[Just a quick clarification: although I mostly write from a villain's perspective, I don't treat other characters as mere disposable tools. They are alive and will take different actions based on current developments, even if those parts aren't explicitly written out.]
[Furthermore, this isn't written for profit; it's aimed at those who have a certain understanding of the original work. Thus, I won't deliberately explain non-protagonist matters in great detail, but I can guarantee that all necessary clues are provided. The original work plus this content is enough to deduce the outcomes.]
[I'm not saying what I write is high quality; I'm writing internet trash. However, most questions can be answered with a bit of simple thought. Unless there's a special circumstance, I won't be providing many supplementary answers hereafter.]
[I can't list and analyze every difference between Itadori's experiences here versus the original. He hasn't experienced Jogo's Domain or felt Satoru Gojo's true power. Because he witnessed Nanami's strength as an adult rather than his combat prowess, and was then brutalized by a killer wearing Nanami's face, his survival instinct subconsciously recalled the crisis management from the Juvenile Detention Center. Combined with how various forms of despair in a short time affected his fifteen-year-old self, it triggered his instinctual desire to escape. Yuji Itadori is not the protagonist of this book; since he isn't the protagonist, he won't receive as much characterization.]
[Character motivations are complex, but as long as you look at the final presentation, it won't affect the reading of the story.]
This was likely the first time in Sukuna's long existence that he had encountered such a situation.
Even when facing Satoru Gojo back then, it didn't feel like this at all.
Satoru Gojo's strength lay in having the power to deal with him, and using those Six Eyes to perceive a vast amount of intelligence and information to assist him in responding with ease.
But now, facing Mahito, Sukuna truly felt there was some kind of information gap between them, leaving his advantages with no room to play out.
This didn't make Sukuna feel despair. Instead, he thought rapidly about what he needed to do in the remaining dozen or so seconds to ensure that both Itadori's body and he himself survived.
Finally, Sukuna made a choice that Mahito, for the time being, had not anticipated.
Sukuna released Dismantle upwards to clear a path and leapt back onto the ground above.
The mere commotion of Sukuna bursting through the ground attracted a large number of passersby.
"Was that an earthquake?"
"Quick, look! What's that?"
"Did a person just burst out from underground?"
"Can a person jump that high? Is he flying?!"
Upon landing, Sukuna immediately began an incantation.
"Emerge from darkness, blacker than black. Purify that which is impure."
Using a binding vow where he himself could not leave the Veil, while allowing all humans and Cursed Spirits to enter and exit, and greatly compressing the size of the Veil, he manifested a Veil—or rather, a barrier—that specifically excluded only Mahito.
The noisy crowd became Sukuna's human wall. He didn't need them to actually block Mahito; he just needed to draw attention quickly.
Even if Nanami, the Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer on the mission, was dead, the assistant officer and the 'Window' in this area would immediately notice the anomaly. As long as he held out until they contacted Gojo, he would win.
Although Sukuna hated Gojo, he still acknowledged Gojo's strength.
Finally, before the time ran out, Sukuna used Cursed Energy to protect his brain. As long as the brain remained intact, even if his body was mutilated, he was confident he could use Reverse Cursed Technique to heal—after all, he had done it once before at the Juvenile Detention Center.
When Mahito's one-minute countdown ended, he controlled all his clones to recombine. However, without Nanami's clothes, Mahito was currently stark naked.
Mahito stood there, gazing from afar at the crowd gathered around Itadori. It was lucky he was a Cursed Spirit and couldn't be perceived by most Monkeys; otherwise, he might have become another center of attention.
Mahito stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "Is that a Veil? At that size and level, and with Monkeys able to enter and exit freely... there must be some kind of binding vow, right?"
From Mahito's perspective, he couldn't see through the Veil. He could only feel Sukuna's Cursed Energy radiating from within, and see Monkeys nearby poking their bodies inside.
Seeing this, Mahito gave up. He didn't know what Sukuna had done, but with such a huge commotion, Satoru Gojo might arrive in the time it took to test it.
The result was quite good. He confirmed that the expansion of his Idle Transfiguration technique could harm Sukuna's soul. He also confirmed that Sukuna in this state didn't have the strength to easily deal with him. The Co-op he had saved was consumed, and he even managed to trick a finger out of Kenjaku.
Furthermore, the fact that Itadori was alive had been exposed early, and exposing superhuman abilities in public like this was, to some extent, a violation of the Jujutsu Sorcerer code of conduct.
Mahito didn't think he'd be secretly executed, especially since The Higher-Ups were still under Kenjaku's control; something like that wouldn't happen.
However, friction with Jujutsu High was inevitable. Itadori would likely face some kind of house arrest or confinement, making it even more impossible for him to gain strength through fingers in the short term, which bought time for the Cursed Spirits' plan.
And so, Mahito swaggered away, humming a tune with his bare backside exposed.
Before leaving the city, he used Idle Transfiguration to transform Yoshino Junpei into a Jujutsu Sorcerer to fulfill their deal. After that, he used physical means to fulfill Yoshino Junpei's request a second time.
Becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer grants one a Cursed Technique, and a Jujutsu Sorcerer killed by non-cursed means will still possess that power after turning into a Cursed Spirit. Two positives make a positive; Mahito had fulfilled his original promise quite well.
After the Co-op ended, Sukuna continued to warily observe his surroundings. Fortunately, Mahito did not appear again before Satoru Gojo arrived.
Satoru Gojo pushed through the crowd, frowning as he looked at the tiny Veil.
...
Read advance chapters on p@treon
[email protected]/guilt_free_daoist
Join disc0rd link in synopsis.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.