Tendo Hiruma

Peach Mountain.

The March breeze was gentle, brushing over the vast peach forest like a mother's hand. Peach blossoms rose and fell, dancing like butterflies in the air.

A pink petal landed on the nose of a boy resting under a peach tree. His hands were clasped behind his head, his breathing steady, and a trail of drool leaked from the corner of his mouth as he occasionally muttered in his sleep.

"Shinobu, my wife, let's cuddle, hehehe!"

"Stupid Muzan, take this—a whip soaked in wisteria, a Crimson Blade windmill, and a scorching sunbath combo..."

It was another day of daydreaming for Tendo Hiruma in this beautiful weather.

He had short, deep red hair and a fair complexion, making him look completely harmless.

"You little brat, slacking off again! Do you want to be the death of me?!"

A thunderous, irritable roar erupted, followed immediately by a Wooden Sword flying from the lush peach branches in the distance, the aura radiating from the blade stirring up a thousand falling petals.

Just as Tendo Hiruma was about to be struck in the head, he tilted his neck slightly. The Wooden Sword embedded itself deep into the peach tree. His golden eyes slowly opened, and he stretched lazily, saying in a sluggish tone:

"Old man, it's always the same few moves, what is there left for me to practice?"

"I could perform that entire set in my sleep!"

"Besides, are you even my real master?!"

"You're trying to kill me!"

He pointed helplessly at the Wooden Sword beside his head; it had pierced three inches into the wood, and had it hit his skull, it would have certainly been fatal.

"If I'm not your master, then who is? Why else would I have picked you up back then? To feed you for free?"

"You little rascal, I know you have talent, but if you don't work hard, you're just wasting your natural gifts!"

"Get to your sword practice!"

A small old man appeared in Tendo Hiruma's line of sight, standing about the same height as the twelve-year-old boy.

The old man had thick brows and large eyes, sporting a long handlebar mustache and a full head of white hair; he looked like someone not to be trifled with. His right leg was a prosthetic, forcing him to rely on a cane.

The old man was Kuwajima Jigoro, a former Thunder Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. After losing his right leg, he retired to Peach Mountain to become a trainer.

Twelve years ago, he had found an infant at the foot of Peach Mountain—that infant was Tendo Hiruma.

What the old man didn't know was that a soul not belonging to this world resided within the tiny baby's body.

"Master, can we practice in a bit?" Tendo Hiruma put on a pitiful smile, pleading.

Perhaps because he was a transmigrator, he possessed extraordinary talent in swordsmanship. Combined with his keen perception, it was no exaggeration to say he was born for the blade.

"No! If you don't swing your sword a thousand times today, you don't get to eat!"

"Sword swinging is the foundation. If the foundation isn't solid, the blade won't be steady..."

Sensing the old man was about to start his nagging again, Hiruma decisively chose to bolt.

"Master, I finished my swings this morning! It's break time now, bye-bye!"

Hearing this, Kuwajima Jigoro's mouth twitched as he recalled the straw man he'd found on the hilltop, dressed in clothes and holding a wooden sword. If he hadn't gone to check for himself, he might have actually believed it.

His disciple was good at everything, except for being too impulsive and lazy.

"Using a moving wooden puppet to trick me!"

"I don't know how you figured out how to make those little things move, but using your talent for such nonsense—I'm going to beat you!"

Hiruma's face darkened. Oh no, I've been found out, he thought, and immediately took off running.

The moment he bolted, a streak of golden lightning left a vivid trail through the peach forest.

"Master, that's not fair! How can you use sword techniques? That's cheating!"

Hiruma's face crumpled as he voiced his protest.

"Even though I have a crippled leg, catching you is still a simple matter!"

Kuwajima Jigoro pressed down on his disciple's shoulder with a "kind" expression, holding the Wooden Sword in his other hand. His tone was stern, yet carried the lingering spirit of a hero who had not yet aged.

Hiruma activated his ultimate technique: the Leg-Hugging Art, attempting to awaken his master's compassion.

"Master, we've relied on each other since I was small! If you beat me to death, who will take care of you in your old age?"

"Master, my kind, powerful, loving, and handsome master!"

Hiruma was a mess of snot and tears, appealing to both emotion and reason.

Kuwajima Jigoro felt something was off—why was there suddenly talk of end-of-life care?

"Are you wishing ill on me, you brat?"

"Today, I'll let you see what a strict teacher produces: Thunder Breath, First Form, Thunderclap and Flash!"

"Ahhh! Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

Soon, a series of miserable screams echoed through the peach forest.

"Master, Master..."

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"

"Old man, if you're going to be like this, then we really need to have a talk about you drinking tea with Granny Yamamoto in the town at the foot of the mountain!"

Since he was getting beaten anyway, Hiruma Tendo started digging up the old man's dirt.

"That was me helping her, and she was thanking me. What kind of tone is that? It sounds like I did something shameful..."

Jigoro Kuwajima retorted immediately, his wooden sword moving even faster, though he wasn't actually trying to hurt him; otherwise, how could a little brat still be jumping around under the pursuit of a Hashira?

"It's fine, I wouldn't mind having a new master's wife. Granny is a nice person, and she makes me delicious food every time!"

Hiruma added fuel to the fire.

"Thunder Breath, Second Form..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the old man's swordsmanship became increasingly fierce. He could barely dodge, and he wasn't far from getting a sound thrashing.

"Ahhh!"

"Murder, arson, robbery..."

No matter how much Hiruma screamed, no one would hear him; after all, there were only the two of them on the vast Peach Mountain.

Although the old man's blade was getting faster, every strike had a purpose; he was training Hiruma's reaction speed.

He had to admit, this kid's perception was simply not human.

Having been a trainer for decades, Tendo's talent was terrifying—he was practically the son of a god.

"Old man, that's going too far, I'm going to..."

"What are you going to do, you rebellious disciple!"

Jigoro Kuwajima had a fiery temper and couldn't stand it at all; his relationship with Yukiko was completely innocent.

"I'll just dodge, you can't hit me that many times anyway!" Hiruma turned his head and stuck out his tongue, his tone laced with mockery.

"Oh, you dare to mock me? I see you've grown some guts!"

As the sun set, the delicate peach blossoms were draped in a layer of red frost.

On the mountaintop, the young one ran, and the old one chased with a sword.

This was just another day of a master and disciple's "filial" bond on Peach Mountain.

Finally, Hiruma Tendo ran until he was tired, and more importantly, hungry.

He plopped down on the ground, speaking softly with the unique innocence of a child, and said with a smile:

"Grandpa, I was wrong!"

In an instant, the wooden sword stopped in mid-air. The old man turned his head away, his cheeks slightly flushed, and with a feigned tone of anger, he let out a cold snort.

"Hmph!"

"I'll beat you again tomorrow, let's go home and eat!"

Jigoro Kuwajima turned and walked toward the wooden house halfway up the mountain, feeling delighted inside because he had been called Grandpa.

A child he had raised from a baby—this was the "Grandpa" he had been waiting to hear.

Hiruma chuckled to himself; the old man was just like that—stern on the outside, but soft-hearted on the inside.

A single "Grandpa" worked every time.

Sigh, what a tsundere old man.

He brushed off his bottom and stood up, calculating how to get rid of that bastard Kaigaku, preferably in a way that would make it impossible for him to become the old man's disciple.

Having Zenitsu as a junior brother was more than enough.