The morning sun peeked through the trees as Tekeo and Tanjiro stood opposite each other, wooden swords in hand. It had been ten months of grueling training under Urokodaki's watchful eye, and today marked the beginning of their final two weeks together. The brothers knew this sparring session would be different. They woke up prepared themselves and then Tekeo and Tanjiro charged at each other, their wooden swords clashing with a resounding thud. They moved with a newfound fluidity, their forms honed by months of relentless practice. Tekeo's strikes were powerful, each swing backed by his growing strength. Tanjiro, however, was quick and precise, and his movements were a testament to his diligent practice.
The fight was neck and neck. Tekeo's ambidexterity gave him an edge in unpredictability, while Tanjiro's agility kept him just out of reach. They exchanged blows, each one pushing the other to their limits. Sweat poured down their faces as they danced around each other, neither willing to back down.
In the heat of the battle, Tekeo saw an opening. He lunged forward with a powerful strike, but his foot caught on a hidden rock. He stumbled, and in that split second, Tanjiro's sword connected with Tekeo's wooden blade, shattering it into pieces. Tekeo fell to the ground, breathless and defeated.
"Stop!" Urokodaki commanded, stepping between the brothers. He looked at Tekeo, who was picking himself up. "This is a lesson in humility, Tekeo. Footwork is paramount. Without it, even the strongest strike will fail."
Tekeo nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Yes, Master."
Urokodaki handed Tekeo a new wooden sword. "Again."
Over the next two weeks, the brothers sparred daily. Each duel was intense, their skills growing with every clash of their blades. Urokodaki's lessons on footwork and balance paid off, and both brothers showed remarkable improvement. By the fortnight's end, Tanjiro had won eight matches, while Tekeo had claimed six victories. Despite his losses, Tekeo felt a sense of accomplishment. He had come a long way, and the journey was just beginning, plus he was confident that tanjiro was now much stronger than the canon so he felt relieved although his growth might be a bit slower than tanjiro at the end of the day it doesn't matter because he had found the proper way to use his talents.
The day of Tekeo's departure arrived. He stood outside the hut, wearing baggy training clothes and his father's black haori. His bag was packed with necessities, and a map showed his path to Mount Tsukuba. Tanjiro and Urokodaki stood with him, a mix of pride and sadness in their eyes.
"Remember what you've learned," Urokodaki said, placing a hand on Tekeo's shoulder. "And never forget your purpose."
"I won't, Master," Tekeo replied, his voice steady. He turned to Tanjiro and embraced him. "I'll see you soon brother and dont forget to take good care of Nezuko for me"
"Stay safe, Tekeo," Tanjiro said, his eyes glistening.
With a final nod, Tekeo set off on his journey. The path to Mount Tsukuba was arduous, taking him two days to traverse. By the time he reached the base of the mountain, he was covered in dust and leaves. He approached a large wooden door and knocked.
After a moment, the door creaked open, revealing a tall man with black hair. Tekeo showed a letter from Urokodaki and after the person took a look at the letter, He eyed Tekeo silently before opening the door wider. "Come in please, I am Aoko a trainee in wind breathing let me take you to the Master."
Tekeo followed Aoko inside, his eyes widening at the sight of the training grounds. Unlike Mount Sagiri's rugged terrain, this was a proper dojo, with practice dummies, wooden swords, and a spacious area designed for rigorous training. Aoko led him to the training area, where an elderly man in a white haori with a sharp gaze awaited.
"You must be Tekeo," the man said, his voice calm but firm. "I am Asuma Neki, your new sensei. Urokodaki has told me quite a bit about you. Did he mention that we were Hashiras together?"
Tekeo shook his head, feeling a mix of surprise and awe.
"Well, we were," Asuma continued, a hint of a smile forming. "We've faced many battles side by side, and his word holds a lot of weight with me. He believes you have great potential, and that makes me eager to train you. I'm looking forward to seeing how far you can go. Don't disappoint us, Tekeo. I have high hopes for you."
Tekeo bowed deeply. "Thank you, Sensei."
Asuma gave Tekeo a tour of the dojo. The facilities were impressive, with a training hall filled with dummies and wooden swords, a sword hall showcasing the swords and records of past Wind Breathing users, and even a natural hot spring. Tekeo marveled at the difference from Mount Sagiri.
"This dojo provides the space needed for Wind Breathing," Asuma explained. "Unlike Water Breathing, which thrives in rough environments, Wind Breathing requires open space to unleash its true strength. Though wind breathers need a lot of space to unleash Wind breathing's strongest techniques it becomes quite weak when in wet areas, the same can be said for Water Breathing it can only unleash its true potential when it's in a damp area while it struggles to fight in the open."
Tekeo nodded, absorbing the information. Asuma showed him to his room, allowing him to rest for the night. Excited, Tekeo left his room to explore the dojo just to end up meeting Aoko once again. Aoko, showed him the kitchen and other facilities, making Tekeo feel welcome. After talking to Aoko, Tekeo went back to his room to write a letter to Urokodaki and Tanjiro to tell them he had reached his destination.
The next morning, Tekeo overslept, missing Tanjiro's usual wake-up call. He rushed to Asuma, who made him stand in a horse stance under the sun, holding two buckets of water. It was a harsh punishment for someone his age, and Tekeo felt the sting of his new master's discipline.
After three grueling hours of standing in the sun, Asuma brought Tekeo inside. "Now, show me what you learned under Urokodaki in the past ten months"
Tekeo complied and used the water breathing techniques to slash the training dummies. Asuma observed his strong strikes and unyielding focus. "Drop the sword," Asuma instructed. "Follow me."
They entered a different room, devoid of dummies or swords. Asuma told Tekeo to do a plank, testing his endurance. Tekeo got down and got in position, as soon as he started his plank Asuma started taking note of his endurance, as sweat kept dripping from tekeos face Asuma kept counting how long he could strain his core. Exactly after 5 minutes and 42 seconds tekeo dropped to the floor completely exhausted, he had lasted over five minutes, surprising himself with his progress.
"Your body is strong," Asuma noted. "But you must refine it even further. No sword training until your body can do a plank for over eight minutes."
For the next two weeks, Tekeo focused solely on bodyweight exercises, running up and down the mountain, and practicing push-ups, chin-ups, planks, burpees, and handstands. He trained diligently, pushing his limits every day.
it has been Two weeks since Asuma entered the training hall to test Tekeo's endurance again. This time, Tekeo was different his body was much more toned and his muscles were a lot more defined. Asuma looked at him and smirked "This should be interesting" he immediately told tekeo to start his plank. Without wasting a second tekeo got down to a position and stayed still without moving Asuma kept counting the time, slowly over time Asuma could see Tekeo's body sweating and trembling but Tekeo pushed through with determination. He lasted for a long time before his hands and core gave out, he dropped on the floor all exhausted and drenched from the plank Asuma smiled and said "Nine minutes and 23 seconds, you have improved" praising his progress and determination.
"Urokodaki wasn't exaggerating when he said he saw great potential in you," Asuma said, his eyes serious. "Now it's my turn to teach you Wind Breathing. Brace yourself, because the training I give you will be intense and unforgiving but I promise you, it will make you stronger" Tekeo nodded in agreement and bowed.