Okita glanced at Kenjaku, then at Jogo and the silent Hanami, before taking a seat on the chair.
Hanami reached out and used her technique to recreate a wooden table.
Kumiya and Shigemo exchanged a glance with the two humans and two cursed spirits, letting out a derisive snort as if in defiance or disdain.
But remembering the strength of these two humans and two cursed spirits, they didn't dare let their true feelings show.
The world of curse users was far simpler than that of jujutsu sorcerers.
Simpler in the sense that strength ruled above all.
"So? What's your plan now?"
At the table, Jogo picked up a nearby pipe and took a drag, exhaling smoke as he asked Kenjaku.
Upon closer inspection, the "tobacco" burning in the pipe's bowl was a human brain.
"In September, Jujutsu High will host an exchange event between two schools. At that time, I want Hanami to lead a frontal assault to draw their attention."
"Hold on."
Jogo's face darkened instantly at these words.
"You're sending Hanami to her death, aren't you? That Roy is at the school. How could Hanami possibly stand a chance against him? If she's discovered, she's dead!"
Hanami remained silent.
But from her lack of denial, it was clear she also believed she was no match for Roy. Meeting him would mean certain death.
The last time in Okubo, the only reason she survived Roy's attack was because she was airborne at the time, coupled with her exceptional defensive capabilities, allowing her to narrowly evade a fatal strike. If Kenjaku hadn't arrived to save her afterward, she would have died on the spot.
Even with the significantly stronger Mahito and the others fighting alongside her, they had been utterly crushed. How could she go alone?
However.
"Tell us your plan."
Hanami spoke up then, still using unfamiliar words, yet their meaning became clear the moment they reached the ears.
"If this plan requires me to sacrifice my life, then I am willing to die to restore this planet to its former beauty!"
Jogo glared angrily at Hanami.
But then he suddenly fell silent, not uttering a word to stop her.
In the end, all of them—these cursed spirits—were the same.
If necessary, if it was essential to achieving their ideals, they would gladly give their lives!
The key was that they couldn't die meaninglessly, in places where their deaths would contribute nothing to their goals.
"The plan is simple, and the chances of survival are high."
Kenjaku smiled faintly, filled with admiration for Hanami's spirit of self-sacrifice.
This was exactly what he needed.
It was precisely this fearless, death-defying nature that made her so easy to manipulate!
"Hanami will lead the frontal assault. As a cursed spirit close to a nature spirit, the old man Tengen's barrier won't affect you. You can charge straight into the heart of the exchange event. Your goal is to divert the attention of Jujutsu High's sorcerers. Miss Okita and the other two will accompany you to support your operation."
Jogo, being a pure cursed spirit, couldn't bypass Tengen's barrier surrounding Jujutsu High. The only one who could pass through it directly was Hanami, who was closer to a nature spirit.
"What's the purpose? If I'm drawing their attention, what will you be doing in the meantime?"
Hanami didn't agree immediately. She pondered, casting a calm yet scrutinizing gaze at Kenjaku.
"The target is the six fingers of Sukuna stored at Jujutsu High. Ideally, we'd also retrieve the cursed objects kept in their vault."
Kenjaku stroked his chin, revealing a scheming smile.
"Sukuna's fingers?"
Hanami exchanged a glance with Jogo.
"You're betting on Sukuna?"
"Indeed. To fulfill your so-called 'dream of cursed spirits replacing humans as the new dominant species,' we need a King of Curses powerful enough. Sukuna is the best candidate. If he fully revives, wiping out humanity would just be a matter of time."
"How does he compare to that Roy?"
"Without a doubt."
Kenjaku smiled faintly.
"Sukuna will win."
Even now, Roy's full strength remained unclear, but back during the Okubo incident, Kenjaku had already realized one thing.
Roy stood no chance against Sukuna.
The biggest difference lay in their sheer power disparity.
For sorcerers, cursed energy is power.
Roy's cursed energy was no match for Sukuna's.
The gap between them was staggering—Sukuna's cursed energy overwhelmingly surpassed Roy's!
Historically, the golden age of sorcerers was the Heian era a thousand years ago. Yet even then, when the greatest sorcerer clans—the Fujiwara, Sugawara, and Abe—joined forces, they were still crushed by Sukuna. In the end, they had no choice but to welcome him with reverence, enshrining him like a god just to placate him.
This era wasn't weak by any means, but it still paled in comparison to the Heian period's peak.
If Sukuna could dominate the golden age, he could certainly dominate this era as well.
"Geto Suguru, will you be taking action personally this time?"
Okita had remained silent until now, finally speaking up as she scrutinized Kenjaku.
"Well, about that..."
At this moment, Juzo Kumiya, the blacksmith who had been listening beside their table for quite some time, couldn't help but raise his hand.
"Isn't that Tokyo Jujutsu High School more troublesome than just Roy? Isn't Satoru Gojo even more problematic than Roy?"
From what he'd heard in their discussion, this Roy was already incredibly strong—capable of beating three Special Grade curses head-on.
But that Gojo Satoru is the strongest jujutsu sorcerer of the modern era, single-handedly suppressing this entire generation, making all curse users too afraid to show their faces!
Satoru Gojo is also a teacher at Jujutsu High. If they only consider strategies against Roy without accounting for Satoru Gojo...
Charging in recklessly would mean dying without even knowing how!
"Is Satoru Gojo... that guy really strong?"
Upon hearing this, Jogo didn't respond with his usual arrogant sneer but instead asked cautiously.
He had learned his lesson the hard way already.
If even this unknown Roy was this powerful, just how strong must Satoru Gojo—who everyone revered—truly be?
Kenjaku pondered for a moment, his brow slightly furrowed as if conflicted.
"From my personal perspective, Satoru Gojo is slightly stronger than Roy."
In the end, he gave this answer.
He believed Gojo was stronger than Roy.
Roy's strength was purely physical—something that could still be countered. Many cursed techniques couldn't be overcome by brute force alone.
But Satoru Gojo's strength lay in the terrifying nature of his technique. Without a way to counter it, defeating him was absolutely impossible!
Space-time techniques were just that broken.
Kenjaku sighed inwardly in resignation.
"And you still sent Hanami there?!"
Jogo exploded in fury, the volcano on his head erupting like boiling water as he smashed the table to pieces again.
"Roy alone is already a nightmare, and now you add Satoru Gojo? Sending Hanami there is no different from suicide!"
"Haha, don't get so worked up—you're raising the temperature."
Kenjaku, however, laughed dismissively.
His smile suggested he wasn't the least bit concerned about their predicament.
Jogo glared at him furiously.
How could he not be worked up in this situation?
"Don't you find it strange?"
Despite the pressure from Jogo's murderous glare, Kenjaku remained calm and composed.
"How long has it been since we last heard news of Satoru Gojo?"
Jogo looked puzzled.
He hadn't even known who Satoru Gojo was before this—how would he know when the last update was?
Okita remained silent.
But Kumiya and Shigemo, upon hearing this, fell into deep thought.
Now that they thought about it...
Though they had always lived in fear of Satoru Gojo looming over them, it had been a while since they'd heard anything about him.
When exactly had the arrogant sorcerer's presence faded from their awareness?
"Since March this year, he left Japan for overseas. According to my informant in the higher-ups, he still hasn't returned."
A knowing smile gradually spread across Kenjaku's face.
"It's been four months now. What kind of mission could possibly keep Satoru Gojo tied up for this long?"
"So, you're saying...?"
Kumiya looked at Kenjaku in disbelief.
"Gojo Satoru is likely in trouble!"
Kenjaku declared with absolute certainty.
"Although I'm not sure what's going on, there's a line from one of my favorite books—'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth!'"
It was hard to imagine what could possibly happen to Satoru Gojo.
Even if it were a plane crash, an earthquake, or a tsunami, that man should be able to come through unscathed, then brag about the dangers he'd faced as if they were trophies.
In this day and age, there simply existed no means to kill Satoru Gojo!
Yet, inexplicably, he had vanished—disappeared without a trace.
Even the higher-ups at Jujutsu Headquarters had no information on him.
This was impossible. Every sorcerer received missions from and submitted reports to Jujutsu Headquarters. While Jujutsu High could distribute missions on their behalf, Headquarters would always know who took them.
Moreover, his inside source at Headquarters held a position higher than anyone else.
If even they didn't know, the only possibility was that something had happened to Gojo—vanishing without even a moment to send word.
After Kenjaku voiced this speculation, the gathered curse users and cursed spirits fell into an uneasy silence.
Especially for Juzo Kumiya and Haruta Shigemo, who found it utterly unbelievable.
Satoru Gojo—the mountain that had loomed over them all this time—was gone?
"Now, I'll answer Miss Okita's question."
Kenjaku rose from his chair, his face wearing an inscrutable smile.
He looked positively delighted.
"Gojo is a formidable enemy. I know that well. Without confirmation of his disappearance, even I wouldn't sleep soundly. So, for this plan to attack the exchange event—I will personally take part!"
Kenjaku was going to step forward himself?
Roy, who was sharing Okita's vision, felt a sudden stir of interest.
How intriguing.
Did he think that with Gojo possibly gone, he could finally cut loose?
"Haven't you always stuck to the principle of never showing your face in front of Jujutsu High's people?" Jogo eyed Kenjaku suspiciously.
If not for their shared goals and mutual interests, he would've parted ways with this guy long ago.
Using his refusal to appear before Jujutsu High as an excuse, Kenjaku had repeatedly pushed them out as shields while he sat safely in the background. Whether others knew it or not, it always seemed like he was waiting to reap the rewards!
For him to willingly step forward now—had the sun risen in the west?
"It's not that I'm unwilling to appear. I just prefer to make my appearances count." Kenjaku chuckled, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Now is the time. I need to confirm for myself whether Gojo is truly gone—using my own presence as the test!"
Even if Gojo had sensed something and gone into hiding, planning to turn the tables on them, the moment Suguru Geto "reappeared," he would undoubtedly lose his composure and reveal himself.
If he didn't show up...
Then it would mean—Satoru Gojo was truly gone!
"Now, let's discuss the details of the plan."
Kenjaku sat back down, his smile as mild as ever.
Hanami made another table, and the group of humans and cursed spirits settled down, discussing and refining their plans together.
After everything was concluded.
Okita and the other two curse users dispersed on their own, leaving the mountain range.
But Kenjaku stayed behind and sought out Hanami.
"Hanami, this is for you."
As he spoke, he handed Hanami a cursed object radiating cursed energy.
Hanami took the object and examined it carefully, feeling a chill in their heart.
Without a doubt, it was a special-grade cursed object!
"What is this?"
"Insurance for you."
Kenjaku smiled faintly, his expression indifferent, revealing no trace of emotion.
"Don't tell anyone about it. When the time comes, you can decide who to use it on—friend or foe. Have them ingest it. If the vessel is a sorcerer, it should be enough to manifest him."
"I understand."
Hanami nodded.
Then they opened their mouth and swallowed the cursed object whole.