"Hello, I am Uchiha Nagi," Uchiha Nagi introduced himself.
"This is Nagi-aniki (Nagi, older brother), he's not a demon, he's human just like us," Tanjiro quickly explained, afraid of a misunderstanding leading to a fight.
"Giyu Tomioka..." Water Pillar Tomioka Giyu was still his usual self, a man of few words.
"Moshi moshi, I'm Shinobu Kocho. Mr. Nagi is indeed human, but little brother, the girl next to you is not," Shinobu Kocho said with a smile.
Then, to Tanjiro's horror, she unsheathed her nichirin blade, intending to eliminate Nezuko.
"Wait! Nezuko isn't a bad person; she's never harmed anyone," Tanjiro quickly spread his arms, shielding his sister.
"You saying so doesn't count, you know~" Shinobu Kocho's voice came from beside him. Tanjiro was terrified to find that Shinobu Kocho, who had just been in front of him, was now behind him.
Clang!
A clang of metal rang out as Giyu Tomioka blocked Shinobu Kocho's sword thrust at Nezuko.
"Oh my~ Why are you getting in my way, Mr. Tomioka?" Shinobu Kocho asked, puzzled.
"Didn't you say that humans and demons can't get along? Why are you helping him?"
"Tanjiro, take her and go first~" Water Pillar Tomioka Giyu was still a man of few words.
So fast... Uchiha Nagi narrowed his eyes. His three-tomoe Sharingan could barely keep up with their speed; only his Mangekyo could see clearly. Is this the highest combat power in this world, the Pillars?
There were no flashy Ninjutsu or secret techniques, just speed, strength, and swordsmanship combined with Breathing Technique.
And this speed was no slower than the Body Flicker Technique. It was hard to imagine that this was speed purely generated by the human body.
No, that's not right. Uchiha Nagi observed carefully with his Mangekyo. Both of them were constantly performing Breathing Technique, having integrated it into their daily lives. Even when not fighting, they were still using Breathing Technique.
In his previous life, Uchiha Nagi had practiced yoga. It's not difficult to consciously control Breathing Technique during exercise, but maintaining it in daily life is truly very difficult... Clang!
Another burst of sparks. Shinobu Kocho's strength was inferior to that of male Pillars, but her speed was no less, light and agile.
A fragrant scent wafted over, and Giyu Tomioka felt a moment of dizziness.
Carelessly, Giyu Tomioka was bypassed by her and she quickly caught up to Tanjiro. Tanjiro, still injured from using Sun Breathing, couldn't run far at all.
"Nezuko, run! Run forward!" Tanjiro pushed his sister and shouted. Just as Shinobu Kocho was about to catch up to Nezuko, a voice came from behind.
"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"
A water prison firmly trapped Nezuko, then blocked Shinobu Kocho's sword. Sometimes Ninjutsu could not only be used to trap people but also to save them.
"Madam, Nezuko is not a bad person. Although she is a demon, she possesses human-like intelligence and has never harmed humans," Uchiha Nagi used the Body Flicker Technique to appear on top of the water prison.
"Oh, is that so? How pitiful. Then I'll use the gentlest poison to let her die without pain~" Shinobu Kocho said with a gentle smile.
"With me here, you won't be able to~" Uchiha Nagi said with a confident smile.
Tanjiro struggled to run over from a distance, as did Inosuke.
"Nagi-aniki (Nagi, older brother)~"
"Red-eyed big brother~"
Needless to say, the latter was called by the little boar, Inosuke.
"Bastard, if you want to kill Nezuko, you'll have to defeat me first!" Inosuke yelled, and the next second, he charged forward with his broken twin blades.
Thump!
He couldn't look cool for even a second. Shinobu Kocho instantly appeared behind him and struck his neck. Inosuke rolled his eyes and was immediately knocked unconscious by Shinobu Kocho.
Although Shinobu Kocho, due to her smaller female strength, couldn't cut off a demon's head, that depended on the opponent. She could cut down those below the Twelve Kizuki without effort, let alone Inosuke, who was at the lowest rank.
Uchiha Nagi: "..."
Giyu Tomioka: "..."
With Uchiha Nagi's interruption, Giyu Tomioka, who was at a distance, also caught up. The Water Pillar, cold-faced but warm-hearted, silently walked to Nezuko's side and stood with Uchiha Nagi.
Uchiha Nagi smiled at Tanjiro upon seeing this. "You call me older brother, so I have to protect my little brother's sister, right? Otherwise, how could I live up to the title of older brother?"
Giyu Tomioka looked at Tanjiro and said something that surprised everyone: "Tanjiro, call me Tomioka-aniki from now on."
"..."
Shinobu Kocho couldn't help but cover her face. "At a time like this, you're siding with an outsider, Mr. Tomioka. You really are disliked~"
Giyu Tomioka, expressionless, squeezed out a sentence: "I, Giyu Tomioka, am not disliked—"
Pfft~
Shinobu Kocho and Tanjiro, standing nearby, were petrified by this statement.
Uchiha Nagi almost burst out laughing. Is this the highest realm of the legendary deadpan joke? Amusing people without them realizing it?
Shinobu Kocho also couldn't help but cover her face, feeling embarrassed by his deadpan joke. "Sorry It seems you're not aware that you're disliked I said something unnecessary, my apologies."
At this moment, behind Uchiha Nagi and the others, a figure jumped down from the sky. It was a girl with a butterfly hairpin, just like Shinobu Kocho.
Her nichirin blade silently stabbed towards Nezuko, like an assassin in the dark.
Uchiha Nagi narrowed his eyes, then suddenly turned his head to look at her, activating his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Genjutsu—The girl with the butterfly hairpin accidentally saw those blood-red eyes in the dark, felt a moment of dizziness, and entered a genjutsu world. She then stood still, dazed.
"Oh my~ Kanao stopped moving. Your eyes are very special, just as special as Shinazugawa's blood. It seems I must not look into your eyes when fighting you," Shinobu Kocho said in surprise.
Uchiha Nagi secretly sighed, 'Excellent analytical ability. Not only is she meticulous, but her observation is also incredibly subtle. She immediately understood the special nature of the Sharingan.'
Just then, crows flew quickly from the sky, cawing loudly as they flew~
"Caw caw~ Orders are as follows: Bring Tanjiro and Nezuko back to headquarters."
"Caw caw~ Orders are as follows: Bring Tanjiro and Nezuko back to headquarters."
Giyu Tomioka silently returned his blade to its sheath.
"Oh, it seems we don't have to fight~" Shinobu Kocho heard the crow's command and also let out a sigh of relief, sheathing her sword.
As a Pillar, about eighty percent of her abilities lay in poison. Unless she were to fight Water Pillar Tomioka Giyu to the death, she truly had no advantage at all.
Not to mention Uchiha Nagi, whose background was unknown, stood nearby. His mysterious eyes also made her wary.