EDEN

In a tall tower in Izumo. Botan sat atop his throne as Mitsuki kneeled before him, wearing a new white mask. Botan asks him,

"You failed to retrieve the Muramasa didn't you,"

The disappointed Mitsuki kneeled on the ground while staring at the floor. He didn't dare to look up at his angry father. 

Botan then shouted, "Bring them in Xiaoyu"

As the doors swung open the purple-haired girl walked into the room. In each hand, she gripped onto two men who were wrapped in metallic chains, as black duffle bags covered their heads. These were the assassins that had attacked Akumu and the others earlier.

As Xiaoyu walked closer, she dropped the two men next to Mitsuki, as she walked back to take Botans' side.

She playfully said, "I found those two while I was walking nearby."

Botan then commanded Mitsuki, "Raise your head boy."

As Mitsuki raised his head he was met with the sounds, of a man wearing the blue trench coat, shouting "What do you think you're doing?? We've followed all the guidelines that you guys set up!"

 Botan responded, "Yes, you are correct. You guys have done nothing wrong at all."

Just as he said that, what seemed to be tree roots, bursted out of the floor, instantly impaling the man in the blue trench coat. As the man hung on there, he began to cough up lots of blood which could be seen staining, the bag over his head.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?? WHY DID YOU KILL MY PARTNER??", Vash shouted as he heard the sounds of his companion dying.

"ONCE YOU ARRIVE IN HELL, THE ONE TO TORMENT YOU WON'T BE THE DEVIL BUT ME!", he shouted as another whip-like tree root bursted from the ground instantly decapitating him.

As blood rolled onto the carpet Botan began to burst out laughing. "I love it when they cry about, torturing me in the afterlife and stuff like that. It cracks me up."

The second he composed himself, he asked Mitsuki, "So do you understand what will happen if you fail this mission?"

He quickly responded, "Yes Father..."

Suddenly Matsu bursted into the room, while shouting, "HEY BOTAN, I THINK I FINALLY DID IT!"

As Mitsuki sat kneeling, he suddenly stood up while shouting, "Don't refer to father by his name! Call him Lord!

Botan then demanded, "Did he finally tell you where EDEN is Matsu?"

He then said proudly, "Well he didn't tell me but rather..."

Meanwhile back in the hospital

As Urushi finally finished telling his story, everybody in the room now saw him in a different light. Omo who was slowly beginning to trust immediately felt a sense of anger as well as pity for him. He couldn't tell if this old man was going to be a danger to the group.

Taori felt some frustration towards him, as he was around during the time, that she was being groomed by Botan. But in the end, she too ended up feeling pity as he also lost people who were close to him.

Akumu however felt betrayed. He had thought that he had gotten to know him a lot, but now that he knew that he killed many people he didn't know what to feel.

Akumu then asked the ice-breaking question, "How many people have you killed..."

Urushi responded, "I don't remember numbers like that anymore. I only accepted assassinations to take out corrupt figures, and sometimes even Jujutsu Sorcerers and Curse Users. Occasionally my acts would get an innocent person killed, however, I only saw them as just another casualty back then."

Akumu then grinding his teeth barged out of the room realizing that he had just befriended a murderer. As he stood outside he thought to himself, "Im such an idiot for not realising this sooner. All those stories that he told were just a lie?"

As he wondered about this a voice then echoed in his ear, "What a hypocrite."

Akumu shouted, "Who are you??"

"Ah yes my voice does sound a little different, I told you before that I was getting stronger remember?", the voice responded.

That was when Akumu realised that this was the shadow of himself. He had come to criticize his actions once again.

He asked, "You're judging him for killing other people for money when you've done the exact same thing?"

Akumu asked, "What are you talking about?"

His shadow said, "What was different about that time you fought Kamo Shinji? He took the lives of many, just like the people Urushi killed in the past. Despite him dying to someone else, you were fully prepared to kill him back then weren't you?"

Akumu responded, "That man was insane. He was a danger to not just me but other ordinary people."

The shadow then said taunting him, "So you when Jujutsu Sorcerers kill people that are deemed dangerous it's fine, but when it's done by other people's standards it's unforgivable?"

Akumu felt conflicted by what he had said. Yes, he was evil and thus should have been killed, but he was feeling angry at Urushi for doing the exact same thing. he began to think that maybe he wasn't angry that he was a murderer but maybe it was the fact that he had been hiding something so big.

As these thoughts of guilt clouded his mind the shadow continued to taunt him, "You have also killed your own fair share of people. You were the one that led those sorcerers into the forest remember? It was because of your inability as a leader, that all those people died. They had their own families that they were protecting too, and now a child is waiting out there for a dad that will never return home."

Akumu then said, "How could I trap myself in an illusion like this? I thought that being a sorcerer was about protecting the weak... but it's just a glorified role for an executioner isn't it?"

The Shadow then said, "Being a Jujutsu Sorcerer doesn't just mean we kill curses, but it also means we must deal with those that misuse their power. Whether it be by killing them or imprisoning them, that is the duty that you chose to commit to. And now that you've joined we can't go back to our life in that house."

Realising the mistake, Akumu quickly turned around to apologize to Urushi. As he did though, Yumeno poked her head out of the room while shouting at Akumu, "HEY, the Old guy still has something left to say. He says that you especially need to hear this so I would come back in quick."

As he entered back into the room the Urushi sat there looking at him. As soon as he entered he said, "I'm sorry Akumu. There is no forgiving me for the amount of people that I have killed. When this is all over I will turn myself in, I promise."

Before Akumu, could say anything Hikaru spoke over him, "I keep hearing this thing about EDEN, in your and Taoris history. It sounds like a Cursed Tool and a pretty powerful one at that. Can you tell us what it can do?"

The Old man then responded, "I guess it's about time that I told someone else about it."

He then asked a question to everyone in the room, "Do you guys understand how Innate Techniques work?"

Yumeno being the smartest one in the room responded, "The innate technique is a black box, which is engraved in the brain. That black box being a complicated hidden process in which Cursed Energy is inputted, then the output resulting as the Cursed Technique."

Omo nodding in approval, had a clear grin on his face that said, "This is the ace student that I have been raising!"

Urushi then continued, "Since the Innate Technique is engraved in the brain, then what would happen if the part of the brain containing the Technique were to be tampered with?"

Taori responded, "Whoever is insane enough to try that would die, or turn into a vegetable1."

Urushi then said, "Im sure you guys are also aware that Innate Techniques can be inherited as well via bloodline. A great example of this is the Gojo families, infinity. If we were to say that an Innate Technique is an inherited trait that is decided from birth, then wouldn't it be possible to change that trait?"

Fearfully the Yumeno asked Urushi, "What are you getting at Old man?"

Urushi then revealed, "Project EDEN was named after the Garden of Eden. Where Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Some religious fanatics believed this was where Cursed Energy officially began. However, in that garden, there was another tree that humans never got to eat from that is known as the Tree of Life and Eternity. EDEN is a cursed tool that uses nanomachines that scan and restructure the right prefrontal cortex of the brain, changing one's Innate Technique in real-time. There are only enough nanomachines inside it for it to be used on one person, but whoever does obtain it will become a God, able to change their Cursed Technique to anything they desire."

The room went quiet from shock. If such a thing was public knowledge there would be great public outcries about it. The social system would be destroyed with just the existence of such a powerful tool, that foreign countries would even start invading Japan once again like they have done so in the past.

Kenji then asked, "You said that a binding vow made it so that you could only tell the location to someone you thought was worthy enough to use the Cursed Tool? Does you telling us mean that someone in this room is worthy enough?"

Urushi responded, "Indeed, you are correct."

As he said this he turned to Akumu while saying, "Saigo Akumu, you didn't hesitate to take my side when those men were destroying my store. That is an action that any other brave Sorcerer would have taken, but even right now I can see it in your eyes. A man who has endured his own fair share of suffering equal to that of my own and Taoris' here. But your eyes are different from ours, you still have yet to accept and fully heal from that damage, yet for some reason you can still stand on the right path. That flaw of yours has also become your strength and because of that, I can trust you with EDEN."

As he expressed the trust that he had in Akumu, he suddenly blurted out, "IM SORRY FOR TREATING YOU LIKE THAT EARLEIR. The truth is that you and I are the same. It may have been indirect but I have gotten people killed because of my stupidity. I justified that with, 'It's for that greater good', but really I was just labelling myself as a hero and you as the villain. I tried to project my insecurities onto you earlier but now I understand what it means to be a Jujutsu Sorcerer."

As he said that Urushi smiled while saying, "Some of that damage has just healed."