Pact . 契闊

"Who... is Akagetsu?"

Ijichi stood stiffly near the doorway, his hands clenched into nervous fists as his gaze shifted between Gojo and Shoko. His brows furrowed with worry, but it wasn't for himself—it was for Naomi.

"Gojo-san..." His voice was hesitant, uncertain. "What about Naomi? How is she?"

Gojo finally looked away from Yuji's body, tilting his head slightly as if debating how much to say. His usual smirk was absent, replaced by something far more serious.

"She's stable. For now." His voice lacked its usual teasing edge. "Physically, she's fine—some bruises, burns, exhaustion, nothing major."

Ijichi exhaled a small breath of relief, but then Gojo continued, his tone dropping lower.

"But whatever happened back there... it drained her completely. She won't wake up for a while."

Ijichi blinked. "Drained? What do you mean?"

Gojo let out a soft sigh, ruffling his hair in mild frustration. "That's what I'd like to know. Naomi has always been... unique. But today, something was different." His expression darkened slightly. "Something awakened in her."

Ijichi stiffened. "You mean her cursed energy?"

Gojo's lips pressed into a thin line. "Naomi doesn't have cursed energy. At least, not in a way that makes sense." His fingers drummed against his arm. "But even without cursed energy, she was chosen to be part of all this. And today, she survived something that should have killed her."

His blindfolded gaze turned toward the hallway, as if looking through the walls, through the distance, where Naomi lay unconscious.

"I have a bad feeling the higher-ups will get involved soon."

Ijichi swallowed hard, remembering how Naomi had been forced into this mission in the first place. "They're already watching her closely, aren't they?"

Gojo smirked humorlessly. "Like a bunch of vultures waiting for a corpse to stop twitching."

Before Ijichi could ask anything else, a new presence entered the room.

Shoko stepped inside, pulling on a pair of gloves as she approached the examination table where Yuji's body lay motionless. She exhaled a long breath, reaching for the surgical tools beside her.

"Well, let's get this over with," she muttered, her tone void of emotion. "The higher-ups want the body disposed of immediately."

Gojo turned back toward her, his smirk sharpening into something more dangerous.

"Tch. Those old geezers really have no patience."

Shoko glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "And? Are you going to stop me?"

Gojo stood motionless, his arms crossed as he leaned against the cold wall of the morgue. His usual relaxed posture was deceptive—his fingers twitched, his jaw clenched, and his aura was anything but calm.

Ijichi had never seen him like this before.

Shoko, ever perceptive, didn't bother pretending not to notice. As she prepped her tools, she flicked a glance at Gojo, her expression unreadable. "You're pissed."

Gojo didn't answer at first. The silence stretched, suffocating the room.

Then, finally, he let out a low chuckle—humorless, sharp. "Pissed? No." He tilted his head, his blindfold barely hiding the glint of pure rage underneath. "I'm ready to kill every last one of them."

Ijichi swallowed. "Gojo-san—"

"First years," Gojo cut him off, his voice dangerously quiet. "They sent first years to a special-grade mission." He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Not just any first years—Yuji, Naomi, Megumi, and Nobara. Two of them are completely new to all this. And Naomi? She was thrown in without a choice. She didn't even want to be here."

His voice grew harsher with every word, his frustration boiling over.

"Those damn higher-ups knew exactly what they were doing." He clenched his fists, his cursed energy subtly crackling around him. "Yuji is dead. And now that they've gotten rid of him, their attention is all on Naomi."

Ijichi stiffened at the realization. Naomi.

Gojo's grip on his sleeve tightened. "They know I'm hiding something. They knew Naomi was different from the start, and now that she survived a special-grade, they'll want to test her even more." His lips curled in disgust. "Like some kind of experiment."

Shoko's hands paused for the briefest moment before she let out a slow sigh. "That's how they've always been."

Gojo's expression twisted. "Yeah. And I should've crushed them a long time ago."

His fingers flexed as though he were imagining it—breaking their fragile old necks one by one.

Ijichi looked at him in alarm. "Gojo-san, you can't—"

"Can't what?" Gojo's smirk returned, but it was deadly. "Can't kill them? Because I absolutely can."

The sheer weight of his presence filled the room, pressing down on the air itself.

Ijichi took a shaky breath. "If you do that, everything will fall apart."

Gojo turned his head slightly, his voice dipping into something colder. "Everything's already falling apart, Ijichi."

Another tense silence. Then, with a deep exhale, Gojo rolled his shoulders, pushing himself off the wall. "I won't act yet. Not until I know for sure what happened to Naomi back there."

His head tilted toward Shoko. "How long until she wakes up?"

Shoko sighed. "It's hard to say. She's injured and her energy is completely depleted. She wasn't using cursed energy, but something else entirely."

Gojo's lips pressed into a thin line. "I know."

Because he had felt it too—a presence not entirely Naomi's. His fingers curled slightly. Whatever it was... the higher-ups wouldn't leave her alone.

And he wasn't going to let them have their way.

Inside the pitch-black void of Sukuna's Domain, Yuji blinked, his vision adjusting to the eerie, flickering light of the torches lining the endless space. The oppressive air pressed down on him, and at the center of it all—Sukuna sat atop his grotesque throne, grinning.

"Yo, brat." His deep, taunting voice echoed. "Welcome back to my domain."

Yuji scowled, his fists clenching. "Damn it... so I really died, huh?"

Sukuna laughed, his sharp teeth glinting in the dim light. "You catch on quick. But don't worry, I'm feeling generous today. I have an offer for you."

Yuji gritted his teeth. "Like hell I'd agree to anything you—"

"Naomi."

The single name stopped Yuji cold.

His expression twisted into confusion. "What...?"

Sukuna's smirk widened as he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "Something happened to that little girl, didn't it?" His crimson eyes gleamed with intrigue. "That wasn't just her dodging around like some helpless fool. Something else took over."

Yuji's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about? Naomi doesn't even have cursed energy!"

Sukuna chuckled darkly. "And yet, something ancient surfaced within her. It wasn't her, but it was her. You didn't see it, brat, but I did." He tilted his head slightly. "I wonder... do you think she even remembers?"

Yuji's stomach twisted at the implications. "What the hell are you saying?"

Sukuna stood from his throne, towering over Yuji. "I'm saying Naomi Gojo isn't as ordinary as she seems. And the higher-ups? Oh, they're drooling to figure it out." He scoffed. "She'll be their next experiment now that you're gone."

Yuji's fists trembled. "Like hell I'd let that happen!"

Sukuna grinned. "Then let's make a deal."

Yuji narrowed his eyes. "What kind of deal?"

Sukuna stepped closer, his presence suffocating. "A simple pact, brat. You let me take over whenever I say 'Enchain.' In return, I won't harm your little friends, and I'll bring you back to life."

Yuji hesitated. His mind raced, weighing the risks.

Sukuna's smirk deepened. "Or... you can stay dead and leave Naomi to rot under their watchful eyes."

Yuji's teeth clenched, his heart pounding. He had no choice.

"Fine." He exhaled sharply. "I accept."

Sukuna let out a low, satisfied laugh. "Good. Now, wake up, brat."

And just like that—

Everything went black.

The sterile white walls of Shoko's morgue were silent, the tension hanging thick in the air.

Gojo stood off to the side, arms crossed, his blindfold concealing the exhaustion settling in his features. Yuji was dead. No heartbeat. No cursed energy. Nothing. Even Shoko had already prepared to cut into his body.

Ijichi lingered by the doorway, his face unreadable. He knew Gojo was furious, but there was nothing they could do now.

The silence was shattered when Yuji's fingers twitched. Then—his chest rose with a sharp gasp as he bolted upright, his eyes snapping open in panic. Air rushed into his lungs as if he had just come back from drowning.

Shoko stumbled backward, her breath catching. "What the—?!"

Iejichi's mouth fell open. "Impossible!"

Gojo, however, just smirked.

Yuji blinked rapidly, his head spinning. What just happened? One second, he was in Sukuna's domain and now...

His wide eyes darted around the room. "I... I was dead, right?"

Shoko's face was pale. "Yeah. You were very much dead."

Yuji lifted his hands in front of him, flexing his fingers. His heart was beating. His body was warm. He was alive.

Ijichi still hadn't recovered from the shock. "This—this isn't possible! He had no pulse!"

Gojo's smirk widened as he finally stepped forward, towering over Yuji. "Welcome back, kid."

Yuji looked up at him, his face still full of confusion.

Gojo just patted his head like nothing was out of the ordinary. "We've got a lot to talk about."

Megumi sat beside Naomi's bed, his elbows resting on his knees, fingers interlocked as he stared at the sleeping girl. Her face was peaceful now, but hours ago...

His mind wouldn't let go of the memory.

The way she had stood there, engulfed in flames that didn't burn her, her once-white hair turned a deep crimson, her eyes glowing molten gold. The way she had wielded that massive black and crimson great sword, slicing through the Special Grade like it was nothing. The way she had spoken in a voice that was not hers.

Who the hell was that?

Even now, Megumi could still feel the lingering heat from her flames. The air had been suffocating, not just from the intensity of her cursed energy but from the sheer weight of whatever had awakened inside her.

His jaw clenched. That wasn't Naomi. At least, not the Naomi he knew.

He replayed the moment over and over, looking for an explanation, something to rationalize what had happened—but nothing made sense. Naomi had never shown signs of cursed energy before. Hell, she wasn't even supposed to be here.

His fists tightened. The higher-ups... They had forced her into this.

And now, she was lying unconscious, her body barely stable after whatever the hell that was. The door creaked open, breaking Megumi from his thoughts.

Gojo stepped in.

His usual carefree demeanor was absent, replaced by something more serious, more calculating. The moment his eyes landed on Naomi, something flickered behind his blindfold, but he said nothing about it. Instead, he focused on Megumi.

"How is she?" His voice was calm, but Megumi could tell he was holding back something.

Megumi exhaled through his nose. "Stable. But she hasn't woken up."

Gojo stepped closer, standing at the foot of the bed. He studied Naomi for a moment before sighing. "I figured as much."

Megumi's eyes narrowed. "You are hiding something, Aren't you?"

Gojo didn't answer right away. Instead, he placed a hand on Naomi's forehead, as if checking something. A second later, he straightened up, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Not exactly." His voice was lighter now, but Megumi wasn't fooled. Megumi clenched his jaw. "Cut the crap. What happened to her?"

Gojo tilted his head. "That's what I'm here to find out."

Megumi stayed silent, watching as Gojo's expression flickered between amusement and something far more dangerous.

"But..." Gojo finally said, "I think the higher-ups just got more than they bargained for."

Megumi hesitated before speaking, his fingers gripping the fabric of his pants. "Who... is Akagetsu?"

Gojo, who had been watching over Naomi, suddenly froze. For the first time since walking in, his entire demeanor shifted—his usual ease disappearing in an instant. His head turned toward Megumi, though his blindfold concealed his expression.

The silence stretched between them before Gojo finally spoke, his voice quieter than before. "Where did you hear that name?"

Megumi watched him carefully. Gojo was stunned. That reaction alone told him that whatever Naomi had become, it wasn't normal.

Gojo exhaled, his tone unreadable. "Akagetsu... hasn't been spoken of for centuries. It shouldn't even exist anymore." His words made something twist in Megumi's stomach.

Gojo took a step closer. "Why are you asking?"

Megumi's jaw tightened as he forced himself to say it. "Because Naomi... killed the Special Grade."

Gojo didn't react right away. He's been telling the higher ups that it was Sukuna who killed the special grade and he knew it well that it was not.

"She transformed," Megumi continued, his voice steady but his hands trembling slightly. "Her hair turned deep red. Her eyes were molten gold. She was holding this massive black and crimson sword—Hinokiba. And she didn't just use cursed energy... it felt like something else entirely."

Gojo's lips parted slightly, but he didn't speak.

Megumi leaned forward, his expression dark. "She called herself Akagetsu before she collapsed."

Gojo exhaled slowly, tilting his head slightly as if debating how much to say. "Akagetsu... is a name tied to something that should've been long gone. Something that should've never resurfaced."

Megumi frowned. "You're saying it's not just a technique?"

Gojo let out a short, humorless laugh. "If only it were that simple."

He stepped away from Naomi's bedside, crossing his arms. "What you saw—that was just a glimpse. A fragment of something much bigger, something that even I don't fully understand."

Megumi absorbed his words carefully. So Naomi had always had this power... but it had been sealed?

Gojo sighed. "If the higher-ups were hoping to test her, they might've just sped up something that should've stayed buried."

Megumi's gaze flickered to Naomi, her chest rising and falling steadily in sleep. "So, it's fire, right? That's what I saw—flames strong enough to turn a Special Grade into ash."

Gojo was silent for a beat before turning slightly, his usual playful smirk returning, but there was something off about it.

"Fire is just the beginning."

His words hung in the air, making Megumi tense. The way he said it... it meant there was more.

Much more.

Megumi's Divine Dogs are sniffing out non-voters. If I were you, I'd hit that button fast.