Chapter 3: Shadow versus Shadow
"Sometimes, to grow… you have to face the one closest to you."
---
Gojo Clan Training Grounds – Sealed Area
It was a hidden space on the outskirts of Tokyo, where cursed energies seeped up from the earth. Ideal for training without being detected… or completely destroyed.
Kuro Fushiguro, ten years old, and Megumi Fushiguro, nine, stood face to face. Both barefoot on solid ground, encircled by rings of carved seals.
A few meters away, perched on a massive rock like an improvised throne, Gojo Satoru chewed on an onigiri as if watching a Pokémon battle.
—Alright, he said, flatly. A simple duel. No killing. No wrecking my field.
Whoever forces the other to yield… wins.
Megumi scowled. Kuro lowered his head, taking a deep breath.
—You sure this is a good idea? Kuro asked quietly.
—You've been holding back, brother, Megumi replied without looking at him. I want to see how much power you're hiding.
Kuro lifted his gaze.
There was no hostility on Megumi's face, only resolve. Not hatred. It was… competition.
—As you wish.
Gojo raised a hand.
—Begin!
---
Megumi moved first.
His hands crossed to form a seal. A figure rose from his shadow like a beast sculpted from living ink.
—Nue no kata: Demon Dogs.
Two dark canines, snarling, lunged at Kuro like living blades. Kuro barely managed to dodge back, pivoting on one foot.
—Tsk… didn't think you'd go all out so fast!
Megumi pursued with surgical precision. No doubt. No fear.
Kuro blocked with his forearm, but one of the dogs nicked his side. Blood.
Just a little… but he felt it. The pain woke him up.
> You cannot lose here.
Kuro slid to the side, his feet leaving a dark line across the ground. A subtle murmur rose from the shadow beneath him.
—I don't have shikigami yet…
But I have something of yours that you don't…
Megumi eyed him, uncertain.
—What?
Then it happened.
The world turned red.
Kuro's right eye burned. A dry heat wrapped him, and his pupil dilated, blazing a bright, ember-red.
At the center of the eye… a white point gleamed like an icy spark.
Gojo shot to his feet. His onigiri fell to the ground.
—Is that…?
Megumi stepped back without meaning to.
Kuro activated the Cursed Eye.
His vision shifted. Now he could see every thread of energy in the air.
He could read Megumi's movements before they happened.
And for the first time… he could see his own living shadow.
—I can't summon anything yet…
But I can feel it.
And I can use it.
Kuro stamped his foot. His shadow spread like a pool of liquid.
The Demon Dogs leapt again, but this time Kuro's shadow rose like a wall, halting them for a heartbeat. It was enough.
Kuro sprinted, jumped, and appeared before Megumi.
He stopped his punch millimeters from Megumi's face.
Silence.
Megumi blinked. Kuro was breathing hard. His red eye still glowed… but it was starting to dim.
—You win, Megumi said, lowering his guard.
—What?
—If you hadn't stopped… you'd have broken my nose.
Kuro lowered his arm. A faint smile.
Gojo whistled from the back.
—That was… impressive!
That eye, Kuro… it's a damned jewel!
Kuro looked at his hands. They no longer trembled.
—Yeah… but I still can't control what's inside.
His shadow stirred lightly at his feet, as if hungry.
Megumi studied him. There was no envy in his eyes, only deep curiosity.
—Your power… it's not like mine, is it?
Kuro shook his head.
—No. My shadow… has light inside it.
And for the first time… Megumi smiled.
—Then we're the perfect balance.
---
Some truths can't be spoken…
---
The training grounds were silent.
The shadows had withdrawn. The dust had settled. And the duel… was over.
Megumi stood, breathing hard. A small scrape on his cheek, nothing serious. Beside him, Kuro remained still, his arm still extended from the blow he hadn't thrown.
The red glow in Kuro's right eye had faded, but the memory… hadn't.
—What was that? Megumi asked softly.
Kuro lowered his arm, turning his face just a little. He didn't want to look him in the eyes.
—What was what?
—Your eye. It turned red. It was like… fire inside, Megumi pressed, taking a step closer. I felt the air turn heavy.
Kuro pressed his lips together. He didn't want to lie. But he couldn't tell the truth.
> How do I explain I was someone else? That I died? That a god gave me this…?
—I don't know, he lied, eyes downcast. It just… happened.
Megumi frowned, but didn't push. He stayed there beside him, in silence.
And for a moment, Kuro felt guilty.
Not for lying.
But because Megumi… trusted him.
—You should tell me when you figure it out, Megumi said at last, turning away. We're brothers, aren't we?
Kuro nodded. Very slightly.
—Yeah… brothers.
And then…
—What a dramatic scene, I almost cried! a familiar voice cut in.
Gojo Satoru appeared out of nowhere, as if he'd stepped out from between the shadows. He was smiling like he'd just won the lottery, but his eyes (hidden behind dark glasses) were analyzing everything.
—That little eye of yours, Kuro… it's interesting. Can I see it again?
Kuro met him with a cool stare.
—It's not a party trick for your entertainment.
—Come on, don't be shy, Gojo said, walking toward him. Do you know how many years I've spent looking for a phenomenon like you?
Megumi hung back, watching. He didn't understand everything… but he felt Gojo knew something he didn't.
Gojo crouched slightly, face to face with Kuro.
—Show me, kid. Let me see that fire the gods gave you.
Kuro didn't answer.
But something inside him… did.
His heart sped up.
The shadow beneath his feet throbbed.
And without thinking—without fully wanting it—
The Cursed Eye activated.
Abruptly.
Like a flame catching on its own.
His right eye flared, a burning red.
The white pupil at its center expanded like a miniature sun.
The air around him warped. The cursed energy around him shrank, recoiled… as if it feared him.
Megumi stepped back, eyes wide.
Gojo didn't move. But he wasn't smiling anymore.
—Then it's true, he murmured, barely audible. This child isn't normal.
The Cursed Eye didn't just see. It felt.
And in that instant… Kuro saw Gojo wrapped in light. Not his clothes. Not his technique.
His soul.
It was like staring at the sun with open eyes. It hurt.
And yet… Kuro didn't look away.
—Your soul… is white, he said softly.
Gojo held his gaze.
—And yours… is still in shadow.
The eye flashed one last time, then went dark.
Kuro dropped to his knees, exhausted. The air burned in his lungs.
Megumi ran to his side.
—Are you okay?
Kuro nodded, gasping.
—I… don't control it yet.
Gojo straightened and sighed.
—It's fine, kid. Don't force it. But soon we're going to have a very serious talk.
---
That night, Kuro didn't sleep.
The tone will be calm, with a melancholic, reflective air, and a narrative style that's gentle yet full of meaning.
---
Later that night…
Kuro lay in his bed.
The room was quiet. The whole house slept.
His bed was warm, soft—too comfortable for what he felt inside.
He tossed and turned, the sheet tangled around his legs. It wasn't physical insomnia, but mental.
He couldn't stop thinking.
> The Cursed Eye…
He could still feel it throb, even closed. An inner presence, like a second heart. A silent fire, red and white, waiting for the next spark.
He turned toward the ceiling.
—It's too much power, he whispered. But they didn't give me this just to play…
He knew what was coming. Kenjaku. Geto. Gojo's sealing. Tsumiki… in a coma.
—I have to stop it all.
One: Get stronger. Strong enough that Tsumiki is never cursed.
Two: Prevent Kenjaku from taking Suguru Geto's body.
Three: Break the cycle before Gojo is sealed.
He let out a long sigh. His chest felt heavier than ever.
> Why did it have to be me?
And at that moment… someone knocked on the door.
His eyebrow arched.
He sat up slowly and crossed the room in silence. The room was spacious, modern in style. A desk, a bookshelf crammed with books, a hanging charm with cursed-energy symbols, and an armchair he sometimes used to meditate.
The carpet muted his steps.
He opened the door.
Tsumiki.
She wore an oversized T-shirt, her eyes shining in the hallway light.
—Can't sleep? Kuro asked, unsurprised.
—No… she admitted, lowering her gaze a little. And I wanted to talk to you.
Kuro lifted a brow.
—With me?
She nodded.
—If you want… I can come in, she added, with a timid smile.
Kuro stepped aside.
—Sure.
---
Kuro's room had a different aura at night.
Quieter. More solemn. As if cursed energy itself turned the volume down around him.
Tsumiki sat in the armchair, hugging a cushion.
—Are you thinking about everything that happened today too?
Kuro sat on the edge of the bed.
—Yeah… and about everything that hasn't happened yet.
Tsumiki watched him.
—I don't know why… but since you came into our lives, everything became more intense.
Megumi trains harder. Gojo takes things more seriously.
And you… you seem older than you should.
Kuro studied her in silence. He didn't want to lie to her. But the truth was a weight she shouldn't have to bear.
—I have strange dreams, he said at last. Things that haven't happened… but could.
Bad things.
Tsumiki didn't ask more.
She simply stood and sat beside him on the bed.
—And if they happen… what will you do?
Kuro clenched his fists on the sheets.
—Protect you. You, Megumi, Gojo. Even if I have to break the rules of the world.
She rested her head gently on his shoulder.
—You don't have to do it alone.
The room stayed quiet.
After Tsumiki sat beside him, Kuro didn't say much.
He didn't even know what to say. The darkness felt lighter with her there, but the weight in his chest didn't lift.
She spoke first.
—Kuro… it's okay.
The strongest is watching over you.
Kuro lowered his gaze with a faint smile.
—Yeah… but that won't last.
Tsumiki glanced at him sideways.
—Look… I don't know much about jujutsu.
In fact, I don't even have enough cursed energy to see a curse.
—I know, Kuro replied softly, as if it hurt to say it.
—But, she went on, firm yet gentle, I can listen to you.
And even if I can't help you fight, if you need to talk, complain, yell… or simply not be alone, I'm here.
Kuro stayed silent. Then he looked up, grateful. He didn't know how to say it out loud… but it was exactly what he needed.
Then Tsumiki shifted the air in the room with a smile.
—Or… we can do something more useful. How about a round of Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3?
Kuro stared at her, surprised.
—You have it?
—I found it a few days ago among Gojo's old stuff. Everything's unlocked.
Kuro sat up at once.
—Are you telling me it has Janemba, Gogeta SSJ4, even Raditz with the broken armor!?
—I have no idea what that means… but yes. Everything unlocked.
Tsumiki went to a shelf and pulled out the old silver PS2, already hooked up to a small TV they used for movies.
Kuro took the controller as if it were sacred.
—This game saved me so many times when I was little… in my other life, he thought, without saying it aloud.
They sat side by side on the floor, the screen lighting up, the opening music thrumming in the air.
—Best of rounds, Tsumiki said. You pick first… but SSJ4 Gogeta is banned.
—Then you can't pick Broly, Kuro answered, smiling for the first time that night.
The first match began.
Vegeta versus Piccolo.
And for a few minutes… the world was simple.
Energy, laughter, sloppy combos, and characters shouting in Japanese.
There were no curses.
No sealed fate.
Only Kuro…
and his sister, who—even if she couldn't fight for him—could make him feel better.