N-A-A Chapter 71 Zenitsu's Ears
Chapter 71 Zenitsu's Ears
On the quiet path late at night, Inosuke slung his twin swords over his shoulder and swaggered ahead, glancing back every now and then.
Rather than checking if anyone was alone, they were looking at Tanjiro and Nezuko.
Tanjiro saw Inosuke turn around and was about to smile and raise his hand to indicate that they were still there.
Inosuke's next words left Tanjiro stunned.
"Red hair, wide forehead, do you want a duel now?"
"Let's go, let's go!" Mizuko rolled her eyes and pushed Inosuke's back to chase him forward.
"Lead the way quickly, Zenitsu is waiting to have his ears treated!"
"What are you doing?!"
Inosuke staggered a couple of steps after being pushed, still grumbling resentfully.
"Pink Bean, you want to have a showdown with me too, don't you? Come on! Who's afraid of who!"
Once Inosuke was back on track as a guide, Nezuko turned and walked back to Tanjiro's side.
Seeing her older brother still standing there, looking completely bewildered, she couldn't help but pat his arm with a wry smile.
"Brother, let's heal his ears first!"
Tanjiro nodded blankly, hugged the child in his arms and Zenitsu on his back tightly, and continued to follow.
After walking for half the night, the group arrived at a village.
Following the child's directions, Tanjiro and his group arrived at a doorway with a wisteria flower pattern.
Midouzi looked at the wisteria flower pattern at the door with a hint of curiosity.
Is this related to the wisteria flowers on Tengxi Mountain?
Before she could think it through, Inosuke, who was standing next to her, couldn't contain himself any longer and started pounding on the door with his fists.
"Guards! Guards! Come out and greet this great man!"
"Inosuke, you can't be so rude!"
Mi Douzi quickly reached out to pull him back, afraid that he would break the door.
Tanjiro could only hold the child in his arms, hold the other children's hands with his other hand, and watch this scene with a smile while carrying Zenitsu on his back.
However, he soon noticed that the sun was about to rise.
Oh no, the sun is about to rise!
Just as Tanjiro was worrying about the sun, the door with the wisteria pattern opened with a creak.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and soon an old woman with white hair, short stature, and a kind face came out.
She first scanned the crowd before fixing her gaze on Midouzi.
Nezuko was also a little confused by the old woman's gaze. She thought that Inosuke's rudeness had angered the old woman. Just as she stepped forward and bowed to apologize, she heard the old woman's aged voice.
"Sir, you're a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, aren't you?"
Upon hearing this, Mi Douzi was taken aback, then looked up at the old woman's kind smile and nodded in agreement!
"Please come in quickly, old woman! I'll prepare a meal for you, and... a doctor!"
As the old woman spoke, she saw Zenitsu on Tanjiro's body, as well as the children.
Although they were very puzzled, Nezuko and Tanjiro exchanged a glance and then went inside.
During the ensuing conversation, Nidouzi learned the old woman's identity.
Their family had received a great favor from the Demon Slayer Corps, so they carved a wisteria flower mark on the gate of their clan.
It also serves as a place for the Demon Slayer Corps to stay, rest, and receive medical treatment when they are on missions.
Nezuko had no idea that she and her group would stumble upon the Demon Slayer Corps's logistics depot.
As the sun rose, the doctor arrived at the old woman's house and gave Inosuke and Zenitsu a thorough examination.
Mi Douzi stayed by their side the whole time, concerned about their injuries.
However, Tanjiro was not in the room where sunlight streamed in.
"Doctor, how are they?"
After watching the doctor finish examining Zenitsu's condition, Mizuko asked anxiously.
"You and your wild boar friend... well, your injuries are quite minor; you'll basically be fine in a few days. But your wild boar friend... is he a bit slow?!"
The doctor looked with lingering fear at Inosuke, who was sharpening his knife on a stone in the yard.
When Mizuko heard the doctor's words, she smiled awkwardly, recalling how she almost got stabbed to death by Inosuke when the doctor tried to remove Inosuke's hood.
"It's good that he's alright, but... what about my friend?"
Mizuko changed the subject and quickly asked the doctor how Zenitsu was doing.
When Zenitsu was mentioned, the doctor's face darkened, and his expression became serious.
"Your friend has quite a few injuries. He has several lacerations in his leg muscles, but they're not a big problem; he'll be fine after a few days of rest. But his ear..."
Hearing the doctor's words, Nidouzi became nervous and quickly asked.
"What happened to his...ear?"
The doctor shook his head, not saying anything, but just looking to the side at the blood-soaked gauze soaked with medicine scattered on the floor.
Midouzi also looked at the gauze covering the ground, her eyes filled with self-reproach and confusion.
【I clearly hid Zenitsu by the door, how could he be so badly injured, Zenitsu... I'm so sorry, it's all my fault!】
"I blame myself in my heart," Mi Douzi said.
At this moment, Zenitsu, who was in a coma, was trapped in a jumble of chaotic memories.
He was awakened by the sounds of fighting coming from the manor.
When I opened my eyes, it was dark and I was lying alone in the cold grass, with no one around me.
"Nie Douzi! Nei Douzi, where are you?"
Zenitsu's voice trembled as he scrambled to his feet, looking around frantically, overwhelmed by fear.
All around was deathly silent, except for the sounds of fighting coming from deep within the manor, each sound more piercing and more menacing than the last.
"Could it be... that the voice inside is Nezuko fighting a demon?"
As soon as the words were spoken, Zenitsu instinctively held his breath and strained his ears to listen.
However, these naturally sensitive ears have now become a weapon that torments him.
During this time, he couldn't help but swallow, and in his hearing, he soon heard two heartbeats that were not human's within the manor.
Among them were two rapid, frantic heartbeats belonging to humans, and Mizuko's anxious cry: "Brother!"
"What do I do... what do I do! The bean is still inside!" Zenitsu's teeth chattered incessantly.
"I can't run... I absolutely can't run... I have to save Midouzi!"
He looked around helplessly, trying to find something to bolster his courage, but all he could find were tall weeds and nothing else.
Just as Zenitsu's eyes were reddening and he was about to cry, a panicked cry came from the manor again.
The voice was like a needle, piercing his fear.
"Niedouzi—!"
Zenitsu almost instinctively took off and rushed towards the manor.
But before his toes had fully stepped into the courtyard, a sharp howl—neither wolf, bird, nor snake—exploded in his ears!
Almost instantly, Zenitsu's eardrums ruptured, and blood flowed uncontrollably from his ears.
Zenitsu didn't even have time to let out a scream before everything went black and he collapsed to the ground, completely losing consciousness.