9 Sakonji Urokodaki

[Third Person Perspective]

As Hiroto and Nezuko approached Tanjiro, they saw how the head seemed to have fallen unconscious.

"What happened? Why did it stop moving?" Asked Hiroto towards Tanjiro.

"I'm not sure, I was just fighting the head trying to keep it from running by making the wooden door fall over it and all of a sudden it just stopped moving! It screamed for a second then passed out." Tanjiro said, waving his hands and pointing to the door that's on top of the still-intact head.

Hiroto nods and looks at the knife in Tanjiro's hands. "Are you going to do it? Or should I?"

"No, no I'll do it," Tanjiro said, taking the knife out of the wooden sheath. As he slowly creeps over to the head he thinks to himself, 'How many demons are there? He smells different than the one that was at my house. A different Demon. But… if I don't kill him, he'll attack more people. *hff hff* so I HAVE to do this. *hff hff*'

Hiroto sees Tanjiro struggling to kill the Demon who wants to help him, but knows that for Tanjiro to grow and help Nezuko in the future that he has to do this on his own. 'I'm sorry Tanjiro, but you have to do this one.'

Hiroto then sees out of the corner of his eye, an arm stretched out towards Tanjiro's shoulder and grasped it. 'Who is this, I didn't even hear or see him approaching.'

"Huh?" Tanjiro, surprised, thought that it was his brother who was behind him, but when he turned around he could see a taller man with a blue-colored kimono with clouds on it. What was most surprising was that his face was covered with a red tengu mask. "Ah!" Tanjiro exclaims in surprise.

Before Hiroto started moving towards Tanjiro the man spoke, "You can't kill it with that." sounded out the man's gruff voice from behind the mask.

Hiroto, hearing this figured out the man doesn't have any ill feelings towards Tanjiro.

'A tengu mask? I didn't even hear him come up behind me!" Tanjiro thought to himself, staring at the masked man

"H-How can I finish him off?" Tanjiro asks him.

"Don't trust what others say. Can't you solve this riddle yourself?" The masked man said.

Meanwhile, Nezuko is just staring blankly towards no particular direction while holding Hiroto's hand.

'If stabbing him won't work…' Tanjiro thought, as his eyes wander over to some rocks. 'I'll have to crush the head.'

"Nngh" Tanjiro grunted, as he lifted a rock from the side and brought it over.

'To completely crush the head, I'll have to smash him with a rock repeatedly. He will surely suffer. Isn't there any way to kill it with one blow?' Tanjiro thought, having a mental dilemma inside of his head.

Hiroto looked over to Tanjiro and thought to himself, 'If stabbing it doesn't work, then why did that man Giyu carry a katana with him?'

*Sniff* The man sniffed the air, (Hiroto saw this and thought, does he have a cold?), he thought to himself. 'Damn… This kid is no good. His kindness prevents him from taking decisive action. When facing a Demon, he still reeks of sympathy and consideration. He even feels sympathy for a Demon.'

'But… this boy…' The masked man thought as he smelled the other scent besides him, Hiroto's. 'This boy's scent is different from that kid. From Giyu's letter, I can only assume he's the kid's older brother. How can the brother of that scent be so different? He's looking at his brother facing the Demon himself, but his will doesn't shake. He's a good sapling, his conviction won't waver in front of other Demons…'

After the man's internal monologue finished, the Demons head woke up. 'WHA-? I was unconscious. Is my body dead? I feel sick.' The Demon thought to itself.

"Oh!" Tanjiro exclaimed.

"!!" The demon's eyes bulged looking at the boy carrying the rock.

While this happened Hiroto already noticed that the sun was quickly rising so he took Nezuko and put her back inside the temple before coming out again.

"While I was wasting time, the sun came up!" Tanjiro said, looking anxiously towards the rising sun.

As the sun eclipses over the horizon, the rays land upon the group and unto the Demon.

"GYAAAAHH!!* The Demon cried out as it was being burnt alive. Trying to roll it's head away but stuck under the door.

"AGGHHHH" *SZZL KRAKL* "AGGHhhhh" The sounds of the Demons and it's skin burning dies off.

Hiroto, seeing the scene thought to himself. 'Just a touch of sunlight did that?! No wonder Nezuko fears it so much. Good thing brought her back inside.

"Wait, Nezuko!" Tanjiro yelled out, but as he turned around all he saw was Hiroto raising his hands.

"Calm down Tanjiro, I put her back in the basket inside, she's fine," Hiroto reassured him.

*phew* Tanjiro breathes out a sigh of relief.

"Where's that man?" Tanjiro asked.

Hiroto pointed behind the house, "Over there when I brought Nezuko back in the house was already empty."

The two turned to where the man was and saw him kneeling with his palms facing each other in prayer in front of 3 graves.

'He buried the family who was killed.' Hiroto thought.

The two boys walked up to the man.

"Um…" Hiroto said first.

The man stands up, dusting the dirt from his knees, and turns to face us. "I am Sakonji Urokodaki. You two must be the ones Giyu told me about."

Shocked at what the man said, Hiroto responded, "Y… Yes. I'm Hiroto Kamado, this is my little brother Tanjiro and," Hiroto points back towards the temple, "in there is my little sister Nezuko."

The man looks towards Tanjiro and asks him, "Tell me, Tanjiro… What will you do when your sister eats someone?"

Tanjiro, shocked by the question, was left stumped as his eyes widened. Thinking of what he would do. But, as Tanjiro was thinking the man swung his hand towards Tanjiro's face.

Hiroto noticed before the man raised his arms from the little movements he made and managed to react fast enough. He reached out and grabbed Sakonji's arm mid-swing.

"HEY! What do you think you're trying to do?!" Hiroto yells as the man yanks his arm free while pulling Hiroto over his shoulder and dumping him over the ground.

*Thump*

"Ack!" Hiroto sounded out as he was thrown.

"He-" Before Tanjiro could respond he was slapped by Sakonji's free arm.

"Your brother thinks too slowly!" Sakonji shouts, looking at Hiroto's figure on the ground.

Hiroto slowly got back up massaging his back and looked towards Sakonji.

Sakonji looks back towards Tanjiro who cups his right cheek which was struck by. "You struggle over the simplest decisions. You could never finish off a demon before the morning light. Why couldn't you answer that question immediately? You are too soft!" The man berates Tanjiro.

Hiroto looks on to the side, he knows that what the man said is true, but Tanjiro's nature is like this. He has a kind soul, just the thought of having him kill something was a far dream in Hiroto's mind.

The man continues, "When your sister eats someone, there are two things you have to do… Kill your sister… then slit your belly and die! That is what it means to travel with your sister who has become a Demon! "

"But it is both of your sacred duty to ensure that this never happens. Your sister must never take the life… of an innocent person! Do you understand what I am saying?!" He shouts towards Tanjiro.

"YES!" Tanjiro shouts with his resolve.

"... And you." Sakonji points towards Hiroto. "You can't keep coddling your brother. I know what you did before, making your brother do the deed instead of yourself. But your brother is far too softhearted. You need to stop coddling him" Hiroto looks straight at the man not wavering one bit.

"I know this, but me and my brother are going to look after each other. We are going to protect Nezuko and look after her. We won't let anyone get in our way or separate us." Hiroto responds eyeing the man's tengu mask.

'... at least they both have the resolve.' Sakonji thought to himself.

"Very well… I will test you two to see if you have what it takes to be a Demon Slayer Swordsman. Shoulder your sister and follow me."