After arriving in Shizuoka Prefecture, Mitsuri Kanroji was immediately captivated by the bustling street vendors lining the roads.
Despite the recent appearances of Monjushiro in the region, many civilians still chose to continue their daily lives. Fear existed, certainly, but survival came first. Most people believed that as long as it remained daytime, the monsters would not dare attack openly in crowded streets.
As a result, the marketplaces were still lively.
And naturally
Mitsuri was overjoyed.
"This smells amazing!"
Holding several skewers in one hand while carrying snacks in the other, Mitsuri happily moved from stall to stall with sparkling eyes.
Meanwhile, Muichiro Tokito followed behind her with his usual blank expression.
Or rather
He was forcing himself to maintain that expression.
Following Mitsuri around was easier than staying near both Tengen Uzui and Giyu Tomioka at the same time.
After all, maintaining his aloof persona constantly was exhausting.
Unfortunately, Muichiro overlooked something important.
Giyu genuinely looked expressionless all the time, so he would never notice Muichiro pretending.
And Tengen was so naturally flamboyant and oblivious that he rarely paid attention to subtle behavior in the first place.
Ironically, staying with those two might actually have been safer.
Meanwhile, Giyu had quietly entered a nearby food stall alone.
He ordered simmered daikon radish with salmon and began eating silently in the corner.
As for Tengen
He had already disappeared to investigate the Monjushiro sightings personally.
"Muichiro, look at this!"
Mitsuri suddenly pointed excitedly toward a tiny ornament hanging beside one of the stalls.
It was a small carved cat wearing a miniature kimono.
Muichiro glanced at it
Then unconsciously smiled slightly.
The moment he realized what he had done, his expression froze.
Too late.
Mitsuri's eyes widened immediately.
"Eh?! Muichiro smiles?!"
Before he could retreat, Mitsuri happily reached over and patted his head.
Muichiro's face instantly reddened.
"P-Please keep that a secret…"
Mitsuri blinked.
Then her imagination began racing at terrifying speed.
"Wait… Muichiro acts expressionless like Tomioka-san…"
"Is he trying to appear cool in front of girls?"
"But Tomioka-san isn't popular with girls…"
"Then maybe…"
Suddenly, an extremely dangerous misunderstanding formed inside Mitsuri's mind.
Her face turned bright red.
And then
Blood began pouring from her nose.
Muichiro panicked instantly.
"K-Kanroji-san?! Are you alright?!"
Mitsuri hurriedly covered her nose using the handkerchief Obanai Iguro had given her earlier.
After calming herself down with immense difficulty, she straightened her posture seriously.
"Muichiro," she began firmly, "about imitating Tomioka-san, you really shouldn't "
Before she could finish
Boom!
A loud explosion suddenly echoed through the street.
Tengen Uzui burst through the crowd dramatically.
"Mitsuri! Muichiro!"
His twin Nichirin Cleavers were already drawn.
"Prepare for a flashy battle!"
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Mitsuri and Muichiro immediately sensed danger approaching.
Without hesitation, the two Hashira began evacuating civilians and nearby vendors.
"Everyone, run!"
"Get away from the street immediately!"
At the far end of the road, clouds of dust erupted violently into the air.
Then
More than ten Monjushiro emerged from within the smoke.
The creatures crawled forward grotesquely, their insectoid limbs scraping against the ground while sharp mandibles clicked loudly.
"So many at once…" Tengen muttered.
Even for a Hashira, this number was troublesome.
Still, his movements never slowed.
As a former shinobi, Tengen possessed extraordinary agility and battlefield awareness. Using the buildings and terrain around him, he instantly accelerated forward while spinning his massive twin blades.
\text{Sound Breathing Fifth Form: String Performance}
His blades rotated violently while explosive force erupted around him like thunderous musical notes.
The shockwaves tore through multiple Monjushiro at once, throwing their formations into complete disarray.
Muichiro immediately followed.
Mist swirled around his body as he vanished forward like drifting fog.
\text{Mist Breathing Second Form: Eight-Layered Mist}
Eight rapid slashes exploded outward almost simultaneously.
Several charging Monjushiro were instantly carved apart before they could even react.
At the same time, Mitsuri's flexible Nichirin blade whipped through the air gracefully like a ribbon.
\text{Love Breathing Second Form: Love Pangs}
Her strikes curved unpredictably through the battlefield, slicing multiple Monjushiro into fragments.
Yet despite suffering such damage
The creatures continued advancing relentlessly.
Their shredded flesh rapidly regenerated while detached body parts crawled independently across the ground.
"Don't let them reach the residential district!" Tengen shouted immediately.
One Monjushiro attempted to break away toward nearby civilians.
However, Mitsuri reacted instantly.
Her blade snapped outward like a whip and dragged the escaping creature directly back into the center of the battlefield.
Meanwhile, another Monjushiro lunged toward Tengen with massive serrated mandibles.
Before it could bite down
Muichiro appeared beside it like mist.
\text{Mist Breathing Fourth Form: Shifting Flow Slash}
His body slid low across the ground with overwhelming speed.
One slash.
The Monjushiro split cleanly in half.
At that exact moment, Tengen noticed something important hidden inside the creature's body.
"The core!"
His eyes sharpened instantly.
"Muichiro! Mitsuri! Tear them apart completely!"
Even in the middle of intense combat, Tengen's shinobi instincts had already identified the creatures' weakness.
As long as the internal core remained intact, the Monjushiro would continue regenerating endlessly.
Hearing this, Muichiro and Mitsuri immediately adjusted their attacks.
\text{Mist Breathing Sixth Form: Lunar Dispersing Mist}
\text{Love Breathing Fifth Form: Swaying Love, Wildclaw}
Mist and ribbon-like slashes flooded the battlefield simultaneously.
The Monjushiro were shredded apart into countless fragments.
Tengen immediately seized the opportunity.
Several explosive beads flew from his hand and landed directly among the scattered flesh.
Then
\text{Sound Breathing Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes}
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions engulfed the entire street.
Flames and shockwaves consumed every exposed core hidden within the Monjushiro remains.
By the time the smoke cleared
Nothing remained alive.
After the battle, all three Hashira stood breathing heavily.
Even for them, fighting creatures with such extreme regenerative abilities was exhausting.
Tengen clicked his tongue irritably.
"Where's Tomioka?"
"We just had an incredibly flashy battle and he's nowhere to be seen!"
As if summoned by complaint alone
Giyu finally appeared from around a nearby street corner.
His expression remained as calm as ever while he surveyed the destroyed battlefield.
"You three defeated this many Monjushiro?"
"…Impressive."
Tengen immediately frowned.
"Where were you this whole time?! Why are you late?"
Giyu took another step forward.
Then suddenly
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"It's nothing," he said quietly. "I encountered something strange on another street…"
Before he could finish speaking
His body collapsed forward.
"Tomioka-san!"
"Giyu!"
The other three immediately rushed toward him.
Mitsuri quickly noticed the injury on Giyu's shoulder.
The surrounding flesh had already turned dark purple-black.
"He's poisoned!"
Muichiro's expression changed instantly.
Before departing for Shizuoka, Shinobu Kocho had prepared specialized antidotes for the Hashira specifically in case the Monjushiro possessed venom.
However
Due to earlier teasing involving Giyu, Shinobu had deliberately handed his antidote to Muichiro instead of giving it directly to him.
"Muichiro, the antidote!" Mitsuri shouted urgently.
Muichiro immediately retrieved the medicine.
After finding temporary lodging nearby, Tengen helped administer the antidote while Mitsuri treated Giyu's wound carefully.
Fortunately, the poison's spread soon began slowing.
Giyu's breathing gradually stabilized.
However
Even unconscious, his expression remained as stoic as ever.