Starting Jujutsu Kaisen as Yoriichi Tsugikuni Chapter 7 The Boy Who Swallowed the Finger

Yuji Itadori let out a pained roar, his hands clawing at his face as if trying to tear away the extra mouth appearing there.

At that mont, the concentration of cursed energy in the air surged to a suffocating level!

"gumi! Run!"

Yuji Itadori shouted his final conscious thought with all his might.

The next second.

His body jerked violently. His once-clear eyes rolled back into his head, only for a pair of crimson pupils to refocus an instant later.

In that gaze, there was no longer the passion or kindness of a youth; it was replaced by an ultimate arrogance that viewed all creation as re ants.

Black markings spread across his body like cursed vines.

Ryon Sukuna, incarnated!

"Phew..."

Sukuna cracked his neck, the joints popping loudly.

He ignored gumi Fushiguro, who stood ready for a fight, and didn't even glance at the wary Panda or Maki.

His wicked eyes were locked dead onto Yoru.

"Found you."

Sukuna grinned, revealing his pearly white fangs.

"That disgusting sll of the sun."

gumi Fushiguro turned pale and quickly ford a hand seal.

"Divine Dog!"

Though he knew the odds were slim, he couldn't just sit and wait for death.

This was the King of Curses! Even with the power of only a single finger, he was not soone students like them could stand against!

"Run! Yoru!"

gumi Fushiguro roared.

Yet Yoru didn't run. Not only did he stay, but he even took a step forward.

That single step left everyone present stunned.

At this mont, Yoru's state was very unusual.

The youth, who was usually gentle and even a bit ditsy, now radiated an indescribably cold aura.

Hatred for demons.

It was Yoriichi Tsugikuni's instinct, engraved deep within his soul—an absolute refusal to forgive those who trampled on life.

Although the entity before him wasn't Kibutsuji Muzan, the sickening stench of blood and blatant disregard for life were exactly the sa.

"Pathetic creature."

Yoru whispered softly. His voice wasn't loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Sukuna blinked in surprise, then burst into a fit of wild laughter.

"Pathetic? Are you talking about ?"

"Hahahaha! Interesting! Truly interesting!"

"In thousands of years, this is the first ti anyone has dared to look at with those eyes!"

Boom!

The ground beneath Sukuna's feet instantly shattered.

His figure shot out like a cannonball, lunging straight at Yoru with an aura that felt like it could destroy the world.

"Die, brat!"

The strike was too fast. It was so fast that gumi Fushiguro couldn't even track the movent.

So fast that Maki had only just tightened her grip on her spear before the opponent was already in front of Yoru.

The clawed hand, covered in black markings, shrieked through the air as it lunged for Yoru's throat.

There were no flashy techniques, only pure strength and speed.

This was the King of Curses!

'It's over...'

Panda closed his eyes in despair, but the expected spray of blood and flesh never happened.

Clink.

A faint sound, so quiet it was almost negligible, sounded strangely prominent amidst the roaring wind.

Ti seed to stand still.

Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief.

There, in the center of the training ground.

Sukuna remained in his lunging stance. That claw, capable of crushing steel, stopped less than a centiter from the tip of Yoru's nose.

It couldn't advance another inch.

Because a wooden sword—an ordinary, even sowhat worn-out wooden sword—had sohow been placed against Sukuna's throat.

There was no ripple of cursed energy, no light of an innate technique.

A perfect stop.

If Sukuna moved forward even a milliter, the wooden sword would ruthlessly pierce his throat.

Of course, for the King of Curses, a pierced throat wasn't fatal.

But what truly stopped Sukuna wasn't the wooden sword—it was the gaze.

Currently, Yoru was watching him quietly.

Within those dark red pupils, a blazing sun seed to burn.

Though there was no physical heat, Sukuna felt as if his soul was being roasted over a fire.

It was as if he were standing before a god looking down upon all living things.

"Move..."

Yoru's voice was terrifyingly calm.

"...and I'll cut you down."

Arrogant. It was beyond arrogant!

Telling the King of Curses, Ryon Sukuna, "I'll cut you down" was sothing absolutely unprecedented in the history of the jujutsu world.

But strangely, Sukuna actually didn't move.

The smile on his face froze, and his crimson eyes narrowed slightly as if confirming sothing.

Even if it was only for a ten-thousandth of a second, he had indeed hesitated.

This brat wasn't bluffing; that sword intent was real.

It was a sword intent capable of slaying a god!

Of course, what truly made him stop wasn't just this wooden sword.

Sukuna's crimson compound eyes shifted slightly, his peripheral vision scanning the empty space at the edge of the training ground.

'Tsk, is that troubleso "strongest" almost here...?'

With the power of only one finger, facing that white-haired Six Eyes user right now would indeed be a bit tricky.

Moreover...

Sukuna's gaze fell back on Yoru, a nearly imperceptible hint of appreciation flickering deep within his eyes.

Despite having no cursed energy, he possessed a will that felt like it could cut through anything.

"Interesting. A truly interesting rough diamond."

"Heh... heh..."

Sukuna suddenly withdrew his hand and leapt back several ters, creating distance.

The black markings on his face began to fade slowly as Yuji Itadori's consciousness started to regain control of the body.

"Not bad."

"Not bad at all."

Sukuna gave Yoru a deep look, as if trying to engrave the boy's appearance into his soul.

"Brat, your na."

Yoru lowered the wooden sword in his hand. The coldness in his eyes gradually dissipated, returning to his usual gentleness.

"Yoru."

"Yoru, is it? I'll rember that."

Sukuna's voice grew fainter, finally ending in a soft grunt.

"Brat, keep your head safe."

"When I truly manifest, you'll be the first one I sacrifice to my blade!"

The voice was extrely brief, sounding almost like an illusion.

As the words fell, the black markings on Yuji Itadori's body vanished completely.

The boy's body went limp, and he started to collapse toward the ground.

gumi Fushiguro reacted quickly and caught him.

"Yuji! Are you okay?"

Yuji opened his eyes groggily and rubbed the back of his head.

"Huh? Fushiguro? What happened?"

"I think I was dreaming?"

Looking at the bewildered Yuji, and then at Yoru, who had returned to being a ditsy youth not far away.

Everyone looked at each other, feeling that everything that had just happened was as absurd as a joke.

The King of Curses, who had almost wiped them out.

Had actually been forced back by a non-cursed energy freshman with a wooden sword?

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Just then, a sudden burst of applause broke the silence.

"Wonderful! Simply wonderful!"

Satoru Gojo had appeared on the pull-up bars at the edge of the training ground at so point, holding a bag of Kikufuku.

He hopped down while continuing to applaud.

"I didn't expect that while I was just away buying souvenirs, you guys would put on such an amazing show for !"

He walked up to Yoru and handed him a daifuku with a smile.

"Here, your reward."

"Edama and whipped cream flavor. It's delicious!"

Yoru blinked and instinctively took the daifuku.

"Thank you, Sensei."

"You're very welco!"

Satoru Gojo waved his hand and then turned to the others with a playful smile.

"Since everyone is so energetic, there's no ti like the present."

"The entrance test starts now!"

Everyone: "Huh?!"

Satoru Gojo raised a finger, pointing at Yoru, then at gumi and the newly awakened Yuji.

"The rules are simple."

"Student Yoru will be the defender."

"gumi, Yuji—you two go at him together."

"If you can force Yoru to use that sword..."

Satoru Gojo pointed to the rusted iron sword at Yoru's waist that had remained sheathed.

"...you win!"

The announcent caused an imdiate uproar.

"Two against one?"

And they were pitting two high-potential first-years against a transfer student with no cursed energy?

This was simply too...

"Isn't that a bit of a bully move?"

Panda couldn't help but chi in.

"Indeed."

Maki nodded, looking at Yoru with a complicated gaze.

"Though, the one being bullied probably isn't Yoru."

Rembering the previous scene, Maki's wrist still throbbed with pain.

That monster was an existence that could even force back the King of Curses!

gumi Fushiguro frowned and looked at Yuji beside him.

"Can you do it?"

Yuji hadn't quite grasped the situation yet, but at the ntion of a 'test,' he imdiately got pumped up.

"No problem! I feel like I'm bursting with energy right now!"

"Good."

gumi Fushiguro took a deep breath and ford a hand seal.

"Then let's see for ourselves."

"Exactly how strong is this 'zero cursed energy' that even Gojo-sensei praises so highly!"

Yoru took a bite of the Kikufuku. The sweet cream lted in his mouth, causing his tense nerves to relax slightly.

He looked at the two spirited youths before him and sighed helplessly.

"Um... can I finish the daifuku before we start?"

Satoru Gojo: "Nope! It'll taste better after the fight!"

Yoru: "..."

There was no choice since the teacher had put it that way.

Yoru stuffed the rest of the daifuku into his mouth and said muffledly:

"Then... please guide ."

An instant later, his gaze changed.

It was no longer the cold killing intent from when he faced Sukuna, but a pure focus belonging to a swordsman.

It was...

...Yoriichi Tsugikuni's starting stance.