"Where… where am I…?"
The red-haired girl lying on the ground stared blankly at the sky, where the clouds were stained crimson by the setting sun. Her voice was faint, fragile.
At that moment, a Soul Reaper drifted down and gently placed the dead soul it carried into her body.
The effect was immediate.
Her body trembled—
Then she suddenly sat upright.
"Stop—!"
She waved her hands frantically, trying to drive away the Soul Reapers.
"I don't need it! Leave me alone!"
From the side, a calm voice sounded.
"Kikyo… she really seems to want to die."
Uchiha Kasage's tone carried a trace of teasing.
"Should I just throw her back into the river?"
"Kikyo?!"
The name struck her like lightning.
Enju turned sharply, only now noticing the two figures nearby.
A man in samurai armor stood there, watching her—his expression unreadable, as if he might truly follow through with his words.
Beside him stood a shrine maiden in red and white, holding a longbow. Her presence was calm, distant… yet unmistakable.
Enju's eyes widened.
That face—
That aura—
It was the same miko who had once destroyed Rito.
Kikyo raised her hand slightly, signaling the Soul Reapers to move aside.
Her voice was gentle, yet firm.
"Do you truly wish to die that much?"
Enju didn't answer.
Instead, she stared at Kikyo, disbelief growing in her eyes.
"You are… Kikyo?!"
Kasage glanced at Kikyo, slightly surprised.
"She knows you?"
Kikyo herself seemed curious.
"Do you know me?"
Enju's pupils trembled.
Then suddenly—
"You… you're alive?!"
Her voice shook with disbelief.
"…Aren't you Kikyo?"
Kikyo nodded calmly.
"I am."
Her gaze softened slightly.
"What is your name? And why do you know me?"
---
"My name is Enju."
Later, the girl sat beside a small bonfire, her eyes fixed on the dancing flames.
Her voice was quiet, heavy.
"I am… someone who was brought back from the dead by my mother… to be used."
"In life, I made pottery."
"After I was revived… I was forced to make clay figures for her."
Kikyo's eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Rito. She was your 'mother'?"
Enju lowered her head.
"All of us revived by her were called her 'children.'"
Kasage raised an eyebrow, interest flickering.
"So you know the technique to resurrect the dead as well?"
"Yes."
Enju nodded, then looked at Kikyo.
"I know you… because I helped create your body when Rito revived you."
Kasage's eyes lit up.
"Oh?"
He gave her a thumbs-up, a grin forming.
"Then your craftsmanship is incredible."
"The Kikyo back then was flawless—just like the real one."
"…Especially beautiful."
Kikyo's cheeks flushed faintly.
She shot him a sharp glance.
"…Kasage."
"Ah—well, I'm just stating facts," he replied lightly.
Enju, caught off guard, looked slightly flustered.
"…Th-thank you."
Kasage leaned back slightly, thinking.
He remembered now.
In the original events, this girl had appeared before—someone who mastered the same resurrection technique.
And there had been another—
Wamaru.
A man who could control clay soldiers, but couldn't create them.
Kasage's gaze sharpened slightly.
"The clay soldiers we encountered earlier…"
"…They were looking for you, weren't they?"
Enju nodded.
"Yes."
"They are under Wamaru's command."
Her tone grew heavier.
"He and I… are both revived by Rito."
"In life, he was a samurai who was betrayed and killed by his own subordinates."
"He was skilled at commanding troops."
"After reviving him, Rito taught him how to control clay soldiers… and placed her army under his command."
Kikyo listened quietly.
"Then why did you run away?" she asked gently.
"Didn't you want to be controlled?"
Enju shook her head.
"No… I ran away because I couldn't endure it anymore."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"After you destroyed Rito, we were freed…"
"But Wamaru kept forcing me to create soldiers for him… to fight… to kill…"
Pain surfaced in her eyes.
"I hate it."
Her voice broke.
"I hate being part of this… these killing tools made of clay!"
"But my soul is weak…"
"So he kept feeding me dead souls… forcing me to keep going…"
Tears welled faintly in her eyes.
"I don't want this anymore…"
"I don't want to keep existing like this."
"…I just want to rest."
"…Forever."
Silence fell.
The fire crackled softly.
Kikyo's expression softened.
"…So you escaped."
Enju nodded silently.
Her exhaustion was unmistakable.
After a moment, Kasage spoke.
"You must've been very young when you died."
His tone was calmer now. Serious.
"You finally have a chance to exist again…"
"So why insist on dying?"
Enju looked at him.
Kasage continued:
"If you don't want to be a soldier…"
"…then don't be one."
"It's that simple."
He extended his hand toward her.
A faint smile appeared.
"Come work for me."
"You're skilled. I won't make you create those worthless soldiers."
His tone was light—but sincere.
"How about it?"
Enju stared at his hand.
Frozen.
Uncertain.
Kasage scratched his head awkwardly.
"…Did that fail?"
"Yeah… I'm not great at convincing people."
Kikyo sighed, standing up.
"What are you even saying?"
She gently pushed him aside.
"I'll talk to her."
Kasage raised his hands slightly in surrender.
"Alright, alright…"
He turned and walked a short distance away.
Then—
*Shing.*
His katana slid from its sheath.
In an instant—
He vanished into the darkness.
---
*Crack—! Crack—!*
The sharp sounds of shattering clay echoed through the night.
Several clay soldiers that had been quietly approaching were cut cleanly at the waist.
They didn't even have time to react—
Before breaking apart into fragments.
Moments later—
Kasage returned, blade already sheathed, and sat back beside the fire.
Kikyo looked up at him.
"Finished?"
"Yeah."
He shrugged.
"Just trash."
Then he glanced at Enju.
"So? Did you convince her?"
Kikyo smiled faintly.
A subtle hint of satisfaction in her eyes.
"Of course."
"Enju will come with us."
"She'll stay at the village beneath the shrine."
Kasage nodded, then turned to Enju, his expression growing serious again.
"This Wamaru…"
"From what you've said, he's nothing but a fool drunk on power."
His eyes sharpened.
"…You won't mind if I kill him, right?"
After all—
They had a connection.
Even if only as fellow revived beings.
Enju fell silent.
For a few seconds, she said nothing.
Then—
Her gaze hardened.
"…It's fine."
"Let him rest… for good."
Her voice was firm now.
"I don't want the soldiers I created… to keep killing people."
She hesitated slightly.
"But… he has many soldiers."
"A lot of them…"
Kasage let out a quiet scoff.
"Numbers don't matter."
"They're just ants."
He slowly lifted his gaze toward the night sky.
Under the moonlight—
Dark silhouettes gathered in the distance.
Countless clay soldiers.
Their footsteps echoed in unison—
Like a rising tide.
Kasage's Sharingan glowed in the darkness.
Cold. Sharp.
Filled with killing intent.
"…Looks like he's not planning to let us leave either."