Breath of Grass

**THIS IS NON-CANON MATERIAL**

## Overview

Grass Breathing is a total concentration breathing technique that has been said to have been invented during the sengoku era. It is directly derived from Sun Breathing, though it is a near forgotten breathing technique ever since its foundation. It was created by Choji Miyamoto

Grass Breathing involves the user having light footwork and using a Chokuto straight sword instead of a Katana to fit its style involving thrusts or defensive play and slicing using a Wakizashi to fit its mimicking of the sharpness, lightness of and abundance of grass, which represents speed and rapidity. Most techniques involves the user to unleash attacks is swift, precise stabbing or slicing motions to fit the shape of an individual grass blade. Slicing with a chokuto may also involve using the tip of the blade and thrusting to improve surface area if one may use choose to use only the chokuto. Users will be able to visualize themselves creating giant grass blades depending where their motion starts or ends. It is also one of the most acrobatic breathing techniques known.

It is said that it is the least effective and least commonly practiced and a nearly forgotten breathing technique that is derived from sun breathing as it is often looked down on since many swordsmen were not capable of wielding two swords at once, let alone a chokuto which does not fit the Japanese standard styles of sword fighting. The sword is also designed for stabbing rather than cutting, which cannot decapitate demons. Due to this, there are no official cultivators of this breathing technique, and is only being practiced by a small number of demon slayers.

It is also said that flower breathing does have lots of derivation from grass breathing, but most or all credibility goes to water breathing due to grass breathing’s low reputation and water breathing being the most widely used breathing technique, which causes misconceptions.

However, saying that grass breathing is inferior to other breathing styles is not true. If mastered, grass breathing users have the potential to become much more skilled than swordsmen of other breathing techniques. Nevertheless, this is a rare achievement due to its difficulty in its advancement, let alone its unusual foundations.

## Techniques

* **First Form: Stabbing Blade of Grass:** The swordsman uses their chokuto to leap or lunge forward and unleash a quick thrust attack with one hand, breaking the target’s momentum, then quickly retracting their chokuto to perform another attack.
	+ **First Form: Grasshopper Strike:** The swordsman leaps into the air and charges at the target while performing the first form. If skilled enough, the swordsman can perform multiple stabs at once, and even decapitate the target if they are also holding their wakizashi.
* **Second Form: Winding Stem:** The swordsman leaps forwards, twists 360 degrees and uses their wakizashi to perform a wide, circular horizontal slash at an incredible speed. This form is used when ambushed from the front and behind and is especially good if the swordsman has good reaction time.
* **Third Form: Stinging Splinters:** The swordsman puts their wakizashi away and acts like they are going to use the First Form, but instead unexpectedly leaps at the target from the side and stabs through the target’s wrist to the abdomen or leg, restricting movement. The swordsman may then quickly draw their wakizashi and finish the target off.
* **Fourth Form: Plains of Punishment:** The swordsman uses their chokuto to perform multiple stabs in quick succession to either reduce the momentum to block multiple incoming attacks or to overwhelm the target.
* **Fifth Form: Razor Grass Blades:** The swordsman rushes forwards at blinding speeds, performing slashes with their wakizashi or stabs with their chokuto, or both if they are wielding both at once in quick succession. Can also be performed sideways or walking backwards if the swordsman is skilled enough.
* **Sixth Form: Hidden Leaf Blade:** A counterattack where the swordsman evades the target’s attack by rolling, front or back flipping, or sliding behind them before drawing their wakizashi and decapitating them from behind in an iaijutsu form. Usually used when rushing at the target but giving them the element of surprise.
* **Seventh Form: Equinox stance:** The swordsman changes their bladework by utilizing both the chokuto and wakizashi at once. This modifies a lot of forms to be used for less acrobatic, yet agile attacks, when opportunity arises and the swordsman is forced to fight in an enclosed space. This stance allows the swordsman to be ready for attacks from all sides.
* **Final Form: Frosted Explosion, Ornamental Bouquet:** The personal creation of Yosuke Yoshida, done with the assistance of Toshiaki Watanabe. This form is a sacrificial one where you use it when you are willing to die to unleash this powerful attack. The swordsman rolls an anti-demon bomb across the floor, and drop kicks the target. Another person would throw a shuriken at the bomb here it would explode. This explosion will disorientate the target by sending them flying into the air, where the swordsman then uses grass breathing’s fourth form with enough force to keep the target in the air, and was done with the bright-red nichirin to cause permanent damage. This would paralyze the target. After that, the swordsman jumps into the air above the target where the other person will roll multiple more anti-demon bombs across the floor. The swordsman sheathes their wakizashi, throws all of their remaining anti-demon bombs at the target, and slices all of them with their wakizashi at once. This will allow bombs from both in the air and the ground to explode all at once due to chain explosions caused by the airborne bombs. This technique was powerful enough to create a large crater in the floor, had an explosion of roughly a 150 meters radius, and completely weakened Fuma, lowered their regenerative properties significantly and left them completely vulnerable to any weak decapitation. However, this comes with the sacrifice as the mortal injury or the death of the swordsman carrying out the final detonation, as well as the severe injury of the assistant of this form, as seen when Toshiaki was given 3rd degree burn marks across his body as a result.

## Trivia

* Grass Breathing has many references to Taekwondo and Fencing, regarding its speed, flexibility and free-flowing efficiency.