Raiden gently patted Nezuko's head, a quiet gesture meant to calm her.
Only then did he remember the other presence behind her.
Kanao Tsuyuri stood with her Nichirin blade pointed straight at him. She did not speak, but her intent was unmistakable. She was here to kill the demon.
Kanao did not understand why Nezuko had not resisted during the chase, but that did not matter. She had received an order, and she would carry it out without hesitation.
Raiden did not move.
He had no idea how Nezuko had ended up finding him, but now that she was here, he would not allow her to be harmed.
Seeing that Raiden had no intention of stepping aside, Kanao bent her knees and leapt forward, aiming directly for Nezuko behind him.
Her order was clear. Kill the demon. Raiden himself was not her target.
Raiden's right hand remained resting on Nezuko's head. He made no move to draw his blade.
When Kanao's Nichirin sword came within a meter of him, an electric arc flashed through the air and deflected her strike.
Kanao landed lightly and stared at Raiden, confusion flickering in her eyes.
She remembered him from the Final Selection. He had been fast then, frighteningly so, but she could still follow his movements.
Just now, she had seen nothing.
In her vision, Raiden's hand had never left Nezuko's head.
Was his speed truly beyond what the eye could perceive?
After a brief pause, Kanao launched herself forward again, faster than before.
The result did not change.
Another flash of lightning split the air.
"Chichi."
It did not sound like steel colliding with steel. It felt as if her blade had struck overheated iron, soft yet impossible to cut through, the force of her attack instantly neutralized.
Kanao tightened her grip.
Once could be coincidence. Twice could not.
He had drawn his blade. She simply could not see it.
"Flower Breathing, Second Form, Shadow Plum."
If she could not outspeed him, then she would overwhelm him.
The moment she finished speaking, her blade released four arcing slashes at once. Their paths were erratic, drifting like falling plum blossoms.
Kanao fixed her gaze on Raiden, waiting.
The instant he moved, she would seize the opening and kill the demon behind him.
Zeng.
The faint sound of a blade being drawn reached her ears. Kanao tensed, ready to charge.
Then her body froze.
There was no lightning this time.
Her slashes were gone.
They had not been deflected or blocked. They had simply vanished.
Shadow Plum had a limited range, but it could not dissipate so completely at such a short distance.
There was only one explanation.
He had moved again.
And faster than before.
Kanao stared at Raiden as the faint smile she always wore slowly faded.
Shadow Plum was unpredictable by design, yet he had dismantled all four slashes instantly, one after another.
Such speed and precision were beyond anything she had encountered.
"Do you want to continue?" Raiden asked calmly.
If they had fought during the Final Selection, Raiden could have relied on speed to contend with her, but defeating her outright would have been difficult. At the time, his breathing control had not been sufficient.
Now, even without using a Breathing Technique, Kanao was not his opponent.
Kanao did not answer.
She raised her blade again.
Raiden sighed softly, shaking his head.
Before he could decide how to deal with her, the sharp cry of a Kasugai Crow echoed across Mount Natagumo.
"Order! Order! Order from Headquarters!"
"Capture Kamado Tanjiro and the demon Nezuko, and escort them to Headquarters!"
"Kamado Tanjiro, wearing a checkered haori, with a scar on his forehead!"
"Nezuko, a demon girl with a bamboo muzzle!"
Raiden shrugged and reached behind him, gently pulling Nezuko forward.
"This is Nezuko," he said plainly.
Kanao glanced at the girl clinging tightly to Raiden's clothes. Comparing her appearance with the crow's description, she slowly lowered her Nichirin blade.
She was no longer ordered to kill Nezuko.
Her mission now was to escort her to Headquarters.
Raiden let out a quiet breath. He lifted Zenitsu onto his back, then took Nezuko's hand and gestured toward Kanao.
Kanao hesitated for a moment, then turned around and began walking.
Cooperation was preferable. With Raiden's speed, if he truly wanted to flee with Nezuko, she might not be able to stop him.
Raiden followed behind her, his thoughts already drifting ahead.
Nezuko would be taken to Headquarters.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki would convene a Hashira Meeting.
At that meeting, aside from the Water Hashira and the Mist Hashira, the others would demand Nezuko's execution.
Even after Urokodaki Sakonji and Tomiyoka Giyu staked their lives on her, the Wind Hashira would still refuse to accept it.
He would test Nezuko with his own blood, and she would pass by sheer will.
Recalling the general course of that meeting, Raiden began considering his own role in it.
The Water Hashira and Mist Hashira could be ignored. One was distant and withdrawn, the other rarely involved himself with others.
The Wind Hashira was out of the question. With his temperament, trying to befriend him now would likely end in a fight.
The Love Hashira was easy to approach, but with the Serpent Hashira watching closely, choosing one meant avoiding the other.
The Sound Hashira was excessively narcissistic. Perhaps a little praise would be enough.
As for the rest, they were his main targets.
Shinobu Kocho was approachable. Building rapport with her would not be difficult.
Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, was outgoing and straightforward, exactly the kind of person Raiden preferred dealing with.
The Stone Hashira was compassionate by nature. Convincing him should not be hard either.
Having sorted his thoughts, Raiden felt a rare sense of anticipation.
Meeting nine Hashira at once was not an opportunity that came often.
___
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