Setting Out from Mt. Sagiri

On Mt. Sagiri, Suzuki Mufeng slowly opened his eyes as he sat cross-legged on a boulder, pretending to nap.

"This time, sharing abilities has brought me quite a haul. Hokage Mufeng provided a lot of ninjutsu, and One Piece Mufeng gave me Shave and Iron Body from the Six Powers. That should be enough for me to survive in the Demon Slayer World."

He recalled what JoJo Mufeng had suggested as he was leaving.

"You could try Soft & Wet. If it can even steal someone's eyes, then stealing all of the Hand Demon's hands should be perfectly reasonable, right?"

A single bubble could strip the Hand Demon of all its hands. He'd have to study that idea more, but he could give it a try later.

Besides, his Soft & Wet was different from Josuke Higashikata's. He didn't need to fire bubbles from the star-shaped birthmark on his shoulder. He could release them from his fingertips.

Soft & Wet's ability had its limits too: each use could release only one bubble and steal only one ability from the target.

"During the Final Selection at Mt. Fujikasane, no one will die this time. I'll slay every demon."

As soon as he finished speaking, Suzuki Mufeng leaped down from the boulder. The stone behind him had been sliced open, its smooth cut showing just how clean and swift his strike had been.

"With your strength now, Mufeng, you should be able to slay that demon with ease."

"Do your best, Mufeng. Cut off that demon's head and avenge us."

The spirits of his fellow students who had once taken the Final Selection at Mt. Fujikasane stood beside Suzuki Mufeng. After he gained access to Mufeng Uchiha's abilities, he had been able to see the spirits of his fellow students. They had given him plenty of guidance and help over the past few days.

Some of the children among these spirits had been no more than ten years old, an age when they should have been carefree. But demons had destroyed their lives, forcing them to take up swords and shoulder the burden of revenge.

"If I don't bring that demon's head back for you to see, I'll never have the face to return to Mt. Fujikasane. I'll show that demon that Sakonji Urokodaki's students aren't pushovers for it to bully."

A demon that had eaten more than forty people wouldn't get an easy death from him. He was sure his Sharingan's genjutsu could make it see what true hell was like.

"Mufeng, are you so lonely that you're talking to the air again?"

He knew at once it was Giyu Tomioka, who never knew what to say. Behind him stood Giyu Tomioka, Sabito, Makomo, and his master. What had brought them here?

Sakonji Urokodaki's attention, however, was fixed on the split boulder. This four-meter-wide boulder wasn't one he had prepared for Suzuki Mufeng. The boy had obviously found it himself.

He marveled inwardly. Mufeng could cut through a boulder like that now; his strength had far surpassed even Sabito's, the strongest of them all. Was this how determined he was? Even if Urokodaki wanted to stop them from taking the Final Selection, there was no way he could now.

He remembered the first time he had rescued Suzuki Mufeng. It had been late at night, at a house in a small town.

His parents had been killed by a demon while protecting him. Suzuki Mufeng had kept the demon occupied for more than ten minutes, from inside the house all the way out into the street, before Urokodaki arrived and rescued him.

For a ten-year-old child with no strength to fight back to hold off a demon for more than ten minutes in an empty street was no small feat. Seeing his talent, Urokodaki had taken him in as a student.

No matter the weather, Mufeng had trained without fail. Yet he had always lagged far behind Sabito and the others. Now he had found his stride and surpassed them. Years of diligent effort had finally paid off, and Urokodaki was happy for him.

"Very good, Mufeng. Now I can let you all take the Final Selection without worrying."

"Congratulations, Mufeng."

Makomo stepped forward and offered him a fox mask marked with red sun-shaped designs on both cheeks.

"This is a Warding Mask I made especially for you all. I hope it'll protect you when you need it most."

Makomo rose onto her tiptoes and placed the mask on Suzuki Mufeng herself. Then she took a few steps back to admire it.

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

As the four children stood together, Sakonji Urokodaki felt a pang of reluctance.

For some reason, the students he trained had the highest death rate in the Final Selection. He had kept making it more difficult, but the death rate remained stubbornly high. He had even begun to wonder whether he was truly capable of training them well.

"Master, I have an impertinent request. After this Final Selection, could you write a letter of recommendation for me to the trainers of the other four major Breathing Styles? I want to try learning some of them and create a Breathing Style that suits me."

No one had expected Suzuki Mufeng to say, on the eve of the Final Selection, that he wanted to study other Breathing Styles.

"Mufeng, will you be able to handle that?"

Sabito tapped Giyu Tomioka on the forehead with a knife-hand strike.

"Sorry, Mufeng. What Giyu meant was that mastering even one Breathing Style is difficult. Training in another one as well would only exhaust you and waste your time and effort. It wouldn't be worth it."

"Sabito's right. Training in multiple Breathing Styles will wear you out, Mufeng. Everyone has limited energy. It's best to focus on a single style."

"Master, I've made up my mind. I hope you'll grant my request."

Suzuki Mufeng understood that perfectly well. But he had also considered how much the versions of himself in other worlds had helped him. He had to repay them somehow.

Besides, he could feel that Water Breathing truly didn't suit him. He wanted to collect every Breathing Style and find—or create—one that did. He was doing it not only for the countless other Mufengs, but for himself too.

"Since you're so determined, I won't refuse. But let me see how well you've mastered Water Breathing. Earn my approval, and you can train in whichever Breathing Style you want. Don't waste your talent."

Sakonji Urokodaki drew the sword from Sabito's waist beside him. He knew his master was serious and wanted him to realize how difficult it would be, then give up.

"Please go easy on me, Master."

Since coming up the mountain, he had never fought his master. After sharing abilities, his attributes had improved tremendously, and sparring with Sabito and the others no longer did much for him. For once, he felt his blood beginning to stir.

"Total Concentration—Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust!"

Sakonji Urokodaki charged straight toward him. Suzuki Mufeng had expected it.

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

Like a child dancing and playing in the rain, Suzuki Mufeng turned aside as the blade skimmed past the left side of his waist. He had never intended to drag this out. Against an opponent with far more combat experience, the best solution was to finish the fight in one move!

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

Suzuki Mufeng spun at a dizzying speed, striking the blade in Sakonji Urokodaki's tight grip three times a second. The clang of metal lasted only a few seconds before a sharp crack rang out.

Master's sword had been cut in two by Mufeng!

"Giyu, Makomo, did either of you catch Mufeng's movements?"

"He moved so fast I couldn't see a thing."

"All I saw was a spinning top."

It wasn't just them. Even Sakonji Urokodaki couldn't make sense of Suzuki Mufeng's move. It was so fast that it seemed to defy reason.

After planting his sword in the ground, Suzuki Mufeng spun around several times before he was flung off and finally managed to stop. His calf twitched from the uncontrolled spinning. But he was thrilled. His theory had been right.

As he used Tenth Form, he had used Soft & Wet to strip away friction at just the right moment. Without friction, his speed had shot up several levels. Luckily, his sense of balance was good enough; otherwise, he would have lost control and fallen flat on his face.

"Don't try such a dangerous move lightly. You'll make us worry."

Sakonji Urokodaki tapped Suzuki Mufeng on the head in warning.

To avoid a lecture, Suzuki Mufeng agreed at once.

"Congratulations, Mufeng."

"You've worked so hard."

"Now even Master can't beat you."

At first, none of them had thought Suzuki Mufeng could defeat their master. This had been a wonderful surprise, and they were genuinely happy for him. Though they weren't related by blood, they regarded one another as the most important people in their lives. They were more like family than family, and who wouldn't want their family to succeed?

"Mufeng, this is wonderful. I'll write you a letter of recommendation, but you'll have only one month for each Breathing Style. If you can't learn one in that time, give up on it."

"Yes, Master."

Sakonji Urokodaki patted Suzuki Mufeng's head with relief, like an old man proud to see a child in his family finally grow up.

"You all need to rest well for tomorrow's Final Selection. I'll go down the mountain to buy some ingredients and cook us a proper meal tonight. Everyone needs to be in top condition."

"Master, I'll go with you."

"I'll chop some firewood."

"Then I'll tidy up the house."

Watching everyone share a happy moment, Suzuki Mufeng made up his mind. He would never let demons destroy this hard-won warmth. He wouldn't let them take anything else from him.

"I'll get a pot of soup simmering in the house and wait for you."