Kids Shouldn't Be So Arrogant

Kakashi crouched in front of the ruins, his gaze fixed on the little boy covered in blood.

He originally only wanted to ask the child about his identity and situation, even if it was just to deduce the social structure of this world from a few words.

But he soon gave up.

The child's eyes were cloudy and unfocused, like a prisoner who hadn't seen the sun for years, or a piece of meat that had been raised for many years, a "resource" to be enjoyed by ghosts.

"..."

Kakashi sighed, said nothing, and raised his hand to wipe the blood from his face.

"You've never even seen the world, of course you can't answer that."

Kai stood behind him, silent for a long time, before speaking in a low voice, "This kind of demon... isn't for combat."

"It's for aquaculture."

Kakashi nodded, his gaze sweeping over the burnt wooden houses and the spiderwebs with human bones hanging from them.

"This area isn't a village, it's a... training ground."

"The demon race feeds on humans, yet they also know how to raise and store them."

"They are not beasts, but a different kind of race that has already developed a civilized structure."

Kai's expression was grave. "That's why we came. Now it seems that eliminating the ghost will definitely advance the mission's progress."

Kakashi glanced at him. "We're here to complete a mission, not to bear the burden of the world's moral obligations."

"However, from any perspective... these kinds of places deserve to be dealt with as well."

Kai's lips curled into a smile, "So, Lord Ye's intention in having us act first is this..."

He raised his fist, steam still rising slowly, as if he had just finished an unpleasant battle.

"This place, this mountain, feels like it needs to be cleared out three times over."

Kakashi didn't say anything more. He knelt down, picked up the boy, and placed him in the most inconspicuous corner under the eaves, whispering, "Wait quietly for a while."

"Wait until you can survive before thinking about how to live like a 'human being'."

As they were talking--

Kakashi suddenly looked up, his left eye slightly open, his Sharingan quickly catching the rapidly approaching presence from afar.

"They've arrived."

Kai immediately became alert, turned to face southeast, and said in a low voice, "It's not a ghost."

"They don't seem like ordinary humans either."

--Less than ten seconds after the two finished speaking.

"Boom!!"

Several figures flashed out from the forest like lightning, their blades flashing like thunder in the moonlight, swift yet stopping a hundred meters away, quickly forming an encirclement.

The leader was a young man named Tanjiro, dressed in a patterned haori and carrying Nichirin Blade on his back.

Following them was Zenitsu, with his yellowish-brown hair, nervously touching his knife, Inosuke, wearing a boar mask and already agitated.

"Ahead... there's no smell of demons," Tanjiro said in a low voice.

"But there's no sign of life either," Zenitsu said in a low voice, his eyes wary.

"The villagers are dead, and even their ghosts have vanished." Inosuke stared intently at the two of them.

"Who are you?" Tanjiro asked, gripping his sword hilt. His tone wasn't hostile, but rather highly alert. "Are you fellow members of the Demon Slayer Corps? Why haven't we seen you before?"

Kakashi stood casually with his hands in his pockets.

Kay blinked, looked down at his clothes, then glanced at the scorched earth surrounding the village, and muttered to himself, "Hey, we don't look like bad guys, do we?"

"... It looks like arson," Zenitsu added, cowering in fear.

"What?!" Kai tilted his head, his thick eyebrows looking somewhat timid towards Zenitsu.

"Cough."

Kakashi cleared his throat and finally spoke, his tone still calm. "We were 'assigned' to assist in investigating the strange activity in the Yamanaka."

"But it seems we arrived a little earlier than you."

His account was vague; he didn't mention his identity, nor did he lie, but he deliberately made it difficult for people to press him for answers.

"Assigned? Which unit?"

Kakashi shrugged and replied casually, "Because we're not subordinates of the Pillars."

"And who are you?"

"A kind passerby."

Inosuke: "..."

Tanjiro: "..."

Zenitsu: "... Really...?"

Tanjiro narrowed his eyes. "Just passing by? Slaughtering all the demons in the village and burning it down as well?"

Kakashi stood still, calmly replying, "You came here in pursuit of that spider demon?"

Tanjiro nodded. "Not just that."

"We found the corpse of a ghost in a nearby village; its blood had been evaporated by the high temperature, and its head had completely melted away."

"We didn't kill them."

"You are... competitors?"

Kai scratched the back of his head and simply laughed, "Not a competitor."

"She's a cleaner."

"When I see a ghost like that, I can't help but punch it a few more times."

Zenitsu shrank back in disbelief. "You... you mean that terrifying spider demon from before!? 'Just a few more punches' and it was gone???"

Inosuke could no longer contain himself, roared, "Hey! You white-haired bastard! I challenge you!! You better fight me seriously!!!"

Kakashi ignored him and turned to Tanjiro instead. "Are you the leader?"

Do we look like ghosts to you?

Tanjiro paused for a moment, then shook his head. "It doesn't seem like it."

"But you are not ordinary people."

"That spider demon's strength is at least at the Lower Moon level."

"But you killed it... without a scratch."

Kai nodded. "Yes, we're not ghosts."

"They are not your enemies either."

"We were just passing by and casually threw away the disgusting stuff."

Kakashi added calmly from the side, "If you insist on interfering... just consider us idle people?"

Tanjiro took a deep breath, his eyes shining. "I'm not here to blame you."

"However... if you are truly powerful demon hunters, I hope—you can join us."

"We are the Demon Slayer Corps."

"We really... need your strength."

A brief silence fell over the air.

"Huh?"

Zenitsu and Inosuke looked completely bewildered.

Kakashi glanced at Guy sideways, as if asking a silent question.

Kai grinned, a bright smile spreading across his face. "It's your decision. I'll listen to you."

Kakashi pondered for a few seconds, gazing at Tanjiro's earnest face, then suddenly smiled and said, "Alright."

"My teammates and I are very interested in killing demons."

Tanjiro bowed deeply and solemnly. "Thank you for your trust!"

Zenitsu was already clutching his head, spinning in place. "Oh no... two monsters beyond the level have arrived! How are we supposed to be the main characters now?!"

Inosuke his twin swords. "I want to be the first to test this! Hey, did you hear me! You white-haired guy who's too ashamed to show your face, stop grinning like that!!!"

Kai narrowed his eyes, turned to look at the pig's head mask on the man's head, and frowned. "Why... why is he wearing a pig's head?"

"Perhaps it's some kind of custom."

Kakashi tilted his head, glanced at the boy, reached out and touched his pig-head mask, his tone casual yet slightly teasing. "Kid, don't be so arrogant."

Inosuke: "Get out of here!!!"