Urokodaki was referring to the time he initially refused to take Tanjiro as a disciple, prompting Horitake to challenge him to a duel.
Recalling the incident, Horitake gave a slight smile.
"I'm just glad Master Urokodaki doesn't hold my rudeness against me."
Looking at Horitake, Urokodaki reflected on that day.
Back then, to convince him to accept Tanjiro, Horitake proposed a one-move duel.
Urokodaki had underestimated Horitake, holding back, only to be caught off guard by his Thunderbolt One Hundred Eight Flashes, narrowly losing.
At the time, Urokodaki could still gauge Horitake's strength. Now, he couldn't fathom his depths!
In just half a year, had he grown this much?
Urokodaki couldn't help but ask,
"Horitake, your strength now…"
"Oh, me? I'm one Lower Rank demon away from becoming a Hashira.
But Lower Ranks aren't exactly easy to come by!
I did encounter a Lower Rank Two before, but it was a former Lower Rank Two—pretty weak, didn't count.
No choice but to keep slaying regular demons, aiming for fifty or so!"
Horitake's words carried a subtle, potent confidence, his aura of strength startling Urokodaki.
"To have grown this far…"
Urokodaki let the topic drop, his gaze shifting to Tanjiro, nearly out of sight. He pulled several throwing knives from behind, preparing to pursue.
Horitake, surprised, exclaimed,
"Wait… Master Urokodaki, those throwing knives are…"
"Part of Tanjiro's test. When the traps push him to his limit, I'll throw these to press him further!"
"Isn't that… a bit extreme?"
"Not at all. I know exactly where Tanjiro's limits lie.
Only by pushing him to the brink will he unleash greater potential.
That boy is desperate for his sister's sake.
The path ahead for those siblings is fraught with hardship. Without enough strength, they won't make it!"
With that, Urokodaki, knives in hand, stealthily followed Tanjiro.
Horitake watched him go, a bead of sweat forming on his brow.
He had a feeling Tanjiro was in for a rough day.
Leaping down from the tree, Horitake activated his spiritual vision and asked,
"Were you two trained like this by Master Urokodaki?"
The faintly ethereal figures of Sabito and Makomo appeared beside him.
Sabito scratched his head, as if reluctant to recall, and answered,
"Yeah… we went through Master Urokodaki's training like this."
Makomo pouted, indignant.
"Absolutely! Every trap training was insanely dangerous, the kind where you're this close to dying. Master Urokodaki, honestly!"
Sabito sighed at Makomo.
"But it's exactly that harsh training that's making Tanjiro stronger."
"True, but still!"
Horitake gave a slight bow to Sabito and Makomo.
"I haven't thanked you yet for helping look after Tanjiro."
"No, no, we're the ones thanking you," they replied, bowing back.
"Thank you for slaying the Hand Demon, fulfilling our and Master Urokodaki's children's wishes."
"Oh, you mean the demon on Mount Fujikasane? I saw it and took it out. Just a small deed, no big deal.
By the way, Tanjiro's doing fine. How's Nezuko?"
At this, Sabito and Makomo hesitated.
"Well… Nezuko's probably fine, right, Sabito?"
"Uh… honestly, since arriving at Sagiri Mountain, Nezuko's been in a deep sleep, and nothing can wake her.
Master Urokodaki even called a doctor, but they found nothing wrong.
Her body seems perfectly healthy."
Makomo added,
"She hasn't eaten anyone or gone berserk, but since she's a demon, we don't know why she's sleeping like this."
Horitake nodded as he listened.
Good thing I know the original story.
He knew Nezuko would sleep for two years, waking only after Tanjiro passed the Final Selection.
During this time, she was reshaping her body through sleep, sustaining herself without eating humans.
This was a good thing—no cause for concern.
After a brief chat with Sabito and Makomo, Horitake followed Urokodaki's path down the mountain. He wanted to see how Urokodaki trained Tanjiro—definitely not out of schadenfreude.
In that short time, Tanjiro, battling through traps, was nearing the finish line!
When Horitake arrived, Tanjiro was tackling the final stretch of traps.
Horitake couldn't help but marvel. When Urokodaki first tested Tanjiro, even the basic traps took him ages. Now, Tanjiro had made remarkable progress.
That said, progress aside, he looked utterly disheveled.
Covered in dirt and tattered clothes, Tanjiro fought through the last traps.
And, of course, Urokodaki's throwing knives kept interrupting.
Swish, swish, swish! Three knives shot toward Tanjiro's head!
Hearing the blades cut through the air, Tanjiro's hair stood on end. He dodged sideways, swinging his katana to parry them!
But as he evaded, his foot snagged a rope, triggering another trap!
Boom! A massive log dropped from above, hurtling toward him!
Tanjiro yelped, barely dodging the log.
Just as he tried to catch his breath, twang, twang, twang! Three arrows sped toward him from nowhere!
"What!? A chained trap!?"
Tanjiro ducked frantically. Thud, thud, thud! The arrows embedded in the log!
But the chained trap wasn't done. Several bamboo poles swept toward him from unknown directions.
Rolling and leaping, Tanjiro dodged the first four poles with all his might.
Unfortunately, he couldn't evade the last one, which slammed into his backside!
With a scream, Tanjiro was swept off his feet!
From a nearby tree, Horitake watched, torn between laughing and feeling it'd be too cruel to mock. He stifled his amusement with effort.
Screaming, Tanjiro was flung into the air, landing not on the ground but in a pit nine meters wide and three to four meters deep.
Thud! He hit the pit's floor, seeing stars. Slowly crawling up, he looked around, dazed and confused.
"Where… am I? Another trap?"
"It's… a deep pit. A huge one!"
"Hm? What's that dark shape up ahead? It's… wait, a bear!?"
Tanjiro jolted, scrambling back until his back pressed against the pit's wall, scanning frantically.
It was indeed a deep pit! Its walls were sheer, three to four meters high—impossible to climb!
But why was there a bear in here!? Had it fallen in by accident?
Urokodaki's voice from above clarified Tanjiro's confusion.
"Tanjiro! I caught this bear and put it here, and it's been starving for at least five days!
Your final trap training this morning is to defeat it!
Will we eat bear for lunch, or will it eat you? That depends on your skill!"
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