Chapter 23: A Mission?
On the field, the battle between the two had already reached a fever pitch.
Iguro Obanai was like a tireless artist, constantly thrusting, slashing, and hacking from all sorts of tricky and bizarre angles, attempting to carve the ruin and collapse he desired into the stubborn rock that was Ryuji.
But Ryuji combined the stability of Stone Breathing with the toughness of his One piece Physique to the extreme, using Kami-e as the outer layer.
Time and again, he neutralized Iguro's viper-like lethal attacks into nothingness!
"Is this guy... a monster?"
Fine beads of sweat had already broken out on Iguro Obanai's forehead.
What startled him even more was that the other's special force-deflection technique, which had been slightly unrefined at first, was becoming polished at a rate visible to the naked eye!
"Whew."
Iguro Obanai took a breath and looked at Ryuji with a complex expression.
Those unknown Moves were getting more and more proficient! This bastard... is using me as a whetstone to practice his Moves?!
Once this thought surfaced, it coiled around him like a poisonous vine.
Iguro Obanai's breathing began to lose its steadiness, becoming noticeably hurried.
High-frequency, high-precision explosive attacks were the essence of his swordsmanship, but they also severely drained his physical strength and mental energy.
"Don't die!"
Iguro Obanai let out a low shout: "Serpent Breathing, Third Form..."
"Alright! That's enough!"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's voice drifted over, and the Sound Hashira instantly appeared between the two. He turned toward Ryuji with a cold smile on his face.
Seeing this sent a chill down Ryuji's spine.
It felt like he was being watched by something creepy... "Tsk..."
Iguro Obanai put away his wooden sword, glanced at Ryuji, knelt on one knee to Ubuyashiki, and then turned to leave.
Ryuji shouted at Iguro Obanai's retreating back, "Hey, I didn't offend you, did I? Also, your skills are great. Let's spar again later!"
This wasn't just a whim; that brief battle just now had significantly deepened Ryuji's understanding of Kami-e!
He felt like he was right on the threshold!
"Hmm..."
Iguro Obanai paused slightly, then said in a low voice, "If you apologize to Mr. Rengoku, I'll... consider sparring with you."
His voice was very soft, audible only to the few people present.
"He was rescued by Mr. Shinjuro and was also recommended to become a swordsman by Mr. Shinjuro."
Uzui Tengen whispered to Ryuji, then added, "Speaking so quietly is truly unflashy..."
Ryuji's lips twitched, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. So it was just an undeserved misfortune.
He had roughly deduced what happened; Iguro Obanai must have misunderstood something... maybe just the shrugging?
How petty. As expected of the future Jealousy Hashira.
"You've misunderstood. I meant no disrespect to Mr. Rengoku."
Ryuji felt it was better to explain. After all, it wasn't a huge misunderstanding, and Iguro Obanai had been helpful.
Iguro Obanai's pace faltered for a moment, then he continued forward. "I will come to challenge you again."
With that, he quickened his pace and soon vanished from their sight.
"By the way, the Master is looking for you."
Uzui Tengen said to Ryuji. He smiled, but the smile didn't bring any warmth; instead, it was somewhat cold.
"Looking for me?"
Was he going to be assigned an investigation mission? With that thought, Ryuji followed Uzui Tengen into the Master's room.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya told Ryuji the reason for calling him this time; it wasn't to assign a mission.
Rather, he had taken an interest in his techniques.
"So, that flashy technique used to evade Iguro Obanai's attacks isn't Stone Breathing or a Move derived from it, is it?"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya glanced at Uzui Tengen; this was what he wanted to ask.
"Uh, no."
Ryuji answered. Hearing Ubuyashiki Kagaya able to call out the name accurately, he nodded inwardly.
It was this kind of silent care that gave the Demon Slayer Corps such cohesion!
"Then, can it be taught to others?"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya spoke again. This was Himejima Gyomei's point of interest, and naturally, his own as well.
Ryuji rubbed his chin. In theory, it should be possible.
"How about this, let's do an experiment first. I'll teach Big Brother Himejima Gyomei my Stone Thrust..."
He explained the principle of Stone Thrust and mentioned the higher-level Six Powers in passing.
"That's incredibly flashy!"
Hearing these Moves, Uzui Tengen was extremely excited, even forgetting his earlier words about giving Ryuji a lesson.
He had been a Shinobi before becoming a Hashira and had some understanding of Taijutsu. He looked at Ubuyashiki Kagaya and said:
"Master, if this can be spread, it would be a massive boost for the Hashira and the Demon Slayer Corps!"
"Yes, I am considering it..."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya said softly.
"What is there to consider, Master!"
Uzui Tengen was puzzled. He found it hard to understand Ubuyashiki Kagaya's thoughts. Isn't this a good thing?
Ubuyashiki Kagaya said with a smile, "How to reward Ryuji-kun? After all, he just received a Rank promotion, and other things aren't enough to compare with such secret techniques. I'm a bit troubled..."
He sighed.
"How about this: we'll establish an Instructor position at the headquarters for sharing techniques. Ryuji will serve as the first Instructor. What do you all think?"
This time, Ubuyashiki Kagaya didn't just ask the Hashira but said "you all," which meant that in his heart, Ryuji was already on par with the Hashira.
"Agreed!"
Unusually, it was Himejima Gyomei who spoke first in agreement: "The sooner the better!"
"Such a flashy matter, I certainly agree!"
Uzui Tengen followed suit. Then, the three of them looked at Ryuji.
"I can do it, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to teach it..."
Ryuji himself had the idea of teaching the Demon Slayer Corps, so naturally, he wouldn't refuse.
"Hahaha, understandable. After all, such exquisite and flashy Taijutsu techniques are bound to be difficult," Uzui Tengen said with a laugh, then became serious:
"Ryuji, have you considered giving up the sword?"
"Huh?"
Ryuji was bewildered by Uzui Tengen's question. The topic jumped too quickly. And what did he mean by giving up the sword?
"Your talent for Taijutsu is higher than your talent for swordsmanship! Letting go is sometimes a form of wisdom!"
After saying this, Uzui Tengen gave Ryuji some time to digest it, then held up three fingers. "Not only is your body out of sync with your Breathing Technique, but even your swordsmanship is out of sync with your Breathing Technique."
Body, swordsmanship, Breathing Technique—a triple disconnect?
Ryuji fell into silence. He had this feeling too. When swinging a sword, trying to combine the Breathing Technique with power felt very uncomfortable, but throwing a punch did not... "I understand! I'll give it serious consideration!"
Ryuji nodded. He wasn't stubborn; he was pragmatic. If something was wrong, it was wrong; if it wasn't a good fit, it wasn't a good fit. He would never be obstinate.
"In that case, we could have you go to the Swordsmith Village to forge a nichirin blade of your own..."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya added with a smile, "Of course, after you return from your mission."
"A mission?"
Ryuji's interest was piqued. A mission meant killing Demons, killing Demons meant military merit, and military merit meant he could exchange it for those good things!
Ubuyashiki Kagaya said softly, "Yes, the crows brought news that strange phenomena have appeared in the town you investigated..."
"Girls always go missing at night."
Upon hearing this, Himejima Gyomei pressed his palms together and softly chanted Buddhist sutras, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.
Hiss!
Ryuji sucked in a breath. Girls disappearing?
Could it be Doma?
"Therefore, I've decided to have you and Gyomei go together to investigate and eliminate the Demons there."
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