12 Limits

Nezuko hasn't woken up once during the time the two did their training and when coming back in the evenings. Urokodaki summoned a doctor to have her examined at the beginning of their training, but the doctor said he found nothing wrong.

The two seeing this was scared for Nezuko, scared by the fact that she may never wake up again. But this further strengthened their resolve to train harder and become stronger to find a cure for Nezuko.

In the following months, Hiroto and Tanjiro trained harder than ever before. Running down the mountain while practicing their breathing techniques and forms. Sparring with each other and Urokodaki and swinging their swords on into the night, before concluding the day only to start again the next day.

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After a year of training, Urokodaki pulled the two boys aside and told them, "I don't have anything more to teach you two. The rest is up to you! From now on, you both will have to prove yourself. See if you can improve yourself upon the basics I have taught you."

"Come with me!" Urokodaki said turning away, with the two boys following him.

Winter arrived again at this time of year as they walked through the lightly snow-covered forest. After 10 minutes of walking, they arrived in front of a round boulder double their size.

"Tanjiro," Urokodaki said, as he turned around to face him. Hiroto looked on from the side, curious about what is happening here.

"If you can slice this boulder, I will allow you to join the "Final Selection"."

Tanjiro looked towards the boulder and thought to himself, 'Is a boulder… something you can slice with a sword?' Grabbing onto his katana with anxiousness. 'My katana will snap!'

As Tanjiro continues to stare at the boulder, Urokodaki turns around and says, "Hiroto, come with me."

Hiroto looked towards Tanjiro, before nodding his head at the task that he had to face at hand. Before turning around and accompanying Urokodaki.

"Urokodaki-san! Please wait just a moment! Urokodaki-san!" Tanjiro's pleading voice sounds out behind the two as they walk further away. Urokodaki walks on, ignoring the cries while Hiroto glances back a bit with a reassuring look, before walking off with Urokodaki.

A few minutes later, after walking a distance away in silence Hiroto finally spoke up. "Urokodaki-san, where are we going?"

"To meet someone." Was all Urokodaki said, as the two continue walking deeper into the forest.

The moonlight breaks through the treetops as it reflects over the two as they continue on walking. What Hiroto failed to see was a shadow moving extremely quickly in the darkness of the forest, seeming to be following them.

Past the tree's ahead, Hiroto could see a lone hut in the middle of a small clearing. 'Looks to be abandoned.' Hiroto said as he looked towards the tattered and various holes in the side of the hut.

As they approached the hut, Hiroto was suddenly pushed over to the ground by something hitting his back. "Gack!" Hiroto coughed, as he stumbled on the ground before getting up, looking around he couldn't find what pushed him earlier, nor Urokodaki.

Tensing up, Hiroto holds onto his sheathed katana on his waist in caution as he scans the treeline. 'What was that? An animal? A Demon?!' He thought to himself being wary.

*Swoosh* *rustle* Hiroto heard noises in the thickets around him, moving at an extreme speed. 'Concentrate, breath.' He thought to himself.

*inhale* *soooo* Hiroto begins circulating his breathing pattern and allowed himself to increase his awareness as well as eyesight.

"... ho?" an unknown voice whispered out of hearing range.

Looking around once more, Hiroto begins to scan with vigilance for whatever it was that attacked him. *rustle* He looks towards a bush off to his right as it begins to move. Lowering his posture, he grips his katana with his right hand, ready to draw.

*rustle rustle* the bush begins to move with more fervor until *hop hop* a white little rabbit pops out. "Skree" After seeing Hiroto, it hops off back into the brush.

*exhale* "Just a rabbit." Hiroto said, relieved.

"Are you sure about that?" A low voice sounded from behind his right ear...

Eyes widening, Hiroto got goosebumps as he quickly turned around, drawing his katana within one motion and swinging at whoever it was behind him.

"Too slow." The voice muttered as Hiroto swings his sword at the thin air behind him.

"Who are you?" Hiroto said out loud, looking around and not seeing a trace of the person. Looking to where the voice stood, there were no traces of a person having been behind him.

"You want to kill Demons kid?" The voice sounds out again, Hiroto turns to look at the source and sees a man sitting on top of the hut. From his perspective, Hiroto could see the man wearing an all-black kimono with white stripes around the sleeves with white short hair. On his face is a fox mask with one missing eye, with the design of the mouth in a smirk.

"Did you go deaf kid?" The man said again, looking down from the top of the hut.

Getting out of his stupor, Hiroto responds with, "Yes, I do. I want to protect my sister from them." Gazing into the fox mask, Hiroto has this sense of unease under the man's gaze, as though the man is peering into his soul.

Jumping down from the hut the man approaches Hiroto slowly. As Hiroto gets a better view of him, he could see the man's right sleeve being tied in a knot, without a limb in it.

"Curious about how this happened?" He said, tilting his head as he stands in front of Hiroto, scrutinizing him.

"Demons did this to me. Unlike them, we don't grow our limbs. Our mortal bodies can't take as much damage as they can. Lose a limb and you become a burden to those around you. Now tell me, do you think that you're ready to go out there and fight foes bigger, tougher and stronger than you?" The man said leaning forward with a demanding tone.

Hiroto becomes silent upon hearing the man. Gripping his hands he said. "If I don't become stronger, how could I protect and save Nezuko? If I was stronger, maybe I could've protected my family from being killed by a Demon. But I'm not, I'm weak. I couldn't save my Mother, Shigeru, Takeo, Hanako or Rokuta."

Gazing into the man's eyes with determination, he continues, "I want to get stronger, I will protect those dear to me so they never have to experience loss again. I will be the pillar that supports them."

The man hearing Hiroto stayed silent, before turning around. "Old man Urokodaki gave me a task, and something for me to tell you. If you can beat me, you will be allowed to attend the "Final Selection" with your brother. The only way you can leave this training is by either giving up and slitting your belly open, or by taking this mask back. No matter how long it takes." The man said, pointing to his mask.

Hiroto looks at the man with a serious expression. "But you only have one ar-" before he could finish the man disappeared from view, *THUMP* "GUCK!" Hiroto screamed out as he was kicked in the abdomen, launching him away and rolling along with the dirt.

"Don't think that just because I have one arm this will be easy." The man said reappearing in his original spot.

'Fast… too fast.' Hiroto thought, as he clutched his stomach and wiped his mouth from the bile.

Drawing his sword, Hiroto concentrated his breathing *inhaling* and then *soooGACK!* Before he could finish he was punched onto the ground.

"Do you think the enemy would wait for you to get ready? Your technique is still lacking when it comes to "Total Concentration Breathing" The man said, as Hiroto got back up again.

"Total Concentration Breathing" is the acceleration of the blood flow and beating of the heart. Doing that increases your body temperature. You'll be able to maintain a human form, but be as powerful as Demons. You have to increase your lung capacity and allow the maximum amount of air that you are able to hold to enter your bloodstream. When your blood is quickened your bones and muscles will go into panic mode. And when your blood runs hot, then you will become strong."

Shooting the man a questioning gaze, Hiroto thought, 'What the hell does that mean?' "How am I supposed to do that? Wasn't that what I was doing before?"

"No, what you were doing could be considered as child's play. Were you even serious in your training? You were training for a year and a half, yet you still can't understand a single thing." The man said, taking out a wooden bokken sword from his side with his left arm. "I will make you engrave everything that Urokodaki-san taught you into you."

Swinging his sword down at Hiroto, Hiroto quickly drew his sword to parry the blow-off to the side. The man brought his sword back and thrusts it towards Hiroto's body, and Hiroto manages to barely block the quick strike launched at him.

*slash* *ting* Another slash aimed at Hiroto's head was blocked as he quickly steps back to put some distance between the two.

"I will show you what it means to be a student of Urokodaki-san." The man said, holding the sword in his left hand pointing towards Hirito and lowering his body into a sprinting posture. "Remember this well."

"Total concentration. Seventh form..." *Whoosh* The man disappeared from in front of Hiroto, leaving what seems to be a trail of water from where he was in one singular straight line.

"Piercing Raindrop"

In the instant, the man disappeared, Hiroto felt as though a giant boulder was thrust into his stomach as he was blown back and hit into a tree.

*THUD* Without a moment to sound out Hiroto fell over before vomiting the contents of his lunch from the pain.

"This is what it means, to be a student of Urokodaki-san." The man said standing where Hiroto previously was.

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And so, for the next year Hiroto had to constantly train himself and fight against the man known as Botan otherwise, he wouldn't be allowed to go to "Final Selection" to join the Demon Slayer Corps.

Correcting his posture, movement, and technique through experience, Hiroto was able to make more refined and sharper movements with his katana. Training his eyesight constantly, he was able to begin predicting how his opponent would move just from the subtle shifts of their muscles, joints and slight movements of their eyes.

It's been a year since Hiroto's first meeting with the man, Urokodaki never once came and said a word to him. Constantly improving himself over the years, strengthening his reflexes and battle instinct through fighting Botan and polishing of the forms, they come face to face again.

After a year, Hiroto's appearance changed, now being 16 he has grown taller. Standing at 169 cm, with his black and red hair tied into a high ponytail. His black and white haori flutters as he stares down Botan, who has already switched to a metal katana a while back.

Not saying a word, the two continue to eye each other down. *click* shiing* Drawing his katana, Hiroto stands with it raised out in front of him as Botan mirrors his action.

Total silence engulfs the area, for fear of breaking the standoff. In the next instant, *Foom* they both disappear.