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Yoshiwara Pleasure Quarter, Flower Street
"They're here… they're here!"
Gyutaro crouched atop a rooftop, watching three figures enter Flower Street from afar. A twisted grin spread across his face.
"All three are Hashira… how wonderful."
He slowly stood up, clasping his hands together. With a wet, grinding sound, two blood-stained sickles formed in his grasp. In the next instant, he kicked off the roof—
Boom!
The building shattered beneath his feet as his body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"Something… feels off!"
The moment Shinazugawa Sanemi, Uzui Tengen, and Kyojuro Rengoku stepped into Flower Street, Uzui's instincts screamed danger. Before his words had fully left his mouth, all three Hashira turned their gazes in the same direction.
A figure was rapidly closing the distance.
"Careful!" Uzui shouted. "It's an Upper Moon!"
All three drew their Nichirin blades at once, eyes locked on the approaching demon. Just from the oppressive aura alone, there was no doubt—this was an Upper Moon.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Before Gyuutarou even reached them, blood-red obi sashes burst out from beneath the ground, lunging toward all three Hashira at once.
"Wind Breathing, Second Form: Claws-Purifying Wind!"
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!"
Sanemi and Rengoku struck simultaneously, slicing through the incoming sashes in a storm of steel and flame.
"Hahaha!~"
Uzui let out a booming laugh and charged forward.
Boom!
The moment Uzui and Gyuutarou collided midair, the impact exploded outward, violent shockwaves tearing tiles from rooftops and blasting debris into the streets.
"Hahaha! This pressure—no doubt about it!"
Uzui laughed wildly as he read the kanji in Gyuutarou's eyes.
"Upper Rank Six, huh? I'll flamboyantly take your head!"
"My head?" Gyuutarou snarled, crimson eyes twisting with malice. "You've got nerve saying that!"
His twin sickles lashed out as he and Uzui clashed head-on in a brutal exchange.
Below.
"Tch—he got there first!"
Sanemi glanced at Uzui already locked in combat, clicking his tongue. He immediately turned toward the source of the earlier sashes.
"Kyojuro—this one's mine!"
"?!"
Daki had just emerged from beneath the ground when—
Slash!
Sanemi's blade flashed.
Pffft!
Daki's head was severed in a single strike before she could even react. Her body collapsed as her head rolled across the ground, her face frozen in disbelief.
"Tch. This isn't an Upper Moon."
Sanemi sheathed his blade without a second glance.
"Too weak."
"Bastard!"
Daki's severed head suddenly shrieked, her voice piercing. "I am a genuine Upper Moon! You're going too far!"
"Huh?"
Sanemi turned back sharply.
Her head wasn't disintegrating.
His expression darkened immediately.
"Oi, demon," he growled. "You were decapitated—why aren't you dead?"
"Because she and Gyuutarou share one life."
A new voice answered.
Sanemi's instincts screamed.
He spun around—and froze.
A man crouched casually nearby, white-blond hair framing a face carved with a permanent smile. His pupils shimmered like rainbows.
Etched within them were the kanji:
Upper Rank — Two
Upper Moon Two.
Doma.
"Upper Rank… Two."
Sanemi's eyes sharpened, then he broke into wild laughter.
"Hah! To think I'd meet the second Upper Moon here—today's my lucky day!"
"Flame Breathing, Fifth Form: Flame Tiger!"
Before Sanemi could move, Rengoku's blazing attack tore forward like a roaring inferno.
"Woah~!"
Doma's body flickered effortlessly as he dodged, smiling brightly.
"My, my~ What an aggressive Hashira."
"Kyojuro!" Sanemi snapped. "That one's my prey!"
"Don't be foolish, Sanemi."
Rengoku stepped beside him, eyes never leaving Doma.
"This demon is on a completely different level. We fight together."
"Tch…"
Sanemi clicked his tongue—but didn't argue.
For once, he agreed.
Two Upper Moons appearing simultaneously was not normal.
And Doma…
He was far more dangerous than Gyuutarou.
As for Daki?
She had already been completely ignored.
Elsewhere — Outside Swordsmith Village
Two Hidden Corps members gently lowered Naruto and Kamado Tanjirō from their backs, removing their blindfolds, earplugs, and nose plugs.
"Uzumaki-sama, Tanjirō-kun," they said respectfully. "We've arrived at Swordsmith Village."
"Finally…"
Naruto opened his eyes and stretched, exhaling deeply.
To preserve secrecy, the journey had been deliberately disorienting—multiple guides, constant route changes, sealed senses. Naruto had cooperated fully, suppressing even his instincts.
"You may proceed inside. We'll take our leave."
The Hidden members bowed.
"Wait."
Naruto's expression suddenly hardened.
He lifted his head, eyes fixed on the village ahead.
"…Something's wrong."
He turned sharply to Tanjirō.
"Stay close to me."
In the next instant, Naruto vanished forward.
Tanjirō's expression changed as well, his instincts flaring—and he immediately followed.
The two Hidden members exchanged a glance and rushed after them.
The moment they entered Swordsmith Village—
They froze.
The scene before them was nothing short of horrifying.