January 1915
Mount Sagiri
At most a few days after the Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane, two injured teenage-boys, who were fourteen and fifteen respectively, made their way back to a certain house that was nestled at the base of Mount Sagiri. The fifteen-year-old was Tanjirō Kamado and the fourteen-year-old was Naruto Uzumaki, the boys being students of Sakonji Urokodaki, a retired-Demon Slayer.
Although he was retired from the Corps, the elderly-man helped to train the next generation.
Being less-injured than Tanjirō, Naruto helped his injured-friend along, the elder-boy's arm slung across the Uzumaki's shoulder as he leaned against Naruto and ambled along next to his friend.
Despite having been through the same ordeal, sticking together through most of the test, but the reason Naruto was not as injured as Tanjirō was because of something that had happened over fourteen-years-ago back where Naruto had come from. The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, a fox-like spirit that had attacked the boy's hometown and was somehow sealed away into the Uzumaki.
It was the reason that Naruto had run away from home and came to Mount Kumotori where the Kamado family lived over two-years-ago. Just a week later, a demon attacked the family, killing everyone except for Naruto and a girl who was then twelve-years-old, Nezuko Kamado. Naruto and Nezuko were transformed into demons themselves, or at least, Naruto would have been...
...if it hadn't been for the Fox. The Nine-Tails and the demon blood that was coursing through his system left Naruto in a trapped-state, unable to use certain...special abilities...that he'd learned from his hometown unless he wanted to fully become a demon, however he was able to quickly heal as if he were one. That was how Naruto returned to Mount Sagiri not as injured as Tanjirō.
That was what Sakonji, who apparently was familiar with Naruto's hometown, was able to figure out when Naruto and the Kamado siblings came to his home. Originally the plan that Tanjirō and Nezuko had had was to find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human. However, with Naruto on the brink of becoming a demon himself, Tanjirō had to find a way to turn them both fully-human.
During the Final Selection, the boys had encountered eight demons, however they were unable to talk to any of them, the demons just rushing in to kill Tanjirō and Naruto. Neither of them got to ask how to return demons to human-form, and the eldest-Kamado was taking it especially hard.
The longer it took for the elder-boy to figure out how to return a demon to human-form, the longer that Nezuko would remain a demon and Naruto in a middle ground between human and demon.
Anyways, soon enough Tanjirō and Naruto arrived at the Urokodaki house, just in time to see...
WHAM!
...the door be kicked open by a leg wrapped snugly in a piece of black-material attached to a foot contained within a white tabi-sock and a zōri with pink-straps. The boys wore in their tracks as a young black-haired girl then walked out of the house. She wore a pink-kimono under an obi with a red-and-white checkered-patterned and a brown-haori. In her long hair ending with fiery-orange tips she had a pink-ribbon and around her mouth was a bamboo-muzzle tied with a red cloth.
"Nezuko," Tanjirō and Naruto exclaimed as the girl began walking out of the house.
"You're awake, that's wonderful," Naruto called out to Nezuko Kamado, a big smile on his face.
"Hmm," Nezuko asked as she turned to see the boys standing on a small ridge, Tanjirō took his arm from around Naruto's shoulder and tried to run to his sister, however he fell to his knees and Naruto reached down to catch him so that he didn't hit the ground too hard. Just like Tanjirō had done over two-years-ago when an unconscious-Naruto had fallen off his back while carrying his friend and his sister down Mount Kumotori. That had been when Nezuko had awakened and the boys found that she had been turned into a demon. And that was when they met Giyū Tomioka.
He was the Demon Slayer who had sent them to Mount Sagiri, sending them down this path.
While Naruto was now fourteen and Tanjirō fifteen, the youngest-Kamado didn't look a day over twelve, quite literally, in fact. The attack had been on December 28th, 1912...Nezuko's birthday.
If the Japanese celebrated birthdays on the anniversary of the person's birth, then for Nezuko it would have been the absolute worst birthday ever. Having her family slaughtered and then being turned into a demon. In a way, it had been like October 10th, 1900...the day Naruto was born.
"Nezuko," Tanjirō called out to his sister as she ran to Tanjirō and Naruto who she wrapped her arms around in a tight hug. The boys each put an arm around the girl, tears of happiness flowing down their faces. Tanjirō felt so relieved to see his sister finally awake, while Naruto felt...well...
...he felt a warm feeling that flooded through him as Nezuko hugged her brother and her friend.
Naruto Uzumaki rather liked Nezuko Kamado, he had since first meeting her back in December 1912. However, as the years had passed, that liking for Nezuko that Naruto had developed and grew into something more. After spending those days with her before the coma, fighting Giyū to protect her, then later fighting alongside her, training to help find a way to turn her human again.
His feelings for Nezuko had blossomed, the boy realizing that he really liked her, or even more...
...Naruto Uzumaki loved Nezuko Kamado.
"Oh, Nezuko, why did you fall asleep like that," Tanjirō cried as the three children held each other in a group-hug. "And why didn't you wake up for so long!? Naruto and I thought you might die!"
"Yeah, we were both really worried," Naruto agreed. "But it's good to see that you're okay."
"Mmm," Nezuko replied softly through her muzzle as someone came up behind Nezuko. It was Sakonji Urokodaki, wearing a red tengu-mask over his face as usual. Similar to his students, the man wore a cloud-patterned jinbei-kimono over his clothing. He crouched down next to Nezuko and his students, pulling them into a tight hug, the masked-man very relieved to see them alive.
"You came back to us alive," Sakonji said softly, his voice full of relief.
"I told you we would," Naruto replied with a bright smile as he looked up at the masked-man.
"And we killed it...the demon who ate the others...like Sabito and Makomo," Tanjirō added.
Sakonji didn't say anything, simply pulling them in closer, relieved the Hand Demon that he had captured back during the Keio Era forty-seven-years-ago was now finally gone. His most recent students, Naruto and Tanjirō, had vanquished it...setting the spirits of his fallen-students free.
January 1915
Urokodaki Residence
Fifteen days have passed since Tanjirō and Naruto had returned to Mount Sagiri from the Final Selection to find that Nezuko had woken up again. At the moment, the children were all inside of the Urokodaki residence. It was a beautiful day outside, however being a demon meant that the youngest of the three could not enjoy it. Instead, she and Naruto were playing with a temari that the Uzumaki had recently got for her from a nearby town, tossing it back-and-forth to each other.
It was a simple activity, but at least Nezuko was having fun, and that was what counted. Tanjirō watched from nearby, occasionally joining whenever Nezuko or Naruto decided to toss it to him.
As the two fourteen-years-olds (chronologically, at least, for Nezukoi) continued to play, the soft sound of bells could be heard coming from outside. And as Tanjirō went for the door to see what it was, Nezuko fled to a blanket-covered cushion and crawled underneath the big fluffy blanket.
She clutched her precious temari in her arms as she hid, Nezuko really enjoying Naruto's gift.
Naruto stood up, following the older boy to the door as Tanjirō opened it and peered outside.
"Oh, is that Urokodaki," Tanjirō wondered aloud. However, the boys soon saw a man wearing a sunflower-patterned robe over his clothing and large, woven hat with six floral wind chimes. On his back the newcomer carried two long packages. The man's head was bowed, hiding his face.
Tanjirō and Naruto stepped out of the house as the newcomer approached the Urokodaki house.
"Uh...nice wind chimes," Naruto commented a little nervously, and Tanjirō nodded in agreement.
"I am called Haganezuka," the man said as he arrived at the house, not seeming to notice either of the boys. "I am he who forged the katana for Tanjirō Kamado and for Naruto Uzumaki."
"I...I am Tanjirō Kamado," Tanjirō said, before gesturing to Naruto. "And this is Naruto Uzumaki."
"Nice to meet ya," Naruto greeted the man apparently called Haganezuka.
"Please come inside," Tanjirō offered as he turned back towards the door.
"These are nichirin swords," Haganezuka announced as he knelt and put down the package. He then unwrapped it to reveal two long wooden boxes that boys now knew contained their swords.
"Um...please come inside," Naruto told Haganezuka, echoing his friend.
"I forged this blade," the swordsmith continued, effectively ignoring the young Demon Slayers.
"I'll make tea," Tanjirō offered, a look of concern on the older boy's face.
"The iron sand and ore that are the materials for a nichrin sword are gathered at the mountain closest to the sun," Haganezuka explained as he continued ignoring the very ones for whom he had made both these nichirin. "Scarlet iron sand and scarlet ore...both absorb sunlight."
"Your furoshiki wrap is getting dirty, ya'know," Naruto pointed out to the oblivious-swordsmith.
"The sun shines all year on Mount Yoko," the man said. "It is never cloudy and rain ever falls."
"Is that even possible," Tanjirō asked Naruto, who shrugged with a half-mumbled "I don't know."
As usual, he doesn't listen to what anyone says, Sakonji thought from within the house as he sat next to the Basket Demon who hid from the sun while looking out from underneath her blanket.
"Whoa," Tanjirō and Naruto exclaimed as Haganezuka suddenly looked up at the boys.
"What the heck is that thing," Naruto exclaimed in surprise.
"A Hyottoko mask," Tanjirō half-replied, half-exclaimed.
"Hmm," Haganezuka asked as he took a closer look at the two boys standing before him who at distance from behind looked like they were brothers because of their red-colored hair. However, if one looked closely, Tanjirō's hair appeared to be burgundy-tinted black whilte Naruto's hair was more of a maroon. Their faces looked kind, Tanjirō's forehead marked with a red flame-like scar and Naruto's cheeks each marked with three lines that looked similar to the whiskers of a fox.
Tanjirō had eyes that were dark-red in color while Naruto's eyes were a grayish-violet in color.
"Hmm," Haganezuka said again. "Oh, you're both children of brightness! What luck!"
"No, I'm the son of Tanjurō and Kie," Tanjirō replied in confusion.
"All I know is that my mother's name was Kushina," Naruto added.
"That isn't what I meant, both of you have red hair," Haganezuka clarified before then pointing to Tanjirō's face. "And you have red eyes! Houses who work with fire have such children. Both of you should be happy for fortune! That means your swords may turn red. Right, Urokodaki?"
With that, Haganezuka peeked inside, Nezuko covering her face with her blanket.
"Yes," Sakonji agreed as his students retreated back into the house.
Tea was made and Haganezuka eventually came inside the house much to the relief of Tanjirō and Naruto. The swordsmith sat next to Sakonji and handed each of the boys a sheathed-sword while the adorable Basket Demon once again peeked out from underneath her big fluffy blanket.
"Go on, both of you, draw your swords," Haganezuka instructed Sakonji's students.
"All right," the boys said, each of them unsheathing their respective nichirin and holding them up.
"Nichirin-swords are also called color changing katana," the swordsmith explained to the pair of young Demon Slayers before him. "Their color changes depending on who is holding them."
And then suddenly...
Fwoosh!
...Tanjirō's blade became black while Naruto's blade became purple, causing the boys to gasp.
"Black? Purple?" Haganezuka and Sakonji were utterly confused. Under normal circumstances, the blades should have turned blue since they used Water Breathing. But on the other hand, the former-Hashira knew better than to think of either of his two most recent students as ordinary.
"Eh? Is black bad," Tanjirō asked fearfully, his eyes wide as he pointed at his sword.
"What about purple," Naruto added, holding out his purple-bladed sword. "Is it bad, too?"
"No, it's not, however...black and purple are rarely seen," Sakonji explained to his students.
"Aaieee," Haganeuka screeched as he lunged at the boys, who were caught off guard by the swordsmith's sudden attack. "I thought that I was gonna get to see red blades! Damn!"
"Ow, careful," Naruto shouted as he held his sword away from him.
"Please calm down," Tanjirō pleaded.
"How old are you," Naruto demanded.
"I'm thirty-seven," Haganezuka replied as he tried to choke each of the boys.
However, right at that moment, the two boys were saved from the enraged-swordsmith by the arrival of two Kasugai Crows, one of which happened to actually be a sparrow instead of a crow.
"Chirp chirp!"
"Kaw!"
"Tanjirō Kamado! Naruto Uzumaki!" The crow landed near them and the sparrow atop Naruto's head. "You must head for a town to the north! As Demon Hunters! This is your first mission!"
"Oh," Naruto exclaimed with surprise. "It's talking."
"Wait, a mission," Tanjirō asked.
"In this northern town," the crow continued. "Young girls are disappearing! Night-after-night!"