"Inuyasha, don't be reckless!" Kagome hurriedly called out.
But before she could grab him, Kagetsu spoke.
"Miss Kagome, there's no need to stop him." He arched a brow at the bristling half-demon, tone light and taunting. "When a dog won't listen, a good beating usually fixes that."
"You bastard! I'll split you in half with one swing!"
Inuyasha exploded.
With a furious roar, he hoisted Tessaiga and charged. The massive fang blade shrieked through the air as it came crashing down with brutal force.
Kagetsu merely shifted half a step.
The blade skimmed past the edge of his sleeve and slammed into the wooden floor,
,BOOM!
Planks shattered into splinters.
Kagetsu glanced at the wrecked floorboards.
"This room's too cramped," he said casually as Inuyasha prepared to rush again. "It's hard to stretch my legs."
He turned toward the doorway.
"Let's take this outside, half-demon."
"Hmph! Fine by me! I'll pound you into the dirt!"
Inuyasha slung Tessaiga over his shoulder and stormed after him.
Behind his composed expression, a faint smile tugged at Kagetsu's lips.
He had been provoking Inuyasha on purpose.
This was reconnaissance.
He needed a measure of this world's power scale.
And that first swing had already told him plenty.
Stripped of Tessaiga's demonic amplification, Inuyasha's fundamentals were a mess. No footwork. No blade discipline. No feints. Just brute force and instinct.
Calling it swordsmanship would be generous.
It was wild hacking.
If this were judged purely on taijutsu, without demonic physique or techniques, Inuyasha might not even measure up to a Chūnin Exams-era Naruto.
After all, even the so-called dead last had undergone systematic shinobi training at the Academy and passed his taijutsu evaluations.
Inuyasha?
A half-demon raised in isolation, wandering alone after his mother's death. No master. No formal combat training.
Everything he had came from instinct and raw power.
Which meant,
This would be entertaining.
They took their positions in the courtyard.
The evening wind stirred dust across the open space.
Kagetsu faced the seething half-demon and slowly raised a single finger.
Then he wagged it.
Inuyasha's eyes twitched.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
Kagome, watching from the veranda, hesitated. "Maybe… he'll finish it in one minute?"
"Or perhaps he'll defeat you in one move, Lord Inuyasha," Myoga added helpfully from her shoulder.
"Shut up!"
Inuyasha tightened his grip on Tessaiga.
"Don't rush," Kagetsu said calmly, finger still raised. "You're too weak for me to get serious."
He beckoned with that same finger.
"For you… this is enough."
"Bring it on, half-demon."
"You're dead!"
Inuyasha kicked off the ground, launching forward like an arrow. Demonic energy surged through Tessaiga, the blade blazing with white light.
He leapt high, gripping the sword with both hands, and brought it down in a crushing arc.
The air screamed.
"Too slow," Kagetsu said flatly. "And too obvious."
Instead of retreating, he stepped in.
The blade fell past the bridge of his nose,close enough that the wind ruffled his hair,but it missed by a hair's breadth.
At the same instant, pale blue chakra gathered at the tip of his finger.
Thud!
He drove it upward into Inuyasha's chin.
A shockwave of force burst through the half-demon's skull. His vision went white. His jaw snapped shut mid-roar. Strength drained from his limbs in an instant.
Before Inuyasha could regain focus, Kagetsu was already in front of him again.
A bent finger hovered before his forehead.
Then,
Flick.
BAM!
A sharp crack rang out across the courtyard.
Inuyasha was launched backward like a ragdoll, crashing into the dirt and skidding several meters before slamming into the wooden wall of the house.
Clang,
Tessaiga spun from his grip, embedding itself in the earth between them. Its demonic aura dissipated instantly, reverting to its battered, unassuming blade form.
Silence.
Kagome stared, frozen.
"S-So strong…"
"In just a second… Inuyasha was sent flying…"
Myoga trembled.
"The difference in strength is overwhelming… Lord Inuyasha looks like a child before him…"
"Dammit…!"
Inuyasha staggered upright, clutching his swelling forehead. His pride hurt more than the throbbing lump forming there.
"He flicked me… he actually flicked me!"
The blow had seemed light.
It wasn't.
His skull was still ringing.
Kagetsu lowered his hand.
"Your demon body is durable," he said evenly. "I'll give you that."
"But your combat fundamentals are garbage."
"Your attacks are linear. Predictable. No control. No rhythm."
He looked at him as one might assess a poorly trained recruit.
"You swing like a child throwing a tantrum."
Inuyasha's fangs bared.
Kagetsu casually withdrew the Shikon Jewel shard and flicked it.
Ting,
The pink crystal streaked through the air and landed perfectly in Kagome's hands.
"There's your payment."
He turned away.
"Until next time."
"Wait,!"
Kagome blinked.
Kagetsu blurred.
An afterimage shimmered,
,and he was gone.
Only the faint stirring of wind remained.
"Dammit! Don't run!" Inuyasha roared, grabbing Tessaiga and preparing to chase.
Myoga instantly reappeared on his shoulder.
"Lord Inuyasha, you cannot defeat him! Pursuing him would be pointless!"
"What did you say?!"
Inuyasha grabbed the flea demon between his fingers, grinding his teeth.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted.
He ignored her.
"Inuyasha…"
Still nothing.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Sit, boy!"
BOOM!
The subjugation spell activated instantly.
Inuyasha smashed face-first into the ground, the courtyard trembling from the impact.
"Damn it,!"
Dust rose around him as Kagome marched forward, clutching the shard.
Her expression was conflicted.
That man…
He wasn't just strong.
He was calculating.
And he had more shards.
The wind rustled quietly through the courtyard, carrying away the fading echoes of the brief, humiliating battle.
Somewhere beyond the castle walls,
Kagetsu moved like a shadow through the forest.
And he was smiling.