Chapter 40

As the dramatic events came to a close, Ginryu found himself reflecting on the situation.

"Now with this whole drama over, I guess it's time for me to begin moving," he muttered to himself.

Having observed the conversation between Yoriichi and the children, Ginryu decided it was time to depart for a while to attend to other matters.

He had anticipated a slow and gradual reunion between Yoriichi and the twins, but witnessing their immediate connection made him realize it would not take as long as he had thought.

Startled by a warm sensation against his leg, Ginryu turned to see Yin and Tora, who had also been listening in.

"Hmm, Yin, Tora, you were listening in too," he remarked, lifting the cubs to his side. The bond he shared with the cubs allowed him to communicate with them effortlessly.

"I know, I am fine. It's just that our relationship will probably not be the same again by the time I return ," he confided in them.

Recalling his promise to Uta, Ginryu decided to write a note conveying her message to the twins and their father.

After giving instructions to the servants and leaving a note for Yoriichi, Ginryu prepared to depart from the home he had shared with the twins for nearly eight years.

His new path would lead him to the Oda clan main house, where he intended to recruit Inuchiyo and Goemon to create his personal group. With the three cubs by his side, Ginryu embarked on his journey.

.......

Time seemed to trickle away as the twins and their father slept, the world quiet and still around them.

When they finally woke up in the early afternoon of the next day, a sense of unease settled over the household.

The twins, Hikari and Hikaru, jumped out of bed in a panic as they realized they had overslept and were late for their morning lessons in the study with Ginryu.

But as they searched the mansion, they found no trace of their mentor or the cubs that usually roamed the halls.

Yoriichi, their father, felt a knot tighten in his chest as he failed to sense Ginryu's unique aura within the walls of the manor.

Seeking answers, he inquired with the servants, only to be directed to the house manager, who handed him a letter from Ginryu.

As Yoriichi read the message, his heart sank. Ginryu had left without a clear explanation, leaving him in charge of the twins and the mansion.

The twins' reactions were a mix of anger and sadness, feeling abandoned by the one who had always been there for them.

Yoriichi tried his best to comfort his children, urging them to trust in Ginryu's intentions and wait for his return.

But the absence weighed heavy on the household, casting a shadow over their once joyful home.

Days turned into weeks, and the twins' spirits remained low.

Yoriichi struggled to fill the void left by Ginryu's departure, juggling the responsibilities of managing the mansion with comforting his grieving children.

As the weeks stretched into months, things began to look a bit more optimistic.

The twins still longed for the return of their first father, but deep down, they also knew that he wouldn't want to see them the way that they currently were.

.........…..

2 years later.

Ginryu, who had departed about 2 years ago, found himself in a strange situation.

Initially, his plan was to get the doctor that he had promised to bring for the Oda clan before heading there together.

He planned to stay within the Oda clan for a while so he could recruit the people he wanted and maybe find some others that he might need, but things took a weird turn.

Messages came by crow from the demon slayer corps soon after pressuring for his departure; Muzan seemed to have stepped up his game.

He had created a group of powerful demons that called themselves the twelve Kizuki and they were mass producing demons.

The number of demons were also getting out of hand.

So, he had to spend a whole two years working to thin the number of demons within several provinces.

This way, the other annoying clans won't say that he was being idle nor would they try to interfere with his business for a while.

He already sent the doctor months ahead before he began hunting demons.

Now, with the demons within tolerable numbers, he could resume his journey to the Oda clan.

His only worry was that with him currently hunting demons only within the Owari province, Muzan would notice and begin interfering with his plans.

The majority of the current turmoil stemmed from the demon slayer corps exiling Yoriichi.

Yoriichi seamlessly filled the void that Ginryu had left when he failed to fulfill his demon-slaying duties, as promised to the Ubuyashiki clan.

The other clans didn't raise objections and let it pass due to the fact that Yoriichi was human.

It boosted their ego that a human could stand on equal, if not greater, footing with demons.

For them, it was preferable to rely on Yoriichi, who was human, rather than the non human Ginryu.

They always harbored fear towards Ginryu as there was nothing to restrain him besides a mere promise and some business transactions he had with them.

Yoriichi, on the other hand, was different; not only was he human like them, but he was strong and shared a similar story with most demon slayers.

Yet, despite all that, they banished him for a single small mistake, if one could call it that.

The reason was simple; over the years, Yoriichi seemed to be getting increasingly stronger, perhaps too strong to control.

They feared that he might become another unrestrained power like Ginryu, even though they themselves had not achieved much.

Now, the demons had multiplied beyond their control, forcing them to turn back to Ginryu for assistance.

They were simply too proud to seek and implore Yoriichi to return.

Ginryu would have typically disregarded them, but they had a significant stake in the Kemono merchant group, and internal strife could potentially dissolve the group.

They made all the threats they could think of and pressured the young head of the Ubuyashiki family to comply with their demands.

Ginryu had accepted their request, making it look like it was a whimsical decision to give into their pressure.

He couldn't let them know that they currently held something over him.

The merchant group was vital for his future plans with the Oda clan. It also made it possible for them to negotiate as equals.

There was also the option on abandoning the demon slayer corps but that would mean that his only other way to interact with the Oda clan was to become a vassal of Oda Nobuna, something he instinctively found absolutely insulting.

Additionally, he did not want to involve Yoriichi and the twins with demons and politics for the time being, at least not until the anticipated major conflict commenced, preserving their involvement for a potential strategic advantage.