"Kanna, your heart… I'm returning it to you."
Uchiha Kasage once again retrieved Kanna's heart from the Kamui Dimension and handed it to her without hesitation.
The deep-blue crystal sphere emitted a soft glow in his palm.
There seemed to be a unique connection between the two sisters, Kagura and Kanna. Kasage had originally assumed Kagura wouldn't be able to find even a trace of her.
Yet, to his surprise, she returned to the shrine in less than half a day—with Kanna by her side.
Kanna gently reached out and took her heart. She held it quietly in both hands, staring at it for a few seconds.
Then, without hesitation, she pressed it against her chest.
The deep blue light melted into her body like water. A faint glow spread across her chest before fading completely.
Kasage watched her calmly, then turned to Kagura with a faint smirk.
"As expected of the older sister. Compared to you—who almost died—Kanna freed herself from Naraku quite easily."
"Hmph!"
Kagura shot him an annoyed glare, tightening her grip on her folding fan.
"I was just distracted! That's the only reason that bastard Naraku managed to ambush and injure me!"
In truth, when she found Kanna, Kagura herself had been shocked. Not only was Kanna completely unharmed, she hadn't even released the Mirror Yokai.
"Tch. You hesitated out of fear and paid the price for it," Kasage said bluntly, his tone merciless.
"You—!"
Kagura's face flushed red, her fan creaking under her grip as she prepared to snap back—
"Alright, that's enough."
Kikyo stepped in, her voice calm, though a trace of amusement lingered in her eyes as she looked at Kagura.
"What matters is that you escaped Naraku alive. That's the best possible outcome."
Kagura let out a frustrated breath, clearly still irritated, but she didn't argue further.
Lowering her gaze to Kanna, she spoke more firmly:
"Kanna, stay here at the shrine with me for now. Even if Kasage has a terrible personality… with him and Kikyo here, Naraku won't dare come close."
Kasage raised a brow slightly but said nothing.
He and Kikyo both nodded in agreement. Having one more ally like Kanna made no difference to them—if anything, it strengthened their side.
"…Alright."
Kanna gave a small nod.
Her voice remained soft and distant, but there was a faint warmth now.
Kasage glanced at both sisters, then asked with mild curiosity:
"Do you think Naraku is furious right now? Being betrayed one after another…"
Kagura rested her chin lightly on her fan, a look of disgust crossing her pink eyes.
"Naraku never truly trusted me. So no… he probably isn't angry about me."
Then she turned to Kanna, a slight smile forming.
"But he did trust Kanna. He would never have expected her to betray him. That… might actually drive him mad."
Kikyo's gaze shifted to Kanna, who stood quietly holding her mirror.
She shook her head slightly.
"Naraku was born from the fusion of countless yokai drawn by the greed and malice of Onigumo. There is no room in his heart for human emotions like trust… or familial bonds."
She paused briefly.
"He trusts no one. Even if you hadn't betrayed him, he would have eventually found a reason to destroy you."
"Exactly," Kagura muttered with a sharp nod. "That man is nothing but schemes and cruelty."
Elsewhere…
"Damn it… Kikyo's spiritual power can actually purify even a fully corrupted Shikon Jewel…"
Naraku stared at the jewel in his hand, now once again tainted with dark energy. Remembering how it had been rapidly purified earlier, his expression darkened.
Clenching the jewel tightly, a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.
"I need a suitable pawn…"
A surge of violet miasma erupted around him, swallowing his figure whole. In the next moment, he vanished.
Near a quiet village, beneath the torii gate of a mountain shrine, the priestess Hitomiko stood in silence.
The golden light of sunset bathed her red-and-white miko robes, casting a warm glow over the village below. Smoke from cooking fires drifted lazily into the sky.
The distant laughter of children reached her ears.
A faint smile touched Hitomiko's tired eyes.
But her fingers tightened slightly around the kagura bell in her hand.
Ever since she had been attacked by Naraku fifteen years ago, the yokai he sent had continuously harassed both the village and the shrine.
For fifteen years, she had never allowed herself to relax—not even for a moment.
She fought tirelessly, protecting the fragile peace of the people below.
Though exhaustion weighed heavily on her heart… she endured.
"Ding…"
The bell in her hand rang softly.
Hitomiko stared at it, a flicker of doubt crossing her eyes.
Was this her fate? To endlessly fight… without rest?
"Miss Hitomiko!"
Urgent voices shattered her thoughts.
Her gaze sharpened instantly, confusion replaced by resolve.
She moved quickly to the stone steps and looked down.
Several villagers were running toward her, panic written across their faces.
"Miss Hitomiko, it's bad! A traveler collapsed at the village entrance! Please—can you check if it's some kind of disease?!"
"I understand. Take me there immediately."
She didn't hesitate.
An unknown illness—whether plague, yokai interference, or something born of war—could spell disaster for the village.
At the entrance, a crowd had already gathered, murmuring anxiously.
"What if it's contagious?"
"We should just bury him—"
"Wait."
Hitomiko's voice cut through the noise.
The villagers immediately stepped aside.
Holding her kagura bell, she moved forward.
On the narrow path lay a strange traveler, face down, unmoving.
She knelt beside him.
"Excuse me… can you hear me?"
Suddenly—
His body convulsed violently.
In the next instant, he snapped his head up.
His face was grotesque, twisted—and from his mouth burst a mass of spider silk, shooting straight toward her.
"Ah—!"
The villagers screamed and stumbled back in terror.
A flash of surprise crossed Hitomiko's face—but she regained composure instantly.
The bell in her hand rang sharply as she pressed it to her chest.
Forming a seal with her fingers, she summoned a spiritual barrier.
The spider silk struck it—
and bounced back.
The transformed yokai was instantly entangled in its own threads, suffocating as it collapsed, motionless.
"Miss Hitomiko… are you alright?"
Only after the yokai stopped moving did the villagers cautiously approach.
"I'm fine. The yokai has been exorcised…"
She stood, offering gentle reassurance.
But suddenly—
A familiar, ominous aura rose behind her.
She froze.
Turning sharply, her pupils shrank in shock.
"You are—"
Before she could finish—
A wave of dizziness struck her.
Her body went limp.
And she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.