Shinobu Kocho

A soft and ethereal female voice pierced the night sky, causing a group of people who were just about to leave to abruptly stop in their tracks.

"Who?" Kakashi's eyes sharpened as he gripped his Kunai. "An enemy."

"No...it's the Demon Slayer Corps." Tomioka's tone turned somber. "It's...the Insect Pillar."

The two of them originally came together, but due to the butterfly effect of Kakashi and Guy, they split up to explore the surrounding area.

As the soft footsteps approached, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

Under the moonlight, a feather-light blouse, as soft as butterfly feathers, trembled slightly in the night breeze, casting an eerie and graceful arc across her figure. The Insect Pillar, Shinobu Kocho.

Behind her, a cold-looking young girl followed closely, gripping Nichirin Blade, without uttering a single word.

Kanao Tsuyuri, the stepson of Shinobu Kocho, is a Demon Slayer Corps genius who can abandon all distractions in close combat.

"It seems... we missed a good show?" Shinobu Kocho said softly, her tone gentle yet sharp. "Mr. Tomioka... actually let the demon... leave with us?"

With those words, Kanao Tsuyuri gently tightened her grip on the knife. "Demons... shouldn't exist."

At that moment, Nezuko, who had been quietly hiding in the box behind Tanjiro, seemed to sense a deadly threat and let out a soft "squeak," as a pale, slender hand rested on the box door.

"A ghost?" "Sure enough... a ghost."

Shinobu Kocho's eyes suddenly sharpened. "It seems we need to... clean house."

Having said that, his figure blurred like a butterfly's shadow, and in an instant he appeared only a few feet away from the box, his sharp Nichirin Blade pointing straight at it.

"Stop!!" Tanjiro roared. "Nezuko is different! She has never hurt anyone! And she has always fought alongside us."

Tomioka said softly, "Stop, Butterfly... can be trusted."

But Shinobu Kocho softly asked, "Believe?"

"That's why everyone dislikes you."

There was a hint of coldness in his voice, "Sorry, ghosts... are not worth believing in."

Kanao Tsuyuri lightly touched the ground with her feet, gliding as gracefully as a feather to Shinobu Kocho's side, gripping her sword. "Master, I'm ready."

"It seems... we need to let the facts speak for themselves."

Shinobu Kocho murmured softly, "The demons... must be completely eradicated."

Having said that, the master and disciple moved like butterflies, closing in on the box in an instant, their blades pointing directly at the trembling little devil inside.

At this moment, the atmosphere suddenly became extremely tense.

"I...I wasn't disliked!" Giyu gripped his knife tightly and said softly.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry, but you didn't know you were disliked."

I'm so sorry for talking too much.

Shinobu Kocho offered an insincere apology.

"Wait a minute!!" Kakashi flashed forward, already blocking their path. "Tanjiro said she never ate anyone!"

"He just wanted to protect his sister..."

"Stranger?" Shinobu Kocho's tone remained gentle. "It seems... you're planning to interfere with the Demon Slayer Corps' mission?"

"The story sounds quite tragic..."

Having said that, Shinobu Kocho moved her feet lightly, and a nearly transparent butterfly shadow flitted out. "Then... let me see your resolve."

But...

The next second, a blurry black shadow appeared behind Shinobu Kocho with almost instantaneous speed.

"It's over."

Kakashi's voice was cold and calm as he gently placed the Kunai on Shinobu Kocho's neck; its sharp edge was enough to easily pierce the delicate neck of this Pillar-level swordsman.

This series of actions happened in an instant, so fast that even Giyu Tomioka and Kanao Tsuyuri couldn't fully capture it.

"What?"

"Master?"

"This... is impossible."

Kanao Tsuyuri's hand trembled as she gripped the Nichirin Blade, her pupils constricting.

This fighting style, which completely overwhelms Pillar-level swordsmen solely through agility and speed, surpasses all known fighting methods of the Demon Slayer Corps.

"Sorry," Kakashi said calmly, "Your speed... is slow for me."

"You... are you human?" The cold touch of a metallic blade came from Shinobu Kocho's neck. "Or rather... what are you?"

Kakashi answered softly, "Stranger."

He gently retracted his Kunai, his figure returning to Tanjiro's side like a phantom. "We do not fight for destruction... we fight for protection."

A night breeze blew by, Shinobu Kocho gripped her Nichirin Blade, her expression turning pale for a moment. This was a pure suppression of strength, a defeat that no Demon Slayer Corps member had ever experienced.

Giyu Tomioka said softly, "It seems... we need to reassess your strength."

Kanao Tsuyuri gripped her knife tightly. "Master... just now... we... couldn't keep up at all."

Kakashi glanced around calmly, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

In fact, that high-speed suppression was not only to demonstrate strength, but also to test the limits of the Demon Slayer Corps' Pillar-level combat power.

"It seems that the speed of a Pillar-level cultivator... is only up to this level? It relies entirely on the amplification from the 'Breathing Technique' and the 'Nichirin Blade,' and their basic physical attributes are actually quite limited."

Kakashi thought to himself, gently putting away his Kunai, his tone remaining calm and unwavering, "Your strength is not bad."

These words, spoken so casually, sent a chill down the spines of every Demon Slayer Corps member present.

Kakashi turned slightly, his back to the Demon Slayer Corps, his tone still calm, "It seems... we have enough leverage to cooperate."

Giyu Tomioka clenched his fists, staring intently at Kakashi, his voice low and serious. "What... is your purpose?"

Kakashi stopped, tilted his head slightly, and glanced at the crowd out of the corner of his eye. His tone remained calm, yet tinged with a hint of mockery. "I've already said, we're strangers. We were just passing through when we saw demons eating people, so we killed them without thinking."

He paused, then gave a meaningful smile. "Then Tanjiro told me that there's an organization here called the Demon Slayer Corps, which specializes in hunting demons."

"Therefore, we need to know whether your partners are truly capable of taking on this responsibility."

Giyu Tomioka's eyes narrowed, and he coldly questioned, "Just now... you weren't even using your full strength, were you?"

Kakashi simply shrugged, looking relaxed and at ease, as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than a trivial incident over tea.

Shinobu Kocho gripped the hilt of her sword tightly. The shock that had surged through her heart when she was suppressed by Kakashi just moments before had not yet subsided, but her expression remained as cold as ice, her tone revealing determination and stubbornness.

"Snort."

She took a deep breath, slowly lowering the blade. Though the blade was sheathed, her eyes remained sharp. "A demon... is absolute evil."

They eat humans.

"No matter what... ghosts should be completely eradicated."

Giyu Tomioka frowned slightly, his voice still low and steady, "Butterfly, Nezuko has never hurt anyone, I believe in Tanjiro."

He looked around and said, slowly and deliberately, "This is a fact, and it cannot be denied lightly."

"Right and wrong... shall be decided by our lord."