[Water Breathing]
[Third Form: Flowing Dance]
In the forest clearing, Sabito transformed into several interlacing afterimages. Stepping with a fluid gait, he moved like a churning current, slashing his wooden sword toward the targets.
A series of crisp cracks, like firecrackers, erupted.
Nearly ten wooden spheres flying through the air shattered almost simultaneously.
One strike. He had instantly cleaved multiple fast-moving wooden spheres.
His vision, precision, technique, and even his strength were all top-tier.
Kuguruma Natsunishi mused to himself that even when he had first begun practicing Breathing Styles, he hadn't possessed strength quite like Sabito's.
In comparison to the peach-haired boy, Giyu's strength was significantly inferior.
Executing the same [Flowing Dance], only half of the ten wooden spheres were shattered. The rest were either deflected by a glancing blow or missed entirely.
After finishing his form, Tomioka Giyu stared blankly at the wooden spheres still rolling on the ground, then looked at the pile of uniform shards at Sabito's feet.
His lips moved slightly, and he finally squeezed out a low whisper: "...It was just practice."
As expected, he had no talent at all. Whether it was daily cultivation or practical combat training, the gap between him and Sabito was simply too vast.
Unlike the cheerful and earnest Sabito, Giyu was the polar opposite. He was sensitive and silent; though he shared the same underlying colors of kindness and gentleness, his poor communication skills and difficulty with interpersonal relationships often led him to say things that were easily misunderstood.
Take this moment, for instance. His whisper sounded like dissatisfaction, or perhaps a stubborn, sarcastic remark aimed at Sabito.
Kuguruma Natsunishi, observing silently from the side, felt that this comment only confirmed the boy's "Uchiha-like" lineage. Awkward and stubborn.
"Don't just watch."
Beside him, Sakonji took out several more wooden spheres and spoke to Kuguruma Natsunishi, who had his arms crossed. "It's your turn for the test."
Kuguruma Natsunishi took the wooden sword from Sabito, intending to perform the [Idaten Typhoon] from the Wind Breathing style. Striking multiple targets over a large area was, after all, the Wind Breathing style's specialty.
"Do not use Wind Breathing."
"Like Giyu and the others, use the power of flowing water."
Kuguruma Natsunishi had just taken a breath and nearly choked on it. He said speechlessly, "Master, I haven't learned Water Breathing yet."
The elder wearing the Tengu mask shook his head, staring at him seriously. "This is your cultivation and study. Try to understand and master the breathing rhythm they used just now."
Kuguruma Natsunishi: "..."
The skill wasn't on his system panel yet—how was he supposed to master it?
But Sakonji didn't give Kuguruma Natsunishi much time to think. He began throwing the small wooden spheres toward Kuguruma Natsunishi one after another.
Forget it.
"Wind... Water Breathing!"
"Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
With a low shout to bolster his spirit, Kuguruma Natsunishi focused on recalling the stances and breathing rhythms of Sabito and Giyu, then swung the wooden sword.
The attributes on his system panel barely fluctuated; Kuguruma Natsunishi relied almost entirely on his extraordinary physical fitness and honed swordsmanship.
The sound of wind breaking rose as the wooden spheres exploded in succession. The crisp cracks were even clearer than those from Sabito's practice earlier.
Seeing this, Sabito's eyes lit up. Whether in power or technique, the senior was indeed far above him.
Meanwhile, Giyu whispered softly, "Senior just has... a very good physical foundation."
Even without mastering Water Breathing, Senior was already this powerful just by relying on his body. He wondered how much stronger he would be once he mastered it.
Unlike the secret admiration of the two boys, Sakonji spoke calmly: "Water Breathing is not something you achieve by shouting."
"Your sword technique is indeed clean, and you crushed all the spheres. But Natsunishi, don't forget you are here to learn Water Breathing. The Breathing Style is the foundation of it all."
The progress bar only went up by one point. Kuguruma Natsunishi was somewhat disappointed.
"Calm your heart. Recall the essentials I taught you, and strive in your breathing and meditation."
"Yes, Master."
Sakonji then turned to Sabito and Giyu. "You two, do not be complacent either. Even if you have preliminary mastery over the Breathing Style, you still need to continue honing and refining it. Learning it is merely standing at the starting line."
"Yes!" "Understood."
Sabito nodded very seriously. Giyu followed with a light nod.
Seeing the three children return to their training, Sakonji began to think about things beyond the drills.
Giyu seemed to have become much more cheerful lately than before. He remembered what the boy looked like when he first came to Mount Sagiri—his eyes held almost no emotion, aside from the occasional flicker of pain. He didn't speak, and he had no expression. He was like a carved wooden puppet.
Sakonji was not a man of many words. He had encouraged the boy more than once, but it had yielded little result. It was only after spending time with Sabito that Giyu would occasionally show a faint smile.
Now, after the young Natsunishi had arrived these past few days, the number of times Giyu spoke daily had increased significantly.
As expected, does he just need more contact with children his own age?
The setting sun gradually sank, staining the sky and the mountain streams a warm orange.
Kuguruma Natsunishi sat upright in the middle of a waterfall, his body constantly enduring the impact and pounding of the massive water flow. Sitting still under waterfalls or in rivers was part of the daily cultivation for Sabito and Giyu. The goal was to sense the ephemeral forms and eternal power of "water" amidst the surging roar, learning a mental state as calm as a mirror while continuously honing one's sense of balance and physique.
"Senior, today's cultivation can end now."
Sabito's voice pierced through the roar of the water. Kuguruma Natsunishi slowly opened his eyes and leaped from the rock, kicking up a spray of water.
Wringing out his soaked hair, he asked, "Oh? Is it almost time for dinner? If the sun hasn't set yet, I'll cook tonight. Giyu, come catch some fish with me in a bit. We're having fish soup and tofu miso tonight..."
"You can leave dinner to Master Sakonji." Sabito held up a piece of letter paper. "There is a letter for you."
Giyu whispered: "...It would be quite troubling. (We should let Senior cook, otherwise eating Master Sakonji's food will be quite troubling.)"
Glancing at the two boys, Kuguruma Natsunishi dried himself off and walked over with a hint of confusion. "Someone wrote to me?"
Could it be from that cheapskate master of his?
Picking up the letter, the first thing that caught his eye was a line of elegant handwriting.
[To: Kuguruma Natsunishi-kun]
[From: Yukiziri Sashiko]
"Oh, it's from Sashiko."
Kuguruma Natsunishi didn't shy away; he opened the letter right in front of the two youngsters and began reading it by the light of the setting sun.
Sabito and Giyu exchanged a look.
Giyu (tilting his head): Sabito, who would write to Senior?
Sabito (shaking his head): I'm not sure... looking at the signature, it seems to be a girl.
Giyu (surprised): Eh? A girl?!
Giyu's eyes brightened slightly, and he couldn't help but look up, trying to catch a flicker of emotion on Kuguruma Natsunishi's face. He was then gently pulled aside by the peach-haired boy.
[It has been a long time since we parted at the Final Selection. I hope your swordsmanship is progressing and you are in good health. The other day while on a mission, I saw the river surface under the moonlight and suddenly remembered the wind blades you swung by Lake Ashi...]
The letter paper bore the faint wrinkles of long-distance delivery and a light scent of herbal medicine. The handwriting was neat and beautiful, yet the strokes faintly revealed the tenderness and earnestness of the writer.
In the letter, she shared the trivial details of her life since becoming a swordsman: news about the color of her newly forged Nichirin Sword, and the nervous process of her first independent demon kill. Later, she mentioned some of her realizations and confusions while practicing her Breathing Style.
She said she remembered how Kuguruma Natsunishi had earnestly asked everyone about their Breathing Styles during the Final Selection, which gave her the courage to write this, hoping it might also be helpful to his cultivation. She also mentioned inquiring about news of Kuguruma Natsunishi within the corps, only to learn he hadn't started missions yet. Though she was confused at first, she quickly realized that Kuguruma Natsunishi must be somewhere focusing more intently on tempering his swordsmanship.
At the end of the letter, she added seriously that she wrote this only to prove she would work hard to become a powerful swordsman like him. No other intentions.
[Enclosed are some snacks and medicinal herbs purchased during my mission the other day. Additionally, future missions will be perilous; please be extra careful. Wishing you great luck in battle. Sincerely, Yukiziri Sashiko.]
Folding the letter, Kuguruma Natsunishi asked Sabito, "Besides the letter, there should be something else?"
The boy replied honestly, "There are some ointments, and... a box of dried persimmons, Senior."
"Persimmons, huh."
He repeated it softly. A cool mountain evening breeze blew past, stirring up a few complex emotions.
"Senior Natsunishi, is that a letter from another senior in the Demon Slayer Corps?" Sabito asked curiously. "After all, the person who delivered the letter this time was a member of the 'Kakushi'."
"Yeah, a classmate." On the way back, Kuguruma Natsunishi answered somewhat distractedly, "Come to think of it, she is also a swordsman who practices Water Breathing."
Sabito's eyes brightened. "Then compared to you, Senior, who is stronger?"
"Me, of course," Kuguruma Natsunishi answered without a second thought. "Regardless of rank or record, I was number one in the selection. The MVP, you understand?"
Though he didn't fully understand the foreign term, Sabito understood the meaning. Kuguruma Natsunishi was undeniably the strongest of his year in the Final Selection.
"Senior... you must have killed many demons in the selection." Sabito suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Senior, please spar with me once. Give it your all and let me see with my own eyes what a sword capable of slaying demons actually looks like."
The silent Giyu beside him wore a look of shock. Kuguruma Natsunishi also looked curiously at the usually well-behaved peach-haired boy.
"It's almost time for dinner, why the sudden urge to fight?"
The boy said seriously, "I am not doing this out of competitiveness. I just want to know how much of a gap there is between us and a qualified Demon Slayer Corps swordsman."
And, he also wanted to confirm if he already possessed the power to protect others. He glanced at Giyu beside him—the boy who was like a younger brother to him.
"I want to see it too," the black-haired boy said, lifting his face calmly.
If you want to measure your strength, you could just ask Master Sakonji...
Ultimately, these two children held their own pride in their hearts. Kuguruma Natsunishi rubbed his chin and didn't refuse. He raised the wooden sword in his hand.
"Fine, let's use the wooden swords to practice. You two come at me together. I'm in a hurry—don't let this delay dinner."
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