Chapter 21: But, So What?
Kanae Kocho chewed on this unfamiliar term, her brows furrowing slightly.
She tried to search her memories for that name, but found nothing.
As the Flower Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, she was well-read and had dabbled in various Breathing Style schools,
but the name "Hinokami Kagura" was indeed completely foreign to her.
"That is a ritual dance passed down through generations in that family; it's a ceremony to pray for peace and ward off calamity."
Tatsu continued, his eyes sparkling with a glimmer of longing.
"Within that dance lies the key to the path of the strongest."
Looking at Tatsu's determined gaze, Kanae Kocho's doubts didn't diminish; instead, they grew stronger.
"Dancing... becoming stronger..."
She murmured to herself, unable to fathom any logical connection between the two.
To her, it seemed as absurd as someone telling her she could achieve immortality just by drinking plain water every day.
But out of trust for Tatsu, she didn't refute him directly and chose to listen instead.
Tatsu was not someone who spoke without purpose.
Since he said so, there must be a reason behind it.
"Alright, even if that dance is special."
Kanae Kocho sighed and gave a helpless smile.
"But Tatsu, why do you think a ritual dance could make you stronger?"
"Could that dance actually allow you to realize some peerless swordsmanship?"
Looking at Kanae's cute expression that said "I'm listening to you make up stories," Tatsu couldn't help but find it amusing.
He knew that without dropping a bombshell, it would be difficult to convince this knowledgeable Lady Flower Hashira.
So, he took a deep breath, his expression becoming solemn.
"Kanae, have you ever heard of... Sun Breathing?"
As soon as those words were spoken, Kanae Kocho, who had been smiling playfully, instantly changed her expression.
In her purple eyes, her pupils contracted slightly, as if she had heard some unbelievable forbidden words.
"Sun Breathing..."
Kanae Kocho repeated the words in a low voice, her tone carrying a hint of awe and shock.
She looked up, her sharp gaze fixed on Tatsu, as if trying to see through to his soul.
"Of course I know about that."
"Sun Breathing is the legendary Progenitor Breathing, the origin of all Breathing Styles."
"Water, Thunder, Wind, Stone, and Flame—these five basic Breathing Styles all evolved from it."
"The Flower Breathing I use now is merely a branch of Water Breathing."
Having said this, she paused, the doubt in her eyes deepening.
"But Sun Breathing was lost as early as the Sengoku period."
Records of it are extremely scarce, even within the Demon Slayer Corps."
"Only a few highly experienced Hashira or The Master know a bit about it."
"Many young swordsmen don't even know such a Breathing Style exists."
She took a step forward, closing in on Tatsu, her eyes full of scrutiny.
"Tatsu, how do you know about Sun Breathing?"
This was a sharp question.
A demon actually knew the most core and secret legacy of the Demon Slayer Corps.
If it were any other Hashira, like the evil-hating Wind Hashira Sanemi Shinazugawa,
they probably would have drawn their sword long ago to interrogate Tatsu about where he overheard such information.
But Kanae Kocho was different.
Although her tone carried a hint of questioning, it was mostly pure curiosity and a search for the unknown.
Facing Kanae's gaze that seemed capable of seeing through people, Tatsu already had a prepared response.
He certainly couldn't tell her that he had seen it in the "Demon Slayer" anime.
That would be too ridiculous, and there was no way to explain it clearly.
So, he put on a deep, nostalgic expression, looking into the void as if reminiscing about a distant past.
"That..."
Tatsu scratched his head, a perfectly timed mix of embarrassment and mystery appearing on his face.
"Actually, when I was very young..."
"Before I became a demon, I met a crazed Wandering Taoist."
"A Wandering Taoist?"
Kanae was slightly stunned, clearly not expecting this answer.
"Yeah."
Tatsu talked nonsense with a straight face.
"Although that Taoist looked crazy and dressed in rags, he often muttered strange things."
"Things like 'The sun rises in the east, I alone am undefeated,' or 'Between breaths, heaven and earth unite'..."
"At the time, I just thought he was talking nonsense, but there was one sentence: 'Sun Breathing is the source of all methods, the bane of all evil in the world'..."
I remember that one particularly clearly."
While Tatsu was making it up, he secretly observed Kanae's expression.
"Later, I also wandered around and occasionally heard some rumors about the Demon Slayer Corps,"
after cross-referencing them, I guessed that what the Taoist said might be true."
This reason was actually full of holes.
Where would a Wandering Taoist come from in this country?
Even if there were, could an ordinary person just happen to meet such a master who knew the highest secrets of the Demon Slayer Corps?
And just happened to remember such crucial information?
It was practically writing "I am lying" across his face.
Kanae Kocho looked at Tatsu's expression of "it's far-fetched but it's the truth," her heart clear as a mirror.
She knew Tatsu was fooling her, or rather, that Tatsu had a secret channel he was unwilling to reveal.
But, so what?
Kanae looked into Tatsu's clear eyes; there was no trace of gloom or malice there.
She could feel that although Tatsu was hiding his source of information,
his determination to become stronger, to protect himself, and to fight against fate was real.
Everyone has their own secrets, don't they?
She wasn't the type of person who had to get to the bottom of everything.
As long as Tatsu didn't harm humans and remained on the side of justice,
then where he actually learned about Sun Breathing didn't really matter.
Thinking this, Kanae Kocho's tense body relaxed.
That gentle smile reappeared on her face.
"So that's how it is..."
She nodded gently.
"That Wandering Taoist sounds like quite a transcendent master."
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