The night was ink-black, the evening breeze gentle.
Perhaps something in that earlier remark had struck a chord, because Uzui Tengen finally opened up.
"My father wanted us to be without emotion," he said. "What he wanted… was a machine. One that knew only missions and killing."
"Those inhuman trainings. The endless slaughter."
"They're still buried deep in my memories."
After a long silence, Ryosuke let out a quiet sigh.
"You had it rough… back then."
In the original story, Uzui Tengen's obsession with flashiness hadn't been innate.
It was something he deliberately cultivated after defecting from his clan.
Exaggerated. Ostentatious. Loud.
Carrying with it the rebellion and chūnibyō stubbornness of youth.
But wasn't that, in itself, a form of resistance?
Compared to being a soulless tool, he longed far more to be human.
Someone who could grieve and weep for fallen comrades.
Someone who could feel anger when life was trampled upon.
Someone with emotions, with personality—
a living, breathing person of flesh and blood.
"You're incredible," Ryosuke said sincerely. "And brave."
To rebel against one's clan.
Against fate.
Against patriarchal authority.
Everyone knew—those who defected didn't do so lightly.
Uzui Tengen laughed, shaking his head.
"But if I want to let the three of them live… live flamboyantly… it's far harder than I imagined."
He tilted his cup, the liquor inside swaying.
"Protecting them. Surviving. Finding a new path. Every step feels like walking a tightrope."
"Yeah. I know," Ryosuke replied calmly, his voice carrying the weight of experience.
"For some people, simply staying alive is already a high-stakes gamble."
"But as long as you grip the blade in your hand… protect those you want to protect… the road beneath your feet will be forged."
"Even if that road is full of hardship."
"Even if it's mired in mud, ugly and unglamorous."
"Well said!"
Uzui Tengen looked at Ryosuke, then suddenly broke into a wide, unrestrained smile—bold and utterly genuine.
"Then let's live flamboyantly together."
"And carve out our path—flamboyantly!"
He raised his cup, lightly tapping it against the gourd in Ryosuke's hand.
Ryosuke frowned slightly, his tone even.
"So… you're joining the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Uzui Tengen nodded.
He had never been one to dither. His answers were simple. Direct.
Decisions, once made, were often settled in a single thought.
Even if that decision led to endless toil.
Even if it meant stepping onto another road soaked in blood and death.
A few days later.
The Ubuyashiki estate.
Kagaya sat beneath the veranda, a volume of ancient text spread across his knees. Morning light spilled lazily over him, softening even his brows and eyes.
"Chirp—chirp chirp!"
A deep-blue hummingbird fluttered over, hovering before him.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Kagaya extended his palm, his voice warm and gentle.
The hummingbird placed the message tube into his hand, rubbed its head affectionately against his fingers, then flew—clearly by habit—toward a small dish set beneath a pillar's shadow.
Grain was always prepared there.
Kagaya unrolled the message.
Ryosuke's handwriting wasn't neat. If anything, it was messy—crooked and hurried.
To be opened by the Master.
Report from Kanoe-ranked swordsman Yasui Ryosuke.
A new friend has arrived at Momoyama—Uzui Tengen, born of a shinobi clan.
He defected to free his three wives from familial shackles, encountered a demon along the way, and was rescued by me.
Tengen possesses formidable strength. Though untrained in Breathing Techniques, he was able to contend with a demon through pure physical ability and shinobi tools alone. His potential is immense. His temperament… unique.
However, his resolve is firm, and his instinct to protect the weak burns fiercely.
I humbly recommend that the Master consider allowing him to join the Demon Slayer Corps.
—Yasui Ryosuke
"Momoyama again…"
A helpless chuckle sounded from behind.
Amane knelt beside Kagaya with a tray of hot tea, her gaze drifting over the letter in his hands.
"Ryosuke has found us yet another remarkable child."
Kagaya handed her the letter, emotion evident in his voice.
"For some reason… I always feel that when it comes to 'picking people,' Ryosuke and I think alike."
"If I had encountered them myself, I would have said the same things… made the same choices."
Amane skimmed the letter quickly, her graceful brows lifting slightly.
A shinobi clan… Uzui…
That name carried weight.
To lead three wives in defecting from such a family required both strength and decisiveness of the highest order.
Amane smiled softly.
"Momoyama is becoming livelier by the day."
"Liveliness is good."
Kagaya lifted his teacup, taking a light sip.
"In these turbulent times, each like-minded soul is another glimmer of hope—another blade capable of severing the chains of darkness. I look forward to meeting him."
Amane nodded in agreement, then suddenly recalled something.
"Speaking of those Ryosuke has recommended… the Kakushi have just sent news regarding Mr. Himejima."
"His strength is extraordinary. Yesterday, after being promoted to Kanoe, he exterminated several demons entrenched in an abandoned mine."
She paused.
"However… while killing demons, Mr. Himejima continuously recited sutras. And he was crying the entire time."
Slaying… while offering salvation?
Kagaya fell silent for a moment, then let out a quiet sigh.
"To kill, in order to protect life."
"To sever karma, not people."
"The tears Mr. Himejima sheds are not weakness."
"They are the torment of great compassion burning within karmic fire."
"After all… demons are fallen souls. Before that, they were human."
"Precisely because he carries such boundless mercy, each strike of his blade bears a burden and weight far heavier than that of ordinary swordsmen."
Amane listened quietly, then nodded helplessly.
"This compassion is both strength… and shackle."
A thousand-year fate.
Intertwined across generations.
Each of them bore the same chains.
And it was precisely because the Demon Slayer Corps was formed of such people that it could charge forward again and again, resisting destiny without end.
"Send a reply to Mr. Ryosuke."
Kagaya's voice was light, touched with warmth.
"Uzui Tengen is welcome to join the Demon Slayer Corps. And please ask Mr. Kuwajima to guide him along the path of Breathing Techniques."
"As for Mr. Himejima…"
He paused, falling briefly silent before continuing.
"Ensure the Kakushi provide him with the finest treatment and rest available. His body—and his heart… carry too much weight."
"Tell him this."
"For every soul he offers salvation to…
Ubuyashiki Kagaya feels it alongside him."
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