Chapter 17: Boiled Fish Fillets

"There's no mistake… This is definitely the breath of Water Breathing! Who taught this guy?" Urokodaki Sakonji muttered to himself, momentarily stunned.

Every Demon Slayer had their own breathing style, all of which originated from the first and most fundamental—Sun Breathing.

However, Sun Breathing was overwhelmingly powerful and not suited for everyone. Over time, five major breathing styles emerged as derivatives of Sun Breathing:

— Water Breathing— Flame Breathing— Stone Breathing— Wind Breathing— Thunder Breathing

Throughout history, new breathing techniques had been developed based on these five. Among the nine Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, some used breathing styles derived from these main branches.

Due to the uniqueness of the Hashira, no two Hashira could wield the same breathing style. Each breathing technique had only one Hashira representing it. A Hashira's position could only be inherited by a qualified successor when the current Hashira retired due to unavoidable circumstances or perished in battle.

However, being a Hashira was merely a title within the Demon Slayer Corps. It was neither a symbol of nobility nor a position of authority. The Hashira's duty was a single, absolute mission—to eradicate demons from this world.

As time passed, the late afternoon sun cast long shadows. Eventually, Urokodaki came to a stop in front of a small wooden house. Haru and Tanjiro, who had finally caught up, stopped as well. Tanjiro immediately collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.

Haru, on the other hand, stood before Urokodaki with a composed expression, his breathing steady and unshaken.

"Haah… haah… U-Urokodaki-sama… have Haru… and I… passed the test? Hah… hah…" Tanjiro asked, relieved yet utterly exhausted.

Urokodaki slid open the wooden door and replied, "Haru's test is over. Yours is just beginning. Follow me up the mountain."

Tanjiro took a sharp breath, startled.

"Haru, stay here and watch over Tanjiro's sister. I'll be back later—I have some questions for you," Urokodaki said.

Haru glanced at the overwhelmed Tanjiro and remarked, "Don't disappoint me."

With that, he entered the wooden house and carefully placed Nezuko on a shaded wooden bed.

For some reason, Nezuko had fallen into a deep sleep. Haru had no intention of waking her. Instead, he simply sat cross-legged on the floor and began to rest.

Tanjiro, watching Haru take care of his sister, declared, "Haru, I will pass the test, no matter what!"

Haru looked at him and, without saying much, simply nodded.

"Let's go, Tanjiro!" Urokodaki urged.

Without hesitation, Tanjiro turned and followed Urokodaki up the mountain, unaware of what kind of trial awaited him.

Back at the wooden house, Haru waited patiently. Night had already fallen when Urokodaki finally returned. Haru glanced around, noticing that Tanjiro was nowhere to be seen, and couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.

Still, he didn't immediately ask any questions—he knew the old man wouldn't let Tanjiro die.

The two locked eyes for a moment before Urokodaki finally spoke first.

"Tonight, we're having boiled fish fillets."