Sukuna quickly followed inside, as if it hadn't taken him any effort at all. Standing with his hands on his hips, he looked at Fushiguro and said, "I see, your Shikigami technique uses shadows as a medium?"
"It doesn't matter that he found out now," Fushiguro reassured himself, looking up at Sukuna, who was still full of energy. "So what?"
Sukuna didn't immediately attack but instead rubbed his chin with one hand, thinking to himself, "This isn't one of those basic Cursed Tool techniques. He's pretty good with it."
"I don't understand. Why did you run away back then?" Sukuna recalled. When he was inside Itadori's body, he could clearly sense the outside world—unless he didn't want to.
"What a waste of potential," Sukuna smirked, pointing to his own chest. "Whatever. Either way, with your current level, I don't even need to heal this."
Fushiguro sighed lightly, standing up, but inside, he was frustrated. "He's figured me out."
Sukuna watched as Fushiguro slowly stood, spreading his arms wide. "You really go all out for something so boring. That brat isn't even worth all this effort."
Fushiguro knew he wasn't a match for Sukuna, but he had no choice but to fight. His gaze became slightly more composed, recalling his sister, Tsumiki—someone more deserving of happiness than anyone else, yet still cursed.
A father who didn't even know his gender gave him the name "Megumi," and still shamelessly lives in the world.
Justice doesn't happen automatically. Evil people are only punished under the law, and Jujutsu Sorcerers are one of the gears of this "justice."
"To allow more good people to experience fairness, I have to unfairly save others," Fushiguro thought, his resolve growing firmer, as he readied himself to fight once more.
Sukuna seemed to sense Fushiguro's subtle shift, chuckling, "Very good. Your life is just now beginning to burn. Make me obsessed with you, Fushiguro!"
A faint layer of blue Cursed Energy enveloped Fushiguro's body. He stared at Sukuna with determination and muttered, "Buryu Bu, Yura Yura, Yatsuka—"
But just as he was about to continue, his momentum suddenly halted. The Cursed Energy around him faded as he sensed a familiar presence.
"Just to be clear, saving you wasn't a rational decision. Even if it's dangerous, I don't want to see a good person like you die. I've had my doubts, but in the end, I acted on emotion. And that's good enough. I'm no hero of justice; I'm a Jujutsu Sorcerer. So, I've never regretted saving you."
The black curse marks slowly disappeared from Itadori's body. In the end, they vanished completely. A now expressionless Itadori suddenly grinned, baring his teeth. "I see. You're smarter than me, Fushiguro, thinking more thoroughly. What you believe in is probably right, but I wasn't wrong either."
"Drip, drip—"
Blood quickly poured from Itadori's chest and mouth, spilling onto the ground. He glanced down at his chest, then looked at Fushiguro and asked, "Are Hayashi and Nobara okay?"
"Yeah, they're fine," Fushiguro replied calmly, though inside, he felt an inexplicable sense of peace.
"Sorry, looks like it's about time," Itadori reminisced for a moment, his voice quiet. "Fushiguro, Hayashi, Nobara, and Gojo-sensei… I don't think you'll need to worry about him. You all better live long lives."
Itadori's eyes slowly closed, his body tipping forward. Fushiguro stood motionless, watching Itadori collapse before him.
Thud—
Itadori fell into a pool of his own blood, the raindrops splashing onto his body, forming small ripples.
Suddenly, Fushiguro raised his head to the gray, rainy sky. Water streamed down his face, but it was unclear whether it was rain or something else.
...
Hayashi had called Ijichi to ask which hospital Nobara was at and rushed there immediately. His injuries also needed treatment—they were severe.
"Nobara, I brought you some milk. Make sure you get your nutrients," Hayashi said, pushing open the door to the hospital room. His body was wrapped in bandages, and he carried a carton of milk, placing it at the foot of the bed.
Nobara, her head also wrapped in bandages, looked pale and worn out. She glanced at Hayashi in surprise.
"You're still alive?"
"Yep, very much alive," Hayashi grinned.
"You've got more bandages than me. Don't try to act tough," Nobara shook her head. Despite her outward nonchalance, she noticed Hayashi's condition seemed fine.
The hospital room was quiet, as it was a private room. Hayashi walked to the window and looked out at the still-pouring rain. "The weather's really bad today."
Nobara's gaze lingered on Hayashi's back. The room remained silent for a long time before she finally asked, "How are Fushiguro and Itadori?"
"I don't know. They're probably fine," Hayashi answered truthfully. He had no idea how things had developed after he had left. If he hadn't fought that special-grade curse alone, would everything have changed?
Now that he had defeated the special-grade curse, would Fushiguro and Itadori's situation still be the same as before?
That was a question that even Hayashi didn't have an answer to.
"Hayashi, I never realized you were someone who hides your strength," Nobara said with a knowing smile, as if she had just recalled something.
Hayashi blinked, confused. "What do you mean, 'hides my strength'? I don't understand."
"Oh, don't play dumb with me," Nobara sat up, adjusting herself into a more comfortable position. "That four-armed special-grade curse—was it you who took care of it?"
"I didn't! I have no idea what you're talking about!" Hayashi's confusion deepened. After all, he had taken down that thing, but how had Nobara figured it out? They hadn't even crossed paths after she was captured.
"Hmph. That wasn't really a curse spirit, you know. When a curse spirit dies, it's exorcised and disappears. But 'it' left behind a body after you dealt with it. I saw it with my own eyes. You're still going to pretend, huh?" Nobara sounded slightly irritated. Hayashi's abilities seemed to far surpass her expectations.
Originally, she thought Hayashi wasn't as strong as her, just a rookie new to the field. But now, it seemed like she was the rookie.
The rookie was me all along!
Hayashi immediately turned toward Nobara. It didn't disappear? Damn!
He thought he had covered his tracks perfectly. He could have claimed that he ran away because he couldn't defeat the special-grade curse. But now, Nobara had seen through everything.
"Sometimes, you're really no fun. Ugh, my mouth's a bit dry. Could you open the milk for me?" Nobara was done being shocked. Killing a special-grade curse was possible under certain circumstances, but the success rate wasn't high, especially against strong special-grade curses.
She didn't know how powerful that four-armed special-grade curse had been, but as a special-grade, it was bound to be formidable.