As soon as Ryuji finished speaking, the air around where he had been standing vibrated violently. In the next moment, his figure disappeared without a trace from Tanjiro's perception.
Tanjiro wanted to chase after him, but there was no trace of Ryuji's scent anywhere. There was no lingering scent at all. Tanjiro immediately understood that Ryuji truly didn't want him to follow.
"Has Senior Ryuji reached this level of breathing?" Tanjiro was startled.
Without Ryuji by his side, Tanjiro felt uneasy. He couldn't help but feel a sense of retreat. He turned around and looked at the path back down the mountain, which had been blocked by the masked Demon Slayer Corps members.
Just then, a young man with yellow hair approached Tanjiro and said, "Uh, my name is Zenitsu. What about that really strong senior who was with you? Where did he go?"
Tanjiro looked at the yellow-haired young man named Zenitsu. From his tone, Tanjiro felt that he was very scared and nervous.
"Hello, my name is Tanjiro Kamado. The person you're talking about is my senior brother. His name is Ryuji. I usually call him Senior Ryuji." Tanjiro introduced himself friendly in response to Zenitsu's greeting.
"Oh! Where did Senior Ryuji go?" Zenitsu continued to ask.
"I don't know either. He just told me he had something to take care of, and then he separated from me. He also told me not to follow him. Are you looking for him?" Tanjiro briefly explained Ryuji's situation and then asked Zenitsu back what he was looking for him for.
Hearing this, Zenitsu immediately fell into a pit of fear, muttering to himself, "If this is the case, I'm really going to die! I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!"
"Tanjiro, I haven't gotten married yet! I don't want to die here!"
Just as Tanjiro was still trying to understand why Zenitsu was like this, he suddenly started crying and hugged Tanjiro's leg, wailing.
Tanjiro clearly hadn't expected to encounter this situation, but seeing Zenitsu so scared and cowardly, his kind heart was instantly stirred.
Tanjiro patted Zenitsu's head and comforted him, "It's okay. I'll protect you."
"Really? Are you as strong as Senior Ryuji?" Zenitsu seemed to have seen hope and immediately stopped his crying.
"Although I'm not as strong as Senior Ryuji, I'll definitely protect you." Tanjiro said confidently.
"Thank you so much, Tanjiro!" Zenitsu gave Tanjiro a big hug.
Although Zenitsu was cowardly, it didn't mean he was stupid.
Even though Tanjiro admitted that he wasn't as strong as Ryuji, Zenitsu still felt very secure seeking Tanjiro's protection. Besides trusting Tanjiro, he also trusted Ryuji's choice.
Because Zenitsu thought that since Ryuji could leave Tanjiro behind like that, he must have confidence in Tanjiro's strength.
However, Zenitsu didn't realize that his grandfather's permission for him to participate in the Demon Slayer Corps' selection was also a kind of affirmation of him.
But because of his personality, Zenitsu didn't understand his own potential.
At this time, Tanjiro also didn't know that the yellow-haired young man he had encountered, Zenitsu, was actually someone who would play a crucial role in turning the tide.
"Let's go, Zenitsu!" Tanjiro patted Zenitsu's shoulder.
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