"Dead?"
Satoru Gojo stood at the entrance of the detention center, his voice unnervingly calm.
His blindfold was soaked by the rain, clinging to his skin and tracing the outline of eyes that felt piercing even when covered.
Kiyotaka Ijichi knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed hard against the muddy earth, his entire body shaking like a leaf.
"Ye... yes..."
"Ryomen Sukuna took control and went on a rampage... a Special Grade Cursed Spirit... Itadori-kun, in order to save the others..."
Ijichi's voice was thick with tears, his words coming out in broken fragments that barely formed a coherent sentence.
Gojo didn't say a word.
He simply stepped forward into the ruins.
With every step, the air around him grew heavier.
The rain evaporated half a meter before touching him, forming an invisible vacuum.
It was the Limitless technique operating unconsciously.
It was also the physical manifestation of the modern world's strongest sorcerer's current rage.
Soon, he saw the three of them.
Megumi Fushiguro leaned against a broken wall, his head down, expression unreadable.
But his white-knuckled fists betrayed the agony within.
Nobara Kugisaki sat on the ground with her knees pulled to her chest, her face buried in her arms, her shoulders shaking as she suppressed her sobs.
And in their center.
Yuji Itadori lay quietly on a relatively clean stone slab.
The massive hole in his chest was a glaring sight in the rainy night.
Yoru stood guard nearby, leaning on his blade.
He looked in terrible shape, covered in blood with his presence flickering like a candle in the wind.
Yet his gaze remained sharp, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
Upon seeing Gojo approach, Yoru's tense body finally relaxed slightly.
"Sensei..."
Yoru's voice was incredibly raspy.
Gojo stopped beside Yuji's body.
He looked down at the student he had personally brought to the school, the boy who always wore a carefree smile.
Just before they left, he had been excitedly talking about bringing back souvenirs for everyone; now, he was a cold corpse.
"Ha..."
Gojo let out a sudden laugh.
It was a short, cold sound.
Like a gust of wind in the dead of winter, it bit deep into the bone.
"Good. Truly wonderful."
"Assigning a Special Grade mission to first-year students."
"Those rotten oranges at the top really have stopped caring about human lives altogether."
Boom!
A terrifying pressure of cursed energy suddenly exploded with Gojo at the epicenter.
The surrounding rain was instantly blasted away, turning into a vast shroud of white mist.
The ground began to crack, and pebbles hovered in the air before being crushed into powder by invisible gravity.
Ijichi was sent tumbling by the shockwave and promptly blacked out.
Even Megumi and Nobara found it hard to breathe, as if a giant hand were tightening around their throats.
This was literal, tangible killing intent.
This was the first time Gojo had ever shown his students such an unreserved, violent side of himself.
He truly intended to kill.
He wanted to slaughter those old fools sitting in their high halls, the ones who treated young sorcerers like expendable pawns.
"Sensei."
Just as the atmosphere reached a breaking point, a weak but steady voice rang out.
Yoru had moved to Gojo's side at some point.
He reached out with a blood-stained hand and gently tugged at Gojo's sleeve.
Gojo looked down slightly, his cerulean eyes locking onto Yoru through the fabric of his blindfold.
"Yoru, do you want to stop me too?"
His voice was icy, devoid of any warmth.
"No."
Yoru shook his head.
He leaned in toward Gojo and whispered a few quick sentences that only the two of them could hear.
"..."
Gojo's body stiffened slightly.
The world-ending pressure suddenly stagnated in that instant.
Like a storm that had been paused mid-gust.
Then, the storm dissipated.
The killing intent rolling off Gojo receded like a tide, replaced by an unfathomable depth.
He reached up and rubbed his chin.
The cold curve of his lips gradually shifted into a playful smirk.
"I see..."
"Well, that is..."
"Very interesting."
Gojo took a deep breath and, as if flipping a switch, instantly returned to his usual nonchalant demeanor.
Though his voice still carried an underlying chill that made one shiver.
"Ijichi! Stop playing dead! Get up and get to work!"
Gojo kicked Ijichi in the rear, jolting the poor assistant supervisor awake.
"G-Gojo-san?!"
Ijichi scrambled up in terror.
"Take Yuji back."
Gojo leaned down and picked up Yuji's body as easily as one would a child.
He didn't look at Megumi or Nobara, instead turning his back to the group and waving dismissively.
"Since they want to see a corpse, we'll give them an eyeful."
"I'm going to make those rotten oranges understand..."
"There is a price to be paid for touching my students."
With that, he carried Yuji and strode off into the depths of the rain.
Megumi looked up, watching his teacher's departing back with a complicated gaze.
He turned to look at Yoru.
Yoru was leaning against the ruined wall with his eyes closed, appearing to have fallen asleep from exhaustion.
But if one looked closely, they would notice the corners of his mouth were turned up ever so slightly.
"Yoru..."
Megumi opened his mouth but said nothing in the end, only sighing silently to himself.
'This guy... what an actor.'
And on the other side.
Nobara Kugisaki, who had no idea of the truth and genuinely believed Yuji was dead, finally couldn't hold it back anymore.
"Waaaaah! That idiot! Why did he have to die?!"
She wailed, her crying heart-wrenching.
Her cries echoed in the rainy night, sounding exceptionally desolate.
It made this grand performance, meticulously planned to deceive the higher-ups, even more realistic and flawless.
In the high-level meeting room.
At the same time.
Within the dim, secret chamber of the Jujutsu General Headquarters.
A few candles flickered, casting shadows of several blurred, elderly figures behind screens.
"Is it confirmed?"
An aged voice broke the silence.
"Confirmed. According to the message sent back by Ijichi, the vessel for Ryomen Sukuna, Yuji Itadori, is confirmed dead."
"Even the body was personally taken back by Satoru Gojo."
"Hehehe..."
A low, raspy laugh echoed through the room.
"Good. Simply wonderful."
"While it's a pity to lose a student with Special Grade potential, it is a necessary sacrifice for the stability of the jujutsu world."
"What was Satoru Gojo's reaction?"
"It's said he was furious, even getting rough with Ijichi. But all he can do is vent his impotent rage."
"After all, the mission procedures were entirely legitimate. Even he cannot find any fault."
The old men celebrated, raising their cups to toast their latest great victory.
In their eyes, it was nothing more than a minor power play in their long lives.
Little did they know.
A seed of vengeance had been planted tonight.
And in the near future, it would grow into a giant tree capable of toppling the entire jujutsu world.