Hearing footsteps, Lin Yoriichi thought the person approaching must be Gyomei Himejima.
But to his surprise, it was Shinobu Kocho and the Kakushi carrying her.
Lin Yoriichi could tell that, compared with the Kakushi who had carried him, the one carrying Shinobu Kocho was breathing more easily.
Clearly, the petite Shinobu Kocho had not given this Kakushi too much trouble.
Although Shinobu Kocho still had her Nichirin Blade with her, that extra weight was negligible.
After all, she had altered the shape of her Nichirin Blade to suit her fighting style.
Her entire Nichirin Blade had a lightweight design, with only a short cutting edge retained at the tip.
When Shinobu Kocho felt the Kakushi's footsteps stop, she flipped nimbly off the Kakushi's back.
Seeing Lin Yoriichi standing there, she greeted him with a smile.
But when she noticed that Lin Yoriichi was still standing in place, she could not help asking:
"Mr. Yoriichi, what are you doing?"
The moment Lin Yoriichi saw Shinobu Kocho, a somewhat strange smile appeared on his face.
He knew he had set off before Shinobu Kocho, yet she had arrived at the Swordsmith Village at almost the same time as him.
Seeing this, Lin Yoriichi had already figured out why Gyomei Himejima had yet to appear.
But he merely said:
"Gyomei Himejima left before I did, but he still hasn't arrived."
Shinobu Kocho paused at this. Although she was still smiling, a trace of worry had appeared in her eyes:
"The Master arranged for us to leave in separate groups. Although the Kakushi carrying us took different routes, since even I've arrived, Mr. Gyomei Himejima shouldn't still be missing."
"Could he have received an urgent mission from the Master?"
"Or perhaps they encountered a demon along the way and were delayed?"
Lin Yoriichi smiled without answering, simply remaining where he stood.
Seeing this, Shinobu Kocho immediately caught on, and her expression turned strange as well.
After pacing for a while, she followed Lin Yoriichi's example and stood waiting at the entrance to the Swordsmith Village.
A little while later, Lin Yoriichi and Shinobu Kocho heard another set of footsteps.
The person who appeared this time was still not Gyomei Himejima, but Muichiro Tokito and the Kakushi carrying him.
After removing his blindfold and seeing Lin Yoriichi and Shinobu Kocho standing at the village entrance, Muichiro Tokito nodded to them in greeting.
Then, without saying anything, he found a spot beside them and crouched down.
Lin Yoriichi glanced at him. Muichiro Tokito seemed to be observing an anthill on the ground.
The next to appear was Obanai Iguro.
He froze when he saw two figures standing at the village entrance and another crouching.
Shinobu Kocho explained the situation to him.
Obanai Iguro paused for a long time before saying quietly:
"Pointless."
With that, he turned to leave.
Lin Yoriichi chuckled and suddenly said:
"Mitsuri Kanroji should be here soon."
At those words, Obanai Iguro stayed rooted to the spot as though he had been immobilized by a spell.
The next to arrive were indeed Mitsuri Kanroji and the Kakushi carrying her.
Lin Yoriichi could hear her conversation with the Kakushi carrying her:
"I'm so sorry. I must be terribly heavy."
"Sorry, I shouldn't have eaten before we left."
The Kakushi carrying her was also a woman, and she replied with a smile:
"Not at all. You're actually very slender."
"Besides, you're a Hashira who can slay demons. It's good for you to eat more."
Yes, although Mitsuri Kanroji was a genuine big eater, and her muscle fiber density was even said to be eight times that of an ordinary person, she was not particularly heavy.
In fact, Mitsuri Kanroji did not weigh much.
Lin Yoriichi still remembered that she was actually 167 centimeters tall and weighed 56 kilograms.
That height and weight clearly posed little burden to these trained Kakushi.
When Mitsuri Kanroji saw the four people at the village entrance, her eyes lit up, and she called out happily:
"Everyone, are you actually here to welcome me?"
Lin Yoriichi continued smiling without answering, while Shinobu Kocho took Mitsuri Kanroji's hand with a smile and began explaining the situation.
At this, a little disappointment first appeared on the latter's face, but then she burst out laughing:
"You really are... ah... no! I'm waiting here too!"
The next to arrive, almost simultaneously, were Kyojuro Rengoku, Giyu Tomioka, and Sanemi Shinazugawa.
Lin Yoriichi heard Kyojuro Rengoku's voice from far away:
"Sanemi Shinazugawa!"
"Although I don't understand why you want to argue with Giyu Tomioka whenever you see him!"
"Just hearing your voices tells me you must both be full of energy!"
As he spoke, Kyojuro Rengoku received a cue from the Kakushi and removed his blindfold, saying in surprise:
"Take off your blindfolds and look!"
"Everyone's waiting for us at the village entrance!"
At those words, Sanemi Shinazugawa's somewhat irritable voice abruptly stopped.
He removed his blindfold and stared at the five people at the village entrance, momentarily stunned as well.
Going to the Swordsmith Village together to receive Mr. Yoriichi's training certainly counted as a rare group activity outside of the Hashira Meeting.
But was it really necessary for everyone to wait here at the village entrance?
Although Kyojuro Rengoku likewise had no idea why everyone was standing here, his naturally cheerful, outgoing disposition led him to join them without hesitation.
He also held Giyu Tomioka back.
Seeing this, Sanemi Shinazugawa could only suppress his questions and choose to remain at the village entrance.
"Flashy!"
"Absolutely flashy!"
"I never expected everyone to be standing at the village entrance to welcome me!"
Lin Yoriichi knew it was Tengen Uzui just from hearing his voice.
Beneath Tengen Uzui, a Kakushi whose breathing was extraordinarily labored immediately let out a gasp of relief.
Lin Yoriichi was filled with sympathy for the Kakushi responsible for carrying Tengen Uzui.
A rather obscure fact-
Tengen Uzui was 198 centimeters tall and weighed 95 kilograms!
That alone would have been one thing, but one could not forget that this "Mr. Flashy" wielded a pair of hefty blades, and the assortment of accessories he wore in pursuit of flashiness could hardly have been light either.
Now that even Tengen Uzui had arrived, the true heavyweight was clearly about to appear!
Lin Yoriichi looked into the distance expectantly and finally heard a Buddhist invocation:
"Namo Amitabha."
"Thank you for your hard work. I really could have walked myself..."
A Kakushi whose legs were both trembling came into everyone's view, carrying Gyomei Himejima with immense difficulty...
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