Chapter 20 : 20th Stance

Surprisingly, Takeo hadn't been called on any missions for a couple of days, giving him enough time to learn Total Concentration : Constant.

After breaking the smallest gourd with ease, he began to break the others relatively quickly, but then it began to get harder and harder.

Out of 8 Gourds, he had broke a total of 6. With the 7th and 8th being the hardest. For these two, he had to completely focus all his energy, and use all his strength to even fill the gourd with his air, let alone break it.

After a couple of hours of trying, he decided to take a break. This wouldn't mean he'd stop training...oh no, he was training even harder in order to break the gourds.

'It's still not enough', he thought, as he began to countless one-handed push ups. Not wanting to get his uniform all sweaty, he took it off and began to train shirtless, which meant that Yuko could finally stretch his legs and walk around....

He didn't walk long however....as he was already asleep on-top of Takeo's uniform.

Not losing his focus, Takeo didn't pay attention to anything else in his vicinity, except for himself of-course. He practiced using his breathing style and sword techniques, he ran in the cold at night to increase his stamina, he meditated to improve his focus....he did anything he could.

After a couple of hours of training, he sat in-front of the 7th Gourd....staring it down with a dangerous like it was his enemy. 'I'll break you', he thought, before he grabbed it.

Getting himself ready, he breathed in and out to increase his heart-rate and blood flow to help move around the oxygen in his body, before he began to use

"HAA!!! HUUUU!!!", He inhaled and exhaled slowly, but loudly. Before he concentrated the oxygen in his lungs out into the gourd....

"BOOOOOOHHHH!!!!!!"

C-CRACK!!!

A small crack formed on the side of the gourd, but it grew in size the more Takeo breathed into the gourd, until he grew so big that the it shattered....

CRACCKK!!

"HAA!! HUU!!!"

He breathed in deeply, before he quickly grabbed the 8th gourd and breathed into it like his life depended on it...

Crack!

A small crack the size of a pencil formed on the massive gourd, but with irregular heart-beat due to his use of Total Concentration, and the quicker his blood flowed in his veins, he felt stronger than ever, and that small crack grew and grew....just like the 7th gourd until.....

BANNNNNGGGGGGGG!!!!!

The pressure inside the gourd caused it to explode outwards, creating a cloud of smoke and dust, and frightening Yuko.

"AHH!! What the hell was that!!", he screamed before he darted his eyes around the room.

Emerging from the smoke, Takeo breathed in heavily before he collapsed onto the floor next to Yuko and went to sleep, leaving Yuko in confusion....

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After a couple of rest, Takeo was interrupted by the yelling of a bird...

"CAW!!! CAW!!!! Takeo Yasushi head North-North East to Natagumo Mountain!!!"

Still half-sleep, when Takeo heard Natagumo Mountain he knew that was where the spider horde resided, which means he would meet Zenitsu and Tanjiro again, but Inosuke for the first time.

"...Can you let me sleep for a bit", he asked the crow, but all he got was the crow repeating...

"CAW! CAW! Takeo Yasushi head North-North East to Natagumo Mountain!!!", as if it was a broken record.

The crow kept repeating that phrase, which made Takeo annoyed, "ALRIGHT! Alright! I get it, just shut up!", he shouted out of anger.

'Just let me sleep', he thought annoyed, before he put on his uniform, fitted his black mask onto his face and picked up his sword.

'Damn those demons ruining my sleep', he thought, as he shone a dangerous glare from his eyes.

With everything ready, his crow and Yuko in tow, he made his way to Natagumo Mountain.

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Still annoyed because he was woken up, Takeo was walking on a dirt track. It was the evening already, which meant it would be night soon. 'Wait....after this I should be able to see the Hashira', he thought, remembering how Tanjiro got in trouble. Thinking about that, he got even more angry, but then smiled. He hadn't forgotten what happened to his Master and how they didn't help him when he needed it. He also acknowledged that it was mostly his Master's fault, but he couldn't accept that being a Hashira at the time, he wasn't helped by the others, and so he was going to use the current Hashira's to target his anger.

'I'll rough them up a little, I'm not stupid enough to kill them when they didn't do anything'.

Previously, being consumed by anger, Takeo was going to kill them, but noticing that the main fault was the Demons....specifically Zamuza and Muzan, he relented and just wanted to release some of his anger on someone strong.

He didn't really care of the consequences of hitting a Hashira, and deep in his heart he thought it was going fun to imagine all of them rushing him at once.

'I can't wait', he thought, before he increased his pace....which made Yuko feel sick.

"....Slow down...I feel sic-", Yuko said lowly to Takeo, but he still heard it.

"HEY! Don't you vomit on my uniform, I just cleaned this you little rat!", he shouted, before he quickly grabbed Yuko by his fur and made him vomit outside on the floor.

"BLAGHHH!!!"

The smell made Takeo feel disgusted, "What have you been eating?!", he asked, before he covered his nose.

After that minor set-back, Takeo got out a little bag and gave it to Yuko, "Here! Keep it inside and next to you in the pocket", "I have to get to the mountain quickly, so withstand the speed!", he shouted, fitting it inside, before he immediately started to dash towards his location at a high speed.