Snow-White Blade

Perhaps because he saw hope of catching up to Yoriichi, or perhaps because of Yuko's brave sword swing in the mountains, Kokushibo's attitude toward his younger sister improved considerably.

Kokushibo tilted his head. "Did I ever say I wouldn't teach you?"

Yuko's face lit up. "I knew my big brother was reliable."

"Heh."

After mastering Sun Breathing, Yuko began following Kokushibo in training Moon Breathing.

Moon Breathing had evolved from Sun Breathing and was a derivative of it. Yet it was even more powerful than the Five Great Breathing Styles, and, together with Sun Breathing, was known as one of the First Breathing Styles.

Even though many people believed Moon Breathing was completely unworthy of that title.

Although Moon Breathing was not as difficult to train in as Sun Breathing, it still shut ordinary people out.

Fortunately, Yuko was not one of them.

With personal instruction from the founder of Moon Breathing, Yuko progressed rapidly and soon mastered it.

But...

Kokushibo shook his head after watching Yuko complete a set of Moon Breathing Sword Style techniques. "You aren't suited to Moon Breathing."

"Whew~"

Yuko slowed her breathing and sheathed her katana without arguing with Kokushibo.

She understood her own situation best. She truly was not suited to Moon Breathing.

It wasn't that she couldn't use it. It was simply that, in terms of potential, she could never reach the pinnacle of the art as Kokushibo had.

Just as, despite both using Water Breathing, Tanjiro's talent was inferior to Tomioka Giyu's.

What suited her was what was best for her.

"Instead of stubbornly forcing yourself to train in Moon Breathing, you might have better luck developing your Star Breathing."

"I have nothing left to teach you."

Yuko was speechless.

Star Breathing?

She hadn't even created the folder yet!

"Brother, Yuko."

At that moment, Yoriichi approached them with two Nichirin Blades wrapped in white cloth.

"Your Nichirin Blades are finished."

Unlike later generations, which required people to master a Breathing Technique and pass a trial before they could become members of the Demon Slayer Corps,

the Demon Slayer Corps of this era had relied on pure swordsmanship to hack off demons' heads with Nichirin Blades before Yoriichi arrived.

The casualty rate had been extremely severe.

As a result, the Demon Slayer Corps had always been desperately short-handed.

Things were much better now, but overall, they were still lacking manpower.

Anyone who learned a Breathing Technique could take the field and kill demons. There was no rule yet requiring them to pass a trial to select elites, as in later generations.

"Are they finally finished?" Kokushibo eagerly picked up his Nichirin Blade.

He drew the blade, and the sword's body visibly turned a pale purple.

Yoriichi praised it. "What a unique color. The Demon Slayer Corps has never had a Nichirin Blade of this color."

Yuko also picked up her Nichirin Blade curiously.

She had not made many demands regarding its design. The guard, hilt, and scabbard were all quite plain.

Clang!

The Nichirin Blade slid from its sheath, and Yuko waited expectantly for its color to change.

The sound of the blade being drawn attracted the attention of her two brothers.

A pure white color slowly climbed toward the tip of the blade.

It was the color of snow.

It seemed as if faint snowflakes drifted through Yoriichi's eyes. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he praised it. "What a beautiful color. It's practically white snow."

"Indeed."

Even Kokushibo, the jealous one, unusually voiced his agreement.

"A Nichirin Blade of such pure white has never..." Yoriichi paused and tilted his head, looking at Yuko with puzzlement.

Yuko held the blade level, pressed her left hand against her right wrist, and shouted, "Bankai! White Mist!"

Kokushibo, Yoriichi: "..."

Whoosh, whoosh...

A gust of wind swept past.

Yuko coughed dryly and gave an awkward smile. "Just kidding."

The moment she saw the Nichirin Blade's color, Yuko understood.

So that was it.

Yoriichi's Nichirin Blade was black, while hers was white. Their colors were complete opposites. No wonder she had no talent for Sun Breathing.

Yoriichi had been frozen by Yuko's inexplicable actions for two seconds before coming back to himself. "I think a pure white blade should be more compatible with Water Breathing or Wind Breathing."

Yuko nodded lightly. She thought so too.

Yoriichi himself was the founder of the Breathing Technique, so it made sense to ask him for guidance on the Five Great Breathing Styles. Unfortunately, Yoriichi was often away on missions and could not teach her continuously.

Yuko had no choice but to visit the contemporary Hashira.

After creating Moon Breathing, the exceptionally talented Kokushibo had also quickly become a pillar of the Corps, rapidly rising to become the Demon Slayer Corps' second-strongest warrior after Yoriichi.

Only Yuko was still searching for a Breathing Technique suited to her.

Sun Breathing could be called the culmination of everything, but unfortunately, Yuko could not use it. Forcing the Breathing Technique was not impossible, but her body would be the first to give out.

Although she could use Moon Breathing, its compatibility with her was still somewhat lacking.

After becoming a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, Yuko inevitably began receiving missions outside the headquarters.

Fortunately, demons at this stage were mostly not as powerful as those of later generations, and the Twelve Kizuki had not yet been established.

As long as she did not run into the bastard boss, Yuko could still protect herself.

In her spare time, she visited the swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps who used the five great Breathing Styles: Water, Flame, Thunder, Wind, and Stone.

She visited them in the order of her personal preference.

Originally, Flame Breathing should have been her third stop. As the Breathing Technique whose visual effects most closely resembled Sun Breathing, it was her favorite compared with the others.

But judging from the color of her blade, she might be better suited to Water Breathing, so she pushed her study of Flame Breathing back.

Because of its characteristics, most users of Stone Breathing wielded large, two-handed weapons. Yuko could not use them, so she only learned the Breathing Technique and gained a basic understanding of its Sword Style.

Unexpectedly, Yuko displayed considerable talent while learning all five of the Great Breathing Styles. For the first time, she felt that she had not been pushed aside by the two brothers.

She, Tsugikuni Yuko,

was a born genius!

Of course, this was also partly because the Sword Styles of the various Breathing Techniques had not yet been perfected.

Compared with the later generations, where Sword Styles casually reached the Ninth Form or even the Tenth Form, the five great Breathing Styles of this era had only a handful of forms each.

Yuko had decent compatibility with all five of the Great Breathing Styles, but if she had to rank them, Water Breathing and Wind Breathing were still the best.

Yuko focused her training on those two Breathing Techniques.

By the time she mastered the five Great Breathing Styles, two years had passed.

That year, Yuko was twenty, while the Tsugikuni brothers were twenty-one.

Yoriichi and Kokushibo had already firmly established themselves as the two strongest members of the Demon Slayer Corps and frequently went out on missions.

After deeply analyzing the principles behind the Breathing Techniques, Yuko began trying to merge Water and Wind Breathing to create a Breathing Technique of her own.

One day, Yuko was adjusting her breathing beneath the veranda.

A clear female voice suddenly rang out. "Yuko! A demon has appeared in the mountains to the west. Please go and exterminate it at once."

Yuko looked up.

The Kasugai Crow circling in the sky was named Suzume. It had been assigned to Yuko after she became a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.

After receiving the mission notification, Yuko put away her Nichirin Blade, gathered her things, and set out.