A gentle breeze drifted across the battlefield. Faced with this sudden challenger, everyone fell into a kind of stillness.
Everyone saw him—the figure standing atop the high-rise, still wearing a hoodie with the hood drawn up.
His hands were stuffed in his pockets, not a sliver of skin exposed. And yet, the instant he laid eyes on that person, something in Satoru Gojo's heart seemed to lurch.
Of course, the one who reacted even more strongly was perhaps Sukuna.
But the one standing on the rooftop, in that moment, closed his eyes, as though sinking into silence.
In his mind, he slowly recalled the fellow who, a little while earlier, had summoned him over and chatted with him for a bit.
"Hey, how do you feel?"
"…Where is this?"
"The past, you know. A battlefield from times gone by. You ought to be quite familiar with this place, right?"
The being who had come from the distant future turned his head, glancing at his surroundings, and in his silence fell into a brief daze.
"Ah… yeah, it really is awfully familiar."
After a long while, [Yuji Itadori] said softly, then turned his head slightly, looking back along the road he'd come, and couldn't help letting out a quiet chuckle.
"You can tell, can't you? After all, this is something you lived through yourself—you should know exactly what stage you're in right now, no?"
"Mm, yeah, that's right."
Yuji Itadori nodded without the slightest reservation—until the boy on the ground, still rather bewildered, picked himself up, turned toward Anthony (Prometheus), and asked with a somewhat peculiar expression:
"So… what exactly is going on right now…?"
"He's…"
"I'm the future you, kid."
[Yuji Itadori] slowly stepped forward, gave the tip of Itadori's nose a poke, and said calmly: "Even though there's a lot I'd like to tell you… if you're already the 'you' of right now, then I probably don't need to say anything, do I?"
"The future me?"
For a moment, Itadori's mouth fell slightly open, as though caught in a kind of shock.
He knew, of course, that when he'd been illuminated by that glass window, he might drag out some strange characters… but he had never imagined that he'd directly drag out his own self from the future.
"So—what's the future like?"
All of a sudden, Yuji Itadori's expression turned serious. He spoke to [Yuji Itadori] and straightened himself up.
[Yuji Itadori] swept a glance over the boy, and after a silence, said softly: "Lonely… that's probably about it. But, it's not so bad, really."
"A lot of people are gone. You'll grieve for it, you'll feel the sorrow of it… but at the very least, you can still protect the ones who come after."
"It's just a pity—in the end, so many old friends are missing."
As [Yuji Itadori] said this, a smile surfaced on his face. But then, as if remembering something, he narrowed his eyes and turned toward Anthony (Prometheus).
"Hm? Done chatting with your past self already?"
Anthony (Prometheus) asked with a smile, addressing [Yuji Itadori]. The other gave a slight nod, then asked:
"So then, what's your purpose in summoning me here?"
"Going to the trouble of bringing me back to this era… I won't ask too much about the specific principles behind it. After all, returning to this era is, for me, something quite in line with my heart's wishes."
"Ah, actually, it's nothing much."
Anthony (Prometheus) laughed, turning slightly to the side to clear a path for [Yuji Itadori], and said in a breezy tone:
"I just wanted to say—since it's such a rare chance to fight Sukuna, then why not simply let it end in the way most fitting for him?"
"I've been looking forward to this scene for a very long time, you know!"
He laughed heartily. [Yuji Itadori] paused for a beat, then seemed to let out a sigh.
"There's really no dealing with you… All right then, just this once."
"Mm, of course—whatever you want to do is fine… so long as it's all something that won't leave you with any regrets."
Anthony (Prometheus) chuckled softly: "Go and see your teacher… there's bound to be a pleasant surprise, hm?"
For an instant, light flickered in [Yuji Itadori]'s eyes, and a trace of astonishment seemed to appear in his expression.
But very quickly, [Yuji Itadori] forcibly pressed down that almost-impatient thought rising in his heart, turned around, and walked toward the battlefield, waving a hand behind him as he went.
Only as he passed by Yuji Itadori's side did the one from the future gently pat his past self, murmuring softly:
"Give it your all, kid…"
"As for the road ahead—leave it to me to pave it smooth for you."
And so, in the next instant, all that remained in his eyes was a seething bloodlust.
Sukuna… I've come to kill you…!
And so, the hands of time wound back once more to the present.
The future Yuji Itadori gazed at the battlefield before him, and after taking in everyone gathered there, paid the others no mind—he simply looked straight toward Sukuna's direction.
Then, slowly, he raised his hand and held up two fingers before his face.
The earlier Blood Manipulation had, in nearly an instant, driven the Twin-Faced Sukuna back, forcing him to lift his head and stare at this gate-crashing, uninvited guest. For a moment, all four of his eyes seemed to twist and tremble violently.
"Who are you?!"
He roared in fury, only to be answered by the calm words of Yuji Itadori:
"I'm merely… a departed soul from the future."
"As for now—I'm simply here to steer the story back onto the proper track it ought to follow…"
He murmured as he spoke, and in an instant leapt straight down from the building. Emerging from a cloud of dust and smoke, hood drawn up, he walked slowly forward, drawing ever closer to Satoru Gojo and the Twin-Faced Sukuna.
And so, in that moment, the Twin-Faced Sukuna sensed some immense threat coming off the other man…
Even he himself couldn't say where exactly this threat came from. But the one thing he could feel right then was that the fellow before him seemed, somehow, to share the very same origin as himself.
Yet the Twin-Faced Sukuna couldn't make heads or tails of the situation at all.
Only Satoru Gojo gazed at that figure, faintly sensing something familiar… and at the same time, an instinctive feeling welled up in him.
Anthony (Prometheus) seems to have sent over a truly extraordinary fellow.
But before he could react, Sukuna—who had already felt wave after wave of threat—no longer hesitated in the slightest. In that instant, he almost immediately opened his Domain!
"Malevolent Shrine…"
"Swish!"
Once again, he failed to finish chanting the incantation.
In that instant, it was as though the entire heaven and earth had been cleaved apart.
Even time itself, in this moment, had lost the meaning it was supposed to have.
Because in this instant, everything came to a stop, entering a near-congealed flow of time, unbearably thick and viscous.
Only that slash that ran through heaven and earth, unleashed with [Yuji Itadori]'s full power, began to rampage in raw, unrestrained fury!
No one knew just how strong [Yuji Itadori] truly was.
No one had ever known to what degree he—originally a half-Cursed-Spirit—had grown, after sixty-eight years of accumulation, and under the interference of the jujutsu world's rules balancing curses and sorcerers.
Even [Yuji Itadori] himself might not have had a particularly clear concept of it…
But knowing one single thing was enough.
And so, [Yuji Itadori] tilted his head slightly, and in that instant the hood of his hoodie naturally slipped down.
Sixty-eight years later, he still maintained a youthful appearance—if anything, he'd grown into something a touch more mature and handsome. He cocked his head, gazing down at Sukuna as though from on high, and then, in an instant, cut off the chanting of his Domain.
Perhaps the best way to counter a Domain had never been to clash against it with a Domain of one's own…
But rather, to directly bring an end to the Domain's unfolding.
"Too slow, Twin-Faced Sukuna."
And so, sixty-eight years prior, [Yuji Itadori] stood firm upon the earth and delivered this declaration to the Twin-Faced Sukuna:
"To beat a version of you like this doesn't even take a single minute…"
"Yuji Itadori!"
And in that moment, the Twin-Faced Sukuna finally understood where that earlier sense of threat had come from.
He stared at the Yuji Itadori before him, feeling that aura about the other man—familiar yet unfamiliar—and for a moment couldn't help sinking into a daze and silence.
"You… you brat of a vessel!"
"Calling me a vessel at this point is a bit too rude, don't you think?"
Yuji Itadori let out a soft sigh, gazing at the Twin-Faced Sukuna, and spoke word by deliberate word: "But then again… you've got no 'later on' either. So, I really needn't concern myself anymore."
"Itadori?"
And at this moment, Satoru Gojo finally murmured aloud, his eyes lighting up despite himself.
It's actually… you?!
Only after hearing Satoru Gojo's words did Yuji Itadori's movements seem to falter, a faint tremor running through him. Then he turned toward Satoru Gojo, revealing a smile tinged with complicated feelings.
In truth, it was all but impossible for [Yuji Itadori] not to have noticed Satoru Gojo.
But it was precisely because he had been through so much that, upon seeing Satoru Gojo's figure once more… this kind of feeling would arise.
Sixty-eight years of loneliness, and the peak of strength born from it—yet the very person who had taught him love was standing right before his eyes…
A person who should long ago have vanished was standing right before his eyes…
And so what arose from this was a faint sense of panic.
As if he feared that Teacher Gojo would, in the very next moment, leave him behind and depart. Afraid that all of this—his return to the past—was nothing but a fleeting dream, or that the Teacher Gojo before him was merely some sort of illusion.
Just watching from afar was actually quite satisfying enough; yet drawing close still inevitably brought a kind of dread.
But now, since he'd already been seen by Satoru Gojo, [Yuji Itadori]—after a stretch of silence—still managed a small smile.
Then, rubbing the back of his head with one hand, he said with a touch of bashfulness:
"Uh… Teacher Gojo, long time no see…"
"Long time no see indeed! What's going on here? Are you… from the future?"
Piecing together the bits of information Anthony (Prometheus) had let slip earlier, along with that subtle unfamiliarity he felt about the Itadori before him, Satoru Gojo mulled it over for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he asked just so.
"…Yeah."
"It's so good to see you!"
[Yuji Itadori] was taken aback, and the next moment, he saw Satoru Gojo step right up in front of him. Gojo looked him up and down, and after a moment, murmured:
"This trip really wasn't in vain… This is just wonderful—to see that you're still completely whole in the future, and that you've even grown to such heights!"
"…Thank you, Teacher Gojo."
[Yuji Itadori] dipped his head slightly as he said this. And at this very moment, Sukuna—watching this scene from afar—finally pulled his thoughts out of his hesitation.
Stay, or find a way to flee?
This thought circled around in Sukuna's heart. But just as he gritted his teeth, about to make up his mind, he saw [Yuji Itadori]'s gaze turning to look over his way.
"Itadori, want to fight together? Something like, I defend and you attack?"
Satoru Gojo asked with a smile, and [Yuji Itadori] merely shook his head slowly, all while keeping his calm gaze fixed on the Twin-Faced Sukuna.
"No… there's no need, Teacher Satoru Gojo."
He said blandly, taking a slow step forward: "Just leave it all to me."
"A little matter like this… there's no need to trouble Teacher Satoru Gojo."
And so—the strongest of the jujutsu world sixty-eight years from now, Vs. the strongest in history!
The strongest vs. the strongest, beginning here and now!… And then it was over.
The moment Sukuna attempted to make any move, in the very next instant [Yuji Itadori]'s figure dissolved from before him—and then, immediately after, appeared right in front of the Twin-Faced Sukuna.
Without need for any superfluous words, he simply lifted his hand lightly out of his pocket and casually drove a fist into Sukuna's chest.
And so, that seemingly ordinary punch, upon landing, in an instant gave off a violent burst of airflow and an explosive roar!
Black Flash!
The Twin-Faced Sukuna's pupils suddenly went wide. The next instant, before he could even make another move, he saw the corner of [Yuji Itadori]'s eye lift slightly, as though somewhat surprised, and then draw his hand back once more.
Next, he shifted his five fingers, clenched them into a fist, and once again slowly thrust it forward. Black Flash!
Every movement seemed utterly ordinary, the intervals so quick they left Sukuna no room even to react… so much so that by the instant the force of the second Black Flash arrived, [Yuji Itadori] had already withdrawn his hand, and then, once again, splayed his five fingers flat and pressed them gently against Sukuna's chest.
"Boom… BOOM!"
Two consecutive sonic booms rang out.
Once again—Black Flash!
Like a thunderbolt cutting through the airflow, [Yuji Itadori] slowly adjusted his breathing, faced the Twin-Faced Sukuna, and said calmly:
"All right… it's time to end this, Sukuna."
"This is about… as far as it goes."
"You bastard…!"
The Twin-Faced Sukuna flew into a rage, but in the very next instant, countless slashes blanketing heaven and earth appeared—and the Twin-Faced Sukuna couldn't even make out [Yuji Itadori]'s motion of raising his hand.
By the time he came back to his senses, before him there remained only a boundless sky.
And, within his field of view, his own headless corpse.
And Yuji Itadori, still standing there with both hands stuffed in his pockets.
____
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