Chapter 169: Chapter 169 – Is He Really Sukuna?!
Amid the towering steel jungle, a white figure leaped swiftly between the high-rise buildings under the moonlight.
The howling wind rushed past, and Uraume's eyes widened in shock.
That man—there's no way he's Sukuna!
The real Sukuna would never laugh and chat so casually with those jujutsu sorcerers!
And that woman!
The real Sukuna would never treat a woman so gently!
That woman's fate should have been left to me. I should have carefully prepared her, cooked her into a fine delicacy, and presented her as an offering on Sukuna's table!
As these furious thoughts raced through her mind, Uraume hurried toward the planned meeting place with Kenjaku Hayato. Though by now, it was likely that only Kenjaku and Hanami were left.
The cold wind helped clear her head as she let out all her frustration.
Thinking about it calmly, there were too many mysteries surrounding this man called Hayashizaki.
The biggest question—why did he have the exact same cursed energy and technique as Sukuna?
When Hayashizaki used his technique to shatter Dagon's domain barrier, Uraume had been the only one who clearly saw his movements.
There was no doubt about it—he had used Sukuna's technique, the Divine Kitchen.
She had served Lord Sukuna for over a thousand years. There was no way she could mistake his cursed energy and techniques. That was absolutely certain.
But even she didn't know all of Sukuna's secrets. After all, she was just a subordinate—she only knew what she needed to know.
Could this be part of Sukuna's plan?
That thought surfaced in her mind, and the more she considered it, the more reasonable it seemed.
Because otherwise—who could possibly steal another person's cursed energy and techniques so perfectly?
That kind of ridiculous ability couldn't exist.
Uraume gradually calmed down. But she still couldn't be certain of anything just yet. At the very least, until she had more evidence, she couldn't recklessly approach this man called Hayashizaki.
With a sigh, she pressed her fingers against her temples.
For now, she needed to regroup with Kenjaku and Hanami. Maybe that man knew something.
The meeting place was a hot spring inn.
When Uraume arrived at the reserved room, she found a man with a stitched scar running across his forehead soaking in the open-air bath, wrapped in a towel and casually enjoying the warm water.
"Oh, you're here, Uraume." Kenjaku greeted her with a smile.
Uraume glanced around the room, but Hanami was nowhere to be seen. Her brows furrowed.
"Hanami is dead too?"
"Yeah. Gojo Satoru somehow got wind of our plans and rushed back to Jujutsu High from Shinjuku. Hanami bravely sacrificed himself to buy us time."
Kenjaku wiped away a nonexistent tear from the corner of his eye, pretending to be moved.
Uraume wasn't fooled for a second.
"Spare me the act. You abandoned Hanami and ran away, didn't you?"
Kenjaku shrugged, completely unbothered.
"Well, given the situation, I didn't really have a choice."
"Don't worry, we've got everything we need. There was just a little hiccup—there are only five fingers. I think the one I sent to Jujutsu High as bait somehow ended up in Gojo Satoru's hands, and he fed it to Itadori."
After all, in his mind, only someone as unpredictable as Gojo Satoru would do something like that.
"So, what about Jogo and Dagon?"
"They're dead."
"Huh?"
Uraume said it so casually that Kenjaku didn't react right away.
"What did you just say?"
"They're dead." Uraume repeated, this time adding more details. "Killed by a black-haired man named Hayashizaki."
"You serious?" Kenjaku raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Those two were both Special Grades. Jogo was even one of the strongest among them."
"They were both taken out by the same person?" He rubbed his chin, thinking. "Jujutsu High only has a few Special Grades, but I've never heard the name Hayashizaki before. Is he a newly recognized Special Grade sorcerer?"
"If that's the case, then he must be the one who killed Mahito too. And with his mastery of barrier techniques… his strength is probably second only to Gojo Satoru."
Hearing Kenjaku's analysis, Uraume let out a cold laugh and shook her head. "You have no idea what really happened. That man's power isn't on the same level as Gojo Satoru—it's on the level of Sukuna himself."
Kenjaku's interest was piqued. "Oh? What do you mean?"
Instead of answering directly, Uraume asked, "Have you ever seen someone completely take over or even copy another person's cursed energy and techniques?"
"Hmm... That sounds a bit like my technique, but I'm guessing that's not what you mean." Kenjaku paused, thinking.
After a moment, he shook his head. "Aside from myself, no."
"Wait—are you saying that man has Ryoumen Sukuna's technique?"
"Not just that." Uraume's expression grew serious. "Even his cursed energy is exactly the same as Sukuna's. And his cursed energy output… Even though he wasn't going all out in battle, my instincts tell me he might have Sukuna's full power at his peak."
"In other words, he is Sukuna himself… Hey, what's with that face?"
Seeing Kenjaku's expression—one that clearly said, "Are you messing with me?"—Uraume's face darkened.
She was delivering critical information, but this man was treating it like some kind of joke. Annoying!
She started wondering if Kenjaku was even a reliable ally.
The temperature in the room dropped sharply. A thin layer of frost formed on the ground, and even the surface of the warm Izumi water began to freeze over. Kenjaku quickly raised his hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright, my bad."
He stepped away from the freezing water and entered another room, changing into his usual five-layered robe. Sitting cross-legged at the low wooden table in the living room, he propped up his head with one hand.
"Let's assume what you're saying is true—"
"It is true! I saw it with my own eyes!" Uraume cut him off, fuming.
"Alright, alright, don't get so worked up. Y'know, for a woman, getting angry all the time can give you wrinkles."
"I don't care."
"…Okay then. If we assume this Hayashizaki guy really is on par with Sukuna at his peak, that means there are currently two Sukunas existing in this era."
As he spoke, Kenjaku reached into his robe and pulled out a small pouch. Inside were Sukuna's fingers and the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings that he had stolen from Jujutsu High.
"After all, the real Ryoumen Sukuna is still inside Itadori Yuji's body…"
"Wait a minute…"
Kenjaku trailed off, suddenly stopping mid-thought.
Something clicked in his mind, and he began connecting the dots with Uraume's information.
So that means… The recent surge in curse strength and the strange phenomenon of ordinary people awakening cursed energy…
Is it because two Sukunas exist at the same time?
…
(End of Chapter)
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