Jujutsu Kaisen: I was killed by Sukuna

It's been about a day since I hugged Daddy Toji—no, I'll just call him big bro now. 

Since then, I've been investigating and figuring things out. 

What I've learned is that this is the Zenin estate, and I'm just a random, unimportant Zenin with no connection to the clan head or anything like that. 

I have more cursed energy than the average person, but no cursed technique. I'm a sorcerer, but not the kind anyone would expect. In Zenin terms, I'm basically a dropout. That's what I seem to be. 

But I don't really care about that. I've been clinging to big bro, bothering him with this and that, and now here we are. 

Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts, but there's one thing I want to say… Good job, me. 

---

By the way, I'm currently in the training grounds—a place with a long (laughable) tradition of training the Zenin clan's sorcerers. 

And there… I've been doing nothing but strength training. 

Push-ups, sit-ups, swinging wooden swords—I've been focusing solely on physical training, completely ignoring things like cursed energy efficiency. 

The looks I get from the people around me are cold… 

Well, they're the type to openly say things like, "If you're not a sorcerer, you're not even human," so they're probably thinking I'm just a useless dropout wasting my time. 

"Shut up. If you're going to waste time looking down on others, spend even a second longer training and steadily improving yourself. In the jujutsu world, it's people like you who die first."

Except for Gojo and Sukuna… Seriously, what's up with those two? They're way too strong. 

---

"Hey, you over there." 

Still, the Zenin clan has really weakened… Back in the Heian era, there were so many Grade 1-level sorcerers, but now, at best, you've got trash like that scumbag old man. 

"Hey, you!" 

I'm not saying the current era is bad, but… it feels lacking. 

Maybe it's because back then, there were so many Nanami-level people on both sides, enemies and allies alike. The difference is striking. 

While doing one-arm push-ups, I ignore the voices and stares, reminiscing about the past… Speaking of which, I wonder how my little brother is doing after I died. 

He was such a cute kid. When he was little, he'd follow me around calling me "big brother," and as he grew up, he started calling me "brother" while still trailing behind me… What do I do? Now that I think about it, I'm overwhelmed with a sense of loss… 

Looking back, he was such a good kid—unbelievably kind for a Zenin. He was so different from that scumbag old man, even though they had the same technique. He was practically the Rengoku-san of the jujutsu world— 

---

"Don't ignore me, you trash…!" 

"Huh…?" 

Suddenly, I hear a voice—no, more like I feel a sharp, murderous intent. I turn my head toward it. 

A foot is coming at me with incredible speed. When I look at the attacker's face, I see a blond kid who looks vaguely familiar. 

(Oh crap…) 

Let me explain why I've been focusing on strength training. 

It's simple: to test my current physical abilities. 

The jujutsu world is a dangerous place. If you let your guard down, you'll get your head cut off. Even if you don't let your guard down, you'll still get your head cut off. It's a world where getting stabbed in the back by someone you thought was an ally is just normal. 

In a world filled with murderous intent, malice, and even more murderous intent, not knowing your own abilities is the most dangerous thing. 

So, I've been doing strength training to figure out what I'm capable of now. 

Well, I just concluded that my current abilities aren't much different from my childhood in my past life… But here's the problem. 

The problem is… I was fighting Sukuna right up until the moment I died. 

Do you get it? I was fighting the absolute top of the jujutsu world—no, the undisputed top—right until the end (and getting completely wrecked). 

Someone like that isn't going to return to a non-combat state just because they met their idol, enjoyed his abs, got a piggyback ride, and had their head patted for a day (my theory). 

In short… what I'm trying to say is… I can't hold back, even against weaker opponents. 

---

───Secret Technique: Falling Blossom Emotion. 

A technique that automatically counters cursed energy-infused attacks within a certain range… Like that scumbag old man, I used it for countering. 

In other words, it's a mechanism that automatically counters all cursed energy-infused attacks within a set range. I used it to counter… Why am I explaining this twice? 

I caught the cursed energy-infused leg between my elbow and knee the moment it entered my range, then crushed it with the momentum. 

---

"Gah───" 

Immediately after, as the attacker faltered from having their leg crushed, I drove a cursed energy-infused fist into their solar plexus. 

In that instant, my cursed energy turned black. 

---

───Black Flash. 

---

My consciousness accelerated. A sense of euphoria and omnipotence surged through my body. Without letting that high fade, my fist tore through the attacker's solar plexus and sent them flying. 

They crashed through the training ground's wall, even breaking through a small pond beyond it, before embedding themselves into the estate's wall. 

All of this happened in less than four seconds. 

---

......…Oh… Crap, I did it. 

The area erupted into chaos, which is only natural. 

In this house—no, in this era's Zenin clan, where no one knows how terrifying big bro is—no one would expect a dropout with no cursed technique to do something like this. No one could've imagined it. 

The noise around me grew louder and louder, like the buzzing of a crowd at a casino, spreading chatter and conversation──── 

"You bastard!!" 

For some reason, someone attacked me… Huh? Why? 

A grown man—well, not quite, but still twice my size—charged at me without hesitation, his fist infused with cursed energy. I was about to use Falling Blossom Emotion again, but it felt like too much trouble, so I simply dodged his punch and slipped into his guard──── 

"Take this!" 

With a light shout, I kicked him square in the groin with a cursed energy-infused foot. 

The kick crushed something with a sickening squelch, and the man's eyes rolled back as he foamed at the mouth, collapsing to his knees before falling flat on his back. 

---

"...Oh… Crap…" 

My second "oh crap" of the day echoed through the training grounds. At the same time, all the sorcerers around me started coming at me. 

Ten, twenty, maybe even thirty men were charging at me all at once. My eyes—no, my entire being—was probably dead at this point. 

…What do I do…? Fighting Sukuna has brought me some unexpected drawbacks… 

As I thought this, my body, acting against my will, casually prepared to face the trash in front of me. 

It was as if it was saying, "This'll be a good warm-up." 

Well… I'm only thinking of this as a warm-up too. 

───Secret Technique: Falling Blossom Emotion. 

Now then… What should I do…? 

As I listened to the groans around me, I sat down on top of one of the fallen sorcerers. 

My wrists were soaked in blood, my feet were caked in bloody mud and felt sticky and gross, and my entire body was covered in blood, making me feel heavy. 

Even my hair was matted with blood, making it feel rough and slightly painful. 

I had no injuries. I could use Reverse Cursed Technique, but there was no need—I was unharmed. 

But after fighting, I realized something: the Zenin sorcerers have really gotten weaker. At the very least, they weren't like this in the past. 

Maybe it's just that the past was full of monsters… As I lost myself in these thoughts, I heard footsteps behind me. 

---

"My, my, you've made quite a scene." 

I turned around to see an old man in traditional Japanese clothing. 

His mustache stuck out at a right angle, and his slicked-back, graying hair gave off a dandy-like aura. 

Ah, I recognized him immediately. He was such a memorable character that I remembered him well. 

Yes, that's right— 

---

"Zenin Frame Rate Uncle." 

"Hey, wait, who are you talking about?" 

---

Oh, my mistake. It was Zenin Naobito. 

I remember he was the 26th head of the clan. He's big bro's father, right? Or was it…? I'm not too familiar with that part… Or maybe I've just worn myself out from how intense the past was. 

As I made excuses to no one in particular, Naobito snorted and walked toward me, ignoring the sorcerers around him. 

If a sorcerer was in his way, he stepped on them. If he couldn't step on them, he kicked them aside to clear a path… Yeah, that's very Zenin of him. 

When he finally stood in front of me, he stared at me as if sizing me up──── 

---

"YOU───" 

"Hey, old man." 

I cut off Naobito's words and spoke up first, rudely and without any manners. I know it's impolite, but there was something I absolutely wanted to say to this man. 

---

"What is it, brat───" 

"Don't you think the recent trend of obsessing over frame rates and resolution is just… tasteless?" 

"I get it." 

---

At that moment, the smiles on our faces were undoubtedly full and genuine.