"Kid, keep an eye on this girl."
Kagura spoke as she casually tossed the unconscious Rin toward Kohaku.
"Alright."
Kohaku nodded and quietly sat beside Rin, watching over her with an expressionless face, his empty eyes devoid of emotion.
Kagura rode the Feather of the Wind, cutting swiftly through the sky. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the Saimyōshō trailing beside her, her brows knitting ever so slightly.
Without drawing attention, she subtly altered her flight path, curving slightly.
At the exact moment the Saimyōshō's attention wavered—
A tiny white feather slipped from her wind feather.
Carried by the night breeze, it drifted silently into the distance.
Once she confirmed there was no reaction, Kagura quietly exhaled in relief, then accelerated toward Naraku's castle.
In the night sky, the white feather traveled far—
Through dark forests, over silent villages—
Until it finally drifted above a shrine.
It passed effortlessly through the barrier and landed on a swing at the edge of the courtyard, waiting quietly.
Not long after, a hand reached out and picked it up.
Uchiha Retsu looked at the white feather in his palm, sensing the familiar demonic aura. His brow lifted slightly.
Kagura… must have something urgent to tell him.
The feather looked completely ordinary—aside from the faint aura, it was no different from a normal bird feather.
But Retsu wasn't surprised.
His Mangekyō Sharingan slowly spun to life.
Under its enhanced vision, a line of small characters formed from demonic energy became clearly visible:
"Come to Naraku's castle."
It was a secret method he had taught Kagura—only his Sharingan could read it.
"…What is Naraku planning now, for Kagura to use this?"
Retsu crushed the feather into dust with a pulse of chakra.
Glancing at the moon, he muttered helplessly,
"This guy always causes trouble at night… doesn't he ever sleep?"
Just as he turned to find Kikyo—
She was already walking out, bow on her back, her expression calm.
"Retsu, I sensed something enter the barrier. What happened?"
"It's a message from Kagura," he said directly.
"She wants me to go to Naraku's castle. Looks like he's up to something again, but she didn't give details."
"Naraku…"
Kikyo's expression turned serious.
"I'll go with you. I can sense the location of his barrier."
"Let's go."
Retsu didn't refuse.
He could locate Naraku himself in Sage Mode—but with Kikyo here, why bother doing it alone?
Seeing her about to summon her shikigami bear, he stopped her.
"No need for that. Too slow. If Kagura sent this urgently, then time matters. Just point the way—I'll take you."
He stepped forward, removed the bow from her back and stored it in Kamui space, then bent down and lifted her into his arms.
"Which direction?"
Caught off guard, Kikyo's cheeks flushed slightly.
But she didn't resist—she simply wrapped an arm around his neck and leaned lightly against his chest, pointing ahead.
"That way."
"Hold tight."
With that, Retsu's chakra burst beneath his feet—
His figure shot through the night like a streak of shadow, carrying Kikyo rapidly toward Naraku's castle.
Elsewhere—
Sesshomaru, having learned that Rin had been taken by Kagura, followed the deliberately leaked scent straight toward the castle.
"Lord Sesshomaru, what's wrong?"
Jaken asked in confusion when Sesshomaru suddenly stopped.
"This is Naraku's castle."
Sesshomaru stared ahead at what appeared to be nothing but empty forest, his voice calm.
"Huh?"
Jaken looked around, bewildered.
"It doesn't look like there's any castle here…"
Sesshomaru didn't explain.
He simply stared forward coldly.
Though invisible, the thick, familiar stench in the air told him everything—
Naraku's castle was right in front of him.
And since Naraku had used Rin as bait, there was no way he would keep Sesshomaru outside.
Sure enough—
Moments later, the space ahead rippled.
The scenery warped—
And a dark, ominous castle slowly emerged from nothingness.
"Th-the barrier opened…" Jaken stammered, gripping his staff tightly.
Sesshomaru's eyes gleamed coldly.
Without a word, he stepped forward and entered the barrier.
"Lord Sesshomaru!"
Jaken hurried after him.
"The barrier isn't fully hiding Naraku's aura… what is he trying to do?"
As they approached, Kikyo clearly sensed Naraku's evil energy leaking out, her brows furrowing tightly.
"He's probably trying to lure someone in," Retsu guessed.
"Inuyasha and the others?" she asked instinctively.
After all, Naraku's past targets had always been Inuyasha and the Shikon Jewel.
"No."
Retsu shook his head, a faint smile forming.
"I can already sense a familiar aura. This time, Naraku's target isn't Inuyasha… it's his brother—Sesshomaru."
"Inuyasha's brother… Sesshomaru?"
Kikyo paused slightly.
She had heard of him before, but until her death fifty years ago, she had never met him—she didn't even know his name until now.
"Yeah," Retsu said as he moved swiftly through the forest.
"Unlike Inuyasha, Sesshomaru is a full demon. He perfectly inherited the Great Dog General's power.
He's extremely strong—and very proud.
As a great demon, he looks down on humans, so he doesn't acknowledge Inuyasha's mixed blood. Their relationship isn't exactly good."
Kikyo was about to ask more—
When she suddenly said softly,
"We're here. That's Naraku's barrier."
She looked at the nearly invisible barrier ahead.
"I'll open it."
"Alright."
Retsu set her down gently, watching with interest.
He was curious—
How exactly would Kikyo break Naraku's barrier?
Inuyasha could destroy it with the red Tessaiga infused with Blood Coral power…
But Kikyo?
In the original story, Naraku's barrier couldn't even stop her.
Now he'd finally see why.
Kikyo stepped forward and raised her hand.
Pure priestess power flowed from her palm—
A gentle yet penetrating light.
The moment it touched the barrier—
The demonic energy composing it melted away like snow under sunlight.
"—Hummm."
With a soft resonance, the barrier was cleanly torn open—
No resistance. No complexity.
Just… erased.
Retsu stared for a second.
Then sighed inwardly.
He had expected some intricate priestess technique—
Only to find that she simply purified the barrier out of existence with raw spiritual power.
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