Trees Big and Small, Knock Them All Down

"That's right."

Kirishima Bupai walked up to him. "Do you think splitting a rock is all about arm strength?"

"Too naive. True power starts from your feet, travels through your waist into your arms, and finally concentrates on the blade."

"Like this..." Kirishima Bupai casually picked up a branch from the ground and swung it at a nearby rock with a seemingly offhand motion.

Swish!

With a soft sound, the branch passed through the rock, and that hard stone instantly split in two.

Tanjiro's eyes widened as he watched in disbelief.

An ordinary branch could split a rock so easily? Wasn't that incredible?

"Did you see that clearly?"

Kirishima Bupai tossed the branch aside and looked at Tanjiro. "Power isn't about brute force. It's about technique."

"If you can't master the right way to apply your strength, even the sharpest sword won't show its true power in your hands."

Realization dawned on Tanjiro, and he hurriedly bowed to Kirishima Bupai. "Thank you, Mr. Bupai! I understand!"

Stretching lazily toward the sun, Kirishima Bupai waved a hand. "Don't thank me. Hard work is meaningless if you're heading in the wrong direction."

With that, he turned, sat down on a nearby boulder, and continued watching Tanjiro train.

Tanjiro took a deep breath and began trying to master the correct way to apply his strength, just as Kirishima Bupai had told him.

Again and again, he raised his blade and brought it down on the rock.

Although he still hadn't succeeded, he could feel that his strength seemed more concentrated than before.

Sakonji Urokodaki stood some distance away, watching the scene, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

He hadn't expected Kirishima Bupai to give Tanjiro pointers. As far as he was concerned, this kid was a troublemaker who did things for amusement, frighteningly strong but fond of tormenting the elderly.

Still, he had to admit that Kirishima Bupai was right. Tanjiro really did lack understanding in this area.

"Seems letting him come along wasn't such a bad thing," Urokodaki muttered, turning and walking into the depths of the thick fog.

Over the following days, Tanjiro trained hard every day.

Getting thoroughly beaten by Urokodaki's hand-to-hand techniques, splitting rocks, running, climbing mountains...

One grueling exercise followed another, leaving him dog-tired every day.

Kirishima Bupai, meanwhile, acted like a hands-off boss every day.

He either sat nearby watching Tanjiro train or headed into the deep mountains alone to do who knew what.

Occasionally, he gave Tanjiro a few pointers. Though his words were harsh, they always helped Tanjiro see the light, allowing him to make very noticeable progress.

Tanjiro's feelings toward Kirishima Bupai were complicated, too.

On the one hand, he was very grateful for Kirishima Bupai's guidance.

On the other, Kirishima Bupai's strength and mystery filled him with curiosity and awe.

Day after day passed, and before they knew it, six months had gone by.

Over those six months, Tanjiro made very noticeable progress.

He could now leave marks on the rock with his blade. Although he still couldn't split it, he was far stronger than when he had started.

Kirishima Bupai still spent his days leisurely watching Tanjiro train, occasionally spending some time deep in the mountains.

The mist over Mount Sagiri seemed never to lift. The faint morning light filtered through the haze, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow through the woods.

Sakonji Urokodaki stood in a level clearing, his gaze resting on Tanjiro from beneath his Tengu Mask, his tone serious.

"A Breathing Style is the foundation of a Demon Slayer. Whether you can master the correct breathing rhythm directly determines whether you live or die when facing a demon."

Tanjiro held his breath and watched Urokodaki nervously, gripping his wooden sword tightly with both hands, afraid of missing even a single detail.

"Focus your mind. Feel the air flowing through your lungs. Imagine your blood surging through your veins with your breathing, pouring strength into every part of your body..."

Urokodaki demonstrated as he explained.

His breathing was long and steady, each inhalation seeming to draw in the spiritual energy around him.

Each exhalation carried an invisible force. "This is the foundation of Water Breathing. Try imitating it."

Tanjiro took a deep breath and tried hard to adjust his breathing according to Urokodaki's instructions.

But the more he forced it, the more erratic his breathing became. His face flushed bright red, and his limbs grew as stiff as wood.

"Huff... hah..."

He panted, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he looked at Urokodaki dejectedly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Urokodaki. I don't think I can do it..."

Before Urokodaki could speak, a series of loud crashes suddenly came from nearby.

Crack-boom!

Both turned to look at the same time.

In the woods not far away, a tree so large it would take two people to encircle it came crashing down.

The break in its trunk was as clean as if a sharp blade had sliced through it.

"Pull the big saw~ Chop the big tree~ Hold that breath~ Don't let it free~"

Kirishima Bupai stood beside the stump, toying with a rust-covered hatchet he had picked up somewhere, humming out of tune.

"What are you doing?!"

Urokodaki's voice instantly rose, filled with anger he couldn't suppress.

Hearing him, Kirishima Bupai turned around with an innocent expression. "Nothing much. Just chopping down trees for fun!"

"The trees here grow too close together. They block the airflow, which isn't good for training."

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist lightly. The hatchet traced an arc through the air and struck another large tree squarely in the trunk.

With another tremendous crash, that tree fell too, landing right along the edge of the clearing where Tanjiro trained.

Tanjiro's mouth twitched as he looked at the trunk lying across his path.

What did this have to do with blocking the airflow? He was clearly making training harder!

Veins throbbed on Urokodaki's forehead. He really wanted to throw the wooden sword in his hand at Kirishima Bupai's face.

Ever since this fellow had arrived on Mount Sagiri, there hadn't been a single peaceful day.

One day he uprooted the medicinal herbs Urokodaki had planted, the next he dismantled the roof Urokodaki had repaired, and now he had actually started cutting down trees!

But when he saw that Tanjiro merely paused for a moment before taking a deep breath, going around the tree, and continuing to practice his Breathing Style...

And that he was even using the trunk's height to try jumping and swinging his sword on top of it, his expression focused, Urokodaki swallowed the scolding that had risen to his lips.

"Ah..."

Urokodaki sighed helplessly. As long as Tanjiro could focus on his training, he would put up with this little inconvenience.

However, he had still underestimated Kirishima Bupai's "destructive power."

For the rest of the morning, the sound of chopping trees never stopped in the woods.

Crack-!

Boom-!

"Trees big and small, knock them all down! Hahahaha..."

"Tanjiro! From now on, call me Big Bro Qiang!"

The sounds of chopping rang out one after another, as though accompanying Tanjiro's training.

More and more large trees fell. Some lay across the clearing, some blocked paths he had to take, and some even formed crooked arch bridges.