At the summit of Mount Fujikasane, everyone cheered and hugged one another.
The Demon Slayer Corps and the Shinobi World team put aside their differences as well. Hiruzen shook hands with Gyomei, Little A high-fived Kuwajima, and Might Duy and Kyojuro exchanged hearty laughs...
Only Danzo stood alone with a gloomy expression, ignored by everyone.
"All right, special training is over." Li Tetsuhiro raised his hand and passed the vial of the Hand Demon's blood to Maya. "The Hand Demon has been eliminated too. Give his blood sample to Tamayo for research."
He paused, his voice turning serious. "Now for your assignments."
Whoosh! Everyone snapped to attention.
"First, eliminate the demons on Spider Mountain and in the three towns along the way, and collect their blood. Second, protect ordinary civilians en route. No innocent casualties. Third, tell Tobirama and the others to come to Asakusa Castle in Tokyo Prefecture."
"Understood!" both teams answered in unison, their spirits soaring.
Instead of returning to headquarters, the group headed straight for Asakusa Castle.
Through woods... across fields... they crossed a wooden bridge, with no time to admire the city's brilliant lights and bustling streets.
They hurried into the city under the blazing sun.
Along the way, they had split into several teams, with Urokodaki, Tanjiro, and Inosuke serving as their main scouts, and eliminated many demons.
These included the Swamp Demon in the county town, the little demon in the temple, the Drum Demon Kyogai in his mansion, and Lower Rank Five on Spider Mountain-Rui.
Asakusa Castle was brightly lit and densely built, with pharmacies, general stores, blacksmiths, and every other kind of shop.
The streets were packed with people wearing kimonos and wooden clogs, and advertisements were everywhere.
Honk! A horn sounded as a train rolled slowly into the station. Some