Life After Death: The Strength Of Suffering

I looked down at the Umemura clan heir, her diminutive frame emphasized by the weight of the room's tension, I and spoke slowly each word deliberate.

"Why should I?"

Sitting up straighter in my chair, I watched her raise her head to meet my gaze. For a brief moment, her golden eyes caught mine before she looked away, gathering her resolve. Dusting herself off, she stood tall or at least as tall as her stature allowed, and responded with a calm, steady voice.

"I'm aware that it is improper that my father has not paid you your due." She placed a hand over her chest, bowing slightly then continued with surprising conviction. "That is why it would be in your best interest to kill my father and spare my clan, not just for the clan's sake but for everyone's..."

Her voice did not falter as she slowly rose again, meeting my gaze with fear and determination swirling in her eyes.

"...and your own."

The silence that followed was broken only by Sukuna's faint snicker behind me, the sound brimming with amusement. I leaned back in my chair, letting the words settle. Then I laughed, a booming unrestrained laugh that echoed through the chamber, startling even the ever-composed Sakurazawa elder.

"You're fucking hilarious!" I bellowed, laughing so hard I had to clutch my stomach. The more I thought about her audacious suggestion, the harder I laughed. My cursed energy slipped through the restraints I normally had, blanketing the mountain in an oppressive wave that made every living thing on it freeze in place.

The girl staggered but held her ground, even as the weight of my energy pressed down on her like a suffocating tide. Her body trembled, her knees nearly buckling but she refused to bow.

"My own safety?!" I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye, grinning widely. "Do you think I fear Sorcerers banging on my door? That I'm worried about the lives of others?"

Through sheer willpower, she straightened her spine, her hands shaking as they clenched into fists at her sides. Her voice came quietly but firmly, cutting through the charged air.

"I never said you cared about others. You're selfish—"

I stood up from my seat and took a step forward now towering over her, my smile twisting into something sharper. But before I could interrupt, she raised a hand shakily, pointing at me.

"I know what you did two years ago. The name Sasaki Souta spread across the East after that day. I don't believe you're scared of anything." she said lowering her hand. Then, with slow deliberate steps she approached closer to me, craning her neck to meet my gaze despite the overwhelming gap in our heights.

"But this is my first time meeting you, and I want to believe there's still humanity in you. I want to believe that you understand the lives lost in a war against you would be catastrophic."

She took another step forward leaving barely a foot between us, her golden eyes shining with unshakable resolve.

"And I want to believe that whatever shred of humanity you have left knows it would be wrong."

The room stilled as her words hung in the air. Slowly, I let my cursed energy recede, the crushing pressure dissipating like a receding tide. Her trembling subsided, though I could tell she was still bracing for the worst.

I smirked, leaning down just slightly to look her in the eyes.

"Very well, girly. Let's do business."

Her face froze, disbelief flashing across her features for the briefest moment. Then I saw it, the realisation. 'She knows I know.'

~Kiyoshi Umemura's POV~

My father for all his cunning, was an utter fool.

Threatening a man like Sasaki Souta, a man who paraded the mutilated body of Hoshikage Raiden, was nothing short of suicidal. 'No wonder mother had ended her life.'

I maintained the facade of arrogance I'd worn since we arrived, but beneath it, I couldn't suppress the unease growing in my chest. Sasaki Souta was nothing like I had imagined. His presence was overwhelming, his cursed energy like a thick suffocating miasma that seeped into every corner of the room.

'He's tall... and decent-looking.' I noted absently before catching myself, shaking off the ridiculous thought.

When he laughed and released his cursed energy, I thought my bones would crumble under the pressure. My heart pounded as I spoke my words, unsure of where the courage, or stupidity had come from. 'Probably from father.'

As the suffocating weight receded, I allowed myself a breath of relief. Even Sukuna, the strange boy or Curse with four arms seemed to relax. For the first time since arriving, I felt like I had saved my clan.

But then he spoke.

"Very well, Girly. Let's do business."

The smug relief I felt vanished as my mind processed his words. My heart sank.

'He knows.'

~Sukuna's POV~

I looked down at my hands, staring at them with an unfamiliar sensation creeping into my chest.

'I'm trembling, Am I scared?'

The realization infuriated me. I clenched my fists, willing the shaking to stop as I shifted my gaze back to the man who had single handedly dominated the room with his cursed energy. From the very first moment I met him, I knew he was different.

But I wouldn't allow it to stay that way.

"I will surpass you." I muttered under my breath, pushing my chair back as I stood. His eyes flicked to me for a moment, but I ignored him, walking toward the door.

'Two years? He thinks I'll take two years to learn everything from him?'

I scoffed, stepping outside into the dry mountain air. The gravel crunched beneath my feet as I walked down the path, my thoughts racing.

'No. I'll learn it all in a year.'

I clenched my fists, a wide smile spreading across my face. The dry mountain air brushed past, leaving a faint sting in its wake., but I felt nothing but the fire roaring within me.

"There can only be one who is called the Strongest." I whispered to the empty path.

"And it will be me."