Chapter 76 — Curses Will Ultimately Prevail
Agonizing pain spread through every inch of Hanami's body.
Its consciousness was slipping — sinking into a dark, endless abyss.
It couldn't understand.
How could a man with no cursed energy possibly hurt it?
Its thoughts drifted, almost wistfully, to the days it spent with the others — those few kindred curses who dreamed of the same future.
A world cleansed of humanity.
A world where curses, born from fear and hatred, could finally live without restraint.
That world had been so beautiful in its imagination.
So pure.
So full of promise.
It had always known that dream would be difficult to realize…
Just not this difficult.
Still, if its death helped move that dream forward, then maybe… it wasn't meaningless.
---
"Human,"
the voice of Hanami echoed directly into Zen'in Shinsuke's mind, low and resonant, like the whisper of the earth itself.
"Can you not hear it? The world is screaming.
The oceans, the forests, the very soil — they cry out in pain.
All because of you."
"I won't deny it. There are humans who love nature…
but they are too few. Too weak. They cannot save this world."
"The planet can heal itself, if only humanity were gone.
If humans vanished tomorrow, it wouldn't take long for nature to reclaim everything."
"And as long as humanity still exists…
we will never stop fighting."
"Even if I fall here, there are countless others like me who will rise.
Until the day we — the curses — finally win."
Its final thoughts sank into Shinsuke's mind like embers — a grim prophecy murmured in the voice of extinction.
---
BOOM!
Zen'in's last punch landed like thunder.
A shockwave rippled through the air as his fist sank into the ground, the shock traveling up through his bones and into his heart — followed by a strange warmth, an invisible current of life-force.
He could feel it. His blood surging stronger than before.
Silently, he lowered his fist. His face relaxed, the manic grin fading into calm indifference.
Before him, what remained of Hanami — half a shattered torso — burned in violet-blue flames until nothing was left but ash.
"Dead already, huh…"
He wiped the purple ichor from his cheek, eyes empty and detached.
For some reason, he felt… hollow.
Not sadness.
Not regret.
Just a faint, aching boredom.
As for what Hanami had said—he didn't care.
Whether curses or humans survived in the end, it made no difference to him.
Right now, the only thing that bothered him was how dull this world had become.
---
"Zen'in-sensei! Are you okay?"
Yuji and Todo approached cautiously, stopping short as they saw the crater — and the smeared remains of what used to be a special-grade curse.
Yuji gulped audibly.
"This was… a special grade, right? And it couldn't even fight back?"
"I'm fine." Shinsuke exhaled slowly, brushing dust from his shoulders.
"Didn't expect it to be that fragile."
Then, glancing toward Yuji, he smiled faintly.
"Still," he added, "you're not boring, kid. That's good enough."
Something about that small grin — equal parts feral and weary — sent a chill through Yuji.
---
Inside Yuji's soul, Sukuna sat slouched upon his throne of bone and flame, a crooked smile curling across his lips.
"Hmph… What a peculiar creature you are," he mused.
"I've seen many strange humans… but you might just be the strangest yet."
He rested his chin on one hand, watching Shinsuke through Yuji's eyes.
"Still… you might prove entertaining."
---
"Zen'in-sensei," Yuji finally asked, "you're supposed to be a Grade 1 sorcerer, right? How did you— how could you exorcise something that strong so easily?"
Shinsuke just laughed lightly.
"Because it didn't hit back hard enough."
Beside him, Todo crossed his arms and grinned, his white teeth flashing.
"Still the same beast as ever, huh, Zen'in-sensei."
He knew better than anyone that Shinsuke's physical strength far exceeded that of any normal sorcerer.
Even without cursed energy, the man was a living weapon — raw, overwhelming power incarnate.
Against special grades, Todo could win with technique and strategy.
But Shinsuke?
He won by sheer, brutal force.
A true anomaly of the jujutsu world.
In another life, Todo thought, if Shinsuke were just a few years younger…
they might've been the best of friends.
After all, they did share one thing in common—
they both had excellent taste in women.
---
CRACK!
A sharp, clear sound split the air.
The darkened sky brightened in an instant, clouds dispersing as light poured through once more.
High above, Gojo Satoru hovered midair, his blindfold fluttering as his Six Eyes scanned the battlefield below, absorbing every detail.
"Tch," he muttered. "One of them's already down, huh?"
He sighed, sounding almost disappointed.
"Guess that means I'd better go help the old man."
---
"Gojo-sensei!" Yuji shouted, waving up at the sky.
Gojo gave a lazy salute. "Yo."
Todo clapped Yuji on the shoulder. "Let's go, brother. Our part's done here."
"Right behind you!"
The two followed Shinsuke's retreating figure, leaving behind only scorched earth and drifting embers.
---
The next day — Tokyo Jujutsu High, Conference Room.
The air was heavy with silence.
Gojo stood by the window, arms crossed, while Principal Yaga flipped through a stack of papers.
He finally spoke, voice grave:
"Let's begin.
First, the casualty report."
The meeting room at Tokyo Jujutsu High was oppressively quiet.
The air smelled faintly of blood and disinfectant — the lingering reminder of yesterday's battle.
Iijichi stood at the center, a stack of documents in his trembling hands.
He adjusted his glasses and began to read aloud.
"Three Grade 2 sorcerers… one semi–Grade 1… and a total of four auxiliary supervisors."
He paused briefly.
"The rest… we'll need to wait for Shoko's medical report to confirm."
A somber silence filled the room.
Then Iijichi added, his voice heavy,
"One thing, however, is certain. The cursed spirit responsible for this incident was the same one encountered by Nanami and Itadori during their Shibuya mission."
The words fell like lead.
Around the table, expressions hardened — Gojo's usual smirk faded, while Iori Utahime clenched her jaw.
---
"Should we inform the other students and sorcerers?" Utahime finally asked, breaking the silence.
Gojo's blindfold tilted slightly as he spoke without looking up.
"No. Let the higher-ups seal the information."
Yaga nodded gravely.
"The theft of a special-grade cursed object cannot be made public. Not yet."
---
Yaga turned toward Iijichi.
"Did the captured curse user say anything useful?"
Iijichi hesitated, flipping through his notes.
"He said the attack was just… business. He was acting under orders, part of a transaction."
He swallowed.
"Apparently, the deal was made with a so-called drunken monk. He doesn't know the monk's real name… only that there was also a white-haired child involved — gender unknown."
"...A monk?" Utahime frowned. "And a white-haired child of unknown gender?"
Gojo rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, that's specific and useless."
"Any leads?" Yaga asked.
Iijichi shook his head. "None."
---
Gojo turned lazily toward Zen'in Shinsuke, who was sitting in the corner, arms folded, looking entirely disinterested.
"Hey, you," Gojo said, half-smiling. "You look like you know something. Care to share with the class?"
Shinsuke cracked one eye open, stretching slightly.
"Of course I know," he said casually. "But… information of that caliber doesn't come free."
He rubbed his fingers together meaningfully.
Gojo's expression darkened. "You've got to be kidding me…"
Before he could retort, Yaga sighed. "Fine. Zen'in-sensei — if what you say is truly valuable, I'll have the higher-ups release funds from the special operations budget."
Shinsuke's grin widened. "That's more like it."
He leaned back and began, his voice calm but deliberate.
"That monk… I've been tracking him myself. All I can tell you is this — he's not ordinary.
He's from Tengen's era."
The room fell silent.
Gojo's head snapped up.
"...Tengen's era?"
"That's right," Shinsuke continued.
"If you want the full story, ask Tengen directly. He'll know."
He paused.
"As for the white-haired brat… they're aligned with Sukuna."
He folded his arms again. "That's all I've got for now. The rest… you'll have to figure out on your own."
---
He left out the most important part — the name Geto Suguru.
If he revealed that, Gojo might never walk into the sealing trap that awaited him.
And Shinsuke needed that to happen.
He wasn't sure if threatening Kenjaku would work.
But if he held Gojo Satoru — the strongest sorcerer alive — as leverage…
Then maybe, just maybe, he could protect his niece.
Even if it meant betraying everything else.
---
"A being from Tengen's era… and someone tied to Sukuna?"
Utahime's voice trembled slightly.
The mood in the room turned grim.
Even Gojo's usually playful expression grew sharp.
"If Sukuna's involved…" he murmured, glancing toward Itadori's empty seat, "then this isn't just about curses anymore."
Yaga's face darkened. "Are they trying to capture Itadori? To resurrect Sukuna completely?"
"This situation's far more complicated than we thought," he said finally, pushing his chair back. "I'll speak with Tengen myself."
"I'm coming with you," Principal Gakuganji said, rising immediately.
The two of them left the room without another word.
---
Gojo leaned against the wall, studying Shinsuke with half-lidded eyes.
"You're not lying to us, are you? How the hell do you even know this stuff?"
Shinsuke patted him on the shoulder with a faint smirk.
"Try reading a book sometime, Gojo. You might learn something."
Then he turned to leave.
"Oh, and make sure the payment gets deposited into my account."
He gave a casual wave over his shoulder and walked out, hands in his pockets.
---
Watching him go, Mei Mei let out a low whistle.
"Honestly… I'm kind of jealous."
Gojo tilted his head. "Of what?"
Mei smiled faintly, eyes narrowing.
"Making money looks way too easy for that man."