"There are a few-hundred members...of the Demon Slayer Corps," Sakonji Urokodaki said to his two newest students, Tanjirō Kamado and Naruto Uzumaki, who had just passed his test earlier that morning by descending Mount Sagiri by sunrise. "The organization isn't officially recognized by the government, but it has existed since the days of old and still hunts demons to this day."
A shadow-organization, eh, Naruto thought to himself. That sounds pretty cool!
"However, the identity of the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps...is shrouded in mystery."
Why do I have a feeling that we're going to meet the leader anyways, Tanjirō silently-wondered.
"Demons," the former-Hashira continued. "Staple food: humans. They kill humans and eat them."
That the boys knew, and it reminded them of the demon that they had fought a couple-days-ago.
"They have impressive physical abilities and their wounds heal quickly." Naruto recalled how the masked-man had basically informed him the other day that because of the Nine-Tailed Fox and the demon blood that got into his system, he was now in a weird middle ground between human and turning into a demon. It would explain why his injuries seemed to be healing a lot faster now.
"They can reconnect severed-flesh and grow new limbs." This had been something that Tanjirō and Naruto had seen first hand back at the waystation. "Some demons can change form. Some others possess strange powers. It is unclear when or where they first appeared. The only ways to kill them are by exposing them to sunlight or cutting their heads off with a special sword. The Demon Slayer Corps fights demons face-to-face. They are human, so their wounds heal slowly and lost limbs do not return. Nonetheless, they fight demons in order to protect ordinary people."
Well, I'm not going to test out my own healing abilities then, Naruto thought with a slight-shudder.
"I am a trainer," the masked-man began to conclude. "Just like it sounds, I train swordsmen and swordswomen. There are many trainers, and they each use various methods. In order for either of you to officially join the Demon Slayer Corps, each of you must survive the Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane. And I decide whether or not either of you may attempt the Final Selection."
And with that, Sakonji sent the redhaired-boys back up Mount Sagiri once again.
"As you descend again...Tanjirō, I want you to start working on increasing your sense of smell."
"Right," Tanjirō replied with a nod.
"And Naruto...do you have any enhanced-senses at all," Sakonji asked the violet-eyed boy.
"Eh...not that I know of...sorry," Naruto said, scratching the back of his neck nervously.
"Alright, then I would like you to try something," Sakonji said, and Naruto perked up with interest.
"What is it," the Uzumaki asked excitedly.
"Try using your chakra," Sakonji suggested, and Naruto frowned. "I've heard of a technique that is used where you're from called 'Sensory Perception' that uses chakra as an enhanced sense."
"Wait, but wouldn't that only work with sensing chakra," Tanjirō asked, Naruto having told him as well as the rest of Tanjirō's family about where he was from. "I'm not sure we have that here."
"Also...won't I turn into a demon if I use my chakra," Naruto pointed out.
"While there may not be chakra here in Japan or anywhere else except for the Shinobi Nations, as far as I know at least, I believe you can channel it as an enhanced-sense," Sakonji said. "You are correct that using your chakra in certain amounts will most likely turn you into a demon, but I have a strong feeling that this Sensory Perception technique will allow you to remain a human."
"Oh, that's good to know," Naruto remarked with a relieved-sigh. "Alright, I'll try it out, then!"
From that day forward, the former-Water Hashira had Tanjirō and Naruto repeatedly go down the mountain every day. As time passed, they both became quite good at avoiding traps and both of them were growing stronger. Tanjirō's nose even became sharper at picking up scents, while his fellow-trainee worked hard on his Sensory Perception, careful to not turn himself into a demon. It was pretty difficult at first for Naruto, trying to safely use a technique meant for sensing chakra.
However, with Tanjirō's help, the Uzumaki began to get the technique to sense other things.
"I don't know much about chakra," the Kamado admitted when trying to help Naruto work around the chakra-sensing problem. "Maybe you could use it to enhance one of your physical senses?"
"I guess," Naruto replied. "But why just one?"
"Enhancing more or even all of them might just give you sensory-overload," Tanjirō pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Naruto agreed with a laugh. "Alright...but which one...?"
"You could do smell," Tanjirō suggested.
"But that's your thing," Naruto replied.
"My entire family has...had...an enhanced sense of smell," Tanjirō reminded him.
"Right."
"Besides, it'd make it easier for me to help you," Tanjirō pointed out, and Naruto smiled. He knew that he would have a really long way to go to have as good of a sense of smell as Tanjirō, but it made Naruto happy that the Kamado was there to help him. "Come on, let's keep training."
So from that day forward, Naruto began working on enhancing his sense of smell, learning from the best he knew. Well, there was also Sakonji, but it was Tanjirō who was helping the Uzumaki.
However, the traps started getting much deadlier. Tanjirō and Naruto were feeling like it was as if Sakonji really wanted to kill them. Eventually, one day Sakonji gave them each a katana to carry down the mountain. However, the swords really got in the way...so carrying them got Tanjirō and Naruto caught in a lot of traps. And then, eventually they began practicing swinging their swords.
Their training was carefully recorded by Tanjirō in a journal, partly so they would have something to look back on to remember their training at Mount Sagiri, but mostly for Nezuko Kamado. The child was still in a coma, and Tanjirō wanted Nezuko to know about his and Naruto's training.
Anyways, the training routine became descending the mountain and then practicing swinging the sword that each boy had been given by Sakonji. Tanjirō and Naruto would swing their swords so much that both of them felt like their arms might fall off. They would already be tired from running down Mount Sagiri. However, this became their daily training routine to become Demon Slayers.
The first thing that Sakonji taught his students was that a katana breaks easily.
"It's strong against force lengthwise, but weak against force from the side," Sakonji had told his trainees on that particular day. "When you swing a katana...you must attack straight ahead. The direction of the blade and the direction of the force you apply must be exactly the same.
"Furthermore...if either of you damage your sword, I'll damage...you."
In other words, the boys realized, if either of them were to break it...he would break their bones.
His threats were cold...like the mountain.
Eventually there came a day where Tanjirō and Naruto did nothing but fall down...training to break their fall and get up quickly. They each wielded their sword and faced Sakonji Urokodaki with the intent to strike him down. Sakonji would stand against each of them...unharmed. Sakonji was ridiculously strong. He easily threw either of the boys to the ground when they attacked.
Even when he had them attack together or they did so out of frustration he easily defeated them.
As time passed, Sakonji eventually started teaching his students Total Concentration Breathing and some standard forms. He said that neither of them had enough strength in their core, before getting angry and hitting each of them in the stomach. However, there was some caution that he had when training them, Sakonji not wanting to cause Naruto to accidentally turn into a demon.
Tanjirō has been writing...for six months now, and Nezuko still hasn't woken up. Sakonji called a doctor immediately to look at the child...but he found nothing wrong. Yet it was clearly strange for her to keep sleeping like this. Tanjirō was scared, thinking that he would wake up in the morning to find her dead...and...that was still how he felt every night. It even frightened Naruto as well.
On the other hand, every day the boys went higher on the mountain for their training, each place more dangerous and with thinner air. Many times Tanjirō and Naruto thought that they would die.
"I have nothing more to teach either of you."
"Eh?" Tanjirō and Naruto stared at Sakonji, perplexed and dumbfounded.
About a year after they arrived at Mount Sagiri, that was all Sakonji said.
"The rest is up to the both of you," Sakonji said as he led them to a certain place in the forest on Mount Sagiri. "Can each of you...take what I have taught you both and bring it to the next-level?"
He brought them to where a boulder sat with a rope tied around it.
"If you can split this boulder, I will approve your for Final Selection."
A boulder, Tanjirō silently-remarked. Can that even be split!? Can you split it with a katana?
"Why is there only one," Naruto asked Sakonji. "There are two of us! Shouldn't there be two?"
I don't think either of us can, Tanjirō thought solemnly. Our blades would break.
"Urokodaki-san," Tanjirō called after Sakonji as he left. "Wait! This...Urokodaki-san!"
Since that day...Sakonji Urokodaki...hasn't taught either Tanjirō or Naruto anything.
Still...every day they practiced what they learned from Sakonji. Holding their breath, flexibility as well as the most basic things. Tanjirō was glad that he wrote everything down in his journal. But even after half-a-year, still neither of them could split the boulder, which made the boys worry.
"It isn't enough...we haven't had enough training," Tanjirō declared at one point.
"So we have to do more," Naruto asked, and Tanjirō nodded in agreement.
At first, Tanjirō and Naruto had thought that maybe it was a competition, whoever could split the boulder first would be who Sakonji sent to the Final Selection. Naruto was all for letting Tanjirō be the one to do it, knowing how important it was to the Kamado to find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human. On the other hand, being a selfless-person, Tanjirō was all for letting Naruto do it.
"I could stay here and train longer," Tanjirō argued. "While you and Nezuko go find a cure to turn her back into a human...and to keep you human...and...and kill the demon that started all of this."
"Yeah, but we would really miss you," Naruto pointed out. "Besides...you should be there. I'm not saying I don't want to help, I do...but what if something happens? What if I become a demon?"
"You won't become a demon," Tanjirō assured his friend. "And if something happens..."
Tanjirō stopped as he realized something. If Sakonji had seen anything besides the effort the two friends were putting into their training, it was that every step of the way they helped each other.
"...I think...I think I know why there's only one boulder," Tanjirō declared.
"What is it," Naruto asked curiously.
"Maybe we're supposed to try to cut it together," Tanjirō suggested. "As a team."
"Okay..."
From that moment going forward Tanjirō and Naruto began working at the boulder together at the same time rather than individually taking turns like they had been before. But while before they'd only been able to barely chip the boulder, their efforts barely managed to put a crack in the rock.
They began to wonder if they were no good and if Nezuko would end up dying while comatose.
Neither of them had any answers, which started to make them lose hope.
They were going to fail...
Bonk!
"Come on," a voice shouted as someone hit them back. "Try harder! Silence!"
When Tanjirō and Naruto regained their footing, they looked up to see a boy with peach-colored hair who seemed to be about the same age as Naruto (who had turned thirteen back in October 1913) sitting atop the boulder, a katana held in his left-hand. He wore a fox-mask over his face, a green-yukata with a yellow geometric hexagon design tied off at the waist under a white haori as well as a pair of black-hakama pants. The boys stared at him, surprised by his sudden arrival.
"A man shouldn't whine," the masked-boy scolded the two redhaired-boys. "It's unseemly."
Where did he come from, Naruto wondered. And what's the fox mask?
I can't smell him, Tanjirō realized, glancing at Naruto, wondering if the Uzumaki was also unable to pick up this newcomer's scent. Over the course of their training, Naruto's scent had improved really well, however it was still nowhere near as good as the sense of smell that Tanjirō had.
"Whatever the suffering, bear it in silence," the boy continued. "If either of you are men."
Then, the boy rose to his feet as he took a step towards Sakonji's current students.
Fwsh.
"Or are you two still little boys!?"
The masked-boy lept at Tanjirō and Naruto, bringing his blade down upon them. Not wanting his friend to get hurt, the Kamado pushed the Uzumaki aside and raised his own sword just in time.
Whak!
Then, the masked-boy kicked Tanjirō back before rushing forward to attack Naruto, who brought up his sword to block the boy's gritted his teeth, digging his feet into the ground as he tried his best to hold his ground against the masked-boy, however he was also kicked back.
"Ugh," Naruto groaned as he landed on the ground next to Tanjirō with a thud.
"Both of you are slow...and weak...and immature," the masked-boy said as he stood before the two most-recent students of Sakonji Urokodaki. "Neither of you will ever be a Demon Slayer."
It was sometime around July 1914 while trying to slice a boulder in half that Tanjirō Kamado and Naruto Uzumaki were attacked by a boy wearing a fox-mask who came out of nowhere and had no scent. He called out Sakonji Urokodaki's current two students and attacked using his katana.
"Hey, just where did you come from," Naruto exclaimed as he and Tanjirō both sat up.
"What are the two of you doing," the masked-boy demanded.
"Doing," Tanjirō asked. "We're training."
"How long do you plan to have your butts stuck in the mud," he asked. "Take a stance!"
The pair of redhaired-boys got back up to their feet and stood before the masked-boy.
"Now...attack," the masked-boy commanded.
"Wait...which one of us," Naruto asked. "Or do you want us both to attack you at once?"
"But...hold on..." Tanjirō added. "...you have a wooden sword...and we both have real ones!"
"Ha ha," the masked-boy began laughing. "Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!"
This guy... Naruto thought, gritting his teeth and glaring at the masked-boy.
Tanjirō, meanwhile, just stared at the masked-boy.
"Wa ha ha ha ha," the masked-boy continued to laugh. "Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!"
Then, their mystery-assailant rushed at Tanjirō and Naruto.
Whak
Klak
Tanjirō moved forward to intercept the masked-boy's attack.
"How seet," the masked-boy exclaimed. "Thanks for worrying about me!"
With the masked-boy occupied, Naruto rushed at him from the side and attacked.
"You think either of you can hurt me," the masked-boy asked. "Rest your soft heart!"
He kicked Tanjirō aside as he turned, bringing up his sword to block Naruto's attack.
"I CAN TAKE ON BOTH OF YOU AT ONCE," the masked-boy declared with a laugh.
"Ugh," Naruto groaned as the masked-boy shoved him back.
To test out his declaration, Tanjirō and Naruto attacked the masked-boy at the same time. But as promised, the masked-boy managed to block their attack at the same time, holding them back.
"Neither of you can hurt me," the masked-boy said as the boys tried to press against him, but he was like a pillar...tall and unmovable. "I'm stronger than either of you...will ever be...combined!"
The boys goth gritted their teeth as they continued trying to push back against the masked-boy.
"I've already split a boulder," the masked-boy continued. "By myself!"
"Y-you split a boulder," Tanjirō asked, surprised.
"Just you," Naruto asked, also surprised.
However, what the masked-boy wasn't telling them was that his was only half the size of theirs.
Fwam!
"Neither of you have gained anything," the masked-boy declared as he once again knocked both of the boys back to the ground with a shove from his bokken. "You haven't mastered anything!"
"Certainly not...the breathing technique taught by Urokodaki-san! Total Concentration Breathing!"
He knows Urokodaki-san and about the breathing, Tanjirō and Naruto thought with surprise.
The masked-boy stepped back, pointing his bokken at the Kamado.
"You just memorized it as a fact..." he accused, before pointing his bokken at the Uzumaki.
"And you, half-demon," the masked-boy said, and Naruto glared at him, but there seemed to be the slightest-hint of surprise in his voice. "You just relied on your friend here for help with it! But you know what both of you two have in common? Neither of your bodies understand anything!"
Whack!
"BEAT IT INTO YOUR FLESH AND BLOOD," the masked-boy said as he began attacking.
Tanjirō blocked the first strike while Naruto directly attacked the masked-boy.
"MORE!"
Wham!
The masked-boy struck at Naruto, who blocked while Tanjirō attacked this time.
"MORE!"
Whap!
Again, Tanjirō and Naruto traded defending against and attacking the masked-boy.
"MORE!"
Wham!
And once again, the redhaired-boys swapped defending and attacking against the masked-boy.
"SO YOU BOTH CAN BECOME THE EMBODIMENT OF THE SECRETS UROKODAKI-SAN TAUGHT YOU!" The masked-boy attacked once again, Tanjirō and Naruto crossing their blades against his, pressing against their mystery-assailant. "Beat it into the marrow of your bones!"
"I do," Tanjirō protested. "Both of us do, every day! As hard as we can!"
"Yeah, but no matter how hard we try," Naruto said. "Neither of us can progress any further!"
"Don't 'try'...just do it," the masked-boy scolded Tanjirō and Naruto as he struck down at the two redhaired-boys before him. "If either of you are a man! The only other choice...is to lie down and die! So make yourself progress! Attack! What have either of you got? Show me...your strength!"
Tanjirō and Naruto fought hard, defending and attacking as the masked-boy repeatedly struck.
"AAAAAGH," the boys shouted as they fought hard against their mystery-assailant.
Kraak!
The masked-boy swung his bokken upwards, striking Tanjirō in the chin, causing him to be sent flying upwards momentarily before falling back down to the ground with a thud, unconscious.
"I leave the rest to you," the masked-boy said, ignoring Naruto as he turned and walked away.
"Hey, don't turn your back on me," Naruto shouted as he charged and swung his sword at him.
However, the masked-boy swung his bokken right into Naruto's stomach. The Uzumaki gave a small grunt as he collapsed to the ground, the breath knocked out of him. With that, the boy left.
"Hmm," a short girl with shoulder-length black hair and gentle, deep-cyan eyes said. She wore a red-yukata with a pink-and-white flower-dot-pattern under a dark-purple sleeveless-haori. On her feet was a pair of brown-sandals. The newcomer walked over to the two fallen redhaired-boys.
Several-minutes-later, Tanjirō awoke as Naruto caught his breath and came over to his friend.
"Are you two alright," the black-haired girl asked the boys as Tanjirō quickly sat up.
"Did you see what happened," Tanjirō quickly asked the girl. "That was an incredible blow!"
"Yeah, and there wasn't a bit of unnecessary motion," Naruto added.
"It was truly beautiful," Tanjirō said. "That's how I want to be too! But is that even possible?"
The girl, who wore a fox-mask to the left-side of her head, looked thoughtfully at the boys.
"Can either of us do it," Naruto asked, however as he looked back at the girl, he couldn't help but feel like he recognized her. Why does she look familiar? I feel like I know her...but why? How?
"I'm sure both of you can," the cyan-eyed girl assured them. "I'll watch over you."
She's cute... Tanjirō thought as he looked back at the girl. "Uh...who are you?"
"My name is Makomo," the girl replied. "And the masked-boy's name was Sabito."
"It's really nice to meet you, Makomo," Naruto said. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki."
"And I'm Tanjirō Kamado," Tanjirō added, and Makomo smiled thoughtfully at the boys.
Makomo pointed out the defects in Tanjirō and Naruto's style, which was very similar since they had been training together from the very start, but even so there were still slight-variations as the boys were individuals. Makomo also corrected their unnecessary movements and bad habits.
While Naruto was really grateful for her help, Tanjirō wondered why she was doing this for them.
The Kamado would also wonder where Makomo came from, having never seen her before.
He would ask her these questions, but the girl would never tell either him or Naruto.
"We really like Urokodaki-san." She would often say those words about herself and Sabito.
Sabito and Makomo weren't siblings, instead being orphans who Sakonji took in years ago when they were very young and raised them. He was like a father or even grandfather to these two.
"There are other children too," Makomo once told them. "They're all around watching you both."
Makomo was a bit of a strange girl and she would say things in a weird way.
"Total Concentration Breathing...accelerates your blood flow and heartbeat," Makomo told Tanjirō and Naruto on one of their days of training together. "And your temperature shoots up. You're still human, but you get strong like a demon. You expand your lungs...and bring...lots of air into your blood. Your blood gets excited and your muscles thrill. You get hot and strong!"
"I don't really get it," Naruto admitted.
"How...is...how can that be," Tanjirō asked.
Makomo smiled, having more patience with the boys than Sabito did.
"You must train so hard that you could die," Makomo said with a smile, having more patience for the redhaired-boys than Sabito did. "Basically, I don't think there's anything else you can do."
They swung their sword...so hard that...they each felt like their arms and legs would come off...
...and that...each felt like their lungs...and heart would burst in their chest...but...neither of them could beat Sabito. Another six months passed. Until one day...when they went to face Sabito...
...he had a real sword.
"After half a year...both of you have finally gotten the faces of men," Sabito declared as he drew his sword. Tanjirō was now fifteen-years-old, while Naruto was fourteen. Although he was a year younger than his friend, the intensive training helped the Uzumaki to mature to the same point.
"Today, we will win," Tanjirō declared, both he and his friend appearing ragged and dirty.
"Yeah, we've gotten a lot stronger," Naruto agreed with a determined-grin.
The contest was simple. The stronger, faster blade would win. The fight was over in an instant.
That day, in that moment for the first time...Tanjirō and Naruto's blades reached Sabito first!
As their blades slashed downwards, the katana sliced through Sabito's mask, veering off toward the bottom, cutting Sabito's mask into two equal-sized pieces and a third-piece that was smaller.
When they won, Sabito smiled. But it seemed like a sad smile...or maybe proud and reassuring.
"Win, Tanjirō-kun, Naruto-kun...against them too," Makomo said. Suddenly, Sabito and Makomo disappeared...and the found that their swords hadn't cut through the peach-haired boy's mask.
They had split the boulder in the exact-same pattern as Sabito's mask had been sliced.