Jujutsu Kaisen: Becoming the strongest as Yuji Itadori

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At the entrance to the Tomb of the Star Corridor, just before the elevator leading to Tengen's sanctuary, Itadori could be seen standing in front of the cursed item warehouse.

The boy appeared deep in thought, his unease evident in his expressions, with his face momentarily furrowing before returning to normal.

Indecision was what Itadori was grappling with at the moment.

After weighing his options, Itadori decided he couldn't afford to take risks against Kenjaku. To ensure the curse user wouldn't feel comfortable in his fight against Yuki and Choso, Yuji concluded that overwhelming him with powerful opponents was the best course of action.

While Choso and Yuki were strong, with the latter truly capable of defeating Kenjaku if he faltered, the false Geto was too cunning to rely solely on their current strategies.

He needed the two to hold out until he arrived. Facing a worn-out Geto would be ideal, given that the original battle would leave him significantly weakened, but Yuji didn't want to sacrifice Yuki to achieve that.

Thus, the more allies to support Yuki and Choso, the better.

This was why he stood before the warehouse. Unlike the original Itadori, who would consume the remaining Death Paintings, the current Itadori had no desire to devour his siblings.

He wanted to free them.

His decision was made, but why, then, was he still hesitant?

Essentially, it was because, with just a glance, he could see how fragmented the souls of the Death Paintings were, most likely due to their being mere fetuses imprisoned for so long.

Creating individual bodies for each of them was impossible in this state. With such fragmented souls, they would be incapable of "sustaining" a body. Embodying them wasn't a viable option either, as it was impossible to predict how deformed the body would be or how their cognitive senses would be affected.

Moreover, even though Itadori didn't mind capturing a death-row prisoner to serve as a vessel, there was no way of knowing how the mind of such a vile criminal would affect his siblings' thoughts.

For this reason, Yuji's best option seemed to be to "merge" his siblings' souls into a single body.

Merge wasn't exactly the correct term, as a true merging of their souls would result in rejection. Instead, it would be more like a glue binding their souls together in one body.

This would resemble Mahito's technique of fusing souls with minimal rejection to form a powerful body, but with adjustments to allow the cursed fetuses' souls to share rationality.

As a strange and novel concept, it carried risks. But if this was the best way to free his siblings, then Itadori saw no reason not to pursue it.

"..." Lightly touching the warehouse gate, Itadori pressed his lips together as he felt the blood in his body pulse, as if guiding him to find his imprisoned siblings.

This familiar sensation was comforting. Even while retaining little rationality, the cursed fetuses seemed to somehow express affection through their blood-soul connection. It was as if they were making their concerns for their younger brother clear.

But at the same time that they radiated affection toward Itadori, the boy could sense the anguish his siblings felt. Being imprisoned for so long, it was only natural they harbored indignation—a burning rage toward the one who had placed them in this situation.

Even without words, they could somehow convey their collective desire for vengeance against the one who had desecrated their mother.

They wanted Noritoshi Kamo dead.

And that made Itadori smile. Swinging the warehouse gate open, he revealed countless cursed objects collected over the eras of Jujutsu society.

But despite their allure, they didn't catch Itadori's attention. His focus was solely on the end of the corridor, where the cursed fetuses were lined up.

"Don't worry, brothers..." Feeling his blood guide him, calming the closer he got, Itadori let cursed energy flicker around his hands like flames. "I won't let you sit idly by while everything unfolds.

It's time to set you free."

.

Near the gate of Jujutsu High, Maki was packing a few items into a backpack while Itadori observed her with an interested gaze.

Not far from them, he could see Geto's two daughters chatting with Mai, which was… quite surprising, actually.

He liked seeing them get along, but it wasn't something he'd expected. Not long ago, the two had tried to attack all non-sorcerers.

Seeing them—who shouldn't care for non-sorcerers—getting along with Mai, who wished to be one, was truly unexpected.

"I guess it's like what happened in World War II, where countries that didn't get along united against a greater evil," Itadori murmured while rubbing his chin, narrowing his eyes for a moment as he wondered if that was the best comparison for the situation.

Shrugging, he returned his attention to Maki, who had finished packing her backpack.

As the one capable of freely passing through the Culling Game barriers, she would distribute information, as radio signals or any form of satellite communication didn't work within the barriers. She would also carry some cursed tools if needed and serve as backup for anyone in need.

Itadori had also specifically asked Maki to search for Uraume. Letting the King of Curses' assistant scheme freely wasn't a comforting thought. As for danger, even if she wasn't entirely accustomed to her new strength, Itadori doubted Uraume could kill her.

At worst, Maki could retreat. Uraume wouldn't be able to keep up.

"What are you thinking about?"

Blinking when Maki's voice interrupted his thoughts, he turned to see her sitting beside him, one eyebrow raised briefly before a small smile spread across his lips.

"Curious to know?" he teased.

"Maybe." But Maki didn't take the bait, merely relaxing beside him. Itadori chuckled at her response, noticing she'd reverted to her usual demeanor after their training session.

They hadn't properly discussed what had happened between him and Mai, but Itadori made no attempt to hide or avoid the topic. It was clear to Maki that he didn't feel bad about it or think he'd done anything wrong.

Thus, Maki saw no reason to press the issue. If that was what the two wanted, then suppressing her feelings, she decided to set her jealousy aside.

Though she hadn't spoken directly to Mai about it yet, Maki wanted the best for her sister, and if Mai liked Itadori, she would support them.

"Just thinking about our options." But Itadori, unaware of what Maki was thinking, had different thoughts about how to resolve this issue. "For now, our focus is saving Tsumiki, but Kenjaku will attack soon, and that will need to be our priority."

"Is he really that strong?" Maki hadn't witnessed Kenjaku's power during the Shibuya Incident, so she was quite curious about this curse user capable of body-hopping.

Faced with the question, Itadori crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes closing to indicate deep thought as memories of his confrontation with Kenjaku surfaced.

"Sukuna and Sensei are in their own league, but I'd say Kenjaku is just below them."

Maki blinked at this information, absorbing it for a moment before being genuinely surprised. Being second only to the King of Curses and the strongest sorcerer was no small feat. "I see."

"He's strong, but if we overwhelm him, I doubt he can hold out."

Maki nodded, adjusting her posture and stretching her arms. Her gaze shifted to the sky for a moment, noting how the late afternoon approached, signaling she should leave soon.

"Stay alert. We don't know which curses Kenjaku has unleashed in the colonies," Itadori advised. Standing, he began walking toward the school's entrance. "I'll join Megumi and the others. Meet us in about a day."

Maki followed shortly after. Stopping in front of him, she stared at him for a few seconds, an action Itadori noticed.

Even though they'd partially resolved things, there was still tension between them. Their relationship may not have been romantic before, but it was slowly evolving into something. Avoiding the awkward atmosphere after recent events was impossible.

But Itadori wasn't an inexperienced youth. He acted on his will and understood the consequences of his actions. He also knew exactly what he wanted.

At this point, romance was the last thing they should worry about. But if there was one thing sorcerers lacked, it was a perspective for the future. Itadori saw no reason to shy away.

"I like you."

"..."

Maki blinked, her mind taking a moment to process his words before surprise shone in her eyes as she looked at him with a hint of astonishment—a rare expression for her.

But seeing her react like this, Itadori didn't falter as he held up her backpack, offering it to her.

"I won't say what I did was a mistake because it wasn't. I like you, Maki, but I also have feelings for your sister." She took the backpack as he continued seriously. "You won't hear me making excuses for it.

I don't know what you think about this, but I believe we'll have time to figure it out later, so…"

Stepping closer, Itadori pulled her into a hug. Caught off guard, Maki took a moment before embracing him back.

"Good luck, and take care."

Stepping away, he smiled at her.

And to the astonishment of the three spectators watching from a distance, a faint blush appeared on Maki's cheeks before she nodded and turned to leave. "Idiot…"

"..."

Itadori watched the girl walk away for several seconds, but as soon as he felt a few burning stares on the back of his neck, he turned around to see the three girls failing miserably at pretending they weren't watching.

"..." Narrowing his eyes, he sighed in defeat the moment he noticed a small smile on Mai's lips. "What am I getting myself into..?"

Rubbing his forehead, he made his way to prepare for his own departure.