82 Letter

*huff huff* "What the hell is this?! Is he trying to kill us?!" Demon Slayer #14 shouted, ducked under a rock that flew just grazed his head.

"Keep running! Don't sta-" *WHOOSH* Just as someone was shouting, a log swung down from the side and smashed him in his side, sending him sprawling out of the course.

"Ah! Watch out!" Someone shouted to another trainee but was too late as that person fell into a pit trap covered with rope and string to entangle them.

Sitting on a branch above the course, Hiroto thought, 'Did I make it too hard? No no, it's them, not me.' Nodding his head, Hiroto watched on, but nothing of note particularly caught his attention.

Hiroto then cupped his hands and shouted, "Hurry up! I don't want to see anyone taking breaks or stopping!" Reaching his hand over to his side, Hiroto tugged on a rope.

*creeek* *RUMBLE*

"Wh-What's that shaking?" A trainee asked as he got up from the ground.

"R-Run!!" Someone else shouted, bolting to the front of the group. The others turned to where he was looking and went pale.

"Oi! If you don't hurry up, you'll be crushed by those rocks!" Hiroto shouted to the trainees that they were frozen in place.

Shaking themselves out of their stupor, everyone started running with renewed vigor down the rest of the course while being pelted by rocks.

"Pay attention to your surroundings at all times! What are you going to do if you encounter a Demon's lair and it's full of traps! Focus your breathing, push your bodies past your limits!" Hiroto shouted, throwing some of his rocks at the trainees.

"I-I think I'm gonna throw up…" A trainee muttered as he kept pushing himself forward.

"D-Don't give up now! We're almost at the end!" Another trainee encourages, sparking the other trainee's will to move forward.

"Don't lose focus now!" Hiroto shouted, releasing a tied up rope which caused more logs to swing down towards the trainees.

After a few more hours, barely more than 5 people were able to complete the course. However, all these people sustained various injuries from the various traps that Hiroto had the Kakushi laid out.

*sigh* "Is this the best you guys can do?" Hiroto muttered. "Whatever, it's getting late now. Eat and recover your strength back. Tomorrow, the people who didn't pass will go through the course again. The people who did, you'll be moving on to the next level."

-----

The next day, more trainee's arrived at the Flame Estate. Some of these were late arrivals, and the smallest minority were people who were able to pass the previous Hashira's training.

"Gahahaha! Bentaro! I have arrived for my next training!!" Inosuke shouted as he jumped to the front of the crowd he arrived with.

*sigh* "I'm surprised you were able to move on quite quickly." Hiroto said, looking at the 3 people standing in front of the next batch of trainees.

There was Inosuke, Genya and Zenitsu. Hiroto thought to himself, 'If Kanao were a part of the training, how fast would she be able to complete it? Well, since she's Shinobu's Tsuguko, she doesn't have to take part in the training.'

Scanning the crowd, Hiroto saw that the number of people compared to yesterday had since doubled. "Alright, since we have more people compared to yesterday, we'll be sending you up to complete the course in batches. The people that are waiting can run up and down the forest barefooted. This is all to improve your reflexes, by having you concentrate on where your next footing will be, all the while making sure you don't injure yourself.

"Heyyy, Hiroto~. Since we're both pals, can't you do me a favor just this onceee~?" Zenitsu said with puppy eyes.

"Hmm, you know what, why not. Instead, you can start at the second level of the course." Hiroto said with a smile. "Oh, and wear these too."

*clang clang* *thump* A Kakushi next to him dropped a set of weights in front of Zenitsu.

"Well, since I worry about your wellbeing, I'm going to have you do some extra training as well!" Hiroto said, pointing to the heavy setted weights on the ground. "So, you'll be carrying these extra weights as you run down the courses."

"Wahhhh!! Please! Forgive me!" Zenitsu cried out but was pushed aside by Inosuke who picked up the weights and carried them.

"Wahahaha! Just watch! I'm going to beat this training in less than a day!" Inosuke shouted as he ran up the forest.

Shaking his head, Hiroto turned to the other trainees and said, "Alright, split yourself into 2 groups. The first group will proceed to do the first course. The second group will run up and down the forest whilst barefooted. People who have moved on to the second course, proceed there."

And with that, the rest of the trainee's made their way over and began their training whilst being supervised by Hiroto.

For the rest of the day, Hiroto instructed the trainee's how they should stabilize their breathing as well as be able to focus on their surroundings whilst maintaining a goal in their mind.

When evening came, the trainee's got to rest up. Many were moaning and complaining about the various injuries and fatigue they accumulated throughout the day, but quickly quieted down as they realized their reflexes had indeed improved a minor bit.

On this night, Hiroto left the Flame Estate and went over to the butterfly estate. He received a letter from Shinobu asking him to come over, as there was something that was requested of her by Oyakata-Sama.

"So, did you already miss me?" Hiroto said as he sat across from Shinobu. The room they were currently in had a shrine for her sister, Kanae.

Shinobu smiled and said, "Now now, shouldn't I be the one teasing you?"

Hiroto smiled back and said, "You seem to be more agitated than usual."

"... Nothing escapes your eye, does it?" Shinobu smiled wryly. "I received a letter from Oyakata-Sama… It's a mission he gave to me. Because of this, I won't be able to participate in the Hashira training session"

"Oh, if it's something Oyakata-Sama assigned to you, it must be important then. But why are you telling me?" Hiroto asked.

"Well…" Shinobu glanced at the altar behind her, and said, "Oyakata-Sama mentioned you in the letter. The mission I was given, I am to work with someone called Tamayo."

Hiroto's eyes widened at Tamayo's name. Noticing this, Shinobu, "You do have a bad poker face, hahaha. It seems you also know this, Tamayo. And I guess you also know that she is a Demon."

Hiroto stared into Shinobu's eyes and said, "She is. Before I met you, I was assigned on a mission to Asakusa, in Tokyo. Tanjiro and Nezuko were also with me. There… was where we encountered Muzan."

Shinobu nodded, already knowing that Hiroto and Tanjiro had come across Muzan before. Hiroto continued, "Before Tanjiro arrived, I already met Tamayo. When I told her that I was looking for a way to cure Nezuko and turn her back into a human. She took a risk and came into contact with me, a Demon Slayer. She took us into her home, but we were then attacked by some Lower Moons. We managed to beat them, but at the cost of Tamayo's home. Although she is a Demon… you can trust her."

Shinobu smiled when she saw the faith he put into Tamayo and said, "Then I should tell you, Oyakata-Sama has asked me to work together with her."

"What?" Hiroto couldn't believe his ears. "You're going to work with Tamayo?"

Shinobu nodded and said, "That's right. She's going to be coming to the Demon Slayer Headquarters. Hmm, don't tell me you're excited for her to come here?" Shinobu closed her eyes and gave a silent, but deadly smile.

"N-No, of course not! It's just that… I can't believe that a Demon would be willing to walk straight in the Demon Slayer's base." Hiroto said, waving his hands.

Shinobu then said, "Oyakata-Sama managed to convince her. He wants us to work with her in finding a way to bring down Muzan." Shinobu then got up and prepared to leave the room.

Hiroto looked at her back and said, "Shinobu… Don't do anything that would put yourself at risk."

Shinobu paused and turned to smile at Hiroto. "Don't worry. I won't do anything."

Hiroto watched her leave and turned to Kanae's altar. He whispered, "You're lying..."