Departure from Mt. Sagiri

On Mt. Sagiri, Suzuki Mufeng, who had been dozing while sitting cross-legged on a giant boulder, slowly opened his eyes.

"This sharing session has been quite fruitful. Hokage Mufeng provided many ninjutsu, and One Piece Mufeng provided Shave and Iron Body from the Six Powers, which is enough for me to survive in the Demon Slayer World."

He recalled that JoJo Mufeng had also made a suggestion before he left.

"You might want to try Soft & Wet. Since it can even plunder vision, it would be quite reasonable to plunder the hands of the Hand Demon, right?"

Plundering all the hands of the Hand Demon with a single bubble—that remains to be studied, but it is worth a try when the time comes.

Moreover, his Soft & Wet is different from that of Josuke Higashikata; he does not need to fire bubbles from the star on his shoulder, but can release them simply from his fingertips.

The ability of Soft & Wet also has its limitations: one can only release one bubble at a time, and it can only plunder one ability from the opponent.

"Mt. Fujikasane Final Selection—this time, no one will die. I will slay every single demon."

As soon as he finished speaking, Suzuki Mufeng leaped off the giant boulder, which had already been sliced through behind him. The smooth cut showed just how clean and decisive the strike had been.

"With your current strength, Mufeng, you should be able to easily slay even that demon."

"Go for it, Mufeng. Cut off that demon's head and wash away our shame."

Beside Suzuki Mufeng were the souls of the fellow disciples who had participated in the Mt. Fujikasane Final Selection in the past. After he shared the abilities of Mufeng Uchiha, he became able to see the souls of his fellow disciples, and he had received much guidance and help from them over these days.

Some of the children among these souls were only about ten years old—an age that should have been carefree. Because demons destroyed their lives, they were forced to pick up blades and carry the shackles of revenge.

"If I don't bring that demon's head to show you all, I will have no face to return to Mt. Fujikasane for the rest of my life. I will let that demon know that we, the disciples of Sakonji Urokodaki, are not soft persimmons for it to knead at will."

For a demon that has devoured over forty people, he would not let it die so easily. He believed that the genjutsu of the Sharingan would allow it to see true hell.

"Mufeng, you are too lonely; you're talking to the air again."

One look and he knew it was Giyu Tomioka, who never knew how to speak properly. Standing behind him were Giyu Tomioka, Sabito, Makomo, and... why did Master come?

Sakonji Urokodaki's focus, however, was on the sliced boulder. This four-meter-diameter rock was not one he had prepared for Suzuki Mufeng; it was clearly something the boy had found himself.

He sighed inwardly. To be able to slice through a boulder of this magnitude, his strength had already far surpassed that of the strongest, Sabito. Is this your resolve? Even if I wanted to stop them from participating in the Final Selection, it would be impossible now.

He recalled the scene of the first time he saved Suzuki Mufeng—it was late at night, at a mansion in a small town.

His parents had been killed by a demon while shielding Suzuki Mufeng, and Suzuki Mufeng had circled with the demon from the house to the street for over ten minutes before he arrived to save him.

On the empty street, it was no small feat for a powerless ten-year-old child to hold off a demon for over ten minutes. Recognizing his talent, he had taken him on as a disciple.

Regardless of wind or rain, the boy had persisted in his training, yet he had always lagged far behind Sabito and the others. Now that he had finally had his breakthrough and surpassed them, the years of hard work had finally paid off. He felt happy for Suzuki Mufeng.

"Very good, Mufeng. Now I can rest assured and let you all go to participate in the Final Selection."

"Congratulations, Mufeng."

Makomo stepped forward and handed over a fox mask with red sun-like markings on both cheeks.

"This is a Warding Mask I prepared specifically for you all. I hope it can protect you at critical moments."

Makomo stood on tiptoe and personally placed the mask on Suzuki Mufeng, then stepped back a few paces to look him over.

"It really suits you. You look very handsome."

As the four little ones stood in a row, a sense of reluctance welled up in Sakonji Urokodaki's heart.

He did not know why, but the disciples he trained had the highest mortality rate in the Final Selection. For this reason, he had constantly increased the difficulty, but the mortality rate remained high. He had even doubted whether he truly had the ability to teach them well.

"Master, this disciple has a presumptuous request. I hope that after this Final Selection, you can help me write letters of recommendation to the trainers of the other four major breathing styles. I want to try experiencing other breathing styles to create one that is suitable for myself."

Once these words were spoken, no one expected that on the eve of the Final Selection, Suzuki Mufeng would say he wanted to learn other breathing styles.

"Mufeng, can you handle it?"

Sabito gave Giyu Tomioka's forehead a chop with his hand.

"Sorry, Mufeng. What Giyu meant is that mastering one breathing style is already very difficult. Wouldn't practicing others just be a waste of your own mental energy? It would be time-consuming and laborious, and the losses would outweigh the gains."

"Sabito is right, Mufeng. Practicing multiple breathing styles is exhausting and taxing. A person's energy is limited; it is best to focus on one breathing style."

"Master, my mind is made up. I hope Master will grant my request."

Suzuki Mufeng knew this, but he also considered that the versions of himself from other worlds had helped him so much, and he had to pay them back.

Furthermore, he could feel that Water Breathing was indeed not suitable for him. He wanted to collect all the breathing styles to find or create one that suited him. This was not only for the thousands of Mufengs, but also for himself.

"Since you are so insistent, I will not refuse. But let me see your level of mastery in Water Breathing. If you earn my approval, you may practice whichever breathing style you wish. Do not let your talent go to waste."

Sakonji Urokodaki drew the sword from Sabito's waist. He knew that Master was serious; he wanted to make him retreat in the face of difficulty.

"Please advise me, Master."

Since coming up the mountain, he had never fought his Master. After sharing the abilities, all his indicators had been greatly improved, and sparring with Sabito and the others no longer served much purpose. For the first time in a long while, his blood began to boil.

"Total Concentration—Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Piercing Rain Drop!"

Sakonji Urokodaki lunged in a straight line. Suzuki Mufeng had anticipated this.

"Total Concentration—Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance."

Suzuki Mufeng moved like a child dancing and playing in the rain. He turned sideways, and the blade grazed the left side of his waist and abdomen. He had no intention of dragging this out from the start. Against an opponent with far more combat experience than himself, the best way was to win in a single strike!

"Total Concentration—Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux."

In the blink of an eye, Suzuki Mufeng spun rapidly. At a speed of nearly three strikes per second, he hit the blade held by Sakonji Urokodaki. The sound of metal clashing lasted only a few seconds before a crack—the sound of a blade breaking echoed throughout the area.

Master's blade had been snapped in two by Suzuki Mufeng!

"Giyu, Makomo, did you see Mufeng's movements clearly?"

"It was too fast to see anything at all."

"I only saw a spinning top."

Let alone them, even Sakonji Urokodaki couldn't decipher this move from Suzuki Mufeng; the speed seemed to defy all logic.

Suzuki Mufeng drove his blade into the ground, spinning several times before being flung outward, barely managing to come to a halt. His calves twitched slightly from the uncontrollable rotation, yet he was incredibly excited. His hypothesis had been correct.

By utilizing the Tenth Form to adjust his stance and simultaneously having Soft & Wet strip away the friction, his speed had instantly surged by several tiers. It was fortunate that his sense of balance was exceptional; otherwise, he would have lost control and tumbled.

"Do not attempt such dangerous maneuvers lightly; you will make us worry."

Sakonji Urokodaki tapped Suzuki Mufeng on the head as a reminder.

To avoid the impending lecture, Suzuki Mufeng agreed readily.

"Congratulations, Mufeng."

"You've worked so hard."

"Even Master is no match for you now."

They never expected Suzuki Mufeng to be able to defeat Master from the start, so this truly came as a massive surprise to them. They were genuinely happy for him from the bottom of their hearts. Although they shared no blood relation, they treated each other as the most important people in their lives—closer than family. Who wouldn't want their own kin to succeed?

"Mufeng, good, very good. I will write you a recommendation letter, but you will only have one month for each breathing style. If you cannot master them, then give up."

"Yes, Master."

Sakonji Urokodaki patted Suzuki Mufeng's head with gratification, looking every bit like an old man pleased to see his protégé finally come of age.

"For the sake of tomorrow's Final Selection, everyone must rest well. I am heading down the mountain to buy some ingredients. I'll make a feast tonight; everyone must be in peak condition."

"Master, I'll go with you."

"I'll go chop some firewood."

"Then, I'll go tidy up the house."

Watching the harmonious group, Suzuki Mufeng made a firm resolution. He would never let demons destroy this hard-won warmth, and he would never let them take anything away ever again.

"I'll stay here in the house and have the soup simmering, waiting for you all."