Outside the Zenin estate, Maki Zenin slowly sat on the steps and let out a long breath.
"Maki! Where is Mai?!"
Seeing her alone, Momo Nishimiya rushed forward in panic.
She had warned Mai not to return to the Zenin family this time, yet she could not stop her.
Maki raised a hand and casually rubbed her hair. "Relax. Mai is already back at Jujutsu High."
"Jujutsu High?"
Momo froze. It was not far, but it was not exactly close either. How could she already be back?
"It was Go…"
Maki paused, recalling that Gojo Shion and Geto Suguru had mentioned keeping things low profile.
She scratched her head. "Anyway, she's safe. That's all that matters."
"That's good… that's really good…"
Then her expression shifted sharply.
"This blood… it's everywhere. And you're saying everything is fine?"
"Mai might be fine, but the Zenin family probably isn't."
Both of them turned.
Toji Fushiguro approached with a faint smile, two corpses hanging loosely from his hands.
He tossed them aside like garbage and gestured toward Maki. "Members of the Kukuru Unit and Hei. The ones outside are already dealt with."
"Ever since Megumi said he wanted you to take him to the Zenin estate, I knew this day would come. So I moved first."
Maki was silent for a moment. "…Thanks."
Toji shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I would've done it anyway."
…
"Want to take a look inside? There's only one old man left now."
Maki nodded.
The two walked into the estate.
Momo stood there, completely lost.
"Wait, what? Hold on! This is the Zenin estate, can I even just walk in?"
Toji glanced back. "Mai should be in the infirmary at Jujutsu High right now."
That was all Momo needed to hear. She immediately took off on her broom.
Inside the Zenin ancestral residence.
Naobito Zenin had already heard the alarm bells ringing throughout the estate.
But Gojo Shion sat calmly, sipping tea, giving him no chance to step out and assess the situation.
"What exactly is happening out there?"
Shion waved a hand lazily. "Relax, it's nothing serious."
Naobito had barely begun to calm down when Shion added, "Your clan is just about to be wiped out."
"What?!"
Naobito shot to his feet. Nearby, Megumi Fushiguro, who had been quietly observing, stiffened in shock.
The Zenin clan… gone? He had only just been named its successor.
"I told you not to overreact," Shion said, patting Naobito on the shoulder. "Look on the bright side. You, Megumi, Toji, Maki, and Mai are still alive."
Naobito's face twitched. "You mean everyone else is dead?"
"Pretty much."
…
Naobito could no longer sit still. Just as he moved to open the door, it slid open from the outside.
Toji and Maki stepped in.
Naobito's eyes locked onto Maki. Blood covered her body, and she carried a long blade in her hand.
He understood immediately.
"Heavenly Restriction…"
The image overlapped with the past.
Toji Fushiguro, years ago, leaving the clan after slaughtering half of it.
Now Maki stood beside him, their presence almost identical.
After a long silence, Naobito collapsed onto the floor with a heavy sigh.
"Retribution…"
Shion gave him a light pat. "Don't look so defeated. If I hadn't stopped you earlier, you might've ended up like the rest."
…
"Besides, a rotten structure like this is better torn down and rebuilt from scratch."
Boom!
Shion's expression sharpened instantly.
His body shot forward, blasting through the door in a blur.
Everyone froze for a split second.
Toji moved first. "Enemy."
They rushed out and found Shion standing in the courtyard.
Maki's mother lay lifeless on the ground.
Naoya's body was gone.
Not only that, the corpses of the Kukuru Unit and Hei had also vanished.
"What happened?" Toji asked.
Shion's voice turned cold. "Kenjaku."
…
Elsewhere.
Kenjaku ran through the darkness at full speed, his breathing uneven, his heart pounding.
"Damn it… he almost found me."
He glanced at the transparent tube in his hand.
Inside, suspended in thick blood, was a twisted Cursed Womb bearing Naoya's face.
"At least I got what I needed. The Zenin bloodline is enough to summon that."
After putting some distance between himself and the estate, he slowed down and steadied his breathing. Once composed, he adjusted his appearance and returned to his usual calm demeanor before entering the base.
Inside, Sukuna sat casually on the tatami, eyes half closed.
Jogo and Mahito huddled in a corner, bruised and trembling, clearly having suffered at his hands again.
"Lord Sukuna."
Uraume appeared and knelt respectfully.
"How did it go?" Sukuna asked.
Uraume's voice carried excitement. "I completed the task. I found them."
They opened an ornate box.
Inside lay Sukuna's final two fingers.
Kenjaku's expression shifted. "How did you manage that?"
Over the past thousand years, he had searched relentlessly, even combing through the most disgusting places imaginable.
And yet he had still missed some.
Sukuna let out a low laugh. "With eighteen fingers, most of my power has already returned. Sensing the last two is trivial."
"Not everyone is as incompetent as you, Kenjaku."
…
Kenjaku forced down his irritation. "Then where were they found?"
A faint unease crept into his mind.
Uraume frowned. "Are you questioning Lord Sukuna?"
"One was recovered from the ocean. The other was lost overseas."
"You've lived for a thousand years, yet you think you can search the entire world?"
Kenjaku raised his hands. "Fine. My mistake."
Sukuna took the box and swallowed the fingers one after another.
In an instant, his already overwhelming presence surged.
Jogo and Mahito clung to each other in fear.
"This… this is it."
Sukuna exhaled, satisfied.
His body began to transform.
A hardened, mask-like layer formed over half his face.
Two masses swelled from his shoulders, tearing through flesh and clothing as they became additional arms.
A vertical slit opened across his abdomen, stretching into a grotesque mouth.
Ryomen Sukuna had fully manifested.