Inside the dim and oppressive underground meeting room of the Jujutsu General Headquarters, a heavy long table made of century-old golden phoebe wood was smashed into flying splinters by a single, powerful palm!
Cursed energy, as violent as a Category 5 hurricane, raged frantically within the confined space.
The 'rotten oranges' seated behind the screens—the self-proclaimed supreme rulers of the jujutsu world—all found their breathing hitched, suppressed by the sheer weight of the terrifying pressure.
"Are you old farts doubting me?!"
Wearing his signature small round sunglasses, Satoru Gojo looked down with utter disdain at the high-ranking officials hidden behind their screens.
His peerlessly handsome face was currently twisted with a murderous, savage intensity, as if he were on the verge of starting a bloodbath.
"That idiot Suguru lost his mind and decided to play the part of some damn curse user. What the hell does that have to do with me?"
"Instead of finding a way to catch him, you haul me down into this basement that reeks of old people to cross-examine me?"
"Do you think I've become so soft that even trash like you can try to walk all over me?"
Satoru Gojo's voice exploded in the meeting room like a clap of thunder, leaving the ears of the high-ranking officials ringing.
His performance perfectly captured the image of the strongest sorcerer: furious, irritable, and with nowhere to vent his rage after being betrayed by his best friend!
This was the 'script' specifically tailored for Satoru Gojo by Yoru and Suguru Geto before their departure.
Since Suguru Geto was to become the 'vile curse user' drawing all the heat...
Then Satoru Gojo had to display a stance of complete and total severance from him.
Only then would the higher-ups refrain from easily moving against the others at Jujutsu High, nor would they dare to casually interfere with Gojo's movements.
"Satoru Gojo! Watch your tongue!"
Behind a screen, a veteran conservative elder suppressed his fear and barked with false bravado.
"Suguru Geto was your classmate and your best friend! He committed the heinous crime of massacring civilians and even murdered his own parents!"
"In such a massive affair, did he truly not give you even the slightest hint beforehand?"
"We have reason to suspect that you... or others within Jujutsu High, are secretly harboring him!"
The moment those words were uttered, the air in the meeting room seemed to drop to the freezing point.
Gojo slowly turned his head. Those Eyes of the Blue Sky, hidden behind his sunglasses, locked onto the official who had spoken.
"Harboring?"
Gojo suddenly began to laugh.
His laughter grew louder and more manic, sending shivers down the spines of everyone listening.
"Old man, are you getting so senile that your brain has started to shrivel?"
Gojo took a violent step forward. The Limitless cursed technique erupted instantly, grinding the sturdy screen into fine dust!
The official collapsed onto his rear in terror, his face pale and his body shaking like a leaf.
"I am the strongest!"
"If I really wanted to harbor him, or if I wanted to become a curse user just like him, do you really think... you pieces of trash would still be sitting here alive to talk to me?!"
Gojo extended a finger, pointing at the trembling officials with eyes full of unmasked contempt.
"Let me tell you something."
Gojo took a deep breath. His manic rage suddenly vanished, replaced by a cold, clinical calm.
"Suguru is my best friend. I've never denied that."
"But if he truly has crossed the line, if he has truly become a monster who slaughters the innocent..."
Gojo paused, emphasizing every word.
"I will personally rip his head off."
"That is my responsibility as the strongest, and it is my final promise to you useless old farts!"
Hearing Gojo's bloodthirsty vow, all the officials present breathed a secret sigh of relief.
Though they feared Gojo's power, they knew he was a man of strict principles and lines that he would not cross.
Since he had made such a poisonous oath in front of everyone, it meant he truly had severed all ties with Suguru Geto.
"Very well, Satoru Gojo."
Another official cleared his throat, trying to regain some semblance of dignity.
"Since you have such resolve, we will no longer pursue your responsibility."
"However, you must maintain constant surveillance on Suguru Geto's movements. Once his whereabouts are discovered, he must be executed on the spot!"
"Whatever you say."
Gojo snorted, not even bothering to look at the group again as he turned and strode out of the meeting room.
Bang!
The heavy iron door slammed shut, completely sealing the stench of decay behind him.
Stepping out of the General Headquarters building, the piercing sunlight fell upon Gojo.
He stopped, slowly took off his small round sunglasses, and tilted his head back to look at the wash of brilliant blue sky above.
The breeze ruffled his short silver-white hair.
The frost on his face suddenly melted away, replaced by a sly, almost smug grin.
'Acting is so exhausting...'
Gojo took a long stretch and exhaled a heavy breath of stagnant air.
"But for that idiot playing the villain, and for a mysterious guy like Yoru... I suppose I can bear it for a while."
In truth, those old foxes in the hierarchy would never have guessed in their wildest dreams.
The 'vile curse user' Suguru Geto, whom they viewed as a thorn in their side, and the 'strongest' Satoru Gojo, their only reliance...
Maintained an extremely secret, one-way line of communication in private!
And their method of passing intelligence was absurdly simple.
On the streets of Tokyo, in front of a very famous dessert shop.
Gojo walked into the store with his hands in his pockets, humming a tune out of key like a child who had never grown up.
"Boss, give me two boxes of Kikufuku!"
Gojo leaned on the counter, speaking with a smile.
"One box all edamame cream flavor, and the other... make it a mix of strawberry and matcha."
Hearing the request, the seemingly ordinary shopkeeper lowered his head knowingly and quickly packed two exquisite boxes.
No one knew that this dessert shop owner was actually a very well-hidden informant on the periphery of the Star Religious Group.
Gojo took the boxes, paid, and walked out of the shop.
He moved into a deserted alleyway and opened the box of strawberry and matcha mixed Kikufuku.
Pressed under one of the matcha-flavored treats was a tiny slip of paper.
This was the latest intelligence passed to Gojo by Suguru Geto through his own secret network!
Specific flavors represented specific codes.
The edamame cream meant 'everything is secure.'
The strawberry and matcha mix meant 'new situation, check details!'
Gojo pinched the slip of paper, the vision of his Six Eyes scanning the content instantly.
'A large group of foreign curse users has recently slipped into Japan. Their target is likely Jujutsu High. Stay alert.'
After reading the note, a faint spark of cursed energy rose from Gojo's fingertips, instantly grinding the paper into powder invisible to the naked eye.
"Looks like Suguru is doing pretty well over there."
Gojo popped a strawberry Kikufuku into his mouth. The sugary sweetness spread through his mouth, putting him in a great mood.
He looked toward the distant direction of Jujutsu High, his gaze becoming incredibly deep, as if he could see through layers of mist.
"The higher-ups are being played for fools, and the rats from overseas have been lured out."
"Next, let's see what kind of bigger surprise Yoru can bring us."
This pair of the strongest partners—who were meant to be at each other's throats by the whims of fate—were now playing the entire jujutsu world like a fiddle with unprecedented synergy.
But could this dangerous tightrope balance truly keep everyone in the dark until the very end?
Faced with the impending ultimate storm, how would they join forces to fight that terrifying plotter who had lived for a thousand years?
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