Kagetsu knew exactly what Kikyo was asking about,his Edo Tensei body.
There was no reason to hide it.
"This body is the result of the Impure World Reincarnation" he said plainly. "It's a forbidden technique. In simple terms, it uses a living sacrifice to pull a dead soul back from the Pure Land and bind it to a body formed from dust."
He paused, recalling the circumstances of his own revival.
"Though my case was… unusual. The sacrifice used this time seemed to be a demon. I didn't expect a yōkai could serve as a vessel for the technique,but apparently, it works."
Kikyo continued walking through the forest, her steps light and directionless.
"You're unable to die in this state… aren't you?" she asked.
"More or less." He shrugged. "The jutsu was designed to let the dead return and drag their enemies down with them. As long as the caster doesn't release it, the soul remains bound. Even if this body is destroyed, it reforms from the dust."
"It sounds like a wicked art."
"It is." He nodded without shame. "A white-haired Senju invented it. An old ghost from that clan."
"Senju?" Kikyo repeated, unfamiliar with the name.
"The Senju Clan. Our Uchiha Clan's sworn enemies," he said with complete seriousness. "A group of inherently troublesome idealists."
His tone was so resolute it almost sounded personal.
"When there's time, I'll tell you the glorious history of the Uchiha resisting the Senju's so-called righteousness."
"…I see."
Kikyo nodded slowly, though she couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was slandering them. Yet his expression remained perfectly solemn.
As they spoke, several low-level demons lunged blindly from the brush.
They didn't even reach Kikyo.
Kagetsu drew his blade once,clean, efficient.
The forest fell quiet again.
Ahead stood a towering tree with a thick, sturdy trunk. He stopped.
"We'll rest here until morning. Too many demons roam at night. It's annoying."
"Very well."
Kikyo lifted a hand, intending to raise a spiritual barrier around the area,
But she paused.
Kagetsu had already walked straight up the tree trunk as if it were level ground.
He stopped about five or six meters above the ground. His hands formed seals swiftly.
"Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique."
The moment he finished, thick timber erupted from the trunk, weaving and expanding outward. In seconds, a compact yet elegant treehouse took shape around the living wood.
Even Kikyo's usually composed expression cracked with visible surprise.
She stared at the structure that had materialized out of nothing.
Kagetsu stepped inside to inspect it. After confirming its stability, he pushed open the wooden door and leapt down lightly.
"All set. We'll stay up there. Keeps us above the ground pests."
He pressed a hand against the trunk, leaving behind a Flying Thunder God seal.
Before Kikyo could react, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
Space twisted.
In the blink of an eye, the scenery blurred,and they were inside the treehouse.
Kikyo steadied herself.
The interior was dim but orderly. Simple windows had been carved into the walls. The central pillar of the room was the original tree trunk itself.
"We're inside the treehouse," Kagetsu said casually. "I marked the trunk and teleported us up. No need to climb."
"…I see."
Kikyo stepped to a window and looked down.
Moonlight illuminated the forest floor far below. They were indeed suspended high above the ground.
"I'll place a barrier," she said. "To keep demons from entering."
As she turned back, her gaze caught something new.
A candlestick stood in the center of the room. On either side were simple wooden beds, neatly laid with clean mats.
Her composure slipped again.
"Where did these come from?"
She pointed at the furnishings, genuine astonishment coloring her voice.
Kagetsu studied her expression.
Compared to her usual distant, sacred demeanor, this fleeting look of surprise made her seem… almost ordinary. Like a young woman her age rather than an untouchable shrine maiden.
He remembered something Onigumo once muttered in another timeline,that he wanted to see Kikyo flustered instead of composed.
Now he understood.
"It's simple," he said. "I can access a separate storage space. I keep supplies there."
He gestured casually around the room.
"I don't stay in villages often. I'm usually in the wild. These are necessities."
"A separate… space."
She murmured the words quietly, still adjusting to the concept.
As she set up a spiritual barrier around the treehouse, she glanced at him.
"You won't reinforce it? What if a demon forces its way in?"
"I know a few sealing techniques," he replied lazily. "But barriers aren't my specialty."
He leaned back against the wall.
"If something breaks in, I'll kill it. A little exercise before sleep."
Kikyo paused, then gave him a long, wordless look.
She said nothing more and finished constructing the barrier herself.
His methods were as straightforward as they were reckless.
The next day, near noon,
Kagetsu sat at the entrance of the treehouse, staring blankly at the endless forest canopy.
Soft footsteps approached from behind.
"You're awake?" he asked without turning. "Does that clay body of yours need food?"
Kikyo had slept longer than usual. Perhaps the souls sustaining her had been insufficient.
"No."
She sat beside him, her gaze joining his.
"This body is nothing more than fired clay. It does not require nourishment. As long as spirit-souls sustain it, it functions."
"Where will you go next?"
Instead of answering, Kikyo turned to face him directly.
Her eyes were steady.
"You truly have a way to restore someone to life?"
"Of course."
Confidence flashed in his smile.
"If I didn't, why would I deliberately place myself in Edo Tensei? This form is temporary."
"…You mean you cast the Impure World Reincarnation on yourself?"
She remembered the name clearly.
"Exactly."
He nodded.
"I sensed my death approaching. So I prepared a scroll in advance,with myself as the target. When I died, the jutsu activated."
He shrugged.
"There were complications, but in the end, I returned."
Kikyo looked at him speechlessly.
"What's that expression for?" he asked, faintly annoyed. "I died young. I hadn't even held a girl's hand yet. Was I supposed to accept that quietly?"
The words were said lightly.
But something flickered in Kikyo's eyes.
She had been eighteen.
The most radiant years of a girl's life.
Taken by betrayal. By misunderstanding. By fate.
She understood unwillingness far too well.
Silence settled inside the treehouse.
Outside, wind rustled through the leaves.
They sat side by side, neither speaking,yet neither moving away.