The backyard was still, the summer air heavy with pine and soil. Ruka and little Kyojuro sat at the engawa, eyes wide, waiting.
Father and son stood apart. Both held wooden swords, yet the air between them felt charged, as though real steel was about to clash.
Shinjuro's aura flared unconsciously, heavy, suffocating, a pillar of flame even when his blade rested casually at his side.
Across from him, Kagerou held his weapon steady. Six years old, bare feet grounded in the dirt, his small chest rose and fell with practiced rhythm. With each breath, faint curls of smoke slipped from his lips.
Shinjuro tilted his head, studying him. 'His stance… his eyes… this isn't a child's'
"Alright, Kage," he rumbled. "Show me. What can Smoke Breathing do?"
Kagerou's gray eyes sharpened. His lungs expanded, forcing more air in than his frame should allow. He let it flow, steady, controlled.
"…Kemuri no Kokyū - Ichi no kata: Kon'en (Soul Mist)"
The world shifted.
Smoke erupted from his lungs, rolling over his small body like waves of ash. His outline wavered, blurred, until his form looked like nothing more than a phantom wrapped in mist.
To Ruka and Kyojuro, it was as if Kagerou was no longer flesh at all, just haze given shape.
Shinjuro's eyes narrowed. "…Interesting"
He lunged, his strike a burst of raw force. The wooden sword cut straight through the boy's chest-
*fwsshh*
No impact. The blade passed through haze, scattering only smoke.
Kyojuro gasped. "He... he vanished!?"
Ruka pressed a hand over her lips, her breath caught.
Strike after strike followed. Shinjuro's blows were precise, relentless, like a wildfire consuming all in its path. Yet every slash tore through only mist, leaving Kagerou untouched.
Still… the smoke wavered. His shape flickered. Each breath dragged harshly from his chest. Shinjuro could see the boy's small lungs screaming.
"…Tch. Not bad," Shinjuro growled, sweat on his brow. "But let's see how long you can keep this up"
Kagerou's lips trembled, but his gray eyes burned. "Not… yet…!"
He forced his lungs harder, blood roaring in his ears. His vision blurred, but he drew deeper.
"…Kemuri no Kokyū - Ni no kata: Enpo (Smoke Step)"
The mist around him convulsed, swirling like a storm. Then...
*Kffsshh!*
Kagerou's body vanished into smoke and reappeared at Shinjuro's flank, blade raised. In an instant, he was gone again, slipping behind, then above, then to the side, his small figure flickering in and out of the haze like a phantom dancer.
Shinjuro's instincts screamed. He spun, parried, slashed, but every swing struck only air. Even his trained eyes struggled to track the boy's movements.
"Fast, too fast!" His heart thundered. 'Is this really a six-year-old?'
From the porch, Kyojuro shouted with shining eyes, "Father can't hit him! Kage-nii is unstoppable!"
Shinjuro clicked his tongue, but a wild grin tore across his face. Pride and unease mixed in his chest. It had been years since his blood sang like this.
Finally, the smoke faltered. Kagerou stumbled out of the haze, collapsing to one knee, gasping, clutching his chest. His small frame shook violently, lungs straining as if tearing apart. But still, his gray eyes gleamed with unyielding resolve.
Shinjuro lowered his sword, silence stretching before his booming laugh broke it.
"…Ha! So that's it, huh? Smoke that makes you untouchable… steps that outpace even me. Kagerou, you really did it. You forged something new"
Kagerou panted, forcing a weak smile. "It's… still not perfect. I can't attack while I'm inside it. And it hurts. My lungs feel like fire"
"That's fine," Shinjuro said, his voice rough with pride. "Even incomplete, it's yours. And that, Kage, is worth more than forcing yourself into mine. But…" His eyes hardened. "Every form has a weakness. Yours will drain you faster than any demon can. Until you master that, you're just a pup nipping at wolves"
Kagerou's trembling fists clenched tighter. "…Then I'll grow. I'll make smoke so thick even wolves choke in it"
Shinjuro's grin widened. His chest burned with pride, and a quiet fear. 'This boy… if he keeps walking this path, he may surpass even the Flame'
From the porch, Ruka's gaze softened, though unease lingered in her eyes. Kyojuro clapped excitedly, laughing, "Kage-nii is amazing!"
In that quiet backyard, beneath the pale summer sky, a new style was born. Not a shadow of Flame, but something with its own soul. A Breathing that deceived, concealed, and endured, born from ash, forged from haze.
Smoke Breathing.
--------
The mist thinned at last. Kagerou fell to one knee, his chest heaving.
"Kage-nii!" Little Kyojuro's laughter rang like bells as he sprinted toward his brother, eyes wide with awe. He clung to Kagerou's side, grinning ear to ear. "You were amazing! Father couldn't even touch you!"
Shinjuro's grip tightened around his wooden blade. His jaw locked. '…I'm the one who wins, but why… why does it feel like I've lost?'
*Tap*
He flinched. Ruka's hand rested lightly on his shoulder, as though she had read his thoughts.
"Ruk-"
"You lose, Shinjuro-san," she said simply.
"W-What-?!" He gawked at her, scandalized.
But Ruka had already turned, kneeling beside Kagerou with her usual quiet grace. She brushed the boy's damp hair from his forehead, her eyes clouded with worry.
"Kage-kun, are you alright? Does it still hurt?" She sighed, her gaze flicking accusingly toward her husband. "Honestly, Shinjuro-san should have restrained himself. What if you'd gotten seriously hurt?"
Shinjuro's eye twitched. 'Restrained?! I didn't even use Breathing… Was I too harsh? No, no, it was nothing like that. Damn it, am I in the wrong here?'
"…I'm fine, Mother," Kagerou answered, forcing a tired smile. "I just need a little rest"
"Kage-nii, you're so cool!" Kyojuro cheered, bouncing. "Father is nothing to you!"
"Hehe~" Kagerou chuckled, glancing at Shinjuro from the corner of his eye. "I just held back a little. I didn't want to hurt Father"
Ruka's lips curved, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Oh~ really? As expected of my Kage-kun. So strong"
The warmth between mother and children, his family, burned hotter than flame. And yet, to Shinjuro, it was suffocating. A pang struck his chest sharper than any blade.
He slammed the wooden sword into the ground, scowling.
"You brat!" Shinjuro's voice thundered through the yard, "Come here and say that again! Let this father of yours teach you a lesson!"
"Nooo! Help me!" Kagerou yelped dramatically, darting behind Ruka's side and clinging to her sleeve like a frightened child. His grin, however, betrayed the act. "Mother, protect me! This is abuse! Domestic violence!"
"You...!" Shinjuro sputtered, veins popping on his forehead.
Before he could storm forward, Kyojuro planted himself firmly between them, arms spread wide like a little guardian. His face was serious, but his voice boomed with innocent conviction.
"Father! If you want to touch Kage-nii, you'll have to go through me first!"
Ruka blinked, then hid a smile behind her hand.
Shinjuro froze, staring at his two sons, one smirking mischievously, the other puffing up his chest like a tiny warrior, and his wife quietly chuckling at the scene.
"…Tch. You two…" He turned away with a growl, shoulders trembling, though whether with rage or laughter, no one could tell.
--------
# Kemuri no Kokyū.
- Ichi no kata: Kon'en (Soul Mist)
# Description:
+The user takes a deep breath, then exhales through a special breathing technique so that his body is shrouded in thick smoke. In this condition, his form seemed blurry, as if merging with the smoke itself.
# Effect:
+Cannot attack -> body completely in avoidance mode.
+Cannot be attacked -> the opponent's attack penetrates the "shadow of smoke" without hitting the real body, as if the user is missing.
# Limitation:
+Requires full concentration -> If distracted, smoke is dispersed.
+Very draining the lungs -> can only be used for a while, then it must be changed to another form.
- Ni no kata: Enpo (Smoke Step).
# Description:
+When the body merges with the smoke (First Form), the user can "glide" within the smoke, appearing and disappearing in different locations as if teleporting.
# Effect:
+Confuse opponents, as the user's position is difficult to predict.
+Transition is extremely fast, as if the body is actually moving from one point to another through a curtain of smoke.
+Suitable for infiltration, evading large area attacks, or outwitting demons with super-speed.
# Limitation:
+Cannot attack while in this form. Attacks can only be launched after reappearing.
+Requires extreme breath control; prolonged use can damage the lungs. At least at Kagerou's current age.