It's been a few hours since Tanjiro began his journey. The tall trees, standing at 12 to 20 meters high, were a foreign sight to him. Although there were taller and larger trees in his previous life, they weren't as common as the ones he saw while traveling.
It felt like being teleported from a rural area to an urban city. There must be reasons why these trees are taller than those in modern society, such as differences in oxygen levels, environmental conditions, and pollution.
As night fell, Tanjiro approached an abandoned house. The walls had holes, broken wooden planks jutted out, and cobwebs adorned the exterior. Overall, it looked like it had come straight from a horror movie.
Before entering, Tanjiro readied his katana, strapping it to his back due to his height.
As soon as he stepped inside, Tanjiro immediately detected a scent that didn't belong to any animal or human. It was something more sinister, a stench that went against nature and made him want to puke.
"Kekekeke, look who we have here. Where did you come from, brat?" A deep voice echoed. A demon emerged, bearing three eyes, bat-like four-pointed ears, long and sharp nails, and two-toed feet. A bat wing protruded from his back, and he wore only a tattered pair of shorts.
"Finally, a demon appeared in my sight. It's been too boring while traveling, you know. I hope you'll give me some entertainment."
Unsheathing his katana, Tanjiro burst forward with incredible speed, instantly appearing in front of the demon. Taking advantage of the element of surprise, he swiftly cut off its neck.
Before the demon could even process what happened, its head had already fallen from its body. The sight of the standing kid with his katana already sheathed stunned the demon into silence, and a deep, primal fear ignited within him.
A fear so intense that his body instinctively tried to escape, but before he could move a single muscle, he was already cut into multiple pieces so thin they didn't exceed the width of a paper.
Even with the demon's regeneration ability, it couldn't heal from the extent of the damage inflicted. Its last thought was...
'I am royally fucked.'
"So boring, I hope Muzan can at least handle one of my attacks," Tanjiro muttered.
The demon, hearing the kid's words, realized the depth of his power before succumbing to death. He hadn't even put up a fight before being torn to pieces.
[ You have slain a demon, leveled up to 20, and acquired 36 AP, 18 UP, and 2,200 SP.]
Gaining a massive amount of SP from that demon was surprising, considering how weak it was. Nonetheless, he was happy with the gain.
Then, it hit him. The thought of killing the demon resurfaced, but he didn't feel any remorse or guilt for it.
After killing the demon, Tanjiro, with his keen sense of smell spanning 2 km, continued his journey of hunting demons.
For a few hours, he didn't find a single demon aside from the one he had already slain. It seemed that demons weren't as common as he thought.
A new day arrived, and Tanjiro continued asking the locals for directions to Mount Sagiri. Although he could reach Mount Sagiri in a day, it didn't guarantee that Urokodaki Sakonji would be there. In fact, Sakonji was currently the Water Hashira.
He had many duties to fulfill as a Hashira, such as slaying demons, helping victims, attending meetings, and more.
Tanjiro also liked to take his time traveling during the day, as it was the only time his mind was at ease.
As usual, he drew the attention of the locals due to his peculiar appearance. It was rare to see someone his age traveling alone with a massive bag and a katana strapped to it.
Like in many anime, there are always minor characters trying to hinder the main character's journey.
"Stop there, little boy. Where are your parents? And what's with the luggage? Are you a fugitive or something?" A mean-looking man with a scar across his right eye asked. He looked like a typical bandit, with ragged clothing, messy hair, and a bushy beard.
And then there were his minions, the usual types who resorted to extortion, thievery, murder, and other typical crimes.
These types of humans are a plague to society, seemingly impossible to exterminate no matter how many are taken down. They always return with more.
"Hello, mister. Can you please let me through? I have a long way to walk, and I can't afford to delay my journey to entertain you all," Tanjiro politely said, trying to excuse himself. But the bandit didn't take kindly to his response and tried to resort to violence.
Expecting such behavior from them, Tanjiro wasn't surprised.
As the bandit's hand reached out to grab his shoulder, a masked man suddenly appeared, intercepting the hand and throwing the bandit away from Tanjiro.
Tanjiro looked at him in surprise, not because he was saved, but because of the mask the man was wearing. It was the same mask Urokodaki Sakonji wore, along with the Nichirin sword strapped to his waist, the cloud-patterned jinbei kimono, and the iconic tengu mask.
Tanjiro couldn't be mistaken; this was indeed Urokodaki Sakonji. Meeting him meant Tanjiro had already achieved one of his goals.
"Thank you, kind sir. Would you be so kind as to let me treat you to a meal?" Tanjiro, smiling brightly, was beyond happy to meet him.
It seemed his luck had finally worked in his favor, bringing Urokodaki Sakonji to him at such an early stage.
Urokodaki Sakonji contemplated for a moment before nodding and guiding Tanjiro to an inn.
"Who are you? What master do you serve?" Urokodaki Sakonji asked, his tone full of suspicion.
He noticed the familiar flame breathing from Tanjiro, yet it seemed different. Compared to the usual flame breathing, this was more potent.
"I am Tanjiro Kamado, born on Mount Kumotori, June 14, 1899. I serve Jesus as my master. Just kidding, I don't have a master—I am the master," Tanjiro said playfully, a hint of childishness in his tone.
"1899!? You are what now, 3 years old? Why are you traveling alone? Where are your parents?" Urokodaki Sakonji slammed his hand down in surprise, looking at Tanjiro with wide eyes.
If what Tanjiro said was true, it meant he had achieved and mastered some type of breathing technique at an incredibly young age. While some Demon Slayer families do start training their children young, it's usually between 5 to 10 years old.
If that was the case, Tanjiro was a genius worth cultivating to become a fine Demon Slayer.
"My parents let me travel with great effort on my part. With great persuasion comes great freedom. I am strong enough to travel on my own. I have a goal to find someone like you, a Demon Slayer.
I wanted to join since the day I was born," Tanjiro said, sheepishly smiling as he took out his katana and showed it to Urokodaki Sakonji.
"You want to join the corps? In whose right mind would let you, a 3-year-old, join such a corps? This isn't child's play. Return to where you came from and come back when you are older," Urokodaki Sakonji said, standing up to leave.
Before he could process what was happening, Tanjiro suddenly appeared behind him and playfully flicked his finger against his arm. Sakonji felt a tinge of pain in his triceps, which then became numb, rendering his arm temporarily useless.
"What did you do, kid?" Urokodaki asked, his voice tinged with pain, confusion, and disbelief. He couldn't understand how such a young boy could inflict damage with just a flick of his finger, leaving his tricep numb.
"Showing you my strength, what else? If I didn't, you wouldn't believe my words and would treat them as some kind of joke," Tanjiro said seriously. Urokodaki Sakonji felt the gravity of Tanjiro's words and was conflicted about whether to take him in.
After what felt like hours of contemplation, Urokodaki Sakonji finally decided to bring Tanjiro along, but with some conditions:
1. Tanjiro must follow his instructions.
2. Tanjiro would need to undergo training before he could join the final selection, held at Mount Fujikasane every six months.
3. Tanjiro must not misuse his power.
Tanjiro agreed to these conditions without hesitation.
Tanjiro and Urokodaki then traveled to Mount Sagiri, a journey that took them three hours of running from where they had met. It seemed that Tanjiro was closer to his destination than he had initially thought, though the travel was more about keeping pace with Urokodaki than the actual distance.
If he estimated his running speed, it would take him about an hour to reach his destination. Upon arrival, Urokodaki let Tanjiro into his house and removed his sandals.
"Tanjiro, the Final Selection will be held in a month. If you can prove to me within this month that you are strong enough to compete, I will let you join. However, if you're not strong enough, I will train you for a year before you can participate in the Final Selection," Urokodaki said.
Tanjiro nodded, thinking to himself how straightforward this was.
"Wouldn't it be better if we sparred to determine if I'm strong enough to compete?" Tanjiro asked, looking at Urokodaki as if it were a routine suggestion.
"That could work, but we'll do it tomorrow. For now, you need to rest. You've come a long way, and you need to take care of your body first. You need plenty of sleep to grow," Urokodaki said.
Tanjiro agreed, and Urokodaki prepared a bed for him. As soon as he lay down, Tanjiro fell asleep almost immediately, surprising Urokodaki. What Urokodaki didn't know was that Tanjiro remained constantly vigilant of his surroundings and could easily sense any malicious intent.
With his sword domain, he would be aware of any threat long before it could reach him. That's why Tanjiro could fall asleep so quickly, knowing he was safe anywhere and anytime.
Such confidence stemmed from his strength and perception, allowing him to easily eliminate anyone who harbored malicious intent toward him.