Mount Sagiri.
This great mountain was perpetually shrouded in mist, hence its name.
The former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki, lived in seclusion here. After stepping back from the frontlines, he continued to contribute quietly as one of the Water Breathing Breeders.
Today, he was sending his disciples to participate in the Final Selection once more.
At the foot of the mountain, two boys stood shoulder to shoulder—one with a confident, sunny smile on his face, the other looking as if he'd lost a fortune, his expression gloomy.
Sabito and Giyu Tomioka, the most talented duo in the history of the Water Breathing lineage, especially Sabito.
Before them stood their master, Sakonji Urokodaki, an old man wearing a red tengu mask.
"Master! Master!" Sabito called out several times, but Sakonji remained silent. No one noticed his trembling hands.
For him, the Final Selection was a nightmare—a dream from which no disciple, no matter how outstanding, ever returned.
None of Sabito and Giyu's senior brothers and sisters who came before them had made it back.
"Children, must you really go?" Sakonji Urokodaki snapped out of his thoughts, his voice hoarse as he made one last attempt to dissuade them. He didn't want his disciples to throw their lives away.
"Master, I'm definitely going! And I'll bring glory to our lineage! I'll succeed you and become the Water Hashira!" Sabito declared, his short, flesh-colored hair fluttering with his youthful confidence.
He nudged his good friend beside him, "Right, Giyu?"
Giyu stared with dead-fish eyes, his tone flat and emotionless as he said:
"Sabito, I'm no good. You go ahead."
"Hey now!" Sabito threw an arm around Giyu and gave him a knuckle rub on the head, encouraging him with boundless energy, "Giyu, you can absolutely do it! Trust me, no problem!"
Sakonji Urokodaki knew further words were pointless. All he could do was believe in his disciples.
This time, he held genuine hope—Sabito was undoubtedly the most talented disciple he'd ever trained.
Giyu wasn't far behind either. Despite only training for half a year, he'd already passed the test of cutting the giant boulder, surpassing even his senior sister Makomo who had joined earlier.
From his robe, Sakonji produced two fox masks and handed them to his disciples—warding masks he'd crafted himself.
"Take these warding masks with you!"
"Come back safely. I'll be waiting for good news from both of you!"
Sabito and Giyu put on the masks—they fit perfectly.
"Master, believe in me! I'm really strong!" Sabito flexed his arm in a muscle pose, his smile as confident as ever.
Giyu nodded silently.
"Strong my foot! How can anyone feel at ease with two scatterbrains like you?"
"Honestly!"
An angry voice cut through the mist—a girl's voice, full of spirit.
Immediately after, two bundles came flying with pinpoint accuracy, bonking Sabito and Giyu on their heads.
"Ouch ouch ouch!" Sabito clutched his head, hopping around in pain as if the ground was burning his feet.In contrast, Giyu remained unfazed with the bundle on his head, his composure rock-solid—though in truth, his heart was practically dead inside.
A girl emerged from the mist, clad in a short kimono patterned with plum blossoms, her shoulder-length hair swaying. With hands on her hips, her dark green eyes shot a look of exasperation.
Her name was Makomo, Sabito's junior sister and Giyu's senior sister—the undisputed little caretaker of Mount Sagiri.
Bypassing their master, she strode straight toward the duo. Sabito, terrified, hid behind Giyu, while Giyu himself took a few steps back.
Such was Makomo's overwhelming presence—terrifyingly strong.
"Makomo, stop right there!"
"No!" Makomo glared at Sabito before pinching Giyu's cheek. "Little junior, smile a bit, will you?"
"Makomo, we're leaving now. Bye!"
Seizing the moment when Makomo wasn't paying attention, Sabito decisively grabbed Giyu and bolted. His poor heart couldn't take it—her killing intent was just too intense. All over a forgotten bundle, really.
"Sigh..." Watching her senior and junior brothers run off, Makomo let out a sigh, her eyes brimming with worry. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted, "You two better do your best! You must come back, or I'll never forgive you!"
"We'll definitely come back—just wait and see!" Sabito waved and yelled back.
...
Mount Fujikasane.
From a distance, the mountain was split into two distinct colors. Below the waist, it shimmered in bright purple; above, it darkened into a greenish-black hue.
The purple came from a vast forest of wisteria flowers—a prison painstakingly built by the Demon Slayer Corps over countless years and resources.
But what it held captive weren't humans—it was demons.
The wisteria on Mount Fujikasane bloomed year-round, like an eternal purple flame. The vines twisted and intertwined, forming a massive purple scarf that seemed to envelop half the mountain.
On the mountain path, Tendo and his two companions walked at a leisurely pace.
Around them, peers occasionally passed by, most with their heads bowed, radiating unease. Their eyes betrayed helplessness and confusion.
Fear loomed over them—what lay ahead could mean death.
For normal people, fear and tension were only natural.
Suddenly, a boy rushing past collided with Tendo. Though he was the one who bumped into someone else, the boy ended up flat on his backside.
"S-sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to!" The boy kept apologizing, his voice trembling with fear.
"No worries!" Tendo helped him up and finally got a good look at his face.
Black, center-parted short hair, dark eyes, and a plain but neat appearance. Dressed in black fitted clothing, he looked like the most unremarkable background character ever.
Holy—!?(?'?'??)?
Isn't this Murata dude?
Though younger now, Tendo recognized him instantly.
"Huh?" Murata shivered.
This guy was staring at him—was he about to get beaten up?
"Big bro, I admit I was wrong, okay?"
"Don't hit me!"
Tendo's lips twitched. "Do I really look like a bad guy?"
Murata forced a weak laugh, his voice barely audible. "Big bro, the three of you are walking in a row, looking as cheerful as if you're on a picnic. It's kinda hard not to be scared!"
"Ahahaha!" Tendo laughed awkwardly. Now that he mentioned it, they were indeed drawing attention.
He patted Murata's shoulder. "Do your best. See you around!"Not getting beaten up, Murata breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran up the mountain.
Tendo and the other two continued strolling up the slope as if they were truly on an outing.
Just then, an urgent urging voice came from behind them.
"Giyu, hurry up!"
"Or we'll be late!"
Startled, Tendo quickly turned to look and saw two figures rapidly approaching from not far behind.
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew past, causing the wisteria flowers to sway lightly, releasing waves of fragrance. Petals drifted down like snowflakes, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
Amid the falling blossoms were two boys wearing fox masks.
Noticing the gaze upon them, Sabito and Giyu simultaneously looked up, locking eyes with Tendo.