Inside the dojo,
Kiyokawa Izumi's miserable screams echoed incessantly.
"Wait a minute, it's going to snap!!"
"Ow, ow, ow—"
"Help!"
Kochou Shinobu sat kneeling on a futon, the slight upward curve of her lips seemingly proving her mood was quite good at this moment.
"Terauchi Kiy, use a bit more force to help him stretch his leg muscles."
Holding a book on medicine, Kochou Shinobu didn't forget to speak gently to The Three Little Ones while reading.
"?"
"Wait a minute! Let me catch my breath!"
Kiyokawa Izumi seriously suspected this wicked woman was taking revenge on him, yet what she said actually made a lot of sense.
His flexibility was indeed average; stretching exercises could improve flexibility, relieve muscle tension, and promote recovery.
It really shouldn't be skipped.
But why could she sit so leisurely to the side?
Was she intentionally watching him make a fool of himself?
He hadn't said anything out of line, just asked out of curiosity if Insect Breathing had a Profound Truth.
Dammit!
Sooner or later, I'll show you what an Ansai Waist Drum is!
Kiyokawa Izumi thought indignantly to himself.
He had to learn from the Sound Hashira; if it doesn't make a sound when slapped, can it even be called an Ansai Waist Drum?
After the stretching session ended,
Kiyokawa Izumi lay paralyzed on the ground, looking as if he had lost his Soul.
A faint fragrance wafted over, and a sweet scent brushed against his cheek.
Kiyokawa Izumi subconsciously opened his eyes. The kneeling Kochou Shinobu leaned forward slightly, looking down at him, her loose hair brushing over his brow bone.
Her fair skin was smooth and delicate, and her thin, moist lips were like pale pink flower petals.
She spoke the cruelest words in the gentlest voice.
"We'll continue tomorrow!"
"?"
Kiyokawa Izumi's lips twitched slightly; he had no time to appreciate the view, only able to seethe with impotent rage in his heart, secretly swearing—Ansai Waist Drum, just you wait.
Today's defeat is not necessarily a defeat... After a moment of adjustment, Kiyokawa Izumi slowly stood up, moving his slightly sore limbs, and began the next round of training.
The training for Total Concentration Breathing: Constant was very unsatisfactory.
In addition to his daily long-distance runs, he had also added basic physical training such as push-ups and sit-ups into his routine.
Not only that, but he also performed underwater breath-holding training.
This could help improve lung capacity to some extent. More importantly, long-term training could strengthen the respiratory muscles and alveolar elasticity.
In the short term, it could increase the lungs' endurance.
Of course, he didn't slack off on basic swordsmanship training either.
His entire day was packed to the brim.
If there was any significant change, it was that his appetite had increased tremendously!
Before, he could only eat three or four rice balls a meal, but now he could eat six, seven, or eight—though he couldn't compare to a big eater like the Love Hashira, or even some of the other Hashira.
He wasn't particularly discouraged by this.
He was currently in a period of rapid growth and hadn't felt the existence of a limit yet.
This was actually a good thing.
If he hit a Bottleneck too early, it would mean his potential was only so-so... Another ten days passed,
"Phew—"
Kiyokawa Izumi's face was flushed red as he squeezed a gourd.
He blew into it with all his might, but it only caused the gourd to crack slightly; he was still unable to blow it apart in one breath.
The difference was too great!
Forget those giant gourds that were half a person tall; he couldn't even blow up this little guy. It was truly a bit disheartening.
His swordsmanship had already reached level four, yet his Breathing Technique remained stuck at level two without any sign of moving.
In terms of pure swordsmanship, he was already close to an average Hashira.
But this Breathing Technique... it couldn't be said that there was no progress, but the improvement was extremely slow.
'No wonder that person said the original host had no talent for being a swordsman... Without these eyes, I wouldn't even have passed the Final Selection.'
Exhaling a breath of turbid air, the incomplete Sharingan provided him with immense help.
Without these eyes, even if he had barely passed the Final Selection, he probably wouldn't even have a tenth of his current strength.
"Team Member Kiyokawa Izumi, mission! Mission!"
The Kasugai Crow landed on the eaves, flapping its wings and shouting loudly.
"Southeast! A demon is eating people! Go quickly!"
Hearing this, Kiyokawa Izumi showed no sign of surprise.
His injuries had already healed more than ten days ago.
If it weren't for his nichirin blade being damaged, he would have started taking missions long ago.
'I'll go find Ansai Waist Drum... ah, no, find dear Sister Shinobu and ask for some general-purpose poison.'
Kiyokawa Izumi had no intention of refusing; he just planned to ask the respected Insect Hashira for some general poison before setting out.
Although he roasted her daily, Kiyokawa Izumi was very confident in the poisons she concocted.
Kochou Shinobu would concoct different poisons for different demons—her nichirin blade was very special and could mix poisons on the spot.
Out of curiosity, Kiyokawa Izumi had even thought about stealing it to study.
Unfortunately, that woman's vigilance was too high.
There was only a slight chance when she was sleeping—but Kiyokawa Izumi couldn't exactly enter Kochou Shinobu's room while she was sleeping to steal her nichirin blade, could he?
That would be too impolite.
He would be beaten to death!
Just as he was about to look for Kochou Shinobu, the taciturn and seemingly isolated Kanao appeared nearby. Kiyokawa Izumi watched as she picked up a small gourd, her small chest containing unimaginable power as she blew the gourd apart in a single breath.
Overwhelmed with shame, Kiyokawa Izumi covered his face and left quickly.
___________
Only a little remains for the extra chapter.