Ten Shadows in the Heian Era

[MysticHater420]

Black flashes rarely happen it being super busted is fair.

Click to shrink...

To repeat myself

Gojo would have one shotted Sukuna if black flashes actually worked that way

Click to shrink...

Black is not that busted, it being a 2.5x critical hit is consistent with how it's portrayed and it's actual showings

 

[crissthethief]

To repeat myself

Black is not that busted, it being a 2.5x critical hit is consistent with how it's portrayed and it's actual showings

Click to shrink...

Gege has contradicted himself so many times with statements and what he shows in his drawings.
As a JJK glazer though I'd just say the characters can tank it.

 

[MysticHater420]

As a JJK glazer though I'd just say the characters can tank it.

Click to shrink...

I mean considering the heavy hitters are already capable of doing serious damage to each other without BF, adding ^2.5 means they would just one shot

Let's say a Special Grade Sorcerer punches with the force of a half a ton of tnt
1000^2.5= 31622776.6017

31 megatons of tnt, that utterly dwarf's the nuke launched on Hiroshima and is only surpassed by the tsar bomba

Gojo's Hollow Purple is far far below that and Sukuna doesn't deal well with it

 

[z Suicide Eznutt z]

A/N: I have no idea if I'm doing this right, uploading, I mean. It's my first time doing it on this site (The other time doesn't count cuz I was breaking the rules by having a friend do it for me) so idk if I'm doing it right. Please let me know if I make any mistakes with the uploading/formatting or anything else really :3

---

Inside of a traditional classroom, four teenagers sit together in their school uniforms, dark blue, almost black kimonos that almost turn purple in the light, a similarly coloured sash tying it together at their waists.

The room has plenty of space for more people, leaving it feeling a little bit empty, but none seem to mind it.

There is only one row of seating, six chairs each with a personal desk, all made out of wood alone with expert craftsmanship. With the space available, two rows would be more efficient, but none of them trust each other behind them, so that idea was scrapped for the sake of keeping the peace.

Despite not trusting each other not to stab them in the back, the four of them manage to talk amicably enough. After all, it's not like they don't trust each other out of maliciousness or any such thing. It is simply the way things are.

None of them would hesitate to kill each other if it benefitted them. Such is the nature of Jujutsu in this era, so they don't hold any hard feelings about it either.

On the side closest to the door is a figure with long black hair tied in a ponytail and a slender figure with soft, feminine features and expressive eyes.

"I heard they're another Special Grade, Ise-chan," they say, continuing a conversation, their voice as soft and demure as their figure.

"Really Minamoto-chan? I heard it's a boy from the countryside who is super sheltered. Apparently he's somehow related to a friend of my grandfathers," the person next to him replies.

She is a girl who looks mature for her age, sitting a little taller than the rest in the room with a straight and proper posture. Her figure is notably more womanly with a wide, but naturally healthy, hourglass figure and forest green hair tied up into a pair of buns.

"Do you think that Cursed Energy earlier was him?" The farthest person from the door asks in a slightly crass tone, though it would only be considered casual in one thousand years, as she sits casually on her desk with one foot resting on the desk between her and Ise.

She has her brown hair in a short wolf cut that only reaches her shoulders at the back. The sleeves to her kimono have been ripped off, showing her toned and scarred arms off in a way that, combined with a small scar on her upper lip, general attitude and the sword at her side, makes her seem somewhat like a delinquent.

"If they really are a Special Grade, then maybe, Taira-chan." Minamoto answers, face pensive. "What do you think, Kamo-chan?"

Their attention turns to the final person present, who is less a person and more a floating red oval about the size of a person, if a little bigger, hovering above a chair.

The surface of the oval glistens like it is a liquid, but it is completely still without ripple. That is, until Minamoto addresses it, when the surface then ripples and makes the shape of an expression.

"╮(╯-╰)╭," the oval responds, and the other three simply accept the answer with a nod as if nothing about the scenario is strange.

"I would have doubted it a month ago..." Ise states, trailing off instead of finishing her sentence, but they all know what she means.

The arrival of their last classmate shattered any expectations they might have had about the limits a Jujutsu Sorcerer could achieve.

One of the first things he did after arriving was beat them all half to death, so they are all intimately familiar with the depths of his Cursed Energy and how greatly it eclipses their own reserves.

"(☆.☆)," Kamo 'says', and Taira nods slowly with a steadily growing grin.

"You're right, Kamo-chan. Maybe this new guy will be able to teach that guy some humility."

"Don't get your hopes up," Ise cuts in. "We don't even know what they're Cursed Technique is yet, raw output isn't everything, or Sugawara-senpai would be the strongest. He's only held back because he has no talent. Besides, what if this new guy has a just as bad, or even worse personality?"

"(.﹏.*)," Kamo accurately reflects their opinions on the matter.

"I think it'll be fine," Minamoto says, optimistically. "I mean, you all felt it, right? His presence, if that was him, was completely lacking in all the malice of that guy's."

"Hm," Taira grunts. "I guess. Still, it's not like the bar is high. He can't really be worse than-"

The slamming sound of the classroom door opening with too much force interrupts her and they all freeze as the unmistakable presence casually strolls into the room.

Walking with an air of apathy around him, Sukuna strolls past his classmates without even glancing in their direction, completely ignoring their presence and the way they all shuffle away from him slightly as he passes entirely.

When he passes her, Taira moves away and back into her chair, not willing to face the others directly if it means exposing her back to him.

Sukuna notices this and he smirks at her as he takes his seat on the farthest chair, leaning back with an elbow resting on the window sill.

"Don't worry," he says without looking at them, his voice casual, dangerous, but most of all, bored. "Trash like you isn't worth killing in the first place. Maybe you should just give up on Sorcery, Woman. I imagine even you could manage to at least be a woman, you certainly lack the ability for anything grander than bearing children."

Taira bristles at the insult to her pride, to her ability, to her everything, but at the end of the day, what can she do?

It's that simple fact that stops her from reacting, no matter how much it burns to leave such insults standing. She wants to kill him. She wants it more than she has ever wanted anything in her life.

But the moment she tries, she's dead.

So she doesn't react.

"I thought your mission was going to last longer, Sukuna-sama," she says instead, almost doing a perfect job of hiding the venom in her words.

"The Curse was only Grade One, but it could fly, so I made it give me a ride back before killing it. Did you miss me?" He asks rhetorically, not really caring if he receives an answer.

"Of course, Sukuna-sama," Taira responds through gritted teeth, "How could we not?"

She almost said something sarcastically insulting, but she knows he isn't stupid enough to not see through doubletalk, so she corrected herself.

Sukuna rolls his eyes at her answer, annoyed at how boring she is.

"Pathetic," he mutters to himself, not caring if they hear or don't.

With the addition of their final classmate, the room, previously full of conversation, falls into a tense silence as none of them want to disturb and annoy Sukuna.

He told them not to talk to each other when he is around because he finds the noise annoying, but in truth, what he finds annoying the most is that they listen to him.

It's so pathetic. So boring.

When that annoying scar face old man came to him and showed him the world of Jujutsu, he thought that he might finally have something in his life he can enjoy.

And he did, at first.

It was fun. Learning new things, fighting strong opponents.

He especially enjoyed learning about Cursed Energy and its applications. Cursed Techniques too. There are so many of them, with so much variety and variation. Each technique is like a puzzle, but if you can't solve it in time you die, and if you do solve it, they die.

It's fun.

Then he got older. He mastered his Cursed Energy, and then his Cursed Technique, and now...

Briefly, he glances at his so called 'peers', using only a moment to take in their stiff postures and the slight perspiration on their skin.

So boring, he thinks to himself.

The worst part is how restricted he is.

At the start, he was only improving. Learning and growing.

But now he's starting to stagnate, and he can't even enjoy himself properly.

Scar face showed him that much.

After all, he lacks a Domain.

Without achieving the peak of Jujutsu Sorcery, he can not truly act as he pleases. Because the right Domain could kill him immediately, he is not blind to this fact.

It's the only reason he holds back from killing those maggots that annoy him. The only reason he even bothers to kill Curses, or do any jobs assigned by the higher ups.

Because he is not an idiot. He is capable of biding his time.

The moment he masters Domain Expansion is the moment he stops ever having to listen to anyone else.

Don't get it wrong, he doesn't fear putting his life on the line, that alone wouldn't make him hesitate. There are still plenty of powerful people out there he has no problem fighting. It's just that the right Domain against someone who can't counter it can simply be an instant win.

There's no challenge there, no obstacle he can overcome. It would just be game over, and if he's going to die, he wants to at the very least die at the hands of someone who he can truly consider an equal.

There is another option though. If he could learn Hollow Wicker Basket, the Anti-Domain Technique, then that would also serve the same purpose.

Unfortunately, no one seems to be willing to teach him, even under threat of death, and he hasn't found a Curse User yet who knows it.

The higher ups don't want him to be able to counter Domains. He doesn't blame them, but he's still going to kill them all first thing once he crosses that final hurdle.

Then, even if his fellow Sorcerers continue to disappoint him, at least he will be able to entertain himself by doing whatever he wants. It's not like all of them are even that weak. Taira is pretty strong, not as strong as him obviously, but strong enough to fight him.

She just lacks the mindset. Too cowardly. Too pathetic.

After a short, but uncomfortable silence for all but Sukuna, the door slides open for a second time, and this time it is an adult that walks in, closing the door behind him.

With long black hair tied in a bun at the top of his head but with more hair flowing down his back anyway, he has a long scar just below his hairline and an angular face set into a cheerful smile as he practically skips up to the podium at the front of the room.

"Good Morning~! Dear students of mine~!" He cheerfully greets them, receiving nothing but silence in response. "Ouch~! Such a lacklustre response will hurt my feelings you know~?"

"\^o^/!" Kamo 'says', and he snaps his fingers and points at her.

"Thank you!" He exclaims, before turning to the others with a reproachful look. "Now why can't the rest of you be more like my cute granddaughter~? Is it true that we can only rely on family~!?"

"Kamo-Sensei," Taira drawls, sending him an annoyed glare, "You're an embarrassment to adults."

Kamo reacts as if struck, clutching his chest. "Your words wound me, Taira-chan~! Don't you love your Sensei? Isn't he a strong, knowledgeable and respectable person?! It's okay if you're shy, but if you never state your honest feelings then you will die alone you know! But don't worry, I'm sure there are men who prefer dumplings over flowers~!"

"I can get a husband whenever I want!" Taira snaps at him, "And just because I'm not a useless leech doesn't mean I'm not a woman!"

"I believe in you~!"

"Don't talk as if I'm dreaming! I'm not ugly!"

"Anything repeated enough eventually becomes true," Kamo agrees, nodding his head sagely, casually tilting to the side as Taira's desk flies past him and embeds itself into the wall with a crash.

"Anyway!" Kamo claps his hands with a smile to make them focus. "I'm sure you've heard, but we have a new student joining us today~! Everyone say yaaay~!"

No one says yaaay.

Kamo doesn't mind. Instead, he walks back over to the door and holds the handle dramatically.

"Without further ado, a big round of applause for your newest classmate~! One big cheer for Narauko-kun~!!!"

With his words, Kamo slides the door open with matching panache, and the moment he does, a dark blur slides into the room and comes to a stop in the centre of the class, revealing Narauko, who slid in on one knee, striking a pose with his head in his hand.

Matching their Sensei's exaggerated demeanour, he slowly turns to look up at his classmates and brushes his hand up through his hair, flicking his bangs as he gives them a model's smile.

"I have arrived~!" He exclaims, keeping the pose as he stares at them and they stare back.

---

Earlier​

---

"It's going to take a bit before your identification is properly finished, but you're going to get Special Grade for sure, so it doesn't really matter."

Nodding along with Kamo-san's, or is it Sensei now? Words as we walk down a corridor, I tilt my head as his words register in my mind.

"Wait, Special Grade?" I ask. "I thought that was the highest one? Shouldn't I be Grade Two or something?"

Kamo-Sensei gives me a funny look at that. "Narauko-kun, you must not have noticed since you've lived an isolated life, but you actually have quite a lot of Cursed Energy."

"To be perfectly honest, it was only the other day that I even realised Cursed Energy ran out, I thought it was just a matter of having enough concentration to keep using it," I say, and for some reason Kamo-Sensei bursts out laughing.

"That alone is enough proof of how much of a well you are, Narauko-kun. I don't think there has ever been a Sorcerer to not even realise their Cursed Energy has a limit."

"To be fair, I hadn't met anyone that wasn't really weak until recently."

Kamo laughs again. "Whether they were too weak or you were too strong is the question, Narauko-kun. With the exception of one person, a classmate of yours by coincidence, no one alive can match you in Cursed Energy reserves, so don't go comparing people to you and thinking they're weak. You have more energy than me, and I'm pretty strong you know~?"

"Ah, my bad, I don't mean to insult anyone," I quickly say, "I'm aware that just having more energy doesn't mean I'm the strongest, especially when I am so inexperienced."

"Hmmm~, well, you're a pretty modest person, aren't you?" He asks, and I smile wryly.

"I'm not really modest. I actually have quite a lot of pride, and knowing that my reserves are apparently super impressive is certainly appealing. It is just that my pride does not extend to arrogance, and I don't really look down on people."

"You see a differentiation between arrogance and pride? Most consider them the same, I'm curious what your thought process is to see a difference?"

Turning to meet Kamo-Sensei's eyes, I notice something in him, something familiar, and it makes me smile.

He's like me. Curious for the sake of curiosity.

Knowing that, how could I do anything but give a comprehensive answer.

"It's about fragility," I say. "Arrogance is fragile, pride is not. If you insult an arrogant person, they will shatter and lash out. However, if you insult a prideful person, well, they might still lash out, but it won't be because they're upset, it'd just be a matter of principle. A prideful person's feelings won't get hurt by something as meaningless as words. Only arrogant people are pathetic enough that something as minor as an insult could effect them in any way. Arrogance is hollow, so if you throw a rock at it, it will shatter. Pride is the opposite, any rock thrown will just bounce off or shatter against it."

"Hmmm~." Kamo-Sensei holds his chin and looks up at the ceiling as we walk. "I've encountered the kind of thing you're describing before, but I don't think I've heard it put into words so aptly, so thank you for that perspective."

"No problem, Kamo-Sensei. By the way, do you know anything about Positive Energy?" I ask, returning his curiosity with my own, and I can see that by his smile that when he looks me in the eye, he sees the exact same thing I saw in his.

"It's the opposite of Cursed Energy, why do you ask?" He says, and in response I produce some Positive Energy on my hand and show him.

The way his eyes light up at that makes me feel like I'm looking at a mirror. "I figured out how to produce it," I say, "But I'm not sure of all the mechanics behind it, so I can't explain it properly, beyond calling it a double negative."

"You figured it out all by yourself?" He asks, smiling when I nod. "Impressive. What you're doing is a process called Reverse Cursed Technique, turning Negative Energy into Positive to invert its properties. You can do more than just heal with it. If you apply Reverse Cursed Technique to any other technique it can invert. For example, a technique that launches people up used with Reverse Cursed Technique could press them down instead."

Oh, I never even thought to apply Positive Energy to my technique. Well, I did briefly think about it, but it didn't seem like something that would work.

Guess I just didn't try hard enough.

"What if a technique doesn't have an obvious opposite?" I ask, and Kamo-Sensei just smiles.

"That, is where it gets interesting. The less clear the answer, the harder it is to inverse, generally. For example, my Cursed Technique is Blood Manipulation. I haven't figured out a way to use it with Reverse Cursed Technique yet, in part because I can't really visualise what it's inverse would be, and Jujutsu is a world of visualisation."

I put a finger to my chin as I think. What would the inverse of blood manipulation be? "Absorption or something?" I mutter. "If you can only manipulate your own blood, then maybe the reverse would let you manipulate others? Or drain them?"

"All theories I have considered," Kamo-Sensei says, still smiling. "It is possible that I simply lack the ability or inspiration. Jujutsu isn't so simple that merely figuring something out means one can do it. The process of creating Reverse Cursed Energy is rather simple to explain, but very few manage to learn it. Not that we have had a lot of time to practice it collectively. It was only Sugawara no Michizane that properly figured out how to explain it by himself to others. It's impressive that you could do the same."

I suppose it would be silly if I could think of a new application of his own technique in two minutes that he wouldn't have thought of in however many years he's been using it.

I don't know who Sugawara no Michizane is though.

"Thank you, but I shouldn't get all the credit," I say, "I don't know who Sugawara no Michizane is, but I doubt I'm as good as him. It is just that one of my Shikigami naturally produces Positive Energy, so I had a template to reverse engineer it from."

"'Engineer'?" Kamo-Sensei asks, and it takes a moment for me to realise why before my mind screeches to a halt.

Crap. Do engineers not exist yet?

"Reverse engineer is a term I heard for working a problem backwards using the finished product to figure out the materials and process and stuff." I make sure not to panic and just give a normal explanation, and I do a pretty good job of it, because Kamo-Sensei just nods his head and accepts the answer.

I have some practice keeping calm like this, so I'm pretty good at it.

After all, I am a reincarnated person, and at first I was a little bit worried about giving something away, but over the years it's really solidified in my mind that no one is going to figure it out.

Unless I explicitly say it, no one is going to assume I've reincarnated form the future, that would be absurd. They'd be more likely to assume I'm a seer than anything else really. So basically, just don't freak out as if people can see into my mind, and they won't think too deeply about any abnormal knowledge or phrases.

In real life, if someone says something you don't understand, and then explains it, you just assume you've learnt something you didn't know. No one just goes 'Ah! He's a reincarnated person!' That would be absurd.

"Could I see this Shikigami of yours?" He asks after a moment.

"Sure," I shrug, and make the shadowgraphic hand sign, summoning my deer out of my shadow in front of me, causing us to stop walking for a moment.

"Interesting," Kamo-Sensei mutters as he pokes and looks over my deer. After a moment, he turns back to me. "Would you mind letting me study this Shikigami at some point? Cursed Energy originates from the gut, but Reverse Cursed Technique originates from the brain. Though Shikigami aren't human, they are still fully biological when done right, so I might be able to learn something studying this one's brain."

An interested hum leaves me at his explanation. "I don't mind, but only if you are willing to accept two conditions of mine."

"Them being?"

"Generous Deer is my favourite and most valuable Shikigami, but if it dies then it's gone forever, so you can't kill it, and I want you to share whatever you learn with me."

"Haha, that's more than reasonable enough," Kamo-Sensei cheerfully agrees, and I dismiss the deer for now. "People always underestimate how sturdy brains are, but you'd be surprised at how easy it is to poke around at one without killing it~."

What an ominous thing to says so cheerfully.

"I look forward to listening to your discoveries then, Kamo-Sensei," I say with a light bow to my peppy new teacher.

"Me too~, me too~," he says and we continue walking in silence for a short while, turning the occasional corner, because this complex is apparently pretty large.

"Where do Shikigami come from?" I ask something that has been bothering me for a while after a moment. I've asked the old man before, obviously, but it's important to verify. 'Trust, but verify', as the saying goes.

"Shikigami don't come from anywhere, they are not summons," Kamo-Sensei answers. "They are conjured from one's Cursed Energy. In a way, you could consider the creation of Shikigami as the creation of artificial souls, even if they don't quite reach the same level of sophistication."

"Is it possible to create Shikigami in whatever form you desire then? Like a rope Shikigami?"

"Of course, though there is little point. It is much more efficient to simply use a Cursed Tool for something like that. The benefit of a Shikigami is its ability to act independently."

Hmm, true enough. Though, maybe the rope Shikigami would be able to float and tie people up by itself? Then again, you could probably just get a Cursed Tool rope that can be controlled by your mind that'd be better to use.

It's not like I'm going to be using inanimate Shikigami. Not only can I not sense any available to summon for me, but I just think independently acting Shikigami is better, like Kamo-Sensei said. I was just curious.

"Hey, Narauko-kun?" Kamo-Sensei asks, and when I turn to him I notice a mischievous smile on his face.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to make a good first impression on your classmates~?"

"I wouldn't want to make a bad impression," I answer.

"Good good," he says, "Well, you should know that all Jujutsu Sorcerers are somewhat eccentric, it comes with the trade, and since you are all so young, it results in some pretty excitable students~. So if you make them laugh on your first meeting, I think that would be a good impression, no~?"

"I guess..." I say. I think I'd probably rather just introduce myself normally and properly, like the old man taught me to, but he's their teacher, so I'd assume he knows best here.

"Wonderful~! In that case, I have an idea~!"

---

Present​

---

"I have arrived~!" I exclaim into the room, flipping my hair like I remember seeing in some commercials.

...What's with this lacklustre response?

Looking at my new classmates, the first thing I notice is that there is only five of them. Why is there a class for only five people? I don't know, I guess this isn't a subject that can be taught without personal attention, so it kind of makes sense.

The second thing I notice, is that one of my classmates is apparently a big red orb. Why do I have an orb classmate? I have no idea.

The third thing I notice is that one of the desks is embedded into the wall, which I guess was the cause of that bang earlier.

The fourth thing I notice, is that with the exception of Pinkie, they are all staring at me with flat, unimpressed looks. Even the orb is making a flat expression.

Where are the cheers? The laughs? The equally over the top responses?

Robotically, I turn my head from where I kneel to look up at Kamo-Sensei, who is holding a hand up to cover his mouth.

"Sensei..." I moan pitifully, a tear in my eye.

He just stops hiding his laughter.

"Betrayal," I whisper to myself before straightening up and turning to face the class properly.

I can feel my face burning, and I ignore my new Sensei's laughter as I face the crowd, probably feeling more embarrassed than I ever have before in this life.

Coughing into a fist, I straighten my back, put my hands back in my sleeves and bow slightly to the others.

"Hello, my name is Narauko, nice to meet you," I say, doing my best to just pretend that embarrassing event didn't happen.

That said, I am still smiling.

Just because I am the victim of the prank, doesn't mean I can't laugh along too. Plus, this is a new experience, I've never really been pranked like this before, so I don't really mind, and I can feel the shame rapidly draining from my face.

"Nice to meet you, Narauko-kun," the one with long black hair says, seemingly content to also pretend that didn't just happen. "I apologise for our Sensei's sense of humour."

"Hey!" Kamo-Sensei interrupts, stepping forward enough to clasp me on the shoulder, "My sense of humour is very refined, after all, I laughed a lot, didn't I~?"

"You're the only person who ever laughs at your jokes, Sensei," the sexy tomboy says, and I get the feeling she doesn't have the best opinion of Kamo-Sensei.

"Mah~ mah~, so judgemental~, no wonder you don't have a husband~."

"That's not the reason!" The tomboy yells as she grabs her neighbours desk and throws it at our teacher with impressive force. "I will get a husband when I want one!"

"Sure~ sure~," Kamo-Sensei says before clapping his hands and then patting me on the shoulder. "Now, it's time for introductions~!"

Why is this so informal? I feel like I'm getting stun locked. I was expecting to have to speak properly, address people properly and study in an actually traditional manner, what the hell is even going on.

Is this what he meant when he said all Jujutsu Sorcerers are eccentric? I guess it would be difficult to have a normal classroom if everyone has such strong personalities, even the teacher.

"Starting from the left," Kamo-Sensei says as he directs my attention to the cute black haired girl, "Is Minamoto no Yoshiie-chan, he's the current heir to the Minamoto clan and the wielder of their famed Inherited Technique: Kindred Link!"

Wait a minute, 'he'? What?

I go to ask but Kamo-Sensei cuts me off before I can.

"Next is Ise no Tayū-chan! She's the granddaughter of Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu, one of the renown Five Men of the Pear Chamber, and she possesses his Inherited Technique: Wakawaka~!"

Wait a second, go back one! What do you mean 'he'?! Are there really traps in this world!

"Next in line is Kamo no Sabishī! She's my granddaughter," there's a brief pause where I wait for elaboration, but none comes. "After her is Taira no Takiyasha, she is the daughter of the Special Grade Sorcerer Taira no Masakado and is also already Grade One herself!"

"Wait wait!" I interrupt, "Please elaborate! Why is your granddaughter an orb!"

"Last in line," Kamo-Sensei says, ignoring me completely, "Is-"

He cuts himself off and at the same time, some instinct screams at me and I lean backwards enough to plant a hand on the floor at the same time that Kamo-Sensei leans to the side without losing his smile.

The next moment, a massive gash appears on the wall behind us, like a valley opening up.

The fuck? Did I just almost die? Never mind dying on the first day, I haven't even gotten past the introductions yet!

This is so much fun already! I can already tell I'll have a blast here.

"Don't introduce me to trash," the final guy says, a dude with pink hair that honestly looks really good on him.

I feel my smile grow a little wider as my hand dips into the ground through my shadow, and the next moment, my shadow shoots forward and connects to the shadow of his desk before a giant inky black spike rises out of it, piercing into the ceiling, all in less than two seconds.

However, despite my own speed with my shadows, Pinkie moves fast enough to backflip over his chair with only one hand as leverage, and avoid the fate of his desk being reduced to splinters.

"It's rude to call people trash you know?" I say as I straighten up and meet his eyes with a smile that only grows when a heavy feeling of being under the eyes of a predator suddenly engulfs me.

It feels like I'm staring at malice made manifest, like by merely proximity I'm going to become a worse person, like he will tear me apart slowly just so he can hear me scream.

It's so exciting~.

"Did your parents not socialise you, Pinkie? You are supposed to start with a 'Hello, how are you?'"

I know I shouldn't rile up someone who is so clearly quick to violence, but I am honest enough with myself to admit that I just really want to fight another Jujutsu Sorcerer.

I can't get that fight with Tamamo out of my head. I just want to experience that again, and this guy feels even more dangerous than her.

"Why are you hiding your Cursed Energy?" He asks after a moment, surprising me both with his calmness and with the question, especially since he shouldn't have been able to tell how much I have, my energy is too sneaky for that.

"I'm not," I say with a shrug. "It just does that."

I notice my other classmates all moving to the side of the room, but I don't take my eyes off of Pinkie, and that proved to be the right decision as I manage to catch his hand twitching just moments before that feeling of invisible danger returned.

I can vaguely sense something tiny rapidly approaching, and it's only thanks to having to deal with Tamamo's invisibility that I can notice that much.

Still, I was actually expecting it this time, so I am quick enough to put my hands in a shadowgraphic of a tortoise, and my shadow raises in front of me like a wall.

Since the Shikigami is bigger than the room, I only let a portion of his shell manifest outside of my shadow, but that is enough.

Pinkie's slashing attack, at least I assume it's a slash of some sort, hits Reflective Tortoise's shell and the attack is reflected back, but Pinkie leans out of the way easily enough, ignoring the new gash in the opposite wall.

I don't have to pay for repairs, right?

"Okay~! That's enough you two~!" Kamo-Sensei interrupts, stepping between us and clapping his hands in a very teacher-like fashion.

Cautiously dismissing my Shikigami, I watch as Pinkie scowls for a moment before he relaxes and turns back to me with a mild expression of interest.

"What's your name," he says.

"I literally just introduced myself."

"I wasn't listening."

I snort at his honesty. I can't really blame him for ignoring people he thinks are boring. I'm assuming I'm interesting enough because I survived. Maybe this is like a baptism rite kind of thing to be accepted by the class?

"My name's Narauko, nice to meet you, Pinkie."

Another slash is sent my way, but it's easier to dodge this time.

"My name is Sukuna. Don't forget it."

"Oh, I don't think that will be a problem," I say with a grin. This whole interaction has just been too interesting to forget, but after the briefest of pauses, I continue my sentence, "Pinkie."

---

A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

Narauko is in school! Tell me what you think of my Sukuna characterisation!

I don't want to mess him up, cuz he's the JJK character I empathise the most with and I like him (really says a lot about me(Todo is 2nd best))

Keep in mind though that this is Young!Sukuna, he hasn't fully come into his power yet, doesn't even have a domain expansion, which I am using as an excuse for why he would bother to attend a school.

Also, all the characters in this chap bar Sukuna and Narauko are real life people you can google if you want. (Idk why I made Yoshiie a trap, I was just getting annoyed at the fact that everyone in japan has basically the exact same hair, especially a thousand years ago, I needed differentiation, and this is funnier than what I originally planned for Yoshiie )

 

[z Suicide Eznutt z]

The evening finds me in a large open field on the school grounds with two of my classmates.

After the introductions earlier, Kamo-Sensei gave a brief lesson on Barrier Techniques before dismissing us for self study, which is apparently a significant portion of our study time.

According to my classmates, there isn't actually a whole lot that a Jujutsu Sorcerer can teach another Sorcerer. Innate Techniques for example can only be figured out by their user, with the exception of Inherited Technique Users who can benefit from the efforts of their predecessors.

I still managed to get permission to visit the library and borrow some of the books and scrolls there.

Then Ise and Minamoto both had to leave for a mission and Sukuna wondered off somewhere, so my other classmates offered to spar with me.

I think they just want to test me for something, though I'm not sure what, but I don't mind, because I'm here to learn, so this is perfect for me.

I learnt so much in that short fight with Tamamo, and now I feel like I'm addicted to smoking again with how badly I want to experience that again.

Now that I think about it, I could probably smoke without worrying about my lungs now that I have superpowers. Neat.

"I know you're a bumpkin," Taira comments while stretching, breaking the silence without a hint of grace, "So have ya ever been in a fight before?"

Turning to face my classmates properly, I crack my neck as I answer. "Only once," I say with a smile, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face as that thrill for battle slowly starts to grow for the second time in my life.

Taira makes a face at my answer, as if I'd just said the most unbelievable thing.

"I grew up in an isolated shrine and I only left it for the first time a few days ago," I defend myself, and she lets out a sigh in return, looking put out.

"(¬‿¬)," the orb 'says', facing Taira, who immediately blushes.

"S-shut up!" She yells at Kamo, who floats back a little in an imitation of backing off.

"(￣y▽,￣)╭," is the face Kamo makes, and I feel like I'm missing some inside joke as Taira huffs out a breath and steadily regains her calm.

Well, mostly. She still looks kind of pissed actually.

"Whatever," Taira scoffs as I feel her Cursed Energy spike and she settles into a combat stance. "Let's see how you fare, Special grade."

I turn a dry glare to Kamo at the fact she just got Taira all riled up right before they fight, and the orb ripples and changes in response.

"(ง •.•)ง."

...This school is so weird.

I kind of love it.

"Pay attention!" Taira suddenly yells from right next to me, and it's only instinct that has me raising an arm in time to block her punch from hitting my face.

Even still, there is enough force behind the blow to send me cartwheeling away, which is incredibly disorienting by the way.

Still, I am able to twist enough to land on my feet, and my smile only grows when I look up to see Taira rushing me down, moving even faster than Tamamo did.

She reaches me with a left cross that I block with both of my arms in an 'x', yet the punch still has enough force in it that my knees buckle and the ground cracks beneath us.

Stronger than Tamamo too, I think to myself as I notice her other hand drop to the katana on her waist, and as I move to dodge the coming slash, I am blindsided by a kick to my lower ribs that sends me rolling across the ground.

Palming the floor, I flip myself back to my feet with a spin and bring a hand to my rib, feeling that two of them are broken.

Taira doesn't push the attack this time, so I use the brief pause to channel some Positive Energy and fix myself up, earning a raised brow from the tomboy opposite me.

"So you can use Reverse Cursed Technique then?" She says before settling into a one-handed stance with her sword. "A Sorcerer's entire body is a weapon," she says, "Don't focus on any one part."

It's my first time fighting someone with a weapon, so I guess I did focus on it too much.

"Thanks for the lesson," I happily respond, and she answers with another charge and this time, I move forward to meet her, instead of being entirely passive.

Her sword has the longest reach, so she brings it down on my head in a straight slash, however I am able to keep up with her speed, so instead of dodging, I deflect by slapping the side of the blade with the back of my hand.

The cut goes wide, but her other hand is already closing in, so I meet her fist with an elbow. Unfortunately, her hand unclenches at the last moment and she catches my elbow in her palm, closing her fingers around it.

With my elbow as leverage, she leans back matrix style, pulling me off of my feet with her. Right before her shoulders would hit the ground, her other hand comes back up and her sword drives straight through my shoulder before she completes the movement and throws me behind her.

I don't go far, since she lacked the leverage to put much power into the throw, but that doesn't mean I have the time to counter her before she's back on her feet and facing me again.

"You're starting to piss me off," Taira says with a scowl. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Because I'm learning."

Once again, she charges at me, but I've already seen what she does on flat ground, so this time, right before she reaches me, I raise a foot and stomp.

The ground craters under my Cursed Energy Reinforced geta and Taira looses her footing for just a moment before resuming her dash with even more fervour.

Her sword swings horizontally, attempting to disembowel me. Two quick steps back avoid it and then I have to lean even further back to avoid the roundhouse kick that follows the blade.

Taira spins with the kick, bringing her sword to bare once more in a fluid motion, like a whirlwind of water. Her sword slashes across at me again, and I step back again, but this time her sword pauses mid-swing and transitions into a thrust that I manage to twist past with only a small cut to my clothes.

Reaching my freshly healed arm out, I grab her sword by the blade, my palm on the flat side, and yank it away from her while sending a kick for her gut, but she immediately twists her wrist ninety degrees so that the blade is poised against my fingers and pulls back, regaining control of her sword and taking my fingers with her.

Owwww, I whine in my head even as I raise a knee to block a front kick of hers, jumping with my other foot so I can use the force of her kick to gain some distance.

But as soon as I land, Taira makes a clapping gesture and I quickly leap another step backwards, just in time to dodge as a pair of giant skeletal hand burst out of the earth, following the movement of Taira's hands.

With even more distance between us, Taira doesn't chase again, and I glance down at my fingers, or at least what's left of them.

Can Positive Energy regenerate limbs? Probably. I used Generous Deer to fix the hole in my chest that Tamamo made, but I don't know if I can do that myself yet.

"Oi!" Taira yells, pulling my attention away from my bleeding digits. "Do I look like a whetstone to you!?" She demands, confusing me.

"What?" I ask with a tilt of my head, and she points her sword at me as she continues to glare.

"Do you think I'm stupid? That I wouldn't notice?" She says, practically spitting the words out. "You've been holding back this whole time. You had an opening when you made me lose my footing but you didn't take it! You're not even treating this like a fight! You're treating me like a grindstone to sharpen yourself on and it's pissing me off!"

What she doesn't say, what is bothering her the most, is that his eyes remind her of the way Sukuna looked down on her. The eyes of someone who knows they are better, but gave you a chance to show what you can do just out of curiosity.

The only difference is that Narauko is not blatantly mocking her. He's still looking down on her though, and it pisses her off that he doesn't even seem to realise it.

"You haven't even used your Technique!" She yells.

I don't respond right away, recognising the truth to her words. A part of me feels bad about it, but I truly just can't bring myself to look at her and see a genuine threat to my life, so I wanted to keep the fight going so I could continue to learn.

"My apologies," I say with a slight bow, "I did not mean to insult, I just wanted to keep learning from your example."

"So you think the battle will end once you actually start trying then!?" Taira demands, and her words unconsciously make my eyes briefly flicker to Kamo before returning to her. Unfortunately, she noticed the movement and connected the dots.

Taira's scowl only grows deeper. "Oh? You think I need Kamo's help to put up a fight against you?"

Scratching my cheek, I feel somewhat sheepish at her decidedly unhappy expression. "I mean..." I trail off as I try to think of a diplomatic way to avoid lying, and fail miserably. "Kind of."

Predictably, she doesn't like that answer, however, to my surprise, she actually does seem to take the honesty for what it was instead of just blowing up and turns her scowl to Kamo. "Don't get involved unless it looks like I'm going to lose," she says before turning back to me. "Now start using your Technique."

Sighing at her demanding tone, I don't argue. It's not like I mind how we fight, either way I'm going to be learning, either martial arts or Jujutsu doesn't matter to me.

Looking back down at my stubs of fingers, I only smile at the flow of blood and simmering sting, finding the experience too novel to be upsetting.

I've never regenerated a limb before, and I don't want to mess it up, so I go to summon Generous Deer, only to falter when I bring my hands up to make the shadowgraphic.

...How to I make the antlers without fingers?

That's pretty funny. Can you really disarm Jujutsu Sorcerers by literally disarming them? I guess in the future I should keep in mind to aim my attacks to disrupt ritualistic things like hand signs when necessary.

Well, Kamo-Sensei did say something about this right? He said that techniques are normally powered by Cursed Energy, which is inherently negative, and this process is called Lapse. Then, when Cursed Energy gets multiplied by itself into Positive Energy it's called Reverse, but there's also a subtraction too.

I don't know why it's so mathematic, probably just because maths can explain pretty much everything, rather than it being the other way around. Either way, the point is that subtraction involved limiting the number of steps required to activate a ritual. Basically anyway.

So with that in mind, I drop the injured hand and make half of the shadowgraphic for my Shikigami.

"Generous Deer," I intone, and it feels a little bit less efficient and slower, but a moment later my dear deer is standing tall beside me regardless.

That was easier than I thought it'd be, I think to myself, recalling how Kamo-Sensei briefly described the process. Maybe it's just because my Technique is Shikigami? Or, considering that prank, maybe Kamo-Sensei was just messing with me by exaggerating the difficulty.

Generous Deer's snout reaches for the back of my palm, and in a burst of Positive Energy I feel the strange tingling sensation of my fingers regenerating.

It feels weird.

Wiggling my newly remade hand, I dismiss Generous Deer and face Taira again.

She is faster and stronger than Tamamo was, but not by a massive amount, and Tamamo's illusions made her much more difficult to fight. Plus, that fight let me get over the initial hesitance one has for new things, so I'm easily a much better fighter than then.

It's easier to improve when one is a novice after all.

Time to fight for real then.

"If you die, can I have your sword?" I ask with a sweet smile while subtly sending a thin line of my shadow forward to connect with her own.

Immediately, her scowl grows deeper, and in that moment, I flick two fingers up, causing a giant spike of inky black to rise from the ground right in front of her.

A fight is more than a clash of bodies. Deception is important too and words are weapons. Tamamo taught me that as well, though I already kind of knew it thanks to the wonders of the internet.

Taira dashes to the side fast enough to avoid the spike, but my hands are already in a different hand sign.

"Lion's Pride," I intone, and my lion Shikigami launches out of the shadow spike with an open maw, ready to bite her head off.

In slow motion, I watch as Cursed Energy coalesces around Taira's free hand and conjures up the form of a small, ornate silver bell carved with intricate designs and with a handle of smooth brown wood capped by a golden cap.

The bell chimes, a soft tinging sound that somehow both manages to be perfectly clear and calmingly quiet at the same time. The next moment, the earth between her and my Shikigami explodes outwards.

A giant skeleton rises from the earth, its bones making a low creaking sound as it stretches tall and swings one of its arms at my Shikigami, batting away the lion like it's a stuffed toy, rather than my second strongest summon.

"My Cursed Technique is Rattling Skeleton," Taira informs me as the giant skeleton looms over her, about seven times as tall as she is and radiating an aura of inevitability, like it is foolish to even consider taking the titan down. "It allows me to summon this Gashadokuro, who possesses great strength and complete invulnerability to all forms of damage."

"Why are you telling me this?" I ask, not that I'm complaining. Also, giant skeletons are cool as hell. Every day I wish I had a camera more and more, because I never want to forget this sight. I don't think my new life has ever felt more like a movie than right now, it's just so cinematic with the afternoon sun hanging behind the titan.

"It's a Binding Vow," she answers with a twitch of her brow at my ignorance. "By revealing my technique I am putting myself in greater danger. The 'revealing one's hand' Binding Vow rewards this by boosting the effectiveness of the Technique being revealed. This explanation I am giving is also enhancing my abilities, because I am making the fight more difficult for myself by educating you."

Huh. Seems useful more for people with simple techniques like her. But for me, Ten Shadows is a technique who's greatest strength is versatility, so I don't think it would really be worth it for me to do the same.

"That's nice," I say before making a new shadowgraphic, "Rabbit Escape."

A veritable ocean of rabbits swarm out of my shadow, though they're more like hares with their size, and then each other's shadows to create a fluffy tidal wave that drops right onto the giant skeleton to weigh it down, at least for a little bit anyway.

As that happens, I push my body reinforcement as hard as I can and launch myself at Taira. Her eyes widen at my speed but she still manages to block my opening punch with her forearm.

She still winces from the strength behind the blow, but still brings her sword to bare when I go for a kick, causing me to abandon the attack and pivot around in a spin, sending a long sweep at her legs that she hops over.

The moment that her feet leave the ground, my lion launches out of my shadow at her. She tries to twist out of the way mid-air, but my Shikigami still manages to rake its claws down her thigh, and I am ready to follow it up with a rising knee, only to hesitate when my ears barely manage to catch the sound of hands clapping together.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of Kamo's orb and I see that a pair of heavily scarred hands have reached out of the surface.

The hands are entirely covered in scar tissue rather than skin, looking like the most horrific burn I have ever seen, but regardless they are held steady together, pointing right in my direction.

I don't even think about it as I abandon my advantage and lean backwards, just in time as a thin line of red appears in front of my eyes, cutting through right where my torso was a moment ago.

I don't get to catch my breath as the giant skeleton follows the attack by slamming its palm down at me, not seeming all that bothered by the hoard of rabbits covering it.

My lion falls back into my shadow as I hop backwards, avoiding the palm, and then just for fun, I hop back forward and land a spinning kick on the skeleton's wrist.

My leg immediately shatters on contact, and I have to have my rabbits cover me from Taira's sword so I can get some distance, the woman struggling to cut through so many Shikigami quickly.

My rabbits clear away into black ink that drains into nothing a moment after I have gained some distance, leaving me standing on one foot beside my lion while facing Taira, her skeleton and Kamo, who has retreated back into her orb.

I honestly didn't even think there was a person in there in the first place. I've seen enough magical stuff recently that I was just fully ready to accept that one of my classmates is a sentient floating orb of blood.

Kami this life is so much fucking fun~! I love it~!

"Why did you attack my Gashadokuro, Idiot?" Taira asks, though it comes out more as a demand.

"I was curious," I answer with an unrepentant grin, "Besides, you could have been lying."

A standoff forms between us with growing tension as we wait for someone to make the first move.

On my side, I want to summon Generous Deer, or I could just try healing my leg by myself, while on their side, Taira's injury isn't too severe, so they probably want to stop me from healing and keep pressing the attack.

If I try to summon my deer, Kamo will probably use that attack on me, and it seems super fast so I doubt I can dodge it while summoning a Shikigami, and Taira's skeleton would stop my lion from disrupting Kamo.

However, if I send my lion forward first, Kamo will probably attack it right away, and then it will be a question of whether I can summon my deer before Taira's skeleton can reach me.

Or... I could always try something new.

I wanted to test merging my Shikigami together before trying to merge them with myself or borrow their abilities, but hey, it's my technique, what's the worst that could happen?

Illusions seem like they would be perfect right now, so I reach deep into my being and mentally take hold of Trickster Fox, bringing the Shikigami closer to the surface as if I was about to summon it forth, but not going all the way.

It's difficult to describe the process, but I try to then layer the Shikigami over myself. I feel it's illusion technique in my mind's eye, and my grin only grows when I make a gesture to create an illusion of myself rushing for Kamo with my Lion-

Crap, I think as Kamo's hands remerge from her orb pointed right at me, I failed~!

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to-

The battlefield is cut in half.

Taira and Kamo both seem to stutter and freeze as an enormous cavern opens in the ground between us like a valley had just opened up between blinks.

Slowly, their eyes turn to the side, where the training field rises up into a grassy bank before the school.

But my attention is more occupied by my Shikigami that was just ahead of me and is now missing its upper half.

That was my strongest one! Other than the combined Divine Dogs of course, but in terms of default strength, Lion's Pride was great! And it's even stronger closer to midday!

"Sukuna-sama," Taira says after subtly swallowing whatever her first response was, and I follow her eyes to see the guy in question standing on the bank, looking down on us with a disinterested frown.

However, whatever else Taira was going to say is cut off by me.

"Oi!" I yell up at him, "I have to tame my Shikigami you know! They don't just respawn! So don't go killing them, Asshole!"

"Haaah?" Sukuna questions dangerously, looking down at me with disapproval, and then, without a word of diplomacy, he swipes his hand at me and I briefly fall into my shadow to avoid the wide, invisible slash, remerging right after it passes.

Why do I feel like a Whac-A-Mole doing this?

"Violence isn't the only answer to everything you know?" I sardonically ask him. "You should try being diplomatic and just apologise for killing my Shikigami! I can't get that thing back now! Ever!"

"Why should I apologise?" Sukuna asks in a slow drawl that is clearly supposed to be mocking.

"Because it is the polite thing to do when you upset someone!"

"Really." He says again, not sounding convinced. "You don't look all that upset."

His words cause me to falter slightly, and I bring a hand up to my face to realise that yes, I'm actually smiling pretty widely right now.

"Yeah well... It's still polite to apologise for breaking other people's things! Even if they don't get mad about it!"

I try, but I really just can't bring myself to be angry. Part of it is that I know through my dogs that Lion's Pride's strength will be carried on, but mostly it's just because Sukuna's Technique is so cool that I just don't care.

"Too bad," Sukuna shrugs, smirking down at me. A second later, he changes the conversation entirely. "We've been assigned a mission together from Kamo. Hurry up, if you slow me down, I'll kill you."

I can tell that he means that last part, so is it weird that it makes me want to get to know him even more?

Probably.

Whatever.

Focusing on my Cursed Energy, I smash it against itself and send the resulting Positive Energy down to my injured leg, not trusting Sukuna to not kill my deer if I summoned it.

It's a bit more challenging to fix, since I need to make sure the bones are all set right, but ultimately it's pretty easy. Probably just because I've seen Generous Deer do the same, so I'm not fumbling in the dark.

Turning to my classmates, I give them a smile and a wave, "That was fun! Thanks for the lesson, I'll see you later!"

With my piece said, I set off on a jog to catch up with Sukuna.

"You know," I start once I reach his side, "Even just a 'my bad'-" I step backwards once to avoid death and forward twice to continue my sentence, "Would be fine~."

Sukuna doesn't answer.

"So," I start again after a minute of silence, "Mind filling me in on where we're going and what we're to be doing?"

"Shut up."

"Tsk."

Whatever. I can be patient. Sukuna clearly doesn't want to talk right now, and I don't feel like needling him just yet.

I have a feeling he'll be more willing to open up later, so I let the matter rest for now and just enjoy our walk. Though, even as I admire the architecture and floral arrangements we pass, I do make sure not to let my guard down, just in case he randomly decides to kill me.

This guy is seriously a scary kind of guy after all. He'd totally be a serial killer in my last world.

Wait... "Hey are you a serial killer?"

He doesn't answer, but I get a certain sense of smugness from him that makes the answer clear enough, and I stifle a laugh at that.

Murder is obviously a bad thing, but it's also just another part of nature, so even if I don't plan to indulge in it, I'm not going to throw a fit about someone else doing it.

At the end of the day, he is just doing as is his nature, it would be hypocritical of me to condemn him for that when I am the exact same in essence.

Still.. Didn't think I'd ever make friends with a serial killer.

"Hey, are we friends?"

An invisible blade very nearly removes my head from my shoulders and I grin.

Yeah, we're friends.

---

A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

Could have probably made this chapter longer, especially since it was only supposed to be the start of the chapter leading into the mission, but I ended up writing 4k words, so now I'm feeling like I might as well just split the setup into its own chap and have the mission be separate.

Plus it means I can sperate things more cleanly to keep avoiding any cliffhangers with my uploads.

If you want to read ahead or just support me, there is an extra 6 chapters right now on my patreon, Kevin the Bored. Donations are taken with much gratitude, I am broke and jobless, so I really do appreciate it

 

[Mr. Error]

Marvelous! Marvelous! Simply marvelous! Keep cooking, brother!

 

[stoodeu]

thanks for the chapter, please keep cooking for us.

 

[ILoveYouAll]

This is great, I wonder what's up with Kenjakus granddaughter

 

[Orchamus]

What a fun introduction to JJK for our MC
Curious to see what you'll do for him losing Shikigami already. What changes to his technique might occur? So excited

 

[crissthethief]

This is great, I wonder what's up with Kenjakus granddaughter

Click to shrink...

Cursed womb maybe? Actually wouldn't even be surprised this is literally kenjaku at his most perverted him raping this bodies daughter and forcing a miscarriage to create a cursed womb is genuinely in the cards.

 

[trashtaker]

Can't wait for Ragga to be created lol

 

[crissthethief]

Can't wait for Ragga to be created lol

Click to shrink...

It's gonna be way later in the story. Or he might just not exist

 

[0bi-Kun]

Peak fiction. I'll be spreading the word for this one.

 

[Angry_Crustacean]

It's gonna be way later in the story. Or he might just not exist

Click to shrink...

Let's say Big Raga does end up in the story. Would his nature change? It seems pretty perfect as it is. Constantly adapting, and *learning* fits Narauko to a T

 

[z Suicide Eznutt z]

Can't wait for Ragga to be created lol

Click to shrink...

It's gonna be way later in the story. Or he might just not exist

Click to shrink...

Let's say Big Raga does end up in the story. Would his nature change? It seems pretty perfect as it is. Constantly adapting, and *learning* fits Narauko to a T

Click to shrink...

:3
I have a plan. I think it's a cool plan. We'll have to wait and see if y'all agree :>

Peak fiction. I'll be spreading the word for this one.

Click to shrink...

<3

 

[NutakuFan]

Awesome, AWESOME!!! KEEP COOKING, BROTHA

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

TFTC. This is peak fr, Followed immediately.

"I've said before, there was no need for payment. I helped because I could, not because I needed to."

Click to shrink...

not because I needed something.

 

[z Suicide Eznutt z]

The dirt path we walk down is flanked on both sides by trees with wide canopies about twice as tall as a two story house. The sun shines down on us through the gaps in the leaves, making a nice, warm feeling of dimmed light.

We've been walking for a while now, and though not a word has been spoken, I'm not bothered by the silence.

Occasionally I see some wildlife, deer and rabbits mostly, but there was also a bear that didn't seem to want to get close to us. Well, it was probably Sukuna that scared it off, that guy gives off bad juju like he gets paid to.

I've also seen some new flowers! So that's cool too, I don't know what they're called, but they were such a vibrant shade of blue that I had to pick a few.

I even made a crown of flowers to wear, because they smelled nice too.

Sukuna didn't accept the flower crown I made for him. In fact, he seemed kind of disgusted by it.

It turns out that Minamoto's Technique: Kindred Spirit allows him to connect two 'cuts' together. Basically, he can swing a blade in one place, then swing a blade in another place, and create a portal connecting where the two blades cut.

He has a range limit, unfortunately, but we could still use his Technique to cut the travel time for this mission down a bunch.

As for the mission itself, well... I still have no idea what it is.

Sukuna doesn't feel like talking, so I've been keeping to myself. No need to rush him.

Maybe he's shy~.

Obviously not, but it's a funny thought, and I'll definitely tease him with it once we're closer, something I don't doubt will happen, simply because he's too interesting and I want to learn more about who he is.

All I know is that we're heading towards a small town, well, small to my sensibilities. It probably only has around a thousand people or something living there.

I only know that much because Minamoto had to know where to teleport us.

It would have been funny if he portal-ed us in the opposite direction, but I'm pretty sure Sukuna would have killed me if he did that.

Oh well.

Still, I haven't just been admiring the scenery on this walk, I've also been taking the time to train in Subtraction.

One of my Technique's biggest weaknesses is the brief time it takes to summon my Shikigami. If I can get it to the point that I don't need words or gestures to summon them, then that'd be great.

So I've been summoning and dismissing my Escape Rabbit over and over again as we've been travelling.

I haven't quite mastered it, but I got to the point where I can summon either with just the hand sign and no chant, or a chant and no hand sign.

The latter seems the most helpful, since it'll keep my hands unoccupied, but the former will undoubtably be best if I need to be sneaky for whatever reason.

However, while I have been training my Technique, one thing I've made sure not to do is summon either Divine Dog: Totality, or the latest result of power trickling down from Lion's Pride's demise.

Because I honestly feel like it's a good idea to keep as many tricks up my sleeve as I can, just in case Sukuna decides he wants to kill me before heading back.

He seriously is not a nice person. I don't think I can express enough with words how not nice of a person he is.

It's like, if you have a murderer on trial and say they're a horrible monster, then you get a serial killer on trial, then what are you supposed to say that's worse than horrible monster?

Just because the crime is worse, doesn't mean the lesser criminal is less of a horrible monster, but by calling them such, you run out of ways to describe anyone who is worse without just repeating yourself.

So basically, Sukuna is the single worse human I have ever met in my life, and likely will ever meet again. As a matter of fact, I'd say he's more of a Curse than a human, that much I can tell just from exposure.

If anything, he's more of a Curse than even Curses are, simply because he is also human.

He's so interesting.

Eventually however, we do reach the end of the forest trail at around evening time. As the trees clear up, we exit to the sight of a small settlement of wooden buildings built in the same design my mind still calls traditional Japanese, even though it's just normal now.

The streets are surprisingly bustling, lit up by the soft glow of lamps hung up all around, preparing for the approaching night.

Glancing to my side, I notice that Sukuna didn't even stop to take in the sight and just kept walking forward, his nose buried in one of my books.

Not that I gave it to him mind. I took it out of my shadow to read it, but then he just snatched it. He even cut my hand off when he did it, the prick.

Not that I'm really mad. If anything, I was just intrigued that there really was more to him than just hatred.

Plus I used the chance to try and regenerate my hand by myself, having realised that even if I do fuck it up, I can just cut it off again and have my deer do it for me.

Unfortunately however, it seems that regenerating limbs is a bit beyond me at the moment, so I did have to summon Generous Deer anyway.

I was really quick though, because I still can't take on my Shikigami's abilities without summoning them like I tried earlier and I didn't want him to kill my deer.

I might actually be upset if he did that, it's my favourite Shikigami. I am very bias for deer.

I also realised that since my lion is dead, I only have half my Shikigami slots filled now, but again, I don't want to start the ritual around Sukuna.

Shaking my head clear of useless thoughts, I speed walk my way back to Sukuna's side as we approach the settlement.

Absently, I note how the road through the town is all just dirt without any paving, the sight standing out to me alone. It makes me think back to my other life and realise that I'd never take note of a city road being made of tarmac or concrete or something grey like that, just like these people treat a dirt road as something so banal as to not even notice.

But to me, it's strange seeing so many people walking down a street of dirt. It's just one of those things you notice, a culture shock, I guess it's called.

Though, saying it's shocking feels like an overestimation. It's more like how if you're used to taking your shoes off or keeping them on when you're in your own house, then you tend to notice when you visit someone else and it's the opposite, while ignoring it if it's the same.

Basically just something that makes you go 'oh okay' and move on.

The point is, I'm smiling as we reach the entrance to the town, finding a man in a formal kimono standing to the side of the road waiting for us.

My sense of Cursed Energy tells me that he barely has any more than the average person, and my lessons with the old man tell me that he's probably a 'Window', the term for people with enough Cursed Energy to see Cursed Spirits, but not enough to fight them.

They are usually the people who report when and where Cursed Spirits are spotted to be dealt with.

A brief bit of history from the old man that I found interesting was that Windows used to actually not see too much use, because they only needed to keep an eye on low Grade Curses. This was because the Jujutsu world was content to just leave powerful Curses like Special Grades alone to their devices so long as they weren't causing too much trouble.

However, ever since Sugawara no Michizane started his one man crusade against Cursed Spirits, that is no longer the case. The problem is that Cursed Spirits don't truly die, at least not the normal way. The only way they can die is if they are well and truly forgotten.

So now there are a bunch of powerful Curses that are going to reincarnate randomly with no hint as to where or when. Because of this, Windows now have a much more important job of making sure everyone knows exactly when any powerful Curses are born and where they are as soon as possible.

It kind of makes me feel a bit bad for Michizane, since he was probably just trying to do a good thing, but now it's just going to cause even more problems down the line.

Oh well, I'm actually not that upset about it now that I think about it. After all, more problems down the line just means more opportunities for me to see interesting things.

"This one greets Sukuna-sama and Narauko-sama on behalf of the Fujiwara clan," the Window greets once we get close enough, bowing deeply. "By your will, I may inform you of what we have learned of the Curse present."

Why am I getting '-sama'-ed? I'm a forest child, not a noble. Maybe they think I'm an asshole like Sukuna and are just scared?

I'm only fifteen though. Even if they gave me that Special Grade rank, it's just because I have a lot of Cursed Energy, not because I'm particularly amazing.

I've only been in two fights now and they were both in the last week.

However, more than that, my attention is drawn to Sukuna as he looks over the town with blatant distain.

Where before, I got the feeling that Sukuna would kill me and everyone around him without a care, it always felt like something he would only do with a reason, even if the reason was incredibly thin, like not bowing when he walked past or something.

But when he looks out over these people, I feel a true, genuine hatred coming from him. His Cursed Energy is tumultuous, raging against his skin as if he is actively holding himself back from just killing them all.

I don't get why though. Why does he hate people so much? Why does he want to kill them all?

Why is he holding himself back?

"Narauko greets the aid of the esteemed Fujiwara clan," I return in greeting, since Sukuna would probably kill someone if he had to speak right now. Though, I don't bow. "What have you learned about this Curse?"

I'd like to have said something about being grateful for any information given, because that feels more polite, but the old man taught me that giving gratitude is a dangerous thing with nobles. Apparently if you apologise to, or thank a noble, they think it means you owe them or something.

Politics.

At least the Window seems pleased at my attitude, furtively stealing subtle glanced at Sukuna, the same way you would glance at a coiled snake just in case it lashed out.

"It is a Vengeful Cursed Spirit, Narauko-sama," the Window says with another bow, "In life, she was the wife to a local Samurai. However, she was adulterous while her husband was away fighting. He discovered this on his return and slit the corners of her mouth open as punishment. She then died and turned into a Vengeful Cursed Spirit. Its exact abilities are unknown to us, as everyone we've sent to investigate has died. It is likely Semi-Grade One at a minimum. The locals have started calling it Kuchisake-onna."

Seems like an overreaction to adultery to me, and for a second I get whiplash about how casually the Window retold the story.

It's just completely foreign to me that a man cutting his wife's mouth open like the Joker isn't even that big of a deal here. Hell, they'd probably be more scandalised if he just divorced her.

It's so weird. Though, it's kind of funny in hindsight that some people in the twenty first century fail to understand how much more peaceful the world is for them.

Sure there were, or will be? Still wars, but at least that Samurai would get sent to jail or something for mutilating his wife instead of just divorcing her.

Wait a minute... "What happened with the husband?" I ask, eyes alight with curiosity enough to ignore the strange look the other two gave me.

"I.. Don't know?" The Window asks more than states, caught flatfooted, "I assume he returned to his clan in the capital. May this lowly one ask why you wish to know?"

So he's not even going to get punished? Probably just made fun of by his friends or something.

"No reason," I wave him off, "I was just curious."

"Enough," Sukuna cuts in, his voice hard and full of poorly hidden bloodlust, whether that's directed at the Curse or the people, I couldn't say. Probably both. "Where is the Curse."

The Window immediately bows to Sukuna. "We have managed to confine it in the Samurai's compound to the north of the town, Sukuna-sama."

Sukuna doesn't say anything or nod any kind of acknowledgement to the Window, simply turning on his heel and walking north, tossing my book to the side as he does so.

Naturally, I catch my book before it hits the ground. These things aren't that sturdy like they will be in the future. I don't want to ink to smudge.

Putting my hands back in my sleeves, I deposit the book back in my shadow and give a shallow bow to the Window before hurrying my steps to catch back up with Sukuna again.

We get a lot of looks from the townspeople as we travel through the town, and it becomes clear to me that they know we are Sorcerers. It also becomes clear that they don't have a particularly high opinion of Sorcerers, even when we are here to exorcise a dangerous Curse for them.

It just makes me curious how other Sorcerers have acted in the past for them to be so distrustful.

Though, glancing over at Sukuna kind of answers that question. No one is willing to even get close to us, some primal part of their brain warning them that death will follow if they do.

Normal people can't consciously perceive Cursed Energy, but their subconscious still can. It's like that feeling you get when you enter an abandoned, spooky building, that unnatural chill.

Except in this world, I know for a fact that that feeling is not just mould or whatever making you hallucinate, but the effect of feeling Cursed Energy, even if you can't perceive it.

I also don't doubt for a second that their instincts are correct. If any of these people were to approach us, Sukuna would probably kill them before they can get to the second syllable of whatever they wanted to say.

The town itself is very reminiscent of Edo, just smaller. The only three story building being the Samurai's compound we are approaching, and though the place is too small to have it's own redlight district, I do spy a slightly larger building decorated with red lanterns.

Vaguely I remember some factoid about how Japan was one of the nations most accepting of prostitution as a part of society, though I'm not sure if that was just people on the internet spreading misinformation again.

It's hard to say.

Eventually however, my musings are cut off when we finally reach our destination.

The compound is rather large, a good two hundred metres or so wide at a guess, probably longer lengthwise, but I can't tell from this angle.

There is a wall about twice my height surrounding it, with what looks like archer towers on each corner and a big fancy gate with the same kind of roofing as all the other buildings.

The gate is closed, so I can't see the details inside, but I can see the rooves of the buildings, showing that there are three, one two story building on each side, and a three story main building at the far end in the centre.

Overall, it's an incredibly nice compound. Makes me think this Samurai guy is actually probably someone important. Or maybe houses like this just aren't that uncommon among nobility and the like.

Around the entire compound, there is also another barrier, except this one I cannot see with my eyes. It is only through my sense for Cursed Energy that I can even notice it, a faint but sturdy feeling barrier invisibly coating the entire place in a dome.

It doesn't feel like it would affect me in anyway, but I guess that makes sense, since it's probably designed with restraining Curses in mind, not Sorcerers.

hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, I turn my eyes away from the architecture to observe the approach of a middle aged man.

He has messy dull grey hair that looks more natural than a result of advanced age and a bland expression of disinterest on his face as he approaches.

Like Sukuna and I, he is wearing a kimono, except unlike us who are matching, except for my scarf, his is shaded with a pure black base that is covered with white and dark blue markings like that of a snake's skin.

It makes him look like how I imagine Yakuza would look honestly.

However, what is most interesting, and what draws my eye, is the strange tattoo-like markings over his mouth that I can just tell are Cursed Markings.

The man, in contrast to Narauko's interest, briefly falters as a pair of equally curious eyes bore down on him, greatly discomforting him.

"Sukuna. Narauko." The man begins, not even trying to be polite as his lifeless eyes move between us. "I am Inumaki Kotone, Grade One. I will be supervising this exorcism."

Sukuna looks like he's going to try and kill the guy for not putting any respect on his name, so I step forward and bow to Inumaki. "It is nice to meet you, Inumaki-san. Is there anything else, or shall we begin the exorcism now?"

He waves a hand at the compound. "No. Go ahead. I will be waiting outside the Curtain."

What's the point in being a supervisor if you're not even going to come and supervise? Naturally, I don't say that out loud, but still.

With that out of the way, I once again have to catch up with Sukuna, who has already started strolling for the gate, practically broadcasting his boredom through his Cursed Energy, a stark contrast to my own that is reflecting my excitement.

After all, I am about to see a Curse that's either Grade One or on the verge of it. I know that Special Grade among Curses isn't really the same as Sorcerers, so saying that a Grade One Cursed Spirit is the peak like with Sorcerers would be a lie.

But still, it's exciting.

Taira is technically a Grade One Sorcerer, but she's also a student like me, so I don't think she's actually at the level of Grade Ones yet, which means this should actually be pretty challenging.

I really can't wait. Tamamo and then Taira have made me want to experience that combat thrill again. I was never interested in violence before, but now I just really want to push myself.

It feels like... Like if you lie in one position for too long and want to stretch your leg, but can't fully straighten it.

Like having satisfaction within sight but out of reach.

Tamamo and Taira.. They just weren't strong enough, I'm starting to realise.

I hope this Curse isn't disappointing.

We reach the gate together and I feel a faint whiff of Cursed Energy emanate from Sukuna, kind of like a spider's web in that you can easily miss it without light reflecting off of it.

And then the gate crumbles into pieces.

"So much for knocking," I mutter as we stroll through the remains of the gate, entering the court proper.

The edge of the court, where the buildings are, is lined with gardens of flowers, mostly blue and yellow, arranged in subtle patterns. Most of the court is just simple stone, but right in the centre is a large sakura tree that is unfortunately out of season, going by the empty branches.

Still, the sight holds my eye for a moment. I'm sure sakura trees are beautiful in bloom, but even still, the sight of the tree completely devoid of any petals is strangely beautiful in its own right.

I just can't help but admire it.

Standing there, barren of colour surrounded by blooming flowers like a corpse of what could be.

God I wish I had a camera.

Then I notice Sukuna moving forward through my peripheral vision and snap out of my daze, following after him at a sedate pace, preferring to enjoy the compound than rush.

As I walk, I spread out my senses and feel for Cursed Energy.

Far to the south I can barely make out the presence of the normal folk. Closer, there is about half a dozen Windows, each having barely more Cursed Energy than the normal people.

Then there's Inumaki, who stands out like a candle in the night.

But if Inumaki is a candle, then Sukuna in front of me is a raging inferno, almost blinding my senses entirely with how intense his presence is.

Even with him distracting me, I do manage to notice a bundle of Cursed Energy further ahead in the main building. Going by Sukuna's chosen direction, he probably senses it too.

Speeding up my pace a little bit, I overtake Sukuna before matching him, because I selfishly don't want him to kill the Curse.

We reach the front door and I slide it open with much more respect than Sukuna treated the gate, and walk inside, followed silently by my classmate.

The halls are a mess, with lines carved into the walls and broken shards of vases and other decorative items littering the floor. It looks like its been ransacked and left to rot, which might actually be true.

Or it is just the Curse.

Going by the cuts in the walls that still hold faint echoes of Cursed Energy, I think I can safely assume the Curse's main form of offence is likely a slashing type attack.

That would be more helpful information if I had some kind of counter to slashing type attacks, but I don't. At least it's still nice to know what to expect, though it also kind of ruins the surprise.

Hmm. Is it better to be prepared or surprised? I honestly couldn't say. That's a really difficult question for me.

My senses tell me we are close enough that I shouldn't be getting distracted, so I focus back on the world in time to come to a stop before another set of sliding doors.

On the other side is the Curse, and I'm pretty sure it has noticed our approach, even if it doesn't seem to be showing much aggression, which is very interesting.

Taking a deep breath, I slide the door open and step inside, Sukuna following behind me.

The room is simple with lots of space, as is pretty normal here. The flooring is a nice tatami wood and the wall on the right has a winding river painted on it.

On the opposite side of the room from the door, is an eight foot tall figure bent over a vanity case, it's long, greasy hair drapes over hunched shoulders even though the ceiling is high enough for it to stand straight.

Even as we stand there, the Curse doesn't respond to us. It just keeps muttering incomprehensible things to itself.

Sparing a glance at Sukuna shows that he is barely even paying attention, bored out of his mind.

Huffing in amusement, I turn back to the Curse and take a single step forward.

The instant my foot touches the ground, the world takes on a different hue and I suddenly know that I cannot take any violent actions right now.

It takes me a moment to figure out how this information just appears in my mind as true as anything else, and when I do I am shocked.

It's a Domain. The old man told me that Domain Expansion was the peak of Jujutsu Sorcery, and as I feel the barrier spring to life around us faster than I could hope to react, limiting my actions like a law of nature, I can't help but agree.

It feels so foreign. Like the world has been flipped upside down. It's fascinating to observe.

My eyes flick to Sukuna, who seems just as surprised as I am, but they quickly turn back to the Curse as it stands and faces us.

It's form is like that of a woman, a very tall woman, which is no surprise since it's a Vengeful Curse, dressed in a simple white yukata. But as it turns to face us, any possibility of mistaking it as anything but a Curse disappears.

Its hands hang by its sides, wrinkled and pale like a corpse's with long, uncared for nails coloured black and yellow from necrosis and puss, a sharp cooking knife held in one hand.

Its face is covered by a gigaku, a theatre mask shaped like the classic interpretation of an old witch's face. But the mask is also covered by its long hair, flowing down from its bowed head and all the way to the floor, obscuring most of the mask.

Disturbingly, the hair is covered in eyes that each look this way and that, as if they are each on their own psychedelic trip.

Truly, it is a scary, horrible, disgusting sight.

"Am I beautiful?" The Curse asks, its voice raspy and painful to listen to, and I just know that I have to answer. That I can't lie or even delay my response. I can only-

"Yes," I say without hesitation, ignoring the look I get from Sukuna.

The Curse seems oddly happy at my answer and raises its free hand to the mask it wears, grabbing it gently and pulling it away, brushing hair out of its face in the process as it turns up to stare right into my soul.

Its face is the thing of nightmares, with a still bleeding mouth cut too wide, showing a set of wicked fangs when it smiles at us. Its skin is pale and clammy, almost making me feel sick just looking at it, and its eyes are difficult to meet just from how disgusting it is.

Like all Curses I've seen so far, this thing is gross to look at.

"Even now?" It asks, and once again, I know I must answer honestly, that I can't lie-

"Yes," I breathe, the feeling of its domain softly brushing against my mind. "I have never seen a beauty like this before. I surely won't forget you, because you are truly beautiful."

The Curse's smile widens to disgusting proportions at my answer, and then the world cracks around us and shatters, the domain coming undone.

Without hesitating in the slightest, the moment I regain full control over myself from the rules of the domain, I gesture forward with my two forefingers.

Following my movement, my shadow lurches forward fast enough to blur, a spike of inky black shadow piercing through the Curse's head faster than it can react.

"You were beautiful," I mutter to the Curse as it fades away into nothing, successfully exorcised. "But you were also too weak."

Sighing to myself, I bring a hand to my chest and feel my heartbeat.

Steady as usual.

Another sigh leaves me at that.

I had hoped it would at least be as challenging as Taira.

Whatever, at least I got to see a domain. That was fun, not to mention rather enlightening. Now that I have a base to work from, I might be able to figure out my own domain, which would be very cool.

Cracking my neck, I turn to the side and am greeted to the sight of Sukuna intensely staring at the floor, right in the centre of the room. No, that's where the centre of the domain was that he is staring at.

I open my mouth to ask him if he's okay, only for my words to freeze on my lips as he suddenly seems to wake up and his Cursed Energy spikes like oil poured on a fire.

Slowly, or maybe I just imagine it in slow motion, I watch as Sukuna's face splits into a wide, bloodthirsty grin, his eyes alight with sadistic joy as he turns my way.

Ah fuck, I think to myself. That's not good.

Yet even as I think that, I know that my smile soon grows to match his own.

---

A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

Cliffhanger!!!! Muahahaha!

Remember that bit about Sukuna only behaving because he doesn't have a counter to domains yet? lmao.

I was honestly originally planning to keep Sukuna from developing a domain or anything like that for a while, planning future events and the like, but I caught myself. The whole point of this fic is basically "whatever happens happens", and I came up with a better idea anyway.

Hope you guys like it, and I also hope next chapter's fight scene isn't disappointing.

My Patreon if you wanna support me. 7 Chaps ahead rn I think, I'll post the next 2 publicly once I finish the next chap

 

[Angry_Crustacean]

Uh, is she respawning or…?

 

[SparrowOnCherryBlossom]

Based on the author's note, it seems like Suka-Chan had a moment of enlightenment based on witnessing that Curse's Domain and either developed his own or a counter-Domain technique. Now he has no reason to keep himself in check and is going to go rampage like the murderhobo that he is.

 

[Slayer 10321]

Uh, is she respawning or…?

Click to shrink...

Nah, Sukuna pulled some Heian-era bullshit and figured out his Domain, just from observing the Cursed Spirits Domain.

 

[readsalot]

I open my mouth to ask him if he's okay, only for my words to freeze on my lips as he suddenly seems to wake up and his Cursed Energy spikes like oil poured on a fire.

Slowly, or maybe I just imagine it in slow motion, I watch as Sukuna's face splits into a wide, bloodthirsty grin, his eyes alight with sadistic joy as he turns my way.

Ah fuck, I think to myself. That's not good.

Yet even as I think that, I know that my smile soon grows to match his own

Click to shrink...

Muahahahaha Sukuna has figured out his Domain, and our MC is going the have the most fun battle of his life.

 

[Yeetboi]

Well... If Narauko survives Malevolent Shrine there's a non-zero chance Sukuna starts to acknowledge him as an equal.

 

[Chomsky]

I do believe that this is what we call in the business, a 'oh fuck' moment.

 

[Mr.Nobody]

Oh no, he's about to become his best friend.

 

[Plebston323]

W

 

[crissthethief]

Well... If Narauko survives Malevolent Shrine there's a non-zero chance Sukuna starts to acknowledge him as an equal.

Click to shrink...

he's going to try and kill him the only way narayko survives is if opens his domain aswell.