[Sigh...]
Thinking and thinking, looking at Mitsuba who was still engrossed in reading the daily news, Muzan ultimately said nothing, only sighing deeply in her heart.
Forget it, forget it...
She was old after all. Let the young people handle young people's matters themselves...
Anyway, with Mitsuba around, nothing would go wrong.
"..."
After the battle at the movie studio ended, the Demon Slayer Corps suddenly recalled all demon slayers who were currently out on missions.
From this day forward, all demon slayers began indefinite collective training at the headquarters.
This was comprehensive training with the current Hashira as teachers, each responsible for one specific category of training.
Aimed at transmitting all the experiences and techniques of the current Hashira in the shortest time possible, raising the overall strength of ordinary swordsmen to the greatest extent.
At the same time, it also provided these Hashira with an opportunity to exchange and train with each other that they almost never had normally.
Therefore, all Hashira had to participate.
It was clear that the Demon Slayer Corps was actively preparing for the final battle that would arrive in the near future.
And aside from these surface efforts, Tamayo, who had also come to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, was working hard developing medicines targeting Muzan.
The medicine development was led entirely by her, with Kanae and Shinobu Kocho—who were also skilled in medicine—occasionally coming to be her assistants.
Perhaps, the day her medicine development was completed would be the day demon slayers and demons welcomed their final battle...
Amidst the Demon Slayer Corps' bustling preparations, time flew by rapidly.
"..."
"Keep going! Only one hundred left! Everyone don't slack off! Let's work hard together!"
In the headquarters plaza, Tanjiro, as the Sun Hashira, was leading a group of swordsmen who had taken off their shirts, doing push-ups on the ground.
The sun hung high in the sky. After several hundred push-ups, the swordsmen around him had already begun to groan and complain, their arms trembling.
Only Tanjiro himself was still rapidly moving his arms up and down, doing push-ups at flying speed, even able to spare time to encourage those around him.
"Don't disrupt your breathing! Maintain your breathing! Use Breathing Techniques to relax your arm muscles, ensuring rapid blood circulation!
"As long as you can do this, everyone can also be like me and not get tired!"
"Tanjiro! Your dad is here!"
"Eh?!"
Hearing this, Tanjiro abruptly raised his head and looked, only then discovering that at some point, his father Tanjuro had already arrived near the plaza, draped in an outer garment, smiling as he watched him.
"Everyone rest for a bit first! I'll be right back!"
Tossing out these words, Tanjiro hurriedly climbed to his feet and ran toward Tanjuro.
"Dad! Why did you come over? I told you your health isn't good now, don't walk around randomly..."
"I wanted to come see you."
Gazing at his young son before him, Tanjuro simply spoke with a smile yet calmly:
"Tanjiro, I heard that you all are preparing to have a decisive battle with the demons?"
Due to his physical condition, plus Tanjiro's deliberate concealment to prevent his family from worrying, it wasn't until today that Tanjuro finally learned of this news.
"Mm, there is indeed such a thing... b-but Dad don't worry! We'll definitely win in the end!"
When saying these final words, Tanjiro—who couldn't lie—instantly flushed red, subconsciously shifting his gaze away.
This final decisive battle with the demons—would they really win?
Regarding this question, perhaps any human with normal thinking ability and clear consciousness knew the true answer...
His gaze simply watched his son before him calmly, without any change.
Regarding his son's words, Tanjuro said nothing, only speaking calmly:
"Tanjiro, help me select a suitable Nichirin Blade."
"Eh?"
His expression startled, Tanjiro raised his head in confusion, yet from his father's withered face, he saw a trace of a smile.
"I also want to join your training."
"..."
"Hey, Zenitsu, stop."
"Zenitsu, I'm telling you to stop."
"Zenitsu."
"You trash!! I'm telling you to stop for me!!"
With these impatient calls from behind him, Zenitsu—who had long since packed his things and already walked to the headquarters dormitory entrance—finally stopped his footsteps.
He faced away from the figure behind him and spoke in a deep voice:
"Senior brother, is there something else?"
Standing behind Zenitsu at this moment was a male who appeared a few years older than him.
The male carried a very long Nichirin Blade on his back, had short black hair, deep green pupils, very thick eyebrows slightly furrowed, his face appearing somewhat fierce.
Without a doubt, this person was the senior brother Zenitsu had once mentioned—Kaigaku, who like him was a disciple of the former Thunder Hashira, Jigoro Kuwajima.
As fellow disciples of the former Thunder Hashira, Zenitsu and his senior brother Kaigaku were quite peculiar.
One of them could only learn the First Form of Thunder Breathing, while the other could learn everything except the First Form of Thunder Breathing.
The two complemented each other perfectly; together they could form a complete set of Thunder Breathing.
Although fellow disciples, the relationship between the two was far from that of the Water Hashira trio.
The reason wasn't complicated—Kaigaku, as the senior brother, had always looked down upon Zenitsu, who in his eyes had no talent and was timid and cowardly.
Plus their master's doting on Zenitsu, this further triggered Kaigaku's disgust toward Zenitsu.
Under Kaigaku's hostility, even if Zenitsu wanted to repair the relationship between the two, he was powerless.
Therefore, in the Demon Slayer Corps, the two of them had almost no conversation in the past.
For Kaigaku to actively call out to Zenitsu like today—this was the first time.
"Why are you leaving the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Staring tightly at Zenitsu's back, Kaigaku asked in a deep voice.
"Why is senior brother asking this? Could it be that you're concerned about me?"
Zenitsu immediately retorted.
"Tell me, did you learn some special intelligence?"
"What special intelligence could I have? The decisive battle with the demons?
"This matter—doesn't everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps know about it now?"
"I'm asking you about those Upper Rank demons! That friend of yours is also a Hashira, right? He definitely participated in that previous meeting! You must have definitely learned intelligence about those demons from him!
"Tell me! Are those demons very strong! Do we have no chance of winning at all, so that's why you want to quit the Demon Slayer Corps now and flee by yourself?!"
Kaigaku interrogated.