...
...
"What is this guy saying?" Obanai glanced sideways, pointing with his hand, his tone cold.
"He seems to be quite spirited."
The faces of Shinazugawa and others who were talking turned bad immediately, and they turned to look at him.
Seeing this.
The bald believer was startled, and he quickly crawled backward:
"It's true!"
As the words of the bald believer fell, the entire Butterfly Mansion suddenly became incredibly quiet.
As if he hadn't noticed the frozen atmosphere.
The believer propped up his body weakly, his eyes dodging as he looked at the people in front of him:
"So..."
The believer's gaze swept over the people present, and finally slowly rested on the only few women.
He looked at.
--Kocho Shinobu and Kanzaki Aoi.
At first, he also wanted to offer these young women as sacrifices to the founder.
Now as long as he persuades these guys who seem not smart, but just strong, to do as he says.
And if his plan succeeds...
A glimmer of hope for escape flashed in the eyes of the bald believer.
When they arrived at the headquarters of the Paradise Sect, these few guys were nothing and would be slaughtered at will by the founder.
Having seen some of Doma's power, he already considered himself superior in his heart.
Just as he was looking at Kocho Shinobu, just about to speak:
"There are only these few women here..."
Whoosh!
A white afterimage brought up a gust of wind.
"Ha--?!"
Shinazugawa Sanemi suddenly took a step forward, and he suddenly appeared in the field of vision of the bald believer, his face full of fierce scars close.
The eyes that were about to burst blocked all the things in the believer's field of vision, he squatted down:
"...What are you thinking, bastard."
Snap!
He reached out his hand, grabbed the bald head of the believer forcefully, and the veins on his face bulged:
"Do you want to die?"
"Ah... I...!" The bald believer was suddenly startled by the sudden closeness, his face turned pale instantly, and the hope that had just risen was directly extinguished:
"I'm... sorry...!"
His voice and body involuntarily trembled.
Snap, snap!
"...Don't have any crooked ideas."
"Something like a head, might be chopped off casually." Shinazugawa Sanemi squatted in front of him, gently patted him twice, deliberately lowering his voice:
"Do you understand?"
"Mm! Mm!" The bald believer was so scared that he was shaking like a sieve, he quickly nodded his head, his pale face was full of cold sweat.
"Hmph!" Seeing the bald believer scared like this, Shinazugawa glared at him fiercely, then slowly stood up, and his voice also increased:
"Only receive female believers...?"
Whoosh!
Shinazugawa turned his head and looked around.
Then he suddenly stretched out his hand, pointed his thumb at himself, his tone was harsh, and his eyes stared at the paralyzed believer:
"I can do it too!"
Upon hearing this.
--?!
Not only Kanzaki Aoi, but even Obanai next to him turned his head back in surprise.
?
The bald believer who had just been scared and crawled back was a little stiff, he hesitated to glance at Shinazugawa.
Blinking his eyes, a doubt rose in his heart.
--Can do... what does it mean?
...
...
Outside the Butterfly Mansion, near the wall.
"Hehehe~"
Uzui Tengen is very happy today.
After the battle in the flower street, he got quite a lot of inspiration, and tried to restore Tanjuro's "Ninjutsu".
Although all ended in failure, he still gained a lot of gorgeous experiences that he had never had before.
He believes that he has discovered a gorgeous new continent.
"The Kamado family, living in the Butterfly Mansion, helping to manage the affairs of the Butterfly Mansion."
Uzui Tengen hummed a tune in his mouth while walking leisurely, as usual.
Snap!
Clapping shut the book, which looked pocket-sized due to his size, he casually tucked it into his waist:
"It's written like this in the booklet of the Hidden."
That's right.
Uzui Tengen came this time, taking advantage of a gap when he had no tasks, specifically to explore the details of [Ninjutsu] with Tanjuro.
After all, relying on himself alone, he couldn't directly replicate all the moves of a Ninja style he had never heard of.
His gaze turned to the wall on the side of the road.
Step!
With a twist of his body, he skillfully flipped onto the wall, supporting himself with one hand, squatting on the top of the wall.
With his palm blocking his eyebrows, Uzui Tengen squinted his eyes, squatting on the top of the Butterfly Mansion's wall, looking into the courtyard:
"Let me see..."
But his gaze swept from left to right, and then back again—there was no trace of Tanjuro to be found.
He couldn't even see the traces of other people from the Kamado family.
Frowning, he turned his head in helplessness.
"Hey——! The Kakushi over there."
Uzui Tengen called out, he waved his hand a couple of times, until the Kakushi member who was cleaning nearby noticed him:
"Is Kamado Tanjuro currently in the Butterfly Mansion?"
"Ah, Sound Hashira-sama." The Kakushi member heard Uzui's voice, he held the broom, stopped his actions, and silently shook his head:
"Unfortunately, Kamado-san seems to be in charge of a task."
"He's not in the Butterfly Mansion."
Upon hearing this.
"What?"
Uzui Tengen was taken aback: "Not here?"
He squatted on the wall, in a daze for a while.
Just as he was feeling regretful for the time wasted on the road.
Suddenly.
"Hey!!"
A rough shout came from the other side of the courtyard.
Uzui Tengen instinctively turned his head to look in the direction of the sound.
Shinazugawa Sanemi was standing under a tree, he was raising his arm, seemingly shouting at him:
"Uzui——!! You came just in time!!"
"Come over here!"
As he shouted, Shinazugawa also slightly turned his head back, nodding his chin at Iguro Obanai behind him.
On the wall.
Uzui Tengen looked at Shinazugawa expressionlessly.
His emotions did not fluctuate, he withdrew his gaze, and didn't care.
Raising his hand painted with colorful nail polish, he lightly propped his chin, pondering:
"Well, since Tanjuro isn't here, then I have no reason to stay."
Talking to himself, he was about to turn around and jump off the wall, leaving here:
"I can't waste my time here without any glamour."
...
Not far away.
Under the tree.
"That guy... left?"
Shinazugawa Sanemi kept his waving gesture, his expression stiff, watching the back of Uzui Tengen jumping off the wall.
He froze in place.
Beside him.
Kocho Shinobu glanced at Shinazugawa's back, she slowly withdrew her gaze.
It seems that Tomioka-san does have some influence on the other Hashiras.
As she was pondering in her heart.
Step step step!!
"That bastard!"
Shinazugawa Sanemi already had a dark face, he ran out of the main gate of the Butterfly Mansion, heading in the direction where Uzui Tengen had left.
.....
...
Soon.
Uzui Tengen was forcibly dragged back by Shinazugawa.
In the courtyard.
Several people formed a circle, explaining everything in detail to Uzui.
After listening to everyone's explanation.
"...An Upper Rank demon that only eats women, I see." Uzui Tengen nodded in sudden realization:
"So, you want me to dress you up as ordinary female believers, so you can infiltrate the location of the Upper Rank..."
"That's right." Obanai pointed at Uzui, "You always have some flashy makeup on your face every day, it's most suitable for you to do this kind of thing."
Upon hearing this.
Uzui Tengen twitched the corner of his mouth.
Why does this clearly praiseworthy statement sound so annoying when it comes out of this guy's mouth?
Thinking about it, his gaze swept over Kocho Shinobu in front of him.
And —— is it really necessary for him to dress up?
Uzui Tengen casually spread his hands, looking left and right at Kocho Shinobu and Kanzaki Aoi:
"Alright, who should I start with?"
At this moment.
Step.
Shinazugawa, dressed in white feather haori, came out from the side, forcibly pulling the wooden-faced Iguro Obanai.
"Me!" Shinazugawa Sanemi stood in front of Uzui Tengen, shouting loudly.
Upon hearing this.
——?
"You?" Uzui Tengen's gaze slowly moved from Kocho Shinobu to Shinazugawa.
His gaze unconsciously looked up and down at Shinazugawa.
Then.
The corner of his mouth couldn't help but rise:
"Haha..." Uzui Tengen, as if he had heard a huge joke, pointed at Shinazugawa with his hand and laughed mercilessly:
"Hahahaha!!"
Creak...
Shinazugawa Sanemi's face was gloomy, his forehead veins bulged, protruding a well character, he clenched his fists tightly.
"It's so noisy! What are you laughing at!?"
The noise echoed in the courtyard, and the crows on the treetops bowed their heads to groom their feathers.
...
On the other side of the courtyard.
"Everyone is happy."
Agatsuma Zenitsu, shaking his fluffy blonde hair, passed by with a decadent face, he looked enviously at the direction of the Hashira, and sighed with worry:
"...It's really nice."
Goo——
The weak voice was quickly covered by the wailing from his stomach.
"Damn it!"
Zenitsu covered his stomach with a sad face, and tears involuntarily flowed from his eyes.
"The bastard who stole my breakfast, lunch, and dinner..."
He gritted his teeth, tightly pursed his upper lip, clenched his fists, and a flash of lightning faintly passed through his tearful eyes:
"If I catch you!"
"I will definitely smash you into pieces!"
Behind Zenitsu.
In the bushes in the distance.
"Hehehehe!"
Inosuke, who had taken off his pig head cover, was facing two people's worth of food in front of him, grabbing it with his hands and eating it with big bites.
...
...
After the big laugh.
"No, are you serious."
Uzui Tengen's expression suddenly became extremely serious, he tilted his head, looking at Shinazugawa, who was shorter than himself, with a look of a fool:
"You understand, right."
"The task of the Upper Rank is very serious."
"Of course I know!"
Shinazugawa was so angry that his head was steaming, he clenched his fists and waved:
"The only one who has never been serious is you!"
Seeing this.
Uzui Tengen looked at the evasive eyes of the people around him.
He didn't say much.
Whoosh!
I don't know where he suddenly pulled out a few things that looked like brushes, sandwiched between his five fingers, and made an extremely gorgeous action and expression:
"Then let's do it."
...
...
Soon.
In the courtyard.
White feather haori was casually thrown on the ground.
Everyone was watching Uzui, who was dressing up Shinazugawa, without blinking.
"...Alright."
Uzui Tengen wiped the sweat from his forehead, slowly straightened up, and looked at the full view of Shinazugawa in front of him.
—His spiky white hair that had exploded couldn't be combed down no matter what, it could only be bundled together with a few hairpins he got from Kocho Shinobu.
The crisscrossing scars on his face couldn't be covered at all, he still looked like a fierce and evil god.
The loose and ill-fitting pink kimono was casually worn, and all that was exposed were the muscular muscles that could be seen at a glance.
"Is this okay?" Shinazugawa curiously raised his arm, observing his own outfit: "Not bad."
Uzui Tengen fell silent.
He slightly opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.
But seeing the confident look of the other party, he hesitated for a moment.
In the end, he slowly stiffened and closed his mouth.
His dark red eyes looked blankly to the side.
—No good.
—It's not that his skills are not good, but...
—Shinazugawa, this guy, is absolutely no good.
Almost everyone present, at this moment, had the same thought as Uzui Tengen flash through their minds.
Just as everyone fell into silence.
"That is..."
With a dull expression, the bald believer sitting under the tree, his eyes suddenly moved.
His gaze loosened, slowly looking towards the not far away position behind Shinazugawa.
The bald believer suddenly sat upright, he pointed in that direction with his hand, and hurriedly shouted at several people:
"Hey! That guy can do it!"
Several people were taken aback, and immediately looked in the direction pointed by the believer.
Not far away.
"Bastard!! It was you wild boar, who stole my food!!"
Agatsuma Zenitsu was full of grief, he was pulling and fighting with Inosuke.
"Ah?!" Inosuke looked disdainful, he yelled: "That's my prey! You weakling who can't guard your own prey!!"
"What did you say?!" Agatsuma Zenitsu heard this, his eyes were about to burst, his hands opened as if he could spit fire.
Slap! Crack!
Electricity faintly jumped on his arm, the yellow sleeve floated up against gravity.
Agatsuma Zenitsu swung his arm forward.
Boom!
"Puhah!" Inosuke was caught off guard and was hit squarely on the wild boar headgear, and he staggered back a step.
The blow from bottom to top made Inosuke's headgear fly high.
Plop.
The wild boar's head drew a beautiful arc in mid-air, and finally landed perfectly on the grass.
"...Damn it!" Inosuke's voice was rough, he covered his head, shook his head, and barely stood firm:
"You actually..."
The aftereffects of being headbutted by Tanjiro a few days ago still existed.
Without the wild boar headgear, Inosuke showed his face in the Butterfly Mansion for the first time.
Under the clear sunlight, Inosuke's black eyelashes trembled slightly because of the pain.
He struggled to open his eyes, and the light was flowing at the bottom of his green pupils.
His pretty face was incredibly rosy.
And in front of him.
"You...!"
Agatsuma Zenitsu kept his swinging arm motion stiff in place, his eyes stared straight at Inosuke's face.
Blinking his eyes, his cheeks reddened at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He slowly retracted his swung hand, covered his mouth unbelievingly, and his tone already carried an apology:
"...You're a girl?"
Upon hearing this.
"—What?!"
Inosuke's pretty face suddenly became ferocious, he raised his fist angrily, and was about to yell and hit Zenitsu:
"I am a genuine male!!"
Just then.
Creak——
The main door of the Butterfly Mansion was suddenly pushed open.
Finally, Tanjuro, who had returned to the Butterfly Mansion from Tomioka Giyu's residence, waved goodbye to Kyojuro with a smile.
Turning around, he stepped into the Butterfly Mansion with a smile.
His gaze subconsciously looked towards the suddenly incredibly quiet courtyard.
--Shinazugawa Sanemi, with a Butterfly knot on his head, dressed in a pink kimono.
His gaze moved slightly.
--Iguro Obanai, who was holding a makeup brush and had half of his makeup done.
--Uzui Tengen, who was about to catch Inosuke.
Tanjuro fell silent.
He took two steps back and closed the door of the Butterfly Mansion.
(End of the chapter)
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