Breathing Techniques in SAO

Sixteen years ago, Tomioka Akimi was just an ordinary office worker, living each day as if it were a copy-and-paste of the one before.

That was until his 28th birthday.

Staring at a small cake he had bought for himself, he made a wish—hoping that his life would no longer be so dull it bred frustration.

At that very moment, a voice whispered in his ear: "Alright, that's easy to arrange. So, are you ready to welcome a new life?"

Before Akimi could react, he suddenly lost consciousness.

And when he opened his eyes again, he had become a baby.

At first, Akimi struggled to accept what had happened.

But as time passed, his mother, Tomioka Yoshiko, and father, Tomioka Kazuya, gave him the warmth of a real home—something he had lacked in his previous life, having been raised by his grandparents in a single-parent household.

Gradually, he came to terms with being reincarnated into another world.

Having come to terms with everything, Akimi originally planned to live as an ordinary person, savoring the beauty of life, and aiming to live with the laid-back attitude just like Shikamaru.

But during the summer break of his first year in middle school, while staying at his grandparents' countryside home, he discovered a notebook titled "Water Breathing Training Notes" in the shrine behind the house—and his brain practically short-circuited.

"This was supposed to be a normal, everyday world—so why is there suddenly a Breathing Technique?" Akimi wondered.

As a seasoned otaku, Akimi certainly knew what Water Breathing was.

He had even gone through a Chuunibyo (delusional fantasy) phase at the age of twenty-seven, buying a life-sized wooden replica of a Nichirin Blade and memorizing all the sword forms of every Breathing Style.

He once even donned a cosplay outfit and went to a convention wielding the blade.

At first, the sight of the notebook made Akimi a little uneasy—but then he thought, "It's already 2019, and it's almost the 100th anniversary of Muzan's death."

With that, his worry melted away.

Akimi actually hadn't planned on practicing Water Breathing—but honestly, who could resist slashing out a water dragon with a sword? No one.

Looking at the notebook's absurd training methods—like sprinting through a mountain forest full of traps, or swinging a sword under a waterfall to feel the flow of water—Akimi quickly gave up on the idea of following the full regimen.

He slapped himself across the face and muttered, "I was overestimating myself."

Still fired up, Akimi went to his grandfather and begged him to make a bamboo sword.

With it in hand, he began practicing a simplified version of the Water Breathing training.

Watching him swing the sword, his grandfather chuckled and said, "Akimi, are you interested in swordsmanship?"

Akimi nodded.

Stroking his chin, his grandfather added, "You know, our family did have some skilled swordsmen back in the day. If I recall correctly, my grandfather—Tomioka Giyu—was quite the formidable swordsman."

Although he had long suspected it, Akimi was still a little surprised to learn that Tomioka Giyu was actually one of his ancestors.

The next morning, Akimi boarded a train to Kawagoe City in Saitama Prefecture with his grandfather, who smiled and said, "Since you're interested in swordsmanship, let's get you some proper training."

As they walked toward the dojo, his grandfather explained, "I'm taking you to a dojo run by an old friend of mine. Normally, his dojo doesn't accept students from the public."

"Huh? It's not open to the public? Why's that?" Akimi asked.

His grandfather replied, "He enjoys peace and quiet. He doesn't like the noise of dozens of people clashing bamboo swords. Plus, his family isn't hurting for money, so there's no need for him to open the dojo to outsiders."

"I see. So, is he any good?" Akimi asked again.

"Heh, that guy may not take on students, but his skill is unquestionable. A few years back, he already earned the rank of 8th-dan hanshi, qualified as a kyodoshi (licensed instructor)," his grandfather said with a grin.

"Is that so," Akimi nodded.

They soon arrived at the dojo. It wasn't particularly large—inside were just two sword racks holding tachi blades, a stand with a few bamboo swords, and a small altar table with a household shrine.

After taking off their shoes and stepping into the dojo, Akimi's grandfather suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Kirigaya Kiryu! You old geezer, where the hell are you? Dead or what?"

Akimi, who had been spacing out, was instantly stunned by his grandfather's outburst.

"Huh? Wha—what?"

His eyes turned into little dots in disbelief.

"Tomioka Shizo, you foul-mouthed old bastard, still as rude as ever."

A slightly irritable voice called out from the other side of the dojo, snapping Akimi out of his daze.

Akimi looked in the direction of the voice and saw an elderly man holding a bamboo sword.

The man appeared to be in his sixties, with streaks of silver running through his black hair.

His brow was slightly furrowed, and the combination of thick black eyebrows and stern eyes gave off a strict, imposing air.

Though there were a few age spots on his face, he didn't look frail in the slightest.

Striding over with the bamboo sword, Kirigaya Kiryu tossed it to Tomioka Shizo.

As he grabbed another bamboo sword from the stand, he said, "Come on, old bastard. Let's see if you've gotten rusty over the years."

Tomioka Shizo caught the sword and grinned.

Seeing that Kiryu had already taken a stance, he patted Akimi on the head and said, "Akimi, step aside. I'm going to spar with this old geezer for a bit."

With that, he pushed Akimi to the edge of the mat, raised his bamboo sword, and assumed his stance.

The two elderly men faced off for a moment—then charged at each other.

Their bamboo swords clashed mid-air and separated just as quickly.

As the match unfolded, the sharp thwack-thwack-thwack of bamboo-on-bamboo echoed throughout the dojo.

Akimi stared in awe at the two elderly men trading blows with their swords.

After all, aside from the 9th and 10th dan ranks—which are typically only awarded posthumously—an 8th-dan hanshi was already among the very top-tier swordsmen in all of Japan.

As an 8th-dan hanshi, Kirigaya Kiryu was obviously incredibly skilled.

But what truly shocked Akimi was that his usually cheerful, easygoing grandfather—who always acted like a mischievous old man—was actually this strong, able to hold his own against someone of that level without being at a disadvantage.

After several more exchanges, Tomioka Shizo lowered his sword and waved his hand.

"That's enough, I'm done. I'm too old for this—I've got no strength left."

"Hmph, that's all you've got?" Kirigaya Kiryu scoffed.

Rolling his eyes, Shizo replied, "Yep, that's all. Unlike you, old man, still built like a bull in your seventies."

Kiryu snorted again, took a deep breath, and asked, "So, what did you come here for?"

Tomioka Shizo pointed at Akimi and said proudly, "This is my grandson, Tomioka Akimi!"

"Hm." Kirigaya Kiryu nodded, then asked, "And?"

"Hehe, this kid's interested in kendo. I want you to teach him—how about it?"

Kiryu looked at Shizo, then turned to study Akimi.

After a moment of silence, he said, "Alright."

"Don't go easy on him just because he's a kid. Do things your way—if he can handle it, teach him. If he can't, forget it," Shizo added.

And just like that, without having any say in the matter, Akimi was handed off between two old men in a few casual exchanges.

Two and a half years later, not long after graduating middle school, Akimi used Water Breathing for the first time.

As he watched the faint shimmer of water-like light trace along his bamboo sword, he felt like he had just reached his G-spot.

"Haha—hah!"

After slashing twice with great enthusiasm using Water Breathing, Akimi collapsed to the ground, his lungs feeling like they were about to explode.

As he lay there, he swore he could see his late great-grandmother in the sky waving at him.

Just when Akimi thought the storm had passed and he could go on living a peaceful life as a "normal guy who just happens to know a little bit of Water Breathing," fate threw another twist his way.

Only two months into his newfound calm, at the end of September—less than a month into his first year of high school—Akimi found out that the closed beta test for Sword Art Online had just been completed.

So much for the peaceful life.

There was no turning back now.

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