"The 'immortal' isn't here?"
Kikyo swept her gaze across the room. Aside from the three small demons she had just shot, there was no one else in sight. She couldn't help but ask in confusion.
"Mm."
Uchiha Retsu rummaged through the pottery jars and wooden crates as he answered without looking back.
"I already sensed everything around here. There's a guy with a strange aura near the human-faced fruit tree we saw earlier. He's not here.
Let's hurry up and search. See if there are any cultivation manuals or something. Then we'll go kill that 'immortal.' He's definitely not a good person."
"He's supposed to be an 'immortal.' Are you sure you can handle him?" Kikyo asked with some concern, hearing how casually he spoke.
Retsu put the lid back on a jar filled with human-faced fruits. He turned to look at her and smiled confidently.
"Relax. I more or less know what he's made of. He's weak."
Seeing him return to his usual arrogant self, Kikyo felt relieved instead.
She knew that if Retsu said this, it meant he was fully confident.
In fact, at first, Retsu had also been fooled by Peach Man's performance in the original story.
When Peach Man first appeared, he looked extremely powerful. Inuyasha's Tessaiga couldn't harm him at all. He could even block Wind Scar and easily suck Inuyasha into his gourd.
That was why Retsu had cautiously tested things with a shadow clone.
But after discovering that the shrinking spell had limited power, and that the two auras near the demon tree weren't strong, he immediately understood the truth.
Peach Man only managed to cause trouble because he happened to meet Inuyasha on the New Moon Night, when Inuyasha's demonic power was nearly gone.
At that time, without Tessaiga and with barely any demonic blood active, Inuyasha was extremely weakened.
Once dawn came, even after Peach Man was controlled by the demon tree and possessed three Shikon Jewel fragments, he was still cut apart by a single Wind Scar.
After searching the building thoroughly, the two found nothing valuable—only large quantities of human-faced fruits soaking in jars.
"It seems there are no immortal treasures or secret manuals," Kikyo said softly, looking at Retsu, who had also found nothing.
"Forget it. We'll just ask him directly."
Retsu felt a bit annoyed. He had thought he might find some legendary cultivation technique, but it was all for nothing.
Kikyo tightened her grip on her bow and nodded solemnly. She knew that next, they would face the so-called "immortal."
The two left the building together and headed toward the direction of the human-faced fruit tree.
From afar, they saw a lush peach tree standing at the edge of the cliff. Its branches were heavy with plump, red fruits.
Yet the dense demonic aura it emitted revealed its true nature—it was the demon tree that fed on humans.
"What a strong demonic aura. That must be the human-faced fruit tree."
Kikyo frowned and subconsciously raised her bow, her fingers resting on a purifying arrow, ready to shoot it down.
"Wait."
Retsu reached out and pressed down on her wrist.
"That tree isn't going anywhere. Let's deal with the 'immortal' first, then come back for it."
"…All right."
Kikyo glanced at him, lowered her bow, and followed behind.
"Oh? Someone actually broke in?"
Before they could get close, a fat figure sitting beneath the tree noticed them and slowly stood up. His tone was casual and lazy.
It was Peach Man.
Before either of them spoke, Peach Man suddenly noticed Kikyo beside Retsu. His eyes lit up instantly. He bared his fanged grin and laughed greedily.
"A woman? Lucky day! A woman actually came here! Human-faced fruits love women—especially young ones!"
Ignoring Retsu completely, he lumbered toward Kikyo with heavy steps. His massive hand stretched out, trying to grab her and turn her into nourishment for the tree.
Seeing him disregard his existence and go straight for Kikyo, Retsu's eyes turned cold. A sneer curled at his lips.
Sage chakra exploded beneath his feet. His figure vanished like a ghost and appeared instantly in front of Peach Man.
His right hand shot out, clamping down on Peach Man's head. He grinned viciously and roared,
"Get down!"
Boom!
With a deafening crash, Peach Man was slammed into the ground. Rocks shattered, debris flew, and his fat body sank deep into the cracked earth.
"You fat bastard, you're pretty arrogant, huh?"
Retsu grabbed his hair and dragged him out of the rubble, staring coldly at his blood-covered, miserable face.
Nearby, Kikyo lowered her bow and watched him with icy eyes.
Though Peach Man had little demonic aura, he was surrounded by thick deathly and bloody energy. It was obvious his hands were soaked in blood.
"Retsu, he has a Shikon Jewel fragment. It's in his abdomen," Kikyo said after scanning him carefully.
"You lowly monster, how dare you attack this immortal!"
Peach Man finally recovered from the pain. He looked up fiercely at Retsu, ignoring the agony in his scalp.
He pulled out a gourd from his waist, bit off the stopper, and aimed it at Retsu with a savage grin.
"Get inside and stay there!"
As he spoke, a powerful suction burst from the gourd's mouth.
At the same time, that strange energy Retsu had felt near the bonsai surged out again—the shrinking spell.
Retsu didn't dodge at all. He just looked at him coldly.
Feeling that power again, he couldn't help but think how unlucky Inuyasha had been.
Meeting Peach Man on the New Moon Night, when his demonic power was gone—under normal circumstances, Inuyasha could have easily resisted this spell.
In the original story, although Inuyasha was shrunk, Tessaiga remained unchanged. Clearly, this spell was ineffective against weapons of that level.
"W-What?! Why aren't you shrinking?!"
Seeing Retsu still at full size, staring at him with a cold smile, Peach Man's grin froze. Shock and disbelief filled his face.
"You're too weak. Trash."
Retsu snorted. His left hand flashed out and snatched the gourd away, tossing it aside.
Then he grabbed Peach Man by the throat and lifted him up. With a violent motion, he slammed him back-first into the ground.
Boom!
Another thunderous crash echoed. The ground collapsed even further, dust shooting into the air.
Retsu didn't intend to let him off. Sage chakra gathered under his foot. He raised his leg and stomped hard on Peach Man's abdomen.
The chakra erupted. The ground caved in again, cracks spreading like spiderwebs.
"Wah—!"
Even with the Shikon Jewel fragment reinforcing his body, Peach Man couldn't withstand the terrifying power of Sage Mode. He spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his clothes red.
Retsu looked down at him coldly.
He had to admit—this fat body was surprisingly tough. With the jewel's power, Peach Man hadn't died yet, nor even lost consciousness.
Retsu reached toward Peach Man's abdomen, preparing to directly take out the Shikon Jewel fragment.
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