beans" Hiroshi added.
Approaching the remaining injured sorcerers, Hiroshi healed them instantly, earning exclamations of gratitude from them. "Go on, beat it. I'd like to spend time with my girl," Hiroshi joked.
"Thanks, Senpai."
"Senju-san, thank you," were the responses as the sorcerers left.
Hiroshi drove Shoko to his home in Tokyo, a luxury mansion. As they drove home, Hiroshi asked, "I'm going to India with Satoru and Suguru. Would you like to come?"
"No, I still have work to do tomorrow. You guys enjoy yourselves. But I'd like to visit Paris sometime in the future," Shoko replied.
"The City of Love, huh? Sure," Hiroshi said as he pulled up to the driveway, welcomed by a butler and a few maids.
"Speaking of love..." Shoko began. Hiroshi smiled knowingly. "We've got all night," he whispered.
The next morning
Shoko opened her eyes to find Hiroshi looking at her. "Morning, beautiful," Hiroshi greeted.
"That's what you say every time," Shoko said sleepily.
"I have no words to describe you except beautiful," Hiroshi cheekily replied.
"Yeah, yeah," she said as she snuggled closer. "Quit flattering and just hold me close..." she said and dozed off once again.
The morning was spent lazing around, and by noon, the couple woke up.
"Have fun, darling," a little lips action, and Shoko bid farewell to Hiroshi as she watched him roll out of the driveway.
Hiroshi waved goodbye and drove off.
"Back to work," Shoko said as she was followed by her assistants. "Mrs. Senju, these are the reports on the injuries Jujutsu sorcerers sustained today," one of the nurses said.
"Mrs. Senju... I keep hearing that we aren't married yet," Shoko remarked, though her expression betrayed her fondness for having Hiroshi's surname.
"The Patriarch already has arrangements for everything, Mrs., and the Patriarch's Uncle Hiroto-sama has no qualms with the Patriarch's arrangements, making you more or less the Matriarch all but in name," the head nurse explained.
If one did not already notice, the nurses Shoko brought around as assistants were of Senju descent, specifically ordered to assist her. All were graduates and trained, even if they did not know Reverse Cursed Technique. Not all sorcerer injuries needed RCT.
At the airport, Hiroshi parked in the VIP area, where dedicated personnel were assigned to care for the car until he took it. In the lobby, Satoru and Suguru were waiting, slurping on a sundae.
"Yo," Hiroshi greeted as he approached.
"Finally, I was getting bored," Satoru remarked.
"You're always bored, Satoru," Suguru teased.
"Come, let's board the plane," Hiroshi led them towards his private jet.
"Where to, sir?" the pilot asked.
"New Delhi, please," Hiroshi replied.
"I did some research on India. New Delhi is the capital and the origin of Buddhism... Mr. Honored One," Suguru said, glancing at Satoru.
"Hmm?" Satoru looked puzzled.
The trio continued their conversation as the plane flew. A few hours later, the plane landed in New Delhi.
"So, where are we going?" Satoru asked.
"A garden in the city center, Rajinder Singh Kund... I don't know if I pronounced that right," Hiroshi said.
A liaison greeted Hiroshi, introducing himself as Rajesh Patel, the liaison for everything supernatural in India.
"Hello, Mr. Patel. How about leading us to the cursed spirit?" Hiroshi suggested.
"By all means, Mr. Senju. Please hop in," Rajesh gestured to the waiting car.
After a few minutes of driving, Satoru remarked on the traffic differences in India.
"Yes, Mr. Gojo, the traffic here is much more... let's say ant-like. We Indians go around, over, or even under, given the circumstances," Rajesh explained.
A few minutes later, the trio arrived. Hiroshi asked Rajesh if he knew how to set up a curtain.
"Yes, we do, Mr. Senju. I am one of the lucky few to be born with cursed energy, after all," Rajesh replied, then muttered in Hindi.
A few moments later, a curtain was set up.
"Here for your troubles. You still have to take us around the city later on," Hiroshi said as he handed Rajesh a bundle of dollars more or less a hundred thousand.
"Thank you, Mr. Senju," Rajesh said, standing beside the curtain as the trio walked in and the curtain closed behind them.
The trio stood face to face with the imposing figure of the special grade cursed spirit, its presence commanding attention and respect. The cursed spirit possessed a formidable appearance, with a giant elephant's head atop a humanlike body adorned with four powerful arms. Its complexion was light, yet its aura exuded a sense of darkness and foreboding.
Long and sharp ears resembling horns protruded from its head, complemented by a crownlike structure further back, colored a striking yellow. Its slanted eyes bore a menacing gaze, with red irises set against dark sclerae, conveying an otherworldly intensity. Two short tusks jutted from its mouth, adding to its fearsome visage.
A trunk, curled back and to the right, added to the creature's elephantine features, while two astroid-shaped marks adorned its forehead and stomach, resembling a third eye and a symbol of power, respectively. Clothed in a golden vest-jacket with a black blot pattern, and adorned with black bands of cloth around its arms, pants, and prayer bead wristlets, the cursed spirit emanated an aura of ancient power and mystique.
Hiroshi sensed its strength. "It's a strong one," he observed as he examined the cursed spirit. "It looks like a certain Hindu god... Ganesha?" he mused.
As Hiroshi processed this thought, the forest began to come alive, a sign that his abilities were already in motion. Satoru floated in the air while Suguru settled into the torso of his Gashakoduro.
"Shinboku no Jumon: Deep Forest Bloom," Hiroshi casted, causing the forest to burst into life with massive flowers blooming and emitting pollen.
Ganesha put its hands together, flattening the entire forest to the ground. The trio was taken aback by this unexpected display of power.
"Did it just flatten every plant life?" Suguru voiced the confusion shared by the trio.
"It did. A peculiar cursed spirit," Hiroshi noted. With a wave of his hand, the forest grew back, this time with wooden dragons at their command.
"Shinboku no Jumon: Wooden Dragon Jutsu," Hiroshi casted, commanding the wooden dragons to lunge at the cursed spirit.
"Reversal: Red!" Satoru appeared behind Ganesha as the wood dragon bit it, simultaneously hitting it with Red.
Confused and disoriented, Ganesha began to flail, feeling its cursed energy dropping. Suguru's Gashakoduro seized the opportunity to attack, pinning down Ganesha with its massive skeleton.
The cursed spirit was helpless and captured within moments by Suguru Geto, who gained its information.
"I see. Ganesha was just born a few days ago, and its cursed technique is Obstacle Removal," Suguru explained.
"So that means it targeted the entire forest because it was seen as an obstacle? Talk about overpowered," Hiroshi remarked.
"We got it good. Otherwise, it would've been a bit more troublesome if it had lived a few more months," Satoru added.
"With the mission complete, let's go around and try some native dishes. I hear their curry here has a different blend than ours," Hiroshi suggested
As the evening deepened, the vibrant tableau of the Indian marketplace gave way to the trio enjoying their dinner in a warmly lit local eatery. The table was laden with an array of Indian delicacies, each dish more inviting than the last, reflecting the rich culinary heritage of the region.
"The food's good, not gonna lie," Hiroshi remarked with a grin, savoring a spoonful of a particularly aromatic curry. "But curry will make us smell a bit spicy later on. Still, the flavors are incredible, really tickling my tongue."
Satoru chuckled in agreement, his palate delighted by the vibrant spices and aromas. "It's totally worth it for the taste. And this dessert—what's it called, Jalebi? I could definitely go for a few more," he said, taking another bite, his eyes lighting up with pleasure.
Suguru nodded in approval, each mouthful a testament to the richness of the local cuisine. "It's a culinary adventure we'll remember," he added, his appreciation evident as he delved into another dish, exploring its complex layers of flavor.
The next morning, as the dawn cast a soft glow over the bustling streets of New Delhi, the trio found themselves at the airport, ready to depart.
"Mr. Patel, it's been a pleasure. Until next time," Hiroshi said, shaking hands with their liaison, his tone warm and appreciative.
"Yes, Mr. Senju, until next time," Rajesh replied, his smile sincere, reflecting the successful conclusion of their supernatural and culinary expedition.
"I'll head to Thailand next, you guys?" Hiroshi proposed to his companions.
"We're already on this journey, might as well continue," Satoru replied.
"I'm curious to see why you're interested in Muay Thai," Suguru added.
"Alright, Bangkok it is," Hiroshi instructed the pilot as the jet took off once more.
---
Meanwhile, back at the Jujutsu Headquarters in Tokyo, a tense atmosphere permeated the discussion among the higher-ups.
"Okkotsu Yuta, thank you for coming on such short notice," Morikawa Kenji greeted the young sorcerer.
"No problem, Mr. Morikawa. How can I assist?" Yuta responded politely.
"There's a special grade cursed spirit sighted near Sapporo. We request your assistance in exorcising it," Morikawa explained.
"I'll head there immediately. I'll submit my report after the exorcism," Yuta replied before taking his leave.
As Yuta departed, the Jujutsu Higher-ups began deliberating amongst themselves.
"Are we sure this is the right course of action?" Morikawa questioned.
"Would you rather see the 'big three' take our positions?" Takayama Jiro countered. "Our authority must remain intact for the proper functioning of the sorcerer world. No one else can handle it like we can."
"That woman from the Kamo Clan seemed suspicious, don't you think?" Fujibayashi Takeshi interjected.
"Suspicious? What do you mean?" Morikawa inquired.
"She possessed blood manipulation abilities, yet Chisuke Kamo had no knowledge of her and has been searching ever since. Additionally, she had unsightly scars on her forehead," Fujibayashi elaborated.
"It doesn't matter. We cannot allow any more special grade sorcerers tutored by Senju Hiroshi, Gojo Satoru, and Suguru Geto to emerge," Katsuragi Hisao declared.
"We need to push back against the Senju and Gojo," Takayama proposed.
"But that could lead to war," Morikawa warned.
"Then so be it," Takayama insisted. "The Senju Clan has left us with little room to maneuver. If not now, then when?"
"We could buy time to prepare. With the Senju monitoring us, direct mobilization of our clans would be risky. We need to proceed cautiously. It may take a year, but we can weather this storm," Shimizu Taichi suggested.
"That's fine. Let them make their move. And when we're at a critical juncture, we strike back. We just need the right opportunity," Takayama strategized.
"And let's not forget about Master Tengen. Her silence towards the Senju Clan is concerning. It's likely Senju Hiroshi's doing. We know Master Tengen desires peace and quiet while maintaining the barriers," Shimizu added.
The changes initiated by Senju Hiroshi and his clan, alongside Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto, were proving to be significant and potentially destabilizing for the established order of the sorcerer world. The Jujutsu Higher-ups were playing a dangerous game, one that could have far-reaching consequences.
Thailand, Bangkok. The trio practiced the basics of Muay Thai. "These are actually quite useful. I never thought about using my elbows to fight," Suguru remarked as he used his left elbow to strike a sandbag, tearing through it like a hot knife through butter, with sand pouring out.
Meanwhile, Satoru controlled his strength but still managed to bend the poles used to train shins.
The coach and owner were about to chide Suguru, but Hiroshi stepped in. "Wait..." he interjected, handing over an equivalent of 3 million Baht. "I hope you continue training us," Hiroshi politely requested. The owner, eyeing the substantial sum, nodded in agreement. "Don't wreck my equipment again," he added sternly.
"Don't worry, we won't," Hiroshi assured, eyeing Suguru and Satoru, both of whom had their hands up in defense.
Japan, Sapporo.
Yuta Okkotsu arrived and disembarked from the plane, taking a taxi to his destination. Amidst the snowboarders enjoying their time, Yuta navigated through the snowy wilderness.
"This should be it," he muttered as he sensed the cursed energy of the special grade cursed spirit.
Setting up a curtain, Yuta enclosed himself within it. Another curtain was raised right after Yuta's. "Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure," chanted a white woman with chin-length hair, an irregular line of dark plum pink running horizontally across the back of her head.
A snowman attacked Yuta directly, with vines and branches entangling him. "Although not as strong as Senju Sensei, it is still enough to entangle special grade cursed spirits with this strength," Yuta observed as the Cursed Spirit was exorcised.
"Excellently done, Yuta Okkotsu," a woman appeared from behind the trees. Although Yuta was able to copy Shinboku no Jumon, he was unable to use the eyes and ears of the trees.
As Yuta laid eyes on the woman, he realized it was the same one who had attacked Suguru Sensei. But before he could react, he noticed the woman's hands, and it was too late.
"Domain Expansion: Womb Profusion," Kenjaku launched directly.
A/N: Do you Think Yuji Could do the Furnace?