"Thank you for your help,Please accept this humble offering!"
The wealthy merchant bowed deeply, both hands presenting a heavy pouch of coins. His tone brimmed with relief and gratitude.
Kagetsu,now dressed in priestly robes,held the unconscious giant rat demon in one hand while accepting the money pouch with the other.
He discreetly weighed it.
Twice.
A gentle, benevolent smile curved his lips,perfectly suited for a wandering holy man.
"Your faith has been received," he said warmly. "May the gods grant you peace, prosperity, and lasting fortune."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he departed under the merchant's respectful gaze, leaving the bustling castle town behind.
Once deep within the quiet mountain forest beyond the city walls, Kagetsu's expression changed.
The warmth vanished.
He slipped the money pouch into the Kamui dimension, then unrolled a sealing scroll.
"Sealing Art: Kishō Tensei."
Pale green life force streamed from the rat demon's body, flowing like mist into the scroll's inscription marks.
The demon withered rapidly.
Flesh shrank.
Skin cracked.
Moments later, only a skeleton remained, collapsing into the fallen leaves.
Kagetsu rolled up the scroll with measured satisfaction.
"The life force required for resurrection is nearly sufficient…"
He smiled faintly.
"No need to rush. There are plenty of demons in this world."
His gaze drifted upward toward the blazing sun.
"I wonder… has Kikyo been resurrected yet?"
Just then,
A strange thundercloud caught his attention in the distance.
The sky for miles around was bright and clear, yet one patch churned violently with pitch-black clouds. Lightning forked through the mass, illuminating it from within.
It was far too unnatural.
"A demon."
Kagetsu's eyes sharpened.
Anything capable of causing that level of disturbance was either a high-class yōkai,
,or connected to the Shikon Jewel.
Either way, it was worth investigating.
Without hesitation, he dispelled his Transformation Jutsu. The cracked Edo Tensei body reappeared.
Chakra burst from his feet,
,and he shot forward like an arrow.
Ten minutes later, he reached the site.
The thundercloud had already dissipated.
What remained was devastation.
Lightning craters scarred the earth. The soil was blackened and smoking. The air reeked of burnt flesh.
Corpses littered the battlefield.
Armored soldiers.
Warhorses.
Scattered banners of two opposing factions.
No signs of feeding.
Just slaughter.
"Two armies clashed," Kagetsu muttered, scanning the differing armor and weapons. "Both annihilated by a single demon."
Or perhaps more than one.
Judging from the pattern of destruction,
This had not been hunting.
It was an amusement.
His expression darkened slightly.
He felt no fondness for the humans of this era.
But demons that killed indiscriminately?
He disliked them just as much.
"Pray I don't find you," he murmured.
He closed his eyes briefly, tracing the lingering demonic aura.
Strong.
Wild.
And moving fast.
A faint smile returned.
"This is a big one."
Life force.
Perhaps even another Shikon shard.
He followed the trail.
The aura moved in a near-perfect straight line, unhindered by mountains or rivers.
"So it can fly."
Chakra gathered beneath his feet.
He skimmed across rivers as though stepping on stone. He ran straight up cliffs using chakra adhesion. Body Flicker carried him across ravines.
The distance steadily closed.
Then,
His brows lifted slightly.
"There are two."
Two distinct demonic signatures.
Before long, a barren mountain came into view,lifeless and stripped of vegetation.
Built into the mountainside stood a manor of black tiles and pale walls.
Thick storm clouds hung overhead, casting the estate into shadow.
An oppressive atmosphere clung to the place.
"This is it."
Inside the Manor
Hiten strode into a chamber, a voluptuous female demon draped lazily in his arms.
"Manten," he said casually to his younger brother, "did you find any new Shikon shards?"
Manten stiffened.
"Uh… Brother…"
He scratched his head guiltily.
"I found one… but…"
He gestured awkwardly toward the bed nearby.
A young girl lay bound there.
Kagome Higurashi.
Her eyes were wide, but she forced herself to remain calm.
Hiten's expression darkened instantly.
"You what?"
Lightning crackled in his palm.
"Don't tell me you ignored the Shikon shard just to grab this human girl?!"
His fury exploded outward.
A brilliant surge of electricity erupted from his hand,
The female demon in his arms didn't even have time to scream.
She was incinerated instantly, reduced to charred remains that collapsed to the floor.
Kagome flinched violently, squeezing her eyes shut as her heart pounded.
Hiten's temper was terrifying.
Outside
Kagetsu sensed the violent surge of demonic energy.
"There."
His form blurred as he reached the manor entrance.
Just as he approached the room, the doors opened from within.
Hiten and Manten stepped out,
,with Kagome between them.
Kagetsu's gaze sharpened.
So she was involved.
He looked up at the thunderclouds overhead and connected the pieces instantly.
"Two demons. Thunder manipulation."
His eyes narrowed.
"The Thunder Beast Brothers… Hiten and Manten."
He drew the samurai sword at his waist.
Chakra surged into the blade.
Wind-natured chakra extended outward, forming a wide, white edge of compressed air.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade."
He wasn't certain whether the elemental superiority rules of the shinobi world applied here,
But lightning met with wind enhancement was a gamble worth taking.
He had already learned one thing about this world:
Most demons weren't overwhelmingly powerful,
,but their bodies were absurdly durable.
A normal steel blade shattered quickly against flesh reinforced by demonic energy.
Infused with chakra, however,It is cut like paper.
Likely because demonic power functioned as a supernatural reinforcement.
Without similar energy, ordinary weapons were ineffective.
Hiten stepped forward, Kagome forced along beside him.
His eyes fell on Kagetsu.
"Who the hell are you?" Hiten sneered. "You dare trespass in the Thunder Brothers' domain?"
Kagetsu slowly raised his head.
Scarlet bloomed in his eyes.
Three tomoe spun within the Sharingan.
Cold killing intent spilled into the air.
"Hand over the Shikon shard," he said calmly.
"And I'll leave your corpses intact."
Lightning flickered across the clouds above.
Wind howled around the chakra-infused blade.
And Kagome stared at the cracked, porcelain-like stranger blocking her captors' path,
Realizing she might have just been rescued.
Or caught between monsters.