The forest had gone quiet.
Sahiru moved carefully, the weight of Shinobu light against his back, yet heavy with the blood and breath she had lost. Her wounds were grave—deep gashes torn through her side, and her breathing shallow—but her eyes, though dim, were still burning with life.
"You didn't need to save me," she murmured hoarsely, voice faint against his shoulder.
Sahiru didn't look back. "You would have died."
"I was prepared to."
"That's what weaklings say."
A pause. Despite her condition, a small, pained smile tugged at her lips. "You really are the infamous Sahiru… cold, cruel, and annoyingly honest."
He didn't reply, but the way he adjusted his hold—gentler, more secure—was answer enough.
As they walked beneath the rising sun, blood trailing behind them, a Kasugai crow soared high above, shrieking with urgency.
"REPORT—ATTENTION ALL HASHIRA! SAHIRU HAS RETURNED AND SAVED SHINOBU FROM KOKUSHIBO! REPEAT—SAHIRU HAS APPEARED AND DEFIED AN UPPER MOON!"
The news struck the Corps like lightning.
At the Butterfly Mansion, Nezuko and Kanao looked at one another in stunned silence.
In a training ground, Sanemi stopped mid-punch, jaw clenching.
Giyu, silent as ever, stared into the sky, expression unreadable.
Obanai dropped his scroll mid-read. "He… actually came back?"
In the Ubuyashiki estate, the master closed his eyes with a soft breath. "The blade of deception has returned to the battlefield."