After formally becoming Sakonji Urokodaki's disciple, Tanjiro was brought to the foot of Sagiri Mountain, where Urokodaki resided in seclusion.
The moment they arrived, Nezuko fell into a deep sleep, which greatly reassured both Tanjiro and Urokodaki.
As long as she remained calm, Nezuko was still the same gentle little sister Tanjiro cherished.
From that day onward, Urokodaki subjected Tanjiro to relentless physical training.
Running.
Every single day, Tanjiro had to sprint around the mountain trails until his legs nearly gave out beneath him.
The mountain paths were steep, the air thin, and the footing treacherous. Sometimes he ran through rainstorms; other times through freezing mist. Yet no matter the weather, Urokodaki never allowed him to stop.
Simple though it seemed, the training was brutally effective.
Although Tanjiro collapsed from exhaustion almost every evening, there was no denying that this repetitive conditioning strengthened his lungs, sharpened his balance, and tempered his will.
Beyond running, he also had to practice gripping a Nichirin Blade and performing countless sword swings.
At first glance, it sounded easy.
But truly cutting through flesh and bone was nothing like chopping vegetables or splitting firewood.
A demon's neck was far tougher than steel. If a swordsman's angle, grip, or breathing rhythm faltered even slightly, the blade would fail to sever the head completely.
Thus, Urokodaki patiently demonstrated every movement.
How to position the fingers.
How to stabilize the wrists.
How to align the shoulders and hips.
How to release force through the entire body in a single flowing motion.
Yet the moment Tanjiro picked up the sword, he wielded it with surprising familiarity.
Urokodaki fell silent behind his tengu mask.
"…You've handled blades before."
Tanjiro scratched his head awkwardly.
"At home, I used to chop wood every day to help my family."
Hearing that, Urokodaki gave a satisfied nod.
"A boy accustomed to labor learns quickly."
From then on, Tanjiro's swordsmanship progressed far faster than expected.
In the afternoons, Urokodaki would carefully explain the history of the Demon Slayer Corps, the habits of demons, and the principles behind Total Concentration Breathing.
Tanjiro listened with utmost seriousness, especially whenever the topic involved demons.
After all, his younger sister Nezuko had become one herself.
"Master Urokodaki," Tanjiro once asked hesitantly, "is it possible for demons to survive on ordinary human food?"
The instant the question left his mouth
Smack!
Urokodaki's hand struck the back of Tanjiro's head so hard that he yelped.
"Do not interrupt during lessons," Urokodaki snapped.
Tanjiro immediately straightened his posture.
"Yes, sir!"
And thus, six entire months passed.
Naturally, there were many absurd incidents during that period.
One time, Urokodaki accidentally struck Tanjiro directly on the forehead during sparring practice.
The result was catastrophic.
Tanjiro remained completely unharmed.
Urokodaki, meanwhile, nearly fractured his own hand from the impact.
From that day onward, he developed an inexplicable wariness toward Tanjiro's terrifying forehead.
Whenever lessons began, he deliberately maintained a safe distance and even carried a wooden pointer instead of using his hands to correct Tanjiro's posture.
Unfortunately, the pointers rarely survived for long.
Tanjiro's training intensity was simply too great.
Still, the half-year of harsh discipline thoroughly polished away much of Tanjiro's naivety.
He was no longer the ignorant village boy who had first climbed the mountain.
Now, he had become a far more capable novice swordsman.
Meanwhile, during those same six months, Kotoha continued searching desperately for Inosuke.
She wandered through countless forests and mountains, enduring storms, hunger, and danger alike, yet she never once considered giving up.
A mother's instinct told her that her son was still alive somewhere.
So she searched one forest after another.
She had originally intended to return before nightfall that day.
Instead, half a year slipped away.
It was not because she wished to flee.
She simply could not abandon the hope of finding her child.
Eventually, however, her exhausted body reached its limit.
Kotoha collapsed in an empty field beneath the evening sky.
When she awoke sometime later, she discovered several small animals cautiously gathered around her.
Ordinary people might have panicked, but Kotoha merely smiled weakly.
"Have any of you seen my child?" she asked softly.
Suddenly, a rough voice sounded nearby.
"How would I know where your kid is?"
Kotoha immediately turned toward the voice.
A boy wearing a boar's head mask stood among the trees.
It was Inosuke.
Even after all this time, there was no way she could mistake him.
Kotoha instinctively wanted to rush forward and embrace him.
But remembering Kokushibo's warning not to reveal herself to him too soon, she forcibly restrained herself.
After months wandering through the wilderness, her appearance had become filthy and disheveled, covered in mud and leaves. Inosuke naturally failed to recognize her.
Kotoha carefully asked, "Why are you living out here in the mountains?"
Inosuke paused for a moment before proudly puffing out his chest.
"There weren't any strong beasts left in the old mountain anymore. So I expanded my territory!"
Having grown up among animals without proper education, Inosuke's thinking remained entirely instinctual.
Concepts like deception or suspicion scarcely existed in his mind.
Upon confirming that her son was alive and healthy, Kotoha finally felt relief wash over her heart.
But then she remembered Doma.
She had disappeared for half a year without honoring her promise to return.
Although she feared demons, she was strangely less afraid of Doma himself.
For over ten years within the Eternal Paradise Faith, Doma had treated her with unusual patience. Whenever she scolded him or complained about his behavior, he would simply listen with a smiling face before disappearing for months at a time.
Perhaps… in his own twisted way… he truly cared for her.
After reluctantly bidding farewell to Inosuke, Kotoha hurried back toward the Eternal Paradise Faith.
Inosuke watched her leave in confusion.
"What a weird woman…"
Night gradually descended.
Although Kotoha ran with all her strength, she still failed to return before sunset.
Just beyond the nearby town lay the temple of the Eternal Paradise Faith.
Almost there.
Just a little farther
Suddenly, a figure appeared before her.
It was a demon.
"Ah…!"
Even though Kotoha had lived beside an Upper Rank demon for years, the grotesque appearance of this creature still terrified her.
Its twisted face, protruding fangs, and bloodshot eyes looked utterly monstrous.
Compared to this thing, Doma almost seemed refined.
The demon grinned wickedly upon seeing a lone woman.
"What luck," it sneered while slowly approaching her. "Such a beautiful woman wandering alone at night… you must taste delicious."
Kotoha stumbled backward in fear.
"I I know an Upper Rank demon!" she shouted desperately.
The demon paused briefly before bursting into laughter.
"And what of it? Do you think an Upper Rank would care about some human woman?"
It licked its lips greedily.
"Besides, which Upper Rank would waste time interfering in something so trivial?"
The air suddenly grew freezing cold.
A terrifying chill swept across the road.
The demon instinctively shuddered.
"W-Why is it suddenly so cold…?"
"Because of me."
A calm, emotionless voice echoed behind him.
The demon slowly turned around.
A man holding a folding fan stood there silently beneath the moonlight.
Rainbow-colored eyes gazed at him without mercy.
Upper Rank Two.
Doma.
At that moment, the demon regretted ever opening his mouth.
He immediately collapsed to the ground in terror.
"Lord Doma! Please forgive "
Before he could finish speaking, Doma casually waved his fan.
Crystalline ice instantly engulfed the demon's body.
A second later
Crack.
The frozen corpse shattered into countless fragments.
Doma smiled pleasantly.
"I dislike noisy people."
Then he walked toward Kotoha and gently took her trembling hand.
Kotoha lowered her head, believing she would finally be punished for disappearing so long.
Instead, Doma merely beamed at her with childlike delight.
"Kotoha," he said warmly, "let's go home. Tell me another story."
Kotoha stared blankly at him for a moment before smiling softly in return.
"Alright."
"Today's story is about a little wild boar who got lost in the mountains."
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