"So… this is the Bone-Eater's Well?"
Uchiha Kasage stood beside the square, dried-up well deep within the forest, his gaze fixed downward.
The inner walls were built from dark blue-black stones, with emerald-green vines hanging loosely along the edges. Looking down past the vines, the bottom of the well was dim and shadowed—no water, only packed earth and a scattering of withered leaves.
"Let's take a look."
He jumped down, landing lightly at the bottom. The depth was far less than he had expected; after only a few meters, his feet touched the ground with ease.
He stood silently for a moment, then looked up.
The opening of the well still reflected the clear blue sky above. There was no distortion—no trace of space-time displacement.
"So even with the Shikon Jewel… I can't travel through time."
Although he had already anticipated this possibility, Kasage still felt a hint of disappointment.
He took out a shard of the Shikon Jewel from his robe and placed it on the ground at the bottom of the well, observing it carefully.
The shard emitted a faint glow in the darkness—but nothing happened.
No spatial fluctuation. No pulling force. No reaction at all.
"Forget it. If I can't travel, then I can't."
With a quiet sigh, he picked the shard back up and returned it to the bamboo container.
In the original storyline, the mechanism behind the Bone-Eater's Well had always been vague.
From its name, it was implied that the remains of yokai thrown into the well would eventually disappear—suggesting that even without the Shikon Jewel, things could pass through it and vanish into another time.
However, there were contradictions.
After Inuyasha once took the Shikon Jewel from Kagome, she could still return to the modern era—but could no longer travel back.
Meanwhile, Shippo, who carried Shikon shards, was unable to travel to the modern era at all.
These inconsistencies made the true condition difficult to grasp.
However, there were two key common points between Kagome and Inuyasha—the only ones able to travel:
First, both had a deep connection to the Shikon Jewel.
Second, both were closely tied to the Sacred Tree.
The Sacred Tree in the modern era grew within Kagome's family shrine, and she had grown up beside it since childhood.
As for Inuyasha, he had been sealed to that very tree for fifty years.
More importantly, the Sacred Tree itself functioned as a spiritual anchor in space and time.
The Bone-Eater's Well was formed from its wood—making it the root of its time-traveling ability.
With that thought, Kasage bent his knees slightly and leapt out of the well.
Scanning his surroundings, he quickly located the towering tree not far away, hidden deep within the forest—the Sacred Tree.
It stood far taller and broader than the surrounding trees, its branches straight and powerful. Its dense canopy blocked out much of the sunlight, making it immediately recognizable.
Kasage approached swiftly, circling around the trunk until he found the mark left behind when Inuyasha had once been sealed—an indentation carved into the grain of the wood.
He reached out and gently touched the rough bark. It felt like any ancient tree—nothing unusual on the surface.
"Let's try sensing natural energy."
Closing his eyes, he extended his perception through Sage Mode.
A few minutes later, his eyes snapped open—surprise flashing across his face.
"As expected… it's different."
"This feeling… it's very similar to the Dragon Vein in the Naruto world."
Through Sage Mode, he could clearly perceive a vast and majestic flow of natural energy within the Sacred Tree.
But unlike ordinary natural energy, this energy carried a distinct space-time attribute—eerily similar to the Dragon Vein he once knew.
It even reminded him of the spatial principles behind the Flying Thunder God Technique—both familiar and foreign at the same time.
"But this energy is far too dangerous."
Kasage shook his head and withdrew his hand.
"Unless I remain near this tree for decades like Inuyasha, slowly adapting to its aura… using this power recklessly could lead to unpredictable consequences."
"Getting thrown into some unknown time or space would be… troublesome."
Without lingering any further, he turned and left the Sacred Tree behind, preparing to search for Kikyo.
According to what he remembered, after her resurrection, Kikyo returned to Kaede's village that very night to question her about the truth of her death.
That meant she should still be somewhere nearby.
"I'll try a large-scale search with Sage Mode."
Kasage landed on a tree branch just outside Kaede's village, sat cross-legged, and entered Sage Mode once more.
His perception spread outward like ripples across water.
Soon, he detected the familiar auras of Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo within the village—but there was no sign of Kikyo.
Even Kagome's aura was gone, likely having returned to the modern era through the Bone-Eater's Well.
"Then I'll check the next village."
He exited Sage Mode and vanished into the forest.
Over the next period of time, Kasage used Kaede's village as a base, searching through nearby settlements one by one.
After investigating three villages in succession, he found nothing—aside from dealing with a few annoying minor yokai along the way.
Just as he was about to give up, thinking Kikyo had already left the area, something changed.
After shifting his search to a fourth location, a peculiar aura suddenly entered his perception.
It was filled with dense death energy and unresolved resentment…
Yet at the same time, it carried a trace of pure miko spiritual power.
Contradictory. Unsettling.
"Found you."
Kasage's heart stirred as chakra surged beneath his feet, propelling him rapidly toward the source.
He had encountered similar abnormal auras before—usually belonging to strange yokai—but this one was different.
The presence of miko spiritual power made the probability unmistakably high.
As the distance closed, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Looks like I got the right one this time."
From afar, the source appeared to be a human village nestled against a mountainside.
What confirmed it even further was this—
The aura had already sensed his approach.
And it was moving.
Leaving the village… heading straight toward him.
Kasage did not slow down.
Just as he reached the forest at the village entrance—
A sharp, piercing sound suddenly cut through the air.
An arrow, infused with pure miko spiritual power, shot through the gaps between the trees and flew straight toward him!
At that exact moment, Kasage was mid-leap from a tree trunk—unable to use leverage in the air.
The arrow had already reached him.
He could have easily caught it.
But suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
A faint, mischievous smile formed.
He deliberately chose not to dodge.
"Bang!"
The arrow pierced straight through his head.
Instantly, the miko spiritual power exploded—blasting it apart.
His headless body fell from the air, hit the ground, rolled twice, and came to rest face-up on the grass—completely still.
A moment later—
A slender figure slowly stepped out from the forest.
She wore red and white miko robes. Her long black hair flowed down her back like a waterfall.
Her face was cold and beautiful—yet her expression was as icy as death itself.
Around her lingered a faint aura of death… intertwined with sacred spiritual power.
Contradictory, yet perfectly balanced.
It was Kikyo—
The legendary miko who once guarded the Shikon Jewel…
Now resurrected through the forbidden art of a dark ritual.