The Kocho Sisters

In a small room in the Rengoku home, Suzuki Mufeng slowly opened his eyes as he lay in bed. Flower Hashira Kanae Kocho immediately leaned closer and asked with concern,

"You're finally awake. Is anything still bothering you?"

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Kanae Kocho's stunning face. Even her breathing sounded so clear.

"I'm fine. What about everyone else in the village? They were all rescued, right?"

"Mm. Thanks to you. If you hadn't treated them beforehand, there might not have been anyone left in the village. Please let me express my sincere gratitude for all you did."

Kanae Kocho thanked Suzuki Mufeng solemnly on behalf of everyone in the village.

"A healer's heart is compassionate. In that situation, no one would have stood by and done nothing. I only did what anyone would have done."

Grrr—

Suzuki Mufeng's stomach suddenly growled beneath the covers. Kanae Kocho covered her mouth and chuckled, then brought out a bowl of plain congee from behind her.

"I didn't think this through. I forgot you've only just woken up and haven't recovered your strength yet. Have some first, to regain a little strength."

After thanking her, Suzuki Mufeng took the bowl and sipped the congee. He had barely started eating when the bedroom door swung open!

" Mufeng! You're finally awake! I was so worried about you!"

"Flame Hashira, the poison in your body hasn't been completely eradicated yet. Please return to your room and rest."

As soon as he heard that Suzuki Mufeng had woken up, Kyojuro Rengoku had hurried over to see the young man who had intercepted the fleeing Lower Rank Six and saved an entire village.

"Mm, you can still eat! Good. You need strength, so make sure you eat your fill."

Kyojuro Rengoku stood with his arms crossed, his face solemn with concern. It was impossible to tell what he was feeling.

"Mr. Rengoku, if you keep pushing yourself, your body will take even longer to recover."

As she spoke, Shinobu Kocho, standing beside him, surreptitiously poked the wound at Kyojuro Rengoku's waist. His usually bright, cheerful expression turned pale, and his clenched lips trembled.

Suzuki Mufeng couldn't help feeling relieved. Thank goodness Kanae Kocho is taking care of me, not Shinobu Kocho, that sadist. Otherwise, I'd be in for it.

"Since Mr. Suzuki is awake, could you tell us what method you used to treat those villagers?

"Mr. Rengoku said it was Onmyodo, but the technique looked more like something that came from the West. Could you explain it to us?"

Here it came—the relentless questioning Suzuki Mufeng had dreaded most.

"Shinobu, Mufeng has only just woken up, and he's still injured. He needs to rest."

"But, Sister, you saw it too. His treatment was better than ours, and the villagers had no aftereffects. If he has an antidote, he could cure everyone in the village by himself.

"If we could all learn it, the Demon Slayer Corps' casualties would drop dramatically."

Not a single villager treated by Suzuki Mufeng had died. When they arrived and examined the patients, they had been astonished by his methods. They could never have treated them as well as he had, and quite a few villagers would likely have died by accident.

"These are some techniques my family bought from someone else. I understand why you're so eager to know, Miss Shinobu. I'll organize what I know into a book. I guarantee it'll open your eyes."

Suzuki Mufeng left them hanging. After all, what he had in his head was the essence of medical treatment from the Naruto world, more than enough for the Demon Slayer World as it currently stood.

"Senior Rengoku, we can start training in Flame Breathing once your wounds have healed."

"What spirit, Mufeng! There's no need to wait. Let's start right now!"

"No, Mr. Rengoku. Didn't I tell you that your injuries haven't healed yet? You can't do any strenuous exercise."

"I understand! Mufeng, although I can't teach you right now, my family has records and manuals on training in Flame Breathing. You can look through them first."

Suzuki Mufeng was a little surprised. Shouldn't such manuals be family heirlooms, kept hidden away and rarely shown to others?

Kyojuro Rengoku had offered him the experience compiled by generations of his ancestors without hesitation. It was a sign of how much he trusted Suzuki Mufeng.

"Mufeng, remember to balance work with rest. Senior Urokodaki is very worried about you. Write a few letters to let them know you're safe."

Kanae Kocho's reminder made Suzuki Mufeng realize that he had been away for so long without writing a single letter to Urokodaki or Sabito.

"Thank you for the reminder, Miss Kocho. It really has been a long time since I spoke with Grandpa Urokodaki and the others. I'll write a letter to Grandpa Kuwajima and Zenitsu too."

"Just call me Kanae. We won't disturb you while you recover. We'll be going now."

As soon as she finished speaking, Kanae Kocho took Shinobu Kocho by the arm and left, leaving Suzuki Mufeng alone. He sat up and started writing down the medical knowledge in his head. He still needed to think about what to write in his letters.

In the hallway, Shinobu Kocho complained to her sister, Kanae Kocho, with some displeasure.

"Sister, why are you so gentle with Suzuki? Tell me the truth. Do you have a thing for him?"

Shinobu Kocho eyed Kanae Kocho suspiciously, leaning close to her face as though she could spot a clue in her expression.

"What are you talking about, Shinobu? I'm just curious about him. All the villagers he treated have been full of praise for him. You can tell from how he treated their wounds that he's a gentle person. That's why I wanted to get to know him better. He really is just as I imagined."

As Kanae Kocho spoke, she interlaced her fingers, a gentle smile appearing on her face.

Seeing this, Shinobu Kocho was sure her sister was interested in Suzuki Mufeng. And when a woman was interested in a man, it meant she wasn't far from falling for him. She had read all about it in books.

No way. I'll have to keep a close eye on Sister from now on. I can't let Suzuki Mufeng, that pig, trample my sister, this lovely cabbage.

As the Kocho sisters left, Senjuro Rengoku pushed open the door and came in carrying books taller than he was.

"Mr. Suzuki, these are the manuals on Flame Breathing from my family. My brother said you can look through them as you please."

"Thanks, Senjuro. Just leave them here. Don't worry about me; go do what you need to."

After Senjuro Rengoku left, Suzuki Mufeng put down his pen. He had nearly finished writing down the medical knowledge, and he'd finished the letters too. He could have his Kasugai Crow deliver them later.

"Next, I'll look through the Flame Breathing manuals. Hopefully, I'll find some clues to help me create my own Breathing Style."

Suzuki Mufeng activated his Sharingan and began studying Flame Breathing from the first page: its forms, breathing methods, history, and the experience of every member of the Rengoku Family who had used it. He learned a great deal from it all.

"Light, I think I understand what kind of Breathing Style I should create. Light Breathing—it's the same color as my Nichirin Sword."

The Sharingan helped him absorb all the knowledge accumulated throughout the Rengoku Family's long history. After several days of training and reflecting on his battles, Suzuki Mufeng had found his direction. He had a goal now: once he finished training in Flame Breathing, he would visit the Kamado Family and learn from Hinokami Kagura.

"Now that I've found my direction, I need to lay a solid foundation. I have to be extremely careful with the First Form. How could I pass up the strongest Breathing Style, Sun Breathing? After all, sunlight is light too."

Now that he had a direction, Suzuki Mufeng felt immensely relieved. He was already eager to see how far he could go once he created his own Breathing Style.