The 5th Special Grade | Jujutsu Kaisen

As Furōkawa folded his wings behind him, their metallic black surface shimmering faintly in the dim Shibuya light, he glanced around at the stunned faces of the assembled sorcerers. The destruction surrounding them was immense, the air heavy with the remnants of cursed energy. Yet the silence among the sorcerers was deafening.

Furōkawa scratched the back of his head awkwardly, breaking the tension. "Uh… sorry I'm late. I tried to get here faster but you know.. rain."

No one responded. They all stared at him, clearly confused.

His brow furrowed. "Gojo never mentioned me? Not even once?"

A few heads shook. Others exchanged unsure glances. Just as Furō was about to explain himself further, Noritoshi Kamo of the Kyoto school stepped forward, his eyes widening in recognition. "Wait. You're Furōkawa… Fukitsu Furōkawa."

Mai Zenin raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Furō? No way. He looks completely different. Last time I saw him, he was…"

"…so much weaker," Miwa Kasumi finished, her voice tinged with astonishment. She took a step closer, her gaze scanning Furōkawa's transformed physique and the imposing wings draped behind him like a cloak. "Your cursed energy… it's overwhelming now."

Panda tilted his head, blinking in surprise. "What the hell happened to you?"

Before Furōkawa could answer, Yuki Tsukumo stepped forward, her golden hair catching the light. "Okay, someone needs to catch me up. Who exactly is this?"

Furōkawa straightened, meeting her curious gaze. "My name is Fukitsu Furōkawa. I came to Tokyo Jujutsu High after an accident involving the Night Parade of 1000 Demons. The Kyoto school took me in, transferred me to Tokyo as per Gojo's request, Gojo trained me briefly, and then sent me on a long-term mission in Europe."

"A mission?" Yuki raised an eyebrow. "What kind of mission?"

"To exorcise nine ancient curses," Furōkawa said simply, his tone calm but firm.

The weight of his words hung in the air, and everyone's expressions shifted.

Kusakabe, who had been standing silently off to the side, suddenly stiffened. His face paled slightly as realization dawned on him. "The Valkyries," he muttered under his breath. "You're saying you fought ALL NINE Valkyries… and survived?"

"That's right," Furōkawa confirmed, his gaze steady. "It took everything I had and more, but yes. I exorcised them. That's why I'm here now."

Mai whistled low, her lips curving into an impressed smirk. "You're telling me you went up against nine ancient curses and came out looking like… that?" She gestured at his physique, her smirk deepening. "Not bad, Furō. Not bad at all."

Furōkawa blinked, a little thrown off by her tone. "Uh… thanks, I guess."

Mai took a step closer, her voice lowering. "You've gotten so much stronger. Confident, too. You should show me more of what you've learned sometime—"

"Mai," Furōkawa interrupted gently, his tone polite but firm. "I appreciate it, but I think we have more important things to worry about."

Mai's smirk broke for a moment, her disappointment barely concealed. "Hmph. I suppose," she muttered, stepping back.

Meanwhile, Panda tilted his head again. "You flew straight here? From Europe? How long did that take?"

"Four hours," Furōkawa replied, folding his arms across his chest. "And if I didn't have to keep healing myself from raindrops tearing my skin apart, I'd have been here sooner. It hurts just as bad as you're probably imagining."

"Raindrops tearing your skin?" Miwa echoed, her eyes widening in disbelief. "That's insane."

"I wasn't exactly taking it slow," Furōkawa said with a faint grin.

As the tension eased slightly, Furōkawa's sharp gaze fell on Yuji Itadori. The boy stood near the back of the group, his expression one of a mix of curiosity and nervousness. Furōkawa pointed at him, his tone firm but not unkind.

"You're the idiot who ate Sukuna's finger and lived, right?" he asked.

Yuji blinked, startled, and pointed at himself. "Me?" He smiled nervously. "Yeah.."

Furōkawa began walking toward him, his presence radiating authority. But before he could get too close, Choso stepped forward, his expression guarded. He stood between Yuji and Furōkawa, his cursed energy subtly flaring.

"What business do you have with my younger brother?" Choso demanded, his voice low and firm.

Furōkawa stopped in his tracks, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Relax," he said, his tone calm. "I'm not here to fight any of you."

Choso's eyes narrowed, but he didn't move. Yuji looked between the two of them, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh… Choso, I think he's cool?"

Furōkawa offered a faint smile. "Sorry," he said, lowering his hands. "I came thinking Sukuna was in control, wreaking havoc when I arrived, but I realized that it was actually Suguru Geto— or whoever that is."

Choso didn't respond, but his stance relaxed slightly, his curiosity evident in his gaze.

Furō turned to the group, his expression growing serious. "For now, let's focus on getting Gojo back. He's inside that little box Fake Geto had, right?"

The sorcerers exchanged uneasy glances, but no one disagreed.

The silence hung heavy over the battlefield as the weight of Furōkawa's words settled in. Though many questions remained unanswered, one thing was clear: the war wasn't over yet.

"Damn it," Furōkawa muttered to himself, glancing at the destruction around him. His wings shifted slightly behind him, catching the faint light. "There's no time to waste."