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The afternoon sun shone warmly over the Butterfly Mansion.
Rin sat cross-legged on the roof tiles, his eyes closed as he quietly rested his mind.
After fusing with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the Yin Release chakra within his body circulated naturally through his chakra pathways, constantly refining his senses.
Even without opening his eyes, every movement within several hundred meters—including the path of a drifting leaf—appeared clearly in his awareness.
Suddenly, a chaotic mix of shouts and cries shattered the calm of the backyard.
"Let me go! You bandit!"
"Hentai! Hentai!!"
"Help! Someone save us!"
Rin slowly opened his eyes, one eyebrow lifting slightly.
Looking down, he saw a tall man standing in the courtyard of the Butterfly Mansion. He wore a headband studded with gems, with bold red markings painted around his eyes.
He swaggered forward, carrying Kanzaki Aoi under one arm and the young nurse Naho Takada under the other.
The Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui.
"Stop! Let Aoi and the others go!"
Kamado Tanjiro, who had just finished running his laps, saw the scene and his eyes immediately turned red with anger. Without hesitation, he drew his wooden sword and charged straight at Tengen Uzui. Zenitsu and Inosuke followed close behind, the three of them forming a triangular assault.
"A bunch of unruly brats think they can stand in my way?"
Tengen Uzui stopped, a wild grin spreading across his face. Facing the three-pronged attack, he didn't even bother drawing the twin blades strapped to his back. With a slight shift of his body, he effortlessly dodged Tanjiro's downward strike.
In the next moment, he raised his long right leg and delivered a clean roundhouse kick, sending the charging Zenitsu and Inosuke flying straight into the nearby bushes.
"Listen up! I am the God of Festivals, the ruler of flamboyance! I urgently need female members for an infiltration mission. Being chosen by this god is their honor!"
Tengen Uzui proclaimed with complete confidence, as if his bandit-like logic were perfectly reasonable.
"I don't care what kind of god you are—let the girls go!" Tanjiro gritted his teeth, ignoring the soreness in his arms as he raised his sword again.
"How annoying," Tengen Uzui muttered, lifting his hand as if preparing to teach the stubborn boy a lesson.
But in the next instant.. His vision blurred.
A black afterimage appeared out of nowhere, cutting directly between him and Tanjiro.
The instincts Tengen Uzui had developed through years of ninja training immediately screamed a warning. He tried to retreat on reflex.
But it was already too late.
Rin's hand had somehow already reached his wrist.
With a seemingly casual pinch and flick between his thumb and forefinger..
"Sss—!"
A sharp numbness instantly spread through half of his body, and the muscles in Tengen Uzui's arm went completely slack.
Taking advantage of the moment, Rin effortlessly lifted Kanzaki Aoi and Naho Takada from under Uzui's arms and set them gently on the ground.
The entire rescue happened in one smooth motion, so fast that even Tengen Uzui—known for his speed as the Sound Hashira—had no chance to react.
"Kidnapping girls on my turf… Tengen, this kind of 'flamboyance' of yours seems a little beneath you."
Rin slipped his hands into his pockets, his tone lazy as his deep, dark eyes quietly studied the other man.
Tengen Uzui shook his numb wrist. The moment he realized who it was, his arrogant expression immediately softened.
Recalling the scene from the Hashira meeting half a month earlier—when this man shattered the Stone Hashira's iron ball with one hand and cleared the entire field with a single Lightning Net—a thin layer of cold sweat broke out across his back.
"Ah, so it's Rin-dono."
"Aha.. haha..?" Tengen Uzui let out a dry laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "This is official business. My three wives were sent on an infiltration mission in the Yoshiwara Entertainment District, and we've completely lost contact with them. That place is definitely hiding a powerful demon—most likely one of the Upper Ranks. There are plenty of female members here at the Butterfly Mansion, so it's only reasonable for me to borrow a couple to act as undercover agents, right?"
"Undercover?"
Kanzaki Aoi hid behind Rin, her eyes filling with frightened tears. "I… I passed Final Selection, but I'm afraid of fighting demons. I can't do undercover work at all!"
Rin glanced at the two trembling girls, then turned his gaze back to Tengen Uzui.
"You heard her. You can't force things like this. Besides, sending two girls whose hands tremble just holding a sword to infiltrate right under the nose of an Upper Rank… how is that any different from sending them to their deaths?"
"But if not them, where am I supposed to find suitable candidates?" Tengen Uzui scratched his head in frustration. "A place like Yoshiwara… men can't just walk in there!"
A meaningful smile slowly appeared on Rin's lips.
He turned his head and looked toward Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke, who had just managed to scramble back to their feet.
Under Rin's gaze, the three of them suddenly felt their scalps go numb as an extremely ominous feeling crept into their hearts.
"Who said men can't get in?" Rin pointed at the three idiots. "They have good foundations. Give them some makeup and a kimono, and won't they look better than half the girls out there? Let these three take their place."
"Huh?!" Zenitsu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he pointed at himself and screamed. "Boss! You want us to dress up as women?! We'll be exposed! We'll definitely get killed!"
"Either wear the kimono or run two hundred laps around the courtyard with weights. Your choice."
Rin's voice was calm, but it carried an authority that could not be questioned.
The three of them instantly fell silent, their heads drooping like wilted eggplants.
Tengen Uzui examined the trio carefully, stroking his chin for a moment before his eyes suddenly lit up.
"Not flamboyant enough, but it'll do! Fine, these three brats will work!"
With the candidates settled, Tengen Uzui looked at Rin and asked somewhat cautiously, "The waters in Yoshiwara run deep. Even my three capable wives have disappeared there. It's probably a tough opponent from the Twelve Kizuki. Rin-dono, would you be interested in… making a flamboyant appearance there?"
If it had been the old Sound Hashira, he would never have lowered himself to ask for help.
But after witnessing Rin's overwhelming strength and hearing the intelligence that Muzan might send Upper Rank demons for revenge at any time, he understood very clearly that having Rin along was like carrying a life-saving talisman.
"Of course."
Rin turned and walked toward the corridor. "I've been eyeing an Upper Rank's head for quite a while."
Just as he finished speaking, the sliding door leading to the inner courtyard opened.
Shinobu Kocho stepped out carrying a tray, just in time to overhear their conversation.
Her gaze swept over Tengen Uzui and then settled on Rin. The faint smile that had been on her face disappeared instantly, replaced by a dangerous curve at the corner of her lips.
"Ara, I was wondering who was making such a commotion in the courtyard. So it's Uzui-san."
Shinobu Kocho approached with light steps, her sharp gaze locking onto Rin. "I heard you're going to the Yoshiwara Entertainment District? The largest pleasure district in all of Japan—a paradise for men?"
The temperature in the air seemed to drop several degrees.
Although Tengen Uzui already had three wives, even he sensed the subtle shift in the atmosphere.
He wisely took half a step back and pretended to admire the clouds in the sky.
Zenitsu instantly picked up on the strong scent of jealousy in the air and hurriedly dragged Tanjiro away.
"It's just a mission. I'll deal with a demon while I'm there." Rin met Shinobu's gaze calmly, his expression completely unchanged.
"Hmm, hmm, just to slay a demon?"
Shinobu walked up to him and looked up, her purple eyes flickering with scrutiny and a hint of petulance. "The courtesans there are famous for knowing how to please men. With your personality, if some oiran catches your eye, will you even remember that you're supposed to be there to draw your sword?"
Ever since the barrier between them had broken, this sharp-tongued butterfly had become far more open about her jealousy.
Seeing her behave like a kitten guarding its food, Rin couldn't help but chuckle.
Ignoring the others present, he reached out and gently lifted Shinobu's delicate chin. Leaning close to her ear, he spoke in a low voice only the two of them could hear.
"No matter how expensive the powder, it still smells like cheap perfume. In this world, aside from your wisteria scent, any other woman—even if she stood naked in front of me—would only be an eyesore."
This blunt yet disarmingly sweet confession exploded in Shinobu's ear.
Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and even the tips of her ears felt burning hot.
All the sarcastic remarks she had prepared vanished without a trace, silenced by those few words.
"You… shameless! Who cares where you go!"
Shinobu slapped Rin's hand away and turned her back to him.
"If you're going, then hurry up and leave! I've already packed the ointments and antidotes in your bag. If you run into danger, don't act recklessly… you must come back in one piece."
The final sentence was spoken very softly, yet it carried deep concern and attachment.
Rin looked at her back, the corners of his mouth curling slightly upward.
"Don't worry. After all, I'm the strongest."
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12 Advance chapters:Patreon/slept01