Headquarters
=- Shinjuro Rengoku
“Where is this slayer?” Shinjuro asks loudly. He stands alone at the meeting point for the mission.
It is a large forest shrouded in fog. It's the afternoon, but you can't see the sun through the fog and trees.
Rengoku is supposed to meet with another demon hunter and fight the supposed Lower Moon. Why does he need someone else to do this? No idea.
He hears quick footsteps in the distance. It's a child. Maybe his eldest son's age. The child wears the troop uniform, a two-tone haori and a fox mask.
The child remains in front of him at a respectful distance. He bows slightly and says. “My name is Giyuu Tomioka. I apologize for the delay.”
He's definitely more respectful than most, Shinjuro reflects. “Did you receive the details of the mission?”
"I was told to meet with the Flame Hashira to fight a Lower Moon," Tomioka replies.
“Then let’s go look for the Lower Moon now. He should be active in this area,” he explains to the boy.
Rengoku runs forward in one direction and the other hunter easily follows. After a short while of racing, both of them come across a large lake. Shinjuro stops, Tomioka behind him follows suit.
“Do you have your crow with you?” asks Rengoku. "Yes, sir."
“We'll split up from here. If you find the moon, you will send your crow to me,” he orders. “Understood.” Contrary to Tomioka.
“You go around the lake on the left and I go on the right.” The boy nods briefly and runs off. Without caring, Shinjuro runs off too.
He has now explored a quarter of the lake. Every now and then he had the feeling that he was being watched, he always stopped briefly, looked around and continued running.
Suddenly he hears a croaking from far away. He turns around and sees a crow flying towards him.
“Tomioka met a demon on the other half of the lake,” the crow caws, completely out of breath. “The demon has the number four in its eye.”
When he heard that he ran as fast as he could. As a pillar, it is his job to take care of these demons. He doesn't believe that a 13 year old can take down a Lower Moon.
He hears an explosion in the distance. He picks up the pace.
=- Giyuu POV
Giyuu has just encountered the Lower Moon that was reported. The demon looks damn ugly, according to Tomioka's taste. So not as ugly as the hand demon, but ugly.
Lower number four, he notes. I sent Kanzaburo about five minutes ago. He should be with the Hashira soon.
The demon is walking on the water of the lake, he hasn't noticed Giyuu through the fog yet.
Giyuu slowly walks towards the water. He puts his hand to his sword so he can draw it quickly and runs towards the demon. He concentrates his chakra and enters the water.
The demon hears him through the sounds on the water. It has the shape of a normal human, with the difference that it is completely covered in mud. His hair looks like seaweed, his teeth hang out and his legs have grown together.
“Well hello, treat. Haven’t you already sent enough cannon fodder?” the demon mocks.
Giyuu places his hand on his wrist and two kunais appear in his hand. He throws the kunais at the lower moon and hits the upper right arm, leaving it hanging limp. He repeats this process with the other arm.
Giyuu draws his sword and prepares to deliver the final blow. “Blood demon art, dried mud,” screams the demon.
He throws the mud from his arm towards Giyuu. The mud hardens into sharp blades of literally dried mud.
Under the mask Tomioka activates his Sharingan. He dodges the arrows that are fired at him and steps back a little, but a few arrows still hit him. “Well, scared yet?!” mocks the demon.
Giyuu doesn't answer. The Hashira should be here in about six minutes, he thinks. He dodges more shots and takes a step back.
He places his mask so that his mouth can be seen. He forms finger signs. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu."
A large fireball flies towards the demon and hits him directly. Water vapor arises through the water and mixes with the mist.
If I'm right, and I usually am. Then should..., he lets his thoughts wander further while the water vapor mixes with the fog and clears again so that you can see something.
The demon is shown and he stands there completely still. The mud has hardened due to the heat.
"What? “How did you do that?” says the demon, stuttering. Giyuu immediately runs and draws his sword. "Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust."
The demon stares at the hunter with fear in his eyes, unable to move. The sword is getting closer and closer to his neck. It slides perfectly through the neck and the head is separated from the rest of the body.
Giyuu puts the sword back into its sheath after he is sure the demon has been beheaded. He stops briefly in front of the decomposing body and then runs back to the bank. On the way back he puts his mask back on properly.
Just as he reaches the shore he sees the striking cloak of the Fire Hahsira. He runs straight towards him and stops in front of Giyuu.
=- Shinjuro Rengoku
“Where is the demon?” he asks with his hand on his sword.
“I saw the demon walking around here and fought it,” explains Tomioka. “He’s beheaded now.”
The Hashira looks at the boy with a rather unbelievable look. “You beheaded him?” Tomioka nods. “Lower Moon Number 4?” The boy nods again.
“I understand,” Rengoku says. “I can introduce you to the master. You now have the opportunity to reach the rank of Hashira.”
The boy thinks for a moment, but then answers the column, much to his surprise. “I don’t feel ready to take on this status yet. But thank you very much for the offer.”
"I understand. Tell me, how old are you?” asks the older one. “Thirteen,” Tomioka replies simply.
He's a year older than Kyojuro, he notes. “Apparently you were injured. Go to the nearest Wisteria House and get treated. I’ll take the report.”
"Understood. Have a nice day,” says the younger one while bowing slightly.
Before the boy can start running, Rengoku says. “There has always been a flame pillar and a water pillar. The water piller space is currently vacant, so maybe think about the offer again in two or three years.”
The boy nods, follows his crow and disappears. Rengoku also heads in that direction. Only he goes towards his residence to his wife and children.
=- Giyuu POV
Strangely enough, this was particularly easy. That was the lower four? That was weak. I imagined the higher ranks to be stronger. On the other hand, Hinokami said the Lower Moons are dying like flies. With Giyuu's brain in overdrive from the simple fight, he runs after Kanzaburo.
The sun has recently risen and Giyuu can already see the house in the distance. He slows down a little so that his partially bandaged wounds don't open any further.
After two days of rest, Kanzaburo comes flying through the window with a letter in his claws. Before Giyuu thinks about accepting the letter, he gets a small bowl of water that he has in the room for the two birds and places it in front of the crow.
While the old crow catches his breath, Giyuu opens the letter.
Dear Giyuu Tomioka.
I heard about your victory over the lower number four. I invite you to the Corps Headquarters because I would like to meet you personally and thank you. Your crow will show you the way and a Kakushi will intercept you.
-Kagaya Ubuyashiki
The leader of the corps. Interesting, thinks Giyuu. He gets up from his seat and says goodbye to the mistress of the house.
After leaving the house, Kanzaburo flies off and Giyuu follows. As Giyuu follows the crow, he sees Farukon out of the corner of his eye.
I still have to speak to the god after this visit, he thinks.
=- Next day
It's early in the morning and Giyuu sees a person standing in the distance. He is dressed in black and wears a cloth over his face so that only his eyes can be seen.
I assume the Kakushi I'm supposed to meet, Giyuu assumes. He continues to approach the person.
“Hello, Giyuu Tomioka right?” asks the Kakushi. “Yes,” Giyuu replies.
“Then I ask you to push the mask aside so that I can blindfold you. This is for safety purposes only.”
Tomioka nods and moves his mask to the side of his head. The Kakushi steps forward and blindfolds him. “I still have to put some earplugs in for you.” Giyuu nods again.
“Then I will carry you on my back. They will be passed on to another Kakushi after a journey.”
Giyuu just frowns but nods again. He *climbs* onto the Kakushi's back and the Kakushi jogs off at a steady pace.
I don't know what to think of it, he thinks. The security system is good but I have now been carried by four people within 2 hours. And my sense of hearing and vision are impaired. For someone who is often on alert, this is damn annoying.
After another person he is finally put down and the blindfold and ear plugs are removed. After his eyes have adjusted to the now midday or almost afternoon sunlight, he looks around.
He is standing in front of a huge property. There is a large garden and a small pond. The floor is covered with pebbles. It has a beautiful and calming atmosphere. He slowly walks towards the covered terrace.
The Kakushi told me to knock on the door, Giyuu remembers. That's exactly what he does. “This is Giyuu Tomioka,” he says carefully.
“Come in,” says a calm voice.
Giyuu opens the door and steps in carefully. A teenager is sitting in the room. Maybe sixteen years old.
The teenager sits on a pillow, with another pillow in front of him. He briefly points to it with his open hand. Giyuu walks towards the second pillow. He sits down and waits for the person opposite to say something.
“Nice to meet you, my name is Kagaya Ubuyashiki. “I’m the head of the organization,” says Ubuyashiki.
Quite a young leader, Giyuu thinks. Now that he's sitting directly in front of him, he notices some kind of illness snaking down his forehead to his right eye.
He has shoulder-length black hair and wears a simple black kimono. He also wears a white, calf-length haori with a unique pattern of graduated flames in shades of purple and salmon pink that extend from the hem to halfway down the sleeves.
“It’s also nice to meet you.” Giyuu says in a respectful tone.
He looks weak. A Kage is expected to be strong. But this isn't a hidden village, it's an organization in another universe. So perhaps there will be other standards here too. I should ask the god later, he thinks.
“I thank you for your commitment to the corps. “Also for killing Lower moon Number Four.” thanks Ubuyashiki. “You can now assume Hashira status. The Fire Hashira has already told me about your rejection, but I still wanted to see you in person and ask if you were interested.”
“Thank you for the offer. But I don't feel ready for this responsibility yet. I'll let you know as soon as I feel safe." Giyuu informs him.
"Understand. Then you will advance to the rank of Kinoe until you are ready.” Giyuu just nods in response.
“Thank you for your visit and for taking the time to come here,” Ubuyashiki thanks him.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have another visitor coming soon.”
“I see,” Giyuu says. "Have a nice day."
He leans forward slightly and then stands up. Just as he is about to open the door there is a knock.
Giyuu stops dead in his tracks. Whoever is behind the door has an amazing presence.
“Come in.” Ubuyashiki speaks in the background.
The door opens and a huge man stands in front of him.
He is powerfully built, has spiky black hair and a noticeable scar running horizontally across his forehead. He has white eyes with no visible irises or pupils. The man wears the typical black and white uniform, with an olive green happi hanging over his shoulders. The Happi's collar frame contains the kanji for the Japanese Shin Buddha chant from top to bottom, along with the individual kanji throughout the back.
He's huge, thinks Giyuu when he looks at the man. And he is a Hashira. It has the same gold buttons as the Flame Hashira.
“Sorry,” Giyuu says, stepping aside so the man can walk past.
“Thank you very much,” says the giant. “Greetings, Oyakata-sama.” The giant walks towards the place where Giyuu was previously sitting.
“Hello, Gyomei.” Giyuu hears in the background before he closes the door and goes back to the entrance gate. There is another Kakushi there who picks him up and brings him back again.
After all the carrying around, Giyuu is finally back at the previous meeting point. Finally, he thinks to himself.
He goes in the opposite direction and waits until the Kakushi is gone. Kanzaburo stayed at headquarters to get a new mission. So Giyuu is alone. So alone with Farukon.
„Farukon." Giyuu shouts. The falcon sits on the arm as usual. „I want to talk to Hinokami.“
The dimension appears. The god stands before him as always. They greet each other and Giyuu reports everything that happened. The god listens carefully and asks questions in his calm voice.
“Congratulations on your success,” the god congratulates. „Do you plan to accept the position of Hashira?"
“I don't want to draw too much attention to myself. I almost got caught doing a jutsu and walking on water once,” he explains.
"I see," Hinokami says. “Do you have any questions?”
“Yes, I do. I had a visit with the leader of the organization. He's quite young and has some kind of illness, I think?"
“The Ubuyashiki family is distantly related to Muzan Kibutsuji. A curse has been placed on them. The men in the family do not live past 30 years of age. That’s why the leaders of the organization tend to be young,” explains the Fire God.
"I see," Giyuu says as he notices a crack in his mask. When did she get there? “Can you do me a favor?”
“What can I do for you?” asks the god with interest.
“My mask has a few cracks and is a bit battered from constant fighting. I like the design but I have to push it aside every time I use certain jutsus. Could you maybe change the mask a little so that the mouthpiece is gone?" explains Giyuu.
“Of course I can do that. Please hand it over.” the god stretches out his hand and Giyuu hands over the mask.
"Is there a reason why you don't ask your teacher?" Giyuu looks surprised for a moment but then answers. “I haven't had any contact with him again yet. I’ve written him a letter or two but haven’t visited him again yet.”
“I understand.” is the only thing the god says as he gives Giyuu the mask back.
The mask looks different now. The mouth is now missing. The eyes are outlined in black with a flame-like pattern. As before, there is the Uchiha clan symbol on the forehead. There are dark blue patterns next to the symbol and on the ears. Under the nose where the mouth would begin is a red flame pattern. Dark blue ribbons are attached to both sides of the mask. A little further down the threads hang loosely, there are also a few red threads inside. There is also a small bell attached to each side of the decorative ribbons. The silver bells have the pattern of his Mangekyou Sharingan.
"This mask won't break so quickly." Giyuu now holds his new mask in his hands.
It really feels more stable. But it looks more traditional than for combat. “Aren’t the bells a bit noticeable?”
“Move the mask,” says the god in a calm but amused voice.
Giyuu does as he is told. He shakes the mask and the only sound that comes is a very slight tinkling of the bells. If it wasn't mouse-quiet in that dimension you wouldn't have heard it.
"That's handy," Giyuu remarks as he puts on the mask. His eyes are still covered so that he can use his Sharingan without attracting attention.
“Thank you very much,” he says. “Goodbye then, see you next time.”
“Have a nice day.”
The dimension disappears again and Giyuu is back on the dirt path. He still has Farukon on his arms.
“Can you take me to the next village?” he asks the bird. Farukon flies off, Giyuu follows him.
=- Summary of the next 3 years
Giyuu does his missions as usual. Because he has risen in rank, he has more missions to complete, but he also definitely receives more salary than before.
Giyuu rarely uses the jutsus and his Sharingan. He also fought against other demons that had a Blood Demon Art, but he didn't need to use his Mangekyou Sharingan.
He also had a few missions with other members in between. One he was on a mission with was particularly noticeable. He had many scars. So really a lot of scars and oh god he had aggression problems. Giyuu wishes she would never work with him again.
He also continued to practice the new form of water breathing. It works well. He named it *Eleventh Form: Dead Calm*.
Of course, Giyuu also continued training his chakra.
=- End of summary
Now Giyuu is 16 years old, soon to be 17. He sent a letter to Ubuyashiki two days ago. This letter states that he is ready to accept the title of Water Hashira at any time.
Now he's just waiting for an answer. While he does this, he remains in the village that Farukon led him to after completing another mission.
Hopefully Kanzaburo hasn't disappeared again, thinks Giyuu. Shortly afterwards he hears a familiar croak coming towards the open window.
Speaking of the devil, Giyuu remarks as he brings the bowl of water and a small plate of grains to the crow. Farukon, who is also present, sits down next to the crow. Giyuu takes the letter from Kanzaburo and opens it.
Dear Tomioka,
I am pleased that you feel ready to accept the title of Water Hashira. Please follow your crow to a Kakushi. You will meet the other Hahsira after you arrive.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki
"Kanzaburo, as soon as you're ready we'll go," he says. It's only morning so there's still time.
After the bird has rested a bit and Giyuu has said goodbye to the owner of the inn, he sets off.
After a short while he runs into a Kakushi. "Giyuu Tomioka?" she asks. "Exactly."
“You know how it goes. Right?” Giyuu nods and puts his mask back to the side.
And here we go, he thinks without any anticipation.