N-A-A Chapter 39 Tanjiro's Awakening
Chapter 39 Tanjiro's Awakening
In the Sagiri Mountains, time rewinds to after Urokodaki sent Mizuko away, and something unexpected happens to him.
When Urokodaki returned to the cabin after chopping firewood, he saw something that shocked him.
Tanjiro, who had been unconscious, was now kneeling beside the charcoal fire, gently stroking the wooden sword that Nezuko had used.
He clearly remembered that Tanjiro's sharp fingernails, which grew after he turned into a demon, had now returned to human form, but the color of those fingernails was still dark red.
The dark red hair that had become dull due to the demonization was now dyed back to a bright color, gleaming softly in the firelight.
Only those eyes remained the blood-red color unique to ghosts.
At this moment, Tanjiro stared at the notch on the wooden sword, his eyes calm to an almost eerie degree.
It was as if, through that crack, one could sense the hardships that Midouzi had endured during its training.
At this moment, even the former Water Pillar, who had experienced countless bloody battles and slain countless evil spirits, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
I would understand if Tanjiro remained unconscious.
Even if he woke up and lay weakly, it shouldn't have alarmed him so much.
But now, he kneels beside the fire, a knife across his knees, as still as a lifeless statue.
This bizarre scene sent a chill down the spine of the battle-hardened old man, making him feel utterly helpless.
Urokodaki instinctively tightened his grip on the wood in his arms, his eyes fixed warily on Tanjiro.
He couldn't be sure whether Tanjiro, now a demon, would retain his ability to not harm people after this period of unconsciousness.
But the only thing he was certain of was that he had no weapons at the moment.
A hint of tension emanated from him and naturally drifted into Tanjiro's nose.
As Tanjiro's nose twitched, he slowly raised his head, his blood-red eyes reflecting Urokodaki Sakonji's tense expression.
Then, under Urokodaki's tense gaze, Tanjiro placed the wooden sword aside and revealed a gentle smile.
"Ooh...Ooh-ha-yo!"
"Clang—"
Tanjiro's halting "Good morning" caused Urokodaki to loosen his grip on the wood, letting it fall to the ground.
The eyes beneath the tengu mask were filled with a sense of the unbelievable.
"Tanjiro, you...!"
"Ooh...Ooh-ha-yo!"
Tanjiro still squinted his eyes and greeted him with a smile!
Only at this moment did Urokodaki finally feel at ease. But seeing that Tanjiro still retained his humanity, his shock and disbelief turned into tenderness, and he stepped forward to hug Tanjiro's small body.
"That's great, Tanjiro! You did a fantastic job! If Nezuko knew you were awake, she'd be so happy!"
Urokodaki spoke excitedly, and at the same time he could feel Tanjiro gently patting his back, as if to comfort him.
"Nee...nee beans, oh...oh hayo!"
Tanjiro repeated the words, his face showing an even more joyful expression.
With Tanjiro's awakening, Urokodaki began teaching Tanjiro how to speak.
Rather than teaching, it's more accurate to say that Urokodaki was helping Tanjiro restore the language system that humans should have.
"A sword... I... I'll practice!"
Tanjiro followed behind Urokodaki, pointing to the wooden sword that Nezuko had used, and spoke haltingly.
Urokodaki was also very puzzled, not understanding why Tanjiro, after waking up, wanted to practice swordsmanship in addition to helping him clean the house and chop wood.
Urokodaki picked up the wooden sword, looked at Tanjiro, and asked.
"Is it because the beans were used?"
"Mmm!" Tanjiro nodded vigorously.
Urokodaki pondered for a moment, then pressed for an answer.
"You want to practice your sword skills to protect Nezuko?"
This time, Tanjiro nodded even more forcefully, his blood-red eyes filled with determination.
After learning Tanjiro's true thoughts, Urokodaki couldn't help but look Tanjiro up and down.
[Can ghosts...use breathing techniques? Do they really need to breathe?]
Urokodaki couldn't help but ask himself this question: perhaps teaching others was his area of expertise as a trainer.
But is it really possible to teach ghosts?
Tanjiro looked at Urokodaki and could smell his melancholy aura.
He then took the wooden sword from Urokodaki's hand and began to swing it repeatedly.
Urokodaki did not stop him, but just looked at Tanjiro and found that apart from having the characteristics of a demon, he seemed to be no different from a human.
After much deliberation, Urokodaki decided to teach Tanjiro some basic slashing techniques, while also giving him hints from time to time.
"Tanjiro, humans are your friends, your family who need your protection, while demons are your enemies, and Muzan Kibutsuji is your nemesis, the one you must eliminate."
As Tanjiro practiced, he slowly etched these hints into his mind.
Upon hearing the name Muzan Kibutsuji, an image would appear in his mind: a man with a cold, pale face and eerie red pupils.
Then came the scene of his mother, younger brother, and younger sister dying tragically before his eyes.
Tanjiro gritted his teeth, swinging his wooden sword repeatedly, trying to cut the man in his mind to pieces.
Urokodaki nodded secretly when he saw Tanjiro's appearance.
Perhaps, Tanjiro could also become a member of the Demon Slayer Corps!
With that thought in mind, Urokodaki went back to his room and wrote a letter to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, Ubuyashiki.
However, during the time he was writing the letter, Tanjiro, who was wielding a wooden sword, slowly stopped.
Tanjiro hadn't seen Nezuko for several days, and the image of his adorable little sister in his mind was making him a little anxious.
Looking at the rising moon, it seemed as if he saw beans in those blood-red eyes.
He then touched his ears, where the sun-shaped earrings that were originally a family heirloom were no longer on him.
He instinctively wanted to pray to the Fire God through the sun-shaped earrings for Nezuko's safe return, but he couldn't remember where he had put them.
His anxiety left him feeling somewhat lost and helpless.
As he struggled to search his memory for the whereabouts of the sun-shaped earrings, fragments of memories began to flash before his eyes.
The final image is of myself as a child, dancing the family's traditional Kagura dance, with Nezuko clapping and cheering for me.
Slowly, a smile appeared on his face, and then, following his childhood memories, he began to dance the Kagura dance.
In that way, it's as if the beans are right beside you, safe and sound!