"This is..."
Yuta Okkotsu picked up the finger from the frozen ground, holding it up to the light to examine it closely.
Even without knowing its origin, he could feel the staggering, sea-like volume of cursed energy hidden within the shriveled digit. Beneath that power lay a core of absolute, concentrated evil. Yuta's brow furrowed as he sank into thought.
He was currently in Tomakomai, Hokkaido—a sparsely populated region. Under normal circumstances, Curses were born from the leaked negative emotions of humanity; the denser the population, the stronger the Curses. A being like the Yuki-Onna, whose intelligence and strength far surpassed a typical Special Grade, was a massive anomaly for such a remote area.
"It seems the Yuki-Onna only became this powerful by absorbing this finger. Something this dangerous must be sealed away immediately."
Yuta carefully wrapped the finger in protective charms and made his way back to Tokyo at top speed. When he handed the object over to Souma Gojo, the latter was visibly taken aback.
"A finger of Sukuna?"
Yuta looked confused. "Sukuna? Who is that?"
"Ryomen Sukuna," Souma explained, his voice turning grave. "A thousand years ago, he was known as the King of Curses. It wasn't actually his name, but his appearance—four arms and two faces—was so similar to the mythical demon 'Ryomen Sukuna' that the world bestowed the title upon him."
Yuta blinked. "Was he... strong?"
Souma nodded slowly. "Yeah. Strong. Terrifyingly so."
"With four arms and two faces, he could wield cursed tools and engage in hand-to-hand combat while simultaneously weaving hand signs. The mouth on his stomach allowed him to chant incantations without pause. Between his near-infinite cursed energy and his lethal cutting techniques, he could deploy a Domain Expansion that defined him as the strongest in history."
Souma paced the room. "The Heian era was the Golden Age of sorcery, the absolute peak of our kind. Yet, even when the sorcerers of that time exhausted every resource and fought with everything they had, the result was a crushing defeat. From then on, Sukuna became the object of worship for all of humanity, and even the Jujutsu world bowed to him in subservience until the day his natural life ended."
Souma let out a sharp, dry laugh. "But even after his death, the nightmare didn't end. Sorcerers discovered that the twenty fingers he left behind—each housing a portion of his power—could not be destroyed by any known means. We can only use seals to delay the inevitable return of the King."
"A deity while living, and the ultimate nightmare of the Jujutsu world while dead."
Souma wasn't exaggerating. He knew the lore all too well—the way Gege Akutami had stacked the deck in Sukuna's favor. He remembered the future 'vision' of Satoru Gojo's final moments, where even the modern strongest admitted that he likely couldn't have won against a full-power Sukuna, even without the Ten Shadows.
Yuta stood there, paralyzed by the weight of the history he had just physically touched. He had no idea that a stray find in the snow carried a legacy stretching back a millennium.
"Then... what about you, Master?" Yuta asked suddenly. "If Sukuna were to be revived with all twenty fingers... who is stronger? You or him?"
After eight years of training, Yuta was no longer a novice. He had a clear grasp of Souma's capabilities. The Six Eyes, the near-infinite energy, the terrifying Limitless technique, master-class martial arts, and his own Domain Expansion.
To Yuta, Souma was the undisputed strongest of the modern era. Even the other three Special Grades didn't come close. In Yuta's eyes, his master had no weaknesses; the very idea of him losing was impossible to imagine.
"That... well... who knows?"
Souma gave a non-committal, bitter smile. He felt like he was caught in a mirror image of the scene where Yuji asked Satoru the same thing. However, Souma didn't possess his younger brother's reckless, heaven-defying arrogance.
If he told Yuta "I'd win" or "Don't worry, I'm the strongest," only to end up being ground into the dirt by Sukuna later, he'd be the ultimate clown. Better to play it safe.
"Master would definitely win, right?!" Yuta's eyes were practically sparkling with admiration.
Souma felt a cold sweat break out on his back. Dammit, kid! Don't go setting flags like that! That's how people get killed!
The Fushiguro Residence
Tsumiki, now a third-year middle schooler, hurried into Toji's room. She pushed the door open to find Toji lounging in front of the TV, while Megumi sat nearby, looking utterly overwhelmed as he tried to catch up on schoolwork he'd missed due to jujutsu training.
"Dad!"
At the sound of Tsumiki's voice, Toji practically sprang to his feet. "You're home? How was it? Any stress with the midterms? Want some fruit? Oh, right, I bought you some new clothes..."
Megumi rolled his eyes so hard it hurt. Who's your actual biological kid, you bastard? One was clearly the "precious daughter" and the other was just the "brat."
Tsumiki smiled sweetly. "Um... Dad, about that Yasohachi Bridge you mentioned before. Some of my classmates are actually planning to go there!"
Toji's smile froze. "And you? Did they try to drag you along?"
Tsumiki shook her head. "They invited me to go exploring after school tomorrow, but I know about Curses now. I suspected it might be dangerous, and since you've warned me so many times, I turned them down. But I tried to talk them out of it and they wouldn't listen. I couldn't exactly explain why it was dangerous without sounding crazy."
"Dad, you know people who handle these things, right? Can you contact them and have them check out the bridge?"
Relief washed over Toji. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Go finish your homework."
"Okay!"
As Tsumiki left the room, Toji's expression darkened into a heavy sigh.
"Souma Gojo... you actually called it. Can that guy see the future or something?"
Suddenly, a wave of murderous intent rolled off Toji, so sharp that even Megumi shivered.
"Daring to target my daughter... you're asking for death."
Toji spat a small ball from his mouth, which quickly expanded into the writhing form of the Cursed Spirit, Hidden Inventory. The creature coiled itself around Toji's torso.
Megumi blinked, recognizing the combat support Curse his father kept. "Why are you summoning Shiro?"
Toji cracked his neck and gave a grim, joking smirk. "To exorcise Curses and protect world peace."
Toji didn't expect Megumi to stand up instantly, his face set with determination.
"I'm coming too!"
"You?"
Megumi tilted his head back, his cursed energy beginning to surge and ripple. "Don't look down on me! I'm already a Grade 3, and I'm close to making Grade 2. I might even be stronger than you now!"
"..."
Toji scratched his head. He figured that with him there, the kid wouldn't get into too much trouble. He gave a reluctant nod.
"Fine. I'll take you along to see what a real fight looks like."