Chapter 8
Audio Dialogue: "The Plan of Shadows"
[Ambience: ragged breathing, soft background sounds like distant footsteps or a lab room hum.]
Tsumiki (nervous):
—Hey, Kuro…
Kuro (hurried but calm):
—Yes?
Tsumiki:
—I called Gojo… 27 times. He's not answering.
—What if he never picks up?
Kuro (murmuring):
—Then… we only have each other.
Kuro (aloud):
—Megumi, is there any way to help Tsumiki see the curse?
—She can't see it…
Megumi (thoughtful):
—Not directly… but wait.
—Tsumiki… what if we use the shadows to carry you?
Tsumiki (hesitant):
—Can we…?
Kuro:
—No. You're too far. If you were closer, yes… but right now it isn't safe.
Tsumiki (uneasy):
—What if you summon one of your Divine Dogs?
Megumi (interested):
—And…?
Tsumiki (quick):
—And we send it to me. Have it guide me.
—Like a… living whistle.
Megumi (pause)… then smiles with admiration:
—Tsumiki…
—You're a genius!
Kuro (firm):
—Megumi, summon the dog. Tsumiki, when it reaches you, hide with it.
—The dog and you will hide within the shadows.
—We'll come for you.
Megumi:
—We'll make it work.
—In the midst of fear, you don't let go of the ones you love. You find a way to hold on… even if it's with shadow.
---
Kuro paced back and forth in the chemistry classroom, restless.
Megumi was finishing a mix that produced white smoke as they spoke to Tsumiki over the phone.
Tsumiki (voice over the phone):
—I'm on the second floor… I hid, but I don't know how much longer I can hold out.
Kuro (fast):
—Hold on a little longer. We're coming for you.
Megumi:
—What if they catch her first?
Kuro turned, serious, his shadow vibrating beneath his feet.
—Then there's a plan B.
—I'll use my shadow to reach her if anything happens. But so she's not alone…
—Your dog will carry her inside its shadow.
Megumi nodded.
—Perfect.
—Here's what you asked for, Kuro: the audio of my voice and my footsteps.
Kuro took it and saved it to his phone.
—Thanks.
---
[Scene change – Tsumiki, hidden, speaks on the phone.]
Kuro (voice over the phone):
—Tsumiki, where are you?
Tsumiki (confused for a second):
—Huh? Ah—
— … I'm on the second floor, blocked in a side corridor.
Kuro (quick correction):
—Right, sorry! Got you!
Kuro (looking at Megumi):
—Hey, Megumi… does your dog still have Tsumiki's scent?
Megumi:
—Of course.
Megumi extended his hand, focusing.
—Divine Dog.
One of the white dogs emerged from his shadow.
Its eyes gleamed. It growled with resolve.
Megumi gave it the order with his mind.
The dog leapt toward Kuro's shadow…
And sank into it without a trace.
Kuro closed his eyes, and the shadow beneath his feet stretched out like a black river.
—I'm sending it…
—As close to Tsumiki as I can.
[Inside Kuro's shadow]
The space was black.
But not empty.
It was alive. Pulsing.
Megumi's Divine Dog ran through the dark veins of the shadow.
Its paws touched no ground, yet it advanced.
The shadows opened before it like liquid tunnels.
It smelled Tsumiki.
Not physically.
But tied to her energy, her bond with Megumi.
—Closer… —its instinct seemed to say.
In an instant, the shadow opened.
A slit formed at the back of the second-floor bathroom.
The dog emerged in silence.
Invisible to others.
It slid beneath the stall door where Tsumiki trembled, phone still in hand.
—Kuro? Megumi…?
The shadow at her feet moved.
A warm snout brushed her.
She froze. But not from fear.
It was the dog.
She crouched, crying silently, and hugged it.
—You made it…
---
[Meanwhile, in the second-floor halls…]
Gojūtei walked.
His steps were soft. Almost silent.
But the aura around him was an invisible storm.
—I smell fear.
—And traces of residual energy.
—You're close… girl.
He passed a doorway.
He sniffed the air.
His duplicates could sense as he did.
And this one… had been created to hunt.
—When I find you…
—the finger will be mine.
His hands glowed for an instant.
He was ready to duplicate again, if necessary.
---
[In the bathroom]
Tsumiki whispered to the dog:
—Can you carry me into the shadow…?
The dog gave a faint growl.
And its body flattened, melting back into the floor.
A small darkness began to cover her… wrapping her…
like a blanket.
And then…
The bathroom door slowly opened.
Click…
Soft footsteps.
An eyeless figure.
Gojūtei had arrived.
—Found you.
Sometimes it's not about being stronger… but escaping just before they catch you.
---
Gojūtei entered the bathroom with slow steps.
His presence chilled the air.
The lights flickered.
The floor creaked beneath his weight.
He walked past the stalls.
One by one.
Until he reached the last.
The very one where, seconds earlier, Tsumiki had been.
He stopped.
Sniffed.
Smiled.
—I saw you…
—I saw you hide in that shadow.
—But it was already too late.
He slammed the wall in anger.
CRACK!
—Damn it…
—Those brats…
—They're smarter than I thought.
---
Elsewhere in the building, inside a dark storeroom, the shadow opened.
Tsumiki emerged, swathed in darkness.
The Divine Dog faded gently at her side.
—Kuro…? —she whispered.
—Yeah… —came the voice over the communicator.
It was weak, but steady.
Kuro panted.
His back pressed to a wall.
His knees trembled.
The veins on his face stood out from the strain.
Moving someone through the shadow—especially without direct physical contact—had drained him.
—Are you okay? —Megumi asked.
Kuro barely nodded.
—Just tired…
Megumi raised the phone and spoke:
—Tsumiki, listen…
—Yes?
—As far as we know…
—there are three Gojūtei out there.
—So please… be very careful.
—Okay… —she answered, lowering her voice.
---
Tsumiki hugged herself.
She was safe, for now.
But she couldn't help feeling… bad.
Every time Megumi or Kuro risked themselves for her…
something inside her shrank.
Not from fear.
But from feeling useless.
From being the reason for their pain.
> "I hate worrying them…"
She wiped away tears she hadn't realized were falling.
> "Tsumiki kept sitting in silence, still trembling.
The Divine Dog's shadow offered warmth, but not calm.
> "Every time they protect me… I feel like I hurt them."
She drew a deep breath.
> "I can't keep waiting. I have to do something."
She pulled out the communicator and spoke.
—Hey, Megumi…
—Tell Kuro I have a plan.
---
In the chemistry classroom, Megumi looked up.
—What plan?
—Pass me Sukuna's finger —said Tsumiki on the other end—.
—I want to use it as bait.
—Give it to the Divine Dog and have it take it out of the school.
—Break the seal a bit more so the curse can sense it.
Megumi's eyes widened.
—That would make Gojūtei chase it…
—And while he's following it…
—I can move without being tracked.
Megumi swallowed.
—What if one of the clones stays behind?
—You've got two dogs, right?
—I'm not asking you to fight…
—Just make my path a little easier.
Megumi smiled with pride.
—You're no longer the girl who waits in the shadow…
---
From the corner of the classroom, Kuro, head bowed, barely murmured:
—I agree…
—Just… let me rest two minutes.
The effort of moving Tsumiki through the shadow still weighed on him.
—Take your time, brother —Megumi replied—.
—I've got this.
---
Megumi crouched before the Divine Dog.
He opened the shadow and pulled out Sukuna's finger, still wrapped.
The cursed energy was dense. Viscous. Alive.
He slightly broke the seal.
A dark pulse surged out, as if something screamed without a voice.
He handed the finger to the dog.
—Take it far.
—Make it look real.
The dog vanished into shadow.
And in the distance, like an echo only sorcerers could feel…
Gojūtei ran through the corridors.
His feet made no sound, but the echo of his cursed energy rattled the floor.
His face showed no emotion.
But inside… he remembered.
> "I'm sorry…"
He remembered Sukuna's fingers.
How they scattered.
How one was found.
He hadn't sought it.
He found it by accident.
Or rather… someone found it and used it poorly.
A low-level curse user.
Greedy.
He sold the finger to a pair of girls for nothing more than a promise of power.
When Gojūtei sensed it, it was already too late.
The seal was broken.
The energy released.
Gojūtei left the school.
The sky was overcast.
The smell of the finger was strong.
Close.
And then he saw it.
A dog.
The same one that had attacked him earlier.
In its mouth…
Sukuna's finger.
Gojūtei stopped.
Not because he hesitated…
But because he understood.
> "They tricked me…"
---
And even so… he ran.
As he did, his body vibrated.
He raised both hands, touching his chest.
The spiral of his cursed technique glowed.
> Cursed Technique – Fukusei no Jutsu
(Duplication Technique)
His body split.
One to the left.
One to the right.
He remained in the center.
Three Gojūtei.
Coordinated. Lethal.
---
> "Each copy has 70% of my power.
And my mind flows among them.
If one falls… I don't die.
But I feel it.
I feel it all."
He wasn't a soulless monster.
He just wanted to live quietly.
Not be hunted.
Not be feared.
But as long as Gojo Satoru existed…
that world wasn't possible.
> "Then…
Gojo has to die.
Only then… can I live."
Tsumiki sprinted full speed down the empty corridors.
The Divine Dog guided her without hesitation, weaving between debris, open doors, and unconscious bodies.
The school was utterly silent.
No screams left.
Only emptiness.
Tsumiki clenched her teeth.
She was afraid. But determined.
And then… she saw him.
—Megumi!
Megumi turned just in time to catch her as she threw herself into his arms.
They hugged tight, as if a lifetime had passed.
—Tsumiki…
—You're okay!
Footsteps approached.
Kuro.
Steadier now, though still hurt.
—Hey… don't forget we've still got a final boss waiting on the map —he said with a grin.
Tsumiki hugged him, too.
The three of them shared a brief but powerful moment.
—Thank God you're okay —Kuro said, swallowing the lump in his throat.
But as they pulled apart, Tsumiki could see the injuries.
Megumi was bleeding from his side.
Kuro… was worse.
Bruises on his face. Purple ribs. And all that… before even fighting Gojūtei.
—Guys…
—I'm fine —Kuro said—.
—Let's finish this.
---
Plan in motion.
Megumi and Tsumiki hid in the shadow behind a broken wall.
Kuro walked to the far end of the room.
Facing the cracked wall.
—Come on… open for me…
He activated the Cursed Eye.
A red glow.
The white center pulsed like a heart.
CRACK!
A multidimensional fissure opened.
Impossible colors. Echoes of other worlds.
But still unstable.
Kuro shaped his shadow, molding it.
A human silhouette, made of darkness, rose before the portal.
A decoy. Bait.
—Megumi… now.
From the nearby shadow, Megumi emerged and nodded.
The dog carrying Sukuna's finger in its mouth dropped it onto the shadow.
Then vanished.
Megumi caught the finger before it hit the floor.
Without thinking, he threw it to Kuro.
—Catch!
Kuro snatched it midair.
The cursed energy throbbed like a stifled scream.
Without hesitation, he tore the last layers of the seal.
CRACK! WHUMM!
Sukuna's aura flooded the corridor like an invisible tsunami.
And in the distance…
Gojūtei smiled.
—There you are… damn finger.
Gojūtei sprinted through the halls like a living shadow.
His duplication was about to time out.
Five minutes.
That was the limit.
After that, the ability went dormant.
He could only use it again after two and a half minutes.
But there was no time to wait.
The aura of Sukuna's finger was clear, intense…
It was close.
—I almost have them…
When he reached the place, he froze.
Smoke.
Darkness.
Silence.
He could barely see, but he made out three silhouettes moving toward a glowing fissure at the end of the corridor.
—It's them!
He sent his clones without hesitation.
Though something didn't add up…
he couldn't risk it.
Those kids had already fooled him once.
The clones went ahead.
And he was left alone.
---
And then… he felt it.
An ice beam struck him from behind, straight into his shadow.
ZAAAK!
He spun, furious.
—What the hell…?!
And there they were.
Kuro.
Megumi.
Rekka.
And the Divine Dogs.
—That's what you thought —Kuro said, grinning.
He pulled out a phone and showed it.
—Footsteps, recorded voice, ambient noise…
—And a little smoke.
—Enough to trick you.
It had all been a tactical illusion!
---
—Now, Megumi!
The Divine Dogs leapt first.
Though wounded, their eyes burned with resolve.
Gojūtei launched a spinning kick.
The dogs skimmed past it by centimeters.
BOOM!
Rekka fired an ice blast.
Gojūtei tried to move…
But a shadow tentacle grabbed his leg.
CLACK!
The beam hit him full in the side.
—Now, Megumi! —Kuro shouted.
Megumi appeared at his flank, cursed knife in hand.
He leapt like a dark arrow.
Slash!
The blade sank into Gojūtei's shoulder, cutting cursed tissue.
Gojūtei screamed for the first time.
Not in rage…
But in surprise.
They had him.
No clones.
No escape.
Gojūtei slammed Megumi with brutal force.
The cursed knife flew from his hand.
Megumi crashed into a pillar, gasping.
Without losing a second, Gojūtei lunged for Sukuna's finger.
He evaded the Divine Dogs, zigzagging with inhuman agility.
Rekka fired another ice ray, but Gojūtei dodged it effortlessly.
ZAAK!
THUD!
Rekka was kicked so hard he smashed into a wall.
Gojūtei appeared in front of Kuro in a blink.
He grabbed him by the neck.
And with a dark smile…
Pressed the knife to his throat.
—No one moves… or this kid dies.
Everything stopped.
Megumi, the dogs— even the shadow trembled.
—Hand me the finger, or I cut him right here —Gojūtei said, tightening the blade.
Kuro struggled for breath… but his eyes didn't waver.
He slowly pulled out the finger.
The cursed energy scorched the air.
Gojūtei extended his hand.
—Give it to me.
Kuro looked at him…
And smiled.
—Screw you.
And he swallowed the finger!
Gojūtei staggered, stunned.
Megumi's eyes flew wide.
—Kuro?!
The air exploded.
A cursed pressure shredded the atmosphere.
Dark lightning veined Kuro's body.
Marks bloomed across his face, arms, and chest.
Two more eyes opened on his face.
The shadow swelled, distorted.
Rekka, still weakened, ascended to special grade in that instant.
And then…
A laugh.
Deep.
Cruel.
Divine.
—How marvelous…!
The voice was not Kuro's.
It was Sukuna's.
With a slight tilt of the neck, the knife at his throat was cut clean in two.
—I'm back.
—And this brat… has a very interesting technique.
Sukuna flexed his fingers.
His energy roared like a volcano.
—You're Gojūtei, aren't you?
He smiled, all sharp teeth.
—With this shadow…
—I challenge you.
BOOM!
Gojūtei slammed the ground in fury, concrete splintering under his feet.
—Damn it!
—I only wanted the finger to become stronger…
—None of this was supposed to happen!
Sukuna watched him with indifference.
He walked toward him like a bored king.
—Throwing a tantrum?
—Pathetic.
He raised a hand.
Gave a curt order:
—Rekka.
—Have fun.
---
Before Gojūtei could react, Rekka's tail—now a special-grade shikigami—hit him like a train.
CRACK!
Gojūtei flew into a pillar.
Before he touched the ground… Sukuna was already behind him.
BAM!
A kick slammed him into the wall.
—How slow you are…
Sukuna raised his hand.
Cursed energy gathered.
And he fired an ice beam identical to Rekka's.
ZAAAK!
The blast froze Gojūtei's body from chest to feet.
Only his head could move, trembling.
—Was that all? —Sukuna said with a crooked smile.
—What a poor fight you put up.
A single cut.
Precise.
SHHHK!
Gojūtei's head rolled across the floor.
The ritual was successful.
Gojūtei's soul… vanished.
---
Sukuna turned slowly to Megumi.
He could barely move from fear.
Sukuna's eyes studied him.
And then… he stopped.
The markings vanished.
The extra eyes shut.
Kuro's body dropped to his knees.
He panted hard.
And came back to himself.
—Am I… okay? —Kuro murmured.
He looked at his hands, intact.
Sukuna had used reverse cursed energy to heal him.
—Megumi… —he stepped closer.
Megumi took a deep breath, still shaken.
—Are you okay?
—Yeah. Thanks to you.
—And Tsumiki? —Kuro asked.
A shadow rose from behind the wall.
—I'm here, guys.
Tsumiki stepped slowly from her hiding place.
Her voice trembled, but she smiled.
—How about we… go home?
Megumi laughed for the first time in hours.
—Yeah.
—I've had enough jujutsu for a month.
Kuro stretched with a relieved motion.
—Honestly… this has been the most exhausting day of my life.
The three of them walked together.
Broken, but alive.
Hurt, but at peace.
—Let's grab our backpacks —Tsumiki said—.
—And get the hell out of here.