"Kagura!"
The moment Naraku blocked her path, Kagura's heart tightened. Yet, feeling the Shikon Jewel shard in her hand, she quietly steadied herself.
"Kagura… where is the White Child?" Naraku asked, his expression unreadable as his cold gaze fixed on her.
"He was taken by Uchiha Kasage," Kagura replied, forcing calm into her voice. "He almost killed me. I couldn't stop him at all."
"Is that so?" Naraku nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving her. "And he took Kohaku as well?"
"That's right."
Seeing that Naraku didn't press further, Kagura allowed herself a subtle sigh of relief. She tossed the Shikon Jewel shard toward him.
"This is the shard that was inside Kohaku. I couldn't retrieve it from Uchiha Kasage, so I took the opportunity to extract it instead."
Naraku caught the shard with ease, examining it in his palm. A faint, insincere smile touched his lips, but his eyes grew darker.
"Kagura… you brought this back. How should I reward you?"
Before she could respond, he continued:
"How about I grant you your freedom?"
"…Freedom?"
Kagura's pupils shrank. Disbelief filled her eyes, and her voice trembled.
"You've always wanted to be free, haven't you?" Naraku said softly, though there was clear malice beneath his tone.
She stared at him, knowing full well he would never release her so easily. And yet, deep inside, her longing for freedom sparked a fragile hope.
Naraku's next words shattered it instantly.
"If it weren't for freedom, you wouldn't have betrayed me and cooperated with Uchiha Kasage… would you?"
"…How did you know?"
Kagura's expression turned cold. She tightened her grip on her folding fan, dropping all pretense.
She knew she might die here today.
Her only hope… was that Kasage's promise of "resurrection" was real.
"Hmph. Did you really think you could hide anything from me?" Naraku sneered, idly turning the shard between his fingers. "If Uchiha Kasage hadn't given it to you, how else could you have obtained it?"
"…That bastard…!"
Kagura's heart skipped.
She understood immediately.
She had been used.
Kasage must have known she wouldn't dare attack Naraku directly—so he used the shard to expose their alliance.
As tension surged through her, Naraku slowly raised his hand.
A bright red heart appeared in his palm—beating steadily.
"My heart…!"
Kagura recognized it instantly. There was no mistaking it.
Naraku smiled faintly at her shock.
"That's right. Once you take it back, no one can control you anymore. Not even me."
His voice was calm—but his eyes were cold.
"You are free."
The heart vanished.
—Thump.
A strong, clear heartbeat echoed from her chest.
Kagura's eyes widened. She clutched her chest as warmth spread through her body.
Her own heart… beating freely.
"I… I'm back…!"
Joy surged through her—overwhelming and almost unreal.
The freedom she had always longed for… had come so suddenly.
And in that fleeting moment—
—Pfft!
A sharp, brutal strike.
Tentacles pierced through her chest instantly. Blood spilled, staining her kimono red.
Kagura gasped and looked down, then raised her eyes toward Naraku, fury burning within them.
"Don't worry," Naraku said with a cruel smile. "I avoided your precious heart."
His voice carried a chilling amusement.
"To give you freedom… only to take it away moments later… isn't that perfect?"
That had been his intention all along.
To let her taste hope—
And then destroy it.
"Naraku!"
Pain and rage surged through her as dark energy flooded her body. With a cry, she snapped open her folding fan, ready to strike—
"Ah!"
A sudden, tearing pain shot through her right eye.
Her vision blurred.
Within her iris, a crimson Mangekyō Sharingan appeared.
Naraku met her gaze—
Too late.
In an instant, he was dragged into Tsukuyomi—the illusion sealed by Uchiha Kasage.
Even Naraku froze.
But only briefly.
He shattered the illusion almost immediately as his defensive sorcery activated. His body swelled—
—BOOM!
It exploded violently, releasing thick, poisonous miasma.
Kagura barely had time to react.
Pain struck her left eye.
The second Mangekyō spun.
Space twisted.
Just before the miasma could reach her—
She vanished.
Elsewhere, in the forest—
Uchiha Kasage suddenly stopped.
"…Kamui."
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun as space distorted nearby.
A figure fell out—
Kagura.
She hit the ground hard, blood soaking her clothes, her breathing weak.
She looked around tensely—until she saw him.
Relief washed over her.
"…Uchiha Kasage… you bastard…" she muttered weakly, still managing to glare. "I almost died…"
Kasage gave a faint smile.
"But you didn't."
Then his expression turned more serious.
"Congratulations. You finally got your heart back… and your freedom."
Kagura exhaled slowly, some of the tension leaving her body.
"…It feels real," she said quietly. "For the first time… my heart is truly mine."
Her voice was soft—but steady.
"…But if you don't help me soon… I won't live long enough to enjoy it."
Kasage glanced at her wound, where dark yokai energy continued to spread.
"I see."
He understood immediately.
Naraku hadn't just tried to kill her—he wanted her to suffer, to be consumed after tasting freedom.
"This would've been difficult before," Kasage said calmly. "It might have required Kikyo's purification."
Kagura's eyes flickered slightly.
"But now…" he continued, his tone firm, "I have a better way."
She studied him for a moment.
Then finally, she relaxed.
"…Good," she murmured. "I'll trust you… this once."
Kasage nodded.
His eyes shifted—
The Rinnegan appeared.
He formed hand seals quickly, then slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"