3rd Person's POV

It wasn't easy and much harder than the test that Tanjiro did to pass and become Urokodaki's student. Every day, he will hike up the mountain and descend again while avoiding dozens of traps. This helps to increase his stamina and his nose to be able to detect the smells of his surrounding even swifter than before. 

However, that doesn't mean that his training pays off and made the traps easier for him to descend the mountain. Urokodaki made the traps harder and deadlier as Tanjiro develop along the way of his training, to which his nose caught the scent from that traps with killing intent. When he reaches the bottom, he will then be tasked to swing a sword until he reaches a thousand swings.

For Y/N, he had a hard time learning water breathing because it is an entirely different breathing form from flame breathing that he learned from Hiroshi. That time when Urokodaki watched as Y/N not trying hard enough to do water breathing forms, he suddenly slaps his stomach every time Y/N made a mistake.

Also, Nezuko has never woken up since the day they arrive at Urokodaki's house, she has lost consciousness for almost 5 months. Tanjiro grew worried for his sister even after Urokodaki called in a doctor to check on Nezuko but find no abnormalities.

Until now, Tanjiro and Y/N continued on to their training. Y/N spend the whole 3 weeks performing water breathing forms which he manages to do from form 1 to 5 of water breathing. The next day, Tanjiro is at the mountain to still perform breathing techniques. Y/N stood in front of a huge boulder that Urokodaki tasked him to slice the rock in half.

"You must be kidding me right?" Y/N asks appalled to even hear it in the first place.

"If you did it, I will allow you to join the Final Selection." he said which made him look at the rock before unsheathing the sword that Urokodaki had given him, not wanting to chip the sword that is given to him from Hiroshi.

He breathes deeply with Total Concentration, he readies the sword above his head and slashes it downward with all his strength into it. Surprisingly for him, he didn't hit anything or something like a boulder to stop his sword. He looks up at the boulder to see it now sliced in two.

"Eh? I-I did it?" he said, dumbfounded. Urokodaki might be standing there not surprised at all, but behind his goblin mask, he is frozen and staring at the sliced boulder with wide eyes and eyebrows raised in shock.

Y/N looks down at his sword, still dumbfounded, scans for any chipped on the blade but found nothing and still sharp as when Urokodaki gave him that day.

"I did it!" he cheered, jumping in the air and spinning loosely on the open area they're in.

"Seems like you're ready after all" Urokodaki says with a small hint of sadness in his voice.

"Don't worry, even if I am ready, I will still wait for Tanjiro so that both of us will go together for the Final Selection" he reassured his sensei.

-=-

2 days later, Y/N is now back to full strength and well-rested decided to head to a nearby town but still a long walk from Urokodaki's house. Urokodaki told him to be back before sunset as he give his full attention to Tanjiro's training while Tanjiro didn't know about Y/N's progress yet.

Y/N's POV

I arrive in town after a long walk from Mt. Sagiri. Seeing a lot of busy people walking around the streets, I looked around in some stores while thinking about what to bring back as a gift for the three.

'I still have the money that we got from selling charcoal that day. What should I buy.' I said in my head while scanning through different types of accessories and clothing. As I find some stuff that I might look at later again, now heading to the food section of stalls.

Seeing a lot of delicious street foods, then I noticed this candy that children like that is called a lollipop. I went back and bought a kimono to replace the worn one that Tanjiro wears, a sword stand for Urokodaki as his sword always lays somewhere around his house after a harsh training for Tanjiro, but I got nothing for Nezuko because a woman got first to an item that I wanted to give for her. I soon bought the lollipop candy for myself while I'm here. However, I felt something pulling on my haori.

"Mister, can you help me find my mommy?" I turn around to see a child with tears welling up, I hush him in a caring way like how Kanae did to me when I was about to cry.

"Are you lost? Where was the last time you and your mother went?" I ask him after kneeling down to his level.

He pointed to a direction that leads deeper to the town, as I gave him the lollipop that I have and hold his hand. We walked through the streets while I look around to find someone that has the resemblance of the child.

"Hey! Just by the look on your face, you're not from around here." A man with a scar on his cheek came up from the side and blocked our path. "Do you know that you need to pay a toll when you visit this town?" he said while flexing his muscles at me.

"Sorry, but I already spend all of my money on these things I bought." I said to him with a smile, but deep inside I'm annoyed at how a human being like him do this thing to others.

"Did you think I even care?" he said before waving his hand in the air.

I noticed more thugs like him began to surround us, the people of the town saw this and move away to a safe distance. The child beside me hugged my leg, cowering in fear. I kept up with the smile.

"Sir, I don't want any trouble. Don't involve this child in my problem." I reasoned to him to which he just laughs as the other thugs laugh too.

Then, I heard the kid I'm with cry out as the thug behind me stole the candy from him. I let go of the kid's hand and before the thug that now holds the lollipop reacted further, I sent a kick to his stomach with enough force to sent him flying and landed on the ground hard. As I caught the lollipop and return it to the kid.

"You know... I hate people like you stealing and robbing people's money... This time, I'll end your greedy ways unless you all submit yourselves to the police" I warned, only to receive them pulling out weapons of different kinds.

3rd Person's POV

6 Armed thugs surrounded a kid with an unarmed Y/N. He left his sword so that he will not gain any suspicious looks and get arrested by the police in the town. Y/N carries the kid in his arms and jumps after the thug with a hatchet swing below him, he landed onto the thug's back and jumps further away to gain some distance.

"Stay here, alright champ?" he said to the kid who nods and stands in front of the crowd.

The thugs' charges altogether as Y/N grabs a bamboo pole from a nearby stall and swings it down to the head of the closest thug, knocking him out cold. 5 thugs remaining. Y/N swings the pole left and right, hitting 4 thugs along the way before pushing the pole forward to hit the last thug's chest to which he tries to push it back but failed and ended up stumbling back. Y/N walks over and kicks the thug's head, another thug knocked out and leaving behind 4 remainings that are still eager to fight. 

"Can't you guys just give up already?" Y/N says, to which took that as an insult by the thugs.

The thug with the hatchet screams in rage and swings wildly at Y/N, he dodges every swing with ease thanks to his training from Urokodaki. He manages to cut the bamboo pole shorter which is a perfect length as a katana, Y/N smirks and started swinging consecutive blows to the hatchet-wielding thug. He then went on to an aggressive by charging and swinging more on the remaining thugs, not killing them but knocking them out cold but with a painful feeling, they'll feel for a long time.

"That should teach you guys a lesson." he commented, before hearing the crowd gasps around him.

By the sound of a small katana unsheathing from its scabbard, he turns around to face the thug that stole the kid's lollipop.

'Where the heck did he manage to hide that' he thoughts in surprise and annoyance.

"You shit think you can get away with this?! I'll make sure this will be your last day to breathe." he says, drowning in his own rage to think straight.

He charges forward with the sword above his head, Y/N sighs and stands there waiting. The crowd murmurs in fear of what might happen next, until the answer happens in front of them. The sword-wielding thug slashes forward but Y/N side-stepped it misses him, as the sword hits the dirt, he put his foot on it not giving the thug a chance to pull back for another attack. The thug looks up only to see a demonic aura overwhelms him radiating from Y/N that swings the bamboo stick straight to the thug's neck that quickly knocks him out. Leaving the crowd in silence.

Y/N's POV

I turn around and drop the bamboo stick, walking up and carrying the kid on my shoulder. As my ears then flooded by the sound of clapping and cheers, I look around to see people cheering in happiness as the kid on my shoulder laughs while telling me how cool I was. The police arrives at the scene and began arresting the thugs as a woman is with them and saw me.

"Kaito!" she calls out

"Mommy!" he cried out, I put him down to which he ran up, and the two hugged each other in a loving embrace. The scene made me smile a little.

"You! You're coming with us" a policeman came up and was about to arrest me when suddenly-

"Hey! He's innocent!"

"Arrest those scums on the ground! They started it!"

"He saved a child, goddammit"

The crowd shouted out to the police that soon let me go. Give me a warning-

"You should report to the nearest policeman rather than taking it in your own hands, citizen." he instructed to what I'm supposed to do next time.

-=-

I'm now walking home until I met the same kid that I protected now with his mother. They came up to me and bowed their heads to thank me.

"No need to lower your heads, I just did what is right." I said as she reaches out her hands which I did the same and she gives me a red-orange hairpin that I wanted to give for Nezuko.

"I saw how much you wanted to buy this flower hairpin, and luckily for you, I own a shop back there. Here, take it" she says, as I scratch the back of my neck and thanked her, accepting the item.

Walking away from the two, I look back to see them waving as I grin and give them a thumbs up.

-=-

-Timeskip-

The day finally came when Tanjiro achieved the feat to slice the rock. I was there waiting in front of the house, as Urokodaki and Tanjiro walks down the path. Seeing me, Tanjiro smiles and lunges forward. I caught him and we spin around with smiles on our faces. When I placed him down, Urokodaki embraces us in a heartwarming hug, rare to see Urokodaki be like this caring.

"Both of you are impressive kids. Please, come back alive from the Final Selection. This old man and your sister will be waiting for your return" he says which made me and Tanjiro tear up and return the embrace.

-=-

As Tanjirou cuts his hair outside, I placed the gift I had hidden from him until we go for the Final Selection. A kimono for him to wear and replace his old one. I was changing with my own clean kimono when Urokodaki-sensei enters and gives me a mask.

"What's this, Urokodaki-sensei?" I ask him while admiring the mask

"It's called the mask of disaster prevention. It would protect you from being plagued by bad luck. I already give Tanjiro his own mask." he explains to which I hug him in return for receiving a gift from him.

When Tanjiro finally went in and saw my gift, it took me a hard time for him to accept it but in the end, he wore it. I tied Hiroshi-Otou-san's sword around my waist. As I and Tanjiro kneel beside Nezuko to give our farewells and tell her that we'll return as soon as possible.

-=-

3rd Person's POV

When the two are now ready to leave with a bag full of food and water for their journey to the Final Selection at Fujikasane Mountain.

"Urokodaki-san, we're leaving! Say hello to Sabito and Makomo for me!" Tanjiro said while they both wave farewell to Urokodaki which suddenly freezes after hearing 'Sabito and Makomo'.

"What? Tanjiro... how do you... know the names of those dead children?" he said not loud enough but for himself to hear.

-=-

Author-kun: Heyyow~ *Ahem* I mean, hello readers! I used half of my chromosomes to finish this chapter after exams.

I know, I know, I'm such an amazing guy to pour all my attention to write this fan-fiction.

Well... Thank you~~~ Anyway comment on what you think of this chapter because I wanna hear what you guys think about it. And gives me an idea of what to do for the next chapter.