Chapter 46 Iwakatsu, the Six-Eyed Demon, Forcibly Fed Blood to the Song Demon...
After running at high speed with the Kasugai Crow for half an hour, I arrived at a small hill. At this time, the bright moon hung high in the night sky, and its silvery light shone on the earth, allowing me to see everything on the hill clearly, including Tsugikuni Iwakatsu, who had become a six-eyed demon.
He sat on a fallen tree trunk, clutching his sword. His six eyes stared coldly at me, devoid of any trace of the warmth he once possessed. It seemed that all ties had been severed the moment he became a ghost.
"She actually came. What a foolish woman."
Iwakatsu spoke in a deep, emotionless voice, clearly launching a personal attack. He used to speak to me so gently and politely, but has he become so aggressive since becoming a demon? It's all Muzan's fault!
I breathed heavily, trying to catch my breath as I demanded, "Iwakatsu! Why did you become a demon?! You promised to kill Muzan Kibutsuji! Why did you break your promise?!"
“I tried to kill Muzan, but I failed. As a demon king who survived from the Heian period, he was very strong. It was then that I realized that I had my limits, and only by becoming a demon could I possibly defeat Yoriichi.”
"So you're going to abandon humanity? For your ridiculous pride, to defeat Yoriichi who has always respected you, you're willing to become a man-eating monster?! Did you call me here because you want to eat me too?!"
I shouted angrily, feeling particularly heartbroken for Yan Sheng who had fallen into demonhood. I thought that changing his fate of not living past twenty-five would allow Yan Sheng to live an upright life, but in the end, nothing changed. He still chose to become a man-eating demon.
The six-eyed demon in front of me stood up, its sharp gaze coldly looking down at me. It slowly drew its silver Nichirin Blade, "Since you guessed it, why did you come here to die? Do you want to be eaten by me that badly?"
"Because I want to save you! Even though you've carelessly abandoned our friendship, you're still my most important friend! I'll pull you back no matter what!"
I shouted as if making a vow: Since I have already decided on Iwakatsu just as my brother decided on Sasuke, I absolutely cannot give up on him! This is my ninja way!
Iwakatsu paused for a moment, then chuckled, “What I hate most is that you keep saying I’m your most important friend, but then you turn around and hold Yoriichi’s hand to show me with your actions that he’s the most important person to you.”
I was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain. I couldn't just tell Iwakatsu directly that I considered him a friend and Yoriichi my boyfriend, could I? I felt that would only make Iwakatsu angrier!
It's all my fault. I shouldn't have used Naruto's way of making friends. He and Sasuke are both the same sex, so no matter how good he is to Hinata, Sasuke won't care. But it's different with Kokushibo and me. He was already full of resentment towards Yoriichi, so it's no wonder he felt dissatisfied when he saw how I treated him and Yoriichi differently.
No matter what, I absolutely cannot let Yan Sheng continue down this path of depravity. As long as I can stall until Yoriichi arrives, I can have him subdue Yan Sheng and imprison him temporarily. After that, I will quickly develop a medicine that can turn demons back into humans. As long as Yan Sheng becomes human again, everything from the past can be put aside.
Even if we can't delay it, we must at least not let Yan Sheng eat people. Once he commits the crime of cannibalism and crosses that line, he will completely lose the right to be a human being.
Fortunately, he had just transformed into a ghost and his body had not yet been tainted by the blood of those who had devoured people, so everything could be saved in time.
It was also thanks to his powerful swordsmanship, second only to Yoriichi in mastery of breathing techniques, that Kokushi was able to remain sober and not immediately hunt humans after ordinary people turned into demons. This was undoubtedly related to his Moon Breathing technique.
"How long are you going to stand there in a daze?"
With those cold words, Yan Sheng casually swung his sword, a sharp crescent blade flying past my ear, causing a strand of golden hair to fall gently.
"With the next strike, I will show no mercy. Let me see how far you can struggle!"
Iwakatsu's cold, deep voice made me forget my chaotic thoughts. I drew my Nichirin Blade and pointed it at him, saying with some regret, "I never thought that the first demon I would point this blade at would be you."
"You make the first move; consider it my final act of leniency towards you."
His words made me smile bitterly. Whether it was Moon Breathing or the techniques that matched it, they were all taught to me by Iwakatsu. I couldn't even struggle against him, let alone defeat him. No matter which form I used, he could easily break through it.
Fortunately, Iwakatsu's arrogance eventually gave me a chance to make a move. If I seize this opportunity, I might succeed.
I took a deep breath and used the Moon Breathing - Ninth Form: Descending Moon - Strike Face, which is the move that Iwakatsu had been watching me practice for an entire afternoon a few days ago.
The ninth form of Moon Breathing is most lethal when used with the Demon Blade. In the Future Infinity Castle arc, when Iwakatsu, who changed his name to Kokushibo, used it, it generated multiple intersecting blade winds. While sealing off the opponent's movements, it also generated countless sharp moon blades, making it truly ferocious.
The move I use with my Nichirin Blade now is naturally not as effective as it used to be. In particular, I am not proficient in the Ninth Form of Moon Breathing at all, and no matter how hard I try, I can only produce a few scattered moon blades.
I remember that day, Iwakatsu explained the key points of this move to me several times, but I just couldn't get it. Iwakatsu experienced firsthand the helplessness of a top student facing a poor student. He had to take several deep breaths before he could continue teaching. I really felt bad for him.
Yes, I used this tactic on purpose, to remind him of the wonderful times he had as a human being. If he lost focus for even a moment, I would have a chance to win.
As expected, Yan Sheng paused slightly upon seeing this familiar move, revealing a fleeting opening. I seized this opportunity and used the Naraku-sight technique with one hand seal, forcing him to see the image he feared most, thus inflicting a psychological blow.
This is the only ninjutsu I can use right now. As a doctor specially hired by the Demon Slayer Corps, I have to use medical ninjutsu again and again in order to treat the Demon Slayer Corps members who are always seriously injured. After three years of insufficient chakra expenditure, the Yin Seal on my forehead disappeared a month ago. Now, after using the Naraku Sight Technique, I have exhausted all my chakra and will not be able to use ninjutsu for a while.
But that doesn't matter anymore. I've already won as long as I've successfully trapped Yan Sheng in an illusion.
I took out the medicine I had prepared to prevent demons from eating people, and directly stabbed Yan Sheng with the syringe. As long as I injected the medicine into his body, I could retreat. It wouldn't be too late to find him again after I developed a medicine that could turn demons into humans.
Just as I was about to pierce the needle into Iwakatsu's body, the Iwakatsu in the illusion suddenly moved, swinging his sword to unleash Moon Breathing: Sixth Form, Eternal Night Lonely Moon: Mugen. Accompanied by a fierce blade wind, the sharp moon blade slashed at me, directly injuring me severely.
I was sent flying by a sword and crashed heavily into a big tree, my body covered in blood from the several cuts inflicted by the moon blade.
Knowing I was about to die, I was utterly lost. I never imagined my journey would end here. Although leaving this body would allow me to return to Konoha, it was truly pathetic. I spoke arrogantly and boasted, but in the end, no one could save me.
Yan Sheng had already broken free from the illusion. He was slightly taken aback when he saw my miserable appearance, but then he was provoked by the blood on my body and bared his fangs.
He strode up to me and squatted down, his six eyes coldly staring at me as if considering how to eat me. Perhaps it was his first time eating a human and he didn't know how to begin.
I stabbed Yan Sheng with the syringe again, making a last-ditch effort to save him, but I failed. Yan Sheng easily snatched the syringe from my hand, and with just a gentle squeeze, nothing could stop him from eating people.
Utterly defeated, I laboriously reached out and gently touched Yan Sheng's almost unrecognizable, six-eyed, grotesque face, tears welling in my eyes, and said, "...I lost...I'm sorry...I couldn't save you..."
I don't blame Kokushibo. Sasuke once wanted to kill his brother, but his brother never blamed him and still wanted to save Sasuke. Since they are considered friends, we can't give up on this friendship no matter what.
Iwakatsu grabbed my hand and stared at me without saying a word. I felt my body getting colder and colder, and it hurt so much. Why hasn't Yoriichi come yet? I wanted to see him one last time.
Lost in thought, I saw Yan Sheng slowly approach me and say with difficulty, "...Can...we eat...after I die?"
"You really think I'd eat you?" Yan Sheng finally spoke, but unlike his previous coldness, he directly pierced his arm with the syringe, injecting the medicine into his body.
I could hardly believe my eyes. Yan Sheng had seen my experiment; he should know very well that the liquid inside would prevent the demon from eating people. Why would he inject this medicine again? Did he not want to become stronger? Or did he not want to eat people in the first place, and even suppress his desire to become stronger for this reason?
So why did he become a ghost? Was it simply because of his superhuman physique? That's a possibility.
Yan Sheng didn't explain his actions. He reached out and pressed my head close to his six-eyed face. "Are you scared? Scared of how ugly I am?"
[I'm not scared, but my trypophobia is about to flare up.]
I was drifting off into a hazy state, my consciousness fading away. It seemed I really had to go back to Konoha. I hoped I could make it to my brother's wedding.
"It's okay to be scared, you'll just have to keep watching." Yan Sheng said to himself, then lowered his head and kissed me directly, leaving me completely stunned, having suddenly lost my first kiss. What was going on?!
The next moment, the taste of blood filled my mouth. Realizing that Iwakatsu had bitten his tongue and fed me demon blood, I immediately struggled desperately, resisting becoming a demon. But Iwakatsu forcefully held me down and continued to feed me demon blood. Soon, my body felt like it was burning, and intense pain swept through my entire body, plunging me into extreme agony…
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