Chapter 97 (Patreon)

As Ragnar Kagenou had said, Yuji Itadori’s cursed technique training was not finished yet.

“To learn Sukuna’s Dismantle, there’s still one thing you’re missing.”

Yuji frowned and thought about it seriously.

He had followed Ragnar’s instructions exactly. He was sure he had not skipped a step.

“Ragnar-sensei, I did it exactly the way you told me to…”

Ragnar looked at him and replied calmly.

“I didn’t say you did it wrong.”

Yuji blinked.

“Then what am I missing?”

“Presence.”

“Presence?”

“That’s right.” Ragnar raised one finger. “Sukuna’s Dismantle isn’t only about cursed energy output or the speed of the slash. Those are just the surface. What really matters is the presence behind it.”

Yuji stared at him blankly.

Ragnar paused.

With Yuji’s way of thinking, explaining something abstract like this might take the entire night.

Still, he continued.

“A slash is not just speed and force. What matters is the intent behind it. The feeling that once the cut is released, anything in front of it will be severed. Flesh, bone, cursed energy, space itself… everything.”

Yuji repeated those words under his breath a few times.

“Intent… presence… the feeling that everything will be cut…”

He tried to imagine it, but in the end, he could only scratch his cheek awkwardly.

“Sorry, Ragnar-sensei. I really can’t picture that.”

Ragnar nodded, not surprised.

“It’s not something you understand just because someone explains it to you.”

Then he glanced at Yuji’s body.

“It’s a shame Sukuna can’t use his full strength right now. If you could see one of his real slashes, you would understand what I mean much faster.”

Yuji’s expression stiffened slightly.

That sounded dangerous no matter how he heard it.

“But it doesn’t matter,” Ragnar continued. “Even if you don’t copy Sukuna completely, presence is something unique to each person. Your Dismantle doesn’t need to become Sukuna’s slash. It needs to become yours.”

Yuta Okkotsu, who had been listening from the side, smiled faintly and patted Yuji on the shoulder.

“You’re already doing more than enough, Itadori-kun.”

Yuji looked at him.

“Okkotsu-senpai…”

“Ragnar-san’s standards are just too high. Even a Grade 1 sorcerer would have trouble taking your slash head-on.”

Rika also nodded.

“Yuta’s right. We’re not saying that just to comfort you. Dismantle isn’t some ordinary technique. If you can use it properly, you’ll be able to fight even special grade cursed spirits.”

Yuji lowered his gaze for a moment.

Then he clenched his fist.

“Thanks. But… I think Ragnar-sensei is right.”

His eyes became serious.

“If my slash doesn’t have that presence, then I haven’t really mastered Dismantle yet.”

Ragnar’s mouth curved slightly.

“My student shouldn’t be compared to ordinary cursed spirits or ordinary jujutsu sorcerers.”

He looked directly at Yuji.

“A special grade cursed spirit is only the starting line.”

Yuji froze.

“You’re aiming at Sukuna, the King of Curses. Don’t lower your eyes toward something beneath that.”

Yuji’s shoulders tightened.

Then he nodded hard.

“Got it! I’ll do it!”

“Good.”

Ragnar turned his gaze toward Yuta.

“Then spar with Yuta. I’ll see how far you can go right now.”

Yuji nodded immediately.

“Okay—”

Then he stopped.

“Wait, what?!”

Yuta looked at Ragnar.

After receiving a small nod, he quietly drew the sword from his back.

“In that case, let’s begin, Itadori-kun.”

Yuji swallowed once.

The opponent was Yuta Okkotsu.

Even if it was only a spar, that name alone carried pressure.

But after everything Ragnar had said, Yuji’s eyes gradually sharpened.

“Please go easy on me, Okkotsu-senpai.”

Yuta smiled gently.

“I’ll try.”

The next instant, he stepped forward.

His sword came in like a rising tide.

Each strike flowed into the next, leaving almost no gaps. Yuji gritted his teeth and retreated step by step, barely keeping up with his body’s instincts.

Whenever he was forced into a corner, cursed energy gathered around his hand.

“Dismantle!”

The invisible slash shot forward.

Yuta raised his sword and met it head-on.

Bang!

The collision burst through the air.

Yuji was blown several meters back, his shoes scraping hard against the ground before he managed to stop himself.

Yuta looked down at the faint vibration running through his blade.

“Not bad. Your control is getting much cleaner.”

Yuji exhaled sharply.

“That’s because you’re helping me get used to it, Okkotsu-senpai.”

“Then let’s continue.”

The two moved again.

Yuta kept adjusting his attacks, giving Yuji just enough pressure to force out his Dismantle without crushing him outright. Sometimes he attacked from the front. Sometimes he changed rhythm mid-swing. Sometimes he deliberately left openings, only to close them the moment Yuji tried to exploit them.

Yuji was forced to think, react, and cut.

His cursed energy was consumed rapidly, but every time he used Dismantle, the movement became a little smoother.

The technique that had felt awkward at first gradually began to sink into his body.

Only after Yuji completely exhausted his cursed energy did Ragnar finally tell Yuta to stop.

Then, after Yuji recovered, the training resumed.

Use Dismantle.

Empty his cursed energy.

Recover.

Do it again.

That cycle repeated over and over.

Rika also took over from Yuta from time to time, changing the rhythm of the fight so Yuji would not get too used to only one opponent.

Otherwise, once the training became predictable, it would lose its meaning.

Yuta was barely affected.

Even after hours of sparring, his breathing remained steady.

Yuji, on the other hand, looked as if his soul was about to leave his body.

But the result was obvious.

By the time the sun started sinking, Yuji’s Dismantle had become far more practical in actual combat.

Rika looked up at the darkening sky.

“Looks like we won’t make it to the Kyoto Goodwill Event today.”

Ragnar did not seem to care.

“It’s fine. Today is only the meeting between both schools. Tokyo should have Maki and the others there already.”

He glanced toward Yuji, who was lying on the ground and gasping for air.

“The actual event starts tomorrow. Going then won’t change anything.”

Rika smiled.

“That’s true. Then we can give them a proper surprise.”

Just like that, Yuji’s special training continued until night.

When it was finally over, Yuji collapsed flat on the ground. His chest rose and fell violently, and his clothes were completely soaked with sweat.

“Yuji.”

He turned his head weakly.

“Ragnar-sensei?”

Ragnar stood beside him and looked up at the night sky.

“In the jujutsu world, most people call you Sukuna’s vessel.”

Yuji’s breathing slowly quieted.

“Yeah…”

“Most of them don’t care who Yuji Itadori is. They only see what’s inside you.”

Yuji looked up at the stars.

After a moment, he gave a small, bitter smile.

“That’s probably true.”

His expression became quiet.

Ragnar looked down at him.

“I’ve thought about it for a while. Some things shouldn’t be decided by the higher-ups. They shouldn’t be decided by me either.”

Yuji turned his eyes toward him.

“So I’ll give you two choices.”

Ragnar raised one finger.

“First, you continue as a jujutsu sorcerer. You keep eating Sukuna’s fingers until he fully resurrects.”

Then he raised a second finger.

“Second, I extract the finger inside you. After that, you return to a normal life.”

Yuji’s eyes widened slightly.

Ragnar added casually,

“And don’t worry. Even if Sukuna resurrects one day, you won’t die because of it.”

For a moment, the rooftop fell silent.

Yuta and Rika did not interrupt.

This was Yuji’s decision.

No one else had the right to answer for him.

But Yuji did not hesitate for long.

“I’ll keep being a jujutsu sorcerer.”

His voice was tired, but clear.

“My grandpa told me to help people. So… as long as I can reach them, I want to save them.”

He looked back at the stars.

“And when I die, I want to be surrounded by people.”

There was no grand declaration.

No forced courage.

Just Yuji Itadori’s honest answer.

Ragnar looked at his smile for a moment.

Then he reached into his coat.

“In that case…”

He took out six Sukuna fingers.

“These are yours.”

Yuji stared at them.

“Mine?”

“What you do with them is up to you. Eat them, throw them away, hide them, destroy them. I don’t care.”

Ragnar placed them in Yuji’s hand.

“There are plenty of people watching you. Some want to use you. Some want to use Sukuna. Some want to bring him back completely.”

His voice became colder.

“But don’t you think they’re getting ahead of themselves?”

Yuji’s fingers tightened around the cursed objects.

“Your life belongs to you. It was never born for Sukuna.”

Yuta looked at Yuji and said gently,

“He’s right. From now on, let them understand that you’re not something they can move around as they please.”

Rika smiled.

“You just need to choose what feels right to you.”

Ragnar’s eyes stayed on Yuji.

“Tomorrow is a good opportunity.”

Yuji looked up.

“Tell them clearly.”

Ragnar’s voice was calm.

“You are not Sukuna’s vessel.”

A faint wind passed over the rooftop.

“You are Yuji Itadori.”

Yuji looked at the six fingers in his palm.

Then, without hesitation, he swallowed them one after another.

Gulp.

Gulp.

Gulp.

Cold, rotten cursed energy spread through his body.

His stomach churned.

But Yuji endured it.

After swallowing the last one, he wiped his mouth and looked at Ragnar.

“Yeah.”

His eyes were steady.

“I’ll tell them.”

Ragnar nodded.

“Good.”

Then he turned slightly.

“Also, before we leave, there’s one more person joining you.”

Yuji blinked.

“Huh?”

At that moment, footsteps sounded from the rooftop entrance.

A young man in a black uniform walked into the night breeze.

Yuji froze.

Then his eyes widened.

“Junpei!”

— — — — — —

Inside the Innate Domain.

Sukuna sat upon his throne of bones, his smile stretching wider.

“Brat.”

His voice echoed through the darkness.

“Learning my cursed technique without permission… You really think there won’t be a price?”

The King of Curses laughed quietly.

Still, beneath that arrogant grin, his eyes narrowed.

“Even so…”

His fingers tapped against the side of his face.

“How did he learn it this quickly?”

Yuji Itadori had not been born with a cursed technique.

Normally, that alone should have made this impossible.

And yet, he had learned Dismantle.

The reason was not only talent.

It was blood.

It was compatibility.

As a vessel, Yuji’s compatibility with Sukuna was abnormal.

Far beyond what even Sukuna had expected.

Outside the Innate Domain, Yuji suddenly felt something inside him swell.

Sukuna’s cursed energy expanded violently for an instant.

The eyes on both sides of Yuji’s face opened by themselves.

Black cursed markings crawled across his cheeks.

A cold, vicious cursed energy poured out from his body.

But the phenomenon lasted less than a second.

The markings disappeared.

The cursed energy withdrew as if nothing had happened.

Yuji stood there in confusion, unaware of what had just passed through him.

And no one knew why it had stopped.