"Alright then, this old woman wishes you all a safe and peaceful journey."
Early in the morning, at the entrance of the Wisteria Flower House, the old woman saw the group off with a benevolent expression. She then took out a flint and struck it towards them, sending sparks flying…
"Damn it, you old hag, are you looking to die~" The short-tempered boar-boy, Inosuke, thought she was provoking him and nearly kicked her, but Tanjiro and Zenitsu managed to hold him back.
"Baka! You idiot, this is a custom to ward off evil spirits and bless us on our way~" Tanjiro scolded angrily.
Uchiha Nagi: "......."
Tanjiro's garrulous Kasugai Crow was circling in the sky again, repeating impatiently over and over: [Caw~ Northeast-north! Natagumo Mountain!] [Caw~ Northeast-north! Natagumo Mountain!]
————
The group walked along the road, heading towards Natagumo Mountain. Uchiha Nagi didn't know the way, so Tanjiro and the others led.
"Hey, don't run so fast. You need to conserve some stamina to fight when we reach our destination, so it's best to maintain a steady pace," Uchiha Nagi called out to the three youngsters ahead.
The three of them whispered something to each other, then started arguing again, and soon began competing in speed, each one running faster than the last. Uchiha Nagi watched them, feeling a bit speechless.
"They're truly children who've never experienced a real battlefield, so innocent it's almost enviable…" Uchiha Nagi sighed. There was a time when he, too, had deeply envied such pure, uncomplicated friendships. Alas, it was something he could never obtain…
Uchiha Nagi was a little younger than Kakashi and a little older than Shisui, so he hadn't been in the same class as any of the canon characters. And when he grew up and went to the battlefield, he would always be as cowardly as possible, lying low whenever he could, keeping an unbelievably low profile. As a result, he had no friends at all—no Gai to pester him for matches, and certainly no Obito or Rin as teammates.
In his memory, not long after he first went to the battlefield, there was a shortage of medical personnel, and he was transferred to the rear. A few days later, he heard that his squad leader and two teammates from his original genin team had all been taken out on a mission together. After that, he managed to lay low until the end of the Shinobi World War. He trained hard and became a Jonin, only to hear something even more depressing: Shisui, who was younger than him, was making a huge name for himself. Shisui had earned the title "Shisui of the Body Flicker," and Uchiha Nagi knew that Shisui had also secretly awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan.
As a transmigrator without any system or golden finger, he could only pathetically continue to lie low. This was reality. Uchiha Nagi didn't care about such empty fame; he had decided he absolutely wouldn't stand out unless he reached Kage-level or higher. The tree that stands tallest in the forest is the first to be blown down by the wind— And sure enough, Shisui, even at Kage-level, was taken out…
The ninja world was full of people with psychological problems, yet there were no therapists. This was a serious issue, and the Uchiha clan's psychological problems were particularly severe. So, after coming to this world, Uchiha Nagi felt like he was slowly returning to being a normal person, reverting to the modern person he had been in his previous life. He had to thank that lively girl, Kagome, for helping him rediscover some of his human emotions…
Uchiha Nagi picked up a bowl-sized musical instrument and began to play a melody—[Beloved].
The three youngsters, who had been bickering and fooling around, gradually quieted down upon hearing Uchiha Nagi's music. Inosuke, especially, having never heard music before, widened his eyes, a dazed and adorable look on his face. He even took off his boar mask. The faint sorrow in the melody was captivating, heart-wrenching, and filled with a sense of worldly vicissitude, as if a person who had lost something precious was finally able to express their feelings only after understanding its true value.
"That… that was beautiful! It's so beautiful, Nagi-nii! This song is amazing, please, you absolutely have to teach me~" Zenitsu exclaimed, excitedly hugging Uchiha Nagi's leg.
"It's truly beautiful, Nagi-nii. Could you teach all of us? We all want to learn, right, Inosuke?" Tanjiro said, his face also reflecting his enchantment.
"Huh~" Inosuke scratched his head. "Well, okay, let's learn it then. But it doesn't seem like it'll be useful in a fight… Mmphh."
"You want to learn? Sure, I can teach you~" Uchiha Nagi smiled. Looking at the three youngsters, he felt like he was looking at his own younger brothers. Their personalities, like lotuses blooming unsullied from the mud, were truly delightful to be around after spending time with them.
So, at noon, the four of them sat under a large tree to enjoy their lunch, which they had brought from the Wisteria Flower House. Uchiha Nagi said to the three, "Wait for me here, I'll go hunt a few rabbits to add to our meal~"
"Ooh, ooh, I'll go too! Hunting is my specialty! I grew up in the forest!" Inosuke declared.
"Then I'll go gather some firewood. My family has been charcoal makers for generations, so I'm best at this," Tanjiro volunteered eagerly.
"Huh? Then what do I do?" Zenitsu asked, looking puzzled. "Then I'll just be in charge of eating… Hey, ow!" Inosuke punched him on the head. "You idiot, go help Tanjiro~"
In less than half an hour, Uchiha Nagi and Inosuke returned with two rabbits and several fish. Seeing that Tanjiro and Zenitsu hadn't come back yet, Uchiha Nagi started preparing the game. Under Inosuke's curious gaze, he used Earth Release to create a small pit, then Water Release, and a small pool of water appeared. Next, he gutted and skinned the animals, then took out a storage scroll and produced a pot and seasonings.
Tanjiro, returning with firewood, looked on with envy. "Sugoi~ Nagi-nii, your scroll can hold so many things! I'm so jealous."
Uchiha Nagi smiled. "If you can learn to mold chakra, I'll give you a scroll. This storage scroll requires chakra to open and store things."
Zenitsu was overjoyed. "Really? Nagi-nii, I want one too!"
Inosuke flared up. "Damn it, I saw it first! I want it first…!"
Tanjiro shouted at the two, "You're both being so rude!"
Watching the three of them bickering, Uchiha Nagi smiled faintly, reminded of school outings with his classmates in his past life… He placed the prepared rabbit and fish on a grill, and also simmered a pot of fish soup. He kept sprinkling seasonings and turning the meat from time to time. Before long, the aroma of roasted meat and fish soup wafted through the air.
Grumble~ Boar-boy Inosuke was practically drooling.
"It's ready," Uchiha Nagi said, handing them the cooked fish and rabbit meat. Inosuke was the first to snatch two roasted fish, gobbling them down without caring if they were hot. "Mmph… so hot… delicious…"
"Mmm, mmm, this is so good! Nagi-nii, how did you get so good at cooking?" Tanjiro asked.
"I've lived alone since I was little, so I cooked for myself. My cooking skills gradually improved over time," Uchiha Nagi replied.
"Huh? But I've lived alone too, so why is the food I make just… cooked, and nothing more??" Inosuke asked, confused.
"......." This question instantly left everyone present at a loss for words.
"Ah, I'm so full, so full! It feels great to be full. Are we leaving now? Or should we rest for a bit?" Zenitsu asked.
"Let's set off. The sooner we reach Natagumo Mountain, the fewer civilian casualties there might be," Tanjiro said, preparing to pick up his wooden box. However, the three of them silently looked towards Uchiha Nagi, waiting for him to speak. Unconsciously, whether due to his age or his strength, he had taken on the role of their leader in their hearts.