Chapter Four: A Hashira's Discovery
Muzan severely punished Akaza for his interference. He immediately demoted him from Upper Moon Three to Upper Moon Six. It is known as an extreme-level punishment. No one has been punished by this for the past couple of centuries. Doma will surely start making fun of Akaza whenever he sees him.
According to Akaza, he attacked the boy because he thought it was a crime of the highest degree for the reed to talk to his master like an old friend. He said that anyone of the Twelve Kizuki would have done the same thing if there was another in his place.
But the boy was no ordinary boy...Akaza wasn't even sure if he was human. Even his master says the boy is a danger... to him too.
His physical ability and speed rivals Upper Moon's One's. Who knows what is his true potential… The boy knows some sort of sorcerer too. As he could create copies of himself.
His master said, "The boy reminds me of my worst enemy...Yoriichi. The same hair colour, those same earrings and his presence... His presence and gaze is deep, very deep— so deep that I can tell he has seen war. He may talk in a friendly tone, but the underlying meaning is much more sinister. That boy is a threat to our existence."
This sent shivers down Akaza's spine. If his master considers someone as a threat, which he usually never does, then this kid, Kamado Tanjiro is definitely a threat.
Muzan decided to test the boy.
~• •~
As Simi, the demon, passed the city and approached the mountain, it smelled something different. The smell is neither human nor demonic. But smelling this smell, Simi also realised that its owner was a very powerful being, human or not.
Simi climbed to the top of the mountain in no time. The path was a bit snowy, but nothing that could stop him.
He could now sense multiple humans plus the abnormal one. But something was not quite right. There is not one, two or even three of the abnormal smells, but more than a dozen. Perhaps there is a small group of Demon Slayers waiting for him? He felt a bit nervous. One abnormal? He can handle it. A dozen would be a different case though. But it's too late to retreat now— the Demon King would end him on the spot for his cowardice. He gulped before going towards the hut.
Simi was about fifty metres away from the hut when he heard a twig snapping. Immediately he turned back, but could sense no one. 'An animal, perhaps?' He thought to himself. He once again proceeded towards the house when he heard something again— but it was not just one, but multiple. The person was hiding and revealing their presence again and again on purpose. This was a strong opponent, very strong. He gulped again.
"Who is there?" He tried to sound brave. Seeing no reply, he asked again. "Come out, you coward!"
No reply.
"Fine, now, I am going to kill those humans over…"
He couldn't finish as he felt something very sharp against his throat and a suffocating presence behind him.
"I am going to ask this once," a young male voice spoke. "What are you?"
"D-demon."
"Why did you come here?"
"T-to kill you…"
"Hmm," the voice sounded thoughtful for a moment. "I shall let you try. I need to see your abilities too, dattebayo." He let go of Simi. "My family members are asleep, let's not make too much noise, ne?"
Simi turned and faced his challenger.
"A normal brat?" The demon licked his lips with his long tongue and smiled a strange crooked smile. His huge green body showed in the moonlight. "My master told me that this was a very important mission; I knew that he sent me to kill some people, but never had I imagined it was you… a normal brat.. Anyway I will kill and eat all of you and I will be among the great Twelve Kizuki."
"As an old enemy of mine used to say," Tanjiro smiled before getting into his Taijutsu stance. "Let's dance!"
The demon disappeared from the spot, only to reappear and throw a roundhouse kick at the boy. But Simi was shocked to see the boy vanish in a poof of smoke. 'Is this what My Lord was talking about?' He thought. 'This boy is a sorcerer?'
"Over here!" The demon swiftly turned back, only to get thrown back a few metres away by a powerful wind force. 'This kid can control the wind too?' He thought as he stood up. 'I shouldn't underestimate him anymore.'
The demon 's hands glowed in a crimson light. "Blood Demon Art: Devil's Root!"
Abruptly, dozens upon dozens of tree roots burst out of the earth and started to grab the boy who was not making any effort to get himself free.
"This is what?" Asked the boy in a lazy tone. "A cheap copy of Wood Release?" He sighed. "Man, this is even worse than the Zetsu's."
The demon didn't make any comment; he observed the boy.
After half a minute, the boy was wrapped completely in tree roots, like a mummy.
"Blood Demon Art: Devil's Breath!"
A green smoke was released inside and soon the roots began to shrink.
"That boy was hard to kill," Simi said. "I usually don't have to use my Blood Demon Art. that was…"
"Weak." He froze as soon as he heard it.
He barely managed to dodge a devastating punch directed to his jaw only to receive another one at his chest. The demon struggled for air, but the boy gave him no leisure as he kept throwing barrages of punches.
The demon kept using roots to stop the assault but they were being cut like butter by Tanjiro's hands alone.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro was thinking about something. The demon was weak, too weak compared to him. But then again, he was a low-level threat, that's for sure. And if he is this strong for this standard, then Muzan would be way more stronger. Tanjiro decided to end the battle.
"Wind Style: Rasengan."
The Chakra sphere hit the demon at his torso and made its way to his back through. It was a nasty sight to see. But Tanjiro was shocked to see the demon regenerating at a rate that would put a Jinchuriki in shame. The demon stood up.
"Blood Demon Art…"
"Water Style: Water Bullet!"
Before the demon could use his powers again, Tanjiro quickly used Wind Chakra to sever his arms. The demon was too shocked to say anything.
Three and a half minutes later, Tanjiro stood beside a mutilated demon. The demon had none of his limbs, his torso was half gone as well as his right eye. He had serious burn marks all over the body. But the funny thing was the demon was very much alive and was healing slowly but still, it would eventually have its limbs and eye back. No matter how many Jutsus he threw at the demon or how hard he hit it, the demon didn't die. Weird. Although Naruto didn't use more powerful ones— such as the Rasenshuriken.
"How are you still alive?" the former shinobi asked. "You should be dead. Are you immortal?"
"N-n-no." Stammered the demon. "We don't die no matter how powerful the attacks are. Only a special blade made by some mysterious men can kill us. We are also allergic to Wisteria flowers. Enough of it can possibly kill us."
"Hmm." Tanjiro closed his eyes. "Now, tell me, what do you know about Muzan?"
The demon's remaining eye widened in awe before shouting, "I-I can't tell…"
"Oh, okay then, how about we test how hard the lock on your mouth is?" Tanjiro smiled sadistically, which didn't suit his face at all.
Half an hour later, Tanjiro gave up and decided to seal the demon away. He took a piece of paper from inside his kimono and drew a pentagonal seal. The demon pleaded for mercy. But Tanjiro was not in a good mood.
Just when Naruto decided to head back, he felt a presence about twenty metres away.
"Show yourself." He said as he sighed.
"Am I late," a new figure emerged. "Or did that bastard eat them all by himself?"
~• •~
Giyu had never felt such a powerful demon presence before. The demon must have gone through this mountain a few hours earlier. It has to be an Upper Moon at least.
He made his way all the way to the top of the mountain by following his instincts developed by years of experience.
From what he learned from the town, a family lives at the top of the mountain. The Kamado family has been selling charcoal for generations. Why would an Upper Moon demon bother itself with them? Do they possess something that threatens the very existence of the demons? Or do they have something that is very important for the existence of the demons? Conquering the sun…
'No,' he thought. 'I am probably thinking too much.'
The mountain's paths were too snowy due to heavy snowfall at night. There are footprints visible, probably three or four people.
Giyu finally reached the place, expecting a bloody scene, a carnage. But the thing is… there wasn't anything remotely bloody. The place looked normal. A simple house with a small storeroom beside. That's it.
This is unusual.
Usually, wherever demons go, they kill people. While it is true that the Twelve Kizuki have better control over their desires and hunger, it is still unlikely that they would go to a human's house and won't kill. This is suspicious. What if…
What if these people are demons themselves? That might not be entirely impossible. This place is too snowy. Sunlight rarely penetrates the lair of clouds. Very suspicious indeed.
'Nah,' he thought. 'Maybe I am thinking too much today.'
He knocked on the wooden front door, his other hand on his Nirchin blade, ready for anything.
"Coming!" A feminine, young voice was heard. After hearing a few footsteps approaching, the door opened and Giyu was greeted by a girl with black hair, pink eyes wearing an old pink kimono. Seeing his calculative gaze, she asked him, "How can I help you?"
"I work for the government," he began with a half truth. "According to my spy, a strange person was spotted somewhere around here not long ago. Have you noticed anything?"
"Umm…" she hesitated, clearly surprised to see a 'policeman'. "I am afraid, I haven't."
"I see," he frowned. "What about others?"
"I'll go and ask…" she cut off her sentence as her brother emerged from the house. He smiled widely at the man.
"Hello!" He stretched out his hand. "I am Tanjiro Kamado, dattebayo. What is your name?"
~• •~
Tanjiro was helping his mother cook dinner when he heard someone knocking at the front door. His younger sister went to see who it was.
Tanjiro could feel energy building up behind that door. Whoever it was must be expecting some kind of attack because they did not have any kind of malicious intent like Muzan from the previous night.
He heard someone introducing themselves as government people. Tanjiro instantly detected the lie. Even if the person did not possess any kind of malicious intent towards him or his family he should not let his guard down and be ready for anything.
The man, who must be not much older than him judging from his voice, asked Nezuko if she noticed anything odd around lately. Now that is suspicious, he was definitely asking about Muzam. Deciding not to wait any longer, Tanjiro quickly rushed towards his sister. He found a man wearing a colourful haori over a loose black, white-belted uniform. He had a sword with his waist. "Hello!" He stretched out his hand. "I am Tanjiro Kamado, dattebayo. What is your name?"
The man, or rather, the boy, raised his right eyebrow at him and stared for a moment before replying, "Giyu Tomika."
"Pleased to meet you, Giyu-san. May I ask under which division of the government you work in?" Tanjiro asked without losing his smile.
Giyu didn't answer for a moment. He kept staring at Tanjiro. This boy is crafty. Nezuko meanwhile moved away from them and was watching the interaction curiously. Tanjiro had changed a lot within a day. She knew about the 'Soul Merging' of her brother with the 'Legendary Warrior Naruto' which he told her with great enthusiasm.
"Well?" Tanjiro pressed.
"It's…" Giyu began uncomfortably. "It's a secret division. We are not allowed to speak about it."
"I see." Tanjiro's face became serious. "I have never seen a uniform like that."
"We aren't exactly a lot out there."
"Hmm, say, Giyu-san, does your organisation have anything to do with humanoid creatures with abnormal physical strength and odd eyes?"
"What do you know about them?" Giyu asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I don't know much about it. Except for maybe one thing— a man came to our house yesterday with ill intentions. He said his name was…" Tanjiro said. "Muzan."
Slam!
Before her eyes could follow, Nezuko found her brother being pinned against the wall by Giyu. She, along with her mother screamed. Takeo, Hanako and Shigeru were too terrified to do anything; they just prose on their spot. Rokuta started to cry, sensing the tense atmosphere.
"How does a civilian like you know his name?" Giyu asked. His tune was called and promised murder. "Or are you civilian at all? Tell me what kind of a demon you are?"
Tanjiro maintained his emotionless expression. His eyes were hollow. "That guy, last night came to my house with the intention to kill my family." He spoke in a much colder tune. "He sent one of his men, or rather, demons in order to test me. When I was unable to kill him, I locked him away. He was not the only demon Muzan sent after us. He was the first of six demons, each one stronger than the previous one. I locked them too, one by one."
"Why would he, of all people, do that?" Giyu asked, not showing his discomfort. He shifted his gaze towards the other occupants of the place. "And why are you guys still alive if he did come here? Where did you 'lock them away'?"
"I honestly don't have any idea what he wants from us." Tanjiro said. "And about the second question— I scared him away. The third one? Let's just say, I have my own portable jail."
The demons didn't say anything about Muzan. Heck they didn't even say his name. This reminded Naruto of Danzo's ROOT ANBU. Danzo had a seal placed on his mindless soldiers' body that prevented them from speaking about him. Muzan must have done something similar.
Giyu stared at Tanjiro for a moment as if he had sprouted a second head before he spoke, "That's… outrageous." Giyu loosened his grip on Tanjiro's haori unconsciously. "It is a bold claim, you do realise it, don't you?"
"He was strong." Tanjiro stated. "Very strong from what I can tell from my observation. He shattered almost all of my right hand's bones. But he simply wasn't strong enough." He added as a matter of fact.
Giyu looked at him, completely dumbfounded. He completely let go of Tanjiro and studied the younger man from top to bottom, nothing special. Then he laughed in a mocking tune. The Kamado family, minus Tanjiro, was confused, not quite understanding anything. What is going on? Who is this Muzan?
"Nobody from the Demon Slayer Corp can fully match an Upper Moon, not even the Hashiras." Giyu said. "And you say you scared their boss, the King of demons away?"
'Demons?' Tanjiro meanwhile thought. 'Maybe this world is not too different from mine.'
"Tell me kid," Giyu said in a dangerously low voice. "Do you have any proof of what you say?"
"If I give you proof," Tanjiro said. "What will I get?"
"Huh?"
"That blade looks cool. Why don't we make a bet…" he couldn't finish as Giyu tried to grab him again, but this time, he failed to do so. Instead, he was the one who was pinned against the wall by Tanjiro. He struggled to free himself, but failed. 'This guy is stronger than Gyōmei!'
"You act tough," Tanjiro said with a smile that betrayed his underlying meaning. "But do you know what?" He leaned towards him and whispered into his ear. "I can smell that tiny bit of fear coming from you…"
"You demon!" Giyu shouted."Let go of me!"
"Are you willing to listen to me now?" Tanjiro asked in a calm tune, still maintaining his smile. "I hate to say, but if you resort to violence, it can get ugly. Very ugly. So how do you want to play it? Are you willing to tell me now? Make your move"
Giyu looked furious. He sighed but nodded. He is going to talk.
"Good." Smirked Tanjiro.
~• •~
"Hundreds of years ago, there was a man named Muzan. He was born in a noble family. He had money, a great lineage and everything else But all these didn't save him from the mischief of fate. He suffered from an unknown deadly disease. It was so deadly that he couldn't even get up from bed on his own. One day, by consuming some unknown herb or medicine, he was cured. He could move faster than before. He became way stronger than any human. He surpassed the limitations of human anatomy.
"However, it affected his mobility under the sun. Because of it, he couldn't tolerate sunlight. But that is not all. He couldn't eat normal food anymore. What Muzan needed to satisfy his hunger was… human blood and flesh. What's more is that he had the ability to make others like him. A monster, a demon.
"Yes, it is true. Muzan could also turn humans into demons. Whoever is given his blood or the ones from his top subordinates transform into monsters like him. His strongest subordinates are called 'The Twelve Kizuki'. Muzan and his minions plagued the lands. They kill humans with no mercy. They eat human flesh like hyenas. They are almost unstoppable. They hunt in such a way that none can tell what hit them…
"Today, hundreds of years later, there is no man called Muzan Kibutsuji. Instead there is a monster, a DEMON KING named MUZAN.
"Because of his deeds, his family was cursed. A part of his lineage is connected with the Ubuyashiki family. They suffer because of the curse placed on them. They don't live more than 25 years, 30 if lucky, or unlucky; depends on how you see it. They have a horrible skin disease. A normal fever can be far too fatal for them and they go blind as time passes on. Also, they are physically weaker than an average eight year old. How do they earn money? Well, they can predict the future, that's it. There is a belief that in order to get rid of this curse, Muzan must be killed.
"After years of research and experiments, they came to a solution. Demons can only be killed if they are beheaded by a certain type of blade called 'Nirchin'. They can also be killed if they are brought under direct sunlight.
"Demon Slayer is an organisation established by the Ubuyashiki family many generations ago. Their sole target is to get rid of Muzan and free the world from his plague of darkness. In order to become a slayer, one must undergo serious blade training and have the recommendation from a seasoned slayer. The slayers must pass a test that is held every year. Every year, many young men and women join the corps with a view to help humanity.
"Demon Slayers excel in Kenjutsu or sword techniques. They use multiple breathing styles in order to enhance their strength. In the corps there are multiple ranks: Mizunoto, Mizunoe, Kanoto, Kanoe, Tsuchinoto, Tsuchinoe, Hinoto, Hinoe, Kinoto, and Kinoe. Mizunoto is the lowest while Kinoe is the highest.
"However, there is a rank even higher than Kinoe: Hashira. The Hashiras are the strongest warriors among slayers. They are stronger than most Lower Moons. Currently, there are nine Hashiras. The Hashiras also serve as an inspiration for the junior slayers. They inherit the post from their mentors.
"I am called the 'Water Hashira'. As this title suggests, I use water breathing techniques to amplify my attacks. I am assigned to a region nearby and was patrolling when I picked up the presence of demons. Hence, I came to investigate.
"Now you know EVERYTHING. You are not a demon as I assumed earlier, but you are stronger than our strongest warrior. You say that you are a simple charcoal seller. But we both know that is not true. WHAT are you? State your intentions."
"I wish to join the Demon Slayer Corps," Giyu got his answer. "I can't exactly tell you how I am this strong as you will not believe me. I know that I am strong, but I need to get stronger as I have a family to protect. Muzan came for my family, sent his minions one after another. They were weak, but I am sure he has much stronger demons in his possession. That's why I need strength. He will definitely return and he will be prepared this time. Long ago, a friend of mine told me: 'When people are protecting something truly precious to them. They truly can become as strong as they need to be'. Muzan has taken away lots of precious people from others' lives. I can't allow him to do that anymore. I am going to be the one to kill Muzan and help others. I am not gonna run away, I never go back on my word, that's my nindo— my Ninja way, believe it!"
'What. In. The. Name. Of. God. Was. That.'
The poor Water Hashira had no idea let he had been subjected to the infamous 'Talk-no-jutsu'
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