But Tanjiro was stunned after he finished speaking, because at this moment, Uzui Tengen looked more like the one being bullied.
"No… he's the one surrounded? Who's capturing… who here?" Tanjiro was full of confusion.
Soon enough, one of the three girls cried out and answered his question.
"He was arresting people randomly."
"Please save us!"
"This stupid brat!" Uzui Tengen obviously didn't agree with their version of the story and promptly tossed one of them aside.
"Ah——!"
Seeing this, Tanjiro got angry and jumped forward, attempting to use his signature headbutt to knock some sense into Uzui.
But just before it landed, Uzui dodged with flair and leapt to the top of the courtyard gate.
With disdain, he declared:
"Fools!
I am the 'former shinobi' Uzui Tengen-sama! A man of unmatched renown in the ninja world!
Don't think a worthless headbutt like that could ever hit me!"
But to Tanjiro and the others, his proud titles meant absolutely nothing.
Tanjiro shouted, "You kidnapper! Let Aoi and the others go!"
The other girls not in his grasp cried and joined in, echoing like backup actors:
"Yeah—yeah—"
"What are you trying to do?!"
"Pervert—! Pervert—!"
Kanao Tsuyuri, who had been standing quietly at the back, was clearly distressed. But due to her reserved personality, she could only lift her hand slightly to show her protest.
Uzui flared up immediately, shouting:
"You brats!!!
Who do you think you're talking to, huh?!
I'm your superior, you little nobodies!!"
"I don't acknowledge you as a Hashira!" Tanjiro said firmly, lips pressed into a line.
Obviously, that hit the mark.
Uzui exploded again.
"Tch! Doesn't matter whether you acknowledge me or not!!
You little rookies! Do you have mush for brains?!
I'm taking them with me because the mission requires female team members!
I don't need Butterfly's permission unless they're official Tsuguko!"
The remaining girls scrambled to find a loophole.
"Nanaho-chan isn't even a member of the Corps! She's not wearing the uniform!!"
Uzui raised an eyebrow, glanced at Naho, then tossed her aside casually.
"Oh. Then she's out."
Tanjiro quickly caught Naho and shouted angrily, "How could a human do something so heartless?!"
Naho clung to Tanjiro, sobbing pitifully:
"Waaah—I got thrown off…"
Uzui dusted off his hands, clearly done wasting time.
"Anyway, I'm taking this one on the mission.
Useless as she may be, she's still part of the team."
Tanjiro wouldn't let it go.
"Everyone has their own burdens! You shouldn't trample on others' pain like that.
Give Aoi back!"
Uzui glared at him and replied darkly:
"Naive. So naive.
It's because of indecisive fools like you that the Demon Slayer Corps keeps getting weaker…"
At that moment, Tomioka Giyu placed a quiet hand on Uzui's shoulder.
"Don't be so forceful. If you need teammates, Tanjiro and the other two are already here."
"Three?"
Just as Uzui spoke, Inosuke and Zenitsu appeared at Tanjiro's sides.
"Exactly! Just like Giyu said, we'll go with you instead of Aoi!"
"I just got back, but I'm bursting with energy! Ready for anything, hahahaha!"
"Let Aoi go already! Even if you're a muscle freak, I won't budge an inch!"
Uzui paused for a moment — barely three seconds — before grinning.
"Oh? Really? Then fine. You three can come along~"
Tomioka Giyu, standing beside Uzui, couldn't help but find it amusing—just imagining these three disguised as girls was enough to make even him nearly laugh.
Uzui patted Aoi on the backside like he was keeping rhythm, and barked:
"But! You're absolutely not allowed to disobey orders!"
Tomioka gave him a sideways glance and thought silently:
What a clown.
When they reached the gates, Uzui turned to Giyu with a look of realization.
"Wait a second… why are you even here? Come to visit Kocho Shinobu?"
"…Uh." Giyu tried not to sigh. Why does this guy gossip so much?
"The Master ordered me to accompany you."
"Based on what I've learned, the demons there are likely Daki and Gyutaro."
"Oh-ho~" Uzui tilted his head at a dramatic angle.
"Then let's go decapitate those Upper Moons in flashy fashion!"
Tanjiro beamed and waved at Giyu.
"Giyu, long time no see!′"
Ahem——————
Uzui cleared his throat twice, drawing the trio's attention.
"Listen up, you little greenhorns!
We're going to the most dazzling and seductive place in all of the Land of Cherry Blossoms!"
"The Entertainment District, where demons dwell!"
Tanjiro and Inosuke looked totally lost.
Zenitsu, face flushed, managed to stammer out:
"The Entertainment District, that's… you know… don't you get it?!"
Before Zenitsu could finish, Uzui suddenly erupted with exaggerated flair:
"Listen well!
I am a God, and you are all scum!
If I tell you to bark like dogs—you bark!
If I tell you to scratch like monkeys—you scratch!
This is the power dynamic you must sear into your brains!"
"Grovel at my feet, flatter me without shame, and follow every one of my glorious commands!"
"One more time—I am your God!!"
Tomioka Giyu held his forehead and sighed deeply.
"What an idiot…"
***
After Uzui Tengen finished speaking, Tanjiro was the first to raise his hand and asked a question, and he said very seriously:
"Excuse me, what exactly are you in charge of?"
Zenitsu was already shocked, and when he heard Tanjiro's question, he looked at Tanjiro like an idiot.
In response, Uzui Tengen nodded appreciatively.
"That's a good question! You have a bright future!"
Zenitsu couldn't help but complain in his heart, 'This is an idiotic question! What kind of future is there in this world!'
Then, Uzui Tengen struck a very flamboyant pose and said in a deep voice:
"I am the God of Splendor, the God of Festivals!"
Zenitsu was ashamed and thought to himself, 'Are you an idiot? Are you the god of idiots?'
Inosuke pinched his waist, laughed, and said:
"I am the King of the Mountain! Nice to meet you, God of the Festival!"
This time, it was Uzui Tengen who looked at Inosuke like he was an idiot.
"What are you talking about? You're such a disgusting guy."
Zenitsu was instantly hit and looked at Uzui Tengen in amazement.
But Inosuke was enraged, and Tanjiro acted as a mediator, trying his best to stop Inosuke from pouncing on him.
"Okay, no time for fooling around~"
Uzui Tengen ignored Inosuke, who was about to pounce on him, and suggested, "There's a Fujiya inn on the way to the Entertainment District."
"Let's go there and prepare first!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Uzui Tengen turned around casually and said in a deep voice:
"Follow me!"
The next second, Uzui Tengen's figure disappeared from the spot!
Tanjiro and the others were stunned for a few seconds. Zenitsu was the first to react and looked at the spot where Uzui Tengen disappeared in horror.
"Huh? Disappeared? Huh?!"
Tanjiro opened his mouth wide, looking at Uzui Tengen far away, and said in shock:
"So fast!! He's already a sesame-sized figure!"
Hiss——
Tanjiro and the others looked at Tomioka Giyuu at the same time.
"Watch carefully Tanjiro, this is how you use Water Breathing!"
Before he finished speaking, Tomioka Giyuu appeared in the distance and unleashed:
"Water Breathing, Ninth Form (Modified): Flowing Shadow Bubble!"
Tanjiro and the others were stunned again. This time, Inosuke was the first to speak, trembling.
"Is this the power of the God of Festivals and Tomioka?!!"
Tanjiro turned his head and explained patiently:
"No, those two are Hashira—Tomioka Giyuu and Uzui Tengen."
Seeing that the two were still chatting, Zenitsu was furious.
"Hurry up and chase after him! Hurry up and chase after him!!"
In the distance, the people from the Wisteria House saw the uniform on Tomioka Giyuu and came out to greet him.
Tomioka Giyuu smiled slightly and lowered his head, saying:
"No need to do that, just get me a pot of tea."
A few minutes later, Uzui Tengen came in with an unhappy look on his face.
"Hmph, using tricks to speed up your journey. You're really cunning, Tomioka!"
Tomioka Giyuu sat leisurely on the tatami, drinking tea, and chose to ignore Uzui Tengen's complaints.
Uzui Tengen didn't care. He sat opposite Tomioka Giyuu and took a sip of tea before saying seriously:
"Although I'm not sure if they're the two demons you fought with before…"
"But just in case, I'll talk to them later."
"Okay," Tomioka Giyuu replied softly. In truth, he already had this plan even without Uzui Tengen's reminder.
However, even with information, Daki and Gyutaro were not easy to deal with.
Uzui Tengen paused, then said in a low voice:
"My wives were collecting intel in the Entertainment District, but they lost contact for unknown reasons. Do you think it could be that—"
"Don't worry," Tomioka Giyuu put down his teacup and said with certainty,
"It'll be fine. I have a feeling it will be fine."
Uzui Tengen sighed, thinking that Giyuu was just trying to comfort him.
After a while, Tanjiro and the others finally arrived.
"You guys are so slow!"
As Uzui Tengen said this, the people from the Wisteria House brought up tea and snacks.
When he saw the food, Inosuke took off his hood and grabbed it with both hands, eating voraciously.
Seeing that it was almost time, Uzui Tengen ordered:
"Okay, listen to me carefully."
"After sneaking into the red-light district, go find my wives first."
"I'll search for demons too!"
After listening, Tanjiro drank his tea in a daze while Inosuke showed off his snacks.
Only Zenitsu was stunned for a moment. Then his face twisted and he said angrily:
"What the hell is going on!!"
"Ah, ah?" Uzui Tengen looked at Zenitsu in confusion.
"Please stop kidding me!! You actually want your subordinates to do private things for you—to find your wives?!"
Uzui Tengen explained angrily:
"Huh? What did you misunderstand?!"
"No, let me finish!" Zenitsu didn't even give him a chance to speak.
"It's obvious that a weirdo like you wouldn't be welcome!!"
"But! You're actually giving us Demon Slayers orders just because of your wives?!"
"Tomioka, please punish this guy already!!"
Tomioka Giyuu drank his tea quietly, pretending he didn't hear anything.
He could only silently wish Zenitsu the strength to survive Uzui Tengen's iron fist.
"Are you stupid?!!"
Uzui Tengen was furious, stood up, and shouted:
"My wives sneaked into the Entertainment District to collect information on demons!!"
"I came here because they suddenly lost contact!"
Zenitsu suddenly calmed down, but he had already begun refusing to accept reality.
"You just made all that up, didn't you?"
"You little brat!"
Uzui Tengen pulled out a thick stack of letters from behind him and smacked them on Zenitsu's face.
"This is the letter we sent using the Kasugai Crows!!"
Snap——————
Tanjiro picked up some of them, looked through them, and sighed.
"A lot. You've been infiltrating for a long time, huh?"
"Yes, that's right. Because I have three wives."
Uzui Tengen's casual words unknowingly shattered Zenitsu's young heart.
Zenitsu, knocked down by the letters, suddenly sat up with wide eyes and pointed at Uzui Tengen, trembling in disbelief:
"Three?! Wives… three… THREE?!"
"You—you!! Why do you have three wives?! Are you kidding me!!!"
Uzui Tengen couldn't take it anymore and punched Zenitsu straight in the stomach!
"Do you have any complaints?!"
Tomioka Giyuu looked at Zenitsu lying on the tatami and muttered to himself:
"It's nice to be young… falling asleep as soon as you lie down-"