"Let's go."
With a single thought, Kagetsu guided the Black Bear Demon beneath him, directing it along the winding mountain path toward the summit.
He and Kikyo sat astride the massive creature. Though the demon was large enough that they weren't cramped, the distance between them was still close.
A gentle breeze swept through the trees, lifting Kikyo's long dark hair as she sat in front of him. A faint, almost imperceptible fragrance drifted back to him.
Kagetsu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Kikyo's current body,crafted from clay and grave soil,lacked the warmth of living flesh, yet in every other way it was indistinguishable from a real human body.
Compared to her, his own Edo Tensei form was far more conspicuous. The faint cracks along his skin marked him clearly as one resurrected from the dead. Of course, the immortality granted by Edo Tensei made such cosmetic flaws trivial.
Still… the contrast was obvious.
The black bear beneath them was a demon, after all. Not wanting to cause unnecessary alarm in the Demon Slayer Village, Kagetsu deliberately slowed its pace.
Several minutes later, they arrived before the heavy wooden gates of the Demon Slayer Village.
"State your names and purpose!" a voice called from the watchtower above.
Outsiders frequently came to commission demon-slaying jobs, so although the guard's tone carried vigilance, it lacked hostility. This was routine.
Kikyo lifted her gaze calmly.
"Please inform your leader that the priestess once entrusted with purifying the Shikon Jewel fifty years ago has come to visit."
The moment the words Shikon Jewel were spoken, someone inside the village hurried off to report.
Kagetsu leapt lightly from the bear's back and glanced toward Kikyo. "After fifty years… do you think they still remember?"
"They should," Kikyo replied softly as she accepted his hand and stepped down. She straightened her robes. "I can sense the presence of the Shikon Jewel within this village."
Kagetsu's eyes shifted to the Black Bear Demon standing obediently beside them under his genjutsu. He frowned slightly, weighing whether to kill it.
Kikyo noticed his expression.
"Let it live for now," she suggested. "I can turn it into a shikigami later. It will be useful as a mount."
He nodded. "Very well. It lives,for now."
Originally, he had intended to kill it and store the corpse inside his Kamui dimension. Since Kikyo had a better use for it, there was no need to waste it.
Most low-level demons born from wild beasts lacked true intelligence. They acted purely on instinct, making them impossible to contract with like shinobi summons. While genjutsu control worked, it was inconvenient long-term.
If Kikyo could refine it into a shikigami, that would be far more practical.
After a short wait, the heavy wooden gates creaked open.
"Let's go," Kagetsu said, stepping forward.
Inside, rows of wooden houses lined the village streets. Villagers moved busily about their work.
But unlike ordinary farming villages, no one carried hoes or sickles for crops.
Instead, tools and equipment were fashioned from demon remains,fangs shaped into blades, bones reforged into spearheads, carapaces polished into armor plates.
Some villagers dried medicinal herbs used for treating poison. Others processed demon carcasses, extracting usable materials. Blacksmiths hammered away at forges, crafting weapons designed specifically to kill demons.
This village was more than a settlement,it was the logistical backbone of the Demon Slayers.
As news spread, villagers gathered near the entrance, staring curiously at the two newcomers,and the massive Black Bear Demon looming behind them.
Not far ahead stood a group of sturdy, disciplined men in uniform formation, their eyes sharp and unwavering.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"A wandering samurai… and a priestess?"
"That thing behind them,it's a demon, right?"
"It's huge…"
Their gazes were filled with curiosity, suspicion, and unease.
A tall, stern-faced middle-aged man stepped forward from the front of the group.
His eyes swept over Kagetsu before settling on Kikyo.
"I am the leader of this village," he said evenly. "I was informed that the priestess entrusted with purifying the Shikon Jewel fifty years ago has arrived. Is that you?"
Kikyo stepped forward calmly.
"I am Kikyo, the priestess who accepted your village's commission fifty years ago,to purify and guard the Shikon Jewel."
This man was none other than Sango's father.
He studied her youthful face, doubt flickering in his eyes.
"I mean no disrespect," he said carefully. "But the elders who handled that matter have long since passed away. I have only heard the story from them.
"And… it was said that the priestess Kikyo died protecting the Shikon Jewel."
His meaning was clear.
Kikyo did not waver.
"I did die," she said quietly. "A demon seeking the jewel struck me down."
"With my final breath, I ordered the Shikon Jewel to be cremated with my body, hoping to carry it with me to the Pure Land."
Her gaze lowered slightly.
"But it failed. The Shikon Jewel returned to this world… and I was resurrected not long ago through unforeseen means."
She met his eyes.
"I have come to learn the origin of the Shikon Jewel."
The village leader hesitated. Clearly, he did not fully believe her.
Kikyo continued calmly, "I can sense fragments of the Shikon Jewel within this village. If you permit it, I can purify them,to prove my identity."
After a long pause, he nodded.
"…Very well. Please follow me."
He turned and walked deeper into the village.
Kikyo glanced back at Kagetsu before following.
Kagetsu observed their surroundings carefully as he walked behind her.
He had already noticed that Sango was absent. Most likely, she was out on a demon-slaying mission.
If events followed the original course of fate, she would soon return,only to be dispatched again to exterminate a demon at Hitomi Castle.
There, Naraku would orchestrate a massacre.
Nearly the entire Demon Slayer squad would die. Kohaku would be manipulated. Sango would survive,barely.
The situation was delicate.
The Demon Slayer Village lived by killing demons. Even if he prevented disaster once, Naraku would simply scheme again.
In the original timeline, Naraku used the destruction of this village to frame Inuyasha, driving Sango into hatred and forcing conflict.
If Kagetsu interfered too openly, Naraku might abandon manipulation and simply slaughter everyone outright,including Sango and Kohaku.
And even if he saved them once… Naraku would strike again.
This village was too closely tied to the Shikon Jewel.
Anything connected to that accursed jewel met tragedy.
The villagers might even share blood ties with the ancient priestess Tsubaki's predecessor, Tsuiko,the one who first fought the demon whose soul became the jewel. Kirara, who followed Sango, had once been her companion.
But in truth…
He did not care about the village's fate.
As long as Sango survived, that was enough.
If he happened to save others along the way, so be it.
If not,
Then it was simply their misfortune.