"What are you going to do?"
Kikyo stared at the massive scroll, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"It's very simple."
Uchiha Kasage raised her hand and dispelled Abi's Summoning Technique. Her figure dissolved into white mist and vanished.
Then, without pause, Kasage formed hand seals and slammed her palm onto the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
A sealing array spread across the ground, and with a loud burst, white smoke exploded outward.
When the smoke cleared—
A small, white-haired boy stood before Kikyo.
"This is… a child?"
Kikyo leaned slightly closer, observing him carefully. The ripple-patterned eyes immediately caught her attention.
"And… another Six Paths puppet?"
"That's right."
Kasage nodded.
"He is now the Naraka Path."
She added calmly,
"He's Naraku's incarnation—White Child."
"A clone of Naraku?"
Kikyo's expression shifted slightly in surprise. She could clearly sense the same aura.
"Can he be controlled by Naraku… like Kagura?"
Her tone carried a trace of concern.
Kasage shook her head.
"White Child is different."
"He was born from a baby named Akago… essentially a clone formed after Naraku separated his heart."
Kikyo's eyes sharpened as realization dawned.
"So that's it…"
"When Naraku was struck by my Demon-Slaying Arrow and didn't die… his body recovered too quickly."
She narrowed her gaze.
"His heart was already gone."
Kasage gave a faint nod.
"The important part is—his body shares the same traits as Naraku's."
As she spoke, he hand moved.
"Clang—"
Her blade flashed.
A cold arc of light sliced through the air—
White Child's head flew upward.
Yet—
No blood spilled.
The severed neck closed instantly.
The head reattached itself as if nothing had happened.
In a single moment, the body returned to normal.
Kikyo's eyes widened slightly.
"The same immortality…"
She studied him carefully.
"…Then, like Naraku, his heart is elsewhere?"
"More or less."
Kasage sheathed her blade.
"He doesn't truly have a heart."
"A more accurate way to say it…"
"…his heart is Naraku's heart—Akago."
Then she turned and walked toward the massive scroll.
Slowly, she unrolled it.
At its center—
A large sealing character stood out clearly:
"Life."
White Child stepped forward, lifted Kohaku's body, and placed it carefully at the center of the seal.
Kikyo sat nearby, resting her chin lightly on her hand as she watched with quiet focus.
White Child knelt beside Kohaku.
His hands rose—
Forming seals.
Kasage closed he eyes.
Chakra began to ripple faintly around he.
She was focusing—
Controlling the chakra flowing through White Child's body.
She had long since discovered a limitation:
Six Paths puppets struggled to perform complex ninjutsu.
Even with hand seals, remotely controlling chakra with precision was extremely difficult.
Fortunately—
This wasn't a battle.
And White Child was close enough for stable control.
"Rat… Snake… Tiger… Dog… Dragon… Boar…"
White Child's hand seals accelerated smoothly.
"Life Reincarnation Jutsu!"
At the final seal—
His hands pressed firmly against Kohaku's chest.
A deep blue light emerged.
Guided by chakra—
Life force began to flow.
Slowly entering Kohaku's body.
Kasage opened her eyes.
"…Good."
A quiet breath escaped her.
"It didn't fail."
She stepped forward, placing her hand on the seal within the scroll.
"Release."
At once—
The seal activated.
A vast surge of life force burst forth like a tide.
Drawn by the technique—
It poured into the blue light in White Child's hands.
The glow intensified—
Completely enveloping Kohaku's chest.
"…Now we wait."
Kasage stepped back to Kikyo's side.
Noticing Kikyo's questioning gaze, she explained calmly.
"The technique has already been activated."
"As long as I maintain the chakra flow… it won't fail."
Kikyo glanced at White Child, then back at Kasage.
"Kasage… what exactly is he doing?"
"What is this technique meant to do?"
Kasage gently took her hand, her fingers lightly brushing against her palm as she spoke in a softer tone.
"It's called Life Reincarnation Jutsu."
"It's a forbidden technique created by an old puppeteer."
"She originally intended to give life to puppets… to revive the people she lost."
He voice lowered slightly.
"In essence, it's a technique that revives the dead… by exchanging one life for another."
Kikyo's grip tightened instantly.
"…Using a life to revive another?"
Her eyes grew tense.
"Then you—"
"Relax."
Kasage smiled faintly, reassuring her.
"I'm far too cautious to risk my own life."
She gently patted the back of Kikyo's hand.
Feeling her tension ease slightly, she continued,
"The principle is simple."
"Once activated, the caster's chakra becomes a medium… one that extracts life force."
"It draws that life force from the caster's body…"
"…and transfers it into the target."
She gestured toward White Child.
"I'm only supplying chakra."
"He is the one casting the technique."
"So the life force being consumed… is his."
"It has no effect on me."
Kikyo watched silently as understanding replaced her concern.
Kasage added with a faint smirk,
"Besides… his body is extremely resilient."
"Even if you cut off his head, her won't die."
"And with the scroll continuously supplying life force…"
he glanced at Kohaku.
"After reviving him, he could probably revive several more."
Then she sighed softly.
"Unfortunately… after I captured him, her can no longer use Naraku's barrier."
Her tone carried a hint of regret—
But he eyes remained steady.
Because now—
Everything depended on whether Kohaku would open his eyes again.