Sōjun Minamoto was completely absorbed.
This world was a utopia, an ideal land. With the contrast of the real world, it felt even more perfect—calling it paradise wouldn't be an exaggeration.
The creatures were carefree. There was no strife, only constant laughter and joy. Everything radiated positivity, optimism, and harmony.
This world also aligned with his will. If he wanted sunshine, the sky would clear. If he desired calm, the weather would turn gentle and bright...
From time to time, creatures flying over the mountain peaks would glance at the black mist with visible distaste. But they'd just laugh it off and fly away.
Not just because they knew Sōjun Minamoto was within it, but because their cheerful and optimistic nature allowed them to accept even feelings of aversion.
The world's tolerance for Cursed Energy was expanding—this was the result of Sōjun Minamoto deliberately releasing curses.
Having only one side of emotion is extreme. The real world serves as a vivid example—solely negative emotions are harmful, but purely positive ones are equally unbalanced.
In the past, these creatures wouldn't have even experienced emotions like disgust.
Now, it's different. Their emotions were clearly defined, love and hate both present. Positive feelings arose, but occasionally, traces of negativity would gather as well.
Blessing Energy had long since merged into the world, establishing its emotional tone. All he had to do was maintain the balance. If things went off track, he could simply start over.
This was also a rehearsal for his greater integration.
At that thought, Sōjun Minamoto chuckled softly.
He had never given up his identity as a human. He believed humans were inherently perfect—emotions naturally possessed duality. Jujutsu sorcerers refined Cursed Energy from negative emotions, but what he was doing now was almost the reverse—returning to the source of emotions, rediscovering the positive ones that had been lost.
Humans were the rulers of all things, and that included Cursed Spirits. Curses were born of emotion, and even after gaining sentience, that emotional foundation remained.
Sōjun Minamoto had been so focused on fusing Blessing Energy and Cursed Energy that even the non-physical world outside his body was becoming infused with Cursed Energy.
He didn't even respond to the sensation brushing against the back of his hand.
It was Kenjaku, reaching out to him.
He realized something—the bindings of the physical world could no longer affect his non-physical self. The touch on his hand hadn't come directly from Kenjaku, but had first been transmitted to an ordinary clone in the outside world, and only then relayed to him through the clone.
Only the clone could bridge both realms.
Sōjun Minamoto gave his hand a brief glance, then closed his eyes again.
After a while, he felt another touch on the back of his hand.
He synced with the external clone.
"Let's wait a bit longer," he said.
There was still plenty of time. Nothing urgent was happening in the outside world. He had no reason to leave, and it would be a waste to interrupt this moment. He chose to remain in the non-physical realm.
His own fusion was at a critical stage. There was no need to step out now.
He closed his eyes, resuming where he left off.
The wind surged once more, and the sky above was split—vivid black on one side, deep blue on the other. Yet, between them, faint specks of gray shimmered and flickered.
They weren't fog. He had already absorbed every trace of mist into his body.
This was the color of a successful fusion.
That single shade of gray stood out, more striking than the wide expanse of blue sky or pure black. It caught the eye with stunning clarity.
…
Sugisawa No. 3 Middle School, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture.
At night, there were no stars in the sky. The moon peeked faintly through gaps in the thick clouds, but soon it too was hidden.
Sōjun Minamoto and Kenjaku stood atop a tall building.
He had already come out.
"Don't randomly disturb my clones," Sōjun Minamoto said, sounding impatient—but in truth, he wasn't bothered.
His fusion had started to bear results, and it was time to return. He just hadn't expected Kenjaku to find his only human clone.
Sōjun Minamoto glanced at him. The guy had switched bodies again—this time, going by the name Noritoshi Kamo.
"I searched everywhere and couldn't find a trace of you. It was only through the sensation of a Binding Vow that I noticed your non-sorcerer clone."
"How else could I find you without meeting him first?"
"What's that clone for?" Kenjaku asked curiously.
Sōjun Minamoto didn't respond.
Kenjaku didn't mind. "You've changed a lot."
He kept sneaking glances at Sōjun Minamoto, his gaze full of curiosity.
Sōjun Minamoto ignored the stare behind him and walked to the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the two figures standing outside the school gates.
The sky shifted in color as a tremendous pressure descended, making the air feel slow and heavy.
Sōjun Minamoto spotted a massive flow of black Cursed Energy pouring out from atop one of the classroom buildings. It twisted into a vortex that weighed heavily on the rooftop, causing the air pressure to drop.
"It's started," Kenjaku whispered, stepping up beside him.
The pressure silenced the two outside the school for a moment. After a noticeable pause, one of them dashed into the building.
Sōjun Minamoto watched the other.
Soon enough, the second one used the trees as cover, then smashed through a window and entered the upper floors.
"Good physical fitness," Sōjun Minamoto remarked with a hint of anticipation.
It had finally begun.
This was Kenjaku's plan to resurrect Sukuna—the foundation of everything he had orchestrated. And this person was the vessel he had prepared for Sukuna—
Yuji Itadori.
The other one was also familiar to Sōjun Minamoto—Toji Fushiguro's son, taken in and raised by Satoru Gojo over a decade ago. He'd seen him several times.
His name was Megumi Fushiguro.
In a way, he too could be considered a compatible host for Sukuna.
"Crazy coincidence, isn't it?" Kenjaku tilted his head slightly. "That the school Itadori attends just happened to have one of Sukuna's fingers."
"And even more coincidental that Itadori was the one who found it," he added with a chuckle, eyes fixed on the scene below.
Sōjun Minamoto said nothing. He had no interest in the backstory.
In short, Itadori had stumbled upon a nearly unsealed Sukuna finger. Jujutsu High had dispatched Satoru Gojo to retrieve it, who then handed the task to Megumi Fushiguro.
The two had met and discovered that Itadori had given the finger to the school's Occult Research Club upperclassmen.
Driven by curiosity, the upperclassmen peeled off the barely hanging sealing talisman, releasing the Special Grade cursed object into the world and attracting curses that came to fight over it.
By now, the upperclassmen had already fallen into the hands of a curse. Itadori and Megumi had come to rescue them and retrieve the finger.
Boom!
The chaos escalated as they stormed inside. Megumi was knocked clean out of the building by a Cursed Spirit and crashed onto the rooftop of a slightly lower structure nearby.
After helping the upperclassmen to safety, Itadori followed him out.
Megumi tossed him the finger. "Run!"
Itadori caught it and dodged a curse's attack.
He didn't obey Megumi's order to flee with the finger. The Cursed Spirit had no intention of letting him leave, either.
After a frantic series of dodges, the two were cornered. Itadori turned his head and shouted,
"Why are they all going after the finger?!"
"Because if you eat it, you'll gain greater strength!" Megumi shouted back.
The curse loomed before them, its eyes fixed on the finger in Itadori's hand. Then it lunged again.
They narrowly avoided it, scrambling to safety.
Megumi, already injured inside the building, had been slammed through a wall by the curse. He barely managed to protect himself with his Cursed Energy, but his technique was forcibly broken. Now, dizzy and disoriented, he couldn't cast anything at all.
Itadori, lacking any Cursed Energy, couldn't harm the curse. He was holding it back with sheer brute strength.
They were already on the brink. Death was moments away.
Dodging another lunge, they ran out of room to retreat. Itadori shouted,
"Hey! You said if I ate it, I'd get stronger, right?!"
"Huh?"
Megumi froze, unsure if he heard right. Then he saw Itadori tilt his head back and swallow the finger before he could stop him.
Gulp
"!!"
Forget the curse—Megumi's pupils shrank as he tensed up, watching Itadori. He knew what this meant. Special Grade cursed objects were deadly poison to normal people.
But he still held out hope, thinking of Itadori's unusual physical strength.
What if... just what if...
The curse had no interest in Megumi. It charged straight at the dazed Itadori.
Itadori didn't move, standing still with his head lowered.
The curse sped up, jaws opening wide, ready to devour both the boy and the finger.
Then—Itadori's fingers grew sharp, purple-black claws.
They looked just like Sukuna's.
Finally, he moved. He casually swiped at the curse with his clawed hand. The curse's head began to emit black mist.
Whoosh—whoosh—
Wind howled as the black mist rolled backward, scattering.
When it cleared, the curse was gone.
It had been reduced to pure cursed essence.
"..."
The worst-case scenario had come true.
Megumi's last shred of hope shattered completely.
Sukuna had returned—resurrected through flesh.
Itadori tore off his shirt, revealing black markings across his body. Beneath his eyes, a second pair had appeared. He slowly walked to the edge of the rooftop, spread his arms wide, and gazed down at the city's lights.
...
"It worked," Kenjaku said with a smile, tilting his head.
Sōjun Minamoto gave a slight nod.
"Let's go. He's almost here," Kenjaku said as he stepped off the parapet.