Chapter 256: Ignorant

In the General Directorate's conference room.

Yagyū Hidetsugu wore a faint smirk. As the Gojo clan's elected representative, his stance was clear from the beginning.

Previously, due to Satoshi's prolonged absence, his influence in the Directorate had been quietly diminished.

But now, things were different.

The others in the room wore much more serious expressions.

As a Grade 1 sorcerer, Yagyū Hidetsugu's strength far surpassed most of the other high-ranking members.

He had always held deep contempt for this bloated and ineffective Directorate.

This kind of corrupt bureaucracy would only drag the world of jujutsu further into chaos.

Now, with the chance to leverage Satoshi's destruction of Sukuna's six fingers, he could seize the opportunity to purge the Directorate once and for all.

Whoever was responsible for leaking and distorting information about Satoshi and Sukuna's fingers before would be held accountable after this incident.

This would solidify their camp's voice and power within the Jujutsu Society even further.

...

Far away in Shikoku, Itadori Kaori's gaze remained fixed on Satoshi.

She too wanted to know whether, after nine years, Satoshi could still control his Zanpakutō as freely as before.

Could he still use that Bankai capable of resisting even Domain Expansion?

Sukuna's finger… I'm sorry, but you might be nothing more than a sacrifice this time.

A mysterious gleam shone in Kaori's eyes as she quietly began formulating her plans on how to deal with Satoshi going forward.

Now that he had fully awakened, mastered that strange and unknown Kidō, and recovered his body and Zanpakutō, Gojo Satoshi had become an unpredictable threat.

If nine years ago she was confident in defeating Satoshi one-on-one, now, she couldn't say the same.

After all, her own power hadn't significantly progressed in these nine years. She could only hope that Satoshi's long sleep had left lingering side effects.

Otherwise, in her future plans, Satoshi might become the greatest obstacle in her path.

...

Ryomen Sukuna's expression had lost its usual arrogance. His brows were furrowed, his composure no longer as firm.

Originally, he believed that Ieiri Shoko's attempt was already the limit of what today's sorcerers could achieve.

That time had marked the first in history when one of his fingers was slightly damaged.

But now, the damage to his finger was even more severe than before?

So, there exists a method even more effective than that? Or is it because of Gojo Satoshi? Are sorcerers of this era truly this creative?

Sukuna rested his chin on his palm, contemplating the situation.

His fingers, untouched for thousands of years, had been repeatedly eroded within just a short span. It wasn't lethal damage, but it was irritating nonetheless.

Though the erosion had now paused, the unease in Sukuna's expression remained.

For some reason, a new thought surfaced in his mind.

It feels like this isn't over yet. Is there something else coming?

Sukuna didn't know why this idea occurred to him, but every time he thought about Satoshi, especially their previous battle, he couldn't shake the feeling that this man was no ordinary sorcerer.

If Satoshi hadn't been fully prepared, would he really have launched such an attempt?

Besides, the damage to his fingers was increasing each time.

The most crucial thing was this: previously, only one finger had been affected. Now, six of them were simultaneously transmitting signs of erosion, including the one that had only been lightly damaged before.

What did that mean?

It clearly indicated that these six fingers were being eroded by the same force at the same time.

Which meant someone had gathered them together intentionally, launching a coordinated attack against them.

There was no question about it—this had Satoshi's fingerprints all over it.

What was Satoshi trying to accomplish?

Sukuna had speculated before that Satoshi might be trying to extract the power from his fingers. It made sense. Many sorcerers had thought the same after obtaining a finger.

No one wanted to become a puppet, even to him.

But now, Sukuna's previous assumptions were crumbling. He realized that this might not be about harnessing power at all.

This was likely a plan to destroy his dead wax all at once.

As soon as this idea took root in his mind, Sukuna couldn't shake it.

If this had been before his encounter with Satoshi, he would have sneered at the thought. Destroy his dead wax? Laughable.

But now, after witnessing the way Satoshi operated, he wasn't so sure anymore.

Trying to destroy my fingers to weaken me? Hah. Go ahead, Satoshi. I'd love to see what other tricks you've got up your sleeve.

My fingers isn't so easy to destroy. Now that six of them are damaged, you must've already used a lot of energy. Stop wasting your strength.

A trace of anticipation crept into Sukuna's heart. He was looking forward to seeing Satoshi fail in front of his indestructible fingers.

Sukuna had complete faith in his own power and in the durability of his cursed remains.

They were not something Satoshi could ever hope to destroy.

Unfortunately for him, trapped in his realm of consciousness, Sukuna couldn't see the second livestream. He had no idea what was actually happening in the real world.

If he could see Satoshi now, or witness the methods he had already employed…

Would this former King of Curses still be able to maintain his arrogant calm?

Perhaps it was precisely because he was blind to the current situation that Sukuna felt this inexplicable confidence.

After all, ignorance is bliss.

(To be continued.)