Chapter 41

He felt a lot better.

In fact, he felt like his old self again!

His happy go lucky mood returned as he was satisfied with the energy he obtained, he also knew he helped save over 1000 people today and that was slowly chipping away at the lives lost to Sukuna. But for now, the smallest victories would be his greatest ones.

"So that remains me. Why did you need all that curse energy?" Gojo sensei asked with great curiosity.

Yuuji looked to his hands. "I am trying to train myself to see it." He explained. "I want to see the massive amounts of energy needed to anticipate a strike coming, if I can see it ahead of time, I can give myself an advantage."

He paused and saw the most profound and stunned look on the face of his teacher. "You are trying to train yourself to do that!?" he demanded.

He nodded. "At the same time, despite everything she has shown me. Kitsune Sensei is trying to teach me something else. I know I am getting close to the lesson, but I think this is going to coincide with it. I can feel it sensei… I am getting close, and I have to learn this sooner than later!"

Gojo began to snicker, before breaking out into a full out laugh. "And this is why you are a delight to teach!" he said. His hand playfully went on top of Yuuji's head as he patted it affectionately. "You came into this place, this way of life by force, and yet you adapted! You keep learning and continue to grow!" But then he stopped himself. "Wait a minute…"

"Sensei…"

"That's why she doesn't want me to teach you domain expansion…"

A blank, confused look came over Yuuji. "Huh?"

Gojo's smile suddenly grew. "You are going to be a lot like a friend of mine! He is traveling abroad to learn other curse technique since he can copy what he sees… but you… your power came from Sukuna, the king of curses, meaning he can do the same thing… so you should be able to do the same thing…"

"HUH!" Yuuji demanded. "You think I can copy other…"

His mouth was swiftly covered by Gojo. "Shhh, our little secret." He whispered.

Yuuji nodded in understanding, when he was able to speak again. He paused. "Sensei… will I be able to get strong enough to defeat Sukuna?" he asked. "I will train every day to my best, I want to beat him. But I still doubt myself…"

"That, we need to get rid of." Gojo proclaimed. "You need to be more confident. You managed to suppress the bastard, why wouldn't you be able to defeat him?" he asked.

Yuuji smiled and nodded. "Right!" he said proudly. "I'll kick his ass!"

"That's a good boy!" Gojo snickered.

"YUUJI ITADORI, SATOUR GOJO!" Yuuji jumped as his name was shouted.

Principal Yaga stormed out of the school holding a cursed doll. "I've been on the phone all morning, dealing with YOUR little field trip!" he shouted. "What do you have to say for yourselves!?"

"Oh, were we not supposed to go there?" Yuuji asked.

Gojo laughed it off. "Well it is a government facility, so no… not without proper clearance, but it's fine now isn't it? I mean, that's one facility cleared out. No harm done…"

Yaga sneered but then stared at Yuuji. "Hold this!" he demanded and tossed a cursed doll at him.

Yuuji caught it but looked at it funny. It was like the one he used that beat him up during his first meeting with Yaga sensei. "Uh… why is this…"

BOOM!

The curse doll exploded.

Yuuji appeared petrified as the fluff began to rain down before him. Yaga even froze in terror as he saw the doll he just made explode in his hands. Gojo was curious as he picked up some of the fluff. "Trying to see how much curse energy he possessed?" he asked curiously.

Yaga said nothing.

"Huh? That's what it was?!" Yuuji demanded. He began bowing profusely. "I'm so sorry principal Yaga, I didn't mean to… I should have controlled it better…"

"Gojo…" Yaga said in a very stern and yet concerning tone. "How much energy does that boy contain?"

Itadori paused. "Why, can't you sense it?" he asked curiously.

Gojo leaned in. "You remember that little parting gift Yua gave you? Just before she died, she gave you her ability to conceal your aura… well… most of it," he whispered.

He turned back to the principal and laughed it off. "He has grown recently, I do admit, but I think he's around 8 fingers worth of Sukuna's original power,"

"Only eight?" Yuuji asked in a disappointing tone.

"EIGHT!?" demanded Yaga. "He's a loose cannon!"

"I am?"

"You're not," Gojo insisted. "I've been closely monitoring the situation and have found he has remarkable control. He hasn't used his strength to physical altercations yet, just with curse and sparring with me. Fushiguro learned the hard way not to challenge him but that was a lesson he had to learn himself."

Yaga shook his head in disbelief… just as Yuuji's stomach moaned. "Oh… I think it's lunchtime for me."

Gojo dismissed him for the time being. "After lunch, you and I are going back to work!" he insisted.

"Yes sir!" and rushed off.

Yaga's mouth then hung there, stunned to say the least. "What is happening to that boy!" he demanded. "How can he have this much energy after turning a thousand people back!?"

Gojo shrugged his shoulders to it all. "Honestly, I think he is a lot stronger than we know… he's a lot stronger than he knows."

"Keep an eye on him, the last thing we want is another Sukuna to deal with!"

Gojo laughed as he leaned in. "Why do you think I still treat him the same way I always have?" he asked.

#

"Let's see… lunch…"

Yuuji stood before the fridge before deciding what to make. Today he is going to make a beef bowl, extra large with udon noodles. He's a good cook, he knows, after all. Every time he makes something, his friends suddenly appear out of nowhere. Well… mainly Nobara appears out of nowhere.

Fushiguro usually just wonders in at the right moment, but never asks for handouts. He was midway through making his meal, when on cue. She appeared. "That smells awesome!" she said and leaned over the table. "Is there enough for more than one person?"

Yuuji smirked. "Well, you ate my dinner and breakfast once before… so no," he said and smiled warmly to her. "Until you repay me in some way, I won't cook for you!"

"Oh come on, I was helping you!" she protested.

"By starving me?" he asked. "Some training, Sensei still allowed me to eat when I got stuck on the floor you know."

"By the way, why were you stuck on the floor?" she asked curiously. "Something to do with the curse energy in your body?"

He shrugged, not even he knew for sure. But it didn't matter. Lunch was ready!

He took one of the big mixing bowls reserved for baking before pouring the whole pan into it. From there, he took his time eating it before Nobara who stared on with a slight drool look. He savored every bite of it, the food really hit the spot after consuming all that curse energy. "Hey Yuuji…" he heard Fushiguro say.

"Hey!" he called back with his mouthful. "Sensei and I went on a trip… but I don't think we were suppose to go…" he said offhandedly.

"Trip?" Nobara demanded. "Did you go into the city again!? I could have gone shopping!"

"No, they went to a government research facility… It's all over the school what happened." He explained.

Yuuji laughed it off. "I should have known sensei would do something like that…"

"Question is, why did you go?" Fushiguro asked. "Also, how did you do it?"

"Do what?" Nobara asked.

"The research facility… held over 1000 idle transfigured people… those turned into monsters by cursed energy… all of them were cured after your visit." He stated and glared at Yuuji. "So, how did you do it?" he asked once more.

He finished his lunch, but laughed off the whole thing. "Part of the lesson plan, speaking of which, I got to go see Sensei! Later!" and rushed off.

He couldn't tell them the truth yet about his growing strength, he worried they may see him as something less than their friend. For now, he will keep it a secret.

#

He met Sensei in the same thick woods where he was going to teach him domain expansion. But today, it was odd as he saw Kitsune along side with him! "Kitsune sensei?"

She smiled warmly and bowed. "I heard you have consumed more energy… good job!" she said in a celebration like tone. "But we still have a ways to go."

He nodded to her. "Yes sensei,"

"So we are joining forces for this exercise today. Since after all, we have to teach you domain expansion." Gojo explained. "So, let's give it a try, the basic concept is that you want to expand your advantage. So send your energy out far enough to capture who you want in this expansion." He explained.

"Okay!" Yuuji said with great enthusiasm.

"Young Master, start small." Warned Kitsune. "Let's say from this spot… to the first line of trees,"

"Okay…" he said calmly.

With a deep breath he felt the energy leave his body, he could sense it drift over the ground and then to the first line of trees, there he held it in place. "Good, now, domain expansion…" Gojo said.

Subconsciously, Yuuji did the only hand symbol he knew. "Domain expansion…" he whispered.

"YUUJI WAIT!" protested Gojo.

But it was too late.

He froze as he looked about, everything appeared dark, but then, the shrine appeared behind him. "Malevolent shrine," whispered Gojo.

Yuuji opened his eyes, he looked about but was startled. "HUH! WAIT, I MADE THIS!?" he demanded.

"I thought…" Gojo whispered.

But Kitsune was impressed. "Yes, you did, for you perfected the gesture with your hands," she explained. "Now, cancel it." She ordered.

He clapped his hands, both sets of them and the shrine vanished. They returned to reality where Gojo still appeared to be at a loss. "Okay, I have to be sure… do it again, but do mine!" he ordered.

"Huh? Yours but… I've only seen yours once! And that's YOUR domain."

"Yuuji, try," Kitsune said gently.

He nodded. Once more he set up the area with energy, then tried again and recalled how he sensei did it. "Domain expansion… Infinite void…" he said and then, crossed his fingers.

The world went white, than, a familiar color pattern appeared…

Only to shatter.

Yuuji was blown back as he felt the impact of it all. "Damn it!" he cussed. He felt as if he were struck by a bus!

However as he slowly picked himself up, his teachers fell silent. "How did he…" Gojo whispered to Kitsune.

"Part of the lesson I am trying to teach him." She explained with a smile. Kitsune approached him oddly, but her smile didn't vanish. "I have heard you are pushing yourself to see energy, that's good. But don't forget the main lesson I am trying to tell you. You are getting close and this was but a clue to it all."

"A clue?" he asked as he regained his breath. The backlash from a broken domain was hard to take, but he tried to figure it out. "I mean, I shouldn't have been able to do that, should I?" he asked.

"No, but how could you have done Sukuna's perfectly?"

"Because he was in me!" he protested.

SMACK

"OW!" he protested as Kitsune used her fan on his head once more.

"No," she scolded. "Think it over," she turned to Gojo. "You are not feeding him answers are you?"

"I don't even know half the stuff you are trying to teach him, let alone understand it!" he protested. "But I maybe getting the notion of this…"

"Not a word," she warned him. "He has to learn for himself, or the lesson will never sink in!"

Gojo put his hands up in surrender and nodded. "Fair," he said.

"I look forward to your lesson tonight, young master." With that she vanished once more.

Yuuji on the other hand felt disgusted with himself. "I can summon his domain…" he said and shuttered.

"Yeah, which means you can make your own."

"Where do I even start? How can I? Also… I feel tired"

Gojo snickered. "You nearly summoned two domains back to back. You heard me say that it takes a lot of energy to do it. No one has done it before trying to do two at once." He laughed.

Still, he tried to figure out how he was able to, and how come he was so close in summoning Gojo sensei's domain.