Disassociation—that's all Itadori Yuji and Kazukai had ever known. Yuji knew his connections were real; he just never truly fit in. Staring at the wall of his dorm room, Yuji's thoughts spiraled. Tomorrow was the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, and he didn't like his odds of winning.
'I'm sure Yuta can beat Geto, especially since she'll have my technique and Yuko's in her arsenal too,' he thought, but doubt lingered. Yuji's gaze dropped to his hands. He didn't feel real. The weight of everything was crushing—his grandfather's death, Sukuna's influence, the future of the world resting on his shoulders.
"Can I really save the world, or is it all futile?" he whispered. "I'm no Gojo... and I'm definitely no Sukuna."
He leaned against the wall, determination flickering through his exhaustion. "They want me on the front lines. Fine. I'll finish off the curses in my area fast and head back to the school to finish what Yuta starts."
As sleep tugged at him, Yuji found himself in the dream world. He sat at a table opposite Choso, who regarded him seriously.
"Is it time to move away from Kenjaku?" Choso asked.
Yuji nodded. "Yes. I need you to head to Kyoto tomorrow afternoon. A sorcerer named Aoi Todo will be fighting Geto's forces there. Help him. I consider him one of our brothers."
Choso blinked, surprised. "A brother, huh?"
Yuji smiled softly. "Yeah. I think you two will get along. I already let him know my older brother would be there to back up the Kyoto City sorcerers."
Choso grinned. "I'll be a good judge of his character."
Yuji chuckled. "Just don't outshine me too much, okay?"
Choso raised an eyebrow. "Care to teach me more about blood manipulation?"
"After the war," Yuji promised. "Can't have my older brother showing me up."
Back in reality, the Tokyo City sorcerers reviewed the next day's battle plan. A grade-one sorcerer named Kusukabe pointed at Yuji.
"Is it really smart to send a kid like him out there?"
Gojo, silent until now, spoke up. "Besides myself, Yuji is the only one I trust to handle every curse and curse user out there."
Kusukabe slumped against the wall. "Yeesh, I was just making sure. Hey, kid—be ready to take a human life if it comes to that."
Yuji stared at the floor in silence. He knew Kusukabe was right, but the thought sat heavily in his chest.
That night, lying in bed, Yuji stared at a picture on his phone: himself, Yuko, Yuta, Maki, Panda, and Inumaki all smiling together.
'I'll win for them, for myself, and for the world. Geto may think he can break me... but he's wrong.'
A grin crept onto his face. "Nah—I'd win."
Gojo, Yuji, and the rest of the Tokyo sorcerers stood in tense anticipation, their eyes scanning the horizon for the first sign of Geto's attack. The air was thick with unease, charged with the weight of the coming battle. Suddenly, both Gojo and Yuji looked skyward, their sharp senses catching the presence of something massive. A giant bird soared through the sky, its dark silhouette cutting against the clouds.
"You sense that too, right?" Gojo asked, his tone casual but his expression serious. "One powerful curse user and a special-grade cursed spirit."
Yuji's eyes locked onto the bird, his breath hitching as a chilling realization washed over him. 'Gramps?! No way... Did Geto turn him into a vengeful spirit?!'
Yuji stood abruptly, his hair falling over his eyes as rage and sorrow twisted his features.
"Sensei, I'll leave the curse user to you," Yuji said, his voice thick with emotion. He looked up, eyes brimming with tears that threatened to fall. "I'll deal with the spirit."
Blood wings burst from Yuji's back, propelling him into the sky. Miguel, standing on the back of the bird, watched Yuji's rapid ascent.
"Geto said he'd probably come straight for this thing," Miguel remarked, pointing at the towering, gaunt cursed spirit beside him.
The blonde woman next to Miguel sighed, her hair fluttering in the wind. "You just focus on holding off Satoru Gojo. We'll handle the rest of the sorcerers."
Yuji collided with the cursed spirit, the impact sending shockwaves through the air. His eyes blazed with determination as he clashed with the creature.
"If Geto expects me to go slow because you're my grandfather, he's mistaken," Yuji growled. He flipped back, forming a Blood Convergence Sphere in his hand before launching it at the spirit. The explosion rocked the sky, forcing the bird to veer off course.
"You're my grandfather," Yuji shouted as he flapped his blood wings, pursuing the cursed spirit. "I know you can take a punch or two!"
Meanwhile, Gojo's attention was drawn to Miguel, who stood atop a nearby building, tightening a whip in his grip.
"Looks like the other guy's occupied," Miguel said with a grin. "I'm Miguel, and I'll be your opponent."
Gojo pulled down his blindfold slightly, revealing one glowing blue eye. "Sorry, Miguel, but I'm kind of in a hurry right now."
Miguel felt a bead of sweat form on his neck. 'Geto wants me to hold this guy off for ten minutes?!'
Elsewhere, Todo faced off against Choso, towering over him with a grin. "So, you're Yuji's older brother, huh?"
"Yeah," Choso confirmed with a smirk. "And he asked me to help our other brother."
Todo chuckled, his eyes gleaming. "One thing before we start—what kind of women are your type?"
Choso grinned. "We're brothers, so you should already know—a tall woman with a nice big ass, just saying."
Todo's eyes filled with tears. "Welcome home, brother!" He launched a rock laced with cursed energy at the horde of curses in front of them.
"Let's start this thing!" Todo roared, swapping places with Choso mid-air.
"Agreed!" Choso yelled, forming Blood Scythes and slicing through curse after curse. "Blood Manipulation: Convergence!" Hundreds of blood spheres surrounded the battlefield, allowing Todo to swap himself and Choso at tremendous speeds, effortlessly tearing through the curses.
"Blood Manipulation: Slicing Exorcism!" Choso unleashed streams of blood that ripped through the remaining curses.
As they stood in the aftermath of their victory, Todo grinned. "You're pretty good."
"You're not so bad yourself," Choso replied. Both men turned abruptly as they sensed the approach of multiple grade-one and special-grade cursed spirits.
"You ready for this, brother?" Todo asked, tearing off his shirt.
"Always," Choso replied, doing the same.
Back in the sky, Yuji twisted around a punch from the cursed spirit, grappling its arm and using the momentum to body-slam it against a bridge, which collapsed under the impact. As they fell, Yuji formed more blood spheres around them, using them as pinballs to attack relentlessly.
"I gotta hand it to you," Yuji said through gritted teeth. "You're more durable now than you were a couple of months ago!" He spun rapidly, hurling the curse toward a building. 'Sorry, Yaga, but I don't care about keeping property damage to a minimum right now.'
The curse lunged at Yuji, landing a punch to his chest that sent him crashing into a power line. Electricity surged through his body, causing him to grit his teeth in pain.
"Damn, this hurts!" he growled, forcing himself out of the power lines and landing on the ground.
The cursed spirit landed in front of him, and for a moment, its twisted face softened.
"Yuji... I'm sorry. I'm trying to resist Geto's control," the voice whispered.
Yuji's eyes widened as he saw it—the faint glimmer of his grandfather's soul fighting against Geto's influence.
"Stop it, Gramps. Go ahead and rest," Yuji said softly, a kind smile on his face. "I'll finish it from here. It was nice to hear from you again. I love you."
The curse trembled, a single eye appearing as it began to cry. "I love you too, brat."
The curse lunged again, but Yuji dodged effortlessly.
"I don't know if you'll feel this, but I'm sorry if you do," Yuji said, his voice steady. He spun around and slammed his fist into the curse's back. "BLACK FLASH!"
The hit was devastating, amplified by Black Flash and targeted at the soul binding his grandfather to Geto's control. The curse was sent flying, and Yuji pursued it relentlessly.
"I'll put you to rest, Gramps. Don't worry." Yuji's voice was resolute as he activated Flowing Red Scale and pulled out his dagger while he enhanced it with blood manipulation.
He flew straight through the curse, leaving a gaping hole. Using his raw speed and strength, he inflicted hundreds of gashes in a second, kicking the curse away as it tried to heal.
"You're not my grandfather anymore," Yuji said coldly. "You're just a spirit under Geto's control. That's why I'm killing you here and now."
The curse lunged one final time, but Yuji was ready. Blood surged into the curse from his previous attacks.
"You're dead," Yuji said grimly as the curse exploded into fragments, finally vanquished.
Yuji stood still for a moment, his breath heavy, eyes fixed on the fading remnants of his grandfather. "Rest easy, Gramps," he whispered. "I'll take care of the rest."
"That's why I wear these glasses," Maki explained as she sat alongside Yuko and Yuta in the first-year classroom. Her voice was calm but resolute, though her eyes carried a faint trace of vulnerability. "Yuko already knew that, but I guess it was time for you to learn, too."
Yuta smiled gently, admiration evident in her expression. "You're still amazing, Maki. But if you don't mind me asking, why are you still a sorcerer?"
Maki's face warmed with a faint blush at the compliment before she grinned confidently. "My goal is to become a First-Grade sorcerer and then tear the Zenin clan apart from within!" she declared with a fierce smile, her eyes gleaming with conviction.
"Well, if you ever need help, I'm here— even if it means tearing apart the Zenin clan," Yuta responded with a playful grin, raising her fist in solidarity.
Yuko laughed, punching her fists together. "Count me in too! Those Zenin bastards sound like they need some serious correcting. I'm sure Yuji would help, too!"
Maki's eyes widened, and a slight blush returned to her face. Is this what it feels like? Acceptance? she wondered, surprised by the warmth spreading through her chest.
Yuko stood up and stretched. "Well, I have to go grab something from my room. Wanna come?" She offered her hand to the two other girls.
"Sure, I'll go," Maki shrugged as she got up from her seat.
"I'll stay here," Yuta said with a contemplative look. "Thinking through some stuff right now."
"Suit yourself, emo," Maki teased with a smirk, prompting a laugh from Yuko as the two walked off.
Meanwhile, Yuji soared above the city, intent on reaching Tokyo Jujutsu High as quickly as possible. Civilians who hadn't evacuated kept slowing him down. With every rescue, his frustration grew.
"That should be the last couple of people," Yuji muttered through gritted teeth, flapping his blood wings harder.
Suddenly, he spotted a towering cursed spirit amidst Gojo and Miguel's fierce battle below. Yuji narrowed his eyes, thinking quickly. If I take out that cursed spirit, Sensei will have more breathing room.
Forming a large blood sword, Yuji sped toward the cursed spirit and sliced it clean in half with a single swing. Without wasting a moment, he bolted in the direction of the school. I should make it in time, he thought determinedly.
At Jujutsu High, Yuko and Maki both sensed a veil being placed over the school.
"What the hell?" Maki exclaimed, looking up at the pitch-black sky.
Yuko's eyes widened in realization. "Wait... Geto can use Cursed Spirit Manipulation. He's after Yuta!"
Without another word, Yuko sprinted toward where she sensed Geto's cursed energy, her heart pounding. I won't let you hurt someone I care about again, she vowed silently.
Maki was right beside her, cursed tool in hand. "You're here?" Yuko demanded as they confronted Geto.
"Is that a problem?" Geto asked smugly, pulling his hands from his pockets.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Maki growled, pointing her cursed tool at him.
With a sinister smile, Geto summoned dozens of cursed spirits and sent them after the two girls. "Sorry, but I don't have time to chat with a monkey and the protector of monkeys."
Yuji's phone rang, and he quickly answered it. "Gojo-sensei?"
"Yuji, head to Jujutsu High as fast as possible," Gojo instructed urgently. "I've already sent Panda and Inumaki to the school. Geto is there."
"Got it." Yuji hung up, flapping his blood wings even harder, his pace doubling.
Panda and Inumaki shattered through the veil surrounding the school, racing toward Geto's cursed presence. They were horrified by what they saw: Maki lay on the ground, bloody and beaten, barely clinging to life. Yuko fared no better, pinned under a massive curse that pressed her into the earth, blood spilling from her mouth.
"Someone made a hole in the veil. Nothing ever goes quite as planned," Geto muttered, shaking his head. "Should take them five minutes from the point of entry to here. Should I ignore them, or should I take care of them? It's so hard to decide."
Suddenly, the wall beside him exploded as Panda, in his battle form with Inumaki riding on his back, slammed toward Geto. Geto flipped effortlessly out of the way.
"Maki! Yuko!" Panda yelled in concern, glancing at the girls' battered forms.
"Focus," Geto said calmly, engaging Panda in hand-to-hand combat.
"This guy can handle close combat, too?" Panda grunted as he threw a left hook.
"Oh? Predictable," Geto taunted as he dodged.
"That was a feint!" Panda suddenly grew in size. "Drumming Beat!"
Geto maneuvered out of the way just in time. "That was close!"
"Plummet!" Inumaki shouted, his cursed speech sending Geto flying. Blood dripped from Inumaki's mouth as he grimaced in pain.
"You okay, Toge?" Panda shouted.
"Caviar," Inumaki muttered weakly, blood pooling at his lips.
"We need to focus on Maki and Yuko first," Panda said urgently, standing protectively over their broken forms.
In the classroom, Yuta stood by the window, sensing the chaos outside. "Another quake... What's going on?" she murmured, her instincts urging her to investigate.
At the scene of the battle, Geto stood with tears streaming down his face, a manic smile twisting his lips. "Wonderful! Wonderful! I'm incredibly touched right now! You all raced here to save Okkotsu, right? Jujutsu sorcerers sacrificing themselves for a fellow sorcerer—affection! Admiration! The world I long for is right here before my eyes!"
Yuta's heart clenched as she spotted Maki and Yuko's motionless bodies on the ground. "Maki-san?" she whispered in disbelief.
"To be honest, I wanted you to live too, Yuta. But this is all for the future of the jujutsu world," Geto said, his tone almost casual.
"Maki... Panda-kun... Inumaki-kun... Yuko-san..." Yuta's voice broke as she knelt by her friends. Fury ignited in her chest. Her trembling hand clutched her ring, and she slid it onto her finger.
"Come on out, Rika!" Yuta screamed, her voice echoing across the battlefield. The cursed queen manifested fully, towering behind her in all her terrifying glory.
"I will kill you," Yuta growled, unsheathing her sword.
"And you're gonna die," Geto said with a smirk, summoning several special-grade curses to his side.
"Rika, these four are horribly wounded—especially Maki-san and Yuko-san. I won't let them die!" Yuta declared fiercely.
Rika began to cry, throwing a fit. "Not fair, not fair! It's always you, always you!"
"What are you doing, Rika?" Yuta demanded angrily, her glare sharp.
Rika recoiled, shocked. "Huh? Don't be mad..."
"I'm not mad," Yuta softened. "Our enemy is that man there." She pointed at Geto.
"Yuta, do you hate him?" Rika asked.
"Yeah, I loathe him."
"Then I hate him too!"
Geto grinned. "Now, shall we start where we left off?"
Yuta's eyes blazed with determination. "Rika, we're doing that."
As curses surged toward them, Yuta activated cursed speech through a megaphone. "Die."
The wave of curses disintegrated instantly, leaving Geto stunned. "Cursed speech with less than a year of training? Incredible!"
Yuta's focus sharpened. "My friends are amazing. And I'll kill you to protect them!"
Geto's eyes gleamed with sadistic delight as his curses swarmed toward Yuta and Rika. "I'll beat you to a pulp!" Yuta roared, her voice filled with resolve. The air around her crackled as cursed energy surged through her body, heightening her senses and physical prowess. Her sword vibrated with intensity, ready to slice through anything in her path.
"It's your first time experiencing such violent emotion, isn't it?" Geto observed as he kept pace with her. "That surge of cursed energy filling your body—that intoxicating sense of omnipotence. I bet your senses are sharper than ever. But even with that newfound power, the riff-raff aren't enough to challenge you. So I'll have to crush you myself."
"Follow my lead, Rika," Yuta commanded, her voice steady despite the adrenaline pumping through her veins.
Rika's towering form roared in response. Together, they rushed forward, tearing through cursed spirits as if they were paper. The battlefield was a blur of movement—slashing blades, explosive cursed energy, and anguished cries from dying curses.
Geto watched with a twisted grin. "Mankind stands at the top of the food chain, yet they imagined the existence of higher beings and called them gods," he mused as he blocked one of Yuta's ferocious swings. "Don't you find that strange? Especially when we jujutsu sorcerers exist without belief. In the end, those monkeys just want to avert their eyes from the existence of those better than them."
"Don't go spouting childish crap like you want to be a god!" Yuta snapped, her voice laced with fury.
Rika seized the opening and slashed at Geto with her massive claws, sending him flying into the air. He crashed into the ground, creating a deep crater, dust swirling around his fallen form.
"You're missing the point, Okkotsu," Geto said as he stood up, brushing debris from his shoulders. "What I long for isn't enlightenment. It's a chosen people. There are times when the strong are buried and oppressed by the weak due to sheer numbers. And I'm telling you—the audacity of those monkeys makes me so sick I could vomit."
"Yuta, Yuta..." Rika's voice was filled with concern as she noticed the scrapes and cuts forming on Yuta's body.
"It's alright. I'm used to it now," Yuta assured her. She clenched her sword tighter, determination flaring in her eyes. "Are we done debating?"
Before Geto could respond, Yuta blitzed toward him, her speed far surpassing what it had been moments ago.
'She's even faster!' Geto thought, narrowly blocking a swing from her sword. "You shouldn't have done that," he warned. "When you imbue a curse like that too abruptly, the vessel won't last. Didn't Satoru teach you that? You imbue curses bit by—"
Yuta interrupted him with a sudden feint, swinging her sword as bait. As Geto instinctively dodged, she spun around and delivered a devastating punch to his chin. "BLACK FLASH!" she roared as cursed energy exploded from her fist.
Geto's body was sent hurtling through the air, crashing into the main part of the school. Dust and rubble scattered everywhere as the building trembled under the force of the impact.
"You're not bad," Geto admitted, his voice slightly strained. He stood up, his body battered and bruised. Despite the toll the fight had taken, he had yet to use Reverse Cursed Technique.
"I don't understand!" Yuta's voice trembled with raw emotion. "I don't know about any sorcerers outside of this school, so I don't know if you're right or not! But in order to remain with all my friends... In order for me to believe it's okay that I'm alive... I have to kill you!"
Geto's lips curled into a manic grin. "You're egotistical. Still, self-affirmation, huh? There's probably nothing more important than that in life." His eyes gleamed with dark resolve. "In which case, I'll also use my full force to kill you."
All of Geto's wounds began to heal as he lifted his hands into the air. Yuta's eyes widened as she felt the sudden surge of cursed energy.
"Domain Expansion."