Even knowing that Tomioka Giyuu always spoke that way and wasn't intentionally being sarcastic, Qingshui couldn't help but clench his fists.
"Huh? Is this method not working?"
Tanjiro asked, a little flustered, after hearing Tomioka Giyuu's words.
"No, he genuinely thinks this opportunity simplifies a difficult situation."
"Really?"
Tanjiro looked at Tomioka Giyuu with a suspicious gaze, while Tomioka Giyuu, expressionless, nodded slightly.
It really is true!
The mountain village boy had experienced more shock today than in all his previous years combined.
"Then let's go find the Master quickly."
Tomioka Giyuu said seriously.
"No rush. First, we'll go down the mountain to the town to buy some clothes for this little girl, so she doesn't get sunburned. And also..."
Qingshui silently drew his Nichirin Blade at Tomioka Giyuu.
"Even though I know what you just said isn't what you truly meant, I still feel... offended. So... I want to spar with a Hashira and see how big the gap is between us."
Tomioka Giyuu looked at Qingshui's actions and suddenly understood.
So, he wants to spar with me and bond, like Shinazugawa Sanemi?
He was happy to.
"I hope I don't injure you."
Tomioka Giyuu kindly reminded him, but with his deadpan expression and cold tone, it was hard not to interpret his words as mockery.
A hashtag symbol appeared on Qingshui's forehead.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
Lightning instantly streaked across the snowy ground, arriving before Tomioka Giyuu, who, with calm eyes, thrust his Nichirin Blade forward.
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust!"
Like a layer of water rising before Tomioka Giyuu, Qingshui's attack dissipated into ripples.
"Wind Breathing, Second Form: Claw-Wind!"
"Wind Breathing, Seventh Form: Gale, Sudden Gusts!"
"Thunder Breathing, Sixth Form: Thunder Swarm!"
Though the spar with Tomioka Giyuu was a spur-of-the-moment decision, for Qingshui, Tomioka Giyuu was an excellent sparring partner. His strength was among the top ranks of the Demon Slayer Corps' Hashira, and he was undeniably a top-tier fighter in the Demon Slayer World.
This was enough for Qingshui to get a clear understanding of his current strength.
Wind and thunder intertwined, like violent lightning amidst a storm.
Tomioka Giyuu, however, calmly wielded his Nichirin Blade, unperturbed, blocking all of Qingshui's attacks.
Water Breathing is the most balanced and serene of all Breathing Styles, excelling in both offense and defense. It is the most gentle, best at defense, and capable of launching counterattacks while defending.
As the strongest Water Hashira since the first, Tomioka Giyuu flawlessly demonstrated this characteristic of Water Breathing.
Tanjiro was so surprised that the axe in his hand fell to the ground.
So... these two are this strong?
Did Mr. Giyuu hold back against me and Nezuko just now?
"Thunder Breathing, Third Form: Gathering Clouds of Thunder!"
"Wind Breathing, Fifth Form: Cold Autumn Mountain Wind!"
Wave-like lightning exploded like swarming mosquitoes, combined with the swirling wind blades around Qingshui, causing the surrounding air to roar.
Qingshui had only recently discovered a trick to combining two Breathing Styles—primarily, his main body and his DC Universe Avatar had figured it out due to their incredibly high affinity for wind and lightning.
This was equivalent to fusing the characteristics of both Breathing Styles to unleash greater power, but so far, Qingshui had only developed the rudimentary form of this one move.
Even so, it forced Tomioka Giyuu to treat him with caution.
This person before me seems to be more than just an ordinary swordsman.
"Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Dead Calm!"
A vortex formed by water similarly met the attack, but after holding on for a moment, it was torn apart by the wind blades, then crushed by the continuous, lightning-like sword techniques.
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Lull!"
Tomioka Giyuu seemed to stand perfectly still, as if frozen, but Qingshui's eyes twitched.
In an instant, the wind and waves calmed. Whether it was the fierce winds or the roaring thunder, everything vanished without a trace in that moment.
Qingshui's footwork shifted rapidly, using the techniques of Thunder Breathing combined with the Body Flicker Technique, instantly flashing backward.
The power of this move is immense.
In the original timeline, Tomioka Giyuu instantly killed Lower Rank Five with this self-created technique. After activating his Demon Slayer Mark, he even managed to hold off Muzan for a while when Tanjiro's eyes were injured later in the story.
"Incredibly refined swordsmanship," Qingshui praised.
He had a rough understanding of Tomioka Giyuu's technique, but it was precisely that understanding that left him so profoundly shaken.
With slashes so fast they were almost imperceptible to the naked eye, he precisely shattered every attack within his range.
This created the anomaly just now: Tomioka Giyuu remained in place, yet all attacks around him were utterly destroyed. Within a certain radius of him, there was complete calm.
The principle was similar to observing an electric fan: when it's on a high setting and the blades spin fast enough, the human eye's refresh rate can't keep up, making it appear as if the blades are still.
Unless he encountered someone significantly stronger than Tomioka Giyuu, this technique could be considered a form of absolute defense.
This was Qingshui's first encounter with a Hashira, and Tomioka Giyuu reminded him of two sword masters he had witnessed in the Naruto World.
Salamander Hanzo and Hatake Sakumo were considered the peak users of bladed weapons in their era within the Naruto World. However, Qingshui believed that Tomioka Giyuu's swordsmanship was not far behind theirs. It was just that he lacked Chakra, which capped his potential, so there was certainly a gap in power compared to those two Kage-level experts.
"I didn't expect you to be less weak than I imagined," Qingshui muttered, staring at Tomioka Giyuu with dead fish eyes.
"You should become a Hashira soon, provided you don't accidentally get killed."
Are you complimenting me or cursing me, you bastard?!
The sun gradually rose into the sky. Everyone placed Nezuko in the shade of a tree, and Tomioka Giyuu covered her with his haori to protect her from direct sunlight.
Qingshui bought a full-body gauntlet and a straw hat, then paid to hire a carriage. With Nezuko settled inside, the group departed from Kumotori Mountain and headed towards the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
Qingshui fed some green beans to the Kasugai Crow, Kansaburo, and instructed him and Tomioka Giyuu's crow to deliver the report to Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
Tomioka Giyuu's Kasugai Crow was old and a bit senile, often delivering incorrect messages.
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