Chapter 9

Zenitsu: "Graamps~! I'm baaack~!" He shouted as he walked through the front door of their house. He took off his shoes and walked through the corridor, but still, no one answered him. "Hello? Gramps?" Silence.

He checked every room in the house but there were no signs of Jigoro. Finding it a little strange, Zenitsu walked outside through the back door, bare feet, to see if maybe Jigoro was taking the nap outside as it was a sunny and warm day.

He saw the barren spot on the ground just a few meters from the house, a place where gramps used to teach him the basics of swordsmanship and Breathing Techniques. It was empty. He looked towards the wisteria tree at the east side of the backyard, a place where Gramps liked to rest or think about things. There was no one. Zenitsu clicked his tongue, he looked around but as far as he could see he didn't saw anyone. 'Where the hell is he?' Thought Zenitsu.

He decided to try something. If he can't see him, maybe he could hear him? Zenitsu closed his eyes, his breath steady and slow, and concentrated on sounds around him. His head turned toward the west as he barely caught two voices coming from that direction. 'The peaches orchard?'

Zenitsu sighed and walked up the hill where a dozen of peaches trees were growing. The closer he got, the more clear the voices he heard became. He recognized both of them, one belonging to Gramps and the other too...

Jigoro: "This is my decision, Kaigaku! You two are the only Thunder Breathing users besides me, both of you are dear to me so I want you to share the successorship." Said Jigoro. It looked like the conversation was taking some time as traces of fatigue appeared on his elderly face.

Kaigaku: "No! I won't share anything with that wimp! Sensei, can't you see the difference between us? I worked hard all my life to get where I am here now, without a single complaint, not even a dissatisfied grunt! But for him?! All he did was cry all day and when he didn't, he would do anything to avoid training. He can't even use other forms but the first! I bet he won't even make it through the Final Selection-" He was angrier and angrier as he spoke about Zenitsu, but he was cut off by Jigoro.

Jigoro: "Don't even say something like that-" He couldn't finish what he wanted to say as it was his turn to be interrupted.

Zenitsu: "Gramps! If you get too angry your vein will pop out." He placed his hands behind his head and smiled at Jigoro, ignoring Kaigaku.

Jigoro: "Zenitsu! You made it! " Exclaimed surprised Jigoro as he smiled seeing approaching Zenitsu.

Kaigaku frowned and clicked his tongue, he took a peach from one of the lower branches and bite into it.

Zenitsu: " 'Actually'? That's mean... You didn't want me to be back?" He stopped smiling, making an expression as if he was hurt by Jigoro words.

Jigoro: "No! No! I didn't mean it that way!" Responded perplexed Jigoro.

Zenitsu: "Hahaha, I know, I know. I'm messing with you, Gramps." Chuckled a blonde-haired boy.

*plash*

Zenitsu: "Huh?" He took a half step back as something hits him in the shoulder. It was a half-eaten peach. "You have any problem?" He asked indifferently, with a tilted head.

Kaigaku: "I have, brat." He walked closer to Zenitsu and looked down on him as he was half-head taller. "Who do you think you call 'Gramps'? Show some respect towards Sensei! You dare to make jokes on him just after you get here from the Selection. I bet you didn't even pass. Did you even participate? Or forfeited, like a coward you are?"

Zenitsu looked at him with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth. Kaigaku smirked thinking that he successfully intimidated him, but that smirk vanished short after.

Zenitsu: "Your breath stinks like hell!" He said while waving his hand in front of his nose. "Are you sure you bit into a peach instead of shit?"

Kaigaku: "You little...!" A vein popped up on his forehead. He was so furious and ashamed that he grabbed Zenitsu by his collar, but Zenitsu wasn't any worse. He grabbed Kaigaku's hands and pressed his right foot on Kaigaku's left knee, threatening to break it.

*pak*

*pak*

Jigoro: "Quit it! Both of you, you snotty brats!" Yelled Jigoro after he hits both of his students on their heads. "You both will be my successors, so at least try to get along!"

Kaigaku: "Tsk! I would rather become a Demon..." He growled and spit at Zenitsu's feet before he left.

Zenitsu: "Please, promise you will! Allow me to free the world from you!" He said in an excited tone with a bright smile. *Pak!* "Ouch!? What was that for again??" He massaged the spot where Jigoro hit him again.

Jigoro: "Don't say such a thing again! Geez, what do I have with brats like you..." He massaged the bridge of his nose.

Zenitsu: "The best time of your life? I-I'm joking, joking!" He stuttered when he saw Jigoro rising his cane.

Jigoro: "So, you forfeited?" Asked the elderly man.

Zenitsu: "What, of course not! Do you think that low of me?! I passed, P-A-S-S-E-D. Passed! Jeez, I thought you will be happy or something..." Complained Zenitsu as he crossed his arms on his chest with a pout. It has to be mentioned that he didn't look cute at all. Suddenly he felt a hand on his back.

Jigoro: "Of course I am. You have no idea how much." He smiled warmly. "Now come, you'll tell me everything while we will eat dinner. I thought we will eat together, all three of us, but..." He looked sadly in the direction where Kaigaku left.

Zenitsu didn't say anything, but seeing the look on his Gramp's face made him feel guilty. But in the end, he just sighed and walked with Jigoro towards the house, he couldn't do anything with Kaigaku, it wasn't Zenitsu who treated him like trash in the first place...

°×°×°×°×°×°×°×°×°×°×°

Jigoro: "Begin!" Shouted a short man as he pushed a piece of wood hanging on the rope. He rushed to the right and pushed the next one, then to the left, doing the same thing but each push was either weaker or stronger than the previous. He repeatedly did that until he ran a whole circle.

Wood pieces were flying back and forth, all from different angles and heights, with different speeds. In the middle of this was Zenitsu. He was wearing simple, loose clothes that weren't obscuring his movements. The only unusual thing was the blindfold over his eyes.

Why blindfold? It was one of Zenitsu's ideas of training. He said he wants to be prepared if someday he will have to fight with a Demon when he won't be able to depend on his eyesight. Jigoro was fine with that, it wasn't strange for Demon Slayers to fight in the dark places where you could see as far as your stretched arm or one of the cliché situations like getting dirt thrown into your eyes. Training like that also helped Zenitsu getting used to using his hearing more effectively in fights. He won't see an attack from the blind spot, but that doesn't mean he won't hear it.

And like that Zenitsu was avoiding each of the wooden pieces in his strange dance. He was barely moving at all, always just an inch from getting hit, always standing in the same spot. Twenty-four pieces were flying around with Jigoro sometimes hitting random pieces to change a rhythm, to make it more chaotic and unpredictable.

Jigoro: "Loosen your muscles a bit more! You're stiff like a sculpture! Focus on the sound of tearing air! Estimate the distance of each sound, avoid those which are closer, one after another! " Shouted elderly man as he saw Zenitsu barely holding his ground. His mouth twitched.

Zenitsu: "Then be quiet! You are too- Gah! Ouch! Ow, Ow!" He shouted frustrated but Jigoro used this opportunity to throw three pebbles with insane speed, making them hit Zenitsu's guts, left side of the chest, and course forehead. "S-stop! Give me a break!" Pleaded Zenitsu laying flat on the ground.

Jigoro stopped "The Swarm" as Zenitsu called this training "equipment". Zenitsu took off the blindfold and sat up, massaging a red spot on his forehead.

Zenitsu: "Why did you throw that at me, old man?! We didn't talk about something like this! What if my forehead will get swollen up??"

Jigoro: "Stop whining, brat! You were getting used to it too much. When you will fight stronger Demons in the future you'll have to be prepared for anything, absolutely anything! Just imagine if just one of those pebbles were an attack. You would be taken out immediately. Also, you are too fixated on staying in one place! What are you, glued to the ground?!" He lectured Zenitsu with a demeanor suitable for a veteran expert.

Zenitsu: "Tch... You are right. But it's really hard to distinguish between the correct sounds when there are so many noises around, including you yelling." He stood up and dusted his clothes. "One more time, but at least throw them a little slower!"

As he was about to put on the blindfold, Jigoro shook his head and picked up his wooden cane.

Jigoro: "No, it's enough for today. Remember that it's been fifteen days since you came back from Fujikasane Mountain. Your sword should be coming soon." He didn't wait for Zenitsu's response and started walking toward the house.

Zenitsu: "Oh! That's right! Wait for me!" Completely forgetting about his aching body, Zenitsu rushed after Jigoro, excited to get his own Nichirin Blade.

============

It was two hours since they both sat inside the living room, drinking some tea and chatting casually. Suddenly in the middle of their conversation, Zenitsu's ears twitched slightly.

Zenitsu: "Gramps, someone is coming." Announced young man. He could hear heavy footsteps approaching their house. 'What the hell is he carrying with himself to make them that heavy and slow???' Thought Zenitsu after listening to them more and more. He started to get afraid that he will get some sort of strange Nichirin Blade, like a two-handed ax or Warhammer, Gramps told him earlier that sometimes such variations happened, but that wouldn't make sense in his case.

Jigoro: "Good, then go brew some more tea. And find some snacks, I bet he must be hungry after his journey." Said an old man to his student.

Zenitsu nodded and went to the kitchen. At the same moment, he heard a knock on the front door. Jigoro shouted to come in and soon after their guest walked into the house. Now that the man was close, Zenitsu managed to hear his heavy breathing. 'He must have come in such a hurry to deliver my sword! What a commitment to his job!' Thought blond-haired young man.

A few moments later, Zenitsu walked out from the kitchen, carrying a tray with three cups of tea and some snacks.

Zenitsu: "Welcome! Thank you for- Whoa!!!" He started with a smile but the moment his eyes landed on the man sitting across his master, he couldn't help but yell in surprise.

At the other side of the table sat a man clothed in grey and brown robes. He couldn't see his face because of the red mask with a crying expression on it. But he wasn't surprised because of the mask, he was surprised because of how big that man was! The man was currently sitting and he was as tall as Zenitsu and he was standing! Comparing that man to his master, the latter looked like a doll.

Kaoka: "Yes... Nice to... meet you... My name... is Kaoka... I brought you... sword..." Kaoka said while catching his breath between every few words. His voice suited his posture, it was deep and loud.

Zenitsu: "Y-yeah, thank you. My name is Zenitsu, please, have some tea." Still a little surprised, Zenitsu introduced himself and offered them tea and snacks to the exhausted Kaoka.

Kaoka: "Thank you, boy... but I can't stay for... too long. I have to go... back to my village." His breathing started to get stable after he sat down and drink some tea.

Jigoro: "Hmmm, then we won't stop you Kaoka-san. You are free to go whenever you feel like." Said the short old man.

Kaoka: "Let's get to business... This is your Nichirin Blade, boy." He handed him a sword covered in cloth.

Zenitsu received it with both of his hands, carefully unpacking the sword. His eyes widen when he saw a white handle with a scabbard in the same color. Although he wasn't an expert, he was already impressed with just only these two things. He glanced at the hilt, it was circular shaped with 4 slight indentations, the center has a silver tone with small triangles and has a golden border. Unable to control himself, he grabbed the handle and pulled out the blade.

*Bzzzt!*

The moment he slightly pulls out the handle, small yellow lightning came out of the blade, illuminating and stunning everyone in the room. As if he was enchanted, Zenitsu instead of panic he completely pulls out Nichirin Blade from its scabbard. Then the three of them started observing the blade, waiting to see it changing its color. Soon after that, the blade started turning black, from the hilt up to the blade point. The three of them looked at each other, Zenitsu was clearly disappointed by the fact that he received "bad luck color", Jigoro on the other hand didn't know what to say, in the end, it was he who told Zenitsu that black Nichirin Blade owners have a tendency to die sooner than other Demon Slayers. And lastly, Kaoka whose expression couldn't be seen was just staring at the blade as he was waiting for something.

*Bzzzzzzzzzzt!*

Zenitsu sighed helplessly and just when he was about to make a joke about his luck, something incredible happened. From the hilt, a yellow lightning pattern started making its way up to the very top of the blade, accompanied by the sound of electrical current.

Zenitsu: "Whoa..." He couldn't say anything else as he was mesmerized by the spectacle in front of him. But that wasn't the only phenomenon that was happening right there. Being focused on the sword, none of them noticed that the scars on Zenitsu's back started glowing at the same moment when the blade started to change.

A few seconds later everything went back to normal. Now his katana had a yellow pattern in the form of lightning on the black base of the blade.

Zenitsu: "This...This is incredible!!! Kaoka-san, it was you who made this sword?! If yes, then you are one hell of a blacksmith!!" He was grinning from ear to ear, staring at his sword like a starved person staring at a piece of bread. Kaoka only nodded in response, confirming that it was him who forged that sword.

Kaoka: "I have only made a tool suitable for its purpose... nothing more than a shape... it was you, young boy, who give this blade a soul..." Said big man mysteriously. "It's the first time I'm seeing such a unique blade... They say that crimson red Nichirin Blade is the rarest of every color... but none ever heard of such a thing we witnessed today... it's unique..." He said aloud in his deep, low voice.

Jigoro: "That is true. Although it's common that the color of the blade is influenced by the user's personality, it's something unheard of to form a pattern instead of just a color." Explained Jigoro, interested in the unexpected phenomenon.

Kaoka: "Then it's a time for me to go now... I wish you good luck, boy. May the Gods watch over you..." He then stood up and after a short bow, he left without waiting for the response.

Seeing his figure walking towards the door, Zenitsu stood up and bowed deeply, thanking him for the sword he made for him. A few seconds after Kaoka left, Zenitsu glanced at Jigoro and smirked.

Zenitsu: "Come on, say it."

Jigoro: " 'Say' what?" Asked the clueless old man.

Zenitsu: "Say that I'm awesome! Come on! I have a unique blade color! U-N-I-Q-U-E! Only I have such a sword, isn't that awesome?! Hahaha!!!" He started laughing and caressing his katana which was put inside the scabbard.

Jigoro: "Hah! Do you think that is something to brag about? There are Demon Slayers who have unique Nichirin Blades! U-N-I-Q-U-E, like axes, naginatas, spears, or even simple machetes. Don't get arrogant just because of something like that." He poured cold water over Zenitsu's head.

Zenitsu: "Tch... A little praise never killed anybody..." He grumbled.

Jigoro sighed at his student's childish behavior, but he smiled slightly nonetheless. He was proud of him, even if he didn't say it out loud. Just as he was to respond to Zenitsu, a sparrow flew through then opened the window and landed on Zenitsu's head.

*Chrip* *Chrip* *Chrip*

The small bird started chirping loudly while gesturing with his little wings. Jigoro couldn't help but started wondering once again, how this little sparrow passed a Kasugai Crow Test since he couldn't even speak simple words. But it seems that Zenitsu didn't have a problem communicating with him.

Zenitsu: "I see... Thanks, buddy. I should get ready." He then gently stroke Chuntaro's small head. He looked at Jigoro and smiled. "It looks like I've got my first mission."