A tall man rolled out of the bushes, covered in wounds and rags, looking utterly disheveled.
But from the sword at his side and his exceptionally tall stature, it was clear he came from a samurai family.
What drew the most attention was the man's face. He was handsome and composed, and looked surprisingly similar to Tsugikuni Yoriichi—there was a good five or six parts resemblance between them.
"Brother?!"
Tsugikuni Yoriichi's eyes widened. He looked at the familiar face before him, both surprised and delighted.
This was his elder brother, Tsugikuni Michikatsu, with whom he had grown up.
"What are you doing here?"
"And..."
Tsugikuni Michikatsu also recognized his younger brother, who had run away from home, and his heart filled with joy.
"Yoriichi!"
But after the initial delight, Tsugikuni Michikatsu fell silent, his mood sinking.
"The samurai of the Tsugikuni Clan were all killed..."
"By a group of monsters called Demons."
"They kept chasing me, so I fled here!"
Hearing this, Tsugikuni Yoriichi sighed with pity.
"So the Tsugikuni Clan..."
Apart from his mother and elder brother, Tsugikuni Yoriichi had felt little for the rest of his family. But knowing they had all died at the hands of Demons still left him feeling sad.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the disheveled Tsugikuni Michikatsu before him, his expression tinged with amusement.
It seemed fate still held sway in this world. The two contradictory figures, Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Tsugikuni Michikatsu, had met after all.
Compared to Kokushibo, Upper Rank One several centuries later, the head of the Tsugikuni samurai family standing before him looked so handsome and imposing.
Even his wounds and disheveled appearance couldn't diminish his presence.
I just wonder, with my influence this time...
Will Tsugikuni Michikatsu still walk the path of a Demon?
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought.
On the other side, after talking for quite a while, the brothers finished catching up. Tsugikuni Yoriichi brought his elder brother over to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Lord Sarutobi..."
"This is my elder brother, Tsugikuni Michikatsu. He's an exceptional swordsman in his own right..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and gave Tsugikuni Michikatsu a friendly smile.
"I've heard of you."
"As a swordsman, you're certainly more than qualified..."
Tsugikuni Yoriichi looked a little puzzled. He didn't think he'd ever mentioned his elder brother to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Yet Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to know his brother very well.
Tsugikuni Michikatsu also looked a little perplexed. The powerful figure before him seemed to be looking at him strangely.
It made him feel distinctly uncomfortable.
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Tsugikuni Michikatsu might not be as kindhearted as Tsugikuni Yoriichi,
he didn't think badly of him.
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen had said, he admired Tsugikuni Michikatsu's determination as a swordsman—the desire to keep improving and grow stronger, even if it meant becoming a Demon.
After all, the desire to survive and the desire to become stronger were both normal human wants. Tsugikuni Michikatsu had simply chosen the path many people would have taken.
Not everyone was born holy, like Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't speak with Tsugikuni Michikatsu any further. There were few people in this world worth talking to, and Tsugikuni Michikatsu certainly wasn't one of them.
This understanding came with one condition: that he didn't stand in Sarutobi Hiruzen's way.
Watching Sarutobi Hiruzen walk away, Tsugikuni Michikatsu felt a chill creep through him.
That look in his eyes, laced with amusement and keen insight, had seemed as if it would see right through him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's presence was even more imposing than that of Tsugikuni Michikatsu, a samurai family head. This only made him more curious about the mysterious old man's identity.
Night fell.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others didn't continue down the road. Instead, they made camp where they were.
The bright bonfire illuminated everyone gathered around it.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi tended to his Nichirin Sword, while Tsugikuni Michikatsu practiced the Breathing Style he had learned from his younger brother that day.
Masahiro diligently worked on refining his Chakra. Perfect 1, shrouded from head to toe once more, stood quietly beside Sarutobi Hiruzen as he read a scroll, like a guardian deity.
The warmth of the bonfire drove away the cold wind around them, but it could do nothing about the chill coming from farther away.
"My lord."
Masahiro picked up his weapon and signaled to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But Tsugikuni Michikatsu cut in.
"Mr. Sarutobi..."
"Yoriichi..."
"Please let me try."
"I want to take revenge on my own!"
"My family and my subordinates..."
"They were all killed by those monsters!"
"I want to cut off their heads with my own hands!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen shrugged. He had no objection. Tsugikuni Yoriichi was somewhat worried, but seeing his brother's resolute expression, he nodded.
"Thank you..."
Tsugikuni Michikatsu remained courteous. After borrowing Tsugikuni Yoriichi's Nichirin Sword, he left the bonfire.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
"Slash, slash, slash..."
Sounds of clashing weapons and blades cutting into flesh rang out from the bushes nearby, obscuring the view.
Ten minutes later, Tsugikuni Michikatsu returned to the bonfire, drenched in blood. He handed Tsugikuni Yoriichi's spotless Nichirin Sword back to him.
Aside from his heavy panting, almost none of the blood on Tsugikuni Michikatsu belonged to him. It came from the Demons he had fought.
Masahiro watched Tsugikuni Michikatsu with a mixture of wariness and envy. He had seen Tsugikuni Michikatsu's swordsmanship that day. Even among the Demon Slayer Corps, it would have been considered first-rate.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded inwardly at the sight.
Although Tsugikuni Michikatsu had a rather unpleasant personality and was nowhere near as talented as Tsugikuni Yoriichi,
among ordinary people, Tsugikuni Michikatsu's talent was undoubtedly among the very best.
The fact that Tsugikuni Michikatsu had repeatedly escaped Demons before mastering a Breathing Style showed just how talented he was with the sword.
And after learning Tsugikuni Yoriichi's Breathing Style, Tsugikuni Michikatsu had adapted to it in a single day, almost completely mastering its rhythm.
That kind of talent was truly astonishing.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi also watched his elder brother with joy. Being reunited with his brother and fighting alongside him made him incredibly happy.
"Hm?!"
Tsugikuni Yoriichi suddenly looked up at the sky. A black crow was flying toward them.
It flew straight down and landed in front of Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
It was one of the crows raised by the Ubuyashiki Clan. Said to carry the blood of Demons, they could find people, navigate routes, and deliver messages.
In the past, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, far from the Demon Slayer Corps, had also passed information to the head of the Ubuyashiki Clan through crows.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi untied the note from the crow's leg and unfolded it to read.
His expression immediately grew serious.
"Lord Sarutobi!"
"According to Oyakata-sama..."
"They've discovered traces of the Demon King!"
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