"Kasage, that was too reckless!"
Seeing Kagome frozen in place, Kikyo immediately realized she had fallen under a genjutsu. She turned and glared sharply at Uchiha Kasage.
"Relax," Kasage replied with a faint smile. "A normal Tsukuyomi makes someone experience three days and nights in an instant. I stretched it to ten minutes. It won't cause real harm—she'll just be exhausted. A bit of rest will fix it."
Ten minutes later, Kagome's body suddenly trembled.
Her eyes slowly regained focus as she looked at the two of them, her voice faint and distant.
"I… I'm back…"
Before she could say anything more, her body went limp and tilted to the side.
"Kagome!"
Kikyo rushed forward and caught her. After checking her condition carefully, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"She's just asleep…"
Then she lifted her head and shot Kasage a sharp look.
"I'm taking her to rest. Don't do something like that again."
With that, she carried Kagome upstairs.
Kasage leaned back slightly, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"Something tells me she'll be asking for it again once she wakes up."
Kikyo paused briefly on the stairs, glanced back at him with a faint roll of her eyes, then continued without another word.
Kasage knew it well—no student facing exams could resist something like this. Turning minutes into days of study… it was practically irresistible.
As expected, Kagome, who slept until dusk, came looking for him the moment she finished eating.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Kasage, do it again! I feel like I can catch up on everything I missed!"
Kasage glanced toward Kikyo, who had turned to look at them, then back at Kagome.
"There's no need to rush," he said calmly. "That experience wasn't exactly comfortable, was it? Why not wait until tomorrow?"
Kagome recalled the endless "three days" spent solving problems inside the illusion. Her face paled slightly, and she shivered.
But then she clenched her fists.
"I'm fine! If it means passing my exams, I can handle it!"
She hesitated, then added,
"And Inuyasha is coming tomorrow. If I don't do it now, I won't have time after I fall asleep again…"
Kikyo stepped in before Kasage could respond.
"Then wait until tonight," she said gently but firmly. "Let him use the genjutsu before you sleep. For now, come with me."
She took Kagome by the hand and led her outside without leaving room for argument.
"Lady Kikyo, I'm coming too!" Yuzuki quickly tossed aside her book and followed after them.
…
"This is amazing! I feel completely ready for the exams now!"
The next morning, Kagome opened the window and stretched under the sunlight, her face glowing with confidence. Her mind felt full, organized, sharp.
"You're awake," Kikyo said from the courtyard below, where she was laying out medicinal herbs to dry. "Come down and eat."
"Coming!"
After breakfast, Kagome helped organize the herbs while waiting for Inuyasha.
Then suddenly—
Both she and Kikyo froze.
They turned in the same direction at the exact same time.
"Kagome… you felt it too?" Kikyo asked, her expression turning serious.
"…Yeah." Kagome clutched her chest, her face pale. "What is that? It feels… wrong. Really wrong. And… I don't even want to get close to it…"
Kikyo frowned slightly, thinking.
"You don't want to approach it… then it must be connected to the Shikon Jewel."
"The Shikon Jewel? Naraku?!" Kagome's voice rose in alarm.
At that moment, Kasage appeared in the courtyard.
"So you felt it too."
Kikyo nodded. "A powerful surge of evil energy appeared suddenly."
Whoosh—
A gust of wind swept through as Kagura and Kanna arrived.
"Kasage, Kikyo—something dangerous has appeared," Kagura said immediately. "It feels like a new incarnation of Naraku."
Kikyo's gaze darkened. "Then it's likely connected to the final shards."
Kagome's expression tightened instantly.
"Then… Koga is in danger!"
"Don't worry," Kikyo said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll go now. Get your bow."
"Right!"
Kagome rushed inside and returned quickly.
By then, Kikyo was already mounted on Blazing Hoof, reaching out her hand.
"Come."
Kagome grabbed it and was pulled up in front of her.
"Kasage, we'll go ahead," Kikyo said.
"I'll send Abihime with you."
Kasage formed hand seals and slammed his palm to the ground. Smoke burst outward, and Abihime appeared.
"Abihime?!"
Kagome stared in shock. She still remembered their previous encounter.
Kagura narrowed her eyes slightly. "So… you turned her into a puppet too."
"Puppet?" Kagome asked, confused.
"Abihime is dead," the woman herself replied calmly, stepping forward. "What you see now is a puppet under Kasage's control."
Kagome's eyes widened.
"…Kasage?"
"Something like that," Abihime replied. Flames ignited beneath her feet as she rose into the air. "If we delay any longer, Koga will be killed."
"Koga!"
Without another word, Kagome focused forward.
Blazing Hoof surged into the sky, following behind Abihime.
…
Boom!
A massive tentacle slammed into the ground, tearing it apart and sending debris flying.
Through the smoke, Koga leapt out, landing heavily. His body was covered in wounds, his breathing rough.
Lightning crackled faintly around the Goraishi on his arm as his yokai power surged.
He glared at the figure before him.
"You're one of Naraku's incarnations, aren't you? You reek of him!"
The creature standing there was grotesque.
Pale hair hung wildly around a twisted face. Its dark purple skin gleamed unnaturally. One arm had transformed into a massive claw, from which a writhing tentacle slowly retracted.
Naraku's Corruption.
"Hmph."
The creature didn't answer.
Instead, it swung its claw.
The tentacle shot forward again, slicing through the air like a spear.
"Damn it!"
Koga pushed his speed to the limit, using the power of the jewel shards in his legs to evade.
He vanished in a blur—
—but mid-air, another strike came.
A second tentacle lashed out, faster, deadlier.
Puchi—
It pierced straight through his chest.
Koga's body jerked violently as he was lifted into the air, impaled.
Blood dripped slowly down the length of the tentacle.
The battlefield fell into a chilling silence.