After unilaterally deciding Sukuna's next stop, Satoru Gojo thought for a moment.
"Actually, I think we should leave the rest to the 'higher-ups'... That's about the only thing they're still good for, anyway."
Akira Zenin nodded.
"We can also use this chance to weed out the dead weight..."
"How?"
"There's no way you can fight the King of Curses from a thousand years ago without taking any damage…
You can use this opportunity to announce to the outside world that you were severely injured and won't be able to move around normally for a while.
That way, those 'conservatives' who've been treating me as a 'controllable' backup because I haven't done anything will most likely start making moves..."
Satoru Gojo laughed.
"Your habit of slacking off has actually turned out to be unexpectedly effective... Looks like it'll be time to close the net soon.
As long as the people left behind put in some effort, the Jujutsu World should still keep running."
"Exactly. And I'm also planning to bring in some outside personnel..."
"This actually works out perfectly..."
"What works out perfectly?"
"After that fight just now, my 'Spell Circuit' is seriously overloaded... I probably won't be able to use Cursed Techniques for a while~~"
Akira Zenin glanced at Satoru Gojo, but didn't see anything unusual. His Cursed Energy was circulating normally, and his spell circuits were running smoothly as well...
"Seriously?"
Satoru Gojo tore a strip of dark blue fabric from his clothes, wrapped it over his eyes, and curled his lips into a smile.
"Seriously~~"
...
On a small country road, the early rice in the surrounding fields had already been harvested, and the farmers were enjoying a rare break.
The place was a little too open, but the stillness of the rice paddies gave it a quiet kind of charm.
"Excuse me, miss. Please wait a moment..."
A woman in a black robe stopped when she heard the voice, though she didn't turn around.
"May I ask what this is about?"
The man in a Jujutsu High teacher's uniform narrowed his eyes and looked her over from head to toe.
Right after finishing a mission, Suguru Geto had suddenly seen a message in the teachers' group chat.
Seriously, Megumi Fushiguro ran into Ryomen Sukuna half a day ago?
If Satoru Gojo hadn't just sent an OK emoji, he would already have been rushing back at full speed...
But as he passed by this stretch of rice fields, something in his backpack had started vibrating nonstop...
"Do you need help with something? A long robe doesn't seem very practical in a place like this."
"No. I'm allergic to UV rays, so I need to keep my skin covered. I'm on my way home now..."
Kenjaku's voice grew softer and softer. She glanced at the two Fly Heads resting on her shoulders...
What terrible luck... The Jujutsu World's attention should have been drawn to Sukuna by now.
After giving a small shake of her head, Kenjaku simply turned around and looked at the man behind her with the strange bangs.
"How did you figure it out?"
Suguru Geto smiled.
"You deliberately avoided looking at the Fly Heads, but two of them landed on your shoulders.
A normal person wouldn't stay that calm..."
"You know that's not what I meant."
Suguru Geto took a transparent box out of his bag. Inside was an embryo that was almost fully formed...
Kenjaku narrowed her eyes and gave it a quick look.
"I see... Cursed Womb: Death Paintings..."
Suguru Geto nodded.
"The Death Painting Womb Choso. Akira gave this to me before. He said that if it came across a Curse User with an extremely high threat level, it would start trembling under the Barrier's effect..."
Kenjaku smiled, her expression restrained.
"With Jujutsu Sorcerers this powerful now, I gave up on my plans long ago. I was on my way to the countryside to live off the land and spend the next hundred years in peace.
Why not let me go? I can release the Binding Vow."
Suguru Geto didn't respond. After a moment of thought, he asked another question instead.
"How do you see Jujutsu Sorcerers and ordinary people?"
"Humans and monkeys?"
Suguru Geto narrowed his eyes.
But Kenjaku suddenly laughed.
"Ha, just kidding. Jujutsu Sorcerers and ordinary people are probably just two kinds of people with different possibilities."
"Different possibilities?"
"By possibilities, I mean this. In theory, if you raise saplings under the same conditions, with the same education, the same resources, and everything else being equal, they'll generally grow into timber of about the same quality..."
"So you think Jujutsu Sorcerers have greater potential?"
Kenjaku shook her head.
"No. The plasticity of thought has limits. I'm actually conducting experiments on that right now. A lot of the thinking and methods used by ordinary people can actually guide the development of Jujutsu.
And I also agree with Akira Zenin's philosophy.
A Jujutsu Sorcerer who doesn't understand theory and can't do research isn't a good Jujutsu Sorcerer.
When it comes down to it, those Jujutsu Sorcerers who only know mechanical training, stacking up experience, relying on instinct, and fighting nonstop look more like low-level animals to me now, creatures using a 'Cursed Techniques black box'...
Like a monkey using a phone to beat someone with it. Funny, isn't it?"
Hearing that, Suguru Geto let go of the hand he had been using inside his bag to send a message.
"Even experiments need proper methods. Every life deserves respect... Noritoshi Kamo..."
Kenjaku shook her head.
"You're still too young. Some paths can't be walked by good people.
Do you still need to keep stalling for time until someone gets here?
There's an abyss waiting ahead, Jujutsu Sorcerer..."
"You underestimate the Special Grade."
"No. You overestimate yourself..."