Sabito held a plain iron training sword in his hands, staring blankly at the person standing opposite him. After a moment, he turned to Urokodaki Sakonji in disbelief.
"Master Urokodaki, this… this is…"
"Today, Yoriichi will be training with you." Urokodaki stood with his hands tucked inside his sleeves. "Whoever manages to break the bamboo sword in Yoriichi's hand may rest for the day. The other two will run ten round trips from the top of the mountain to the bottom tonight. If no one breaks it, all three will run. Time limit: until sunset."
"But Master..." Makomo looked worried. "Iron swords are much sharper than bamboo ones. This match is unfair."
"You three are far from the level where you qualify to talk about fairness." Urokodaki's voice remained calm. "Remember, all of you are allowed to use Breathing Styles. Let their usage become instinct. Now—begin."
Yoriichi raised the bamboo sword with one hand, nodding slightly with a gentle smile.
"Please guide me."
Sabito sighed, drew the long sword from his waist, and gripped it with both hands.
"Please guide me."
Before he even finished speaking, he burst into motion, becoming a blur. White mist spilled from his lips as he swung his blade in a horizontal arc—Water Breathing: First Form, Water Surface Slash!
Yoriichi didn't move his feet. He simply lifted the bamboo sword, rotating and lifting it along the blade's edge. Without using much strength, he redirected Sabito's strike. Then he pressed downward sharply, intending to force Sabito's sword into the ground.
But Sabito wasn't about to give up. He used Yoriichi's downward force, chopping downward with it and leaping into the air. The [Form] drawn by his sword created a clean, circular arc—Water Breathing: Second Form, Water Wheel.
Landing smoothly from the technique, Sabito pivoted and launched another diagonal Water Wheel toward Yoriichi.
"Yoriichi's only defending…" Makomo watched the exchange, feeling her eyes weren't fast enough. "Amazing…"
"Mm. Very strong." Giyu's gaze remained fixed on the two. "Sabito's lost."
Moments after Giyu spoke, Sabito took an upward strike to the chin from Yoriichi's bamboo sword. He staggered back, trying to initiate another [Form], but Yoriichi struck him in the chest, disrupting the technique completely. Sabito collapsed to the ground.
"Your breathing is unstable. Take a short rest." Yoriichi lowered his bamboo sword. "Against taller opponents, your center of gravity should be lower. Targeting the legs to restrict movement is always the most effective strategy."
"Lower my center of gravity…" Sabito rubbed his chin, compared his height with Yoriichi's, crouched down to test the stance, then frowned and walked aside. "Let me think…"
Giyu and Makomo both sparred with Yoriichi afterward. But calling it a spar was generous—Yoriichi was practically feeding them techniques one by one. He only knocked them down when their breathing fell out of rhythm before moving on to the next.
Eventually, all three attacked together, but all they managed was to make Yoriichi add a few extra steps of footwork. By the end of the day, Yoriichi still looked as clean and neat as he had in the morning, while all three of the younger students were covered in dirt and dust.
Hiru—who had spent the entire day splitting wood with a cleaver—finally found a chance to pull Yoriichi aside and ask how to swing the blade more evenly.
Yoriichi picked up the axe, split two pieces of wood, and began explaining how to channel power properly.
...
A week later, the trio was still being sent to run laps after each sparring session. But Sabito—by far the strongest of them—had improved from barely lasting a dozen moves to enduring over a hundred before losing control of his breathing.
To correct their habits, Yoriichi had even sought Urokodaki's guidance on Water Breathing fundamentals. He then began using Water Breathing sword techniques against the three, instantly knocking their progress back down to rotating after barely a dozen moves.
Meanwhile, Hiru had finally begun learning woodcarving under Urokodaki. When he insisted on carving with a dagger because it "felt better" and refused to use a carving knife, Urokodaki scolded him thoroughly.
...
Four days later, a swordsmith wearing a Hyottoko mask arrived at Mount Sagiri with their finished swords.
Sabito's and Giyu's blades both turned a striking shade of blue—Giyu's a pure deep blue, Sabito's slightly lighter.
As for Hiru...
"It's gray… a color I've never seen before." The masked swordsmith sat to the side, examining the blade in Hiru's hand with curiosity. "May I ask what Breathing Style you use?"
"I don't use any Breathing Styles." Hiru lightly brushed his fingers along the silver-gray blade. "This sword feels specially reinforced. It's heavier too."
"Ah, that's because the cloth-wrapped message on the hilt said, 'As long as it's sturdy enough, weight doesn't matter.' So I made adjustments accordingly." The swordsmith sounded shy. "Does it feel comfortable? Is it too heavy?"
"Not at all. I'm very strong."
"Ahh, that's wonderful. It seems this blade will be put to good use."
"Still… if possible, reinforce it again next time."
"Eh? But with the reinforcement, it already weighs four kilograms… it really won't affect your sword swings?"
"No. Honestly, it still feels light." Hiru sheathed the blade and smiled. "Thank you for taking my request into account."
"Oh, it's nothing." The swordsmith waved his hands repeatedly, then hesitated with a troubled look. "Actually… I have another request."
"Hm?"
"Since this is the first sword I've ever forged for a Swordsman… I'm a little attached. Please use it carefully." He bowed his head deeply. "At least until you've slain five demons—please don't send this child back to the Swordsmith Village."
Hiru blinked, then nodded. "Alright. I'll treat him carefully. Please rest assured."
"Thank you—truly—" The swordsmith pressed his palms together and bowed repeatedly. "Uuuh… I entrust this child completely to you…"
Hiru leaned back slightly. "Uh… could you please not make it sound like you're entrusting an orphan to me? I really will handle him carefully."
"Uuuh… sorry. I get emotional when it's a Swordsman's first sword…"
Meanwhile, Yoriichi was being besieged by another swordsmith.
"Why is it BLACK?! I'm so disappointed! I was excited for so long when I heard I'd be forging the sword for the top-ranked Swordsman! And then the color turns out so plain and ordinary! I'm so disappointed!"
"Plain?" Yoriichi sheathed his long sword, smiling gently. "Indeed."
"You're so weird! Get mad! Get MAD!"
Yoriichi tilted his head slightly and paused before responding.
"Why should I be angry?"