Chapter 123: I’ll Go Kill Satoru Gojo Tonight

Kenjaku's smile did not change.

In the middle of Shinjuku's passing crowd, with ordinary people brushing shoulders around them, he looked at Jogo as if watching an amusing insect crawl toward a flame.

"I'll give you one final piece of friendly advice."

His voice remained mild.

"You're going to die, Jogo."

Jogo's single eye narrowed.

Then he laughed.

It was not loud, but it carried an arrogance that seemed to burn hotter than the volcano on his head.

"Humans are counterfeit creatures," Jogo said, gripping his cane. "False. Hypocritical. Rotten from the inside. We are pure. We are the true humans."

Heat shimmered around him. The rain falling through the air hissed into vapor before it could touch his skin.

"Tonight, I'll kill Satoru Gojo."

His mouth twisted into a contemptuous grin.

"And I'll use his death to announce my arrival."

Kenjaku only smiled.

He did not stop him.

Some lessons were better taught by reality.

Meanwhile, deep underground at Tokyo Jujutsu High, Satoru Gojo had begun Yuji Itadori's training.

The room was bare and hidden, sealed away from prying eyes. Talismans lined the walls. The lighting was dim. A sofa sat in the middle of the space, and Yuji lay sideways on it, staring intensely at the movie playing on the screen.

Cursed Energy leaked faintly from his body.

Gojo stood nearby, hands in his pockets, watching with his usual lazy posture.

"For now, your job is simple. Keep your Cursed Energy flowing while watching movies. Sad scenes, scary scenes, action scenes, comedy scenes. No matter what appears, keep the flow stable."

Yuji's eyes remained fixed on the screen.

"That's way harder than it sounds..."

"Of course it is," Gojo said brightly. "If it were easy, everyone would be a Jujutsu Sorcerer."

Yuji grumbled, but he kept going.

For him, mastering Cursed Energy was the foundation. Once he could properly control it, the rest would become much easier. After that, he only needed to hunt curses in large numbers and use Asuramaru's Feedback to increase his strength.

Inside him, Asuramaru watched the process quietly.

Compared to Tanjiro, Yuji's understanding was rough. His intuition was good, and his physical talent was monstrous, but his control was still immature. He was like a person swinging a massive iron club with frightening strength, yet no sense of form.

Still, progress was progress.

By the time night fell, Yuji had more or less grasped the basics of Cursed Energy.

He was still focused on the movie when Gojo appeared behind him without warning.

"Yuji."

"Whoa!"

Yuji nearly jumped off the sofa.

Gojo smiled. "Come with me. I've got a surprise for you."

"A surprise?"

Yuji turned around, confused.

Inside his body, Asuramaru already understood.

At this hour, Jogo had probably already been beaten half to death.

Gojo placed one hand on Yuji's shoulder.

The world twisted.

In the next instant, the underground room disappeared.

A few breaths later, the two of them appeared above a lake under the night sky.

The air smelled faintly of ash and scorched stone. Steam curled from the surface of the water. The ground near the shore had been blasted apart, leaving ugly scars along the earth.

Standing across from them was Jogo.

The arrogance from earlier was gone from his posture. His body was covered in wounds. His robes were torn. One side of his face was charred, and his single eye stared at Gojo with a solemn heaviness.

Then his gaze shifted to Yuji.

So this is Sukuna's vessel.

The brat who might possess Asuramaru.

Jogo's thoughts moved quickly.

Yuji Itadori could not die yet. For future plans, he had to remain alive. More importantly, if the legend was true, then the sword inside this boy was far more valuable than Sukuna's fingers alone.

Did Gojo bring him here to use that sword on me?

Jogo's thoughts were cautious.

His mouth, unfortunately, was not.

"Bringing a tag-along?" Jogo sneered. "How stupid."

Gojo's lips curved.

"It's fine."

His tone was carefree.

"Because you're really weak."

Silence fell.

Then Jogo exploded.

An overwhelming aura burst out of him, and the volcano atop his head erupted, spewing flames into the sky. The lake boiled at the edges. Steam rose like white ghosts around them.

"Don't look down on me, you bastard!"

Jogo's hands formed a sign.

"Domain Expansion: Coffin of the Iron Mountain!"

The world changed.

The lakeside vanished, replaced by a burning volcanic interior. Molten rock flowed like rivers. The air warped from heat intense enough to reduce ordinary sorcerers to ash the moment they entered.

A true Domain.

A lethal territory built from Jogo's Cursed Technique.

Yet Gojo Satoru only smiled.

He raised one hand.

"Domain Expansion."

A heartbeat later, the volcanic world shattered beneath a far greater pressure.

"Unlimited Void."

Jogo's Domain collapsed.

Before he could even process what had happened, his head had already been torn from his body.

Gojo appeared by the lakeshore again, holding Jogo's severed head by the top. He tossed it onto the ground and stepped on it lightly, pinning it in place.

"So," Gojo said, looking down at him. "Who sent you?"

Jogo's eye trembled with rage.

He said nothing.

Gojo waited a moment.

Then another.

Finally, he sighed.

"Boring."

He kicked Jogo's head away like a ball.

"Yuji, use your sword to absorb him."

"Okay, Gojo-sensei."

Yuji took a breath.

Black smoke gathered in his hand, condensing into the sword called arcana. The weapon's edge gleamed with a strange, spiritual sharpness, carrying no obvious Cursed Energy yet radiating a pressure that made Jogo's instincts scream.

Yuji walked closer, already wondering how much stronger he might become from absorbing a Cursed Spirit of this level.

Jogo stared at the sword.

He could not sense Cursed Energy from it.

That made it worse.

His soul seemed to recoil before the edge even touched him.

On a nearby cliff, hidden among the trees, Kenjaku watched the scene below.

Beside him stood Hanami.

Kenjaku's gaze lingered on the sword in Yuji's hand.

"So that really is the legendary Asuramaru," he murmured. "Interesting."

He looked at Hanami.

"What do you think? Are you going to save him?"

Hanami remained silent.

Kenjaku smiled faintly.

"I can't be discovered by Jujutsu High yet. If you want to act, go ahead."

With that, he turned and left.

Hanami raised one hand.

A white flower bloomed soundlessly between slender fingers.

Then Hanami leaped from the cliff and vanished.

Below, arcana was a second away from piercing Jogo's head.

A white flower drifted down.

It touched the ground.

In the next instant, flowers erupted across the lakeshore.

A sea of pale blossoms spread beneath the night, releasing a gentle, almost sacred fragrance. The air became soft. Tranquil. Dreamlike.

Yuji's movements slowed for a fraction of a second.

Even Gojo's attention shifted.

Hanami appeared within that opening.

Wooden roots burst from the earth, lashing toward Yuji like spears.

Gojo moved at once.

He appeared in front of Yuji and blocked the ambush.

By the time he turned back, Hanami had already seized Jogo's head and disappeared into the forest.

The flowers withered.

The lakeside returned to silence.

Yuji blinked, sword still in hand.

"They escaped?"

"They escaped," Gojo confirmed, though he did not sound particularly upset.

He looked into the distance, his smile returning.

"Their presence is hidden pretty well. Cursed Spirits of that level gathering together... Now that's interesting. What are they planning?"

His tone was light, almost cheerful.

Then he turned back to Yuji.

"Well then. Since our guest ran away, we'll move on to the next stage."

Yuji felt a sudden chill.

Gojo smiled brighter.

"Hell training."

"Hell training?"

"You'll keep mastering Cursed Energy while fighting me. You'll also go out and exorcise Cursed Spirits whenever we find them. Let's aim to surprise Fushiguro and the others in a month."

Yuji's mouth twitched.

"Fighting you for a month? Won't I die?"

Gojo gave him a thumbs-up.

"Probably not."

"That's not reassuring!"

Time passed quickly after that.

Yuji's days became a brutal cycle of training, missions, rest, and more training.

He practiced Cursed Energy control until his body moved with it almost naturally. He learned to coat his fists with Cursed Energy, creating Divergent Fist, a delayed impact that struck after the physical blow.

His Breathing Style also improved.

Thanks to his extraordinary physique, he could now use the Hinokami Kagura for brief moments. He was far from mastery, but he had at least managed to grasp the first form, Waltz.

Two weeks passed in total.

In Asuramaru's eyes, the speed was only average.

Yuji's talent was excellent, but he lacked polish. His foundation had been built too late, his habits too wild, and his brain too simple.

Still, once the training began showing results, Gojo immediately became impatient.

He wanted Yuji out on missions.

Fast growth required real battles.

In a classroom at Jujutsu High, Gojo suddenly stood up and opened the door.

A middle-aged man in a well-fitted white suit stepped inside. He had neatly combed short hair, sharp features, and goggles over his eyes. His entire presence was clean, restrained, and efficient.

Gojo placed a hand on the man's shoulder and introduced him with a grin.

"This is my reliable junior, a former salaryman turned Jujutsu Sorcerer, Kento Nanami. With him leading you on missions, I can relax."

Nanami's expression did not change.

"Please don't call me that."

Then he turned to Yuji and bowed slightly.

"First, we should greet each other properly. Nice to meet you, Itadori-kun."

Yuji quickly bowed back.

"Nice to meet you!"

Nanami straightened.

"And please do not misunderstand. I do not share the same views as Gojo-san. I trust him. I rely on him."

His voice remained perfectly serious.

"But I do not respect him."

He said it with such conviction that Yuji had no idea how to respond.

Gojo clutched his chest dramatically.

"Nanami, that hurts."

Nanami ignored him.

"For the coming period, I will be taking you with me on missions."

"O-okay."

Yuji nodded.

He did not feel anything strange about it. If anything, Nanami seemed incredibly dependable.

Gojo, however, refused to give up.

"Nanami, come hang out with me later."

While speaking, he sneakily slipped a folded note into the side pocket of Nanami's suit.

Nanami did not even look at him.

"Itadori Yuji, follow me. We are starting the mission now."

"Huh? Right now?"

Yuji barely had time to react before Nanami turned and left.

He hurried after him.

Behind them, Gojo watched the two depart. His lips curled into the satisfied smile of a man who had successfully committed a tiny, pointless crime.

Outside the building, Ijichi was already waiting beside a car.

Once Yuji and Nanami got in, the vehicle pulled away from Jujutsu High.

Only then did Nanami speak.

"This mission concerns a murder case at a cinema."

Yuji straightened slightly.

"A murder case?"

"Yes." Nanami's tone remained concise. "We suspect a powerful Cursed Spirit is wandering nearby. Our assignment is to investigate the scene and exorcise the Cursed Spirit if necessary."

.....

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