"Now I understand where I am... How did I not notice it before?" Toji muttered, his gaze lost in the sky above him.
"Chainsaw Man, right?" he added with a wild smile, recalling his encounter with the mysterious individual.
Leaving the scene, he walked away with the little clothing he had left after the fire.
He ran through the forest for hours until he found a small river, where he decided to stop to recover and drink water.
(N/A: I want to clarify something. Makima and the MC are the same age; both were born in 1997. For example, Makima was born on January 7, and at the time she was alive in the manga, she was 24 years old. Now both are 5 years old—end of note.)
Looking at his reflection in the water, he noticed an improvement in his appearance. His features were more defined, and his body was more toned than before.
Putting that aside, he began drinking from the river and started running aimlessly once more.
After two hours, he found a small dojo surrounded by bamboo and wild plants. Inside, there was an older man in a white yukata sitting at the front, and a young girl with green hair and dark eyes of the same age as him drinking tea quietly. However, just by looking at the old man's upright posture and the katana in the background, it was evident that he had knowledge of combat.
"It seems we have guests," said the old man in a deep, hoarse voice, finishing his tea and turning in Toji's direction.
The girl drinking tea was surprised and looked at her grandfather with an inquisitive expression.
"Are you sure, Grandpa?" said the girl, her face showing confusion.
The old man simply sighed before looking at what seemed to be his granddaughter.
"That's why you need to learn to sense presences that don't always use negative energy or have just awakened it," said the old man with a tired sigh, and a curious look appeared on his face as he looked at his granddaughter.
"I'm sorry, Grandpa, I swear I'll learn your skills and improve," said the girl with an apologetic and nervous look.
Seeing that the old man had noticed, Toji simply stepped out from behind the bamboo, approached, and stared at the old man in front of him, who returned his gaze with a stern expression.
The girl, who could see the muscles on the young man, blushed deeply and turned her gaze away.
"Wow, wow, cocky brat," said the old man, clearly amused by his granddaughter's reaction and the young man's cocky attitude, showing off his muscles without fear and seeming to enjoy making the girl blush.
The young man smiled cockily as he grinned at the old man.
"Who are you, cocky kid?" said the old man, standing up from his tatami and stepping through the door with the same cocky look that the young man had.
"I'm Toji Fushiguro, and I want you to train me, old man," said Toji with a cocky look and a somewhat arrogant tone, which amused the old man a bit.
The reason he asked for training was obvious—wasting the opportunity to gain knowledge he didn't have at all would be quite stupid. It was simple: 2 plus 2 equals four. An old man with a katana, and clearly in physical shape, could be a veteran or an old combat master. Hunters were supposed to no longer exist in this era since the organization hadn't been created yet.
"You're like I was when I was young. Let's see if you have what it takes," said the old man, getting into a combat stance with a cocky and amused smile. However, inside, he furrowed his brows because something was suppressing the negative energy emanating from the boy.
The boy stared at the old man in front of him with a cocky look, but his posture and face were tense and prepared for any attack, giving the old man the feeling that the boy was reflecting false confidence.
The boy launched himself at the old man with a speed that even surpassed his granddaughter, who was quite fast.
Reappearing right in front of him, Toji felt the negative energy flow smoothly and aggressively through his body. Focusing his energy into his hand, he unleashed a powerful punch directly at the old man's stomach, creating a slight pressure in the air as the energy danced in his hand and condensed quickly.
Just as it reached his stomach, he saw the old man smile before his image disappeared before his eyes.
BAM
In an instant, Toji felt a powerful punch hit his stomach, sending him flying and completely immobilized, falling to the ground as he struggled to catch his breath.
"You're fast, kid, I'll give you that," said the old man, looking at the boy with an amused expression on his old face.
"Damned old man, are you that strong? I thought your bones would crumble from throwing a punch like that," said Toji as he struggled to move on the ground, trying to regain his breath.
The old man's granddaughter watched as the boy named Toji and her grandfather had a small confrontation in which, of course, her grandfather emerged victorious. Still, she was surprised to see the boy run at a speed she couldn't even reach. What left her speechless was seeing the boy's fist shine with negative energy, which he manipulated at will. This left her puzzled because her grandfather had told her that only demons like them could manipulate negative energy, and she hadn't expected a human to have that ability.
"Hehe, cocky brat, you're mistaken if you think I'm just some old man," said the older man jovially.
"Then, will you train me, old man?" As he snapped out of his thoughts, the girl saw Toji talking to her grandfather.
The old man simply smiled before turning toward the girl and looking at her gently.
"Nakame, bring some water for me and Toji," the old man told the girl named Nakame, who gracefully and silently got up and walked across the tatami, making no noise as she headed to the dojo.
The old man turned back to Toji with a serious look, causing the young man to tense up.
"Your energy is immense, and you left me somewhat confused. How do you manipulate negative energy like that?" the old man said as he extended his hand to Toji with a half-smile.
Toji simply took his hand and stood up, smiling at him.
"I just feel it coursing through my body and focus on it," Toji said, appearing more recovered now.
Those simple words left the old man reflecting, but at the same time, they told him this boy was different. From that description, he knew Toji had to be some kind of prodigy to feel the energy so naturally.
"Boy, show me that energy again," the old man said with a serious look on his face.
Toji sighed, and with a thought, the cursed energy in his body exploded powerfully, slightly cracking the ground beneath him. The old man, watching this with a smile, could see the density of negative energy in the boy.
"My name is Kiyoshi. Welcome to my dojo, brat. I'll be your trainer," said the man named Kiyoshi with a cocky smile as he patted the boy on the shoulder.
His granddaughter, Nakame, arrived with a friendly smile on her face, carrying a tray with two glasses of water. Her hair moved gently in the air when Toji's eyes fell on her.
The girl noticed Toji's gaze and, like an angel, smiled at him, warming his heart for a moment.
On the other hand.
In a gray room somewhere in Tokyo, Makima stared out the window with indifference, while a suited man sat beside her.
"You must kill the demons. You must avenge the boy you once loved and cared for," said the man in a hoarse voice, his empty gaze fixed on Makima, who continued to stare out the window indifferently. However, her face slightly wrinkled as she recalled the video showing the place where her house had been brutally destroyed, leaving only a deep crater.
"I'll create a better world. For that, everyone must be under my control so that no one suffers, and I can fulfill my objectives," said Makima as her eyes gleamed with indifference.
In a dojo, two men could be seen practicing. While the older man looked at him seriously, the younger man had a slight advantage in the fight.
Today is November 17, 2001, and six months have passed since I arrived here.
The news reported that demons have been unusually active lately, attacking citizens for no apparent reason. However, in this part of Tokyo, everything has remained relatively quiet.
BOOM
Multiple sounds of impact could be heard in the dojo where the older man was training with the younger one, who seemed to be dominating the fight.
Despite his young age, the boy was already about 1.50 meters tall, quite tall for his age, and had well-developed muscles.
BOOM
Dressed in a black kimono, the older man stopped a strike with his palm covered in negative energy sent by his young disciple, causing him to stagger slightly.
"You're strong, damn brat. And to think that in just six months you've learned everything I had to show you, and now all that's left is to perfect it," said the old man with an arrogant voice, proud of his disciple's progress.
Quickly launching a kick, the old man smiled as Toji, his young and daring disciple, evaded it. This audacious young man who had appeared out of nowhere one day, with prodigious control over negative energy, had become a small but dangerous warrior.
"But you still have a long way to go." Reappearing behind him on his right side after Toji dodged the kick, the old man spoke.
Toji turned and instinctively covered his body with cursed energy, raising his arms in a cross in front of his face.
BOOM
Toji, who had been facing his master, was sent flying after receiving a powerful palm strike, landing several meters away before recovering with a small bruise, which was quickly healed by the cursed energy.
The old man calmly left the training area, a wooden room completely illuminated by sunlight, with three training dummies on the floor used for sword practice. He simply smiled.
Breathing heavily, Toji deactivated his cursed energy and began to breathe deeply to calm himself.
"Old Kiyoshi, you're stronger than me, but rest assured, as Toji Fushiguro, I swear that one day, I'll kick your ass," Toji said arrogantly with a smile on his face.
During his time with the old Kiyoshi and his granddaughter, he had discovered and planned a few things.
The cursed energy that emanates from him, for some reason, is immense but is being suppressed by some kind of seal.
The old man used to be a lone demon hunter. This means he was one of many veterans who killed demons in their name at a time when the Hunter Association was extremely ineffective.
His cursed inventory seal tattoo has been stealing part of the cursed energy and absorbing it into himself.
The U.S. government has been using its "weapons" intensively and gaining great benefits from them.
He won't seek Makima and will try to avoid her as much as possible now that she's in the hands of the politicians, at least until he unlocks his cursed inventory.
As they were about to continue their fight, a soft yet authoritative voice rang out, shaking the two "men" in the yard.
"Enough fighting, you two. Go eat dinner." The 5-year-old girl and only "woman" of the house, and therefore the only one who can order them as she pleases, spoke like a mother scolding her children.
With a sigh of resignation, the 'men' of the house followed the girl to her not-so-humble kitchen, made of marble and equipped with top-tier cookware.
Sitting on the floor in front of them was a bowl of Yakisoba soup with many ingredients (use your imagination), placed in front of them.
Toji, looking at those he considered his family, couldn't help but remember his mother from his previous life.
"The U.S. government has been using its weapons excessively and increasing people's fear of them, which worries me," said Kiyoshi, looking at his disciple, who nodded with a thoughtful expression.
"Don't you think some demon could emerge from those fears?" Toji said with a slightly worried look on his face.
'In the manga, the Weapon Demon attacked all of Japan, killing at least 56,000 people in 26 damn seconds, but the worst part is that they didn't specify where the Demon's flesh traces fell or where it attacked.'
The old man simply nodded with resignation and looked at him with a trace of worry.
"That could happen, and the worst part is if it does, that bastard will be incredibly powerful," said Kiyoshi before slowly savoring his Yakisoba.
Toji also drank his Yakisoba at the same pace as Kiyoshi.
Seeing that Toji was doing this a bit faster than him, Kiyoshi increased his speed, causing Toji to do the same, and they started a competition.
In less than 3 seconds, Toji had finished his Yakisoba, and Kiyoshi nearly choked trying to keep up.
Seeing Kiyoshi choking, Toji, who had his Yakisoba in his mouth, almost spat it out from laughing. But when he looked at the one he ironically called the "Little Angel," she stared at him as if the devil had possessed her, making him swallow his Yakisoba with a wink.
The girl, seeing this, blushed as if someone had tickled her, her whole face turning red as she tried to cover it with her hands.
Toji, seeing her reaction, burst out laughing, causing the girl to blush even more.
Kiyoshi, seeing his granddaughter enchanted by this rascal, gave her a smack on the head that almost made her crash her head against the table.
The day went by as usual until nightfall.
On the tatami mat in the room, Toji and Kiyoshi were drinking tea, each wearing a yukata, with a small round table separating them.
Kiyoshi wore a white yukata, while Toji wore a black one, and the darkness of the room settled behind them. The two men looked at each other with a serious and somewhat determined look in their eyes.
"Toji, I want you to promise me something," said Kiyoshi as he looked at his tea and took a sip.
During the time they lived together, though short, it was long enough for Toji to empathize with the dying old man, who had severe tuberculosis. Although it was treatable, the old man rejected treatment, claiming there was no room for old souls like him in this world.
"I know what you want, old man, and I'll do it, don't doubt it," Toji said with a serious look on his face.
"You must protect her at all costs, if they find out about her existence," Kiyoshi said in a more serious tone.
"I will," Toji said, looking him directly in the eyes.
"It doesn't matter that we're demons, you're stronger than her, and I have no doubt that in the future you'll surpass me. They'll come for my granddaughter in a month. Please, protect her," said Kiyoshi, coughing up a little blood into his handkerchief.
"Without a doubt, Master," said Toji, bowing respectfully to the man who had been his teacher.
The elderly Kiyoshi was surprised and smiled mockingly, though deep down he felt relieved seeing the seriousness and respect from Toji.
"You can be respectful for once, brat," Kiyoshi said with a mocking smile.
(November 18, 2001, 20:58)
In the backyard, Toji and Nakame were gazing at the starry sky while sitting under a tree, their young faces filled with peaceful passion.
Nakame, who had rested her head on Toji's shoulder, looked up at the sky with him and asked, "Do you think there will be a better future without evil, only peace?"
"As long as good exists, evil will never disappear. Evil has existed in humanity for a long time, and it's something that will never go away. If you think there can be peace in a world where power is everything, you're naive," Toji said, sounding far beyond his 5 years.
Sighing, Nakame turned as she sensed her grandfather's presence watching them from the tatami mat inside the house, with a soft smile on his face.
Rising to see her grandfather, Nakame walked toward him with a smile.
IMPACT
A powerful explosion destroyed the house where Kiyoshi was, sending Nakame flying, nearly crashing into the tree, but Toji caught her just in time.
Both were traumatized as they witnessed huge chunks of flesh and sudden explosions raining down all around them.
The place where Kiyoshi had been, where Toji and Nakame had undoubtedly spent their best days, was completely destroyed.
IMPACT
IMPACT
As they watched, Toji's expression was emotionless but filled with rage, while Nakame's face was full of terror and tears running down her cheeks.
"GRANDFATHERRRRRRRR!" Crying out with palpable pain, Nakame let out a horrific scream of agony that made Toji flinch slightly.
Shaking off her shock, Toji grabbed Nakame in his arms, using cursed energy to shield both himself and the granddaughter of his master as he rocketed out of the house at an incredible speed, pushing his body to the limit.