Kyojuro stepped outside and immediately spotted the familiar figure waiting beyond the threshold.
"Father you've come!"
Kokushibo stood calmly beneath the dim light, his posture relaxed in a way rarely seen on a demon of his stature. Without ceremony, he entered the estate as though it were his own, reaching out to ruffle Kyojuro's hair with quiet familiarity.
"So," he said, his voice even, yet carrying a trace of approval, "you've become the Flame Hashira. Well done. Continue to hone yourself."
"I will!" Kyojuro replied without hesitation, his voice brimming with conviction.
Their interaction was natural almost warm yet that very normalcy made it all the more unsettling.
Ruka watched from the side, her expression complicated. She still could not fully understand Kokushibo's intentions, nor why he maintained such close contact with her son. And yet, she could not deny the truth he had once saved her life.
Gratitude bound her silence.
All she could do was hope… that this fragile balance would not one day shatter.
Kokushibo, for his part, made no attempt to probe into matters concerning the Demon Slayer Corps. His interest lay elsewhere, and for now, he had no intention of interfering directly.
Kyojuro had been accepted as a disciple nothing more, nothing less.
Elsewhere, beneath the quiet veil of night, Kanae waited in an open clearing just beyond the estate.
A soft breeze stirred the air.
Then
"Sister!"
The moment Shinobu Kocho saw her, the carefully maintained smile she wore so often collapsed entirely. There was no façade now, no practiced composure only raw emotion.
She rushed forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Kanae, trembling as tears spilled freely down her face.
Kanae gently returned the embrace, her expression soft.
After a long silence, Shinobu finally spoke, her voice hesitant.
"…Have you eaten anyone?"
The question hung heavily between them.
Kanae shook her head.
"At first," she explained quietly, "I survived on small amounts of human blood taken without harming anyone. He ensured those people were compensated and left unharmed. Later… Tamayo provided me with a medicine. It helps suppress the craving."
She paused briefly.
"But even so, I still need to replenish my strength occasionally."
Shinobu exhaled in relief, her shoulders relaxing.
Without hesitation, she rolled up her sleeve and extended her arm.
"Then take mine, Sister."
Kanae blinked in surprise before lightly flicking her forehead.
"Don't be foolish," she said gently.
Even that light tap carried far more force than before her strength, now that of a demon, was on an entirely different level.
Shinobu winced, rubbing her forehead, but quickly laughed it off.
For a brief moment, the tension between them faded.
But peace, as always, was fleeting.
"You've become a demon… and yet you dare show yourself here?"
A harsh voice shattered the stillness.
Kanae's gaze shifted.
Two figures had arrived.
Sanemi Shinazugawa the Wind Hashira and Giyu Tomioka the Water Hashira.
Sanemi's expression was filled with fury, his grip tightening around his Nichirin Blade.
"If you've chosen to fall," he snarled, "then I'll send you off myself!"
Without waiting for a response, he moved.
Wind Breathing, Second Form: Claws Purifying Wind!
Blades of compressed wind tore through the air as he charged forward, his killing intent unmistakable.
"Shinazugawa-san, wait !" Shinobu cried out, stepping forward to shield Kanae.
At the last moment, Sanemi adjusted his strike, forcefully kicking Shinobu aside before redirecting his attack.
Kanae reacted instantly, drawing her blade to meet his assault.
Steel clashed.
The impact echoed sharply through the clearing.
Seeing her sister forced into battle, Shinobu tried to intervene but her movement was abruptly halted.
Giyu had seized her wrist.
Firmly.
"Let me go!" Shinobu struggled, panic rising in her voice.
Giyu did not respond.
His grip did not loosen.
"Let go of me right now, or I'll report this to the Master!" she snapped, striking his arm repeatedly in frustration.
To him, however, it barely registered.
Still, he held on.
Then
"If you don't let go… I'll hate you."
The words landed.
And in that instant, Shinobu pulled free.
Giyu's hand fell empty.
"I… do not want to be hated…" he murmured quietly, almost to himself.
Meanwhile, the clash between Kanae and Sanemi intensified.
"Stop holding back and die already!" Sanemi roared, his attacks growing more aggressive.
Kanae remained composed.
Flower Breathing, Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility!
A rapid, flowing sequence of nine strikes unfolded in an instant, intercepting every incoming blade of wind with precision and grace.
Even so, the pressure mounted.
Sanemi showed no sign of relenting.
Just as he prepared to strike again, Shinobu rushed between them, arms spread wide.
"Stop this!"
Sanemi's expression twisted with irritation as he turned. "Tomioka! Can't you control your own "
He didn't finish the sentence.
Because he had already moved again.
Wind Breathing, First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!
His body surged forward, accompanied by a storm of slicing winds.
Kanae had no choice but to meet it head-on.
She pushed Shinobu aside and raised her blade
And then
A crescent-shaped slash cut through the battlefield.
Everything halted.
"Moon Breathing…" Giyu's eyes narrowed as he immediately drew his blade, tension rising.
Kokushibo stood at the center of the clearing.
Silent.
Unshaken.
Sanemi's gaze sharpened, his expression turning feral with excitement.
"So it's you… the one who corrupts Demon Slayers."
"Upper Rank One."
Kokushibo said nothing.
Instead, in the blink of an eye, he vanished
And reappeared behind Sanemi.
"You are not yet capable of facing me," he said coldly.
To Sanemi, it sounded like mockery.
A direct insult to his strength.
"Shut up!" Sanemi roared, turning and slashing wildly.
But it was futile.
Their speeds were on entirely different levels.
Before Sanemi could follow up
Giyu intervened.
Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!
A powerful downward strike descended with full force.
Kokushibo responded with a single motion.
A flash.
Giyu's body was cut mid-air, blood spilling as he was thrown back.
Sanemi's fury reached its peak.
"You bastard!"
Wind Breathing, Sixth Form: Black Wind Mountain Mist!
Darkened wind blades surged forward, carrying everything in their path.
This time
Kokushibo drew his blade properly.
Moon Breathing, Fourth Form: Crescent Moon Radiant Slash!
A massive arc of power exploded outward, accompanied by countless crescent-shaped blades that tore through the incoming storm.
The impact shook the ground.
Dust filled the air.
When it settled
Sanemi lay collapsed.
Defeated in a single exchange.
Kokushibo sheathed his sword slowly, stepping forward until he stood over him, looking down without emotion.
Before he could move further
Shinobu stepped into his path.
Her hands trembled, but her stance did not waver.
"You're not allowed to hurt them," she said, gripping her Nichirin Blade tightly.
Even in fear
She stood her ground.