Following Shinobu's lead, the two arrived at the nearest safe house.
The safe house was empty at the moment. Perhaps due to a time discrepancy, the Demon Slayer Corps members were likely all gathered at Mount Fujikasane. At least, that was what Shinobu thought.
Not running into anyone else was probably a good thing, in a way.
A "demon" moving and acting in broad daylight—no matter which Corps member witnessed it, they would inevitably be shocked. Overreacting like that Kakushi had was entirely understandable. But it would only lead to more unnecessary sacrifices.
There was also a bitter irony. The only clothes available here for Sukuna to change into were the Demon Slayer Corps uniform.
Shinobu watched Sukuna put on the uniform, her feelings complicated. The man before her had taken the lives of two full Hashira, and now he would roam around with demon slaying plastered on his back.
She changed out of her own bloodstained uniform as well.
Though Shinobu worried whether Sukuna might do something at that moment, he clearly had no interest. Instead, he asked her a question.
"So what is the origin of demons?"
Just as in his previous world where curses were the result of negative emotions, Sukuna was beginning to grow curious about the rules governing this world.
With her back to Sukuna, Shinobu found it odd that he would choose this moment to ask such a question.
But after weighing the pros and cons, she decided to hold nothing back. She spoke while adjusting her clothes.
"There is only one demon in this world whose blood can turn an ordinary human into a demon."
Since the bodies Sukuna had previously inhabited—Yuji Itadori and Fushiguro Megumi—were both modern people, he naturally associated the setting Shinobu described with vampires.
After all, the classic vampire tropes were similar to the demons of this world in most respects. They needed to feed on living humans. They feared certain plants and sunlight. And they had the ability to create companions or what might be called spawn.
Shinobu continued. "He is the first human to become a demon, from a thousand years ago. His name is Kibutsuji Muzan."
"A thousand years ago..."
Sukuna murmured to himself. He thought that this Muzan might very well be from the same era as him.
By then, Shinobu had already changed into a fresh Demon Slayer Corps uniform. But it was only the standard Corps-issue version. The leg wraps and haori would have to wait until she returned to her own quarters to replace.
Shinobu turned around, her expression grave. She asked in a very cautious tone.
"Do you... also wish to become a demon?"
"Me?"
Sukuna considered the question. But from what he could see so far, it seemed meaningless.
Demons only possessed tenacious vitality. In exchange, they gained an insatiable craving for human flesh and a fatal weakness to sunlight.
As he was now, with his use of Reverse Cursed Technique, Sukuna's vitality was far more tenacious than any demon he had encountered so far.
That said, Sukuna knew he had not yet encountered any of the stronger demons yet.
After all, that Demon Slayer named Rengoku Kyojuro, with his final slash, could have instantly killed any demon Sukuna had seen so far.
And yet, despite the existence of such power, the demons had not been wiped out in a thousand years. That said something.
But conversely, Sukuna found it strange that an entity with such power, having lived for a millennium, had still failed to annihilate the Demon Slayer Corps.
After all, though Sukuna was also over a thousand years old, he had not been active all that time like Muzan. He had been sleeping ever since he turned into a cursed object.
If he had wanted to exterminate ordinary humans, given how he operated, it probably would not have taken him more than a few decades, and that too is mainly because of how spread out humans are.
Of course, Sukuna also suspected that this Muzan might be the type to meticulously scheme and bide his time, much like Kenjaku. If so, he was curious what Muzan was ultimately trying to achieve.
Thinking this, Sukuna pointed at himself and asked Shinobu with amusement.
"Do you think I need to?"
"...No."
After a moment of silence, Shinobu gave her answer.
She tried to recall her memories of facing an Upper Moon. Even Doma, Upper Moon Two, who had killed her sister, had never given her a sense of oppression as strong as Sukuna's.
Back then, though Shinobu had arrived only to find her sister gravely wounded and dying, the feeling had simply been that Kanae had been slightly weaker and had lost. Sukuna was completely insurmountable. Even her sister at her peak could never have delivered the slash Rengoku had.
From that perspective, Sukuna did not need to become a demon. He already possessed power surpassing the Upper Moons. And he might not have even shown his full strength.
Just as Sukuna was about to ask what came next, a bird call came from the window.
"Shinobu."
It was Shinobu's Kasugai crow. Noticing her attention, it continued.
"Proceed to the northwestern town to hunt demons. Young women their are disappearing every night. All of them, without exception."
Since Kanzaki had already delivered the initial message from the leader and had not yet received any further instructions to return, he simply relayed the next standard assignment that had been waiting in the queue for Shinobu.
Sukuna stroked his chin and watched Kanzaki with interest, remarking.
"So this is how you receive your missions."
Shinobu took out paper and brush from the safe house and began writing. She explained to Sukuna.
"Next, we will go to the northwestern town to hunt demons. I will also send word of what happened here, including your requests."
Sukuna frowned slightly and asked. "Are you saying the demon in that northwestern town is strong?"
Shinobu continued writing as she answered calmly.
"There is no way to confirm that now. Only by encountering it can we know the demon's true strength."
Sukuna stroked his chin. This model seemed similar to the system used by the Jujutsu organization's windows. The only difference was the lack of modern information speed.
And Shinobu was right. He would only know the demon's strength after facing it.
Sukuna figured that Shinobu needed time to send her messages anyway. He had nothing better to do. He might as well go take a look. Maybe he would find something interesting.
--------------------------------
Enjoying the story?
Drop some power stones to push the story forward!