"Yes, we'll need your help."
Kazuki's voice was calm, as he pressed the phone to his ear. He stood at the edge of a small clearing, early morning light filtering through the trees.
"Okay... okay, thanks, Yuji."
He ended the call.
Then, without hesitation, he snapped the phone in half.
The pieces hit the ground, and Kazuki crushed them under his heel before kicking the remains into a nearby bush.
"You guys ready to go?"
He turned to face Ren and Yumi, who stood a few meters away with packed bags slung over their shoulders. They looked like fugitives..which, technically, they were now.
"Yup."
Ren adjusted the strap on his bag.
Winning is the only thing that matters right now.
The Kagami Clan. The Exhibition. The Special Grade prize.
Everything came down to the next three weeks.
"Good." Kazuki started walking, hands in his pockets, leading them deeper into the forest. "Now... it won't take long before the higher-ups realize what I've done. That's why I broke the phone."
His tone was casual.
"They'll try to track me. Contact me. Threaten me." He glanced back over his shoulder. "But if they can't reach me, they can't give me orders I'll have to ignore."
Yumi quickened her pace to walk beside him, concern written across her face.
"Will it really be okay?" Her voice was quiet, almost guilty. "Leaving Tokyo Jujutsu High just for us?"
Kazuki was silent for a moment, the only sound the crunch of leaves beneath their feet.
Then he glanced back at her and at Ren, who was listening intently despite pretending not to.
"Well..." Kazuki's expression softened slightly. "I guess you could say I've grown interested in Ren. I want to see how he turns out."
He looked forward again, pushing a low-hanging branch out of the way.
"Plus, those higher-up bastards take advantage of me because of my age. They see a kid with the Six Eyes and think they can control me. Use me."
"But they know I can kill them easily. Just like Satoru Gojo did before me."
Ren frowned slightly, watching Kazuki's back as they walked.
Six Eyes, huh...
He'd heard the stories. Everyone had. The Gojo Clan's legendary technique, passed down through generations. The ability to see cursed energy in perfect detail, to process information faster than any human should be able to, to wield the Limitless technique with absolute precision.
Satoru Gojo had been called the strongest sorcerer in history.
And now Kazuki had inherited that same power.
Man, what have I gotten myself involved in?
Ren's thoughts drifted to what Kazuki had said on the phone.
"Thanks, Yuji."
His stomach tightened.
And now we're meeting Itadori Yuji.
Part of the Elite Five.
[Ever since the battle between Ryomen Sukuna and Satoru Gojo twenty years ago, the jujutsu world changed forever.
Those who survived that era—who fought alongside or against the King of Curses, who lived through the Culling Game, who bore witness to the end of an age—became legends in their own right.
The strongest among them, the ones who continued walking the path of jujutsu sorcery when so many others fell or retired, became known as:
The Elite Five.
These are the sorcerers who stand at the pinnacle of the jujutsu world. The ones who shape policy, lead missions, and serve as the final line of defense against Special Grade threats.
Their names are spoken with reverence. With fear.
With awe.
Yuta Okkotsu– The Copy Sorcerer. Special Grade. Master of a thousand techniques. Some say he's surpassed even Gojo Satoru in versatility.
Maki Okkotsu(née Zenin) – The Blade of Heaven. Special Grade through Heavenly Restriction alone. The woman who slaughtered the Zenin Clan and proved that cursed energy isn't everything.
Itadori Yuji– Sukuna's Former Vessel. Special Grade. The man who survived being the King of Curses' host and emerged stronger. His body contains techniques even he doesn't fully understand.
Aoi Todo– The Unbreakable. Grade 1. Boogie Woogie evolved into something far more terrifying. They say reality bends when he claps.
Megumi Fushiguro– The Ten Shadows Successor. Special Grade. Finally mastered what Gojo always saw in him. Inherited the full potential of his technique.
These five are not just strong.
They are the pillars holding up the jujutsu world.
And Kagami Ren was about to meet one of them.]
"Do you hear that?"
Yumi stopped walking abruptly, her head tilting slightly to the side.
Ren nearly bumped into her.
"Hear what?" He frowned, listening.
The forest was quiet.
But Yumi's expression had changed.
"We're being watched."
Her eyes scanned the trees.
Nothing.
No movement.
But Ren felt it too now.
The weight of something observing them.
RUSTLE.
A branch shifted.
Something moved in the canopy above..fast, barely a flash of motion.
But what was it?
Ren's hand moved instinctively.
Kazuki merely smiled.
"It's him."
THUD.
A hooded figure dropped from the tree branches above, landing in a crouch on the forest path ahead of them.
He straightened slowly.
The hood obscured most of his face, casting it in shadow. Only his mouth was visible, and the distinctive scar that cut across his lips.
"Kazuki-kun."
His voice was low but casual
He walked past Ren and Yumi without acknowledging them.
?!
T-that cursed energy...
It wasn't just strong.
It was like staring into an ocean and realizing you can't see the bottom.
This guy is on a whole other level!
"Yuji-sama."
Kazuki's tone shifted, still friendly, but with genuine respect.
"It's good to see you again. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
He extended his hand.
Yuji took it, shaking once, firmly.
Then his head turned.
His eyes, still hidden beneath the hood, fixed on Ren.
Ren felt pinned in place.
"So this is the Kagami Clan runaway?"
He looked Ren up and down, taking in every detail.
The bandages still visible under Ren's clothes. The way he stood
Ren forced himself not to look away.
Don't show weakness.
"Yes," Kazuki said, his tone careful. "I was hoping we could all form a team for the upcoming war."
Yuji didn't respond immediately.
He started walking.
Is he going to attack?
Yuji walked past him.
Stopped a few meters beyond, facing the forest.
"Before we discuss something like that," he said quietly, "we should make sure we're alone."
He raised one hand, fingers forming a deliberate sign.
"Dismantle."
SLASH.
Invisible blades tore through the forest ahead of them precise, surgical cuts that shredded trees. And Then
Blood.
It appeared first as a spray in the air, misting red against the green backdrop.
Then more.
Pooling on the forest floor, spreading from a source that was suddenly, horrifyingly visible.
A body.
A man.
Kagami Clan crest on his shoulder. Eyes wide with shock. Mouth open in a silent scream.
He'd been standing twenty meters away, perfectly concealed by a camouflage technique.
Until Yuji erased him from existence.
The body collapsed in pieces.
"How did they find us?!"
Ren's voice cracked slightly.
They tracked us. Even here.
Yuji slid his hands into his pockets, turning back toward them.
His hood fell back slightly, revealing more of his face.
"A clan as big and powerful as them has eyes and ears everywhere. They won't just let you run."
He walked toward Kazuki.
"Let's head to Shibuya. Megumi's waiting there."
Kazuki nodded, falling into step beside him .
"W-wait!"
Yumi's voice stopped them both.
Yuji paused, glancing back over his shoulder.
"That move..."
Yumi's voice was quieter now.
"It's Ryomen Sukuna's technique. I recognized it from the textbooks."
She stepped forward, ignoring Ren's warning hand on her arm.
"How did you...?"
Yuji was silent for a long moment.
Then he looked up at the sky.
"Perhaps..."
His expression was unreadable.
"...you could say it's muscle memory."
He turned and kept walking.
Kazuki gave Ren and Yumi a small nod and continued after Yuji.
Yumi stood there for a moment, watching Yuji's retreating back.
Then she smirked.
"Ren."
"Yeah?"
"One day, I'll be as powerful as him. Just watch."
Ren blinked, then puffed out his chest, forcing a grin.
"Focus on getting as strong as me first!"
Yumi kissed her teeth, a sound somewhere between annoyance and amusement and started walking after Kazuki and Yuji.
Ren followed.
If Itadori Yuji is this strong...
He glanced at the corpse they were leaving behind.
...then imagine Satoru Gojo.
Or worse.
His stomach tightened.
Ryomen Sukuna.
He shivered despite the warm air.
[A new era of jujutsu was about to begin.
The generation that survived Satoru Gojo and Ryomen Sukuna had grown into something terrifying.
And the generation rising now would soon discover just how high the bar had been set.
The Elite Five had defined an age.
But every age ends.
And this one…was about to be tested.]