Afternoon at the Butterfly Mansion, the sunlight was just right.
Yamada sat cross-legged on the roof tiles, eyes closed as he rested his spirit.
After the fusion of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the Yin Chakra within his body circulated through his meridians on its own, constantly tempering his five senses. Even without opening his eyes, every movement within a radius of hundreds of meters—even the trajectory of a falling leaf—was crystal clear in his mind.
Suddenly, a cacophony of cries and shouts shattered the tranquility of the backyard.
"Let me go! You bandit!"
"Help! Someone save us!"
Yamada slowly opened his eyes, his brow arching slightly.
Looking down, he saw a tall man in the courtyard of the Butterfly Mansion. He wore a headscarf and had red markings painted around his eyes. He was swaggering out, clutching Aoi under one arm and the young nurse Naho under the other.
Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen.
"Stop! Let Aoi and the others go!"
Tanjiro, who had just finished his laps, saw this and his eyes instantly turned red. Without hesitation, he drew his wooden sword and charged at Tengen.
Zenitsu and Inosuke followed close behind, the three of them flanking him in a triangular formation.
"A bunch of unruly brats dare to stand in my way?" Tengen stopped, a wild smile on his lips.
Facing the three-way assault, he didn't even draw the twin blades on his back. With a slight tilt of his body, he easily evaded Tanjiro's downward strike.
Immediately after, he raised his right leg and delivered a roundhouse kick, sending the lunging Zenitsu and Inosuke flying 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 declared his bandit-like logic with full confidence.
"I don't care what kind of god you are, let the girls go!" Tanjiro gritted his teeth, enduring the soreness in his arms as he raised his sword again.
"How annoying." Tengen muttered, about to raise his hand to give the stubborn boy a lesson.
However, in the next second, his vision suddenly blurred.
A black afterimage seemed to appear out of thin air, forcing its way between him and Tanjiro.
The alertness Tengen had developed through years of Ninja training screamed in alarm. He instinctively tried to retreat but it was already too late.
Yamada's hand had somehow already found its way onto his wrist joint. With a seemingly casual pinch and flick of the thumb and forefinger.
"Sss!"
A piercing numbness instantly surged through half of his body, and the muscles in Tengen's arms involuntarily went limp.
Yamada took the opportunity to scoop up Aoi and Naho from under his arms, setting them down steadily on the ground.
The entire rescue was fluid and seamless, so fast that even a Hashira like Tengen, known for his speed, couldn't mount any effective counter-response.
"Kidnapping girls on my turf... Tengen, this flamboyance of yours seems a bit beneath you."
Yamada shoved his hands back into his pockets, his tone lazy as his deep, dark eyes quietly observed Tengen.
Tengen shook his numbed wrist. Upon seeing who it was, his arrogant demeanor immediately softened.
Remembering the scene from the Hashira Meeting half a month ago—where this god of slaughter shattered the Stone Hashira's iron ball with one hand and cleared the field with a single Lightning Net—a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
"Yo, so it's Yamada-san."
Tengen gave a dry laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "This is for official business. My three wives were on an infiltration mission in the Yoshiwara Red-Light District and have lost contact. That place is definitely hiding a powerful demon, most likely one of the Upper Ranks."
"There are many female members here at the Butterfly Mansion. It's only reasonable for me to borrow two to act as undercover agents, right?"
"Undercover?"
Aoi hid behind Yamada, tears welling up in her eyes from fear. "I... I passed the selection, but I'm afraid of fighting demons. I can't do undercover work at all."
Yamada glanced at the two trembling girls, then back at Tengen. "Hear that? You can't force these things. Besides, sending two little girls whose hands shake just holding a sword to go undercover right under the nose of an Upper Rank... how is that different from sending them to their deaths?"
"But besides them, where else am I going to find suitable candidates? A place like Yoshiwara... men can't just waltz in." Tengen scratched his hair in frustration.
A meaningful smile appeared at the corners of Yamada's lips. He turned his head, his gaze falling upon Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke, who had just scrambled to their feet.
Under Yamada's gaze, the three of them felt their scalps tingle as an extremely ominous premonition rose in their hearts.
"Who says men can't get in?"
Yamada pointed at the three idiots. "They have good foundations. With some makeup and kimonos, won't they be better than the average common girl? Let these three take their place."
"Huh?!"
Zenitsu's eyes nearly popped out as he pointed at his nose and screamed, "Boss! You want us to dress up as women?! We'll be exposed! We'll definitely be killed!"
"Either wear the kimonos or run two hundred laps around the courtyard with weights. Your choice." Yamada's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable pressure.
The three instantly shut up, their heads drooping.
Tengen sized up the three of them, stroked his chin for a moment, and his eyes lit up. "It's not flamboyant enough, but it'll do. Fine, these three brats it is."
With the candidates settled, Tengen looked at Yamada and asked tentatively, "The waters in Yoshiwara are deep. Even my three excellent wives fell. It's likely a tough customer from the Twelve Kizuki. Yamada-san, I wonder if you're interested in making a flamboyant scene there?"
If it were the old Sound Hashira, he would never have lowered himself to ask for help. But after witnessing Yamada's overwhelming combat power and hearing the intel that Muzan might send Upper Ranks for revenge at any time, he knew very well that having Yamada along was like having a life-saving talisman.
"Of course."
Yamada turned and walked toward the corridor. "I've been eyeing an Upper Rank's head for quite some time."