Mahito spoke casually, as if recalling an afterthought.
"Oh, right. When I went to the Storage to retrieve the items, I ran into a blonde female jujutsu sorcerer. She could summon a shikigami called Garuda. I don't remember you mentioning her before?"
At first, Kenjaku was still wondering who would appear in the Storage at that time. But the moment he heard "blonde" and "Garuda," a name instantly surfaced in his mind.
"Could it be Tsukumo Yuki? Why would she be here?"
In truth, Kenjaku had no concrete information regarding Tsukumo Yuki's Cursed Technique at this point.
[Note: From manga chapter 205.]
However, he understood one thing clearly: anyone who could appear inside the Storage during the Exchange Event had to be connected to Jujutsu High.
Once someone enters Jujutsu High, they are inevitably detected by the barrier maintained by Tengen—especially in a critical location like the Storage. It was impossible for Jujutsu High not to notice. Therefore, the intruder could only be someone affiliated with them.
As for long blonde hair, only one person matched that description—Tsukumo Yuki, who usually remained overseas.
Kenjaku was deeply puzzled. Why would the Exchange Event warrant Tsukumo Yuki's personal intervention? She had always stayed out of domestic affairs. Was it because of her disciple, Aoi Todo?
But something felt off.
Even if Kyoto Jujutsu High had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Yuta Okkotsu last year, and there was some logic in reinforcing their side, Tsukumo Yuki didn't seem like the type to interfere for such reasons.
Moreover, her disciple Aoi Todo was already a dignified Grade 1 sorcerer. He didn't require that kind of protection.
Could it be that Kokichi Muta had violated their binding vow and secretly informed her in advance?
Did she somehow foresee what would happen at the Exchange Event and lie in ambush within the Storage from the very beginning?
But that seemed unlikely as well. Did that frail brat truly possess such courage?
Or perhaps… Tsukumo Yuki's appearance was related to the nature of her Cursed Technique?
At that moment, Kenjaku had a strong intuition: there was a crucial piece of information he was missing—something significant enough to compel Tsukumo Yuki to return to Japan.
He forced himself back to the present. If Tsukumo Yuki had indeed been in the Storage, then Mahito standing here unharmed after retrieving Sukuna's Fingers and the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings meant only one thing.
Kenjaku kept his expression steady as he asked, testing the waters:
"What happened after you encountered her?"
Mahito replied lightly, "Oh, her? I dealt with her along the way and went inside to grab the items. It wasn't much trouble. She was actually pretty weak. Is she supposed to be strong?"
"Pretty weak…"
On the surface, Kenjaku remained composed. Internally, however, waves surged violently.
Even without knowing the specifics of Tsukumo Yuki's technique, there was a reason she stood alongside Satoru Gojo as one of the only Special Grade sorcerers officially recognized by the Higher-Ups. It was impossible for her to be merely "pretty weak," as Mahito described.
A realization dawned on him.
If Tsukumo Yuki had seemed "pretty weak" to Mahito… did that mean Mahito's strength had already surpassed his expectations? Had Idle Transfiguration reached the level of precision Kenjaku required?
With a faint smile, Kenjaku probed further.
"That can't be right. She is one of the two sorcerers designated as Special Grade by the Higher-Ups, alongside Satoru Gojo. Surely her strength isn't as insignificant as you claim?"
Mahito, having read the manga, naturally knew that Kenjaku had not yet personally fought Tsukumo Yuki. His information on her would be extremely limited.
Which meant Kenjaku was trying to gauge two things at once: Tsukumo Yuki's abilities—and Mahito's current level of mastery over Idle Transfiguration.
Mahito instantly saw through it.
Oh… so he wants to measure me.
A mischievous idea surfaced in his mind, though his expression remained thoughtful.
"Well, now that you mention it, maybe you're right. She did take the initiative to activate her technique first. She even explained its principles, hoping to strengthen it through disclosure. That's probably why I managed to win so easily—the information gap worked in my favor."
Kenjaku suppressed his curiosity as much as possible.
"What exactly is her Cursed Technique?"
Mahito rubbed his chin, as if recalling details.
"That woman—Tsukumo Yuki. Her technique is Anti-Gravity System."
"…What?"
Kenjaku froze for a split second.
"You mean… gravity manipulation?" he confirmed.
"Yeah. The Cursed Technique Lapse allows her to control anti-gravity around herself. The Cursed Technique Reversal manipulates gravity itself. That's what she said."
Mahito continued casually.
"And that shikigami she summoned—Garuda—the one floating like a skeletal fish? It can also become a target of her technique, letting it fly freely."
He then distorted his head grotesquely, reshaping it into a cartoonish exaggeration, reenacting the battle scene as he spoke.
"She used Lapse on herself and had her shikigami use Reversal. Against most opponents, that would've been troublesome—movement would've been severely restricted. But she didn't realize that the reason her technique felt so effective was because I was deliberately reshaping my body to cooperate with the pressure."
Mahito grinned.
"In the end, I simply waited for her guard to drop—and touched her."
Silence fell.
Kenjaku's thoughts churned violently.
Gravity manipulation and anti-gravity…
Wasn't that nearly identical to the technique he had acquired from Kaori Itadori, Yuji Itadori's mother?
Because Kenjaku never considered the possibility that Mahito possessed knowledge of future events, he did not suspect deception. Nor did he think to demand a binding vow to verify the truth.
If both positive and negative gravity could indeed be applied simultaneously, the crushing force would be devastating. The overlapping fields would double the effective range. In terms of restraint and lethality, gravity control might not be the absolute pinnacle—but it certainly ranked high among powerful techniques.
Add to that the simultaneous usage of Lapse and Reversal… and potentially a Domain Expansion…
Yes. That level of strength would justify Special Grade classification.
Kenjaku fell silent, deep in contemplation.
Mahito, seeing that the bait had been swallowed whole, said nothing further.
At that moment, another figure approached.
Dagon.
Kenjaku's brow furrowed slightly.
Dagon had still been in his Cursed Womb state earlier. And since Kenjaku had been monitoring him, there had been no sign of imminent evolution.
Was it merely coincidence that he had fully matured now?
Mahito and Hanami stopped walking at the same time. Together with the newly evolved Dagon, they all turned their gazes toward Kenjaku.
Kenjaku immediately sensed the subtle shift in atmosphere.
After a brief pause, he asked evenly—
"Why don't I see Jogo?"
...
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