Passing the Test

After saying this, Sanemi stood and walked over to the Kakushi member holding Nezuko's box. She glanced at Kagaya, who nodded to her, and then handed the box to Sanemi.

Sanemi took the box and tossed it onto the ground. First, he cut his wrist with his Nichirin Blade, then thrust the blade into the box and pulled it out.

"Nezuko!!!" Tanjiro, whom Sanemi had released, shouted at the sight and charged toward him.

But he had barely taken a few steps before Chiba Yo grabbed him.

"This is the best way to prove your sister's innocence and get the other Hashira to accept you both. Bear with it," Chiba Yo told Tanjiro.

This time, he did not intervene. He understood why Sanemi was doing this. Once injured, demons became weak and hungry, making them even more eager to eat humans to recover. Sanemi was simply trying to heighten Nezuko's craving for his flesh and blood.

Chiba Yo believed this was the right approach. With a demon's regenerative abilities, a couple of stab wounds would heal quickly. If Nezuko could not resist eating humans while injured, then claiming she would never eat anyone in the future was nothing but empty talk. In that case, Chiba Yo would not stop Sanemi from killing her.

Sanemi planted his foot on the box and held his wrist above it, letting his blood flow through the opening his Nichirin Blade had just made.

"Hey, demon! It's mealtime! Come and eat!" Sanemi called into the box.

Drip.

Sanemi's blood dripped onto Nezuko's hand inside the box. The scent of rare blood constantly assailed her senses.

Nezuko struggled to resist, her body beginning to tremble as beads of sweat kept forming on her face.

"Don't force yourself! Show your true nature, and let me cut you down right here!" the Wind Hashira continued shouting.

"Nezuko!" Tanjiro called out to her, hoping she could hold back.

"Shinazugawa, this won't work in the sunlight. A demon won't come out unless you move into the shade," Obanai reminded him from the side.

Hearing Obanai's words, Sanemi said to the Master, "Master, forgive my rudeness."

Then Sanemi grabbed the box and leaped beneath the covered porch of the Mansion's Front Courtyard, where Kagaya stood.

He tossed the box onto the floor, drew his Nichirin Blade, and thrust it into the box again.

"Come out, demon! This is the human blood you love so much!"

After stabbing it several more times, Sanemi pinned the box beneath his foot and used his Nichirin Blade to pry its door open.

Nezuko slowly stood up inside the box, her body gradually growing larger.

As she stared at Sanemi's blood-soaked arm, drool trickled from her mouth. The scent of rare blood held an extraordinary allure for her.

"What's wrong, demon? Come on. You want it, don't you?" Sanemi said in a low voice, his mouth stretched into a grin, his words full of temptation.

"Mmph..." Nezuko groaned around the bamboo in her mouth. Blood kept dripping from the wound Sanemi had just pierced through her hand.

"Nezuko! You have to hold back!" Beside himself with worry, Tanjiro shouted to her with all his strength.

"She's my sister! My little sister! Nezuko is different!"

A scene of drifting snowflakes surfaced in Nezuko's mind, and Tanjiro's words from that day echoed in her ears.

"I don't know why she's like this now..."

Then the scene changed, and a humble little home appeared in her mind. Her mother, wearing a headscarf, cooked beside the stove, while her frail father sat on a bench, watching them with a happy smile. Her mother turned and smiled at her, her lips moving, but Nezuko could hear nothing.

Outside, her younger brothers were playing. Her youngest brother, Rokuta, clutched her clothes and seemed to be saying something, but she still could not hear him.

"All humans are your family... Protect humans..."

A somewhat aged voice rang out in her mind. Those words, which had so often echoed in her ears, were now etched into her memory.

"Humans are people you must protect and help... You must not hurt them... You must never hurt them..."

Finally, Tanjiro's figure appeared before her eyes. Nezuko suppressed her urge to eat human flesh, gave a firm "Mmph," and closed her eyes as she turned her head aside.

Sanemi was utterly shocked. He had agreed to Chiba Yo's suggestion precisely because he was convinced that demons could never resist their desire to eat humans. Yet the reality before him was far removed from what he had expected.

Both Tanjiro and Chiba Yo silently breathed sighs of relief at the sight.

The Master turned toward the other Hashira and asked, "What happened?"

Hinaki explained, "The girl who became a demon turned her head away. Although Lord Shinazugawa stabbed her twice, and his blood-covered wrist was right before her eyes, she held back and did not bite him."

Sanemi snorted. Though he did not want to believe it, the truth was now right before his eyes.

"Then this proves that Nezuko won't attack other people, doesn't it?" Kagaya asked the other Hashira with a smile.

The Hashira remained silent. Though they found it hard to believe, they accepted the truth.

Then Kagaya turned to Tanjiro and said, "Tanjiro, even so, there will surely still be people who cannot accept Nezuko. You must prove yourself. From now on, you must show that you and Nezuko can fight as members of the Demon Slayer Corps, that you can be of use.

"Go and defeat the Twelve Kizuki. Then everyone will acknowledge you, and your words will carry more weight, Tanjiro."

Chiba Yo glanced at Tanjiro with a smile. Though the process had been rather rocky, the outcome was good in the end.

Hearing the Master's words, Tanjiro's expression grew resolute. "Nezuko and I will defeat Muzan Kibutsuji! Together, we will! We'll cut through this chain of sorrow with our blades!"

Kagaya smiled faintly at Tanjiro's declaration and told him, "You cannot do that as you are now, Tanjiro. Start by defeating one of the Twelve Kizuki."

His gentle voice left Tanjiro feeling a little lightheaded, but his words also made him embarrassed. His face flushed bright red as he answered, "Yes."

Seeing Tanjiro's expression, Mitsuri puffed out her cheeks, barely managing to hold back her laughter, while Shinobu Kocho laughed outright.

"There is another reason I chose to accept Tanjiro and Nezuko. Tanjiro here has encountered Muzan Kibutsuji before," Kagaya said, turning toward the Hashira again.

His words set off a ripple of excitement among all the Hashira. Chiba Yo was also deeply shocked and grabbed Tanjiro by the shoulders.

"Really? What exactly does Muzan look like? What abilities does he have?"

Chiba Yo questioned Tanjiro excitedly. The one he hated most and wanted to slay above all others was Muzan Kibutsuji, the architect of this tragedy.