Meanwhile.
At Himejima's house.
"Ah... I've troubled you..."
Himejima stood at the door, tears streaming down his face as he turned to speak to the people behind him.
Below.
Chachamaru was staring at Himejima's ankle, hiding in the bushes of the courtyard, listening to the conversation of several people.
"Don't worry, Himejima-sensei." Sayo confidently nodded her head, she raised the corner of her mouth, patted her chest:
"While you're out on a mission, Senjuro and I will definitely take good care of this place!"
Upon hearing this.
"Eh, do I have to join too?" Senjuro's weak voice came from the side.
"Haha, it's okay!" Ignoring Senjuro's weak resistance, Sayo agreed in one breath.
She laughed and hugged Senjuro's neck, her whole person was much brighter than before.
"...Really...Thank you."
After Himejima nodded, he took his Nichirin Hammer and walked out of the door with worry, looking back every three steps.
Seeing this.
After waiting for a while.
Chachamaru, who was lying in the bushes, brightened his eyes!
——The chance to escape, is now!
Himejima had been very strict in watching it before, so there was no gap to slip away.
Meow!
Chachamaru suddenly stood up from the bushes in Sayo's surprised eyes, shrugging his shoulders.
The determined cat head aimed at the top of the wall.
With a leap of his limbs!
Whoosh!
"Wait! !" Sayo was stunned for a moment, and quickly reached out to shout at the top of the wall.
"Meow." Chachamaru climbed up the wall lightly, his golden pupils looked back at Sayo, and then shook the small bag behind him.
He lowered his head and sniffed carefully in mid-air.
He slightly sidelong his eyes, along the top of the wall, he ran in a certain direction.
——The location of the Butterfly Mansion, and the smell of Tanjuro, he has already remembered.
Seeing Chachamaru leave without looking back.
"...Ah." Sayo reached out her hand, her eyes were frozen, and her body gradually stiffened in place: "Ran away..."
Her gaze gradually lost its spirit, her eyes slowly reddened, and she murmured in a low voice:
"...How could this...the promise I just made...
Senjuro stood beside her, patting her back comfortingly.
...
...
Butterfly Mansion.
"Welcome back, Shinobu-sama!"
The hidden men spoke to the dusty Kocho Shinobu and others, and laughed as they took the luggage from their hands.
"Kanao-sama, just give me the things..." The hidden man smiled and made a gesture to take the things.
Then.
"Hmm." Kanao nodded with a smile.
Plop.
Suddenly, a bald man tied up in five flowers appeared in the hidden man's arms.
——?
He maintained his smile, somewhat hesitant to see Kanao politely smiling, handing a person to himself.
He lowered his head and looked at the bald believer with a numb face and tears in his eyes.
"...A human?"
He remembered that Shinobu-sama went out this time to buy medicine.
The hidden man fell into thought.
...
Under the eaves.
Kyojuro, who was talking about something, saw Kocho Shinobu push the door open, his eyes lit up:
"Oh!"
The flame-like hair tips protruded from the shadow of the eaves, swaying slightly in the sunlight:
"Sister Shinobu is back!"
"So, I should——"
Rengoku Kyojuro stood up,
He looked ahead, dragging his tone, his crimson flame-like eyes moved slightly.
He smiled, looked expectantly at Tanjuro next to him, and blinked his eyes vigorously.
"Hmm!" His eyes were full of [Let me join the mission too!] meaning.
Tanjuro didn't answer Kyojuro immediately, he looked at the letter again.
In the letter,
The last sentence was written by Tomioka Giyu.
[According to the description of the corps member, the demon near the town is likely to be Upper Rank Two]
[There are no idle Hashira around where I am stationed, please arrive as soon as possible]
[Urgent]
After reading the last word.
Tanjuro slowly put down the letter in his hand, his gaze looked into the courtyard.
In the courtyard.
Kocho and the others who had unloaded their luggage talked for a while, and finally Kocho Shinobu decided to let the inexperienced Kanzaki Aoi interrogate the believer.
So.
Under the tree.
The girl was a bit timid, but still insisted on speaking:
"Be good and tell everything, and it will be fine."
"If you understand." Kanzaki Aoi squatted in front of the bald believer, she said firmly: "I will start asking."
"How many followers does the Eternal Paradise Faith have now?"
Kanzaki Aoi held a piece of paper in her hand:
"What is the name of your founder?"
"What is the purpose of suddenly recruiting a large number of followers?"
The bald believer was slumped, leaning against the tree root, his limbs still bound, his gaze drooping, his shriveled lips moved, but he still didn't make a sound.
This kind of soft interrogation had no effect.
On the stall.
"Eternal Paradise Faith.." Tanjuro slowly withdrew his gaze, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
His ears were very good, and he could clearly hear the whispers even half a courtyard away.
After eavesdropping for a while, Tanjuro learned of Kocho Shinobu's gains from this outing.
——He got the clue of the current Upper Rank One, Doma.
Thinking about it, he looked down at the letter in his hand.
On one side was the clue, on the other was the discovery location.
After a while.
Tanjuro raised his head.
At the same time, Kyojuro, who had been patiently waiting, seemed to finally be unable to hold back, he shouted directly:
"Kamado-san!"
Kyojuro's eyes were bright, his thick black eyebrows raised:
"Let's go on a mission together!"
After the last time, he had been honing his swordsmanship, and his father had also started teaching him again.
He was eager to verify the results of his efforts.
Upon hearing this.
"This time it's likely to be an Upper Rank."
Tanjuro looked at Kyojuro's raised fist, he reminded aloud: "There are not enough Hashira."
"——That's even better!" Kyojuro laughed in response.
He, who had been the eldest son since he was a child, had always been taught by his mother.
He——should protect the people around him.
...
...
Soon.
"I'm going to see how Aoi is doing."
Kocho Shinobu smiled, she walked through the courtyard, subconsciously glanced at the place where Tanjuro and Kyojuro were originally sitting.
The figures of the two had already disappeared, but there was an extra note on the floor.
With a puzzled emotion, Kocho Shinobu walked over lightly.
She picked it up, her gaze swept over, she unconsciously murmured:
"...Don't act alone?"
Kocho Shinobu was taken aback.
At this time.
In the courtyard in front of her.
Swish!
"Woowowowow!!"
Kanzaki Aoi.
A horrified scream suddenly came, startling Kocho Shinobu to quickly look up.
"Why is there a wild boar in the yard!?"
"Yi!" Kanzaki Aoi looked at the shrubbery in front of her in horror, retreating again and again.
In front of her.
Inosuke suddenly burst out of the shrubbery, he stood in front of Kanzaki Aoi angrily, his pig nose was spewing white steam.
He suddenly raised his hand, pointing at Kanzaki Aoi with a look of iron not becoming steel:
"You idiot!!"
The boar's head was angry, and several "well" characters bulged up, his muscles tense.
Just now, Inosuke, who had been squatting in the shrubbery, listened to Kanzaki Aoi's interrogation from beginning to end.
He had never seen such a slow person, and he was immediately anxious.
"Eh——?!" Kanzaki Aoi was not lightly scared, she suddenly heard the wild boar speak, her face became even paler.
Her pale lips trembled up and down, she couldn't believe it, she slightly covered her mouth, her eyes gradually became dull:
"...The wild boar, spoke..."
She murmured to herself.
At this time.
Click!
Inosuke's two fingers came together, he forcefully poked the bald disciple's face, but his gaze was fixed on Kanzaki Aoi:
"Watch closely!"
Click! Click!
His fingers forcefully poked back and forth, he clenched another fist angrily, and scolded Kanzaki Aoi angrily:
"If you want someone to answer you, you should do it like this!!"
Saying that.
Click!
Inosuke grabbed the bald believer by the collar in one hand, his muscles bulged, and he violently lifted the other from the ground.
The boar's head suddenly leaned in, and the pig's nose was tightly pressed against the terrified face of the bald believer:
"Scumbag! Whatever chicken soldier you are, tell me everything you know!"
His tone suddenly became low: "Or else I'll slaughter you!"
"Cough...heh!" The bald believer was hanging in mid-air, his face pale, and he was horrified to see Inosuke lifting him up.
His legs were trembling, and he was stammering and couldn't speak.
Seeing this, Kanzaki Aoi quickly reached out her hand, and in her panic, she wanted to push Inosuke away.
Whoosh!
Inosuke suddenly stretched out his hand and blocked Kanzaki Aoi with one hand.
Creak...
His hand holding the bald believer gradually tightened, faintly turning into choking the other's neck.
Plop! Plop!
The bald believer's eyes rolled white, his eyes were terrified, his hands unconsciously slapped Inosuke, struggling to squeeze out a voice from the bottom of his throat:
"...Do...Doma!"
"...The name of the founder...is Doma!"
Upon hearing this.
Bang!
Inosuke let go, and the bald believer who was already oxygen-deprived and collapsed immediately fell to the ground and collapsed weakly.
Leaning on the tree root, his tied hands struggled to cover his neck, breathing heavily.
He looked back at Inosuke in fear.
This guy, he could really kill him.
"Hmph, how about that." Inosuke crossed his arms, looked at Kanzaki Aoi who was bending over to care for the believer, and his pig nose was raised:
"Did you learn, idiot."
At the same time, Inosuke was thinking proudly in his heart:
——If I meet that long-haired, foul-mouthed guy again, I won't be at a disadvantage!
——Hahaha!
"You!" Kanzaki Aoi checked the condition of the believer and looked at Inosuke in surprise.
After calming down, Kanzaki Aoi also found out that Inosuke was just a human wearing a boar's head cover.
It's just——
Her eyes were very puzzled.
Why would there be such an uncivilized person in the Butterfly Mansion.
When Kanzaki Aoi looked at Inosuke again.
The other party was already humming and laughing, naked to the upper body, and walked away.
"...What a weird guy."
However, thanks to Inosuke's commotion.
The questions Kanzaki Aoi asked later, the bald believer answered them all in great detail.
...
Soon.
On Kanzaki Aoi's paper, it was already full of dense information about the Eternal Paradise Faith.
"...Next, it's Sister Shinobu's question."
Kanzaki Aoi sat in front of the bald believer, she flipped through the paper in her hand, her eyes swept over the text on it, and she read aloud:
"Is the hair color of your founder white oak, and the top of the head is like blood has been splashed."
"He often smiles carefree, speaks calmly and softly."
"...The weapon is, a sharp bronze fan."
The bald believer nodded weakly.
At this moment.
A much sharper voice than Kanzaki Aoi came from behind her:
"What is the number in that guy's eyes."
At some point, Kocho Shinobu had already stood behind Kanzaki Aoi, listening to all the interrogations with an extremely gloomy face.
Upon hearing this, the bald believer struggled to raise his heavy eyelids, his lips trembling slightly:
"...Upper Rank....."
His voice was hoarse:
"...One...."
Kocho Shinobu slowly raised her head.
The hand hidden under Kocho Shinobu's wide sleeves was already shaking with force.
...
...
A day later.
In the evening.
The sun gradually set.
In the town.
Step!
A black shadow swept across the weak sunlight area, he stomped on the ground and ran at high speed.
Behind him.
The swiftly running figure, woven from feathers of two different colors.
Click.
The blue sword was sideways beside him.
[Third Form]
[Flowing Dance——Ryuryu Mai]
Swish!
Waves like ukiyo-e paintings rolled up from the sword, rushing forward quickly.
"Hisss!" Tomioka Giyu's mouth overflowed with white steam, he dragged the sword light, using swordsmanship and breathing techniques to accelerate.
Since discovering this demon during the day, he had been chasing non-stop.
But—the other party's speed was too fast, no matter what, he couldn't catch up.
Why are you running?
Tomioka Giyu felt puzzled.
In his deep pool-like eyes, the figure of the demon in front was reflected.
The open-chested short shirt, the strong hakama for easy fighting, the Buddha beads on the ankle, and the full-body striped tattoos.
——It matches the demon in the photo.
Ahead.
"...Damn it!" Akaza gritted his teeth and ran wildly, he glanced sideways, looking at Tomioka Giyu who was chasing after him relentlessly.
Muzan-sama ordered him not to participate in the battle.
Yes, he believed that the reason he couldn't swing his fist the night before last was that Muzan-sama was stopping him.
This made Akaza, who was originally a battle maniac, feel extremely annoyed.
The guy behind him is very strong, Akaza can sense it, the fighting spirit on him has already overflowed!
But! He can't fight!
Under all kinds of annoyance.
He turned his head and shouted loudly at the back:
"I'm not afraid of you! I'm not running away!"
For him who longs for a fair and upright battle, running away is shameful, something only the weak would do.
Upon hearing this.
Tomioka Giyu was taken aback.
During the breath exchange, he asked in a flat voice:
"Then why are you running away?"
"Ah?!" Akaza was immediately so angry that his eyes were about to explode: "I'm not!"
While speaking, he jumped on several rooftops, and in an instant, he threw off a distance.
Tomioka Giyu stared at Akaza's footsteps that had never stopped, and fell into silence.
Suddenly.
Bang!
In the position ahead of Akaza, a flame-like light leaped onto the roof and turned into a straight line!
Rushing forward quickly!
[Flame Breathing·Fifth Form]
Swish!
"Flame Tiger——Enko!!" Rengoku Kyojuro suddenly thrust forward from directly in front of Akaza, the sword in his hand was raised high in advance and slashed down!
Another one!
Akaza's eyes widened, Kyojuro's fighting spirit on his body was vigorous like a ball of flame.
He still can't fight!
"Annoying!" He stomped on the ground, twisted his body, and immediately dodged the attack, sprinting in a right angle direction to the two!
Whoosh——!
No longer hesitating whether to fight, Akaza cut off his thoughts and sprinted out with a speed that humans could not reach!
At this time.
Click.
In front of Akaza's sprinting road.
Tanjuro lowered the Kusabimaru sword, slowly stood on the roof ridge, his dark red eyes stared straight at the rushing Akaza.
Bang!
Akaza stomped on the roof, and smoke rose immediately, and rubble and tiles splashed all over.
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