Chapter 8

Control of the body passes to Sukuna, who slaughters the rival special grade curse exactly as Yuji had hoped. Once the threat is gone, Yuji cannot reclaim his body, and the King of Curses devises a maneuver that could leave his host dead.

Now piloting the body, Sukuna stalls the cursed spirit while weighing his options, reasoning that pursuing Megumi would force Yuji back to the surface. He mends Yuji's injuries and decides the curse will not leave alive, brushing aside its attacks with ease and terrifying it. Kiyotaka Ijichi carries Nobara off for treatment while Megumi lingers to wait. Irritated at sharing the special grade label with such a weakling, Sukuna answers the curse's regeneration by deploying his Domain Expansion, Malevolent Shrine, carving the creature apart and reclaiming one of his fingers from inside it.

When Sukuna orders Yuji to take over and gets no reply, he grins, understanding that the body is his for now. Sensing the domain vanish, Megumi realizes the special grade is dead, and Sukuna materializes beside him. He explains that Yuji is paying the price for letting him run wild, then tears out Yuji's heart, since a curse can survive without one while Yuji would die if he switched back. After swallowing the third finger, Sukuna readies himself to finish Megumi, who notes the roles have flipped from their first encounter.

This chapter delivers the first full display of Sukuna's Malevolent Shrine Domain Expansion and his use of Reverse Cursed Technique to heal Yuji's body. The clash titled Sukuna versus the Finger Bearer plays out here. The pages were adapted across the fourth and fifth anime episodes.