The next day—
"Hey, wake up. Hey, wake up now~" "How long are you going to sleep?"
Tanjiro squinted. The sun shining on his eyes was a bit dazzling. A night of deep sleep had allowed his body to recover considerably, but it still ached all over.
"Where is this place?" "This is the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters~"
"Hmm?" Tanjiro turned his head. It was Uchiha Nagi. He was sitting on the ground nearby. Opposite them sat several individuals with extraordinary auras; the power hidden within their bodies was enough to make one tremble.
"These individuals are the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, and also your superiors. Oh, right, you're the lowest rank, Mizunoto, aren't you~" Uchiha Nagi said.
"Hey, hey, say something, Giyu Tomioka~" a man with a snake draped around him spoke.
"No need for discussion. For violating the rules, just behead him along with the demon~" This was a man with flame-like hair.
"Then let me flamboyantly behead them both~" said a well-built man with markings around his eyes.
"He's possessed by a demon. Let's kill them both and free this child~" a giant, nearly two and a half meters tall, said, tears streaming down his face.
Present were several people: the Wind Hashira, with white hair and covered in scars; a girl with pink hair; the Stone Hashira, two and a half meters tall; and the Serpent Hashira, with a small pet snake. There was also the Flame Hashira with fiery hair, and the Mist Hashira with a perpetually dazed expression. The remaining two were Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka.
"As a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, why are you traveling with a demon?" the group began to question Tanjiro.
"That's my sister! She was turned into a demon two years ago, but she's never harmed anyone! She's different from other demons!" Tanjiro shouted.
"Just because she hasn't eaten anyone before doesn't mean she won't in the future. If you want to prove it, then show us," the Sound Hashira spoke.
"Hey, hey, something interesting seems to be happening. Is your sister in this box?" The Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, hoisted a wooden box onto his shoulder with a savage grin. "Doesn't harm people, doesn't eat people? That's impossible. Let me eliminate this hidden danger for you."
With that, he drew his Nichirin blade and viciously thrust it towards Nezuko's box.
Body Flicker Technique—
Uchiha Nagi narrowed his eyes, instantly activating the jutsu renowned for its incredible short-distance speed, almost akin to a space-time ninjutsu. He appeared in front of the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, in a flash.
[So fast. But if that's all—]
Sanemi Shinazugawa sneered. As the Wind Hashira, he naturally possessed wind-like speed; among all the Hashira, his was the fastest. But in the next second, completely defenseless, he met Uchiha Nagi's red eyes—
"Oh my, as expected~ Shinazugawa-san has fallen for it too," Shinobu Kocho chuckled, covering her mouth.
In the eyes of the others, the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, was swinging his sword at empty air, yelling excitedly. However, in his own world, he was engaged in a fierce battle with Uchiha Nagi.
"Thank you, Uchiha Nagi-nii." Tanjiro gratefully took the wooden box.
Uchiha Nagi nodded. He felt a deep sympathy for this Wind Hashira, as his experience was similar to Tanjiro's. His mother had also turned into a demon, but unlike Nezuko, she hadn't been able to control herself and had started eating people—her own children, no less... Ultimately, in despair, Sanemi Shinazugawa had killed his own mother. Since then, his personality had become extremely frenzied and extreme. He loathed all demons and wished to cut them down immediately. Relying on his rare blood type and his natural talent, he was always able to defeat demons, but he could only restrain them until sunrise, letting the sun finish them off. Eventually, by a stroke of luck, he met a Demon Slayer Corps member named Masachika Kumeno. He was introduced to the Demon Slayer Corps by Kumeno, and after learning Wind Breathing, his strength increased by leaps and bounds. He eventually killed the Lower Moon Ubume and became the Wind Hashira. His close friend, Kumeno, also died in a major battle. So, seeing Tanjiro protecting his sister, he was immediately reminded of his own tragedy, which was why he had so rashly wanted to kill Nezuko.
Everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps had their own story—
"Those mysterious eyes... like Shinazugawa-san, do you also possess a special physical ability?" The one who spoke was the elder brother figure, the Flame Hashira. His bright, wide eyes were always looking forward, but his observation skills were top-notch, and he had immediately grasped the key point.
"Oyakata-sama has arrived—"
As these words were spoken, the Hashira, all individuals of immense power, immediately and respectfully knelt on one knee. Sanemi, who had just broken free from the genjutsu, also rushed over and knelt, glaring daggers at Uchiha Nagi, teeth clenched.
[He broke the genjutsu using his Breathing Style? As expected, I can't underestimate anyone,] Uchiha Nagi thought with a sigh.
A man, blind in both eyes and with the upper half of his face disfigured, slowly walked out of the house, supported by people at his side. This ordinary man, with no fighting strength whatsoever, was the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. Yet, he possessed a miraculous ability of foresight, and it was because of this that he was able to assemble the strongest Demon Slayer Corps in history. Furthermore, his charisma commanded the loyalty and lives of many powerful Hashira. In the final battle, he even used himself and his family as bait, severely wounding Kibutsuji Muzan with a massive amount of explosives—a truly ruthless individual among ruthless individuals. The Third Hokage paled in comparison to him...
"Everyone, there's no need to argue. Actually, I knew about Nezuko two years ago. This is a letter from Sakonji Urokodaki," Kagaya Ubuyashiki said. He then produced a letter. It was from Sakonji Urokodaki, vouching for Nezuko, guaranteeing she wouldn't eat humans. Finally, he solemnly promised that if she did eat a human, he and Giyu Tomioka would commit seppuku to atone for it.
"Urokodaki-sensei, Tomioka-nii..." Tanjiro was moved to tears. The protagonist's life mentors: the first was Giyu Tomioka, the second was Sakonji Urokodaki.
Sigh~ Uchiha Nagi sighed. No matter the world, protagonists always had it good, starting off with peak-level masters to guide them. As for himself...
"What can seppuku guarantee? If you want to die, then go die. Once she eats someone, it'll be too late," the Wind Hashira, Sanemi, said savagely.
"Shinazugawa is right. Even if they commit seppuku, if she eats someone, the dead cannot be revived. What meaning does such a guarantee hold?" the Flame Hashira loudly agreed.
"Yes, it cannot be guaranteed, but it also cannot be proven that she will harm people. And it's true she hasn't harmed anyone in two years. Also, there's one more thing I must tell you all: Tanjiro has encountered Kibutsuji Muzan..." Kagaya Ubuyashiki stated.
"How is that possible? Not even the Hashira have encountered him~" "This guy actually—" "What did he look like? What were his abilities?" "Did you fight him?"
The Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, even grabbed Tanjiro's head and shook it. "Where is he? Where's his lair?" "I asked first! Answer my question first..."
Tanjiro: "@--@......"