"When I empty my mind and let my body blend into nature… I can faintly feel something flowing around me. It's still vague, but it's there."
Kikyo spoke softly, recalling the sensation she had experienced during meditation. She paid no attention to the earlier disturbance in the natural energy, focusing instead on describing that subtle current she had touched.
"Is that so? Then you're almost there."
Kagetsu couldn't hide his surprise.
Although natural energy in this era was far more active than in his original world, it still exceeded his expectations that Kikyo could perceive it so quickly,without toad oil, without guidance from a sage land, without any external aid at all.
Her talent for senjutsu clearly surpassed his.
But when he thought about the immense spiritual power within her, it no longer seemed strange. A miko's spiritual power was, at its core, an expression of the soul. The stronger and purer the soul, the more potent that power became.
Still, he felt no envy.
Kikyo's strength was innate.
His own soul had grown stronger step by step, tempered by battle and nourished by the accumulation of chakra. In the shinobi world, the more powerful a ninja became, the more resiKagetsunt their soul grew. Some truly formidable individuals could even break free from the binding of the Impure World Reincarnation through sheer force of will.
"The hardest part is sensing natural energy for the first time," Kagetsu said, drawing his thoughts back. "You've already crossed that threshold. With more practice, you'll be able to clearly grasp the flow around you."
"Mhm. I'll continue."
Kikyo nodded and closed her eyes once more.
Meditation was already part of a shrine maiden's daily discipline. For her, calming the mind and merging with nature was not difficult.
Seeing her reenter that tranquil state, Kagetsu also shut his eyes and slipped back into Sage Mode.
The forest gradually fell silent.
Wind brushed through leaves. Birds quieted. Even the insects seemed to pause.
Then,
A slender figure appeared soundlessly atop a distant tree.
She stood there without aura, without scent, without even the faintest ripple of demonic energy,her gaze fixed upon the wooden house and the two figures seated on the balcony.
Suddenly,
The man sitting opposite the priestess vanished.
The white-haired girl's eyes shifted slightly.
She turned to leave.
But before she could move,
A figure materialized in front of her like a phantom.
A hand seized her by the neck.
"Who are you?"
Kagetsu raised an eyebrow, examining the small white-haired girl in his grasp,and the mirror she held tightly against her chest.
White hair. Crimson eyes. Blank expression.
If his memory served him right…
Naraku's incarnation.
Kanna.
"Kanna," she replied flatly, as if stating an obvious fact.
Even with her neck held, her face showed no fear, no anger,nothing.
"She actually answers," Kagetsu murmured, faintly amused. "As expected of the emotionless one."
In the original course of events, Naraku had only managed to create Kanna and Kagura after obtaining the shard of the Shikon Jewel Kikyo had taken from Kagome. With that nearly complete jewel, he gained the power to split himself into incarnations.
But in this timeline, Naraku had never gotten Kagome's shard.
So how had he still created them?
Interesting.
Though ultimately, it didn't matter.
"Kanna, was it?" Kagetsu asked casually. "Why are you spying on us?"
"Orders," she answered.
No hesitation. No concealment.
Kagetsu smiled faintly.
In the next instant, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The forest blurred.
They reappeared inside the wooden house.
Kikyo opened her eyes immediately.
"Who is this?" she asked, surprised to see Kagetsu holding a young girl by the neck.
"Not sure," he replied smoothly. "She says her name is Kanna."
He placed Kanna gently on the floor and released her.
She made no attempt to flee.
It wasn't obedience.
When Kagetsu had grabbed her earlier , he had already inscribed a sealing mark on her body.
Kanna's ability was "Nothingness." No demonic aura. No scent. No emotional fluctuations. She was like an empty vessel.
But that did not mean she lacked demonic power.
It was simply undetectable.
"She has no demonic presence at all," Kikyo said, stepping closer with a faint frown. "Not even the slightest trace."
"She was likely sent by Naraku," Kagetsu said lightly before turning back to Kanna. "Did Naraku order you to spy on us?"
Kanna stared at him.
"Cannot say."
Kagetsu ignored the refusal.
"What is your relationship with Naraku?"
"A tool."
Kikyo's eyes widened slightly.
She hadn't expected such an obedient,honest,answer.
Her gaze fell to the mirror in Kanna's arms.
After a brief hesitation, Kikyo extended her hand.
"May I take a look? I'll return it immediately."
Kanna did not respond. She held the mirror tightly.
Kikyo gently tugged again,
To her surprise, it came free.
Even after the mirror left her hands, Kanna did not react. She merely lowered her arms, her crimson eyes fixed unblinkingly on the object in Kikyo's grasp.
"Thank you," Kikyo said softly.
She reached out and lightly patted Kanna's head.
No reaction.
No resistance.
Her eyes never left the mirror.
Seeing that fixation, Kikyo withdrew her hand and carefully examined the surface.
After a moment, she spoke.
"This mirror carries the power of a Mirror Demon. She can use it to absorb souls."
She handed it back.
Kanna immediately took it, cradling it once more against her chest.
"A Mirror Demon…" Kagetsu murmured thoughtfully.
He had read about them before. Their core abilities were soul absorption and replication of techniques.
Naraku himself was a fusion of countless yōkai. It was only natural that an incarnation born from him would inherit such traits.
Like Kagura, who likely possessed wind manipulation derived from a wind demon, along with corpse-manipulating abilities reminiscent of undead-type yōkai.
Kagetsu crouched down and lightly tapped the mirror's surface, leaning in to inspect his reflection.
It looked utterly ordinary.
In fact, it was a glass mirror,something exceedingly rare in this era.
During that brief contact, he silently left a Flying Thunder God mark on the back.
He straightened and looked down at Kanna.
Expressionless. Quiet. Empty.
A child shaped into a weapon.
For a moment, he found himself uncertain.
What should he do with this silent watcher?