The emergency Hashira Meeting at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters ended in an unprecedented atmosphere of silence and gravity.
The might of "Kirin" weighed on every Hashira's heart like an invisible mountain.
That was no longer power mortals could reach. It belonged to the realm of natural disasters, of gods.
From that day onward, the name Uesugi Sasuke became inextricably bound to the title of Thunder Hashira.
He was no longer an "anomaly" to be scrutinized, but a new, unshakable pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Yet after accepting his appointment and collecting the brand-new uniform that symbolized the highest honor, Sasuke did not immediately return to the Butterfly Mansion.
He chose to head in the exact opposite direction.
Mount Momoyama.
When Sasuke once again set foot on that familiar mountain path lined with peach blossoms, his feelings were complicated.
When he first came here, he had been only a boy burdened with a blood debt, willing to do anything for power.
Now, he was a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.
The mountain air still carried the delicate fragrance of peach blossoms.
From afar came familiar, ghastly wails, interspersed with angry shouts full of exasperation.
"I don't want to swing my sword anymore! My wrists are going to break! Master! Please! I'm really going to die if this keeps up!"
"Useless brat! You can't even manage a thousand swings, and you want to go onto the battlefield? Do you want demons to eat you as a snack?"
Sasuke stopped outside the dojo entrance.
He saw Zenitsu Agatsuma clinging to his master Jigoro Kuwajima's leg, sobbing his complaints through tears and snot, while Kuwajima's mustache trembled with anger. He held his bamboo sword aloft, but still did not bring it down.
Sasuke's arrival brought the farce to an abrupt halt.