Uzumaki Gamu looked at Tanjiro and said, "Well, you really are a good kid... I'll leave these people to you. I'm off... Oh, right! I almost forgot!"
Just as Uzumaki Gamu was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something. He took out the sealing scroll he carried with him and released its contents-ten racks holding sixty tightly sealed test tubes. Inside the tubes was a liquid that looked like blood!
Tanjiro asked curiously, "What are these?"
"Demon blood... Tamayo needs this, right? You need it to turn your sister back into a human, too, don't you? I made a point of saving it!" While killing demons over the past two days, Uzumaki Gamu had remembered that turning Tanjiro's sister back into a human required giving Tamayo demon blood to research a cure. If he killed all the demons himself, developing that cure would take much longer.
Uzumaki Gamu quite liked Nezuko and Tanjiro, so he had to help them out somehow!
Incidentally, Uzumaki Gamu hadn't just collected blood. He had also recorded each demon's characteristics-sex, height, and build-as well as the Blood Demon Arts they used.
He had really put some thought into this!
After hearing Uzumaki Gamu's explanation, Tanjiro stood there stunned-wasn't this person, who looked about his own age, a little too kind?
"All right, take these and find a way to deliver them to Tamayo. I'm going to keep killing demons!" Without lingering, Uzumaki Gamu set off on his demon-slaying journey once more!
With a whoosh, he vanished using the Body Flicker Technique!
Tanjiro could only hear a few lingering echoes ringing in his ears... What had he heard?
"Hahaha! Demons, your grim reaper is here!!! Mighty Heavenly Dragon! World-Honored Kṣitigarbha! Prajñā Buddhas! Defy heaven, and death awaits! Prajñā bā mā hōng~~ Let's fucking go!!!"-Was he cosplaying the ultimate Fahai?
Looking in the direction Uzumaki Gamu had gone, Tanjiro couldn't help scratching his head-the innocent boy couldn't quite wrap his mind around this.
Looking at his unconscious teammates and the vials on the ground, Tanjiro thought, Anyway... I'd better help everyone first!-He would wake his teammates before doing anything else!
After waking his two teammates, the three of them escorted the three ordinary passersby home, then followed their directions to a Wisteria House where Demon Slayer Corps members could rest and recover. During that time, Tanjiro also sent the sixty vials of blood to Tamayo in batches.
-Preparing Ninja Tools-
A few days later, Tanjiro and the two teammates he had met yesterday set out once again-their destination this time was a place called Mount Natagumo! According to the advance team's intelligence, multiple demons had settled there, so a unit of several dozen people had already been dispatched to slay them. Still, if Tanjiro and the others were being sent as reinforcements... things weren't looking good, were they?
Things were indeed unclear. By the time Tanjiro's group arrived, the Demon Slayer Corps had suffered devastating casual... No, they hadn't. Instead, everyone was trembling on the outskirts of the mountain, not daring to enter... What had happened?
Tanjiro immediately approached them to ask, then learned that before they could launch their attack, a strange man had charged inside shouting something about "Mighty Heavenly Dragon! World-Honored Kṣitigarbha! Prajñā Buddhas! Defy heaven, and death awaits! Prajñā bā mā hōng~~ Let's fucking go!!!" Afterward, they had heard demons screaming miserably from their position at the foot of the mountain... No, screaming in despair was more accurate!
Hearing that, Tanjiro broke into a nervous sweat-he had heard Uzumaki Gamu shout that before. Could the person who had charged up the mountain be him? And... he could actually make demons cry out in despair... Just how strong was he?!
Meanwhile, up on the mountain, Uzumaki Gamu had already killed every demon living there except one!
And that last survivor was the strongest demon on the mountain-Lower Rank Five, the spider demon, Rui. He, too, had a tragic past, but whether it was tragic or not no longer mattered. Talking about a demon who was about to die was a complete waste of time!
Holding a Nichirin Blade-one he had picked up while killing demons earlier, whose previous owner had presumably been killed by that demon, leaving only the blade behind; naturally, Uzumaki Gamu had used it to kill that same demon-Uzumaki Gamu looked at Rui and said with a smile, "You're the only one left. Thought of any last words?"
"Last words? You should be saying yours!!" Rui snapped furiously. "You slaughtered my family... Demon slayer, you're dead!!"-The other demons on Mount Natagumo were all Rui's family. How could he not be furious after they had been killed?
Uzumaki Gamu teased him. "Family? From what I just heard, they only hid here because they were afraid of demon slayers. You forcibly changed their appearances and made them play house with you, didn't you? Why get so angry over something you can replace whenever you want?"
"Shut up! I won't let you say that!!" Enraged, Rui swept his fingers forward-barely visible threads lashed from his fingertips toward Uzumaki Gamu!
These threads were his Blood Demon Art!
Rui could fight by controlling the spider silk he produced. When necessary, he could coat the threads directly with his blood, making them as hard and sharp as steel, enough to cut through even a Nichirin Blade.
Combining flexibility and strength, his spider threads could unleash a wide variety of attacks. Even among powerful demons, it was a fairly impressive Blood Demon Art!
Facing the spider threads sweeping toward him like blades, Uzumaki Gamu leaped sideways!
Seeing this, Rui kept swinging his threads to pursue him.
As he moved, Uzumaki Gamu said, "Oh, my, my. Angry now? You really are a little kid~"
"You're so annoying!!" Provoked by Uzumaki Gamu, Rui attacked even more wildly!
Even against Rui's frenzied attacks, Uzumaki Gamu dodged with ease while continuing, "I don't really understand. You never looked happy even when they were around. Does their dying really matter that much to you? Besides, can a fake family like that satisfy that empty heart of yours? Why not take my advice, die quietly, and serve your sentence in hell? Once you're released, you can reincarnate and live a life with a real family!"
"Nonsense! I'm not going to hell!!" Rui said furiously-or was it fear of hell?
"Don't be scared~ Speaking from experience, I can tell you that while hell isn't very warm, it's still pretty comfortable. After all, death is the only thing that's equal in this world~ Oh, wait. You've committed serious crimes, so you'll have to serve a sentence after you die. That'll definitely hurt~" Uzumaki Gamu kept rambling away.
His taunts finally drove Rui to unleash a skill. "Die!!"-Blood Demon Art: Murderous Eye Basket!
Like weaving a cat's cradle, he created a spiderweb that could trap an enemy from every direction, then strangle them in one swift motion.
The web Rui created lunged toward Uzumaki Gamu like a lion with its jaws wide open!
"Good grief. You just won't listen... Then I'll send you on your way myself!" Uzumaki Gamu's voice turned cold. No longer joking, he slashed at the incoming web!
Seeing what Uzumaki Gamu was doing, Rui laughed loudly. "You idiot! A demon slayer's blade can't cut through my web!"
With a ripping sound, Rui's web was sliced apart!
Rui: "..."-The humiliation came so quickly that he didn't even know what expression to make!
"Sure, an ordinary blade really can't cut your web. Unfortunately, you ran into me." Uzumaki Gamu said, swinging his blade.
At that moment, Rui noticed a blue-green glow on Uzumaki Gamu's blade. Uzumaki Gamu had used Wind Release: Vacuum Blade-a technique that infused wind-nature chakra into a kunai to form a sharp blade-to create an edge of wind around his Nichirin Blade, strengthening its cutting power!
Of the five elemental releases, Wind Release had the best cutting ability! Once wind-nature chakra was refined to its limit, it could cut at the molecular level-in theory, there was nothing it couldn't slice through!
Of course, that was only theoretical. Almost nobody could achieve that level. The only technique with a similar effect was Naruto's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken-the incomplete version transformed wind-nature chakra into fine needles that attacked human cells directly.
After a few seconds, Rui's brain finally came back online. He stared at Uzumaki Gamu and said, "...Monster!"
"Isn't it a bit much for a monster to call someone else a monster?" Uzumaki Gamu asked.
"Tch!!!" Rui cursed. Uzumaki Gamu's provocation and his own desire to live kept him from giving up so easily, so he continued swinging his spider threads at Uzumaki Gamu!
This time, he also added his own blood to the threads, bringing their strength to its maximum.
Yet this time, Uzumaki Gamu didn't even dodge. He simply spun his blade with one hand, slicing apart every thread Rui sent at him!
"You're really underestimating me. My Wind Release can already slice through steel easily! What's a bunch of steel wire supposed to do?" Uzumaki Gamu scoffed!
"Then how about this?!" Rui shouted defiantly. At the same time, all the threads Uzumaki Gamu had cut and dropped to the ground rose under his control, forming a massive web that completely enclosed the surrounding area!
Uzumaki Gamu glanced around and remarked, "I see. Those attacks weren't random. This was a trap to lure me in..."
"This is how spiders fight... No matter how powerful your blade is, attacks from every direction will still catch you off guard... Die right there, human!!" As Rui spoke, he swept his little hand, and the web surrounding Uzumaki Gamu rapidly contracted toward the center.
Facing attacks from every direction, Uzumaki Gamu calmly began spinning like a top. After two full 360-degree turns, he transformed the Wind Release chakra on his blade into a tornado surrounding himself, then dropped his blade and rapidly formed hand seals...
"Fire Release: Great Fireball!! ...Combination Ninjutsu: Great Fire Whirlwind!!"-A flaming tornado appeared on Mount Natagumo, its towering flames burning everything around it to ashes!!
This wasn't merely a fire tornado created with Fire Release. It was a combination ninjutsu formed from Wind Release: Tornado Hurricane-a technique that created a tornado capable of blowing away dark clouds-and Fire Release: Great Fireball!
Wind Release could enhance both the power and range of Fire Release, giving this flaming tornado destructive power comparable to Madara's Majestic Destroyer Flame!
Faced with such a massive flaming tornado, Rui was dumbfounded. Although the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen produced all sorts of flashy effects when slashing enemies in the anime, according to the official setting, those really were just effects... No, they didn't even count as effects. They were merely imagined, without so much as actual light or shadow.
Now that someone had created a real flaming tornado right in front of him, Rui was utterly awestruck-what exactly was this thing that looked like a Blood Demon Art? Which one of them was supposed to be the demon?!
Watching all his webs burn away, Rui finally began to feel afraid. No, I'm no match for him!! Run!!-If he ran away just like that, what about avenging his family?
Well, naturally, he would let that go with the wind~~
Just as Uzumaki Gamu had said earlier, Rui's family members were all demons he had transformed himself. Put bluntly, he could transform more whenever he wanted. As long as he lived, he could create a new family. As for the past... he could let bygones be bygones. Those stand-ins hadn't been much fun anyway!!
Didn't he think he was acting like a complete clown?
Fine, I'm a clown. I want to live!! As Rui turned and fled, he thought, He's surrounded by that flaming tornado, which means he can't see me right now. As long as I get out of his line of sight, he'll have a hard time catching me!-Just then, Rui suddenly felt something grab his ankle!
He looked down and saw Uzumaki Gamu's hand and head emerge from underground, his hand gripping Rui's ankle!
"Hello~ Here's Johnny!" Uzumaki Gamu greeted him with a sinister grin-holy shit, The Shining? You're the real demon here, aren't you?
The blocked view worked both ways. Rui couldn't see Uzumaki Gamu's movements either. In fact, after the flaming tornado appeared, Uzumaki Gamu had used Earth Release to burrow underground-Uzumaki Gamu: "I couldn't just stay inside the flaming tornado and suffocate, could I?"-and then grabbed Rui's foot!
Now you knew why those other demons had screamed so miserably, didn't you? Compared with this thing, they were practically human... Ninjutsu was still far too overpowered for this world!
Rui nearly screamed in fright, but his title of Lower Rank Five wasn't just for show! He reacted immediately... by slashing his spider threads at his own leg!!
Legs were just for decoration. The bigwigs up top would never understand!-Once he knew he couldn't beat his opponent, escaping became his top priority. Besides, a demon of Rui's level could regenerate a leg in an instant. If he had to throw it away, so be it!!
"Too late. Sealing Jutsu: Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal!" Black markings suddenly appeared where Uzumaki Gamu was gripping Rui!
This technique created a cursed seal that restrained the target's body. Once struck by it, bandlike markings would continuously emerge and spread across the victim's entire body, sealing their movements. During his battle with Sasuke, Danzo had used this technique to immobilize him!
Even Sasuke with his Mangekyō Sharingan had been temporarily immobilized by this technique, and would have been killed without activating Susanoo. The little demon in front of him stood even less of a chance!
Ugh!! I can't move!! Covered from head to toe in cursed markings, Rui was completely immobilized!
Uzumaki Gamu climbed out of the ground. "Well? The Sealing Jutsu passed down through our Uzumaki clan is pretty badass, isn't it~ Still, this move is a bit of a pain to use in actual combat~"-Forming hand seals on the spot to use it was troublesome. Using it in a fight required preparation beforehand and physical contact with the target, and it wasn't particularly quick to activate. Someone skilled enough at dispelling techniques could also counter it with a corresponding release technique!
If the opponent had enough brute strength, they could even force their way free!
Of course, Rui couldn't do any of those things.
All he could do now was watch Uzumaki Gamu raise the blade.
"Go in peace. I hope you can be a good person in your next life!"-Without any unnecessary words, Uzumaki Gamu brought his blade down and killed Lower Rank Five!
Watching Rui begin to crumble into ash, Uzumaki Gamu couldn't help remarking, "I barely even tried, and he went down. So much for Lower Rank Five. The Upper Ranks are much stronger than the Lower Ranks, but I feel like they'd get killed on our first encounter too if they didn't have any intel on me... Looks like ninjutsu really is too overpowered for this world!"
It wasn't so much that ninjutsu was overpowered as that Uzumaki Gamu himself was a little overpowered now. Proficiency in all five elemental releases, proficiency in Sealing Jutsu, Mount Myōboku's senjutsu and taijutsu-aside from having barely practiced genjutsu, he was essentially a powerful all-rounder. To compare him to a character from the original series, he was like Kakashi Hatake from the original Naruto!
In his normal state, he was weaker than Kakashi. His taijutsu and genjutsu were both inferior-Kakashi had the Sharingan and could defeat Uzumaki Gamu instantly with genjutsu, while Uzumaki Gamu was still fourteen and limited by his physical development. Without Sage Mode, he was no match for Kakashi. His ninjutsu was also somewhat inferior to Kakashi's with the Sharingan!
Once he activated Sage Mode, however, he could beat Kakashi down with taijutsu, and his ninjutsu could overpower Kakashi's thanks to the senjutsu enhancement. His genjutsu was still lacking, though... There was no helping it. Sage Mode couldn't enhance something he had never practiced!
Sigh~~ Once I get back this time, I'd better study genjutsu systematically! Uzumaki Gamu thought!
With that thought, he looked up at the moon. "Well, genjutsu can wait until I get back. For now... back to work!!"-Demons were nocturnal creatures, so Uzumaki Gamu's sleep schedule had been reversed as well.
And so, Uzumaki Gamu vanished with the Body Flicker Technique!
Not long after Uzumaki Gamu left, two people arrived late to the scene-they were the Demon Slayer Corps' senior officers, the Hashira.
The Hashira were the highest-ranking swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps, usually numbering nine. For an ordinary member to become a Hashira, even the fastest would take two years, while five years was more typical. To reach that rank, they had to defeat a member of the Twelve Kizuki or kill fifty demons.
Uzumaki Gamu had already met both standards. If he joined the Demon Slayer Corps now, he should be able to become a Hashira straight away, provided he passed the background check, right?-Uzumaki Gamu: "If I became a Hashira, I'd call myself the Spy Hashira... You can tell that name's strong just by looking at it!"
Back to the matter at hand, the two Hashira who arrived were the Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka, and the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho.
Looking at the surroundings, which resembled the set of a disaster movie, Shinobu Kocho frowned and said, "This is where that flaming tornado we saw from a distance was, right? Was it caused by a demon living on this mountain?"
"No... According to Tanjiro, it was that ninja who appeared a few days ago..." Giyu said coolly. Though his tone was cold, his deeply furrowed brows and tight grip on his sword hilt betrayed his feelings.
He was actually nervous as hell!
Shinobu Kocho turned to ask, "That Tanjiro is your junior fellow student, isn't he?"
Giyu: "...He's Master Urokodaki's student!"
"Mm, so he's your junior fellow student... He certainly met someone extraordinary. Still, after seeing this scene, I suppose that confirms it... The recent rumors were true?"-Recently, the Demon Slayer Corps had received rumors that a formidable man had suddenly appeared and was slaughtering demons. Similar reports had come from all over the country, leaving them unsure whether these almost legendary tales were actually true.
Now, having witnessed this destructive power, they were certain... At the very least, he had the strength to kill demons with ease!
"...Let's go. We need to report what happened here!" the cautious Giyu said.
Shinobu Kocho said nothing more and left with him!
Then... a few more days passed.
The Demon King's-Muzan Kibutsuji's-base: the Infinity Castle.
It was an extradimensional castle where Muzan Kibutsuji, the progenitor of demons, resided, managed by Nakime. Apart from Muzan, everyone could only enter and leave the Infinity Castle through Nakime's ability. The entire castle revolved around Nakime as its central axis. Inside, it resembled a gigantic maze made up of countless Japanese-style rooms, corridors, and staircases joined together without order, with its space able to rearrange itself at any moment. Walls and ceilings could be walked on, its gravity defying the laws of physics.
By playing her biwa-the medium for her Blood Demon Art-Nakime controlled the entire space and determined where people were transported. To Muzan, this was his divine domain. Here, he was confident he wouldn't lose to anyone... At the very least, he could run if he couldn't win~
In the central chamber of the Infinity Castle, Muzan stared at a puddle of blood on the floor and roared, "A bunch of useless trash!! I would have been better off giving my blood to dogs than to you!!"-What had made the Demon King so furious?
That story began a few days earlier, when Lower Rank Five had been slain.
Muzan never cared when ordinary demons died. After all, they were disposable garbage. Those without potential could simply serve as fodder to disgust the Demon Slayer Corps. Even though quite a few had died recently, he had assumed the Corps was conducting its first large-scale operation in years... He would let those humans enjoy themselves for now, then send the Upper Ranks in a few days to teach them the meaning of cruelty!
Yet a few days earlier, even a Lower Rank had been killed, and the victim was Rui, whom he had held in high regard-Rui's strength actually exceeded Lower Rank Five, and he mainly occupied that position because he was too focused on playing house. That had made Muzan furious!
The Twelve Kizuki had been created to deal with the Demon Slayer Corps, yet these Lower Rank wastes had barely improved over the years and were killed by the Corps every so often. To Muzan, that was a disgrace!
These Lower Ranks had no reason to exist!
This time, however, he hadn't executed all of them outright. Instead, hoping to get some use out of the trash, he had given them one final chance: investigate the demon slayer who had suddenly appeared!
He had done this because of his humiliating past!
As mentioned before, this Demon King had once been driven into a corner by a swordsman who used Sun Breathing. He had been forced to lie low for decades and only dared show himself again after Yoriichi died of old age!
After several hundred years, he had thought those memories had faded. But a few days earlier... he had encountered Tanjiro!
Although Tanjiro's family were ordinary charcoal sellers, one of his ancestors had once formed a bond with Yoriichi and learned Sun Breathing from him. To commemorate Yoriichi, they had continued passing down his earrings!
The moment Muzan saw those earrings, his memories of the past came flooding back-fuck, hundreds of years had passed, and Yoriichi was still chasing him?
Because there were too many people present, Muzan hadn't attacked Tanjiro at the time. However, he had immediately sent his subordinates-the two unlucky bastards from a few chapters earlier-to pursue him!
Judging by the fact that those two unlucky bastards were now gone, they had probably failed!
Of course, that wasn't a big deal. He could simply send more people after him. But... combined with the large number of demons killed recently and Rui's death, a terrifying thought had surfaced in Muzan's mind!
Yoriichi!! Yoriichi was back!!!
Before you continue