Return by Dawn

An aging man in a tengu mask reads a note delivered by a crow. The message comes from Giyu Tomioka and describes a boy whose family was killed by a demon, a boy now traveling to meet the old man in hopes of joining the Demon Slayers. Giyu adds that the boy's sister has become a demon yet seems unwilling to harm people, and that the boy carries an unusually keen sense of smell, asking that the man consider training him as a possible heir.

The masked man, Sakonji Urokodaki, watches as Tanjiro pins the temple demon and prepares to finish it. Tanjiro asks how he should proceed, but Sakonji refuses to answer, insisting he decide for himself. Tanjiro considers crushing the creature with a rock, then hesitates, troubled by the suffering it would cause. Reading the boy's scent as one full of mercy and reluctance, Sakonji privately doubts he is suited to the work. Before Tanjiro can act, dawn breaks and the sunlight reduces the demon to ash, which explains to Tanjiro why Nezuko fears the daylight.

After burying the dead, Sakonji asks Tanjiro what he would do if Nezuko ever ate a person. When the boy pauses, Sakonji strikes him, demanding a faster answer, then states the harsh truth: if she takes a human life, Tanjiro must slay her and end his own life as well. Tanjiro accepts the weight of this, and Sakonji decides to test his resolve.

Tanjiro witnesses how sunlight destroys demons, which clarifies Nezuko's aversion to the sun. Sakonji introduces himself and sets a trial to judge whether the boy can be trained. After a grueling sprint and a treacherous descent riddled with hidden traps and pitfalls, Tanjiro is told the real test is to return to the foot of the mountain before dawn without Sakonji waiting for him.

Battered, exhausted, and struggling with the thin mountain air, Tanjiro forces himself to track the hidden snares by smell while pushing onward. He finally reaches the hut at the base, bloodied but alive, declaring that he made it back. As the morning sun rises, Sakonji acknowledges him as his student.

This chapter belongs to the Final Selection Arc and was adapted in Episode 2 of the anime. It marks Tanjiro's first meeting with Sakonji Urokodaki, the retired Water Hashira who becomes his teacher.

The chapter also deepens Nezuko's portrayal through Tanjiro's memories, recalling how she sacrificed her own comforts for her siblings, which fuels his determination to one day restore her humanity.