Kikyo watched Kagura's departing figure, her brows tightly knit. Her voice carried a trace of seriousness.
"This demon called Kaguya… what kind of special ability does she have?"
Uchiha Retsu smiled faintly.
"I know about this demon. I have to say, Naraku made a clever move this time. If he truly manages to devour Kaguya, he might actually solve the problems with his body."
"You know about her?" Kikyo blinked in surprise and immediately pressed further.
Retsu stood and walked over to the swing, sitting down before pulling Kikyo gently to his side. He wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her into his embrace.
Kikyo leaned quietly against his chest as the swing swayed lightly beneath them. The evening breeze drifted through the shrine, carrying the faint scent of grass and trees.
"Kikyo," Retsu began softly, his voice low, "have you ever heard a certain legend?"
"One day, a celestial maiden descended to bathe in a lake. A man happened to see her… and he stole something extremely important to her—her feather robe."
"I know that story," Kikyo said, lifting her head to look at him. She seemed puzzled as to why he would bring up such a common tale.
"After her robe was stolen, the celestial maiden could no longer return to the heavens. She was forced to marry the man. But eventually she found her robe again and returned to the celestial realm."
She smiled faintly.
"I heard that story from the children in the village before."
Retsu nodded. It was indeed a widely known legend. Villagers often told it to children to pass the time.
He gently clasped Kikyo's hand, feeling the warmth of her palm.
"But I know another version," he continued.
"In that version, the celestial maiden is furious after her robe is stolen. To recover it, she begins killing the villagers one by one."
"Just as the village is about to be wiped out, a monk appears and defeats her, sealing her away."
He gave a soft, disdainful laugh.
"That version may be darker and crueler, but it's far more realistic."
"A fool driven by lust not only spies on a celestial maiden bathing but also steals her robe without considering the massive difference in power between them."
"He then tries to force her into marriage by holding her robe hostage."
"If I were the celestial maiden, I'd probably do the same thing she did."
"The villagers' deaths wouldn't be her fault at all—it would be entirely the fault of that idiot blinded by greed and desire."
Kikyo remained silent.
She didn't argue.
While the celestial maiden's actions were cruel, they were also understandable.
Kikyo was kind by nature, but she understood the logic behind it. If she were ever forced into such a situation, she would never bow to evil either.
She might not slaughter every villager, but she would certainly punish those who protected the thief or tried to stop her from reclaiming what was hers.
Kindness was never meant to be exploited by the wicked.
"So… that celestial maiden is Kaguya?" Kikyo asked curiously. She knew Retsu wouldn't tell the story without reason.
"Yes—and no."
Retsu thought back to what he remembered from the story and slowly explained.
"Like Naraku, she can devour others to steal their power. The real celestial maiden… has already been eaten by her."
"What?!"
Kikyo sat up abruptly, shock filling her eyes.
"She devoured the celestial maiden and took her power?"
"Exactly."
Retsu nodded.
"Kaguya devoured the celestial maiden, inheriting both her power and her immortal body."
"That's why I said Naraku might be able to solve his problems if he devours her."
"The celestial maiden's immortality could stop the loss of his life force. And Kaguya's ability to devour even a celestial being might allow him to completely consume the demons fused inside him and solve the instability in his body."
"I see…" Kikyo nodded slowly in understanding.
At that moment, silver moonlight suddenly flooded the earth.
Kikyo looked up instinctively.
A brilliant full moon now hung in the night sky, its pale light spilling across the land.
"A full moon?"
She frowned deeply. She clearly remembered that tonight was not supposed to be a full moon.
"That was fast," Retsu said with raised brows as he gazed at the moon. "Looks like Kaguya's seal is about to break."
"You mean she caused this?" Kikyo asked in astonishment. Then her brows furrowed again.
"If she's that powerful, isn't Naraku afraid she might devour him instead?"
"You're right—that's definitely possible," Retsu replied with a nod.
"But even if Naraku dies, as long as the Shikon Jewel still exists, all that means is that a new 'Naraku' named Kaguya might appear."
Kikyo jumped down from the swing, her voice serious.
"We should leave immediately. That demon is too dangerous."
"Relax."
Retsu stood leisurely and took her hand, leading her toward the shrine's main hall.
"We can leave tomorrow morning."
"Don't forget—in the legend, the celestial maiden's feather robe was stolen."
"For Kaguya to regain her full power, she'll need to retrieve the Heavenly Feather Robe first."
In the original story, Inuyasha's group met Hojo Akito—the man who possessed the Heavenly Feather Robe—on the morning of the third day after the full moon appeared.
Although events had changed now, Hojo Akito was just an ordinary person. He would likely only set out after seeing the strange full moon.
In other words, they still had time.
Seeing the confidence in Retsu's expression, Kikyo nodded.
"Alright."
"Kikyo, wake up. Something's happening ahead."
Retsu sat atop Kuromaru, gently shaking Kikyo, who was sleeping in his arms.
After learning about Kaguya last night, she hadn't rested well. Not long after setting out that morning, she had fallen asleep against him, breathing softly and peacefully.
"Mmm… what is it?" Kikyo murmured as she slowly opened her eyes and rubbed the corners of them.
She looked forward.
The moment she saw the scene ahead, she instantly woke up and sat upright, her expression turning grave.
"This…"
She sensed a dense demonic aura lingering in the air.
"Was this done by demons?"
"Caw—caw—"
Kuromaru walked forward slowly. The harsh cries of crows echoed through the air.
The village ahead was deathly silent.
There were no human voices—only the thick smell of blood mixed with demonic energy.
Even Kuromaru seemed bothered by the stench, occasionally sneezing as his pace slowed.
Along the dirt road ahead, corpses lay scattered everywhere.
It was obvious the village had just been massacred.
They had been heading toward the Sea of the Nest, the location Kagura mentioned, and had simply passed by this village on the way.
As they moved through the corpse-strewn settlement, Retsu suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"There's someone alive over there."
Kikyo froze for a moment before immediately leaping down from Kuromaru's back and rushing toward a nearby stone stairway.
A little girl lay there on the ground.
A gruesome wound split across her abdomen, her pink kimono soaked dark red with blood. Her breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible.
Ignoring the blood staining her clothes, Kikyo carefully lifted the girl into her arms and looked urgently at Retsu as he approached.
"Retsu—quick, save her!"
Retsu crouched beside them. His fingers brushed lightly across the girl's wound before his hands rapidly formed seals.
Soft green light gathered in his palms.
He placed his hand over the injury and began concentrating on healing her.
This was the Mystical Palm Technique, an advanced medical ninjutsu.
Back in the shinobi world, Retsu had studied medical ninjutsu very seriously.
Not only could it save lives, but more importantly—if necessary, it would allow him to replace his own Sharingan.
To achieve the "plug-and-play" transplantation of the Sharingan, mastering medical ninjutsu was essential.
Otherwise, even with a Mangekyō Sharingan right in front of him, it would be impossible to transplant and use it successfully.
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