That day, early morning.
Both the Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu High entered a Grade 1 alert state. The four Sukuna's Fingers, which were originally stored on a private satellite, were currently missing. To prevent them from being consumed by a Cursed Spirit or obtained by a Curse User, they had to recover these four fingers as quickly as possible.
"Although Sukuna's main body was eliminated by us some time ago, the remaining four fingers still contain a small part of Sukuna's soul.
The power contained in a single finger is enough to catalyze a Cursed Spirit that consumes it into a Special Grade level. If they fall into the hands of a Curse User or, worse, if a vessel is found for reincarnation, then Sukuna will return to the world, even if only at the four-finger level."
Chinatsu was very serious about this matter, even though a four-finger level existence was no longer a particularly thorny problem.
However, this was a critical juncture where ordinary society and the Jujutsu World were attempting to integrate and merge. Many people feared the power of jujutsu, and it was not uncommon to see groups publicly gathering to reject it.
If a dangerous four-finger level entity were allowed to cause chaos and create a disaster that could not be suppressed by public opinion, the integration and normalization of ordinary society with the Jujutsu World would become precarious.
Everyone at Jujutsu High understood the importance of this mission. After receiving Chinatsu's instructions, they quickly turned and walked out of Jujutsu High to begin searching for Sukuna's Fingers separately. Fushiguro Megumi and Nobara Kugisaki were among them.
As first-year students, no matter how exceptional their talent was, their lack of practical experience was a clear factor. Even if they had chosen to remain at Jujutsu High, no one would have criticized them, but they did not choose that path.
Fushiguro Megumi, Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Cursed Technique: Ten Shadows Technique.
Mastered Shikigami: Black and White Divine Dogs, Nue, Gama, Orochi, Max Elephant, rabbit escape, Gyu-gyu, Tiger Funeral.
Strength Assessment: Although he is officially only a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer, his true strength has undoubtedly reached Grade 1 level. The combination of various Shikigami and the martial arts he developed from the lessons taught by his father's hands and feet allows him to defeat stronger opponents.
Nobara Kugisaki, Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Cursed Technique: Straw Doll Technique.
Strength Assessment: Originally a Third-Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, she has now passed the Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer assessment. However, her strength is not limited to this; Chinatsu anticipates that after training with her for a while longer, obtaining the rank of Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer is not out of the question for her.
"I want to go too!"
Fushiguro Megumi and Nobara Kugisaki requested almost simultaneously to join the others in searching for Sukuna's Finger. Since that was the case, no one stopped them; after exchanging a few words of caution, they quickly rushed out of Jujutsu High.
Chinatsu naturally did not stand idly by. Although she could not use her Cursed Energy as freely as before due to the Binding Vow she made with the other self inside her, this was no reason to place the entire burden on her students' shoulders.
She turned and quickly walked back into her office at Jujutsu High. When she emerged from the office again, she could almost be described as "fully armed."
Various Cursed Tools were equipped on her body; these were items she had specifically retrieved from her personal weapons vault in case of special circumstances.
Although the combined combat power of these Cursed Tools was nowhere near her peak strength as a Special Grade Sorcerer, it was more than enough to hack down a low-level Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
Chinatsu, holding a kitchen knife... holding a Cursed Tool, quickly walked out of Jujutsu High and joined the students in the search for Sukuna's Finger.
While searching, she also carried out her duties as a Jujutsu Sorcerer, taking time to deal with any threatening Cursed Spirits encountered along the way.
Perhaps it was because the Cursed Energy emanating from Chinatsu was currently indistinct, and Cursed Spirits liked to pick on easy targets, but Chinatsu, who had departed the latest, was the first to encounter a roadblock-like Cursed Spirit.
Of course, Chinatsu did not want to waste time.
Several silver streaks flashed in front of her, and the troublesome Cursed Spirit was instantly sliced into countless fragments, slowly dissipating into pure Cursed Energy.
"Hoo~ Surprisingly, I'm not bad with a kitchen knife. Is it because my cooking skill points are maxed out? Maybe I should take some time to handle a proper sword later; perhaps I have talent for swordsmanship, too..."
Chinatsu briefly whispered a few words, then gently shook her head, dismissing the thought. The priority now was finding the missing Sukuna's Finger.
At the same time, the rest of the search party was doing their utmost. For safety, those with weaker strength were paired up, while Special Grade students like Okkotsu naturally acted alone, which allowed him to be more efficient.
Compared to Chinatsu, whose faint Cursed Energy fluctuations due to the Binding Vow attracted Cursed Spirits, Yuta Okkotsu instead attracted a Curse User because of his seemingly harmless appearance.
Speaking of Curse Users, they were truly frustrated. Since this was a critical period for the integration of ordinary society and the Jujutsu World, both sides were strictly enforcing security, making it extremely stifling for Curse Users who wanted to cause trouble but didn't want to bear the subsequent risks.
The Curse User Yuta Okkotsu encountered, having been suppressed for too long and itching for action, just wanted to find someone to vent on, thinking that if things went south, he could just fly abroad for a while afterward.
But he happened to run into Yuta Okkotsu.
The moment he thought about making a move, a montage of self-doubt played in his mind, and he was knocked unconscious by a single punch from Yuta Okkotsu, who looked at him with a speechless expression, before collapsing onto the ground.
"I still have to call and report this... Although it's a bit troublesome, at least I dealt with a Curse User. Not bad."
Yuta Okkotsu muttered softly as he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and prepared to dial the number for the special organization established specifically to handle Curse Users.
Before making the call, he briefly checked the group chat created for Jujutsu High members. If someone had found Sukuna's Finger, they would surely have reported it in the group, but currently, no one had said anything.
Fushiguro Megumi and Nobara Kugisaki were walking together in the suburbs. Although both were quite strong, they ultimately lacked experience. Working together, they could guard against 99% of unexpected incidents.
"Nue."
Fushiguro Megumi crossed his hands in the Shikigami summoning gesture, and the Shikigami named "Nue" was summoned, circling in the air amid faint sparks of electricity.
Nobara Kugisaki held a hammer in one hand and a long nail in the other, seriously observing her surroundings. The situation was completely different from when Chinatsu had led them on missions previously, and their mood reflected that.
Only when they could maintain a calm mindset while facing situations as severe as this, or even more so, would they truly transition from being "very strong Jujutsu Sorcerers" to "first-rate Jujutsu Sorcerers."