A sudden pressure from above startled him awake from the darkness, and once again he could "see."
He found himself curled up in a cramped, enclosed space. Suffocated, restless, an urge to scream surged inside, his body twisting and struggling. But all he could do was let the emotion swell heavier and heavier.
At that moment, a force was pushing against him, pressing him together with the confined space, molding him without restraint.
First it was his head, the squeezing distorting his features. Then a blinding light, followed by loud voices echoing around him. He could not adapt, his eyes could not open, his mouth could not speak.
Finally, the world around him opened up. A rush of indescribable relief overwhelmed him, and he let out a sigh—only for a violent stream of air to surge into his nose, pour into his mouth, crash into his lungs, raging inside him before bursting out from his nose and lips:
"Wah… wah…"
He was born again?!
He had become an infant once more.
During infancy, it takes about a month for sight, touch, hearing, and smell to begin developing as conditioned reflexes, enabling perception of the outside world.
When his senses cleared, he realized something: the people around him seemed to be speaking Japanese.
In his previous life, he had studied several languages, with Japanese being one of the ones he had mastered fairly well.
He turned his tiny head, trying to observe his surroundings.
A bright room came into view. A tall man held him in his arms, standing beside a bed where a woman half-sat, half-lay down.
"Look, little Soujun is watching you!" the man's deep voice boomed.
"Haha! Those eyes are so lively, he'll surely be smart in the future!" the woman replied gently.
That confirmed it: it was Japanese. From the couple's behavior and speech over the following days, everything became clear.
He had reincarnated in Japan. His new name: Minamoto Soujun. His father: Minamoto Kiyoyasu. His mother: Minamoto Yuri.
Miyagi Prefecture, Sendai City.
Six-thirty in the morning. A dimly lit room, a soft bed.
Soujun slowly opened his eyes, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, his thoughts in disarray.
He was only one year old, yet already 105 cm tall and weighed 16.5 kg—the standard for a four-year-old.
At two months old, he had noticed his growth was far beyond normal.
Normally, babies only start babbling at seven to eight months, and take their first steps around one year. But he was different. By one year old, he could walk and run.
His appetite was enormous. Every day he consumed far more calories and nutrients than children his age.
Even so, his body and mind tired quickly. He could not overexert himself and needed at least ten hours of sleep daily.
At first, his parents worried and took him to several hospitals. Doctors found nothing wrong—on the contrary, he was healthier than most children.
That unfamiliar ceiling again!
Soujun got up and walked to the full-length mirror in the corner, studying himself carefully.
Now three years old, he stood 120 cm tall and weighed 23.2 kg—the standard for a six-year-old.
Something felt off. It was as if he could see inside his body. Muscles tearing and regrowing, blood flowing, organs and cells working, intestines writhing, hormones secreted, nutritional balances shifting—even the faint outline of his soul appeared under this strange vision.
As he grew older, the vision became clearer. Finally, he understood why he developed so quickly:
A new, vibrant body. A half-familiar, half-new soul. The two were blending, adapting to each other, moving toward unification.
Externally, it showed as accelerated physical growth—his soul influencing his body. Internally, his thoughts sometimes carried childish tendencies—his body influencing his soul.
That unfamiliar ceiling again!
Soujun stood up, stepped on the scale, and looked at his reflection in the mirror.
Now six years old, he was 152 cm tall and weighed 42.5 kg—the size of a twelve-year-old.
But now something was even stranger. He realized he could not just see, but also control.
For example, he once put a string in his mouth and tied a perfect knot with just his tongue.
Or he could make his hair coil upward and jab someone when they patted his head.
Yet, fallen strands of hair on the ground were beyond his control.
This power was weak. The fusion of body and soul was stuck at the final thread, always lacking something to push him further.
He often heard a faint buzzing in his ears.
The world around him was sometimes shrouded in eerie shadows, as if in a horror film where the screen suddenly lost color, leaving only black and white with the crackle of static.
A second later, a terrifying face would appear.
He asked others indirectly, but confirmed he was the only one experiencing this.
This spectral vision frightened him, the buzzing agitated him, and yet it never left his side.
It was like drowning, surrounded by laughing, whispering, shouting people—yet no one noticed him.
The crowd encircled him, their voices pressing in, watching him drown helplessly.
Tension and panic attacked him relentlessly. Irritation, pain, suffocation… countless negative emotions built up over time until they nearly overflowed.
The buzzing grew louder, clearer. Finally, the world before his eyes became entirely black and white.
He could no longer bear it. Rage erupted.
That rage ignited all his negative emotions, which burst inside him, transforming into a liquid-like substance that surged into his brain and down into his hands.
He lashed out at the buzzing sound.
Pop—
The world fell silent!
His soul, body, and this unknown substance synchronized. He felt boundless freedom, the world vivid and alive, his entire being elevated, immersed in an exhilarating clarity.
He looked down at his hand. He was holding…
A fly's head?!
Indeed, in his palm was a bizarre creature, palm-sized, with a fly's head, a human torso, and white wings on its back.
So…
This was Jujutsu Kaisen!
Gradually, he understood:
Since the age of one, his cursed energy had been awakening, which was why even his ceiling appeared distorted by its influence.
The incomplete fusion of body and soul had been because cursed energy was absent.
Now, fully awakened, the three aligned, and his innate technique manifested.
It all made sense… or maybe not at all!
November 1997. Minamoto Soujun had now lived in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen for six years. He had just awakened his innate technique and exorcised his first low-grade cursed spirit.
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