However, the shinobi of the ninja world clearly didn't fight with honor. There was the Nara clan's Shadow Imitation Technique—once your shadow was caught, you couldn't move. Then there was the Yamanaka clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu. And the Aburame clan's poisonous insects—all sorts of bizarre abilities.
But considering their enemies in this world were a special kind of creature, Nagi naturally let it go. The strange and deadly techniques of the ninja world were all aimed at humans and were mostly useless against the demons of this world. So, it wasn't surprising that, aside from Breathing Styles, there wasn't much else here. Of course, it wasn't absolute. There were still ninja in this world, like the Sound Hashira, who came from a ninja family, just without chakra.
"Everyone, breakfast is ready in the dining hall~" The old woman appeared in the courtyard with a gentle smile.
"Mm, alright, thank you, Grandma. Let's call it a morning then," Uchiha Nagi said, wiping away his sweat. It wasn't from sparring with them that he was tired, but from the heat generated by practicing Breathing Styles himself.
Alongside him, the three youngsters were also wiping off sweat, having never encountered such peculiar fighting methods. A sword strike would hit a substitution log, or the opponent would simply vanish. Then there was the regular Clone Jutsu—those were intangible shadows that dispersed on contact—and the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which created solid, physical clones. Mixed together, the real and fake made it incredibly difficult for them to get a bead on things.
Soon enough, however, the regular Clone Jutsu became useless against them, as all three possessed their own special talents. Tanjiro's sense of smell could detect emotions and scents, allowing him to instantly differentiate between intangible clones and solid Shadow Clones. Zenitsu had his super-sensitive hearing, and Inosuke possessed an animal-like intuition. These three were truly gifted.
"Mmm-mmm, delicious, delicious~" Boar-boy Inosuke didn't snatch food from the other two this time. The old woman in charge of logistics had specially prepared an extra portion for him, which was more than enough.
"Oh, right, Inosuke, by the way, how did you join the Demon Slayer Corps?" Tanjiro asked curiously.
"Oh, I used to live alone in the mountains. One day, I ran into a few people, beat them up, and took their swords. Then they said they were Demon Slayers, mmm~~" Inosuke thumped his chest and gulped down a cup of water. "Ah... full. Anyway, I learned from them about the Demon Slayer Corps selection, so I went to the mountain to participate in the battles. And just like that, I became an official member. Then I met you guys later..."
Tanjiro: "......"
Zenitsu said pitifully, "Those people whose Nichirin Blades you stole, they're really unlucky~"
So, Boar-boy Inosuke had become a member of the Demon Slayer Corps in a completely muddled way. When Tanjiro asked where he learned his Breathing Style, he said he had lived in the mountains since he was a child and was raised by wild boars. Later, when he was little, he once snuck into an old man's house in the mountains to steal food and got caught.
"Mmm~ Later... that old man raised me for several years before he died. He even made me call him Grandpa and taught me how to speak. I created my Breathing Style by imitating him."
"Oh, right~" Inosuke asked with a curious look, "What's a 'Grandpa'? Can you eat it?"
"Sugoi—" Zenitsu looked utterly stunned. Creating his own Breathing Style? This guy is a genius among geniuses!
"Inosuke is amazing! To think you created your own Breathing Style~" Tanjiro exclaimed in admiration.
Uchiha Nagi was thoughtful. It seemed Breathing Styles were just a general framework, similar to how the original progenitor of chakra was the old Sage of Six Paths. As for how others used chakra after it was dispersed and passed down, there were countless variations. Breathing Styles were the same. The most primitive was Sun Breathing, which then continuously evolved and simplified, eventually forming various different schools of breathing. This meant he too could absorb their essence and then deduce a Breathing Style most suitable for himself.
As for Sun Breathing—
Uchiha Nagi glanced at Tanjiro. Sometimes, the strongest Breathing Style wasn't necessarily the most suitable, because everyone's constitution was different.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Boar-boy Inosuke proposed to challenge Uchiha Nagi's genjutsu once more.
"Alright, bring it on~" Uchiha Nagi smiled, activating his three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Awooo! Pig Assault—" Inosuke roared, charging at Uchiha Nagi. And then, he inadvertently looked into those red eyes again.
Next, Tanjiro and Zenitsu witnessed a familiar scene: Inosuke yelling and flailing at the air, then falling asleep once more.
"I didn't even get to bet on how long he'd last before he lost..." Zenitsu said with a regretful expression.
However, Tanjiro's face was grave. After careful observation, he said directly, "No, Inosuke hasn't lost yet~"
Hm?
Hearing this, Uchiha Nagi stopped and turned to look at Boar-boy Inosuke. He saw him sleeping with his eyes narrowed, then suddenly lock onto Nagi, grab his two Nichirin Blades, and charge over.
This works too? Uchiha Nagi looked at him in surprise. His brain was asleep, but his body was still fighting based on instinct. What in the world was this?
The sleeping Inosuke's swordsmanship was still incredibly sharp, and he could subconsciously use his Breathing Style, Beast Breathing.
Such astonishing talent. Uchiha Nagi was genuinely shocked by this kid. However, being asleep still wasn't as agile as being awake. In the end, Uchiha Nagi used a Water Prison Technique to decisively end the battle.
"Mmph~ Mmphh... Glug... glug..." After waking up, Inosuke found himself trapped in a sphere of water, only able to make gurgling sounds for help. He couldn't use his Breathing Style in the water and couldn't get out.
Uchiha Nagi released the Water Prison Technique, letting him out.
"This is a weakness you all need to overcome. You rely too much on your Breathing Styles. You haven't considered how you would fight if you were trapped in a place with no air one day," Uchiha Nagi said seriously to the three youngsters. "Although demons with water-based Blood Demon Arts are rare, if you encounter one, you'll be in trouble."
"A Breathing Style without air?!" Tanjiro scratched his head, completely unable to figure out how to solve this problem.
Zenitsu and Inosuke also looked utterly clueless.
"It's alright. You just need to remember one thing~"
"And that is—every technique has a weakness."
Those were Itachi's words, but also the truest reality. There was no such thing as a perfect technique in the world. If there were, it would be divine.
Just then, Tanjiro's crow delivered another message, circling in the sky and cawing loudly.
"Northeast-north! Natagumo Mountain!"
"Northeast-north! Natagumo Mountain!"
"Ah, another mission! This time it's Natagumo Mountain. I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about this," Zenitsu said, clinging tightly to Tanjiro's arm in fear.
Tanjiro: "......."