Chapter 23

On his way back, Ali made sure to pass through the area where he had battled Akaza. When he arrived, he found the destruction exactly as he had left it. Ali then proceeded to demolish a few more trees in the surrounding area, manipulating the landscape to make it appear as though the fight had occurred much more recently than it actually had.

Once he was satisfied with his adjustments, Ali resumed his journey back to the Ubuyashiki mansion. The trip was quiet and swift. When he reached the cliff overlooking the town where he had hunted Tsuda, Ali stopped and whistled for the silver eagle to halt its flight and descend to him.

The silver eagle landed gracefully on Ali's arm, patiently waiting for him to speak.

"You're going back to headquarters before me," Ali instructed, his voice calm but firm. "You will report that I encountered Upper Moon Rank Three, Akaza, on my way back from my last mission. You'll provide the general area where the fight might have happened since you didn't see the fight itself. You realised I wasn't behind you much later, so you doubled back to find me. That's when you discovered me resting after the fight, and I sent you to report. Stick to that story. Understood?" Ali demanded.

The eagle nodded obediently, attempting to take flight and carry out Ali's orders, but it found itself unable to move as Ali held its wings in place. He stared into the bird's eyes with an intensity that made the eagle shiver.

Ali's left eye shifted, the black colour spreading across it until it covered half of his eye. He leaned in closer, his voice low and threatening. "Remember, do not test me. Follow my instructions exactly, or else…" Ali warned, his tone leaving no room for disobedience. The eagle, overwhelmed by a primal fear of Ali, nodded again, its resolve to follow his orders reinforced by the encounter.

With that, Ali closed his left eye, releasing the eagle, which quickly took off toward the Ubuyashiki mansion.

Watching the bird disappear into the sky, Ali moved to sit on the edge of the high cliff. He uncovered his right forearm to examine Veska's marking. It had filled up again, the red now occupying half of the rectangle—his encounter with Muzan had clearly caused the increase. Ali sighed, covering his forearm once more. He crossed his legs and began practicing his breathing technique.

Hours passed, the soothing rays of the sunset gently waking Ali from his deep meditation. He rose, stretching his body before sprinting in the direction the eagle had flown.

Back at the Ubuyashiki mansion, news of Ali's encounter with Akaza spread rapidly. The demon slayer corps had recently lost the Flame Hashira to Akaza, so hearing that Ali had fought him caused an immediate reaction. Among those alarmed by the news was the Insect Hashira, Shinobu. Her heart sank when she heard that Ali was the demon hunter who had fought Akaza. Not waiting for Ali to arrive at headquarters, she quickly assembled a Kakushi medical squad and rushed ahead to meet him, just in case he was injured. However, Shinobu, being much faster, outpaced the Kakushi and hurried through the forest, the anxiety in her chest only growing with each passing moment.

Meanwhile, Ali was making his way toward Shinobu. As hours passed, he sensed a presence rapidly approaching from the opposite direction. He stopped immediately, climbing up a tree and slowing his heartbeat until it was barely detectable. His presence became nearly nonexistent, showcasing just how terrifyingly effective his hiding technique was.

Shinobu moved swiftly through the trees, her heart pounding. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. "Insect Breathing—First Form—" she began, sensing a presence behind her. She twisted around quickly, ready to strike, but just as she turned, the presence vanished from sight.

Before she could react further, a hand reached out from behind, gripping her sword-wielding hand tightly. Another hand wrapped around her waist, locking her other arm in place. Shinobu struggled to break free, but the hands were like iron, and the strength behind them was inhuman.

"Long time no see, Shinobu," Ali's calm voice greeted her.

Startled, Shinobu stopped struggling and looked up, finding Ali staring down at her with his usual expressionless, yet strikingly handsome face. "Ali," she whispered, relief flooding her voice.

Ali released her, and Shinobu dropped her sword to her feet. She immediately began inspecting him from head to toe for injuries but found none.

Ali watched silently as Shinobu examined him with a worried expression. Suddenly, she hugged him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She was too short to reach any higher without jumping.

Ali gently patted Shinobu's head, trying to soothe her. "When I heard you fought Akaza, I thought—" she began, her voice trembling.

"Hey, who do you think you're talking to, huh? Come on now, it's me. A weakling like Akaza could never leave a scratch on me," Ali reassured her, pushing her back slightly to fix her hair, which had fallen over her face.

Ali smiled at her, "Come on, let's go. If I wait any longer, I might die of hunger," he joked in a cheerful tone.

Shinobu gave a genuine smile at his remark but was caught off guard as Ali suddenly lifted her up in a princess carry.

"Hold on," Ali said to the flustered Shinobu as he began running at full speed. Shinobu, even more surprised, held tightly onto Ali's neck. She had never experienced speed like this before.

Ali moved so quickly that he zipped past the Kakushi squad that had been following Shinobu. All they saw was a blur. "Was that the Insect Hashira being carried like a child, or am I hallucinating?" one of the Kakushi exclaimed, shocked by the sight.

Ali carried Shinobu all the way to the outskirts of the headquarters before setting her down. She didn't want anyone to see her like that. Together, they walked through the headquarters, drawing stares from all the Kakushi who had heard about Ali's battle with Akaza. Especially since he appeared completely unharmed.

"Ali, what happened?" Shinobu asked, clearly wanting to know more details about the fight.

"You'll hear it with the rest of the Hashira. I'm too tired to explain it twice," Ali replied, and Shinobu nodded, walking with him until they reached the Hashira meeting place.

Shinobu entered first, followed by Ali. All ten Hashira were present, seated in a straight line. Opposite them sat Ubuyashiki with his wife beside him. Standing in the middle, between the Hashira and Ubuyashiki, was the silver eagle.

As Ali entered, all eyes turned to him. He approached the eagle, signalling for it to hop onto his shoulder. Then, he winked at Mitsuri, who blushed and smiled in return before he turned to face Ubuyashiki.

"Ali, I am relieved to hear you are unharmed. But please, do explain what happened to us and your fellow comrades," Ubuyashiki requested calmly.

Ali's gaze flicked to Ubuyashiki's wife. 'She's hot. Every time I see her, she seems even more attractive,' he thought, staring a bit too intently at her. Shinobu, noticing this, coughed twice, prompting Ali to look away and answer Ubuyashiki's question.

"I was on my way back from hunting down my last demon," Ali began, "when I sensed someone's presence as I ran through the forest. Akaza appeared from the other side, holding a man's head—I assume he was from the Snake Demon's town and had informed him about me. Naturally, a fight broke out, and I nearly beat Akaza to death, but he managed to escape at the last second. That's all there is to it," Ali concluded, speaking as if this was the most ordinary thing in the world.

The Hashira and Ubuyashiki were stunned by Ali's statement. The idea of forcing Akaza, an Upper Moon, to flee without a scratch was almost unimaginable. They could barely envision achieving such a feat together, let alone single-handedly.

"So, you're saying you defeated Upper Moon Rank Three, Akaza, with ease?" Ubuyashiki asked for clarification.

"Yeah, he was weak, or maybe I'm just too strong. Anyway, I'm starving. The eagle can tell you where the fight happened," Ali replied nonchalantly, turning to leave without waiting for anyone's reaction.

Despite Ali's disrespectful behaviour towards Ubuyashiki, none of the Hashira spoke up as he exited the meeting.

"Everyone, I would like to make an announcement," Ubuyashiki said, addressing the Hashira. "From this moment forward, the Demon Slayer Corps has officially found a replacement for the deceased Flame Hashira. The name of the newly appointed Hashira is Ali." Ubuyashiki smiled as he spoke.

The other Hashira were not surprised by the announcement. Ali was already more than strong enough, and the news of his appointment would undoubtedly boost morale and confidence within the corps.

The meeting concluded, and the Hashira began to disperse. Ubuyashiki stopped Shinobu and asked her to find out what Ali wanted his breathing style to be called.

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