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Chapter 57: Giving the Demon Slayer Corps a Small Shock with Ninjutsu

In the spacious courtyard.

The morning light shines down.

"Please wait a moment, my lord will be here soon."

After the messenger left, Uchiha Hikaru and Bulma each held a cup of tea and sat in a corner of the courtyard, sipping it slowly while discreetly observing their surroundings.

The location of this mansion is quite secluded.

Not to mention her and Bulma, who are "outsiders," even Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka, the two Pillars, were brought here by the members of "Kakuna" after they were blindfolded, with the number of people and routes changed repeatedly.

The reason for such strict preventative measures is that hundreds of years ago, a tragic incident occurred in which a member of the Demon Slayer Corps betrayed and assassinated his master, thus submitting a pledge of allegiance to Muzan.

—The traitor was none other than Yoriichi Tsugikuni's elder brother, Kokushibo, who was also the Upper Moon One of the Twelve Demon Moons.

now.

From what one can see, the scenery inside and outside the courtyard is quite beautiful. There are antique houses, ponds, rockeries, and in the distance, lush trees and faintly visible mountain ridges, as if the whole place is nestled in a deep mountain.

As Uchiha Hikaru looked around.

The other people in the courtyard were also observing her and Bulma.

The Stone Pillar, Gyomei Himejima, dressed as a monk and possessing a tall and robust physique; the Wind Pillar, Sanemi Shinazugawa, with his bare chest and crisscrossing scars; the Sound Pillar, Tengen Uzui, carrying two swords and sporting a stylish look; the Love Pillar, Mitsuri Kanroji, with pink hair and a large, generous figure; and the Flame Pillar, Kyojuro Rengoku, with his golden-red hair and piercing eyes…

In addition, there's Obanai Iguro, the Serpent Pillar in the tree; Muichiro Tokito, the Mist Pillar who's in a daze; and Shinobu Kocho, who was at the very beginning.

All nine current Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps are here.

From where Uchiha Hikaru was, one could faintly hear them whispering to each other.

"Are those two young maids the people the lord wants to see?"

"Hmph, they look so frail and young, they're practically just two little kids!"

"Don't say that, Mr. Shinazugawa. Those two ladies easily defeated the Lower Moon Five of Mount Natagumo. They might even be stronger than you."

"It's just a lower moon..."

The murmurs ceased abruptly when Lord Ubuyashiki Kagaya arrived, and all the pillars knelt on one knee, bowing respectfully to him.

"Long time no see, my lovely children. I've called you all here today because there are a few things I need to discuss."

"Before we begin, I'd like to introduce two friends to you all. They participated in the extermination of the Lower Rank Demon of Mount Spider, along with our team members, including Tanjiro Kamado... Ms. Hikari Uchiha and Ms. Bulma, may I introduce you to everyone here?"

"……Can."

Uchiha Hikaru nodded, but a thought vaguely surfaced in his mind:

The voice of the Demon Slayer Corps lord...

She really does look like Yongdai-mei.

Next.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki took some time to introduce both sides.

Although they had never met before, he had clearly learned most of what had happened through the report from the raven.

"In other words..."

The first to speak was Sanemi Shinazugawa: "This Miss Uchiha Hikari, is she also a ninja like Uzui? Being able to kill a Lower Moon demon shows she has some skill, but that's all. The Demon Slayer Corps doesn't need weaklings!"

"...Mr. Shinazugawa, I think you may have misunderstood something."

Uchiha Hikaru, who was in the center of attention, put down his teacup and slowly stood up: "I only fought against demons out of personal friendship with Tanjiro and a little personal interest, and I had no intention of joining the Demon Slayer Corps. But the purpose of my presence here now... is to ask everyone here for the secrets of the 'Breathing Technique'."

"Um?"

Sanemi Shinazugawa frowned.

Uzui Tengen, standing nearby, scoffed, "If you don't want to join the Demon Slayer Corps, don't spout such ignorant nonsense. 'Breathing techniques' aren't something you can just teach anyone. It's anything but elegant!"

Uchiha Hikaru nodded: "This request is indeed a bit abrupt, so I have prepared two exchange conditions."

First, there is information about the abilities of some of the twelve demon moons, including several upper moons; second, there are three miraculous medicines that can heal all injuries, even those involving severed limbs or missing eyes.

Which of these options would you be most willing to exchange for the "breathing technique"?

"?!"

"Information on the Upper Moon demons?!"

"A miraculous medicine that can heal all injuries... How could such a thing possibly exist?"

Faced with the Pillar's questioning, Uchiha Hikaru smiled and turned to look at Ubuyashiki Kagaya, who was sitting high up: "Mr. Ubuyashiki, what do you think?"

"..."

A brief silence.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki spoke softly, "Ms. Hikaru Uchiha, I'd like to ask you a question... When you defeated Rui on Spider Mountain, could you teach those techniques to someone else?"

"No, that's not possible. That's a unique ability of mine."

"If that's the case..."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki paused for a moment, then slowly said, "I choose the first option: information on the Twelve Demon Moons."

After speaking, he turned to look at Jiuzhu, bowed slightly, and looked apologetic:

"I apologize, everyone, for making this decision without your permission, but this matter is very important to the Demon Slayer Corps. If you find it difficult to teach the 'Breathing Technique,' please don't force yourself. I will compensate Ms. Uchiha Hikaru in other ways."

These few words were not spoken very loudly.

However, this caused a huge uproar.

"My lord, do you really believe this girl's words...?"

"Shinzogawa, do not question the Lord's decision." The tallest of them all, Himejima Gyomei, clasped his hands together and spoke with a sorrowful expression.

But Sanemi Shinazugawa did not give up. After bowing and apologizing to Ubuyashiki, he glared menacingly at Hikaru Uchiha: "My lord, please forgive my rudeness..."

"I really don't believe what this young lady is saying. After all, for hundreds of years, even Lian Zhu has never received any information about the Upper Moon demons. Although you just killed a Lower Moon demon from the Twelve Demon Moons, the difference between the Upper and Lower Moons is like an insurmountable chasm. Please provide some concrete evidence to convince us!"

"……All right."

Uchiha Hikaru sighed and slowly stood up from his seat: "Words are no proof; let's prove it with our strength."

"Hmm? You mean you want to fight? If my lord permits, I'd be happy to oblige!"

Sanemi Shinazugawa was eager to try.

Uchiha Hikaru shook his head: "We do need to fight, but not with you, but with all of you."

As she spoke, Uchiha Hikari raised her hand and formed a hand seal. A puff of smoke dissipated, and nine identical replicas of her appeared in the same spot, all with calm expressions, staring straight ahead.

"One against one, it's very fair."

Nine Pillars: "??"

……

Thanks to Kagaya Ubuyashiki's intervention, the nine-on-nine battle ultimately did not take place.

However, Uchiha Hikaru still had a "sparring" session with Shinazugawa Sanemi.

It uses the original body after the clone is removed.

If they were to fight using only one-ninth of their chakra, Uchiha Hikaru could defeat all nine Hashirama simultaneously, but he would definitely need to use ninjutsu or even ocular jutsu. After the fight, it's uncertain whether the courtyard would even exist.

In a one-on-one fight, she didn't even need weapons; she easily overpowered Shinazugawa Sanemi, who was wielding a Nichirin Blade, using only her bare hands and martial arts skills.

Then, with a Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet technique that involved forming 44 hand seals in 4 seconds and was all show and no substance, he emptied the pond in the courtyard in one go, sending Shinazugawa Sanemi flying and ending the battle, giving the Demon Slayer Corps a little shock in terms of ninjutsu.

(End of this chapter)