"Have you no intention of resurrecting your Lord anymore?"
Uchiha Kasage raised an eyebrow, genuine surprise crossing his face as he looked at Shūran.
From what he remembered...
The Leopard Cat Clan had gone to extremes to resurrect their Lord.
They had even fought the Dog Tribe for it.
And in the end...
They had been betrayed by the very being they had tried to resurrect.
That had forced them to abandon the plan.
So why give up now?
There was no way...
That Karan had managed to convince their elder sister.
At his question...
A sly glint flashed in Shūran's eyes.
She suddenly leaned closer.
Very close.
She bent toward his ear.
Kasage caught a faint scent...
Fresh grass... wildflowers...
Like a gentle spring breeze.
Shūran lowered her voice conspiratorially.
"The elder sister was not willing to give up at all."
"She sneaked into the territories of those annoying dog Yokai..."
"To look for fragments of the Shikon Jewel."
She paused dramatically...
Then whispered:
"But she was deceived."
"By a Yokai named..."
Naraku.
Kasage's eyes narrowed slightly.
Of course it was him...
"That guy gave her a fragment... but it was tampered with."
Shunran continued, lowering her tone.
"When the Lord was resurrected..."
"He lost all reason."
Her expression darkened.
"He turned into a monster that only knew how to kill."
"And... he even tried to devour our Demonic Power."
Instinctively she brought a hand to her chest.
A hint of fear lingered in her voice.
"We almost died down there."
"Fortunately..."
"The Elder Sister reacted quickly."
"She forcibly ripped the fragment from the corpse."
And stopped the resurrection.
Then...
Her expression turned serious again.
She pointed a finger at Kasage.
"You can't tell her that I told you this."
"She's furious about being deceived."
"And she definitely doesn't want anyone to know."
Kasage almost burst out laughing.
There she was,
spilling everything without hesitation,
yet still pretending to be all serious about keeping it secret.
He coughed lightly and straightened up.
"Don't worry."
"I won't say a word."
Shūran brightened instantly.
"I knew you were trustworthy!"
She smiled and gave him a friendly pat on the arm.
After a moment, she pointed ahead.
"Let's go."
"Help me find a suitable burial place for the Lord."
Kasage nodded.
"...All right."
As they walked deeper into the Cemetery of the Yokai,
Kasage carefully observed everything around him.
This place...
existed between the world of the living and the afterlife.
A boundary.
He remembered that in Inuyasha there was a gate guarded by Gozu and Mezu that connected to this realm.
Curiously,
that place was also called the Land of Fire.
Although, unlike his own world...
here there was no Konoha.
Despite its sinister reputation,
the Cemetery was not entirely lifeless.
Yes,
there was constant fog.
Scattered bones.
Huge carcasses of ancient Yokai.
And wandering skeletal Yokai.
But
there was also sunlight.
A blue sky.
The wind.
Even grass and trees stubbornly grew among the remains.
Life... coexisted with death.
BOOM!
Another skeletal Yokai lunged at them.
Kasage didn't even slow down.
A skeletal arm of Susanoo briefly appeared...
CRASH!
The creature shattered instantly.
Shūran burst out laughing.
"Your technique fits perfectly in this place!"
"They're both giant skeletons!"
Kasage smiled faintly.
"...You're not wrong."
He kicked aside a large bone blocking their path.
"By the way..."
"I remember you're specialized in illusions."
"This kind of enemy doesn't really suit you."
He looked at her.
"Why did you come alone?"
"Where are Karan and the others?"
"They couldn't come."
Shūran's tone grew more serious.
She led him around a massive stone pillar, following a stream below.
"The Elder Sister has to stay with the Lord's body."
"Since the fragment was removed..."
"Something strange has been happening."
"Malevolent energy keeps leaking out of it."
"She's worried it might change again."
Kasage frowned slightly.
"And Karan?"
"And the others?"
Shunran sighed.
"They were injured when the Lord went mad."
"They're still recovering."
Kasage's expression shifted.
"...Karan is hurt?"
"Not badly."
Shunran waved her hand to downplay it.
"We Yokai heal quickly."
"As long as we're alive, we'll heal."
Then—
Her tone changed.
What she said next left Kasage speechless.
"Actually... Karan wasn't hurt much at first."
"After all, she's fast."
"The problem is..."
"After they stopped the crazed Lord..."
"Naraku was waiting nearby."
Kasage's gaze sharpened.
"Of course he was..."
"He took advantage of our exhaustion..."
"And took back the fragment."
"He planned everything from the beginning."
Shunran clenched her fists.
Then...
She suddenly smiled.
"And then..."
"Karan went to make fun of Elder Sister."
Kasage immediately understood.
"...Really?"
Shūran nodded, clearly amused.
"Elder Sister was already furious."
"And Karan still went and said..."
"'I told you so, you got tricked by Naraku.'"
She laughed.
"So she got beaten half to death."
"Now she's even more hurt than Aki."
Kasage's lips twitched.
"...She deserved it."
Honestly...
he would have done the same.
Mocking someone in their moment of greatest anger?
That's basically asking to get beaten.
He cast another glance at Shūran.
"Still... isn't it dangerous for you to come alone?"
"Why not wait until they recover?"
"We can't afford that."
Shūran shook her head.
"The Lord's body is changing."
"It's about to turn into a Yokai."
"We need to bring it here as soon as possible."
Then she added reassuringly:
"Don't worry."
"If things go wrong, I can escape."
"It's just that..."
She scratched her cheek.
"The objects needed to enter this place are rare."
"If I leave halfway, it'll be a waste."
"That's why I tried to summon you."
She smiled.
"I didn't think it would actually work."
Kasage nodded slowly.
"I see..."
He recalled:
the key to this place.
The black pearl created by Hōsenki.
Then he asked:
"You said the corpse is turning into a Yokai..."
"What exactly does that mean?"
Shūran pointed ahead.
"It means exactly that."
"The corpse becomes a Yokai."
Seeing his confusion,
she pointed behind a large boulder.
"Like that."
A skeletal Yokai jumped out,
with crimson light gleaming in its eyes.
Kasage struck forward with a punch.
CRASH!
It shattered instantly.
"...So these things..."
Kasage looked at the scattered bones.
"Are all born from the corpses of Yokai?"
"Exactly."
Shunran nodded.
"When powerful Yokai die..."
"Their residual power can give birth to new beings."
"But most of them..."
"Have no mind."
"Only the instinct to kill."
Kasage remembered Kikyo's previous explanation.
"...I've heard that before."
Then
... He looked at her again.
"So what does that have to do with bringing your Lord's body here?"
Shunran replied casually:
"If he transforms in the living world... he'll cause chaos."
"But if we throw him here first..."
"Even if he becomes a monster..."
"He can't leave."
"No problem for anyone."
Kasage stayed silent for a moment.
"...So basically..."
"You're using this place as a dumping ground?"
Shūran tilted her head.
"...Isn't that normal?"
Kasage sighed.
Simple.
Crude.
But... annoyingly logical.