"There's a Village ahead… let's ask for the location of Kaede's Village."
After walking through forest paths for some time, Uchiha Lie saw the outline of a small mountain Village in the distance.
He formed a one-handed seal.
"Bang."
White smoke dispersed.
When it cleared, he had transformed into the appearance he once had while alive.
A deep blue high-collared robe wrapped around his tall frame. On its back, the Uchiha clan's fan crest stood out clearly. A samurai sword hung at his waist. His long black hair flowed naturally over his shoulders, and his dark eyes were sharp and composed.
The cracks of Edo Tensei were hidden beneath the Transformation Jutsu.
He walked into the Village calmly.
It was an ordinary settlement—no shops, only scattered wooden houses. Farmland stretched beyond its boundaries. Barefoot children ran along dirt paths, and villagers glanced at him with cautious curiosity.
No one approached.
No one welcomed.
Just quiet vigilance.
Uchiha Lie walked around once, scanning carefully.
Nothing unusual.
Except—
The shrine on the mountain behind the Village.
A long stairway of bluestone slabs extended upward into the trees, leading to a torii gate partially obscured by morning mist.
Shrines.
In anime, they were almost always significant.
He was curious.
But he did not approach.
Priests and priestesses in this world truly possessed Spiritual Power capable of purifying evil spirits.
And he—
Was technically a summoned corpse.
There was no need for unnecessary conflict.
He stopped a passing farmer.
"Excuse me. May I ask how to get to Kaede's Village?"
"Kaede's Village?" The man blinked blankly. "Never heard of it."
Several more attempts yielded the same answer.
He wasn't surprised.
In a world filled with demons, ordinary villagers rarely traveled beyond their own settlement.
Failing to gain information, he turned to leave.
Then—
He stopped.
Without looking back, he spoke calmly.
"Come out. Is there something you want, following me all this time?"
A moment of silence.
Then—
"You actually discovered me?"
A clear, crisp female voice rang out.
From behind a tree stepped a young priestess clad in red and white shrine garments. In her hand she held a Kagura bell adorned with silver ornaments that chimed gently with each movement.
Her long black hair flowed to her waist. A few strands framed her pale cheeks. Prayer beads hung around her neck.
Her eyes were bright—
Yet faintly tired.
She radiated purity.
"I am the priestess of this Village," she said softly. "My name is Tōko."
"Tōko…" Uchiha Lie repeated inwardly.
A fragment of memory surfaced.
She had appeared in the original story.
Born with powerful Spiritual Power.
Targeted by Naraku from a young age.
Fifteen years later, ambushed by spider silk, killed—then resurrected and manipulated to seize the Sacred Longbow of Mt. Azusa.
An unfortunate figure.
"Miss Tōko," he said calmly, "what do you need from me?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You… are not among the living, are you?"
Her grip tightened on the Kagura bell.
The faint Spiritual Power surrounding her pulsed defensively.
Uchiha Lie raised an eyebrow.
"As expected of a priestess whose Spiritual Power rivals Kikyo."
His Edo Tensei body lacked vitality.
To ordinary humans, it was hidden.
To a sensitive priestess—
It was obvious.
With a small puff of smoke, he released the Transformation Jutsu.
White smoke cleared.
His cracked pale skin was revealed.
His gray-white Edo pupils.
The faint aura of death.
Tōko stiffened.
"A deceased soul lingering in the world…"
"Since you are already dead," she asked cautiously, "why remain among the living?"
He shrugged lightly.
"I suppose… I haven't lived enough."
Her expression hardened.
"You were sent by Naraku, weren't you?"
For fifteen years, Naraku had stalked her existence like a shadow.
Every unknown presence—
Was a potential assassination.
Without hesitation, she shook the Kagura bell violently.
Clear chimes echoed.
A beam of pure white Spiritual Power shot toward him like an arrow.
Chakra flared beneath Uchiha Lie's feet.
Body Flicker.
He vanished.
The attack pierced empty air.
"He disappeared? Where—?!"
Tōko's pupils shrank.
She began forming a defensive barrier—
Too slow.
A voice spoke behind her.
"Miss Tōko, please don't attack strangers so recklessly."
Cold dread climbed her spine.
Before she could turn—
Her wrist was seized.
Her body spun around.
She found herself face-to-face with Uchiha Lie.
His gray Edo eyes stared calmly at her.
His other hand lightly touched her forehead.
The cool sensation froze her completely.
She dared not move.
"First," he said quietly, "I have no connection to Naraku."
"Second, I hold no ill intent."
She remained tense.
His tone softened slightly.
"Since our meeting is fate… allow me to give you a gift."
Before she could react—
His eyes changed.
Black irises turned crimson.
Three tomoe spun rapidly.
Merged.
Formed a complex Mangekyo pattern.
The air itself seemed to chill.
Tōko felt her heart tremble.
The Sharingan locked onto her gaze.
But instead of pain—
She felt clarity.
A stream of information flowed gently into her mind.
Memories.
Warnings.
Fragments of future danger.
The image of spider silk descending from darkness.
Naraku's manipulation.
Her own death.
Her resurrection.
Her puppet-like existence.
She gasped softly.
"This…"
"It is not Genjutsu," Uchiha Lie said calmly. "Merely information."
He withdrew his hand.
"I copied a certain ocular ability long ago."
Amenonuhonotama.
Through it, he could transfer selective visual memory.
He had shown her what would come.
Naraku's future attempt.
Silence lingered.
Tōko lowered her gaze.
Her grip on the Kagura bell loosened.
"That spider silk…" she murmured faintly.
"So it truly was him…"
Uchiha Lie stepped back.
"You have strong Spiritual Power. But you lack knowledge of your enemy."
"If you wish to survive," he continued, "do not isolate yourself."
"Find allies."
"Strengthen your barriers."
"And never trust what appears to be salvation."
Her eyes slowly lifted to meet his.
"You… why would you help me?"
He gave a faint, almost amused smile.
"Because Naraku is troublesome."
"And because I dislike wasted potential."
He turned slightly, preparing to leave.
But paused.
"Oh, and one more thing."
"Do not chase every suspicious shadow."
His tone carried faint humor.
"Some of us are simply passing through."
Tōko stood silently as he walked away.
Her heart was no longer purely wary.
Conflicted.
Thoughtful.
For the first time in years—
The suffocating shadow over her felt slightly thinner.
And somewhere beyond the trees—
Uchiha Lie continued walking.
Toward the falling shards.
Toward inevitable encounters.
The world of Inuyasha had truly begun.
---