Demon Slayer rewrite

Season 1 Episode 3. Strength training with the Stone Hashira

"First, you will train under the waterfall," Gyomei said. "Then you will carry three logs. Lastly, you must push this boulder 110 meters."

Gyomei motioned to a boulder taller than them.

"My training consists of these three simple things," Gyomei said. "I will not burn you with fire from below, as that would be dangerous."

Tanjiro entered the river water, heading to train under the waterfall.

"When under the waterfall, you must chant the nenbutsu to concentrate, and to show that you are still conscious," Gyomei said.

After training under the waterfall, Tanjiro went and lay against one of the giant rocks to recover from the cold water. The rocks were warm, and a lot of people had been using them to warm up.

"Just getting hit by the waterfall is really hard," Tanjiro said. "The water has a lot of force. If I didn't tense up, I probably would have broken my neck."

"You and Inosuke are amazing," Murata said. "On my first day, I couldn't even get used to the water. Now that I'm able to stand the waterfall for 30 minutes, I have to go do log training."

"That's impressive, Murata," Tanjiro said.

"Well, I've been here 10 days," Murata said.

A little later, Inosuke, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and a few of the other corps members were eating fish they had cooked themselves on a fire.

"There is no way that old dude can move one of those boulders 110 meters," Zenitsu said. "He just enjoys tormenting us."

"No, I've heard he can push even bigger rocks," Tanjiro said.

"Whoever told you that is lying," Zenitsu said.

"If you have good ears, you should be able to tell if someone is lying or not," Gyomei said.

They looked behind them and saw Gyomei pushing an even larger boulder than the ones they were tasked with moving.

"There he goes," Tanjiro said. "Himejima-san is amazing."

"I'm full, so I'm going to go carry the logs and push the boulder 110 meters," Inosuke said, getting up and putting his boar mask back on.

Tanjiro was able to complete the waterfall training, and the log training, but when he tried to push the boulder, he was unable to.

"My feet keep sliding back!" Tanjiro thought. "It's like it's pushing me back!"

Gyomei's training was harsh, but it wasn't forced on anyone. Any time someone wanted to quit, they could head back down the mountain.

At the end of the day, Tanjiro was eating dinner with some of the other corps members.

"Hashira training made me realize why most of the hashira don't have tsuguko," one of the corps members said. "It's too hard, so everyone runs away. They see the difference between us and the hashira and lose all hope."

"The hashira do all this stuff like it's nothing," another corps member said. "They're amazing..."

"Yeah," Tanjiro said. "They really are."

After 6 more days of training, Tanjiro still couldn't get the boulder to move.

Tanjiro collapsed onto the ground and looked up at the sky.

"Is the mark on your forehead getting darker?" Tanjiro heard a voice ask him.

It was Genya.

"Genya!" Tanjiro said, sitting up to face him. "Are you okay? After that fight, I couldn't get in touch with you, so I was worried!"

"I'm fine," Genya said. "I'm sorry you got involved, and thanks for helping me."

Genya looked over at the boulder Tanjiro was trying to move.

"I'm doing boulder training too," Genya said.

"Have you managed to move it at all?" Tanjiro asked.

"Yeah, a bit," Genya replied.

"That's awesome!" Tanjiro exclaimed. "I still can't get it to move at all..."

"Are you doing repetitive motion?" Genya asked.

"What?" Tanjiro asked.

"So you're not," Genya sighed. "It's because Himejima-san isn't good at teaching. You have to watch him closely to pick up his skills. You have to chant a predetermined action to heighten your concentration to the extreme. Himejima-san chants the nenbutsu."

Tanjiro practiced what Genya taught him, and eventually managed to move the boulder. Inosuke followed suit and managed to move the boulder as well. Zenitsu was the only one unable to, but that didn't surprise anyone.

When Tanjiro finally managed to move the boulder all the way, he collapsed onto the ground from severe dehydration. Gyomei brought him water.

"You completed my training and behaved properly in the village, so you have my respect," Gyomei said.

"The village?" Tanjiro asked.

"In the swordsmith village, you prioritized the lives of the villagers over the life of your demon sister," Gyomei said. "You should be proud of your right action."

"Actually, it was Nezuko who made that decision and sacrificed herself, not me," Tanjiro said. "I couldn't decide and the villagers almost died."

"No matter what anyone says, I respect you, Tanjiro Kamado," Gyomei said. "Your training with me is complete. You may now go to the site of the final hashira, the Ice Hashira Kimi Kazuyuki."