The Snow-White Blade

Perhaps it was the hope of catching up to Yoriichi, or perhaps it was Yuko's brave sword swing in the mountains, but Kokushibo's attitude towards his sister improved greatly.

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

Yuko's face lit up. "I knew you were reliable, Big Brother."

"Heh heh."

After cultivating Sun Breathing, Yuko began training in Moon Breathing under Kokushibo.

Moon Breathing was derived from Sun Breathing, a branch of it, but it was more powerful than the other five major Breathing Styles and was, along with Sun Breathing, referred to as the "Origin Breathing."

Even though many believed Moon Breathing didn't deserve that title.

While the difficulty of cultivating Moon Breathing was less than that of Sun Breathing, it still kept ordinary people out.

Fortunately, Yuko was not among them.

Under the direct tutelage of the founder of Moon Breathing, Yuko's progress was rapid, and she quickly mastered it.

However...

Watching Yuko complete a set of Moon Breathing forms, Kokushibo shook his head and said, "You aren't suited for Moon Breathing."

"Hoo~"

Slowing her breathing, Yuko sheathed her katana, not refuting Kokushibo.

She knew her own situation best; she truly wasn't suited for Moon Breathing.

It wasn't that she couldn't use it, but in terms of her potential ceiling, she would never reach the peak of mastery that Kokushibo had.

It was like how, even though they both used Water Breathing, Tanjiro's talent wasn't as great as Tomioka Giyu's.

What suited you was the best.

"Instead of stubbornly sticking to Moon Breathing, perhaps focusing on your Star Breathing would be more promising."

"I have nothing more to teach you."

Yuko's forehead broke out in black lines.

Star Breathing?

She hadn't even created a folder for it yet!

"Brother, Yuko."

At that moment, Yoriichi arrived before them, carrying two Nichirin Blades wrapped in white cloth.

"Your Nichirin Blades have been completed."

Compared to later generations, where one had to pass a trial using a Breathing Style to become a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.

In this era, before Yoriichi's arrival, the Demon Slayer Corps members used pure swordsmanship with their Nichirin Blades to forcefully decapitate demons.

The casualty rate was extremely high.

Therefore, the Demon Slayer Corps was always short-handed.

While it had improved somewhat now, overall, they were still lacking in personnel.

Anyone who learned a Breathing Style could go out and slay demons, unlike the later rule of selecting elites through trials.

"They're finally ready?" Kokushibo eagerly picked up his own Nichirin Blade.

He drew the blade, and the metal visibly turned a light purple.

Yoriichi praised, "What a special color. There hasn't been a Nichirin Blade of this color in the Demon Slayer Corps before."

Yuko also curiously picked up her own Nichirin Blade.

She hadn't made many requests regarding the style of the Nichirin Blade; the tsuba, hilt, and even the saya were very simple.

Clang!

The Nichirin Blade was drawn from its saya. Yuko eagerly awaited the blade's color change.

The sound of drawing the sword attracted the attention of her two brothers.

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

It was a color like snow.

Yoriichi's eyes seemed to drift with faint snowflakes. A slight smile touched his lips as he praised, "What a beautiful color, just like fresh snow."

"Indeed."

Kokushibo, the jealous one, even offered rare agreement.

"A Nichirin Blade of this purity of white has never..." Yoriichi paused, tilted his head, and looked at Yuko with a hint of confusion.

Yuko held her sword level, placed her left hand on her right wrist, and shouted, "Bankai! White Haze Punishment!"

Kokushibo, Yoriichi: "..."

Whoosh...

A gust of wind blew by.

Yuko coughed dryly and gave a sheepish smile. "Just kidding."

The moment she saw the color of her Nichirin Blade, Yuko understood.

So that's how it is.

Yoriichi's Nichirin Blade was black, and hers was white—completely opposite colors. No wonder she didn't have a talent for Sun Breathing.

Yoriichi, who had been stunned into inaction by Yuko's inexplicable actions for two seconds, snapped back to reality and said, "A pure white blade… I think it would be more compatible with Water Breathing or Wind Breathing."

Yuko nodded lightly. She thought so too.

Yoriichi himself was the founder of the breathing styles, so seeking his guidance for the five major breathing styles would have been fine, but unfortunately, Yoriichi was often away on missions and couldn't teach her all the time.

Yuko had no choice but to visit the current Pillars.

After Kokushibo, with his extraordinary talent, created Moon Breathing, he quickly became a Pillar within the corps, rapidly becoming the second strongest individual in the Demon Slayer Corps after Yoriichi.

Only Yuko was still searching for a breathing style that suited her.

Sun Breathing was considered the pinnacle, but unfortunately, Yuko couldn't use it. It wasn't impossible to force herself to use the breathing style, but her body would give out first.

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

After becoming a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, Yuko inevitably received missions that required her to go out.

Fortunately, during this period, demons were not as powerful as they would be in later generations, and the Twelve Kizuki had not even been formed yet.

As long as she didn't run into the "scum boss," Yuko had the ability to protect herself.

In her spare time, she visited swordsmen from the Demon Slayer Corps who used Water, Flame, Lightning, Wind, and Rock breathing styles.

The order was based on her personal preference.

Originally, Flame Breathing was supposed to be her third stop. As the breathing style whose effects were closest to Sun Breathing, she was more fond of it than others.

However, judging by the color of her blade, she might be more compatible with Water Breathing, so she pushed back her study of Flame Breathing.

Regarding Rock Breathing, due to its characteristics, its users mostly wielded two-handed heavy weapons. Yuko couldn't use such weapons, so she only learned the breathing style itself, with only a superficial understanding of the sword forms.

Unexpectedly, Yuko displayed considerable talent in learning all five major breathing styles. This was the first time she felt she wasn't being ostracized by the brothers.

She! Tsugikuni Yuko!

A natural prodigy!

Of course, the fact that the sword forms for each breathing style were not yet fully developed also played a part.

Compared to later generations where breathing styles often had nine or ten forms, the current five major breathing styles each had only a handful of techniques.

Yuko's compatibility with all five major breathing styles was good, but if she had to pick, Water Breathing and Wind Breathing were still superior.

Yuko focused her training on these two breathing styles.

By the time she had mastered the five major breathing styles, two years had passed.

This year, Yuko was twenty years old, and the Tsugikuni brothers were twenty-one.

Yoriichi and Kokushibo had solidified their titles as the two strongest in the Demon Slayer Corps and were often out on missions.

Yuko, who had been deeply analyzing the principles of breathing styles, began to attempt to fuse Water and Wind Breathing to create her own.

One day, Yuko was adjusting her breathing in the corridor.

A crisp female voice suddenly rang out, "Yuko! There's a demon appearing in the western mountains. Please go and defeat it as soon as possible."

Yuko looked up.

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

Upon receiving the mission notification, Yuko put away her Nichirin Blade, packed her belongings, and set off.