Jujutsu Kaisen doesn't belong to me. Here is the fifth chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

Yuuji stared, paralyzed, at the two bodies on the ground. The dim light from the alley provided enough illumination for the boy to see who they were. He began to tremble uncontrollably, and his eyes quickly filled with tears. He fell to his knees in front of the lifeless bodies of Fushiguro and Kugisaki.

"N-No..." he murmured as he brought his right hand to his mouth, trying to hold back the urge to vomit. Kugisaki's face was completely disfigured, making her almost unrecognizable. But for some reason, Yuuji was convinced it was her.

Fushiguro's condition wasn't much better. His face remained intact, but he had a hole in his chest, right where his heart was. The boy's eyes, completely devoid of life, stared at the night sky without seeing.

"This is your fault, you know?" Sukuna's mocking voice, as always, echoed in his mind. Yuuji paled even more upon hearing that and didn't have the energy to protest. "If you had accepted my offer to train, this wouldn't have happened, brat."

"Y-You're wrong..." Despite his protest, Yuuji's voice lacked conviction. And the King of Curses noticed it right away.

"Do you think so? You've only been a hindrance to them," Sukuna said. "If Fushiguro hadn't been so focused on protecting you, he might have survived, you know?"

"Shut up!" Yuuji yelled, clutching his head with both hands. He could hear Sukuna's laughter in his head, mocking his weakness. The boy looked up when he heard footsteps approaching. There, in front of him, was the curse that had ended the lives of his friends.

Yuuji frowned and stood up. He clenched his fists and prepared to confront his enemy. He let out a scream of anger and pain and ran towards the curse without a second thought. He was about to throw a punch, but before he could do so, the creature split him in half. It tore through his waist as if it were paper, and Yuuji fell to the ground, lifeless.

Yuuji screamed and quickly sat up. He was breathing heavily, and his heart was racing. He looked around, but due to the prevailing darkness, he couldn't see anything.

"A dream. It was just a dream," Yuuji murmured in a futile attempt to calm himself. He heard the sound of a door opening and hurried footsteps approaching his bedroom. After that, he heard urgent knocking on his door.

"Itadori, is everything okay?" Megumi's alarmed voice sounded at that moment. Yuuji turned on the bedside lamp and got out of bed. He walked toward the door and opened it with more urgency than he intended.

There, in the hallway, completely unharmed, was Fushiguro, who looked at him with concern. Alive. Unable to help it, Yuuji stared at his companion in silence. He let out a sigh of relief and forced a smile.

"No, nothing's wrong," he lied. However, Fushiguro crossed his arms over his chest and gave him a warning look.

"After the scream you just let out, anyone would think something's wrong," he reproached.

Yuuji scratched his head a little and let out a nervous chuckle. "It was just a silly nightmare. Nothing serious. Sorry for waking you up," the boy apologized.

Fushiguro waved it off with a hand gesture. He gave Yuuji a thoughtful look and, after a moment of hesitation, spoke. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Eh?" Yuuji asked, confused. Fushiguro grunted and rolled his eyes, somewhat annoyed.

"About your nightmare. If you want, of course."

"No, it was nothing," Yuuji insisted, yawning a bit. "Don't worry about it. And, like I said, sorry for waking you up."

Fushiguro seemed like he was about to insist, but at the last moment, he sighed and nodded. "Goodnight, Itadori," he said as he turned and went back to his room.

Yuuji closed the door and let out a long sigh. "Should I have told him something?" he wondered. He had noticed how Fushiguro's aura had been tinged with disappointment at his refusal, and the boy was beginning to reconsider his decision.

"What are you talking about, brat?"

Yuuji shook his head nervously. "Nothing you'd be interested in, Sukuna. Leave me alone, please."

"You put on quite a show earlier, didn't you?" Sukuna, far from paying him any heed, continued talking.

Yuuji didn't respond. He got into bed and stared at the ceiling. After such a nightmare, he wasn't feeling sleepy at all. He turned and picked up his phone from the nightstand. He turned it on and checked the time. It was only 2:00 AM.

He opened one of the apps on his phone and began to play, trying to push the memory of the nightmare out of his mind.

"Brat, what are you doing?" Sukuna didn't seem willing to leave him alone. Yuuji frowned and continued to ignore the King of Curses. "If you don't get some rest, all you'll achieve tomorrow is making a fool of yourself. More than usual."

"As if you cared," Yuuji retorted bitterly. He placed the phone on the nightstand and turned off the light. As much as he didn't want to admit it out loud, he was aware that Sukuna was right. If he wanted to prevent what he had seen in his nightmare from coming true, he had to get a good night's rest to perform at his best. He would learn to use cursed energy and not be a burden.

Fushiguro entered the classroom and furrowed his brow slightly when he saw that Itadori was there. The boy had his head resting on the desk and was sleeping soundly, or so it seemed. The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes and, trying not to make any noise, approached. He sat down in his seat and glanced sideways at his fellow student.

"Itadori," he called out, not raising his voice too much. But he got no response. Fushiguro grumbled a bit and persisted, "Itadori!"

This time, the boy opened his eyes and quickly lifted his head. He looked around in confusion but, upon seeing Fushiguro, he blushed slightly, embarrassed. "Did I fall asleep?" he asked, stifling a yawn.

"Yes," Megumi replied tersely. He looked ahead and, after hesitating for a moment, glanced back at his classmate. "What happened to you last night?"

"Nothing," Yuuji didn't seem too eager to talk about it, but Megumi decided to insist.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry," Yuuji said, forcing a smile with some effort. Fushiguro, despite not believing his words for a second, nodded. He didn't have time to say anything else because Nobara arrived at that moment.

The girl approached Yuuji, furrowing her brow slightly. "Why the long face? Did something happen?" she asked.

"No, nothing," the pink-haired boy repeated. "Don't worry."

"Who said I'm worried?" she retorted, without malice. "Don't make things up, Itadori."

Kugisaki sat down and rested her head on her right hand, looking bored. "Do you know what class we have today?"

"No, no idea," Yuuji admitted. "Do you know, Fushiguro?"

"With the idiot we have as a teacher, I expect anything," Fushiguro acknowledged.

Yuuji looked surprised but didn't comment. He reclined on his desk again, hoping to be able to sleep a bit more before the teacher arrived. But before he could even close his eyes, he received an elbow jab from Kugisaki. He straightened up and gave her an annoyed look. "What was that for!?"

"Don't fall asleep in class!" she yelled, annoyed.

Yuuji was about to respond, but when he saw an adult dressed in a black suit and tie entering the room, he fell silent.

"Are you Megumi Fushiguro, Yuuji Itadori, and Nobara Kugisaki, right?" the man asked, checking a tablet he had with him.

"Yes, who are you?" Fushiguro asked, looking at the man with relative interest.

"I'm Ijichi, one of the school's assistants," he introduced himself as he adjusted his glasses. "I'm one of those responsible for assigning missions to the academy's students. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is ours," Kugisaki replied. "So, have we been assigned a mission?"

"Yes, you have to take care of a cursed womb that has appeared at the Eishu Juvenile Correctional Facility."

"But a curse like that is beyond our level," protested Fushiguro, furrowing his brow.

"Um... what's a cursed womb?" Yuuji asked, confused, ignoring the annoyed looks from Fushiguro and Kugisaki, waiting for Ijichi to respond.

"A cursed womb is created due to a cursed object," explained Ijichi, serious. "It accumulates cursed energy until a curse is born from it."

"Oh, I see," Yuuji murmured. "So let's go and deal with it before it's born, right?"

"Not exactly," clarified the assistant. "Several people are trapped inside the correctional facility. What you need to do is rescue the survivors."

"Wouldn't it be better for Teacher Gojo or a Grade 1 sorcerer to handle this?"

"That would be ideal, yes," Ijichi admitted, adjusting his glasses again. "But unfortunately, we're currently short on staff."

"Well, there's no other choice then," Kugisaki muttered, sighing. The three students got up and followed Ijichi.

Yuuji stared, awestruck, at the building in front of them. Access to the place was blocked by strict police control, keeping onlookers at bay.

"Please, do not approach," one of the officers said. "There has been a gas leak, and it's very dangerous. Please step back."

"Eh, kid," Sukuna's voice interrupted the explanation Ijichi was giving. Yuuji narrowed his eyes slightly. "One of my fingers is inside that place."

"What did you just say?" Yuuji asked, thinking he had misheard. He stopped paying attention to Ijichi and focused entirely on Sukuna.

"One of my fingers is in there," Sukuna repeated, annoyed.

"Eh, Itadori!" Nobara shouted, irritated. Yuuji had been lost in thought for a while, completely ignoring the conversation. To get his attention, she gave him a tap on the shoulder.

"Huh? What were you saying?" Yuuji asked, bewildered.

"We're going in already!" Nobara snapped, advancing, extremely annoyed. Fushiguro cast a concerned look at Yuuji.

"Try not to get distracted like that, or you'll just be a hindrance, Itadori."

Yuuji put his right hand on his weapon and nodded, serious. "Don't worry, it was just a momentary lapse." They approached Nobara, and as Ijichi lowered the Curtain to isolate the building, the three of them entered.

"Be careful," Ijichi murmured, worried. He picked up his phone and began dialing a number frantically. He brought the phone to his ear and waited nervously.

"Hello? Ijichi?"

"I'm sorry for calling you out of the blue, but you asked me to let you know if anything unusual happened."

"What happened, Ijichi?"

"They assigned a possible special grade mission to the first-year students. I'm sorry, I couldn't do anything to prevent it."

"Thank you for letting me know. I won't be long. Tell me where the mission is."

"Eishu Juvenile Correctional Facility."

"Thank you very much, Ijichi. Stay alert, please. And thanks for the warning."

The assistant hung up and let out a long sigh. He cast a worried glance at the building. "Please, be careful. Don't get involved in fights you can't win."

Fushiguro swallowed hard as he observed the environment they were in. The interior of the correctional facility didn't match the exterior. That could only mean one thing.

"Be careful!" he shouted to his companions as he summoned one of his divine dogs.

Kugisaki and Yuuji drew their weapons and anxiously looked around. They couldn't see the ceiling of the building, and there was no trace of the door they had entered through. Everything was covered in rusted-looking pipes, with nothing indicating an exit route.

"What the hell is going on here?" Yuuji nervously wondered as he felt a very powerful presence approaching them rapidly.

"You're in the Innate Area of a curse, kid," Sukuna responded, exhaling with some annoyance.

"What's that?" Yuuji inquired seriously. He started following his two friends as they navigated the eerie place. The surroundings gave him the creeps.

"That's not important right now, kid," Sukuna retorted. "The curse containing my finger is getting closer to you. So, I'd be more concerned about that."

Yuuji furrowed his brow and stopped when he heard that. "Something's approaching," he said, looking around, trying to locate the aura of their enemy. Even curses had a distinct aura, so he hoped to detect it in time.

"What are you talking about?" Nobara asked tensely as she halted as well, glancing around uneasily.

"If something were approaching, my divine dog would have already alerted us," Fushiguro tried to downplay the situation. He scanned the area with his eyes, hoping to find his summoned animal on his left. However, he froze when he saw that all that remained of the dog was its head, embedded in one of the walls of the room.

"We need to get out of here!" Nobara shouted, having also seen it. The three teenagers were left utterly paralyzed when they noticed the special grade curse from the facility right next to them.

Yuuji was the first to react. He grabbed Nobara and Megumi and, without thinking twice, jumped backward, distancing themselves from the danger.

"Get out of here," he urged them without taking his eyes off the curse, which had started to laugh.

"What about you?" Nobara asked, far from convinced. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll stay," Yuuji replied, serious. "I'll try to buy you as much time as possible."

"That's suicide!" Fushiguro shouted, exchanging horrified glances with Kugisaki. "It's a special grade curse!"

"When you manage to get out, send me a signal, and I'll switch with Sukuna," Yuuji revealed his plan, hoping they would understand.

Nobara glanced at the curse from the corner of her eye and realized it was preparing an attack. A golden energy ball was forming in its hands. She hurled it towards them, and Nobara, aware that she wouldn't have time to warn them, did the first thing that came to mind. She pushed her companions, moving them out of the trajectory. Unfortunately, in doing so, she lost the opportunity to protect herself and took the full force of the attack. She was thrown against the wall and lost consciousness.

"Kugisaki!" both boys shouted in unison. Yuuji bit his lower lip, concerned.

"Grab her and get out of here, please, Fushiguro," he requested again.

Megumi, though not entirely convinced, nodded. "Don't you dare die here, Itadori. I'll be waiting for you outside," he said, and with that, he ran towards Kugisaki. After summoning a toad and putting the girl inside, he hurriedly left.

"And how do you plan to hold out until they escape, brat?" Sukuna asked, amused.

"I haven't thought that through," Yuuji admitted, drawing his weapon. He had to make it through somehow. When the curse launched another attack, Yuuji easily dodged it, but the shockwave from the energy sphere sent the pink-haired boy flying backward, slamming his head against the metal wall.

"He's toying with you," Sukuna informed him. Yuuji gritted his teeth and stood up.

"Can you say something useful for once?" the boy snapped, dodging the enemy's attack again. Seizing the opportunity, he ran toward the curse and attempted to strike it with his weapon. But all he managed to do was lose his right hand.

Yuuji stared, incredulous, at the stump. That distraction left him vulnerable to the curse. The next attack hit him squarely in the stomach, sending the boy flying several meters backward, his head slamming against the metal wall again.

Yuuji groaned in pain and tried to move. Everything was spinning, and he managed to take only a few steps before he vomited his breakfast. He could hear the special grade curse laughing. Yuuji decided to take advantage of that moment to fasten his uniform belt around the stump to stop the bleeding.

"I'll only let you out to kill the curse, understood?" the boy said mentally.

"We'll see about that, kid," Sukuna replied, yawning with boredom. He watched with disinterest as Yuuji was propelled into the air by the other curse and received a punch to the stomach. He smiled when he heard the echo of Fushiguro's Divine Dog's howl reaching them. Sukuna got up, stretched a bit, and felt Yuuji finally relinquishing control of the body.

With indifference, he observed the other curse as it removed the belt from his arm and regenerated Yuuji's amputated hand. After that, he healed the rest of the injuries the boy had sustained and smiled cruelly.

"The fact that an insect like you is considered special-grade is insulting, you know?" Sukuna said as he attacked the creature. He kicked it to his right, sending it towards the wall, and before it could impact, he struck it again, sending it to the ground. "Let's have some fun. Let's see if you're worthy of the special grade."

The other curse growled and got up. Sukuna stood still, waiting. When his enemy launched the same energy attack at him, he simply extended his arm and, as if it were nothing, dispersed the attack.

"It seems that sorcerers these days hand out special grades to anyone," Sukuna said, bored. He stretched his arms a bit and smiled cruelly. "Kid, pay attention. I'm going to show you something important," Sukuna told Yuuji as he formed a seal with his hands. He didn't pay much attention to the fact that his vessel didn't respond, taking his silence as a yes.

"Malevolent Shrine," Sukuna whispered, invoking his territorial expansion.

A Buddhist temple appeared in the middle of the room. The other special-grade curse watched, confused by the structure, but before it could even move, it was cut into pieces. Sukuna smiled and withdrew the territorial expansion. He approached the other curse, which lay half-dead on the ground, and inserted two fingers into a hole in its chest. When he found what he was looking for, he pulled them out, taking with him the finger that had given rise to the special-grade curse.

"Kid, I'm done," Sukuna announced, closing his eyes and waiting for Yuuji to regain control. But, just like before, the human didn't respond or show any signs of trying to regain his body. "Brat?" Sukuna asked, puzzled. "What are you waiting for?"

Yuuji still didn't respond, but Sukuna could still sense his presence inside the body. He was somewhat weakened, the curse noticed, but it was only a matter of time before he recovered.

"What can I do in the meantime?" Sukuna wondered aloud. He placed his left hand on his chin and assessed his options. Attacking Yuuji's companions was ruled out; it would be counterproductive for his plans. But he also didn't want to stand still and do nothing while waiting for Yuuji to fully awaken. Stepping out for some fresh air wasn't a bad idea.

"I see you've taken care of the curse," he heard someone say nearby. Sukuna jumped back and looked at Gojo, who was smiling faintly. "But it's about time you let Itadori take control, isn't it?"

"Why should I allow that?" Sukuna asked, preparing to fight Gojo. But the teacher disappeared from where he was standing. He reappeared behind Sukuna and delivered a precise blow to his neck, rendering him unconscious. Gojo caught the young man before he fell to the ground and retrieved Sukuna's finger. He stashed it in his pocket and, after securing Yuuji comfortably on his shoulder to free up his hands, he clasped them together, and the two of them disappeared from there.

Yuuji looked around, puzzled by his surroundings. There was crimson-colored water everywhere, and a mountain of ox skulls on which Sukuna was sitting, observing him.

"Where are we?" Yuuji asked, serious.

"In my innate domain," Sukuna replied, adjusting himself in his improvised throne.

"What is that?" Yuuji continued to inquire. "And why am I here?"

"You could say it's a representation of my mind," Sukuna explained, looking somewhat annoyed. "It's remarkable how they haven't even explained something so basic to you, kid."

"Stop insulting them," Yuuji demanded, crossing his arms, serious. "Why am I here?"

"I brought you here," Sukuna replied. "There's something important we should talk about regarding this incident."

"There's not much to talk about. We were sent on a mission and couldn't defeat the curse without your help. That's it."

"Have you seriously not noticed?" Sukuna growled, exasperated. "Or maybe you don't want to see it."

"Stop beating around the bush!" Yuuji protested. "Just say it clearly!"

Sukuna shrugged. "As you wish, but don't complain later if you don't like the truth," the curse said. He leaned forward slightly, not taking his four red eyes off Yuuji. "What happened today was nothing more than a covert attempt to kill you."

"You're wrong," Yuuji said through gritted teeth, furrowing his brow. "The deal is that my execution is when I've consumed all twenty of your fingers, remember?"

"Well, it doesn't seem like they're going to respect it, kid," Sukuna pointed out. Seeing Yuuji's skeptical expression, he added, "Think about it. Who would send three first-year students to fight a special grade curse? Unless the desired outcome is for them to die."

"There must be a mistake," Yuuji protested, refusing to believe all of this.

Sukuna let out a scoff and rolled his eyes. "I have no reason to lie about this, kid," the curse told him. "But remember, this won't be the last time they try. I don't think they'll stop until they succeed."

"But Professor Gojo..."

"He's still nothing more than their puppet. If I were you, I wouldn't fully trust him," Sukuna warned. "This time he barely made it in time to save you. But who knows if you'll be so lucky next time."

"Anything else?" Yuuji asked, tensely. He tried to stand firm, but Sukuna sensed hesitation in his voice and doubt in his eyes. He smiled slightly, satisfied.

"Keep your eyes open," the King of Curses advised. "Other than that, nothing more. And you should wake up now, kid."

Yuuji didn't have time to respond to that. He abruptly opened his eyes and sat up. He looked around, disoriented, in an unfamiliar room. He quickly got up and tried to remember the last thing that had happened. He couldn't recall what had transpired while Sukuna had taken control of his body.

"Oh, hello, Itadori," Gojo greeted, peering in. The teacher wore his usual smile, although he appeared quite tense. A look at the adult's aura revealed to Yuuji what he needed to know. Despite his calm appearance, Gojo was furious for some reason.

"Hello, Gojo," Yuuji murmured, taking the cup of hot chocolate that the teacher offered. "Thanks."

"How are you feeling?" Gojo asked.

"Like I've been beaten up," the boy confessed, looking at his hands. He remembered the injuries he had sustained, but for some reason, there were no traces of them. "But I don't have any wounds."

"Sukuna must have healed them when he took control of your body," Gojo commented, serious.

"How are Fushiguro and Kugisaki?" Yuuji asked, concerned.

"They're fine. Kugisaki's injuries weren't serious, and she received treatment right away."

Yuuji relaxed upon hearing that. "Where are we, by the way?" he asked, confused.

"In the basement of my house in Osaka," the teacher replied, serious. "You see, Yuuji, right now, in the world of sorcerers, you're considered dead after fighting a special grade curse."

Yuuji blinked, confused by this. "But that's a lie," he protested.

Gojo sighed. "It's a necessary lie, kid," he explained. "I'm really sorry. I should have realized they'd play dirty and not honor the agreement."

"And what's going to happen now?"

As I've told you, I've reported your 'death.' But I won't be able to maintain this lie forever," Gojo confessed. "So, until the right time comes, you'll remain here, training under my supervision."

"Do Fushiguro and Kugisaki know that I'm alive?" Yuuji asked, his voice breaking for a moment.

Gojo shook his head. "I'm afraid not. It's too risky, and I won't put my students in more unnecessary danger."

Yuuji nodded and looked away. "But how long do I have to stay here?"

"Well, as you can imagine, I can't hide you forever, so..." Gojo thought for a moment. "Ideally, we should wait a couple of months, by which time you should be somewhat stronger."

"And what will you teach me?" Yuuji inquired.

"There's a way to control your cursed energy flow, which is the first thing you need to learn," Gojo explained. "For that, you'll undergo the toughest training there is."

Yuuji swallowed nervously at the prospect and waited. He watched as the teacher rummaged through a nearby trunk and pulled out a black bear plushie wearing boxing gloves. It had its eyes closed and was lightly snoring. Yuuji recognized the design immediately and couldn't help but shudder.

"This doll is programmed to wake up if it stops receiving cursed energy," Gojo explained. "So, if you don't want it to wake up and attack you, I recommend staying focused and not slacking off. While you train, you will be watching all sorts of movies, from comedy to horror ones" the teacher said, pointing to the television in the room. Beside it were several stacks of DVDs.

"Um, but I..." Yuuji, who didn't know how to handle his cursed energy, tried to protest. But Gojo glanced at the time on his phone and grumbled. He placed the doll on the bed and gave Yuuji an apologetic look.

"I'd like to stay and explain everything in detail, but unfortunately, I'm needed at school," Gojo apologized. "I won't be able to come back soon, so if you're hungry, feel free to take whatever you want from the fridge. Or you can order takeout; there's a business card in the fridge for a pizzeria that makes amazing pizzas. And at the entrance, in the second drawer of the table, you'll find my credit card," the teacher smiled a bit. "Don't worry about anything; everything will be fine, okay?"

Yuuji nodded, and after bidding farewell, Gojo disappeared from there.

The sixth chapter is going to take a while, I hope to have it ready at the end of this month or beginning of October. I am quite busy at the moment so I cannot say exactly when is going to be ready.

Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!