JJK: Chapter 65

Title: Tracking Mahito

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“This is it.”

Satoru Gojo accepted the tengu fan handed to him by Shin. Removing his sunglasses, he carefully examined the peculiar cursed object. After a while, he put the fan down and said, “It’s definitely different from ordinary cursed objects. It seems to have undergone some kind of modification. However, the new curse energy on it isn’t particularly strong. It doesn’t appear to be the result of some kind of malevolent ritual.”

Shin Shuichi stretched as he stood up, yawning. “Then I’ll leave it to you, Sensei. I really don’t want to get involved in these troublesome matters that always seem to tie into the bigger picture.”

“Wait.”

Gojo stopped Shin. “I might get busy soon. Until the Exchange Event begins, I’ll leave Itadori in your care.”

“Huh? You’re saying Itadori will still be targeted?”

Gojo waved the fan in his hand and replied, “It might not necessarily be the higher-ups. After this kind of mishap, at least some of them will be too occupied to target him. But aside from jujutsu sorcerers, cursed users or cursed spirits might also go after him. After all, he’s the vessel of the legendary Sukuna. Releasing Sukuna would be no small problem.”

Shin thought about it and realized this was true. It was already bad enough that Itadori Yuji had consumed one of Sukuna’s fingers. Letting Sukuna fully take over and return to the world was a scenario best avoided.

“No problem. Just arrange for Itadori to stick with me for now. I’ll inform Kusakabe-sensei about it later.”

---

In a dimly lit, chaotic building, three figures flailed about, throwing punches and kicks as if engaged in a battle. Yet, there were no visible enemies before them, making them look more like lunatics in the throes of madness.

Shin sat on a slightly battered plastic chair amid a pile of clutter, enjoying an ice cream he had just purchased. He called out to the three on the field, “Don’t look at me! Just take out this cursed spirit already. It’s only pseudo-Grade 1 in strength, and its technique is garbage. Can’t you put a little more thought into it?”

The three were Itadori Yuji, Fushiguro Megumi, and Kugisaki Nobara. Recently, Gojo had assigned Itadori to follow Shin on missions, where Shin typically refused to step in, leaving Itadori to handle the tasks on his own—after all, that was the point.

To train Itadori, Shin sometimes included Megumi and Nobara on slightly more challenging missions. Today’s mission was one that Shin had carefully chosen: a pseudo-Grade 1 cursed spirit with a cursed technique. However, its technique was of limited use in combat.

The spirit’s form was quadrupedal, with sharp fangs, claws, and a tail. Its primary attacks included claw swipes, tail sweeps, and bites. Additionally, it had an extremely fast linear charge attack. One of Yuji’s palms had already been pierced by this invisible attack. The cursed spirit’s technique was “invisibility.”

Not only was the spirit’s form entirely imperceptible, but even its presence was almost impossible to detect, especially in such a curse-heavy environment. This was the main reason the trio was forced into a defensive position. The cursed spirit’s technique even allowed it to render objects it touched invisible, including those used to attack it, though the exact size of objects it could affect was unknown.

Attempts to cover the spirit with dust or track its blood when wounded had failed, as both would vanish under its technique. Its rapid and silent movements made locating its position even more difficult.

Yuji kicked some loose rubble and dust toward the space ahead. While it didn’t directly reveal the spirit’s form, the abrupt blank space gave them a fleeting glimpse of its location.

Even so, it was only for an instant. The nails Nobara had thrown and the black shikigami dog Megumi controlled—having inherited the strength of the destroyed twin—both missed their mark. The cursed spirit swiftly relocated, evading their pincer attack with ease.

The cursed spirit launched a lightning-fast counterattack, grazing the fur of Megumi Fushiguro's summoned Shikigami, as it leapt away. The terrain worked heavily in the spirit's favor, allowing its attacks to come from any direction, while the trio could only awkwardly block and counterattack in response.

Megumi retracted his summoned Rabbit Escape, which had only been helpful for briefly forcing the spirit to reveal its location. However, the technique quickly became ineffective. Nue was similarly of limited use in this environment, and Toad was entirely impractical. The large Great Serpent didn’t have enough space to maneuver.

'There is one option: summon Max Elephant.' Megumi thought. However, simultaneously controlling both Max Elephant and Divine Dog was an enormous drain on his energy. He’d need Itadori and Kugisaki to hold the cursed spirit at bay to make it work.

Quickly forming a plan, he turned to his teammates and said, “I’m going to dismiss this Shikigami and summon a new one. You two need to keep the cursed spirit grounded—don’t let it escape to the ceiling or walls. Got it?”

Itadori Yuji perked up, realizing Megumi had thought of a solution. “Got it! Leave it to me!” he said with determination.

Kugisaki Nobara flipped her hammer in her hand, clutching several nails in the other. Though she looked annoyed, her tone was resolute. “And me. Whatever you’ve got planned, just do it. We’re exorcising this thing today!”

Megumi dismissed Kon, and with the Shikigami gone, the cursed spirit grew bolder. In an instant, several bloody gashes appeared on Itadori, though he retaliated with a counterattack imbued with cursed energy, landing a hit on the spirit. However, the strike only provoked it further.

“Straw Doll Technique: Hairpin!”

A grin spread across Nobara’s face as her cursed energy activated the nails that had previously missed the spirit and landed on the ground. The nails detonated in a sudden explosion, eliciting a pained screech from the spirit. Blood splattered across the floor, the spirit clearly wounded.

However, it was not a fatal blow. Spreading the attack across a wide area meant the damage wasn’t concentrated enough to be lethal. It was a necessary compromise—against an invisible, high-speed target, landing a critical hit was like winning a lottery.

Seizing the opportunity, Itadori ignored his injuries and wiped the blood from his nose. With reckless determination, he charged toward the source of the spirit’s scream.

“Megumi!”

Megumi maintained the shadow-mimicking pose of his hand seals, and suddenly, the shadow behind him spread out like flowing water. From within, a massive figure emerged, its earth-shaking roar announcing its arrival in the battle.

“Max Elephant!”

The colossal Shikigami immediately unleashed a powerful torrent of water from its trunk, flooding the surrounding area. The water overwhelmed the terrain, sweeping everything in its path. However, in the chaos, the cursed spirit landed a swift strike on Itadori’s abdomen, sending him tumbling backward.

“Kugisaki!”

Disoriented and struggling to catch his breath from the spirit’s blow, Itadori lost sight of it. However, he managed to shout a warning to Kugisaki. Though she couldn’t see the spirit either, Megumi’s use of the water had made its intentions clear. The spirit’s movements could now be tracked through the water’s flow.

“Don’t rush me, I’ve got it!” Nobara yelled, quickly raising her hammer. “Straw Doll Technique: Hairpin!”

The same technique erupted again, this time near the closest wall. The explosion briefly disrupted the spirit’s movement, and the rushing water revealed its form.

In the enclosed space, the water summoned by Max Elephant had pooled, creating a new problem for the spirit. The once advantageous terrain now betrayed it.

Itadori noticed the conspicuous indentation in the water’s surface. Even though the spirit could render parts of the water invisible by coming into contact with it, the vast quantity of water far exceeded its limits. The smooth surface of the water was interrupted by an obvious void, marking the spirit’s position.

With a clear target in sight, Itadori charged forward like a high-speed vehicle. Each step pounded the ground, sending waves of water splashing into the air.

An invisible force cut through the rain, forming a transparent channel aimed directly at his face. The attack was sharp and dangerous, but Itadori easily dodged it, even reaching out to grab the unseen object.

It felt damp, sticky, and slippery—like one of the cursed spirit's vital organs. As Itadori squeezed tightly, the creature’s frantic shriek echoed.

“Come here!”

Planting his feet firmly, Itadori exerted all his strength, yanking the cursed spirit towards him. Taking a deep breath and clenching his fist, cursed energy surged through his body, building up to an explosive attack.

“Straight Punch!"

The second burst of power hit the air, but there was a tangible sensation of striking something solid. Nobara's follow-up attack came quickly, as she triggered the cursed nails she had thrown earlier, sending several blood arrows flying from the creature.

“Itadori!”

Megumi threw a cursed sword at him from the shadows, which Itadori grabbed mid-air. With a swift lunge, he plunged the sword downward repeatedly, each strike accompanied by a spray of blood.

“Finish it.”

Megumi dismissed his Shikigami, and the water on the ground gradually receded. A large, lizard-like cursed spirit’s body materialized, now lifeless. It was clear that the tongue Itadori had grabbed was one of its key features.

“That invisible technique is so annoying,” Nobara muttered, clearly dissatisfied with how much trouble the spirit had caused.

With the cursed spirit defeated, Shin jumped down from the second floor, having realized Megumi’s intentions when he summoned Max Elephant. Not wanting to get caught in the water surge, he had stayed upstairs and watched as the trio coordinated to exorcise the spirit.

He then used a reverse curse technique to heal their wounds, and Itadori stretched his body. “Ah, that was satisfying!”

Megumi quietly considered the utility of rct in combat. He had a Shikigami related to it, and he planned to attempt to tame it later—if he could control that, mastering the rct would be a huge asset.

Shin glanced at his watch, a luxury item he had bought a while back, though he had forgotten the brand. It had cost nearly his entire earnings from one mission, but that was just a number.

“Alright, mission complete. It’s still early, so let’s go for a big meal. My treat!”

Yuji Itadori was the first to cheer enthusiastically. “Awesome! Senior, you’re the best! I’m getting steak!”

Following their post-mission meal, the group returned to Jujutsu High.


---

Fushiguro Megumi focused on taming a new Shikigami. Among the three, Itadori's exceptional physical strength made him a powerhouse in close combat, while Kugisaki's unique cursed technique showed great potential. As for Megumi himself, the Zen’in clan’s Ten Shadows Technique was a legacy of immense potential.

The Ten Shadows Technique had intricate connections between its Shikigami. Destroyed Shikigami transferred their strength to others, and different Shikigami could even fuse. For example, the fusion of Nue and Toad, resulting in Well’s Unknown Abyss, was one such combination.

Megumi was still experimenting with other fusions, but the stronger the Shikigami, the harder it became to merge them effectively while retaining their full power. Nevertheless, it was a promising direction for growth.

In the days that followed, they alternated between missions and preparation for the upcoming Goodwill Exchange Event between the two Jujutsu High schools. With the third-years still suspended, the first-year trio would step in to fill the roster.


---

During this period, Itadori accompanied Shin on a mission. Technically, it was Shin’s mission, and Itadori was simply tagging along.

The mission took them to Kanagawa Prefecture, where three ordinary moviegoers had died under bizarre circumstances. The victims' bodies exhibited unnatural mutations that matched the characteristics of a cursed spirit Shin had previously encountered and reported on. As a result, the case was assigned to him.

“Mahito... Are we meeting again?” Shin muttered under his breath.

Shin brought Itadori along, and the two were joined by Ijichi Kiyotaka, who had been assigned to assist them.

“Shin,” Ijichi began as they traveled, “based on the intel we have, the movie theater wasn’t very crowded at the time. Besides the victims, one other person was present in the same screening room. Here’s his information. To avoid alarming him in case of a connection to the cursed spirit, we haven’t approached him yet.”

Shin accepted the file, which contained the details of a seemingly ordinary high school student.

“Junpei Yoshino, a student at Satozakura High School. Lives with his mother after his parents divorced.”

“Let’s find him first to see if he has any cursed energy or a connection to ‘Mahito.’ Since he was at the theater that day, he might know something,” Shin decided.

Itadori raised his hand timidly. “Um... who’s ‘Mahito’?”

Shin glanced at him before replying lazily, “Just a repulsive cursed spirit. For this mission, you won’t need to fight. You can help with the investigation, but leave the combat to me.”

Shin knew from memory that Itadori was a natural counter to Mahito. Sukuna’s presence within Itadori made him immune to Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration, and Itadori’s physical attacks could directly damage Mahito’s soul. The two were natural enemies.

However, if they did encounter Mahito, Shin planned to finish him off quickly. The cursed spirits seemed to be scheming in the shadows, involving artificial sorcerers and ancient cursed objects he had no recollection of. With the future growing increasingly uncertain, weakening their forces whenever possible was crucial.