Chapter Fifteen: Mount Natagumo.
Tanjiro, Nezuko, Zenitsu and Inosuke had spent several days at the wisteria mansion, during that time the siblings had nursed Zenitsu and Inosuke back to health.
Eventually the doctor came for the fallow up exam and he was happy to inform them that Zenitsu and Inosuke have fully recovered from their injuries and that no permanent damage was done and that they were ready to get back to work as demon slayers, they were all thrilled to hear the good news. That evening Tanjiro,Nezuko and Zenitsu were inside the wisteria mansion, Zenitsu was trying to talk with Nezuko. The lighting breathing slayer had developed a crush on Nezuko ever since he first met her...she was the most beautiful and gorgeous girl he had ever met!...he was smitten by her beauty but then Zenitsu made the horrible mistake that he always did when ever he met a beautiful girl...he had extinguished all higher thought and started chasing Nezuko around the room.
'That's my sister you pervert!!!' Tanjiro yelled as he smacked Zenitsu in the back of his head smashing his head onto the floor. Meanwhile Inosuke was sitting outside on the porch listening to the commotion. Hisa the elderly woman who welcomed them inside the mansion appeared next to Inosuke, she gave Inosuke new clean clothes to wear while she washed his demon slayer uniform and had offered to make them tampura for dinner. Inosuke admired the woman's kindness. Inosuke then suddenly barged into the room and tried to headbutt Tanjiro but Tanjiro swiftly dodged him causing Inosuke to fall face first onto the floor. As they went to sleep that night Tanjiro started thinking about what happened back at Asakusa and if he did the right thing and he thought about his half siblings words to him.
Tanjiro's Kasugai crow had arrived early the next day, the crow informed the four that they must head north-northeast to Mount NATAGUMO. As they prepared to leave Tanjiro thanked Hisa for her hospitality. Hisa saw the four off by striking a kiribi flint to make sparks. Inosuke became annoyed and questioned Hisa's actions aloud, that made Tanjiro grab Inosuke with an annoyed and stern look on his face wich made Inosuke scared as Zenitsu explained that she was striking sparks to bid them good luck for their mission. Finally Hisa encouraged them to live their lives with great pride and wished them luck in battle. As they traveled Inosuke wondered what Hisa meant by 'Good luck ' and 'Luck in battle ' shocking Zenitsu with his cluelessness. Tanjiro answered by saying it means that one knows their place and behaving in a way to never be ashamed of themselves, but Inosuke remained confused and he became even more confused when Tanjiro added that Hisa prayed for their safety, that made Inosuke ask what is the meaning of 'Place ' 'Never ashamed ' and 'Behave properly ' and asked out loud why Hisa would pray for them. Tanjiro annoyed by Inosuke's tact rudeness sped up and ignored him. Inosuke saw that as a challenge and ran after Tanjiro, Nezuko also ran not wanting to be left behind while Zenitsu laged behind. As night falls the four reached Mount NATAGUMO. Zenitsu became frightened and sat on the road.
'Hold it we-we shouldn't rush into this ' said Zenitsu he was scared out of his mind
'Don't you have any pride and honor as a swordsman and demon slayer?!... our fellow demon slayers are dying on that mountain and you're refusing to help...shame on you!!!' Tanjiro said to Zenitsu he was furious at Zenitsu's cowardly behavior.
'I-I don't think we should go there...i-i can't be the only one who got a creepy vibe from that mountain' said Zenitsu he was adamant about not entering the mountain and he believed that his friends were being abnormal for not being scared but deep inside Zenitsu knew that Tanjiro was right...that his behavior was shameful and disgraceful...but he was to weak and useless to help anyone!. As the four were staring at the dark forest riddled mountain Tanjiro picked up the scent of a demon and ran off into the mountain ignoring Zenitsu's words with Nezuko and Inosuke following right behind him leaving Zenitsu behind.
Eventually Tanjiro, Nezuko and Inosuke came a cross an injured Demon Slayer begging for help but they watched in horror as the injured slayer was suddenly pulled back into the forest.
'They were attached to me too!' the Demon Slayer screamed in horror as he was being abducted, and then Tanjiro sensed the demon's scent again motivating him to enter the forest. Inosuke took the lead and Tanjiro and Nezuko followed right behind him, they ran into the forest while Zenitsu remained at the forest's border unwilling to continue.
MT.Natagumo's forests were riddled with white spiders, ensnared Demon Slayers and white spider-like demons. Tanjiro, Nezuko and Inosuke had also found that the forest was covered in spider webs much to their annoyance.
'I'm thankful that you joined us in the forest because the demon scent from earlier had me unsettled' Tanjiro said in a kind voice. Inosuke was confused but then he suddenly remembered the kind words that Hisa said to them and now he finally understood their meaning. Tanjiro then spotted something in the distance and signaled Nezuko and Inosuke to fallow him. Thay found an anxious looking Demon Slayer. Tanjiro had introduced himself and his Mizunoto rank and explained that they were sent as back up. The Anxious Demon Slayer found no comfort in that saying that they should have sent a Hashira instead, stating that adding Mizunotos is pointless.
'YOUR WHOLE EXISTENCE IS FUCKING POINTLESS!!!!' Inosuke screamed angrirly as he suddenly punched the Demon Slayer criticizing the slayer for his fear. The Demon Slayer informed them that a Kasugai Crow had given orders to head to the mountain, ten of them had entered the forest and not soon after entering, one of them had drew his sword and slashed an other in the throat, and then he watched in horror as the Demon Slayers around him suddenly began to kill each other, barely escaping the massacre.
Back at The Demon Slayer HQ
An exhausted Kasugai Crow had just arrived and reached a man in a shrine and informed him of the massacre. The man wondered if they will find the Twelve Kizuke on the mountain and decided to send some Hashira. Giyuu Tomoki The Water Hashira and Shinobu Kocho The insect Hashira were sitting behind the man and as they acknowledged the man's decision, Shinobu asked Giyuu if it will ever be possible for humans and demons to get along, but Giyuu retorted that it is impossible as long as demons eat humans.
Back With Zenitsu
The Thunder breathing slayer was sitting on the road by himself wondering if Tanjiro, Nezuko and Inosuke actually hated him. If they were his friends then why did they leave him behind?...why didn't they try talking him into joining them on the mission?...they lift him behind to enter the mountain instead. Zenitsu's sparrow then appeared next to him, the sparrow tried to encourage Zenitsu by chirping that sulking isn't going to help and that his friends need him, Zenitsu dissuaded the sparrow's words only for the little bird to begin biting his hand. Annoyed at the sudden change of mood Zenitsu began criticizing the sparrow for not being cute sighting Nezuko as an example...and then he suddenly remembered that Nezuko had ran off with Tanjiro and Inosuke and is now on the mountain with them, motivating Zenitsu to enter the forest with fury.
Back With Tanjiro, Nezuko and Inosuke
Tanjiro was unsettled...he had noticed a strange rattling traveling through the air. The Demon Slayer informed them that it was after that sound that the massacre begun. As the sound continued they saw dead Demon Slayers emerging from the fog and walking towards them, they were attacked by the walking corpses but managed to dodge their blows, while Inosuke scoffed at their inability to understand the taboo of harming them. Tanjiro noticed their strange movements and realized that they were being manipulated by someone or something. Inosuke had decided to slash them all anyway but Tanjiro did not allow it reminding Inosuke that they are still alive and that they can't harm the corpses of their deceased team mates regardless. In his rage Inosuke lashed out on Tanjiro yelling at him for denying him each time. In his annoyance Inosuke tried to headbutt Tanjiro but Tanjiro swiftly dodged him and kicked him onto the dirt.
'Stop making a fool of yourself ' Tanjiro said in a cold and stoic tone, they had no time for Inosuke's antics. The surviving Demon Slayer was about to get harmd but the three of them were able to work together and pulled the attacker off him but then Tanjiro's noes picked up a strange sweet scent and slashed near it slicing several threads freeing the Demon Slayer and dropping them on the ground. Tanjiro realized that the others were also ensnared, thinking quickly Tanjiro rapidly sliced above the ensnared Demon Slayers heads severing the threads, freeing them from control. As he looked around for the source a demonic scent appeared momentarily. Tanjiro then looked down his arm and saw small white spiders crawling on his arm and then something from a distance manipulated the threads that the little spiders formed pulling Tanjiro's arm, though he was able to cut himself free. Tanjiro saw the spiders scurrying away and realized that they were the ones attaching the threads, as he looked up Tanjiro saw the freed Demon Slayers back under control and a white female demon was the one responsible, wishing to control them till their arms and legs fell off and calling them her dolls. Tanjiro was enraged by the demon woman's cruelty, the swordsman had realized that cutting the threads is pointless if they'll be reattached anyway so he had to think of a plan and think quickly. As he was thinking of a plan the scent appeared again...carried by the wind, he then saw the spiders leaping away from their range, while Inosuke began stabbing them with his blade. Tanjiro and Nezuko didn't see that as being helpful since the spiders were to small and numerous to kill at once. The only solution was to kill the demon that is controlling the spiders. They asked Inosuke if he can pinpoint the demon's location but they were stalled by the Demon Slayers continuing to attack them. With the demon scent continually appearing Tanjiro's scenes of smell wasn't helpful now. Tanjiro, Nezuko and the lone surviving Demon Slayer Murata continued to hold their attackers off until they saw something.
High in the trees, treading on a web of threads a pale white child-like demon appeared and he threatened them into staying away from his family's peaceful life, this confused Tanjiro what did he mean by 'Family '. The demon said that 'Mother ' will kill them quickly. Inosuke attempted to attack but the demon was too high and out of his range, causing him to miss his swing and fall, Tanjiro and Nezuko quickly helped Inosuke get back up. Tanjiro believed that the demon that they just saw was perhaps not the one responsible. Inosuke having heard Tanjiro's instructions, stabbed his twin blades into the ground and crouched down and spread his arms.
'Beast breathing Seventh Form: Spatial Awareness ' uttered Inosuke, the seventh form of Beast Breathing relayed on Inosuke's superior sense of touch making him able to detect small changes in the air around him allowing him to pinpoint the enemies location. Inosuke scanned the forest to search for the demon...detecting trees, vegetation and the landscape far around him and after looking hard enough, he found a demon sitting atop a boulder in the distance to his left.
'The five of us are going to live in bliss as a family' declared that pale white Spider Demon, he was not going to let anyone get in his way.
Author's Note: we have now entered the Mount Natagumo Arc the best Arc season1 of Demon Salyer.