Blazing Hoof's heart trembled the moment it felt Uchiha Kasage's gaze fall upon it.
Although it did not know what had happened to its former master, its instincts as a Yokai told it one thing clearly—
The person before it was far more terrifying than anything it had ever faced.
As Kasage slowly approached, Blazing Hoof froze in place, not daring to move.
Kasage stepped forward and gently placed her hand on its snow-white back, completely ignoring the fear in its eyes.
The next moment, her Rinnegan appeared once more.
Yin–Yang Release chakra surged from her palm, flowing directly into Blazing Hoof's body and wrapping tightly around its heart.
Dark, jet-black markings began to spread across its heart.
"Hiss—!"
Blazing Hoof—Entei—immediately sensed something was wrong. It let out a low, uneasy cry and pawed lightly at the ground, but did not dare resist.
Kasage turned her head slightly, her Rinnegan fixed on it with cold indifference.
"I've placed a curse mark on your heart," she said calmly. "If you betray me, I will make it explode instantly."
As her fingers tightened slightly—
"Awooo—!"
A sharp, unbearable pain surged through Entei's chest.
Its body trembled violently. Its legs gave out as it collapsed to its knees, its blood-red eyes filled with terror as it stared at her.
Seeing that fear, Kasage relaxed her fingers.
The pain vanished.
"Don't worry," she said flatly. "As long as you obey, I won't activate it."
This curse mark was similar to a contract seal, formed using Yin–Yang Release combined with sealing techniques.
Like the black receivers used to control the Six Paths puppets, it could transmit her chakra remotely, allowing her to trigger the seal at any time.
With a single thought, she could crush its heart—
Or torment it with unbearable pain.
Entei quickly lowered its head and rubbed against her sleeve in submission.
Then, cautiously, it turned toward Kikyo and gently nuzzled her arm.
It had understood.
These two were beings it could never oppose.
Only obedience meant survival.
"I want to ride it for a while and go to the village to get proper tack for it," Kikyo said as she lightly jumped onto Entei's back. "Do you want to come?"
"I have something to take care of. You go ahead," Kasage replied, her gaze already shifting to the sealing scroll in her hand.
"Alright."
Kikyo nodded.
Just as she was about to leave—
"Lady Kikyo… can I come with you?"
A soft, hopeful voice called out.
Yuzuki, who had been sitting under a tree practicing her writing, looked up with bright, expectant eyes.
Kikyo smiled warmly and extended her hand.
"Come."
"Really?!" Yuzuki beamed with joy. She quickly dropped her brush and ran over, taking Kikyo's hand.
With a gentle pull, Kikyo lifted her onto Entei, seating her in front.
Holding her securely, Kikyo turned back and gave a small wave.
"We're heading out."
Then she gently patted Entei's neck.
"Let's go."
Flames ignited beneath its hooves once more.
In an instant, Entei leapt into the sky and sped toward the village.
Kasage watched them disappear into the distance and sighed softly.
"Looks like Kuro-Maru is about to lose his job…"
Without wasting time, she opened the sealing scroll and released the corpse of Purgatory Ghost.
Then, activating the power of the Naraka Path, purple chakra flames surged across the ground.
From within them, a massive head slowly emerged—
The King of Hell.
Its face was ferocious, with the kanji for "King" carved into its forehead. Its eyes bore the same Rinnegan, radiating an eerie and majestic presence.
Kasage grabbed the headless body of Purgatory Ghost and casually tossed it into the creature's open mouth.
Then she kicked the severed head in after it.
As chakra continued to flow, the King of Hell began to chew slowly, as if consuming and processing the corpse.
Moments later, it stopped.
Its massive form sank back into the ground and vanished.
Kasage dispersed her chakra and formed hand seals once more.
"Summoning Technique."
A cloud of smoke exploded outward.
Purgatory Ghost reappeared.
Its head had been restored, but several black receivers were embedded deep within its body. Its once-ferocious red eyes had become cold Rinnegan.
It stood motionless.
Lifeless.
Now, it was nothing more than a puppet controlled by the Six Paths power.
Though technically a summon of the Animal Path, like Midoriko before, it could share vision with Kasage through the Rinnegan.
Kasage nodded slightly.
With a thought—
Purgatory Ghost opened its mouth.
A sphere of yokai energy condensed rapidly, glowing with red and white light.
Then it fired.
"Boom—!"
The blast struck a wooden target in the distance, obliterating it instantly. Splinters scattered in all directions.
"Good," Kasage said quietly. "Its yokai power works as expected."
Satisfied, she dismissed the summon.
Purgatory Ghost dissolved into smoke and vanished.
Meanwhile—
Monk Shinsen, having sensed the disturbance, rushed toward the sealing site with one of his disciples.
"Master Shinsen, what happened?" the disciple asked, confused.
Shinsen stood still, staring at the shattered remains of the sealing stone, his expression grim.
"The seal… has been broken."
"The seal of Purgatory Ghost has been destroyed."
"Purgatory Ghost?" the disciple repeated, puzzled.
Shinsen's gaze grew distant as he recalled the past.
"Many years ago… I sealed that Yokai here. It was also the original master of the yokai horse, Blazing Hoof—now called Entei—from the shrine behind the temple."
"Back then, humans and Yokai fought countless battles over that creature."
"In the end, Purgatory Ghost survived and claimed it."
"After gaining Entei, it went on a rampage, slaughtering indiscriminately."
"I was asked by the villagers to eliminate it. We fought for three days and three nights before I managed to seal it."
"And afterward, I used all my strength to seal Entei as well."
The disciple hesitated before speaking again.
"But today… the shrine…"
Shinsen nodded slowly.
"Yes. A miko broke into the shrine and took Entei away."
He looked around at the devastated area.
"Search carefully. There may still be clues."
"Yes, Master!"
The two began investigating the surroundings, searching for any trace of what had happened.