Mt. Sagiri.
"Is this the residence of Mr. Giyu Tomioka's teacher, the former Water Hashira, Mr. Sakonji Urokodaki?"
At the foot of the mountain, a group of four—three males and one female—looked up at their impending destination.
One of the boys, who had a scar on his forehead, murmured in awe.
He then turned around and bowed to the man and woman standing side by side behind him. "Mr. Su Yan, Miss Shinobu Kocho, thank you for escorting Shigeru and me all this way."
"Thank you," the other boy standing next to him echoed with a bow of his own.
These people at the foot of the mountain were, of course, Su Yan and his group, who had left the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters after reaching an agreement with Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
The group consisted of Su Yan, Shinobu Kocho, Tanjiro, and his younger brother, Shigeru Kamado.
Their purpose for coming to Mt. Sagiri was to drop off Tanjiro and his brother at the former Water Hashira's hermitage to learn Water Breathing.
At least, that was what the Kamado brothers and Shinobu thought.
Seeing that they had delivered the brothers to Mt. Sagiri, Shinobu spoke to Su Yan with a hint of dissatisfaction. "Say, Mr. Scumbag, can you come back to the Butterfly Mansion with me now?"
He had explicitly told her not long ago that he wanted her to take him to the Butterfly Mansion to see the place where her older sister, Kanae Kocho, once lived.
Yet, after the matters at the headquarters concluded, he didn't immediately return to the Butterfly Mansion with her. Instead, he chose to escort the Kamado brothers to Mt. Sagiri to find Urokodaki.
This was a task that could have easily been handed off to the unpopular Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka.
Seeing their reactions, Su Yan smiled and asked in return, "I don't recall ever saying I came here specifically to escort Tanjiro and the others, did I?"
"Eh? You didn't?" Tanjiro asked in surprise. "Could it be that you also want to learn Water Breathing from Mr. Tomioka's teacher?"
Shinobu remained silent, simply staring at Su Yan, emitting a faint aura of resentment.
It was as if she was saying: *If you really intend to stay here and learn Water Breathing from Mr. Urokodaki instead of returning to the Butterfly Mansion with me, you are dead meat.*
"Of course not," Su Yan denied.
He had already obtained Sun Breathing, the strongest of all breathing styles. Unlike Tanjiro, his body was more than capable of handling it.
There was absolutely no need for him to learn Water Breathing to build a foundation.
Su Yan's goal was very clear: he was here for the souls of Sabito, Makomo, and the others who constantly lingered on Mt. Sagiri.
After all, compared to the uncertain existence of Kanae Kocho's soul at the Butterfly Mansion, the presence of Sabito and Makomo at Mt. Sagiri was a confirmed fact.
Su Yan turned to Shinobu. "Shinobu, could you take them to find Mr. Urokodaki first? I have some private matters to attend to..."
Before he could finish, he quickly corrected himself. "No, never mind..."
Because the person in question had already arrived.
A figure wearing a red Tengu Mask descended the mountain at an incredible speed.
The newcomer was none other than the former Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Sakonji Urokodaki.
When he came to a halt in front of the group, Tanjiro and Shigeru were immediately startled by his phantom-like movements and the fierce Tengu Mask on his face.
Tanjiro then glanced at Su Yan and Shinobu, who didn't seem surprised in the slightest.
He quickly realized that this person must be their target: the former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki.
Tanjiro immediately introduced himself with enthusiasm. "Hello, Mr. Urokodaki. I am Tanjiro Kamado. It is a pleasure to meet you."
However, Sakonji Urokodaki merely cast a casual glance at Tanjiro before quickly shifting his gaze to Shinobu Kocho, the only one in the group wearing a Demon Slayer uniform.
Urokodaki scratched his head lightly, seemingly recalling something. "If I remember correctly, you are Shinobu Kocho, who was recently promoted to Insect Hashira, right?"
"For a Hashira to personally come to Mt. Sagiri to find this old man, does the Master have some orders for me?"
"Well, you could say that." Shinobu temporarily suppressed her resentment toward Su Yan and maintained her usual fake smile.
She pointed to the Kamado brothers beside her and explained, "These two are Tanjiro Kamado and Shigeru Kamado. The Master hopes they can study Water Breathing under your guidance, Mr. Urokodaki."
"Logically speaking, I shouldn't refuse a request from the Master, but..."
Hearing this, Urokodaki first sized up the two boys.
The children in front of him did indeed look like promising talents.
But...
He couldn't help but think of the fourteen disciples he had personally trained in Water Breathing.
Aside from Giyu Tomioka, who eventually inherited his title as the Water Hashira, every single one of his other disciples had died during the Final Selection at Mt. Fujikasane.
This series of devastating blows had long left the old man physically and mentally exhausted when it came to training new disciples.
Beneath the Tengu Mask, Urokodaki's face twisted in a troubled expression. "But this old man decided a long time ago to stop taking disciples."
"Furthermore, I truly lack the ability to cultivate outstanding breathing style swordsmen. So, I hope the Insect Hashira can return and ask the Master to rescind his order."
"There's no need to belittle yourself," Shinobu said, shaking her head. "As the teacher who trained the current Water Hashira, the Demon Slayer Corps, including the Master, has absolute trust in you, Mr. Urokodaki."
"This boy named Tanjiro Kamado is an inheritor of Sun Breathing, and the other is his younger brother, Shigeru Kamado. The Master values them highly."
"Moreover, Tanjiro possesses a keen sense of smell, just like you."
"Besides, Water Breathing is derived from Sun Breathing and is the breathing style closest to it."
"If there is anyone in the Demon Slayer Corps who can train them properly, it would be none other than you, the master of Water Breathing. I can't think of a second person capable of doing so."
"Sun Breathing?!" Urokodaki's breath hitched.
Almost every member of the Demon Slayer Corps had heard of the strongest breathing style, and he was naturally no exception.
However, what surprised him even more was that this little guy named Tanjiro Kamado actually had a nose just like his?
This time, Urokodaki was deeply moved.
Two conflicting emotions surfaced in his heart simultaneously: one was his inability to let go of the deaths of Sabito and his other disciples, and the other was an intense desire to take Tanjiro under his wing.
What if this child turned out to be an exception, just like Giyu Tomioka?
After a brief internal struggle, Urokodaki finally managed to convince himself. "I understand. I will take them both as my disciples."
"However, if they fail to meet my requirements, I will absolutely not allow them to go down the mountain to participate in the Final Selection."
"Naturally." Shinobu breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled softly. "Since the Demon Slayer Corps has entrusted them to you, their future requirements are entirely up to you."
"And what about him? Is he also a disciple here to learn Water Breathing?"
Having given a satisfactory reply, Urokodaki finally turned his attention to Su Yan, who had been standing silently to the side ever since his arrival.
"No, the Demon Slayer Corps and I merely have a cooperative relationship. There's no need to pay too much attention to my presence."
Su Yan spoke softly, "My purpose for coming here is different from theirs. I wonder if you would mind if I went up Mt. Sagiri alone to see a few friends?"
"Friends?" Urokodaki was taken aback.
He was the only one living in seclusion on the entirety of Mt. Sagiri.
Who was this person going to see?
However, with Shinobu Kocho present, he didn't suspect Su Yan of harboring any malicious intentions.
"You may," Urokodaki replied.
Hearing this, Su Yan didn't hesitate for a moment and swiftly headed toward the area where Urokodaki usually trained his disciples.
Because he had already sensed them using the Nen technique, En.
On Mt. Sagiri, there were thirteen bizarre entities that felt somewhat like Nen, yet also like living creatures.
If nothing unexpected happened, they should be his targets.
The disciples whom the former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki, had painstakingly trained, only for them to perish during the Final Selection.
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