Chapter 247: Blatant

Itadori Kaori gently placed the baby in her arms aside, her expression solemn.

Gojo Satoshi, is this your trump card? If the Zanpakutō of Gojo Satoru and the others can damage Ryomen Sukuna's fingers, then perhaps...

She recalled the battle from nine years ago where she attempted to seize Ryūjin Jakka.

She had miscalculated by a single step and was deceived by Gojo Satoshi, ultimately failing to claim Ryūjin Jakka.

If she possessed Ryūjin Jakka now, and fully unleashed its power, she might have already achieved her goal.

"Sukuna, it looks like you're really going to take a hit this time."

"The Zanpakutō truly lives up to its name. A soul-devouring sword… The power you've sealed within your fingers, Sukuna, may finally be truly erased by the Zanpakutō."

Kaori frowned, and the stitches on her forehead tensed, giving her an eerie look, as though her head might split open.

If Satoshi held hostility toward her, it made sense—after all, she had once tried to steal Ryūjin Jakka and nearly killed him in the process.

But what about his hostility toward Sukuna?

Why did Gojo Satoshi, upon awakening, immediately turn his attention to Ryomen Sukuna, going so far as to publicly broadcast the destruction of his fingers?

Kaori couldn't understand his reasoning.

What she could deduce, however, was that Gojo Satoshi was definitely not on her side.

The young man on the screen before her… was an enemy.

Meanwhile, within the inner world of another cursed spirit, Ryomen Sukuna sat cross-legged on a high skeletal throne. Clad in a blood-colored kimono.

Even though he wasn't physically with the six fingers scattered outside, he could still feel the connection through their shared soul.

He clearly sensed the loss of power from one of the fingers.

Although it was a small amount—a mere drop in the ocean—it still held great significance.

It meant that his once flawless power had been fractured. Not once, but three times in a row.

In all his years of existence, this had never happened before.

He had no idea what kind of force could achieve such a feat. But one thing was clear—it wasn't from the ancient past.

The warning from Kenjaku surfaced in his mind.

"You need to be careful with Gojo Satoshi. Be careful with his Zanpakutō."

Having just tasted defeat at Satoshi's hands, Sukuna instantly connected this incident to that name—Gojo Satoshi.

And to the unfamiliar, mysterious power of the Zanpakutō.

This was Sukuna's sixth sense at work. He had no solid proof, but his instincts had always been accurate.

Especially after the previous confrontation, he understood how dangerous Satoshi truly was.

What made it worse was that Sukuna had deliberately constructed a Domain Expansion to seal Satoshi's Zanpakutō in advance.

Even without his weapon, Satoshi had managed to break through the domain and kill a cursed spirit using only the power of a single finger.

That left a deep impression on Sukuna.

The erosion has stopped.

Sukuna's expression slowly returned to calm.

He didn't know what was currently happening outside, but clearly, even with the power of the Zanpakutō, those sorcerers still couldn't fully eliminate his Death Wax.

As long as his fingers were not completely destroyed, his strength wouldn't suffer permanent damage.

Even if part of his power had been temporarily eroded, he would recover over time.

Because of that, Ryomen Sukuna once again found himself increasingly intrigued by Gojo Satoshi and his Zanpakutō.

If he had the chance to see Kaori again, he would definitely ask her about this sorcerer and this strange Cursed Tool.

With nothing but disdain for the outside world, Ryomen Sukuna slowly closed his four eyes.

The entire Domain fell into silence once more.

---

Unbeknownst to Sukuna, inside Tokyo Jujutsu High, everyone was staring in disbelief at Yuki, who had already drawn her Zanpakutō—Zabimaru—completed its Shikai, and was preparing to attack Sukuna's two fingers.

They were completely stunned.

If Satoru, Suguru, and Shoko had taken action against Sukuna's fingers for Satoshi's sake, it could be attributed to their past emotions and bonds.

But what about Yuki?

She was from Kyoto. A Star Plasma Vessel. A top-class sorcerer.

Speaking up for Satoshi just now was already enough to show her stance. But now she was going to expend her own strength like the others to attack Sukuna's finger?

Could it be that the rumor they'd just heard… that something had happened between Yuki and Satoshi nine years ago… was actually true?

But, how was that even possible?

Nine years ago, Satoshi was only six years old. Yuki herself had only just entered her teenage years. How could either of them have even understood what love meant?

As for Zabimaru's transformation in Yuki's hand—nobody was surprised anymore.

After all, wasn't transformation just a basic trait of Zanpakutō?

"Yuki, that's enough!"

She held Garuda in her left hand and Zabimaru in her right, clearly intent on destroying Sukuna's fingers.

Satoshi quickly reached out and stopped her.

There was no reason for her to exhaust her strength now. Besides, he had already verified the destructive potential of the Zanpakutō through Satoru, Suguru, and Shoko.

He was confident that he himself could destroy Sukuna's fingers if necessary.

---

Yuki looked visibly displeased as Satoshi stopped her.

She wanted to contribute, to support Satoshi's cause. But it seemed he didn't need her help at all.

Dissatisfaction filled her delicate face.

Standing nearby, Utahime and Mei Mei exchanged glances. They were shocked, but understanding quickly dawned in their eyes.

During their journey from Kyoto to Tokyo, they had already sensed the tension and urgency in Yuki's heart.

Still, they hadn't expected her to be so open about it—especially during a live broadcast being watched by the top leadership of the entire jujutsu world.

Wasn't this too blatant?

Anyone with a shred of perception could see what Yuki felt for Satoshi.

(To be continued.)