"No need. I'm beyond saving… you should leave as soon as possible."
The Peach Fairy slowly shook his head. His tone was sorrowful, yet his eyes unconsciously drifted toward the pottery jar beside him.
"…Oh, right."
As if suddenly remembering something, he quickly added, "You can take the medicine in that jar with you. It's a fake elixir of immortality made by the Peach Fruit People."
"Although it cannot grant immortality, drinking it will instantly heal wounds. Its effects far surpass ordinary herbs—it should be useful to you."
Uchiha Kasage glanced at the earthenware jar and replied calmly,
"Didn't you say that eating the Human-Faced Fruit would make one controlled by the Human-Faced Fruit Tree?"
"As long as you don't eat the fruit or the pit, you'll be fine!" the Peach Fairy said hurriedly, urgency filling his eyes.
"Is that so…?"
A faint hint of interest appeared on Kasage's face.
Seeing this, Momoshiki felt a surge of joy and was about to urge them to leave quickly—
—but in the next instant, Kasage's expression changed completely.
His crimson Mangekyō Sharingan flared to life.
"Unfortunately…" he said coldly, "I don't believe you."
Before his words even finished, the Mangekyō spun rapidly. An invisible genjutsu instantly engulfed the Peach Master.
The Peach Master froze. His eyes turned blank—completely controlled.
**Whoosh—!**
At that exact moment, the Human-Faced Fruit Tree—silent until now—violently trembled. The ground cracked open, and a thick root shot forward like a venomous snake, tearing through the air as it lunged toward Kasage's chest.
Just as it was about to strike—
Kasage vanished.
Like a ghost, he disappeared from where he stood.
At the same time, Kikyo had already drawn her bow.
Her arrow, glowing with sacred light, shot forth like a falling star.
Boom!
It struck the trunk of the Human-Faced Fruit Tree with perfect precision. A powerful purifying force erupted, cleaving the massive tree in half. The shattered crown crashed against the cliff's edge, while the human-faced fruits tumbled down, scattering into the abyss below.
"You acted without hesitation," Kasage said as he reappeared beside her, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"It seems we understand each other well."
Kikyo lowered her bow, casting him a calm but slightly reproachful glance.
"A lie that obvious could only deceive a child."
Kasage chuckled softly. She wasn't wrong—Momoshiki's story had been riddled with flaws.
According to him, everything began only a month ago, after the Peach Fruit Man obtained the Shikon Jewel. Yet a Yokai like the Human-Faced Fruit Tree could never grow to such a size in such a short time.
Even earlier, at the base of the cliff, he and Kikyo had seen piles of rotting human-faced fruits—clearly left there long before.
It was obvious: the Peach Sage had been feeding humans to the tree long before the Peach Fruit Man ever found the jewel.
And then there was the miniature bonsai inside the room—the detailed village, the plants, the flowing river. Such a creation couldn't possibly have been made in a mere month. It had to be the Peach Fairy's work, meaning the Peach Fruit People were simply continuing what he had already started.
Most importantly…
Through Sage Mode, Kasage had sensed it clearly: the Peach Sage and the Human-Faced Fruit Tree shared the same origin. Their connection ran deep—far deeper than master and servant.
That was why he had stopped Kikyo from destroying the tree immediately.
"Hmm?"
Kasage suddenly frowned slightly.
The aura of the Peach Sage… it was rapidly fading.
He glanced at the broken stump of the tree. Though it appeared merely split in half, its Yokai energy had already been completely purified by Kikyo's spiritual power.
It was dead.
And with it… the Peach Sage had lost whatever sustained him.
Kasage immediately rushed over to the Peach Sage, who was still trapped in the genjutsu, and spoke sharply:
"What are your cultivation methods? Is there a secret manual? Where is it hidden?"
"Hidden… under… the roots… of the human-faced fruit…"
The Peach Sage's voice faltered.
Then—silence.
His breath ceased. The small peach tree beneath him withered from the roots up.
Without hesitation, Kasage gathered chakra at his fingertips. With a swift motion, he severed the Peach Sage's head along with the large blossom beneath him, then sealed it into a scroll.
If no manual could be found… he would resort to the Impure World Reincarnation.
"Under the roots…" Kikyo murmured, her gaze shifting toward the cliffside stump. "Should we find tools and dig it up?"
Kasage gave a faint smile.
"No need to go that far."
His hands moved rapidly through a series of seals before he slammed his palm onto the ground.
"Earth Release."
Rather than using a complex technique, he simply manipulated the earth itself.
The soil began to churn and ripple like water. Stones shifted, dirt surged—
—and soon, half of the massive tree, along with its deeply buried roots, was forcibly lifted from the ground and exposed.
"There!" Kikyo said, her sharp eyes locking onto something unusual within the tangled roots. "Do you see it?"
Kasage followed her gaze.
Amid the twisting roots, there was a hollow space—and within it, the faint outline of a wooden box.
He stopped channeling chakra, and the two moved closer.
With chakra gathered at his fingertips like a blade, Kasage sliced through the roots and reached inside, pulling out an ancient wooden box.
It wasn't locked—only secured by a simple clasp.
They exchanged a brief glance.
Then, carefully, they opened it.
Inside, at the very top, lay a stack of worn papers covered in densely written text, repeatedly scratched out and rewritten.
Kasage picked them up, scanning briefly before scoffing.
"A formula… for creating an 'elixir of immortality' using the human-faced fruit."
He handed the papers to Kikyo.
Then he looked deeper into the box.
Beneath the notes lay a yellowed, thread-bound book.
On its cover, five ancient characters were written:
"Blood Sacrifice for Nourishing Wood."