I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 233 As long as we can get to that place...

"Here's what happened..."

inside the house.

Uchiha Hikaru and Esdeath landed side by side, accepting the fragrant tea offered by the two daughters of the Ubuyashiki family. They sipped the tea slowly while listening to Ubuyashiki Kagaya, who was sitting opposite them, recount the recent events.

at the same time.

Within the infinite city of another dimension.

Wearing a sharp suit and looking like a young man, Muzan Kibutsuji was also listening to Kokushibo's report.

"...Has that woman still not shown up?"

"Yes."

Kokushibo knelt on one knee, speaking with utmost respect: "During this operation, Akaza and Gyokko almost killed the two Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps, but they failed because of a special drug they possessed... The drug is only about the size of a finger. After taking it, all injuries on the body will heal completely in a very short time. They managed to hold out until dawn, but we had to retreat because the sun had risen."

As for the younger brother... that woman still hasn't shown up.

"Medicine to heal injuries?"

Muzan narrowed his eyes slightly: "An ability similar to a demon's? Could it be made from a substance extracted from a demon's blood? Was it the work of that Insect Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps?"

Kokushibo remained expressionless: "This subordinate does not know."

"..."

A moment of silence fell over the air.

Muzan raised his head and looked up at the ceiling, a savage aura flickering in his crimson eyes.

Time flies.

Almost a year has passed since the Spider Mountain incident.

Throughout the past year, Muzan has never left the Infinity Castle. Even when he occasionally eats someone or conducts experiments to modify humans into demons, he has Kokushibo and other demon moons capture living people from outside and bring them in. Beforehand, he makes sure that there are no demon slayers tracking them. He has truly taken the art of hiding to the extreme.

but……

So much time has passed, and things are still calm, which makes Muzan somewhat suspicious.

That girl who is suspected to be the reincarnation of Yoriichi Tsugikuni...

Where did they go?

Why did he disappear after making his move twice in Spider Mountain and Yoshiwara?

Even if she couldn't find herself in the Infinity Castle, shouldn't she have wiped out all the other demons first? But why is it that in the past year, she has never appeared in the memories of the nearly one hundred demons killed by the Demon Slayer Corps?

Very strange.

To ascertain Yoriichi's situation, Muzan began planning a probing campaign against the Demon Slayer Corps several months ago—around the time Uchiha Hikaru last visited and took Tanjiro to Korin Tower for training. He's conducted several such campaigns so far, each one escalating in intensity. However, Yoriichi has yet to appear.

This made Muzan suspicious.

Is it a conspiracy by Ubuyashiki?

still is……

Is there more to the story?

(Perhaps, that girl wasn't Yoriichi Tsugikuni's reincarnation at all, but just looked similar, like Tanjiro Kamado...)

(Or perhaps, although she was a reincarnation, she did not awaken the memories and power of her past life. Being able to kill Rui and Daki doesn't mean she can kill herself and Kokushibo. That's why Ubuyashiki hid her to prevent her from dying prematurely...)

Muzan's guess was actually half right.

In other words, "Uchiha Hikaru was not the reincarnation of Yoriichi Tsugikuni".

Even if he had two more brains, he would still find it hard to figure out that Uchiha Hikaru wasn't even from the Demon Slayer world.

In short.

After these conjectures emerged, Muzan's mind gradually became more active.

If Yoriichi Tsugikuni truly lacks the strength of the original, then now might be the best opportunity to kill her.

Otherwise, he might really have to hide in the Infinity Castle for another hundred years. Muzan had already experienced that kind of life once, and he really didn't want to go through it again.

Just then, Muzan was caught in a dilemma.

Tanjiro returned from the Dragon Ball world and told Kagaya Ubuyashiki about the resurrection. Kagaya immediately dispatched the Demon Slayer Corps to collect corpses that wanted to be resurrected.

Upon learning this news, Muzan dispatched three Upper Moon demons, including Kokushibo, to pursue and intercept the Demon Slayer Corps. Although the presence of Senzu Beans resulted in less success than expected, this operation subtly confirmed his suspicions—

"It seems that the woman has indeed been hidden, and the most likely hiding place is the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters..."

"As long as we can get to that place..."

……

"...That's the general situation."

Inside the reception room of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki coughed a few times and said, "In the past few months, Muzan has tested the Demon Slayer Corps many times, and recently he almost killed Kyojuro, Tengen, and Mitsuri. Now he should be convinced that you, Hikari, are not in the Demon Slayer Corps. If he sees any hope of destroying the Demon Slayer Corps, he may very well be unable to resist taking action..."

"so……"

"So, you plan to deliberately reveal some information to Muzan, then set up an ambush here to lure him here?"

Uchiha Hikaru picked up the conversation.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded: "That's true."

Regarding this plan...

Uchiha Hikaru is no stranger to this.

Because that's what Kagaya Ubuyashiki did in the original work.

By exposing the location of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, Muzan was lured there. Then, he was severely injured by pre-planted explosives and Tamayo's medicine, and then all the surviving Pillars joined forces to attack him... He was even willing to sacrifice the lives of his own family for this.

Without external intervention, this plan is indeed without any problems.

It might still be the only way to defeat Muzan.

After all, Muzan's true strength exceeded the combined strength of the Demon Slayer Corps. Even when severely weakened by poison, he still nearly wiped out the entire Demon Slayer Corps. If they didn't seize this opportunity to fight to the death, and once Kagaya Ubuyashiki died and the strongest fighter of the generation, the Stone Pillar, aged, then even if the Demon Slayer Corps wanted to fight to the death, it would likely be impossible.

But now...

"Ms. Hikari, I know this request is presumptuous, but I still hope you can consider participating in my plan."

"I would be willing to hand over the entire Ubuyashiki family's assets if it meant taking down Muzan."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki spoke with a solemn expression.

Uchiha Hikaru pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Okay, but I have two requests."

"Please speak."

"First, Muzan belongs to me."

Uchiha Hikaru held up one finger: "I'm a little interested in that guy's body and want to take him back to study him. Of course, I won't let him continue eating people and creating demons, and I probably won't let him appear in this world again."

"...That's fine."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded.

Although his original goal was to kill Muzan Kibutsuji completely, as long as the latter stopped committing evil deeds in the human world, then he would have achieved his goal.

"Secondly... I want a piece of land in this country."

……

The place that Uchiha Hikaru mentioned is the Hishikari Gold Mine in the Kyushu region.

Nearly 200 tons of gold are buried there, and it has not yet been officially mined. If Uchiha Hikaru were to seize it, he could become truly wealthy beyond measure and would no longer need to obtain funds by plundering the Red Ribbon Army and the like.

of course……

Hikaru Uchiha had never been to Kyushu, Japan, the world of Demon Slayer. He made the judgment about the gold mine based on his experience in the real world. He still needed to go to the site in person to confirm before he could claim the land.

Although the Ubuyashiki clan's main industries were concentrated in the Kanto region and their sphere of influence did not extend to Kyushu, as a high-ranking noble family at that time, it should not have been too difficult to help them obtain ownership of a mine.

present.

Uchiha Hikaru and Ubuyashiki Kagaya briefly confirmed the outline of the plan and then moved on from the topic—as long as Muzan could be brought out, she didn't care about the details.

At this time.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki observed Hikari Uchiha's expression and said softly, "Miss Hikari, are you going to visit Kyojuro and the others at the Butterfly Mansion this time? Or would you like to take a stroll around the city first to relax? If you want to go out and clear your head, I'll have Amane accompany you."

"...Let's go to the Butterfly Mansion first."

Uchiha Hikaru said it casually.

Although she hadn't been to the Demon Slayer world for a long time, she had built up some friendships with Rengoku Kyojuro, Kanroji Mitsuri, and others during her previous visits. Now that she was here, she felt she should at least go over and say hello, and check on their injuries.

For minor injuries, she could even help treat them. After all, she had now learned Tsunade's Healing Palm Technique.

……

That afternoon, Uchiha Hikaru took Esdeath to the Butterfly Mansion.

Her face was quite famous within the Demon Slayer Corps, and with Kagaya Ubuyashiki's special instructions, she could basically go anywhere without hindrance. When Kyojuro Rengoku and the others saw her, their faces showed surprise or delight, while Hikaru Uchiha nodded in greeting and lingered her gaze on Tengen Uzui for a few seconds.

From Ubuyashiki Kagaya and Tanjiro, she had already learned the general extent of the group's injuries. The most seriously injured was Uzui Tengen.

This guy's arm had been severed in half, and his right sleeve was now completely empty, so he could only drink and eat with his left hand. However, once you see the three female ninja wives surrounding his hospital bed, it's hard to feel any sympathy for him anymore.

"What's going on? Didn't I teach you the Substitution Technique?"

"...Master, Master."

Uzui Tengen scratched his head somewhat awkwardly: "The Upper Moon demon that launched this attack was quite powerful. Kyojuro and I both took Senzu Beans, but we still couldn't defeat him. If the sun hadn't risen, he might have killed us twice."

"Tsk."

Uchiha Hikaru pursed his lips: "Take good care of yourself. For the sake of you calling me master, give me some of your blood and skin samples later, and I'll go back and ask if I can get you a new arm to attach."

"……what?"

Hikaru Uchiha smiled, without mentioning Orochimaru and Dr. Gero. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, he led Esdeath out of the infirmary and into the courtyard outside.

Until this point.

Esdeath turned her head to the side, a puzzled expression on her face: "Is that guy named Kibutsuji Muzan really that strong? You and Tanjiro's friends seem a little afraid of him?"

"It's alright."

Hikaru Uchiha thought for a moment: "That's quite impressive for Tanjiro, maybe the level of a top eight finisher in the martial arts tournament?"

"Oh……"

Esdeath remained noncommittal.

Uchiha Hikaru suddenly had a thought: "Speaking of which, Upper Moon Two Doma, isn't he also into ice magic? And he has a peculiar obsession with women... It would be quite interesting to have Aiolia deal with him, wouldn't it?"

And then there's Upper Moon One, Kokushibo...

Now that she has donned the persona of "the reincarnation of Yoriichi Tsugikuni," she naturally has to confront this "foolish older brother" and see what kind of expression he will make when he sees her with her red hair and red eyes.

With this in mind, Uchiha Hikaru casually opened the chat group and briefly explained his plan to lure the enemy out.

Bulma, Brand, Yamato, and others who were currently online quickly responded.

[Bulma: Hmm... So, does that mean Tanjiro's final battle is about to begin?]

Anonymous: Almost.

[Nameless: There are six Upper Moons on Muzan's side, each with unique skills. Aiolia and I plan to each take on one. I'll fight Upper Moon One, Kokushibo, and Aiolia will fight Upper Moon Two, Doma. What are your plans for the rest?]

[Brand: Do you have specific intelligence on them?]

[Nameless: Upper Moon Three Akaza is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, has a bit of a martial arts fanaticism, and enjoys challenging strong opponents...]

[Oni Princess: Leave this to me! I'll teach him a lesson with the iron fist of love!]

[Brand: Then Upper Moon Four...]

[Little Monster: Leave it to me! You guys have been taking care of me all this time, I want to be of some use too.]

[Brand: Uh... nobody wants the top five anymore, right? Give this one to me.]

[Bulma: By the way, wasn't the Upper Moon Six the brother and sister you captured when we went there last year, Hikaru? Have Muzan's side added any new members?]

[Nameless: I don't know, maybe Nakime? It doesn't matter, we can leave it to Tanjiro.]

In just a few words, the group had already divided up the six upper moons.

As for Muzan, the Demon King...

[Nameless: This might require some help from Miss Kikyo. Muzan has an alternate dimension called the "Infinity Castle." In case of an emergency, he can instantly teleport himself to that dimension. You might need to use a barrier technique to restrain his movements and prevent him from escaping.]

In fact, Hikaru Uchiha's sealing technique could also seal Muzan.

But she might not necessarily happen to encounter Muzan himself.

Moreover, this guy is incredibly cunning. If things happen to go wrong and give Muzan a few seconds to teleport away, he might actually stay in the Infinity Castle for a hundred years, waiting until Uchiha Hikaru and his group die before making any moves.

"...Unfortunately, I don't have any space-related eye techniques in my kaleidoscope."

"I'll talk to the Fourth Hokage later, or ask the gods, to see if I can learn some ninjutsu and magic from another dimension."

Uchiha Hikaru thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)