Thunder sakura trees are scattered throughout Inazuma. Hanachirusato told her that to complete the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, one must first obtain the Ward, then cleanse the filth from the thunder sakura trees in all directions to completely purify them.
"Ever since Saiguu left, no one has been able to perform the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual. Now, too much filth has accumulated within the thunder sakura trees. If it is not cleaned up, the consequences will truly be unimaginable."
Fortunately, Lumine and Paimon were with them, so Raiden Makoto assigned tasks to Lumine. Out of the five thunder sakura trees, Raiden Makoto entrusted two of them to Lumine.
The remaining three thunder sakura trees would be handled personally by her and her younger sister. Taking her sister to complete a Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual could count as a lesson for her, and it would also be a chance to properly see the land of Narukami Island together.
"Five hundred years ago, a terrifying catastrophe occurred, and the thunder sakura trees nearly withered under that great disaster... But five hundred years ago, someone still completed the cleansing. I do not know who it was, but the thunder sakura trees recovered."
Lumine and Paimon had already set off toward the beach on the north side of the Kamisato Estate, so now only Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei were outside Konda Village.
"There are some things I don't remember very clearly. Makoto, Ei, go into Konda Village and ask."
"Alright."
There was a barrier in Konda Village. Raiden Makoto had noticed it the moment she stepped into Konda Village, and that barrier was exactly where the roots of the thunder sakura tree were located.
"Shogun?"
"Shogun!" Several villagers who were working in the farmland around Konda Village noticed Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei entering, and their faces all showed expressions of shock.
They occasionally traveled to Inazuma City and heard from the people there that the Raiden Shogun almost never went out, and even they rarely saw the Raiden Shogun. Yet now, they were actually seeing the Shogun in Konda Village.
"Village Chief... Village Chief! It's the Shogun!"
"Village Chief, the Shogun is here!"
After the shock, the villagers became excited, though they still did not dare to get too close to Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei.
However, a small number of people were confused as to why there were two identical Shoguns, with the only differences being their hairstyles and clothing. Of course, Raiden Makoto appeared slightly more youthful.
"Shogun?" As an old man leaning on a cane walked out of the village, his face also filled with shock upon seeing Raiden Makoto and the others. He said respectfully, "Shogun, I am Konda Densuke, the village chief of Konda Village. What brings you to Konda Village personally?"
The Raiden Shogun, who had never appeared in Konda Village, had actually come to Konda Village in person one day. Konda Densuke could not imagine it.
But Konda Densuke was somewhat excited and stirred.
"I would like to ask about the deeds of Kitsune Saiguu."
In Raiden Makoto's eyes, Kitsune Saiguu was just a lively and agile white fox, her retainer who used to listen to her complaints often and would occasionally perform for her alongside Mishiro Chiyo.
But she really was not very clear about what Kitsune Saiguu had done in Inazuma. After Inazuma was established, she had always handled the affairs of state personally, so she had little time to pay attention to other matters.
"Is the Shogun asking about Lady Kitsune Saiguu?" Konda Densuke was stunned for a moment, then he said tremblingly, "Since ancient times, our Konda Village has had thunder sakura tree roots underneath it, and the task Lady Kitsune Saiguu entrusted to us was to guard the thunder sakura tree and the barrier well."
"As for anything else, we do not know much." After Konda Densuke finished speaking, he fell completely silent.
"I see."
"You may continue with your work; there is no need to mind us." Raiden Makoto smiled. In fact, there was no need for Konda Densuke to say anything; she could probably already realize something.
Beneath Narukami Island, there was a ley line formed by the intertwining roots of the thunder sakura trees and the sacred sakura tree. For a long time, the filth on Narukami Island would flow into the ley lines, only to be gathered by the thunder sakura tree roots.
Of course, it could also be that the thunder sakura trees were branches of the sacred sakura tree. The roots of the sacred sakura tree spread throughout Narukami Island, and thunder sakura trees grew from the roots in other places, with thunder sakura trees located in the five directions of Narukami Island.
The sacred sakura tree had existed since Inazuma appeared, and it had always been the sacred sakura tree that blocked the filth spreading from underground, protecting Inazuma.
It could be said that the sacred sakura tree had the power to purify filth, but the roots of the sacred sakura tree were not omnipotent; they could also become clogged.
Thus, the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual appeared.
For a long time, the Grand Narukami Shrine had performed this function. However, the passing of Kitsune Saiguu had led to the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual being completely lost, and all that could be done was the minor cleansing ritual.
"Saiguu, she was... shortly after I passed away..."
"Yes." That was a past Raiden Ei never wanted to recall. She looked at Raiden Makoto earnestly; now that her older sister had returned, she only hoped to enjoy every moment with her from now on.
Pursuing the beauty of the fleeting moment.
"That catastrophe... Saiguu, Chiyo, and you, sister..." Raiden Ei sighed deeply. It was precisely because of that catastrophe that everyone in Inazuma capable of fighting on the front lines had perished, leaving only her.
As for Yae Miko, she had never personally experienced that catastrophe.
"Let's go to Chinju Forest. Ioroi is in that place, and the Ward is also in his hands."
Chinju Forest was on the road from Inazuma City to the Kamisato Estate, located on the east side of Mt. Yougou.
"Ioroi?"
Speaking of Ioroi, Raiden Ei was not unfamiliar with him, but it seemed he had also disappeared for a long time?
Ioroi seemed to be a bake-danuki that had become a retainer to her older sister because of Kitsune Saiguu back in the day. Before the catastrophe, Inazuma was not just the territory of humans. On Narukami Island, there were the Tengu clan, the Oni clan, the White Fox clan, and the Bake-danuki clan, but they all belonged under the Electro Archon, and humans were one of them.
But after the catastrophe occurred, the Tengu clan, the Oni clan, the White Fox clan, and the Bake-danuki clan all faded from the stage; they suffered heavy casualties.
Nowadays, only a few of them remain in Inazuma.
"Yes."
Chinju Forest.
This was the second time Raiden Makoto had stepped into Chinju Forest, but last time she had not yet recovered her strength and memories; now, she had already fully recovered.
So when she entered Chinju Forest again, she discovered that familiar aura.
"Ioroi has turned into a stone statue now?" For five hundred years, she had been in the Plane of Euthymia, and she didn't know what had happened outside. Raiden Ei looked at the stone carving in front of her, feeling slightly surprised.
"He was sealed." In Raiden Makoto's mind, there were memories regarding Ioroi. Ioroi was a good friend of Kitsune Saiguu at the time. In order to have her protect Ioroi, she had devised a plan to make Ioroi her retainer, watching over Chinju Forest for her.
And she remembered that at the time, Ioroi seemed to be a tanuki that was like a Little Child.
"Sh... Shogun?" As a slightly childish voice came from the stone statue, the voice was filled with shock.
"It's you... it really is you!" Ioroi was very shocked because, in his memory, Raiden Makoto should have passed away long before that catastrophe... Later, Raiden Makoto's younger sister succeeded to the throne and became the new Electro Archon.
"Where is the Stinky Fox? Have you seen the Stinky Fox?" Ioroi's voice was somewhat childish, and his tone was also a bit angry.
"The game of hide-and-seek between the Stinky Fox and me isn't finished yet. Where on earth did she go?"
Hearing the anger in Ioroi's childish voice, Raiden Makoto could not help but sigh with sorrow, but she still acted normally.
She believed she could resurrect Kitsune Saiguu.
"Ioroi, it will take some time for her to come back and finish playing hide-and-seek with you. Would you like to try hiding for a few more days?" Raiden Makoto's gentle tone calmed Ioroi down quite a bit. "Shogun, you aren't lying, are you?"
In Ioroi's heart, Raiden Makoto was the Electro Archon, while Raiden Ei was not, and he was currently a retainer to Raiden Makoto.
Raiden Makoto had appointed him as the Kanjou Bugyo, ensuring the peace of Chinju Forest, and he had always been here, never leaving.
"Ioroi, who exactly sealed you?" Raiden Ei was somewhat curious; there were some things she did not know.
"It was a white-haired man... Anyway, that person was so detestable... I kept saying I wanted to see the Stinky Fox, but he wouldn't listen."
"So annoying..."
"Can the Stinky Fox really come back to find me? Shogun, you really aren't lying, are you?"
"I am not."
Because of Ioroi, Raiden Makoto's conviction to resurrect Kitsune Saiguu was further strengthened. She now had to resurrect Kitsune Saiguu, that gentle, kind, and lively white fox.
Her retainer.
"Yes."
"I believe in the Shogun."
"You were the one who took the Ward of the barrier, right... After Saiguu completes the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, she will finish the game of hide-and-seek with you."
"Ioroi, you must hide well, don't let Saiguu find you."
"Mm-hmm."
"Shogun, I'll give the Ward to you... I'm going to hide well; the Stinky Fox will definitely not be able to find me!"
"Chinju Forest is my territory, so how could that Stinky Fox find me? Shogun, you must complete the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual with the Stinky Fox soon and have her come find me as soon as possible!"
"Alright."
When the comb fell into Raiden Makoto's hand, she looked at the comb in her hand and fell into deep thought.
"Then we shall be going now?"
"Mm-hmm!" Ioroi was somewhat excited. He believed in Raiden Makoto, believed in what Raiden Makoto had said, and believed that Kitsune Saiguu would come to fulfill the promise with him before long.
He would not let Kitsune Saiguu fail to find him.
When Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei stepped out of Chinju Forest, Raiden Ei looked at Raiden Makoto with some confusion. "Sister, why did she say she was playing hide-and-seek with Ioroi?"
"Saiguu... Saiguu did it to protect Ioroi. If Ioroi had come out of Chinju Forest, do you think he could have escaped that catastrophe?"
Her younger sister still did not understand the ways of the world. Indeed, taking her sister along to complete the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual was a very good decision.
"You also know that Ioroi is just an ordinary bake-danuki. If it weren't for Saiguu's design, I wouldn't even have used him."
"With his ability, he simply could not have survived that catastrophe." Raiden Makoto sighed deeply. "Saiguu, she was always very gentle and kind."
"So that was it?" Raiden Ei finally understood completely why Kitsune Saiguu had deceived Ioroi. "Sister..."
"But isn't Saiguu already... Why did you deceive him, sister?" Raiden Ei was a bit puzzled.
"Because I believe that I can resurrect Saiguu." Raiden Makoto said earnestly, "If they could all come back..."
"If they could all come back, how wonderful that would be, sister..."
At least her sister had returned now; she and her sister would never be separated again.
thunder sakura tree.
Under the thunder sakura tree, Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei met Hanachirusato again. Hanachirusato was waiting quietly in that place at this moment, as if he knew they would come now.
"Makoto, did you see Ioroi?" There was a hint of anticipation in Hanachirusato's tone.
"Yes, he said he is still waiting for Saiguu to go back and find him." Raiden Makoto nodded. "Have you really thought it through?"
"After the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, there is a high probability that you will cease to exist." Raiden Makoto could not guarantee that he could protect Hanachirusato. After all, Hanachirusato was formed from the combination of the filth within the roots under the thunder sakura tree and the memories of Kitsune Saiguu.
Hanachirusato was different from a human; Hanachirusato was just a spirit and did not possess a true spirit.
When the filth was dispelled, Hanachirusato would be completely dispelled along with it.
"I know that I am not her... But her memories tell me that if the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual cannot be completed, Narukami Island will experience another catastrophe... Presumably, as the Makoto of Narukami, you would not want to see all that happen, right?"
In Kitsune Saiguu's memories, there were memories regarding Raiden Makoto. Through those memories, Hanachirusato knew that Raiden Makoto was a gentle and kind god.
"Yes."
"But you... I hope you can live." Raiden Makoto sighed deeply. "Even if your essence is filth, and even if you carry Saiguu's memories, your nature is not bad."
"Thank you."
"The urgent priority now is to complete the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual."
"Makoto."
Raiden Makoto nodded. If she could not save Hanachirusato, there was nothing she could do; after all, the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual had to be completed.
For the sake of all living beings on Narukami Island, she also had to completely give up on Hanachirusato and give up on Kitsune Saiguu.
Seeing this side of Hanachirusato, Raiden Ei also felt somewhat uncomfortable. She had sealed herself in the Plane of Euthymia, completely pursuing so-called eternity; it was entirely a wrong decision.
She did not know how many tragedies had been caused by her decision, and she did not know how many people in Inazuma were struggling for the future.
"Sister... shall I place it on the statue?" Raiden Ei had completely realized her mistake. Her blind pursuit of eternity had completely led to Inazuma being the way it was now.
She should not have feared that event happening and hindered the development of Inazuma.
"Yes." Seeing Raiden Ei's eager appearance, she understood Raiden Ei's thoughts. After handing the comb to Raiden Ei, she stood quietly in that place.
"Makoto, thank you."
If possible, Hanachirusato would of course also hope to stay by the thunder sakura tree forever, but he could not.
He was born from filth, carrying the memories of Kitsune Saiguu. His duty was to protect Inazuma, protect Narukami Island, protect the sacred sakura tree, and protect every citizen of Inazuma well.
If even Kitsune Saiguu could disregard everything, what did he have to worry about?
Watching Raiden Ei place the comb back on the statue, the surrounding filth was also completely cleared away.
"I will think of a way."
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