A sudden pressure from above jolted him awake from the darkness—he could "see" again.
He found himself curled up in a cramped, enclosed space. Stifled and uncomfortable, the urge to scream surged from within, but his body could only writhe in silent protest as the emotion swelled, growing heavier by the second...
A force was pressing and squeezing him along with the space around him, kneading him like clay.
First came the pressure on his head—his facial features seemed to blur together from the squeeze. Then a blinding light flashed across his vision, followed by a chorus of chaotic shouts. He couldn't open his eyes, couldn't open his mouth, completely overwhelmed by the stimulation.
Then, all at once, the space around him opened up. An indescribable sense of relief flooded over him. He instinctively let out a breath—but a gust of air rushed into his nose, into his mouth, slammed into his lungs, and bounced around violently before finally bursting out from both nose and mouth:
"Wah... wah…"
Was he... born again?!
He'd been reborn as a baby.
…
During early infant development, it typically takes about a month for reflexes related to vision, touch, hearing, and smell to start forming—only then can a baby begin perceiving the world.
Once his senses became clear, he noticed something: the people around him were speaking... Japanese?
In his past life, he'd dabbled in various languages. Japanese was one of the ones he'd studied thoroughly.
He turned his head, trying to take in his surroundings.
He was in a bright room. A tall man stood by a bed, holding him in his arms. On the bed lay a woman, half-lying, half-sitting.
"Look, Sōjun is watching you!" a deep male voice said.
"Haha! His eyes are so sharp—he's going to be a smart one!" a gentle female voice replied.
No doubt about it—it was Japanese. From the language to the way they acted, everything confirmed it:
He'd been reincarnated in Japan. His new name was Sōjun Minamoto. His father was Kiyoyasu Minamoto, and his mother was Yuri Minamoto.
…
Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture.
6:30 AM, in a dimly lit bedroom with a soft, cozy bed.
Sōjun Minamoto slowly opened his eyes, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling as his thoughts spiraled.
He was only one year old, yet he already stood 105 cm tall and weighed 16.5 kg—comparable to a four-year-old.
At just two months old, he had realized that his development was far beyond the norm.
Most children start babbling at seven or eight months and begin to walk around their first birthday. But not him—by one year, he was already running.
His appetite was enormous, and his daily intake of energy and nutrients far exceeded other children his age.
Even so, his body and mind tired easily. He couldn't overexert himself and needed more than ten hours of sleep every day.
His parents were initially worried and took him to several hospitals. But after numerous tests, they found no abnormalities—in fact, he was even healthier than most children.
…
That unfamiliar ceiling again!
Sōjun slowly got up and walked to the full-length mirror in the corner of the room, carefully inspecting himself.
He was now three years old, standing at 120 cm and weighing 23.2 kg—closer to the average for a six-year-old.
Something felt... off. He could see inside his own body. He saw muscles tearing and regrowing, blood flowing, organs and cells in motion, intestinal peristalsis, hormone secretion, the balance of energy intake—even the state of his soul—all faintly visible through his gaze.
As he aged, this vision became increasingly clear, and he finally understood the cause of his rapid growth:
A brand-new, vibrant body and a half-mature, half-new soul were merging, adapting to one another, gradually syncing into one.
Outwardly, this manifested as accelerated physical development—his soul influencing his body. Meanwhile, his thoughts leaned slightly childish—his body influencing his soul.
…
Strange ceiling again!
Sōjun stepped onto the scale, staring at his reflection in the mirror.
He was now six years old, standing 152 cm tall and weighing 42.5 kg—matching the average for a twelve-year-old.
Things had gotten weirder. He discovered he could not only see, but also control.
For instance, he had once put a string in his mouth and tied a good luck knot using only his tongue.
Another time, he made his hair twist and rise up so that when someone patted his head, it poked them in return.
But he also found that hair which had fallen to the ground was beyond his control.
His control was still weak—his body and soul fusion was stuck at the final stage. Something vital was still missing, holding him back from breaking through.
Buzzing sounds would often echo in his ears.
And sometimes, the world around him would be cloaked in eerie shadows—like a scene out of a horror movie. Everything lost its color, turning black and white, with a faint electrical hiss in the background.
The next second, a terrifying face would lunge toward him.
He tried to subtly ask others about it and confirmed—only he could see these things.
This spectral vision scared him. The buzzing irritated him. But it never left—it lingered, always nearby.
It felt like drowning. People laughed, whispered, shouted around him... yet no one noticed he was there.
The crowd surrounded him. The voices closed in. They all watched silently as he drowned.
Anxiety and panic attacked him constantly. Agitation, pain, suffocation—his negative emotions piled up over time, pushing him to the brink.
The buzzing grew louder, sharper. His entire vision turned black and white.
He couldn't take it anymore. Anger surged.
That anger ignited everything inside him. His emotions exploded like liquid fire, flooding his mind, then rushed into his hands.
He lunged toward the sound.
Pop—
The world fell silent.
His soul, body, and some unknown substance resonated as one. The sky and sea felt boundless. The world became clear and vivid. He felt elevated—his entire being immersed in freedom and ecstasy.
He looked at what he was holding.
A Fly Head?!
In his hand was a palm-sized monster with the head of a fly, a human torso, and a pair of white wings sprouting from its back.
So...
This was Jujutsu Kaisen?
It all made sense now.
Ever since he was one year old, his Cursed Energy had been gradually awakening, which was why the ceiling looked different when he woke up—it was affected by the manifestation of Cursed Energy.
The fusion of body and soul had stalled because Cursed Energy was missing from the equation.
Now that he had fully awakened, body, soul, and Cursed Energy became one. His Innate Technique had finally manifested.
He understood. He understood everything... or not!…
November 1997.
Sōjun Minamoto had lived in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen for six years. He had just awakened his Innate Technique and exorcised his first unclassified Cursed Spirit.