A steady routine of training

Over the next few days, Kanzaki Kumo kept a very regular schedule.

He got up early every morning, studied the theory behind Breathing Styles throughout the morning, and gradually began trying to control the rhythm of his breathing, gaining an initial grasp of Thunder Breathing.

In the afternoons, he practiced sword techniques, from basic slashes to Thunder Breathing's five forms from the second through the sixth, with physical conditioning mixed in.

The training method was simple: run down Mount Peach, then run back up.

He had to maintain the rhythm of Thunder Breathing throughout the run without slowing down, and Jigoro Kuwajima would randomly pop up along the route to ambush him.

Apparently, he had gotten the inspiration from an old friend's training methods.

Jigoro Kuwajima: This is my first time being a trainer. I don't have much experience, so there's nothing wrong with asking someone experienced for a few pointers, right?

Kanzaki Kumo: Sakonji Urokodaki, thank you so damn much! 凸(艹皿艹 )!

A week of continuous training noticeably improved Kanzaki Kumo's physical fitness. He had also learned the basics of Thunder Breathing and increased the longest he could maintain Total Concentration Breathing from "try it and die" at the start to ten minutes.

Ten minutes was enough to go through several sets of Thunder Breathing sword techniques.

The only drawback was that he would be exhausted for a while once those ten minutes were up.

Then there was the fact that, as he gradually mastered the Breathing Style and his body grew stronger, Kanzaki Kumo's appetite increased by the day.

There was no helping it. The physical enhancement provided by a Breathing Style did not come out of thin air; it required sufficient energy intake.

For that reason, while resting, Kanzaki Kumo could not help wondering whether part of the reason Tanjuro Kamado, who could practically be called a miniature Yoriichi Tsugikuni, had been so frail was that he had practiced a Breathing Style for years but could not maintain sufficient energy intake because his family was poor, eventually overtaxing his vitality.

But at this point in his training, Kanzaki Kumo had run into a problem-he still had not learned the first form.

For Thunder Breathing's second through sixth forms, Jigoro Kuwajima only needed to demonstrate them once before Kanzaki Kumo could slowly practice them himself. He quickly learned the movements and could even make small adjustments to suit himself, making them more fluid and natural.

But the first form was an exception.

Thunder Breathing's first form, Thunderclap and Flash, was its strongest technique for an instantaneous burst of power and its true core. Even the five subsequent forms needed to rely on the first form to unleash their full strength.

It was the foundation, the core, and the opening move.

Yet Jigoro Kuwajima could not demonstrate this crucial technique because of his disabled leg. He could only explain the key points of the movements verbally, leaving Kanzaki Kumo to figure out the rest himself.

Three days had passed since Kuwajima taught him the key points of the first form, and Kanzaki Kumo had made virtually no progress.

During the break before dinner, Kanzaki Kumo sat outside the door, gazing at the sunset in thought.

Thwack!

"Ow! What did you hit me for, old man?"

Kanzaki Kumo clutched his head and looked at Jigoro Kuwajima, who stood behind him to one side.

"I'm trying to knock some sense into you! It's only been three days without learning the first form, and you're already getting hung up on it? Do you know how long it took me to reach your level back then? And you're still not satisfied? What, you think a little talent means you can reach the top in a single step?"

Still lecturing him indignantly, Jigoro Kuwajima walked over and plopped down beside Kanzaki Kumo.

"You're the most talented child I've ever seen. You can learn every technique at a glance. That's your gift, but it's also a shackle. You always instinctively rely on those powerful eyes of yours and overlook your other strengths."

"Thunderclap and Flash is all about the ultimate burst of power, concentrating all your strength into a single point. If you haven't truly explored and mastered your own strength, how can you concentrate it and unleash it?"

As Jigoro Kuwajima instructed him, Kanzaki Kumo's eyes gradually brightened, and the irritation in his heart vanished.

His earlier learning had gone so smoothly that Kanzaki Kumo had developed some unrealistic fantasies, to the point that even a slight obstacle left him obsessing over it.

By rights, he should not have been like this. He had spent years struggling to get by in society in his previous life and experienced life as a vagrant in this one. His disposition should not have been so lacking.

But perhaps awakening his memories of his previous life had made Kanzaki Kumo subconsciously believe that he was different, exceptionally gifted, and a cut above the other people in this world.

Whether it was his earlier offhand judgment of Muzan, the darkest cloud that had loomed over the Demon Slayer Corps for centuries, or the casual attitude he inadvertently displayed toward others, it all stemmed from that subconscious belief.

Because he was young and had a tragic background, the others had not taken issue with that casual attitude. Coupled with how smoothly his recent learning had gone, this had further reinforced that subconscious perception.

In the end, being stuck on the first form for just three days had left him restless and impatient.

He, Kanzaki Kumo, was ultimately only one of the countless people in this world. Though he had some talent and knew certain secrets and future events unknown to others, he was still an ordinary mortal, not some exalted being.

Once he had corrected his mindset, Kanzaki Kumo naturally stopped feeling troubled over a few days without progress.

Seeing Kanzaki Kumo adjust his state of mind so quickly, Jigoro Kuwajima nodded in approval.

Over the past week, Kanzaki Kumo's hard work and talent had successfully made Kuwajima abandon the idea of persuading him to quit. Instead, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to training him, intending to raise a powerful swordsman for the Demon Slayer Corps-a new Rumble Hashira who would surpass him, the former Rumble Hashira.

"Remember, you must learn to master your talent, not merely rely on it." After gazing into Kanzaki Kumo's eyes and delivering those earnest words, Kuwajima lightly tapped him on the head again, then got up and headed toward the kitchen.

He had noticed something was wrong with Kanzaki Kumo while preparing dinner and had come over to talk him through it.

Now that their talk was over, he naturally had to return to cooking. He could not let his precious disciple go hungry.

Watching Jigoro Kuwajima's short figure retreat, Kanzaki Kumo felt even more deeply moved.

He had no doubt that if he remained hung up on his inability to learn the first form for a long time, this little old man would demonstrate it for him even at the risk of worsening his leg injury or paralyzing his lower body.

Because Kuwajima believed that his exceptionally gifted disciple would surely learn the movements of the first form after seeing them just once, and mastering that crucial technique would give him a better chance of winning when he faced demons in the future.

At that thought, Kanzaki Kumo silently rubbed the damp corners of his eyes, mentally cursed every member of Kaigaku's family once again, then turned and went inside to fetch paper and a pen.

He was going to write to Kagaya Ubuyashiki to confirm whether that bastard Kaigaku had been dealt with. He could not let that scumbag ruin such a wonderful little old man's life-not even the slightest possibility was acceptable!

Not only that, Kanzaki Kumo also planned to try to find Zenitsu Agatsuma once he became an official swordsman and dump him with the little old man to keep him company. That way, even if Kanzaki Kumo could not come back to visit Jigoro Kuwajima often in the future, the old man would not feel too lonely.

As for whether Jigoro Kuwajima would intensify Zenitsu's training after witnessing Kanzaki Kumo's exceptional talent and then meeting Zenitsu Agatsuma, that was not something Kanzaki Kumo needed to worry about.

It was not as though the little old man would train anyone to death anyway. A little more intense training might even mean fewer injuries in the future.

Kanzaki Kumo: I'm just too kind.

Zenitsu Agatsuma: "Stay away from me-!"