"Amazing! I couldn't even see that move! How could that guy make Zenitsu so strong just by saying a few words!"
Inosuke jumped up excitedly. He now had an extremely blind admiration for Suzuki Makoto.
"I'm next! Me! I want to learn moves from you too, I want to get stronger too!"
Suzuki Makoto didn't feel the slightest bit annoyed. The same outward behavior could stem from either purity or foolishness, two completely different essences.
"Then come on, Inosuke, attack me with all your might!"
"Oh! A duel! Let's go—Eighth Form: Explosive Rush!"
Two jagged blades came at Suzuki Makoto. The bizarre attack style was completely different from any Breathing Style technique seen before. It was a stretch to even call such messy slashes a technique, yet his opponent was indeed stringing together his offense in a peculiar way.
This kid hasn't learned a Breathing Style? Then how did he get a Nichirin Blade and manage to fight all this time?
It was the first time Suzuki Makoto had truly seen Inosuke fight. He had been wondering which Hashira, despite using a single blade, had trained a dual-wielding disciple. It turned out the kid was apparently self-taught.
Moreover, even his Breathing Style was adapted to his own techniques. Although it bore some resemblance to Wind Breathing, it was clear that Wind Breathing wouldn't be compatible with the moves he invented himself.
What's more—
Suzuki Makoto stopped abruptly and leaped into the air, using his scabbard to change direction. He vaulted over Inosuke's blade, which came slashing from an odd angle, and landed lightly on the ground. He watched as the boy shook his dislocated arm, snapping it back into place instantly.
This guy's physical flexibility is truly extraordinary.
"Alright, let's stop here for now."
"You bastard! You haven't even drawn your sword! How can the fight be over!"
Thump!
The boar once again clutched his mask, rolling around on the ground. This time, Suzuki Makoto had used his scabbard instead of a karate chop, so the sound was a bit crisper.
"Inosuke, did you develop all your moves yourself?"
"What do you mean, 'develop'?"
"Uh... I mean, did you come up with them on your own?"
"Of course! The guy who barged into the forest only taught me how to use breathing to increase my strength. His own techniques couldn't even beat me, so they were obviously useless! That's why the great me only uses moves I came up with myself!"
Suzuki Makoto rubbed his chin. This kid was a diamond in the rough. It was clear from previous battles that he dared to fight on even against strong enemies, and his combat resilience was terrifyingly high. His talent was undeniable—a true case of 'the master opens the door, but the student must enter by himself.'
Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, Inosuke Hashibira... for these three youths to be so exceptionally talented, and for them to become such close friends and form a team—
Could it be that these three are actually the main characters or something? After all, there's also Nezuko, a demon who completely defies convention, as a sister. From a demon's perspective, she must be exceptionally gifted too, right?
Shaking his head to cast aside the outlandish thought, Suzuki Makoto began teaching in earnest.
"Inosuke, since you already have your own Breathing Style, it's obviously the one that suits you best. And since you use dual blades, other Breathing Styles might not be as compatible for you—however, your dual-wielding style is a bit chaotic. Most of your moves are just for creating an extra angle of attack. So, I'll teach you a complete Nito-ryu style. How much you learn is up to you."
"Alright!"
The man picked up two wooden swords and began to demonstrate, in detail, the techniques he had learned while sparring with a successor of the Niten Ichi-ryu school during his wandering days with his master.
Suzuki Makoto wouldn't necessarily learn these techniques himself, but he had a kind of hoarding obsession with moves. Whenever he saw a new style, he would get an unbearable itch and had to pester others for 'spars' until he had memorized everything.
So, during his time with the Demon Slayer Corps, he was like a gourmet walking into a food street, in a state of complete and utter satisfaction.
Inosuke's eyes widened as he watched the fluid, almost beautiful techniques demonstrated by Suzuki Makoto. He could never have imagined that dual blades were for more than just hacking and slashing; they could be used for so many different attack patterns.
"A style like this is well-suited for a warrior like you who balances both strength and speed. Practice on the side for now. If there's anything you don't understand or can't remember, come ask me. Once I've organized and written down the Niten Ichi-ryu, you can—"
"I don't want to read a book! So basically, I just won't come ask you, right? Great! I'm gonna start practicing!"
Inosuke excitedly ran to an empty space nearby and began recalling Suzuki Makoto's movements, gesturing with his hands.
Suzuki Makoto sighed. It seemed he would have to watch over him after all. Otherwise, with this practice method, he might end up tying himself in knots.
"Tanjiro, let's get started too. I'll go through it once. Pay attention to the differences between my movements and those of your father in your memory. Remember, you don't need to imitate them perfectly; the goal is to make them your own so you can use them comfortably."
"Yes, Mr. Suzuki!"
Suzuki Makoto once again demonstrated all thirteen forms of Sun Breathing, then stopped at the opening stance of the first form.
At this point, Zenitsu, who was off to the side, was stunned, and the boar had also stopped practicing, instead staring wide-eyed at Suzuki Makoto's movements.
"This set of techniques... are these the moves of the original Breathing Style?"
"So strong... it feels like there's no escape!"
Both of them looked on with envy at Tanjiro, who had already begun practicing. But even Inosuke, who was always the most obsessed with getting stronger, didn't run over to pester Suzuki Makoto to teach him.
Because they could both see that this set of techniques was completely different from what they were currently learning. If they tried to force themselves to learn it, never mind how much they could actually master, they would first have to abandon all the skills they currently possessed.
Didn't they see that Tanjiro could only manage one and a half forms at a time? The moment he tried to use them consecutively like Suzuki Makoto, he had to painfully readjust his breathing, his face turning beet red from the effort.
Suzuki Makoto didn't keep a constant watch on Tanjiro. The boy was diligent and hardworking, had good comprehension, and most importantly—a good memory.
So, he spent most of his time with Inosuke, constantly demonstrating for him, correcting his dual-blade posture and power application.
As for the remaining time, he continued to practice the thirteen forms of Sun Breathing, using the same 'brute force' method as Tanjiro Kamado's father to reverse-engineer what the Sun Breathing technique was actually like.
____
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