The other Hashira looked just as shocked, all turning toward Tanjiro. Tengen turned so abruptly that he knocked Mitsuri over.
"How is that possible? None of the Hashira have ever encountered him," Tengen said in disbelief.
"Besides his appearance and abilities, where did you encounter him? Tell us!"
"Did you fight him?" Even Muichiro, who had been gazing at the sky the whole time, now turned his attention to Tanjiro and questioned him.
"What was Kibutsuji doing? Did you find his lair?! Hey! Answer me!" Sanemi was equally worked up. He jumped over to Tanjiro and grabbed his hair as he questioned him.
"Shut up! Chiba and I asked first! He should answer our questions first!" Tengen shouted at Sanemi.
For a moment, the scene descended into utter chaos.
Then Oyakata-sama raised a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence, and everyone immediately fell quiet.
Kagaya continued, "Kibutsuji is sending people to hunt Tanjiro down. His reason may simply be to silence him, but this is the first time I've caught a lead on Kibutsuji, and I don't want to let it go.
Something must have happened to Nezuko that Kibutsuji never anticipated. Do you understand now?"
After the test just now, followed by Oyakata-sama's explanation, none of the Hashira had anything more to say.
"Yes," the Hashira answered in unison.
Kagaya then turned to Obanai and Sanemi and said:
"Also, Sanemi, Obanai, don't be too hard on the children in the lower ranks."
This was not the first time Kagaya had seen Sanemi and Obanai treat lower-ranking swordsmen unkindly. Sanemi was less of a problem, since he rarely interacted with other swordsmen, but Obanai often privately punished lower-ranking swordsmen who had interacted with Mitsuri.
Kagaya had already heard quite a few complaints about this from Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen. Most had merely happened to interact with Mitsuri, only for Obanai to punish them soon afterward. Some had done nothing more than exchange a few extra words with her.
"Understood," Obanai answered readily.
Sanemi also lowered his head, placed his Nichirin Blade on the ground, and answered, "Understood."
Beneath the front veranda, Nezuko was glaring angrily at Sanemi. Her eyes looked slightly fierce, but her puffed-up cheeks made her look adorable.
"That concludes the matter concerning Tanjiro. You may withdraw," Kagaya announced.
At that moment, Shinobu Kocho raised her hand and said to Oyakata-sama, "Then I'll have Kamado looked after at my estate for now."
Shinobu then smiled and clapped her hands.
"All right, please take them away."
Two Kakushi members came running out.
"Excuse us!"
The Kakushi members first bowed to Oyakata-sama and the Hashira, then hoisted Tanjiro and Nezuko's box onto their shoulders and hurried away.
"Tanjiro, give Miss Tamayo my regards."
Just as Tanjiro was about to be carried away, Kagaya suddenly said those words. Tanjiro's eyes widened, disbelief washing over him when he heard Kagaya speak that name.
The Hashira were all bewildered by Oyakata-sama's words. They had no idea who Tamayo was, much less why the Master would send her his regards.
After the Kakushi members had taken Tanjiro and Nezuko away, Kagaya said to the Hashira, "Now, onto the other matter."
He then looked at Chiba Yo and asked, "Yo, were you able to test the Bright Red Nichirin Blade during this mission?"
Chiba Yo nodded and answered, "I've confirmed that the Bright Red Nichirin Blade can indeed suppress a demon's regeneration."
"Excellent. Thank you for your efforts," Kagaya praised him upon hearing his answer.
He then asked the other Hashira, "Have any of you made progress with the Bright Red Nichirin Blade over the past two days?"
The Serpent Hashira, Obanai, was the first to step forward and answer. "I tried Chiba's method, and I did manage to turn my Nichirin Blade red."
As he spoke, Obanai drew his Nichirin Blade, held it in front of him, and tightened his grip.
After a while, a crimson tint gradually appeared on the curved, serpentine double-edged blade in Obanai's hand, then slowly spread across its length.
A little later, his Nichirin Blade had turned entirely crimson. By then, however, fine beads of sweat had appeared on Obanai's forehead, making it clear that this took a considerable toll on him.
"Although I can do it, turning my Nichirin Blade red through grip strength consumes a lot of my stamina. I'm not sure whether spending that stamina to turn it into a Bright Red Nichirin Blade is worth it when fighting demons," Obanai said, sharing his thoughts.
"It's the same for me as it is for Iguro!" Kyojuro said loudly.
Although his Nichirin Blade was already red, there was still a subtle, distinguishable difference after it became a Bright Red Nichirin Blade.
"It's the same for me, too. I don't think we need to use a Bright Red Nichirin Blade against demons that aren't particularly strong. Perhaps its usefulness will only become apparent against powerful enemies," Muichiro said with a nod.
Giyu, Sanemi, and Mitsuri all nodded in agreement. Their experiences were the same.
"Turning my Nichirin Blades bright red doesn't take much out of me. I can easily use them in battle with flair. Red Nichirin Blades-now that's flashy."
Tengen drew the Nichirin Blades from his back and tightened both hands. Moments later, both blades had turned crimson. Judging by his expression, it really did not take much out of him.
"Ah, my weapons aren't Nichirin Blades, so I can't use that method. But I succeeded when I tried it with another member's Nichirin Blade. It wasn't difficult for me.
I also found a way to turn my own weapons red." Gyomei's weapons were too large, so he had not brought them with him this time and could not demonstrate for the others.
The other Hashira turned to Gyomei when they heard this.
He then explained to everyone present, "My weapons are a broad axe and a flail connected by a long chain. After hearing what Chiba said that day, I began thinking about how to turn my weapons red. After all, they're forged from the same materials as Nichirin Blades, so any effect a Nichirin Blade can produce should be possible with my weapons as well.
Then I accidentally discovered that striking my weapons against each other could also turn them red. I suspect you should be able to use this method to turn your Nichirin Blades bright red, too," Gyomei told the others.
"In that case, let's test it right now." After hearing Gyomei's explanation, Sanemi rose, drew his Nichirin Blade, and turned to face Giyu.
"Tomioka, how about the two of us give it a try?" Sanemi asked Giyu with a grin, pointing his Nichirin Blade at him.
Sanemi had long wanted to fight Giyu, who rubbed him the wrong way. But with the Corps rules forbidding members from fighting each other, he had never found an opportunity.
Now that such a perfect opportunity was right in front of him, he could hardly restrain himself. Even if it might not turn into an actual fight, the thought of exchanging a few blows with him was appealing enough.
"I'd like to try it as well. What do you think, Tomioka?" Obanai also turned toward Giyu and walked over, the two of them all but surrounding him.
Yet even in this situation, Giyu's expression remained completely unchanged.
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