"Yes, my lord."
Kamado Takeo inclined his head slightly. "I must also thank you for your full support. Without your introductions and assistance, I could never have accomplished my goal."
"I beg your pardon, my lord," Kocho Shinobu suddenly interjected, raising her hand. "While you may know the circumstances, we, too, would like to understand why Kamado-kun has been unable to attend the last several Pillar etings."
The Pillar eting was crucial. On the one hand, it confird that all the Hashira were safe. On the other, it allowed them to exchange intelligence and coordinate in their search for Muzan Kibutsuji.
Yet since becoming the Wolf Hashira, Takeo had scarcely fulfilled his duties outside of the battle with an Upper Rank. Even the region he was ant to guard seed to have been reassigned to others.
No one knew where he had gone or what he had been doing.
Whether this was a minor matter or a serious one, at the very least, the others deserved to know why he had been absent.
If there had been unavoidable reasons, the Hashira could understand.
Kagaya did not answer imdiately. Instead, he turned his face toward Takeo once more.
"I believe it would be best if you explained this yourself, Takeo-kun. Could you tell everyone the reason?"
"It's fine. I have no intention of hiding this from my comrades."
As Takeo spoke, he rose to his feet and stepped forward, facing the others.
"You all know I possess an extraordinary regenerative ability."
The Hashira gave no reply, waiting for him to continue.
"But what you don't know," Takeo went on, "is that in addition to my recovery, I also possess six sharp bone spurs in each hand. They can extend at will to strike at an enemy… But against demons, they are useless."
"So what exactly are you trying to say? Enough talking in circles—just get to the point!" Sanemi snapped, impatience plain in his voice.
Takeo cast him a brief glance but offered no retort.
Instead, he raised both hands, fists clenched and held before his chest.
A few seconds later—under the astonished gazes of the Hashira— Swoosh!
Six gleaming tal bone spurs slowly extended from between his fingers.
They pierced through his skin, shining in the sunlight, each blade radiating a cold, rciless glint.
After displaying the spurs, Takeo continued, his tone calm.
"So, I spent so ti transforming my bone spurs into Nichirin steel. From now on, no matter the situation, I will always have a ans to harm demons."
The courtyard fell silent.
The sight of those gleaming tal claws, their edges reflecting the sunlight, left every Hashira wordless.
To forge one's very bones into blades—not only was it a feat of impossible technical skill, but the process itself must have involved unimaginable pain.
Upon seeing this, the Love Hashira, Kanroji Mitsuri, nearly burst into tears. Looking at the red-haired boy—so much younger than herself, soone she regarded like a younger brother—she asked in a trembling voice: "Didn't it… hurt?"
Takeo didn't answer right away. Instead, he quietly retracted the tal bone spurs, ran his hand over the place where they had erged, and replied in a low voice:
"Now, it doesn't hurt."
At the beginning, it had been agonizingly painful.
Takeo was referring to the ti when he underwent pain training within his consciousness space.
The Wolf was a seasoned ninja, capable of inflicting every kind of punishnt imaginable on him.
Takeo had once believed that sheer willpower and a clear goal would be enough to endure any form of tornt.
But the reality was that he had vastly overestimated himself.
He couldn't endure it.
Even when it was nothing but raw, searing pain, Takeo could last only so long. And when the Wolf added humiliation and other layered punishnts, his endurance crumbled even faster.
After all, Takeo wasn't truly undergoing ninja training—he was simply trying to accustom himself to pain. The Wolf's role was to help him adapt, not to forge him into an assassin.
It took months before Takeo finally grew accustod to it.
But thanks to the Wolf, he reached the point where he could drive his bone spur into molten iron without so much as a change in expression.
Once he was certain he could withstand the agony of molten tal searing into his bones, Takeo wasted no ti. He wrote imdiately to Ubuyashiki Kagaya, explaining his intentions.
Kagaya had expressed his concerns at first, but in the end, he agreed to help.
The Ubuyashiki family possessed both wealth and influence throughout Japan, and with those connections, Takeo was granted the opportunity to visit the steel mills one by one.
At last, in a highly Westernized factory, Takeo discovered a thod to inject molten iron into his bone spurs.
The process had taken an extrely long ti.
Even after learning the thod, Takeo spent months confirming whether it could truly succeed.
It was only a month ago that he finally succeeded—his claws had been reforged into tal.
Though not as strong as adamantium, the alloy was more than enough to kill demons. Even against the neck of an Upper Rank, Takeo now felt confident he could sever it.
The only condition was that the Upper Rank did not evade the strike.
Now that the others understood the reason for his absence, no one raised further objections.
The Pillar eting continued. They discussed the upcoming Final Selection, and afterward the gathering dispersed.
Once the eting ended, Sanemi Shinazugawa approached Takeo directly and said bluntly:
"Hey, Kamado! Do you have a minute?"
Takeo turned to him. "Well, Mr. Shinazugawa… is there sothing you need?"
Since becoming a Hashira, Takeo had only ford connections with a handful of others: Muichiro, Kyojuro, Mitsuri, Shinobu Kocho, and Tomioka Giyu.
As for the rest, his interactions with them were minimal.
And to be honest, Takeo's first impressions of those few were not particularly good. By "good," he didn't an likability, but rather how difficult they were to get along with.
The Stone Hashira was always moved to tears, and whenever Takeo spoke to him, he worried that a careless word might make him cry again.
The Serpent Hashira… for so reason, he seed displeased with Takeo. But after noticing his particular way of treating the Love Hashira, Takeo understood sowhat, and so he deliberately kept his distance—especially avoiding getting too close to Mitsuri in front of him.
The Sound Hashira… Takeo had heard he had three wives, which made him a little jealous... ehm..
On top of that, his flamboyance was overwhelming. Since Takeo now thought of himself as soone who belonged in the shadows, he was uncomfortable around such brilliance, and thus stayed away from him as well.
As for the Wind Hashira, there was no need to elaborate. Takeo avoided him simply because the man was short-tempered and easily angered.
His voice was also loud—but not in the warm, uplifting way of Kyojuro's booming tone. Rather, it was the kind of loudness that grated on the ears, harsh and botherso.
Takeo had grown to prefer peace and quiet, so he disliked the Wind Hashira all the more.
That said, Takeo was never lacking in manners. Whenever he t any of them, he greeted them respectfully with "Mr," and there had never been any incident of him offending them.
At least… I'm not like Tomioka, who seems to be disliked by everyone… probably.
There was no conflict, but also no real connection between them. Which was why Takeo was puzzled when the Wind Hashira suddenly ca looking for him.
Sanemi Shinazugawa wasted no words.
"Fight ! I want to see how strong you are—to have survived Upper Rank One."
"I refuse," Takeo answered without hesitation. "It's aningless."
Reviews
All reviews (0)