"Hey, where's Tetsushin-sensei?"
As soon as he entered Hayama, Sanemi grabbed a disciple wearing a light green kendo uniform, asking in a rough voice with poor attitude.
He had come to visit his former instructor, Arasaki Tetsushin.
Since becoming a Hashira, his affairs were numerous, his life lived on the edge of his blade. Being able to take advantage of a mission to steal some time and return to this place that had once honed him was, for him, a rare form of relaxation.
But the ordinary disciples didn't recognize Sanemi at all. Seeing his fierce and evil appearance frightened them so much their legs trembled and they couldn't even speak properly, let alone answer questions.
"He's at the rear mountain, Shinazugawa-san."
"Oh, it's Rika."
A breeze passed by. Sanemi's hand loosened slightly, and then he saw Rika's figure flash by, supporting the terrified disciple as she stood to the side.
Rika looked with concern at the frightened disciple. "Are you alright? Are you injured?"
"Come on, I wouldn't just hurt someone in the master's dojo for no reason." Sanemi curled his lip, his tone still rough. "Rear mountain? Has the master taken on a new Tsuguko?"
After sending off the uneasy young disciple, Rika smiled as she looked at Sanemi:
"Not exactly, it's an interesting child. Master has been teaching him at the rear mountain for the past two years."
'Two years?' Sanemi Shinazugawa's fierce brows raised. He grinned, showing a row of white teeth, his smile carrying a beast-like interest.
"Seems like a decent prospect? I'll have to see what kind of stuff he's made of!"
The rear mountain was precisely the place Tetsushin used for the highest intensity, most core training. It was usually reserved only for those disciples he deemed truly qualified to inherit the essence of Wind Breathing.
And as a former Wind Hashira, Tetsushin also had the authority to take on Tsuguko… that is, core disciples.
Compared to other Demon Slayer Corps' members and training disciples, Tsuguko usually received more resources and support, such as better weapons, equipment, and training conditions. They also needed to possess better talent.
In other words, a Tsuguko's talent was almost equivalent to the possibility of becoming a Hashira in the future.
Sanemi had also once shed countless drops of sweat and blood in that same place, so hearing that a new candidate had entered the rear mountain instantly ignited the competitive streak within him.
He didn't disturb anyone else and followed the path alone towards the depths of the rear mountain.
The closer he got to that secluded training ground surrounded by ancient trees, the more restless the air seemed to become.
It was the wind growling low, the sword energy cutting invisibly.
Soon, he spotted that figure.
In the center of the training ground, a boy was swinging his sword.
His movements were swift and precise. Each swing of the blade tore through the air, stirring the surrounding fallen leaves into whirling dances.
The boy's naked upper body showed bulging muscles, sweat gleaming under the sunlight, dripping onto the ground beneath him with each movement, leaving dark stains.
His breathing was deep and prolonged. Each inhalation seemed to draw all the surrounding wind into his lungs, each exhalation carried a hot breath and a humming sound like air friction.
That body… Sanemi could tell at a glance it was a powerful physique only attainable through extreme tempering.
"His foundation is decently built," Sanemi muttered, arms crossed as he leaned against a thick ancient tree trunk, scrutinizing without concealment.
He could see the embryonic form of Wind Breathing contained within the boy's sword techniques. Although it hadn't yet reached the level of proper Forms, that streak of tenacity and reckless impact force was unexpectedly... somewhat agreeable to him?
It was like seeing the shadow of a certain kindred spirit.
At the same time, with even keener perception than Tetsushin, he sensed the aura permeating the boy's surroundings.
It wasn't the airflow fluctuations produced by Wind Breathing… it was more like something extremely subtle, yet exceptionally sharp and violent.
If he had to describe it, it was like countless invisible, hungry fangs opening and closing in the air, carrying a primal craving to tear and gnaw at everything.
This kind of fluctuation, Sanemi had never felt in any user of Wind Breathing. It didn't belong to any Breathing Style, yet seemed to be forcibly fused by the boy into his sword techniques, forming a unique style full of destructive power....
"Interesting..." The interest in Sanemi's eyes grew even stronger, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curling into a grin.
He could sense that the boy in the training ground wasn't unaware of his arrival. The tense lines of his spine and the abruptly sharper, more fierce wind from his blade all indicated that the other party had locked onto him, this uninvited guest, at the very first moment.
Taka had indeed sensed it from the first moment.
The aura on Sanemi was too obvious, and in this secluded rear mountain, it was impossible not to notice.
During the two years of training, Taka's fragmented and chaotic memories had gradually recovered somewhat.
He had begun to realize that although he had become a person of flesh and blood in this world, he was ultimately different from others.
Taka could sense a kind of soul energy within his body called Reishi, and he could similarly sense the Reishi power emanating from Tetsushin and Rika.
But when he tried to explain this concept to Rika, she couldn't perceive what he called Reishi. Rika believed this was what the master meant by Taka's innate Breathing, something others couldn't experience.
There had been precedents for this… after all, even the Demon Slayer Corps' Breathing Styles originated from a natural breathing that no one could learn and had evolved from it, so Rika didn't find it strange.
Thus, besides practicing Wind Breathing, Taka also spent his spare time trying to learn to control this spiritual energy and integrate it into his swordsmanship.
The perception of Reiatsu was one of the most basic applications of this power.
That white-haired man standing with arms crossed against the tree, his entire body exuded a vast, ferocious and vicious, blood-tinged Reiatsu, completely different from Tetsushin's steady and composed, dignified pressure like a mountain.
But this was, after all, the rear mountain of the training ground. Taka believed that if it really were some terrifying demon, it couldn't possibly have killed its way here in broad daylight without any commotion.
He forcibly suppressed the churning dread in his heart. He didn't immediately stop training but raised his alertness to the highest level.
'Strong... very strong! Stronger than Rika! And it even feels... stronger than Arasaki-sensei...'
"Hey!"
Sanemi finally spoke, his voice loud and impatient, carrying his usual commanding tone:
"Boy! Done practicing, aren't you? Stop swinging at nothing over there and let me see what you're made of!"
Before Taka could respond, Sanemi's figure had already vanished from the treetop with a whoosh!
And almost purely relying on his perception of Reiatsu and his body's instinctive reaction, Taka subconsciously activated Wind Breathing and fiercely swung his blade towards his own side!
Clang—!!
An ear-splitting impact sound rang out! Sanemi was already gripping an unsheathed longsword, pressing it heavily against Taka's wooden sword!
Sanemi looked at Taka's reaction. Far from being angry, he found it even more interesting.
'This stubborn, wary, and wild gaze was like looking at a mirror.'
He snorted with a laugh, cracking his neck with a faint pop.
"Oh? Not bad..."