"Lord Muzan, is something amiss?" A pale woman with a grayish complexion, her sharp, blue-stained nails contrasting against notably red lips, inquired. Her shiny, hip-length hair cascaded in dark brown waves down her back, framing her face with chin-length strands and long bangs that veiled her large eyes.

Clad in a plain black kimono with a muted white lining, secured by a striped pale brown-striped obi, she held a four-stringed wooden Biwa with a large bachi in hand.

"Yes," responded a tall man with a lean, unnaturally pale complexion that could easily be mistaken for sickness. His curly black hair framed sharp, almond-shaped eyes of a plum-red hue, cat-like in appearance. With sharp, blue nails adorning his hands, he appeared to be in his twenties.

"Summon the Lower Kizuki," he commanded, and the woman complied without question.

Four doors opened as she played the biwa, and four figures were thrown before Muzan.

A slender young man in his mid-twenties with a medium build and ringed blue eyes, the kanji for Lower One etched into his left iris.

A boy of short stature and milky white skin, with red dots marking his face and light pink hair resembling spider legs. The kanji for Lower Five adorned his left eye.

Then a woman draped in flowing robes that seemed to dance even without wind. Her eyes gleamed like storm-laden clouds, and whispers trailed in her wake. Etched into her eyes was the kanji for Lower Three.

Lastly, a male figure whose only striking feature was his eyes, bearing the kanji for Lower Six.

They all prostrated as they saw Muzan.

"Lord Muzan, where are Lord Haruka and Lord Umiakane?" the young-looking demon asked.

"That's precisely why I've summoned you. They've been killed," Muzan declared, unsettling Lower Six.

"To dispatch Lord Haruka is one thing, but Umiakane... She was just an annoyance," remarked Lower Three.

"Don't be disrespectful, Lord Azura. Despite her quirks, Umiakane had her merits. If only you could understand her," defended Lower Six.

"You only say that because you're too eager to curry favor with your superiors, Nanami," the younger demon retorted.

"Enough with your incessant bickering," Muzan interjected, annoyance evident in his voice as they fell silent.

"Now, onto the matter at hand. Both of them were slain by a single demon slayer present at both incidents," Muzan explained.

"I fully comprehend your intentions, my lord," said Lower One, a hint of drool escaping his mouth.

"Oh, do you know?" Muzan questioned. "Yes! You wish for us to eliminate him and eradicate his entire bloodline until they are naught but a forgotten memory, a foolish attempt to stand in the way of your ascension to godhood!" Lower One exclaimed eagerly.

"Wrong. I want the exact opposite," Muzan declared, causing Lower One to halt mid-sentence.

"What?!" All four of them exclaimed in unison. "Indeed. He has a flee-on-sight order," Muzan clarified,

"Why? he can't be so strong you want us to flee at the sight of him?" The young demon asked.

"You do not question my orders, Rui," Muzan's voice cut through the tension, reprimanding the younger demon.

"Now, it's time to elevate your rank," Muzan declared, eliciting a gleam of excitement from Nanami.

Three fleshy tangents appeared and stabbed into Azura, Rui, and Nanami.

The chamber echoed with agonizing screams, a chorus of men, women, and children in torment, abruptly silenced. Azura's eyes widened in dread as Muzan approached, his gaze fixed on her eye marked with the numeral Three. With a swift motion, he tore it from her socket, casting it to the ground and crushing it beneath his heel. In its place, a new eye emerged, now branded with the mark of Two.

Next, Muzan turned to Rui, who convulsed on the floor in spasms of pain. With a cold detachment, Muzan plucked out Rui's eye, replacing it with one etched with the number Three.

Then, Muzan's attention shifted to Nanami, whose convulsions seemed even more severe than Rui's. He emitted a gurgling sound, as if his body was struggling to process the agony, yet his demeanor remained resolute, as if determined not to waste a drop of blood. Undeterred by the sight, Muzan removed Nanami's eye, but unlike the others, it did not immediately regenerate. After a tense moment, a new eye grew back,

With a nod to Nakime, Muzan signaled for her to play her biwa, and in an instant, all the lower moons vanished.

"Summon Akaza and Doma," Muzan commanded as two doors swung open, and two figures dropped from them.

A muscular young man of average height, possessed skin so fair it seemed to radiate a faint greenish-white hue, adorned with thick blue lines reminiscent of criminal tattoos. His bright pink hair framed his head in short, fluffy waves, while his yellow eyes, with pink lashes and blue sclera resembling cracked glass, held an intense gaze. The kanji for "Upper Rank" and "Three" were etched into his irises.

"What can-" He started, but his words trailed off as his gaze landed on a blond man with rainbow-colored eyes, also marked with the kanji for "Upper Rank" and "Two."

"'We' do for you, my lord?" The man continued with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Oh, Lord Akaza, it's been ages since I last saw you! I almost thought you'd met your end," the blond demon said, his excitement palpable.

"And I was hoping you had," Akaza retorted, annoyance evident in his voice. "Now, don't be like that, Lord Akaza~," the blond demon sang, undeterred by Akaza's reaction.

"Would you two stop your incessant bickering?" Muzan interrupted, his tone tinged with irritation. "My apologies, my lord," Akaza responded.

"Lord Muzan, where are the others? Don't tell me everyone except me and Lord Akaza?" the blond demon, now known as Doma, questioned.

"Doma, don't get ahead of yourself. The reason you two are here is because Lower Two and Lower Four have been killed," Muzan explained to Doma and Akaza.

"Lord Haruka and Lord Umiakane have been killed?" Doma exclaimed. "You have my sincerest apologies!"

"Since I was the one who brought Haruka in."

"How can I atone for this embarrassment?"

"Shall I... gouge out my eyeballs? And if I remember correctly, Lord Akaza brought Lord Umiakane in, so shall I gouge out his eye as well?" Doma asked, his tone laced with playful desperation.

"I do not need either of your wretched eyeballs," Muzan said with thinly veiled disgust in his voice. "And Doma, just because you couldn't find the Blue Spider Lily doesn't mean experimenting would help escape my wrath," Muzan said, slamming one of the walls, shattering it.

"Well... It resulted in a powerful demon, so was it really a bad decision?" Doma asked, prompting Akaza to fight the urge to slam Doma's face into the floor for his stupidity.

"Doma... You gave my blood. MY BLOOD TO A RACHIDEA OWL!" Muzan shouted, slamming Doma's face into the floor, destroying it, along with the upper half of Doma.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Akaza gave a small smile at Doma's pain.

Muzan took a long sigh before continuing, "If it wasn't for the most outrageous coincidence, I might have killed you for it."

"My lord, it wasn't that bad..." Akaza almost clapped at the bravery, or more likely, stupidity of Doma to say that.

"It wasn't that bad. IT WASN'T THAT BAD!" Muzan roared, slamming his foot into Doma, shattering him again.

"If a demon slayer had found that owl and brought it to Ubuyashiki, it would have been a disaster! And if not for a starving human who found the owl and ate it," Muzan said, rubbing his head.

"And Akaza..." Muzan said, looking at Akaza. "You didn't make as big of a mistake as Doma, at least. But turning a human because you felt empathy for her is not an excuse," Muzan said, standing in front of Akaza. "I can expect something like this from Doma, but you, Akaza... I'm disappointed."

"You shouldn't feel anything, Akaza," Muzan said, stabbing his finger into Akaza's forehead. Akaza gave a short groan from the pain and went silent.

"The only thing I want you to use that head of yours for is to think rationally and logically."

"There, I've given you some of my blood. Go find a suitable Lower Five," Muzan ordered as Akaza disappeared.

"Now, Doma. It's time for you to be useful for once," Muzan said, looking at Doma, who had fully regenerated from Muzan's earlier assault.

"And how would I do that, my lord?" Doma asked cautiously.

"You're the most emotional demon that I Unfortunately have to trust," Muzan said.

"And that's a bad thing?" Doma inquired.

Muzan just stared at him, his expression conveying his annoyance.

-At a village to the north-

"Sir, please stay in your bed!" A nurse pleaded, attempting to drag Sasori back onto the bed. "I told you, I'm fine," Sasori insisted, resisting her efforts. "Sir, Please stay in your bed," she persisted, determined to get Sasori back into bed.

"We should be leaving," Gyomei suggested, standing up. "Sir, sit in the bed. You are still injured," the nurse urged, beginning to sound desperate.

"We should find a Kakushi," Muichiro chimed in, starting to sit up. "Sir, you have the worst injuries of everyone here. Please, just eat a cookie and take a nap or something!" she exclaimed, offering a plate of cookies to Muichiro.

"Fear not, for we are here!" Rengoku announced, bursting through the door with Shinobu on his back, carrying a large bag. "AHHHHH!" the nurse screamed in surprise at Rengoku's entrance.

"Oh hi, Sasori," Shinobu greeted, waving at him. "What are you two doing here?" Gyomei inquired. "Heard you two fought a Lower Moon, just came to check on you," Shinobu explained, walking up to them as Rengoku helped himself to some cookies.

"Visitors aren't allowed right now," the nurse reminded them, still wary of approaching Rengoku.

"Don't worry, I'm a doctor and he is my assistant," Shinobu reassured her. "Wait, you're Miss Kocho?" the nurse asked, surprised. "Yep," Shinobu confirmed. "Oh, okay. Well, do you need anything?" she offered. "No, thanks," Shinobu declined, pulling three syringes from the bag.

"What exactly do you need those for?" Sasori asked, confused about what blood had to do with water pressure.

"You know, blood pressure," Shinobu replied matter-of-factly, making Sasori raise an eyebrow "I don't think blood pressure has anything to do with water pressure." Gyomei said, "What is a. Blood pressure?" Muichrio asked.

"Hey, who is the doctor here?" Shinobu asked, "Who?" Muichrio asked Shinobus Exprasen did not change and ignored what Muichiro said.

"Anyways, Sasori, you're up first," Shinobu said, seating Sasori and rolling up his cloak.

"Yeah, that's not going to work," Sasori remarked as Shinobu grabbed a syringe. "Oh, and how exactly is it 'not going to work'?" she asked, as she attempted to stab the syringe into Sasori's skin, but it didn't penetrate. Shinobu looked confused and tried again, this time with a bit more force, but the needle broke, leaving her puzzled.

Shinobu looked at the broken needle with confusion. "You've got... strong skin," she remarked.

"Here, let me try," Rengoku offered, grabbing another syringe and stabbing Sasori's arm with a bit more force, but once again, the moment the needle met Sasori's skin, it broke.

"Let me try again," Rengoku insisted, grabbing yet another syringe. "I'm telling you, it's not gonna work," Sasori protested, but Rengoku ignored him and stabbed him again, only for the entire syringe to break this time.

"Everyone stood there in silence for several seconds until Muichiro broke it. "Okay, what the hell is your skin made of?" he asked, as Rengoku and Gyomei exclaimed, "Langage!"

"You know, wood, clay, and steel," Sasori answered with a casual tone, taking enjoyment out of their bewildered faces. Dying three times made him enjoy the little things in life and made him appreciate life a bit more wen.

'Pack, pack, pack!' They noticed a crow abrasively pecking at the window. "You get out," Shinobu said to the nurse, who promptly left.

Rengoku went to the window and opened it. The crow flew over them and perched on Sasori's head, continuing to peck. "What did I tell you?" Aki asked annoyed.

"Take a break from killing demons," Sasori answered. "And what did you do?" Aki pressed.

"Killed a lower moon," Sasori replied casually.

"Why couldn't you let the Hashira handle it?!" She asked, still annoyed.

"If it weren't for me, they wouldn't have reached the demon," Sasori explained. "He's telling the truth," Muichiro chimed in, causing Aki to calm down. "At least you're fine," she added.

"I'm surprised you remember what happened, younger Muichiro," Gyomei remarked. "I don't forget everything. I still remember the comment Swallow made when she was angry," Muichiro said.

"Shinobu angry? Not possible. Even if she was mad, who or what would she be mad about?" Rengoku pondered. "I remember one time the decorative object made her angry at him, and she said—" Shinobu swiftly took a cookie from Rengoku and shoved it into Muichiro's mouth, slipping a couple of thousand yen into his pockets.

"Actually, I don't remember anything," Muichiro mumbled through the cookie. "Don't you get paid as much as you want? How do you get bribed that easily?" Aki asked incredulously. "You do?" Sasori interjected.

"Yep, you can get paid as much as you want when you're a Hashira. I would do it for free, but my father requires alcohol money," Rengoku explained.

"Rengoku, you actively pay for your father's alcoholism?" Shinobu questioned. "Yes, of course, he's my father after all," Rengoku replied.

Everyone was looking at Rengoku, most with concern, except Sasori. He wasn't going to judge a man's alcoholism. He remembered when he was a child, he found his grandmother's alcohol shelf and drank all of it. Needless to say, he got a good scolding from Granny Chio when he became sober.

"Since you don't want to take a break, I've got another mission for you," Aki said. "Alright, where to?" Sasori asked. "Actually, I was hoping to get Sasori to go on a specific mission," Shinobu interjected. "What kind of mission?" Sasori inquired.

"There has been a concerning amount of slayers missing after going to Mount Natagumo. So, Hashiras are being sent to investigate because it could be one of the Twelve Kizuki. I was going to go with Rengoku since he dropped all the missions on Giyu to get here," Shinobu explained.

"And since you seem to have a knack for helping to kill Lower Moons, you're going with me," she added. "Hmmm, okay," Sasori said. "When will we leave?" he asked. "We will leave in the afternoon," Shinobu replied before leaving.

"Where are you going?" Sasori asked as Shinobu departed. "I need to do something, meet me at the gate," she said, disappearing.

"Don't you think it's a bit reckless to go after another Lower Moon after fighting a Lower Moon?" Gyomei questioned. "I can handle it," Sasori assured, leaving. "What a weird puppet," Muichiro remarked. "Puppet?" Rengoku inquired.

"Yeah, he controls humanoid puppets," Muichiro explained. "Who are you, and what did you do with young Muichiro?" Gyomei joked, causing Rengoku to laugh. "I don't get it," Muichiro said.

Meanwhile, Shinobu entered a dodgy-looking building and opened the first door to her left. The lights were turned off, except for one light that only revealed a shadowy figure.

"Did you get it?" the shadowy figure asked. "No," Shinobu simply stated.

"What? What do you mean no?" he asked confusion in his voice.

"He had tough skin. Anyway, Uzui, turn the lights on," Shinobu instructed as the lights turned on, revealing Uzui, who was accompanied by a wary, muscular rat.

"What do you mean he had tough skin?" Uzui inquired. "It's as I said," Shinobu replied, emptying the bag that carried the broken syringes. "Damn it! Now how are we going to find out if he is related to me?" Uzui lamented.

"Why don't you just ask him?" Shinobu suggested. "I can't. He will probably try to kill me if I bring up my family," Uzui explained.

"Anyway, where is Rengoku?" Uzui asked. "He stayed back to talk to Muichiro and Gyomei," Shinobu answered. "Anyways, I've got some good news," she added, piquing Uzui's interest. "What is it?" he asked eagerly.

"I'm going on a mission with him, and if his fighting style is similar to yours, he is probably related to you," Shinobu said, making Uzui nod in approval.

"I hate to say this, but his fighting style is nowhere near how you fight," Rengoku interjected as he entered through the door. "Oh yeah? How did you figure that out?" Shinobu asked. "I asked younger Muichiro. He said Sasori fights using puppets," Rengoku informed.

"Wait, rewind. Muichiro remembered something?" Uzui asked, sounding as if a miracle had happened. "Surprised us too," Rengoku said.

"Anyway, we're trying to figure out if Sasori is your cousin or uncle, right?" Rengoku clarified. "The crazy part is, he is probably old enough to be your uncle," Shinobu added. "How old would he be? Twelve?" Rengoku joked.

"I mean, I was an uncle when I was fourteen, so it's possible," Uzui said. "You're an uncle? Why haven't you told me?" Rengoku asked. "Probably because my nephew died," Uzui replied. "Sorry," Rengoku said sympathetically. "Don't be sorry; it wasn't your fault," Uzui reassured, as they shared a meaningful gaze.

"Not that I mind the bromance, but Sasori uses puppets to fight?" Shinobu interrupted. "Yeah, young Muichiro said he used several puppets to fight off an entire army of demons," Rengoku confirmed.

"Well, that's one way to use his ability," Uzui said, reflecting on Sasori's unique combat style.

Shinobu nodded in agreement. "Indeed, it's quite an unconventional approach," she remarked, considering the implications of Sasori's puppetry in battle.

Rengoku crossed his arms, a contemplative expression on his face. "It's certainly a unique skill set. We'll have to see how it plays out on the mission," he commented.

"Wait, does he only fight with puppets?" Shinobu asked, her curiosity piqued.

"No, at the beginning of the fight, he didn't use the puppets," Rengoku clarified.

"Then we still have a chance of him having a similar fighting style to you," Shinobu remarked, beginning to walk away.

"Hey, umm, thank you two for helping me out. You two are some of the flashiest people I have met," Uzui said gratefully.

"Don't mention it!" Rengoku replied with a grin, while Shinobu simply gave a small smile and chuckled before waking away.