Crossover Anime: Starting with Bankai from Demon Slayer

After training at the Butterfly House, Asuka would lean against a pillar alone, close her eyes, and reflect on the day's training.

This kind of movement technique cannot be mastered overnight. You can't always rely on Shinobu Kocho for help. You have to learn to summarize your experiences and constantly strengthen your training results in order to achieve something.

"Mr. Asuka!!" Tanjiro's heavy footsteps approached from afar, and he stopped panting in front of him.

Because of his injury rehabilitation training, he has been working very hard these days and has barely spoken to Asuka.

He stood ramrod straight, his bangs damp with sweat and plastered to his full forehead.

Those bright eyes stared directly at the bird, burning with pure gratitude: "I haven't had a chance to properly thank you! On Mount Natagumo, without your help, Nezuko and I would probably... I'm truly grateful to you!!"

Tanjiro suddenly bent down and bowed deeply, a perfect ninety degrees, his attitude extremely sincere.

Asuka opened her eyes, unconcerned about how sincere Tanjiro's thanks were, and simply said in a flat tone:

"Is your injury any better?"

"Thanks to my friends at the Butterfly Mansion, things are slowly getting better!"

"Hmm...that's good. No need to thank me. This was just a transaction." He nodded and pointed to the wooden training sword in his hand: "Pay me when you feel better."

Tanjiro straightened up, a warm smile on his face: "Even if it was a transaction, you saved us! I will forever remember this kindness!"

His eyes shone brightly: "Do you want to learn Hinokami Kagura now? I see you've been practicing all day, wouldn't you like to take a break?"

"It's alright."

Tanjiro listened without saying anything more, took a deep breath to calm his rapid breathing, and walked to the sunniest open space in the courtyard.

There were no drumbeats, and no accompaniment.

The boy lowered his waist and dismounted, his hands clasped loosely as if supporting invisible taiko drumsticks and kagura bells.

The movements began slowly, each one carrying the solemn rhythm of an ancient ritual, steady and fluid.

Arms swing, waist twists, toes touch the ground.

Their footsteps moved nimbly and fluidly within the limited space, drawing powerful arcs.

Is this the Fire Sword type? Asuka's brows furrowed silently.

His eyes followed Tanjiro's every move closely—the stretching of his muscles, the shifting of his center of gravity, the rise and fall of his spine—nothing escaped his observation.

But... this just looks like an ancient sacrificial dance...

Before long, Tanjiro, whose body had not fully recovered, stopped panting after only dancing half of the Kagura dance.

He scratched his head sheepishly and gave Asuka an awkward smile: "I'm so sorry, Mr. Asuka, I... I still have some..."

"It's alright." Asuka wasn't unreasonable, so she naturally wouldn't fuss over such a matter. "Is this your sword shape? Why is it different from the one I saw that night?"

He mimicked Tanjiro's gesture of raising both hands as if offering a sacrifice: "The movement itself doesn't seem particularly special, so how could it generate such a powerful slash?"

"A powerful slash..." Tanjiro gasped, a look of confusion on his face.

He looked at the bird honestly, his tone uncertain: "To be honest, I don't really understand the reasoning behind it either."

"When my father taught me, he only said that this was a 'Kagura dance' passed down from our ancestors, a sacrificial dance to express respect and gratitude to the 'Fire God' and to pray for divine protection..."

"It also contains a special breathing method, which is completely integrated with the dance. I think... maybe I accidentally combined water breathing with it that day, which is why I was able to do those movements."

Fusion... Asuka fell into thought.

Can different breathing techniques be combined?

In fact, all existing breathing techniques evolved from the earliest forms of breathing; perhaps there are ways in which they interact and work together...

"I understand. You can rest for a bit and then slowly demonstrate the whole set of movements to me."

"yes!"

So, every few minutes Tanjiro would rest, he would show Asuka a part of the Kagura dance, and Asuka would watch it carefully, occasionally trying to imitate the movements, hoping to find the key to it.

only.

When Asuka tried to follow Tanjiro's rhythm to perform a movement that required a large body rotation and a corresponding flow of breath, her previously effortless Wind Breathing suddenly stopped.

It was like a rushing torrent crashing into an invisible dam, causing a sudden surge of energy in the chest and abdomen!

Uh... A muffled groan escaped uncontrollably from his throat.

Feiniao instinctively covered his ribs, his face showing some displeasure.

The force of the counter-current wasn't particularly strong; his physique allowed him to suppress it instantly. However, the raw sense of resistance and conflict clearly told him that this path was blocked.

It seems that the key to Kagura Mai is not compatible with the lock of the Breath of Wind within him.

We still need to start with Tanjiro's family's blessed breathing technique.

Just then, a cry of surprise and the clatter of a wooden basin falling to the ground came from the other end of the courtyard.

A member of the Class C team, who was still recovering from an injury and walking unsteadily, fell to the ground in a sorry state, the overturned basin of water soaking his trousers and the ground around him.

"Ah! Mr. Oda!" Tanjiro's attention was instantly drawn, and a genuine worry appeared on his face.

He rushed over without even saying another word to the bird.

"Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?" Tanjiro quickly squatted down and carefully supported the arm of the team member named Oda. "Come on, get up slowly."

He half-helped, half-supported the other person to a dry spot under the eaves to sit down, then quickly ran to pick up the wooden basin, deftly used a rag to absorb the water stains, and cleaned up the mess on the ground.

"Thank you so much, Tanjiro." Oda was full of apology and gratitude; he didn't want to be in such a sorry state.

"It's no trouble at all!" Tanjiro said with a bright smile. "You stay seated, I'll go get another basin of clean water!"

After he finished speaking, he ran off in a flurry of activity.

This wasn't the first time Asuka had noticed this situation; the boy always showed an extraordinary concern for others.

He helped a teammate with an injured arm re-wrap the loose bandage, talked to a dejected young teammate, and handed a heavy first-aid kit to a member of the hidden unit...

During her time at the Butterfly Mansion, Asuka noticed that Tanjiro's forehead was constantly covered in sweat, and he didn't look like an injured patient at all.

His eyes were always bright and sparkling, and after each time he helped someone, a pure, warm smile would naturally bloom on his face, a smile that could dispel any gloom.

The law of the jungle prevails, and there is only the exchange of equal value.

Behind every act of kindness may lie a trap, and every act of assistance requires a clear price.

This is the proper logic of how the world works.

Asuka understands Tanjiro's selfless protection of his sister Nezuko; it stems from the bond of blood, and is a matter of course.

But his actions, as if he possessed an inexhaustible furnace within him, burning himself to warm every insignificant person...

It was almost incomprehensible, even bordering on dangerous stupidity.

After Tanjiro finished cleaning up the water basin for Konishi and rushed back, Asuka asked in confusion:

Why?

Tanjiro was taken aback for a moment, but looking into his eyes, he immediately understood what Asuka meant.

He walked to a pillar near the birds, leaned against it, picked up the water jug, and took several large gulps, his smiling face still flushed from his busy work.

"Mr. Asuka, do you mean you're helping everyone with their tasks?"

The bird didn't nod, but confirmed it with its eyes.

Tanjiro put down his water bottle, looking at the team members in the courtyard, some supporting each other, others doing their rehabilitation exercises alone, his eyes gentle yet firm:

"Because everyone has it tough... Getting injured hurts, it's painful, it's hard. If you see someone in need, you should help if you can."

He paused, then turned to look at the bird, his bright, clear eyes reflecting the afternoon sunlight: "My father once said: Helping others brings joy, and in the end, you will be rewarded!"

"I feel that helping others and seeing their relieved smiles warms my heart and makes me happy. That happiness is the best reward!"

Helping others is a pleasure? The bird chewed on the word, feeling a bit strange.

"....Yeah."

Confusion, like a vine, quietly grew on his hardened heart.