"Crack—!"
Uchiha Kasage tightened his grip, and the earthenware neck snapped cleanly in his hand.
Without a second glance, he tossed Wamaru's broken remains into the river. Fragments scattered as faint soul-light particles drifted upward from the shattered body. Calmly, he rolled up the scroll in his hand, and in the next instant, his figure vanished like a flicker of shadow.
A heartbeat later, he reappeared beside his original body at the riverbank.
Reaching out, he took the scroll from his clone. The Water Clone dissolved instantly into a splash, merging back into the flowing river. Kasage casually stored the scroll within the Kamui Dimension before turning toward the two figures resting in the tree.
"Wamaru is taken care of," he said calmly. "We'll rest here tonight. We leave at dawn."
"He… is he really gone?" A trace of sorrow flickered in Enju's eyes, but it quickly gave way to quiet relief. A faint, conflicted smile touched her lips.
As fellow revived dead brought back by Rito, they had once worked together for a long time. Her sadness was only natural.
But Wamaru had long since lost himself to madness.
For Enju, his death was… a release.
Kasage and Kikyo exchanged a brief glance, choosing silence.
Some emotions didn't need words.
Raising one hand, Kasage activated Wood Release. Thick branches twisted and grew rapidly, forming a simple yet sturdy treehouse along the trunk.
That night, the three rested within it.
By morning, most of the floodwaters had receded into the riverbed. Only scattered craters remained, filled with stagnant water. The earth was still muddy, but no longer enough to slow their journey.
---
Not long after their departure, another group arrived—following the fading trail.
"This… was it attacked by a yokai?" Miroku murmured, frowning as he studied the shattered trees and deep water scars etched into the ground.
The land looked as though it had been torn apart by overwhelming force.
"Inuyasha, can you smell anything?" he asked.
Inuyasha crouched slightly and inhaled deeply, then clicked his tongue in frustration. "No. The water washed everything away. There's nothing left."
"Crack!"
A sudden sound broke the silence.
Kagome froze mid-step.
Slowly, she lifted her foot—and her eyes widened in horror.
Partially buried in the mud beneath her was what looked like a human arm. The fingers she had stepped on were now broken.
"Inuyasha!!"
Her voice trembled as she threw herself into his arms.
Reacting instantly, Inuyasha pulled her close, drawing Tessaiga in a single fluid motion. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings.
"Kagome! What is it?! Where's the yokai?!"
"S-sorry—there's no yokai…" Kagome stammered, embarrassed but still shaken. "I think I just stepped on… a human hand…"
She pointed nervously to the ground.
Inuyasha followed her gaze. After a brief look, he scoffed.
"Tch. It's just a clay figure's arm. Don't scare yourself like that."
"A clay figure…?" Kagome blinked, then leaned closer. Sure enough, the broken section revealed it was hollow.
Relief washed over her. "I seriously thought it was a corpse…"
Sango crouched down, picking up the fragment with a thoughtful expression. "Strange… why would something like this be here?"
"Maybe it got washed out by the flood?" Shippō suggested, glancing around at the devastation.
As they continued forward, more fragments appeared—scattered everywhere along the path.
"So many…" Kagome muttered, frowning. Then suddenly, realization struck her. "Inuyasha—don't these look like the clay bodies from when Kikyo was revived?"
Inuyasha stiffened. He picked up a shard and sniffed it carefully. His expression darkened.
"Yeah… even after the water, I can still smell the herbs Rito uses."
"What does that mean?" Sango asked.
Inuyasha tossed the shard aside. "These are probably revived corpses—made from bones and grave soil, just like Kikyo was back then."
"But… wasn't Rito already killed?" Shippō asked, confused.
"Yeah… that's what I thought too," Inuyasha muttered. "But whatever's going on, these things definitely ran into Kikyo and Kasage."
Kagome looked around at the destroyed forest, her voice quiet. "Then… all of this was to destroy them?"
"We'll know once we catch up," Inuyasha said firmly.
"Right!"
The group quickened their pace.
---
Before long, a large tree came into view.
Unlike the surrounding forest, it stood untouched. Built into its trunk was a small, carefully crafted treehouse.
"That's… a treehouse?" Miroku said, surprised.
They approached cautiously.
Inuyasha's ears twitched as he caught a familiar scent.
"I'll check it out."
With a powerful leap, he landed at the entrance and pushed the door open.
Moments later, he stepped back out.
"Inuyasha?!" Kagome called. "What did you find?"
He dropped down to the ground. "Kikyo and Kasage were definitely here. I can smell them… and Rito's herbs too."
"So they rested here… and took one of those revived bodies with them," Miroku concluded.
He then pointed behind the treehouse. "Look."
The group turned.
Behind the tree was a large pond—but looking closer, it was anything but natural.
Its base was filled with clay fragments and broken branches. Mud and debris formed a jagged rim around it.
"This… was caused by an impact?" Sango whispered, stunned. "That kind of power…"
Inuyasha placed a hand on the damp tree trunk, then crouched down quickly in front of Kagome.
"Kagome, get on. The trail's still fresh—we're not far behind them."
"Okay!"
She climbed onto his back without hesitation.
Inuyasha grabbed Shippō and tossed him up to her, then glanced at the others.
"Let's move!"
With that, he surged forward, following the faint lingering scent.
"Sango, let's go!" Miroku called.
Sango nodded, mounting Kirara as they took off after him.
Together, the group rushed ahead—closing the distance between themselves and Kikyo… and Uchiha Kasage.