Kaede looked at the Shikon Jewel shard resting in Kikyo's palm, then met her calm yet serious gaze. A sharp sense of guilt rose in her heart.
In this matter… she, too, bore some responsibility.
As Kikyo's younger sister, she understood better than anyone the danger of the Shikon Jewel—how it attracted countless greedy yokai.
And yet, she had entrusted it to Kagome, who at the time had no power, without fully explaining the danger it carried.
That single decision had set everything in motion.
Composing herself, Kaede began to explain everything—how the Shikon Jewel had reappeared in the world, and how Kagome had accidentally shattered it with an arrow. She left out nothing.
After hearing the entire story, Kikyo did not blame anyone. She only let out a soft sigh, her voice tinged with quiet melancholy.
"In the end… it was the greed brought by the Shikon Jewel that caused all of this. Naraku's birth… and even my death."
"Sister Kikyo…"
Kaede looked at her, and for a moment, it felt as if Kikyo had returned to the composed and powerful priestess who once protected the village.
She hesitated, wanting to say more.
"Sister, you—"
"Kasage, do you have a way to find Naraku?"
Kikyo suddenly turned to look at Uchiha Kasage, who stood behind her. He appeared distracted, but in truth, he had been listening the entire time.
She knew he possessed strange yet useful abilities. If they could locate Naraku, they could eliminate a major threat.
That man… was far too dangerous.
"No," Kasage replied, shaking his head slightly.
"That guy is like a rat in the shadows. His real body stays hidden. He won't show himself easily."
"You've seen Naraku?" Kikyo asked, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"Yeah," Kasage nodded, recalling the encounter.
"Before I met you, I ran into one of his puppets. It suddenly appeared to block my path, spouting nonsense… so I cut it down in a single strike."
"…"
Kikyo was briefly speechless. But thinking about his personality, she realized it was exactly something he would do. She simply shook her head lightly.
"However," Kasage continued, a faint smile forming, "if you want to draw Naraku out… it's actually quite simple."
"Oh?" Kikyo glanced at him.
"He only has two obsessions," Kasage said calmly.
"One is obtaining the Shikon Jewel… the other is obtaining you."
He paused, then added:
"As long as you carry the Shikon Jewel shards and stop hiding like before—move around instead—once Naraku senses your presence, he will definitely come for you."
Kikyo frowned slightly, clearly wanting to argue.
But after thinking it through, she realized… it was indeed the most direct and effective method.
"…Very well," she admitted quietly. "We'll do as you say."
Then her expression turned serious.
"But you will come with me."
She met his eyes directly.
"I cannot face Naraku alone. I died at his hands fifty years ago, and my powers have not fully recovered yet. I am not his match."
"No problem," Kasage agreed without hesitation.
Even though he knew Naraku would never reveal his true body so easily, he still accepted.
"Sister, Naraku is far too dangerous. You must be careful!"
Hearing their plan, Kaede couldn't help but speak, her voice filled with concern.
"Don't worry, Kaede. I will be careful."
Kikyo nodded, then stood up.
"Farewell."
"Goodbye, Sister," Kaede said softly.
Then she looked at Kasage with a solemn expression.
"I'm counting on you. Please… protect Sister Kikyo."
"Don't worry," Kasage replied with a casual wave, following Kikyo as they lifted the curtain and stepped outside.
---
Early the next morning, at the treehouse where they had previously stayed, Kikyo and Kasage had already packed and were ready to depart.
After leaving Kaede's village the night before, they had used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return here.
"Let's go. I wonder if we can reach the Demon Slayer Village today," Kikyo said, placing her bow and quiver over her shoulder.
She watched as Kasage stored everything into his Kamui dimension.
After returning from Kaede's village, she had already revealed her next plan—travel to the Demon Slayer Village, where the Shikon Jewel had once been entrusted to her for purification, and investigate its origins.
Kasage, knowing the story, was already aware that the Shikon Jewel had been formed from the fusion of the priestess Midoriko's soul and countless yokai during their final battle.
And the cave where it was born… lay just outside that very village.
But he said nothing.
Since he had nothing better to do, following Kikyo there didn't sound bad.
He might even meet one of the main figures—Sango, the beautiful demon slayer, whose appearance rivaled Kagome and Kikyo.
"But first, we should buy a horse," Kasage suggested.
"Walking is too slow. I could carry you… but honestly, you're too slow on foot."
"…Let's check the nearby town market first," Kikyo replied after a brief pause, still feeling that riding a horse was more appropriate.
"Alright."
Kasage stepped closer, placed a hand on her shoulder, and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In an instant, they appeared on the ground below.
He placed his hand on a tree trunk, channeling chakra before moving forward with Kikyo.
Moments later—
*Crack… creak… boom!*
Behind them, the treehouse collapsed from the trunk, crashing down with a dull thud and kicking up a cloud of dust.
---
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
When they arrived at the nearby market, they couldn't buy a horse.
In that era, horses were rare and difficult to obtain.
However, they eventually found an alternative.
An enormous black bear yokai.
Kasage had gone into the forest himself to capture it after leaving the town.
Now, under the control of his Sharingan genjutsu, the creature lay obediently on the ground, allowing the two to ride it as it sped through the forest.
With a yokai as their mount, their travel speed increased dramatically.
Before long, the outline of the Demon Slayer Village appeared in the distance.
As the Black Bear Yokai leapt out of the dense forest, a village built atop a mountain came clearly into view.
Its walls were constructed from thick logs, firmly anchored along the edge of a cliff. A winding path stretched from the base of the mountain all the way to the village gate.
Inside, several tall watchtowers stood guard.
"So… this is the Demon Slayer Village?" Kasage asked, looking down at Kikyo beside him, curiosity in his eyes.
He remembered that, before Inuyasha's arrival, this village had been wiped out by yokai under Naraku's command.
But now… it still stood intact.
"This is the place," Kikyo said quietly, gazing at the familiar village. Complex emotions flickered in her eyes.
"Years ago… this is where the demon slayers entrusted me with the Shikon Jewel, asking me to purify it."
She paused slightly.
"Who would have thought…"
This was where she had taken the Shikon Jewel.
And ultimately… where her fate had begun to unravel.
One could say—
This was the place where her tragic destiny first began.