The next morning, Raiden packed his gear, preparing to depart for Swordsmith Village.
Before he even opened the door, he spotted Zenitsu standing in the courtyard, already ready to go.
"What's up? New mission time?"
"Yeah, Swordsmith Village!"
Zenitsu grinned. He already knew Raiden was headed there too.
The last two months without Raiden on missions had felt strangely dull to him.
Slaying demons without Raiden's commentary was simply lacking flavor.
"Swordsmith Village?" Raiden asked, eyebrows raised. In the original story Zenitsu and Inosuke weren't present for this arc. Why were they joining now?
"Yep, yep!" Zenitsu nodded enthusiastically.
"Fine, let's go together then."
Zenitsu's presence was unexpected but didn't alter Raiden's plans.
As Raiden took a step forward, another figure burst into view.
"How could the great me miss a trip to Swordsmith Village, hmph hmph!"
Inosuke puffed out his chest, white breath steaming from his boar mask.
Raiden's mouth twitched slightly. Turning to Zenitsu, he asked, "He's coming too?"
"Uh… yeah, I guess."
"What, are you intimidated by my aura, ha ha ha, Raikoku you—"
Before Inosuke could finish, Raiden flicked his finger to the side, and an invisible Red Clean Arrow instantly sent Inosuke sailing out of sight.
"My name is Raiden," he corrected dryly, grinding his teeth. Zenitsu was one thing — obedient and reasonable. But with Inosuke around, who knew how many insults he'd hear?
"Let's go," Raiden said, leading Zenitsu out of the courtyard.
Waiting outside were three Demon Slayer Corps transport staff, long prepared for departure.
Tanjiro had already left earlier that morning. These three were assigned to escort Raiden, Zenitsu, and Inosuke to Swordsmith Village.
"Sound Pillar, here are your earplugs and the rest of the items," one of them said, handing Raiden a set of surgically-prepared plugs.
He fitted them into his ears, ready for the journey.
Only the Lord knew the location of Swordsmith Village, and it was kept secret for good reason.
Raiden's senses weren't just sharp because of Echoing Ears, his smell was extraordinary too, something the higher-ups seemed to have forgotten.
But Raiden didn't care about the secrecy. What mattered to him was what allies he could make and what opportunities he'd find once there.
After some travel, they finally arrived at Swordsmith Village.
Removing his blindfold, Raiden took in the view.
Sunlight filtered through the leafy canopy, scattering over the rooftops and alleyways, bathing the village in a gentle golden glow.
Every house matched traditional Japanese aesthetics, with polished wooden roofs and white walls, blending beautifully with the towering trees and rugged rocks encircling the village.
"Not bad at all," Raiden muttered under his breath.
After a brief greeting with the village chief, Raiden and the others quickly met up with Tanjiro.
Following their guide, the group climbed to the hot springs nestled behind the mountain.
"Our hot springs here have all sorts of healing effects," the smith explained, without reserve, "Good for cuts, burns, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, constipation, gout, and yes, even heartbreak. Be sure to soak and rest well."
Raiden's eyes flicked around, caught off guard. "Hemorrhoids? Anal fissures? That's… specific."
He couldn't just comment normally on that.
"I'll prepare dinner downstairs," another voice cut in.
Suddenly, a familiar figure dashed forward.
"It's Raiden!! And Tanjiro!"
The Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji barreled up to them, full of energy, before grabbing Tanjiro's hand and spinning him once, twice, then launching into a teary complaint about being ignored when greeting Genya Shinazugawa.
"I asked his name and he just ignored me! Isn't that too much? I was in such a good mood from the hot springs and then suddenly —"
As Tanjiro spoke about dinner, mentioning matsutake mushroom rice, Mitsuri's complaints suddenly cut off as she bolted toward the food.
"Such a glutton won't last long," Inosuke muttered, picking his boar nose as he followed.
Raiden shot him a tired look — this boar mask wouldn't go away anytime soon.
"Let's go, we should head up too."
They ascended the stone steps toward the springs.
At the designated pool, Raiden slid in next to Tanjiro, purposely choosing the spot closest to him.
He wanted no unplanned interference from Genya's unpredictable temperament.
"But seriously, boar head, why keep that broken mask on in the hot springs? Isn't it uncomfortable?" Raiden asked dryly, eyeing Inosuke, who was thrashing about using Beast Breathing and splashing water everywhere.
Zenitsu, hugging the side of the pool, chimed in, "Yeah, Inosuke, why wear that mask here? It's hot!"
"I was talking about him, not you," Raiden said, glancing at Zenitsu. "And stay off me! This pool is big enough!"
"…Fine," Zenitsu pouted, sliding slightly away.
Suddenly, the boar mask slipped under the water.
Raiden noticed a dark shape darting beneath the surface — and then Inosuke launched himself forward, aiming straight for Raiden's most sensitive area.
"What in the world?!" Raiden yelled, recoiling instinctively.
He looked quickly around — no demon aura or danger signs anywhere.
Then bubbles surfaced and Raiden realized exactly who was charging.
"You damn boar head! Why are you going after that?!" Raiden shouted as he kicked Inosuke across the pool.
Inosuke's boar mask eyes spun wildly as he spat out water and collapsed on the pool's edge.
His 34th attempt to ambush Raiden — unsuccessful.
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