This kid's confidence is sky high.
Sakonji couldn't help feeling a little excited, hoping Natsuo really was the extraordinary genius Kazami had described.
What the Demon Slayer Corps needed most were powerful, gifted swordsmen.
The more astonishing the genius, the farther they could go on the road toward defeating Muzan Kibutsuji.
"This is only out of personal curiosity," Sakonji said.
"Natsuo, why are you so eager to learn breathing styles from other schools?"
You were still so young.
In truth, you could have waited until your Wind Breathing truly reached maturity before trying to carve out your own path.
If this child really wasn't the kind to chase illusions, like Kazami insisted…
Then this urgency had to come from something else.
"Because I want to become strong," Natsuo replied.
"Why?"
"Because if I'm stronger, I can defeat stronger demons."
"Then why not specialize in Wind Breathing?"
Natsuo answered as if it were obvious.
"If I force myself to push a breathing style that doesn't fit me all the way to the limit, then at best I'll reach Hashira level."
Sakonji's breath paused slightly beneath the mask.
"And Hashira level isn't enough? That is the peak of the Corps."
Natsuo didn't hesitate.
"Of course it's not enough."
"If I become a Hashira, then forget killing the Demon King. I wouldn't even be able to deal with the Upper Ranks."
"If you can't surpass the Hashira level, how are you supposed to kill Muzan?"
The room fell silent.
Not only the two children, even Sakonji's breathing stalled for a moment.
This child's ambition…
It was so wide, so unrestrained, it felt almost unreal.
He wasn't talking about killing demons to avenge a sister.
He wasn't talking about standing at the very top of the Corps as a Hashira.
He was stating, plainly and naturally, that he intended to kill Muzan Kibutsuji, something ordinary swordsmen could not even dare to imagine.
Even Sakonji himself had not allowed his thoughts to reach that far in a very long time.
Had he, during all these years as a trainer, lost the fire he once carried when he first joined the Corps?
With every generation of swordsmen he raised…
The words he spoke most often were: take care of yourself, survive.
Somewhere along the way, he had begun to forget that they were swordsmen because they wanted to kill demons, because they wanted revenge, because they wanted to fight.
Sakonji wasn't the only one shaken.
Sabito and Giyu stared, stunned.
They were still struggling to picture how to safely pass Final Selection.
Hashira, surpassing Hashira, personally killing the Demon King…
Those were worlds they had never even considered.
"Amazing," Giyu murmured under his breath.
Sabito came back to himself and patted Giyu's shoulder, speaking with sudden seriousness.
"We can do it too someday, Giyu."
Sakonji looked at Natsuo. Beneath the tengu mask, the old man's face softened into a faint smile.
"A perfect answer."
"I think I understand why Kazami values you."
He poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to Natsuo.
The loosened atmosphere even made the old man tease him.
"With three children now, we'll have to cook more rice."
Natsuo, as if he genuinely didn't catch the joke, answered with complete seriousness.
"I have money."
The small savings he'd built up over a year, plus what he'd collected during Final Selection…
Together, it was enough for him to eat in expensive restaurants for a month without blinking.
Sakonji let out a slow sigh. "It was only a joke. I'm not worried about money."
He had served in the Corps for many years and had accumulated plenty, not to mention the retirement stipend Kagaya-sama occasionally sent him.
In short, Sakonji was not lacking funds.
He even had enough to pay nearby hunters to help build training facilities in the mountains.
"I can cook too. You can leave daily chores to me," Natsuo said.
"I'm happy to do them."
"That's not what I meant," Sakonji replied.
Natsuo nodded earnestly. "My cooking is really good."
Sakonji pressed his fingers to his forehead, already tired.
"Enough. Tonight, you will cook with me."
At that, Sabito couldn't hold back a laugh.
This senior swordsman was… strangely dense in a different way.
He glanced at Giyu.
The black haired boy tilted his head, confused why his friend's expression looked so odd.
…
Reality proved Natsuo's cooking truly was something else.
"This taste…"
"It can't be made by a human…"
Giyu had just put a piece of vegetable into his mouth, then froze, chewing carefully.
Then he stuffed several meatballs into his mouth in quick succession.
"I've never eaten anything this good."
Sabito was no exception. With his fox mask removed, he looked much more childlike.
"Besides salt, what did you add? This aroma… Senpai, it's a waste for you to be a swordsman."
Giyu seemed to be eating too fast and nearly choked, so Natsuo quickly ladled a bowl of soup and handed it to him.
"It's broth. I simmered mushrooms and kelp to make a rich base."
By the hearth, the three of them enjoyed the meal Natsuo prepared.
Wild Game Mountain Hot Pot
A thick, fragrant broth made by simmering mushrooms and kelp he'd bought after Final Selection.
Packed with seasonal mountain vegetables, simple handmade fish and meatballs, and mountain chicken from local hunting, then seasoned with miso and soy sauce.
Citrus Salt Koji Grilled Fish
The leftover fish wasn't wasted. He marinated it with wild garlic, mountain pepper, and juice from wild citrus.
The marinating time wasn't long, but the precise control of heat during grilling made up for it.
The flavor leaned toward bold charcoal aroma, yet still kept the juicy, bright tang of citrus.
In the end, every plate was spotless.
They even mixed the remaining broth into rice.
Sakonji couldn't help muttering, "Kazami didn't guarantee you because of this, did he?"
…
While they enjoyed the food on Sagiri Mountain, deep in the mountains near Nara, in Kagaya-sama's estate.
"So Kazami-san raised such an interesting child," Kagaya said with a gentle smile as he set down the letter in his hand.
"Not satisfied with borrowing just one breathing style, but choosing to learn them all?"
"He may be a scholar type genius."
An attendant in the shadows nodded. "Kagaya-sama is right."
"And Lord Yanamori also mentioned this child before. His evaluation was very high as well."
"There are many strong swordsmen who can defeat multiple demons alone."
"There are also many who will extend kindness and lend a hand to other swordsmen at a critical moment."
"But having both is rare."
"If there is a chance… I would like to meet him."
"Kagaya-sama is right," the attendant said again.
Kagaya's smile remained. "How many demons has he slain so far?"
The attendant started to answer, then realized he had repeated the same phrase too many times and abruptly stopped, embarrassed.
His ears turned red, and his face under the mask was surely burning too.
But Kagaya didn't scold him. Instead, he comforted him with warmth.
"Tanaka, it is my fault. You have traveled far and are exhausted, yet I still keep you here chatting."
"If you are tired, we can speak tomorrow."
The attendant hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, I'm not tired at all. Kagaya-sama, you're asking about Natsuo-kun, right?"
"This new swordsman is very capable."
"Colleagues stationed near Mount Fujikasane asked the other survivors. They said at least eighty percent of the demons in the selection grounds were killed by him."
"On top of that, some swordsmen were dispatched to nearby areas for missions, but when they arrived, the demons had already been eliminated."
"Based on overlapping routes, it should also have been Natsuo-kun."
"All together… it's close to thirty."
"And among them, two were demons that possessed Blood Demon Arts."
So, even during Final Selection, this child already had the achievements of a D-rank swordsman?
Kagaya considered quietly.
He had never fought demons on the front lines himself, but he knew how terrifying they were.
Especially those monsters with Blood Demon Arts.
Most swordsmen who pass Final Selection have the ability to slay a demon alone.
But against one with Blood Demon Arts…
It was almost always a narrow path between life and death.
And this child, even when facing demons with Blood Demon Arts, did not seem to have been pushed to his limits.
"Another child with talent comparable to Gyomei…?" Kagaya murmured.
Even the swordsmiths were curious about this boy now, after all, his "willful" weapon request had stirred rare excitement among them.
When the boy showed more results, it might be time to assign him a corresponding rank.
After all, since the loss of Fudou-san, the Corps had been painfully short of swordsmen who could shoulder the burden.
(End of Chapter)
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