Followers

Sarutobi Hiruzen ignored the Four-Armed Demon's miserable wails, instead waiting with a hint of anticipation for the demon's reaction.

But unfortunately, the Four-Armed Demon did not survive the spread of the burns; as the scorched marks covered its entire body, it instantly turned into a pile of ash.

There was absolutely no warning or reaction.

"As expected..."

"It isn't that simple..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head.

"The Blue Spider Lily allows demons to overcome their weakness to sunlight, so it isn't something a bottom-tier demon can digest."

"On the contrary, if the rank and bloodline purity are insufficient, consuming the Blue Spider Lily will result in being completely eroded away..."

For Kibutsuji Muzan, the Blue Spider Lily, which he had failed to find for a thousand years, was not difficult to obtain for Sarutobi, who knew the plot.

By paying a little attention, he found that these flowers, which only survive in sunlight, were not rare, and he had collected them for his experiments.

Regrettably, just a single flower had cost the life of the Four-Armed Demon, who had been following Sarutobi Hiruzen for quite some time.

"Only those at the Upper Rank level, or perhaps even Muzan himself, could withstand the medicinal power of the Blue Spider Lily."

"To a demon, the Blue Spider Lily is not much different from sunlight."

"A flower that only blooms in the sun naturally contains the power of the sun."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the ashes left behind by the Four-Armed Demon and thought to himself.

"It is only milder than direct sunlight, but not by much."

"Therefore, sunlight is inherently a force of mutual destruction for demons."

"The process of consuming the Blue Spider Lily is the process of overcoming sunlight..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of giving up on his experiments.

If he could develop a perfect creature that did not fear the sun, even if he himself did not become a demon, it would hold significant strategic value.

"For example, creating an army of the undead."

"Or using this as a foundation to transplant various Kekkei Genkai."

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his gaze back to the laboratory bench.

"It is just a pity that my only test subject is gone."

"I must head down the mountain to find new materials..."

Demons, as a species, could basically be called perfect test subjects; they almost never died.

Unless they encountered their nemesis: sunlight.

With that said, Sarutobi Hiruzen left the secret chamber.

He returned to the house prepared for him by the Ubuyashiki patriarch, a fairly large courtyard located not far from the Ubuyashiki estate.

"Lord Sarutobi!"

As soon as he emerged, a mature-looking samurai approached him.

"Ah, Masahiro."

"Where is Tsugikuni Yoriichi?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen inquired.

"Lord Tsugikuni is currently teaching the swordsmen the Breathing Style..."

"He is in the training grounds."

A flash of envy crossed Masahiro's eyes.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi had been very busy these days teaching the Breathing Style to the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps.

The swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps were also learning very diligently, hoping to reverse the disadvantage the Demon Slayer Corps held against Muzan.

Unfortunately, although Masahiro was also a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps, he was not learning under Tsugikuni Yoriichi.

Watching his former companions grow stronger step by step, Masahiro could not help but feel a bit envious.

However, the reason Masahiro was not learning under Tsugikuni Yoriichi was not due to any other cause.

After Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived at the Demon Slayer Corps, they demonstrated different talents.

Breathing Style and Ninjutsu.

After it was stated that the two were difficult to coexist.

The Ubuyashiki patriarch had the members of the Demon Slayer Corps choose the power they preferred or were suited for to learn.

One portion followed Tsugikuni Yoriichi to learn the Breathing Style, while the other portion followed Sarutobi Hiruzen, wishing to learn Ninjutsu.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi was naturally unreserved, but Sarutobi Hiruzen encountered obstacles.

In every world with a different supernatural system, people are different from one another.

Just as Tsugikuni Yoriichi discovered, Sarutobi Hiruzen's cell count and body structure were completely different from the people of the Demon Slayer world.

Whether through the seeding of the Otsutsuki or the influence of natural energy, the people of the Ninja World all possessed the innate ability to produce Chakra, but humans in the Demon Slayer world not only differed in constitution from those in the Ninja World, they also lacked the seed of Chakra.

Therefore, it was not that Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to keep secrets; spreading Chakra in this world was, to a certain extent, an act of altering a Space-Time Node, which was also beneficial to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Masahiro..."

"You have been following me for quite some time now."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's calm expression carried a sense of authority.

"You could have easily chosen to learn a Breathing Style instead..."

Masahiro immediately knelt, expressing his loyalty.

But before Masahiro could say anything, Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand.

"There is no need for empty pleasantries."

"Just tell me the reason you are still willing to stay here."

At the beginning, there were quite a few members of the Demon Slayer Corps who followed Sarutobi Hiruzen to learn; after all, the Ninjutsu he displayed was, in truth, no different from Sorcery.

In this world, the status of mages and priests was undoubtedly far higher than that of swordsmen.

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen later informed these individuals that if they wanted to learn Ninjutsu, they would have to wait for an indefinite amount of time.

Because Sarutobi needed to find a way to allow the humans of this world to possess Chakra, which required experimentation and research.

But as time passed and the wait grew long, the vast majority could not resist going off to practice a Breathing Style.

No matter how flashy Ninjutsu might be, the power held in one's own hands was the only power that was truly one's own.

In the end, only Masahiro, a slightly older samurai, remained.

Masahiro knelt on the ground and gritted his teeth.

"Because my aptitude for swordsmanship is not good."

"It is even considered poor..."

"I do not stand out among swordsmen..."

"And my body is not of the most robust kind either..."

"Most importantly, I am no longer young."

"I am already unable to keep up with the demands of fighting with my body."

Masahiro stated his true reasons, which were due to his own aptitude and age.

He judged that even if he learned a Breathing Style, he would not achieve much.

Furthermore.

Compared to the other young samurai, he was older and possessed more thoughts and foresight.

A different kind of ambition flickered in Masahiro's eyes; compared to being a low-status samurai, he hoped to gain more power and profit through the strength of Sorcery.

"Is that so?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded; he also appreciated those who possessed patience and ambition.

"I will be heading down the mountain in a while..."

"You shall follow me."

"Regarding the matter of teaching others how to perform Ninjutsu..."

"I have finally found a lead."

During these past few days, in addition to conducting research on demons, Sarutobi Hiruzen had also obtained quite a few death-row prisoners through the channels of Ubuyashiki for his experiments.

The main focus was experimenting on how to make others produce Chakra, and Sarutobi Hiruzen had indeed found a direction.

"Thank you, Lord Sarutobi!"

Masahiro suppressed his excitement and hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

He knew that Lord Sarutobi was truly going to teach him Sorcery now.