Chapter 94 — Reinforcements Arrive: Yuji vs. Mahito
When Yuji Itadori finally regained consciousness, the sight before him felt unreal.
A massive crater stretched out before his eyes, surrounded by twisted metal and shattered buildings.
The once-bustling streets of Shibuya were now nothing but a wasteland.
For a few seconds, his mind went blank.
Is this… Shibuya?
Then, like shards of broken film, the images returned—
Sukuna's rampage.
The city crumbling under his power.
Zen'in Shinsuke fighting like a monster from another world.
Yuji's hands trembled, then clenched into fists so tight that his nails pierced the skin. Blood dripped between his fingers.
"...Sukuna."
His voice was low—hoarse and trembling with rage.
---
"You're awake, Itadori."
Principal Yaga's calm voice broke through the silence.
Seeing the fury on Yuji's face, he sighed quietly.
"Itadori… whatever happens, we'll talk about it once this whole incident is over."
Yuji blinked, snapping out of his daze.
Right—this wasn't the time to fall apart.
He couldn't turn away.
He couldn't ignore the lives Sukuna had taken while using his body.
He had to take responsibility.
And he had to fight.
---
"Principal Yaga!" Yuji shouted, eyes blazing.
"Everything Sukuna did—every death—I'll bear it all!
Even if it kills me… I'll take full responsibility!"
He stood tall despite the pain, fists trembling.
"Right now, I'm going back to the battlefield!"
Yaga hesitated, his expression complicated.
"...Go," he finally said.
He didn't stop him.
Sukuna had killed thousands. The higher-ups would demand retribution—and as Sukuna's vessel, Yuji was already marked for execution.
Only Zen'in Shinsuke had the authority and power to defy that decree… and no one knew whether he'd choose to.
Still, Yaga couldn't bring himself to crush the boy's resolve.
So he let him go.
---
Yuji sprinted into the distance, heading straight for the chaos—
unaware that his next opponent would be Mahito, the curse who mirrored his very soul.
---
Meanwhile, the sky over Shibuya split with the roar of aircraft engines and the rush of cursed energy.
Reinforcements had arrived.
"Man, this is insane…"
Kinji Hakari whistled as he stared at the destruction.
"Shibuya looks like it got nuked."
"Principal Yaga, Shoko—what's the current situation?"
Utahime Iori arrived with the Kyoto students and third-years from Tokyo, Todo Aoi among them.
Even they were stunned by the devastation.
If Gojo Satoru had been sealed… the scale of this incident was beyond anything in recent history.
---
Yaga gave a brief, grim report.
"The situation is complicated.
Gojo Satoru's been sealed by the fake Geto Suguru.
We haven't located his position yet.
Shibuya is still crawling with curses and modified humans."
"Understood," Utahime replied firmly.
"We'll split up and assist with the sweep."
---
"I don't care about that," said Todo Aoi, stepping forward, his voice booming.
"I only care about my best friend—Yuji Itadori! Where is he?"
Yaga blinked, then silently pointed.
"He went that way."
"YOSHA! I'm on my way!"
Todo slammed his palms together and dashed off in Yuji's direction before anyone could stop him.
---
"Oi! That idiot's not even waiting for orders!" Utahime snapped.
Kamo shrugged, adjusting his tie.
"Let him go. At least he'll be useful.
If he runs into a curse, he'll punch it into next week."
Utahime exhaled, resigned. "Fine. The rest of you—spread out!
Find Geto Suguru's imposter and locate Gojo-sensei!"
With that, the Kyoto students surged into the ruins, fanning out through the wreckage.
---
"Principal Yaga, where's Zen'in-sensei?"
Hoshi Kirara asked curiously.
"He's… resting, I think," Yaga said after a pause.
"After fighting Sukuna, I imagine his energy's pretty much spent."
He adjusted his glasses.
Truthfully, he wished Shinsuke could help retrieve Gojo, but after defeating the King of Curses himself, no one could fault him for taking a break.
---
"He defeated Sukuna?"
Hakari grinned, scratching his chin.
"Man, that's our teacher for you. Absolute legend."
"Alright then," he said, turning to Kirara with a cocky grin.
"Let's go, partner. Time to clean up this mess."
The pair set off, vanishing into the haze.
---
When the last team disappeared into the distance, the streets finally fell quiet.
Shoko glanced toward the crater where Yuji had awakened.
"Hey," she said softly, "why don't we go too? Sitting here doing nothing's boring—and with you and Naobito here, it's not like we're defenseless."
Yaga thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright. But we stay away from the front lines.
If Geto's really behind this, I want everyone alive when we find him."
He turned to Naobito, who was refilling his gourd.
"Naobito-san—you don't mind coming along, do you?"
The old man smirked, one arm still in a sling, sake dripping down his chin.
"Heh. You'll need someone to keep you brats from dying. Lead the way."
Even with Principal Yaga's group together, he knew—if anything went wrong, their safety wasn't guaranteed.
Having one more powerful Grade 1 sorcerer could mean the difference between life and death.
---
"Heh, fine by me," Naobito Zen'in said, letting out a lazy hiccup between sips of sake.
"I've been curious about the bastard who managed to seal Gojo Satoru. Let's go see what kind of freak he is."
Truthfully, tagging along was better than sitting around drinking.
The mission wasn't over yet—and if he disappeared early, the higher-ups would probably find an excuse not to pay him.
So, humming drunkenly, Naobito joined the search.
---
Not long after, Zen'in Shinsuke reappeared, his usual calm returning.
He had washed the blood off his body and found a fresh set of clothes—"free" from a destroyed department store nearby.
Even so, his skin was still covered in cuts and scars, a roadmap of pain carved by Sukuna's slashes inside the Domain.
It would take days to fully heal.
Shoko could have easily mended him with Reverse Cursed Technique, but Shinsuke refused.
He wanted to recover on his own—to push the limits of the Heavenly Restriction and strengthen his body even further.
If pain was the price of evolution, he was willing to pay it.
---
Closing his eyes, he extended his senses—his superhuman perception sweeping across Shibuya like radar.
Several powerful cursed presences flared in the distance.
A smirk crept across his face.
"Plenty of curses left," he muttered. "Would be a waste not to collect a few."
Kenjaku had flooded the city with curses for the sake of Gojo's seal.
Well, now that the plan had failed, they were all just… free experience.
With that, Shinsuke turned toward the strongest signatures and started walking—hands in his pockets, posture relaxed, eyes glinting with quiet amusement.
---
At the same time, deep beneath Shibuya—
fate's threads intertwined once more.
Yuji Itadori crossed paths with Mahito.
The moment their eyes met, the air itself seemed to tighten.
No words. No hesitation.
Only killing intent.
They lunged.
"BANG!!"
Mahito's laughter echoed through the underground as the two clashed, flesh against cursed energy.
It quickly became clear—Yuji was outmatched.
After only a few exchanges, Mahito overwhelmed him completely.
"Hahahahaha!"
Mahito slammed Yuji into a concrete wall, smiling with gleeful cruelty.
"What's wrong, Yuji? Don't tell me you came here thinking this was some heroic battle between good and evil?"
He twisted Yuji's arm, slamming him again into the ground.
"I'm a curse, you fool!"
"This isn't about justice and evil—it's war!"
Grabbing Yuji by the collar, he hurled him across the corridor like a rag doll.
When Yuji tried to rise, Mahito pinned him with a foot to the chest.
"This is what you call a collision of justice! Whoever wins… becomes the truth of this world!"
He leaned down, smiling with mock affection.
"Yuji Itadori… you are me."
---
Mahito's tone dropped into a cruel whisper.
"I kill without hesitation—just as you save without thinking."
"This war will decide which of us deserves to exist in the world a hundred years from now.
Don't you get it yet, Yuji?"
He grinned wide, eyes glowing with manic delight.
"If you don't even understand your own resolve… how can you ever hope to win?"
His arm writhed and twisted grotesquely, forming into a long, curved scythe.
He raised it high, voice dripping with arrogance.
"I never bother counting how many humans I've killed—
just like you don't keep track of how many curses you've exorcised!"
The scythe gleamed under the flickering lights.
"I think I'll find something even more interesting soon...
and when I do, I'll forget all about you."
With a swing of his arm, Mahito brought the blade down toward Yuji's neck.
---
But before it could strike—
Clap!
A sharp, echoing sound rang through the vast, empty underground chamber.
Mahito froze.
Yuji's figure vanished from in front of him.
A calm, heavy voice followed—soft, but carrying immense weight.
"...My best friend."
---
From the darkness, a familiar silhouette stepped forward—
Aoi Todo, his hands still tingling from the clap.
And in that instant—Mahito realized the real fight was only just beginning.