บท 71: Discovering the Cursed Object

"Hey, Kamiki, save the hostages first." Maki urged, concerned that Eiji might overlook these people.

"Understood."

Drawing Grass Sword from the Storage Ring, gripping the handle, he pulled it out of the sheath.

"Phew..."

Exhaling, he entered a state of utmost concentration.

*Crack*

The concrete floor beneath his cracked like a spider's web as Eiji accelerated to supersonic speed.

*Slash Slash Slash*

Invisible to the eye, dozens of sword slashes cut through the mass of flesh restraining Maki and the others.

"Nghhhhhh!!!"

The Cursed Spirit roared angrily as the flesh mass formed sharp edges and attacked.

"I won't let you!"

Maki blocked all incoming attacks, showcasing her impressive spear skills.

Meanwhile, Eiji moved at high speed, slashing through the flesh mass pervading the entire basement.

"I've found you."

"Hisssss!!!"

The main body of the Cursed Spirit resembled a baby fetus but had a terrifying face and red eyes.

*Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh*

From all directions, chunks of flesh weighing tens of tons appeared, aiming to crush Eiji.

Facing this situation, Eiji remained expressionless. The Grass Sword in his hand moved too quickly. Next, the surrounding flesh was chopped into countless small pieces.

"It's over."

Appearing in front of the Cursed Spirit, Eiji raised his hand and swung the Grass Sword vertically.

*Slash*

A white light flashed. In the next moment, the Cursed Spirit split in half.

With its death, the Innate Domain and the mass of flesh vanished.

"Ignoring its Innate Domain, this Cursed Spirit is quite weak." Eiji commented while sheathing the Grass Sword.

"Hm? Isn't this..."

As he was about to leave and meet Maki, his emotions fluctuated unknowingly.

Bowing down, he picked up the item dropped by the Cursed Spirit after its death.

It was a finger.

The finger had long nails, wrinkled skin, and looked eerie.

"Cursed Object, Sukuna's Finger... So that's it. This is the cause of the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit's evolution and even awakening an Innate Domain."

"I wonder if this is a coincidence or if there's a scheme behind these events."

Thinking about it, Eiji leaned more towards the first guess.

If Kenjaku planned a scheme against him, it wouldn't be as straightforward as it is now.

"Kamiki, what are you doing over there?"

From a distance, Maki's voice snapped Eiji out of his contemplation.

"I'm coming."

Eiji decided to store Sukuna's Finger in the Storage Ring.

(With this, Sukuna can't fully resurrect.)

The idea of gathering several Sukuna's Fingers and hiding them crossed his mind.

Exiting the love hotel, Maki reported the number of survivors and the situation they experienced to Ijichi.

Ijichi was shocked to learn that the Cursed Spirit was Grade 1 and had an Innate Domain. Fortunately, Eiji was present, or there would have been more casualties.

With the Cursed Spirit dealt with, Eiji and Maki returned to Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High School.

Post-incident matters were left to Ijichi.

...

Nighttime.

In the dorm room.

"If an ordinary person consumes this, their death is guaranteed."

Lying on the bed, Eiji held Sukuna's Finger and observed it. However, even with Six Eyes, he found no valuable information except for the evil aura and the amount of Cursed Energy contained in Sukuna's Finger.

"Itadori Yuji... He swallowed Sukuna's Finger and maintained his rationality. I wonder how Kenjaku modified Yuji. To withstand the invasion of Sukuna's consciousness, how strong is the mental resilience required?"

As someone who had his body taken over before, Eiji understood that the reason he successfully prevented Lin Fan from taking over his body after possessing him was all thanks to Six Eyes. Furthermore, his soul was still a baby and didn't comprehend anything, facing Lin Fan's mature soul, Eiji was powerless.

Fortunately, Six Eyes was highly protective of its host. So, Lin Fan not only failed to take over his body but had his soul destroyed, leaving only sealed memories for him.

On the other hand, Yuji relied on his extraordinary willpower to withstand Sukuna's consciousness invasion. Of course, it was because Kenjaku had done something to him since he was a baby.

"I can't even damage it, huh."

Eiji squeezed Sukuna's Finger in his hand as hard as he could, but nothing happened.

He even tried using Scarlet, burning it at a temperature equivalent to the surface of the sun, but Sukuna's Finger was unharmed.

"It's not surprising. If Sukuna's Finger could be destroyed, it would have been long gone. It's not my turn to act."

"By the way, luckily Sukuna didn't fully resurrect. Even Satoru Nii-san had no trouble suppressing him, right?"

This idea seemed worth considering.

Gathering four or five Sukuna's Fingers, storing them in the Storage Ring, or throwing them into another world.

Eiji didn't believe Kenjaku had the ability to find Sukuna's Fingers in another world.

"Why didn't I think of this plan earlier? Until now, my mind has been filled with ways to become stronger, unconsciously neglecting the option of preventing Sukuna's resurrection."

"It's decided; I'll secretly collect some Sukuna's Fingers, preventing Sukuna from rising to power."

...

Days continued to pass.

Eiji lived his life as a high school student, though it was different from the normal school life he desired.

Every practical class, he teamed up with different people. Sometimes with Panda, or Toge, and they would exterminate Cursed Spirits.

No accidents occurred; everything went smoothly.

However, there was one problem: Eiji dominated the practical classes too much. So, Satoru exempted him from the practical classes.

After all, Eiji was a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, his power far surpassing his classmates and even senior students. Therefore, he was allowed to act independently to not hinder the development of Panda, Toge, and Maki.

July 10, 2016.

Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High School, first-year classroom.

"Yo, everyone, did you miss me?"

As usual, Satoru entered with a commotion.

"..."

No one responded.

"You're all so boring, not looking like high school students at all~"

"Gojo-sensei, you're not entitled to say that. You should act according to your age." Maki said dissatisfied.

Did they want to look like high school students?

That was impossible!

While other high school students enjoyed their youth by studying, playing with friends, or building romantic relationships, they risked their lives to eradicate Cursed Spirits.

A normal life was far from Jujutsu Sorcerers.

"Ck ck ck... Maki, you're wrong. Sensei always acts according to my wishes."

Satoru wiggled his finger and said with a smile.

Slapping the podium, he exclaimed enthusiastically, "Pack your bags because tomorrow we're going to Kyoto!"

"Huh?"

Panda, Toge, and Maki were surprised to hear that. As for Eiji, he vaguely guessed what his cousin would say.

"Gojo-sensei, why are we going to Kyoto?" Panda raised his hand and asked curiously.

"Of course, to attend the Goodwill Event for Schools!" Satoru answered casually.