Chapter 12 Mountain Rescue

[Inosuke POV]

He beat me fair and square. I knew that there exists people far stronger then me but Senjuro Rengoku is more than I ever imagine.

I could not even touch him. I first did not used any breathing technique and instantly realize that the person in front of me is stronger than me as he dodge all my attack without any issues.

I thought that using breathing style will close the gap between us. Oh, how so wrong I was. I could not touch him even with breathing technique and the most frustrating thing was that he was not using any breathing style.

Even after I use my beast breathing forms, I was not able to do anything to him. It did feel like he was having a issue but that does not means that there any difference in the gap between us.

And when I thought that he will belittle me about my strength. He show me how to get better.

For almost half a month he help me to improve my fighting style. At first I though that he is joking. That he is mocking me, but as time goes I started to realize that I was getting stronger.

I still don't know how strong he is but I do know that he can make me stronger. But why?

Why did he help me do that. I don't know, and it don't particularly matter to me. Whats matter is that I want to close the gap between us.

But I don't think that I should compare myself to him before surpassing the other two.

Tanjiro and Zenitsu both are also training under Senjuro and they both too are strong.

I fought with Tanjiro and he was able to handle all thing I throw at him. He has a really hard head too.

Right now he is faster and more experience than me. This further make me push myself to get stronger.

Zenitsu is not that strong, as least until he was not sleeping.

Once he sleep though he is strong. Not just that, he is fast, very very fast. I even after training so much could not handle that kind of speed.

And now here I am fighting alone side all three of them.

"Now listen, all of you. There is a large ground to cover and thus we can not travel in group anymore." Senjuro said.

"I want you three to make a single group and handle all the demon on the east side of the mountain while I will go to the west side of the mountain." he continue without giving them any more thinking time.

"HAIII" said all three of us without any more question and dash forward without delay.

In our training we have realize that Rengoku Senjuro is already at hashira level and maybe the only reason he is not a hashira is because there is already a flame hashira in the ranking. His own brother Kyojuro Rengoku.

If Senjuro says that he can handle think alone then we believe him. He has seen how strong he is first hand and yet I don't know how strong he is at his best.

[Zenitsu POV]

Its was hell, No the word hell does not even do justice to what Senjuro made me go through. I wanted to die. I wanted to run away but by the end of the day I did not have enough in me to run.

Why its has to be me, I could have been like any other normal person out there but no, life constantly put me in most dangerous and painful situation as possible.

But I did get what I was promised. I become stronger, strong enough to save my own skin when needed and also enough to kill demons.

My body still hurts by the countless number of time he hit me. The only reason I was able to go through all that torture was maybe because Senjuro continuously told me how horrible of a dead. I could have if I don't get stronger.

How horrible of a dead some one of my love one can get because I am not strong enough.

In the end though I did it. I survive the training. And even now I can't so much as touch Senjuro.

How much did he train. How hard was his training for him to get his strong. I would never wants to go through something like that.

I rather fight a demon that do his training again. And here I am doing exactly that.

He told us to stay together while he go alone slaying demons. I am glad that there are people with me and at the same time I am some what comparing me to Senjuro who can just go alone and don't have to worry about anything because he is strong.

But its fine,I too will get strong. I don't like the training at all but I want to get stronger which I will.

But for the time being we have to take care of the demon in front of us.

[Tanjiro POV]

At first I thought that he is a beginner demon slayer. Then I saw him killing demons which I had trouble even touching them.

And before I know it, he was training me and I really become strong.

I learn about my own family breathing style "hino kami kagura".

I learn total concentration constant from him. He improve my swordsmanship.

I won't lie though, it was really hard. The training I did with todoroki san was nothing compare to what I go though when training under Senjuro.

I can not even fathom how much hard work he had put to get as strong as he is.

And yet I don't really know how strong he is. I never saw him struggling in front of any demon so far.

He just kill them in one move.

But it a good thing. I need to get stronger other wise I won't be able to help Nezuko.

I know that Rengoku san can make me stronger and I am going to do my best.

I am already stronger then I was and apparently now is the time to see exactly how much.

As soon as we get to the mountain we saw many dead bodies. Many of them was demon slayers.

And then we saw the demon who probably killed all this peoples.

It was a huge demon with a spider head. And his body was strong I can say that for some reason.

"hey Tanjiro get out of your trance, there is a demon we need to slay." said Inosuke without even look at me.

I quickly took out my sword and took a fighting pose. All three of us did.

This demon is big but not as big as some other demons we have fought. But its not just the size of the demon which matters.

That dark black skin of his specially is not giving me any better ideas

The spider head demon charge at us with a great speed. We immediately come to action and dodge.

With a breath and concentration fully on my breathing and the demon I activated the water breathing form and charge at the demon but at the exact moments I tried to cut of that's demon's head, he stop my attempt with his hand blocking my sword mid way.

My theory about his black skin seem to be on point as his skin is extremely hard to cut. Even with my water breathing form I was not able to cut his hand.

While I was backing off from the demon, Inosuke came charging in and attack on the demons torso.

Once again it did not work and the black skin of the demon was really hard to cut.

While we both continue to attack the demon so some how we can distract him and also cut off his head. Zenitsu enter in his meditative state, which he learn with the help of Senjuro.

It took time but surely he was able to get to the state where he was able to move without his conscious.

While tanjiro was handling quite well against the demon if being not able to cut his head is not a issue. He was getting tried. Inosuke was looking better then tanjuro but the he too had no way to cut off demon's head.

And when both of them feeling like they are stuck and need to so something different they head the most anticipating words they wanted to heard.

"Thunder Breathing First Form : Thunder Clap And Flash."

And before they could even reach they heard thunder cracking and with a blurring silhouette of a boy wearing yellow and then saw the demon stopping midway.

It took few second before something happen between which the demon was just standing their like frozen in time.

Then it happen. The big spider like head of the demon fall to the ground, closely followed behind the rest of the demon body.

And on the other side of the demon was standing Zenitsu sheathing his sword and breathing out.

This is when they realize that they can too become really strong if only they work hard that they could some day even fight side by side against Senjuro.

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