I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 61 First, eliminate one correct answer.

"No... this is so weird! They're Upper Moons!"

Even long after the battle ended, Uzui Tengen still looked puzzled: "They fought so fiercely when they were fighting us, so why did they immediately stop moving as soon as they saw you, Hikari-san? Even if they were exhausted, they should have at least tried to put up some resistance..."

Obanai Iguro didn't say anything, but her eyes conveyed the same thought.

Uchiha Hikaru said half-jokingly, "What, you guys don't suspect I'm the reincarnation of Kibutsuji Muzan, do you?"

"..."

Uzui Tengen and Iguro Obanai exchanged a glance but remained silent.

For a fleeting moment, they had actually thought that way.

There aren't many people who could make two Upper Moon demons give up resistance and surrender, but their master, the Demon King Muzan, is definitely one of them. But the problem is... Muzan can't appear during the day, and he has no reason to disguise himself as a little girl and play this childish game with the Demon Slayer Corps.

Moreover, Uchiha Hikaru's identity was personally confirmed by the lord.

and so……

There is only one truth.

"I thought I already knew a lot about you, Miss Hikari, but now I realize... your strength is inexplicably powerful."

"So-so, so-so."

Next.

Rengoku Kyojuro and the others began to lead the team to handle the aftermath.

Uchiha Hikaru stretched and loosened his shoulders before returning to the side. He casually ruffled the hair of Nezuko, who had rushed up to greet him, then turned his gaze to Tanjiro and the others beside him: "By the way, Tanjiro, those techniques you just used, were they the 'Hinokami Kagura' that your father taught you?"

"Um……"

"Besides the memories of my time with my father, for some reason, some strange images have suddenly appeared in my mind..."

Tanjiro covered his forehead, looking somewhat bewildered.

"A strange scene..."

Could it be the memory passed down through DNA from the ancestors of the Kamado family, the part related to Yoriichi Tsugikuni?

Uchiha Hikaru pondered for a moment.

Before she made her move, she actually observed for a while above Yoshiwara Yukaku—otherwise she wouldn't have been able to time her move perfectly to end the battle.

I witnessed firsthand the entire process of Tanjiro and his sister being driven into danger by Daki and the outbreak of the "Hinokami Kagura".

However, perhaps because the time they faced Daki was more than half a year earlier than in the original storyline, Tanjiro and the others were not strong enough. In addition, the three Pillars shared most of the pressure, so they did not activate their Demon Slayer Marks in this battle as they did in the original storyline.

This is actually a good thing.

The Demon Slayer set, the Transparent World set, and the Crimson Blade set can all significantly enhance combat abilities, but the Demon Slayer set is the least cost-effective one.

Because the cost is too high.

This power is essentially obtained by overdrawing one's life force. Once the markings are activated, lifespan will be greatly reduced, to the point that one will not live past 25 years old.

—This is why Kokushibo became Upper Moon One.

Out of friendship, Hikaru Uchiha wanted to help Tanjiro avoid that kind of ending.

"When we get back, I'll talk to Kyojuro Rengoku, and he'll teach you 'Hinokami Kagura.' His breathing technique is the closest to yours, and he also has some ancient texts at home... He should be able to give you some unique guidance."

Uchiha Hikaru thought for a moment, then patted Tanjiro on the shoulder: "In a few days, I'll take you somewhere to see some good stuff..."

The place she was referring to is in the Dragon Ball world.

—Karinta.

Uchiha Hikaru has already demonstrated through Uzui Tengen that people in the Demon Slayer world cannot fully master the chakra system. Even the Sound Hashira, who is considered quite gifted, struggled with this; Tanjiro would likely fare much worse.

but……

"Qi" is different.

According to the Cat Sage, everyone, even those from the ordinary world, possesses latent physical and spiritual energy within them. By channeling this energy, one can cultivate "ki." During this time, Uchiha Hikaru indeed sensed that "breathing techniques" and "ki" were not entirely separate, but rather shared a slight connection.

Therefore, those who are involved in the Demon Slayer world may not necessarily be unable to cultivate "ki".

Even if the upper limit isn't that high due to physical factors, it's still better than activating the markings.

"...Okay, I'll try my best!"

Tanjiro nodded vigorously.

Zenitsu and Inosuke, who were standing nearby, also looked over expectantly.

"Miss Hikari, then we..."

"Alright, alright, I'll talk to the other pillars and let them receive training as well."

Uchiha Hikaru has become quite familiar with the Nine Pillars during this time, and several of them have received guidance from her to varying degrees, so she owes them a favor. It wouldn't be difficult for her to find a teacher for Zenitsu and Inosuke to instruct them.

After making a few casual promises, Uchiha Hikaru raised his head and looked up at the deep night sky.

"Speaking of which..."

"It's been a while since I first cosplayed Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Why hasn't Muzan made a move? If he doesn't dare to come himself, why doesn't he send a few subordinates to test the waters...?"

Are you really that cowardly?

……

An alternate dimension, an infinite city.

Through the eyes of Daki and her brother, they "saw" Muzan Kibutsuji appear in Uchiha Hikaru's presence, and once again fell into a soul-shaking fear.

"It's her again...it's her again!"

"Why has that persistent ghost shown up again?!"

Since he died from exhaustion, Muzan has never left the Infinity Castle.

Out of fear of death, he did not hesitate to abandon his human identities that he had cultivated for many years and put all his energy into investigating the "reincarnation of Yoriichi Tsugikuni". He entrusted the task of finding clues about the girl to several Upper Moons, including Kokushibo, Akaza, and Gyokko, but he still came up empty-handed.

Just as Muzan was preparing to stay in the Infinity Castle for a hundred years...

But he saw that face again.

And this time the images were even clearer and...terrifying!

Aside from his appearance and temperament being very similar to Yoriichi Tsugikuni back then, the black tomoe pattern in his red eyes, his appearance from the sky, the strange methods that rendered demons unable to move, and the black runes connected to the scroll... all of these things were beyond Muzan's comprehension!

"What kind of technique is this that can render a demon incapacitated in an instant! Exhaustion is one thing, but even Gyutaro... Damn it! Why is her power even stronger than before?!"

"Kuroshibo!"

"So much time has passed, and you still haven't figured out Yoriichi's identity in this life?!"

"..."

At this moment, there is a third person in the Infinity Castle besides Muzan and Nakime.

He was dressed as a samurai.

He wore a haori with purple-black stripes, a katana at his waist, and his face was marked with six eyes, each with a red sclera and a golden iris. The two eyes in the very center were inscribed with the characters "上弦" (Upper Moon) and "一" (One), signifying his identity.

Upper Moon One, Kokushibo.

The earliest and strongest of the Twelve Demon Moons, second only to Muzan in status among demons.

now.

Kokushibo knelt on the ground not far away, expressionless: "Lord Muzan, I have indeed not found the identity of the girl you mentioned..."

"Oh."

Muzan seemed to laugh in anger: "Didn't find her? Are you trying to tell me that she appeared out of thin air, with no family, no parents, no past... and that her purpose in being born into this world was to hunt us down?!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)