Becoming Sukuna

In a forest left in shambles from their fierce battle, only the insistent sound of a ringing phone broke the heavy silence. The awkwardness in the air was palpable.

The one feeling it the most was none other than Gojo Satoru.

He stood at a distance, watching Sukuna mutter into a phone. His hands, poised to form seals and activate his domain, hesitated mid-air. Should he lower them? Or…?

Destroying the prefrontal cortex with cursed energy, then healing the brain with reversed cursed techniques to trigger a "reset"—this ingenious move, a stroke of brilliance that would make the entire Jujutsu world exclaim, "Impossible!"—had been rudely interrupted by a phone call.

What is Sukuna even doing?!

"What's wrong? Calling for backup?" Gojo shouted, trying to provoke a reaction.

Sukuna waved a hand dismissively, as if to say, "Don't bother me."

Meanwhile, Yukinoshita Yukino was visibly flustered.

She subconsciously sought Sukuna's advice. "What do I do now?" she murmured nervously.

Sukuna raised an eyebrow. "Wait, didn't you already psych yourself up before calling the cops?" His tone carried a mix of disbelief and mild amusement.

Earlier, Yukino had looked so resolute—ready to face the consequences of reporting the scene to the authorities. How was she chickening out now?

"But…" Yukino hesitated, biting her lip. "Aren't there people from the Jujutsu Society who'll handle this discreetly?"

Sukuna nodded, quickly piecing things together.

Before the Jujutsu High members had arrived, Yukino thought reporting the incident was the only way to ensure the victim's body was properly handled. She'd steeled herself to bear the weight of her decision.

But once Ijichi Kiyotaka explained that Jujutsu High specialized in cleaning up such incidents, Yukino was offered a way out—and with it, her earlier courage began to crumble.

"How about I take the call for you?" Sukuna offered casually.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Yukino reluctantly agreed. Facing her sister was one thing, but confronting her mother directly? That was a different beast altogether.

"Don't say anything unnecessary," she warned, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Relax," Sukuna replied, smirking. "I'll make sure she doesn't suspect a thing."

Just as the call was about to be disconnected, Sukuna answered with a trembling voice.

"Hello… Mom…"

The very first word betrayed him.

Yukino always addressed her as "Mother" in a formal tone, never something so affectionate.

Inside, Yukino covered her face in despair.

"Parasite-kun! Every time I think I can trust you, you open your mouth!"

"…Hello?"

The mature woman's voice on the other end was calm, but the authority in her tone was unmistakable.

"Yukino, where are you right now?"

Yukino's heart sank. That composed voice held an edge of unfamiliar emotion—an unfamiliar worry.

The family must have already learned she'd witnessed a crime scene. She'd deliberately used her family name when reporting it to the police, ensuring her father, a politician, would be informed.

Forcing herself to remain calm, Yukino tried to decipher her mother's mood from her tone.

"Yukino?" her mother's voice sharpened.

The name jolted Sukuna back to action.

Closing his eyes, he took a moment to fully immerse himself in the role before speaking again, his voice trembling.

"…I… I'm at the police station."

"We're on our way. Your father and I will be there soon," her mother started, but Sukuna cut her off.

"Mom… someone died… there was so much blood…"

He recalled Yukino's initial reaction upon seeing the gruesome corpse of a civilian slaughtered by a curse and channeled that memory into his performance.

"Yukino, what happened?" her mother asked, panic creeping into her usually controlled voice.

Hearing her daughter sob, her mother's heart clenched. She'd been dragged out of the house by her husband with only the barest explanation: something terrible had happened to their youngest daughter.

"Yukino seems to have stumbled upon a murder scene," her father explained in the background.

"What?!" It was the first time Yukino had ever heard her mother sound so alarmed.

"Are you hurt, Yukino?"

Sukuna squeezed out a tear—quite the accomplishment in Yukino's delicate body. With her tear-streaked face and trembling voice, the act was almost perfect—if one ignored the extra eyes and black markings.

"I'm fine, but… that person…" He let his voice crack, sniffling for added effect.

"It's okay, Yukino. Your father and I will be there soon. Wait for us at the station, all right?" her mother reassured her gently.

"…Okay. I understand," Sukuna replied meekly.

As soon as the call ended, Sukuna's frightened expression vanished. Pocketing the phone, he turned to Yukino, looking utterly relaxed.

"All done."

"…Mom actually believed that?" Yukino asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"Of course. I just mimicked your reaction from earlier," Sukuna replied, smugly.

"…When they get here, won't everything fall apart?"

Yukino's face paled as she imagined her parents discovering the truth and labeling her a liar.

"Isn't that what the Jujutsu Society is for?" Sukuna said, motioning toward Gojo, who had been silently observing the entire exchange.

Approaching Gojo, Sukuna called out casually, "Hey, dead-eyed white hair. You heard all that, right? Get Jujutsu High to handle the cleanup."

Gojo blinked, utterly dumbfounded.

So this is what Sukuna's personality is really like?

Even Gojo didn't have a comeback for that.

This guy's brain must have some serious issues.

At this moment, Gojo Satoru was absolutely certain of it.

"For a ruthless and evil curse user like you to come to Jujutsu High for help, and all for fooling a little girl's family—this is pretty hilarious."

"And why exactly do you think I would help you?"

The white-haired man covered his mouth, chuckling as he struck an exaggerated, girlish pose meant to mock Sukuna. However, Sukuna, the target of this ridicule, didn't seem to care in the slightest.

"Isn't cleanup work like this Jujutsu High's job anyway?" Sukuna asked, grinning suddenly. "Besides, you're going to agree."

"Oh? Feeling confident, are we? Want to fight again?" Gojo tilted his head slightly, his arrogance written all over his face. Hidden in his gaze was an almost imperceptible fervor.

Sukuna bent forward slightly, prompting Gojo to ready himself for combat.

In the next instant, Sukuna's figure vanished. Gojo's expression changed as he immediately locked onto Sukuna's cursed energy and gave chase.

In the blink of an eye, Gojo had pursued Sukuna to the rooftop of a tall building. He stared at Sukuna's back, leaning casually against the railing, his usual flippant tone now absent.

"What are you scheming this time?"

Sukuna leaned against the railing, gazing down at the bustling city streets below. Cars moved in orderly rows, and groups of pedestrians strolled along the sidewalks. It was the picture of a thriving metropolis.

"Look at them down there—like trash, don't you think?" Sukuna remarked, his tone laced with implication.

"Are you threatening me with ordinary people?" Gojo asked, his voice low as he raised his right hand, prepared to deploy his domain and trap Sukuna within it.

Even if Sukuna's open-domain technique could overpower his, Gojo was confident he could defeat Sukuna before his domain shattered.

"That's right." Sukuna turned around, his face adorned with a mischievous grin. "What do you say? Want to fight me here in the middle of the city? I don't mind. But by the time we settle things, everyone here will probably be dead."

"Sukuna-kun!"

Ignoring the shocked cry of Yukinoshita Yukino over the encrypted channel, Sukuna smiled mischievously. "So, what'll it be, Gojo? Satisfy your battle lust, or protect the lives of these ordinary citizens? What's your choice?"

"For someone begging for my help, you're going all out," Gojo remarked.

"Of course. I've got a troublesome host to deal with, after all," Sukuna replied with a shrug. "So, are we fighting or not?"

When Gojo didn't lower his right hand, Sukuna smirked. "Looks like, for you, winning matters more than protecting others."

For a moment, countless thoughts flashed through Gojo's eyes, the glowing blue irises reflecting intricate patterns.

And then, for reasons unknown even to Sukuna, Gojo finally lowered his hand.

Sukuna raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.

Based on their previous clash and everything he'd observed, Gojo seemed like the type of man who was supremely confident in his own strength—someone at the very pinnacle of the Jujutsu world. Sukuna had fully expected Gojo to attack, aiming to defeat him before he could wreak havoc.

He's giving up that easily?

Sukuna didn't bother contemplating Gojo's thought process. Having achieved his goal, he swaggered forward with ease. "Alright, alright, let's not waste any more time. Back to the station we go."

"Are you really Ryomen Sukuna?" Gojo suddenly asked, his tone heavy with doubt.

The question wasn't baseless.

From Sukuna's personality to his actions, nothing matched the historical records of the King of Curses. He even claimed to have attended college! A being who had terrorized the Jujutsu world a millennium ago and been turned into a cursed object after death—attending university?!

Other than his power and techniques, this "Sukuna" felt like an entirely different person.

"Well, if you think I am, then I am," Sukuna replied cryptically.

"Don't look so down. We could actually work together, you know." Sukuna's sly smile returned, and Yukino, listening through the channel, immediately realized he was about to start spouting nonsense.

"Of course, I can't let Yukino join Jujutsu High. She's my disciple—and my temporary host. And I don't like being bossed around. But there are things we could collaborate on."

"Jujutsu High working with someone like you? You've got a great sense of humor, Sukuna," Gojo said, giving him a sidelong glance.

"Call me Sukuna, or Lin Qi, if you prefer," Sukuna replied, unfazed by the sarcasm. "You're short-staffed, right? Why not pass your curse-exorcism tasks to us? Especially those involving Grade 1 curses or higher. It'll reduce your death toll and give Yukino some valuable combat experience."

"It's a win-win!"

For Sukuna, this arrangement was perfect. He wouldn't need to run around hunting curses aimlessly with Yukino anymore. Instead, he could just wait for missions to come to him, making point farming far more efficient.

Win-win? More like I win twice.

"Your real goal is the six fingers stored at Jujutsu High, isn't it?" Gojo said, cutting to the chase.

"What fingers?" Sukuna asked, feigning ignorance with the innocent face of a girl.

"?"

The blatant denial was so absurd that Gojo felt his intelligence had been insulted.

Seeing the disdain in Gojo's eyes, Sukuna looked genuinely innocent.

From their initial meeting, Sukuna had only learned that the original Sukuna's body had been turned into cursed objects—currently existing as relics of immense power. Beyond that, he didn't know much.

But what he truly didn't know was that the cursed object containing Ryomen Sukuna's soul was...

Wait a minute.

Sukuna stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought, but in reality, his consciousness had already plunged into Ryomen Sukuna's memories.

When he first crossed over, Sukuna, thinking the information was too much to take in, had only briefly skimmed through Sukuna's memories, without delving into them too deeply.

Now, upon revisiting them more carefully, he found one particular memory where Sukuna, with the help of a man, had divided his soul and cursed energy into twenty parts, sealing each part into one of his twenty fingers.

And after that, there was a long, thousand-year stretch of idle wandering.

After fast-forwarding through Sukuna's dazed memories, Sukuna couldn't help but think:

"Impressive. When it comes to zoning out, I'd call you the strongest."

His mind returned to reality, and Sukuna suddenly realized something else—what would happen if he absorbed the fingers that contained Sukuna's soul and cursed energy?

Could he, Yukinoshita Yukino, and three others play a game of cards inside a domain? If they could bring Tsukiko in, wouldn't they be able to play mahjong?

"You know, you might be onto something," Sukuna suddenly became interested in the special-grade cursed object. "How about you take one out for me to see?"

Gojo Satoru looked at him with the expression of someone staring at an idiot.

"You really want one?"