In a patch of woods, two men stood facing each other while Murata trembled off to the side, clutching a Kasugai Crow.
"Just as Murata said, I am the Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Giyu Tomioka."
"Suzuki Makoto. Just an ordinary wandering samurai."
Giyu Tomioka drew his blade.
"Hmm, a fine blade. The smith who forged your sword is very skilled."
"I think so too. Now then, are you really going to fight me with that?"
Suzuki Makoto brandished the hatchet in his hand.
"This is more than enough. Let it have one last hurrah."
Name: [Thick Hatchet].
That was it.
Since the system provided no further explanation, it meant this was the weapon's upper limit. It had been the same that night when he used Murata's sword; even after killing the demon who claimed to be Lower Rank Six, the system provided nothing more than the name [Nichirin Blade]. And so, Suzuki Makoto had returned the sword to Murata without any hesitation.
"Then I'll start—Water Breathing, Third Form!"
Suzuki Makoto watched in shock as delicate streams of water coiled around his opponent's blade. Then, the man accelerated in an instant, appearing right in front of him.
Clang!
A fragment of the broken hatchet fell, but both men had already stopped moving.
Giyu Tomioka stood holding his sword, lost in thought. In the instant they had passed each other, he had shattered that ordinary hatchet, yet the man had managed to instantly change his move, striking the broken fragment with the remaining half of the blade. He made the back of the fragment lightly graze Giyu's neck while deftly dodging his own altered attack.
He sheathed his sword under Murata's confused gaze.
"I lost."
Huh? The Water Hashira lost? Why? Did I miss something? Didn't the Water Hashira just shatter Lord Suzuki Makoto's weapon with a single strike?
"It was a trick. My attack would have been ineffective against a demon."
Of course, it wasn't that Suzuki Makoto couldn't have defeated him using other means, but he was simply too curious about Giyu's technique. Plus, this was just a spar, so he had met the attack head-on.
It proved that the water was neither a special effect nor his imagination. The moment their blades crossed, the gentle trickle had instantly become a torrent powerful enough to shatter stone, utterly destroying his hatchet. Afterward, his opponent had even been able to use the change in the water to alter his blade's path and change his technique mid-attack.
If his own master's techniques weren't even more ridiculous, Suzuki Makoto would have likely been defeated in a single blow.
"That water, and this 'Water Breathing' you mentioned, what are they? Are they a secret technique of the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Suzuki Makoto asked eagerly, his interest in the technique thoroughly piqued.
"Yes. They are Breathing Styles passed down for hundreds of years, secret arts used specifically to battle demons. The Breathing Styles and the Nichirin Blades are the only two means by which the Demon Slayer Corps can fight immortal demons with human bodies."
As he said this, it suddenly dawned on him, and he stared at Suzuki Makoto in disbelief.
Did that mean this man, without any Breathing Style, possessed combat strength that surpassed his own?
Without a doubt, with such godlike fighting skills, Suzuki Makoto could have easily slain a Lower Rank demon with Murata's Nichirin Blade even without a Breathing Style. This man was more qualified to be a Hashira than he was!
"Kanzaburo."
An elderly-looking Kasugai Crow landed on Giyu Tomioka's arm.
After giving it a series of instructions, Giyu hesitated for a moment, his expression strange.
"This time, you won't deliver the wrong information, will you?"
"Giyu! How dare you slander an old man like me!"
Kanzaburo flapped his wings indignantly in protest.
"Never mind. I'll just write it down. Take this directly to the Master."
"Giyu Tomioka! For that insult, I'm going to pluck out half your hair!"
Suzuki Makoto watched the interaction between man and bird with a subtle expression.
It seems... this is just how the guy talks?
Once Giyu finished writing the note and placed it in the message cylinder, he very solemnly lifted Kanzaburo off his head.
"This time, don't get lost, don't fly in circles, and don't mistake the recipient. You must deliver this message to the Master as quickly as possible."
"I know, I know. You're so naggy, Giyu."
The Kasugai Crow flew away, grumbling, while a look of melancholy appeared on Giyu Tomioka's face for the first time.
"Murata."
"Sir!"
"Have your Kasugai Crow follow Kanzaburo, just in case he gets lost?"
"Huh? Yes, sir!"
Although he didn't understand why anyone would worry about a Water Hashira's Kasugai Crow getting lost, Murata immediately carried out the order.
And so, they were once again more or less cut off from communication.
And this time, there was one more person with them.
"In any case, let's wait in this town for them to bring back the Master's orders."
"No problem. But I'd like to spar a few more rounds with you, Mr. Giyu, if that's alright?"
Giyu was a little surprised, but he didn't refuse.
"Of course, Lord Suzuki Makoto."
"Just call me Suzuki, or Makoto."
"Very well, Lord Suzuki."
"...Shall we begin, then?"
Giyu paused, glancing at the half-a-hatchet in the other man's hand.
"It's just sparring, the weapon doesn't matter. May I go first this time?"
"Please."
The Water Hashira once again drew his sword and took a defensive stance.
Suzuki Makoto stood his ground, his movements shifting as he made minute adjustments to his grip and posture.
"It should be... like this?"
A cold glint of light instantly appeared before Giyu. The Water Hashira's blood ran cold; he didn't even have time to adjust his breathing and took the blow head-on.
"Wait—this is!!!"
"Water Breathing, Third Form... that's what it's called, right?"
Suzuki Makoto took a step back, once again fine-tuning his posture.
"Strange, why can't I summon the water?"
"Have you learned Water Breathing before, Lord Suzuki Makoto?!"
Giyu didn't even have time to express his shock before Murata, who was watching from the sidelines, felt his jaw hit the floor again.
"Nope, just learned it now. The posture and the lunge feel a bit uncoordinated, still needs some adjustment. This rushing technique is really interesting, though. It's a shame I can't summon that water to enhance the move."
Suzuki Makoto continued to practice the motions, completely ignoring the two dumbfounded men beside him.
"Water Breathing, Breathing Styles, breathing... a special breathing rhythm. Oh, I see."
He turned his head and flashed a grin at Giyu Tomioka, making the Water Hashira feel goosebumps rise on his skin.
"Next, let's have a bit of an endurance match, Mr. Giyu—"
After all, to learn a Breathing Style, he first had to observe Giyu Tomioka's breathing rhythm.
Ida Kojuro, the strongest samurai, a man who defeated a mountain-like demon with a mortal body—
Why would he ever take on just any random person as his student?
_____
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