I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 51 "Breathing Techniques" and Mount Natagumo (Please continue reading~)

Uchiha Hikaru spent some more time finding and sealing the third fat demon in the house.

Having witnessed this scene firsthand, Zenitsu Agatsuma finally believed Tanjiro's words about "senpai," and the way he looked at her underwent a subtle change.

Next, Uchiha Hikaru returned to the car to report the test results to Bulma.

Meanwhile, Tanjiro and Tanjiro began rescuing the hostages, helping to bandage the wounded, and sending them back to nearby villages.

When everything settles down.

Wearing a boar's headgear and not being very bright, Inosuke Hashibira arrived late and had a minor conflict with Hikaru Uchiha and his group because he mistook Bulma's car for a monster.

Uchiha Hikaru easily subdued Inosuke, giving the group a slight shock of Naruto's taijutsu, and then asked to observe their respective "breathing techniques".

……

The "breathing techniques" in the Demon Slayer world originated from Yoriichi Tsugikuni's "Sun Breathing".

It is a breathing technique that demon slayers have refined over hundreds of years in order to fight demons while still in human form. It emphasizes using special methods to adjust one's breathing, greatly enhancing cardiopulmonary function and significantly improving physical abilities, to the point of being comparable to demons.

After Yoriichi Tsugikuni's death, the "Sun Breathing" technique was lost, leaving only the five breathing styles that originated from it: Water, Fire, Wind, Lightning, and Rock, as well as their respective derivative styles.

Tanjiro learned water breathing, Zenitsu learned lightning breathing, while Inosuke Hashibira learned beast breathing, which is closer to wind breathing among the five basic forms.

"Water Breathing - First Form: Water Surface Slash!"

"Second Form: Waterwheel!"

"...The Tenth Form: The Flow of Life!"

In a clearing in the woods near the Ghost House.

Bulma and her shadow clone are laying out a tablecloth, preparing for a picnic.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Hikaru stood with his arms crossed under a large tree, his eyes clearly showing three tomoe, watching Tanjiro demonstrate the ten sword forms of Water Breathing one by one in the distance.

Tanjiro only stopped to catch his breath after using the final move, "Life Flow," and turned around to say:

"Miss Hikari, these are all the sword techniques I've learned in the past two years. I'm not very good at them yet. If it were Master Urokodaki, he would definitely be much better than me."

"Um……"

Uchiha Hikaru nodded.

After a brief moment of recollection, she drew a short sword from behind her back, took a few steps forward, and then swung the sword in a straight slash.

"First Form, Water Surface Slash!"

"The second form..."

"The Tenth Form..."

In just a few minutes.

The ten sword forms of Water Breathing were completely replicated by Uchiha Hikaru. They weren't exactly the same, but they were virtually identical. Furthermore, because Uchiha Hikaru's figure was more slender and agile, the sword forms had a graceful and ethereal quality when he used them, like a water fairy walking on water.

When she fell from mid-air, she saw water droplets all around her, soaking the earth as if a light rain had fallen.

"?!"

Tanjiro and the others were completely dumbfounded.

"Miss Hikari. Is this really your first time seeing 'Water Breathing'? You learned it after just one look?"

"I studied under Master Kuwashima for several years. How could someone be so talented? Even the Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps couldn't do that!"

"...Ha, what genius? He's just a cheat."

Compared to Tanjiro and the others' surprise, Uchiha Hikaru was somewhat dissatisfied.

"I feel like my breathing rhythm just now was a bit off; the fusion of 'Water Breathing' and the sword form wasn't perfect... Is it because the target of my copy was Tanjiro?"

Also.

At this time, Tanjiro had only recently passed the induction test. Although he was making rapid progress, he was still quite far behind seasoned veterans like Urokodaki and Giyu Tomioka. For example, he didn't even know the concept of "normal center" yet. Hikaru Uchiha could only try to figure it out on his own, or wait a few more days until he met the current Water Pillar, Giyu Tomioka, and then copy it from him.

After a brief moment of thought, Uchiha Hikaru raised his head and gestured with his chin: "Your turn, Zenitsu. Let's see your 'Lightning Breathing'."

"..."

Next, Uchiha Hikaru copied Zenitsu Agatsuma's Lightning Breathing and Inosuke's Beast Breathing.

However, he only learned "First Form of Thunder Breathing: Thunderclap Flash".

Because Zenitsu Agatsuma only knows this one move.

Uchiha Hikaru originally wanted to see Tanjiro's "Hinokami Kagura"—which is a youth version of "Sun Breathing"—but Tanjiro had not yet awakened the ancestral memories engraved in his DNA. He managed to jump around for a while, but it was visibly clumsy, so he had to give up.

"Alright."

"We'll copy the remaining breathing techniques after we meet the Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps."

"I wonder if the ability of 'Eight Thousand Spears' can help Tanjiro recall the complete 'Hinokami Kagura'... Never mind, I'm not very proficient yet. Let's practice repeatedly on those demons first, and wait until it's foolproof before making a move."

As a reward for copying the "Breathing Technique," Uchiha Hikaru broke a Senzu Bean in half and gave one half to Zenitsu Agatsuma and the other to Inosuke.

"This thing is extremely precious. It can heal your injuries and restore your full strength in a very short time. It can even cure injuries like missing limbs... You can ask Tanjiro about the specific effects. Keep it for when it really matters."

"...Thank you."

After listening to Tanjiro's vivid description of the Senzu Bean's amazing effects, the two solemnly put away their respective halves of the Senzu Bean.

On the other side, Bulma waved: "Everyone come over, dinner's ready."

"Yay!"

……

After resting for a day, Uchiha Hikaru and his group set off again.

Along the way, they passed several scenic spots, and Bulma stopped to take a few photos.

The camera, even rarer than a car, naturally amazed Tanjiro and his companions. Bulma generously lent it out and gave them a brief lesson on how to use it. Zenitsu Agatsuma, who learned first, grabbed Tanjiro and Nezuko and started taking selfies.

Only Inosuke refused to join, saying he felt the machine would suck away his soul.

Hmm... that's a really old-fashioned way of putting it.

They traveled like on a picnic until the evening of the next day, when they finally arrived at their next mission location: Mount Natagumo, the true location of the Twelve Demon Moons and Lower Moon Five, "Rui".

Before your eyes lies a majestic mountain range, covered with lush green vegetation from its foothills. Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, you can only see the mountain path within a few dozen meters. Beyond that, the trees obscure the view, creating a sense of mystery and eeriness.

Once we get here, it's definitely impossible to continue driving.

Since it was nighttime, when demons are most active, Bulma immediately put the RV into the Capsule of Life, handed over the protective suit and laser sword to Uchiha Hikaru, and then put on the mini bracelet herself, ready to transform at any time.

(End of this chapter)