As he looked at the human-faced fruits scattered across the ground, Uchiha Kasage's expression shifted slightly. A cold, knowing smile formed at the corner of his lips.
"This should be it."
Suppressing the faint unease rising within him, he lifted his gaze toward the top of the cliff. Though the mist obscured much of his view, he could still make out the vague silhouette of a large, lush tree growing above—the yokai tree that, according to the story, produced these human-faced fruits.
"Let's go. It's up there—I'll take you," Kasage said as he suddenly leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Kikyo.
"You… you can let me ride on your back—" Kikyo began, startled, attempting to stop him.
But Kasage ignored her protest and pulled her firmly into his embrace.
"…"
Kikyo was about to speak again, but when she met his eyes and saw the faintly teasing smile there, she immediately understood.
He was doing this on purpose.
She sighed softly, rolling her eyes, but said nothing more. Instead, she allowed herself to relax in his arms, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Kasage chuckled quietly, clearly pleased with himself. Gathering chakra beneath his feet, he leapt upward.
In an instant, his body adhered to the steep cliff face.
Though positioned vertically, he moved upward with effortless precision, as if walking across flat ground.
At first, he intended to climb straight to the top. However, as he neared the summit, something unexpected caught his eye—a narrow, winding stone staircase carved into the cliff.
Looking upward along the stairs, he could faintly see a structure embedded into the rock near the top.
Without hesitation, Kasage shifted direction. Carrying Kikyo, he landed lightly on the stone steps and set her down gently.
"…Is this Peach Blossom Spring?" Kikyo asked, adjusting her robes that had been disturbed by the wind.
Her eyes moved toward a stone tablet beside the staircase. Clearly carved into its surface were three words:
**Peach Blossom Spring.**
"It seems so," Kasage replied, narrowing his eyes as he looked toward the ancient structure above.
"Let's go take a look."
With that, he took the lead and began ascending the stairs.
---
They quickly reached the top.
At the end of the staircase stood the entrance to a structure partially embedded within the cliff itself.
The stone steps at the entrance sloped slightly downward, suggesting that much of the interior extended underground.
Perhaps because no one expected intruders to reach such a place, the entrance stood completely open.
From outside, they could clearly see inside.
In one corner, several ceramic jars were stacked neatly.
At the center of the room stood a massive square bonsai, occupying nearly the entire space except for a narrow passageway.
The moment Kasage saw it, he understood.
This was the place Kagome and the others had entered in the original story.
The bonsai… was a "microcosm" used by the Peach Fruit People to raise humans.
It was no ordinary object.
Under the influence of its strange power, any human who entered it would shrink and live within it—trapped inside that miniature world.
"…Be careful," Kasage said quietly, extending his arm to stop Kikyo as she was about to step forward.
"I'll use a Shadow Clone to check the area first."
"…Alright." Kikyo paused, then glanced at him with a hint of surprise.
"You've suddenly become very cautious. That's not like you."
Kasage raised an eyebrow, looking mildly offended.
"Am I really that reckless in your eyes?"
Kikyo nodded without hesitation, her tone calm but firm.
"Yes. Normally, you would have already rushed inside."
"…Fair enough." He let out a quiet sigh, then admitted honestly,
"I'm concerned this 'sage' might possess some unusual or troublesome abilities."
And he had good reason.
From what he remembered, once someone approached the bonsai, their body would be forcibly shrunk—and they wouldn't recover simply by moving away.
To break the spell, the Peach Fruit Man had to act—or be killed.
In the original story, Kagome returned to normal after being captured, while Miroku and Shippo only regained their size after the Peach Fruit Man was defeated.
After explaining briefly, Kasage formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
A burst of white smoke appeared—and beside him stood an identical copy.
Without hesitation, the clone stepped into the room.
Kasage and Kikyo remained outside, watching silently.
---
The clone first surveyed the room carefully.
After confirming there were no immediate threats, it casually opened several ceramic jars in the corner.
Inside—
Human-faced fruits, submerged in an unknown liquid.
Nothing else of note.
Near the entrance, a pile of weapons leaned against the wall. Most were damaged, clearly abandoned long ago.
They likely belonged to those who had been captured and thrown into the bonsai.
Afterward, the clone moved deeper into the room.
There, a staircase led upward—presumably to the upper levels.
At that moment, there were no signs of movement above.
---
Meanwhile, outside—
To ensure nothing went wrong, Kasage quietly began absorbing the surrounding natural energy.
Silently, he entered **Sage Mode**.
Under its influence, everything around him became sharply defined.
He could sense faint yokai presences above—likely the lesser yokai servants mentioned in the story.
Farther away, near the edge of the cliff, a powerful yokai aura lingered.
That… was almost certainly the Human-Faced Fruit Tree.
And beneath it—
Two unusual presences.
One, no doubt, belonged to the Peach Fruit Man.
The other…
The so-called immortal master he had turned into a bonsai.
---
After confirming that the Peach Fruit Man wasn't upstairs, the clone turned back and approached the bonsai at the center of the room.
From above, it observed the miniature world.
It was astonishingly detailed.
Tiny houses.
Fields.
Roads.
Even small human figures moving about.
It was a complete village—perfectly replicated, like a living microcosm.
As the clone stepped closer, it immediately sensed something.
A strange energy radiated from the bonsai.
It was unlike ordinary power—a blend of natural energy and something unknown.
That force began to press toward its body.
The clone instantly understood.
This was the magic capable of shrinking a human and trapping them within the bonsai.
But—
To its surprise…
The power wasn't overwhelming.
With a surge of chakra, it easily dispersed the influence, breaking free from its effect.
---
Outside, Kasage felt the feedback—and relaxed slightly.
So it wasn't absolute.
He had been worried that the shrinking spell would be impossible to resist.
Then, a detail from the story resurfaced in his mind.
When Kagome, Miroku, and Shippo had been shrunk, all of Kagome's belongings had shrunk with her—
Except one thing.
The fragment of the Shikon Jewel.
It remained unchanged.
Even the container holding it was unaffected.
Additionally, the captured warriors inside the bonsai had once mentioned something else:
Anyone who possessed even a trace of spiritual power would quickly be used as nourishment for the Human-Faced Fruit Tree.
Which meant—
This shrinking ability had limits.
The Peach Fruit People were deliberately eliminating those who grew stronger inside the bonsai.
Because if someone became powerful enough…
They might break the spell.
Or escape entirely.
---
Kasage's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…So that's how it works."