JJK: Chapter 64

Title: Kusanagi

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After slaying the Tengu, Shin Shuichi noticed that the feathered fan in his hand began to change, emanating a strange aura. The cursed energy it exuded grew significantly stronger. When Shin tried to use it, however, all it could muster was a light breeze—nothing comparable to the storms the Tengu had unleashed.

Shin wasn’t particularly skilled in studying cursed objects, so he decided it was best to hand it over to specialists for further examination. With the battle over, the barrier that had shrouded the area dissipated. Kazuya Suzuki glanced at the Tengu’s broken corpse on the ground without any hint of surprise on his face.

“Shuichi-kun, thank you for your hard work. As agreed, in addition to your original reward, this feathered fan is now yours,” Suzuki said.

Soon, members of Suzuki’s team arrived to collect the corpse of what was once their companion but had now become the monstrous "Tengu." Shin stored both his sword Dōjigiri and the feathered fan before turning his attention to Suzuki, who maintained his ever-subtle smile.

Shin asked, “Something like this must be a significant secret. Why reveal it now? And why involve the Zen’in and Kamo clans while informing the Gojo family—who’ve always been excluded? What exactly are you planning?”

The Kamo clan, being the cornerstone of the conservative faction, was naturally implicated. The Zen’in clan, with its historical baggage and rigid traditions, had always been at odds with the Gojo family. Their inclusion wasn’t surprising either.

Listening to Shin’s seemingly casual questioning, Suzuki gestured toward a luxurious black car parked nearby. “If you’re interested, Shuichi-kun, I can explain it to you in detail,” he said.

Shin narrowed his eyes with a smile. “Sure. I’d be honored.”

After boarding the car, the driver—silent as a stone—started the vehicle swiftly and smoothly. Suzuki retrieved a bottle of red wine from the mini fridge in the spacious cabin, gesturing toward Shin to see if he wanted a drink.

“Sorry, the law prohibits drinking under the age of twenty,” Shin replied.

Smiling faintly, Suzuki opened the lower compartment of the fridge, revealing an assortment of beverages—sodas, sparkling waters, and fruit juices.

“Shuichi-kun, you didn’t think we old folks only drank wine and whiskey, did you?” Suzuki teased.

Shin ignored the joke and grabbed a cold can of soda. As Suzuki elegantly prepared his wine, Shin had already drunk half of his soda.

On the way to an unknown destination, Suzuki didn’t immediately broach the critical topic. Instead, he started chatting with Shin about trivial matters involving the Kyoto and Tokyo schools.

Shin occasionally glanced out the window, occasionally responding perfunctorily. Suzuki didn’t seem to mind his lukewarm attitude and continued talking, almost as if conversing with himself.

Finally, the car arrived at its destination—a famous luxury hotel. However, when the car bypassed the main building, Shin realized their true destination was a structure within the complex behind it.

The building was five stories tall, exuding understated luxury. The surrounding area, which could have been valuable real estate, had been transformed into a hidden natural garden amidst the urban jungle. When the driver parked at the entrance, Suzuki stepped out and indicated that they had arrived.

As Shin exited, several elegantly dressed women with distinct auras approached from the opulent golden doorway. Each woman exuded her unique charm, collectively embodying the essence of beauty itself.

Their perfect smiles seemed to conceal landscapes of temptation. They bowed in greeting, their voices melodious and varied, but Shin only gave them a passing glance before addressing Suzuki.

“Let’s get straight to the point. My time is valuable,” Shin said bluntly.

Nodding, Suzuki clapped his hands, signaling the women to lead the way. Once they reached an extravagantly decorated room, Shin motioned for them to leave. With Suzuki’s approval, they bowed gracefully and exited, closing the heavy soundproof door behind them.

Seated across from Shin, Suzuki poured tea into the cup in front of him. The sound of the flowing tea accompanied his words:

“The technique to use cursed objects to grant compatible individuals access to techniques is a relatively recent development. Naturally, this method has its flaws. As I’m not a technical expert, I can’t explain the specifics, but I do know that the ritual requires the target’s voluntary participation. Otherwise, the success rate drops to almost nothing.”

“Moreover, the target must lack an awakened technique but possess the potential to become a sorcerer. The price of gaining power is steep—the successful candidates lose most of their lifespan. At best, they have a few years; at worst, a few months before their souls begin to age and they succumb to death. This is something every candidate must be informed of in advance.”

“Candidates?” Shin caught onto the term.

“Yes,” Suzuki confirmed. “According to their testing methods, each cursed object has a different compatibility level with individuals. The higher the compatibility, the greater the success rate, the longer the lifespan retained, and the more powerful the resulting abilities.”

This Suzuki Kazuya possessed a certain level of cursed energy, but it fell short of qualifying him as a proper jujutsu sorcerer. Of course, that made sense—if this kind of artificially created sorcerer came without risks or costs, these people would have used it on themselves first before greedily attempting to monopolize its development.

It was precisely because of the significant side effects and stringent conditions that this method was voluntarily disclosed, though this was likely not the only reason.

As expected, Suzuki’s tone grew serious as he continued gravely, “This technology is still immature, which is why it has been kept a secret. However, an incident occurred a few days ago.”

“One of our secret research facilities was breached, and several cursed objects used for this project were stolen.”

Leaning back on the sofa, Shin Shuichi’s face twisted into a cold smile. “Stolen? And the thief? What exactly was taken?”

Suzuki’s expression darkened. “The perpetrators never showed themselves. Based on the traces left behind, it’s suspected there was more than one, and residual cursed energy was detected at the scene. As for what was stolen…”

He paused briefly before continuing, “Six cursed objects in total. While losing five of them is regrettable but manageable, the most critical loss was an ancient sword. According to records passed down alongside it, the sword bears the name Ama no Murakumo or Kusanagi, one of the Three Divine Swords from mythology—or at least, that’s its reputation within the jujutsu world.”

“Before this, our research on the sword yielded almost no results. Apart from its indestructibility, we found no other remarkable features. Moreover, no suitable candidates were ever identified for compatibility, so it was largely overlooked. Who would have thought it would be stolen this time?”

For the first time, Suzuki showed traces of genuine anger. “The thieves clearly had a purpose. Their actions were swift and decisive, and cursed energy was involved. While those five cursed objects had been processed to seal their curses, if the thieves can reactivate them, it will cause no small amount of trouble. But most concerning is that sword.”

The Ama no Murakumo—a mythical divine blade surrounded by legendary tales of immense significance. While those were just myths, based on their experience, the more prominent a legend was in mythology, the stronger its associated curse tended to be if it existed in the jujutsu world.

This forced them to consider the worst-case scenario: what if the thieves succeeded in reawakening the ancient curses within these objects and unleashing them upon the world?

If it were just the other curses, their combined power might still be suppressible. But if the curse bound to the Ama no Murakumo were revived…

Cursed objects that underwent their adaptation rituals to merge with compatible individuals were ultimately limited in their potential. For example, the rampaging Tengu Shin had faced had far greater control over its abilities in its monstrous form than it ever had as a human.

However, if the sword’s unknown curse were to fully awaken, the consequences might be catastrophic.

“At that point,” Suzuki said grimly, “the only option would be to rely on someone from the Gojo faction. Of the four officially recognized special-grade sorcerers, three belong to that family, and the fourth has been overseas for years, paying no attention to domestic affairs.”

“In the best-case scenario, nothing happens—the thieves can’t figure out how to handle the sword. But in the worst case, if the curse resurfaces and is unleashed, the fallout would be beyond what we could bear. Sukuna, at least, is bound by his vessel and kept in check by Satoru Gojo. Even with those safeguards, people are terrified enough to want him eradicated entirely.”

“If this situation spirals out of control and leads to severe consequences, it won’t just be Gojo Satoru we’ll have to answer to. The internal infighting alone would utterly destroy us.”

After extensive debate, they finalized their next course of action. First, they decided to trade away the secret that couldn’t remain concealed for long. Their research had already hit a bottleneck, and the project, initially regarded with high hopes, had devolved into nothing more than a means of producing disposable fighters.

This outcome had already provoked dissatisfaction among some factions. Now that a major mishap had occurred, failing to resolve it quickly could threaten their standing.

Second, they intended to use the situation as leverage to negotiate for Gojo’s intervention while pursuing other approaches simultaneously. They also sought to win over the two remaining special-grade sorcerers. With Yuta Okkotsu currently overseas and out of reach, Shin Shuichi became their prime target for testing the waters.

They planned to gauge his response by offering various benefits, both material and intangible. After all, everyone has their desires or demands. They didn’t expect to fully sway Shin to their side—securing his assistance through a transactional deal would suffice.

Unlike Satoru Gojo, the leader of the reformists, Shin wasn’t bound by such lofty ideals. To these individuals steeped in power struggles, even the fact that they had recently schemed to nearly kill his juniors was inconsequential.

The Tengu mission served two purposes: it was genuinely challenging to resolve, and it provided a means for Shin to relay this information to Gojo. Meanwhile, they needed to make preparations of their own.

Suzuki Kazuya answered all of Shin Shuichi’s questions, except for highly technical details, without reservation. Upon gaining full insight into the situation, Shin concluded that the technique was indeed riddled with flaws. For one, the sorcerers it produced were of limited strength. The claim that they could reach Grade 1 sorcerer level seemed dubious at best. Shin chose to assume the worst-case scenario—that they could potentially create sorcerers beyond Grade 1, possibly even approaching special-grade, though this seemed improbable given the stringent conditions.

The process was constrained by significant limitations, explaining why they remained so passive before the Gojo clan. Not that Shin believed these artificial warriors could ever pose a real threat to someone like Satoru Gojo.

The method relied on the individual’s willingness to risk their life for power, came with drastically reduced lifespans, and required compatible cursed objects that, surprisingly, appeared reusable. Essentially, it was a blueprint for mass-producing disposable soldiers. Unfortunately, if this method were free of side effects and could empower ordinary people as sorcerers, it might even bring an end to curses altogether.

But that was a pipe dream. In reality, there weren’t enough cursed objects, and the severe side effects rendered the concept nearly untenable.

“Well, then, I’ll be on my way. No need to see me off; I’m in a hurry and can find my way back,” Shin said before departing.

---

Under the bright sunlight, waves and sandy beaches formed the perfect summer scene. But that idyllic picture was suddenly marred by symmetrical cracks, disrupting its harmony. As the cracks widened, it was as if an invisible door was being pushed open. From the fissure emerged Suguru Geto, a smile on his face.

Mahito and Hanami, lounging on beach chairs, turned to look at him. With an innocent grin, Mahito asked curiously, “So? Was it a success?”

Geto walked past Jogo, who now consisted of only a head as his body was still regenerating, making him appear unusually small. With a relaxed expression, Geto replied, “Of course. Not only was it a success, but there was also an unexpected bonus.”

“I never thought a trivial experiment from the past could bear such fruit. How amusing,” he murmured the latter part to himself, barely audible.

“What did you say?” Mahito asked, puzzled.

Jogo, his face dark with irritation, interrupted, “What about the trump card you mentioned? We only have one Prison Realm. Are you planning to use it on Gojo Satoru or that brat?”

Geto offered a helpless smile. “It’s not that simple."

Flames erupted from Jogo’s head. “Then what was all that talk about?”

Placing a finger to his lips, Geto gestured for silence. “I never said this was for awakening it. This is merely a key. At most, it will manifest a fragment—a partial shell. But that should suffice.”

“Living long enough to witness such fascinating developments... Human ingenuity truly is remarkable,” Geto mused, half to himself.

Stretching lazily, Mahito rose from his chair. “The next phase is still a while off, isn’t it? I’m going to find something fun to do. Call me if you need me.”

Opening a crack in the void, Mahito disappeared through it. Smiling faintly, Geto watched him leave.

“With these new variables, the plan’s success isn’t guaranteed anymore. I’ll need to devise a backup plan. But life’s unpredictability is something I’ve long grown accustomed to. In some ways, surprises have their own charm and beauty. How exciting.”