Rumble Hashira Kuwajima Jigoro

After listening to the report on the battle, Ubuyashiki Kagaya rose to his feet, clenched his fist, and said excitedly:

"Another one! A powerful swordsman who can slay demons!"

The Kakushi member nodded, then continued:

"Yes, Master. According to Inoue Shogo, a Mizunoto-ranked member, this swordsman apparently didn't know any Breathing Style at first."

"He used only his own extraordinary swordsmanship to briefly suppress Lower Moon Two of the Twelve Kizuki, who hadn't used his Blood Demon Art."

"After that, he drew the demon away from the town all by himself."

"Then, after seeing one of our members use Water Breathing once,"

"the swordsman used Water Breathing as well, and with it, cut off the demon's head!"

After hearing the detailed report, Ubuyashiki Kagaya couldn't help praising him:

"What a powerful and kind-hearted swordsman!"

"I hope I can meet this gentleman as soon as possible."

Ubuyashiki Kagaya didn't mind in the slightest that this powerful swordsman had learned the Demon Slayer Corps' Breathing Style.

Hearing this, the Kakushi member immediately asked:

"Master, should we invite this swordsman here?"

"He's at the Wisteria House in Dongchang Town right now, and the Rumble Hashira is there too."

Ubuyashiki Kagaya smiled and shook his head, then said gently:

"How could I make a swordsman who's just fought a demon travel all this way to meet me?"

"Have a Kasugai Crow deliver a message, and make sure he's well looked after. I'll go to Dongchang Town as soon as I can to pay him a visit!"

Ubuyashiki Kagaya's health wasn't yet so poor at this point. The Kakushi member thought it over and said nothing more, turning to leave and deliver the message.

Early morning, at the Wisteria House in Dongchang Town.

Tachibana's goal from the start had been to join the Demon Slayer Corps and learn a Breathing Style.

After finally finding the Demon Slayer Corps last night, Tachibana certainly wasn't going to leave.

As for Peace Town, Tachibana didn't have any important belongings there—just a few old clothes. He'd consider them a gift to that skinflint boss, Inoue Shogo!

Tachibana had no intention of saying goodbye to him.

At this point, Kujo Tachibana had spent the night here with the Demon Slayer Corps members.

Around five in the morning, Tachibana woke early, washed up, then took his sword into the dark courtyard.

The body clock Tachibana had developed over nearly ten years hadn't been thrown off by last night's fierce battle.

Even with several layers of bandages wrapped around his chest, he still had no intention of skipping his morning training.

He'd gotten up early to keep honing his swordsmanship.

A little over half an hour later,

Kuwajima Jigoro, drawn by the sound of the sword being swung, arrived with his Nichirin Sword in hand.

Seeing Kujo Tachibana training despite being wrapped in bandages, Kuwajima Jigoro admired his dedication, but couldn't help speaking up:

"Lad! You can't rush your sword training!"

"You'll ruin your body training like that!"

Tachibana swung his sword toward the rising sun, shook his dew-soaked black hair, and casually wiped the sweat from his brow. Then he gave a hearty smile.

"Thank you for the warning, sir, but these injuries aren't enough to affect me for now."

He wasn't just saying that to put on a brave front. It really was the case.

After recalling how to enter the Supreme Territory and Transparent World during last night's battle,

Tachibana had understood that his six powerful senses allowed him to control his muscles and blood vessels at will.

The human body had 639 muscles and six billion muscle fibers, after all!

Every time Tachibana swung his sword now, he deliberately controlled his movements so he didn't use the muscle groups connected to his injured areas.

In other words, the injured parts of his body were still resting.

He was only training the muscles in other parts of his body.

Although he couldn't swing with all his strength, this wouldn't hinder his recovery.

And that wasn't all. By controlling the blood vessels around his injuries, Tachibana could also adjust blood flow to speed up the healing of his bones.

Kuwajima Jigoro furrowed his brows. He took Tachibana's behavior for the recklessness and stubbornness of a young man!

But the old man wasn't particularly good at talking people around.

If Tachibana insisted on being hardheaded, the old man didn't mind getting in some training before breakfast!

"Fine. If that's what you say, lad, then I'll spar with you!"

Without waiting for Tachibana to say anything, Kuwajima Jigoro drew his Nichirin Sword and shot toward Kujo Tachibana in the courtyard like lightning.

"Lad! Here I come!" After warning Kujo Tachibana, Kuwajima Jigoro swung his sword at Tachibana's chest.

Facing the incoming slash, Kujo Tachibana didn't dare let his guard down. Kuwajima Jigoro had already lost a leg,

but as the inheritor of Thunder Breathing and the former Rumble Hashira,

Kuwajima Jigoro's combat experience and swordsmanship were not to be underestimated.

Besides, the boost to his physical abilities from maintaining "Total Concentration Breathing: Total Concentration" for decades was also immense.

If he hadn't lost a leg, and his body hadn't begun to age naturally,

Tachibana didn't think he'd stand a chance.

The Kuwajima Jigoro of today was nothing like the one from eight or nine years later, at the start of the main story...

If you were reborn as Kuwajima Jigoro's student, then surrendered out of fear of dying in a fight with a demon, betrayed the Demon Slayer Corps, and became Upper Rank Six,

Tachibana was sure the old man Kuwajima Jigoro wouldn't commit seppuku first.

He'd hunt you to the ends of the earth!

He wouldn't commit seppuku until he'd personally scattered your ashes.

Because the man had the strength to do it now.

That brings us to the stages of training in a Breathing Style.

Breathing Styles were techniques developed by Tsugikuni Yoriichi to give humans the strength to fight demons.

At the basic stage, learning a Breathing Style could temporarily increase one's physical abilities, allowing an ordinary person to slay demons.

Most Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who learned a Breathing Style remained at this level.

Of course, this was comparable to "internal martial arts," while a swordsman's sword techniques were like "external martial arts."

Generally speaking, once a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman had learned the basics of a Breathing Style and mastered a few sword techniques, they could slay ordinary demons.

The second stage was Total Concentration Breathing: Total Concentration!

At this level, a swordsman had to maintain the Breathing Style around the clock, twenty-four hours a day—even while asleep.

After mastering it and gradually adapting to this way of breathing, the swordsman's basic physical abilities would increase tremendously.

And by maintaining the Breathing Style year after year, they could continue to slowly strengthen their physical abilities.

Mastering "Total Concentration Breathing: Total Concentration" was the bare minimum required to approach Hashira-level strength!

Once a swordsman had mastered "Total Concentration Breathing: Total Concentration," they could combine it with advanced sword techniques suited to their Breathing Style.

At that point, the swordsman's strength would be comparable to a Hashira. They could slay Lower Rank Demons and fight Upper Rank Four, Five, and Six.

Of course, a great many factors determined the exact level of combat ability, such as the swordsman's physical condition, mastery of sword techniques, and battle experience.

This was only a rough classification.