Following the sound, Uchiha Kasage saw a yokai wearing a black haori cautiously crawl out of a cave.
Upon seeing him, the creature quickly trotted forward and threw itself at his feet with a thud, prostrating deeply with its head lowered.
"I do not know what business brings you here, my lord. Please, spare our tribe!"
Only then did Uchiha Kasage clearly observe the true appearance of this yokai tribe.
They looked like beasts walking upright, with no human facial features. Covered in short gray fur, with distinct dark circles around their eyes, they resembled a cross between a dog and a raccoon.
Uchiha Kasage quickly deduced that they were a type of mujina—known in Japan as tanuki.
What stood out, just as he had noticed earlier, was the strange, swollen bundle-like object carried on the yokai's back.
"What kind of yokai are you?" Uchiha Kasage asked with mild curiosity.
"My lord, we are the Mamedanuki tribe. We have lived in this valley for generations and have never actively harmed humans."
The kneeling yokai answered respectfully and quickly, his voice still trembling.
"Mamedanuki…"
Upon hearing the name, the knowledge from the scrolls he had studied immediately surfaced in Uchiha Kasage's mind.
His expression stiffened slightly, and he instinctively took two quiet steps back, putting distance between himself and the Mamedanuki.
The description of the Mamedanuki in those texts had left a deep impression on him—one could even say it had been shocking.
These yokai were not particularly large, only slightly bigger than a medium-sized dog, but they possessed a certain body part that could only be described as bizarre.
That part could expand to an astonishing size—up to the area of eight tatami mats. It could be used not only for intimidation but also as a weapon, and could even transform into a realistic room to lure and trap victims inside.
When he first read those records, Uchiha Kasage had scoffed at how absurd such a yokai sounded.
He hadn't expected to encounter a real Mamedanuki today.
And the "bundle" on this one's back was clearly that very body part in its retracted form.
Silently, he made up his mind: if this Mamedanuki dared attack him using that bizarre ability, he would not hesitate to unleash Fire Release and burn the entire valley to ashes—teaching these yokai the true meaning of despair.
Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, Uchiha Kasage nodded slightly, his gaze never leaving the bundle on the other's back.
"What is your name?"
"This humble one is called Taikuzou, the patriarch of this tribe," the yokai replied honestly, still not daring to lift his head.
"I have a question," Uchiha Kasage said directly, remaining alert for any sudden or strange attack.
"The villagers outside hired me to investigate a thief stealing grain. Has your tribe been going to the human village to steal food recently?"
"This…" Taikuzou hesitated briefly, but eventually answered truthfully.
"In response to my lord, some of our younger members have indeed gone to the human village and taken grain…"
"Why?" Uchiha Kasage raised an eyebrow. "You've lived here for generations. You should have adapted to the environment. Why would you be so short on food that you need to steal from humans?"
At this, Taikuzou's voice turned bitter.
He slowly raised his head, revealing a face filled with sorrow.
"My lord may not know, but some time ago, a powerful cat yokai invaded our territory.
We were no match for her. She not only took away all the grain we had stored for an entire year, but also captured the strong and healthy members of our tribe."
"A cat yokai?" Uchiha Kasage's interest was piqued.
"She stole your food and took your people… What does she want? Is she planning to use them as food?"
"No!" Taikuzou shook his head quickly.
"That cat yokai said she took them to help search for something called the Shikon Jewel."
"The Shikon Jewel…" Uchiha Kasage nodded slightly. As expected, it all came back to the Shikon Jewel. In this world, countless yokai stirred chaos over its fragments.
"Where is that cat yokai now?" he asked.
"I do not know," Taikuzou replied.
"When she left with our tribesmen, she took all the stolen grain with her. Before leaving, she said she would return after some time.
She ordered us to continue gathering grain and hand it over to her when she comes back.
Our tribe has no surplus food left, and we did not dare disobey her… so we were forced to steal from the human village.
But we swear—we only took grain and never harmed any humans!"
"She's coming back?" A faint smile appeared at the corner of Uchiha Kasage's lips. "Perfect. I happen to be quite interested in this cat yokai."
He speculated that the cat yokai was using the Mamedanuki as free labor to gather information about Shikon Jewel shards, while the stolen grain likely served as rations for the captured tribe members.
"Listen carefully," Uchiha Kasage said.
"Return all the stolen grain to the human villagers immediately. You no longer need to worry about that cat yokai.
I will wait outside the valley for her return and deal with this matter for you."
"This…" Taikuzou hesitated.
He feared that Uchiha Kasage might leave halfway through. If that happened and the cat yokai returned, their tribe would suffer even worse consequences.
But under Uchiha Kasage's cold, unwavering gaze, he finally gritted his teeth.
"A-Alright! Thank you for your help, my lord!"
"I will inform the tribe at once and return the grain immediately!" he added, glancing cautiously at him.
"Go," Uchiha Kasage said with a dismissive wave, turning to leave the valley.
"My lord!" Taikuzou called out hurriedly.
"Would you like us to prepare a place for you? We have clean caves, and we can offer wild fruits and fresh water!"
"No need," Uchiha Kasage replied without stopping. "I'll be waiting outside the valley. You don't need to concern yourselves with me."
He understood Taikuzou's worries, but he truly had developed an interest in this cat yokai. He had no intention of deceiving such a weak tribe.
Soon, Uchiha Kasage found an open clearing outside the valley. After surveying the flat terrain, he nodded slightly.
"This will do."
His hands quickly formed seals as he spoke in a low voice:
"Wood Release: Four Pillar House Technique!"
In an instant, thick trees burst from the ground. Their trunks and branches twisted and intertwined, growing rapidly with the sound of wood creaking and compressing.
Within minutes, an elegant two-story wooden house rose from the earth.
"Perfect."
Uchiha Kasage clapped his hands lightly in satisfaction and pushed the door open.
The first floor was a spacious living room, furnished only with a wooden table at its center. A staircase in the corner led to the second floor.
He went upstairs without pause and opened the door to a wide bedroom. Inside stood a solid wooden bed, along with a table, chairs, and a storage cabinet—simple, yet complete.
Walking to the far side, he opened the balcony door and stepped outside, leaning against the railing as he gazed at the distant mountains and forests.
"I suppose I'll stay here for a while… Hopefully that cat yokai returns soon. I don't want to wait too long."
With that, he lay down on a wooden lounge chair, retrieved the Yokai Encyclopedia from his Kamui Dimension, and began flipping through it leisurely.