JJK: Chapter 61

Title: Rescue

°°°

"I already know."

Gojo Satoru leaned back in his chair, speaking calmly to Shin, who sat across from him. He glanced up at the ceiling light hanging overhead. "A mission of at least grade one, and possibly involving a special-grade curse, yet they send first-year students to rescue the ‘survivors’? Heh, are these old fossils no longer even hiding their intentions?"

Shin toyed with a small ornament on the table, his expression unreadable. "It's pretty clear that this is a reaction to you saving Yuji Itadori. If I hadn't gotten there in time, at least some of them would've been casualties—if they were unlucky, they might have been wiped out completely."

"Really want to kill those old wrinkled balls." Gojo remarked.

Shin chuckled lightly. "Sure, sure. I'll hand you the knife, teacher. Who could stop us if we teamed up?"

Gojo sighed, crossing his arms and leaning forward slightly. "You little brat. If killing them could solve the problem, I’d do it myself. The issue isn’t the harmful pests, it's the tree."

He lowered his voice, explaining further, "Only when the decaying roots are cleared can we deal with the pests. If we don’t remove the root cause, the bad environment will keep spawning new pests. And I can't do it alone, that's why I need you all. You, Okkotsu, Kinji, Megumi, and even Yuji—it’s in your power, especially you, Shin."

"Isn't Senior Hakari still suspended? With his personality... Oh, and what about Okkotsu? Is he still tied up with his mission outside?"

Gojo shrugged. "I sent him to look for the Black Rope, but there's been no progress. So I plan to go check things out myself soon. This is actually what I wanted to talk to you about today. I don’t have time to bother with those old bastards right now, but before I go, I’ll warn them. The rest, though, will be up to you."

Shin nodded. "Fine, but if anyone tries something like this again, we’ll leave them to face those curses."

---

The following days were quieter. Fushiguro and the others took on tasks within the normal scope, while Yuji Itadori began studying basic jujutsu under Gojo's guidance. Occasionally, he'd spar with Fushiguro Megumi or the second-years, refining his combat techniques.

Yuji’s physical talent was absurd, but unlike Maki, who was bound to having no cursed energy, Yuji seemed to have been born this way—with no restrictions. Despite lacking a technique, he was practically a natural-born genius.

Maki, who had sparred with Yuji a few times at Jujutsu High, was quite pleased with the tough opponent. In her words, "He’s tough, his stamina is incredible, and even some minor injuries heal by themselves without any need for reverse cursed technique."

Yuji also had a rapid learning curve in combat, with an animal-like sharpness. In battles, he could quickly absorb the lessons from getting hit and turn them into offense. Maki had to be fully focused during their sessions. "He's the perfect punching bag!" she often joked.

Days passed peacefully until, after Gojo had finished handling a variety of issues, and was riding in a car driven by Ijichi on a deserted road, he sensed something unusual.

"Pull over. You go back first."

Ijichi, nervous and thinking it was some kind of test, hesitated. But seeing Gojo’s growing impatience, he reluctantly left. Just as the car drove off, a figure suddenly descended from the sky and smashed the road behind Gojo to pieces.

The flying debris stopped midair as it neared Gojo. Turning around, he saw a powerful cursed spirit in the center of the shattered ground. Though the spirit was clearly targeting him, he had no recollection of this curse. Curiously, he asked, "Who are you?"

The curse, Jogo, said nothing. He flashed a sinister grin and raised his finger. A large, volcano-like structure appeared on the mountain next to Gojo. With a flick of his cursed technique, the volcano-like formation erupted, shooting an intensely hot flame pillar that immediately engulfed a large portion of the area around Gojo.

The fire came and went quickly, and when it dissipated, only the molten rock from the ground remained, slowly flowing away.

"Is that it? Nothing impressive," Jogo said.

Jogo smirked, but before he could enjoy his apparent victory, a voice broke through the lingering smoke. "Who are you calling unimpressive?"

Gojo emerged from the dissipating smoke, completely unharmed. Not even the ground beneath him was scorched. Jogo’s smile faded slightly, but he sneered, "What's the matter? Did I hurt your pride? Being called the strongest is nothing but ignorance. Let me see what the so-called strongest can do, especially with so many weaklings praising you."

Gojo waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, nah, I’m only a little stronger than you." He pinched his thumb and index finger, leaving a small gap between them.

Jogo's smile widened, and a strange insect shot out from above his head. One by one, more insects followed, moving at incredible speed towards Gojo. However, they all stopped just short of his body, suspended by the Infinity.

'An unknown special-grade cursed spirit—impressive, probably stronger than the current Sukuna. It can speak, communicate. It reminds me of the curse Shin mentioned before, though it's not the same one. I wonder if there's a connection between them?'

Gojo was still contemplating these thoughts when he suddenly heard a continuous, sharp screech, emanating from the insect-like creatures. They were emitting cursed energy.

"Oh?"

Before he could react, a flame pillar shot up again, submerging Gojo. But when the dust cleared, Gojo had already appeared on a patch of open ground, unharmed by the attack.

Effortlessly dodging the incoming attack, Gojo Satoru commented with interest, "A two-phase attack: sound followed by an explosion. Not bad, pretty creative."

Before his words had even settled, an uninvited guest broke through his defenses. A flaming fist struck Gojo's head, igniting him like a gasoline-soaked torch. The cursed spirit Jogo grinned maliciously, following up with a ferocious palm strike to Gojo’s torso. An even more intense wave of fire roared to life, swallowing him entirely. The swirling, concentrated flames spiraled like a raging dragon, incinerating everything within.

"Using the same move again? It didn’t work last time; some people never learn."

Jogo’s gloating was interrupted by a voice cutting through the smoke. Gojo Satoru, stepping out unscathed, waved away the lingering haze. Noticing Jogo's baffled expression, he smirked mischievously and gestured with his fingers. "This is because... between you and me, there is 'Infinity.'"

—-–

At Jujutsu High, Shin Shuichi was demonstrating curse energy control techniques to Yuji Itadori when Gojo suddenly appeared, his playful grin signaling that he had stumbled upon something amusing.

"Oh, Shin, you’re here too? Perfect. I've got a live lesson plan. I'm taking Yuji to see something interesting. You should come too."

—-—

Jogo's mind replayed Suguru Geto’s warning: “You’ll die, Jogo.”

Geto hadn’t been lying. A mere human could truly possess such power? Jogo resolved to trap him in his domain.

As Jogo struggled to stand after being blasted into a nearby river, he realized Gojo had vanished. Had he run away? No, that didn’t seem right—why would someone with the upper hand flee?

Before he could think further, Gojo’s figure reappeared, standing calmly on the water’s surface. But this time, there were two others with him.

---

'That’s... Sukuna’s vessel and that brat Shin Shuichi! Are they planning to gang up on me?'

The scenery around them shifted instantly. The wilderness was replaced with lush green mountains and flowing rivers. Shin frowned, muttering, "Why drag me into this? Is this the curse?"

Turning to Jogo, he added bluntly, "Hey, do you know a stitched-face curse spirit?"

Yuji, still amazed that the three of them were standing on water without sinking, barely noticed Gojo casually introducing them. "This is Yuji, today’s star student, and Shin, an observer. Don’t mind us—please continue your demonstration."

Jogo froze, realizing the horrifying truth. 'They’re not here to gang up on me. They’re using me as a teaching tool?'

The realization sent his anger boiling. Flames erupted from his head like a geyser, alongside a furious torrent of fire.

"You dare mock me? I’ll burn you all to ash!"

—-—

Faced with Gojo’s nonchalant attitude, Jogo's self-respect as a curse spirit and a "new human" reached its breaking point. Though he had initially approached the fight half-seriously, the overwhelming gap in power was undeniable. Yet his pride refused to back down.

"Domain Expansion: Coffin of the Iron Mountain!"

In an instant, the tranquil mountain scene disappeared, replaced by a dark, rugged domain of blackened stone. The rocky terrain stretched unevenly, and molten lava churned within deep crevices scattered across the ground. The moonlight above was obscured by layers of jagged rock.

Yuji exclaimed, "It's so hot!" as a massive, house-sized boulder, cracked and glowing with lava, hurtled toward them.

Shin, his hands stuffed in his pockets, sighed. "You even dragged me into the domain? Gojo-sensei, is this a live demonstration for Yuji’s education?"

Gojo effortlessly shattered the incoming boulder with a casual hand motion, reducing it to harmless rubble. "This is a perfect example of a domain's characteristics," he explained to Yuji, as Shin began analyzing the space around them.

"This is a textbook domain," Shin remarked. "The environment boosts his firepower perfectly. Within this enclosed space, his flames can hit his targets with 100% accuracy. To counter, we either rely on techniques or—"

"—use a domain expansion of our own," Gojo finished. "When two domains are expanded simultaneously, the stronger or more refined one dominates. Of course, compatibility and curse energy reserves also play a role."

"Exactly." Shin raised a hand to rest it on Gojo’s shoulder. Yuji, still being held by Gojo, looked utterly confused.

Gojo smiled and removed his blindfold, revealing his piercing Six Eyes.

"Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void."

Jogo’s carefully crafted domain was instantly overwhelmed and erased, replaced by the boundless expanse of Gojo’s Infinite Void. A flood of infinite information drowned Jogo’s senses, leaving him paralyzed. He could perceive everything but process nothing.

---

Releasing his domain, Gojo strolled over to the immobilized Jogo. "I’ve got some questions for you, so I’ll spare your life—for now."

He grabbed Jogo’s head with one hand and, with a sharp yank, tore it clean off. Planting his foot on the now-headless body, Gojo addressed the severed head.

"Tell me, who sent you? Was it that stitched-face curse spirit?"

From the distant forest, Suguru Geto watched the unfolding battle with an enigmatic smile. "Why don't they ever believe me? What's wrong? Do you want to save him? Both of those two are there, and it's just Gojo Satoru taking action. But hey, if you want to go, suit yourself. Though I wonder, do curses like you even have such emotions?"

Turning to leave, he added, "I can't show myself in front of Jujutsu High. So I'll take my leave. This curse spirit will assist you slightly. Whether it works or not is up to fate. But if both of you end up dead, that'll be a bit of a hassle."

As he disappeared into the darkness, a stream of black mist slithered past him, surging toward the battlefield. The curse spirit Hanami followed the mist and vanished into the fray.

---

The battlefield had quieted.

Gojo Satoru mischievously rolled Jogo's head under his foot, grinning as he threatened the curse to extract information. Nearby, Shin Shuichi, clearly bored, explained Gojo’s technique to Yuji Itadori, hoping to help him understand why they could all stand on the water without sinking.

But the calm was short-lived.

A peculiar wooden stake covered in blooming flowers descended from the sky, planting itself into the ground. Instantly, a field of vibrant blossoms spread out.

"They’re here," Shin muttered.

Despite his apparent relaxation, Shin had been on guard all along. He knew someone would come to aid Jogo—Hanami, the curse spirit that controlled flora.

—-—

Time froze.

The blossoming flowers froze mid-bloom. Time itself seemed to stop, encompassing not only the surrounding area but also Gojo, Yuji, and an odd figure that had just descended from the sky.

The figure had branches protruding from its eye sockets, its left arm wrapped entirely in cloth. Humanoid in shape, its aura rivaled that of a special-grade curse.

Shin, unfazed, shattered the frozen wooden stake with a swift kick. In the brief window left by his technique, he drew his blade, Dōjigiri, and instantly appeared before Hanami.

---

The moment passed.

Time resumed. Yuji stared in confusion at the strange object that had vanished from the sky. Shin Shuichi, too, was nowhere to be seen. A commotion drew Yuji’s attention, and he turned to see Shin gravely injuring an unknown curse spirit.

"So it did have allies. Not the stitched-face one, though," Gojo mused. His expression turned curious as he observed Hanami, now with an arm severed and its body nearly split in half by a deep gash.

"Looks like Shin paused time, disrupted the technique, and heavily injured it before it could react," Gojo said, whistling in appreciation. "Unexpected, but a nice bonus."

Shin moved to finish Hanami off when suddenly, his surroundings went dark.

A familiar darkness.

The world faded away, leaving Shin entirely alone. This surreal emptiness jolted a memory.

'It’s the same as last time... That cursed spirit’s domain effect! They’re working together.'

Shin was in the cooldown phase after using Time Stop and couldn’t immediately break free from the domain. Worse, he felt an overpowering sleepiness washing over him.

"A domain technique... forcing sleep?" he pondered, analyzing the situation even as his consciousness dimmed. His previous assumptions about this unknown curse spirit had misled him, and the group’s coordination exploited that opening.

Moments later, Shin managed to recover. Channeling his technique reversal, he created a very brief collision of forces, breaking the domain in an instant. The darkness dissipated, revealing Yuji and Gojo, both unharmed but alert.

---

"Looks like they got away," Gojo muttered. "I hesitated to deploy my own domain because of you two, but I’m certain my Purple hit its mark. Shame I couldn’t finish the job."

Yuji gaped at the destruction around him. A massive chasm carved through the pond and stretched deep into the forest, leaving an enormous scar on the landscape.

"You sure didn’t hold back, huh," Yuji murmured.

Shin remained unfazed, scanning the area. "Gojo-sensei, I checked the surroundings—no sign of them."

Gojo, having replaced his blindfold, nodded. "My Six Eyes couldn’t track it either. That curse spirit... it’s closer to a spirit of nature than a regular curse. Its cursed energy isn’t particularly strong, but once it’s in the forest, it’s nearly undetectable."

He sighed, a hint of amusement returning to his voice. "Still, we’ve got new intel. We’ll meet them again."