A Follower

Sarutobi Hiruzen ignored the Four-Armed Demon's agonized howls, waiting for its reaction with a hint of anticipation.

But in the end, the Four-Armed Demon couldn't withstand the spreading burns. The moment the scorch marks covered its entire body, it turned to ash.

There had been no warning or reaction at all.

"Just as I thought..."

"It wouldn't be that simple..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head.

"The Blue Spider Lily can help demons overcome their weakness to sunlight. It's not something a low-ranking demon can digest."

"On the contrary, if its rank and bloodline purity aren't high enough, eating the Blue Spider Lily will completely consume it..."

For Kibutsuji Muzan, the Blue Spider Lily had been impossible to find despite a thousand years of searching. But for Sarutobi Hiruzen, who knew the story, it wasn't difficult to locate.

With a little searching, he'd found that these flowers, which survived only in sunlight, weren't all that rare. He'd gathered them for experiments.

Unfortunately, a single flower had cost the Four-Armed Demon its life, despite its having followed Sarutobi Hiruzen for quite some time.

"Only demons of Upper Rank strength—or perhaps Muzan himself—can withstand the Blue Spider Lily's medicinal power."

"To demons, the Blue Spider Lily isn't all that different from sunlight."

"A flower that blooms only in sunlight naturally contains the sun's power."

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

"It's gentler than sunlight, but not by much."

"So sunlight is inherently both a source of life and a natural enemy to demons."

"Taking the Blue Spider Lily is a process of overcoming sunlight..."

But Sarutobi Hiruzen had no intention of abandoning his experiments.

If he could develop a Perfect Being that didn't fear sunlight, it would have tremendous strategic value—even if he didn't become a demon himself.

"For example, I could build an immortal army."

"Or use it as a foundation for transplanting various Kekkei Genkai."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked toward the experimental table again.

"It's a shame I've lost my only test subject."

"I'll have to go down the mountain and find another..."

Demons were practically perfect test subjects. They could hardly die—

unless they encountered their natural enemy: sunlight.

With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen left the hidden chamber.

He returned to the house the Ubuyashiki Clan Head had prepared for him on the surface. It stood not far from the Ubuyashiki clan grounds and was a sizable estate.

"Lord Sarutobi!"

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

"Masahiro."

"Where's Tsugikuni Yoriichi?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.

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

"He's at the training grounds."

A flicker of envy crossed Masahiro's eyes.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi had been busy teaching the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen the Breathing Style these past few days.

The swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps were studying with great diligence, hoping to turn the tide against Muzan.

Unfortunately, Masahiro was also a swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps, but he hadn't followed Tsugikuni Yoriichi to learn.

Watching his former companions grow stronger day by day, Masahiro couldn't help feeling envious.

But there was another reason Masahiro hadn't followed Tsugikuni Yoriichi.

After Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Sarutobi Hiruzen had arrived at the Demon Slayer Corps, they'd demonstrated their different abilities:

the Breathing Style and Ninjutsu.

Once it became clear that the two were difficult to combine,

the Ubuyashiki Clan Head had let the members of the Demon Slayer Corps choose which power they wanted to learn, or which best suited them.

Some had followed Tsugikuni Yoriichi to learn the Breathing Style, while others had followed Sarutobi Hiruzen, hoping to learn Ninjutsu.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi had naturally taught them everything without reservation, but Sarutobi Hiruzen had run into an obstacle.

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

As Tsugikuni Yoriichi had discovered, Sarutobi Hiruzen's cell count and bodily structure were entirely different from those of people in the Demon Slayer World.

Whether through Otsutsuki intervention or exposure to Natural Energy,

people in the Ninja World had the innate ability to produce Chakra. But humans in the Demon Slayer World not only differed physically from those in the Ninja World; they also lacked the seeds of Chakra.

So it wasn't that Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to keep Ninjutsu to himself. Spreading Chakra in this world would also change the Space-Time Node to some extent,

and that would benefit Sarutobi Hiruzen as well.

"Masahiro..."

"You've been following me for quite some time."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's composed expression carried an air of authority.

"You could have chosen to learn the Breathing Style instead..."

Masahiro immediately knelt to show his loyalty.

But before he could say anything, Sarutobi Hiruzen waved a hand.

"There's no need for pleasantries."

"Just tell me why you're still willing to stay here."

Quite a few members of the Demon Slayer Corps had initially followed Sarutobi Hiruzen to learn. After all, the Ninjutsu he'd demonstrated might have been called Ninjutsu, but it was practically Sorcery.

In this world, sorcerers and priests were undoubtedly far more respected than swordsmen.

But later, Sarutobi Hiruzen had informed them that they'd have to wait an uncertain amount of time to learn Ninjutsu.

He needed to find a way to let the people of this world produce Chakra, which would require testing and research.

But as time passed and the wait dragged on, most of them couldn't resist turning to the Breathing Style.

No matter how flashy Ninjutsu was, the power in your own hands was what mattered.

In the end, only Masahiro, a slightly older samurai, had stayed behind.

Masahiro knelt on the ground and gritted his teeth.

"My aptitude for swordsmanship isn't good."

"Even bad..."

"I don't stand out among the swordsmen..."

"And I'm not one of the stronger ones, physically..."

"Most importantly, I'm no longer young."

"I can't keep up with fighting with my body anymore."

Masahiro spoke honestly. His reasons were his own limitations and his age.

He'd judged that even if he learned the Breathing Style, he wouldn't accomplish much.

And besides—

Compared with the other, younger samurai, he was older and had more ideas and foresight.

A different kind of ambition glimmered in Masahiro's eyes. Rather than remain a low-ranking samurai, he wanted to use Sorcery to gain greater power and profit.

"I see."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. He admired patience and ambition alike.

"I'll be going down the mountain shortly..."

"Come with me."

"As for teaching others Ninjutsu..."

"I've made some progress."

Over the past few days, in addition to researching demons, Sarutobi Hiruzen had also obtained a number of death-row prisoners through the Ubuyashiki clan to use in experiments.

His main goal was to find a way for other people to produce Chakra, and he'd indeed found a direction to pursue.

"Thank you, Lord Sarutobi!"

Masahiro fought to contain his excitement and hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

He knew that Lord Sarutobi truly intended to teach him Sorcery.