Demon slayer: Breath Of The Eclipse

Chapter Sixty One: To Bring a Smile to One's Face

After helping Tengen, Tanjiro went to check on Muichiro, as he walked into Muichiro's dojo, Tanjiro found Muichiro lecturing and sparring with a trainee. The trainee pleaded that he had endured enough, but Muichiro coldly told him he will be eaten by demons because of his lack of effort and ordered him to keep fighting. The trainee swong his bokutō but was promptly disarmed by Muichiro, who remarked that the trainee would have died three times over in a true battle. He then addressed the other trainees, all of whom were visibly exhausted and weary, and ordered them to keep moving even when stuck!. Trainer and trainees took their respective stances as the Hashira told them to keep up, in rapid succession, Muichiro knocked down five trainees, even aiming his wooden blade at one trainee's neck to demonstrate the trainee's inability to keep up before striking his wrists.

__________________________

Muichiro reminded the trainee again of his supposed death before quickly defeating the the rest of those standing, reminding them they are dead should they stop moving. Muichiro noticed Tanjiro at the entrance and warmly greeted him, suprising him with his sudden shift in demeanor. Outside Muichiro's Kasugai Crow, who was named Ginko, wasted no time insulting the trainees and wishing they were eaten by demons!, much to their chagrin as they attempted to shoo Ginko away. Tanjiro bowed to Muichiro......he was so excited to train with the Mist Hashira, and Muichiro likewise was excited to train with Tanjiro who had become like an older brother to him. Muichiro asked Tanjiro to fallow him outside, as the two entered the shed in his yard, Muichiro announced their entry to his swordsmith Kozo Kanamori. Tanjiro was surprised to see Kozo again, while Kozo was relieved to see Tanjiro alive and well. When Tanjiro asked why the swordsmith was here, Muichiro revealed that he was the one who asked him to come, before picking up a katana from a nearby rack and asking Tanjiro to hold it.

_________________

The Hashira held the sword as asked and then Muichiro demonstrated the blades cutting by throwing a paper plane at the weapon, causing the paper plane to spilt neatly in half. As Tanjiro marveled at the katana's sharpness, Muichiro explained that Kozo will be staying permanently with him to keep his swords in optimum condition for battle. He mentioned that when Kagaya was informed of this change, the Oyakata allowed it and even provided a work area specifically for Kozo to sharpen his swords, Muichiro solemnly remarked how the Corps leader always put the needs of his Hashira before his own health, something Muichiro wished that he had done. Later in the day, Muichiro ordered his opponent to pick up his blade again, tired and pained, the opponent went for a frenzied attack and was promptly struck down, leaving Tanjiro uneasy. The Mist Hashira chastised the trainee for his emotional attack, comparing it to a moth flying into a flame.

______________________

"It doesn't matter of you win ten times then you lose, in a real battle, a single error means death!." said Muichiro to the trainees, this was the harsh reality of fighting demons, and the trainees must hone their every move if they wished to survive. Getting no response, Muichiro decided to call off training for the day and leave, the trainees quickly tended to their hurt comrades. One trainee talked to Tanjiro and asked if he could talk to Muichiro about easing up on them, with one of them remarking that they would soon collapse before facing a demon, but instead Tanjiro noted that Muichiro might be having the most difficulty since he was training them alone, which the trainees half-heartedly agreed with. As the trainees cooled themselves outside, they wondered if Muichiro could at least soften the way he spoke, but Tanjiro noticed that Muichiro's tone had softened a little, which the trainees found unbelievable.

_____________________

They noticed the Mist Hashira leaving the compound to go somewhere,as he did every night. As the town settled down and the lights went off for the night,the area was unknowingly stalked by hundreds of crawling eyes, all marked "Four" and originated from Nakime the Biwa Demon of the Infinite Castel. The demoness now possessed long locks of hair that covered the wall she was sitting on, and with strums of her biwa, the demon used her numerous eyes to track Muichiro as he runs into the night. The Hashira ran up a flight of stairs leading to a shrine where Sanemi and Obanai were sparring, as Sanemi used Wind Breathing, Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm to defend himself, Obanai responded with Serpent Breathing, Fifth Form:Slithering Serpent, allowing him to intercept the attack and fend off Sanemi, the two Hashira surmised that they seemed to be evenly matched. Muichiro then asked that he be allowed to join them, Sanemi noticing that the younger Hashira has been coming to them every night, asked about how his training has been, while training was enough for the other Corps members it wasn't sufficient for the Mist Hashira, Sanemi laughed at his similar experience and remarked that for him and Obanai, true Hashira Training is sparring with one another.