The forest was unrecognizable.
Where trees once stood, there was now only a massive carved path—clean, empty, and silent. The aftermath of **Satoru Gojo's Hollow Purple lingered in the air like a scar on reality itself.
Smoke drifted.
Cursed energy faded.
And slowly…
The students began to regroup.
Takeru sat on a broken piece of stone, one hand resting against his side. His breathing was steady, but his body wasn't. Every muscle ached, his arms felt heavy, and there was a faint tremble he couldn't fully control.
Black Flash had taken its toll.
Yuji dropped down beside him, stretching his arms with a groan. "Man… I feel like I got hit by a truck."
Takeru let out a quiet breath. "…Same."
Across from them, Todo stood completely fine.
"Pathetic," he said bluntly—then grinned. "But impressive."
Yuji laughed. "You call everyone pathetic?"
"Only those I respect."
"…I don't know how to feel about that."
A few meters away—
Maki leaned against her weapon, Playful Cloud, her breathing controlled but clearly strained. There were scratches across her arms, her uniform torn in places, but her posture hadn't broken.
"Next time," she muttered, "I'm finishing it."
Megumi stood nearby, summoning a small shadow to stabilize himself. He looked worse—fatigue in his eyes, posture slightly slumped.
"…We underestimated it," he admitted quietly.
Not far from him, Toge Inumaki sat on the ground, a hand over his throat. A small bottle rested beside him.
"Salmon…" he said weakly.
"Yeah, don't talk," Maki replied immediately.
Toge had pushed himself too far. His Cursed Speech had worked—but at a cost.
Further back—
Noritoshi had been stabilized, but he hadn't rejoined the group yet. His earlier hit had taken him out of the fight entirely.
The reality was clear:
If Yuji, Takeru, and Todo hadn't arrived when they did…
Things could have gone very differently.
Then there was the tension.
Subtle—but sharp.
The Kyoto students stood together, watching. Not hostile… but not relaxed either.
Their eyes kept drifting back to one place.
Takeru.
Yuji.
One of them finally spoke.
"…So it's true."
Silence fell slightly.
"They're both vessels."
Yuji scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh… yeah."
Takeru didn't respond.
He could feel it.
The shift.
They weren't just teammates in this moment—
They were something dangerous.
Something uncertain.
A Kyoto student narrowed their eyes. "You expect us to just ignore that?"
Todo stepped forward instantly.
"You will."
The air tightened.
"They are my besto friendos," Todo continued, voice calm but heavy. "And they fought better than most of you here."
No one argued.
Not out loud.
Takeru looked down slightly, adjusting his sunglasses.
The mouth didn't appear this time.
But he could feel Sukuna.
Watching.
Listening.
"Yo."
Yuji nudged him lightly. "You good?"
Takeru paused.
Then nodded. "…Yeah."
But that wasn't entirely true.
He could still feel it.
That moment during the fight—
The edge.
The temptation.
The power.
And how close it all felt.
From a distance—
Gojo watched everything.
His expression unreadable beneath the blindfold.
"They did well," he said casually.
But his tone was different.
Quieter.
More thoughtful.
"Better than expected."
A stretcher passed by.
Injured students being moved.
Bandages. Support. Quiet conversations.
The cost of the fight was written everywhere.
Even if no one had died…
This wasn't a victory without consequences.
Takeru stood slowly.
His body protested—but he ignored it.
He looked out at the destroyed forest.
At his teammates.
At the other students.
At the path carved by Gojo.
And then—
At his own hands.
"…We're not strong enough yet," he said quietly.
Yuji stood beside him.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
Then a grin.
"But we will be."
Takeru let out a small breath.
"…Yeah."
Above them, the sky was clear again.
But the feeling remained.
Something bigger was moving.
Something that wasn't finished.
And deep within—
A voice stirred.
Soft.
Amused.
"Grow stronger…"
Sukuna whispered.
"I'll be waiting."