The barrier hadn't fully opened yet, but the surrounding demons were already in chaos, almost ready to start fighting at any moment.
"A legendary land!"
"I wonder what treasures are hidden inside?"
"Could it be even more powerful than the Shikon No Tama?"
"Hehehe… All of it belongs to me now! Hahaha..."
"You wish! It's all mine!"
"Get lost!"
"Hey hey hey, stop arguing! Don't you remember how many powerful demons died last time this barrier opened?"
"We should deal with that Miko first!"
The demons were already fantasizing, not caring in the slightest that this barrier had reopened less than fifty years after the last time.
At one moment, the barrier finally vanished completely. The jumbled mass of demons surged downward, while Ushiki quietly slipped into their midst unnoticed.
None of them realized he wasn't one of them.
Ushiki grinned wickedly and swung his fishing rod. His hook flew outward.
Where it passed, several slender-bodied demons were cut clean in half.
Before their bodies could regenerate, Ushiki abruptly appeared behind them and kicked their remains toward the direction of the God Tree.
Then he plunged back into the swarm of demons.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing? Have you forgotten our agreement already?"
A demon who saw what happened shouted in anger.
"Oh? Did we say something? I've absolutely no idea."
Smiling sinisterly, Ushiki swung his rod again, striking a nearby demon.
"You bastard..."
Down below, Mineo looked up, watching as Ushiki single-handedly took on hordes of demons — and with absolute ease.
Occasionally, severed demon bodies fell near the God Tree.
This battle was already decided.
Without another glance, Mineo turned and walked away in another direction.
Meanwhile, Suzuhime and others were also watching the aerial battle above.
Ushiki moved like he was among shadows, blocking every demon trying to invade.
They wore looks of pure despair.
"How strong is that guy?"
"He's nothing like what we imagined."
"Lord Suzuhime, what should we do?"
Suzuhime sighed, unsure of what to say.
"If one man alone can hold off all those demons, where is the other one?"
Suddenly, someone spoke in alarm.
"Do you really want to see me that badly?"
A cold male voice came over. As the figure gradually became clear within their sight, Suzuhime and others shivered involuntarily.
Was this guy here to execute them?
If he found out they were responsible for breaking the barrier, would their fate be terrible?
Seeing the fear on their faces, Mineo didn't mention anything about the barrier.
He pointed in a specific direction and asked, "What is that thing? And how do you open it?"
Following his gaze, Suzuhime froze instantly.
That direction — wasn't that where the Furnace of Alchemical Resonance was located?
Did that mean they'd never actually used it before?
Had all her analysis amounted to nothing but analyzing empty air?
Seeing her remain silent for so long, Mineo spoke again, "Lady Miko, their lives depend on your worth."
Suzuhime froze, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke. "The Furnace of Alchemical Resonance can only be opened when humans and yokai work together with one heart."
"What do you mean?"
"There are two recesses on the door of the Furnace of Alchemical Resonance. A human and a yokai who hold pure intentions must place their hands on them and simultaneously release spiritual energy and demonic power. Then, the Furnace of Alchemical Resonance will open."
"Furnace of Alchemical Resonance? Furnace? Does this thing have a different use?" Mineo mumbled.
Suzuhime remained silent, choosing not to respond to his muttering.
Mineo gave her another glance. "Well then, let's head over and crack it open already."
Suzuhime hesitated, seemingly considering something.
"You seem not to understand what I'm saying."
The voice beside her grew colder.
In Suzuhime's vision, a certain Halfkin child helplessly flew toward Mineo as if controlled by an invisible force.
Panicked and unable to control his own body, the Halfkin child flailed his arms and screamed.
"Ahhhhhh!"
"I can help. Please let him go."
Finally making her decision, Suzuhime exhaled deeply and spoke up.
She had already realized that while these two hadn't completely understood everything about this island yet, she could still save some people for now.
As for the future, she would find a way later.
Mineo tossed the boy he had caught to her.
After summoning a wolf demon living on the island, the three of them arrived in front of the activation gate of the Furnace of Alchemical Resonance.
Under Mineo's watchful eye, both human and demon placed their hands into the hidden recesses on the door. They nodded at each other and exerted force simultaneously, releasing their powers.
Creak...
With a loud noise, the heavy stone door slowly opened.
This ancient door appeared to have been sealed for ages, almost blending into the surrounding walls.
As it opened, thick dust fell like feathers—light, yet suffocating in its pungency.
Blinding light poured out from the doorway, stirring up ancient memories long buried by time.
As if the whole scene were frozen in time, echoing the passage of history and its fleeting nature.
"Now that's something!" Mineo stood at the entrance, sighing in admiration.
Inside this 'furnace,' besides the piercing yellow glow, the temperature was also abnormal.
Just standing at the entrance, he could already feel the heat radiating out.
A thought crossed Suzuhime's mind.
What if this person...
"You wouldn't be thinking about whether I'd end up trapped in there, right?"
The male voice sounded again, entering her ears. Suzuhime suddenly felt anxious.
"Your thoughts won't escape my eyes."
She couldn't help but gaze into his eyes.
Pure white—what extraordinary ability could those eyes possess?
After a long while, she asked carefully, "You mentioned before that you could spare our lives. Was that true?"
"Well, you'll just have to pray this place continues to attract demons forever. That guy really likes games. He might turn his eye on you lot any minute now."
Upon hearing this, Suzuhime silently pondered: Could the one in the sky actually be stronger? Were these two not in agreement?
Suddenly, a black orb appeared in Mineo's hand.
In an instant, the black orb transformed into a long blade.
Clutching the long blade forged from Yin-Yang Release jutsu, Mineo swung his sword and severed the wolf demon's left arm.
Thud…
"Ahhh!"
The limb crashed to the ground as blood sprayed into the air. The demon howled in agony.
"You—"
Before Suzuhime could finish speaking, Mineo emotionlessly sliced off his own left arm, picked up the demon's severed limb, and attached it to his wound.
Then, without sparing a glance at the two stunned onlookers, he simply walked away.
At the other end of The Bone-Eating Well lay a sealed dry well.
Hiroki smashed open the lid and pulled Kaguya out.
The dry well sat inside an abandoned shrine with no one guarding it.
Stepping outside the shrine, they set foot upon a rural dirt path.
He scanned the area until his gaze locked onto a distant tower—he froze.
Wasn't that the signal tower he remembered?
"What's wrong?" Kaguya asked, noticing his dazed expression.
Whoosh…
The wind howled through the trees.
A boy wearing a school uniform and carrying a backpack pedaled past them on a bicycle.
He glanced at the two with curiosity and muttered, "Are you cosplayers? Which game or anime are you from?"
Hiroki looked down at himself, then at Kaguya beside him, feeling uneasy inside. "Kaguya, I think we've arrived somewhere… different."
"Hmm?" Kaguya tilted her head, puzzled.
"Let me show you around. First, let's change our appearances."
[Transformation Jutsu]
Hiroki merely changed his eyes to black.
Kaguya changed her hair and irises to black, tucked away the horns atop her head, and dressed herself in a plain kimono.
Soaring into the sky, their vision allowed them to overlook the entire city.
Towering skyscrapers stretched up into the sky like giants.
Cars zipped along streets packed with bustling crowds. Colorful neon lights rotated and flickered, shops overflowed with goods and customers.
From the images and text flashing on a nearby billboard, Hiroki figured out what era they were in.
The 1990s—Japan's neon-lit bubble era.
His heart twisted with complex emotions.
"The humans here possess no magical powers whatsoever, yet they've managed to create such remarkable structures worth praising."
Kaguya said beside him, her voice carrying some astonishment.
One month later.
Inside a hotel room, Kaguya kept her black long-hair look, now wrapped in a bathrobe, sitting on a rattan chair by the window with a wine glass in hand, gazing at the ocean view below.
During this month, they had experienced their happiest days together, like newlyweds on a honeymoon.
Carefree, with not a single worry between them.
They ate, drank, played, and enjoyed every moment—trying out everything from cultural festivals to gadgets like handheld games and digital cameras.
Of course, they had no money—but at their level of power, wealth was irrelevant.
Wherever they went, a little mental manipulation was all it took to get VIP treatment.
Kaguya was more than content with this kind of life—she was completely immersed in it.
As she enjoyed the gentle breeze, Hiroki approached wearing casual clothes. "Kaguya, we should return and inform Indra and the others. It's time to get serious about things..."
Kaguya lifted her gaze and said softly, "I've noticed you're calling me 'Kaguya' more and more often."
"You are who you are."
She suddenly sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Let's come here for vacations often, okay?"
"Sure," he agreed immediately.
Truthfully, he had planned to destroy the Bone-Eating Well upon returning to the Warring States era, cutting off access to the modern era forever.
But if Kaguya liked it, then leaving it intact wasn't a bad idea.
Come to think of it, he had already experienced four different timelines.
They were: the normal timeline of the Ninja World, the Ancient Ninja World, the Warring States era from Inuyasha's world, and modern-day Japan from Inuyasha's era.
If those four timelines could be integrated, even if they couldn't fully resist the Otsutsuki Clan, at least they wouldn't be left without options.
"If there's anything you want to take back with you, pack it up. We're leaving tomorrow."
"Mm." Kaguya nodded and let go.
In the Warring States period…
"Kikyo, I can smell Kaguya and Hiroki again!"
Inuyasha leaped into Kikyo's village shouting.
His sudden appearance startled the villagers slightly.
But under Kikyo's calming presence, their fears eased.
Grasping her weapon, she followed Inuyasha's footsteps.
At the Bone-Eating Well.
As soon as Kaguya and Hiroki emerged from the well, an arrow zipped through the air, narrowly missing Hiroki's sleeve before embedding itself into a nearby tree trunk.
From behind the trees stepped Inuyasha and Kikyo.
"You just won't stop hounding us," Kaguya frowned, clearly annoyed.
Hiroki simply cast a calm glance toward the two.
"How long have you been waiting here?"
"A month," Inuyasha answered cautiously.
"It seems time flows at the same pace here," Hiroki murmured thoughtfully. Then, with a tone of disdain, he added, "Don't you two have better things to do?"
Inuyasha twitched visibly.
"Tsk tsk, mutt. The Shikon No Tama isn't something you can keep for yourselves, you know~"
Hiroki's tone was flippant, irritating Inuyasha further.
He continued, "You have no idea where we've been—five hundred years into the future."
"In that 500-years-future world, there is no Shikon No Tama, nor are there any demons. So what we're doing now is exactly what was meant to happen—it's destiny's path."
"And if you keep butting in, all you'll do is mess up everything across time."
Upon hearing this, Inuyasha and Kikyo exchanged confused looks.
It sort of made sense—but something still didn't sit right...
"Later, mutt," Hiroki smirked as he stepped through the spatial portal Kaguya had opened.
Just like that, they disappeared right in front of the human and demon pair.
"Dammit! Of course there's no Shikon Jewel left after you took it with you!"
In the forest, only Inuyasha's angry yell remained.
Kikyo stood deep in thought.
Why hadn't those two harmed them?
Could it be... they truly meant no harm?
And had they even used the Shikon Jewel to make a wish at all?
"If the future era truly has no demons," Kaguya mused, "what made them disappear?"
"That idiot pair, where did they go this time?" Inuyasha sniffed repeatedly while lying on the ground.
In the Ancient Ninja World era.
"Father has returned," Hamura entered the village and called out to Indra and Ashura, who were sparring.
The two stopped simultaneously and walked outside the village to welcome Hiroki and Kaguya.
"Grandfather Hiroki, Grandmother Kaguya, was the crisis resolved?" Ashura inquired.
"Not yet," Hiroki replied. "Are you both ready?"
Indra and Ashura both proudly straightened their chests.
"Oh right, you might not be able to gather natural energy there, so use your Sage Chakra sparingly."
Hiroki gave this reminder directly to Ashura.
"Huh?!" Ashura groaned, scratching the back of his head in frustration, then firmly patted his chest with a serious expression: "I won't hold anyone back."
Indra let out an inexplicable cold snort.
"Good. We'll depart now."
Two days later, in the Warring States era of Inuyasha's world.
A narrow forest path somewhere.
The trail was flanked by towering trees and thick bushes on either side.
Fresh floral scents and rich earth filled the air, while birdsong and buzzing insects created a soothing melody.
Ashura and his brother followed behind Hiroki and Kaguya.
They all walked in silence.
After a moment, Hiroki finally couldn't take it anymore and came to a stop, turning around with a smirk. "What, is a big-shot miko like you following us now?"
You've gotta be kidding me — Inuyasha's nose is unreal! No matter where we go, he tracks us like a bloodhound.
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