Against Kyojuro Rengoku

After a week of recuperation, everyone was back in peak condition, both physically and mentally.

"Hey! You're full of energy! Mufeng, you're up so early to practice your Breathing Style. I guess I'm still not working hard enough!"

It was around four in the morning, and the sun had yet to rise. Suzuki Mufeng was already in the courtyard, practicing Water Breathing, which he hadn't used in a long time.

"Senior Rengoku, after lying in bed for so long, it took a while for my body to recover. I couldn't sleep anyway, so I came out to practice."

"Just call me Kyojuro, Mufeng. In that case, let's start your Flame Breathing training right now!"

Kyojuro Rengoku drew his Nichirin Sword, eager to teach Suzuki Mufeng Flame Breathing. The best way to teach it was through actual combat: sensing the other person's breathing and experiencing Flame Breathing firsthand would help him improve the fastest.

"Please guide me, Kyojuro. Come at me with everything you've got!"

Suzuki Mufeng took his stance. Kyojuro Rengoku drew his sword and took a deep breath. To Suzuki Mufeng's senses, a faint fighting spirit began to burn around him.

While reading the Rengoku Family's secret manual over the past week, Suzuki Mufeng had found clear references to fighting spirit. After studying it, he'd learned how to sense its hazy presence.

"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!"

Like a fiercely aggressive blaze, Kyojuro Rengoku drew his sword and slashed horizontally at Suzuki Mufeng. The oncoming heat wave nearly set Mufeng's hair alight.

"Total Concentration—Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin."

Suzuki Mufeng raised his Nichirin Sword, then leaped lightly and brought it crashing down. Water wrapped around the blade as he struck, like a raging waterfall plunging over a cliff.

Clang—

The heavy blow crashed against his blade. Drawing on his wealth of combat experience, Kyojuro Rengoku used the force of Waterfall Basin against itself, redirecting its power to neutralize the attack.

"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"

Kyojuro Rengoku gripped his sword and swung it upward in an arc. His movement was so fast that Suzuki Mufeng had no choice but to activate his Sharingan to follow it.

"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"

The Sharingan's incredible visual acuity caught the opening Kyojuro Rengoku had exposed. With Flowing Dance's rapid movement, Suzuki Mufeng left behind an afterimage and retreated again and again.

Looking closer, his clothes had already been slashed open from the bottom up. The movement had been too fast. Even though he'd reacted and dodged immediately, his clothes had still been torn clean in two.

After taking off his clothes, Suzuki Mufeng stood bare-chested, still pondering. Flame Breathing's point of force was much like Thunder Breathing's. The difference was that Flame Breathing concentrated its strength in the lower body, while Thunder Breathing relied on the leg muscles. Its movements were broad and sweeping, covering a wide area.

"Flame Breathing, Third Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"

As he spoke, Kyojuro Rengoku stepped forward, sending waves of air rippling outward. He raised his Nichirin Sword high overhead and brought it crashing down. Flames roared along the blade, and the attack was stronger than anything he'd used so far!

"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"

Suzuki Mufeng opened with his strongest technique, Tenth Form: Constant Flux. He gripped his Nichirin Sword and spun, his physical abilities having improved by leaps and bounds after days of training.

He'd barely begun, yet he'd already spun five times, stacking the force of each rotation before crashing into the blade Kyojuro Rengoku swung down. Even with all five layers of force behind it, he could only just barely block Flame Breathing's Third Form: Blooming Flame Undulation.

Suzuki Mufeng was knocked back. He staggered more than ten steps before managing to regain his footing.

"Mm, mm, Mufeng, you're strong! Now, give it everything you've got and attack me! This is the last Flame Breathing form I know."

As soon as Kyojuro spoke, Suzuki Mufeng sheathed his sword and crouched low, placing both hands on the scabbard and hilt. He took a deep breath and brought his spirit, energy, and focus to their utmost limits.

This was a rare chance to fight a powerful opponent. He had to give it his all to push himself as far as possible.

"Total Concentration—Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"

He was fast—so fast that even Kyojuro Rengoku couldn't follow him. If he couldn't see Suzuki Mufeng, he'd have to sense him instead. He would catch Mufeng's presence, then counter in an instant!

"Total Concentration—Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"

As if he'd anticipated it, Kyojuro Rengoku was already waiting in the direction Suzuki Mufeng charged. A vortex of fiery slashes appeared, surrounding him in a great swirl of flames as he took a defensive stance. Suzuki Mufeng's lightning-fast slash was forcibly deflected.

"What an exhilarating battle! Mufeng, what do you think? Did you learn anything?"

Kyojuro Rengoku's forehead was covered in sweat. The battle had put him under considerable pressure too. As expected, Flame Breathing wasn't powerful enough with only four forms. He needed to learn the remaining forms as well. He'd stay up tonight and study those guidebooks.

"Kyojuro, do you only know these four forms? I could demonstrate the Fifth and Seventh Forms I've imagined, as a reference for you."

Having read the original story, Suzuki Mufeng knew that after Shinjuro Rengoku had become despondent, he'd stopped teaching Kyojuro Rengoku and Senjuro Rengoku. Kyojuro must have figured out all four forms himself, which was impressive enough.

The books Senjuro Rengoku had brought included the Fifth and Seventh Forms, but not the Sixth. So Mufeng could only demonstrate the Fifth and Seventh Forms.

In front of Kyojuro Rengoku, Suzuki Mufeng demonstrated Flame Breathing from the First Form, Unknowing Fire, all the way to the Seventh Form, Rengoku, skipping the Sixth.

"That was incredible, Mufeng! I can't believe you mastered them so perfectly after seeing them just once. And your demonstration gave me some ideas. Thank you, Mufeng!"

Kyojuro Rengoku excitedly threw an arm around Suzuki Mufeng's shoulders. His enthusiasm was infectious, and they were both genuinely happy for each other, smiling brightly.

"You brats are making such a racket this early in the morning. What's the point of working so hard? It's all meaningless anyway. You're all useless, without a shred of value."

With his hair a tangled mess and a bottle of liquor in hand, Shinjuro Rengoku kept pouring it into his mouth, as though only that could help him escape the reality he refused to face.

"Good morning, Father. Drinking this early is bad for your health. Please stop."

"Hmph, what a bore. You have no talent, so you'd better give up already. Demon slaying... what's the point?"

After venting his frustration, Shinjuro Rengoku turned to leave.

"Does having no talent mean we should give up, do nothing, and just stand by while demons slaughter us? I believe that a single spark can start a prairie fire. As long as we keep trying, we'll find hope!"

"Hope? What a laugh. What do you know, you ignorant fool?"

"So you've given up on yourself just because Flame Breathing is an inferior imitation of Sun Breathing? Are you really going to deny all the experience your family has accumulated with Flame Breathing, and all its achievements in slaying demons?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Shinjuro Rengoku suddenly darted in front of Suzuki Mufeng and reached to slap him across the face. But Mufeng reacted in time and caught his wrist first.

"Where did you learn about Sun Breathing?!"