DS Chapter 68 – Concentrated Thinking? Ren's Fourth Stage!
After their eldest brother collapsed, the first person to step forward was still Ren!
Ren-san's generosity was truly moving!
Off to the side, Inosuke quietly crawled out of his pigsty.
His clear eyes were fixed on Ren.
Was he imagining things?
Why did it feel like Ren was glowing?
Even though Scarface was so strong, Ren wasn't afraid at all.
Inosuke himself had already been beaten black and blue.
Yet Ren not only showed no fear, but even turned around and lectured Scarface.
He looked incredibly cool.
Inosuke came to a conclusion.
Ren was truly an extraordinary person.
Every move he made gave Inosuke a strange sense of familiarity.
It was difficult to put into words, but it made him inexplicably nostalgic for his days in the mountains.
He remembered the mother who had raised him.
Sharp tusks.
Soft, fluffy fur.
And eyes filled with an ocean of motherly love whenever she looked at him.
Whenever Inosuke was in danger...
Whenever he wanted to give up...
Whenever he was about to abandon himself...
She would always appear.
She would stretch out her hooves and hold his hands.
Then a deep, powerful grunt would rumble from her throat.
Inosuke couldn't understand its meaning.
But he understood the worry and affection hidden within the sow's low growls.
She was the gentlest creature Inosuke had ever known.
Two beings from completely different worlds had met and become bound together in those mountains.
And now, that strong yet gentle figure gradually began to overlap with Ren.
Ren was gentle too.
Ren was strong too.
So Ren was just like the wild boar who had sheltered him from the wind and rain when he was a child.
So magnificent.
So dependable.
For a moment, Inosuke froze.
Looking down at his own hands, guilt welled up inside him.
Ren hadn't hesitated to stand up to Scarface for his sake.
And what about him?
He was still sitting here wallowing in self-pity!
Ren hadn't given up on him.
So what right did he have to give up on himself?
He was a man raised by a wild boar!
The next moment, the light returned to the pig-headed boy's eyes.
With a carp-like flip, he sprang to his feet.
He snorted loudly through the nostrils of his boar mask.
"Hey, Scarface! What's this 'Infinite Onslaught' nonsense you're talking about? This great lord will play with you!"
Inosuke's booming voice instantly drew Ren's and Sanemi's attention.
Ren looked at him in surprise.
Why had he suddenly become so spirited?
Could Sanemi actually have a way of curing Inosuke's emotional trauma?
Based on Ren's deduction, Inosuke was most likely suffering from Hashira-induced post-traumatic stress.
He hadn't expected someone as unreliable as Sanemi to actually cure it.
"Ren-san, I'm back."
A gentle voice interrupted Ren's thoughts.
At that moment, Shinobu Kocho stepped out of the ward.
Her footsteps were light and graceful, almost as though she were dancing.
A faint fragrance of wisteria drifted through the air as she gracefully came to a stop before Ren.
A faint blush colored her cheeks, and there was a trace of excitement in her voice.
"Ren-san! Just like you said, I really do feel much better."
"For about five minutes just now, my body felt much lighter. It even felt like I'd become quite a bit stronger."
Shinobu smiled sweetly.
"Ren-san, thank you so much~"
Ren smiled and nodded.
"You're welcome."
Then he turned toward Sanemi.
"Sanemi, what I said earlier also applies to your younger brother. Think about it carefully."
"I won't say any more. My patient is back, so I'm going to continue today's training. See you."
With that, Ren turned to leave.
Holding onto Ren's hand, Shinobu looked back in confusion.
Only then did she realize Sanemi hadn't heard a single word Ren had said.
He was already fighting with Inosuke.
"Alright, stop looking. You're the only one left."
Ren gently squeezed her small hand.
Only then did Shinobu shyly turn back around.
Curiously, she asked,
"Ren-san, what's your fourth stage?"
"Focused thinking."
"Focused thinking?"
Shinobu blinked, unable to understand what he meant.
But once they arrived at Ren's training ground...
She understood.
The other four Demon Slayers were quietly sitting on the ground.
Their hands rested on their knees.
Their brows alternated between furrowing and relaxing.
Every one of them wore a solemn expression.
Shinobu blinked in surprise.
They were... meditating?
Was Ren's fourth stage simply meditation?
Seeing the confusion on her face, Ren explained,
"I'm training their ability to focus."
"The ability to focus?"
Shinobu blinked again.
"Does that mean you want them to become like you?"
"That's hard to say."
Ren answered seriously.
"Not everyone can concentrate the way I can."
"My standards aren't high. As long as they can remain fully focused while meditating for half an hour, they've passed."
That's right.
This was Ren's own rehabilitation training.
After completing the first three stages of rehabilitation, he shifted his attention toward strengthening his patients' concentration and thinking ability.
After all, when fighting demons, observation and judgment were just as important as physical strength.
Take Tanjiro, for example.
Throughout the original story, he constantly relied on calm thinking during battle.
Time and time again, he turned hopeless situations around and created one miracle after another.
That was why Ren had them meditate.
He wanted to cultivate not only their concentration, but also their ability to remain calm in desperate situations.
"Here."
Ren handed Shinobu an iron dustpan.
Shinobu blinked.
"Where did this come from?"
Ren lowered his voice.
"I borrowed it from Aoi's cart. Don't ask questions yet—I need it."
Hearing that, Shinobu looked down at the dustpan in her hands.
Her lips parted slightly, and surprise filled her violet eyes.
So Ren had secretly taken it from Aoi.
No wonder it looked so familiar.
Then again...
Aoi was an incredibly tidy person.
Wouldn't she get angry if she found out?
And wasn't Ren overcomplicating things a little?
She should probably remind him later.
Shinobu looked up.
But before she could speak, the words caught in her throat.
She watched as Ren removed the wooden handle from the dustpan.
He casually swung it through the air a few times, testing its weight.
A moment later, he said,
"Shinobu, in a little while, you'll hold up the dustpan while I hit it with this stick."
"We'll make as much noise as possible to distract them while they meditate."
Shinobu pursed her lips.
An uncontrollable smile spread across her face.
Seeing her amused expression, Ren raised an eyebrow.
"What are you laughing at?"
"I'll be doing the same thing to you when it's your turn to meditate."
With that, Ren picked up the iron rod and lightly tapped the dustpan in Shinobu's hands.