"So if I take my heart back… I can escape immediately?" Kagura stared at Kagetsu, suspicion filling her eyes. Her tone carried clear doubt. "Are you telling the truth?"
"Relax."
Kagetsu smiled faintly. A small wooden strip suddenly appeared in his hand and quickly shaped itself into an ordinary-looking wooden token. He handed it to her.
"If the escape fails, just break this token," he said casually. "I'll come personally to rescue you."
"…Fine. I agree."
Kagura stared at the wooden token in her palm for a moment before clenching her teeth.
In the end, the temptation of freedom proved too strong.
She reached out and accepted the token before asking, "What do I need to do for that escape technique you mentioned?"
"Nothing complicated," Kagetsu replied. "Just sit still."
He raised his hand and extended a finger toward the center of her forehead.
Kagura clearly felt his fingertip touch her skin.
At that moment, the fear in her heart suddenly surged.
With a single thought, Kagetsu could easily kill her where she sat.
Yet she forced herself not to move, her entire body tense as she waited.
Fortunately, the attack she feared never came.
But just as she began to relax,
Scarlet eyes suddenly appeared before her.
The Mangekyō Sharingan bloomed in Kagetsu's pupils, its intricate patterns slowly spinning with an ominous pressure that made her heart tremble.
"Transcription Seal."
The moment those crimson eyes locked onto hers, Kagura felt every hair on her body stand on end.
Then,
A sharp pain exploded behind her eyes.
"Ugh,!"
She let out a muffled groan, biting down hard on her lip to stop herself from crying out.
From the side, Kikyo watched quietly.
For just a brief moment, she saw the same Mangekyō pattern flash within Kagura's eyes before disappearing as if it had never existed.
But Kikyo said nothing.
She simply observed silently.
"It's done."
Kagetsu withdrew his finger and explained calmly.
"I've placed an ocular jutsu inside your eyes. The moment you retrieve your heart from Naraku, the technique will activate."
"It will send you directly into the Kamui dimension."
"I'll sense the activation and release you from there afterward."
He looked at her and added confidently,
"Don't worry. Naraku will never be able to find you."
"Thank you…"
After the pain in her eyes finally faded, Kagura quietly expressed her gratitude.
She hesitated for a moment.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she spoke again.
"Since we're cooperating, I'll share some information about Naraku."
"First, his power suddenly weakened tonight, and the barrier around the castle has loosened."
"Inuyasha has already discovered the castle's location."
"There's also a wolf-demon named Kōga who has joined Inuyasha and the others."
"His demonic power weakening is likely because he's a half-demon," Kikyo said thoughtfully.
"Half-demons carry human blood. At certain times, their demonic power disappears and they revert to a human state."
"Even though Naraku is formed from countless demons, he still originated from a human. He should share that weakness."
"Naraku's power weakens at specific times?" Kagura's eyes lit up.
This was undoubtedly valuable information.
A fatal weakness.
She glanced deeply at Kagetsu before continuing.
"Second… because of the technique you used on him, Naraku's body has been continuously aging and weakening."
"Even with the support of the Shikon Jewel, he still needs Kanna and me to capture demons for him."
"He uses them to replace the parts of his body that are decaying."
"So for now, he's hiding inside the castle and won't leave easily."
"Using the vitality of other demons to bear the burden of Rinne Rebirth…" Kagetsu raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed.
"Naraku really is clever."
But his casual praise left Kagura unsure how to respond.
In the end, she simply said,
"That's all the information I have for now."
She put the Shikon Jewel shards away and stood up.
"I should leave. If I stay away too long, Naraku will notice."
"He probably already noticed the moment you left the castle," Kagetsu said lazily. "Be careful. Don't get yourself killed."
"It's fine," Kagura replied calmly as she walked toward the door.
"He still needs me to capture demons for him. As long as I'm not gone too long, he won't do anything."
She paused briefly at the doorway before pushing it open.
Outside, a fierce wind spiraled upward.
A giant feather appeared beneath her feet.
With a leap, Kagura landed on it, and the wind carried her swiftly away into the night sky.
"It's late," Kikyo said, stretching slightly after Kagura left. "I'm going to rest."
"Not yet."
Kagetsu suddenly spoke.
"Inuyasha and the others are following Kagura's trail. They'll reach the shrine soon."
"They're actually coming?" Kikyo looked surprised.
Then she nodded in understanding.
"With Kagome there… she can sense the Shikon Jewel shards. It makes sense they would follow."
At that moment, Kikyo sensed a large amount of natural energy gathering around Kagetsu.
Faint orange markings appeared around his eyes.
He had already entered Sage Mode.
Recently, the two of them had been training in the use of natural energy together, and Kikyo had become far more sensitive to its fluctuations.
Interestingly, since they were no longer in the ninja world, Kagetsu's Sage Mode no longer carried the toad-like characteristics it once had.
Aside from the orange eyeshadow near his eyes, his appearance looked completely normal.
Even the horizontal toad pupils had disappeared.
Knowing how wide the perception range of Sage Mode was, Kikyo asked,
"How far away are they?"
"Less than three kilometers," Kagetsu replied. "Do you want to meet them?"
Kikyo thought for a moment before shaking her head.
"No need. Kagura has already left, so they'll probably continue chasing her."
She walked toward the shrine's altar.
"I'll activate the barrier and keep them outside."
The altar not only stored the Shikon Jewel shards they had collected, but also served as the core of the shrine's barrier.
But just as Kikyo reached out,
Her gaze landed on the Shikon Jewel fragments resting inside the altar.
After a brief pause, she changed her mind.
"…Never mind."
"If they really do come here, I'll simply give these shards to Kagome."
She picked up the three Shikon Jewel shards and returned to sit beside Kagetsu.
Placing them on the table, she spoke softly.
"Tonight is the New Moon."
"If I remember correctly, Inuyasha loses his demonic power tonight and becomes human."
"If they encounter Kagura like this… it could be dangerous."
"Then we'll wait here for a while," Kagetsu said with a nod.
Truthfully, he was curious.
He had always wanted to see what human Inuyasha looked like with black hair.
Looking at Kikyo sitting quietly beside him, he suddenly felt a bit bored.
So he casually reached out and took her hand, gently playing with her fingers.
Kikyo only glanced at him softly.
She didn't pull her hand away.
Instead, she simply let him toy with it.