"Exactly!" The other man swallowed nervously and said cautiously, "This thief is very strange. He only steals food. Money, clothes, and other belongings in the house haven't been touched."
"Only food was stolen?" Uchiha Kasage raised an eyebrow as a hypothesis formed in his mind. Most likely, this was the work of a yokai. Human money was useless to yokai; their only concern was food.
He had encountered similar situations before. In the past, food from a wealthy merchant's kitchen had frequently gone missing. At first, they assumed it was a human thief and ordered servants to guard the kitchen, only to discover it was a rat yokai stealing the food. In the end, he had dealt with it incidentally.
"Take me to the house that was robbed most recently."
"Yes, sir! Please follow us!"
The two didn't dare delay and quickly led Uchiha Kasage deeper into the village.
At this time of day, most villagers were working in the fields, and only a few children were playing along the roadside.
They soon arrived in front of a slightly dilapidated wooden house.
In the open space before it, several raggedly dressed children looked at Uchiha Kasage with a mix of curiosity and fear. When they saw him turn his gaze toward them, they quickly huddled together.
Ignoring them, Uchiha Kasage lifted the straw curtain at the door and stepped inside without hesitation.
The room was extremely simple, with only straw mats spread across the floor, a worn wooden table, and several jars stacked in a corner.
He focused his perception for a moment and quickly detected a faint yet distinct demonic aura lingering in one corner of the room.
The demonic power of yokai in this world was rather peculiar:
Small and weak yokai were generally unable to control their demonic power precisely, and the places they stayed often retained a residual aura. Although it would dissipate over time, their traces were still easy to detect.
In contrast, powerful yokai capable of taking human form could conceal their aura extremely well. As long as they didn't use their demonic power in battle, they would leave almost no trace.
"Alright, there's no need for you to keep searching for the thief." Uchiha Kasage stepped back outside and said to the two villagers waiting at the door, "The one stealing isn't human—it's a yokai."
"Y-Yokai?!"
The two men's faces turned pale instantly, and their bodies began to tremble. In this era, where yokai roamed freely, ordinary people rarely met a good end when encountering them.
"S-Sir, you…" One of them gathered his courage, wanting to say something but hesitating. His eyes were filled with pleading, yet he feared offending the samurai.
Uchiha Kasage read their thoughts immediately and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry. Since I've already encountered this, I'll help you deal with it."
"Ah! Thank you so much, sir! We'll prepare a gift for you right away!" The two were overjoyed and bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
"There's no need," Uchiha Kasage replied indifferently. "Judging by your condition, you wouldn't be able to offer anything worthwhile anyway."
After saying that, he ignored their continued thanks and followed the lingering demonic aura out of the village.
With the enhancement of chakra, his speed was extremely fast, allowing him to move through the forest like a gust of wind. Soon, he left the village behind and entered a valley with steep terrain.
At the top of a large tree near the canyon's entrance, he paused and concentrated his senses. Inside the valley, numerous weak demonic auras had gathered—it clearly wasn't just a single yokai.
"I didn't expect it to be a yokai clan…" Uchiha Kasage muttered in mild surprise.
Logically speaking, yokai capable of forming a clan had usually settled in one place for a long time. Food shortages shouldn't have been an issue for them. How had they reached the point of stealing grain from human villages?
Moreover, judging by their behavior—only stealing food and not harming people—they didn't seem like vicious or bloodthirsty yokai.
"Did something unusual happen to them?"
He felt a trace of curiosity but didn't dwell on it. After all, he was simply looking for something to pass the time. He would find out once he went inside.
Besides, all the yokai in this clan were extremely weak. Even if something had changed, they wouldn't pose any threat.
With that in mind, Uchiha Kasage leaped down from the tree, dispelled his transformation technique, and revealed his original Edo Tensei form.
He walked forward casually, entering the valley with complete confidence. His aura was fully exposed—an obvious deterrent to such weak yokai.
The valley was lush with vegetation, and a clear river flowed through its center. Along the rocky walls on both sides of the river were numerous natural caves of varying sizes.
In the open space below the caves, many yokai—whose forms resembled bipedal canines—were busy at work. They wore patched, tattered clothing and held simple tools.
Some were washing items by the stream, others were sorting dried herbs, and a few were carrying food.
Strangely, some yokai carried large, oddly shaped bundles on their backs.
Because Uchiha Kasage made no effort to conceal his aura, the busy yokai quickly noticed him.
Someone shouted first, "A human yokai hunter is here! Run! Hide!"
In an instant, the valley erupted into chaotic cries and panicked shouts.
Within less than a minute, all the yokai outside scrambled into the caves along the mountain walls, disappearing completely.
The valley, which had been lively just moments ago, fell into complete silence in the blink of an eye.
Various tools were left scattered on the ground—polished stones, half-woven rattan baskets, fallen wild fruits, and abandoned wooden sticks—as if the bustling activity moments ago had been nothing but an illusion.
"..." Uchiha Kasage stood still, slightly amused.
He hadn't expected these yokai to be so cowardly that they would hide immediately at the mere sight of him.
"Come out!" he called out impatiently, raising his voice. "I only want to ask a question. I won't kill you."
Only the echo of the valley answered him. He could sense that the yokai inside the caves hadn't gone far—they were clearly hiding near the entrances, secretly observing him.
"Refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit…"
Uchiha Kasage's eyes turned cold as his hands quickly formed seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball, several meters in diameter, burst from his mouth and shot forward with blazing heat.
The gravel along the riverbank instantly heated up, and the surface of the water began to boil, turning into thick white steam that filled the air.
"Boom—!"
The fireball slammed violently into the distant rock wall. The explosion sent flaming debris flying in all directions. Nearby shrubs and wild grass ignited instantly, and the blazing light painted half the valley red.
"Whoever can speak, come out now! Otherwise, I'll burn this entire valley to the ground—leaving no one behind!"
Uchiha Kasage stared at the dark caves, his voice cold and filled with undeniable menace.
"Sir, please have mercy! This small yokai is coming out!"
A trembling voice came from a larger cave not far away.