Somewhere in Japan.
In a dimly lit cave, an elderly woman with white hair sat before a wooden table covered in eerie runes. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, and an expression of disbelief appeared in her eyes.
"Did you discover something? Is it because of Gojo Satoru?" A black-haired young man with a large X-shaped scar on his cheek stood beside the old woman, his scar making for a startling sight.
"The future… the future will be changed by him. Everything will be turned upside down…" The old woman muttered to herself, her eyes filled with terror.
"I didn't think Gojo Satoru could affect you this much. But don't worry, someone will handle him for us. Everything will go according to plan." The scarred young man sneered. What did it matter if it was Gojo Satoru? He would be dealt with eventually.
"No… it's not him. It's not him!" The old woman sighed, her voice stammering as she shook her head repeatedly.
"What do you mean, not him? If it's not Gojo Satoru, who could it possibly be? Who else has the power to shake the jujutsu world to its core?" The scarred young man stared at the old woman in confusion. She had never acted like this before. What was wrong with her today?
"I don't know… but I've foreseen the future. A man will appear, one who will rival, no… surpass Gojo Satoru. He's already in motion, and we must stop him before he grows any stronger. He's far more dangerous than Gojo Satoru!" The old woman's voice rose to a shout, revealing the immense threat this person posed to them. If they didn't eliminate him, they would never find peace.
"That's impossible. Could there really be someone more powerful than Gojo Satoru? Are you sure?" The scarred young man stared at the old woman. He knew she rarely made mistakes. She was nearly two hundred years old and had never been wrong in her predictions.
If what she said was true, then their first priority wouldn't be to deal with Gojo Satoru—it would be to eliminate the man who posed an even greater threat.
"Have I ever been wrong?" The old woman's cold gaze fell on the young man's face. "What I hate the most is when people question me. Do you understand?"
"Yes, yes… I understand," the scarred young man shuddered. He had nearly forgotten who he was talking to—a monstrous old crone who had lived far longer than anyone should. His earlier outburst had been too reckless.
"So, what do we do next?"
"Spread the word. Tell those lurking in the shadows to begin their move. But remember! Whatever you do, don't let Gojo Satoru find out. If we haven't found this man before Gojo intervenes, we'll all be wiped out."
"Understood. I'll notify them right away."
"Wait!"
"What is it now?"
"It would be useless to tell them to search blindly. Japan is vast. Do you even know where this man is? How do you plan to find him?" The old woman suddenly realized how foolish the young man's plan was.
"Well, then—"
"I can only discern his surname. Use that as a lead to search for him. Maybe you'll have some success soon." The old woman dipped her finger into a bowl of water beside her and wrote a single character on the table.
"I'll notify them immediately!" The scarred young man glanced at the character on the table, then turned and left. He wasn't just informing his faction—there were many others who needed to know.
These dark forces, once hidden in the shadows due to Gojo Satoru's overwhelming presence, would now be forced to take action, even at great risk.
If they didn't, the future would belong to justice, and they would never have a chance to rise again.
...
Outside a movie theater in Kanagawa Prefecture.
In a dimly lit hallway.
A man with long, dark gray hair stood motionless, letting the rain drench him. Behind him stood a boy with black hair covering half his face, trying to ask him something.
The man with the long gray hair slowly turned around, revealing a face marred with grotesque stitch marks. His appearance was both eerie and unsettling.
Suddenly, a powerful surge of cursed energy came from above. Hayashi, filled with the intent to kill, gripped his Black Steel sword tightly and struck at Mahito's head.
"Splurt!"
Mahito's head exploded, and his body was sliced in two. Hayashi thought he had killed him, but Mahito's split body began to squirm and quickly darted away.
"Even in the mirror world, killing Mahito won't be that easy."
That's right—this was the mirror world. Hayashi had been watching this movie theater for a while, but he was still a step too late. The mirror world and the real world had a slight time difference.
In the mirror world, time outside was frozen, so what was happening here had already happened in the real world.
Hayashi couldn't just go straight for the kill in the real world, so he simulated the battle in the mirror world to assess Mahito's strength.
His earlier strike had been a sneak attack. Although it succeeded, it didn't kill Mahito. The guy was cunning, always on guard even when things seemed safe.
"Who… are you?" Junpei Yoshino stood frozen in shock. This person had appeared out of nowhere, killed the man in front of him with a single strike, and left without explanation.
"Your life shouldn't end so tragically. I'll do my best to save you," Hayashi said before releasing his cursed energy, scanning the area until he found Mahito escaping underground. In the next moment, he flashed over to him.
Junpei stared at the spot where Hayashi had disappeared, completely bewildered. What did that boy mean by his words?
"Who the hell was that? He just split open my puppet body with one strike. That was close…" Mahito muttered to himself as he fled, but then noticed someone standing in front of him. He immediately stopped.
His body twisted and morphed until he took on his true form.
"You're quite the runner, huh? Can't win, so you flee? Always scheming, always playing games, right?" Hayashi looked down on Mahito. Although Mahito wasn't short, Hayashi was taller and still growing.
"I've never heard any information about you. Where did you come from, jujutsu sorcerer?" Mahito cautiously eyed Hayashi. Despite how quickly and covertly he had tried to escape, Hayashi had caught up to him in no time. Clearly, Hayashi was much faster than him, making escape unlikely.
"None of your business. You're a blight on this world, Mahito. How many people have you killed? You don't even deserve to speak." Hayashi raised his Black Steel sword. Today, he would kill Mahito in the mirror world and gain valuable battle experience.
"Oh, so angry? I must've done a lot to upset you, huh?" Mahito grinned wickedly, spreading his hands. "But what does it matter? Humans are disgusting creatures. I've done nothing wrong. If anything, I've been far too gentle with them."