Kill her?
Kagetsu found himself hesitating.
It felt wrong to snuff out the life of this pale, doll-like girl so casually. It would be a waste,no, more than that. It would be cruel.
Kanna wasn't an evil demon.
In the original course of events, she hadn't even possessed emotions until after Kagura's death. And the moment she finally gained them, Naraku sent her to fight to the death against Inuyasha's group.
Before she died, she gave Kagome the crucial clue needed to destroy Naraku.
Before Kagura's death, Kanna had simply followed Naraku in silence, mechanically executing his commands.
Unlike her sister, who yearned for freedom and rebelled against her shackles, Kanna had no inclination toward good or evil. No malice. No kindness.
Just as she had said,
She was nothing.
"How should we deal with her?" Kagetsu asked, turning to Kikyo.
Kikyo hesitated.
"She doesn't seem like a threat," she said quietly. "Why not keep her with us for now?"
She seemed genuinely reluctant to harm the girl.
Kagetsu glanced at her thoughtfully. When they first met, Kikyo had been surrounded by village children. It seemed she had always had a soft spot for them.
"No," Kagetsu said after a moment, shaking his head. "Her ability is too strange. She has no demonic aura, no scent, no presence at all."
His gaze fell on Kanna's pure white figure and those ink-black eyes.
"She doesn't even have 'color.' With this kind of 'nothingness,' ordinary sealing techniques won't hold her for long."
He flexed his fingers slightly.
"The seal I placed on her is already weakening. It wasn't meant to be permanent,but she's the first person I've seen who can subtly erode a seal simply by existing."
He exhaled slowly.
"Unless I constantly reinforce it, or use something like the Four Symbols Seal to fully bind her, she'll break free on her own."
Kikyo's brows knit together.
"And Naraku?" she asked.
"Since he sent her here, he must have a way to monitor or control her," Kagetsu replied . "Once he realizes she's been captured… with his personality, he'll kill her without hesitation."
Silence filled the room.
"Then… should we kill her?" Kikyo asked softly, clearly struggling with the thought.
Kagetsu frowned, studying Kanna.
Meanwhile, the girl at the center of their discussion stood there without reaction. Even the word "kill" caused no change in her gaze. It was as though they were discussing the fate of a stranger.
Then,
"I've got it."
A smile slowly curved at the corner of Kagetsu's lips.
Kanna, with her empty heart, would never betray Naraku of her own will.
But if he nudged things slightly…
Naraku might never even realize.
A faint, almost mischievous chuckle escaped him.
"Hehe…"
Kikyo immediately pulled Kanna protectively into her arms and glared at him.
"What are you planning? She's just a child."
Kagetsu stared at her, incredulous.
"What are you thinking?! I'm setting a trap for Naraku!"
"…Is that so?"
Kikyo narrowed her eyes suspiciously. After a few seconds, she realized she had misjudged him. She released Kanna and straightened, resuming her usual calm composure as though nothing had happened.
Kagetsu huffed in annoyance.
Kikyo, well aware she was in the wrong, pretended not to notice his glare and instead watched curiously.
Kagetsu's expression turned serious.
He formed hand seals swiftly, then took Kanna's cold right hand in his own.
"Kikyo," he said firmly, "place your hand over mine. I need your spiritual power. I'm going to seal it into her palm."
Kikyo blinked,then immediately understood.
She placed her hand atop his.
Pure spiritual power began to flow.
Feeling it surge into his control, Kagetsu channeled his chakra and spoke in a low voice:
"Four Symbols Seal."
The spiritual power condensed and sank into Kanna's palm. A complex sealing formula flared briefly across her skin before fading.
Kagetsu let out a slow breath.
Kanna had not resisted once.
Throughout the entire process, she was like a lifeless doll, allowing herself to be handled without the slightest response.
Kagetsu crouched so he was eye level with her.
"Kanna," he said quietly, meeting her empty gaze. "I've sealed Kikyo's spiritual power in your palm. It can purify miasma… and it can deal a fatal blow to Naraku."
"If you ever want freedom, all you have to do is release it. Channel your demonic power into the seal. I left a trigger formula,once you strike it, the seal will break."
He paused, then gently tapped her forehead.
His Mangekyō Sharingan bloomed to life.
Crimson chakra flared.
"Transcription Seal."
In Kanna's left pupil, a faint, sickle-shaped Mangekyō pattern flickered for an instant,then vanished.
She did not react.
Not outwardly.
"I know your heart belongs to Naraku," Kagetsu said softly.
For the first time,
The faintest ripple disturbed her mirror-like eyes.
He caught it.
His smile deepened.
"I've sealed an ocular technique in your left eye. Wherever you focus, it can open a spatial vortex and pull nearby objects into another dimension."
His voice lowered slightly.
"You can use it… to take your heart back from him."
Kanna's gaze gradually returned to stillness.
"When you truly desire freedom," Kagetsu continued, "use what I've given you."
"With your nature, Naraku will never detect these seals."
He reached out and gently patted her head.
"I've removed the restraining seal. You're free to go."
For a brief second, his fingers brushed against her soft, icy hair.
Then Kanna turned.
She walked forward with light, soundless steps.
Her figure gradually blurred,
And vanished.
Silence settled in the wooden house.
"Do you think she'll betray Naraku?" Kikyo asked after a moment, curiosity flickering in her voice.
Kagetsu turned to her with a knowing smile.
"She will."
"Someone like Naraku,who delights in manipulating others and treating them as tools,will inevitably be betrayed by those very tools."
Kikyo nodded slowly.
Then she tilted her head.
"How did you know her heart was with Naraku?"
Kagetsu stiffened for half a heartbeat.
"Uh… trade secret," he said, offering an awkward laugh.
Kikyo rolled her eyes lightly.
She had long since realized that Kagetsu carried many secrets. If he didn't wish to share them, she would not pry.
And so, the matter rested there.
But far away,
A seed had already been planted.
And when it sprouted, it would pierce straight through Naraku's heart.