I stepped forward, drawing my blade and resting it on my shoulder. Behind me Yushiro was scrambling around tossing random stuff into bags as he pulled on Tamayo's sleeve.
Tamayo didn't move, I felt her eyes on my back as I stood in front of the two demons in her yard. A chick with balls and Deidara's cousin with hand eyes instead of hand mouths.
Susamaru grinned, flexing her arms. A temari ball appeared in her hands. "Let's play!"
She hurled the ball towards me, I leaned a little and let it slip past me with a bored look on my face. Susamaru frowned, the ball flew back to her hand.
My eyes picked up everything, things I hadn't noticed before. I always thought blood demon arts was just demon std magic. Now with Tamayo's lore drop from earlier I could see the slight influences of Cursed Energy.
'No wonder normal people can't see certain blood demon arts… it's basically cursed energy.'
I dodged a few more balls and shrugged off whatever hand eyes was trying to do, probably hold me in place. With Limitless, it was impossible to hold me down.
"Susamaru, be careful! He's dangerous…" Yahaba shouted out from his hiding spot.
"If you're going to hide…" I muttered, "DON'T FUCKING SHOUT REVEALING YOUR POSSITION!"
I blasted the tree into splinters with Reversal Red. Susamaru looked at where Yahaba had once been with wide eyes.
I sunk down low, sword held firmly in my hands. Susamaru glared at me in anger, she launched nearly a dozen balls at me but I dodged all of them with effortless grace.
Sun Breathing, first form… Dance.
Susamaru froze, her eyes going wide with fear at the sight of my movement. It wasn't her fear though, this was something that came with Muzan's blood.
Poor bastard was so scared of Yoriichi that even his blood inherited the fear. I stopped the swing just as it was about to cut into Susamaru's neck. Instead I smashed the pommel of the katana into the side of her head.
She collapsed unconscious on the ground, I turned to Tamayo.
"I'll leave her to you then, you can probably use her in your freaky experiments."
I sheathed my nichirin blade and walked out of the hidden base without turning around. Even with this new twist, I was still more than confident in my own abilities.
[Scene Break]
Weeks passed, the thought of an extended world far beyond what I had originally imagined shoved into the back of my mind. I smiled in pride as I watched Tanjiro move through the forms of Sun Breathing like they were second nature to him.
He had remarked that it was very similar to the Hinokami Kagura, I had informed him that it was what inspired the creation of the Kagura.
He threw himself into training after, his determination burning bright. He had mastered the first few forms, and was now working on the last five.
I had told him that he would be taking part in the upcoming Final Selections with Kanae and Shinobu's adopted sister, Kanao.
"That's enough kid… you're ready to face the final challenge." I called over to him.
He stopped mid swing and ran over to me, "But sensei! I still stumble sometimes an—
I scoffed, "So? I miss a meal once in a while, that doesn't mean I'm starving…" I waved him off and pulled out a package from behind my back, "Here, I got you something." Tossing it to Tanjiro I watched him open it.
It was a haori I had custom made in Tokyo where I had most of my clothes made. Tanjiro's new haori was like his old coat. A checkered pattern of green and black, but the sleeves had been changed.
They were now black with white diamonds at the edges, a pattern matching my haori, except mine had cartoonish cats on the front corners.
"S-sensei…" Tanjiro smiled, "thank you!"
I waved him off, "Mitsuri also has a gift for you," I took out a long cloth wrapped package and handed it to him, "she's off on a mission so she wasn't able to give it to you personally."
He gingerly accepted the package and slowly unwrapped it revealing a katana. A few of the fittings had been swapped, mainly the ito wrapping and the saya. When Tanjiro drew the blade it still had the original colour scheme from when Mitsuri had owned the blade.
"I-I…" Tanjiro held it respectfully.
"It's her old nichirin blade, she had a new one forged when she became a Hashira so she thought it was better off in your hands rather than collecting dust somewhere else."
"I'll take care of it Sensei!" Tanjiro bowed.
"Good, now go see your family, get some rest. You leave for selections with Kanao and Genya tomorrow."
"Hai! Sensei!" Tanjiro bowed again before dashing off.
No sooner than when Tanjiro disappeared from sight, a kasugai crow flew over my head.
"Alert alert… Nara prefecture… all available Hashira please respond!"
'Nara prefecture? That's where Mitsuri was headed…'
I vanished with a sonic boom.
[Scene Break] (POV Shift)
The air on Mount Fujiasane was heavy with unease. The sharp smell of wisteria blossoms wafted in from the surrounding trees to where Tanjiro stood.
Around him, gathered over two dozen hopefuls, though only a handful drew his attention. A boy with choppy yellow hair who looked like he was beyond scared for his life. A small looking figure hiding behind a fox mask. Another masked individual, lurking in the trees who smelled strongly of boar.
Of course he also noticed Kanao-san and Genya-san. He had met them before at the Butterfly Mansion. Kanao was the ever silent adopted sister to the Kocho's. Genya was apparently the Wind Hashira's younger brother who got sent to the Butterfly Mansion almost every day to get wounds he got from his brother treated.
When the twin proctors explained the rules, Tanjiro's hands subconsciously brushed against the blade at his hip and tugged at his sleeves. Even though he was here by himself, he felt as if his Sensei's were there with him.
Just as the gates creaked open, Tanjiro remembered Satoru's words from the night before.
Small flashback
"Survive… do your best to do that at least. If you think you're in any danger, run. Mitsuri would kill me if she found out I let her favourite student of mine die… not to mention your mother."
"Sensei… aren't I your only student?"
"Are you? Oh well, just don't die Monjiro."
"It's Tanjiro…"
Small flashback end
Tanjiro couldn't help but smile at the memory, he knew that Satoru always joked in ways he sometimes didn't understand, but he understood his teacher was looking out for him.
"I won't disappoint you Sensei…" Tanjiro quietly vowed as he stepped forward with everyone else.
The forest swallowed them whole.
Almost immediately, everyone scattered, fear driving them to try and carve their own paths. Tanjiro moved with measured steps, he remembered the lessons Satoru had taught him.
Keeping his breathing steady, he paced himself as he looked for a spot to stop at so he could plan out how to survive on the mountain for the next seven days. He was the perfect picture of composure.
Still, when he saw the first demon he's seen since Satoru saved him, his legs became rooted to the ground at the sight of it. Deathly pale, claws like daggers, eyes glowing like coals, a corpse like body. Everything about it screamed that it wasn't human.
Tanjiro's muscles locked, his heart pounding in his chest.
'I- I can't…' he thought, hands shaking as he reached for his sword.
Then, like a whip cracking in his mind. Satoru's voice echoed in his head as if his Sensei was there with him.
"Oya… hesitating? How about I make you run laps until you vomit blood, kid?"
Tanjiro grit his teeth, he could practically see his teacher smirking at him from the shadows next to the demon. That was enough, his fear turned to resolve.
He quickly drew his blade and stepped in. The first form of Sun Breathing sliced through the night and decapitated the demon in the span of a second. The demon didn't even know what hit it before its ashes were spreading in the wind.
The days blurred together, Tanjiro fought on. His new haori stained with dirt and blood, most of it wasn't his.
He had stumbled into the others. Some had banded together to raise their survival chances. For some it had been too late. Tanjiro killed the demons to avenge them and offered a quick prayer each time he found a slain participant.
Even with that, he refused to stop.
It was on the fifth night that he met the fox masked participant. The participants' small figure had been cornered. Blood dripped from a cut on their arm. The fox mask cracked and barely hung on the participants face.
A massive demon, grotesque arms covering most of its body like armour was leering at the fox masked figure. It laughed as it toyed with the figure. It's crushing blows barely missing as if the demon was prolonging the fight.
Tanjiro burst into the scene, chest heaving. The demon stopped and turned to him.
"Another one of Urokodaki's brats? No… but no matter… I'll devour you too, I'll rip you both apart piece by piece gahahahah!"
The masked figure fell with a feminine gasp, Tanjiro dashed over to help.
"Eeep!" The figure yelped as Tanjiro helped them up.
The demon surged forward, Tanjiro leapt away carrying the injured participant. He landed a distance away from the hand demon.
"Ano… you can let go now."
Tanjiro looked down, his breath hitched. The mask had fallen off her face when he jumped.
"Y-you're a girl?" He stuttered.
"Yeah? And what of it?" She frowned.
Tanjiro's hands subconsciously squeezed, 'ah… soft.'
The girl blushed bright and slapped him hard.
"Where do you think you're grabbing, HENTAI!"
"I- IM SORRY!" Tanjiro bowed quickly.
"You think you can ignore me!!!!" The demon roared as it charged again.
Tanjiro snapped back into the fight, his thoughts reeling.
'I can't hesitate… I'll die if I do.' He glanced behind himself, the unknown girl was still glaring at him… 'eheh… sensei… is this what you mean by a rock and a hard place?'
Seeing that he was frozen, the girl rushed forward with her blade and attacked the charging demon. She was quickly batted aside, barely blocking the demon's strike.
"Get away from her!" Tanjiro shouted, finally shaking himself from his daze.
Tanjiro ran forward, blade held aloft. The demon swung hard, Tanjiro slid beneath the arm and slashed. The demon let out a screech as its arm was severed with a hiss of cauterised flesh.
A hiss escaped Tanjiro's lips as he inhaled preparing the next blow. The demon reared back and slammed all its arms down at once. Tanjiro slid past the attack and swung again.
The demon withdrew its arm before it could be cut again. Tanjiro repositioned himself and analysed the demon trying to see where it would attack from next.
'Don't panic… breathe. Find the Rhythm, just like Satoru-sensei said.'
"Sun Breathing, first form…" Tanjiro intoned, "Dance!"
The demon shreaked as Tanjiro flashed forward with his attack. Tanjiro pressed forward, using every form he had mastered until he had pushed the demon further into the trees where it would be limited in movement.
The demon roared and swung a dozen arms forward, Tanjiro dodged the attack like he had been taught. The arms barely missing him as he raised his blade again.
"Second form… Clear Blue Sky!"
The demon howled as more of its arms was cut off, yet it didn't fall.
'One more! I can see it.' Tanjiro dropped into a stance.
"Third Form! Raging Sun!"
His blade came down in a blazing arc, the strike cutting deep into the demons head splitting flesh and bone. It's eyes widened in shock as Tanjiro swung again, its head now separated from its massive body.
"I-impossible!" It gurgled as its head hit the ground.
Tanjiro fell to one knee, his breathing ragged from exertion. His arms were sore, and his legs slowly gave out beneath him.
He turned to the girl he had saved, "Are you alright?" He asked her before his eyes drifted shut.
When dawn broke on the seventh day Tanjiro descended from the mountain with the other survivors. Only a handful remained of the original two dozen. Among them— Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Kanao, Genya, Yuki the girl he saved, and a strange boar masked man who referred to himself as the Lord of the Mountain.
A few others had survived but they had ultimately failed the trial as they had been too injured to continue. Tanjiro felt sadness in seeing these participants return home with their grievous injuries.
The Ubuyashiki twins congratulated everyone that passed, their voices calm and serene despite the carnage that had claimed many participants. Those that survived were guided to a table filled with multicoloured ores for their new blades.
When it was Tanjiro's turn to pick one he simply shook his head and put a hand on the sword at his side. "I already have one."
The twins nodded, accepting his refusal without question. They knew that he was Satoru's Tsugoku, they assumed that he would be provided for by Satoru himself.
As the others chose, Tanjiro overheard two attendants whispering at the edge of the clearing. Their tones hissed but clearly excited.
"They say that the Satoru-sama went and rescued the Love Hashira… they defeated an upper moon together."
"Hah? Another upper moon?"
"Choto… what do you mean another upper moon?"
"Didn't you hear? That's how Satoru-sama became the Wandering Hashira… he defeated Upper Moon two when he saved Lady Kanae."
The words sent a chill down Tanjiro's spine. 'An upper moon? That sounds scary… but Satoru-sensei beat two of them? How strong is sensei…'