[Water Breathing]
[Third Form: Flowing Dance]
On the forest clearing, Sabito turned into several crisscrossing afterimages. His footwork stirred like a churning current as he swung the wooden sword toward the targets.
A chain of crisp pops erupted like firecrackers.
Nearly ten fast flying wooden balls shattered almost at the same time.
One strike, splitting multiple rapidly moving targets in an instant.
Eyesight, accuracy, control, even raw power. All of it was excellent.
Natsuo thought back to when he had first started training a breathing style.
He definitely had not looked this sharp.
Compared to the pink haired boy, Giyu was clearly behind.
The same form, Flowing Dance.
Out of ten wooden balls, he only broke about half.
The rest either got clipped and bounced away, or he missed them entirely.
After he finished the motion, Giyu stared blankly at the balls still rolling on the ground, then looked at the neat pile of evenly broken fragments by Sabito's feet.
His lips moved, and in the end he only muttered in a low voice.
"…It's just practice."
Of course. I have no talent at all.
Whether it was daily training or combat drills, he was simply too far behind Sabito.
Unlike Sabito, who was cheerful and earnest, Giyu was the complete opposite.
Sensitive and silent. He had kindness and warmth at his core, but because he was awkward with words and relationships, he often said things that got misunderstood.
Just like now.
That quiet line sounded like dissatisfaction, or like he was stubbornly mocking Sabito.
Natsuo watched from the side, and when he heard it, he felt even more convinced.
This kid really had that Uchiha vibe.
Awkward. Stubborn. Mouth too sharp for his own good.
"Don't just watch."
Sakonji took out several more wooden balls and tossed them toward Natsuo, who was standing there with his arms folded.
"Your turn to test."
Natsuo accepted Sabito's wooden sword, about to use one of his Wind Breathing sword skills, Fleetfoot Typhoon.
Hitting multiple targets over a wide range was exactly what Wind Breathing was good at.
"Don't use Wind Breathing."
"Like Giyu and Sabito, use the power of flowing water."
Natsuo nearly choked on the breath he had just taken in.
He stared.
"Sakonji-sensei, I haven't learned Water Breathing yet."
The old man in the tengu mask shook his head.
He looked at Natsuo with steady seriousness.
"This is training and learning. Try to understand and imitate the breathing rhythm you just saw."
Natsuo went quiet.
My skill panel doesn't even have that unlocked. How am I supposed to "learn" it?
But Sakonji did not give him time to think.
The small wooden balls flew toward him one after another.
Whatever. Just do it.
"Water… Breathing!"
"Third Form: Flowing Plum!"
He shouted it loudly to hype himself up.
Then he focused, recalling Sabito's posture and the rhythm of his breathing, and swung the wooden sword.
The system numbers barely budged. Natsuo was almost entirely relying on his physical foundation and the sword control he had already drilled into his body.
A sharp wind cut through the air.
Pop after pop, the wooden balls exploded apart.
The sound was even cleaner than Sabito's practice had been.
Sabito's eyes lit up.
As expected, senpai was above him in both strength and technique.
Giyu murmured softly.
"Senpai is just… physically built too well."
He had not even learned Water Breathing, yet he could do this with the body alone.
If he mastered it later…
Giyu could not help wondering how far ahead senpai would be.
Sakonji, however, spoke calmly.
"Water Breathing is not something you can learn by shouting."
"Your sword work is clean, and you shattered every ball."
"But Natsuo, don't forget why you came. You are here to learn Water Breathing. Breathing is the foundation of everything."
Only one point of progress gained.
Natsuo felt a little disappointed.
"Calm your mind," Sakonji continued. "Remember what I taught you. Train your breathing and your meditation."
"Yes, sensei."
Sakonji turned to Sabito and Giyu.
"You two also must not get complacent. Even if you have grasped the basics, you still need to sharpen and refine it."
"Learning it is only standing at the starting line."
"Yes!"
"…Mm."
Sabito answered with a firm nod.
Giyu nodded quietly as well.
As the three boys returned to training, Sakonji found his thoughts drifting beyond the drills.
Giyu had become noticeably more open lately.
Sakonji still remembered how the boy had looked when he first arrived on Mount Sagiri.
Aside from occasional flashes of pain, his eyes had shown almost nothing.
He did not speak. He did not emote.
Like a carved wooden puppet.
Sakonji was not skilled with words.
He had tried to guide him more than once, but the results were minimal.
Only after spending a long time with Sabito did Giyu start to show the faintest smiles.
And now, after Natsuo arrived, Giyu had begun speaking more.
Maybe it really was that simple.
Kids needed other kids.
…
The sun sank lower, painting the sky and mountain streams with warm orange light.
Natsuo still sat at the center of the waterfall, letting the heavy torrent slam into him again and again.
Sitting under a waterfall, in the river, was part of Sabito and Giyu's daily training.
To feel the endless force of water and its ever changing shape within that roaring sound, to cultivate a mind as calm as a mirror, while constantly tempering balance and physique.
"Senpai, today's training can end."
Sabito's voice pierced through the thunder of the water.
Natsuo slowly opened his eyes, sprang off the rock, and sent a spray of droplets into the air.
Twisting his soaked hair, he asked casually, "Oh? Is it almost dinner time?"
"If the sun hasn't set yet, I'll cook tonight. Giyu, come with me to catch fish later. We'll do tofu miso fish soup…"
"Dinner is fine," Sabito said. He raised a sheet of paper. "You have a letter."
Giyu spoke quietly.
"…It'll be troublesome."
What he meant was, it'll be troublesome if senpai doesn't cook. Eating sensei's food is troublesome.
Natsuo looked at the two kids, puzzled, and walked over.
"Someone wrote me a letter?"
Was it his own teacher?
He took the letter, and the first thing that caught his eye was a line of neat, graceful handwriting.
[Natsuo-kun, please read]
[Seiko Yukibashiri]
"Oh. It's Seiko."
Natsuo did not bother hiding it. He opened it right there in front of the two kids and read it in the sunset.
Sabito and Giyu exchanged a glance.
Giyu tilted his head slightly. Sabito, who would write to senpai?
Sabito shook his head. It looks like a girl's name.
Giyu's eyes widened a little. A girl?
Giyu's gaze brightened without him realizing, and he tried to catch even the slightest change in Natsuo's expression.
Sabito gently tugged him aside before he could stare too obviously.
[Since Final Selection, it has been some time. I hope your swordsmanship continues to improve, and that you are in good health.]
[The other day, while on duty, I saw the river under the moonlight and suddenly remembered the wind blades you swung by Lake Ashi…]
The paper carried faint wrinkles from the long delivery, along with a light scent of medicinal herbs.
The handwriting was tidy and beautiful.
The strokes themselves carried a kind of gentleness and earnestness, as if she had written every line carefully.
In the letter, she shared small details of life after becoming a swordsman.
The color her newly forged blade had turned.
How tense she had been during her first solo demon kill, how her hands had shaken at the moment she raised the sword, and how she forced herself to breathe and calm down.
She also wrote about the feelings and confusion she had while training her breathing style.
She said she remembered how seriously Natsuo had asked everyone about their breathing styles during Final Selection, and she finally gathered the courage to write, hoping it might help his training too.
She mentioned that she had tried to ask around for news of him, only to hear he had not started taking missions yet.
At first she felt confused.
But then she realized Natsuo was probably somewhere, focusing even more intensely on forging his sword.
At the end, she carefully added that she was writing only to prove she would work hard to become a swordsman as strong as him.
Nothing more.
[Along with this letter, I have included a few snacks and medicinal herbs purchased during my last mission. Also, the road ahead is dangerous. Please be careful, no matter what.]
[I hope your luck in battle will never fail you.]
[Seiko Yukibashiri]
Natsuo folded the letter and asked Sabito, "Besides the letter, there should be other stuff too, right?"
Sabito answered honestly. "Some ointment. And… a box of persimmon cakes, senpai."
"Seiko, huh."
Natsuo repeated it softly.
The cool mountain wind brushed past, stirring something faintly complicated in his chest.
"Natsuo-senpai, was this a letter from another Demon Slayer senpai?" Sabito asked curiously. "The one who delivered it was Kakushi."
"Yeah. A fellow candidate from the same selection," Natsuo replied, sounding a little absent as they walked back. "She also uses Water Breathing."
Sabito's eyes brightened.
"Then compared to you, who is stronger?"
"Obviously me," Natsuo answered without hesitation. "Level, record, Final Selection, I was first. MVP, you get it?"
Sabito did not fully understand the strange word, but he understood the meaning.
Natsuo was unquestionably the strongest of that group.
"Senpai… you killed a lot of demons during selection, didn't you?"
Sabito suddenly stopped.
"Senpai, please spar with me."
"Use your full strength. I want to see with my own eyes what kind of sword it takes to kill demons."
Giyu, who had been silent beside them, showed a rare look of surprise.
Natsuo also looked at the usually well behaved pink haired boy with interest.
"Dinner's almost here. Why do you suddenly want to fight?"
Sabito spoke seriously.
"I'm not doing it out of competitiveness."
"I just want to know how far we are from being qualified Demon Slayer swordsmen."
And he also wanted to confirm that he truly had the power to protect others.
He glanced at Giyu.
The boy who felt like his little brother.
"I want to see it too," Giyu said, lifting his face. Calm, simple.
If they wanted to measure strength, they could ask Sakonji.
But really, these two kids had their own pride too.
Natsuo rubbed his chin and did not refuse.
He lifted the wooden sword in his hand.
"Fine. We'll use wooden swords."
Then he raised his chin slightly.
"You two come at me together. I'm in a hurry, don't delay dinner."
(End of Chapter)
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