Uchiha Nagi glanced at the sky. It was noon, the sun still hanging high. "No, Tanjiro. We'll take a nap and set out at dusk."
"Huh? Why?" Tanjiro asked, puzzled.
"Because they only appear at night. Even if we rush to Natagumo Mountain now, we won't see them. So, it's best to rest well now and use the remaining two or three hours this afternoon to reach the mountain." Uchiha Nagi looked at the map the old woman had given him. "By the time we get to Natagumo Mountain, the sun will have completely set, and they should start appearing. Facing the battle with optimal stamina and in peak condition is the most rational approach."
"Ooh, ooh! Rest now, fight at night, hehehe…" Inosuke finished speaking, chugged down the rest of the soup, wiped his mouth, and promptly leaped into the shade of a tree to lie down. "Gahahaha… this spot is mine!"
Tanjiro rolled his eyes. "No one's fighting you for it…"
Inosuke: "…#"
The midday sun was exceptionally dazzling, but Uchiha Nagi's group napped under the shade of the trees. The cicadas chirped incessantly, and the lush trees blocked the scorching sunlight. A cool breeze rustled through, bringing waves of refreshment. The forest was remarkably tranquil; such peace was only possible during the daytime.
After a three-hour nap, Uchiha Nagi lazily got up and led the trio towards Natagumo Mountain. Tanjiro's crow had been cawing non-stop, but Uchiha Nagi had silenced it by stuffing a rabbit leg in its beak. Moving at a moderate pace, they walked for three hours and arrived at the foot of Natagumo Mountain just as the sky began to darken.
"Tanjiro, these are Soldier Pills. Take them when your stamina is severely depleted; they can supplement some nutrients in place of food. Each of you keep one on hand as a precaution."
Tanjiro and Zenitsu took the Soldier Pills, but then heard a 'Munch!' from beside them. They turned to look. Inosuke had taken the pill and immediately tossed it into his mouth.
Tanjiro: "........" Zenitsu: "..........." Uchiha Nagi: "........"
"You idiot! Those aren't snacks! They're for critical situations!"
"Less yapping! The fight's about to start, so of course I'd eat it now! Awooo, I'll take the vanguard! Pig Assault—" With that, he donned his boar mask and charged forward.
"Wait a minute," Zenitsu suddenly said. "Hold on, can't you guys feel how terrifying that mountain is? It's too scary in there!"
Tanjiro rolled his eyes, knowing Zenitsu's cowardly nature was acting up again. "The mountain looks pretty normal to me."
"Wait, there's someone ahead—" Uchiha Nagi activated his Sharingan. While its long-range reconnaissance wasn't as good as the Byakugan, it was still far superior to an ordinary person's vision.
The group hurried over. Under the dim light of dusk, they saw a person in a black uniform with the character '癸' (Mizunoto) printed on the back, clutching a Nichirin Blade, lying on the ground covered in blood and groaning.
"It's a Demon Slayer!" Tanjiro was the first to run over, intending to help the person up.
"Help me, save me…" Before he could finish his sentence, a powerful force yanked the Demon Slayer member, pulling him flying towards the forest. "I'm being pulled too! Help! Help me—!"
While Tanjiro and the others were still bewildered, unsure of what was happening, Uchiha Nagi made his move. "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique—!" Several fireballs instantly shot towards the area behind the Demon Slayer. Although it was a C-rank ninjutsu, the trajectory of its fireballs could be controlled with chakra. Moreover, Uchiha Nagi had embedded several shuriken within the fireballs to ensure they would sever the nearly invisible threads attached to the man.
Bang— A cloud of dust rose. The man, who had been on the brink of death, was finally saved.
"What happened? Why did he suddenly fly towards the forest, and then, Nagi-nii, after your fireballs, he just fell down?" Zenitsu was completely confused, as their eyesight wasn't good enough to see a few fine threads in the dark.
"It was spider silk," Uchiha Nagi explained. "There were several strands of spider silk connected to his back. They're so fine that it's almost impossible for the naked eye to see them clearly at night." The only reason Nagi could see them was thanks to the energy being channeled through the silk. Evidently, the enemy was using a Blood Demon Art to control the threads, but the energy conducted along them made them clearly visible to his Sharingan.
"When we enter the forest, be careful of the spider silk. Don't let it touch you. They control people through these threads," Uchiha Nagi warned.
Tanjiro then questioned the surviving Demon Slayer, and his answers were just as Uchiha Nagi had predicted. Their group, a Demon Slayer team of about ten members, should have had no problem entering the mountain to deal with one or two ordinary demons by ganging up on them. However, inexplicably, they were wiped out without even seeing a shadow of their enemy. Teammates began to kill each other. Only later did they realize that anyone who touched the spider silk in the forest had their bodies controlled. Though their minds were clear, their limbs wouldn't obey their commands, and they could only watch helplessly as their own comrades slaughtered each other.
Meanwhile, at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters— A man with blind eyes and a face covered in what looked like disfiguring blue veins, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, was sitting in the courtyard, listening to a crow's report.
"Is that so? The children were all wiped out, sacrificed… They were all good children. It seems there must be one of the Twelve Kizuki there." Ubuyashiki Kagaya sighed, a faint sadness on his face, but he quickly suppressed the emotion. Countless Demon Slayer members died in battle every year.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya spoke into the darkness, giving an order, "Since there's a Twelve Kizuki there, we must dispatch two or more Hashira. Giyuu, Shinobu, I'll have to trouble you to make a trip."
"Yes, Master—" "Yes, Master—"
From the darkened room, two figures slowly emerged. One was the current Water Hashira, Tomioka Giyuu, his expression as cold as ice, seemingly unchanging for an eternity. The other was the Insect Hashira, Kocho Shinobu, a beautiful woman with a gentle demeanor, a pleasant voice, and a tender smile. One was handsome, the other beautiful, both young. But anyone who could become a Hashira had fought their way through countless battles; their strength was beyond doubt. After bowing to Ubuyashiki Kagaya, they both activated their Breathing Styles and then dashed towards Natagumo Mountain with the speed of wind.
"Also, see if any other Hashira are nearby and have them head over for support. If it's an Upper Rank Kizuki, two Hashira might not be safe," Ubuyashiki Kagaya said with concern. The Twelve Kizuki were divided into six Upper Ranks and six Lower Ranks. For many years, it had been an unchanging fact that a single Upper Rank Kizuki could not be defeated by anyone less than two Hashira. The six Upper Rank Kizuki hadn't changed in hundreds of years…