No one expected Natsuo's Water Breathing to advance with something close to a sudden epiphany.
In a single night, he went from a trainee who had not even touched the threshold to a level that could almost be called "ready to graduate."
At this point, Natsuo's Water Breathing was already comparable to Giyu's.
That was Sakonji's conclusion after personally testing him.
The old man had to admit it.
Kazami Koyoshi had not misjudged this kid.
In barely ten days, on top of already being proficient in Wind Breathing, he had fully grasped a completely different breathing style from start to finish.
This boy was, without a doubt, a genius.
Sabito and Giyu, after their initial shock, were even more sincerely happy for him.
These past few days they had been trained until they were covered in bruises, but they could also feel their own strength growing at a frightening pace.
And after spending every day together, the bond between the three of them had already become real.
But once the excitement settled, the two kids quickly realized something.
Their time together was coming to an end.
Natsuo had come here to study Water Breathing.
Now that he had achieved that goal, leaving was only natural.
After Sakonji had his Kasugai Crow send the news back to Kazami, Natsuo did not immediately pack up and say goodbye.
Instead, he made two requests.
The first was that, before the Corps assigned him a mission, he wanted to stay here a little longer.
Not for breathing techniques.
For life skills.
Natsuo had noticed early on that Sakonji was not only a trainer.
He also had a hidden job class: craftsman.
Whether it was carpentry or sewing, the old man was truly skilled. Compared to that, his bargain teacher Kazami was basically a rough guy who only knew how to eat and train.
Of course Natsuo wanted to stay and grind those life skills.
With an experienced teacher guiding him, whether it was combat skills like breathing, or daily crafts, the efficiency jumped dramatically.
Sakonji did not really understand why Natsuo suddenly stopped obsessing over breathing styles.
But he got convinced anyway.
Natsuo delivered a line with a completely calm face.
"To refine the self with a craftsman's heart, polishing daily trivialities, shedding the vanity of achievement, and settling my foundation."
What was Sakonji supposed to say to that?
He could only loudly praise Natsuo for having a pure heart and a disciplined mind.
Naturally, the two kids raised both hands in agreement.
The second request was that Natsuo wanted to spar with Sakonji personally in a real fight.
The old man tried to refuse, blaming his age, but he could not withstand the blazing will in the boy's eyes. In the end, he agreed.
That match ended with Natsuo's "narrow defeat."
He knew the truth.
Sakonji, as a former Water Hashira, had held back.
His strength, speed, and even his breathing rhythm were all deliberately restrained within a certain boundary.
Even so, Natsuo still fought with everything he had.
He poured every recent insight and every breathing style and sword technique he had mastered into each exchange, yet he still could not break through the old man's deep, steady defense.
And that was while Sakonji was older, weaker than his prime, and actively easing up.
So what about the current Hashira at their peak, and the Upper Rank demons who stood above them?
With Natsuo's current level and skills, he probably would not even get the chance to "accidentally bump into them."
So, yeah.
Trying to challenge the final boss right after leaving the tutorial area was a little too dreamy.
But while Natsuo was calmly reevaluating himself, the spectators were experiencing something completely different.
Sabito and Giyu's minds were already in chaos.
They could not see it.
They simply could not follow it.
The sparring and guidance these days had quietly created an illusion in them.
They started to feel like Natsuo was not that far from them.
Just a little faster, a little stronger, his swordsmanship a little more refined.
A rival on the same tier.
Even when Natsuo beat both of them, it felt like he only beat them by a thin margin.
If they trained harder, or if there were two more "thems" working together, maybe the result could change.
Only after seeing Natsuo fight Sakonji did they realize how wrong they were.
It was not "slightly stronger."
If they met him on a battlefield, and it had to be life or death…
They both saw the same answer in each other's eyes.
They probably could not even take one strike.
It would be over in a single exchange.
"Sabito, you're far weaker than him."
Giyu's voice was soft, but it landed clearly in the silence.
He did not say the rest out loud, but it was written on his face.
If Sabito was weaker, then he was even further behind.
Sabito did not deny it.
He pulled himself out of his brief daze, and a steady, burning light gathered in his eyes.
"Yes. Senpai is much stronger than we are right now."
He turned to look at Giyu.
"That's why we have to work harder. We have to chase him with everything we have. Only then can we stand beside him someday, instead of only staring at his back."
Giyu looked at his friend.
That pink haired boy who was always serious, always warm, always bright, was like a solid stone that stayed by his side no matter what.
He pushed away the fog.
He gave him the courage to take another step forward.
Even in the face of this kind of gap, Sabito did not lose heart.
In Sabito's eyes, every obstacle was simply a stair.
Giyu could not help imagining what his world would look like if Sabito was not there.
If something happened.
But Sabito was strong. If anyone ran into trouble, it would probably be him, the weaker, quieter "little brother" who could not express anything properly.
His gaze drifted toward Natsuo, who was preparing dinner not far away.
Firelight traced the boy's focused side profile. His hands moved cleanly and decisively.
And keeping up with Natsuo senpai's pace?
Giyu found himself imagining the three of them fighting side by side in the future, facing powerful demons together.
He lowered his head, and a very small smile curved at the corner of his mouth where no one could see it.
The future was not as gray as it used to be.
A few days later, right after Natsuo's Sewing reached LV.1, a Kakushi member arrived at Sagiri Mountain, carried by the noisy shouting of a crow.
Along with Natsuo's uniform, they also brought his first mission as a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman.
"Six! Six car Natsuo! Hurry to the southeast, Rain Village! Caw!"
"Hunt demons! This is your first job! Caw!"
It was that black bird who called himself White.
The Kakushi member below looked helpless. "Shiro, can you let me finish explaining first?"
"Caw! Hurry! Fast!"
Feathers puffed around as Shiro flapped dramatically.
The Kakushi bowed to everyone in the cabin, then pulled two items from the pack on their back.
A black Demon Slayer Corps stand collar uniform.
And a Nichirin Blade that had not yet been drawn.
Natsuo frowned. "Didn't my ore go into making fist blades and gauntlets? Why am I getting a normal sword?"
The Kakushi member quickly explained, "Natsuo san, the weapon structure you requested is… novel. The smiths have been discussing how to make it."
"But they haven't reached a final plan yet, so they asked you to use a standard Nichirin Blade for now."
"They also said that once they decide on a proper design, they want you to visit the Swordsmith Village to discuss it."
So customizing a weapon was this annoying?
Natsuo felt disappointed, but he still picked up the blade.
He drew it and stared at the newly forged edge.
"Huh?"
"It changed color?"
Natsuo looked at the Kakushi member with suspicion.
Was this blade defective?
Sakonji spoke up, saving the Kakushi.
"Nichirin Blades are also called color changing blades. That comes from the special nature of their materials."
"Crimson iron sand and crimson ore have absorbed a great deal of sunlight. That gives them their demon slaying effect, and also certain unusual traits."
"One of those traits is this. They change according to the first swordsman who holds them."
So a sunlight soaked rock could turn into red, yellow, blue, green, and other flashy colors depending on the person.
What was this, prism physics?
The Kakushi member added, "We've heard plenty about how strong you are, Natsuo san. If you use Wind Breathing, it should become an emerald green."
"Or it might match your hair and become blue…"
Then the Kakushi's voice died.
Because Natsuo's blade was doing something they had never seen.
A strange wash of color rippled across the steel.
It started as a pale metallic tone, then quickly took on a deep, lake like blue.
But before the blue could fully spread, red lines began separating at the edge of that blue, like veins of heat.
Then orange, gold, and vivid hues layered in. Colors swirled and blended like paint dropped into water.
In just a few seconds, the blade flashed through an absurdly complex rainbow gradient.
Like someone spilled oil over it.
Under the sun it looked like a shifting, iridescent sheen.
Even Natsuo was stunned.
Sakonji, who had trained swordsmen for decades, and the Kakushi member, who handled equipment all the time, were equally speechless.
This color was kind of ugly.
Could he return it?
As Natsuo was thinking that, the strange oily rainbow began to fade.
Slowly, it washed away, until the blade settled into a final color.
Sakonji pointed at it. "No. It's different."
"It's brighter than the original."
A standard Nichirin Blade usually carried a darker metallic gray, with temper patterns in deep tones along the edge.
Now, the blade had turned into a clean, luminous silver white.
The temper lines did not vanish. Instead, they faintly shimmered within the bright base, like starlight peeking through thin clouds.
"It's a white blade," the Kakushi member said with relief.
The beginning was bizarre, but the final result looked dignified and proper.
When Natsuo gripped it, the steel gave a faint, clear ring.
Almost like it was answering him.
Natsuo hesitated for a long moment, then still replaced the oldest of the three spare blades he carried.
Then something popped into his head.
"By the way. Swords have naming traditions, right?"
Sakonji replied, "They do. What will you call it?"
Natsuo said, "Third Generation Master Chef."
His previous blades had been named Instant Wheat Cut and Unity Maru.
And the one he had replaced was called Soup Expert King.
The Kakushi member refused instantly. "Demon Slayers are not samurai."
"A blade is only a tool for slaying demons, and it can break at any time. Most swordsmen don't name them."
For a moment, the Kakushi member felt like they heard the Nichirin Blade sigh.
(End of Chapter)
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