Just as Retsu was pondering about Sesshomaru, his brows suddenly furrowed, and his sharp gaze swept towards a corner of the battlefield.
He saw several Mōryōmaru, resembling wasps, using their claws to grasp a shard of the shikon jewel, preparing to sneak away.
This was the human arm embedded with the shard of the shikon jewel that Sesshomaru possessed when he transformed into the giant dog. It had been torn off by the violent Demonic Power during the transformation and fell to the ground.
It was likely Naraku who wanted to take this shard of the shikon jewel away.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
"Something delivered right to your doorstep shouldn't be taken back. Did you think you could have all the advantages?" He swung his palm fiercely, and a transparent wind blade shot through the air, instantly slicing all the Mōryōmaru surrounding the shard of the shikon jewel in half.
The shard of the shikon jewel in the air let out a faint *ding* as it fell to the ground.
"Ah, it's a shard of the shikon jewel!" Kagome spotted the fragment on the ground immediately and hurried over to pick it up.
To everyone's surprise, after picking up the shard, she didn't immediately put it into her glass bottle. Instead, she quickly ran up to Retsu and offered it to him: "Retsu, here you go!"
"Hey, Kagome..." Inuyasha started to say something but swallowed his words.
He understood clearly in his heart that if Retsu hadn't intervened tonight, none of them could have withstood Sesshomaru. It was only fair that this shard of the shikon jewel belonged to him.
Retsu waved his hand, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the dense forest in the distance, and refused: "You keep it. This was 'kindly' delivered by a 'well-wisher.' It's perfect for you to hold onto."
He was still in Sage Mode at this moment, and everything within a few kilometers was within his perception. He could clearly sense an extremely chaotic Demonic Power not far away. Without a doubt, it had to be Naraku.
But he had no intention of taking action. Firstly, Naraku was like a rat in a sewer—his strength wasn't top-tier, but his ability to hide was first-rate. That location was likely just a puppet; his true body wasn't there.
Secondly, Naraku was the best 'whetstone' for Inuyasha and the others. If he killed him now, they wouldn't find a more suitable antagonist.
"'Well-wisher'? Who?" Seeing that he didn't want it, Kagome placed the shard of the shikon jewel into the glass bottle she carried with her. As she screwed on the cap, she asked curiously.
"The demon who delivered the arm to Sesshomaru, Naraku," Retsu replied indifferently.
"Naraku!" Miroku, who had already drunk the antidote Kagome handed him and whose complexion had improved significantly, was startled upon hearing the name. His expression instantly turned grave.
"Naraku? Where is he?!" Inuyasha became even more agitated in an instant, rushing up to Retsu and asking urgently, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"I sensed a chaotic Demonic Power over there just now. It was probably him."
Retsu pointed in a direction deep within the dense forest. Seeing Inuyasha about to charge over, he immediately reached out and stopped him. "But it's already disappeared now."
"If you want to find him, it's actually quite simple." Seeing the disappointed looks on their faces, Retsu spoke up.
"Retsu, do you have a way?" Inuyasha's eyes lit up, and Miroku and Kagome also immediately showed expectant expressions, staring at him intently.
"It's simple. Haven't you all been collecting shards of the shikon jewel?" Retsu looked at them and said, "Just now, he tried to take away the shard Sesshomaru left behind, which means he's also searching for shards of the shikon jewel."
Kagome understood his meaning after hearing this and explained: "As long as we continue collecting the shards, we're bound to encounter Naraku, right? That's what Monk Miroku thinks too, but..."
She glanced at Miroku, her tone filled with worry:
"But we're worried that collecting the shards will take too long, and Monk Miroku... might not be able to wait that long.
The Wind Tunnel cursed by Naraku on his hand could swallow him up at any moment."
"Don't worry, it won't be long." Retsu's tone was firm.
"The shikon jewel has been shattered for so long. Not only is Naraku impatient, but the jewel itself will also drive him to collect the shards as quickly as possible.
It won't tolerate being in a shattered state forever."
"The shikon jewel... driving Naraku?" Kagome was stunned.
"Mhm. In my perception, that guy's already mottled Demonic Power is mixed with the power of the shikon jewel.
While he covets the power of the shikon jewel, he doesn't realize he's already been influenced by it and has become its puppet. What a ridiculous fool."
Retsu sneered, his tone full of disdain.
"Isn't the shikon jewel a treasure that can grant any wish? How can it be so dangerous?" Inuyasha couldn't help but retort. He had always firmly believed that the shikon jewel could help him shed his Half-demon identity.
"You actually believe that nonsense meant to fool idiots?" Retsu looked at him as if he were a fool, his tone mocking. "Don't tell me you really think it can grant your wish?"
"But... for hundreds of years, there's been a legend that the shikon jewel can grant any wish!" Inuyasha argued stubbornly. He had always wanted to use the shikon jewel to rid himself of his Half-demon status.
"Use your brain and think about it." Retsu rolled his eyes helplessly.
"If this thing were really that powerful, how could it have been floating around for hundreds of years?
There are plenty of powerful demons and humans in this world. If it could grant any wish, it would have been fought over like crazy long ago.
Would it still be left for a Half-demon like you, a half-baked shrine maiden like Kagome, and a young monk like Miroku to collect?"
He paused, then continued his verbal assault: "Not to mention anything else, just take your father's Western Lands Dog Demon Clan.
Although your father is dead, Sesshomaru's Mother is still alive, right? If the shikon jewel could truly grant any wish, she would have used it to resurrect the Inu no Taisho long ago. Would it still be your turn?"
"This..." Inuyasha was left speechless, opening his mouth but unable to utter a word. Retsu's words had indeed pointed out a flaw in the legend.
"However, saying it can grant wishes isn't a complete Retsu, but it's not quite what you think." Seeing Inuyasha's stunned expression, Retsu changed his tone.
"What do you mean?" Kagome immediately asked curiously, her interest piqued by the topic.
"Inuyasha, what wish do you want the shikon jewel to grant?" Retsu didn't answer directly. Instead, he turned and asked Inuyasha.
"I..." Inuyasha hesitated for a moment. Under Kagome's encouraging gaze, he said in a low voice, "I want to become a true demon."
"Then I can tell you, the wish can indeed be 'granted.'" Retsu looked at him, his tone calm yet carrying a hint of chill.
"The shikon jewel might merge with your body, forcibly awakening the demon blood within you, turning you into a true demon.
But the cost is that you'll be completely controlled by its evil aura, lose all reason, and become a monster that only knows how to kill."
"How could that be?!" Kagome's face turned pale, and she instinctively grabbed Inuyasha's arm.
"But in a sense, it did grant Inuyasha's wish." Miroku said, frowning.
"That's pretty much the idea." Retsu continued,
"The shikon jewel itself is an evil object. Otherwise, why would Kikyo have needed to guard and purify it back then, even wanting to take it with her after death?
Now Naraku has already been influenced by the shikon jewel's evil aura and will only grow more and more insane.
So you don't have to worry about him lying low. It won't be long before he actively seeks you out."
Seeing Inuyasha hanging his head, looking upset, unwilling yet confused.
Retsu spoke up: "You don't need to find it so hard to believe. For example, your older brother Sesshomaru, as a pure demon, has always craved strength and has repeatedly tried to steal the tessaiga from you, yet he scorns the shikon jewel."
He looked at Inuyasha, his tone turning more serious:
"Inuyasha, the demon blood within you is a gift from your father. The human blood is a treasure from your mother.
By always wanting to become a pure demon, you're actually denying your mother's existence and discarding the legacy she left you."
"Human blood... is the legacy my mother left me..." Inuyasha's body jolted violently. Retsu's words exploded in his mind like a thunderclap.
He subconsciously touched his chest. The blood flowing in his beating heart was the human blood from his mother, carrying her gentleness and love.
He had never thought that his Half-demon identity, which he had always wanted to shed, was actually a precious gift left by his mother.