"Carry out the execution?"
Choso's gaze turned instantly savage, cursed energy of Blood Manipulation surging madly around him as if about to transform into countless blood blades the next second to tear Yuta Okkotsu to shreds.
"Just try laying a finger on him!"
Choso took a step forward, shielding Yuji Itadori like an impregnable iron wall.
Maki frowned slightly as well, her hand instinctively tightening around her spear. Though she knew Yuta was not the kind of fool who blindly obeyed higher-up orders, at this delicate juncture, the slightest disturbance was enough to spark an internal feud.
"Hey, hey, Yuta. Cracking such a nasty joke the moment you get back from overseas—are you asking for a beating?"
Faced with everyone's wariness and hostility, however, Yuta Okkotsu merely offered a helpless smile.
Instead of drawing the long blade behind his back, he spread his hands, adopting a completely defenseless posture.
"Everyone, don't tense up."
Within Yuta's originally cold eyes, an inexplicable warmth and craftiness now showed through.
He turned his head, his gaze meeting Yoru's deep red eyes directly.
"Yoru-senpai, do you think... I'm really here to kill Itadori?"
Yoru crossed his arms, the corner of his mouth curving into an amused arc.
Rather than answering Yuta's question, he asked in return,
"While carrying out missions overseas, you secretly contacted Shoko using Jujutsu High's encrypted frequency, didn't you?"
Yuta froze briefly, then gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"Truly nothing gets past you, Senpai."
"That's right. After learning about the Shibuya Incident and Gojo-sensei being sealed, I contacted Dr. Ieiri right away."
Yuta's gaze dimmed somewhat, as though recalling something heavy.
"Before the Shibuya Incident, Gojo-sensei sought me out specifically."
"He told me that if anything ever happened to him, or if he got plotted against by those higher-up old fossils, I was to protect Yuji Itadori and everyone in the first and second years no matter what."
Yuta raised his head, sweeping his eyes over the faces of Itadori, Maki, Megumi Fushiguro, and the others, his voice turning utterly resolute.
"Gojo-sensei is my benefactor. Without him, the current me wouldn't exist."
"How could I ever raise a hand against the students he risked his life to protect?!"
Hearing those words, the killing intent radiating from Choso receded slightly, though he still had not entirely let down his guard.
"Then what did you mean just now by carrying out the execution?"
Yoru gave a soft chuckle, stepping forward to pat Yuta on the shoulder.
"It's simple."
"He's putting on an act."
"Or rather, he plans to drag all of us along to stage a grand deception for the higher-ups and Kenjaku lurking in the shadows!"
Yoru turned around, his gaze piercing as he looked at Yuji Itadori.
"Itadori, your current situation is far too distinct."
"As Sukuna's vessel, not only do the higher-ups want your life, but that gang of curse users with Kenjaku and Uraume won't let you off either."
"Once you enter the Culling Game barriers out in the open, you'll immediately become a living target for everyone, which will severely hinder our plan to locate Angel."
Yuji Itadori paused, pointing to himself somewhat hesitantly.
"Then... what should I do?"
"Die once."
Yuta Okkotsu and Yoru spoke those two words in unison.
Seeing Itadori's eyes widen instantly, Yuta stepped forward and earnestly explained,
"The higher-ups have already issued a strict order. Not only me, but other bribed curse users are keeping eyes on you from the shadows as well."
"Moreover, according to the intel I gathered overseas, that fanatical follower of Sukuna—Uraume—has already slipped back into Tokyo. He's definitely observing our every move from hiding."
Yuta took a deep breath, his tone becoming exceptionally somber.
"So, to let you safely infiltrate the barriers, we must execute you right in front of everyone—especially right in front of Uraume!"
"Only a dead person will draw no one's attention."
Hearing this insane plan, everyone in the side hall drew in a sharp breath.
"Escaping through feigned death?"
Megumi Fushiguro knitted his brows tightly, raising the most critical question.
"How is that even possible?"
"To fool a thousand-year-old monster of Uraume's caliber, ordinary parlor tricks won't work at all. Under his watchful eyes, you must genuinely pierce Itadori's heart with a real blade and make his breathing and heartbeat cease entirely!"
"The slightest mistake, and Itadori is truly dead!"
Choso clenched his fists as well, clearly revolted by this plan that gambled with his brother's life.
Yet at this moment, Yoru stepped forward, absolute confidence glittering in his deep red eyes.
"If it were anyone else, this would indeed be an impossible task."
"But with Yuta combined with my Transparent World, this will be a flawless magic trick!"
Yoru looked toward Yuta, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"Your Reverse Cursed Technique has already reached or even surpassed Shoko's level. You can not only heal yourself, but also output it to heal others, right?"
Yuta nodded, offering no denial.
"That's right. As long as the brain isn't destroyed, even if the heart is pierced, I can mend it in an instant with Reverse Cursed Technique."
Yoru snapped his fingers, laying out the entire plan.
"The plan goes like this."
"In a bit, we'll leave the Tombs of the Star Corridor and deliberately expose our tracks along the edge of Shibuya's ruins."
"Yuta, you will appear in the role of executioner and engage Itadori in a life-or-death battle. The rest of us will pretend to be held back by higher-up orders or other enemies, unable to come to his aid."
"At the climax of the battle, you must use that blade to precisely pierce Itadori's heart!"
Yoru walked up to Itadori, his finger tapping lightly against the left side of his chest.
"I'll activate the Transparent World and monitor both of your physical states in real time."
"Yuta, the instant your blade pierces his heart, you must make the edge veer half an inch away from the ventricular aorta!"
"That half-inch deviation will be enough to throw Itadori into a state of profound suspended animation, stopping his breathing and heartbeat to perfectly deceive Uraume's senses."
"And the instant Uraume confirms Itadori's death and departs, you will immediately pour a massive amount of Reverse Cursed Technique into Itadori's body, repairing his heart and pulling him back from the gates of death!"
After hearing this thrilling plan, utter silence fell across the side hall.
This was practically dancing on the blade of the Grim Reaper's scythe!
Even a single millimeter of error would cause Yuji Itadori to perish on the spot.
"I agree!"
Just as the others were still hesitating, Yuji Itadori shouted without the slightest reluctance.
He looked at Yoru, then at Yuta, without a trace of fear in his eyes—only an utterly pure, consummate trust.
"If this shakes off the pests bugging me and lets us find Angel faster to save Gojo-sensei..."
"Then pierce my heart!"
"I believe in Okkotsu-senpai, and I believe in Yoru-senpai!"
Looking at Itadori's clear eyes, Yuta Okkotsu felt a sudden jolt in his chest, after which a relieved smile appeared on his gentle face.
"Rest assured, Itadori-kun."
"I swore an oath to Gojo-sensei that I would definitely protect you."
Yuta gripped the hilt tightly, his gaze turning as sharp as an unsheathed blade in that instant.
"My blade will definitely not stray by even a millimeter!"
Watching these two youths entrust their lives to one another, Yoru nodded in satisfaction.
He knew all the prerequisites for this grand deceptive act to succeed were now in place.
"In that case, let's prepare to move."
Yoru turned his head toward the deep night outside the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
With perception rivaling radar, he had already faintly sensed an icy, exceedingly concealed cursed energy fluctuation closing in on this area.
Carrying a sickening chill, that fluctuation belonged precisely to Sukuna's fanatical follower—Uraume!
"The audience is in position."
A cold, ruthless smirk curved Yoru's lips, as if mountains of corpses and seas of blood were churning within his deep red eyes.
"Yuta, get your acting skills ready."
"Tonight, we will let the entire jujutsu world and that thousand-year-old monster lurking in the dark witness it with their own eyes..."
As Yoru's words fell, the cursed energy on Yuta Okkotsu erupted violently; that terrifying presence, capable of crushing special grades, instantly locked onto Yuji Itadori.
And Yuji Itadori, the core prey, would vanish entirely from the open surface in a profoundly shocking manner through this meticulously orchestrated "execution," transforming into the most lethal blade of shadow within the Culling Game.
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