Omake: Shibuya Part 0

A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

So, this Omake was way more popular than I ever expected it would be. It was literally just a throwaway 'here's something cool', which is why I didn't even bother starting at the beginning.

I hate not starting at the beginning. Chronology and continuity is very important to me.

So here's Shibuya 0, the prequel. Next omake chap will have the stuff y'all have actually been asking for lmao, idk when I'll write it tho.

Also reminder, this is set in pure a pure JJK world, none of the extra shit in the actual fic.

///

The rain feels heavy.

It's a pointless thought, but it passes Fushiguro Megumi's mind regardless as he stands between two rows of trees in the rain, staring. Waiting. Hoping.

He can still feel the Special Grade Curse's Domain wrapped around the prison, and he knows what that means. That Itadori is still in there.

Or that he is dead, a part of his mind helpfully supplies him.

He won't die.

That isn't just an idle hope either. With two fragments of Sukuna's Soul inside of him, the ancient Sorcerer is unlikely to allow Itadori to die so easily.

After all, even with only one tenth of his Soul, Sukuna is still the King of Curses. One tenth is enough.

It isn't as comforting a thought as he would hope. Sukuna wouldn't have been known as the King of Curses if he was the benevolent sort. He would have been called the King of Sorcerers if that were the case.

Megumi's absent thoughts are cut off when he feels the Domain disappear.

Now we just need Itadori to return safely, he thinks to himself.

He would be pretty down if someone he saved died so-

Something is behind him.

The feeling makes him gasp and every muscle in his body tense and robs him entirely of his ability to move.

"Sorry, but he's not coming back," the voice, so achingly alike to Itadori's, but just off, comes from directly behind him, even though he didn't notice anyone approach.

It's only Gojo Satoru's habit of appearing in the same manner that stops Megumi from giving an even greater reaction of surprise.

He hears a step followed by another, and he does not need to turn around to know who stands behind him wearing Itadori's skin.

He can tell by the ice in his veins, by the tremble in his fingers and the beating of his heart.

Ryōmen Sukuna.

"Don't be so frightened," Sukuna says, as if that sentence is not an oxymoron by itself, and his following words do nothing to help. "I'm in a great mood right now. Let's chat for a bit."

Megumi doesn't respond. He doesn't want to chat with Sukuna, of all people, but he wants to fight him even less. Not unless he has Gojo-Sensei standing right behind him as he does so.

More steps sound out, louder than they have any right to be, or is that just his beating heart hammering into him like a drum?

When Sukuna steps into his line of sight, he can almost lie to himself and pretend that it's just Itadori. But it isn't the same.

The hair is the same, pink and short, and the features are the same. They're just off, like the voice. Deeper. Sharper. Crueller.

Once Sukuna is in front of him, he half turns to face him and wears a smile as if they are both sharing in on some kind of inside joke that Megumi does not understand, even when he speaks.

"This is what he gets for trying to use me without any kind of pact," Sukuna says conversationally while smiling as if he is expecting Megumi to laugh. "Feels like he's having some trouble switching back."

Megumi still doesn't respond, and even if he did, what could he have said? This is the worst case scenario. Itadori has lost control of Sukuna.

"Still though," Sukuna continues while bringing his, Itadori's, hands up to grab his clothes over his chest, and for a moment, the casual tone almost makes him forget who exactly is in front of him, "It's only a matter of time."

Oh. So not all hope is lost then? That is at least some good news, and frankly, right now Megumi will take whatever he can get.

Then Sukuna surprises him by just ripping his shirt off entirely, tearing it to shreds as if the specially made fabric is just wet tissue paper. The sound of the fabric being torn feels like nails carving down his back.

"So," Sukuna continues, raising one of his hands up in front of himself as he does so, claw-like nails poised like knives. "I thought about what I can do right now."

Matching actions with words, Sukuna then surprises him enough for him to finally react, letting out a shocked gasp as Sukuna plunges his hand right into Itadori's chest.

"W-what are you..." Megumi trails off, having only spoken out of surprise in the first place, not believing his eyes even as he watches Sukuna pull out his own heart with a smile and a laugh, uncaring of the obscene amount of blood that follows the action, like a broken dam.

"I'm taking this brat hostage," Sukuna says only after holding his heart up to the air like he is presenting it, his tone still mostly conversational despite the sadistic smile on his face.

"Hostage?!" Megumi repeats without thought, too shocked by what he is seeing to do anything else.

He ignores the pit that gnaws away at his stomach at the sight of Itadori with a massive hole right in the centre of his chest.

"Yeah," Sukuna answers, as if Megumi's exclamation was an actual question. "I can live without this, but that ain't true for the brat." He tosses the heart aside without a glance as if it is truly worthless. "Switching out with me means he dies. Also, for good measure."

As if things couldn't get worse, Sukuna then pulls out another one of his Fingers, housing another twentieth of his Soul, and swallows it whole without hesitation.

That Cursed Womb must have consumed it to become Special Grade, Megumi thinks, though the knowledge hardly helps him.

"With that, I'm free as a bird," Sukuna says, sounding smug as his hand twitches from growing strength. "You can be frightened now. I'm finally outside, after all. Let's use the open space."

"Our positions are reversed now," Megumi mutters to himself, thinking back to when he first met Itadori.

They haven't known one another for long, but Itadori is a simple guy. Megumi thinks he understands him, even if he can't quite empathise with his decisions.

And so, even as his hands tremble and his heart tries to leap through his throat, Megumi slides a leg back and settles into his stance, the practiced motion steadying him with enough courage to actually speak to Sukuna for the first time.

"You just don't get it," he says, and Sukuna only seems amused by his glare. "Itadori's coming back. Even if that means he'll die. That's just who he is."

"You give him too much credit," Sukuna is quick to retort. "This guy's just a little tougher and denser than other humans. Just a moment ago, he was scared out of his mind, on the verge of death and prattling on about his regrets and all that nonsense."

"I know for a fact he doesn't have the guts to kill himself," Sukuna continues, but Megumi barely pays his words any mind, too focused on the hand that Sukuna just used to wipe the blood off of his chin.

A hand that Megumi saw get cut off at the wrist not twenty minutes ago.

Reverse Cursed Technique. The ability to heal with Cursed Energy. It isn't surprising that Sukuna knows it.

But that doesn't matter. What matters is that Sukuna is incarnated. Even if he can live without a heart, it should still be damaging to him. Which means that all Megumi has to do is make Sukuna believe that he can't beat him without a heart in his body, and then Itadori can bring himself back out once he regenerates.

But can I do that? Megumi thinks to himself, only to be cut out of his thoughts when Sukuna continues to speak.

"Say, it happens that I saw something pretty interesting through this brat's eyes," Sukuna says, jabbing at his temple with a thumb. "Your Technique. It's Ten Shadows, isn't it? That should make you a Zen'in, right?"

Megumi pauses.

Sukuna knows my Technique? He thinks to himself, confused. After all, Megumi never cared enough about the Zen'in clan to learn any of its history. All he knows is that Gojo-Sensei stopped them from adopting him because they wanted his Inherited Technique or some such thing.

But why does Sukuna knows this? And how does he know of it's connection to the Zen'in? Was there some Zen'in Sorcerer in the Heian Era that used it?

Megumi doesn't know, and frankly, it doesn't matter. All that really matters right now is forcing Sukuna to regenerate his heart. So he decides to give a non answer.

"My name is Fushiguro Megumi," he says as he brings his hands together, ignoring their shaking.

For some reason though, his answer makes Sukuna laugh. Hard. 

Surprise makes Megumi pause a second time, and it takes nearly a minute for Sukuna to calm down from his raucous laughter.

"Ten Shadows," he says, mirth filling his tone as if he is barely holding himself back from laughing even more, "And your name is Fushiguro? And Megumi too? Hahaha! What kind of a joke is that?! Hahahahaha!"

Megumi really has no idea what is going on anymore, but perhaps it shouldn't surprise him for Sukuna to display bouts of insanity. His earlier calm hardly changes who he is.

So Megumi just stops thinking about it. He doesn't really care anyway.

Instead, he takes a deep breath, and wills every ounce of focus he can into place. He can only do his best. Any less and he will die.

It is with that comforting thought, that Megumi finally brings his hands together, making a shadowgraphic of a bird.

Strangely however, when he does so, Sukuna's laughter immediately dies down, and he watches as the King of Curses slides his feet into a slightly larger stance. He watches as Sukuna's hands flex as if in preparation to move.

He watches as Sukuna smiles widely while regarding him with a sense of almost... Caution.

Shaking the thought away, Megumi stops hesitating.

"Nue!"

///

Ryōmen Sukuna

///

Truly, human flesh is so much better than that of Cursed Spirits.

It has been a long time since he has felt the world with actual, real skin and all the other bits that come with human flesh.

The rain on his body feels amazing after so long without a true sense of touch. The smell of humidity, of damp grass and mud and, what was it called again, pollution?

The air is certainly different.

It brings a smile to his lips every time he notices the difference. Because he knows that Narauko would have hated it. Every time Sukuna sees these towering monoliths of steel and concrete, beyond just his desire to tear them down and watch them fall, he thinks of how amusing a face Narauko would make seeing them.

They are ugly, after all.

But it seems that today he will enjoy more than just the air and how much this future world that he is looking forward to tearing down would have left his equal opposite so incredibly disappointed.

Or maybe it wouldn't, honestly? He wouldn't really be surprised if that dumbass looked at this uninspiring crap and spouted some bullshit about the beauty of efficiency, or how beautiful it is that the current society is so prosperous that land of all things has become a premium.

Whatever, he doesn't care anymore.

Because something more interesting than any of that is in front of him.

One of Narauko's descendants, weilding his own Technique. Though he doesn't share the family name for whatever reason. 

Even though he is called Megumi. Heh, what a laugh.

Now, Megumi, he almost snorts again at the name, does not feel too strong, but he knows not to believe such a ruse so easily.

Even beyond that thing, assuming that it carried over with the Technique to Megumi, heh, Sukuna knows that the boy feeling weak does not mean he is.

After all, Narauko always felt weak. His Cursed Energy was never oppressive or even really apparent. The dumbass actually learnt to keep his Cursed Energy constantly suppressed just so that he could pet his fucking deer.

And Megumi, haha, that just keeps getting funnier the more he repeats it. Megumi is what, fifteen? That's how old he and Narauko were when they met, and Sukuna is not ashamed to admit that Narauko at fifteen could likely have bested him with only three twentieths of his Soul.

After all, he definitely could have bested his current self with his strength from back then. In part simply because they both would have quickly learnt the tricks he's picked up over the years and rapidly closed the gap of skill, making the gap of strength more apparent.

Which is why he doesn't truly expect to win this fight. It doesn't really matter. He's not going to just grow a new heart like Megu- hahahaha, like Megumi is obviously planning. Dying would be a good opportunity to make a Binding Vow with the brat.

He has had an idea brewing in his mind ever since he first saw the Divine Dogs through this brat's eyes.

So, while he obviously does not think he will outright lose, this might be his descendant, but it is not Narauko, he does not think his victory is a certain thing.

He just wants to have some fun.

It has been so long since he has been able to truly stretch after all.

Ahhh~, he's getting excited just thinking about it.

So when Fushiguro- Haha, no, that is just as funny, when Megumi brings his hands together in a familiar gesture, Sukuna prepares himself to have some fun.

It's been so long after all.

So long since you chose to stay behind.

His smile grows as anticipation builds up inside of him, making him feel as if his blood is boiling at the thought that maybe, for the first time in one thousand years, maybe, he will finally feel whole again.

The sign the kid is making is familiar enough that Sukuna doesn't even need to try and jog his memory to recognise what is coming.

Nue's Technique was Lightning Manipulation, but it was also a bird, allowing for flight. Combined with the Technique, and he should expect a fast opening.

If it was Narauko- Well, if it was Narauko, he wouldn't have started with Nue in the first place.

Ah! That's it. His smile grows wider at the feeling of accomplishment, at the feeling of actually having to think to fight.

He already told the kid that he recognises Ten Shadows. 

With that information, they undoubtably realise that attempting to take him by surprise won't work, as he already recognised the Technique.

This means that Narauko's usual opening move that focuses on speed and surprise, such as Kon, wouldn't work, as he would already be moving once he sees the hand sign, something Narauko learnt rather quickly.

So if the kid knows that he knows his Technique, but neither of them know if he has any Shikigami that Sukuna will not recognise, then he would want to go for a safer bet, something that could potentially garner information by prodding at him and seeing what happens.

Nue is a pretty good choice for that. Lightning is still fast, but because it is a result of a Technique and not the Shikigami's body itself that would be approaching him, the kid is not putting any of his Shikigami in danger of being immediately taken out of the fight.

At the same time, Lightning Manipulation is capable of casting quite a wide net, thus limiting his ability to dodge and potentially forcing him to use some other method to avoid harm.

After all, actively defending one's self reveals more about one's capabilities than merely dodging. 

No doubt the kid already knows about his Techniques, he would be surprised if any Sorcerer ever forgot them, so the test this time would be more about how much of his previous power he can bring to bear with only a small portion of his Soul.

Tricky, Sukuna thinks with a smile, enjoying the game already.

Still, if the kid is planning to use Nue's Technique to prod at him, then the Shikigami is unlikely to burst out of his shadow like the kid is projecting that it will, an all too blatantly obvious bait.

No, that would be foolish. Instead, what is going to happen is that Nue will shoot straight up. This both avoids the Shikigami coming into danger by directly approaching, and forces Sukuna to attack at two targets instead of just one, as it would have been if the Shikigami merely hovered behind the kid.

The familiar feeling of accomplishment at seeing through his opponent is immediately washed away and replaced by the even greater feeling of being challenged as the kid finally opens his mouth.

"Nue!" The kid intones, and instead of anything he speculated happening, the Shikigami appears from in front of the kid's shadow and flies straight at him while the kid himself runs forward, parallel with the bird.

Not only that, but the Shikigami is vastly smaller than he remembers it being, and it feels like it is barely even equal to a Grade Two Curse.

Sukuna feels his grin grow even more at the realisation that he was wrong.

You were always unpredictable. In a fight, anyway.

There was a phrase Narauko once told him, supposedly from some book or other. Appear strong where you are weak, and weak where you are strong.

He himself has been caught off guard by this before, once. Narauko had picked up the sword, and when they fought next, he started by mostly fighting as usual but occasionally trying to use the sword as if it was a bat.

He vividly remembers mocking him for his poor skill with the blade. It was only the fact that he did not retort the insult that tipped him off enough to dodge Narauko's next cut.

After all, they both know that Narauko would have defended his skill even if he was terrible at it, and Sukuna would immediately pick up on the most obvious lie ever. The fact that he didn't answer was enough of a hint that he couldn't without giving the game away.

He imagines the current situation is similar.

The kid doesn't know how strong he is right now, so he himself is appearing weak, so that he will let down his guard. Then, once the kid has an accurate gauge of his current strength, he will push hard and fast and attempt to overwhelm him before he can react to the increased vigour.

There is no other reason for Nue to be so weak, or for why he would send his flying, lightning controlling Shikigami forward into close quarters.

Sukuna doesn't think he can recall a single time that Narauko ever attempted anything as foolish as having Nue fight in close quarters.

Thus, it can only be a trap. A bait.

Tricky indeed, he thinks to himself, glad that the modern era isn't so boring that today's Sorcerers aren't capable of fighting smart.

He might have made fun of Narauko for thinking too much during a fight, but a Sorcerer who doesn't think at all is a fool. Narauko was just stupid about it, thinking about pointless crap like aftershocks and damaging the land or whatever.

So, how to respond?

Fall for the bait and reverse it? If he pretends to be weak enough that the kid can actually push him, then the kid might let his guard down, thinking that he's lost enough strength to be manageable. That would be when he does exactly what the kid is trying to do, and surprises him with a sudden attack that ends the fight in an instant.

No, that won't work. The kid will see through it too quickly. It would probably only cause the kid to abandon his current plan and just go all out right away, which would remove the opportunity present in reversing his tactic. 

He is Ryōmen Sukuna after all, the kid will only get suspicious if he appears too weak. Even just a fragment of his strength puts him well above the average so called Special Grade.

The fact that he is even in the same degree of classification as the likes of that Womb earlier is only vaguely insulting.

So if he wants to trick his opponent, then he needs to know what they are expecting.

The kid ran away from the Cursed Womb that had eaten one of his Fingers earlier. He assumes that is because he wanted something for the brat. Maybe he thinks that with some practice the brat will be able to control him?

Laughable, but understandable. 

Either way, what matters is that he saw the Cursed Womb and knew that it became Special Grade just from one of his Fingers. Now he has three.

So he should adjust his strength to be just barely Special Grade then. Keep just out of reach. Strong, but approachable.

The kid will probably let himself get beaten about for a bit in order to sell it. He knows Narauko would want to be sure if he was facing such a significant threat as himself.

So he just needs to convince the kid that he is certain in his own victory and the kid's own weakness. It is only when the kid truly believes that he thinks nothing of him, that the kid will strike.

And where the kid thinks he will find surprise, he will only find suffering.

But not death. Not yet.

He has plans, after all.

The kid reaches him first, while the Shikigami passes and circles around.

They open with a kick, slow and weak. 

He dodges, naturally. And then they continue to dance. The kid throws some more punches, but they're all so damn slow and weak that Sukuna would have yawned if not for the knowledge of the deception at play.

Instead, he is just mildly impressed by the kid's talent at trickery. If he hadn't known Narauko well enough to have become used to tactics such as these, then he might have truly fallen for it and believed that the kid is as weak as he pretends to be.

"Interesting," he says, continuing with the act while Nue comes about behind him. "You use Shikigami, but you'll still come at me yourself?"

That is a bit of a gamble. But he thinks it's worth it either way. 

Either the kid will believe his apparent surprise, or he will not. It all depends on how well he knows his ancestor.

Narauko mostly fought with his Shikigami after all. Most people were too weak for him to bother using his fists when he could instead experiment with new Shikigami tactics. If this kid knows enough to know that Narauko was just as good with his fists, then Sukuna will have a better understanding of the kid's own knowledge and likely tactics.

They don't react in a way that makes him think they have seen through the lie however. Despite his earlier thoughts, he finds that mildly disappointing.

They should remember you better.

Sukuna ducks under the talons of Nue and steps away from the kids follow up strike.

The dance continues for a moment longer, a bird and a boy both trying and failing to strike him entirely.

After a moment of frankly boring combat, he catches one of the boy's punches and pulls their faces close together.

"Put more Curse behind it," he says before backhanding the kid in the face, "When you strike me!"

This should help sell the idea that he believes the kid to be weak, by acting as if they are so weak that he doesn't mind giving them advice.

The kid doesn't even land before he is making a new hand sign, and for a moment, Sukuna thinks that this is when the kid will reveal his lie.

But instead, Great Serpent appears in a flash and clamps its jaw around him, spearing him into the sky, whereupon Nue starts to strike at him.

Only, both of them are so weak that he barely feels the attacks.

He can only admire the kid's dedication to ensuring his lie takes hold, but if they're going to be stubborn about it, then he can only force them to feel a little bit more proactive.

With that in mind, Sukuna flexes, and Great Serpent comes apart.

The next moment, he is standing behind the kid, holding onto their jacket.

"Hey, what did I just say?" He asks before twisting and throwing the kid like a sack of rice. "Let's use the open space!" 

The kid flies through some trees, and Sukuna catches them in the air with a kick that has them bouncing across some rooves, followed by a punch that sends them through some metal building.

The kid tries to run away with Nue carrying him, and Sukuna only feels anticipation at the understanding that the kid's reveal must be rapidly approaching.

It seems that they want to wait until he is truly sure of his victory before striking.

He can't wait to see the face they will make when he turns their trap against them.

"Nice try running!" He calls out moments before hammering both the kid and his Shikigami down through another building.

They really do just have these everywhere. So many buildings. So many humans.

Not that he's complaining. It just means there is more for him to destroy, and this time, no one to stop him.

He ignores the feeling that thought brings.

The kid crashes through the building and down to the ground, causing a small cloud of dust to cover him for a moment.

When the wind carries that away, what is left is the sight of an injured Megumi- Hah! It really is still funny! Well, he's injured, or at least pretending to be, while sitting under the wing of Nue.

Before he can say anything else, the kid rests a hand on Nue's head and the Shikigami melts away into shadow.

"Giving up already?" Sukuna taunts. "Aren't you supposed to have ten shadows? You won't be able to make me fix this with only two," he jabs a thumb at the hole in his chest as he speaks.

A huff leaves the kid as a sardonic smile grows on his face.

"You figured that out?" They ask, and for a moment Sukuna almost believes he is as exhausted as he seems.

"You're not a very good liar," Sukuna returns, ensuring that the kid knows that he has fallen for the ruse.

And then he waits for the surprise attack he knows is coming, the sudden burst of strength.

He waits. 

And he waits.

"Well," the kid says after a moment. "I haven't tamed ten Shikigami yet. I guess the gap to Special Grade really is something else, huh?"

Sukuna believes him.

Why does Sukuna believe him?

The kid is just a good liar, right? Even if they're only young, they could just be really good at lying. 

Right?

"Naturally," Sukuna responds, stepping up to the kid. "The reason it's called Special Grade, is because the rest of you trash can't comprehend true strength."

As he speaks, he reaches down and grabs the kid by the throat, lifting them up and squeezing.

But he does not let his guard down as he does so. The kid no longer has any choice after all, he simply must spring his trap now or he will die.

And so he strangles them and he waits.

And waits.

And waits.

What is going on right now? He thinks once the kid starts turning blue.

Why aren't they doing anything? 

Their hands are still free, why aren't they summoning something? Why are they just clawing at his arm like they think that is how one should counter a hand to the throat?

What is happening!? Sukuna thinks with alarm and confused rage, letting go and dropping the kid as if his hand was burned.

The kid immediately drops to his hands and knees and starts hacking and coughing, sucking in air as if a little strangulation is truly enough to kill him.

"What are you doing?" Sukuna demands with a harsh glare, patience wearing thin. 

A moment more of violent coughing passes, during which Sukuna kicks the kid in the ribs so that they are on their back and looking up at him.

"Dying," the kid says, monotone, after a moment of silence, "Apparently."

The response just makes Sukuna's brows furrow and a feeling akin to having the wind taken out of his sails presses against him.

"Why are you not fighting?"

The brat has the gall to roll his eyes at him. 

"I tried," they say. "I only have one option left, but releasing that will probably just cause a significant amount of the people in this city to die, so there's no point. He wouldn't let it come to that. Itadori is coming back."

"You put too much value in that brat, he's not even worth that much," Sukuna hotly responds, feeling a growing itch in his brain that he cannot scratch. "Get up and fight. Stop pretending to be so weak, I tire of this game."

"Pretending?" The kid scoffs, disbelieving. "I don't know what you're seeing when you look at me, but I really tried my best here. You're just too strong."

"Haah?"

Sukuna... Sukuna doesn't know what else to say to that.

A part of him is hoping that this doubt he is feeling is just a part of the plan, and that it is simply succeeding in tricking him now.

But the greater part of him is realising the horrible, terrible truth.

For a moment, he feels as though the world is a thousand miles away. As if space itself is stretching to isolate him. As if he is truly standing alone.

"No." He says, only realising he spoke after hearing his own voice. "You wield the Ten Shadows. Your name is Megumi. You are a descendant of Zen'in no Narauko, weilding his own Technique. You cannot be this weak. I refuse to accept that."

"I don't even know who that is," the kid responds with an uncaring shrug. "I'm not a Zen'in anyway."

For the first time in a long, long time, Sukuna does not know what to say. He doesn't want to believe this.

How could they be so weak?

They have the Ten Shadows.

They have his Technique. Narauko's Technique.

It doesn't make any sense.

It's Narauko's Technique.

The ever so familiar feelings of hatred and anger start to bubble up against Sukuna's psyche as he looks down at the... The trash at his feet that would dare to use his Technique so poorly.

It is insulting.

It pisses him off.

More than anything ever has.

In his mind's eye, he sees Narauko, as he was when they were young. He sees him standing strong, by his side as an equal. His only equal. The only one who could ever keep up. 

The only one that did not return his hatred with even more hatred.

And it is only then, that Sukuna accepts the lie he was telling himself.

This trash is not Narauko.

Because Narauko is gone.

Dead.

And he is alone.

This rage is a familiar one, and Sukuna pours all of his emotions into his hatred.

Why did you stay behind?

"You... Are a disappointment," Sukuna venomously spits after a moment of silence, barely holding himself back from tearing the little shit's head off. "So much wasted talent. So pathetic. Disgusting. Die."

Not a moment after Sukuna starts moving to make truth of his words, does he feel the brat trying to take back control of his body, and Sukuna doesn't even try to fight it, else he really will end up killing this fucking piece of shit waste of life.

But as much as he wants to, and he really does want to, it would be a waste.

That shit stain does not deserve to wield Narauko's legacy.

So he will just have to take it for himself.

It is the least he could do, for his one and only friend.

///

Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College,

Fushiguro Megumi

///

Standing in one of the many traditional rooms of Jujutsu High the next day, Megumi looks dispassionately down at his Sensei, who is very clearly pretending to be asleep.

He's even saying 'snore' out loud instead of at least actually pretending to just snore.

"Oi. I'll leave."

Megumi's threat gets the expected result, as Gojo Satoru, The Strongest Sorcerer of the modern era, yawns theatrically and rises from his slouch with a stretch, though he doesn't bother to stand.

"Ah! Megumi-kun~! When did you get here~? Did you need your dashing, handsome Sensei for something~?"

Megumi's brow twitches. "You're the one who called me here, stop playing dumb, what do you want. I still need to tell Kugisaki about Itadori."

"Eeeh~? You didn't tell her right away?! How heartless~!" 

His eye twitches again at his Sensei's excessively dramatic response, and instead of answering, he just turns around and starts to leave.

"Wait wait wait! Megumi-kyun~! You know I was just kidding, right? We have like, super important things to talk about! Don't walk away from me Megumi-kyuuuun~!"

"Will you stop that?" Megumi snaps, turning back to glare at Satoru. "Get to the point already."

"Hai hai~," Satoru singsongs, but then his expression turns serious and he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his palm as his sky-blue eyes peek out from behind his shades. "Your encounter with Sukuna. Tell me about it."

The memory almost makes him flinch, but he moves past that with an almost casual shrug. "Not much to say. He said a bunch of crap-"

"Eeeh? He spoke to you? For real?" Satoru interrupts, but Megumi ignores him.

"-Nothing important, and he kicked my ass. Recognised my Technique too, seemed real disappointed in me. Hey, do you know about some Zen'in guy called Narauko?"

"Do I-" Satoru cuts himself off to let out a disbelieving snort that quickly collapses into a breathless laughter. "Do I know Zen'in no Narauko!?! HAHAHAHA! Who taught you!?! HAHA- Oh wait a minute..."

The two of them stare at each other in a moment of awkward silence before Satoru coughs into his fist and continues talking casually, as if his laughing fit was a thing of the imagination.

"Well, I definitely told you about him at some point," he says. "You remember all those notes I got you about how to use Ten Shadows? You did read them, right?"

Megumi shrugs in response to Satoru's raised brow.

He skimmed them.

It's not like he ever really cared about this whole Jujutsu thing. His sister is more important than all of that, and he doesn't care about history lessons anyway.

"Yeah, I read them," Megumi answers, mostly true. "I gave up on most of it though. I'm not like you, I just couldn't do half the crap I read, like bearing one of my Shikigami's Techniques? I tried when I was younger 'cuz I wanted to shoot lightning from my fingers after Tsumiki made me watch Revenge of the Sith, but it's impossible. Even with that guide, I couldn't figure it out."

"Eeeeeeeh~?" Megumi takes a deep breath at his Sensei's audible doubt. Even after having so long to get used to the man, he still annoys the crap out of him. "For real~? No wonder Sukuna was disappointed~. I bet he overestimated the crap out of you! Haha! That's hilarious~!"

"Are you going to tell me what the hell Sukuna was talking about or just laugh at me?" 

"Haha! Just five more minutes and I'll stop laughing at you~! Hahaha- Wait wait don't leave~!" Satoru lets out an amused sigh before once more sobering up, and Megumi is familiar enough with the man to know that he is finally done joking around and is ready to actually be useful. "Alright, history lesson time, don't fall asleep this time~! You know how Sukuna is hailed as the King of Curses, right?"

Megumi nods. "Yeah. Strongest Sorcerer from the Heian Era who lives through the ages as a Cursed Object."

"Yup!" Satoru happily nods and snaps Megumi a thumbs up, making him roll his eyes. "Well, Zen'in no Narauko was also from the Heian Era, and where Sukuna came to be known as the King of Curses, Narauko came to be known as the King of Sorcerers, as the only one who has ever equalled Sukuna. There's a theory that they were actually twins, what with how they were reportedly equal opposites. Kind of like Maki-chan and Mai-chan."

Satoru leans back into his chair and crosses one leg over the other as he continues, "As the story goes, supposedly the entire Jujutsu world stood up against Sukuna's tyranny and fell, but only when all hope was lost, Narauko came and saved the day, like a true Hero, only arriving slightly too late. Well, it hardly matters, we can't really say for sure how things went down back then. Stories get exaggerated."

He spreads his arms wide as if to say 'what can you do' and shrugs. "Well, either way, Sukuna and Narauko were both together known as the Strongest. Supposedly the took the title by killing my own ancestor, Sugawara no Michizane."

Satoru snorts, as if remembering something funny. "You know, I remember back in the day when I was still in school and I thought-" He cuts himself off, and Megumi feels like he notices something pained pass his expression, but it is gone before he could say for sure. "Well, never mind, it doesn't really matter."

"Anyway, for all that Sukuna was feared, Narauko was venerated in equal measure. You know the New Shadow Style?"

"Yeah, Simple Domain, right? Invented by something Ashiya?"

"Ashiya Dōman," Satoru corrects, "But yeah. Supposedly, the reason it's called what it is, is in homage to Narauko, who apparently helped Ashiya invent it. Additionally, you know the Anti-Glare Technique? Narauko invented that too, oh and Black Butterfly as well. Basically, if you know a Technique that isn't Innate, then there is a solid chance Narauko had a hand in its creation. One of your Senpai, Okkotsu-kun, uses a bunch of Narauko's Techniques."

Both of those Techniques are ones Megumi recognises. The first because it is just convenient and simple enough, while the latter just so happens to be one of the most vital cornerstones of Jujutsu society.

Which of course means it's the one Satoru mentions off-hand as if it doesn't matter. Though, to be fair, with the advent of smartphones, it's kind of obsolete anyway. From what little Megumi knows, he's pretty sure it's mostly just politics and tradition that's keeping people using it.

"The point is," Satoru continues, his tone as serious as it rarely is as he looks Megumi right in the eye. "Zen'in no Narauko was a creative genius, and he was born with the most versatile Innate Technique ever recorded, the Ten Shadows. So it's no surprise that Sukuna would have had high expectations after seeing you wielding it. Re-read those manuals. You have a full instruction manual written by the single greatest creative genius in history, dictating everything he ever discovered about the Technique engraved into your brain."

It's easy for you to say, Megumi thinks, somewhat bitterly. 

He isn't Satoru. Or Narauko, or Sukuna. He isn't a once in a millennia genius, he can't just do it. It isn't that easy. Not for him.

Seemingly noticing his reticence, Satoru's next words are a lot more pointed.

"Tsumiki recently got Cursed, right?" He says the words lightly, tone casual, but Megumi's head snaps to glare at him all the same. Satoru just returns the look with a bland one of his own.

"Zen'in no Narauko would have done something. He could have saved her, I am confident enough in this. Re-read his notes. Pay attention to them. You don't need to be as smart as him, because he has already written down all of the answers for you. So read them."

Megumi doesn't have anything to say to that. He just scowls full of frustration and anger and turns on his heels to storm out of the room.

He is angry at Satoru for poking at such a sore spot.

He is frustrated about his own weakness to do anything about it.

So really, there is only one thing for him to do.

He returns to his room, opens his bottom draw and digs around until he pulls out a thick tome, full of so much knowledge that what he holds is likely one of the most valuable objects in the world.

And then he opens it, and he reads.

///

Gojo Satoru

///

Meanwhile, Satoru teleports himself back to his home, the Gojo clan compound and walks down the storied corridors while humming a Britney Spears song and flipping his phone around his fingers.

All that talking with little Megumi left him in a bit of a mood.

It doesn't take him too long to reach a certain door that leads down some stairs into the private office of the Gojo clan head, aka him. Different from the public office, because of course he needs like, twelve different offices.

The room's lighting is pretty dim, for the sake of a properly important feeling atmosphere, he presumes with an eyeroll.

He ignores most of everything present and walks to one of the side walls and pulls open a draw that is probably worth as much as most people's annual salary.

Inside is only a single book, not even a very thick one, but it is certainly ancient.

Megumi isn't the only one with a guide book after all.

He flips the cover open and traces a finger down the only line written on the first page.

On the Limitless Technique,

Written by Gojo Isanko.

Every clan has a founder, and of the Big Three, only the Kamo lack a comprehensive document written by them.

The Kamo are a lot older after all. He doesn't even know if they were writing things down back when the first Kamo was alive. Doesn't really care either.

According to this book, Gojo Isanko owed Narauko a lot. 

Frankly, Satoru himself owes Narauko a lot. He certainly wouldn't have figured out how to make himself invisible if not for the advice Narauko gave his ancestor, the first user of his Technique.

It's part of why he was so willing to take care of little Megumi.

Because the Gojo clan and the Zen'in clan were always close, ever since their founding, the two clans were basically brother clans.

And then four hundred years ago, the Zen'in clan head and Gojo clan head fought and both died, and a six hundred year alliance was broken in one.

However, not everything changed, otherwise he would have faced much more pushback from his clan in sheltering Megumi.

Because even if the Gojo and Zen'in clans no longer get along, the debt Isanko writes about lives on.

It is just that the Gojo clan realised that the Zen'in clan no longer holds to the ideals that their founder built the clan upon. Not since four hundred years ago.

They focused too much on Narauko's famed love and acceptance of all and any Innate Techniques and ignored all the rest, becoming a clan that just values Techniques over anything else.

But the Gojo clan still venerate and honour Narauko for the kindness he showed their ancestor.

And it's not like anyone can argue against that point either. Everything Isanko has written that mentions Narauko only speaks highly of the man.

Which is why instead of opposing his decision, Satoru's Elders actually praised him for once. Sincerely. It was so weird.

But apparently, the idea of potentially bringing Narauko's greatest legacy to their side, or really just looking out for it in general, is something almost entirely popular in the Gojo clan.

And is it any surprise, when they read things like this?

Satoru flips to a familiar page, one near the end of the book, and traces the familiar lines with his eyes.

Narauko is the greatest Sorcerer to ever live, and his Technique reflects that. The Ten Shadows is the greatest Technique of them all, even greater than our Limitless.

It might not seem like it to you, in the future. In fact, it is possible that if you encounter the Technique, you will be able to best it. But you will only win once. Do not fear this. Cultivate it instead. Without the Ten Shadows, Limitless likely would have died with me. Do not repay the kindness I have been shown with cruelty.

For the King of Sorcerers taught us to be better.

Snapping the book closed, Satoru finally turns his eyes to the wall at the end of the room, behind his desk, and the grand painting that rests upon it.

Depicted is a figure cast in shadow from the rays of sunlight behind him. Holding a tear-shaped jewel in his left hand and a drawn sword in his right, the featureless shadow wears a crown of antlers and a furred collar as he stands above a crowd of kneeling figures, one of whom has distinctly white hair.

White just like Satoru's own.

///

A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

Can you tell which part I enjoyed writing the most?

Poor Sukuna lmao. I was giggling while writing that xD

Also, just fyi, but the reason Megumi didn't go for Mahoraga like he did in canon is cuz Sukuna never said he was gonna kill him, so he wasn't fully pushed all the way into that corner.

also also, ngl, I kinda wanna commission someone to draw that painting at the end, because the image I have in my mind is cool as fuck, but I don't want to spend like a hundred bucks or get scammed out of fifty again :(

Probably just won't bother. I mean, I also want to commission a big piece that's like that painting, the Creation of Adam, but instead it's Sukuna and and Narauko, both with their Domain's behind them and about to clash and smiling at each other and shit, would look cool as fuck, but would also prolly be expensive D:

Also, I immediately fucked up that plan of having the omakes be every 5 chapters lmao.

Maybe in the future when I've made more money off of donations (love you all xoxo) I'll do it. I'll revisit the idea in a few months I guess.