"Some connections."
"But not many..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen answered honestly.
"I see..."
To Hezi, Sarutobi Hiruzen's answer was an obvious confirmation: the man before her had an extraordinary identity.
As Hezi's thoughts stirred, the pressure of her hands gradually softened, and the area she massaged continued to expand.
As Sarutobi Hiruzen felt her warm, fragrant hands moving over him, his mood grew increasingly calm and relaxed, and ripples of feeling stirred within him.
Though Sarutobi Hiruzen's body was old, his soul was still that of a young man.
What's more, his old body was still remarkably vigorous. A ninja's physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to father a child in his old age and later have Sarutobi Asuma.
As the saying went, when the mood was right, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't hesitate. The tent's lights went out at once.
Since they were already near Kyoto, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't in a hurry to reach his destination.
Instead, by day, he refined Chakra and studied Ninjutsu while traveling with the caravan,
and by night, he studied the mysteries of Demons and the human body.
After several more days on the road, the caravan finally reached the Kyoto region.
Under Hezi's reluctant gaze, Sarutobi Hiruzen refused the caravan leader's money and belongings, then got straight out of the carriage.
The extraordinary world and the ordinary one were never truly parallel.
"We're finally here."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked over the fairly prosperous town before him. After taking it in, he immediately noticed the sizable security force stationed around it.
Numerous guards armed with swords and bows patrolled the area, giving it the appearance of a place under tight security.
More eye-catching still, purple Wisteria vines grew everywhere, forming a beautiful sight.
And this was the destination Sarutobi Hiruzen had been seeking all these days:
a small town near Kyoto where the Demon Slayer Corps was based.
Of course, the location of the Demon Slayer Corps, a secret underground organization, wasn't something one could easily discover.
The Demon Slayer Corps members in this era didn't yet have a Breathing Style. They were no different from ordinary people, making them difficult to identify.
"But the Ubuyashiki Clan has always been a prominent family in this country."
"They've been wealthy since the time of Kibutsuji Muzan."
Sarutobi Hiruzen had followed the Ubuyashiki lead to find this place.
"Otherwise, they couldn't have supported so many Demon Slayer Corps members who don't produce anything themselves..."
The people in the caravan also knew of the Ubuyashiki Clan, which had some mysterious connection to the shrine maidens serving the country's elite. The family had long been renowned for its wealth, nobility, and mystery.
It was said that the Ubuyashiki Clan had the blood of a God Lord.
Yet in recent decades, they had become unusually low-profile, even moving their family estate from prosperous Kyoto to this relatively remote region.
And Sarutobi Hiruzen knew the truth:
the Ubuyashiki Clan had indeed been cursed because of Muzan's birth. None of the Ubuyashiki children lived past the age of thirty.
That was why the family had begun keeping a low profile.
"A curse that extends through the bloodline..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered with interest.
"Is it radiation in the physical sense,"
"or a curse in the supernatural, fantastical sense?"
Still, as far as Sarutobi Hiruzen knew, this world did have some obscure divine and demonic powers.
"But, come to think of it... after fighting Muzan for so many years,"
"why hasn't anyone in the Ubuyashiki Clan considered joining him if they can't beat him?"
"Wouldn't it be more interesting if someone from a bloodline cursed by Muzan turned into a Demon?"
As he thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen walked to the town gate and looked at the vivid Wisteria flowers blooming there.
"Looks like the Demon Slayer Corps hasn't achieved nothing."
"At least they've discovered that Wisteria harms Demons."
"That way, they can protect their headquarters from being invaded by Demons."
"As for the Nichirin Sword..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen considered.
"I guess it won't be invented until after Tsugikuni Yoriichi."
"Hey, mister."
A clear, youthful voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
It was warm and polite, yet Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't feel at ease.
Instead, a deep-seated instinctive wariness spread through him.
The Chakra inside Sarutobi Hiruzen surged to its peak in an instant. His expression grew grave as he turned around.
A handsome young man with striking features stood before Sarutobi Hiruzen, wearing a friendly, open smile.
Most striking of all, a flame-like mark appeared on the young man's forehead. Rather than making him look strange,
it only added to his mysterious, heroic air.
"Sir..."
The young man's face held a gentle smile, like the rising sun. In an instant, it melted away all of Sarutobi Hiruzen's wariness.
"Are you a member of the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained expressionless, relying on the extraordinary power within him to keep his composure.
"No..."
"But I think we're here for the same reason..."
"I'm also looking for the Demon Slayer Corps."
"By the way..."
"How did you know I was a member of the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
"Because you're very strong."
The young man looked utterly serious, his expression full of admiration.
"I get the feeling I wouldn't stand a chance against you if we fought."
At that, Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth twitched. His expression turned strange.
"Is that so..."
Shouldn't I be the one who wouldn't stand a chance if we fought?
Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had naturally recognized the young man the moment he saw him.
In this Two-Star World, there were only a handful of people capable of threatening Sarutobi Hiruzen. Combined with the young man's appearance, his identity was unmistakable.
An aura as bright as the rising sun.
It doesn't seem like something a human could possess.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the young man before him. His bearing was like that of the sun, his expression calm and gentle—his very presence carried that same quality.
Simply standing nearby, Sarutobi Hiruzen could feel himself affected by this power. Even his mood and body warmed involuntarily.
It reminded him of another man, one who was likewise born under Heaven's mandate and was the son of a Deity.
In Sarutobi Hiruzen's distant memories, there had been someone just like this.
Like Senju Hashirama?
Tsugikuni Yoriichi also possesses some realm beyond that of ordinary people...
The realm of the divine—the kind of spiritual power that could inspire belief in others through nothing more than presence and aura.
The divine realm Sarutobi Hiruzen referred to wasn't the true power of a god.
It was the ability to bring one's will and power into perfect unity, allowing one to understand oneself and influence others.
Put simply, it was the art of persuasion taken to its highest level: changing the convictions and worldview of those nearby—even one's enemies—with words alone.
Good thing this is only a Two-Star World.
If I met someone like this somewhere else...
I'd be the first to run away.
Before you continue