Chapter 46: Lord Tengen is waiting for you...
Ryuji frowned; what was going on?
Why would anyone ambush him? And this thing is a shuriken... Don't tell me it really came from the neighboring Konoha Village?
Does that even make sense?
Like hell it makes sense!
Ryuji grumbled, chased after the presence locked by his Observation Haki, and soon spotted a black figure fleeing fast through the rain.
Got you. Good thing it's not a ninja from the next village, or this would've turned into a free-for-all.
Ryuji muttered, a few hops bringing him right behind the stranger.
Bang!
He raised his left arm to block the chain whipping toward him, shot his right hand out, and grabbed for the enemy's shoulder to subdue him.
Mainly, of course, to ask questions.
Otherwise, one punch would've turned the guy to paste!
The ninja didn't panic; instead, using the spin to release the chain, he lashed a straight right kick at Ryuji's head.
At the same time he flung out several small black spheres.
Ryuji's brows knitted—those black balls looked familiar... had he seen them somewhere before?
The instant Ryuji seized the ninja's right leg, the man's eyes flashed not with fear but with a mechanical resolve.
Rather than struggle, he used the grip to whip his whole body like a scorpion, nearly snapping his own leg.
A cold glint flickered in his left hand as a short blade swept out!
Ryuji simply leaned back a fraction to evade the desperate slash: "Really—huh?"
His eyes reddened; Observation Haki screamed a warning in his mind.
Danger!
This guy's carrying something lethal!
Without another thought, Ryuji wrenched his arm; bones cracked as he flung the ninja away.
Boom!
The little black spheres exploded between them!
"Ahem..."
Waving the smoke aside, Ryuji coughed and glanced at the ninja crawling in agony.
His mouth twitched—bombs, huh?
Luckily he had Armament Haki; otherwise he'd be peeled to the bone. He stepped up, bent down to grab the ninja for questioning.
"Hey, who sent—"
Before he could finish, he leapt back!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three deafening blasts tore through the quiet mountain village.
Orange flames shot skyward; the shockwave tore the rain curtain apart and left a charred crater.
Ryuji stood still, letting the cold rain wash soot from his vambraces, then walked to the smoking pit—only unrecognizable scraps remained.
Can't escape? Then die and leave no corpse—very ninja.
But this is the Demon Slayer World; where would—wait.
Uzui Tengen.
Flashy Brother's boisterous grin and ninja garb flashed through Ryuji's mind.
He himself had mentioned a ninja clan serving nobles, and in his "Sound Breathing, Fourth Form: Resounding Slashes" he'd mixed in similar bombs... "It all fits!"
Ryuji pictured Flashy Brother and Gyutaro hacking at each other in Yoshiwara's streets.
"Things just got a lot more complicated... ridiculous!"
After a moment's silence he decided he had to report to the master at once.
With that, he vanished into the downpour and soon reached the rendezvous point.
Soaked, Ryuji stood at the door and knocked softly.
Click.
The door opened to the same Kakushi Member who'd received him earlier.
The man stared in disbelief, then snapped to grim attention.
"Pillar of the Fist, we have three swordsmen still on their feet; I'll send them with you—"
"The demon's already dead."
Ryuji cut him off; he realized the man had misunderstood, thinking he'd come for help.
Though the fellow's brain seemed a bit slow—if a Pillar needed backup, what could those swordsmen do?
"Huh? Pillar of the Fist, you... finished the hunt?"
The Kakushi Member stiffly glanced at the clock—barely ten minutes had passed.
That fast? Ryuji nodded. "I'm still dripping; get me hot tea, please—and a bath if possible."
"My apologies! Right away!"
The man stepped aside, shouting for tea and bathwater.
Ryuji entered, handed over a rain-cape bundle. "Two bodies... they're gone."
Accepting it, the Kakushi Member's voice dropped. "Thank you, Pillar of the Fist, for bringing them back..."
"Mm."
Ryuji said nothing; he hadn't known them and felt no grief.
But if one day he received Kocho Kanae's body, he'd be like this too... He stripped off his soaked clothes and stepped into the bath.
After settling matters at the post, Ryuji sent a message ahead, relaying his deductions to the master.
He volunteered to contact Uzui Tengen personally for details.
A few days later Little Red returned with Ubuyashiki Kagaya's letter.
"Steed, my feathers are soaked—groom me at once, and where's my tribute!"
Ryuji flicked his head, sending Little Red tumbling. "Your claws are wet—stay off my head!"
He read the letter while fending off playful claws.
"Quit it. The master says I can approach big brother Uzui Tengen first. Guide me—if we're late, I'll tell on you."
"Hmph!"
Little Red stopped sulking and took the lead.
Ryuji grinned, pulled a sparkling jade necklace from his pocket.
"Bought this for you..."
Little Red's eyes locked on the glittering jade, then caught Ryuji's smile.
"Hmph, acceptable—His Majesty will deign to wear it."
It fluttered down to stand on the ground before him—only the second time it had stood lower than Ryuji.
The first was when they met, right before naming... "There, perfect."
Ryuji adjusted the length so the necklace hugged Little Red's neck snugly but comfortably.
"Right—westward, march!"
Man and crow set off, stopping here and there; by the afternoon of the tenth day they reached Uzui Tengen's assigned area—a trading city far livelier than any village they'd passed.
Voices rose, horses clattered; the bustle felt worlds away from the dead silence of the hamlets behind.
"Whew, long haul..."
Ryuji rolled his neck, eyes gleaming green—ten days of nothing but rice balls.
Time for ramen!
"Ryuji? Is that you, Lord Ryuji?"
A clear girl's voice rang out while he hunted for a noodle shop.
He turned: a girl in pale-purple kimono, black side-ponytail, smiling with a teardrop mole beneath her left eye.
"Lord Tengen is waiting for you..."
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