It was late in the afternoon when Kaguya received a letter from Giyuu's crow. For two months, Kaguya hasn't received any updates the two Hashiras he sent for a 2-year long "mission". Of course, this was by design as all three of them determined it was the best course of action to go minimal contact. He has the upmost trust in the two of them and believes they can handle any obstacle they face together.
Regardless, Kaguya would wake up at night wondering how his children are faring in their journey. So when he saw an old crow arrive at his doorstep, he couldn't lie and say he didn't feel relieved.
As he opened the letter, he was greeted with the following words:
Hello Master,
Shinazugawa-san and I have found a suitable place to start our training at Mount Zapiwara. The former Rumble Hashira has graciously offered his home as a temporary living situation while we continue on training.
While here, we checked out the demon sighting in the forest near the mountain. The demon turned out to be Lowermoon 3, but we slayed it with relative ease. Our projected time of staying here for training will be roughly a year. We want to take our time to develop and investigate any abilities we can access, but also know that it'll be faster than usual as we have previous experience.
Sincerely, Tomioka Giyuu
'So it seems that Sanemi and Giyuu have met the former Rumble Hashira...'
Kaguya briefly remembers him from when he was a child and his father was the head of the Demon Slayer Corps. Kaguya smiled as he remembers him being rough, strong, and kind. He knows that Sanemi and Giyuu will do great training with Jigoro.
Kaguya then strokes Giyuu's crow. "You did well, Kanzaburo. Please return back to your master."
The crow gave a satisfied caw before flying away from Kaguya. In the meantime, Kaguya needs to mark down that the demon sighting near Mount Zapiwara has been taken care of...
***
"Alright, lets do this"
"..." Giyuu nods in response.
Currently Sanemi and Giyuu were facing each other, swords in hand. The last time they faced each other, their match had to end in a draw due to their wooden swords breaking. Thankfully, Jigoro carries spare steel swords. Its not Nichirin, but it's durability will definitely outlast wood.
The goal for this spar: to test the Demon Slayer Mark. They know the conditions. Now they just have to re-enact them. If this duel is successful, it will show whether the Mark is a physical or spiritual trait. However, one cannot simply activate the Mark with a friendly spar. Along with a high heartrate and body temperature, one needs to be in a life or death situation in order to unlock it...
... which means they both have to fight with the intent to kill.
Sanemi stares at Giyuu's grey eyes. All those times where he said he was gonna kill Giyuu now feels like all bark and no bite. After all, those were simply words he says in frustration. There is no way he has it in him to kill a human, let alone a comrade. The last time they faced was during the Hashira Training. Sanemi thought Giyuu was taunting him with his arrogant attitude, and Sanemi couldn't handle that.
Would it have been easier to fight to kill back then?
Giyuu was looking into Sanemi's green eyes. Giyuu was scared. Extremely so. How was he suppose to fight with the intent to kill when the person in front of him is one he would call a friend? Yes, they needed to do this, but was this the only way? Was there really no other way to test the Mark? Maybe they can wait until they face an Uppermoon to see if they activate it? Because one wrong move, and one of them will be severely injured.
God why does it seem so much easier to face a demon right now?
"Jeez, you two are sweating bullets! Isn't this what you two wanted?"
Sanemi and Giyuu turn to face Jigoro, their proctor for this match.
"I mean you two are the ones to both say that fighting with the intent to kill is the only way to test your skills, right? If it gets to far, I'll make sure to shout 'STOP'!"
Sanemi didn't respond to that, and neither did Giyuu. Any effort Jigoro put to calm their nerves seems to only increase them. Jigoro saw this and gave a sigh in defeat.
"Look, I get it. It's not easy to face a human. And even less easy to face a human..." Jigoro made sure to stare both of the Hashira's down with his arms crossed.
"But right now forget that. What is in front of you isn't your comrade. It's your greatest enemy... close your eyes."
Sanemi and Giyuu glance at each other in hesitation before closing their eyes.
"Orient yourself with the environment. Feel the wind in your hair. The noise of water in your ears. The texture of dirt on your feet..."
The Hashiras took deep breaths as their bodies became more calm, their nerves slowly dissipating.
"Picture your greatest enemy. The one person that takes the most space in your mind. Not so weak that your confident. And not so strong that you feel helpless. But tough. Just tough enough to match you..."
Giyuu clenches his jaw, and Sanemi's grip tightens.
Let the image of them flood your five senses. And when you open your eyes, you will no longer see your comrade. Just your enemy...
Giyuu opens his eyes and sees Sanemi. And someone else. Slowly, Sanemi's white hair turns pink, and his face becomes filled with tattoos.
As Sanemi opens his eyes, he sees Giyuu's hair become lighter, and his eyes become filled with multiple shades.
The two Hashiras now look at each other. Their swords no longer aiming to fight, but to harm. Jigoro smirks as he analyzes the killing intent demonstrated from the two Hashiras. He slowly raises his hand in preparation. As the two Hashiras face each other, it seems the whole world took a deep breath in anticipation of the clash.
"Ready..."
Sanemi's grip tightens as he gets into stance.
"Set..."
Giyuu shifts his footing as he begins his Water Breathing.
"Begin!" shouts Jigoro as he brings down his hand.
Both Hashiras disappear and reappear in their middle, sparks flying as their swords are against each other. After a brief clash, they both push each other back. Sanemi then rushes Giyuu as he unleashes a fury of strikes against him, his eyes bloodshot with killing intent. Giyuu remains concentrated as he blocks all the strikes before taking a deep breath.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash."
Giyuu unleashes a powerful horizontal slash at Sanemi. However as he finishes the stroke he realizes that Sanemi disappeared and is nowhere in front of him. Before Giyuu could look to find him, he hears a haori move with the wind behind him.
Sanemi leaped in the air to dodge Giyuu's strike and is now midair and behind him, his body upside down and prepared to strike.
"Wind Breathing, Seventh Form: Gale, Sudden Gusts!"
Sanemi swings his sword right towards Giyuu's back. However Giyuu twists his sword and blocks the strike behind him while not looking. Then as he directs Sanemi's sword to the side, he twists and lands a powerful kick at Sanemi's abdomen. This leaves Sanemi flying and lands a distance away from Giyuu. As Sanemi gets up he's greeted with Giyuu's sword going for his face. Sanemi barely crouches and dodges the strike.
"Tch. Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm!"
Sanemi unleashes a powerful attack underneath Giyuu, which forces him to retreat as the attack barely misses him, slicing a few hair strands instead.
As Giyuu finishes stepping back, Sanemi launches himself towards him. Giyuu prepares his stance as he meets Sanemi's strike head on. Then they both disappear, reappearing in blurs throughout the field. In these clashes, Sanemi seems the one to mostly rush in to attack while Giyuu goes for counterattacks. The clashes ring throughout the mountain as both Hashiras continue their assault against each other.
Sanemi goes for a pierce and lands a small wound on Giyuu's neck. Giyuu in retaliation goes for a strike and lands a small cut on Sanemi's torso. While both Hashiras are landing hits on each other, their expertise and skills are making the wounds at an all time minimum. Regardless, Jigoro stood to the side, ready to call of the match if he saw a strike coming in too close.
Regardless, he has to say he's impressed. Although not as fast as him, the two Hashiras contain immense speed. Along with their speed, their swordsmen ship is precise and lethal. Any normal slayer or demon that would have to face them would be defeated in seconds. It's become apparent to Jigoro that Giyuu has already surpassed the skill level of Sakonji, and Sanemi seems to be more deadly than the Wind Hashira of the late Edo Period.
As the minutes have reached an hour, they two Hashiras continued to give it their all in the fight. While any strike targeted against each other is a lethal one, the two Hashiras had trust in each others abilities to defend it. It's this trust that allows them to unleash everything they got on each other.
"Second Form: Claws-Purifying Wind!"
"Eleventh Form: Dead Calm."
Sanemi unleashes four powerful strikes towards Giyuu. Giyuu in response uses his original technique to block those strikes. As the attack finishes both Hashiras look at each other. By now, they are reaching a limit, and so both Hashiras silently decided to give it their all in this final attack.
Giyuu slides his katana back into his scabbard as he rests his right hand on it in preparation for a final strike. Sanemi tightens both of his hands on his katana as he holds his sword above him and pointed towards Giyuu. Both of them stare, taking deep breathes before rushing towards each other.
"Tenth Form: Constant Flux!" Giyuu unsheathes his katana in preparation as a Water Dragon appears behind him, ready to strike alongside his sword.
"Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind!" Sanemi leaps towards Giyuu in a swirling motion as a mountain of wind manifests, prepared to crash down with his strike.
Both swords meet each other, and both attacks unleash against each other. A mountain of wind collides with the dragon as they both struggle to tear into each other. Cuts appear in both the Hashiras faces as their swords struggle against one another, cracks appearing in the grey steel. Finally, both attacks reach their boiling point, as the swords of both Hashiras snap, sending the broken pieces flying before landing on the ground. In quick thinking, both Sanemi and Giyuu grab each other as they are prepared to stab their broken swords-
"STOP!"
Both Hashiras freeze, their weapons still ready to strike as they both breathe heavily. They slowly turned to Jigoro, who was clapping his hands.
"That was a magnificent spar! I can tell from it that you both are exceptional slayers! I didn't think the spar would end on a draw with both swords snapping. Just go to show how great you both are!"
As the adrenaline finally dissipates, the exhaustion immediately hits the duo, and both of them fall back and sit down, their lungs grasping every molecule of air. Giyuu's arms cried in soreness while Sanemi's legs shake in exhaustion. Both Hashiras breath heavily as they try to catch their breathes.
"You two definitely worked up the sweat! I'll prepare some tea inside. You two come in once you're ready!" Jigoro said with a grin as he left the field and entered his house, leaving the two Hashiras by themselves.
"*gasp* That... sure was... *gasp* something..." said Sanemi in between labored breathes.
"*gasp* yep... *gasp* still a draw... again" replied Giyuu.
"Yea..." Sanemi lays down with a heavy thud as his eyes fixate to the sky. He puts the back of him palm against his forehead, his sweat meeting his hand. "*gasp* I'm... definitely above 39 degrees..."
"... same. My heart is also beating above 200 bpm..." Giyuu also sets his head down on the ground.
"Me too... And still no mark..."
"Yea... I guess that means we won't unlock it until Tanjiro gets it..."
"... damn it. That really sucks."
"..." Giyuu takes a deep breath before pushing himself up. He walks in front of Sanemi and offers a hand. Sanemi stares at it for a couple seconds, before taking it and getting pulled up. Then they both walk together towards their temporary home.
"Are any of your injuries bad?" asked Giyuu in a quiet voice.
"Nah. It's all good here' How about you?"
"Same here..."
"Honestly, our spar wasn't that bad. However it's best we keep this from Kanae when we get back."
"... agreed"
As the duo enter the premise, they are greeted with the smell of tea and food on standby. Once they drank and ate to replenish their energy, they sat near a table with Jigoro as they determined their next course of actions.
"Looking at the spar, I can see that you both have mastered all forms of your respected breathing. And you, Tomioka-san, have seemed to invent a new form."
"Yes..." replied Giyuu with indifference. Meanwhile Sanemi stared at Giyuu, slight jealousy brewing within.
'Tch. Inventing a new form. I could do that easily. I just don't need to, because I don't need another form to slay demons. I slay them just fine!'
(Yea, keep telling yourself that Sanemi...)
"However, there is always room for improvement! I suggest that while you two develop the abilities you seek to do here, you also work on you Breathing forms."
"So you're suggesting that we create new forms for out style?" asked Sanemi.
"Perhaps. What I really want you two to do is create applications for your existing forms."
Giyuu raised an eyebrow to that statement. "What do you mean?"
"Here let me explain..." Jigoro looked down at the table and lifted a chopstick up, holding it in front of the Hashiras.
"Lets say this is a demon I'm facing. If I were to face this, the first form of Thunder Breathing should suffice. Now..."
Jigoro picks up the second chopstick with his other hand, holding it some distance away from the first one. "Now lets say that this was a second demon. What would a Thunder Breathing user do?"
Sanemi glanced at Giyuu, who glanced back. There were many options that could happen. However because Jigoro specified that it was a Thunder Breathing user, Giyuu had a guess it had something to do with their forms.
"Would they unleash one of their forms?" asked Giyuu.
"Yes, they could. A Thunder Breathing User would likely use the second form or sixed form. However a master of Thunder Breathing, like me, would be able to use only the first form to slay them..."
Sanemi looked at the chopsticks. They were a distance away from each other. From his knowledge, the first form of Thunder Breathing is a straight strike towards their opponent. However...
"If you aren't facing both the demons in a straight line, then how would you be able to slay them in one strike? Don't tell me you would use the form twice, because that would be inefficient."
"Hahaha! Well you're right! That would be inefficient!" Jigoro shifted the second chopstick in his other hand, so now he was holding both chopsticks up with one hand.
"If a Thunder Breathing user were to use the first form, they would have to take down one demon before preparing my stance again" Jigoro used his index finger to travel to the first chopstick before taking a pause and going to the second. "This is because the first form is a straight dash that starts and ends on a line."
"But..." interjected Sanemi.
"But, a master like me would be able to slay both demons in one strike, and it's not because I would align myself to make them both in my line of sight. No, I would be able to shift my form to turn once during my strike. That way, I would be able to slay the first demon before turning and slaying the other!"
Giyuu took those words into consideration. If he remembered correctly, that's what Zenitsu did during the one time he saw him fight.
"You made a variation of the first form for this situation..."
"Bingo! In this case my variation, which would be First Form: Thunderclap and Flash, Twofold, would work in slaying both demons"
Sanemi took this demonstration into consideration on what Jigoro wanted them to do. "So you want us to create variations of our existing forms?"
"Yes. The reason we have multiple forms in a Breathing Technique is so we can tackle multiple situations. However there is no way we can predict what a situation would be, and it's always wise to remain adaptable in a encounter. This is why variations exist within forms."
Jigoro then shot a smile, one so earnest it could melt the coldest of hearts. "Because sometimes a new form isn't needed. Just a different old one can do the job!"
Sanemi and Giyuu stared at the beaming man, a hint of admiration appearing in their eyes. Here they are, the strongest slayers in the corps. And even after all they went through, there was still so much they can learn and improve on. With new generations of slayers comes new innovation and techniques. However the knowledge of the previous generations, as Sanemi and Giyuu are starting to learn, is invaluable. The elders have survived the battles and carry the knowledge that gets lost following a generation. And when one is able to combine the new creativity with the old experience, well...
'they'll become invincible...' thought Sanemi and Giyuu.
And so, following the invaluable advice from Jigoro, Sanemi and Giyuu have began a routine. Early in the morning, Sanemi and Giyuu would wake up to exercise. Running. Lifting weights. Repeating swings. Anything was on the table when it came to physical exercise. Since both of them are 17, they need to gain a physique that closely resembles what they had in their primes. Ideally, they aim to gain a physique that surpasses their prime.
Once the sun reaches high noon, they pause their training to eat lunch. Along this break period, they would occasionally help Jigoro with housework. Whether that's cooking lunch, cleaning dishes, buying groceries, or sweeping the house; anything Jigoro usually would do was taken up by the duo. While Jigoro initially insisted that they didn't need to help out, Sanemi was very adamant (only because Giyuu told him to) that they need to repay Jigoro for housing them. Eventually, Jigoro relented, as the less time he spent on chores meant more time training Kaigaku.
Speaking of Kaigaku, it became apparent early on that Jigoro did not want the Hashiras to involve themselves with his training. Sanemi, of course, didn't care and would continue to go back to his training. However once Giyuu asked Jigoro why he couldn't at least observe Kaigaku train. Jigoro has this to say:
"Kaigaku is my star pupil and my pride. However, he is still a child and often gets over his head. I don't want him to feel he's getting any special benefits from interacting with you two. His training and growth will come from himself."
And so the hurricane duo didn't bother to interact with Kaigaku. Of course, there are many times where Kaigaku would sneak of to observe the Hashiras training. Any most of the times, the Hashiras would eat lunch and dinner at the same time as Jigoro and his pupil. When it came to those times, small talk between the trainee and the Hashiras did commence. However Giyuu was antisocial and Sanemi was intimidating, so small talk was at an all time minimum.
Once the Hashiras would finish their lunch and house work, they would go back to their training. Except now, they would work on training their techniques. With multiple forms at their disposal, Sanemi and Giyuu would focus on one form and work on different variations for it. Due to the nature of Water Breathing and the many forms within it, Giyuu worked to create variations for most of his forms. Sanemi on the other hand opted to create only minimal variations. Wind Breathing is a offensive breathing style, and any more variations for a form could cause the offensive power to decrease.
It took time for the Hashiras to craft a variation into fruition. Giyuu would take approximately 1-2 months for him to complete one variation. For Sanemi, even longer. Sanemi had to go through trial and error in finding an effective variation that didn't dwindle the attack power of the form. A lot of times, Sanemi would create multiple variations for a form just to reach the conclusion that the form couldn't produce any variations without a decrease in attack power, leaving Sanemi to start from scratch.
Regardless, the duo remain diligent, and they would work from the afternoon to couple hours after sunset on their breathing techniques. Then once again, they would take a break and replenish their energy from dinner.
And then, once the Hashiras finish their dinner, they would finally train until the early hours of the next day on their final stage: their Demon Slayer abilities. At first they simply worked on accessing the red nichirin blade. Sanemi previously unlocked it in the heat of battle with Uppermoon 2 (or coldness of battle, if we're counting his Blood Demon Art). And after some sessions, Giyuu was able to reunlock it with a spar.
The main trouble came with being able to use the ability by will. Before they would only be able to use the ability when in battle, but Sanemi and Giyuu trained to use the ability at any time, even when sleeping.
It took time. The red blade is achieved through a strong grip strength, but being able to access that grip strength at any time and maintain it for multiple hours is where the strain appears. Sanemi and Giyuu struggled, but eventually both Hashiras were able to master this in 3 months. Now simply by grabbing their katanas, they're able to turn their blade red whenever they want to and maintain it for a whole night.
Once they mastered that ability, their focus shifted to their final obstacle: the Transparent World. Unlike the red blade, this ability would be way more harder to master; this is because neither of them unlocked this ability in their previous life, so they have no way in understanding how to unlock it. The only person they knew alive who had this ability was Tanjiro. However regretfully, they both never asked him on the details of unlocking it. And why would they? The war was over, and it's not like they could predict that they would time-travel???
Regardless, they had to figure this out on their own. So they tried multiple approaches. From eye techniques to intense sparring, they tried it all only to be met with no results.
In the end, both Sanemi and Giyuu decided to try different approaches. What they both understood was that the Transparent World would allow them to see and understand organs within themselves and others. So they both went for different approaches that suited each other.
Sanemi was sweating as he performed the second form of Wind Breathing again for the 200th time. In his opinion, this form was the simplest out of the technique. What Sanemi aimed to do, was to study his muscles and organs with every strike he does. With every strike, Sanemi slowly studies what a specific muscle does any analyzes it. He observes how the muscle moves, shifts, strains with every strike. By doing so, Sanemi hopes to gain an understanding of every organ that operates when he's performing an attack, and by then be able to unlock the Transparent World with it. It's a arduous process, but it's the one Sanemi decided to follow.
Giyuu on the other hand opted for meditation. As he sits next to a body of water, he uses his Water Breathing to take a deep breath as he too analyses his body. However this time, he puts energy and strain into his eyes. His hope is that by being in a serene state, he is able to enlighten himself to the understanding of his body while exercising his eyes to force the Transparent World. This process only involves Giyuu sitting down. However almost all times, his strain to the eyes become too much, and he forced to exit his meditation and dunk his eyes into the water in an effort to ease them. Then he has to start all over again. It's a frustrating process, but it's the one Giyuu decided to follow.
And so, the two Hashiras continue in their long trainings. With every passing day, the failures continue to stock up until it's almost unbearable. There are many times where both of them want to quit, or try out a different method. But with each failure comes a slight feeling of progression. A feeling they both share that they are indeed getting somewhere, and that if they keep this up they'll eventually reach their goal.
And so they keep going as the months go by. Failures keep piling, and progression slowly moves.
And then after 7 months of continuous training for the Transparent World, one of them made a breakthrough.
Giyuu was meditating near the small pond, his eyes twitching. He feels he's close to something, but his eyes are burning. He wants to open them. To dunk it in water and relieve them. But something told them that if he did it right now, he would be losing progress. No, he had to do it right now. He could feel he was on the verge of something.
And so he held on. His eyes were burning. His brain was telling him to get up. He wanted to scream in pain badly, but he forced himself not to. His fingers clenched. His toes curled. His eyes were burning really badly. Everything is becoming loud now. He can hear his heart beating heavily. He can hear his jaw clench. He can feel tears of blood flow from his eyes. He can feel his forearm stretch in frustration and he grips tightly. He can feel his lungs expand with each breath he takes. He's close. He's close to something. Just a few more seconds and he can do it. He can unlock the Transparent World. Giyuu is sure of it. Just a little more and-
*Splash*
Giyuu dunks his head in the water before lifting it back up. The blood on his cheeks wash away as he feels the pain leave his eyes.
"Damn it. In the end I couldn't keep it on... I felt I was so close"
Giyuu closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He had a feeling that he was close to unlocking it tonight. All those months of meditation accumulated into this moment, and he butchered it. Feeling defeated, Giyuu stood up as he headed back to the house.
'There's always tomorrow' thought Giyuu as he continued walking. To his right he could hear the sword strikes of Sanemi, but right now Giyuu was too exhausted to check on him right now. Yes, right now Giyuu simply wanted to take a nap and rest his eyes. As he reaches the front entrance, he reaches his skeletal hand to slide open the door. Right now, Jigoro and his student are sound asleep. Giyuu and Sanemi stay up late to train, so when they finish they always make sure to remain qui-
'Wait... skeletal hand?'
Giyuu looked at his hand. What greeted him wasn't his fair skin, but the bone and muscle structure of his arm. From his nails, to his ligaments, to his forearms, his entire organ system was visible. He looked at his other arm. Same thing. Looked at his feet. Was greeted with more bones and muscles. Giyuu looks forward, staring into blank space, as he could only muster two words:
"Holy... crap..."
Sanemi was continuing his form. Like Giyuu, he also feels like he's on the verge of something. However Sanemi also feels like he's missing something. Something that could crack the entire code.
"Hey, Sanemi! Sanemi!"
Sanemi was interrupted by someone shouting his name. He turns to his left to see Giyuu running towards him.
"Tch. You better have a good reason Giyuu for stopping me mid-strike!" yelled back Sanemi as Giyuu comes to a halt in front of him.
"I... *gasp* I did it"
Sanemi raises an eyebrow. "Did what?"
Giyuu has a small smirk on his face. "I unlocked it..."
Sanemi's eyes widened in response. "Hey, you serious?! Did you seriously unlock it?!"
Giyuu nodded in response as he analyzes Sanemi. Replacing his face is instead the image of his brain attached to his spinal cord. Around his skeletal system is Sanemi's muscles all working together in synch.
"Giyuu... that's... that's..."
Giyuu waits in anticipation.
"that's... THAT'S BULLCRAP!" screams Sanemi as he turns to kick a pebble in frustration.
"GOD DAMN IT! WHY COULDN'T I BE THE FIRST ONE TO UNLOCK IT!" yelled Sanemi in frustration. This only led to Giyuu tilting his head in confusion.
'Being the first? Shouldn't he be glad we finally unlocked it?' thought Giyuu as he watches Sanemi clumsily kick dirt into the air.
"Damn it! And I was so close too! I feel I understood everything!"
"Understood everything?"
"Yes! I got everything down. From my fingers to my toes, I understand how each organ, tendon, muscle, and bone in each area operates. But I'm still missing something! I just don't know what I'm missing!"
"Eye..."
"I what?!letessssssss followed Sanemi as he turns back to Giyuu.
"Not 'I'... eye"
"The hell do you mean by I?"
"Eye... not 'I'"
"Can you be more specific, or do I have to punch you?!" Sanemi cracked his knuckles in following.
"I mean the eye..." Giyuu points to his eyes. "You understand all your body, but you also need to understand your eye..."
Sanemi pauses. How... How did he not think of that?! For 7 months he's been slowly mapping out every action his body does to a motion. It was slow, meticulous, and tiresome. Yet Sanemi remained disciplined, and with each form he repeats, he slowly gains understanding on how his body works.
By now he understands everything. He understands how much his lungs contract, his heart beats, his triceps strain, his calf moves, and more. He can envision just how everything works. But he still couldn't access the Transparent World because he was missing something.
This is the thing he missed. He was so focused on the smallest details of everything that he forgot the most important one of all: his eyes. Even if he practice the form with his eyes closed, he needs to map out his eye, since his eye is what is used to see the Transparent World after all.
Sanemi clenches his jaw as he turns away from Giyuu. He's feeling a lot of things: anger, stupidity, and embarrassment for not figuring this out sooner. But he can hold it off, because right now he wants to test it.
Sanemi once again gets to his familiar stance. By now he could do this form flawlessly underwater and blind if he had to. As he readies his sword, he closes his eyes and puts 100% focus on it. He focuses on the pupils, the retina, the ocular nerves, and everything else found within them. Sanemi can feel a strain when he does it, but it just solidifies that he's on the right track. As his eyes are closed, Sanemi raises his sword above him and brings down one strike. As he competes the action, a strong gust of wind is released; but Sanemi isn't done it. He quickly brings his sword back up and strikes again. Then a third time. Then he finally finishes on his fourth strike. By the time he finishes, four viscous lines is added to the ground along with the many lines that were added across the months. \
Sanemi stays frozen, making sure his breathing is in control . He remains frozen for a while before he puts his katana back into his scabbard. Then Sanemi slowly opens his eyes, and when he does he's greeted with the sight of his muscles and skeletons in his hands. He turns around towards Giyuu and is able to see all his organs, from his brain to his muscles.
"Hmm, so this is what the Transparent World looks like."
"Yes... it seems you unlocked it," responded Giyuu with his stoic face. However internally, he was filled with awe and admiration.
'Unbelievable... To think he was able to unlock it that quick once I gave him that advice... and with no excessive pain either...'
And with that, both the Hashiras have unlocked the abilities they came here for. Once they woke up to their next day, they worked on reopening the Transparent World. Once they unlocked it, it was much more easier to access it again, although it left a great strain on their eyes and brain. And so the Hashiras continued to train in order to sustain both the Transparent World and the Red Nichirin Blade.
It took a while, but eventually after 4 more months they were able to sustain both abilities for a whole night. And with that the two Hashiras have finished their training.
Sanemi and Giyuu were once again sitting across Jigoro in his table. It's been 16 months since the Hashiras have left headquarters, with the last contact they had with Kaguya being 14 months ago. Both Sanemi and Giyuu are 18 years old now, having spend more than a year with Jigoro.
"So, you two finally finished what you two came here for?"
"Yes, Kuwajima-sama..." replied Giyuu
"Ah I told you two before! Just Kuwajima is fine! The '-sama' is a bit too much for me. Besides! I haven't actually taught you anything!"
"Still, you housed us for more than a year," answered Sanemi. "It's the least we should do."
"Well I'm telling you to drop the '-sama'. I don't like it!"
Sanemi and Giyuu glanced at each other before turning back to Jigoro.
"Very well... If you insist, Kuwajima-san"
Jigoro let out a satisfied smile before asking the two a question.
"So, will you two be heading back to headquarters?"
"Uhh, well soon," replied Sanemi. "We need to meet a couple of people first before we head back"
"Hmm, I see... And I suppose the Master knows of this?"
"Yes..." interjected Giyuu. "I already sent my crow to him with a letter..."
"That's good..."
And with that the three men sat in silence, each wondering what to say. This was goodbye, but not acknowledging it felt like it wasn't happening. Jigoro has grown close to the two Hashiras after all. He housed them, fed them, and helped them with their training. More than that, he was a great friend to the both of them.
Jigoro, seeing the two people he housed for more than a year remaining silent, chuckled before using his cane to stand up.
"Come on. I know you two need to head out. I'll walk you two out" said Jigoro as he walked towards the door with a smile.
The duo follow suit, and soon all three of them were at the bottom of the mountain, just outside of the town.
"Well, I suppose this is goodbye. I must say, I truly had the joy to house you two for your training. I wish you safe travels, and I ask you send me a letter if you both are ever in need of my assistance!"
Sanemi and Giyuu could only look back at him, emotions boiling within them. In his past life, After Masachika and Kanae, Sanemi was too scared to reach out for a friendship with someone. The closest person he was ever with was Obanai, but he always felt like a work buddy. Sanemi never went out of his way to reach out to Obanai, and it was one of his main regrets he had after the war. Now that Sanemi is back here, a changed man, he can truly say he enjoyed his time with the former Hashira.
Giyuu was also feeling something similar. In his past life he threw friendships into the puddle. He kept a shield around him, and avoided any friendly interaction with his comrades. People like Shinobu and Tanjiro had to force their friendship to happen, and Giyuu was too late to reciprocate that friendship back to Shinobu. But after the war, he's gone out of his way to befriend the survivors. Now that he's back, he's been doing more to reciprocate any friendship any one else expresses to him. With spending more than a year with Jigoro, Giyuu can confidently say that he has become a good friend towards him.
In truth, both Hashiras were glad they got to meet this man during this lifetime, because they were sure they wouldn't have been good friends before.
"Hmph, yea you too! You make sure to send a letter to us if you need something too!" said Sanemi, a genuine smile appearing on his face.
"Agreed... if there's anything you need help or if you're ever down and stuck with something, send us a letter, please..." added Giyuu, his eyes closed and a smile stretching across his face.
Jigoro widened his eyes as he took in the image of the two smiling men. He could his heart beat with joy and appreciation as he felt a tear build up on his eye. It's been... a while since he felt like this. As the years went by, many of his friends passed away, and he had to attend many funerals both when he was working and retired. Even now, all his friends that are still alive have minimal contact with them. With all of them being in different locations and doing different things, it was natural that they would eventually grow out of touch. However it still hurt.
But here he is, saying goodbye once again to two new friends. Except this time it feels different. When meeting them, he had a feeling that these two would be destined to do great things. That these two were more mature for their age and open to friendship than anyone he's met as an old man. Sure he has Kaigaku, but with old age comes a sense of loneliness. However these two have filled that hole up, and although these two are leaving, they are still presenting a friendship that cures his loneliness.
Jigoro closed his eyes before letting out a loud laugh.
"HAHAHA! Of course! When something arises, you two will be the first ones I contact!"
And with that, the two Hashiras wave their goodbyes to their new friend. With what they have planned in the future, they might never see him ever again. But something told them that they would be able to contact him again. Even if its to have tea once again...
Sanemi and Giyuu soon reach town and go shopping. Extra clothes. Spare food. First-aid kits. The two Hashiras stockpiled on supplies for their journeys. They spent an hour getting everything needed before meeting back in the middle of town.
"Well, I guess this is where we split ways," said Sanemi.
"Yes... it would seem so..." replied Giyuu.
They both know what they need to do. They planned it around a year ago, and now they were going to execute it. Right now is where the hurricane separates. Where the water travels towards its goal and the wind goes to it's polar opposite.
"Well... take care... I'll see you soon..." said Giyuu as he reaches out his hand. His face still remaining stoic, but his eyes now carrying a pool of determination for their mission.
Sanemi looks at the hand before reaching out and shaking it.
"Yea, you too." said Sanemi, the wind slightly blowing his hair as he carries a smirk and eyes filled with the same determination.
And with that, the two Hashiras turn around and head their separate ways...