Crack!
A sharp, shattering sound rang out.
Under Maki's horrified gaze, the Barrier flickered violently—then shattered into countless specks of light, dissolving into nothingness above the village.
With the Barrier gone, the massive horde of yokai surged forward like a raging tide, their roars echoing as they charged straight toward the helpless villagers.
"The yokai are here!" someone screamed in despair.
Panic erupted instantly.
Some villagers ran blindly toward nearby houses, desperate to hide.
Others fled toward the outskirts of the village—only to collide head-on with the incoming yokai and be torn apart in an instant.
Some collapsed where they stood, trembling uncontrollably, their legs refusing to move as they watched death approach.
The moment the Barrier broke, Yuriko acted without hesitation.
With all her strength, she snapped the wooden token in her hand.
*Snap!*
The splintered wood cut deep into her palm, blood immediately staining the broken pieces.
But she felt nothing.
Fear drowned out the pain.
Tears streamed down her face as she looked at the advancing yokai, her voice breaking as she cried out:
"Sir… please… save us!"
The instant her plea left her lips, black curse marks erupted from the broken token, rapidly spreading across the ground to form a summoning circle.
The air trembled.
*Bang!*
A dense cloud of smoke exploded before her.
As it slowly cleared—
A familiar figure emerged.
"Yo… it's been a while, Yuriko."
Uchiha Kasage stood there calmly, his gaze falling on her bloodied hands. In that instant, he understood everything.
A faint, reassuring smile appeared on his lips.
The wooden token she held—it was the one he had given her before leaving.
Back then, to keep things simple, he had said it contained one of his clones.
In truth, it was a trigger-type summoning seal, designed to bring him directly to her in times of danger.
He hadn't expected she would need it this soon.
"Sir! Please save us!" Maki immediately recognized him despite the slight changes in his appearance. Hope flooded her eyes, washing away despair.
She dropped to her knees, pulling Kiku down with her.
Kasage glanced at the yokai tearing through the village, his expression turning cold.
"…We'll deal with this first."
He stepped forward, forming hand seals in one fluid motion.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
RUMBLE—!
The ground shook violently.
Yuriko lost her balance and fell, clutching Kiku tightly.
But when she lifted her head—
She froze.
Before her eyes, tender green saplings burst from the earth.
They grew at terrifying speed, thickening, stretching, rising—
In mere seconds, they became towering trees.
The village vanished, swallowed by a dense forest.
From above, countless massive branches shot out like living whips, precise and merciless.
They wrapped around the charging yokai—
SCREECH—!
The creatures shrieked as the branches tightened.
Then—
CRACK!
Their bodies were crushed, twisted into mangled fragments.
Roots erupted from the ground, dragging the remains beneath the soil, devouring everything.
Within moments—
Silence.
The entire horde of yokai had been annihilated.
Not a single body remained.
Only the forest stood tall, swaying gently in the wind.
The surviving villagers stared in stunned silence.
The echoes of terror were gone, replaced by the rustling of leaves… soft sobs… and the faint groans of the wounded.
Maki looked at Kasage's back, her voice trembling as she whispered:
"Is this… a god…?"
If not for the bloodstains on the ground, she would have believed it was all a dream.
Kasage turned slightly, catching the near-reverent look in her eyes—and immediately felt a hint of discomfort.
He understood all too well how beliefs worked in this world.
Many so-called "gods" were nothing more than yokai sustained by human faith.
He had no intention of becoming one of them.
Quickly, he spoke, shifting the topic:
"Maki… what happened here? Why were there so many yokai?"
His voice snapped her out of her daze.
She quickly lowered her head respectfully.
"Please, Sir… just call me Maki."
Kasage nodded slightly. "Then tell me—why was your village attacked like this?"
Maki took a breath, fear still lingering in her expression.
"Several nearby villages have been attacked recently… The mage warned us in advance. He told us to gather and prepare for an attack…"
Her voice trembled.
"But… we never imagined there would be so many yokai…"
"…Thank you, Sir, for saving us."
She bowed deeply, then gently nudged Kiku.
"Aya, say thank you."
"Thank you, Sir!" Aya said clearly, bowing her head.
Her eyes shone with gratitude.
Around them, the other villagers finally came to their senses. One by one, they knelt, voices overlapping as they expressed their thanks.
Kasage ignored the crowd.
Instead, he crouched down slightly and placed a hand on Kiku's head, ruffling her hair gently.
"Aya… have you been well?"
"Very well!" she replied brightly. "Thank you for saving me again!"
Her sincerity made his expression soften slightly.
After a brief moment, Kasage stood and walked toward a nearby figure lying on the ground—the unconscious mage Yuriko had mentioned.
He crouched beside him, studying his condition.
Then, without hesitation—
He formed a small sphere of water in his hand.
Splash!
He smacked it directly onto the mage's face.
The man jolted violently, gasping as he woke.
"I—am I dead…? Where is this…?"
He stared around in confusion at the dense forest, completely disoriented. His last memory was collapsing after exhausting his spiritual power, surrounded by countless yokai.
"You're not dead," Kasage said calmly. "I've already dealt with the yokai."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"I heard from the villagers that multiple villages were attacked—and that you knew beforehand."
A brief pause.
Then, firmly:
"Tell me everything you know."
---