A/N: Covid was awful. Laid me out for an entire week and devastated my update schedule. I'm still not fully recovered, but at least I can write again.
As always, I wanted this to feel like an actual Jujutsu Kaisen episode.
Hopefully I succeeded on that front.
With my fifteen year anniversary on this site finally here, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.
And of course, there are times when I look to the future ahead and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch lest it poison my mind; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Feels like everyone's lost their minds. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
No Q&A this time, we've got a lot of ground to cover!
As ever, I own no quotes, references, themes, or memes. Not a wit or a one! They're tributes to legends far greater than I.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.
Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story. Simple as that.
In other words...its up to YOU, the reader. Do let me know~!
Chapter title comes from Disturbed's hit song Part of Me.
Give it a listen. It fits this story perfectly.
Really, don't mess with Curse!Naruto.
As the Disasters are about to learn.
Castlevania references ahoy~!
"I never wanted to be like this.
I never wanted to feel anything.
You were the one who made me like this.
~?
Part of Me
It was three against one...
...they held the advantage in every way...
...each of them were fresh and they all possessed their own domains...
.
..
...so how?!
HOW WERE THEY BEING OVERPOWERED?!
Jogo struck down with a yowl, only for a fist to crash headlong into his eye, stunning him. In the same instant his attacker -The Blond Curse!- whirled, caught Hanami's hand and whipped her into Dagon, sending his fellow Disasters sprawling. All this in the blink of an eye. He didn't even have time to recover before the blond rounded on him, his eyes stark slits of savage scarlet. There was no time to think, much less defend himself. An open palm blasted into his gut and blasted him backwards, simultaneously sending the fiery curse flying, hollering at the top of his lungs as his body accelerated to near terminal velocity.
Momentum melded him with a mountain and the mountain erupted overhead, such was the force of his impact.
It suited his mood perfectly. He was seething. Furious. Absolutely livid.
Not even Gojo Satoru had made him this angry!
"Damn brat!"
His body burst upward with a roar, dragging all that magma and lava with him to form a pair of giant hands.
Hanami and Dagon realized what he was about to do and leapt clear; well that they did at that; because Jogo brought those massive flaming palms them down on the Blond Curse a moment later, swamping him on either side, flooding the once There! No way he could survive something like that; even Sukuna would've been hard-pressed against something like that!
A flicker of motion in his peripherals was his only warning before a hand closed around his face and whipped him down into the lava.
Jogo didn't even have time to right himself. A golden meteor in human form crashed down on him from on high and a bare foot burst through his torso, the sheer shockwave of which evaporated his lava into so much steam. Red eyes leered down at him, set within a shadowy face framed by a stern scowl. He flung up a hand to defend himself and his attacker tore it clean off with their teeth. His bloodshot eye bulged as pain shattered his defenses.
Then the beating began.
Left. Right. Left again, now.
Three vicious blows rained down on Jogo before Hanami and Dagon managed to interfere; even then a contemptuous kick set him spinning away from his allies.
'I understand now.' He reeled to his feet in the rubble, clutching his broken jaw in one hand, dark purple blood sluicing between his trembling fingers. 'This is how he killed Mahito. This monster doesn't care about pain or any injuries he takes. If he has any special techniques, he isn't using them. Its just strength! Pure, overwhelming strength!'
Naruto's gaze flicked left then right, followed by up, now down, tracking each attack as he deflected them all; each in the time it would take a human to breathe.
Hanami screamed in utter agony, snapping Jogo back to reality just in time to see his earthen ally topple back missing most of her shoulder and her left leg besides. Dagon burbled pitifully as a kick catapulted him away a heartbeat later to join her. None of that mattered now, however, because he'd just lost track of the Blond Curse again and ohdeargodsnotagain-
Move.
He had to move.
Hurry up and MOVE before-
Something spun him right round and seized his throat.
Terrifying red eyes filled his vision, drilling into him. "Did you keep your promise?"
Jogo gurgled wetly, clutching at the hand biting into his windpipe to no avail. "What do you care so much about promises...?!"
Four crimson tails stabbed into him, skewering each limb through, preventing him from moving. All the while those searing scarlet eyes glared at him, colder than the king of curses himself. Jogo suffered another epiphany just then and dearly wished he hadn't. Sukuna cared for little, but this one was the opposite of him. He cared too much. That made him volatile. Dangerous. And there was nothing more dangerous than rage.
...you don't, do you?" those cruel, clawed fingers tightened around his throat. "In that case-
A jet of pressured water slammed into Naruto's back, staggering him.
Jogo peered over his shoulder, searching for his unlikely savior.
Dagon raised a trembling limb. "How dare you hurt Jogo...!"
It was the wrong thing to say.
Jogo did not know Uzumaki Naruto. He had no idea who he was or what he'd been through, let alone the circumstances that had broke him so badly. But somehow, someway, he knew in that moment, that was the worst thing the little cursed womb could've said. For an awful moment the world itself seemed to hold its breath. And then:
Naruto absolutely twitched, all nine tails of him. "How dare I...?"
The whites of his red eyes bled black.
"HOW DARE I?!"
Jogo found himself cast aside like yesterday's trash.
Naruto streaked toward Dagon with a vengeance.
The little curse stood its ground.
Jogo cried out.
"Dagon, no!"
His comrade might be on the brink of evolution, but he had not yet completed that evolution, nor had he evolved. Unlike him and Hanami, their fellow Disaster Curse was still merely a cursed womb. Strong, yes, furious, undoubtedly but not enough. They both knew he was of little help as he was now; he could only provide support via bursts of water, and those were summarily slapped aside by Naruto with all the contempt they deserved.
The Blond Curse caught Dragon, grabbed him by the face and slammed the smaller curse down into the mud.
"Where was my help when my family faced the slaughter?!" his teeth flashed in a furious snarl as he wedged him deeper. "When the Otsutsuki attacked, nobody came! Yet whenever I try to kill one of you, the other two move heaven and earth to save each other! Why you?! Why not them!"
Jogo conjured a sphere of flame to his hand...and hesitated. Damnitall! He couldn't attack without killing his friend!
Dagon's body writhed and twisted beneath Naruto's heel, gaining muscle and mass.
"Domain...expansion...! Horizon of the Captivating Skandha!"
The change was instantaneous; their shattered and scarred surroundings vanished in a rush of cursed energy and were summarily replaced by a sunny tropical beach surrounded by an endless blue ocean on all sides. He knew this place, was familiar with this place, had dwelt here many a time before.
Naruto had not. He frowned, confused for just a moment,
That confusion cost him most dear.
Oh, yes. Most dearly indeed.
He'd only just begun to frown when a swarm of savage fish slammed into him from every conceivable angle, each sinking their teeth into him; head, shoulders, knees, even his chest and toes. His body vanished, lost from sight beneath the death swarm of devouring shikigami. For the first time since the battle had begun, Jogo felt a faint flickering ember of hope. He surged forward, intent on rescuing his diminutive comrade where he lay in the sands. Not for long. Surely that would make him move and get off Dagon!
Nine crimson tails flashed outward, dismembering the swarm of fish. In his haste to save his comrade, Jogo ran right into them and lost both his legs.
He'd only just begun to regenerate them when a vicious stomp caved in Dagon's skull.
The Domain shattered around them.
"Did you think I would let you use that?" Naruto snarled down at him, uncaring of his already mending wounds. "The world doesn't work that way; an enemy doesn't wait for you to get a convenient power up, they don't show mercy, and THEY DON'T HESITATE! Lets see how you like losing someone you hold dear!"
His hands swept forward.
"Boy!" Hanami shouted behind him as she flung a spike of hardened roots his way. "Look over here!"
Naruto did no such thing. He'd already chosen his victim and made no effort to escape or otherwise evade her oncoming attack. She skewered him with roots. Lungs, pancreas, liver. His body convulsed every so briefly, an annoyed grunt tearing its way past his lips. A thin line of black blood ran down his chin, dribbling wetly upon the ground. Even then he didn't falter. Not for a moment.
A bloodshot red eye rolled back to glare at her. "Wait your turn, weed."
Hanami rushed him. Jogo knew she wouldn't make it in time
Not nearly in time.
Quick as a flash Naruto brought both palms together, conjuring a rush of hideous black light between his fingers. It swelled to inhumane size, practically flattening Dagon beneath it. The watery curse groaned piteously and struggled to crawl away, to no avail. Naruto still had him pinned beneath his foot. His mouth split in a feral smile, face stretching within the hellish radiance he was about to unleash.
"I was going to say something witty and cutting and brutal before I finished you off...
Without warning, the sphere condensed itself to size of a small marble.
...but fuck it."
There was light.
Jogo flung up an arm to shield his eye against it and even then he went blind for a brief moment, such was the sheer supernova that went up between them. He found himself blasted backward from the sheer shockwave alone, and Hanami with him.
When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, he saw the horror that had been wrought.
Dagon -what was left of him- was crumbling away, dissolving into so much black smoke. Naruto hoisted up the remains of their comrade's head and bit down on it, tearing his skull clear off with cursed energy. He'd done the same to Mahito, though they'd never seen it. But witnessing such a depraved act now...
Jogo felt something close in his throat.
Cursed spirits could kill one another. It was rare but so long as the kill was made with cursed energy, they could be exorcised, even by each other.
Dagon was gone. Dagon was dead. Dagon was...he'd just been killed...just like-
Hanami charged in with a mournful yowl. "DOMAIN EXPANSION!
"Hanami, no! Don't get close to him!
Too late. Naruto didn't even deign to look Hanami's way; he disemboweled her with a casual backhand, nearly tearing her in half on the spot. Her domain shattered like so much glass around her, barely glimpsed for even a moment before her body struck the dirt.
Jogo lurched upward with a snarl, hands crossed. "Domain...!"
Twin hands closed down on either side of his face.
His cursed energy guttered out like candle.
"I know that feeling." Searing scarlet eyes gazed down at him, stopping him cold. "That hate." his fellow cursed leaned closer, regarding him intently. "That unendurable need for retribution. Because you see, I've lost people I loved too. Just as much as you love these two. But the three of you started this," His head turned, regarding Dagon's ashes, and Hanami's still twitching body, stubbornly clinging to the last dregs of life, but for how much longer, he knew not. "So you had to pay. You'll understand someday."
Jogo tried to say something, anything at all but words failed him. He could even bring himself to open his domain.
Naruto seemed to understand that. "Oh, I could kill you, and I will, but not today."
The Ancient Curse let him go and vanished in a flash of crimson light.
Jogo sank down to his knees. His lone eye glistened with tears.
What was this feeling trapped in his chest? It almost felt like...
His head snapped back and a mournful cry filled the night.
(.0.0.0.)
Naruto's return proved about as abrupt as it was startling.
Kokichi damn near fell out of his seat! "Already?!"
The blond curse granted him a slow nod.
Miwa proved far more vocal from her perch in his lap. "It's barely been half an hour! Did you run away from them or...
A slow shake of his head.
Right. He'd forgotten Naruto wasn't the sort to talk unless agitated or otherwise pressed.
Calm. Caaaalm. They were allies. There was no need for anger here.
"Could you please explain?"
...alright." That got a reaction out of him, however muted it might be. "Killed and ate the water one, left the weed on death's door, and doused the third's fire." he counted each off on the fingers of his right hand with slow and steady precision, even if he rattled the words off flatly. "Wasn't hard."
"Oho?" a voice sing-songed just behind them. "Sounds interesting! Do go on."
Kokichi jolted in his seat, alarmed to find Satoru Gojo of all people leaning over them.
The man's smile looked uncharacteristically sharp. The sight of it left his throat terribly, horribly dry.
Had he teleported into the room? Certainly he could do that, but he hadn't even sensed him?! He hadn't been there a second ago! When had he...?!
"How did you...why are you...?!"
"Its no secret that you're fond of Miss Miwa over here." the strongest jujutsu sorcerer beamed down at him. "I had a hunch, so I decided to lurk a little bit. And surprise surprise," he waved his jazzy hands in the air, "My hunch paid off! And besides, the train car has a big hole in the roof, sooo...
Miwa blanched. "Were you...stalking me?"
"Now, now, don't say it like that! You'll make me sound like the bad guy! But who's this?
He'd been so focused on her that he'd almost forgotten the two titans in the room with them. The world held its breath. Miwa fidgeted in his lap, already nervous, but her anxiety paled to Kokichi's own. In all his plans and calculations, he'd never once accounted for Uzumaki or Satoru meeting one another, least of all in an enclosed space such as this.
Sparks flashed between Naruto and Gojo. Neither budged.
"Hmm...You almost look human," the latter hummed. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were one of us."
Muta panicked. "Don't attack him! He's a Special Grade Curse!"
"Special Grade, eh?" Gojo stared at him for a long moment. Slowly, he peeled back his blindfold, exposing a bright blue eye. "Friend or foe?"
"Neither." A yawn answered him. "M'sleepy. You haven't broken any promises. Not fighting you."
His enthusiasm dimmed. He wasn't going to fight? Really? "You're a bit odd. Just what kind of curse are you?
Another yawn. "The kind that keeps his promises. Can I go now...?"
Huh. So they weren't going to fight.
Neat.
Kokichi Muta relayed everything he knew. It was the only thing he could think to do that might keep the peace. Maybe. Just maybe.
"Well, that's annoying." by the end of it, Satoru didn't seem all that fazed. "Eh, don't worry. Whatever plan they have, I'm still the strongest. And your friend here...?
Kokichi faltered for a moment but rallied. "From what I understand, he's essentially a spirit of vows-
"Vows, eh? Satoru stroked his chin, considering. "Like what?"
"Promises." came the clarification.
"And you talk! You do realize the higher ups aren't going to be happy about this.
As if he weren't already aware of that. "I would offer my head as recompense, but I...
"Oh, I see." The strongest sorcerer hummed. "You made a binding vow with this guy, didn't you?"
A nod. What else could he say? "He's promised to fight on our side for now You didn't see what I saw. He butchered Mahito like it was nothing. It...it wasn't even a challenge for him. And if his claims about killing another is true...
"Well, that's a bit of a problem." he scratched at the back of his head with a merry laugh. "Can't say I've ever worked with a Cursed Spirit before, let alone a Special Grade." Something hard passed through his eyes just then, lending him a decidedly wicked look. "I wonder how strong he is."
Naruto tensed.
"Gojo-sensei, no!"
"Aww, is he your pal?"
Miwa glared at him intently.
Meh!" Satoru shrugged. "First time for everything. You lovebirds have fun! I wanna have some words with our friend here...
(.0.0.0.)
Naruto didn't know what to make of Gojo Satoru.
They say first impressions last a lifetime. This certainly would.
Not only was the man strange and eccentric, he was just downright odd.
On a whim, he'd let the man wrangle him back toward one of the empty train cars to give Kokichi and Miwa their privacy -he didn't sense any ill intent- but he'd found himself fielding questions ever since. Satoru wasn't mean or anything, he was just carefree; exceptionally so. He moved and spoke with the surety of someone strong. Because he was. Here was someone who had grown inordinately powerful, someone who didn't let life get him down, and did as he damn well pleased.
It reminded him of simpler times, happier times.
And if that had him lowering his guard a little...well. He did, just a bit.
"Naruto, right?" Satoru slung an arm around his shoulder, "Can I call you Naruto?"
...sure, I guess?"
It was, very much so, the right thing to say.
"Great!" Gojo clapped him on the back. "I wanna introduce ya to somebody...a student of mine, you could say...
A/N: Aaaaand scene! We'll cut it there.
That said, would you like weekly updates? Possibly?
Hopefully, someone, somewhere, enjoyed this. I just don't know anymore these days. If folks don't enjoy it, I'll likely delete it.
Do you want this to remain a story? Yes? No? Maybe so? Make yourselves heard!
Really need to hear from you, here.
Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this particular story, and others. If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself isn't popular? Well...I'll not continue it. I'm working two jobs -might need a third soon!- so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy.
So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
Aaaand there we go. As ever, reviews keep me alive. Without them, I cannot write. So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly? Hope you enjoy the previews.
We've got some new ones and some are...intense.
They've been expanded and then some!
I cut down on them to not spoil things.
Read at your own risk:
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
SPOILERS AWAIT YOU!
YE BE WARNED!
(Previews AND SPOILERS AHOY~! Lets see if you get this reference~!)
"Behold, Itadori Yuji! I present to you...Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Wait, like the rasengan guy?! He's real?!"
Naruto twitched. "Rasengan guy...?"
Naruto walked.
Well, shuffled, really.
He didn't know where he was going. What he was doing.
Find a family, Kokichi had said. Easier said than done. But he would try.
By sheer chance, he would find his own way into Shibuya.
Just as all hell broke lose.
Sukuna opened an eye. "Interesting."
He closed it again and slept.
Until then.
"You want to keep your promise, even after all this time." His hand patted her head as no one hand since she was small. "Good girl. You live."
Nobara blinked. "Ha?"
His peace said, the curse walked past her.
"Oi!" she fumbled for her hammer. "Get back here! I was gonna exorcise you!"
He just kept walking. She launched a nail at the back of his head, only for him to walk around the corner. Her nail wedged itself in a stop sign -where his head had been a second ago!- with an audible clang. In hindsight, she should've taken that sign as...well, a sign, and let bygones be bygones.
Her right eye began to twitch. Oh, hell no. No way in hell was she being ignored!
"I AIN'T DONE WITH YOU!"
Her ax whistled in at his face.
He saw it coming this time and swayed aside, giving ground steadily, almost lazily-until a crow slammed into his back and blew off his shoulder alongside a good portion of his torso and ribs besides. It should have killed him. Instead he growled...and before her very eyes, the wound mended itself in an instant.
His right hand flicked out, clawed fingers clenching. "That hurt...
Mei Mei frowned. "Oh, dear."
Then he was on her.
R&R~!