Tanjiro's Anger

Asakusa, Tokyo Prefecture.

Under the night sky, Nakamise Street blazed with light and buzzed with voices. Lanterns from shops of every kind formed a sea of warm light, illuminating the bustling crowds. The aroma of food, vendors' calls, and tourists' laughter and chatter mingled to create a lively, noisy street scene. It stood in stark contrast to the quiet mountains and wilderness Moyu had traveled through, and made the scents mingling in the air incredibly complex.

Moyu moved swiftly through the crowd, keeping his Six Eyes operating at a low load as they filtered a vast stream of information. The life signatures of humans were like countless flickering flames, vigorous and jumbled together. Finding a particular demonic presence or a familiar human presence in this swamp of humanity was like searching for a needle in the ocean.

Tanjiro... Nezuko... Where are you? Moyu was anxious, but his face remained calm. Relying on his hazy memories of the original story, he could only head toward Kaminarimon at Sensō-ji, where the story began.

As he approached the enormous red lantern at Kaminarimon, his Six Eyes suddenly picked up an extremely faint but unmistakably familiar fluctuation of energy. It was Tanjiro's Water Breathing energy, steady but tinged with tension. Immediately afterward, another, even fainter fluctuation registered in his senses, pure and warm. It was Nezuko!

Found them!

Moyu's spirits lifted, and he immediately looked toward the source of their presences. Beside a busy soba stall near Kaminarimon, Tanjiro sat with his back to the street, his trademark green-checkered haori and Nichirin Blade standing out. The wooden box beside him was shut tight; Nezuko was obviously inside.

Moyu was about to go over and greet him when Tanjiro's body suddenly went rigid! His chopsticks clattered onto the table, and he straightened as though struck by an invisible bolt of lightning.

The next instant, an indescribable, bone-chilling malice erupted like a plague in Moyu's Six Eyes! It was so vast and profound, filled with ancient cruelty and absolute evil, that merely sensing its edge made one feel as though they had plunged into an icehouse, their very soul trembling.

Muzan Kibutsuji!

He was right here! Right in this noisy crowd!

Moyu's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He saw Tanjiro whip his head around, his usually gentle and resolute eyes now filled with boundless rage, hatred, and nearly uncontrollable killing intent! Tanjiro's gaze locked onto one figure: the back of a man in a fine Western suit, dressed like an upper-class gentleman, carrying a little girl as he prepared to leave the crowd.

It was Muzan! He had disguised himself as a human!

Tanjiro's breathing suddenly grew heavy, and his hand clamped around the hilt of the Nichirin Blade at his waist, his knuckles turning white. Every muscle in his body tensed like a lion about to pounce on its prey. The vengeance for his slaughtered family, the hatred carved into his bones, threatened to consume all his reason.

No! Alarm bells rang in Moyu's mind. If Tanjiro charged at him now, he would be throwing his life away! He could even drag countless innocent people around them into it!

At that critical moment, just as Tanjiro let out a low growl and was about to draw his blade and charge without regard for anything else, a figure appeared at his side like a ghost. One hand shot out like lightning and pressed down on Tanjiro's hand gripping the hilt. The other deftly held down the lid of the wooden box behind him, preventing Nezuko from losing control and bursting out after sensing her brother's fury and Muzan's presence.

"Tanjiro! Calm down!" Moyu's low, urgent voice sounded directly beside Tanjiro's ear, carrying a cool fluctuation of mental energy that tried to pierce the hatred shrouding his consciousness.

Tanjiro whipped his head around. Seeing Moyu, a brief flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes, only to be replaced by deeper madness. "Moyu! Let go of me! It's him! That man! Muzan Kibutsuji! He killed my family! I'm going to kill him!!" He struggled with astonishing strength, and his eyes even grew bloodshot.

"I know! I know it's him!" Moyu's hand remained immovable as an iron clamp. His azure eyes fixed on Tanjiro, and his voice carried unquestionable force. "But look carefully! Look around you! These are all ordinary people! If you charge in now, not only will you fail to get your revenge, you'll get them killed too! Besides, do you think you can beat him as you are now?!"

Tanjiro's gaze swept unconsciously over the faces around him, people who knew nothing of what was happening and were still laughing and talking. His movements faltered for an instant. But Muzan's back was about to disappear around the corner, and the flames of hatred blazed up again. "I can't worry about all that! This is my only chance! Even if I die, I'll..."

"Then what about Nezuko?!" Moyu cut him off sharply, keeping his voice extremely low, yet striking Tanjiro's heart like a heavy hammer. "If you die, what happens to Nezuko? Who will find a way to turn her back into a human? Who will fulfill Urokodaki's hopes? Does your revenge mean dragging your only sister to her death with you?!"

"Nezuko..." Tanjiro froze as though struck by lightning, and the force of his struggle instantly slackened. He looked back at the wooden box behind him. From inside came Nezuko's slight, uneasy movements and muffled whimpers. His sister's presence was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing some of his uncontrollable fury, but it also brought deeper pain and helplessness. He released the hilt in dejection and covered his face with both hands. His shoulders shook violently as he gave voice to muffled whimpers like those of a wounded beast, tears streaming through his fingers.

"I... I... My enemy was right in front of me... but I..."

Moyu's heart tightened as he watched Tanjiro suffer. He understood that hatred, but he understood the cruelty of reality even better. He released the hand pressing down on the hilt and gently patted Tanjiro's shoulder instead. "I understand your pain, Tanjiro," he said quietly. "But revenge isn't throwing your life away. We need strength, a plan, and a better opportunity. Muzan is far stronger than you can imagine. Acting blindly will only destroy all hope."

Just then, Moyu's Six Eyes keenly caught what seemed to be a fleeting glance in their direction from Muzan as he was about to turn the corner. His gaze was cold and indifferent, but a trace of... shock, or perhaps terror, flashed through it before he disappeared from sight entirely.

The source of that suffocating malice gradually receded, but Moyu's heart sank. Muzan had very likely noticed Tanjiro's undisguised killing intent. His shock or terror might have been caused by Tanjiro's earrings and the scar on his forehead: earrings identical to Yoriichi Tsugikuni's and a scar that closely resembled a Demon Slayer Mark. He might even have noticed Moyu, who had suddenly appeared and had a somewhat unusual presence.

"We can't stay here." Moyu pulled the nearly exhausted Tanjiro to his feet and picked up the wooden box. "Muzan has noticed us. We have to leave immediately and find somewhere safe."

Tanjiro let Moyu pull him along in a daze. They blended into the crowd and quickly left the noisy Nakamise Street. Moyu activated his Six Eyes at full power, watching for possible pursuit while rapidly analyzing the faint traces left in the air when Muzan had appeared.

Besides Muzan's vast and pure evil presence, he had picked up another extremely subtle energy residue, utterly different from that of an ordinary demon. This energy was... more complex, with a strange "medicinal quality" and a deep sadness and obsession. It also seemed to have some faint, antagonistic connection to Muzan's presence.

Lady Tamayo!

Moyu immediately identified the source of the presence. That was right. According to the original story, Tamayo and Yushiro should have been active somewhere nearby.

"Tanjiro, pull yourself together!" Moyu led Tanjiro into a dim, deserted alley and spoke seriously. "We're in great danger right now. Muzan may already have his eye on us. But we're not without leads. Just now, I sensed another unusual presence besides Muzan's. It seems there's another demon... who's hostile toward him."

Tanjiro jerked his head up, a glimmer of hope in his tear-filled eyes. "Really? There's another demon... fighting Muzan?"

"Yeah. My eyes can see the nature of certain kinds of energy." Moyu nodded. Like the most precise radar, his Six Eyes followed the faint trace of demonic presence, carrying the scent of medicine and sadness. "This presence is special. It doesn't have an ordinary demon's brutality. Instead, it feels like... she's seeking redemption. We might be able to approach her. She may know more about Muzan and how to turn demons back into humans."

Light returned to Tanjiro's eyes. Finding a way to turn Nezuko back into a human was his greatest motivation. Moyu's words gave him new hope and direction.

"Follow me. The presence leads this way." Moyu motioned for Tanjiro to follow, and the two moved swiftly through the maze of streets under cover of darkness and the alleys. Moyu's Six Eyes continually adjusted their course. Though the presence was faint and deliberately concealed, under the extraordinary perception of the Six Eyes, it remained like a thread in the dark, guiding them to their destination.

At last, they stopped in front of a rather old-looking Western-style building in a secluded location. The source of the presence was here, but the front door was shut tight and the windows were covered by heavy curtains, making it seem deserted.

"This is the place," Moyu said quietly. He could "see" an extraordinarily intricate Illusion Barrier enveloping the building, one that ordinary people and even lower-ranking Demon Slayer Corps members could not detect at all. But before the Six Eyes, the flow of energy through the barrier was plain to see.

Tanjiro took a deep breath and caught the faint scent of medicine and a trace of demonic presence in the air. It was indeed different from any demon he had encountered before. He stepped forward, preparing to knock.

Just then, the building's front door silently opened a crack. A woman in a kimono appeared behind it, elegant and dignified, her face pale yet beautiful and filled with endless sorrow. Her eyes had rare vertical pupils. She looked at Moyu and Tanjiro outside, and when her gaze settled on Moyu's azure eyes in particular, a flicker of surprise that she could scarcely hide crossed her face.

"You two... please come in." Lady Tamayo's voice was soft and pleasant, but carried a hint of weariness and wariness. "There are many 'eyes' outside. Here... it's relatively safer."

Her gaze lingered on Moyu for a moment in particular, and she said softly, "Especially you, young man, with those... incredible eyes. Your presence even interfered with Yushiro's barrier."

Moyu understood. The presence of the Six Eyes seemed stronger than he had imagined. He nodded slightly. "Sorry for intruding, Lady Tamayo. We came in pursuit of Muzan Kibutsuji, and also in search of... a way to save someone."

Hearing "a way to save someone," Tanjiro clenched his fists and looked at Tamayo with determination.

Tamayo stepped aside to let them through. "It seems we share a goal. Come inside and talk. This... isn't the place for a conversation."