Looking at the human-faced fruits scattered across the ground, Uchiha Retsu's eyes flickered, and a cold smile curved his lips.
"This should be the place."
Suppressing his thoughts, he raised his head and looked toward the top of the cliff. Though mist obscured much of the view, he could still vaguely make out a lush, towering tree above—the very demon tree that bore human-faced fruit in the story.
"Come on, it's up there. I'll take you up," Retsu said, bending slightly as if to lift Kikyo.
"You… you can just carry me on your back," Kikyo hurriedly tried to stop him.
But Retsu ignored her protest entirely. He stretched out his arms and scooped her up in a firm bridal carry.
"..."
Kikyo was about to speak when she noticed the mischievous grin in his eyes and immediately realized he was doing it on purpose.
She shot him an annoyed glare, then gave up and stayed quiet, obediently curling up in his arms. A faint blush quietly spread across her cheeks.
Retsu chuckled smugly. Chakra surged beneath his feet, and with a light leap, he stuck to the steep cliff face.
His body stood nearly perpendicular to the rock wall, yet he walked upward as steadily as if he were on flat ground.
Originally, he planned to climb straight to the top. But as he neared the summit, he suddenly noticed a winding stone staircase carved into the cliff face.
Looking along it, he could vaguely see a building embedded in the rock at the end.
Seeing this, Retsu leaped lightly onto the stairs and gently set Kikyo down.
"Is this Paradise Land?"
Kikyo smoothed her wind-tousled robes and looked toward a stone tablet beside the steps. Three characters were clearly carved into it: Paradise Land.
"Looks like it," Retsu replied, his gaze sharpening as he looked toward the antique-style buildings ahead. "Let's go. We'll check it out."
With that, he took the lead up the stairs.
Before long, they reached the end.
In front of them was an entrance half-embedded in the cliff. The steps sloped slightly downward, indicating that most of the interior lay underground.
Perhaps because no one expected intruders here, the entrance wasn't sealed. From outside, they could clearly see inside.
Several ceramic jars were stacked in the corners.
At the center of the room stood a massive square bonsai-like structure, occupying nearly all the available space except for a narrow walkway.
At once, Retsu understood. This was the place Kagome and the others had once stumbled into.
That structure was the "miniature world" Peach Man used to imprison humans.
Under the influence of magic, anyone who entered it would be shrunk down and forced to live inside, trapped within that tiny artificial world.
"Be careful. I'll send in a shadow clone first," Retsu said cautiously, grabbing Kikyo's wrist before she could step forward.
"...Alright." Kikyo paused, then looked at him with mild surprise. "You're being unusually careful. That's not like you."
"In your mind, am I always that reckless?" Retsu rolled his eyes helplessly.
"Yes," Kikyo nodded seriously. "Normally, you'd have rushed in already."
"...Well, fine." Retsu sighed. "I'm just worried this 'immortal' might have some strange techniques."
He really did have his concerns. According to the story, once someone approached the bonsai, they would be forcibly shrunk. Even if they escaped, they couldn't return to normal on their own.
To undo the spell, either Peach Man had to lift it, or he had to be killed.
In the original events, Kagome only recovered after being taken by Peach Man, while Miroku and Shippo returned to normal after his death.
After explaining, Retsu formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a puff of white smoke, a clone identical to him appeared.
Without hesitation, the clone walked straight into the room.
Retsu and Kikyo stood outside, quietly observing.
The clone first surveyed the area. After confirming there were no immediate dangers, he opened the jars in the corners. Inside were human-faced fruits soaked in unknown liquid—nothing special.
Near the entrance, many scattered weapons lay piled up. Most were badly damaged from neglect.
They were clearly left behind by the people Peach Man had captured and thrown into the miniature world.
Next, the clone walked to the back of the room, where a staircase led upward. It seemed to connect to the upper floor. For now, there was no movement above.
While the clone searched, Retsu quietly absorbed the surrounding natural energy and entered Sage Mode.
Under Sage Mode perception, everything became extraordinarily clear.
Several faint traces of demonic aura lingered upstairs—most likely the small demons serving Peach Man.
Farther away, near the cliff's edge, was a stronger demonic presence, probably the human-faced fruit tree.
Beneath it were two strange auras. He guessed they belonged to Peach Man and his master, who had been turned into a bonsai.
After confirming Peach Man wasn't upstairs, the clone walked to the giant bonsai in the center and peered inside.
Within it was a complete miniature village—tiny houses, farmlands, roads, and even tiny figures walking around. It was vivid and lifelike, like a real microcosmic world.
The moment the clone approached, he sensed a strange force surge out from within.
It was a special power formed from natural energy mixed with something unknown, rushing toward his body.
He immediately understood: this was the spell that shrank people and dragged them into the bonsai.
But to his surprise, it wasn't particularly strong. With his chakra level, a full release would easily disperse it.
Realizing this, Retsu relaxed. He had thought this shrinking spell was impossible to counter.
Then he remembered a detail from the story. When Kagome, Miroku, and Shippo were pulled in, all their belongings shrank with them—except for the Shikon Jewel shard in Kagome's pocket and the bottle containing it.
It hadn't been affected at all.
Moreover, some captured warriors had mentioned that anyone inside who showed even slight talent in magic would be fed to the demon tree as nourishment.
Clearly, the shrinking spell wasn't absolute.
Peach Man deliberately eliminated those who grew stronger, fearing that once they mastered techniques, they might break free from the spell and escape his control.
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