Itadori was walking, bored, his thoughts swirling around those individuals he saw back then when he fought against Okkotsu, but after arriving at a monument, his blood ran cold, before him, the one who was called the strongest of four hundred years ago.
Hajime Kashimo, the god of thunder, stood there in all his magnificence, but to Itadori, he looked like a ghost, hadn't he died? No, that was impossible, everyone had seen Kashimo killed, but... then why was he alive and standing there?
- What kind of bad joke is this?-
Kashimo turned to look, his gaze met Itadori's, there was an awkward silence between the two.
- the child?-
Kashimo was curious to see Itadori there, but as he was about to move to approach his former ally, there was an explosion in the distance, catching the attention of Kashimo and Itadori, and not only them.
Headquarters of the sorcerers
The sorcerers were arguing amongst themselves; the increase in curses was worrying, since the last time Itadori was seen, the activity of curses and curse users had been on the rise, but everything began to get out of the sorcerers' control, the appearance of special category curses and extremely powerful cursed users all started when Itadori pulled that damned trick again in Shibuya and Shinjuku.
Just as they were about to continue talking, a personal assistant informed them of something that chilled their blood.
- What? How come sorcerers from past eras are appearing in this era?
There was a terrifying silence in the place, Hakari, who had received the message, looked at the personal assistant with disbelief and nervousness.
Saitama.
The city was completely destroyed, chaos rose like a wave, Uro Takako, Ryu Ishigori, and Yorozu were examples of ancient sorcerers who had magically returned from the dead, everything was hell, chaos, fear, Kashimo was observing everything, Itadori saw everything with open eyes, his heart stopped, the events of Shibuya 2018 and Shinjuku of the same year came to his mind, and then the culling game, the fear that it would generate, but before anyone else could return to the fight, Itadori appeared, hitting Ryu in the face, pushing him far enough away, while Kashimo went after Yorozu, a fight was going to be inevitable.
Itadori tensed his body; Kashimo was already on top of Yorozu after kicking the ancient beauty in the face, Itadori's eyes were fixed on Ryu, not allowing a slip or failure in his analysis, because if he didn't analyze well, he could lose his mind.
- Hmmm... You're the previous vessel of Sukuna, right kid? - Ryu smiled at Itadori, fixing his hair, then ran off towards Itadori.
- What?! He's too fast! Did Okkotsu face this guy?- Itadori opened his eyes in surprise, he expected good speed from Ryu, but not this speed, it almost overwhelmed him for a second, if he hadn't fought against countless curses and sorcerers, he might not have reacted in time, and with that, he would have lost his advantage.
Ryu smiled as he watched Itadori, Ryu started running again, Itadori was surprised and instinctively followed Ryu, catching up to him in a burst of speed, raising his hand, Itadori threw a clap to hit a point on Ryu, but he missed.
Ryu threw a punch at Itadori's face, the pink-haired man dodged it with a small grunt, Itadori raised his hand, now clenched into a fist, throwing a punch at Ryu's chest, the former sorcerer covered his chest, but Itadori's fist curved, hitting Ryu's nose and sending him flying into a car, the side of the car that received Ryu bent, a squealing sound echoing through the area, slightly annoying Itadori with the unbearable noise, Ryu appeared with a smile on his face, blood dripping from his broken nose.
- I admit, former vessel of Sukuna, that took me by surprise, but now, I ask you as a favor to satisfy my hunger.- Ryu gave Itadori an even bigger smile, who was more confused by Ryu's personality, satisfy his hunger? Who the hell was this man and why was he asking for such a thing?
- What the hell is wrong with this guy? Is he trying to satisfy his hunger? Does he see me as a joke or what? - A small vein popped out on Itadori's forehead, his face showing slight irritation (it should be noted that Itadori doesn't know Ryu's personality, so he knows nothing about him)
Itadori raised his hand, as Ryu threw a punch, Itadori's forearm covered the impact, his arm went numb, and made Itadori retreat three steps, surprising the pink-haired man, the expression of the former vessel of Sukuna changed to seriousness, then he launched a cut at Ryu, taking the sorcerer by surprise.
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Years ago, there was a demon who ruled the world, the world that sorcerers tried to save, but all that rests will return... Sukuna has just awakened.
You will fear me, when night falls before His Majesty, no one will escape, today you will see, pure evil within the malevolent shrine: fukuma mizushi
Yuji opened his eyes, sweat dripping down, when he looked around, he saw that he was in some rubble, getting up, he noticed someone nearby, lifting his head, he saw Kashimo, sitting and resting.
Kashimo turned around, looking at Itadori, who was getting up from the ground.
-You're awake, kid.-
Itadori clutched his head; those voices continued to echo in his mind, the image of a being that had been defeated long ago, letting out a slow sigh, Itadori returned to reality, it was just a dream, wasn't it?
- W-what happened?-
Itadori clutched his head; his mind began to give him memories that were not his, days when death abounded, but none of it was his; it was all confusing.
- Tsk... When I arrived, you were already on the ground, the other idiot was on the ground too, but I don't know what happened, and because of you, I had to postpone my fight, you owe me one.-
Kashimo grunted, annoyance etched on his face, then looked at Itadori, who let out a sigh.
Itadori sighed, his mind now clear, he was able to see better, those voices were actually singing a prophecy, and he already knew who it was, it was Sukuna, the Fukuma Mizushi he heard was his, his voice, his aura, his cursed energy, the king was returning to life, and that worried Itadori.
Itadori lay down on the ground, trying to push his thoughts away, but every time he closed his eyes, he heard it: people praising Sukuna, repeating his name over and over again, some out of fear, others simply out of adoration, seeing him as a God of destruction, when Itadori was about to get up, a laugh stopped him completely; that laugh belonged to no one but him.
Itadori opened his eyes, Kashimo had gone to fight someone, but he didn't care anymore, his breathing was ragged, his pupils constricted with terror, that laugh always haunted his dreams; wouldn't it let him sleep in peace?
- I need answers. With Tengen dead, Yuki Tsukumo is out of the question, and Kenjaku is even worse... But if Kashimo and the others are here... there's a small chance they're here too, somewhere in this hell.-
Itadori stood up and left that place with a mission in mind: to find Tengen (if he had returned as a Kashimo) or, in the best-case scenario, Kenjaku. It was either that or wait for an answer to come on its own, but that answer could take years, so that was the last option. The first was Tengen, the second was Kenjaku, and the third was to wait.
And with that plan in mind, Itadori marched to a destination that couldn't have looked good.
XXXXX
happy new year.
Have an excellent 2026, fulfill your dreams and wishes, don't leave anything unfinished just like I did, take advantage of what you have close by and from here I say happy new year and give you a big hug.