Mahito's provocation worked. With Itadori's will so fragmented, there was no way he would grant Sukuna's request to take full control of his body. Sukuna had no choice but to consume more power to forcibly regain a degree of mobility.
Taking over Itadori's body, Sukuna restored his left arm using a highly efficient Reverse Cursed Technique. At the same time, he unleashed a Cleave at Mahito, canceling out Mahito's slash while leaving a deep gash on Mahito's Idle Transfiguration arm, causing blood to spray instantly.
But Mahito didn't care. Such damage was trivial to him. The hand gripping Itadori's head instantly entered a localized Idle Transfiguration state, erupting with force to slam the boy's head heavily into the ground.
A loud bang echoed as the ground cracked under the impact.
"Aren't you looking down on me a little too much?"
Mahito said, enduring the Cleave Sukuna had released, even cutting off the arm Sukuna had just restored once again, all while smiling.
"Let's see then. How long can you last against me once you gain full control over this brat's body~"
As he spoke, Mahito's attacks didn't stop for a moment; he drove the Cleaver directly into the lower back of the fallen Itadori.
Suddenly, Sukuna realized what Mahito was doing: he was probing for the location of Sukuna's power inside Itadori's body.
Sukuna's indestructibility only applied when he was split into cursed objects. Once absorbed by Itadori and merged into his body, Sukuna transitioned from a cursed object into the incarnation of Itadori himself.
"…You bastard," Sukuna muttered from the back of Itadori's neck, displeased.
Seeing that Sukuna still hadn't fully taken control, Mahito knew he hadn't yet applied enough pressure. He needed to escalate further and truly threaten Sukuna.
This time, Mahito devised a method that could directly endanger Sukuna. Since he couldn't apply Idle Transfiguration to Sukuna directly without suffering backlash, he would use a medium—Itadori's body—to execute the technique, preventing Sukuna from countering with his soul.
Mahito activated Cursed Technique Extension: Idle Transfiguration, extending its effect to the Cleaver in his hand.
Now, as the Cleaver churned inside Itadori's body, it not only struck at his vulnerabilities but also affected Sukuna's soul directly due to the Idle Transfiguration effect.
Feeling his very soul being assaulted, Sukuna lost his composure. He immediately pulled Itadori's spirit into the Innate Domain within his heart.
Grabbing Itadori by the collar, Sukuna lifted the boy, whose spirit had become unstable from pain, anger, and sorrow.
"Brat! Give me the body!" Sukuna roared.
But Itadori seemed oblivious, curling into himself and muttering nonstop:
"Nanamin is dead… it hurts so much… I'm going to be killed by Nanamin… Nanamin… Nanamin…"
Sukuna realized that the figure outside, wearing Nanami's appearance, had triggered this reaction. Already traumatized by the initial shock, Itadori's mind had further fractured under severe pain and soul damage, plunging him into this abnormal state.
Mahito's previous strike hadn't just wounded Sukuna—it had inflicted serious damage on Itadori's soul.
"Tch."
Sukuna clicked his tongue in irritation. Besides his twisted fondness for children, he felt nothing else.
Three of his fingers—actually four—had already merged into Itadori's body. If he didn't act, he might be completely eliminated. Losing three-twentieths of his power was a significant blow. The only option left was to invoke the Pledge to temporarily seize full control of the body.
He needed to regain control and deal with Mahito within one minute.
Originally, Sukuna had intended to save this tactic for claiming Megumi Fushiguro's body, which possessed the Ten Shadows Technique. He would simply repeat the Pledge with Itadori later; thanks to the binding vow, Itadori wouldn't remember it anyway.
As Sukuna took control of the body, Mahito immediately sensed it. Seeing Itadori's wounds begin to heal instantly, Mahito knew Sukuna had been forced to invoke the Pledge.
Mahito's reaction? Did he launch an all-out attack, risking the time Sukuna spent restoring the body to try and decapitate him before he could use Cursed Techniques? No. Instead, Mahito fled, tossing the Cleaver above Itadori's body.
He managed to achieve what Nanami had failed at: creating a cave-in to delay Sukuna's movements.
Knowing that Sukuna's Pledge granted only one minute of control, Mahito didn't need to risk anything. Besides, only four fingers remained in Itadori's body. With Idle Transfiguration enhancing him, Mahito was confident he could outrun Sukuna, even kite him.
Even if Sukuna turned to chase, he wouldn't cover much distance in a minute. After that, he would once again become a target for slaughter.
Now it was Sukuna's turn to feel irritation. After pressuring him into using his precious Pledge, Mahito had simply run away without hesitation.
Sukuna knew he had only one minute. Running wasn't an option. He blasted through the obstructing rubble and pursued the source of Mahito's Cursed Energy.
While chasing, Sukuna wondered about Mahito's sudden change in tactics. Was he really that strong with three fingers?
Strong, yes—but not strong enough to completely overwhelm Mahito. At least, that's what Sukuna believed.
Yet, after twenty-some seconds, Sukuna sensed something was wrong. Mahito always seemed just within reach, yet no matter how much distance Sukuna closed, it would return to its original spacing.
Then, Mahito, still in Nanami's form, suddenly turned. With a mocking smile, his body disintegrated into small pieces of flesh, which immediately transformed into flies, cockroaches, and other creatures suited to a sewer environment, scattering in all directions, leaving only Nanami's bloodstained clothes behind.
"…."
Sukuna's expression darkened. He wasn't at the sixteen-finger level from the Shibuya Incident, capable of instantly manifesting a Malevolent Shrine two hundred meters wide.
Now, he clearly understood: he had been tricked. He knew his current power level, and he knew he was helpless in this situation.