Inei's POV. Ubuyashiki Estate.
Inei: ...........
I'm silently meditating on top of the roof of the Ubuyashiki Mansion.
Inei: ..................
Until I sensed a crow.
Inei: A summon by Kagaya-sama, perhaps?
I decided to reveal my presence and blowed three short whistle blasts.
I extended my arm as the crow perched to it.
Inei: Kage, what is it?
My Kasugai Crow, which I named Kage, answered me.
Kage: Oyakata-sama is looking for you and the rest of the pillars.
Inei: I see. I already knew that Kagaya-sama will summon me, but the rest of the pillars as well.
Inei: Alright, I'll wait here for a while, until the other nine arrive.
Kage flies away and decided to wait at the main entrance, while I continue meditating.
A few moments passed, and it seems like all of the pillars have arrived.
I can even hear what are they talking about.
I first heard the conversation between Gyomei-san and Uzui-san.
Uzui: Hmmm..........
Gyomei: Where or what are you looking for?
Uzui: Oyakata-sama summoned all of us here.
Uzui: If all nine pillars are here.....no, wait........
Uzui: All ten pillars.........
Uzui: Where the heck is that guy?
Gyomei: You know that Saito-san will decide to reveal his presence to us if he wants to.
Gyomei: After all, among the Demon Slayers, he is said that he only answers to Oyakata-sama himself.
Uzui: What was his background again?
Gyomei: He is a former assassin and bodyguard of the Emperor.
Uzui: An assassin and former bodyguard of the Emperor!?
Sanemi, the wind pillar also joins the conversation.
Sanemi: Is that bastard still around? I remember when we had a sparring session, and when he effortlessly won against me, he still simply disappeared afterwards!
Sanemi: The sheer nerve!
Uzui: I guess he is the type of guy who wouldn't waste his energy in a duel.
Uzui: He only accepted the duel because you simply attacked first.
Sanemi: The sheer nerve of him to humiliate me............
Gyomei: Do not underestimate Saito-san. After all, he is the strongest among us, the Hashira.
Gyomei: Oyakata-sama even said that he is probably the current strongest demon slayer of the current Era.
Sanemi: The current strongest?
Gyomei: Unlike Muichiro who became a Hashira at the age of 14 and the current youngest among us........
Gyomei: Saito-san became a demon slayer at the age of 10.
This shocked the rest of the pillars, and even the anti-social, Giyu, couldn't help but be surprised.
Sanemi: W-What!?
Uzui: I know I heard this from some of the Demon Slayers but hearing it from the man himself.........
Gyomei: Saito-san was found on a basket that was flowing on the river. He was then raised in an orphanage, and his origins are mysterious as when they found him, they found a letter that states his full name.
Mitsuri, the Love Pillar inquired the Stone Pillar.
Mitsuri: Did that letter stated anything about his parents' whereabouts or where they came from?
Gyomei: According to Saito-san himself, the letter only indicated that when they find the infant in the basket, name his Saito Inei.
Gyomei: That was it. No mention of his origins, the reason why he was abandoned and put in a basket.
Gyomei: That's it........
Gyomei: The additional information that he had is, when he was found, the letter has some drops of blood on it.
Uzui: Drops of blood..........could it be?
Gyomei: His parents are probably killed by a demon. That was the only conclusion that I can even draw from.
Gyomei: I think his parents sacrificed their own lives, just to save him.
Mitsuri: Awww.........it's so sad.
Gyomei: I couldn't help but be sad as well.
Gyomei: From his parents, even the slaughter of his foster family.....and during his childhood, he already ended the lives of anyone who threatened the Emperor, even a demon.
Uzui: So when he killed the demon that wanted to kill the Emperor, His Majesty recommended him to be a Demon Slayer.
Gyomei: Yes.
Gyomei: He even passed the Final Selection with ease. Saying that he completed the Final Selection when he killed all the demons on the mountaintop, alone, and without rest for seven nights straight.
This even shocked the other pillars. Obanai, the Snake Pillar just uttered.
Obanai: You mean, he just killed all of the demons that the demon slayers had caught for seven nights!? Even without rest!?
Gyomei: Yes.
Obanai: T-That's impossible! How could he-
Gyomei: That is because during the Final Selection, he was the only one remaining.
Obanai: Wha!?
Sanemi: What!?
Uzui: No way!
Mitsuri: So you mean.............
Gyomei: He took it upon himself to carry on the will of his comrades.
Gyomei: So, he killed all of the demons infesting the mountain. Let's say, even using his own assassination methods.
Gyomei: And when he severed the head of the last demon, he arrived at the peak, at dawn.
Gyomei: There was even a saying that as shadows of the night fades at the light of the sun, he arrived when the shadows decided to reveal the boy of the shadows.
Uzui: You mean, no one saw his arrival, except they only knew it when the sun has risen?
Gyomei: He was waiting there until sunrise.
Gyomei: Thus, completing the Final Selection.
Gyomei: And the only survivor of that year's final selection.
Uzui: Damn......
Sanemi: No wonder why.........he's a straight up prodigy.
Gyomei: And even more, when he received his new nichirin katana, we expected a different color, since his breathing style is of the shadow.
Gyomei: We expected it to be gray or even black. Instead, it was a crimson nichirin blade.
Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Pillar couldn't even believe it.
Kyojuro: A crimson nichirin blade!? I-Impossible!? I heard the legend that in order to achieve that, a demon slayer must've received the demon slayer mark!
Gyomei: He doesn't possess the mark.
Uzui: What!?
Gyomei: We are even shocked that a demon slayer, without the mark, managed to awaken a crimson nichirin blade without the mark.
Gyomei: It was the first time in history that ever happened.
Gyomei: Thus, after a month of him being a demon slayer, he became a Hashira. The Shadow Hashira.
Gyomei: I soon followed to be a Hashira as well.
Gyomei: Sometimes, we did missions together, and he will do the job as perfect as possible.
Gyomei: But mostly, he prefers to take missions alone.
Gyomei: And mostly, those missions are assassination missions.
Mitsuri: Assassination missions? You mean Oyakata-sama had ordered him to kill humans?
Gyomei: No, not humans. He assassinated demons.
Obanai: You mean, demons who are posing as humans and lurking around society?
Gyomei: Yes. Because of that, he saved countless villages, towns, and cities from being ravaged by demons.
Gyomei: In fact, when he before he became a Hashira, he managed to kill all of the Lower Moon Ranks. He even managed to corner three of the Upper Moon Ranks.
Sanemi: Woah, woah, woah! Gyomei-san, isn't that too tall for a tale!?
Sanemi: That's clearly impossible! For a human to annihilate half of the Twelve Kizuki and corner three of the strongest demons!
Gyomei: It is possible.
Gyomei: After all, Oyakata-sama always watched his movements and his crow will be paired with Saito-san's crow to further solidify the testimony of Saito-san's feat.
The rest of the Hashira got quiet.
Giyu: ........
Sanemi: .........
Obanai: ............
Kyojuro: ..............
Muichiro: .......
Mitsuri: ........
Uzui: ..........
Shinobu: ............
They entered the estate without even saying anything.
Inei: .........
Inei: *sigh*
Inei: Time for me to attend the meeting it seems.
And like a shadow, I silently followed them to where Kagaya-sama is.
When the other Nine Hashira are gathered, Kagaya-sama appeared, and the rest of the pillars bowed down.
Kagaya: It seems like the rest of the pillars have arrived.
Hashiras: !?
Kagaya: Inei, show yourself.
I revealed my presence when I bowed to Kagaya-sama as the rest of the pillars are shocked.
Sanemi: Since when did you-
Kagaya: He was the first one to arrive here. He sent his crow to inform me of his arrival.
Inei: Kagaya-sama, what is the current agenda of this Hashira meeting for today?
Kagaya: I see, getting straight to business right away.
Kagaya: The agenda of this meeting is to inform you that the Lower Moon Rank had changed members once more.
Kagaya: After Inei killed them.
Kagaya: My children, the coming battles will finally be our decisive battle against the demons.
Kagaya: So, stay sharp.
Hashira: Yes, Oyakata-sama.
Kagaya: As for you, Inei. I have a special mission for you.
Inei: What is it, Kagaya-sama?
Kagaya: Look for a certain family.
I raised my head and I can only think of a question.
Inei: A certain family?
Kagaya: Yes.
Kagaya: In fact, this is the family that the Demon King is looking for.
Kagaya: Your task, is to protect this family.
Inei: May I know the location of this family?
Kagaya: I'm afraid I don't know where is this family located to.
Kagaya: I can only assume that they are living beside the mountains.
Inei: So my task is to prevent the Demon King from reaching this family?
Kagaya: Yes. That is your task.
Inei: And in order to do that, I must find the mountain of where this family resides?
Kagaya: Exactly. This is going to be another long term mission. It might take you years to come back.
Kagaya: But even so.....
Inei: I am willing to take the mission. If it is to prevent another family to be wiped out by demons, then, I'll gladly protect this family.
Kagaya: Now then, you may begin your mission.
Inei: Yes, sir.
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Shinobu's POV.
Oyakata-sama gave Inei-kun a new mission, and when he received his new orders.
He suddenly vanished in a blink of an eye.
Sanemi: Wha!? He's gone!
Uzui: So fast. No wonder why he bested me in a race.
I can only stare at the spot on where he was before............and I can only pray..........
Shinobu: Inei-kun, please be safe. I'll be waiting for your return.