Jujutsu Kaisen: I have everything I need now!

Tokyo Higher Education Institute, conference room.

The morning sun was exceptionally bright, but it couldn't penetrate the heavy atmosphere inside the room.

A long table was surrounded by the most powerful fighters in the world of sorcery. Gojo Satoru sat at the head of the table, rhythmically twirling a black marker in his hand. Maki, Otsuko, Panda, and Inu-maki sat in order.

On the other side of the table was the "wounded group," who had just survived a life-or-death ordeal.

Yuji Itadori was stuffing rice balls into his mouth, his cheeks bulging, but his eyes were focused. Nobara Kugizaki was resting her chin on her hand, idly tapping the table with her other hand.

The most eye-catching figures were the two sitting opposite Gojo Satoru.

Tian Xiang Zhen Yi, Fushi Hei Hui.

Actually, there are three people, plus one person who is not seen by everyone on the first day of December.

Mayi sat with her legs crossed, holding the "Black Queen" in her hand. December 1st leaned against the wall behind her, arms crossed. Fushiguro Megumi sat on the corner of the table, the dark red cracks on her face looking somewhat eerie under the indoor light.

"Everyone is here."

Gojo stopped twirling his pen and pressed the tip heavily on the whiteboard.

"Let's begin. The operational meeting regarding 'Shadow Hunting'."

"What a corny name," Kugizaki muttered under his breath.

"Don't worry about the details." Gojo Satoru pointed to several photos on the whiteboard, which were mask patterns copied from ancient books, as well as information compiled by the assistant supervisors overnight.

"Currently, we have identified four entities: Troll, Claw Hunter, Nightbat, and Shadow Eater. However..."

Gojo Satoru's gaze swept over the crowd.

"I have some bad news to tell you all."

As he spoke, he took a new report from the pile of documents on the table and pasted it next to the photo of the "Shadow Eater" mask.

This is a somewhat blurry screenshot from a surveillance camera, full of noise, but there is a remarkably clear, comical, big-headed doll on it.

"This is the report I received this morning. It's the same individual as the shadow-devouring monster in Shinjuku; it's appeared again."

"Huh? It reappeared?" Itajimaru's eyes widened, almost spitting out his rice ball. "Are you kidding me! Is this thing infinite?"

The voice of the new moon rang in Mayi's ears, and was then relayed to everyone present through Mayi's clear, cold voice.

"The Shadow Eater's characteristic is 'constantly devouring and growing.' Last time, it was a special individual that was artificially catalyzed. As for the mask on it, it was probably fake. The real mask should have already been obtained by Lu Suo. He is releasing them again now, probably to disrupt us."

"In other words, not only are these things not completely dead, but there are actually more of them." Maki frowned, her fingers tightening around the hilt of her sword. "This is troublesome. The underground terrain is complex, and large-scale destructive spells are simply impossible to cast, otherwise it would cause the ground to collapse."

"That's right, so the Shadow Eater Group's level has been raised to level one." Gojo Satoru drew a question mark on the photo.

"Then, the remaining objective is clear."

Gojo Satoru wrote four names on the whiteboard.

Samurai, Alien, Mantis, Shadow Eater.

"Lu Suo's ritual in the dragon's lair was interrupted, and although he was injured, he certainly won't be idle. Apart from Shadow Eater, the other masks are currently ownerless or driven by instinct, frantically searching for hosts to restore their power. We must retrieve or destroy them before he recovers."

"This is our next task."

He pointed to a red circle on the map—the Aokigahara Forest.

"Based on Fushiguro's intelligence, we've confirmed that there's definitely a mask here. Its current location is in the forest at the foot of Mount Fuji. That place was originally a suicide hotspot, filled with resentment, and with the shadow power emanating from the mask... it's probably become a 'city of the dead' by now."

"The City of the Dead..." Fukuro Megumi repeated the word in a low voice. His right hand unconsciously rubbed the back of his left hand. He could feel the remaining power of the Shadow King within him stirring restlessly. The provocation coming from that direction was like an alarm etched into his nerves, constantly stimulating him.

"Our main attacker this time is Megumi." Gojo Satoru looked at Fushiguro. "After these few days of intensive training, are you confident?"

Fukuro Megumi raised her head, and the hesitation in her deep green eyes was gone, replaced by a chilling killing intent.

"no problem."

"I'll go too." Itadori immediately raised his hand and sprang up from his chair. "Fukuguro has just recovered, and I'm worried about him. Besides, I want to try out the techniques I recently mastered."

"Count me in." Kugizaki toyed with the nail in his hand, a smug smile playing on his lips.

"Very good." Gojo Satoru nodded in satisfaction. "Then the first-year trio will be in charge of this operation."

"etc."

May suddenly spoke. She retracted the "Black Queen," leaned forward slightly, and looked directly at Gojo Satoru.

"I'll go too."

"Mai?" Maki paused, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. "Are you sure? That new gun is putting a lot of stress on you, you..."

"I'm fine." Zhenyi interrupted her sister, pointing to the air behind her. "Besides, that guy will protect me."

Gojo Satoru stroked his chin, his pale blue eyes narrowing slightly behind his sunglasses as he pondered for two seconds.

"That makes sense. That mysterious power is the best trump card against the Shadow. With you all here, it's like having double insurance. Let's add Zhenyi then."

"As for the others..." Gojo Satoru looked at Otsuko and Maki, "Yuta, Maki. You two stay at the high school and keep a close eye on the movements of the other three masks. Especially that Shadow Eater group that's been running rampant underground. I need Iji Chika to send 'Window' to keep an eye on the flow of cursed energy underground in Tokyo. Once it shows up, we'll immediately carry out a targeted elimination."

"Understood," Yi Gu nodded in agreement.

"Mission codename—[Cherry Blossom]." Gojo Satoru clapped his hands, ending the brief but deadly meeting. "Let's go, everyone. Don't keep our guests waiting in the woods."

……

On the highway leading to Yamanashi Prefecture.

The black van sped by.

Inside the carriage, Itadori was wiping his boxing gloves with a coarse cloth, while Kugizaki was resting with his eyes closed. Fushiguro Megumi, on the other hand, kept staring at the scenery rushing past the window. The cracks on his face were reflected in the windowpane, and those cracks seemed to breathe, rising and falling slightly.

Zhenyi sat in the last row, holding a piece of dark chocolate in her hand.

"You seem nervous?" December noticed Zhenyi's slightly rapid heartbeat.

"A little." Mai chewed on her chocolate, her voice low so only the two of them could hear, "I'm not sure if Fushiguro can control that power."

"Are you afraid he'll lose control and go berserk?"

"Hmm." Mayi glanced at Fushiguro's retreating figure. "That 'assimilation' plan, although it was your idea, was also a gamble with his life. What if he's attacked by the remnants of the mask's consciousness during the battle..."

"I told you, I would kill him."

The voice of the new moon in December was calm, so calm it was almost cold.

Mayi's fingers trembled slightly, but she quickly clenched her fist.

"I know."

"arrive."

The driver's voice interrupted everyone's thoughts.