"An undead spirit…?"
Kikyo stood before the headless body lying motionless in the grass. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were sharp. She could clearly sense death energy lingering around the corpse.
Her gaze shifted to the ninja pouch at his waist.
"And… the aura of the Shikon Jewel."
When she was still inside the village, she had already felt it approaching. The jewel's presence was something she could never mistake. She had guarded it for years. Even now, in her resurrected state, she could sense its faint pulse.
The moment she detected death energy mixed with that aura, she did not hesitate.
She shot a Demon-Slaying Arrow.
A shrine maiden's duty was clear—purify evil without question.
Kikyo crouched beside the body and reached into the pouch. After searching briefly, she pulled out a bamboo tube. The aura from within confirmed her suspicion.
She opened it.
Several faintly glowing shards rolled into her palm.
"A shard of the Shikon Jewel…?"
Surprise flickered across her otherwise cold face.
"The jewel should have vanished with my death… Why does it exist again? And why is it shattered?"
She placed those fragments aside and reached into the pouch once more.
Another bamboo tube. Identical.
The moment she opened it, a wave of dark, polluted energy surged outward.
Her brows furrowed.
"A corrupted shard… sealed inside?"
Without hesitation, Kikyo summoned her spiritual power. Pure white light gathered at her fingertips. The polluted shard trembled, then slowly cleared under her purification.
Soon, its clarity returned.
She looked at the eight fragments resting in her hand, confusion filling her eyes.
So many questions.
The jewel had been destroyed when she died.
And yet here it was. Broken. Polluted. Circulating once again.
She placed the shards back into the bamboo tube and closed the lid.
Just as she was about to stand—
A cold hand grabbed her wrist.
"Taking someone else's belongings without permission isn't very polite, Miss Priestess."
Kikyo's pupils shrank.
Spiritual power erupted from her palm instinctively.
The "corpse" on the ground moved.
The shattered head—previously blown apart by her arrow—was reforming. Gray dust gathered and condensed, restoring flesh and bone at visible speed.
Within seconds, he was whole again.
Uchiha Lie looked at her with mild amusement in his gray-black eyes.
As her spiritual power burst outward, he calmly released her wrist and stood up.
In the same instant, he snatched the bamboo tube from her grasp and tucked it back into his pouch.
Kikyo leapt backward, drawing an arrow in one smooth motion. She aimed directly at him.
"Who are you?" Her voice was cold as frost.
"You attacked me first," Lie replied irritably. "And now you're asking who I am?"
He studied her carefully.
This was Kikyo. The legendary shrine maiden.
Her red and white robes flowed gently in the wind. Her face was stunning, yet distant. There was holiness in her presence—but also resentment, sorrow, and death.
Aside from differences in temperament and hairstyle, she strongly resembled Kagome. It was no wonder Inuyasha had once been shaken by that resemblance.
"As a shrine maiden," Kikyo said sharply, "eliminating a demon like you is only natural. I sensed death and evil energy from far away."
Lie chuckled softly.
"If I'm a demon, then what are you?"
His gaze sharpened.
"The resentment and death energy around you are far heavier than mine. Isn't that right… Kikyo?"
Her name left his lips clearly.
Kikyo's expression shifted slightly. Surprise flickered in her eyes—but only for a moment.
"I do not know how you learned my name," she said steadily. "But as a shrine maiden, I must send you back to where you belong."
Before she finished speaking—
The bowstring snapped.
Another Demon-Slaying Arrow flew straight toward his face.
This time, Lie did not play along.
He raised his hand calmly.
A pale blue Susanoo arm materialized instantly.
With a casual flick, the arrow was deflected and embedded itself deep into a tree trunk with a sharp thud.
Kikyo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You speak of returning me to the dead," Lie said coolly, "yet you yourself are clinging to this world."
Her grip on the bow tightened.
For a brief second, the spiritual aura around her weakened.
He was not wrong.
She was no longer truly alive.
Her body was crafted from clay and bones. She survived by absorbing the souls of wandering spirits.
"I only wish to live quietly in this village," Kikyo said at last. Her voice returned to its usual cold tone. She lowered her bow. "Do not disturb me."
She turned to walk away.
But Uchiha Lie stepped forward.
If he remembered correctly, Kikyo would not remain here long. She would soon encounter Inuyasha again while gathering souls. And then—
The inevitable confrontation between the past and present would unfold.
He had no intention of missing that.
"I don't mean harm," he said lightly. "Let me follow you for now. I'll prove I'm not your enemy."
Kikyo stopped instantly.
Her bow was raised once more.
"Absolutely not," she said firmly. "You are undead. Your presence alone would frighten ordinary people. And you carry multiple shards of the Shikon Jewel. I have no reason to trust you."
Without hesitation, Lie pulled out the bamboo tube containing the shards.
Then he tossed it toward her.
"You hold onto them."
Kikyo instinctively caught the tube.
She froze.
The Shikon Jewel—
A treasure fought over by countless demons and humans—
Was handed to her so casually.
For the first time since her resurrection, her calm expression wavered slightly.
The wind rustled through the forest.
And in that quiet moment—
Their true encounter had only just begun.
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