"Kikyo, have you ever heard of 'Peach Blossom Spring'?"
After bidding farewell to the villagers who had tried to persuade them to stay, the two rode on Kuro's back. Kikyo had been about to guide Kuro back to the shrine when Uchiha Kasage suddenly spoke from behind her.
"No."
She paused to think, then gently shook her head. Turning slightly, she looked at him with quiet curiosity.
"What is it? Is there something special about this Peach Blossom Spring?"
"Yes," Kasage replied calmly. "It's said to be connected to a legendary sage."
"An immortal?" Kikyo's expression shifted, her voice carrying a trace of disbelief.
"Do immortals truly exist in this world?"
"They should," Kasage answered after a brief pause. "But they may not be what we imagine."
Truthfully, even he wasn't certain what "immortals" really meant in this world.
There were, after all, many things tied to immortals in this era.
Aside from the Peach Blossom Village they were searching for, there was said to be a celestial master there—one who had been turned into a bonsai by his own apprentice, the Peach Fruit Man.
There was also Erkuxian, who had fallen from immortality into becoming a yokai.
Even the Roaring Cauldron from Hourai Island seemed to share some mysterious connection with such beings.
"Let's not return to the shrine yet," Kasage said, gathering his thoughts. "Peach Blossom Village should be somewhere nearby. I want to find it."
He was deeply curious—how different were these so-called "immortals" from his own immortal mode?
"…Alright," Kikyo replied softly, nodding. "We'll do as you say."
In truth, she too felt a quiet curiosity toward these legendary beings.
---
Although Kasage didn't know the exact location of Peach Blossom Spring, he remembered two key clues.
First—the cliff where Peach Blossom Village stood was home to a yokai tree that bore fruit with human faces.
Second—the Peach Fruit People carried fragments of the Shikon Jewel within their bodies.
In the original story, Inuyasha's group had discovered human-faced fruits drifting downstream, which eventually led them to the village.
So Kasage paid close attention to the terrain around them—especially cliffs with rivers flowing beneath them.
---
"Whoosh—"
A figure burst from the forest—it was Kasage.
His eyes locked onto a winding river ahead, and without hesitation, he dashed toward it.
As he approached, something caught his attention—small red objects floating along the current.
His gaze sharpened. He quickened his pace.
Reaching the riverbank, he crouched and picked one up.
The moment he examined it closely, his expression changed—then lit up.
"Human-faced fruit… Found it."
The fruit resembled a large, plump peach, yet it lacked any sweetness. Instead, it carried a faint, unsettling scent—like decay.
Even more disturbing, a human face was clearly imprinted on its surface.
It was unmistakable.
Kasage lifted his gaze and looked upstream.
Through the drifting mist, a towering cliff came into view. Dense vegetation clung to its surface, barely visible through the haze.
"That must be it… Peach Blossom Spring."
He casually tossed the fruit aside.
The next instant—
*Boom!*
His body burst into a cloud of white smoke and vanished.
A Shadow Clone.
---
At the same moment, the real Kasage—still seated behind Kikyo on Kuromaru—smiled faintly.
"Found it."
"Already?" Kikyo turned slightly, surprised. Then, without hesitation, she urged Kuro forward.
"Then let's go."
The wind roared past them as Kuromaru surged through the forest at incredible speed.
After a brief silence, Kikyo spoke again, her voice carrying quiet admiration:
"Your Shadow Clone Technique… it's remarkably efficient. You located it so quickly."
Kasage gave a small nod.
"It was originally developed for gathering intelligence."
As he spoke, something crossed his mind—Kikyo's own abilities.
Her shikigami.
In the original story, she had created servants like Butterfly and Asuka, and even her puppet, Saint-sama.
The ability to project one's power through constructs… it reminded him of something very familiar.
Nagato's Six Paths of Pain.
The idea intrigued him.
"Kikyo," he said, his tone thoughtful, "can you create shikigami that carry your own power?"
She blinked, slightly surprised by the sudden question, but answered honestly.
"Yes. Using my own hair, I can create shikigami capable of wielding part of my power."
Kasage's eyes flickered with interest.
"…Then what if you used my hair?" he asked. "Would the shikigami gain my abilities?"
He recalled something else—two novice priestesses who had used strands of Kagome's and Inuyasha's hair to create powerful replicas.
If that worked…
Could his own abilities—his ninjutsu—be replicated?
Kikyo fell silent for a moment, considering.
"…I don't know," she admitted, turning to look at him. "Your abilities are… unusual. But—"
A faint, almost curious smile touched her lips.
"We can try."
Kasage grinned slightly.
"Good. Let's test it when we return to the shrine."
---
By the time their conversation ended, Kuromaru had already reached the section of the river where the clone had found the fruit.
Kikyo dismounted gracefully and picked one up from the water.
Her brows immediately drew together.
"…This is no ordinary plant," she said quietly. "A yokai tree… one that feeds on humans."
She looked at the countless fruits drifting along the river.
"…For it to bear this many… a great number of people must have died."
Her gaze shifted upstream, growing more serious.
"Is this connected to the Peach Blossom Spring you mentioned?"
Kasage nodded.
"Yes. That tree is most likely within the village."
"…Then we follow the river," Kikyo said firmly.
---
They mounted Kuromaru once more and continued upstream.
The air gradually thickened with mist.
Then suddenly—
Kikyo stiffened.
"…I can sense it," she said, her voice low but sharp.
"The aura of the Shikon Jewel."
Kasage's expression darkened slightly.
"So it's true… There really is a fragment here."
In the original story, the Peach Fruit Man had possessed one within his body.
They were close.
---
Not long after, Kuromaru came to a halt near a towering cliff.
Below it, along the riverbank—
Human-faced fruits were everywhere.
Floating in the water.
Scattered across the grass.
Fresh ones, still glistening… and others, blackened and rotting, releasing a foul stench.
Each one bore a human face.
Silent.
Twisted.
Unnatural.
The sight was deeply unsettling.
And above them—
Somewhere beyond the mist—
The yokai tree awaited.