Night had deepened.
Most of the rooms in the Butterfly Mansion had fallen silent.
Sasuke sat cross-legged in his room, his eyes closed, meditating to replenish his chakra.
Using Kirin had drained not only his chakra, but also his mind. That vast power that harnessed the might of the heavens placed an immense burden on him as well.
He needed absolute silence to calm the violent thunder still lingering in his mental world.
But that peace was soon torn apart by a burst of ill-timed, unearthly wailing.
"Aaaah! I don't want to go! Why is it my turn for the next mission again?!"
"Tanjiro! Inosuke! Listen to me! The world outside is terrifying! There are demons everywhere!"
"We're going to die! We're definitely going to die! All my hair has fallen out from fear!"
It was Zenitsu.
That signature crying, cowardly to an appalling degree, pierced the walls and found its way straight into Sasuke's ears.
Sasuke's eyelid twitched.
He slowly opened his eyes.
The two black tomoe in his eyes seemed to burn with an undying flame in the darkness.
Becoming a Hashira meant responsibility. It meant becoming an example and a pillar of support for every member of the Corps.
And this fellow...
As an inheritor of Thunder Breathing, as Sasuke's senior disciple, all he ever did was cry and run away, like a baby who had yet to be weaned.
He was simply disgracing the title of Thunder Hashira.
Sasuke stood up.
He decided to go and physically shut that noisy fellow's mouth.
His footsteps made no sound.
Like a cat in the night, he reached the door to Tanjiro and Zenitsu's room in a few swift movements.
Inside, Zenitsu was still wailing, accompanied by Tanjiro's gentle, helpless attempts to soothe him.
Sasuke's brows drew together even