Chapter 93 — "It's Just a Flesh Wound"
BOOM!!
With a final, thunderous impact, Zen'in Shinsuke slammed Sukuna into the ground like a meteor.
The earth cracked, dust exploded skyward, and Shinsuke leapt high into the air.
War Stomp!
Both feet came down, crashing squarely into Sukuna's chest.
A wet crack echoed as the King of Curses vomited a mouthful of blood—then went limp.
The black markings covering Sukuna's body slowly dissolved, fading like ink in rain.
He had fallen.
Not in his prime, true—but defeated nonetheless, by a man with no cursed energy at all.
---
"Hahhh..."
Shinsuke exhaled heavily, steam drifting off his body as the red glow of his skin faded back to normal.
His tattered clothes hung off him in bloody shreds; each breath was ragged, his entire frame trembling.
He looked like hell—but he was standing.
"Damn, Sukuna... you really can take a beating."
A smirk tugged at his split lip.
If that had been the real, full-strength Sukuna—four arms, two sets for hand signs and two for combat—he might not have survived this fight.
---
"Gulp."
"Zen'in-sensei… are you okay?"
Kusakabe and the others approached cautiously, eyes darting between the wreckage.
Sukuna's mangled form looked barely human.
Then again—so did Zen'in Shinsuke.
"Sensei!!"
Maki ran forward, fists clenched. It was the first time she'd ever seen her master this wounded.
"Shoko-sensei! Please, help him first!"
"Yeah, Shoko-san, hurry!" Riko Amanai added, visibly shaken.
"He looks… terrifying like this!"
---
Shoko nodded, stepping forward. The amount of blood loss alone was alarming—she had to start treatment immediately.
But Shinsuke waved her off with a flick of his wrist.
"Check on Itadori first. He's barely breathing."
Everyone turned. Yuji's chest was sunken in, his heartbeat faint—his life hanging by a thread.
Sukuna, now unconscious, couldn't heal him.
As for Shinsuke himself—his wounds looked bad, but in truth, most were shallow.
The Heavenly Restriction that gave him superhuman vitality was already forcing the bleeding to stop.
Give it a little time and some food, he'd be fine.
After all, as he muttered with a crooked grin—
"Bah… it's just a flesh wound."
---
"Alright then."
Shoko crouched beside Yuji and activated her Reverse Cursed Technique, bathing his body in a soft green light.
Had Sukuna's cursed energy not shielded him in that final instant, Shinsuke's stomp would have crushed him outright.
---
"Uncle… what about Yuji?"
Megumi Fushiguro's tone wavered slightly.
He knew his friend too well—
Once Yuji woke and saw the devastation, the dead, the ruins of Shibuya…
he would blame himself for all of it.
"Talk him through it," Shinsuke said, brushing it off.
"You've got enough people here for that. The kid's tougher than you think."
He waved dismissively and turned toward a half-collapsed shopping mall.
"I'm gonna change. Can't be walking around looking like a beggar."
---
A low hiss escaped his throat as pain tore through his muscles.
The backlash from the Seventh Gate hit him hard—every fiber in his body screaming in protest.
He hadn't expected the recoil to be this bad.
Still, thanks to the Heavenly Restriction, his body was slowly regenerating.
He wouldn't need a hospital bed—just rest and food.
---
"Sensei! Your cursed spirit!"
Maki jogged up behind him, holding out the small, misshapen sphere that was Inventory Curse, his storage curse.
"Keep it," Shinsuke replied without looking back.
"Return it after this mess is cleaned up."
He'd only used it to carry his arsenal and spook Kenjaku a little.
Now that the battle was over, he saw no reason not to let his student have some fun with it.
---
"Thank you, Sensei!"
Maki's eyes lit up, pride and gratitude flickering beneath the soot and blood.
Behind them, Shibuya lay in ruins—
but for now,
the storm had passed.
Maki's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Sukuna was finally down, but Shibuya was still crawling with curses waiting to be exorcised.
And now she had her master's entire arsenal at her disposal.
Maybe... she'd finally get to test what true power felt like.
---
With Zen'in Shinsuke stepping away to recover, the group gathered to discuss what came next.
"Zen'in-sensei is an absolute monster," Kusakabe blurted, face still pale.
"He actually took Sukuna down! I swear, when I saw him pounding the King of Curses, I started thinking… maybe Sukuna's not that scary after all."
Nanami adjusted his glasses, his usually calm voice tinged with awe.
"Zen'in-sensei's technique—or rather, his physical art—is beyond comprehension. We knew he was strong… but not that strong."
The truth was hard to digest.
They were sorcerers who relied on cursed energy. Yet here was a man—born with none—who had just defeated the strongest cursed being in history.
It made the entire Jujutsu world feel like a joke.
And the Zen'in clan, once proud defenders of "cursed energy supremacy," now looked like the punchline.
---
Zen'in Naobito's expression twisted in complicated silence.
He'd seen enough.
"...Looks like our clan's traditions need revising," he muttered.
"All that talk of 'cursed energy above all,' 'techniques define worth'—nothing but rotting dogma."
He took a long swig from his flask, eyes hardening.
"It's time to make sure future generations of the Zen'in don't grow up hating their own bloodline."
---
"Alright," Principal Yaga spoke up, bringing order back to the group.
"Zen'in-sensei's done the impossible and taken down our biggest threat. From here on, things get simpler.
Next objectives—find the fake Geto, rescue Gojo Satoru, and purge every remaining curse in Shibuya!"
---
"Agreed," Nanami said with a nod.
"Fushiguro, Nobara—you two stay and watch over Itadori until he wakes up.
Naobito, you and Principal Yaga protect Shoko.
Everyone else, split into teams of two. Sweep the area and find Gojo-sensei."
The groups formed quickly:
Kusakabe and Panda
Nanami and Riko Amanai
The rest would secure the perimeter and tend to the wounded.
---
"Don't worry," Yaga added.
"I've already called Kyoto Jujutsu High. Their reinforcements are en route. Tokyo High's third-years are also heading our way."
With orders set, the teams scattered into the ruins.
---
"Hey, Fushiguro," Nobara swung her hammer with a grin, her voice restless.
"Why don't I go too? You can handle babysitting the patient, right?"
Her fingers twitched with anticipation.
After watching that earth-shattering battle, she was itching for a fight.
"There's bound to be a few curses left around. I'll just—y'know—take care of them."
Without waiting for permission, she dashed off, her laughter echoing through the broken streets.
---
Fushiguro sighed, staring after her.
"...Figures."
He looked down at Yuji, whose breathing had steadied, then turned toward Yaga and Naobito.
"Principal, Naobito-san—please keep an eye on Itadori. I'm going to help with the cleanup."
His wounds were mostly healed thanks to Shoko's Reverse Cursed Technique.
He wasn't on Zen'in-sensei's level, but against common curses, he'd hold his own.
He believed in Yuji.
The boy would wake up, face the truth—and come back stronger than ever.
---
"These students really do whatever they want," Shoko murmured dryly, wiping her hands after finishing Itadori's treatment.
Yaga chuckled, shaking his head.
"When have they not been like this?
Gojo's class was the same. Every generation thinks they're invincible."
---
"Hah! That's youth for you!"
Naobito tipped his flask, alcohol spilling down his chin as he laughed.
Even one-armed, he refused to give up drinking.
"But that kid Fushiguro—he's got the fire of a true Zen'in heir.
Mark my words, I'm naming him the next head of the clan when we get back."
His tone softened slightly.
It wasn't just about Fushiguro's potential—it was also about the brothers, Shinsuke and Toji.
If Megumi became head, maybe, just maybe… the Zen'in wouldn't tear itself apart completely.
---
A faint groan broke the quiet.
"...Where… am I?"
Everyone turned.
Itadori Yuji was sitting up slowly, surrounded by rubble and ruin, his expression dazed as he stared at what used to be Shibuya.
The weight of what had happened hadn't hit him yet—
but soon, it would.
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