Talismans covered every inch of the room.
They crawled across the walls like paper insects, layered one atop another, their inked symbols pulsing faintly in the dim light. The air smelled sharp—of iron, incense, and something older, something watching.
Yuji Itadori woke up with a jolt.
His head throbbed. His mouth was dry. When he tried to move, cold resistance answered him. Leather straps bit into his wrists, his ankles, his chest. A chair creaked beneath his weight.
"…Huh?"
Across from him, lounging with casual insolence, sat a man in a black uniform. White hair. A blindfold. A grin far too relaxed for a room like this.
"Morning," the man said cheerfully. "Did ya have a nice nap?"
Yuji blinked, forcing his vision to focus. His heart rate spiked.
Where am I?
Memory came back in jagged fragments—his school, the curse, Megumi bleeding, the finger—
His breath hitched.
"So," the man continued, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, "which one are you right now?"
Yuji's eyes snapped fully open.
"…What?"
Recognition flickered. "Wait. Aren't you—"
"Satoru Gojo," the man interrupted smoothly, grin widening. "Jujutsu High. I'm in charge of the first years."
That did it.
"Jujutsu—!" Yuji lurched forward instinctively, only for the restraints to yank him back. Panic surged. "Fushiguro! Uzumaki-sensei—!"
The room spun.
"What—what's this?" Yuji demanded, finally noticing the bindings.
Gojo tilted his head, considering him like a bug under glass. "I wouldn't worry about other people right now, Yuji Itadori. Especially Naruto of all people."
"…Huh?"
"He's just outside," Gojo added casually. "In case this somehow becomes something I can't handle."
He muttered under his breath—something about annoying blond vessels and idiotic higher-ups—but Yuji barely heard it.
Naruto was strong. Yuji knew that much instinctively.
Then Satoru clapped his hands once.
"Oh, right. Almost forgot the important part." His tone stayed light. "It's been decided that you'll be secretly executed."
The world froze.
"…Huh?"
Earlier
The phone rang in the nurse's office.
A tired nurse glanced at the display before answering. "Yes, this is the hospital. Hello?"
Silence crackled on the line.
Then—
"My… grandpa… is dead."
Her breath caught.
"…Yuji?" the nurse asked softly. "Is that you?"
The bed was empty when Yuji returned.
The room smelled sterile and wrong. His grandfather's belongings sat neatly stacked at the foot of the bed, as if he'd simply stepped out for air.
Yuji signed the forms. Answered the questions. Nodded when appropriate.
When they wheeled Wasuke Itadori's body past him, covered in a white sheet, Yuji didn't cry.
"Are you sure you're okay?" the nurse asked gently.
Yuji scratched the back of his head. "I guess? It's my first time dealing with something like this, so it doesn't really feel real yet. Grandpa would yell at me if I moped forever though… so I'll just laugh it off while I roast him later."
The nurse sputtered. "Phrasing, Yuji."
He smiled faintly.
Then he noticed the boy standing in the hallway.
Dark hair. Sharp eyes. An expression carved from stone.
"Yuj Itadorii?" the boy asked. "I'm Megumi Fushiguro . From Jujutsu Tech. I need to speak with you."
They moved to a quiet corner.
"I'm kind of mourning," Yuji said awkwardly.
"There isn't time," Megumi replied. "The cursed object you have is extremely dangerous. Hand it over."
"…Cursed object?"
Megumi raised his phone. On the screen was a photo of a finger—withered, wrapped in talismans.
"Oh. That thing," Yuji said. "Yeah, I found it. My senpai really liked it, though. Why's it dangerous?"
Megumi inhaled slowly. "Japan averages over ten thousand unexplained deaths and disappearances a year. Most are caused by curses."
"…Curses."
Megumi's eyes hardened. "Believe it or not, they exist. Negative emotions—regret, fear, hatred—gather and take form. Schools and hospitals attract them. That's why cursed objects are hidden there."
"So… it protects us?"
"No." Megumi shook his head. "It poisons the area to keep weaker curses away. Over time, the seal weakens. Then it becomes bait for stronger ones looking for strength."
Yuji frowned. "Then go tell my senpai."
He tossed the box.
Megumi opened it—and recoiled.
"…It's empty."
Cold dread flooded him. Had he only been tracking the residue of that curse.
"Where is it?!" Megumi grabbed Yuji's arm.
"They said they were gonna peel the talisman off tonight," Yuji said casually.
Megumi went pale. "They're going to die."
Sasaki laughed nervously as she picked at the seal.
"I can't get it off…"
"Should we even be doing this?" Iguchi asked. "I'm turning on the lights."
"No!" Sasaki snapped. "Atmosphere matters!"
The seal tore.
The lights died.
A pressure swept the building.
Something groaned above them.
Yuji and Megumi sprinted through the streets.
"The seal shouldn't come off that easily, right?" Yuji said.
"The object's too strong," Megumi replied grimly. "The seal's also ancient. It's essentially just paper now. The higher-ups should have assigned an Uzumaki to it a long time ago."
At the gate, Yuji slammed into an invisible wall, that seemed to be made of some kind of energy? It was then that he realized, it wasn't actually there. It was just pressure that was stopping his brain from moving any closer.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Stay here," Megumi ordered, vaulting the fence.
Yuji hesitated.
They're going to die.
He climbed after him.
The curse was massive. It's multiple eyes unfocused and wandering.
Flesh sagged. Teeth gnashed. Space itself seemed wrong around it, at least from Megumi's perspective. It was disgusting, in a way all low-grade curses were.
Megumi fought desperately, his divine dog shikigami tearing into cursed flesh, but it wasn't enough. The curse still managed to handle both shikigami quite easily.
Then—
Glass shattered.
Yuji burst through the fourth-floor window.
He punched the curse, freed his unconscious classmates, and retrieved the finger all in the same motion. Megumi had to admit, the force of his blow was impressive.
The impact thundered.
"…So that's a curse," Yuji muttered. "Weird."
It didn't matter how weird it looked, Yuji decided, when it knocked both him and Megumi out the window simultaneously. Thankfully, he had dropped those two before getting hit, and it seemed the curse was only truly after this finger.
Yuji fought it more, but even his immense physical strength did no lasting damage to the curse. Eventually he was ensnarled, the curse attempting to eat him and the cursed object in one go.
The finger slipped.
The curse lunged.
Yuji caught the finger in his mouth with his teeth.
"There's a way to save everyone," he shouted. "I just need cursed energy, right?!"
How was he talking so clearly with a finger in his mouth? Nevermind that, what was that idiot planning?!
"Don't—!"
Too late.
He swallowed.
Yuji screamed.
Power exploded. Soon, so did the curse.
Then—
Laughter.
Deep. Cruel. Ancient.
"Ahhh… yes. Flesh feels wonderful."
Megumi's blood ran cold. The most dangerous curse in existence had just incarnated.
Sukuna stood.
"A massacre," Sukuna purred. "What a delightful era."
Yuji grabbed his own face.
"Give it back."
Sukuna blinked.
"…What?"
"It's my body," Yuji snarled.
Impossible pressure crushed his consciousness inward.
Sukuna was dragged screaming in outrage into the depths.
Yuji gasped, his control snapping back.
He looked up.
Megumi stood, hands shaking, summoning signs forming.
"Under Jujutsu regulations," Megumi said hoarsely, "Itadori Yuji… I will exorcise you as a curse."