"Wind Breathing, First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!"
Holding his nichirin blade, Naruto severed the demon's head with a single strike. The demon's headless body trembled briefly before dispersing into black smoke.
One day earlier, Naruto had already departed from Wind Valley. After bidding farewell to Shinazugawa Sanemi and the talkative swordsmith Titanium, he embarked on his journey to hunt demons alone.
This place—Kikyoyama—was where he carried out his first mission.
Caw! Caw!
At that moment, Naruto's dedicated Kasugai Crow swooped down from the sky, landing squarely on his head as it shouted, "Demon slain! Demon slain!"
"Shut up, you're so noisy!"
Naruto grabbed the Kasugai Crow off his head and snapped irritably, "And I told you—don't land on my head again!"
The Kasugai Crow completely ignored him and continued screeching, "Next mission! Next mission!"
"…."
Naruto was speechless.
He released the crow, sheathed the nichirin blade in his hand, and took out the intelligence dossier Shinazugawa Sanemi had obtained from headquarters. Folding away the page marked Kikyoyama, he began reviewing the remaining entries.
South-Southeast Drum House — suspected demon appearance (Normal Grade)
Asakusa, Tokyo Prefecture — suspected demon appearance (Normal Grade)
Yoshiwara Pleasure Quarter, Flower Street — suspected demon appearance (Normal Grade)
Ringu Mountain Valley — confirmed Lower Rank demon appearance (Priority Grade)
Mt. Natagumo — suspected Lower Rank demon infestation, unknown quantity (Priority Grade)
…
Demon Slayer Corps intelligence was classified into Normal Grade, Priority Grade, and Urgent Summon.
Normal Grade referred to reports of ordinary demon appearances.
Priority Grade referred to confirmed sightings of Lower Rank demons—demons that had awakened Blood Demon Arts. These were far stronger than ordinary demons but still inferior to the Twelve Kizuki.
Once such a demon was confirmed, the intelligence would be upgraded to Priority Grade, and capable Demon Slayers would be dispatched to deal with it.
Urgent Summon intelligence involved suspected or confirmed appearances of the Twelve Kizuki. Once verified, multiple Demon Slayers would be urgently mobilized to support Hashira-level combatants.
"It's decided. This is the next place."
Naruto finished reviewing the dossier and pointed at a single location.
Ringu Mountain Valley.
It was the only location with a confirmed Lower Rank demon that had yet to be resolved.
Although Naruto wanted to hunt the Twelve Kizuki, neither the intelligence in his possession nor the Demon Slayer Corps' records contained any reports of their appearance.
"Annoying Crow, let's go."
Naruto folded the intelligence away and shouted at the Kasugai Crow circling overhead. "Next destination—Ringu Mountain Valley. Lead the way!"
Annoying Crow was the nickname Naruto had given his Kasugai Crow, purely because it was loud and irritating.
The Kasugai Crow screeched indignantly, then suddenly dove down and pecked Naruto hard on the head.
"Yamato, not Annoying Crow!"
"That hurt, damn it!"
Naruto clutched his head and pointed angrily at the crow. "If you peck me again, I'll roast you and eat you! And you're not allowed to call yourself Yamato—an annoying crow like you doesn't deserve that name!"
"Idiot! Moron!" the crow cursed as it flapped ahead, begrudgingly leading the way.
Three days later.
Guided by the Kasugai Crow, Naruto arrived outside Ringu Mountain Valley.
The valley was shrouded in thick mist. From the outside, visibility was no more than three meters, and it seemed even worse within.
"Uzumaki Naruto-sama!"
A Kakushi member who had already been stationed there appeared and hurried forward, briefing Naruto on the situation.
The intelligence confirming the presence of a Lower Rank demon in Ringu Mountain Valley had been established a month earlier. To verify it, more than a dozen Kakushi members and several Demon Slayers had already lost their lives.
Even after paying such a heavy price, the only information they managed to transmit was that a Lower Rank demon existed within the valley. Details regarding its Blood Demon Art were completely unknown. The sole confirmed fact was its overwhelming strength.
In truth, the Kakushi member felt a sense of despair when he saw that only Naruto had arrived.
In his eyes, sending a single Demon Slayer here was no different from sending him to his death.
"Understood."
After listening to the report, Naruto nodded solemnly and said seriously, "Leave the rest to me."
With that, he walked straight into the valley.
"Uzumaki Naruto-sama!"
The Kakushi member suddenly shouted after him. "Please be careful—make sure you come back alive!"
"Don't worry. I'm very strong!"
Naruto waved without turning back as his figure gradually vanished into the dense mist.
"What thick mist…"
Inside the valley, Naruto discovered that visibility was barely one meter. Beyond that, everything was swallowed by white haze.
After walking for a while, he suddenly stopped.
Gripping the hilt of his nichirin blade, Naruto raised his voice and shouted into the mist:
"Hey! Demon in there, listen up! I'm Uzumaki Naruto of the Demon Slayer Corps, and I'm here to hunt you! If you hear me, come out and fight!"
Hidden within the mist, a demon with glowing red eyes had been observing Naruto since the moment he entered the valley.
Hearing his shout, it froze briefly.
Is this fool here to die?
Naturally, it had no intention of revealing itself head-on. Instead, using the mist as cover, it silently closed the distance.
Five meters.
Four.
Three.
"Die!"
The demon's clawed hand struck toward Naruto's back with blinding speed.
"Wind Breathing, Third Form—"
Naruto's nichirin blade flashed as it left its sheath. Centered around himself, he instantly unleashed three roaring wind blades.
"—Clear Storm Wind Tree!"
The howling gale tore through the mist, scattering it violently. One of the wind blades struck the demon squarely.
Pfft!
Purple blood sprayed into the air. A deep gash was carved across the demon's chest, and with the mist dispersed, its appearance was fully revealed.
It had feminine features, two horns protruding from its forehead, red sclera with purple pupils, and symmetrical crimson markings across its face.
Most importantly, Naruto's eyes lit up when he saw the characters engraved in its left eye:
Lower Rank Four.