Chapter 57: Tanjiro

Uchiha Madara slowly opened his eyes, and the scene that met his gaze made him freeze instantly.

He discovered he was in the midst of a vast forest. Towering trees stood straight and tall around him, their trunks and branches covered in thick snow.

Madara's pupils contracted slightly, and an expression of disbelief surfaced on his face. He whipped around, vigilantly scanning his surroundings.

"Where is this?" Madara muttered to himself, his voice carrying a hint of disbelief.

His thoughts raced, recalling everything that had just happened. Clearly, a second ago he was still in a cave, yet in the blink of an eye, he had appeared in this strange snowy forest without any warning.

"To actually transfer me to a place like this without me noticing at all." Madara murmured, a trace of gravity flashing in his eyes.

Uchiha Madara stood in the snow, brows tightly knit. He took a deep breath, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.

"White Zetsu!"

Madara shouted in a low voice, simultaneously channeling chakra into the ground.

He had cast this ninjutsu countless times; it should have been second nature, yet the expected response did not occur. The surrounding air remained deathly silent, without any sign of White Zetsu appearing.

"This..."

Uchiha Madara frowned and tried once more, this time infusing more chakra. The result was the same.

His expression instantly turned grave. In the Ninja World, White Zetsu's clones were spread across every corner. No matter where he was, as long as he cast this technique, White Zetsu clones would always answer the summons.

But now, his summons were like stones sinking into the sea.

Madara's gaze swept across the surrounding snowy forest, the doubts in his heart growing heavier. He recalled the mysterious voice that had resounded in his mind earlier, and a possibility gradually took shape in his heart.

"Could it be, this place really isn't the Ninja World anymore!?"

Just as Uchiha Madara was shocked in his heart, a youth appeared ahead.

It was a red-haired boy, a conspicuous scar on his forehead, wearing checkered clothes.

The moment the youth saw Madara, he jogged over quickly, his face full of concern, his eyes warm, his voice gentle, brimming with kindness: "Old grandpa, what are you doing here? Are you from the nearby village? And wearing so little clothing."

Hearing the youth's words, a glint flashed in Madara's eyes. He pondered for a moment, then decided to play along with the youth's words for now, to see if he could obtain some useful information from it.

Madara deliberately put on a bewildered look, his voice carrying some hoarseness and fatigue: "I seem to have lost my way, I can't find my home."

His words carried a trace of helplessness, matching his aged appearance, easily evoking sympathy.

Hearing this, the youth's brows furrowed slightly, his eyes showing even more worry. "Is it that you can't remember?"

As he spoke, he took off his own coat. "Old grandpa, you put this on first. It's so cold, don't get sick."

"I'm Tanjiro, my house is just ahead," the youth pointed in a nearby direction, saying sincerely: "Would you like to go rest a bit? Once you remember, I can send you home."

After a moment of silence, Madara nodded: "Then I'll trouble you."

A brilliant smile bloomed on Tanjiro's face, he reached out to support Madara's arm: "Watch your step, I'll help you walk slowly."

With Tanjiro's help, the two soon arrived at Tanjiro's home. Tanjiro lightly knocked on the main door; after a while the door slowly opened. "Mom, Big Brother's back!" Hanako, who opened the door, saw her brother's figure and shouted into the house.

"Hm? Did something happen to Tanjiro?" At this moment Tanjiro's mother Kamado Kie walked out. Seeing Uchiha Madara's figure, Kie said with surprise on her face: "Tanjiro, who is this?"

"Mom, I found this old grandpa in the forest, he seems to have lost his way, so I brought him back first. Once he recalls things, I'll send him home." Tanjiro said.

"Oh oh, please come in quickly, this old sir." Kamado Kie said.

"Sorry for the intrusion." Uchiha Madara nodded and said.

"Mom, then you take care of this old grandpa first, I'm going to town to sell charcoal." Tanjiro said, taking back the coat he had just given Madara.

Kie nodded, admonishing gently: "Be careful on the road, come back before dark."

Tanjiro showed a sunshine-like smile, replying: "Got it, Mom." He turned, shouldered the frame full of charcoal, and walked out of the house.

Meanwhile Uchiha Madara observed the situation inside the house. Although the house was swept very clean, it still couldn't conceal the shabby state of the furniture; it seemed this family's life wasn't that well-off.

"Old sir, I simmered some hot soup, drink it to warm your body." Kie said softly, her tone full of concern. "May I ask what your name is?"

Madara was silent for a moment, a trace of hesitation flashing in his eyes. He slowly spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Call me Madara. I don't remember the rest too clearly either."

"We haven't had outsiders come here in a very long time, the hospitality may be lacking, please forgive us." Kie bowed slightly and said, her tone carrying a hint of apology.

Uchiha Madara shook his head lightly, his voice low and calm: "This is already very good."

Just then, a burst of urgent footsteps came from outside the door. A small boy rushed into the house excitedly, shouting: "Mom, has Big Brother come back?"

The small boy's gaze suddenly landed on Uchiha Madara, a puzzled expression appearing on his face. He tilted his head and asked: "Mom, who is this?"

Kie frowned lightly, turned to the small boy and admonished in a low voice: "Takeo, don't shout and yell, this is a guest Big Brother brought back, you must respect them."

Hearing his mother's words, Takeo immediately realized his rudeness. He turned to Uchiha Madara, an apologetic look on his face: "Sorry, old grandpa, hello."

Kie explained to Uchiha Madara with some embarrassment: "Sorry, let you see a joke. The kids at home are very close with their big brother, hearing he's back they got too excited."

"It's nothing..."

Uchiha Madara was just about to speak when suddenly a virtual screen appeared out of thin air before his eyes. His pupils shrank slightly, but he quickly regained his calm, looking at the screen's contents without changing expression.

【Main Quest: Protect】

【Mission Requirement: Protect the safety of Tanjiro's family today, stop the Demon King Muzan's slaughter.】

【Mission Reward: 1000 Reincarnation Points.】

【Failure Penalty: Permanent Stay in this world.】

Madara's gaze rapidly scanned every word on the screen, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Looks like if I want to go back, I have to complete the mission." Madara calculated silently in his heart. His gaze lingered on the two words "Demon King," thoughts whirling.

"Demon King. Daring to call himself King, probably not an ordinary character." Madara silently analyzed, "This world's high-end combat power? Looks like I need to make some preparations in advance."

(Chapter End)