Kagetsu walked over to the large tree in front of the shrine and stretched out on a wooden lounge chair.
Both the lush tree and the chair beneath it had been created using his Wood Release. From one of the thick branches hung a wooden swing,something he had specially made for Kikyo.
The tree stood near the edge of a cliff. From this spot, one could faintly see the outline of the village at the foot of the mountain.
Whenever they had free time, he and Kikyo would come here,sometimes to train , sometimes simply to sit on the swing and talk. Their days passed quietly, wrapped in a peaceful rhythm.
"Kanna, what are you doing here again?"
Lying lazily on the chair, Kagetsu let out a small sigh. His eyes shifted toward a tree near the edge of the cliff not far away as he spoke in a calm tone.
As soon as his words fell, a white figure slowly stepped out from behind the tree.
Kanna appeared just as she always did,dressed in simple white robes, her small face completely expressionless. She held her familiar mirror in her arms and silently looked toward him.
There was no trace of surprise at being discovered, as if she had long since grown used to it.
Kagetsu wasn't surprised by her reaction either. He lifted a hand and waved casually.
"Come here. No need to stand so far away."
The mirror Kanna carried bore his Flying Thunder God seal, so he had sensed her presence the moment she stepped into the shrine grounds.
Moreover, ever since he and Kikyo chose to live here, he had replaced the surrounding trees with ones grown through Wood Release. Each of them contained a faint trace of his chakra, allowing him to monitor every movement nearby.
As Kanna approached, Kagetsu gestured toward another lounge chair beside him.
"Sit wherever you like. No need to be nervous."
He glanced at her small figure, then pointed at the swing hanging from the branch.
"Or try that if you want."
Kanna said nothing.
Her gaze shifted quietly to the swing swaying gently in the wind.
After a moment, she walked over and sat down on it, her white skirt fluttering slightly as the swing moved.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Kagetsu's lips.
It seemed that despite her emotionless appearance, this little girl's mentality was still quite childlike.
He silently guided the remaining Wood Release chakra inside the tree trunk. The swing began to move with a slow, comfortable rhythm,not too strong, just enough to rock gently.
He had originally built it for Kikyo when she felt bored. There had been a swing like it at the Ninja Academy, and he had made one here on a whim.
Kanna sat quietly as the swing swayed.
She remained silent as always, but the slight widening of her eyes and the relaxed posture of her body betrayed how much she liked it.
"Did Naraku send you?"
Seeing that she had no intention of speaking first, Kagetsu broke the silence.
"Are you here to monitor us… or is there something else?"
"Monitor."
Kanna's voice was calm and flat.
After a brief pause, she added another sentence.
"The method to break the curse."
Kagetsu raised an eyebrow in surprise as he lay back in the chair, enjoying the breeze beneath the tree.
"Naraku's vitality is still draining?" he asked. "He hasn't figured out a way to solve it yet?"
"Yes."
Kanna's answer remained short and devoid of emotion.
Kagetsu was genuinely surprised.
He had originally thought the side effects of Rinne Tensei would only trouble Naraku for a short while.
After all, Naraku was a composite being formed from countless demons. Even if he suffered some backlash, he should have been able to resolve it by sacrificing part of his demonic vitality.
Back in Konoha, Pain had revived the entire village at once and still managed to speak with Naruto before dying.
Yet Naraku, after all this time, still hadn't shaken off the consequences.
After thinking about it for a moment, Kagetsu guessed the difference might lie in the circumstances of resurrection.
The people Pain revived had only just died,their bodies were still intact.
But when he and Kikyo were brought back, their bodies no longer existed.
Naturally, the price would be much greater.
After silently enjoying Naraku's misfortune for a moment, Kagetsu shrugged at Kanna.
"That's a side effect of the technique I asked Naraku to use for the resurrection."
"As for how to remove it… I don't know."
He spread his hands lazily.
"I only know two people who ever used that technique before. Both of them died afterward."
"Tell Naraku to work harder. Maybe he'll become the first lucky one to survive it."
Kanna sat quietly on the swinging seat.
After hearing his answer, she didn't respond. Her gaze simply lowered to the mirror resting in her arms.
"Kagetsu, try some of this. The villagers brought it earlier."
Just then, Kikyo walked over carrying a bamboo tray.
She picked up a slice of freshly cut cantaloupe and handed it to him, placing the rest on the wooden table beside the chair.
"Thanks."
Kagetsu accepted it. A sweet fragrance rose from the fruit. Cantaloupe was widely grown during this era and was one of the few fruits that actually tasted good.
"Kanna?"
Only then did Kikyo notice the small figure sitting on the swing. Surprise flickered across her face.
She immediately picked up another slice of cantaloupe and offered it to her.
When Kanna obediently accepted it, Kikyo couldn't help smiling gently. She reached out and naturally patted the girl's head.
Kagetsu watched the scene with amusement.
Kikyo clearly treated Kanna like a child in need of care. Given her small stature and doll-like appearance, it was an understandable misunderstanding.
"Kanna," Kagetsu said while chewing his cantaloupe, "the person outside the barrier with an aura similar to Naraku's… who is she to you?"
"Kagura," Kanna replied softly as she looked up at Kikyo. "My younger sister."
After a pause, she added,
"Can she come in?"
Kagetsu had long sensed the demonic aura lingering outside the shrine's barrier. He hadn't expected it to be Kagura.
Truthfully, he had a fairly good impression of her.
Among Naraku's many incarnations, Kagura,the wind that longed for freedom,possessed the strongest sense of individuality.
The barrier surrounding the shrine wasn't particularly strong. Unless Kikyo actively empowered it, it could only repel weak demons.
For someone of Kagura's level, it served merely as a warning.
The fact that she had been waiting outside without forcing her way in clearly showed she meant no harm.
Kikyo had sensed the same thing.
Curious about another of Naraku's incarnations,and assuming that since she was Kanna's sister she might also be young,Kikyo nodded.
"I've opened the barrier. Tell her she can come in."
"Okay."
Kanna answered simply.
Though she made no visible movement, both Kikyo and Kagetsu could clearly feel a demonic aura slowly entering the barrier.
It seemed the connection between Kanna and Kagura allowed them to communicate silently.
Outside the shrine, Kagura received the signal. She slipped a small mirror back into her sleeve,apparently the tool Kanna had used to contact her.
Taking a deep breath, she cautiously looked toward the opened entrance of the barrier.
Neither of the people inside the shrine was someone she could afford to underestimate.
The priestess Kikyo…
Naraku held a strange mix of hostility and wariness toward her.
And the other man,Kagetsu,had placed a terrifying curse on Naraku, causing his vitality to steadily drain.
Thinking of this, Kagura carefully climbed the stone steps.
The moment she passed beneath the torii gate, her eyes fell upon the figures gathered under the large tree at the edge of the courtyard.
But the scene she saw made her freeze in place.
"Eh??"
A bewildered cry escaped her before she could stop it.
Under the great tree, Kikyo and Kagetsu were sitting casually, eating cantaloupe with relaxed expressions.
And her usually cold and distant sister,
Kanna was sitting openly on the swing nearby, gently swaying back and forth.
She held a slice of cantaloupe in her hand, nibbling on it with quiet seriousness.
Her face remained expressionless.
Yet the atmosphere around her was far more relaxed than Kagura had ever seen before.