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Mount Fujikasane.
"So this is where Mr. Giyu Tomioka's teacher, the former Water Hashira Mr. Sakonji Urokodaki, lives?"
At the foot of the mountain, three boys and one girl stood looking up at their destination.
The boy with the scar on his forehead was the first to speak, his voice filled with quiet awe.
He turned to the couple standing beside him and bowed deeply. "Mr. Shuya, thank you and Miss Shinobu for escorting me and Takeo all the way here."
"Thank you both."
The younger boy standing next to him quickly copied the gesture and bowed as well.
The four people at the base of the mountain were none other than Shuya, Shinobu, Tanjiro, and his younger brother Takeo. They had left the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters right after reaching an agreement with Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
Their purpose for coming to Mount Fujikasane was to deliver Tanjiro and Takeo to the former Water Hashira so they could begin learning Water Breathing.
At least, that was what the Kamado brothers and Shinobu believed.
Now that they had arrived, Shinobu shot Shuya a slightly annoyed look. "Hey, Mr. Scumbag. Can we head back to the Butterfly Mansion together now?"
He had told her just a short while ago that he wanted her to take him there—to see the place where her sister Kanae had once lived.
But the moment things wrapped up at headquarters, he had chosen to escort the Kamado brothers to Mount Fujikasane instead of going straight to the mansion with her.
This kind of errand could have been left to Giyu Tomioka, the unpopular Water Hashira.
Shuya smiled at their reactions and countered, "I don't think I ever said I came here specifically to escort Tanjiro and the others, did I?"
"Eh? You didn't?"
Tanjiro looked surprised. "Does that mean you also want to learn Water Breathing from Mr. Urokodaki, Mr. Shuya?"
Shinobu stayed silent. She simply stared at Shuya, a faint trace of resentment radiating from her.
The message in her eyes was clear: If you really plan to stay here and train with Mr. Urokodaki instead of coming back to the Butterfly Mansion with me… you're dead.
"Of course not," Shuya denied immediately.
He already had the strongest Breathing Style—Sun Breathing. There was no need to learn Water Breathing as a foundation, especially when his body could handle Sun Breathing just fine.
His real goal was something else entirely: the lingering souls of Sabito and Makomo that still wandered Mount Fujikasane.
Compared to the uncertain possibility of Kanae's soul existing inside the Butterfly Mansion, the presence of Sabito and Makomo here was confirmed.
Shuya turned to Shinobu. "Shinobu, could you take them to Mr. Urokodaki first? I have some personal business to—"
He stopped mid-sentence and corrected himself. "Never mind. It's already taken care of."
Because the person he needed had just arrived.
A figure wearing a red tengu mask descended the mountain at incredible speed.
It was none other than the former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki.
When he came to a stop in front of them, both Tanjiro and Takeo jumped in surprise at his ghostly speed and the fierce tengu mask covering his face.
Tanjiro glanced at Shuya and Shinobu, who showed no surprise whatsoever, and quickly realized this must be the man they had come to find.
He immediately greeted Urokodaki with his usual bright energy. "Hello, Mr. Urokodaki! I'm Tanjiro Kamado. Please take care of me!"
Urokodaki's gaze only briefly passed over Tanjiro before shifting to the only person present wearing a Demon Slayer uniform—Shinobu.
He scratched his head, trying to recall. "You're… the new Insect Hashira who was promoted not long ago, right? Shinobu Kocho?"
"I didn't expect a Hashira to personally come all the way to Mount Fujikasane. Did the Master send you with orders for this old man?"
"Something like that," Shinobu replied, forcing her usual gentle smile back into place and pushing her irritation at Shuya aside for now.
She pointed at the two Kamado brothers. "These are Tanjiro Kamado and Takeo Kamado. The Master wants them to study Water Breathing under you."
"Normally I wouldn't refuse a request from the Master, but—"
Urokodaki studied the two boys for a moment.
They did look like promising talents.
But then he remembered the fourteen disciples he had personally trained in Water Breathing.
All of them except Giyu Tomioka had died during the Final Selection on Mount Fujikasane.
That string of tragedies had left the old man exhausted and unwilling to take on any more students.
A troubled expression appeared beneath his tengu mask. "But this old man decided long ago that he would no longer accept disciples."
"Besides, I don't have the ability to train excellent swordsmen anymore. I hope Miss Insect Hashira will return and ask the Master to take back his order."
"There's no need to sell yourself short," Shinobu shook her head. "As the teacher who trained the current Water Hashira, the entire Corps—including the Master—has absolute faith in you."
"The boy named Tanjiro Kamado is the inheritor of Sun Breathing. The other is his younger brother Takeo. The Master values both of them greatly."
"Tanjiro also possesses a nose as sharp as yours, Mr. Urokodaki."
"Water Breathing is the style closest to Sun Breathing, after all."
"If there's anyone in the Corps capable of properly training these two, it would have to be you—the person most skilled in Water Breathing."
"Sun Breathing?!"
Urokodaki's breath caught.
The name of the strongest Breathing Style was known to almost every member of the Corps. He was no exception.
What surprised him even more was that the boy named Tanjiro Kamado had a nose just like his own.
For the first time, Urokodaki felt genuinely tempted.
Two conflicting emotions warred inside him: the lingering pain from Sabito and the others' deaths, and a powerful desire to take Tanjiro as his disciple.
What if this child turned out to be another miracle like Giyu Tomioka?
After a brief mental storm, Urokodaki finally convinced himself. "Understood. I'll accept both of them as my disciples."
"However, if they fail to meet my standards, I absolutely will not allow them to descend the mountain and participate in the Final Selection."
"That's only natural," Shinobu let out a small sigh of relief and smiled. "Since the Corps entrusted them to you, any further decisions about their training are yours to make."
She paused, then glanced at Shuya. "What about this one? Is he also a disciple who wishes to learn Water Breathing from you?"
Now that he had received a satisfactory answer, Urokodaki finally turned his attention to the silent man who had been standing quietly to the side ever since his arrival.
"No. I have a purely cooperative relationship with the Demon Slayer Corps. There's no need to worry about me."
Shuya spoke softly. "My purpose here is different from theirs. I was wondering if Mr. Urokodaki would mind if I went up the mountain alone to meet some old friends."
"Friends?"
Urokodaki blinked in confusion.
The only person living on Mount Fujikasane was himself.
Who exactly was this man planning to visit?
Still, with Shinobu present, he didn't suspect any ill intent.
Urokodaki nodded. "Go ahead."
Without the slightest hesitation, Shuya turned and headed straight toward the area where Urokodaki had once trained his disciples.
He had already sensed them through his En.
Up on Mount Fujikasane were thirteen strange presences—something between aura and living beings.
If he was right, they were exactly why he had come here.
The souls of Sakonji Urokodaki's former disciples—the ones he had trained with all his heart, only for them to die during the Final Selection.