"Why's it raining out of nowhere?" Fushiguro Megumi muttered, peering at the sky. The others followed suit.
Shikami stood frozen, dazed.
"Hanami… Hanami's dead. That Hanami actually died…"
Unthinkable. Hayashi—what kind of monster was he? Barb Croc burned its life to wear him down, then Hanami piled on—and he still wasn't finished.
The sky wept, as if mourning Hanami's fall. Rain poured, pooling in craters and dips.
The withered earth and trees stirred—new buds sprouted from the soil.
Roar!
Through the downpour, the special-grade cursed spirit Sturgeon Hawk dove at Shikami.
"Mission failed?" Shikami's face twisted. It caught Sturgeon Hawk's message.
Mahito and Geto Suguru flopped—didn't snag Sukuna's fingers or the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings. This whole op—total bust.
"Damn it!" Shikami's expression soured. This was a high-risk gamble anyway—Hayashi had already trashed their earlier plan.
The finger at Junpei Yoshino's place had been rigged—trackable.
Once Jujutsu High retrieved it, they'd store it in Tengen's thousand-door barrier, leading to the rest of Sukuna's fingers and the Death Paintings.
But Hayashi screwed it—snagged Sukuna's finger himself. Plan B kicked in.
This time: wipe out Jujutsu High's students and Hayashi, gut Japan's rising jujutsu talent.
Then snag Sukuna's fingers and Death Paintings some other way.
Except—this battlefield tanked, and Mahito's side bombed too.
This trip cost them Barb Croc, Hanami, and Juzo Kumiya.
Juzo? Whatever. But Barb Croc and Hanami—top-tier fighters—died at Jujutsu High's hands. Hayashi's hands.
If Jogo and Dagon found out back home, who knows what'd blow up.
Whoosh!
Sturgeon Hawk's claws seized Shikami, hauling it skyward, fleeing.
"It's running!" Yuji Itadori shouted.
"No chase. We can't take it down quick—check on everyone first," Todo Aoi snorted at the sky. They'd lost hard.
"Why didn't you jump in!?" Shikami snapped midair.
With Sturgeon Hawk, it wouldn't have been this bad.
Sturgeon Hawk signaled back. A special-grade, sure, but speech wasn't its forte. Its method mimicked Hanami's—cursed spirits like them could decode it.
Shikami fumed. Sturgeon Hawk got a last-minute gig: monitor and reinforce the barrier, keep Gojo Satoru out.
This was a dual-layer barrier—inside and out, self-sustaining. Even Gojo couldn't crack it fast without a cost.
Hanami was the linchpin—its body held a key component. As long as it stayed inside, the barrier held tight.
Hanami dies? Barrier weakens. Mahito and Geto's gig collapses—so it's gone.
"Get out of here—I'm done with this hellhole," Shikami growled, grief and rage mixing.
As they sped off, Shikami's pupils dilated. Ahead—a white-haired man hovered.
Gojo Satoru clapped his hands, floating, facing Sturgeon Hawk and Shikami. "Technique Amplification—Blue!"
"Technique Reversal—Red!"
"Hollow—Purple!"
They fused—an instant vortex of purple-black energy, warping space.
Sturgeon Hawk and Shikami had no time—too sudden, too fast.
Shikami's heart sank. They were dead too. This fight—a total, crushing defeat.
Could cursed spirits never thrive? Never rule?
Roar~~~
Sturgeon Hawk bellowed, releasing its claws.
"No!" Shikami caught its intent—saving it by taking the hit.
Cursed energy erupted from Sturgeon Hawk. Wings flared huge, glowing cyan, shielding the sky—every ounce of power churning.
All it had—to block Gojo's strike.
Shikami's heart broke, helpless. Midair, it couldn't steer or aid Sturgeon Hawk.
One last look—white light flashed in its eyes. Fur surged, cocooning it like a drill, plunging into the ground—gone in a blink.
Simultaneously, Gojo's Purple morphed into a massive circular black-hole blast.
It hit Sturgeon Hawk in a flash. It threw everything to resist—useless.
The force turned it to ash—no scraps left.
Lightning shattering darkness!
Ripples of distorted technique lingered in the air.
The students, far off, saw it. Hayashi's strength was fierce—Gojo's was visceral.
Invincible domination—wiping a special-grade in seconds. Hayashi couldn't match that. Strong as he was, Gojo was miles ahead.
Rain kept falling. The scarred earth below showed signs of rebirth.
Everyone exhaled—the nightmare was over.
Short, but brutal. Hayashi carried the load—without him, they'd have died before Gojo arrived.
This battle, this incident, etched Hayashi deeper into their minds, shifting perceptions.
Eyes on him turned complex.
They all knew: the future might hinge on Hayashi—Gojo's heir. Jujutsu's world could pivot on this kid.
No other reason—just his talent at this age, unmatched, save for Gojo.
Even Yuta Okkotsu and Kinji Hakari couldn't touch him back then.
Hayashi: jujutsu's future hope.
A cursed spirit's bane—a jujutsu sorcerer's prize to nurture.
Good or bad?
[Killed Special-Grade Cursed Spirit: +295 Points]
Hanami's points—banked.