Yuji found Junpei in the gym, where Junpei was about to kill a student due to Mahito's misinformation.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, JUNPEI!?" Yuji shouted.
"Stay back, sorcerer. This does not concern you," Junpei said, his resentment palpable.
The brawl began almost instantly as Yuji hit Junpei across the room. Junpei summoned his Shikigami, "Moon Dregs!"
"A jellyfish Shikigami? My attacks don't work after he goes inside it!" Yuji thought as he observed.
"I'll repeat myself. Step aside, Jujutsu Sorcerer. This has nothing to do with you," Junpei warned.
"That's not for you to decide!" Yuji fired back.
"What's the point of randomly saving people? Don't mistake the value of life! The heart, the so-called compassion by human beings, is just the metabolism of the soul—it's an illusion! Don't use illusive rules to restrain me. Those who deserve to die shouldn't be spared. You have no right to stop me!"
Moon Dregs attacked Yuji, enveloping him.
"Just sleep in there. I have work to do," Junpei said, watching Yuji being consumed by Moon Dregs.
"Junpei, you're truly talented. Who are you making excuses for?" Yuji said as his hand grabbed Junpei from within the jellyfish.
"Why? Moon Dregs' poison is ineffective on him! Why must you hinder me? Why… Why… Why? He can't move in the air. If I want to crush him, I need to strike him while he is in mid-air!" Junpei then made Moon Dregs attack Yuji in mid-air.
Just as Yuji was about to be hit, he smashed the floor beneath him, effectively dodging the attack.
"I don't understand a single thing you're saying, Junpei! Even if you said something that makes sense, you just want to think that you're right. I don't know your motives. You must have had a reason. However, is it really worth giving up that kind of life? You said the human heart is illusive. But could you say that to your mother? People don't have hearts..." Yuji said, attempting to persuade Junpei.
"They don't!" Junpei denied.
"They do!"
"If they do... Are you saying that my mother and I have been cursed by people with hearts? That's too much. I no longer know what's right and wrong," Junpei said as he lashed out and hit Yuji in the gut.
"Why... Why didn't you evade it?" Junpei asked, his voice breaking.
Hiroshi, having received news of the Transfigured Humans incident, recalled the unfortunate soul who was Junpei Yoshino, fooled by Mahito.
Outside the barrier, Hiroshi arrived, his expression grim. "If I remember correctly, that guy Junpei Yoshino became a sorcerer due to Mahito... I just hope I'm not too late. At least if he lives, we get an additional sorcerer to bolster our numbers."
"Everyone in position?" he asked, his voice firm and resolute. Replies came swiftly across the communication lines.
"The skies are blocked," Gojo Satoru confirmed.
"The ground is ours," Nanami responded.
"Don't forget, our objective is to see how many techniques Kenjaku has in his arsenal," Hiroshi reminded them. "If possible, capture Mahito, the cursed spirit. If you cannot, then exorcise him." With these final instructions, Hiroshi stepped into the curtain.
Hiroshi released a monstrous amount of cursed energy.
This sudden surge of power immediately attracted the attention of Kenjaku, who was on lookout. "Why would he be here?" Kenjaku wondered, realizing that Mahito was still downstairs, trying to enact his experiments.
Meanwhile, in the staircase, Yuji, Junpei, and the others froze as they felt Hiroshi's cursed energy.
"This... this is much scarier than that one," Yuji thought, fear gripping his heart as he thought of the finger bearer.
Junpei felt it too, his anger and confusion momentarily overshadowed by sheer terror. "What... is this?" he wondered, his body trembling.
"What's this? Is this fear?" Mahito pondered, momentarily distracted. Just then, Kenjaku appeared beside him, snapping him out of the trance.
"Mahito, change of plans. He's here," Kenjaku said urgently, grabbing Mahito's arm and pulling him away.
As Kenjaku and Mahito attempted their escape, trees began to grow rapidly around them, forming into massive, grasping wooden hands. The duo, a cursed spirit and a curse user, dodged the colossal trees and hands by taking to the air. Kenjaku used his anti-gravity technique to fly alongside Mahito.
However, their flight was soon halted by Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru, who appeared ahead of them with an army of flying cursed spirits forming a blockade. "Nowhere to run, Kenjaku," Suguru Geto declared.
Before Kenjaku could respond, a flash of red energy flew towards him. "Reversal: Red," Gojo Satoru announced as he launched the attack. Kenjaku had no choice but to release Mahito to avoid the attack.
"I wasn't expecting the Big Three to come after me immediately," Kenjaku said as he used Reversed Cursed Technique to heal himself.
"You should have expected us," Gojo Satoru replied. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."
Kenjaku responded by summoning his own cursed spirits through portals. "The hard way it is," Suguru said, as the battle erupted across the skies.
Meanwhile, Mahito, who had fallen to the ground with a splat, reformed himself and looked around, finding himself surrounded. Nanami and Haibara blocked his path, and the perimeter around them was isolated.
"Cursed Spirit, Mahito, that's your name, right?" Haibara asked.
"It's both of you again," Mahito replied, recognition in his voice., "Looking Good, 7:3 Hairstyle Sorcerer and Mr. Peekaboo" Mahito said to Nanami and Haibara.
"How about a Hug for our Reunion?" Mahito asked.
The brawl began instantly, with both sides moving at incredible speed. Nanami and Haibara coordinated their attacks, each strike aimed to neutralize Mahito swiftly and efficiently.
Hiroshi, upon arriving on the staircase, fixed his gaze on Yuji Itadori. "You must be Sukuna's vessel, Itadori Yuji," he remarked, his tone firm yet measured. Sensing the tension, Hiroshi retracted his cursed energy, offering a brief moment of relief to both Yuji and Junpei.
"Let me explain what happened," Hiroshi began, glancing at the still visibly shaken Junpei. "Your mother was murdered by the same cursed spirit whom you were trusting: Mahito, the Special Grade cursed spirit," he stated matter-of-factly.
"But that's impossible," Junpei protested.
"Take it as you may," Hiroshi replied calmly, producing a finger from his pocket and handing it to Yuji. Without hesitation, Yuji consumed the finger, temporary tattoos briefly appearing on his face as a result.
Addressing Sukuna, Hiroshi remarked, "First time meeting Ryomen Sukuna, I assume that you still remember the name of the one who sealed you?" Hiroshi's chuckle filled the air as a mouth emerged from Yuji's cheek.
"Senju, are you the spawn of that bastard?" Sukuna inquired.
"So you do remember," Hiroshi noted. "How does it feel to take an L?"
"When I take control of this brat's body, I will slaughter your clan and you with it," Sukuna threatened.
"How scary. But threats don't do anything," Hiroshi retorted confidently. "I'll be waiting, former strongest. Try to kill me or die trying. You have had many challengers in the Heian era, right? This should be nothing new to you. But this time, you will be the one vying for my throne. Welcome to the modern era, King of Curses, where I reign supreme."
With a confident gesture, Hiroshi placed his hand on Yuji's abdomen, invoking the "Eight Trigrams Seal." As the seal took effect, Yuji exclaimed, "His voice is gone!"
"It seals away Ryomen Sukuna for a while and makes it harder for him to manifest. However, due to the nature of cursed energy, you will be hearing from him soon the more fingers you consume," Hiroshi explained.
In the skies above, an intense battle raged on between the powerful sorcerers and cursed spirits. Suguru Geto, floating within the ribcage of his summoned Gashadokuro, provided strategic support as Gojo Satoru relentlessly engaged Kenjaku in direct combat. The millennia-old sorcerer Kenjaku found himself in the perilous position of facing both Gojo and Geto simultaneously.
The exchange was swift and brutal. When Kenjaku swung his arm right, Gojo effortlessly grabbed it, flinging him upwards. Kenjaku was immediately met with a barrage of cursed spirits, launched like projectiles by Suguru Geto.
"Shinboku no Jumon: Wood Dragon Technique!" Kenjaku intoned, summoning a massive wooden dragon .Standing atop the wooden construct, Kenjaku Summoned Rika from a portal, directing her to attack Geto.
However, focusing on one threat left Kenjaku vulnerable to another. From below, Gojo Satoru unleashed "Blue," a miniature black hole that consumed the wooden dragon Kenjaku was standing on, forcing him to retreat to a nearby rooftop.
"Tsk, what a troublesome pair," Kenjaku muttered to himself. He contemplated using his Domain Expansion but quickly dismissed the idea. Both Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru were aware of his open domain and knew how to counter it. Initiating a domain expansion against one would leave him vulnerable to a lethal counterattack from the other.
As Kenjaku strategized, his use of Cursed Spirit Manipulation continued unabated. More cursed spirits emerged, joining the chaotic aerial battle against Suguru Geto's own summoned creatures. The sky became a battlefield as these spirits clashed, tearing at each other with ferocity.
"Shinboku no Jumon: Deep Forest Emergence!" Kenjaku incanted, summoning a forest that sprang to life. However, Suguru Geto countered immediately. The Special Grade Cursed Spirit, Ganesha, floated beside him, raising its hand. The growing forest was halted, or perhaps even erased from existence, as it was deemed an obstacle by Ganesha's overwhelming power.
Kenjaku's gaze darkened as he realized how powerful Suguru Geto had become. "Suguru Geto, I should've killed you back then," he muttered, eyes boring into his adversary.
"What's wrong? You can copy cursed techniques, right? If this is all you can do, Kenjaku, then you will be buried here," Satoru Gojo taunted, engaging Kenjaku in close combat once again.
Satoru's attacks came swift and relentless: left, right, front kick. Kenjaku parried to the right, then upwards, and sidestepped the front kick. Suddenly, a clone emerged from Kenjaku.
"Shinboku no Jumon: Wood Clone Technique," Kenjaku invoked. The clone immediately activated Domain Amplification, allowing it to bypass Gojo's Limitless technique.
"He's quite proficient at using the Spell of the Divine Tree," Satoru noted as he dodged the clone's attack. In response, he delivered a precise two-piece combo: a right punch followed by a backhand strike. Seizing the clone by the face, Satoru hurled it towards Kenjaku.
Kenjaku barely had time to react as the clone collided with him, disrupting his balance. The force of the impact sent him skidding backwards, momentarily stunned by the power and precision of Gojo's assault.
When Kenjaku was momentarily stunned, Suguru Geto seized the opportunity. He commanded the massive hand of his Gashadokuro to reach out and capture Kenjaku, its skeletal fingers closing around him with crushing force.
The battle between Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto in the skies concluded. Kenjaku found himself captured by Gashakoduro's massive skeletal hand, unable to escape. Gojo Satoru unleashed his "Hollow Technique: Purple," sending a beam of imaginary mass towards Kenjaku. As the beam approached, Kenjaku wore a confident smirk before disappearing along with the hand of Gashakoduro.
Noting that the hand was missing, Suguru Geto's eyes widened. "It erased the hand?" he thought, realizing that Hollow Purple had canceled out the invulnerability of his Gashadokuro. He quickly used a large amount of cursed energy to regenerate the hand.
Satoru Gojo glanced at Suguru. "Did you count how many techniques he's copied?"
Suguru nodded. "I counted four: my Cursed Technique, Hiroshi's, Gravity, and Blood Manipulation. He probably has more, but those four are the only ones capable of fighting us effectively." Suguru concluded. Although he had only seen Cursed Spirit Manipulation, Spell of the Divine Tree, and Gravity Manipulation, he added Blood Manipulation because of his earlier encounter with Kenjaku. Now that Kenjaku had the Copy Cursed Technique, it was quite possible he had retained most, if not more, of his previous cursed techniques.
Back on the ground, Mahito continued to challenge Nanami and Haibara.
The duo exchanged moves with Mahito, landing powerful blows. However, as they thought they had defeated him, Mahito's upper half disappeared into the sewers, leaving Nanami and Haibara to unknowingly fight a decoy.
The trio reunited once more for a debriefing. "Mission accomplished," Suguru announced, his voice tinged with relief, as he joined Hiroshi. Soon after, Nanami and Haibara also made their way to the rendezvous point. "The cursed spirit escaped," Nanami reported, his expression neutral but eyes slightly narrowed with frustration.
"That is fine; none of our enemies are easy to eliminate," Hiroshi responded calmly, his tone carrying an edge of pragmatism. He then glanced towards Junpei with a slight nod. "But we've gained a new sorcerer in our ranks, so it still counts as a mission accomplished," he continued, gesturing towards Junpei who stood slightly apart, soaking in the gravity of his new life's direction.
"So, how did the fight with Kenjaku go?" Hiroshi directed his gaze towards Satoru.
"He got purpled," Satoru replied succinctly, a smirk playing briefly on his lips.
"Nice. It would be great if that was his main body," Hiroshi mused aloud, his comment causing a flicker of realization to pass between Suguru and Satoru. "How could we forget... no wonder he was smirking when he got hit," Suguru thought inwardly, his mind racing through the implications.
"Anyway, I bet they will be rather low-key now, since they are aware we're hunting them down," Hiroshi conjectured, looking at each of his companions in turn.
"Let's call it a night," Hiroshi finally declared. The group nodded in agreement, each feeling the weight of the day's events and the battles fought.
Inconspicuous Apartment
The door swung open, revealing Mahito stepping into the sunlit space. His eyes quickly adjusted to the bright light, settling on the figure lounging in a beach chair.
"Yuta!" he called out, recognizing Kenjaku's nonchalant posture and undisturbed demeanor.
"How did it go?" Kenjaku inquired casually, not bothering to rise, his voice steady and betraying no hint of concern.
"I almost died. That Senju guy had a suffocating aura; I wasn't expecting an encirclement," Mahito confessed, his tone mixed with irritation. "I met those two again," he added, indicating his unexpected battle against Haibara and Nanami.
Kenjaku, sitting back in the shadows of the room, absorbed every detail Mahito relayed with a strategist's calm. Each piece of information painted a clearer picture of the unfolding battlefield. As Mahito spoke, Kenjaku pieced together the implications of the encounter, particularly the actions and intentions of Hiroshi Senju.
The demise of the wood clone had not been merely a loss in battle but a strategic insight, transmitting its final experiences directly to Kenjaku. The echo of that clone's consciousness carried unexpected revelations, sharpening Kenjaku's understanding of his adversaries' movements and strategies.
"So it's a hunt," Kenjaku mused internally, his thoughts coiling like smoke in the dim light. "Senju Hiroshi, is this your way of warning us?" The notion lingered, a challenge laid bare between lines of conflict.
He leaned forward slightly, the ghost of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Nevertheless, the plan will continue," he whispered under his breath, as if speaking directly to an absent adversary. "Senju Hiroshi, you will find that your plans will not come to fruition."
"Yuta, you're acting weird," Mahito remarked to Kenjaku, breaking through the latter's introspective musings. "Anyway, I got some inspiration! Despite almost dying, it was worth it. I can use my Domain now!" Mahito's tone carried an air of excitement and accomplishment.
"Have you attempted to expand it?" Kenjaku inquired, his gaze focused intently on Mahito.
"No, not yet. I could have easily taken down those two, but it would have inevitably drawn the attention of the Big Three," Mahito replied, his tone laced with caution as he considered the consequences of his actions.
--------------------
The Next Day.
The next day, Junpei Yoshino officially joined Jujutsu High, with Takuma Ino offering to mentor him.
Upon seeing Takuma Ino, Hiroshi couldn't help but blurt out, "You're that shiesty sorcerer."
Takuma Ino, who was a close associate of Kento Nanami and Haibara Yu and familiar with the Big Three, reacted with excitement. "IT IS AN HONOR! GOD OF SORCERERS," he exclaimed.
Hiroshi chuckled and handed him a firearm. "Here, a gift from me."
"Thank you, GOD OF SORCERERS!" Ino exclaimed gratefully.
"Please, call me Hiroshi or something, my title is too long," Hiroshi said as he walked away, his demeanor casual despite the reverence shown by Ino.
"Umm, Ino-senpai, what now?" Junpei asked.
Ino considered for a moment before responding, "We'll go on a mission. Let me ask Nanami." He felt a sense of responsibility as a newly promoted Grade 1 sorcerer, wanting to share his knowledge and guide those younger than him.
A/N: Lobotomy Kaisen Week
A/N: I just realized when I Reread 261. It's The Strongest Body Hopper of Today vs The Strongest Body Hopper in History.