Rating: T+

Pairing(s): Naruto/Nezuko; Tanjiro/Kanao; Sasuke/Sakura; Giyu/Shinobu

Genre: Romance; Horror; Action; Humoresque

Notes:

Hello everyone! Zancrow here!

This anime season has been honestly amazing, what with Vinland Saga, Astra: Lost In Space, and of course, Demon Slayer! So what better way to do a story with them than to combine them with my all time favorite anime / manga: Naruto! One thing to note: this crossover is being written as if both series take place at the same time in the same world, so I may have to push the limits of what is established in both canons just to make sense of it. Promise I'll try and keep things as in-character as I can!

So, if any of this interests you, do read on, and if you like what you see, please do not hesitate to share your thoughts with me with a lovely review! Thank You!

Liberties:

NARUTO: Takes place roughly six-months or so after Naruto left with Jiraiya after his fight with Sasuke. He is a little bit stronger than he was during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, but not much so. A far cry from his Shippuden self that's for sure. Same thing goes with any other Ninja that appears in this story.

DEMON SLAYER: Takes place a few days after a story arc in the manga involving a "moving vehicle". That said, in the case of Tanjiro, Nezuko, or any other Slayers, they are a bit more advanced in terms of plot and powers than where the anime is at currently, but do not worry, no manga spoilers will be found within this chapter.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto; or, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.

"That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons, even death may die."

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They had walked for what seemed like the entire day, from sunrise all the way to almost sunset, with little in terms of training or enjoyment to be found in between. Or rather, any training that he'd consider beneficial in any way at least. His master and trainer in the Shinobi Arts, the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya, had been very clear in his instructions to also train him in the legendary art of patience, something which had caused his young ward to loudly groan in disappointment.

The young ninja in training, the somewhat infamous knuckleheaded Naruto Uzumaki, wanted nothing more to get stronger, to get better; to learn more and more Jutsus so that he could get his life back on track to what it had been almost a year ago. Before the criminal known as Orochimaru had invaded and killed the closest thing most of them had to a grandfather. Before the evil organization known as the Akatsuki had entered his home village hell-bent on kidnapping him…

…Before his "best friend" had turned his back on all of them, joining one of their greatest enemies while leaving the blonde broken and beaten on the muddy ground as the rain washed away what was left of their bond.

Naruto violently shook his head, slapping his cheeks in an effort to push those thought out of his mind. It didn't help to sulk, it didn't help to be sad. He had his goals clear. Step One: Get Stronger! Step Two: Drag Sasuke back to the Village, avoiding his damn Chidori being a plus! Step Three: Become Hokage, the Leader of his Village and the greatest ninja to ever live!

There were possibly a few more steps that needed to be added in there, somewhere, but he was never one to care for planning.

Still, that did leave him with his current predicament. Even after having spent several months with the perverted Sannin, who was admittedly a very good teacher and an insanely powerful Shinobi in his own right, Naruto still felt that he ended up as a second fiddle whenever the man decided it was time for more of his "research".

And, if his time with the man had taught him anything, he was sure he could read the guy and know of his intentions before they even left Jiraiya's head. As such, Naruto, while walking down the dirt road with Jiraiya for what seemed like an eternity, was already prepared for the older man's "spontaneous idea" to prop up.

"Ah, now isn't that a refreshing smell and sight!" Jiraiya mused as he stretched out his arms, looking no worse for wear for someone who had been walking for about fourteen hours straight. Before him was the entrance to a small little village, with a few shops and eateries scattered throughout, and undoubtedly a Woman's Bathing House or two somewhere. "Seems like forever since we've stopped and relaxed ourse-Why are you glaring at me?"

"You expect me to buy that we just so happened to walk all day long and we just happened to reach a place where you can go peek at women instead of continuing my training!" Naruto shouted at him, which caused Jiraiya to quickly move and cover the brat's mouth with his hand, signaling at him to lower his voice, red in the face as he was sure several nearby villagers heard him. Hell, it was Naruto, Konohagakeru probably heard him, even with the massive distance between the two villages.

Then again, for how close they were to the village entrance, not a single villager could be spotted. He knew it was late, but was it really that slow a business day for them? Still, it would probably mean there could be even more "material" for him to research on if he timed it right. But, for that to work, he'd have to "fix" a little certain loudmouth.

"Pipe down, will ya," Jiraiya told him, as a muffled Naruto kept on arguing even if nothing intelligible could come out. "Do you want my research to be ruined? We've been through this already! Six days for training, one day for me-time! And that also means one day for you-time, whatever that means to you! So stop being a brat and-Ouch!"

Jiraiya ended up releasing the boy as soon as Naruto bit down onto his hand, glare still in place.

"Do you think that bastard Orochimaru also tells Sasuke "hey, we've been training for six days straight, why don't we take it easy today and go peek at four-eyes while he showers!" huh?!" Naruto blasted out, which caused the elder man to go from clenching his aching hand to chuckling in a heartbeat.

"That'd… be pretty funny, honestly," he admitted in-between laughter.

"You know what I mean!"

"Yeah, yeah, however…" Jiraiya started, and in a flash, Naruto found himself flat on the ground, his back against the dirt, with his master's foot planted firmly onto his chest. He realized the elder man had done a leg sweep so fast that the boy had not even seen him move, and he was now rendered effectively immobile. "You seem to be overlooking the actual importance of rest and all it can help in becoming stronger."

"Of course I'm tired, we've been walking all day!" Naruto protested, but Jiraiya merely shook his head.

"That's not the point. Listen here knucklehead," he explained. "Much like the muscles in the body, chakra is something that only grows when the body is resting. You need to train yourself, that's true, but even someone with your abilities is going to end up burned out if you don't allow your body to rest and show the fruits of all the training your putting in through. Every powerful Shinobi knows this, even someone like Orochimaru. And Sasuke."

"Hmm…" Naruto muttered, not entirely convinced by knowing he honestly didn't have much ammunition to use to argue in his favor. As Jiraiya stepped off him, the orange-clad blonde stood back up, brushing the dirt off his clothes as he turned to look back onto the seemingly empty little village. Maybe Jiraiya was right, and a little rest wouldn't hurt. He was hungry after all, and it had been a while since they visited a village that offered ramen, so maybe he'd be lucky enough to get some here.

"So, go on, go eat your ramen!" Jiraiya told him with glee.

"How'd you know that's what I was thinking?!" Naruto looked at him in shock, which caused Jiraiya to narrow his eyes at the boy.

"Do you ever think of anything else?" he asked him frankly. "If it's not training, it's ramen, and if it's not that, it's Sasuke-this, Sakura-that or Kakashi-something-or-the-other. You really aren't that hard to read."

"You're one to talk!" Naruto argued back as the duo began to make their way to the village. "Spring Hills" the sign read, which made Naruto even more certain of his Master's true intentions. "You only think of naked chicks and writing scenarios you'll never be a part of in your crappy book!"

"How dare you!?" Jiraiya shot back, sounding the most offended Naruto had ever heard the man. "They are not crappy, and I'll have you know I have conquered a ship-load of women, some so pretty you'd fall over on your ass if you ever lay your eyes on them."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Naruto brushed him off, waving his hand in front of his face like if he was trying to shove away a fly. "The prettiest girl you've ever hit on is probably Granny Tsunade, and she probably hit on you back, if you catch my drift."

"Ah, there's no getting through that empty head of yours is there," Jiraiya lamented, as the two reached a fork on the road, dividing the small village into different sections. "I always tell you to come join me in my research, yet you barely do so. Some Hokage you'll turn out to be."

"What's that?" Naruto pressed on, ready to fight, but Jiraiya placed his open palm on the young ninja's head, patting him lightly.

"Please take my advice and get yourself some rest," Jiraiya told him, his tone now much softer and warmer, something which always caught Naruto utterly off-guard. "Go and eat your ramen and try to relax a bit. We'll continue our training tomorrow."

As Jiraiya began to walk away, Naruto noticed how the older man had left a few bills of ryo tangled up on his hair. Naruto quickly took the money offered to him, and as he heard the Pervy Sage tell him "not to spend it all at once", he couldn't help but smile. For all his faults, he really felt at ease whenever he was with Jiraiya. It was strange, a feeling he couldn't quite describe, but not unlike how he felt whenever he had been around his old team, the currently broken Team 7. Or with his previous teacher, Iruka.

Even little Konohamaru could probably be counted, despite how annoying the kid could be at times.

Then his stomach growled loudly, almost as if the Nine Tailed Demon living inside was hungry too, and Naruto began to skip towards the nearest food joint.

The hyperactive ninja bounced on the road, on the walls, on the roofs and even on the lampposts as he managed to reach his destination. He landed right outside the entrance, a small little food shop not unlike Ichiraku's. But it was here that Naruto noticed something. Or rather, he began to realize what he had been seeing since the two of them had gotten there.

…There was nobody there.

All the shops seemed closed. The streets were barren. And not much could be heard aside from a few crickets chirping every now and then. It was honestly a little eerie, but Naruto's biggest fear in the moment was that he would be left without food, something that he could most certainly not allow.

So, just to be sure, he moved the curtain covering the shop's entrance to the side…

…and he was met by the barrel of a shotgun that went off right on his face.

Or rather, had he not had his senses trained to the degree they were, it would not have been a pretty sight. Dodging the blast by ducking out the way at the last second, Naruto instinctively took out a kunai from his ever handy pouch, tackling his would-be murderer onto the back wall of the shop, holding him in place by pushing the shotgun onto his or her chest, carefully aiming the barrel upwards away from either of them, and placing his kunai right across the person's throat.

"Let me guess," Naruto voiced, his voice half threatening, half sarcastic. "I'm your one-hundred customer? Mighty fine way to greet a guy who just wants… Huh? You…?"

The shooter looked a lot less than what Naruto had imagined him to be. As in, not so much a big bulking man with expensive sunglasses on, and more a shivering little boy on the verge of tears. He was almost as big as the shotgun itself, and Naruto was outright impressed that such a little kid had managed to fire off such a cumbersome weapon in the first place.

"Uh… I'm like the last person qualified to say this, but," Naruto began, unsure of what the hell was going on, but sensing deep down that he was not getting any ramen tonight. "You really shouldn't play with stuff like this. It's dangerous and stuff… yeah…" Naruto tried, but he couldn't quite figure out what he was even supposed to be doing here.

"…P-Please, i-if you take m-me," the kid spoke through tears, "j-just take me t-to wherever you took h-her. I-I don't want to b-be alone."

"Took her?" Naruto quickly picked up on that meaning, and his eyes quickly narrowed as his sense of "protecting anyone in need" took over, as any Hokage-hopeful should. He quickly placed the shivering boy down, putting the kunai away and carefully getting the shotgun away from them both, bending down to meet the kid at an eye-level. "Who did they take? And who took her?"

"…M-My sister…" the boy spoke up, and Naruto noticed that he couldn't be older that seven, maybe eight. Mighty strong grip for such a shrimp, granted, but still. "B-But, you, you aren't…"

"A kidnapper? Nope! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a wandering Shinobi, for the moment," Naruto replied to the question the boy's eyes seemed to ask, as he pointed to himself proudly with his thumb, flashing the little helpless kid a reassuring smile. "So you're in luck! Normally a guy like me would cost you a fortune to hire, but just for tonight, Imma help you out for free, just so you don't wind up murdering any other poor sucker who pokes his face in here!"

"S-Shinobi?" the confused kid asked.

"It means ninja!" Naruto answered. "Now then, your sister, tell me about her. Is she older, or younger? Do you have a photo of her or something, or better yet, do you know who took her. I'll go find her right away!"

"Really!" the kid lit up as Naruto told him this, but just for a moment, as if his hopes were crushed as soon as they appeared when he realized the true gravity of the situation. Naruto looked on, confused, but kept on smiling, if anything, to reassure the kid. He never went back on his word after all, and he wasn't planning on starting now. "She's o-older," the kid spoke up, seeming to be trying his best to for coherent sentences and answer what Naruto had asked him to. "She t-takes care of me. I have photos, b-but, I-I don't know where t-they are… I-I can look, I-I can…"

He began to cry again, and Naruto's gaze softened as he patted the kid of the head.

"Hey, that's alright, just tell me how she looks like," he reassured. "And I'll have her back here in no time. And, if you know who took her; that would also help a lot."

"I do," the kid responded, still in tears, but slowly calming himself, all seemingly thanks to Naruto's presence alone.

"Good, let's hear it," Naruto replied, as he began to ponder who could have done such a terrible thing. He didn't see any evidence of a struggle or a fight, so it was clearly someone skilled, if it had even happened here. Maybe it had been somewhere else, which would in turn make this a little harder. What was he going up against? Other ninja? Unlikely, he'd imagine. Maybe some cartel guys, like the one that had hired Zabuza and Haku way back then? They seemed to favor small placed like this, away from Shinobi. Or maybe it was just a crazy ex-boyfriend, like the ones in Pervy Sage's stories.

Naruto thought he was ready for whatever it was he was going to face, but as soon as he saw the look the boy gave him he felt his blood run cold. It was not analogy, no comparison, or at least, it clearly didn't feel like it. The little boy knew what he had seen, and nothing Naruto or anyone could say could change his mind. And, for just a moment, Naruto believed it too. And for that very moment, he thought that maybe he would be confronting something he had not at all been trained to fight.

"I-It was," the little boy answered, his voice ice cold, "a-a Demon."

-0-

It was already dark out, with not much lighting to shine their path forwards aside from the half visible moon and a scattered few stars decorating the night's sky. The dirt road he walked on was uneven, which made him feel like he was zigzagging in-between all the trees instead of being allowed to walk straight to his destination. Not that it mattered much, as arriving any sooner than now would be a waste of time, as what he needed to do could only be done beneath the darkness of the night.

He paused for a moment, his steps coming to a halt as he began to hear a soft sound coming directly from behind him. It startled him briefly, before he realized what it was and just how long ago it had been since he had heard it.

At this, the young Demon Slayer Tanjiro Kamado smiled fondly, as the sounds of his younger sister softly snoring on the box given to the by their Master made their way onto his ears. How long had it been since he had heard such a human sound from her. She slept a lot, that much he knew, but not once had he heard her snore, or twist and turn in her sleep. Whenever his little sister Nezuko slept, it looked more like she was in a comatose state or outright dead as oppose to a young girl sleeping to regain her strength. Did she even dream? He didn't know, and what little he could communicate with her amounted to simply him pushing her forwards and her obeying, a far cry from the sheer tenderness and wit his little sister once possessed when she was still amongst the living.

He shook his head. He had long promised that he wouldn't let such things cloud his mind. Such things could and would slow his progress, affect his ability to fight and protect people, his sister included. He knew what he had to do, and he was more or less on the right path to do it. Save Nezuko, kill Kibutsuji Muzan and any other demons that stood in his way, be they Lower Moons, Upper Moons, or whatever.

"Message for Tanjiro! Message for Tanjiro!" a familiar sounding crow crowed as he flew over the siblings, circling above Tanjiro's head briefly before he landed on the boy's outstretched arm.

"That's a first," Tanjiro noted, as he softly patted the bird on the head, still marveling at how it took him fifteen years on this world to know that some animals could actually talk. "I'm just about to reach my destination right now, so I didn't expect you to drop in before I even had the chance to behead this demon. Don't tell me I have another mission ready before I even have the opportunity to unsheathe my blade."

"Incorrect!" the crow replied, as he pointed with his beak to a few pieces of paper tied to his leg. Tanjiro quickly removed them from their messenger, noticing two different notes directed at him. The crow seemed to nod at the boy, before flying away, but not before adding, "Best of luck on your mission!"

"Yeah, thanks… he didn't even let me thank him properly," Tanjiro mused, as he turned his attention back to the messages at hand. "Would you look at that Nezuko? We got some crow-service mail, maybe it's a good omen for this next job, huh?"

His sister could still be heard snoring softly, buried in a sleep so heavy that nothing short of a fight would probably wake her. And again, her older brother couldn't help but smile and get teary-eyed over such a simple, dumb and yet so human thing from her.

"Let's see then," he continued, turning his attention to the first page, noticing that the letter he was looking at was insanely wet, for some reason. "Did this catch rain? I mean, it's not fully drenched, as the ink is still mostly visible, but…" he voiced, as he read on, realizing the letter had been sent by his friend, partner and fellow Demon Slayer Zenitsu Agatsuma, and just like that, the reason why the paper was wet made a whole lot more sense.

"Tanjiro! It's me, Zenitsu! This is horrible! Like, I mean it, I'm probably going to bite it for sure this time! Thanks to that dumb train, we've are now getting sent on even more dangerous missions! Like, why?! We can barely fight Lower Moons, and what are they expecting us to do? Fight Upper ones? I tell you, this is it, the day I die! And don't think I've forgotten that it's thanks to you I'll die an unmarried man! I swear I'll haunt you once I die for that, but not too much, because I also like you… Speaking of ma-No, I mean, how's Nezuko?! This next part is for her, let her read it!"

"…I'd rather not," a bemused Tanjiro muttered.

"Nezuko! My sweet, adorable, strong, radiant beauty! How are you? Do you miss me? Well, I miss you so much! Every night I dream of the day I get to see you again, even if this da-I mean, this organization is insistent that I die every time they send me out. But, even now, as I write you this, tears streaming down my cheeks as I realize my mortality, one thing keeps me going. Your beauty! Your hair! Your eyes; which may I add are a little creepy but in the best way possible! So please wait for me, Nezuko, for I will somehow survive this in order to come back and see you again!

With much Love,

Your pal Zenitsu!

P.S.: Take care of your brother. He is strong, but sometimes I feel he tries to take on the whole world on. I just want you both to know, that if it's for him or for you, I'll fight. I will probably die, but hey, I'll at least tire the demon enough that his knuckles will hurt after he punches me to death! …This was not the emotional way I wanted to end this letter…"

Tanjiro couldn't help but smile at the emotional, tear-filled mess of a letter his friend had sent, and nodded briefly as if replying to Zenitsu. "Fine, you win, I'll give this to Nezuko. No promises she'll understand it, but hey, best I can do."

Then he turned to the other letter…

…And he felt mentally slapped.

It wasn't a letter.

It was a drawing…

…A very poor drawing at that…

…of a pig, wielding a sword on his mouth…

…standing a top of a bunch of stick figures with exes for eyes.

"…Inosuke," was all Tanjiro could say, as he tried to make sense of the picture. He could clearly picture the scenario in his head…

"I don't write no letters!" the third member of their Demon Slaying trio, beast master Inosuke Hashibira, shouted out defiantly, as Tanjiro's crow flew about, glaring at the boar-like swordsman. "Hell, I don't write at all! So go away, I have my mission already!"

"…Tanjiro and Zenitsu have agreed to begin writing to one another," the crow replied, looking as done as a crow could.

"Who cares?!" Inosuke barked back. "Let them waste their time! In the meantime, I'll be swimming in slayed demons! Me, the Great Lord Inosuke, while they marvel at my mastery, and stuff!"

"…" the crow paused, then remembered what Zenitsu had told him when he handed the letter to him. He sighed, annoyed at the lengths he'd go to help these kids out, even if just a little. Still, the blonde's words did have some weight to them.

"Here's a little trick I learned from Tanjiro: challenge his ego," Zenitsu had said, "Then he'll agree to anything."

"…No problem," the crow told the boar, before he laid out his bait. "Tanjiro and Zenitsu did inform me that they were much better in the art of "correspondence" than you, so it is to be expected. I will now be on my way to-"

"What the hell did you say!?" Inosuke growled so harshly that the crow felt it had fallen into the clutches of a predator, as the eyes on the swordsman's boar mask seemed to light up in sheer rage. "They are not better than me! I, Inosuke, can totally make better letters! Beautiful letters! Filled with letter-y stuff! Here, you bear witness to my greatness! Give me a paper and a writing thing!"

Then the boar proceeded to draw.

"See, now they don't have to read no boring words!" he explained as he showed of his "masterpiece", smiling from ear to ear in a display of pride that was lost to all given that his mask covered any and all facial features. "Instead, they'll instantly know how much ass I'm kicking, see that on top is me! And those on the bottom are the demons! Amazing, ain't it?!"

The crow said nothing.

"…I may have to give my feathered friend a "thank you" gift for all of this," a bemused Tanjiro noted. Regardless, he carefully tucked both "letters" away onto his clothing, keeping them safe so he could show them to Nezuko later. Because, even if the two of those guys were a far cry from the description of sanity, Tanjiro could not be more thankful for having met the two of them. Even in such a dark and bleak world, that had taken everything from him, and had forced him to live clinging onto the shred of what was left of his little sister, whenever he was around Zenitsu and Inosuke, he felt like he had actual gained two brothers…

…And that gave him far more strength to carry on than he'd ever be able to properly convey onto words, written or otherwise.

With that in mind, the young teen continued his way towards the barely visible "Spring Hills" village, where his mission objective laid in wait, but his short walk was brought to a sudden halt the moment he felt something tangle up onto his ankle and gave the boy a tight pull directly upwards, almost knocking the sibling duo upside down.

A swift slice from his holy blade cut through the rope like it was nothing, allowing for an uninjured Tanjiro to land back at the spot he had been pulled from, his eyes wide with surprise yet his senses now fully aware of his surrounding and awaiting a follow-up attack.

"A trap?" he noted softly, as to not attract any unwanted attention. "Never seen a demon do that, it was almost like the ones that-"

Then he was pulled again, in the very same way.

A clearly flustered Tanjiro proceeded to quickly cut the second rope with another sword slash and landed gracefully back on the ground, this time taking care not to fall for the same trap thrice. "They laid out a second trap right under the first one… quite clever, even if the traps are nothing like Master's. Still, I can't afford to get sloppy now."

The boy's acute sense of smell took over all the other senses, and within moments, he had registered a proper scent to the person behind the traps. Furthermore, set up nearby, he could sniff out several more traps, of varying degree of originality, lying in wait for him.

'That's strange…' the Slayer thought, as he pieced together the would-be scenario thanks to his ever helpful nose. 'I can only pick up one distinct scent… and boy is it distinct. But, it's all over the place, and pretty recent too. To do all this, it feels like it's the work of a group, yet I can only pick up on one. No matter, one is enough. Maybe the others can mask their scent, but if I can find this one, I can reach the rest. This mission might be a little bit harder than we anticipated, so it seems like I'll have something to brag about to Zenitsu and Inosuke after all."

And with that in mind, his sword at hand, and a confident smirk in his face, the young swordsman began to dash towards the source of the scent, bypassing all the remaining traps with ease, as now, with their scent as clear as day to him, they could no longer take him by surprise. During all this, as the boy made a mad dash towards his would-be target, the sleeping girl did not stir. She continued to sleep soundly…

…dreaming of days long gone by.

-0-

"Can all ninjas do that?" the little boy asked Naruto, now having calmed down a great deal more, much to the latter's relief. The little boy, named Yahiko, which Naruto finally managed to wrestle out of him, looked at the older boy in awe, as if looking up at a superhero of sorts. And, of course, Naruto would not be bothered to correct him if he were to voice it.

"Well, some of them can! But, don't sell my technique short, almost nobody can match the sheer extent that I can use it in!" Naruto boasted as Yahiko eyed him, his expression unreadable, which made Naruto have a hard time deciphering is the kid was impressed or disappointed. "So just you wait," Naruto continued, deciding to consider the kid impressed and get on with it. "I'll have your sister back in no time!"

"…I never did quite describe her…" Yahiko voiced, his tone sounding worried, as if he were to start crying again. Hearing this caused Naruto to sweat a bit, rubbing the back of his head with a dorky expression.

"Oh, yeah, we sort of skipped over that," he sheepishly replied. "Just that she's about my age, and she has your hair color, right? So, what else can you tell me about her?"

"Would it help?"

"What do you mean?" a confused Naruto asked, closing his foxlike eyes and turning his head to the side.

"…Well," Yahiko tried to explain, even if he didn't sound that certain himself. "You really aren't here, are you? Isn't that how you told me it works?"

"Oh, guess so," the clone replied, realizing that he couldn't convey the information back to his main self unless he canceled the Jutsu, which would in turn leave the poor kid alone again, which was the reason he had left a clone there in the first place. "…Ah, don't worry, he'll-I mean, I'll figure it out! Don't think I'll run into dozens of damsels in distress this time of night, do ya?"

As the shadow clone conversed with Yahiko, both seemingly safe inside the little food shop that Naruto had no idea if the kid's family owned or not, the real Naruto was busy setting up traps all over the seemingly abandoned village.

'The kid wasn't joking,' he thought, as he bounced from roof to roof, looking for locations where the kidnapper could try to run from him so he could set a trap up, careful not to set up anything outright deadly, just in case any innocent villager would walk into any of them. 'This place is a ghost town. What happened? Was it because of this demon guy, whoever he is? And not only that, where the hell is Pervy Sage? This village ain't that big, so where did that guy run off to?'

As he began to ponder the whereabouts of his Master, Naruto landed a top a light post, using his Chakra to keep himself standing straight even if he had landed on its side, his view of the village now shifted into a complete ninety degree angle.

But, when the pondering youth reopened his eyes, he was met with a sight he didn't think he'd see; a person he wasn't sure why he felt he was not ever going to have met otherwise.

Blue eyes met red eyes.

Shinobi in-training met Demon Slayer in-training.

Tanjiro Kamado looked right up at the orange clad boy standing sideways on the wooden pole, his grip on his hilt tightening, as the scent he had been chasing finally had a face, which was oddly human at that. Tanjiro noted all the weaponry the boy held, undoubtedly the mastermind behind all the traps set around the village's entrance.

Naruto, on the other hand, looked on, confused, at the sight before him. A boy, close to his age, dressed as a samurai complete with an awesome looking sword, carrying a creepy coffin on his back and glaring at him like he had just slapped his mother. Still, the description fit, so with the swordsman in his sights, Naruto figured he had just lucked out.

"Before we fight," Tanjiro broke the silence, and Naruto inwardly sulked, as the guy sounded manlier than him. How he hated sounding like a kid still. Tanjiro didn't seem fazed by the expressions on the blonde, ignoring them entirely. "Tell me," he continued. "Are there more victims you're keeping from us?"

"Victims?" Naruto repeated, cocking his head to the side, arms still crossed. "Buddy, I have no idea what you're talking about. But, let me ask you this, do you by any chance have a girl with you. About my age? Black hair? Has a brother who's worried sick for her?"

"You mean…?" Tanjiro spoke up, as his eyes widened. His mind quickly went to his sister. 'That description, it can't be. Is he referring to Nezuko? Damn it, I knew Muzan knew of her, and he's sent demons after us before, but even this far out, he's reach is still so…'

"Seems like I struck gold, huh?" Naruto triumphantly announced, as he jumped away from the pole and landed right in front of Tanjiro, pointing his index finger directly at the other boy. "Give her here you creep, or else Imma flatten you!"

"If you're talking about Nezuko, you'll have to walk over my dead body to get her!" Tanjiro growled, his stance shifting, something which Naruto quickly noticed, even if he couldn't quite recognize the stance. Still, he could very well tell it was dangerous.

"I don't know her name, but you are giving her back to where she belongs!" Naruto declared, pounding his fist onto his open palm, before he took a fighting stance as well. "I already promised someone I'll take her back, and I never go back on my word! Belie-"

The catchphrase was cut short the moment Naruto's head left his body, as Tanjiro's blade had sliced it cleanly off, leaving only the droplets of water to wash away the blood from the fallen ninja.

"…Breath of Water: First Style," Tanjiro softly spoke up, as he landed a few feet from the defeated opponent. "Water Surface Slice…" he continued, his tone somber. "I… I'm sorry, I never even got your name. It's not your fault, Muzan made you into that, and I hope you'll find peace. It's all I can off-"

"The hell did you do that for?!"

Tanjiro could only react in utter shock as the wail from his "downed" opponent blasted right into his ears, and while his hearing was not to the level of, say, Zenitsu, it gave off quite the impression.

"Who just goes and chops someone's head off like that," Naruto barked out, now standing on top of one of the nearby roofs he had previously been bouncing off of. "Now I get the demon part, you're like a baby Zabuza."

"How'd you…?" Tanjiro asked, bewildered, as he turned to where the body had fallen. There was no longer a body there. 'Wood? From the light post? But I could have sworn I hit him?"

"No more "Mr. Nice Guy" then, get ready you demon-wannabe!" Naruto declared, and before Tanjiro could properly process what was happening, he shouted out. "Ninja Arts! Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A hand sign later, and one became fifty.

Tanjiro could only look in awe as the village turned into a battlefield, with roofs and even the streets filled with the same orange-clad individual, multiplied by the dozens. And it was no trick, Tanjiro noted, as they each moved individually, as if they were a different person. But… the scent was the same. Like a humans, but darker, as if tainted by something. Tanjiro was sure he knew by just what it was. 'This must be his Blood Demon Technique. I got careless, just because his eyes weren't marked! I can't afford these rookie mistakes, get it together! He wants Nezuko, and he won't get her!"

With a battle cry, the Narutos launched themselves at Tanjiro, all aiming to unarm him and restrain him, but Tanjiro was ready. He shifted his stance, and relaxed his breathing into the proper rhythm he needed, just as he had been taught during that latest grueling training. And he moved.

He sliced the first two clones than had approached him from the air, both with the same swing. Instead of the blood he had grown to expect, Tanjiro was met by two clouds of smoke that emitted as soon as he hit their bodies, surprising the Slayer. He dodged a few strikes from the clones coming to him from the street, and met their kunai knives with his own blade, shattering them all upon contact. Such blades, even if high quality, paled in comparison to the enhanced swords the Demon Slayers wielded.

Naruto quickly noticed this.

"Ooookay, change of plans!" Naruto announced, as he, the original still standing a top one of the roofs, quickly signaled his remaining clones. In that very instant, they all jumped away from Tanjiro, as the Slayer quickly turned his attention to the real Naruto, realizing that the one who had spoken must be the actual "body" he needed to behead. As such, he took aim towards him, but Naruto acted quicker. "Eat this! Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

And Tanjiro's eyes went completely wide as each remaining clone threw those ninja throwing stars at him, which then multiplied even more, almost covering his entire field of vision. He barely had time to react.

"Sixth Style: Twisting Whirlpool!"

In another flash of what seemed to be water, Tanjiro swung his blade around creating a massive "twister" which broke every single shuriken thrown at him by the sheer force alone, even if they had not connected directly with his blade.

"This guy…" Naruto snarled, his eyes narrowed in surprise. "He knows some sick Water Jutsu."

"Seventh Style!" Tanjiro roared, and within a moment's notice, he had stabbed a shocked Naruto through the gut. "Piercing Rain Drop…"

Then Naruto vanished again, another Substitution Jutsu, but Tanjiro had expected it. Locking onto his scent, Tanjiro twisted his blade, and moved again. Same technique, but at an angle.

"Curve!"

And a still mid-in-substituting Naruto had to guard against the incoming stab with his kunai, which shattered upon contact with Tanjiro's blade but where at least able to redirect the trajectory of the attack so that he would not get stabbed. Taking advantage of how he was not run clean through, Naruto quickly grabbed hold on Tanjiro's arm and locked his body against it, rendering the blade no longer an active threat. The art of physical fighting, or Taijutsu if you prefer, might not be one of Naruto's strong suits, but he had learned a thing or two recently, and he knew how to very well deal with an armed opponent.

"Can't use those fancy Jutsus without you're little sword, eh?" Naruto mocked, smirking at Tanjiro.

"No idea what a Jutsu is supposed to be, "Tanjiro replied, shifting his head as far back as he could. "But I'm far from helpless without my blade!"

Then Tanjiro head-butted Naruto, causing the hyperactive Shinobi to learn, for the first time in his young life, that there was indeed someone more hard headed than he was. The hit had been mostly absorbed by his forehead protector, and boy was Naruto ever glad he was wearing it, because even with it, he could have sworn he had heard the metal crack when that boy had smashed his wide forehead against it. Like, his forehead was almost as big as Sakura's, and almost as strong as a punch from her too!

…Not that he'd ever tell her that!

"Darn it!" Naruto squealed in pain and in shock. "What's your head made out off?!"

"Guess it yourself!" Tanjiro shot back, as he pulled his head back for another hit, which instinctively caused Naruto to release his hold on him and jump back… Just the thing Tanjiro wanted.

The Slayer smiled, but so did the Shinobi… and in a moment Tanjiro understood why.

With a loud "Na~Ru~To!" call, Tanjiro was sent flying into the air by three well placed kicks from behind, by clones he had not noticed sneaking up behind him. For someone so loud, he could be very sneaky when he wanted to, Tanjiro noted, but he had bigger problems at hand. Another Naruto, the real one, was plunging down at him, kick first, to send him rocketing right back down. "Uzumaki Ba-!"

"Water Wheel!"

Tanjiro spun in place, stopping the would-be attack and cutting the attacker. For the first time in their fight, one of them had drawn blood, and as a wounded Naruto fell down onto the dirt road, the rest of his clones vanished in multiple clouds of smoke. Naruto's concentration had been broken, and as such his Jutsu had been dispelled, which was just the miracle Tanjiro had been hoping for.

Tanjiro landed close by, sword still in hand, with his other moving to the box that Nezuko slept in in hopes he hadn't bothered her too much with so much reckless movement. He then turned to Naruto.

"I'll make this painless if you just tell me if you have other humans here," Tanjiro told him, as the blonde clenched the open wound on his leg, blood oozing out a bit too fast for his liking. Had he been even a little slower at reacting, the Slayer would have probably cut his entire leg clean off! "Please answer me. Also, why do you want Nezuko? Was it Muzan who ordered it?"

"…I didn't train all this time, just to lose to some child kidnapper like you," Naruto growled, and Tanjiro felt a chill at the sound of his voice. It clearly did not sound human anymore, but like a true beast. Before he could even react, though, the boy began to become enveloped by a reddish aura, his form becoming more animalistic, not unlike a pissed off Nezuko. Tanjiro couldn't help but be outright shocked.

'How many Blood Demon Arts does this guy have?' Tanjiro thought, clenching his teeth and getting ready to attack, realizing talking was no longer a safe action. "Piercing Ra-!"

Naruto smashed his fist against Tanjiro's stomach, moving faster than he could react in the blink of an eye, and knocking the wind out of the Slayer before sending him flying away from the battlefield. Tanjiro crashed against an abandoned house, breaking through it and landing on the other side, his lips bleeding from the impact.

'So fast! I could barely-'

And without a moment to catch his breath or his thoughts, Naruto appeared in front of him again, charging so quickly that Tanjiro could only guard himself with the blade, as Naruto slashed at him with his claws, again, and again. Tanjiro could only step back and block each strike with his sword, being given no time to properly counter with a breath technique, lest he give Naruto an opening to behead him in turn.

'I can't cut him like this!' Tanjiro thought, 'Whatever that cloak thing is, it's guarding him fully. I can't cut it unless I use the techniques!'

'Why can't I break that sword?!' a furious Naruto asked himself, 'It's so damn strong! But I shouldn't go beyond one tail, or I could lose complete control, and if I kill this guy I won't find the girl! I have to beat him like this! I can't afford to lose here!'

Then Naruto's chakra grew, and a huge claw-like hand reached out from his chakra enveloped body. Tanjiro could only gawk as the giant energy hand enveloped him and threw him through the area, crashing against several more wooden houses and breaking them all into pieces. Naruto aimed to smash him into the ground and end the fight there, before his opponent had any opportunity to counter attack, but his chakra claw got torn up.

The Slayer emerged, landing on his feet, his body battered and bruised, but still standing. His uniform somewhat torn, but the resistant material mostly held up. His sword, however, seemed to be glowing. As if it had been lit on fire. The swordsman turned towards the ninja, glare ever present.

"Dance of the Fire God."

A beastly Naruto just looked on, realizing that he needed to end this now. He allowed his chakra to focus itself onto his right palm, a familiar spiraling sphere of energy taking form.

"…Rasengan."

In a flash both warriors charged at one another, so strongly that the dirt beneath their feet broke apart thanks to the sudden momentum that they both generated. Breath Technique ready to clash against Jutsu…

…but instead of the massive clash both had expected, Tanjiro ended up slashing the rubble, landing flat on his face as his opponent had vanished before they had hit each other. The swordsman was in shock, quickly turning to try and see where his sneaky opponent had vanished to. He didn't see Naruto, anywhere. Instead, he saw someone else.

Nezuko.

His little sister had woken up, gotten out of her box, and was standing behind him, her eyes flared up and glaring to the side. Tanjiro followed her line of sight, and to his surprise, following a trail of property damage, where the legs of one Naruto Uzumaki, currently buried beneath a pile of rubble.

"…What in the world hit me?" an annoyed Naruto cried out, as he had realized too late that a second opponent had charged against him, hitting him so hard that it had sent him flying. The Nine Tailed Fox's chakra protected him from the damage, but it still required quite a bit of power to simply flick him away like that. Whatever had kicked him, had kicked him hard, and he was sure as hell he didn't want to get kicked again. 'That felt like getting hit by Granny Tsunade, what gives?'

He stood back up, his head still foggy as he struggled to regain control of the Nine-Tails chakra, lest he go crazy and begin attacking everyone, but he was not quite out of control just yet. Looking ahead, it was here he realized that he indeed now had two opponents. The swordsman, and a… bamboo-eating girl?

"What the-?" he began, but in that very instant, she lunged at him, claws out ready to slice his face into pieces, the most animalistic tackle Naruto had ever seen someone use aside from himself. The Shinobi's eyes widened as he began to inject his body with the Chakra, moving his hands to form the familiar hand sign for his clones, hoping that maybe multiple nine-tailed chakra infused clones would do the trick, but before he could finish, her hand reached him...

...But not with her insanely long nails that Naruto had braced himself for...

...Or her hard as stone feet for that matter...

Instead, she simply placed her open palm onto his face, softly caressing his whiskered cheeks in a show of affection that left him dumbstruck. Slowly, soft pink eyes meet wide blue eyes, and after a moment, she seemed to smile, somehow, even with the bamboo still stuck onto her face, as she caressed the bewildered blonde's face with such tenderness Naruto couldn't help but blush and shriek at the same time, pushing himself away from her with his face crimson red.

Tanjiro's jaw dropped, and he had so many questions, but he knew that Nezuko's stance was clear; and what it really meant.

After all, she would always protect humans…

-0-

"I beg for your forgiveness on my rash actions!" Tanjiro apologized to the still shell-shocked ninja as the young slayer bowed before him, head as low as he could position it, a complete and total shift of how he had been about to behead him just moments earlier. A ninja must always see through deception Naruto remembered Kakashi continuously warning Team 7, but he had never had an opponent sound so utterly sincere at apologizing to him before. And as Tanjiro continued to bow before the bewildered boy, the girl-in-the-box that had smacked the hell out of him and then caressed him like a hurt puppy was now "busy" flat on the ground skipping a stone from on leg to another, like a bored child waiting for her parents to stop talking to a friend and take her home.

"What the heck is wrong with you people!?" Naruto screamed at the sibling duo.

"I'm apologizing for fighting against you!" Tanjiro replied, likewise screaming just as loud as Naruto. "I mistook you for a demon! And to be fair, you seemed like you wanted to kidnap Nezuko, but I don't think that's it at all. Nezuko doesn't make mistakes regarding this, if she's protective of you, then that means you are not my enemy."

"…She kicked me through three houses!" Naruto countered, still irritated at the fact that he hadn't properly countered her attack. So much for getting stronger... That aside, where had she been hiding anyways? Did she summon herself or something? He never saw her until he saw the print of her foot on his face, so where had she been laying in wait?

"…Oh, that," Tanjiro softly replied, his eyes shifting to the side, avoiding the mad blonde's glare. "…She probably mistook you during all the chaos. Hey, she's only hu… I mean, you know," Tanjiro seemed to get himself tongue twisted for a moment, but he shook it off. "Once she realized you weren't a demon, she quickly defended you, and that what counts. Plus, she's sorry for kicking you. Isn't that right Nezuko?"

The playful girl stopped flicking the stone, turning her head to face her brother, then turning it further to face Naruto, who's complexion turned completely pale when he saw that she was effectively turning her head in an almost one-hundred and eighty degree angle. She didn't say anything, though, she just blinked and turned back to playing.

"See…" Tanjiro added. "She says she's sorry."

"Sorry?!" Naruto blurted out, somehow having gotten about twenty feet away from the siblings in the time it took Tanjiro to address Nezuko and then him. "You wanted to kill me because I'm some kind of demon, yet your girlfriend looks like some kind of creepy, deformed puppet!"

Creepy. Deformed. Puppet…?

"…Take that back," Tanjiro warned, softly, as the shadow of the night covered his eyes from view, his sword once again drawn, craving blood.

"Hey, no offense man, you like what you like, but it just makes you a bit of a jerk to attack me when she fits that description a lot more, ya know?" Naruto "alleviated" the situation, as he moved his hands in front of him defensively. He had seen some pretty creepy people in the past, like Gaara of the Sand or Orochimaru, and that girl gave off a vibe very similar to them.

"I'll have you know that Nezuko was the pride of our village!" the elder brother defended his pride, pointing at her as if he were presenting a work of art. "Every single male of our generation would have been willing to give up their left arm if it meant a chance to date, and if they were lucky, marry this beauty! The prettiest girl in the entire world, Nezuko Kamado!"

Said prettiest girl in the world seemed to be drooling while looking at a chirping cricket.

'Must be a very small village,' Naruto mused, as he was now wishing he had taken his Master's advice and just gotten some rest.

"…Sure, whatever you say, more power to ya," Naruto replied, as he shifted his attention from the weird as hell girl to the clearly bothered swordsman. "So your girlfriend there is not Yahiko's sister then?"

"She's my sister!" Tanjiro protectively declared, as he pointed to himself with his thumb. "Our only brothers are Takeo, Shigeru and Rokuta… and I wish you would have met any of them, but that's simply not possible..."

"Ah… So she's probably not the girl I'm trying to save, bummer…" a disappointed Naruto voiced, his head now hanging low. This was turning out to be such a mess of a night that he didn't even know how to correct anything. 'Speaking of, once I lost my clones I probably left Yahiko alone. Poor kid, must be worried sick, I better get moving.'

"Save?" Tanjiro repeated, as his brow tensed as he tried to think rationally. Trying his best to ignore the fact that this blonde loudmouth had not apologized for insulting his precious Nezuko, he decided he should get to work. "Can I ask you something? Just who are you? If you're not a demon, I don't imagine you to be a Demon Slayer…"

"Demon Slayer, what's that?"

"Uh…" Tanjiro felt a bit surprised at how earnestly confused the other boy was. From the scent he gave off, he wasn't lying, he had no idea who he was or what he did. "…A Demon Slayer is those who are trained in the art of the Breath Techniques, members of the Demon Slayer Corps who hunt down any and all demons that prey on humans. My name's Tanjiro Kamado, ranked as a Mizunoto, and together with Nezuko, we are assigned to different missions where demons are believed to be pestering."

"So…" Naruto said, "You are like a demon exterminator dressed as a Samurai?"

"…That's a somewhat insulting way to put it," Tanjiro muttered, "but, yeah, I guess, in a way."

"Cool!" Naruto exclaimed, as he jumped back to be within arms-reach of Tanjiro, who instinctively took a step back due to the suddenness. "And I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I'm a Shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village, ranked as a Genin because some bastard attacked us during our last Chunin Exams, which I was this close to passing by the way!" Naruto told Tanjiro as he left very little space between his thumb and index finger, as a show of just how close he was to be given a promotion. "Not that it matters, as you are looking at the next Hokage! A ninja legend, so if you'd like me to autograph your sword or her bamboo, just let me know!"

"…That won't be necessary, really…" said Tanjiro.

Nezuko said nothing.

"Your loss!" a cheeky Naruto replied.

"Right…" Tanjiro tried his best to be as polite as possible, which was becoming very hard at the moment. But he still felt uneasy about the whole situation, and there where many questions he wanted to ask, most of all what was a ninja of all things doing here, but one question took precedence. "If I may ask you... Naruto, was it?"

"Yep!" the ninja replied, now all the sudden all jolly and happy, much to Tanjiro's confusion.

"Why are you looking for someone's sister here?"

"Ah, that!" Naruto said, as he remembered he should really be shifting his focus back to that. "I just ran into a little kid who almost blew my head off… which has happened way too many times tonight for my liking, but that aside, he told me some kidnapper had taken his elder sister. He told me she was about my age, and had black hair, and not much else. I kinda forgot to ask for more details, so I have no idea what her name even is…" a sheepish Naruto added, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"You are very bad at your job," Tanjiro muttered, which earned him a scowl from Naruto.

"What was that?"

"That aside, why here of all places?" Tanjiro asked, trying to make sense of it all. "I mean, this place was evacuated weeks ago, due to the demon sightings. Why would you think to look here?"

"Ah, that explains why this place is so empty!" Naruto said, now happy-sounding again. "And where else would I look, the kid is right here, and his sister got taken away recently."

"That… wait, that can't be true," Tanjiro muttered, his eyes widening.

"Hey! I'm not lying!"

"No, you're not," Tanjiro responded. "I can tell that much, but this would help explain why your scent was so confusing to me. You smelled like a demon, yet you also smell human."

'Smell?' Naruto's thoughts said. 'This guy's another Kiba, is he? ...Or did I skip one-too-many baths?'

"…But there's no way some kid could survive in this village by himself with a demon lurking about," Tanjiro noted, as his brow furrowed and he came up with the most likely scenario before them. "…It knew. It knew we were coming, and it lured you to attack me, probably hoping we'd kill each other or weaken ourselves sufficiently. That would explain your scent, it's not yours, it's his!"

"Wait, what are you-?"

"That kid you met; that was no kid," Tanjiro replied. "That was the demon."

-0-

"Wait!" Naruto shouted out, as he ran though the remaining rooftops on his way to where Yahiko was, with Tanjiro running by his side, their speed roughly equal to one another. "You're not just going to behead some little kid, are you?!"

"It's not a kid, it's a demon," Tanjiro replied, "But don't worry, I'll make sure this time, I won't just blindly attack… But, you'll see. You don't sound that convinced at the existence of demons."

"I've had close encounters with a few before," Naruto replied, "But I'm not entirely sure if my idea of a demon is the same as yours. Because if that kid has something inside of him that doesn't make him the thing!"

"That's not how these demons work," Tanjiro responded. "Demons used to be human, and they gave up their humanity, the eat humans to get stronger, and all they cause is pain and tragedy… But, I know that not all of them are like that. I can think of three that don't follow Muzan's example."

'Muzan…?' Naruto pondered, but he decided that now was not perhaps the best time to ask.

"…So if this Yahiko is like that, then I'll help him, but given how it seems he sent you on a collision course with me, I highly doubt it," Tanjiro added, hoping against reason that this kid would indeed turn out to be that fourth good demon instead of just another monster he would have to slay.

"So you're saying there are good demons out there?" Naruto asked, his foxlike expression now back in full effect. "…Are they what then, vegetarians?"

"Ask for yourself," Tanjiro replied, smirking, "You have her right next to you."

Naruto blinked for a moment, before he realized that Nezuko was running through the rooftops right next to him, her running motion perfectly mimicking his, as if they were playing a game of "Ninja" like he did back when he was a kid those very few times he could sneak into the park and meet up with the likes of Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba without any of their parents knowing about it.

Nezuko looked to the side at Naruto, her wide pink eyes scanning his features for something he didn't understand. Then, she seemed to smirk, again, with that bamboo thing still stuck to her face… and she just blasted off, picking up speed and running past him.

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, as he got pissed off for no reason whatsoever and also picked up speed, hell-bent on not losing to her. Tanjiro tried to tell the two to stop goofing off, but his words where left to the winds as Naruto ran after Nezuko in the attempt to prove he was faster, but whenever he got close to her, she would pick up even more speed, and then he'd have to do the same.

So he put everything into it, focusing his chakra to his feet and ran as fast as his legs would carry him, and just as the food shop came into view, just barely, he managed to run past her, and land at their destination a mere second before her. The blonde clenched his fist and pumped it onto the air, roaring in celebration and his victory over the weird-demon-of-a-girl. "Oh yeah! You just can't match the speed of the next Hokage, now can ya?! The Orange Flash, that's what they'll call me! Kinda sounds like a soda, but who cares! Totally showed ya, didn't… I…?"

And she was happily clapping at him, with the fondest of smiles in her face, just like…

"…You let me win," an utterly insulted Naruto realized, as the oblivious Nezuko kept clapping. "You really are a demon, you do not play with a man's pride this way! I demand a rematch! Let's race, back to where we were, loser buys the other ramen! Let's g-!"

Nezuko had vanished from his sight, and when his eyes caught up to her, she was right next to him, throwing one of those killer kicks of hers, but this time aimed right behind him. Naruto instinctively drew out a kunai and turned to defend himself, but then he saw her target.

It was a man… No, that wasn't quite right. It was in the general shape of a man, but it was deformed, far larger that humanly possible, one arm jacked to the extreme, the other lanky and almost snake like. No eyes, no nose, no ears; just teeth. Too many teeth. Or rather, fangs. It was drooling, just like she would, as it began to try and stand back up. Nezuko's kick, Naruto noted, had broken the thing's, well, everything. But in seconds it healed, it got back up like nothing had happened. And Naruto could only stare in disbelief at the sight of a healing ability that completely eclipsed his own. At a sight that could not be described as anything else but…

…as a true demon.

And Nezuko was growling, sounding less like the playful girl he had just been racing and more like a muzzled beast about to be unleashed. Her fingers became claws again, and her eyes morphed, not unlike those of the Hyuga Clan Naruto had the "privilege" of facing first hand a year or so back.

"You are so beautiful," a dark voice echoed through the area, and both Naruto and Nezuko shifted their attention all-around, hearing the voice but not being able to pinpoint the source. It wasn't coming from the big guy Nezuko had just kicked, as he was still standing there, as if nothing was going on. Just staring without any eyes.

"Who's there?!" Naruto demanded.

"…And you proved useless, Shinobi," the voice said, and both Naruto and Nezuko managed to see it's source as a young boy stepped out of the shadows, almost as if materializing out of them. "I ask you to save my dear sister, and you cannot even manage that much. How utterly disappointing."

"Yahiko," Naruto growled, realizing that Tanjiro had been right all along. "I'm going to teach you a lesson for making a mockery of me, and no amount of flattery will save you buddy, so don't call me beautiful!"

The demonic Yahiko choked.

"T-That wasn't aimed at you-You know what, never mind!" the demon disguised as a little boy said, as he turned towards the big demon. "Tenshin, you have my permission to strike," Yahiko told the monster, as he turned his dark red eyes to Nezuko, "The girl, I want her, restrain-."

A shuriken suddenly struck his left eye, much to the demon's annoyance.

"None of that!" Naruto reprimanded, but his body went cold the moment Yahiko simply pulled the shuriken out of his eyes socket, with his eye still stuck to it, with the expression one would have if someone had dirtied one's glasses.

Yahiko glared at Naruto.

"Eww, dude, gross, put it back," Naruto said with a shiver. Nezuko just looked on, before her eyes widened briefly and she turned towards the side, her expression brightening.

"…There you are, Slayer," Yahiko growled, as his attention was shifted towards Tanjiro, who stood on the opposite roof to the group, sword drawn and his attention fixed on Yahiko. "The one responsible for my current dilemma. How I've planned for this."

"Guess that answers that," Tanjiro muttered, as he took a deep breath and readied himself. "Nezuko, keep your guard up and be careful! Naruto," he turned towards the ninja, "Don't waste your time trying to hurt him, he can't be killed by normal means. Demons only fall to sunlight, which is still a few hours away, or…" the Slayer spoke, as he raised his blade, allowing the moonlight to reflect itself across the holy metal. "…by cutting their heads off with a Nichirin Blade."

"That blade will never reach me," Yahiko mocked, as the stage was set for a battle between the conflicting Demons, a duty-bound Slayer and an out-of-place Shinobi…

…all the while another individual watched from a far, his attention fixed solely on the Demon Slayer that had earned his scorn not that very long ago. Sharp demonic eyes waited for their opportunity to strike, all while proudly showcasing the mark befit of the "Upper Moon Three".

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