Eastward, all the way.
Sasuke traveled with no one.
He simply walked silently along the mountain road.
Eating and sleeping out in the open had long since become routine for him.
A few days later, a peculiar mountain appeared at the edge of his vision.
Mount Fujikasane.
It was still early spring, and the trees at the foot of the mountain had only just sprouted new buds.
Yet the entire mountain, from its middle slopes to its base, was covered in a thick blanket of purple.
It was wisteria.
Wisteria blooming out of season.
The blossoms cascaded down the mountain like a waterfall, forming a beautiful yet eerie sight.
Sasuke stopped at the foot of the mountain.
The air was thick with the fragrance of flowers.
But beneath that fragrance, his chakra-enhanced sense of smell could detect another odor.
A faint, rotting stench steeped in resentment.
Held tightly imprisoned within the mountain by this expanse of wisteria.
This was the site of the Final Selection.
A bloody cage disguised with beautiful flowers.
More than twenty young people had already gathered in the clearing at the foot of the mountain.
Like Sasuke, they would all be participating in this Final Selection.
Every face bore some measure of tension and unease.
Some gripped their swords tightly, their palms slick with sweat.
Some gathered in groups of three or five, seemingly hoping to draw a little courage from their companions.
Others were pale, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
Sasuke swept his gaze over the crowd.
He spotted a familiar figure.
Zenitsu Agatsuma.
His senior fellow disciple was hiding in a corner, curled into a ball and muttering, "I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die," looking ready to burst into tears.
Not far from Zenitsu stood a girl with a side ponytail and an expression that was almost excessively calm.
She simply stood there quietly, watching a butterfly rest on her fingertip, indifferent to everything around her.
Sasuke gave them only a glance before looking away.
Whether a weeping loser or a lifeless puppet.
Neither had anything to do with him.
He walked alone to a wisteria tree, leaned against its trunk, and closed his eyes to rest.
The noise and tension around him seemed cut off from him entirely.
He had not come to make friends.
Nor had he come to experience this atmosphere of tragic heroism.
He had come only to complete a task.
A necessary task to gain power and advance along the road to revenge.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Two figures appeared before the crowd.
They were a pair of children wearing kimonos, with identical hairstyles.
One had black hair, the other white.
Their appearance instantly silenced the noisy clearing.
"Good evening, everyone."
The black-haired boy, Kiriya Ubuyashiki, spoke.
His voice was young, yet carried a steadiness beyond his years.
"Thank you all for coming tonight to participate in the Demon Slayer Corps' Final Selection."
The white-haired girl, Hinaki Ubuyashiki, continued.
"Within Mount Fujikasane, many demons captured alive by the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps are imprisoned."
"They cannot leave."
Kiriya pointed to the unbroken sea of wisteria.
"Because the wisteria that demons detest blooms everywhere from the foot of the mountain to halfway up its slopes."
"However," Hinaki shifted the subject, making everyone's hearts leap into their throats, "from this point onward, there is no wisteria in the area above. That is a paradise for demons."
"What you must do is survive in that area for seven days."
"As long as you make it down the mountain alive, you will have passed the Final Selection."
The two children announced the cruel rules in the calmest of tones.
Muffled sobs rose from the crowd.
Seven days.
They had to survive seven whole days on a mountain filled with demons.
How was this any different from throwing a flock of sheep among wolves?
Sasuke slowly opened his eyes.
There was not the slightest tension on his face.
Instead, a faint trace of excitement rose within him.
Seven days?
Too long.
To him, this was no testing ground for survival.
This was a perfect hunting ground.
An enormous treasure trove filled with walking "Revenge Points."
"Then..."
"The Final Selection begins now."
With Kiriya's final announcement, the only path up the mountain was opened.
Most of them steeled themselves and rushed in as though being herded, quickly disappearing into the dark forest.
Zenitsu even let out a scream, practically being pushed and jostled inside.
Sasuke did not move.
He waited until nearly everyone had left before rising unhurriedly and brushing the dust from his clothes.
Then he stepped forward and walked into the darkness.
His steps were steady, without the slightest hesitation.
As though he were walking not into hell, but into his own backyard.
In his right eye, two black tomoe slowly rotated in the darkness.
The hunt had begun.
Before you continue