Ryōmen Sukuna, with only the strength of one finger, found himself completely overpowered by ryujin and lizi.
He couldn't believe it. The King of Curses, the feared and infamous Sukuna, was reduced to this—getting tossed around like a ragdoll.
Since when had Sukuna ever endured such humiliation? The thought made his blood boil. He gritted his teeth, ready to strike back.
But just as he was about to summon his cursed energy again, Ryujin, standing calmly nearby, suddenly smirked. He let out a soft chuckle, his eyes gleaming with mischief as he spoke:
"Sukuna, you ever thought about the difference between a king and a mount?"
Sukuna's brow furrowed, his fierce expression twisting with confusion. "What the hell is this guy talking about?" he thought. "A king? A mount? Is this some kind of joke?"
Ryujin noticed the slight twitch of Sukuna's brow but ignored it, continuing his strange line of questioning as if they weren't in the middle of a tense battle.
"I'm not talking about a man and a horse," Ryujin said, waving his hand in mock dismissal. "Or some kiddie game about legs or whatever. Focus, Sukuna."
Sukuna scowled. What kind of nonsense was this? And why now of all times? Ryujin, however, was clearly enjoying himself, and with a casual flick of his hand, he pressed on.
"If two people share the same body, the same posture, the same abilities—then who becomes the king and who gets stuck as the mount?
Who calls the shots and dominates? And who's just there to give a power boost?"
Ryujin tilted his head, giving Sukuna a sly smile. "So, what's the difference between the two?"
Sukuna's mind raced. Ryujin's words hit a little too close to home. He instantly knew this wasn't just some random philosophical question. Ryujin was talking about him and Itadori.
"What is the difference?" Sukuna thought, momentarily shaken.
He hated to admit it, but Ryujin had a point. He and Itadori Yuji were tied to the same body. Sure, Sukuna was much stronger, but Itadori still had control most of the time. The boy's will dominated more than Sukuna liked.
Was Sukuna the king here, or just the mount? Instinctively, he wanted to say he was the king.
He was stronger, after all. But something told him Ryujin didn't see it that way. Sukuna glanced up, narrowing his eyes at Ryujin, waiting for the punchline.
Ryujin's smirk widened. He leaned forward, his voice low but sharp, like he was about to reveal the grand secret of the universe.
"There's only one answer, and it's real simple... it's instinct."
Sukuna's eyes narrowed further. Instinct?
Ryujin continued, pacing a little as he explained, "When two people share a body, the one who becomes the king is the one who fights with pure instinct—the one who craves power, who's willing to destroy anything in their way. It's about that gut-level, primal drive to fight, to win at all costs."
He paused, his gaze locking onto Sukuna's.
"That's why you're the stronger one, Sukuna. You've got that naked instinct. You fight with pure, raw power, no holding back. You're like a beast with no leash."
Then Ryujin's expression shifted, turning serious. "Itadori, on the other hand, he's all about reason. He fights like he's playing by the rules, trying to keep things on track.
Sure, he's strong, but fighting with reason? That's like swinging a sword with a scabbard still on the blade. Who's that gonna cut?"
The words hung in the air, and the tension thickened. Sukuna could feel the shift. Ryujin wasn't just talking anymore; he was driving a point home. And somewhere inside, Itadori Yuji—sleeping within their shared body—was hearing every word.
A deep, rhythmic thudding started from within Yuji's body, the sound of his heartbeat growing louder. Sukuna's lips curled slightly in frustration as he realized that Itadori was reacting to Ryujin's words.
Ryujin's smile returned, this time more satisfied, like he had just planted a seed and was watching it grow. He gave a small nod, acknowledging the impact he was having.
"Yep, this was the plan all along," he thought to himself, his eyes glinting with a touch of mischief. "This kid's too emotional, always so wrapped up in guilt and self-pity."
In the original storyline, Ryujin remembered, Itadori had always held back. As strong as he was—Kenjaku's most perfect creation, Sukuna's carefully chosen vessel—it never felt like Itadori unleashed his full potential. And when he did shine, it was usually because Sukuna took over.
"Well, not anymore," Ryujin muttered under his breath, smirking again. He was here to change that. No more holding back for Itadori. Not if Ryujin had anything to say about it.
Is this really Itadori Yuji? Ryujin couldn't believe it.
He knew that Itadori Yuji could be stronger! Even without Ryōmen Sukuna, Itadori would still be remembered in the Jujutsu world...
Many only remembered Itadori as Sukuna's vessel, but Itadori Yuji was more than that. He was Itadori Yuji.
Under the weight of Ryujin's complex theories, Sukuna felt Itadori's body starting to lose control. He no longer wanted to fight Ryujin using Itadori's body.
At some point, a young man with white hair and an eyepatch had appeared next to Fushiguro Megumi.
This person was incredibly strong, even stronger than Ryujin.
"Ryujin, I will kill you once I get all of my powers back" Sukuna said, his violent expression fading as his entire demeanor calmed. The extra eyes on his face slowly closed.
Seeing this, Ryujin realized that Itadori Yuji had regained control, and the fight instantly became less interesting.
It also dawned on him that this shift occurred precisely because of the arrival of another figure.
In this era, Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer in the world, had appeared.
Time rewinds three minutes earlier.
Gojo Satoru had quietly appeared beside Fushiguro Megumi, hands in his pockets, exuding a relaxed aura as he held the sweets he planned to eat later.
"Oh? Sukuna seems to have been released. What's the situation now?" Gojo asked with a grin, looking at the embarrassed Fushiguro Megumi.
He then casually took out his phone and started taking pictures.
Fushiguro Megumi, who always liked to act mature, had never been photographed in such an embarrassing situation before.
Gojo was clearly planning to collect this moment of his cute student's "dark history" and share it with the other students later.
"Teacher Gojo, when did you get here?! Ah, thank goodness you're finally here."
Hearing Gojo's voice, Fushiguro Megumi finally noticed his presence.
The tension that had been weighing him down all night lifted as relief washed over him. The pressure had been overwhelming, but with Gojo Satoru now present, Megumi knew he no longer had to bear the burden alone.
He couldn't imagine anyone giving Gojo Satoru a hard time—not in this world...
"Teacher, during the recovery process of the Cursed Object, we encountered a special-grade Cursed Spirit! But at the critical moment, we were rescued by another special-grade Cursed Spirit, controlled by a Jujutsu master named Ryujin."
Gojo rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he looked at Ryujin, who was controlling Li Zi during the battle. His curiosity was piqued.
—[And he even has a guardian Cursed Spirit like Rika. The young man looks strikingly similar to Yūta.]—
—[However, his control over the Cursed Spirit seems much better than Yūta's when he first started. A mysterious figure appearing out of nowhere... This is becoming more interesting.]—
The corners of Gojo's mouth curled into a smile, and he found himself feeling a bit excited to see what Ryujin was capable of.
Fushiguro Megumi continued explaining:
" I suspect Ryujin may be from the Zenin family! After all, he can also use Ten shadow technique, and his mastery of them seems far more advanced than mine."
He went on to describe Ryujin's ability to freely fuse the black and white Divine Dogs into the jade Dog, which only made Gojo's grin widen.
"A possible bloodline from the Zenin family, and a user of the Ten Shadows technique? Things are getting more interesting.