"Bang!"
Uchiha Kasage tossed the corpse of a Hell Bird onto the growing pile of Bird Yokai bodies.
She raised her hand, and purple flames ignited silently. From within them, the massive head of the King of Hell slowly emerged, its jaws opening wide. A dark tendril extended outward, dragging the corpse into its mouth.
A heavy chewing sound followed as the body was devoured completely.
Kasage had no intention of wasting these Hell Bird corpses. She planned to turn them into summons of the Animal Path. While individually weak, their numbers made them valuable—for reconnaissance or as expendable forces.
And more importantly…
As the princess of the Hell Birds, Abi should naturally command such a flock.
Kasage turned her gaze toward Blazing Hoof.
Beside Deva Akane stood another figure—Abi.
Her once crimson eyes had now turned into pale purple Rinnegan, identical to Deva Akane's. It was clear she had been transformed into one of the Six Paths puppets.
Moments later, the King of Hell sank back into the purple flames and vanished.
At the same time, Abi's body began to move.
She formed hand seals swiftly, then slammed her palm onto the ground.
The markings of the Summoning Technique spread instantly.
"Bang!"
White smoke burst outward—
A flock of Hell Birds surged into the sky.
But these were different.
Black receivers were embedded in their bodies, and their eyes had changed into pale purple Rinnegan.
"Kwaa—!"
Their harsh cries echoed as they circled overhead.
"Not bad," Kasage murmured, nodding in satisfaction.
Abi had now become the Animal Path among the Six Paths.
Unlike Deva Akane, who was still alive, Abi was now merely a body—her soul completely gone.
For Yokai, power originates from the body itself. As long as the body was sustained by chakra, her demonic power could still be used without issue.
"…Still as noisy as ever."
Kasage frowned slightly and dismissed the summons.
The flock dissolved into smoke, and silence returned.
Using Wood Release, she sealed Abi's body into a wooden coffin and sent it into the Kamui dimension for storage.
Then she turned toward Blazing Hoof.
"Let's go. Faster," Kasage said, mounting it alongside Deva Akane. "I wonder if Tekkei has already been killed by Naraku."
From the moment Deva Akane destroyed the trident Naraku had given Abi, Kasage had realized the truth.
Naraku had tampered with it.
He had been monitoring Abi all along.
That foolish woman believed she was in control—but in reality, she had been nothing more than a pawn.
Naraku's plan was simple.
Use Abi to gather human blood quickly and cleanse Tekkei's poisoned body.
Then—
Kill Tekkei at full strength to forcibly open the path to the underworld.
The trident had served not only as surveillance, but also as insurance. Naraku had feared Abi might die too soon—before her role was complete.
But now…
Naraku likely already knew of Abi's death.
He wouldn't wait any longer.
Fortunately, through Abi's memories, Kasage already knew the location of Tekkei's lair.
Blazing Hoof surged forward, carrying them into the Land of Fire.
Not long after—
They arrived.
A massive corpse lay atop a boulder.
It resembled a gigantic white hen—headless.
Purple blood slowly flowed from its neck, dripping down the rock and forming a dark, eerie stream below.
It was Tekkei.
Leader of the Hell Bird clan.
"…Naraku moves fast," Kasage said calmly, showing no surprise.
She had expected this outcome.
Just not this quickly.
Blazing Hoof landed nearby.
Kasage's gaze swept over the drying blood below, then shifted toward the distant spatial distortion—slowly fading.
That was the entrance.
The boundary between the underworld and the world of the living.
Instead of entering immediately, Kasage activated her Mangekyō Sharingan.
Her gaze locked onto the space beyond the closing passage, carefully recording its coordinates using Kamui.
She had entered the graveyard of Yokai before—but from a different entrance.
This one…
Led to the grave of the Great Dog General.
As the last of the blood dried, the passage sealed completely.
Kasage deactivated her Sharingan.
"Move back."
Blazing Hoof rose into the air with Deva Akane, watching from a distance.
Kasage turned toward Tekkei's massive corpse.
Her Rinnegan appeared once more.
"Naraka Path."
Purple flames rose again.
The King of Hell emerged, opening its jaws.
A tendril extended, swallowing the enormous body.
Kasage then glanced toward the severed head below.
"Banshō Tenin."
The head lifted into the air, pulled by invisible force, and flew straight into the King of Hell's mouth.
Moments later, it vanished completely.
The flames died down.
Everything was silent again.
Kasage turned, preparing to leave for the Yokai Graveyard using Kamui—
But then she stopped.
Her gaze shifted.
A presence approached.
"Sesshomaru," she called out calmly. "It's been a while. Are you here for Naraku?"
She wasn't surprised.
Naraku had deliberately revealed himself to lure others here.
And Sesshomaru—
Would never ignore such an opportunity.
Below, a tall figure came to a halt.
His long silver hair swayed in the wind.
Sesshomaru looked up, his golden eyes cold and sharp.
"…Uchiha Kasage."
His hand moved to his sword.
Yokai energy surged.
Kasage raised an eyebrow slightly.
It seemed he still remembered their last encounter.
And judging by that stance—
He had no intention of letting this pass.
"I was looking for Naraku," Sesshomaru said calmly.
Then, without hesitation—
He drew his blade.
Blue energy flared along its edge.
"Azure Dragon Strike."
A brilliant arc of power tore through the air toward Kasage.
Boom!
The ground exploded on impact, carving a massive trench as debris and dust erupted outward.
And in that instant—
Kasage, along with the boulder she stood on…
Vanished.