Kurozawa Danryu

With a sigh, Kurozawa stopped dwelling on what Makomo called him.

Makomo then gave a soft snort, casting Kurozawa a sidelong glance with the smug air of a victor.

Seeing Makomo like that, a hint of relief appeared in Kurozawa's deep eyes.

Well, at least she hadn't turned out wrong.

He still remembered when Makomo had first arrived. She had been a tiny girl in tattered, bloodstained clothes, her hair hanging in a messy tangle. She had barely spoken, so gloomy it was almost unbearable.

Before that, Mount Sagiri had only been home to Sakonji Urokodaki and Kurozawa. And Sakonji Urokodaki was a dry, serious man. It wasn't that he was bad at taking care of people—he simply had no idea how.

So, with no other choice, Kurozawa had taken on the burden of being a stay-at-home dad.

It was also because of that care that Makomo went from coldly ignoring him to becoming attached to him like family. She gradually escaped the despair and anguish of having all her relatives slaughtered by demons, turning into a bright and cheerful girl.

Kurozawa had never imagined that after dying from a serious illness, he would open his eyes in the Demon Slayer World.

He had happened to read part of Demon Slayer before, so he knew a little about it.

This was a dangerous world where demons emerged after nightfall—Man-Eating Demons. Nearly all of them were immortal and incredibly terrifying, with only a handful of weaknesses.

Humans could only barely fight demons by relying on Demon Hunter Swordsmen who cultivated special Breathing Techniques.

Breathing Techniques were highly unique breathing methods. They came in different schools and possessed different traits, strengthening the body until it reached limits close to superhuman.

Take Sakonji Urokodaki's Water Breathing Style, for example. It was relatively balanced in every respect. Its offense, defense, movement, and other aspects all leaned toward moderation. It had no outstanding strengths, but no obvious weaknesses either. However, Water Breathing swordsmen could focus on a particular direction depending on their physique, temperament, and other traits.

Gentleness was water. Swiftness was water. Ferocity was water as well.

Balanced, yet capable of specialized development—that was the charm of Water Breathing.

Other Breathing Techniques also had their own unique abilities.

And the name Kurozawa Danryu had been given to him by Sakonji Urokodaki. His name from his previous life no longer mattered.

When Kurozawa had first opened his eyes, he found that he had become an infant abandoned deep in the mountains and forests.

After freezing for a moment, terror filled his heart.

In the pitch-black forest, he had not even dared to breathe loudly.

Fortunately, Sakonji Urokodaki, who had been in his prime at the time, was carrying out a mission nearby and found him. That was also how Kurozawa came to understand his situation.

After failing to find any family or relatives nearby, Sakonji Urokodaki hesitated again and again before finally choosing to adopt Kurozawa.

The place where Kurozawa had been found was near a vast black marsh. In addition, Sakonji Urokodaki practiced Water Breathing, so he formally named him Kurozawa Danryu.

After that, Sakonji Urokodaki raised Kurozawa as his first direct disciple.

"Senior Disciple, I want to master Total Concentration Breathing as soon as possible too. Teach me, please."

"I heard Master say that you were already able to use Total Concentration Breathing freely several years ago."

Makomo tugged at Kurozawa's sleeve and spoke with a grin.

Her deep teal eyes brimmed with bright delight, and the girl's radiant appearance seemed to make the surrounding light a little brighter.

Kurozawa thought for a moment before saying, "Total Concentration Breathing. I taught Sabito a few days ago, and he's already learned it. Where's Sabito? Why not go ask him? Weren't you two always together before?"

Among Sakonji Urokodaki's disciples, Kurozawa was the senior disciple and the oldest. He was already twenty-one.

Makomo was only fourteen, while Sabito was a year younger than her at thirteen. Yet both his appearance and mentality were as mature as those of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth.

Most of Sakonji Urokodaki's disciples had lost their homes and families to demons, so they understood the cruelty of this world.

And because they trained constantly, their bodies were strong.

As a result, they were far more mature than others their age, both mentally and physically.

Since Kurozawa was the oldest, Sabito and Makomo had both grown up under his care. To him, they were like a younger brother and sister.

Likewise, Sabito and Makomo regarded Kurozawa as an older brother and were rather attached to him.

As for Sabito and Makomo, the two of them were both somewhat fond of each other.

As an outsider, Kurozawa saw it exceptionally clearly.

But neither of them had realized it yet, and Kurozawa had not pointed it out. It was better to let things take their natural course.

Still, recently, it seemed a third party had appeared between them. He should be able to serve as a catalyst.

Kurozawa rubbed his chin, finding it amusing.

Life on the mountain was dull and tedious. Watching these adolescent boys and girls was one way to pass the time.

At the mention of Sabito, Makomo's lips immediately drooped. She pouted, then gritted her teeth. "That guy is always with Junior Disciple Giyu now!"

"Honestly, he ignores all those junior brothers and sisters just to teach Giyu."

"Giyu is such a little fool. He's all blank and slow, and he can't learn anything."

"And Sabito too! He's a cold, stone-faced person. I asked him to spar with me over sword forms, and he just refused me outright!"

"..."

Unlike the quiet and calm Makomo from the original story, Makomo had become far more lively and cheerful because Kurozawa was there for her.

Kurozawa pulled out a white rice ball sprinkled with black sesame from who knew where and silently ate it while watching Makomo's little face fill with indignation as she continued complaining about all of Sabito's faults.

After one sesame rice ball went into his stomach, he seemingly conjured another one and continued eating.

The rice balls should have been nearly tasteless, yet Kurozawa ate them with obvious enjoyment.

"Senior Disciple!"

Realizing that Kurozawa was enjoying the spectacle, Makomo widened her eyes and cried out in annoyance.

Kurozawa had just taken out another rice ball. "I haven't eaten yet today. I'm just a little hungry."

Makomo snatched the rice ball from Kurozawa's hand and angrily bit into it.

In a few quick bites, Makomo swallowed the whole thing.

"Forget about them. Hurry up and teach me Total Concentration Breathing. I can do it occasionally, but maintaining Total Concentration anytime and anywhere is just too difficult."

As humanity's core means of survival, Breathing Techniques were divided into several stages.

Total Concentration Breathing was already at the third stage.

Before that came the two ordinary stages: Beginner Breathing Style and Stable Breathing Style.

Total Concentration Breathing was an extremely powerful explosive method.

Kurozawa's expression turned serious. "There's no real way to teach it, because achieving Total Concentration is both simple and difficult."

Makomo tilted her head in confusion. "Simple and difficult?"

Squinting at the bright orange-red ball of fire in the sky, Kurozawa said softly, "Calmness and rationality. Those are the core keys to Total Concentration Breathing."

"As long as you can remain calm and rational at all times, you can use Total Concentration at any time."

Calmness and rationality. Put simply, don't lose your head.

It sounded easy, but actually doing it was not. Especially for beginners. Not to mention the immense pressure and terror of life-and-death situations—even sparring with someone familiar could make them lose their calm and reason due to nervousness.

"Next, I'm going to attack you."

"Don't be afraid. Don't act impulsively. Keep reminding yourself to stay rational."

Before his words had even faded, Kurozawa raised a hand and lunged forward.

An immense pressure instantly enveloped Makomo's entire body.

"Ah? I don't want to fight you, Senior Disciple."

"If you want to master Total Concentration, you have to withstand pressure without losing your calm. Fight properly!" Kurozawa barked, his muscular arm whipping up a howling gust as it shot toward Makomo's fair, slender neck.

I recommend a promising Mutant Beast Genre novel, Hungry Shark: Infinite Evolution.

Dive into the vast blue ocean, with the Infinite Evolution System at your side.

Ordinary sharks: Tiger Shark, Great White Shark, Whale Shark, Megalodon...

Low-level extraordinary sharks: Ice Shark, Daybreak Shark, Electric Shark, Lava Shark, Scarlet Shark...

Mid-level extraordinary sharks: Ghost Shark, Bloodfang Shark, Coldlight Shark, Azurewater Shark, Zombie Shark...

High-level extraordinary sharks: Magic Shark, Mechanical Shark, Atomic Shark, Plague Shark...

Perfect extraordinary sharks: Sharkzilla, Force Field Shark, Dark Shark, Dragon Eater Shark, Sun Shark...

Divine sharks: World Shark, Axis Shark, Chrono Shark, Celestial Shark, Eternal Shark...

Across the Multiverse Planes, only infinite evolution can achieve eternity.

"Whether you're a god or a demon, I'll shark you within three days!"