Faced with Akaza's formidable taijutsu, Uchiha Nagi found himself practically drooling over it; naturally, he wouldn't give up on it easily. Thus, he attempted to integrate it into his sword techniques.
Even after becoming a demon, Akaza had adhered to the principles of a martial artist. The combat style he created, Destructive Death, was based on human fighting spirit. However, Akaza possessed a demon's powerful regenerative abilities and an undying body, so he never considered the severe damage the later, more powerful forms would inflict on a human physique.
Therefore, Uchiha Nagi could copy the techniques but couldn't fully utilize them because his speed and strength weren't on par, nor did his body possess the necessary resilience and regenerative capacity.
"Even if Breathing Styles can strengthen the physical body, achieving the level of strength required to unleash the final few forms is extremely difficult~" Uchiha Nagi mused, sitting on the rooftop and stroking his chin.
Similarly, Sun Breathing also required an exceptionally powerful physique to be used without repercussions. Thinking of this, Nagi sighed. Was he destined to walk the path of achieving enlightenment through sheer physical prowess in the future?
Still, it was so tempting—
The thought of the immensely powerful Sun Breathing and Akaza's Destructive Death made it impossible for Uchiha Nagi to give up. He was counting on learning more and more to eventually return to Konoha for revenge.
"Moshi moshi~ Nagi-kun, looking so troubled all alone on the rooftop. Are you homesick?"
A delicate girlish fragrance drifted on the wind. A graceful figure descended slowly from the air. This level of stealthy movement was unmatched by anyone except Shinobu Kocho.
Uchiha Nagi's group had returned to the Demon Slayer Corps to recuperate and were, of course, staying at the Butterfly Mansion, as it was the designated place for healing.
"Oh, it's you, Miss Kocho. You could say I'm homesick. More than that, I'm thinking of revenge. That 'home' isn't a true home; it only ever thinks of persecuting me..." Uchiha Nagi sighed. The Uchiha clan's days in Konoha had been genuinely difficult. An Uchiha with a three-tomoe Sharingan venturing out had to constantly be wary of Root gouging out their eyes...
"Just call me Shinobu. 'Miss Kocho' is too formal. My sister and the others used to call me that," Shinobu said with a smile.
Uchiha Nagi blinked. He remembered that when they first met, she had called him "Uchiha-san." When had she started calling him "Nagi-kun"...?
His gaze drifted involuntarily to her delicate lips. Shinobu seemed to notice his stare, her face flushing slightly as she turned her head to look at the moon.
"By the way, Miss Shinobu, how is your chakra comprehension coming along? Have you managed to extract it yet?" Uchiha Nagi asked.
Previously, Uchiha Nagi had imparted the foundational knowledge of chakra extraction to the Demon Slayer Corps, giving them a second training system. They could use the Three Basic Jutsu or Medical Ninjutsu to increase their chances of survival. Unfortunately, only the genius Muichiro had managed to comprehend and extract it. As for the others, not a single one had succeeded. Chakra was a combination of spiritual and physical energy, but most people here primarily understood physical energy. Even those who understood spiritual energy didn't know how to control and fuse the two.
"I'm truly sorry. I understand both spiritual and physical energy, but I still haven't figured out how to fuse them and extract chakra after all this time..." Shinobu said with a regretful expression.
"Is that so? Let me think..." Uchiha Nagi pondered for a moment. "Hold out your hand~"
"Eh?! My hand?" Shinobu looked puzzled but said nothing more, extending her soft and delicate hand, which seemed almost boneless. Despite years of sword practice, it showed no signs of roughness; her slender, jade-like hand was fine and smooth.
Uchiha Nagi circulated his chakra, a green glow appearing, then slowly took Shinobu's slender hand. Her arm trembled slightly.
"Feel this. This is chakra, and also the nature transformation of chakra—"
With that, Uchiha Nagi converted his green, life-giving medical chakra into his fire-attribute chakra.
Shinobu was a Hashira-level expert. She immediately discarded all distracting thoughts, closed her eyes, and focused wholeheartedly on sensing the composition and changes of the chakra.
If it had been anyone else, or a man, Uchiha Nagi would have been too lazy to bother, telling them to read a book instead. But for Shinobu...Ahem, beautiful women have privileges—
After a while, Uchiha Nagi stopped and explained to Shinobu the changes in chakra nature and how to fuse spiritual and physical energy. This step sounded simple but was incredibly difficult in practice. However, once the first step was taken, the rest became much easier.
After explaining for half an hour, he repeated the process, holding Shinobu's hand, allowing her to feel the chakra's nature transformation, helping her memorize and comprehend it, and then asking about her understanding and sensations.
And so, the two of them remained on the rooftop for several hours. By the end, Shinobu's understanding of chakra was thoroughly ingrained. All that remained was time and a bit of luck.
"Thank you so much for tonight, Nagi-kun," Shinobu said with a smile.
"You're welcome. You're a doctor. If you can extract chakra and learn Medical Ninjutsu in the future, I'll benefit too. After all, everyone gets injured sometimes," Uchiha Nagi replied with a slight smile.
Uchiha Nagi's sudden smile was like an electric shock, leaving Shinobu momentarily stunned. The Uchiha clan's looks were consistently top-tier, especially Nagi's. He usually kept his shoulder-length hair and bangs covering part of his face, but his features in this lifetime were exceptionally handsome, not in the least inferior to Uchiha Itachi or Sasuke. Moreover, compared to Itachi, who was prematurely aged from overwork and had two distinct nasolabial folds, Uchiha Nagi possessed a more refined aura. This was also why he hadn't been mistaken for a bad person when he first transmigrated; good looks truly could get you places...
Shinobu quickly composed herself and turned her head to look at the stars. "By the way, Nagi-kun, could you play your flute? The melodies you play, though somewhat melancholic, I particularly enjoy listening to them."
"Mm, sure. If you like, I can teach you too," Uchiha Nagi nodded, taking out his flute.
"Arigato. Thank you so much. Unfortunately, I don't understand music, so I wouldn't be able to learn~"
Uchiha Nagi smiled and said no more, silently beginning to play his flute. A sorrowful yet moving melody slowly drifted through the night. It seemed to yearn for something, or perhaps plead for something, like a love desired yet forever unattainable.
When the song ended, Shinobu opened her beautiful eyes and asked, "That was a very moving piece. What's its name?"
"It's called 'Elegy'~"
Shinobu asked curiously, "This song, this name… is there a story behind it?"
Uchiha Nagi thought for a moment and nodded. There probably was. "It's a folk tale, about a love that spans a thousand years. A girl named Kikyo fell in love with a half-demon named Inuyasha..."
"Is that so? Kikyo is so pitiful. The person she loved fell in love with her reincarnation. It was her own reincarnation, yet it stole her lover..."
Uchiha Nagi pondered, unsure how to explain such a messy love affair. However, Kikyo's story reminded him of Supreme Treasure from "A Chinese Odyssey"; the two were actually very similar.
"The Buddha speaks of life's three great sufferings: encountering those you resent, separation from loved ones, and the inability to obtain what you desire. Or perhaps, Kagome was specifically reincarnated to make up for the regrets Kikyo had in love in her previous life."