Uchiha Ryo: "So, what do we do next?"
Nyanko-sensei jumped onto Takashi's shoulder and gave Uchiha Ryo a dissatisfied look.
"It's all because of you. You made that youkai disappear directly. Otherwise, we could have asked it some questions."
Takashi took Nyanko-sensei off his shoulder. "In any case, let's go inside the mountain shrine and take a look first. After all, Aki-kun and the others disappeared here."
Walking into the somewhat dilapidated mountain shrine, they saw a light blue mat spread in the center of the temple, with many snacks and bentos on it.
Takashi: "Aki-kun, Katou-san, and Sawamura-san disappeared here. I've looked around, but I couldn't even find any footprints... It's like they vanished into thin air."
Nyanko-sensei narrowed his eyes. "Mhm, since this is a shrine dedicated to a mountain god, let's see what kind of deity this mountain has."
Uchiha Ryo suddenly became interested. "Do gods... exist in this world?"
Nyanko-sensei nodded. "Of course. But gods are also divided into two types. One type has lived for too long and is revered as a god by other youkai due to their own formidable strength."
"The other type, which is the most common, are gods who became so through human faith. These gods can be strong or weak. The more people who believe in them, the stronger they are. But once they lose that faith, the god itself will cease to exist."
As Nyanko-sensei spoke, his gaze was already locked on three white porcelain masks on the floor of the sanctuary.
"Eh? How did they fall on the floor? Did they knock them over?"
Takashi stepped forward. Of the three white porcelain masks, two were covered in dust, while the third was already shattered.
Nyanko-sensei: "I see. It's Shimezuka. With a mountain god like this who helps humans around, your friends are most likely fine."
But Nyanko-sensei then looked at the already shattered mask. "Your two friends are most likely fine."
Uchiha Ryo stepped forward and curiously picked up a mask. It looked a bit old, at least fifty years old.
"What do these masks mean?"
Nyanko-sensei explained.
[Shimezuka: A god born from the prayers of humans who have gotten lost in the mountains. Shimezuka usually wanders the mountain forests to help children who have lost their way. And his four masks are talismans.]
[After an ordinary person enters the mountain shrine, if a mask falls to the ground, it means that you are being protected by Shimezuka for the day.]
Nyanko-sensei: "In other words, as long as the mask isn't broken, the person being protected will not be in danger."
Takashi stood up with some worry. "Then how do we find Shimezuka? They must be in danger right now."
The two humans and one cat walked out of the mountain shrine, but Takashi felt his foot sink, and he fell forward.
Uchiha Ryo, with his quick eyes and hands, supported the falling Takashi. But to their horror, the entire area around the mountain shrine was actually flooded with lake water.
Uchiha Ryo: "High tide? Are you kidding me? This isn't the seaside! It must be that woman from before again!"
"You guys stay in the shrine! I'm going out to take a look!"
Uchiha Ryo stepped directly onto the surface of the water and, with a few leaps, arrived on the lake.
"Hey! I don't care what kind of youkai you are, release those two girls immediately! Otherwise...."
The calm surface of the lake was silent, but Uchiha Ryo could feel that the other party was nearby.
"Below!"
Uchiha Ryo looked down, and the female youkai's hands were already firmly gripping his ankles. With a forceful pull, she dragged him down.
"Humans can't breathe in water. You lose!"
The female youkai desperately pulled at Uchiha Ryo's body, swimming downwards. But... why was this human's body so stiff?
The female youkai turned her head, only to see that the Uchiha Ryo she had just caught had turned entirely into wood.
Above the lake, Uchiha Ryo clapped his hands together.
"As expected, youkai can't tell the difference between a wood clone and a real body. Then next... Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu!"
The wood clone under the water directly transformed into long branches and bound the youkai.
"Wood Style: Cutting Jutsu! And next is... Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
This was the first time Uchiha had used the First Hokage's Wood Style in battle since exchanging for it. He had to admit... the chakra consumption was really huge. It seemed he still needed to exchange for a bit more.
A giant wood dragon rushed from the forest into the water, then bit the female youkai and soared into the sky, finally crashing onto the ground by the lake.
At this time, the female youkai was already on the verge of death from Uchiha Ryo's attacks. As the rising lake water gradually receded, Takashi and Nyanko-sensei also ran out of the mountain shrine.
Nyanko-sensei: "You're really ruthless... it's just a water spirit with less than fifty years of cultivation."
Uchiha Ryo let the wood dragon disintegrate on its own. "I just wanted to pull her up as quickly as possible and beat her into submission. If I wanted to kill her, it would be even simpler."
Coming to the water spirit, Uchiha Ryo stepped on the abdomen that had been pierced by the cutting jutsu. "Hurry up. If you want to live, let the people go."
Takashi pulled at Uchiha Ryo. "Ryo-nii, even if she's a youkai, I don't think she would have kidnapped Aki-kun and the others for no reason. We should probably ask her tactfully."
Uchiha Ryo nodded. "Got it. I, an Uchiha, am best at persuading people with virtue."
The female water spirit looked at Uchiha Ryo with trembling. "I... I will not spare the guy who was disrespectful to Lord Shimezuka."
Uchiha Ryo's face remained cold. He bent down and directly gave the water spirit a big slap.
"Hurry up. We'll leave as soon as you're done talking. If you don't talk... then I'll just continue with the cuttings! If I don't carve the character for 'virtue' into you, then my surname isn't Uchiha!"
The female water spirit looked at those crimson eyes. Although she didn't understand what 'cutting' meant, the branch still stuck in her body was probably the best explanation.
"They... they are all in the cave on the other side of the lake! Except for that boy, they are all fine!"
Uchiha Ryo retracted the branches. The female water spirit then slowly sat up and led them to the cave.
Takashi: "So, why did you go after Aki-kun?"
The female water spirit's face showed anger. She snorted and didn't want to talk. Then, after being glared at by Uchiha Ryo, she said submissively.
"Five years ago, that little brat came to play near the mountain shrine alone. He got lost at that time, and it was Lord Shimezuka who secretly helped him. But in the end...."
Five years ago, Aki Tomoya found the fallen white porcelain mask on the ground. Although he didn't know what it was, he thought it looked fun and took it home.
In the end... the gradually growing Aki Tomoya had no intention of bringing the mask back. Instead, during a move, he threw away that white porcelain mask of Shimezuka.
"The mask is the source of Lord Shimezuka's faith. That brat destroyed the mask that Lord Shimezuka worked so hard to refine, and he still dares to come back! I will definitely make him pay the price."
Walking into the cave, Uchiha Ryo finally saw Katou Megumi and Eriri leaning against a large rock, sleeping soundly, and... Aki Tomoya, who was suspended by seaweed.
Uchiha Ryo: "They're all fine? Didn't you say you already made a move on this guy?"
The water spirit was stunned. She was also surprised to find that the wounds she had inflicted on Aki Tomoya by whipping him with seaweed had all disappeared.
Takashi shook his head. "It seems the only one angry about this was you. The mountain god never blamed Aki-kun at all."
"Impossible! He lost the mask that Lord Shimezuka took decades to complete."
Takashi: "Go take a look at the shrine. All three of them were under the mountain god's protection. The mask protecting Aki-kun shattered, probably because of the damage you caused."
Uchiha Ryo chuckled. "Trying to avenge the mountain god on your own initiative, but you ended up costing the mountain god another mask~"