Hearing Master Harumi's words, the gentle smile on Kikyo's face stiffened slightly. Her gaze fell upon the Exorcism Scroll lying on the ground.
After a brief silence, just as she was about to reach out and pick it up—
Uchiha Kasage's voice suddenly rang out.
"Old man, pick up your own things. At your age, using excuses to flirt with a beautiful woman… don't you have any shame?"
The moment those words were spoken, both Kikyo and Master Harumi froze.
The smile on Harumi's face collapsed instantly. Beneath the awkwardness, a storm of shock surged within him.
Only now did he realize—
There was another person here.
Until that moment, his attention had been completely drawn to Kikyo's dense, ominous aura. He had entirely overlooked the man standing so close by.
Kikyo shot Kasage a speechless glance and quietly withdrew her hand.
Kasage rested his hand on the katana at his waist and stepped forward, carrying himself with the arrogant air of a wandering samurai.
Seeing him interrupt the monk, Kikyo turned to the children and spoke gently:
"Alright, all of you, go back for now."
She picked up her basket of herbs and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Master Harumi hurried forward to stop her—
But Kasage blocked his path.
"Priestess, you—"
Before he could finish—
Kasage vanished.
Harumi's pupils shrank. He was just about to circulate his spiritual power defensively when—
A chill ran down his spine.
A cold, razor-sharp katana was already pressed against his throat.
The blade didn't cut—but its killing intent was unmistakable, like ice creeping across his skin.
Kasage's voice came from behind him, low and deadly:
"If you don't want to die… disappear. Now."
At such close range, Harumi suddenly realized—
This man was also one of the dead.
Yet unlike Kikyo, whose body overflowed with resentment and malicious energy, Kasage carried only the faint, pure aura of death—quiet, restrained, almost invisible.
Combined with the way he had blended into his surroundings earlier, it was no wonder Harumi had completely missed him.
Kasage, however, wasn't surprised.
He had been sensing natural energy before—merging himself with the environment. To others, he had become no different from the air or the trees. With Kikyo acting as a far more obvious presence, all attention had been drawn to her.
"You too… are one of the dead…" Harumi said hoarsely, feeling the blade at his throat. "The human world is no place for the dead. Please abandon your attachments and return to the afterlife."
"Heh. And what does that have to do with you?" Kasage sneered coldly. "There are plenty of yokai in the mountains and ancient forests. If you're so capable, go deal with them instead of sticking your nose in here."
"I—"
"I don't have time for your nonsense," Kasage interrupted, his tone turning colder. "Leave. Or die."
The instant he finished speaking—
The blade vanished.
Harumi looked up in shock.
Kasage was already far away, walking behind Kikyo as if nothing had happened.
As if the blade at his throat had never existed.
"Master Harumi! Are you alright?" the young monk behind him rushed forward, his face pale with worry.
Moments ago, a single glance from Kasage had frozen his entire body. The overwhelming pressure had made it impossible to even move.
"…What speed…" Harumi muttered, staring at Kasage's retreating figure. "That man… is even more dangerous than that priestess."
---
Walking behind Kikyo, Kasage glanced back briefly. Seeing that the monks were no longer following, he withdrew his gaze.
He had intervened because he knew the depth of Kikyo's resentment.
If she had dealt with them herself, she would have likely killed them—just as in the original course of events.
That would not only stain her hands with innocent blood, but also deepen her hatred, pushing her further away from becoming the "true Kikyo."
Still, he wasn't sure whether the monks would return again, as they had originally.
---
Ahead, Kikyo had already sent the children away.
She now stood alone beneath a large tree, gazing at the village bathed in the golden light of sunset, her expression distant.
Suddenly—
Kasage's head dropped into her field of view from above.
"Ready to leave this place?" he asked casually.
Startled, Kikyo instinctively stepped back.
Regaining her composure, she looked up—
Kasage was hanging upside down from a tree branch, his feet seemingly glued to it by an invisible force, arms crossed, staring at her with interest.
"…You…" Kikyo looked at him, briefly at a loss for words.
After spending the past two days together, she had come to understand one thing—
This man was powerful… and completely unpredictable.
He could ignore gravity, walking on walls and even across water as if it were solid ground. Just the day before, she had seen him casually strolling over a river's surface to catch fish.
He acted on impulse, carried an arrogant demeanor, and completely disregarded others' opinions.
And yet—
Despite his overwhelming strength, he did not abuse it.
He did not slaughter innocents, nor did he go out of his way to help them.
To him, humans and yokai alike were all the same—viewed from a distant, detached perspective.
If Kasage knew what she was thinking, he would probably praise her:
"You've got a sharp eye."
In this era, the fact that he didn't use his power to massacre everyone already made him an anomaly.
Expecting him to save others?
That was impossible.
Unless a yokai crossed his path—or it involved key figures tied to unfolding events—he had no interest in interfering.
---
"Since that monk discovered your identity, you probably can't stay in this village anymore," Kasage said, still hanging upside down. "When are you planning to leave?"
According to the original events, Kikyo would kill the monk that very night—only to be seen by a girl named Sayo, forcing her to leave.
Kikyo remained silent for a long time.
Her gaze returned to the village glowing under the sunset.
"I only wanted to live here peacefully…" she said softly. "Is even that not allowed?"
"…It's almost impossible," Kasage replied, his tone suddenly serious, shattering her fragile hope. "The Shikon Jewel has reappeared—and shattered into fragments scattered everywhere."
"As the priestess who once protected it, you're bound to it. Your return to this world is no coincidence. You can't escape it."
"The priestess who guarded the Shikon Jewel died long ago!" Kikyo's expression darkened instantly.
The malicious energy around her surged violently.
"I am nothing more than a dead woman dragged back from hell… filled with resentment," she said coldly. "My fate is revenge."
"Kikyo… stop lying to yourself," Kasage said calmly, unfazed by the dark aura swirling around her.
"You've already met your reincarnation—Kagome, haven't you?"
"If she can cross time and space to come here… is it really so hard for you to return from the afterlife?"
---
At this moment, Kikyo had only recently been resurrected.
She was in no condition to oppose him.
And Kasage knew it.
So naturally—
He had nothing to fear.