By noon the next day, after sleeping for more than a dozen hours, Uchiha Nagi had finally had his fill of rest and recovered some of his strength.
He stepped out of the Butterfly Mansion and into the scorching sun. The midday heat felt warm and pleasant on his skin. Though his Nichirin Blade was still sheathed, it was already absorbing the sun's energy, and a faint, gentle warmth began to flow from the sword into Nagi's hand.
Nagi looked at the Raikiri in his hand with astonishment. This ability wasn't there before. Did it just awaken?
"Heh. Pal, you're already more reliable than Kisame's Samehada," he mused. "That thing lives by sucking its master's energy. You, on the other hand, are giving energy back to your master."
All the hard work and effort he'd put into forging this divine weapon hadn't been in vain. On top of absorbing solar energy, it now had the ability to transfer that energy to its wielder, like a solar panel.
"Ah, Nagi-niisan, you're awake."
A petite, gentle woman wiped the sweat from her brow as she walked over. It was Shinobu Kocho.
"Shinobu. It's been a while," Nagi said with a gentle smile.
Hearing Nagi say her name so directly, a faint blush colored Shinobu's cheeks as she smiled. "Yes, it's been several months. By the way, the Master already knows you've returned. He specifically asked that you go see him as soon as you woke up..." As she spoke, her expression darkened. "The Master's illness is very severe. He may not have much time left..."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya is gravely ill? Is he dying?
Nagi nodded. "Alright. I'll head over after I get something to eat."
Grrrrowl. His stomach rumbled. He hadn't eaten in a long time and was ravenous.
"Hee hee. Please wait a moment, Nagi-niisan. I'll get you something to eat," Shinobu said with a warm smile, heading towards the kitchen.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya was lying on his sickbed, drinking medicine. A strange curse had plagued his family for generations. Every man in his line died before reaching the age of thirty. A spiritualist had once told them it was a curse from the heavens, a consequence of Muzan's many sins that had spread to their family, as their ancestors and Muzan had once been of the same clan. Later, through the guidance of a wise master, they had mitigated the curse by intermarrying with a family of Shinto priests for generations.
The only way to break the curse completely was to destroy Muzan.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's family possessed a unique ability passed down through the ages: the power to foresee a part of the future. As he neared the end of his life, he foresaw that he would encounter Muzan.
Thus, he planned to use his own life as a trap to ensnare Muzan. But as the Demon King, even a massive amount of explosives might not be enough to kill him, even if he laced the explosives with wisteria poison. So, after his death, he would need someone to deliver the final blow. The original plan was for the Stone Hashira, as he was the only one who would agree to his sacrifice. But he had another premonition: there was someone even more suitable than the Stone Hashira.
And that person, when he had left, had asked for his help in finding the grave of the founder of Sun Breathing, Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"Ubuyashiki Kagaya. I've kept you waiting. I trust you've been well."
A figure appeared in the courtyard. It was Uchiha Nagi. Looking at the dying man, who could barely even sit up, Nagi sighed softly. He was nothing but skin and bones, like a walking corpse. In his current state, even White Zetsu cells couldn't save him, curse or no curse.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya motioned for his wife to help him up. After she placed two pillows behind his back, he quietly asked her to leave, as he had something to discuss. His wife, Amane Ubuyashiki, nodded, bowed, and withdrew.
"Nagi-san, you've finally come. If you had been half a month later, you might not have seen me at all. Cough, cough..." Ubuyashiki Kagaya coughed a few times, and the handkerchief he held came away stained with blood.
"The grave of the founder of Sun Breathing, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, which you asked me to find... I have found it. I've had his coffin brought over. I assume you have a use for him, correct?"
Nagi smiled and nodded. "That's right. Muzan's strength... if he were willing to fight head-on, I believe the combined might of all the Hashira—no, with my current strength, I might even be able to kill him alone. But I'm guessing he won't choose to fight to the death. After all, his lifespan is endless. As long as he escapes and waits a hundred years, he wins."
"So, I thought of asking someone for help. I have a forbidden jutsu that can summon the souls of the dead from the underworld back to this world. That's why I entrusted you with finding the grave of the founder of Sun Breathing. I believe that with one more person to help, even if Muzan splits into a thousand pieces and flees, we can still hunt him down and kill him."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya, coughing, was overjoyed. "Is that true? While I don't know the taboos of such a forbidden jutsu, as long as we can kill Muzan, any price is worth paying. If there is anything the Ubuyashiki family can do to help, please, just ask."
Nagi thought for a moment. Cloning a body from White Zetsu cells now would probably take too long. Time was limited, and forcing a clone to grow to adulthood in just over ten days was difficult. He'd just have to use a death row inmate. He could inject some Hashirama cells into him and complete the Edo Tensei before he died.
"Ubuyashiki-san, if you could please help me find a prisoner on death row..."
"That's no problem. The Ubuyashiki family's influence is not small. Getting a death row inmate from a prison is not difficult. In fact, cough, cough... the Stone Hashira was also a death row inmate... I was the one who saved him..."
Nagi remembered. It seemed that in Demon Slayer, many of the Hashira had been scouted from prisons by Kagaya using his foresight. The falsely accused and sentenced Stone Hashira was one of them.
"Alright. Then I'll have to trouble you, Ubuyashiki-san."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya seemed to have regained some of his strength and continued to discuss his plan with Nagi.
"Nagi-kun, my life is coming to an end. To be honest with you, the Ubuyashiki family has a limited ability to see the future. It is with this ability that we have managed to evade Muzan's pursuit so many times and accumulate the vast wealth to continue our fight to this day."
"And I have a premonition. Before I die, Muzan will definitely come for me. So, I have prepared a massive amount of explosives and numerous traps laced with wisteria poison. I will sacrifice my entire family to lure him in. The other Hashira would likely not agree to this plan, so I have only told the Stone Hashira, so that he can kill Muzan in time if he survives the blast."
"Cough, cough... Now that you are here, I am relieved. At that time, if all those explosives still can't kill him, before the other Hashira arrive, I'll have to trouble you and the Stone Hashira."
Nagi nodded gravely. It was impossible not to admire such a ruthless man. "I will be there. And I will help set some of my own traps as well."
The two then began to discuss the details: where to place the explosives, how to provide support, and when to detonate. Nagi had originally thought of setting up some sealing jutsu traps, to try and capture Muzan. But on second thought, the massive explosion would likely destroy any sealing formulas. Besides, it was best not to alter the future Ubuyashiki had foreseen. If Muzan escaped, it would be a huge headache. Nagi hadn't forgotten that this Demon King's abilities were like Majin Buu's—he could split into one thousand eight hundred pieces. As long as one piece escaped, he would be back in a hundred years.
At the same time, at Ubuyashiki's invitation, Lady Tamayo had also arrived. She and Shinobu Kocho had already developed a potent poison specifically targeting Muzan.
A week later, Nagi stood in a forest. On the ground lay a living sacrifice. Beside it was a test tube that had just been injected—a sample of Hashirama cells.
Before the death row inmate could expire, Nagi quickly formed the hand seals, performing a forbidden jutsu that did not belong to this world.
Edo Tensei—
He was prepared to teleport away in an instant if things went wrong. He had no idea what kind of monster might appear.
"Come forth, the strongest swordsman of centuries past, Yoriichi Tsugikuni..."
Countless slips of paper manifested from the void and flew towards the body of the death row inmate. Slowly, a figure wrapped in paper appeared, which then gradually transformed into an old man...
A trembling, hunched-over old man, who looked as if he couldn't walk without a cane.
Huh?! An old man? Did I summon the wrong person?
"Cough, cough. Where am I? I believe I was dead. Oof!" The old man looked around, then twisted his ankle and fell heavily to the ground.
Uchiha Nagi: "..."
He was speechless. Was this the wrong guy?
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