I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 240 Hisahito Itadori's Request

Besides the "Infinity Castle," Nakime also possesses a Blood Demon Art ability that allows her to create numerous eyeball-shaped objects to observe and monitor the outside of the Infinity Castle—functionally similar to Gaara's "Sand Eyes," but with more eyeballs and a wider field of vision.

Nakime deserves at least half the credit for Muzan and his group's ability to find Kagaya Ubuyashiki's residence.

Therefore.

Nakime was roughly aware of the major battle that took place that night.

She had always thought that Muzan was going to be killed this time, and that she would be buried with him, so she had been quietly staying in the Infinity Castle, closing her eyes and waiting for death.

But unexpectedly...

Muzan has actually survived all this time.

After several days of anxious waiting, she was dragged directly from the Infinity Castle by the former, who was then to be handed over to another person... This new master was none other than Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the one who had killed Kokushibo with a single strike.

For a fleeting moment, Nakime even felt that Muzan was unhappy that she had escaped death by relying on the Infinity Castle and wanted to use someone else to kill her.

—Muzan is capable of doing something like this…

However, driven by the desire to survive, Nakime cradled her biwa, prostrated herself in an even more humble posture, and whispered to Uchiha Hikaru.

"Your subordinate, Naruto, greets Yoriichi... Lord Hikaru. Please guide me."

"Yes, lift your head."

Uchiha Hikaru stroked his chin with one hand, scrutinized Nakime from head to toe for a few moments, then stepped forward and, looking down at her, gently brushed the hair from her forehead with the back of his hand.

The moment he saw the latter's true face, Uchiha Hikaru's eyelids twitched slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his face: "...The little thing is quite unique in appearance."

If you only look at her outstanding figure and fair skin, you might mistakenly think that Nakime is a great beauty.

But in fact...

It's certainly big enough, but whether it's "beautiful" is another matter.

Nakime's face lacked normal features, consisting only of a gigantic eyeball that occupied half of her face. Below that was a small, cherry-like mouth... If this appearance were brought to modern society, it would probably scare several people to death in no time; she could star in a horror movie without makeup.

"From now on, you can come with me. You don't need to worry about your baby-like ex-owner anymore."

"There's nothing I need you to do for now. I'll take you to see someone later."

Uchiha Hikaru said calmly.

Among Muzan's many subordinates, Nakime is considered to be one of the more loyal ones.

In the original storyline, she diligently maintained the Infinity Castle, faithfully executing all of Muzan's orders. It wasn't until the final battle, when she was controlled by Yushiro using runes, that she temporarily escaped his control, leading to Muzan forcibly destroying her brain and causing her death. In a sense, she is a typical example of someone who was used and then discarded.

For Uchiha Hikaru, the connection between Nakime and Muzan must be severed.

Otherwise, who knows if Muzan might suddenly lose his mind one day and have a sudden thought to kill Nakime? If that happens, even if Muzan is torn to pieces, it will be difficult to quell his resentment.

Hikaru Uchiha planned to first go to Tamayo to think of a way to see if he could follow her example and use medication to gradually free Nakime from Muzan's control.

As for further action, it's not too late to do so after we've made some progress in our research on Muzan.

……

A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the third day, Brand came over to say goodbye to Uchiha Hikaru and then went back first.

He took leave to come here. He had just spent a week or two in the Dragon Ball world a while ago, and he didn't want to stay too long this time.

Kikyo and the others are still around.

the other side.

After much deliberation, Tamayo finally approached Uchiha Hikari and expressed her willingness to accept her invitation.

As for Nakime, she will also help her with medication to gradually break free from Muzan's control.

This outcome was within Uchiha Hikaru's expectations.

She planned to bring Tamayo to Dr. Gero's place to work as his colleague, primarily in charge of the "Muzan Slice Project." She also wanted to keep an eye on Dr. Gero's movements, lest this scientific genius come up with some bizarre new inventions without her knowledge.

exactly.

The Demon Slayer Corps has now finished tallying up the casualties from the final battle.

After sealing the new corpses and souls into ice coffins and talismans, Uchiha Hikaru prepared to return to the Heavenly God to discuss the resurrection. He would decide whether it was Hikaru or the others who should go.

Just at this time.

Several new messages appeared in the chat group—

[Tiger of the West: Um, Ms. Hikari, Ms. Bulma, and Tanjiro, may I ask you a request?]

[Tiger of the West: I heard you guys mention before that something called Dragon Balls can revive others, and there's no limit to the number of people that can be revived. So... could you add one more person?]

[Bulma: Hmm? Did something happen to Itadori-kun?]

[Tiger of the West: ...I have a friend who was recently murdered...]

"friend?"

Inside the headquarters residence.

Uchiha Hikaru narrowed his eyes slightly and thought for a moment.

Yuji Itari has quite a few friends.

This sports student is the kind of person who's naturally outgoing and can chat with anyone. He also seems to possess a passive talent for creating "non-existent memories" in other people's minds, and he's incredibly loyal to his friends. If it weren't for the Sukuna within him, which led to him being targeted for extermination by the higher-ups in the sorcery world, he probably would have even more friends.

As for these friends, quite a few of them were murdered.

A small portion of them died in the Shibuya Incident, such as Nobara Kugizaki, who was also a disciple of Gojo Satoru.

The other half died in the final battle in Shinjuku, such as a certain so-called invincible strongest sorcerer, and another disciple of the former, Fushiguro Megumi.

But at this point in time...

Could it be a high school student who accidentally wandered into a world of sorcery?

As if to confirm Uchiha Hikaru's guess, Itadori Yuujin quickly sent out his next message:

[Tiger of the West: His name was Yoshino Junpei, a friend I recently met. He went to Rissaku High School. We even made a promise to go see "The Worm Man 4" together, but just last night, he was killed by a cursed spirit called Masato, right in front of me...]

Next, Hisahito Itadori spent some time recounting the events in general terms.

Uchiha Hikaru already knew this part of the story, even more thoroughly than Itadori Yuujin—after all, from Itadori's perspective, he didn't know Yoshino Junpei's experiences before meeting him—so he wasn't particularly affected.

But Bulma and the others had mixed feelings.

Kikyo: I see. A "cursed spirit" born from human negative emotions, huh? Sounds a bit like Naraku...

[Bulma: No matter how that thing came to be, what it did was disgusting! It treated other people's souls and bodies like toys, not even sparing high school students and young children who had nothing to do with the world of jutsu. What's the difference between this guy and Muzan Kibutsuji?!]

[Nameless: Hmm... to be honest, Muzan might be slightly better than him.]

That's the truth.

As a villain, Muzan Kibutsuji at least had some ideals and goals, but his values ​​were somewhat different from those of ordinary people.

The real beings in the world of sorcery are pure evil. Murder, deception, soul manipulation... these are all merely acts to increase the enjoyment of life. Emotions are a luxury for them. Therefore, it's not surprising that they would do terrible things.

Speaking of which...

Uchiha Hikaru was quite interested in the real man's "transformation of non-action" and wanted to see what kind of ability it was.

But now is not the time to talk about these things.

[Anonymous: Yoshino Junpei's situation might be a bit special, because he died after being turned into a cyborg by a real person. His soul and body were both severely distorted, and even the Dragon Balls might have difficulty reviving him... However, if it's really necessary, Kikyo and I can go and take a look for you to confirm the situation.]

[Yotsuya Miko: I can help if needed. Although I don't have the ability to fight those cursed spirits, my eyes should be able to see some things, such as the state of a soul.]

[Tiger of the West: Good.]

Hikaru Uchiha and Kikyo are currently at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters mansion.

After meeting and exchanging a few words with Esdeath, Erii, and the others, saying "I'll be right back," the two of them sent their applications to Hisahito Itadori.

An anonymous user requests entry into the world of the West Tiger.

[Kikyo requests entry...]

……

A flash of light.

Uchiha Hikaru closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the scene before him had changed.

As far as the eye can see, there is a wide and long corridor, as if it were inside a building. On one side of the corridor are rooms, and on the other side are windows. Through the half-open glass, you can see a sunny scene outside, with lush trees standing in the courtyard. Judging from the time of day, it must be summer.

"here it is……"

"It's Gojo Satoru's private residence, and it's also where I've been staying lately."

"?"

Uchiha Hikaru looked in the direction of the sound and spotted Itadori Yuujin a few meters away.

This guy's appearance is not much different from that in the anime, but he is a little shorter than Uchiha Hikaru had expected. She had thought he should be around 1.8 meters tall, but he was actually only a little over 1.7 meters tall—of course, this height is already considered very tall compared to her and Kikyo.

the other side.

Yuji Itadori was also curiously observing her and Kikyo.

Although he had been in the group for some time, Hisahito Itadori had not participated in any group activities and therefore had never met her or Kikyo. This should be considered their first meeting.

After a few brief pleasantries...

Kikyo chose to get straight to the point: "Mr. Itadori, where is that friend you mentioned now?"

"……plz follow me."

Hisahito Itadori made an inviting gesture and led the way.

On the way, he explained a few more things—

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit you all before. Actually, when I learned you were going to fight the 'demons,' I really wanted to help Tanjiro, but now I'm a dead man. Satoru Gojo-sensei arranged for me to undergo secret training here, and he comes to check on my progress every day, so I can't go out freely..."

Moreover, something very evil is sealed within me, the really evil kind, so evil that even I can't control it. If something goes wrong, it could cause unnecessary casualties...

"Oh?"

Uchiha Hikaru briefly recalled—

indeed.

Shortly after enrolling in the academy, Yuujin Itadori encountered a Special Grade Cursed Spirit during a mission with Megumi Fushiguro, forcing him to allow Sukuna to possess him and control his consciousness to kill Fushiguro. Later, because Sukuna wanted to kill Fushiguro, Yuujin Itadori decided to take Fushiguro down with him, resulting in Sukuna ripping out his heart and leaving him in a state of death.

However, as the "protagonist," he does have a bit of an aura about him.

So at the crucial moment, Sukuna pulled Itadori Yuujin's soul into the spiritual world, made a binding contract with him, and then resurrected him.

Hisahito Itadori himself did not remember this experience "after death".

Gojo Satoru, on the other hand, chose to conceal Yuuto Itadori's information from others and secretly train him, with the aim of protecting and nurturing him. It wasn't until the "Kyoto Sister School Exchange Meeting" that he was released as a secret weapon.

As for the Yoshino Junpei incident, it was a mission carried out during secret training.

"……I see."

After listening to Itadori Yuujin's account, Kikyo frowned slightly: "That thing called Sukuna, is it really an evil spirit? Can Hikari-san see his presence in Itadori-san?"

"cannot."

Uchiha Hikaru shook his head decisively.

The Sharingan enhances perception, but it doesn't grant X-ray vision. Furthermore, Sukuna is currently residing within Itadori Yuujin's body as a soul, similar to a Jinchuriki in the Naruto world. Even if it could truly see through things, it wouldn't be able to perceive Yuujin's form within his internal organs.

but……

If you really want to see him, it's simple. Just enter Hisahito Itadori's mental world.

In fact.

At this moment, Sukuna is likely observing her and Kikyo's presence through Itadori Yuujin's eyes.

"..."

Kikyo lowered her head, a thoughtful expression on her face, seemingly pondering how to lure Sukuna out and then eliminate him. Carrying this thing on her person all the time, while allowing her to utilize its power, didn't feel quite right.

"……arrive."

Yuji Itadori stopped in front of a room, pushed open the door, and said, "Please come in."

The air conditioning in the room was set very low.

As soon as the door opened, a chilly atmosphere rushed out.

After taking two steps inside, a corpse sealed in a freezer came into view.

"...This thing, is that Yoshino Junpei?"

(End of this chapter)