Chapter 13

The sun was going down as we walked down Mount Fujikasane. Sabito led the way, like he'd hiked this trail a million times. Makomo was quiet as usual, but I could tell she was happy to be back. I trailed behind them, Fuyume chilling on my shoulder.

After what felt like forever, we reached a small hut hidden among the bamboo trees. Smoke curled out of the chimney, and the warm light from the windows made it look cozy.

"We're here," Sabito said, sounding a little nervous.

He knocked on the door, and a moment later, it opened. A tall guy wearing a creepy tengu mask stood there. Urokodaki Sakonji, their teacher.

Sabito and Makomo bowed. "Urokodaki-sensei," they said together.

The mask hid the man's face, but I could tell he was emotional. He sighed, his voice heavy.

"You're back," he said, hugging them. "I... I didn't want any more kids to die."

He had tears in his eyes. It was kinda sad, seeing this tough guy break down like that. I guess he'd lost a lot of students to the Final Selection.

I stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do. Fuyume hooted softly, like he felt bad for the guy too.

This is getting kinda heavy, I thought. Maybe I should just make a quiet exit.

But before I could sneak away, Urokodaki-sensei turned to me, his eyes peering through the mask.

"And who are you?" he asked, his voice gruff but not mean.

"Asakura Akio," I replied, bowing. "Nice to meet you, Urokodaki-sensei."

Sabito stepped forward, his voice filled with respect. "Sensei, this is Asakura Akio. He's the one who saved us from that demon."

Urokodaki's masked gaze turned to me, his silence heavy. I shifted awkwardly, Fuyume giving a reassuring hoot from my shoulder. Way to break the ice, buddy.

"That demon..." Sabito continued, his voice grim, "it was... different. Stronger. Faster. It was screaming your name, Sensei, cursing you."

Urokodaki's masked head tilted slightly, a silent question hanging in the air.

"A mutated demon," I added, trying to fill the silence. "It had way too many limbs for its own good, and it was regenerating like crazy."

Urokodaki let out a long sigh, the sound echoing through the quiet hut. "I see," he said, his voice heavy with regret. "It seems the demon I captured all those years ago has mutated."

He turned to Sabito and Makomo, his tone softening. "I warned you about the dangers of the Final Selection. I never wanted any of you to..." His voice trailed off, the unspoken words hanging heavy in the air.

"We know, Sensei," Sabito replied, his voice firm. "But we wanted to become strong, to protect others, just like you taught us."

Urokodaki nodded slowly. "You were all my finest students," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Giyu... Sabito... Makomo... all of you."

I tilted my head, curious. "Giyu?" I asked. "Who's that?"

Sabito and Makomo exchanged a glance, a flicker of sadness passing between them.

"Tomioka Giyu," Sabito explained. "He trained with us under Urokodaki-sensei. He was the only one who survived the Final Selection before us."

Tomioka Giyu... The name rang a bell. Wasn't he one of the main characters in Demon Slayer? The Water Hashira, the stoic and powerful swordsman?

Whoa, hold on a sec, I thought, my mind racing. Does this mean I'm messing with the original timeline? Am I gonna accidentally butterfly effect the entire plot?

A nervous chuckle escaped my lips. Well, this just got a whole lot more interesting.

A week flew by like a blur. Days were filled with grueling training sessions under Urokodaki-sensei's watchful eye. I had to admit, the old guy knew his stuff. His training methods were brutal, but effective. I was getting stronger, faster, and more in tune with my abilities than ever before.

Sabito and Makomo had become my constant companions, sparring partners, and occasional sources of amusement.It was nice to have some friends in this crazy world.

One evening, as we were gathered around the hearth, Urokodaki-sensei turned to me, his masked gaze piercing. "Asakura-kun," he began, his voice gruff but curious, "what breathing technique do you practice?"

I froze, my mind scrambling for an answer. I couldn't exactly tell him I'd invented my own breathing style based on half-remembered physics lessons and a whole lot of anime inspiration. That would probably earn me a one-way ticket to the loony bin.

"Uh... I'm not really sure, Sensei," I stammered, trying to sound innocent. "It just... kinda happened."

Urokodaki-sensei raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Explain."

I took a deep breath, racking my brain for a plausible explanation. "Well, you see, Sensei, a while back, I was attacked by a demon. I had an axe with me, and I was swinging it like a madman, trying to defend myself. And then, I don't know, I just... breathed harder. And suddenly, I felt this surge of power, like my whole body was buzzing with energy. I managed to chop the demon's head off, but it didn't die. It just... kept going, head or no head. It was freaky as hell."

I paused for dramatic effect, then continued. "Anyway, I managed to keep it at bay until sunrise, and then it just... poofed into dust. After that, I started experimenting with my breathing, trying to recreate that feeling of power. And, well, here we are."

I finished my explanation with a sheepish grin, mentally crossing my fingers that Urokodaki-sensei would buy my ridiculous story.

Sabito and Makomo looked at me with wide eyes, clearly impressed. Urokodaki-sensei, however, remained silent for a long moment, his masked face inscrutable.

Finally, he spoke. "So, you're telling me you created a breathing technique on your own?"

I swallowed nervously. "Well, yeah. I don't know if it's an actual technique or not, but it definitely makes me stronger. And I've been training hard every day to perfect it, so I can, you know, help make this world a safer place and slay all the demons and stuff."

Internally, I cringed so hard I think I pulled a muscle.

Urokodaki-sensei nodded slowly. "I see," he said. "And how did you come to possess that katana?"

Oh, crap. Here we go again.

I started sweating bullets, my mind racing for another believable lie. "Well, uh... one night, I was camping in the woods, and I got attacked by a demon. Suddenly, this awesome demon slayer appeared and started fighting it. I tried to help, but I was pretty weak back then. We managed to defeat the demon, but the slayer... he got hurt badly. Before he died, he gave me his katana and told me to get stronger and slay all the demons. He said I had a brave heart or something."

I sniffled dramatically, hoping to sell the sob story. Oscar-worthy performance, Akio. Bravo.

Sabito and Makomo looked at me with sympathy, their eyes glistening with unshed tears. Urokodaki-sensei simply nodded, his voice gruff but gentle.

"I understand," he said. "It seems you have already faced many trials, Asakura-kun. Your determination is admirable."

Internally, I did a mental victory dance. Nailed it!

(To be Continued)

Akio throws his hands up in the air, exasperated. "Seriously, Over9000words! You couldn't come up with a better backstory than that?! And what about a decent name for Kinetic Breathing? Now I have to go through all this awkward explaining and make up ridiculous excuses on the spot. Come on, use your -1 HP rusty engine!"

Over9000words shrugs, feigning innocence. "Hey, they believed it, didn't they? Besides, who needs a fancy backstory when you've got raw talent and a killer personality like Akio's?"

Akio's eye twitches. "Even I cringed at that last line. And don't even get me started on the Nichirin blade plot hole. You were too lazy to come up with an explanation then, and you're too lazy now!"

Over9000words chuckles nervously. "Well, you could just tell them the same story if anyone asks. You know, the whole 'dying demon slayer entrusted me with his blade' routine. It worked on Urokodaki-sensei, didn't it?"

Akio stares at Over9000words with a deadpan expression, like a certain Ugandan journalist "Why... are you... like this?"

He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright, fine. But at least come up with a decent name for Kinetic Breathing. Something that makes sense in this world. And maybe a slightly less ridiculous backstory for the dead slayer. I'm warning you, don't even think about saying it's plot armor."

Over9000words' voice drops to an overly dramatic, spooky whisper. "Or... what if it's the ghost of Nakamura-san, the demon slayer who gave you directions in the village? cue ominous music"

Akio's jaw drops. "What the hell?!?!"

The screen cuts to black, leaving Akio's shocked expression hanging in the air.

AI-sensei's voice echoes in the darkness. "Well, that certainly took an unexpected turn. It seems Over9000words' creativity is finally sparking... or perhaps they've simply lost their mind. Either way, we'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out. Until then, dear readers, don't forget to leave your comments, power stones, and add this story to your library. And please, for the love of all that is holy, keep those nickname suggestions for Akio's 'Walmart Byakugan' coming!"

End of Chapter 13 (Abruptly, again)