Becoming Sukuna

"That's... astounding."

Not only Hachiman, but even Gojo Satoru was stroking his chin in surprise.

That invisible slash was undoubtedly Ryomen Sukuna's innate technique.

How long has that young girl, Yukinoshita Yukino, been a vessel? Has her body already been etched with Sukuna's innate technique?

However, if Gojo knew that Sukuna had only been with Yukino for less than two weeks, he would probably be as shocked as Hachiman.

The reason Yukino could use Sukuna's technique in such a short time, aside from the system subtly promoting the fusion of their bodies and souls, likely had to do with their harmonious coexistence.

If Yukino strongly resisted Sukuna's possession, even with the system's help, it would be difficult to imprint his innate technique in such a short period.

Finally, the Black Flash was the catalyst that ignited and unleashed the potential accumulated over the past two weeks.

The battle continued.

The wound is too shallow.

The surprise on Yukino's face was fleeting as she refocused on the fight.

Although she successfully used Sukuna's slashing technique, the damage inflicted on the shadow cursed spirit wasn't severe. It didn't even sever its arm completely, only cutting through most of it, with a small portion still connected to the shoulder.

No blood or flesh was visible beneath the cut, only flowing shadows. The severed arm quickly reconnected as the shadows surged.

Yukino landed on the rooftop. The shadow cursed spirit, having recovered from her attack, swung its massive hand down at the tiny human.

She raised her hand again. Invisible slashes flew out, severing all five claws of the cursed spirit. But the palm still descended, shattering the rooftop beneath her feet. Yukino plummeted through the debris into the hallway below. A furious roar echoed from above, vibrating the small pieces of rubble.

She sprinted through the narrow corridor. The shadow outside the window rapidly approached, its sharp claws raking through the spot where Yukino had been a moment before, slicing clean through the building.

The orphanage, the main building, couldn't withstand this level of intense fighting. Having suffered too much damage, it was now riddled with holes and on the verge of collapse.

After the cursed spirit's attack, Yukino used the slashing technique to cut open the ceiling, escaping back to the rooftop through the newly created hole.

"Stop wasting time. Go for its cursed energy core," Sukuna instructed.

He wasn't surprised that Yukino could use his technique, as it was only a matter of time.

He was more interested in how many points this quasi-Grade 1 cursed spirit would yield.

"Understood." As soon as she landed, Yukino charged towards the shadow cursed spirit again. After dodging several attacks, she reached a position directly beneath it.

She leaped high, her soft, pale hand gently pressing against the cursed spirit's chest. She uttered a single word: "Cleave!"

A continuous barrage of cursed energy-infused slashes instantly sliced open the cursed spirit's chest, creating a gaping hole where its heart should be.

The cursed spirit, now with a chest as open as a certain prime minister's metaphorical one, suddenly froze. Its massive form slowly collapsed onto the rooftop. Unable to bear the impact, the building finally gave way, crumbling with a resounding crash that sent dust billowing into the sky.

"Is it over?" Hachiman stared, eyes wide, but the dust was too thick to see anything.

"It's over," Gojo said, stepping forward.

Moments later, Yukino emerged from the dust cloud, coughing and waving away the debris.

Current points: 28400

Five thousand points earned, sweet!

Sukuna had made a fortune on this trip, and Yukino had managed to use both Black Flash and his technique. It was a win-win situation.

"Well done, well done." Gojo clapped for Yukino with a smile. "My, that was a splendid battle."

After praising the girl, he didn't forget the dead-fish-eyed boy who had fought until his cursed energy was depleted. He patted Hachiman's shoulder in encouragement: "You too, Hachiman. You did well."

"Ha... Thank you," Hachiman muttered his thanks, but his expression was a bit strange.

This is our first meeting, and he's already calling me by my first name. This guy sure is friendly.

I prefer it when... Yui calls my name.

"No need for thanks, it's a win-win," Sukuna said cheerfully, as if he were the one who had been fighting. "I'll take my leave now. If you have any more jobs like this, feel free to call on me."

"Don't be in such a hurry," Gojo said with a smile, then sidestepped, blocking Yukino's path. "You can't leave just yet."

"Huh?" Black markings had appeared on Yukino's face, her eyes shifting from a clear navy blue to a vibrant red. "What do you mean?"

"A special grade cursed object, one of Sukuna's fingers, is missing." Gojo's lips were still curved in a smile, but the amusement was gone from his voice. "Just to be sure, was this your doing?"

"What?" Sukuna was taken aback. "Why the hell would I care about some missing finger?"

"Well, under the current circumstances, you're the prime suspect. So, would you mind waiting here for a bit? I've already sent Megumi to the location where it was lost to investigate."

Gojo didn't budge, clearly intent on preventing him from leaving.

"What did you say?" Sukuna's gaze turned cold. Being inexplicably blamed for something he didn't do, and now this damn white-haired guy was trying to detain him? He was furious. "While I'm still in a good mood, I'll give you one second."

"Get out of my way."

What's going on?

Hachiman, standing to the side, was completely bewildered.

What was their relationship exactly? Weren't they getting along just fine earlier? Why did it seem like they were about to fight?

"My superiors are both bothersome and stubborn, so... I'm sorry," Gojo shrugged. Although he appeared relaxed, his muscles were tense, ready for battle at any moment.

"Is that so?" Sukuna raised his hand impassively.

Just then, Gojo's phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Hold on." He raised a hand to signal a pause, then pulled out his phone to check the message.

It was from Megumi: Found traces of Sukuna's finger. It was picked up by a student at the school. I'm in pursuit.

"Ahaha~ So it was a misunderstanding!" Gojo immediately put on a sheepish grin, scratching his head as he stepped aside, deactivating his barrier. "Please, be on your way~"

Sukuna shot him a disdainful look, then strode past him. Hachiman, belatedly realizing what was happening, hurriedly followed, wisely offering the back of his collar.

Sukuna grabbed him, about to leave.

Then, as the barrier fully dissipated, they bumped into a pretty girl with short hair at the entrance of the orphanage.

Sukuna: "..."

Yukino Yukinoshita: "..."

Haruno Yukinoshita: "..."

Hachiman Hikigaya, dangling from Sukuna's grasp: "..."

Gojo, peeking from behind the trio, clueless: "Eh?"

Let's rewind forty minutes.

Having finished her morning university classes, Yukino Yukinoshita's older sister, Haruno Yukinoshita, declined her friends' invitations to hang out and returned to her apartment. She had more pressing matters to attend to.

During their parting hug this morning, she had discreetly slipped a button-sized tracking and listening device under Yukino's school uniform collar. She had to pull some strings within the Yukinoshita family, keeping it secret from her parents, to acquire such a device.

Though it was an undeniably underhanded tactic, the various anomalies surrounding her younger sister, coupled with her own anxieties, had driven her to this twisted act of surveillance.

People lived to find peace of mind.

Gaining fame, controlling others, earning money—all were means to achieve that peace of mind.

Haruno Yukinoshita, too, desired that peace of mind.

So, while despising herself, she had committed this unethical act. Fortunately, the results were significant.

It seemed Yukino was truly unwell.

That morning, as she sat in her car, barely a few hundred meters from their home, Haruno heard Yukino's voice muttering through the earpiece.

She was certain there was no one else near Yukino at the time. Moreover, her sister wasn't the type to discuss personal matters with friends. She could only be talking to herself, as if conversing with a voice in her head.

Mental illness? Split personality?

In any case, Yukino's situation was clearly not good.

But Haruno didn't jump to conclusions. She decided to observe further.

Thankfully, Yukino's conversations at school seemed normal. There were no instances of the self-talk like the one that morning. This gave Haruno a sliver of hope that her initial assessment might be wrong.

When it was time for Sobu High's club activities to end, Haruno opened the tracking app on her phone, intending to check if Yukino was heading home as usual.

Then, she saw the red dot representing Yukino's location start moving rapidly.

It was definitely not the speed of a person walking, nor even a car. What kind of vehicle could ignore roads and cut straight through buildings?

Was the tracker malfunctioning?

Had the device she went through so much trouble to obtain already broken?

Haruno stared in disbelief as Yukino's location moved all the way from Chiba to Tokyo, finally coming to a stop.

Judging by the map, it seemed to be a relatively remote location in Adachi Ward. An abandoned orphanage?

She frowned and refreshed the app several times, but the result remained the same. The red dot on her phone screen was glaring.

Then, when she refreshed it again, it disappeared from the map.

Haruno blinked.

Did the tracker run out of battery?

Impossible. A full charge was supposed to last three days.

Was it broken or destroyed?

Regardless, Haruno decided to call Yukino first to confirm the situation.

"Ring... Ring..."

The ringing tone echoed from the phone, the signal seemingly lost amidst the city's towering buildings, unable to find its destination. Finally, a monotonous automated voice responded: "The number you have dialed is not in service."

Her hand, clutching the phone, trembled slightly. If it was just a problem with the listening device, then Yukino's phone shouldn't be unreachable.

Kidnapping?

Judging by the movement pattern of the red dot on the map, was it a helicopter?

For a moment, a look of bewilderment crossed Haruno's beautiful face. Hadn't Yukino just experienced something like this last week? Now it was her turn?

The image of Yukino being kidnapped flashed through her mind, and panic surged through her. She quickly snapped out of it, grabbed her car keys, put on her sneakers, and rushed downstairs.

She still remembered the location where the tracker had last been active. She quickly entered it into her phone's map app and drove off.

Speeding all the way, even running a few red lights, Haruno arrived at the location where Yukino's tracker had disappeared.

She parked the car by the roadside but didn't rush out. Instead, she sat in the car, quietly observing her surroundings.

The street was deserted, with only the occasional pedestrian or vehicle passing by. The largest structure in the area was the orphanage nearby.

Haruno searched for information on her phone and discovered that the orphanage had been abandoned for almost twenty years. But for some reason, in a place like Tokyo, where land was incredibly valuable, it hadn't been demolished. Instead, it was left to decay with the changing seasons.

While she didn't know why the orphanage still stood, it was evident that this place was ideal for illicit activities.

So, was Yukino taken inside the orphanage? Was there a signal jammer inside?

After a moment of contemplation, Haruno got out of the car and walked towards the orphanage's main gate. She peered through the rusty iron bars.

She observed carefully, but everything seemed normal inside. There were no vehicles like cars or helicopters, and even the layer of dust on the ground showed no signs of being disturbed.

Should she go in?
The reckless, foolish thought surfaced in her mind, and panic began to fill her. Haruno forced herself to calm down. She quickly typed a message on her phone to the emergency services, ready to send it with a single tap.
I'll just go in and check.
At this moment, all she wanted was to see her sister's face. If Yukino had been kidnapped, she must be terrified. Despite her strong exterior, Yukino had always been timid. Even if Haruno herself was putting herself in danger, her presence would surely comfort her sister.
The possibility of the kidnappers harming Yukino was low. If they had taken the daughter of the Yukinoshita family, it was undoubtedly for profit or some other purpose, which was why they needed a hostage.
Besides, the Yukinoshita family hadn't made any enemies as far as she knew. The kidnappers must not be motivated by revenge; otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered bringing Yukino to this remote location.
There's a certain degree of safety guaranteed.
I'll just go in and confirm the situation. They might not even notice me.
Haruno took a deep breath, ready to step forward.
Just then, the barrier surrounding the orphanage deactivated.
Her sister's familiar face appeared before Haruno, yet it wasn't quite the same.
Mysterious black markings adorned her face, and her overall aura felt different, alien. More importantly, beneath those eyes, now a different color, was another pair of narrow eyes.
And in her hand, she was even carrying Hachiman Hikigaya.