Chapter 22

Meanwhile…

Yuuji and Junpei sat alone in the forest. "So… nothing is coming to mind?" Yuuji asked.

Junpei shrugged. "I can't even call upon the shikigami I had before… but I sort of feel it…" he muttered.

Yuuji could sense his curse energy, it was strong he does admit, but what he could he use it for? "Is there anything different about your body since you woke up? Anything odd? Other appendages? Mouths?" he asked.

Junpei suddenly looked embarrassed. "Yeah…" he muttered. Rolling up his shirt, he revealed on both sides of his body, there were large mouths! He could control them at will, but doesn't know why they are there. Yuuji took a closer look at it, and wondered.

"STOP THAT CURSE!" suddenly he snapped to his feet, one of the finger bearers Suiryu kept for training came running at them! Yuuji was at the ready until Junpei cut him off.

He went for the strike!

He hit him right in the core, his stomach punched out as the blood began to ooze out of the curse. That was when it happened. The blood from it began to drift, as if it were drawn towards Junpei. It soaked into his shirt, but then, he lifted it… the mouths were taking it all in!

"You okay?!" Yuuji asked with worry.

When the blood was drained, Yuuji crushed the head in of the creature before turning back to Junpei. He held his stomach oddly. "Junpei?" he asked again.

His belly moaned aloud until his the palms of his hands itched. They opened up, revealing two smaller mouths and regurgitated the blood! The crimson flow never hit the ground, instead, it merely hovered around him like his former shikigami. He was startled to it, but at the same time, found his curse ability. "You take in blood and convert it?"

"I think so… but… why?" he wondered.

"Let's go back to the others and see if we can get another perspective on it."

Junpei called the blood back in, they went to the brothers and dragged the curse along with them. "Brothers, I think Junpei's ability is just waking up. But we need some help to determine what it's for." He explained.

He demonstrated by unleashing the blood he took in from the curse, as it flowed around him, he felt it oddly resonate with the brothers. "Wait…" Junpei said as he paused oddly. "Tanso… do you feel a connection to it?" he asked.

Tanso was stunned, yet nodded. He approached with caution as Junpei formed the blood into a ball. "Wanna try it?"

Once more the brother nodded as he place his hand on the blood. From there it quivered as a symbol appeared in the crimson. 'Lion'

The blood then took shape, forming into a lion before their eyes! It took all the blood Junpei had but Tanso wasn't the least bit tired from it. "This would have taken everything out of you!" Junpei said with amazement.

"So, you can convert the blood to match that of the brothers…" Yuuji said with fascination. "Hmm, does this mean the other brothers can use it too? So it wouldn't be taking too much out of them?" he asked.

"We need to test this!" Sho said with great excitement. "Little brother, are you willing to try it out?"

He smiled and nodded. "The sooner I know how to do this, the better," he decreed.

It became a blood bath in a sense.

They each took a finger bearer and tore them limb from limb! Junpei took in all he could, so far, his limit was eight finger bearers of blood. But when he was full of it, they tested it out. He converted it all and then brought it out. They knew it worked with Tanso, Choso went next as he placed his hand on the crimson, instantly, the blood sharpened into arrows and blades at his command! Eso is able to turn it into a rot poison, Sho could consume it, but the power wasn't transferable compared to his other method. Sanso could create armor and weapons with great ease and on a massive production scale. In return, Noranso, Kotsuso and Shouoso could use the remains for their own abilities.

They all work together!

"This is amazing to see such a thing up close…" Yuuji said with great fascination. "Junpei, are you okay with it?"

Junpei suddenly feel silent, as he took one of the globs into his hands, then, he suddenly began to manipulate it. First he turned it into a jellyfish… then deconstructed it to make a dagger… then turned it into a rot formula like Eso before turning it into a blood arrow on a whim.

"Wait… you can do what your brothers can do!?"

"I… think so…" Junpei whispered. "But, how?"

"I guess transfiguration does more than turn the body and soul…"

Suiryu appeared but had a wicked smile on his lips. "Seems to me, you got everything you need to kill the bastard… But, some work in getting those skills refined are in order. Tomorrow I want you to start training with each of the brothers. Choso, you go first and help him out." A nod came from Junpei as Choso smiled with pride to the task before him. Junpei began to pull the blood back and into his body. He looked a little uncomfortable doing so. Suiryu rolled his eyes. "For God's sake, alter your body to accommodate it!" he ordered.

"But that's transfiguration right?" asked Yuuji.

"There's more than one kind. Think of it, your body always needs blood, move it around, have it drawn into your muscles and adapt yourself. This is similar to Kamo family's ability. I think he can alter his appearance to be as big as Eso to hold all that!"

Eso was clearly three times his size, Yuuji watched as Junpei focused, his body began to moan, his flesh altered as the muscles expanded! True to Suiryu's prediction, Junpei grew to the same size as Eso! "Well done little one!" cheered Sho.

He kept looking at himself oddly, feeling how strong he became. "This isn't forever right?" he asked oddly enough.

"Nope" Suiryu said coldly. "This is just enough to hold the blood until you expel it."

"Better than being uncomfortable…" said Yuuji. He smiled as he turned to Suiryu who was acting rather odd. "You okay?"

"Figured out I was a flawed teacher… failed to realize the test I was putting everyone under wasn't correct nor the proper way of going about doing things… also, everyone kicked my ass… twice…" he said yet muttered the last part.

Yuuji was stunned, but then again, he wasn't. "I was wondering about that. I mean, you had them run the mountain that was to represent Sukuna at level one right? Fushiguro and Nobara have all faced down special grade curses that were stronger than him at that pace!"

"I think I went a little overboard on the challenges that were before them…" he muttered. "But now, they are really getting stronger, they want to start on level three tomorrow. As well, Fushiguro is going to be a lot more powerful. It's going to be a cake walk for him."

This got Yuuji curious. "How so?"

Suiryu smirked. "He just got the alpha to submit…"