Chapter 5: Keep Breathing, Don't Stop
"Don't move. More than half of the bones in your body are broken. Keep breathing and don't stop."
Ryuji said in a low voice. After recovering through his Breathing Technique and One piece Physique, the sharp pain in his left abdomen had gradually subsided. Although not fully healed, it no longer hindered his movement.
He walked slowly to Sabito, who was lying flat on the ground, and crouched down. "I'll make a simple stretcher for you in a moment and take you through the trial."
"Thank you... If you do that, everyone will be safer."
Sabito lay on his back, a faint smile still floating on his pale face. His silver pupils reflected a glimmer of light, filled with the relief of a heavy burden lifted.
Ryuji opened his mouth to speak but ultimately just let out a heavy sigh. "Have you never considered yourself? The first rule of saving people is to consider your own safety..."
Kindness is truly the most extravagant thing in this world.
"Well... my body just rushed forward on its own."
Sabito turned his head with difficulty and looked at Ryuji's face. "By the way, I haven't... cough cough... asked who you are yet. Why do you know me and Giyu? Did Master Urokodaki tell you?"
Ryuji didn't respond, mainly because he didn't know how to answer.
Was he supposed to tell Sabito that he saw him in a manga?
He looked around, found a few trees of suitable thickness, walked over, took a deep breath, and smashed one with his fist.
"Uh? What are you... doing?"
Sabito looked at Ryuji, who was punching the tree with his bare hands, in confusion. He softly reminded him, "That's a Rock Iron Tree... it's very hard, usually used for making scabbards..."
Ryuji pulled back his slightly reddened right hand with a calm expression. He casually took the nichirin blade that Sabito was still clutching and said indifferently, "The injured should just lie there and talk less. I was just testing if that tree was sturdy enough."
Sabito froze for a moment, then couldn't help but let a genuine smile spread across his pale face, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Cough cough, it hurts..."
It seemed the movement had agitated his wounds, and Sabito gasped in pain. Seeing that Ryuji hadn't answered his previous question, he understood that there might be reasons that were inconvenient to speak of.
"The one you used... was it Stone Breathing?"
Sabito caught his breath and asked weakly. Breathing Techniques could indeed alleviate pain and accelerate recovery.
But it wasn't magic after all; healing still required time.
He stole another glance at Ryuji, who was cutting wood, his heart still shaken.
He had seen most of the battle between the Hand Demon and Ryuji.
Despite taking a heavy blow from the Hand Demon, Ryuji now acted as if nothing had happened... such a physique was simply monstrous.
"Yeah, that's right."
Ryuji swung the blade at the tree trunk, his voice calm. "My body has been sturdier than others since I was a child. Later, I was picked up by a teacher and tried all kinds of Breathing Techniques. In the end, I found that only Stone Breathing was something I could learn."
Memory fragments of his original self flashed through his mind.
He was picked up by a Demon Slayer Corps instructor at the seaside and taught Breathing Techniques from a young age. It turned out he couldn't even learn the simplest Water Breathing, but he could manage the most difficult one, Stone Breathing.
It could be considered an extraordinary talent... The two chatted idly in low voices, while Ryuji's movements remained efficient.
Soon, a simple stretcher was finished.
Ryuji tore off his shirt, ripped it into strips, twisted them into rope, tied them to one end of the stretcher, and then carefully moved Sabito onto it.
Pulling the stretcher with one hand and holding the nichirin blade with the other, he moved through the sea of wisteria flowers.
Along the way, mindless demons would occasionally rush out, turning into military merit points for Ryuji. Well, some demons were only worth half a point... This left Ryuji somewhat speechless. Damn it, if the points were all like this, he probably wouldn't be able to exchange for a single Devil Fruit even if he killed every demon in existence.
As expected, he had to find demons of the Twelve Kizuki level.
As he pulled the stretcher forward, he sorted out the current timeline. Since Tomioka Giyu and Sabito had just participated in the Mount Fujikasane trial, there should be about six years left before the Kamado family is slaughtered.
Maybe... he could lie in wait for Kibutsuji Muzan at Mt. Kumotori? He remembered it was winter and there was heavy snow... Forget it, thinking about that now is too far off.
First, get stronger.
Currently, even fighting a Hand Demon resulted in injuries. He wasn't strong enough yet—his physical fitness and techniques were both lacking!
And then there was the issue with the nichirin blade... How did those two blades break?
Furthermore, was that special power attached to his fist Armament Haki? It seemed to have a very powerful lethality against demons... Thinking of this, Ryuji muttered in his heart, "System, where's my status panel?"
[Host: Ryuji]
[Age: 14]
[Rank: East Sea Branch Marine Soldier]
[Abilities: Breathing Technique (Stone), Armament Haki (Rudimentary)]
[cultivation points: 0]
[military merit points: 70]
[Items: marine recruit training manual (Authored by Zephyr)]
[Evaluation: A lucky cannon fodder who just entered the Marines. Has some potential, but the type who might be scared to death by Higuma the bandit.]
Looking at the System's evaluation, Ryuji felt a bit helpless. What do you mean 'lucky cannon fodder'? What do you mean 'the type who might be scared to death by Higuma the bandit'?
However, if it was Higuma, it wasn't entirely unacceptable. After all, he was the East Sea Bandit King who dared to smash a beer bottle over one of the Four Emperors... "Cough cough... There seems to be someone ahead. I hear... noisy sounds."
"Understood."
Ryuji responded in a low voice. Along the way, he had already verified Sabito's keen hearing several times. There were several lurking demons that he only noticed because Sabito heard them first.
"Listen carefully. If you sense the movement of other demons, tell me immediately."
Ryuji gripped his nichirin blade and gave a brief instruction, then carefully pulled the stretcher forward.
Pushing aside the hanging wisteria branches, Ryuji saw a crowd gathered behind the woods—it was the swordsmen from before.
"What a coincidence."
A relaxed smile appeared on Ryuji's face.
After meeting up with everyone, they hurriedly came forward to help lift Sabito on the stretcher. After all, he was the benefactor who had saved them, so they had to help.
Giyu had woken up long ago. Looking at the heavily injured Sabito, his sea-blue eyes were instantly filled with tears, his voice suppressed and trembling: " I'm still too weak. My sister died to protect me, and now you, Sabito..."
"Shut up... Giyu."
Sabito endured the pain and shouted in a low voice:
"Since Sister Tsutako sacrificed herself to protect you, then you should live on more strongly for her sake!"
"Alright. Sabito, speak less, your injuries are very serious."
Ryuji grabbed a demon by the neck, slammed it hard onto the ground, and with a flash of his blade, its head rolled off.
"But I think Sabito is right. Giyu, your sister wouldn't want to see you so weak..."
Ryuji wiped his blade with his elbow and continued, "The living must carry the hope of the deceased and live well!"
Tomioka Giyu silently raised his hand, forcefully wiped away the tears from his face, and nodded heavily.
Seeing this, a look of relief finally appeared on Sabito's pale face.
Pointing to the yellow, orange, and green patterned haori he was wearing, he said to Tomioka Giyu:
"My injuries are too severe; I might not be able to become a Demon Slayer Corps member. Giyu, I'll leave this haori to you. Carry my share and move forward firmly..."
Tomioka Giyu gently held Sabito's hand, tears welling up in his sea-blue eyes again, but they didn't fall. "Yes, I will, Sabito. Recover well, I will become a Hashira... carrying your share!"
Ryuji looked at Tomioka Giyu. He didn't expect that the cool, aloof guy from the manga was actually a crybaby... As expected, Sabito's 'death' was too big a blow for Giyu.
Everyone worked together to lift the stretcher and support the injured, finally passing through the last patch of wisteria forest to reach the end of the trial.
At the end where the wisteria flowers were in full bloom, a young man in a simple kimono with a small scar on his face stood quietly.