The reason I won was because I learned the scent of the thread without detecting his chakra. When I'm fighting against someone and I pick up the scent, I can see the thread. The thread is connected from the blade to my opponent's opening, growing tighter the instant I see it. My blade is rushing towards it with great force, and I slash through the opening.)

The wind blew across the mountain, and the boulder stood in front of Tanjiro as it split in two. The cloth decorations lay on the ground, along with the thick rope they were tied to.

As Tanjiro stared at the boulder, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, seeing Urokodaki walking towards him.

Tanjiro: Urokodaki-San.

Urokodaki stared at the boulder, silent for a moment, before he spoke.

Urokodaki: I had no intention of sending you to the Final Selection.

Tanjiro looked at him confused.

Urokodaki: I didn't want to see anymore children die. I was confident you wouldn't be able to slice it through this boulder, but

Urokodaki put his hand on Tanjiro's head, stroking his hair like he was his own child.

Urokodaki: You did well, my boy! Tanjiro, you're a remarkable kid.

Tears came to Tanjiro's eyes, and he didn't bother to wipe them away. Urokodaki pulled him in for a hug.

Urokodaki: Make sure you come back alive from the Final Selection. Your sister and I will be waiting for your return.

A fire crackled as the smell of grilled fish permeated the small hut; a pot filled with food bubbled. Tanjiro stared at the food with wide-open eyes.

Tanjiro: There's so much food. What's the occasion?

Urokodaki: You've completed your training and fully mastered your chakra. It's a cause for celebration. Don't hesitate; eat up.

Tanjiro happily accepted the bowl of food.

Tanjiro: Thank you very much!

As Tanjiro stuffed his face, Urokodaki looked at him, and a small bit of sadness could be felt.

Urokodaki : ( "Tanjiro, there's nothing more I can do for you, from here on out, you will face many hardships and strife." Your training will seem like nothing in comparison. So, at least for now, you should rest well without a care in the world.)

A cutting sound was heard, and a few strands of Tanjiro's hair fell onto a blanket. Tanjiro cut his hair as Urokodaki folded a haori.

Urokodaki: Hey, Tanjiro...

Tanjiro: eh? Yes?!"

Urokodaki: Did you enjoy that hot pot?

Tanjiro: hai! I haven't had such a feast in a long time!

Urokodaki: A young lad with a hearty appetite will grow both bigger and stronger, but that goes for the demons, too. Remember that. A demon is as strong as the number of humans it has devoured.

Tanjiro: So the more they eat, the more they get strong?

Urokodaki: That's right, some demons gain special powers, such as being able to morph. But they will never know how to use chakra, You know what strange abilities you'll run into.

Urokodaki opened a cabinet, reaching in and grabbing a fox mask.

urokodaki: when your sense of smell becomes weak, you'll be able to tell how many humans were consumed by demons.

He bent down and handed Tanjiro the fox mask he held in his hands.

Tanjiro: What's this?

urokodaki: It's called a "warding mask." I was able to use my jutsu to protect the wearer from harm. It takes a lot of chakra to write a scroll.

Tanjiro: a warding mask?

In the nine tails cage.

Tanjiro turns around to face the cage where the nine tails are being held.

Nine tails: So brat, you were able to master water breathing. Hahahah! It took you long enough to master it. Most importantly, it seems the three-tailed previous jinchuriki gave you such a headache.

Tanjiro: eh? Do you mean Mokomo; she's not a jinchuriki?

Nine tails: not her, you idiot; the other one, the one with the peach-colored hair. God, you humans are such idiots sometimes.

Tanjiro: Wait, Sabito is a jinchuriki, but I didn't notice his chakra?

Nine tails: That is because he is hiding his chakra, you brat!

Tanjiro: "You're mean." I feel like you will never be kind to others if you keep yelling at people like that.

This ticked the nine-tailed fox as he stood up to his sitting position.

Nine tails: What did you say, you little brat? Gah, you sound like the old man.

Tanjiro: Who's your old man?

Nine tails: I forgot that you humans gotten about the old man. I'll tell you later, once you fully master your Hinokami dance.

This shocks Tanjiro as to why the Nine-Tailed Fox knows about the dance.

Tanjiro: You know about the dance; can you tell me what it is? Do you know why it passes down to my family or the sword?

Nine tails: too many questions, you brat, but to answer your question, I'll tell you once the time comes. I wanted to warn you to not overuse the dance, or else it could kill you; you have not fully mastered it yet, as you are just a rookie.

Tanjironodded as he understood the Nine Tails' warning, before the Nine Tails gave him one last request.

Nine tails: before I go, I'm going to give you all of my chakra. Just a little bit, I don't want you to go berserk because of this cage that my previous jinchuriki sealed into you. "But when the time has come and you are ready to release me, I'll be waiting for you to fight by your side, brat," he smiled.

Tanjiro: Why do this nine tails? Why are you giving me your chakra?

Nine tails: why you ask? Heh? Even I don't know; it's been a long time since someone asked me that. You sound just like my previous jinchuriki back in the Sengoku era. I've live longer then humans does even I can't count. But I can see why he chose your family. The reason I give you my chakra is because I know you will one day control this power and bring this word to its fullest potential, just like my old man did when he died two thousand years ago when he created chakra.

Tanjiro smiled at the nine tails, as he was already friends with him.

Kuroma: "Young one, you can call me kurama, and you, Tanjiro Kamado, are my jinchuriki." Will you accept my fist bump to carry my chakra on your journey to bring the demons down and finally bring this world to peace?

Tanjiro: (I came this far to find a way to cure Nezuko." I came this far to cut the boulder in half. I don't want to bring Urokodaki-san and Giyuu-san into shame, so I keep fighting, me and Kuroma)

Tanjiro came to the cage as Kuroma put his hand down, making a fist bump. Tanjiro did the same as their fists finally bumped.

Tanjiro: "I will, I will break this cycle of hate once and for all and find a way to cure Nezuko." I, Tanjiro Kamado, will carry on your chakra and fight whoever is responsible for this hate forever.

Kurama: (Youiichi, he sounds just like you when you were around; I wish I could've been here with you when you needed me; my biggest regret is not being by your side longer.)

flash back

Yoriichi: I know that one day you will finally understand what it means to protect someone, Kurama, as you did for me and the demon slayers.

Kuroma: What if I can't; they just pesked; all they wanted was to use you as a weapon, yoriichi; how can I trust anyone of them as to what they did to you? They get rid of you just like Brocken's tools.

Yoriichi: I know you are angry, but this is my choice. I'm a man with no worth; I've made many regrets in the past. I lost my brother, my trust in the demon slayer corps, and finally my wife and son. I failed to kill that man back then, but I know that one day, if I pass on, I want you to guide the Kamado. Promise me, Kurama, that you will watch them until I'm gone.

flash back end.

Kuroma: ( I finally understand now, Yoriichi, what it means to guide the next generation." I'll guide him as you guided me back then, when I was consumed by hatred and you were consumed by regret, and all we got was each other, but not anymore, as he'll be a beacon of hope in this world one day, as you were back then.)

Tanjiro: Is something wrong, Kuroma?

Kuroma: No, nothing is wrong. Your time is up; you should be waking up by now. You should get ready for the Final selection.

Tanjiro nodded as the world disappeared, slowly woke up.

Birds chirped as the sun rose from behind the mountains. In Urokodaki's hut, Tanjiro was putting on his blue haori. As he finished, he walked into Nezuko's room, still worrying whether or not she would wake up.

Tanjiro: (Nezuko) I'll promise I'll come back, and together with Kuroma, we will face whoever did this to you, okay.)

Urokodaki: Don't worry about your sister. I'll take good care of her while you're gone, as will your family's sword.

Tanjiro: hai! Thank you very much!

Tanjiro ran a bit before stopping, waving a urokodaki.

Tanjiro: "I'm off, Urokodaki-San!"

Urokodaki waved at Tanjiro's running figure, but he faltered when he heard what the boy said next.

Tanjiro: "Oh, and say hello to Sabito and Mokomo for me, okay!

This shocked Urokodaki, as Tanjiro ran off.

Urokodaki: (hmm? Tanjiro, how did you?)

The memory of the two kids flashed before his eyes.

Urokodaki: know Giyuu's deceased friends?

The crescent moon shone in the sky that night, illuminating the wisteria forest and making it shine an amethyst light.

Tanjiro: ( Amazing! Look at all of these wisteria flowers, even though they're out of season.

As he continued to walk up the steps, the wisteria got thicker and thicker, and at the top, it formed a ring with a clearing in the middle.

Tanjiro: (There are so many people.)

twins: every one.

Tanjiro gasped at the voices. He turned, and saw two twins, one with black hair and one with white.

Twins: we thank you for attending the demon slayers' Final Selection tonight.

white-haired twin: here in Mt. Fujikasane, the demon slayers have captured a number of demons alive and are unable to leave.

Black-haired twin: That is because the wisteria, which the demon hates so much, blooms year-round halfway down the mountain.

white-haired twin: however, they don't grow from this point onward, thus there will be demons about.

Black-haired twin: To pass the Final selection, you will need to survive here for seven days.

Twins: And now, the final selection will begin.

Tanjiro stared into the dark forest, before steeling his nerve and taking a step in.

A whistle was heard on the cold and dark mountain. The grass rustled as Tanjiro ran, having only one goal in mind.

Tanjiro: "Survive; that's all I'm going to think about for the next seven days.)

He stopped running under a large boulder, kneeling and surveying his surroundings.

Tanjiro: ("For starters, I have to survive the night." Once the sun comes up, the demons won't be able to do anything. I have to rest my chakra and my strength up then.)

Tanjiro turned his head, got up, and started running.

Tanjiro: ("In that case, I'll have to head east!" I have to make my way to where the sunlight will hit first)

His eyes widening, Tanjiro stopped and got a grip on his blade.

Tanjiro: (This smell is a demon! And it's near by!)

As he looked closely at the dense bushes, he heard a soft rustling.

Tanjiro: (Where is it? Where's that coming from? (I pinpointed the direction of the scene!)

Tanjiro: up there!

Tanjiro jumped and rolled away just as a demon shot from the trees, making an explosion.

Tanjiro: a demon.

demon: grah!

Another demon jumped from behind. Tanjiro gasped, swinging his sword to block the strike, although he was knocked back.

demon one: you bastard.

The first demon growled as he attacked the second one.

Demon one: Don't try to steal my pray, you jackass!

Demon two: This is my turf, you derd!

Demon one: Go to hell, you scum!

Tanjiro's heart began to beat faster as he looked at the two demons.

Tanjiro: The two of them are distracted; I wonder if I can take them on.

Kuroma: ("Calm yourself, Tanjiro; never hesitate to kill them." (Wait for them to come.)

Tanjiro nodded for his instructions as he waited for them to attack.

demon one: That, my pray, you fuck!

Demon two: shut the hell up, you scum!

Demon one: It's first come, first served!

Tanjiro raised his blade, and the demons yelled as they flew toward him. Tanjiro used his blade to block the attacks, but got kicked a fair distance by the second demon.

Tanjiro: "Your right, Kurama, I need to calm down and wait for their movements!" Remember my training!

Kuroma: (Very good when they come again; never hesitate to use your forth style.)

Tanjiro nodded as he looked straight at the demons.

Demon one: It's been ages since I last had human flesh!

Tanjiro: "Total concentration!" Water breathing!

Tanjiro inhaled, closing his eyes.

Tanjiro: (I smell the thread!)

As the thread tightened, Tanjiro's sword was drawn.

Tanjiro: (forth form! Striking tide!)

The demons groaned as they were chopped into bits, turning to ash soon after. Tanjiro panted as he watched close by.

Tanjiro: (I did it, Kurama; I killed a demon. I'm becoming stronger)

Kuroma: ("Hahahaha, indeed you did, but remember, Tanjiro, there will be a lot of hardship for you in the near future. You must get as strong as possible.)

Tanjiro: all the training wasn't for nothing after all!

Kuroma: (Indeed!)

He walked over to where the demons had been.

Tanjiro: "If I take down a demon with the sword Urokodaki-San gave me, Not even the bones will remain, huh?

flashback.

Urokodaki: The demon's weak spot is its neck! But even so, a normal sword won't be enough to kill it.

Tanjiro: Then, how do you kill a demon?

Urokodaki: The swords wielded by the demon slayer were forged with a special kind of steel. That's the only way to kill them. They're called "sun blades."

Tanjiro: And you said that my family sword was forged by it? If it's a Nichirin, then how can you tell?

Urokodaki: Because of the color of the blade!

Tanjiro: colored of the blade?

Urokodaki: I've never seen that color before; crimson red is very rare and no one knows about it. But I can tell you that you will one day guide this world, Tanjiro.

flashback end.

Tanjiro swung his katana, getting rid of all the demon blood stains on it.

Tanjiro: rest in peace.

as he gave the demons a small prayer, until his nose suddenly twitched and one of the most awful smells entered his nose.

Tanjiro: Gah, what's this disgusting smell?

A boy screamed as Tanjiro heard it.

Boy: I didn't sign up for this!

Tanjiro leaned against a tree.

Tanjiro: (What the?)

before his face turned white with horror and he hid behind the tree trunk. He peeked out, trying to calm his racing heart, and saw a huge shadow roaming through the trees.

Tanjiro: (What the hell is that thing?)

Kuroma: ("God damn, he's ugly." You better end him quick, Tanjiro.)

Tanjiro: (You're not helping at all Kurama!)

Back on another mountain, one covered with mist, two people sat on top of a split boulder, holding hands.

Mokomo: "Hey, Sabito!" Do you really think Tanjiro can beat that guy?

Sabito: "I don't know, Paddle, No matter how hard you try, it's never enough. You know that well, as do I.

The boy panted as he ran, but he tripped on a tree trunk.

Boy: What's this deformed demon doing here? They didn't tell us about this thing!

A huge hand slammed onto the ground, and the demon growled. Tanjiro shuddered behind the tree; as the demon was in the light, it was easier to see how mutated it was. Every part of the demon was covered with arms, except for a scar on his other arm and his head and eyes, which were exposed. The demon lifted the body of a dead slayer up in the air with a huge mouth opening, and swallowed the body.

As the demon chewed and swallowed, it grew bigger, its limbs gaining mass and strength. The boy muttered in absolute terror as he tried to run, but the demon was faster. Multiple arms gathered into a mass of flesh, before hands shot off like a cannonball. The boy screamed as the arms grabbed onto his leg, pulling him closer and closer to the demon's mouth.

Tanjiro's shaking hand gripped his katana.

Tanjiro: "Stay calm; do not be afraid!" I have to save him, or else he'll die! Stay strong! Save him. Save him. Save him. You're not powerless anymore!)

Tanjiro thought as the demon opened its wide mouth.

Tanjiro: water breathing! Second form! Water wheel!

Taniro spun in a circle as the arms of the demon were cut off. The boy grunted as he landed on the ground.

Taniro spun in a circle as the arms of the demon were cut off. The boy grunted as he landed on the ground. The demon grunted, looking at the wound, before it noticed the fox mask on his head.

Hand demon: Another of those sweet little foxes has come to me.

Tanjiro:another?

Hand demon: Tell me, little fox cub, what is the year of Meiji now?

Tanjiro: We're at the Taisho Period now!

Hand demon: Taisho?

searching his brain to see if the name was familiar, but it wasn't. Its eyes were contracting as it scratched its own skin and screamed.

Hand demon: "Graaaahhhh! What the hell?! Time has passed into a new era?! Again! It's happening again while I've been stuck on this goddamn mountain! Unforgivable! Unforgivable! Damn you, Urokodaki; I curse you to hell for what you have done to me! Curse you! Curse you! Curse you!

Tanjiro: How do you know Urokodaki-san?

hand demon: "I know him, all right!" He was the bastard who captured me! I'll never forget that day, forty-seven years ago! back when he was still hunting demons! It was the Edo period during the Keio Era.

Tanjiro: hunting a demon? in the Edo period?

Boy: you're lying! No demon has ever lived that long! The only demons in here should be those who've eaten two or three humans! They were killed during the Final Selection, and they even eat their own kind!

hand demon: Indeed, but I've survived all this time. Inside this Wisteria prison, I've eaten at least fifty of your brats.

Tanjiro: F-fifty?

The demon held out three hands and began to count.

hand demon: eleven, twelve, and thirteen, and that makes you number fourteen!

Tanjiro: What the hell are you talking about?

hand demon: "Hehehe, that's how many of his disciples I've eaten." I promise myself to kill every single one of them.

Tanjiro gasped in horror.

hand demon: you know there were two in particular that stood out. The more powerful one was a brat with an unusual hair color. It was like the color of meat. He had a huge scar across his cheek, and the other brat was a girl who wore a floral kimono. She was small and lacking in power, but quite fast.

Tanjiro gasped as the demon continued to laugh.

Tanjiro: (They were already killed by this demon?! But I was with them, but wait?)

flashback

Mokomo: Say hi to Giyuu for us, okay? I know he changed, but I'm still saddened that we weren't here for him when he needed us the most.

Sabito: Yeah, kid, give him a message. Tell him, "Don't be such an idiot." No matter how hard it gets or how many regrets he made back then, we will always love him; he's our best friend, and we wanted him to keep on going forward with our dream without us. So fight for his side no matter what. I'm counting on you, kid.

flashback end

Tanjiro: (They mentioned Giyuu-san; were they best friends back then? Is this why he's so emotional, because of him?)

hand Demon: that fox mask! All of his disciples wear them. I'm familiar with the design Urokodaki carves. They're the same style as his tengu mask! Warding mask, right? I ate them all because of the mask they wore. They're all here inside; it's like Urokodaki fed them to me! Hehehe! When I told that peach-brat about that girl, how she was crying and fell into rage, how her deftness turned into recklessness, it made her so much easier to deal with that I ripped her apart, limp by limp, and then.

The light in Tanjiro's eyes went fully dark, and he ran at the demon in a blind rage, slicing every arm that the demon sent his way.

Tanjiro: you bastard!

Sabito: "Calm down, Tanjiro." Your breathing is uneven. It's all right. Forget about us!

He grips Mokomo's hand and worries about Tanjiro's safety. Mokomo slowly hugged him to calm him down.

Mokomo: "Please, tanjiro." Please live; you're the only one who can help bring our Giyuu back, so please don't die on us.

An arm hit Tanjiro's side, and he came crashing into a tree. The warding mask broke on his head.

The boy turned as the demon walked towards Tanjiro.

boy: "I'll make a run for it while the demon's focused on that guy!"

The demon took one step after another towards the unconscious Tanjiro, and he laughed.

hand demon: "Hehehe!" Hehehe! Another Urokodaki brat is going to die. I wonder how he'll feel when another of his disciples doesn't come home again. What kind of look will he have on his face? Oh man, I wish I could see it. I really do.

Shigeru:nii-chan! Nii-chan!

Tanjiro gasped, his eyes snapping open as he jumped away.

hand demon: he dodge it, so he can still move? Great! I can have more fun!

Arms chased Tanjiro around the clearing, and Tanjiro ran.

Tanjiro: (Damn it! No matter how many arms I cut, they just grow back in mere seconds.)

hand demon: You can't defeat me just by slashing my arms,then again, even that peach-hair brat couldn't chop off my head off! Including that brat with the eye patch what was his name again? Giyuu was it. Like I said, when I get disrupted by you, he was pissed about the girl's absence, so he changed his attitude towards me, but when his sword snapped and he couldn't chop my head off, I got the opportunity to smash his head off. But when the boy in the eyepatch saw his little friend die in front of him, he gave me this disgusting scar that I will never forget. He may be alive, but he cannot hide from me.

Tanjiro put his hands together, making a cross sign.

Tanjiro: Shadow Clone Jutsu!

He created a clone of himself to distract the hand demon for a little while as he tried to find a way to kill him.

Tanjiro: (I can't let this go! I've got to bring him down now; or many more will make sacrifices!)

He ran at the demon, cutting arm after arm. His nose twitched, sensing something wrong.

Tanjiro: (the scene of the demon is coming from the ground)

Tanjiro jumped as arms came from below. as the shadow clone disappeared.

hand demon: (th-the brat jumped!" Dammit!, I missed him! But there's no way he can dodge this attack while in mid-air)

A huge hand shot towards Tanjiro as he gasped.

Mokomo: "I'm scared, Sabi; do you really think he can win?" His neck is really tough after all. Even you couldn't cut it off. But for Giyuu, he only gave him a burnt scar that he will never heal again.

her head leaned on Sabito shoulder, making sure to calm him down.

Sabito: He may lose in this battle, and yet I have a feeling that he may win. Either way, there's one irrefutable fact: Tanjiro is the one who slices this boulder we've been sitting on; after all, it's one of the toughest and largest boulders. And besides, Giyuu did choose him for a reason, didn't he?

As the demon's arm rushed toward Tanjiro, he leaned his head back and headbutted the arm, flipping in the air as he did so.

hand demon: (he deflected it).

The demon thought with a little panic, shooting arms at Tanjiro.

Tanjiro: (Kurama, I'm going to use it just this once.)

Kuroma: ("Go for it, but make sure to not to overuse it)

Tanjiro: ( think you, Kurama, total concentration Hinokami Kagura.'

Hand demon: (I let him this close!" No worries. My neck is tough! He can't cut through it! As soon as he fails to cut my neck, I'm going to crash his head!)

Tens or hundreds of arms hurtled towards Tanjiro, but he wasn't worried about any of them. As the thread tightened, and his katana was drawn forward, he had only two words in his head.

Tanjiro: "Ahhhhhh!"

The katana made contact, and cut it through like butter.

Tanjiro: (first form! Dance!)

end