Satoru patted Satoshi on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry. No one will get their hands on those two fingers unless they step over my dead body!"
Satoshi rolled his eyes at him, clearly unimpressed. "Don't act cool. If it really comes down to that, just hand it over. Worst case, we'll take it back later."
Shoko and Suguru both struggled to hold back their laughter.
As expected, only Satoshi could cure Satoru's swollen ego.
Infuriated, Satoru grabbed Suguru's shoulders and barked, "Suguru, what are you laughing at? Come with me to check on the Sukuna Finger!"
Satoru and Suguru followed Yaga Masamichi out.
Satoshi turned to Shoko and smiled. "Alright, Shoko, let's move. If we don't, the school might not hold much longer."
He took her wrist and quickly headed for the back gate.
Shoko responded by summoning Minazuki.
A few minutes later, the school gate opened.
Yaga led Satoru and the others to the entrance. The moment he saw the crowd waiting outside, his expression shifted.
They'd expected a lot of people, but not this many.
Thankfully, the Kyoto Jujutsu High delegation had also shown up in support. As sister schools, they couldn't ignore a situation —especially when the one being accused was Satoshi, who had just treated them to ice cream.
At the very least, they wanted to hear the full story.
With Kyoto High's arrival, the defensive force at Tokyo Jujutsu High strengthened considerably, especially with top-grade sorcerers like Satoru and Yuki present.
The faces of the accusers darkened visibly.
Yaga immediately noticed Zenin Ogi among them, along with several representatives from the Kamo clan and some minor families who were affiliated with the Jujutsu General Administration.
Ogi scowled at Yaga. "Yaga Masamichi, do you even understand what you're doing? Obstructing officials from the Jujutsu General Administration is punishable by death!"
Yaga crossed his arms and looked straight at him. "Death penalty? Sorry, Mr. Zenin, but we at Jujutsu High are also following orders from the Jujutsu General Administration."
Zenin Ogi's face twisted in rage. He pulled out a document. "That's not the latest order! This is the latest directive from the Minister himself—reclaim the Sukuna Fingers and open an investigation into Gojo Satoshi, who poses a major threat to the jujutsu world!"
Hearing that, Yuki glanced at Yaga, then turned to Satoru, frowning. "Satoru, what's going on? Where's Satoshi?"
She didn't understand why so many were mobilized, or why they were targeting Satoshi.
An investigation of this magnitude? That was bordering on accusing him of treason. Even if it hadn't reached that stage, their aggressive stance left little room for trust.
Satoru didn't hide anything. He explained everything to Yuki.
He hadn't yet had the chance to explain Satoshi's plan, though.
Yuki narrowed her eyes as she stared at the crowd. "So, these people are here to cause trouble for Satoshi?"
Just then, Yaga spoke calmly, narrowing his eyes. "Gojo Satoshi has no intention of taking the Sukuna Fingers stored at Jujutsu High. His goal is to destroy them—these Special Grade Cursed Objects—completely."
For a moment, the crowd was silent.
Then laughter broke out at the gate.
Ogi smirked at Yaga. "Do you hear yourself? Destroy Sukuna's Fingers? That's a weak excuse. You're just trying to avoid handing them over."
The others joined in.
"Exactly. You really think you can fool us with something like that?"
"No one has destroyed a Sukuna Finger in over a thousand years. Even if someone tried, it's impossible!"
"Yeah, Sukuna's Fingers are indestructible. What, you think Gojo Satoshi wants to 'borrow' them to repair that broken Zanpakutō of his?"
Yaga exhaled and kept his voice steady. "What I said is true. Satoshi intends to destroy not just the two Fingers stored at the school, but also the four others that the Gojo family has kept over the past nine years."
"If you don't want to interfere, we can arrange a livestream to broadcast the entire event."
This was Satoshi's request. He didn't want to be misunderstood anymore. Broadcasting it live was the best way to silence the rumors.
Hearing that, the faction leaders exchanged glances and started whispering among themselves.
After a moment, Zenin Ogi stepped forward, squinting at Yaga. "Fine. We'll give Satoshi a chance. But if he fails to destroy the fingers, the Jujutsu General Administration will reclaim them—all of them, including the four at the Gojo estate."
Yaga looked toward Satoru and Suguru. Satoru nodded subtly.
Seeing that, Yaga responded, "Alright. We accept your condition. Please proceed to the plaza."
He let out a breath of relief.
No one had ever succeeded in destroying a Sukuna Finger before. Still, he believed in Satoshi. He wasn't just any sorcerer—and they had Satoru, too.
If they could destroy even one finger in public, they could justify keeping the others at the school.
They had Suguru, with his immense Cursed Energy output. Satoru, a true Special Grade sorcerer. Shoko, a master of the Reverse Cursed Technique. And finally, Satoshi's Zanpakutō as their trump card.
If their target was just a finger, then maybe, just maybe, they could do it.
Yaga soon lowered the barrier and led everyone to the same plaza from last time.
At that moment, news that Gojo Satoshi would livestream the destruction of Sukuna's Fingers spread like wildfire across the jujutsu world.
Trailing behind Yaga, Iori Utahime glanced at the serious faces of Satoru and the others. She couldn't stay quiet anymore and asked, "Yuki-sensei, is Satoshi really planning to destroy a Sukuna Finger? Isn't that too reckless? And he's going to livestream it?"
Mei Mei whispered, "It's definitely a risky move. It almost looks like a setup. If they fail, not only will they lose the school's fingers, but even the Gojo family's nine years of effort might go to waste."
Although they were from Kyoto High, they were still loyal to their sister school. Tokyo High and Kyoto High came from the same roots.