Watching the massive snow tornado crashing toward him, Uchiha Kasage showed an exaggerated expression of surprise. "Wow, impressive!"
As he spoke, his hands quickly formed a seal. He took a deep breath, his chest expanding visibly.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
An enormous amount of chakra surged from his mouth. A single spark ignited in front of him, and in the next instant, a vast sea of orange-red flames filled the space ahead, completely engulfing the entire canyon.
The raging fire surged like a colossal tidal wave, swallowing the incoming snowstorm in an instant. Ice and snow mixed within the wind vaporized immediately. Not only did the freezing gale fail to extinguish the flames, it instead fueled them further. What had been a fire confined to the valley expanded explosively, leaping into the sky and dyeing it crimson.
On the opposite side, Tōran was scorched by the intense heat. His body burned, and the smell of singed fur filled the air. Alarmed, he quickly stepped back. His expression shifted as he shouted anxiously:
"Elder Sister!"
"Elder Sister!!" Shūran and Shunran also sensed the danger and cried out in panic.
Shunran suddenly turned her head toward Uchiha Kasage. "Kasage, please, save my elder sister—"
Before she could finish, she froze in surprise.
Karan was already sitting on the ground nearby, her face pale, while Uchiha Kasage held her arm.
"Eh?" Seeing her safe, Shunran let out a deep sigh of relief. She quickly grabbed Shūran and ran toward Karan.
At that moment, Karan sat there in shock, still unable to fully comprehend what had just happened.
Just an instant ago, as she unleashed the tornado, a vast inferno had suddenly surged before her, devouring it completely and spreading with terrifying speed.
Surrounded by blazing flames, despair filled her eyes. Just as she was about to transform into her Panther Yokai form to resist, a kunai suddenly cut through the fire and appeared beside her.
Immediately after, that human appeared before her—one hand gripping the kunai, the other grabbing her arm. In the blink of an eye, she was pulled out of the flames.
"Looks like I won."
Still staring blankly at the roaring fire ahead, she heard Uchiha Kasage's voice beside her.
Startled, she turned and saw him sheathing the long sword he had pulled from the ground, smiling as he spoke.
"…"
Karan was about to say something when Shūran and Shunran rushed to her side, their worried expressions interrupting her thoughts.
Tōran also saw that she was safe and immediately ran over.
"Well, my mission here is done. I'll be going now. Shunran, call me if you need anything."
Uchiha Kasage glanced at the three checking Karan's injuries and spoke calmly.
"Oh—goodbye!" Shunran nodded, not trying to stop him. After all, she could summon him again whenever needed.
"You're called Uchiha Kasage, right?"
By now, Karan had recovered somewhat. She stood up, looking at him with a slightly complicated expression.
"Hmm? Something wrong?" Kasage asked with a faint smile.
"…Thank you."
Karan looked away slightly, clearly finding it difficult to say.
"It's only natural. After all, it was just training." Kasage smiled, then released the Summoning Technique.
*Puff!*
A cloud of smoke burst outward, and his figure disappeared instantly.
Karan stared at the spot where he vanished. Then suddenly, she called out:
"Shunran!"
"Ah—E-Elder Sister!" Shunran stiffened, recalling her earlier attempt to take over the position. Nervously, she said, "Elder Sister, you should remain the leader. I won't try to take your place again!"
"…You actually dared to think that?" Karan looked at her speechlessly, then turned and walked toward the valley exit.
"About reviving our lord… I'll think about it more carefully…"
Just as Shunran held her head in worry, expecting punishment, she suddenly heard Karan's voice.
She looked up abruptly and saw Karan standing in the distance, glancing back at them.
"Why are you still standing there? Move!"
"Yes, Elder Sister!" Shunran exchanged glances with Shūran and Tōran before quickly catching up.
---
"Hm?"
Uchiha Kasage, who was training in Sage Mode, suddenly felt a disturbance and opened his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Kikyo, who had been meditating beside him, sensed his movement and opened her eyes with slight confusion.
"Something feels off. Just now, the natural energy around us was suddenly disturbed. I sensed something… but my perception couldn't grasp anything." Kasage frowned, his tone thoughtful.
Recently, he had been trying to teach Kikyo how to perceive natural energy.
It started when she curiously asked what he was doing while training in Sage Mode. He briefly explained natural energy and Sage Mode, never expecting it to spark her interest.
With nothing better to do, he decided to try teaching her. More than anything, he was curious—could a shrine priestess, a human with an inherently powerful soul, perceive natural energy?
Kagome's soul had been extraordinarily powerful. In the past, Kanna—Naraku's incarnation—had attempted to absorb Kagome's soul using her mirror. What should have been instantaneous for an ordinary human proved impossible, clearly demonstrating the strength of her spirit.
What intrigued Kasage even more was this: if Kikyo could perceive natural energy without chakra, could it merge with the spiritual power within her body?
But everything depended on whether she could perceive it first.
He didn't have toad oil to assist her, but the natural energy in this world was far more active than in his original one, making it easier to sense. There was still hope.
To increase her chances, they had left the temple and moved to a mountain forest rich in natural energy. Kasage used Wood Release to build a small cabin for their training.
Each time Kikyo attempted to sense natural energy, Kasage would sit beside her, enter Sage Mode, and actively gather and concentrate the surrounding energy.
And just now, he had clearly felt a disturbance.
Yet with Sage Mode's sensory ability, if a human or a yokai had approached, he shouldn't have been completely unaware.
"…Forget it. Maybe I was mistaken."
After a moment of thought, Kasage let it go. He turned to Kikyo, his tone softer now.
"So… how is it? Have you made any progress in sensing natural energy?"
Kikyo remained silent for a brief moment, her gaze calm but focused, as if carefully feeling the world around her. Then she spoke quietly:
"…It's faint… but I think I can feel something."
Kasage's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of surprise and interest flashing through them.
"Good," he said, his voice steady but clearly more engaged. "Then we're getting somewhere."