Across Japan, several temples existed that were rooted inside Jujutsu society. One of those temples was the Daihonzan Eiheiji monastery in the Fukui region. This was the current resting place of Sukuna's last finger.
After a 2 day trip, the trio found themselves present before the leading head priest who was a grade 4 sorcerer, Takaba Oki. Even though he was in a high and holy position in the monastery, he was surrounded by 4 women that fondled his arms and sat at his legs.
An elegant and beautiful woman who appeared to be his wife, was kneeling down next to him. Oddly, she didn't appear to be bothered by the other women.
For a brief moment, Akumu made eye contact with her.
"Welcome to The Fukui Monastery! You will be here for a long while so make yourselves comfortable. We have prepared a sizeable feast for all of you so please eat."
First, a petite lacquer bowl was placed before each of them, cradling a clear broth that shimmers like liquid gold. The ichijiru, a delicate soup, whispers of the ocean with its essence of kombu and bonito, while tender morsels of tofu and wisps of fragrant herbs dance within its depths.[1]
Next, the main dish, the shusai, emerges like a masterpiece on a ceramic plate. A fillet of grilled fish, adorned with a glaze of soy and mirin, glistens under the soft glow of lantern light. Its subtle aroma beckons me closer, promising a symphony of flavors with each succulent bite.[2]
Two side dishes, the sidesai, complete the tableau, celebrating the bounty of the season. A vibrant medley of lightly dressed greens, kissed by the tang of rice vinegar, offers a refreshing contrast to the hearty warmth of simmered vegetables, bathed in a savory dashi broth.[3]
Besides the main fare, a wooden rice bowl beckons, its contents a testament to simplicity and sustenance. Each grain of steamed rice is a canvas for flavor, ready to be savored alongside a bowl of miso soup, its umami-rich broth alive with the essence of fermented soybeans and delicate wisps of seaweed.[4]
As they all indulged in each exquisite course, they were transported by the artistry and mindfulness imbued in every dish. Each element harmonizes seamlessly, a testament to the reverence for nature and culinary craftsmanship that defines Japanese cuisine.[5]
After that giant meal, they were given a tour of the whole temple by one of the Takaba's oldest daughters Tori.
They were introduced to their main prayer and offering room, where chants and prayers were constantly cast keeping both curses and evil spirits alike from ever entering the monastery. Next up were the separate barracks where they rested. And finally, was the underground prison that was remodeled as a sealing room for the finger. It was surrounded around the clock by a squad of both grade 1 and 2 sorcerers 24/7. No one could get in and no one could get out.
After the end of the tour, the three were finally given time to rest before the chaotic day they had tomorrow.
Hagone spoke with worry,
"This place is terrifying. There are cobwebs everywhere, do these people even clean?!"
Yukiko then said with incredible disgust,
"That old guy was surrounded by all those women.. while having a wife and children too...?"
Akumu also voiced his own concerns,
"The security here seems viable.. but I don't know, something feels wrong about them."
Somehow, Akumu ended up assuming the role of team leader, despite Yukiko technically being a higher grade sorcerer than him. He tried to voice his concerns to which Hagone gladly listened, but Yukiko appeared to be drifting away.
Before Akumu knew it he was the only one left in the room.
'I suck at this..'
Sighing to himself, he looked out the window pitfully. The monastery was decently sized, with great walls surrounding it from all sides. Outside those walls, was the treacherous forest of cursed spirits, attracted by the sent of a special grade cursed object. Thankfully, they were being kept out thanks to the priests constant chanting.
Staring into the forest though, Akumu noticed very slight and subtle movement.
Even though it was brief, he knew someone was there.
The forest surrounded the whole monastery so searching made it tough. Even with the ability to sense cursed energy, several cursed spirits got in the way. Luckily, they were all grade 3 and below, so taking them out in one hit was enough.
Once he finally found the source of movement though, Akumu was greatly surprised as it was just a small little kid. Suspiciously though, he wore one of the monastery's' uniforms.
He was also crying which was very annoying.
"What are you doing out here little guy?"
But the boy just kept crying.
'How did he even survive out here alone? How did he get out here in the first place?'
It was then that he sensed that he and the boy weren't alone.
Akumu sensing imminent danger, grabbed onto the boy with one hand, while sending out a stretch of dark whips with another. They wrapped around the thick branch of a tree, before dragging the two away from where they once were.
And instantly, the ground was shaved away by an invisible force.
'What the hell!?'
An odd figure drenched in red robes and a hood stood before the two. He shook uncontrollably and spoke with a terrible stutter.
"If i don't kkkkk-kill that b-bbboy tttoday Mr. kkkKlad is might actually kkKK kil me."
'A curse user? This boy is important. Why didn't anyone in the monastery notice he was gone then?'
Akumu landed on the tree branch that his whips were attached too, before jumping away from them gracefully. Nearly instantly, the space around it was shaved away.
'So that's what's going on..'
Omo taught him that in a battle against curse users, he should prioritise in figuring out their cursed technique quickly before taking them out.
The enemies cursed technique appeared to eliminate everything caught within a certain bubble. It can be placed anywhere that the user could see, however the farther it was, the longer the delay will be. One could also sense the cursed energy the bubble had been placed, allowing them to dodge it with enough speed.
Now armed with this information akumu gently put the crying boy down while patting him on the head.
"Everything will be okay."
It seemed he calmed down a little.
"Aaaa-re Yyyyou fff-fucking with mmMe?"
Akumu then took a strange stance, as he performed the technique which he didn't get to use against Kenji.
"New shadow style, simple domain: Black Palace."
8 trails of dark whips spread out in every direction, before a flood of cursed energy filled the gap in-between them which the curse user got caught inside. Then suddenly, several more dark whips appeared from the ground inside the domain, wrapping around each of his limbs, restraining him in place.
"What the hell is this!?"
An ordinary simple domain is an anti domain technique, consisting of a much weaker domain, followed by a barrier to support it. Although it took Akumu nearly the whole month to learn how to do both, the nature of Akumu's cursed energy did something peculiar to it.
For starters, it carried all the effects of an ordinary simple domain, however his was much larger than normal. Additionally, Akumu could summon dark whips from anywhere on his simple domain's surface.
That combined with it's auto tracking functionality, Akumu ended up with a very crude Pseudo domain expansion.
Before the curse user could release his cursed technique, Akumu went on to beat him to a pulp.
"Hey kid, what's your name?"
"Its Oki Okiko"
This kid turned out to be the youngest son of Takaba Oki.
"What the hell are doing out in the forest by yourself?"
"Ah.. I don't quite.. remember.. Someone brought me out here I think."
He tried to remember their face, but it just kept slipping away in his mind.
Suddenly feeling an immense amount of danger, Akumu grabbed the boy and launched himself into the air with Dark bounce. Since it was night time, cursed spirit activity had reached it's peak. A swarm of grade 3 cursed spirits quickly covered the area Akumu once was, leaving no room to land on the ground anymore.
"Shit."
He ended up leaving the curse user he was supposed to question behind, resulting in him being devoured by the swarm.
'Would that have happened to Oki, even if that curse user didn't come?'
Someone had tried to kill him, that much was obvious.
**
Upon reaching back, the entire monastery was in a panic. Everyone had been frantically searching for something as one ordinary priest screamed,
"WHERE IS THE YOUNGEST SON!?"
The sloppy search party halted once Akumu made his presence known, along with Oki.
"YOUNG MASTER OKIKO!"
The priests were overjoyed at the young master's survival. That was when His Father Takaba emerged from his "private" prayer room and immediately slapped him.
"You stupid boy didn't I tell you to never leave that room? How many times must we do this!?"
He couldn't say anything. He simply apologized to his father before being escorted back into his bedroom. Takaba then spoke to Akumu,
"You. Boy. Gather your friends, I have something important that I must confess to you three tonight."
[1] Stole this from google lmao
[2] This one was stolen too!
[3] Can you tell that this one was stolen?
That's because it is.
[4] If you haven't noticed yet, I'm a bit of a theif
[5] I actually wrote this one myself