The moment still lingered thick in the air. Dust swirled. Megumi remained wide-eyed, barely processing what he had just witnessed.
Gojo tilted his head and looked at the boy who had just swallowed the most dangerous cursed object in history.
"Hmmm," Gojo muttered. "So this is the vessel of Sukuna."
Itadori was still catching his breath. "What now…?"
"Call him out."
"What?"
"Switch with Sukuna. Just for a sec."
Itadori blinked. "You serious?"
"Dead serious," Gojo smiled.
And just like that—Sukuna emerged again, that twisted grin taking over Itadori's face, his cursed energy crackling like thunder. But before he could speak, Gojo appeared in front of him in an instant, his fingers tapping against Sukuna's forehead like it was a game.
Sukuna's eyes twitched. "You—"
WHAM.
Gojo's knee slammed into Sukuna's face.
CRACK.
Sukuna tried to retaliate with a slash of cursed energy—but Gojo vanished. The next second, Sukuna was on the floor, his arms pinned behind him, a foot pressing on the back of his head.
"Honestly," Gojo said cheerfully, "for a legendary King of Curses, you kinda suck."
Sukuna was forced back as Itadori regained control—and immediately fainted.
Hours passed.
The next time Itadori opened his eyes, he found himself in a room bathed in gold. The walls glowed faintly, the light peaceful, if unnaturally so.
Gojo sat cross-legged beside him.
"Yo," Gojo greeted. "You're awake."
"Where… am I?" Itadori asked, rubbing his eyes.
"A holding chamber under Jujutsu High," Gojo replied. "You're technically under custody."
"Custody…?"
"The higher-ups have decided," Gojo said, his voice dropping a shade colder. "They want to execute you."
Itadori froze. "W-What?! Why?!"
"You swallowed Sukuna's finger. You're now a threat. That's all the reason they need." Gojo's tone was sharp. "But I won't let them kill you. Not yet."
He stood up, hands in his pockets, walking toward the light.
"You, Yuji Itadori, have something very few people in this world have. A choice. A purpose."
Gojo turned and smiled.
"You're going to eat the rest of Sukuna's fingers. All twenty. And when we've got them all inside you—we'll kill you then."
Itadori looked horrified.
"But," Gojo added with a smirk, "you might survive. And if not, you'll at least die giving the world a second chance. You're the only one who can carry this burden."
There was a long silence.
And then Itadori nodded.
"I'll do it. If it means people won't have to die like that again… I'll do it."
Later that day…
The gates of Jujutsu High opened for Yuji Itadori.
Gojo walked beside him, arms lazily swaying, giving him a grand tour of the ancient school.
"See that building? That's where we keep cursed tools. Don't touch anything, you'll probably explode. Oh, and over there—that's the teacher's lounge. We've never used it."
Itadori laughed nervously. "Is this place always this weird?"
Before Gojo could answer, something grotesque happened.
From the side of Itadori's cheek, a mouth opened. Sukuna's mouth.
"You think this place will protect you, brat?" the mouth sneered. "When I regain full control, I'll raze this whole temple to the ground."
Gojo leaned close, smirking. "What an honor… being personally insulted by the King of Curses. I'll mark it in my diary."
The mouth snapped shut.
Itadori looked a bit rattled. "Hey, Gojo-sensei. If Sukuna ever goes full power… do you think you could beat him?"
Gojo didn't even hesitate. He adjusted his blindfold with one finger and smiled.
"Nah. I won't lose."
Then added—
"Nah… I did win."
Itadori blinked. "You're such a weirdo."
Inside the school, Megumi was already waiting in the courtyard, arms crossed.
"You're late," Megumi muttered.
"Come on, greet your new classmate," Gojo said, grinning.
"Ugh," Megumi groaned. "This is going to be annoying."
And just like that, Gojo began throwing terrible jokes into the air like fireworks. Neither of the first years laughed—but that only made him do it more.
Yuji Itadori had officially joined Jujutsu High.
And the real journey had just begun.