Timeline: Three years before the main story
Location: Infinity Castle / Ubuyashiki Estate
POV: Split (Muzan / Hashira / Akira)
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Muzan
Infinity Castle
The castle screamed with every step.
Walls twisted, corridors bent, and Nakime's biwa echoed endlessly, but none of it drowned the noise inside Muzan's head. His body regenerated perfectly now — hearts restored, brains whole — yet his cells would not forget.
Crimson heat still burned in places that no longer existed.
Sun Breathing.
Not a fragment.
Not an imitation.
Complete.
Muzan's nails dug into the floor as his thoughts spiraled.
It happened again.
A human had stood before him without fear. A blade had destroyed multiple hearts in a single flow. The memory of Yoriichi clawed its way back, sharper than it had ever been.
"No," Muzan whispered, voice shaking with fury. "There will never be another."
Orders were sent instantly.
Hide. Scatter. Observe.
Avoid the Kamado region at all costs.
Avoid the Sun.
For the first time in centuries, Muzan planned not to conquer — but to survive.
---
Ubuyashiki Estate — Hashira Meeting (Continued)
The atmosphere remained heavy.
Two days had passed, but the weight of that night had not lifted. Kagaya sat calmly at the center, his presence grounding even the most volatile among them.
"Muzan's retreat confirms one thing," Kagaya said gently.
"He is no longer untouchable."
Sanemi scoffed. "About damn time."
"But this also means," Kagaya continued, "that the war has entered a new phase."
He turned his gaze outward.
"Step forward."
Footsteps echoed.
Four figures moved into the open space.
Mitsuri Kanroji.
Obanai Iguro.
Kyojuro Rengoku.
Shinobu Kocho.
The room shifted.
Power recognized power.
"These four," Kagaya said, "have met all requirements. Strength, skill, consistency, and resolve."
His voice did not rise.
"I formally recognize them as Hashira."
Silence followed.
Then acceptance.
Gyomei bowed his head in prayer.
Kanae smiled softly.
Shinjuro's eyes lingered on his son — pride and conflict warring openly.
Sanemi clicked his tongue. "Took long enough."
---
Akira
Akira stood still.
At first, he thought he had misheard.
Then he saw her.
Pink-and-green hair, tied neatly back. Posture straight. Breathing deep and unwavering. Mitsuri stood among them — not as a guest, not as support.
As a Hashira.
For a fraction of a second—
Nothing.
No thought.
No reaction.
The world stuttered.
His breath remained constant, but his mind went blank.
How?
She was sixteen when he last lived with her.
She trained — yes — but this?
When did she join?
How long had she been fighting?
Why hadn't he known anything?
His brain restarted all at once.
Questions collided violently.
How is she here?
Why didn't she tell me?
How much danger has she faced alone?
His composure cracked — just barely.
Mitsuri turned.
Their eyes met.
Her smile was small. Nervous. Proud.
And the ground under Akira's certainty vanished.
---
Cliffhanger 😈
Kagaya's voice continued, steady and warm.
"The pillars of this era now stand together."
Akira didn't hear the rest.
All he could see was Mitsuri — alive, strong, and standing where death waited every night.
The Sun had faced Muzan without hesitation.
But this—
This was something he had never prepared for.
— To be continued