JJK: I am the real villain

The event kicked off, the air thick with tension, cursed energy buzzing like static electricity. Untold intentions hung heavy in the atmosphere.

Yuji Itadori came into view, his body low, muscles coiled. With explosive force, he lunged forward, his knee slicing through the air and slamming into the torso of a well-built man.

"I am Aoi Todo!" the man bellowed mid-impact, eyes wide with exhilaration. "And you're my brother in arms!!"

Yuji's face remained focused, a bead of sweat trailing down his temple.

"Such a small frame… yet strength rivaling mine!" Todo shouted in ecstasy.

Yuji blitzed forward, vanishing from his previous position. His speed blurred the space between them. Todo barely had time to widen his eyes before Yuji dipped low and struck him in the knee.

"Guhh!" Todo staggered, but his crazed, maniacal grin never left his face.

Yuji didn't hesitate. He followed up with a devastating right hook, his fist slicing through the air with a sharp gust of wind. Todo leaned back just enough—Yuji's fist grazing his chin, leaving a charred mark and a whoosh of cursed energy in its wake.

Todo spun with remarkable control, bringing down an axe kick. Yuji vanished from his line of sight entirely.

Todo instinctively snapped his head around. Just as he turned, a red sneaker cloaked in cursed energy appeared before his face—mere inches away.

BOOM!

The kick detonated like a cannon, snapping Todo's head back violently. Yuji's leg recoiled with precision, smoke curling from Todo's forehead.

Todo skidded across the forest floor like a stone over ice. He regained his footing quickly, eyes blazing with excitement, but just as he was about to charge again—

CRACK!

A second impact hit him dead in the head—again.

Todo's head snapped back like a rubber band, and this time he flew through the trees, crashing through bark and foliage.

> What was that?!

A double impact?! Very clever… It throws off the opponent's rhythm by shifting the tempo mid-fight. But...

"THAT'S WRONG!!!" Todo's voice thundered through the clearing.

Yuji came skidding to a halt, confused by the sudden outburst.

"Huh? What are you saying, dude?"

Todo stood, brushing dust from his pants, pointing at Yuji with cursed energy crackling across his palms. "That's a wrong application of cursed energy through physical strikes."

"You mean... Divergent Fist?" Yuji asked, puzzled.

Todo nodded. "It's a clever trick. Good for catching enemies off guard. But in true jujutsu sorcery… it's a crutch. A delay. A flaw that will hinder your growth."

Yuji looked at his hands, brows furrowed.

"So... I've been doing it wrong?"

"Yes," Todo said, his tone unusually calm. "The late application of cursed energy is what creates that second impact. But if you keep relying on it, you'll never access the essence of jujutsu."

He raised his hand, tracing a path from his abdomen to his forearm.

"Cursed energy originates from the gut, where it's most dense. When you breathe with intent—while remaining aware of your emotions—it flows. Controlled. Harmonized. But that level of control? It's rare. Hard to master."

Todo lunged again. His fist came screaming toward Yuji.

CLASH!

Yuji blocked with his forearm, the cursed energy rattling his bones.

"In 0.0001 seconds," Todo continued, "you must release cursed energy in synergy with your strike."

"But—"

Suddenly, the ground cracked.

BOOM!

Massive roots erupted from beneath, tearing through the forest like writhing serpents.

Todo and Yuji both turned, eyes wide.

---

[Elsewhere: Jujutsu Tech Surveillance Room]

Back at the survey station, a talisman ignited with white flame.

"What...?" Utahime whispered.

Gojo raised an eyebrow beneath his blindfold. "That's… unusual."

"It appears a foreign presence has entered the Jujutsu Tech premises," Mei Mei said coolly, adjusting her braid.

"What? But who could bypass Tengen-sama's barrier?" Utahime questioned, alarmed.

"This is serious," Gakuganji growled, stroking his gray beard. "From surveillance... the threat is overwhelming—even for our students."

"Enough guessing," Gojo sighed, cartoonishly casual. "It's obviously an inside job. But that'll have to wait. We've got a problem right now."

---

[Back in the Forest]

The nearby river flowed quietly, until a loud thud disrupted its peace.

"ARGHHH!!"

"FUSHIGURO!!" Maki shouted, concern flashing across her face.

The boy groaned, forcing himself to stand.

"I'm fine..."

A cursed spirit loomed before them, massive and muscular. One hand wrapped in cloth etched with sigils, its face frozen in an eternal grin.

"You're still breathing? My orders were to eliminate you efficiently," the cursed spirit—Hanami—spoke with grim certainty.

Maki wiped the blood from her mouth, gripping her staff.

"MAKI-SAN!!" Fushiguro shouted, sprinting forward and tossing her the bladed half of his weapon.

They switched tools mid-charge. Maki now wielded the three-section staff, Playful Cloud, with deadly grace.

Hanami tensed, reading their movements.

Maki blurred into view, swinging with raw physical might. Her mastery of Playful Cloud created a web of attacks.

Fushiguro struck first, slashing Hanami's neck with the bladed tool—but only managed a scratch.

Hanami countered from below—roots shooting from the ground and coiling around Fushiguro, slamming him down.

Maki launched into the air, spinning Playful Cloud with wicked intent. The top arc drew Hanami's attention—but the strike curved mid-air, smashing into his ribs instead.

THWACK!

A chunk of flesh was torn free.

She redirected the momentum again—this time, for a downward smash. Hanami reeled, dazed, his guard wide open.

Then—

BOOM!

A giant seed exploded from the ground, launching Hanami upward.

Maki skidded to a stop, bracing herself.

Hanami pointed downward, firing several cursed seeds from his palm.

Maki's reflexes kicked in, she spun Playful Cloud, its hardened links deflecting the seeds like bullets against steel.

I can't let that tool hit me again. It's not the weapon itself, it's her strength that makes it lethal…

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over Hanami.

"NUE!!" Fushiguro roared.

The winged shikigami dove, claws sinking into Hanami's shoulder, sending electric bolts surging through the cursed spirit's body.

Hanami stiffened in pain.

Maki seized the opening.

With a flash of movement, she cocked back Playful Cloud, every ounce of her resolve focused on a finishing blow—

DRAIN!

She froze. One of Hanami's seeds had taken root—sapping her energy.

Hanami retaliated with a sharp kick, splitting the air.

CRACK!

Maki was launched backward, groaning as she hit the ground. Fushiguro rushed to her side.

"Maki, are you alright?"

"I'm okay…" she winced, plucking the cursed seed from her side. "One of those damn things got through."

"You handle your tools well," Hanami said, voice low and crackling. "But this ends now."

Clasping his hands together, a large pod bloomed behind him—its petals chirping like birds, the vibrations shaking the air itself.

"I'll show you despair..."

Hanami readied his hands, cursed energy crackling to life like wildfire. The surrounding flora trembled, the air humming with energy as the nearby flowers chirped—reacting uncontrollably to their master's power.

BAM!

A pink-haired boy and a well-built man crashed into the battlefield, landing with explosive force. Dust and debris shot upward in a wave of violent impact.

Hanami's eyes narrowed, not out of fear, but irritation.

"...Itadori?" Maki muttered, her vision fading, body barely upright.

Megumi Fushiguro dropped to his knees beside her, pale and sweating. Blood seeped from a wound in his abdomen, where a grotesque sapling had begun sprouting.

Itadori immediately rushed to them.

"Fushiguro!" he called out.

"Damn it… looks like he got me," Megumi groaned, lifting his shirt to reveal the parasitic plant burrowing into him.

Todo knelt down, analyzing it with a grim expression.

"It's feeding on your cursed energy. The more you try to use your technique, the faster it drains you."

A loud thump sounded. Panda rolled into view, his usual lightheartedness gone. The sight of Hanami darkened his features.

"Quickly, Panda! Get Maki and Fushiguro out of here!" Todo barked.

Panda nodded and moved fast, lifting Maki gently. As he reached for Fushiguro, Megumi raised a weak hand in protest.

"Itadori," he growled, teeth gritted, "If you—"

"If I die, you're going to kill me. Is that right?" Itadori interrupted, his voice steady. He rose, facing Hanami, eyes blazing.

"Don't worry," he continued, lifting a clenched fist.

"I promise… I'll exorcise this thing."

Fushiguro wanted to argue but held back. He gave a nod instead.

With no time to waste, Panda carried both wounded fighters into the forest. Todo stepped forward, placing a firm hand on Itadori's shoulder.

"Itadori-kun! Stay in harmony with your cursed energy. This spirit is special-grade, it won't go down easily."

"Got it."

Hanami raised a hand, vines surging up from the earth. A root tore through the ground like a whip, snapping toward them.

"Watch out!" Todo warned.

Itadori flipped forward, leaping over the root, rebounding off a tree trunk mid-air. He twisted through the barrage of lashing roots like a parkour master, eyes locked on Hanami.

Todo smirked, impressed, before launching upward in a blur of motion.

Hanami braced himself.

Todo's foot came down like a guillotine, smashing through Hanami's defense, cracking his stance.

Before Hanami could recover, Itadori grabbed his torso in a burst of raw power and suplexed him into the ground. The earth fractured with a concussive blast, but Hanami, durable and unwavering, dug a hand into the dirt, anchoring himself as he slid.

Itadori moved in, with a spinning back kick, Hanami raised his arm just in time, bones vibrating from the impact.

Todo followed up with a uppercut! The air split as his fist connected.

Itadori pivoted on his foot, snapping Hanami's head back with a brutal strike to the temple.

"YOSHI!" Itadori shouted, confidence radiating from his face.

"Let's do it, brother!" Todo roared in unison.

Itadori's fist shot forward, so fast it blurred, impossible to track.

BAM!

But it hit wood.

"A root?" Itadori muttered.

Hanami had formed a thick barrier in an instant, absorbing the blow, then retaliated, hurling Itadori like a ragdoll through the air.

Todo turned at the last second, but it was too late—

CRACK!

Hanami's cursed-energy-infused punch collided with Todo's gut, sending him crashing through trees, splinters and leaves scattering.

Yet before Hanami could follow up, Itadori rushed back into the fray, not even pausing to recover.

Hanami stomped with force, summoning a sharpened root that launched like a javelin.

Too fast.

Itadori's knees buckled, dropping low.

ZOOM!

The projectile sliced through the air just inches above his head, ripping past with deadly force.

He exhaled hard, pulse racing.

He could've killed me just now. How… am I still alive?

Todo staggered back onto the battlefield, sweat and blood running down his torso. He placed a reassuring hand on Itadori's shoulder.

"That fear... the anxiety of what might happen in battle, use it. Let it fuel your cursed energy."

Hanami chuckled darkly.

"You two are skilled... and insufferably persistent."

Todo pointed at the charred bruise on his stomach.

"You did a number on me... but Itadori," he glanced at his brother in arms, "I won't help again until you understand the essence of cursed energy."

Itadori's gaze sharpened.

"Yeah. I got it."

Hanami clapped his hands. Seedlings flew toward them like bullets.

Itadori slammed his palm into the ground, shattering the earth, debris rising in a protective wave. The seedlings exploded on impact, but visibility dropped.

Dust.

Rubble.

Silence.

Hanami focused. He sensed Itadori approaching. The boy's foot appeared in the dust.

Hanami struck, roots impaled the spot, and raised his arm for a killing blow.

"…It's just a sneaker—"

BAM!

Itadori exploded from the side, a real foot hammering into Hanami's jaw with crushing force, dismissing the fog of war in an instant.

"Clever," Hanami muttered, reeling.

Itadori flipped back, adrenaline kicking in, but Hanami was faster this time.

He blurred forward, leg sweeping with such force the air itself split. Itadori leapt, but only to counter, landing hard, pinning Hanami's leg to the ground with his own.

Cursed energy is rage. Fear. Hatred. Regret. Pain. But that's not enough. You need more.

He raised his fist.

Time slowed.

All focus, no distraction.

Pure negative energy, perfectly synchronized with physical prowess.

Todo's words echoed in his mind:

"In 0.0001 seconds, if your mind, body, and cursed energy are all aligned… something divine happens."

Itadori inhaled.

And screamed:

"BLACK... FLASH!!!"

His fist crushed into Hanami's face.

BOOM!!!

A pulse of red and black lightning exploded outward, ripping through trees, earth, and sky. The sheer force of it echoed like thunder.

Hanami's body launched, splitting trees in his path, soaring through the forest like a cannonball.

Residual black lightning crackled around the impact site.

Itadori stood, breathing hard, blood dripping from his lip, hand recoiling from the devastating blow.

Todo watched, awe in his eyes.

He clapped, tears in his eyes.

"That's… my brother."

He tossed Itadori his sneaker, the one used as bait.

BOP!

"Ow!" Itadori rubbed his head. "Was that necessary?!"

Todo grinned.

"How does it feel to land a Black Flash?"

Itadori exhaled. "I feel... alive. Aware. Like I'm in control of everything. It's… addicting."

Todo paused, staring at him with admiration.

"Beautiful. Just… beautiful."

---