"H-how is this possible…?" Hiten stared in complete shock. His attack—one that had consumed a massive amount of Yokai power—had been blocked so effortlessly?
Fear gripped him instantly.
Any will to fight vanished. Without hesitation, he turned and fled into the distance, panic overtaking his pride.
The blue Susanoo slowly dissolved into particles of light.
Uchiha Kagase watched Hiten's retreating figure and let out a cold scoff.
"Trying to run? Too late."
"Flying Thunder God Technique."
Before the last syllable faded, his figure vanished like a flicker of light.
In the next instant—
He appeared directly in front of Hiten.
Hiten's eyes widened in pure terror. He barely had time to react before Kagase's leg, wrapped in violent chakra, came crashing toward his chest.
*CRACK—!*
The sharp, sickening sound of bone shattering echoed through the air.
Hiten spat out a mouthful of blood as his body was violently launched backward, spinning uncontrollably like a broken kite.
The force carried him straight toward Kagome.
"Kya—!"
Startled, Kagome was about to dodge—
But suddenly, Uchiha Kagase appeared in front of her again.
Translucent pale-blue ribs of Susanoo materialized instantly.
*THUD—!*
Hiten's body slammed violently into the skeletal barrier. Blood splattered across its surface as the impact echoed through the ruined courtyard.
The momentum died instantly.
Hiten's body slid down, lifeless.
After confirming he was no longer moving, Kagase calmly dispelled the Susanoo and stepped forward.
With the tip of his foot, he flipped Hiten's body over. The wound in his chest—caused by the kick—clearly bore the mark of the Flying Thunder God.
"Trash is still trash," Kagase said coldly. "Did you really think a few shards of the Shikon Jewel would make you invincible? Ridiculous."
He reached down, pulled the three Shikon Jewel shards from Hiten's forehead, and casually tossed them toward Kagome.
"Eh? These are for me?" Kagome hurriedly caught them. A soft pink glow shimmered in her palm, her face full of surprise.
"Mhm."
Kagase activated Kamui again.
A spiraling пространственная distortion opened and swallowed Hiten's body whole into the Kamui dimension.
He then reached out and retrieved his katana, which was embedded in the ground near Kagome, smoothly sheathing it.
In his hands, this katana wasn't just used to cut down lesser Yokai—it also served as a marker for Flying Thunder God teleportation.
The Flying Thunder God Technique, a ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage, allowed the user to instantly travel between marked locations by placing special seals.
"Kagase, don't you want these? I saw you collecting Shikon Jewel shards too," Kagome asked curiously, clutching them.
"I already took the shards from the other Yokai. Finders keepers—those are yours," Kagase replied with a faint smile.
In truth, he collected the shards mainly to lure Yokai to their deaths. Whether he had a few more or less didn't matter much.
Moreover, Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyo—the priestess who once protected the Shikon Jewel. Collecting the shards was her role.
Still, he couldn't give her everything.
Right now, her group was too weak. If they gathered too many shards, they would only end up being taken by Naraku—just like in the original story.
By keeping some himself, even if Naraku stole Kagome's shards, he wouldn't be able to complete the Shikon Jewel.
"Kagase… are you human?"
Seeing how approachable he was, Kagome finally asked the question she had been holding back.
"Of course I'm human." Kagase raised an eyebrow slightly. "You didn't think I was a Yokai, did you?"
"O-of course not! Haha…" Kagome waved her hands awkwardly, her cheeks flushing.
(In reality… she absolutely thought he might be something like Sesshomaru.)
"You want to ask about the cracks on my body—and why I don't look alive, right?" Kagase said plainly.
"Yes! Yes!" Kagome nodded eagerly, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"That's because… I'm not a living person right now."
He touched his cheek calmly.
"This body is created through the Impure World Reincarnation Technique. It's formed from dust and earth to house a soul that should have already returned to the afterlife."
"…So—you're actually dead?!" Kagome's eyes widened, her voice trembling.
For a modern middle school girl, that was a shocking concept.
"Yokai exist everywhere. What's so strange about a dead person walking around?" Kagase rolled his eyes.
Kagome froze for a moment… then scratched her head.
"…I guess… that makes sense?"
In a world filled with Yokai, maybe that wasn't so strange after all.
"By the way… how did you die?" she asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.
"I was killed," Kagase replied simply.
But his tone darkened.
"You're this strong—how could someone kill you?" Kagome asked, even more confused.
"I'm not weak," Kagase said, his voice tightening, "but the one I faced… wasn't human."
A trace of anger flickered in his eyes.
"Struggling for over a decade… and still losing to someone who cheats once."
The memory ignited a deep frustration within him—something that lingered even after death.
"…I see…" Kagome sensed the shift in mood and wisely didn't press further.
The atmosphere turned slightly awkward—
Until suddenly—
"KAGOME! KAGOME—!"
Familiar voices echoed in the distance.
"Inuyasha! Shippō!"
Kagome immediately stood up, waving excitedly. Relief spread across her face.
"I'm over here!"
"Your 'mutt' found you," Kagase said casually, brushing dust from his clothes. "Wait here. I'm leaving."
"Um—Kagase, thank you so much for saving me!" Kagome bowed deeply again. "And for the Shikon shards."
"It was nothing."
He turned to leave—then suddenly paused.
His left eye glowed crimson.
A Kamui vortex spiraled open, and from within, a yellow fox pelt emerged.
He caught it and handed it to Kagome.
"This belonged to the father of that little fox Yokai traveling with Inuyasha. Give it to him."
"Eh? Shippō's father?" Kagome looked down at the pelt in surprise, her fingers brushing the soft fur.
Her heart filled with confusion.
When she looked up to ask more—
Kagase was already gone.
Only the wind passed through the ruined courtyard, carrying away the last traces of the battle.
"…Eh? He left so fast?"