Several days later, Uchiha Retsu pushed open the door and stepped outside.
The moment he appeared, the villagers froze.
All movement came to a halt. Every gaze turned toward him.
In those eyes, there was reverence for power—but far more of it was fear toward something "non-human," the same kind of fear they had shown when facing the demon.
Retsu understood.
In his current state, he hardly looked like a normal person. So he paid no attention to their expressions. He simply stood at the doorway, quietly watching the villagers at work.
"M-My lord… do you need something?"
Yuriko hurried over, setting down her bucket of water. She bowed deeply, her voice tense and respectful.
Retsu could see the gratitude in her eyes.
And the fear hidden deep within.
His gaze passed over her and fell on a man not far away—her husband, the one who had originally picked up the Edo Tensei scroll.
At the moment, the man was holding a wooden beam, his eyes darting nervously. Beneath his reverence was nothing but dread.
"Don't be nervous," Retsu said calmly, his tone without the slightest ripple. "I'm here to say goodbye."
He understood the fear of ordinary people.
Appearing in the form of an Edo Tensei and not being chased out with hoes and pitchforks was already good fortune.
On the other hand, the little girl beside the man broke free from her father's grip and ran to Yuriko's side. She leaned against her mother and stared at Retsu with wide, curious eyes—without the slightest trace of fear.
"Thank you for taking care of me these past days," Retsu said to Yuriko.
He reached into his clothes and took out a wooden tag about the size of a playing card, handing it to her.
"Take this. Consider it a gift for waking me."
Yuriko hurriedly waved her hands, her voice flustered.
"My lord, you don't have to… Why are you leaving so suddenly? The village can still prepare food for you…"
"I know you're all afraid of me," Retsu interrupted gently. "And you're not wrong. I'm a dead man. I can't stay with you forever."
"If I remain here, the villagers' fear will eventually turn into rejection toward your family."
He placed the wooden tag into her hand.
"There's a clone of mine sealed inside it. If you encounter another demon, smear some blood on it, throw it at the monster, or even snap it in half. The technique will activate and protect you once."
Yuriko held the tag tightly, her eyes reddening. In the end, she bowed deeply.
"T-Then… please take care on your journey. May fortune follow your blade."
Retsu crouched down and looked at the little girl. He gently ruffled her hair, a rare smile tugging at his lips.
"Little Kiku, I'm leaving now. Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Uncle!" the girl replied brightly.
"Come, hold out your hand. I'll give you something fun," Retsu said, lowering his voice conspiratorially.
Kiku immediately stretched out her small hand, tilting her head.
"What is it?"
A faint blue glow gathered at Retsu's fingertip. He lightly tapped her palm.
Three black tomoe appeared on her pale skin—then vanished in an instant.
He had sealed a ninjutsu into her hand.
It could only be used once, but in a critical moment, it would be enough to save her life.
"Huh? It's gone!" Kiku flipped her palm back and forth, frowning in confusion.
Retsu stood up and nodded to Yuriko's family.
"Farewell."
He turned and waved once. His figure soon disappeared into the trees at the edge of the village, leaving behind only the rustling of leaves in the wind.
"ROAR—!"
A thunderous beast's cry tore through the night.
Retsu halted and looked ahead.
Within the dark forest, between pitch-black shadows, a gigantic bear burst out from behind a rocky outcrop. Its blood-red eyes locked onto him, saliva dripping from its fangs.
Leaves flew as its four paws pounded the ground. It charged straight at him.
Retsu didn't move.
He stood there calmly.
Only when the bear raised its claws and leaped did his figure blur into an afterimage.
In the next instant, he appeared behind it.
Click.
With a soft sound, his katana slid neatly back into its sheath. He continued walking forward.
The bear, driven by inertia, lunged on.
Its massive body crashed to the ground. Only then did its severed head slam down heavily, blood spraying from its neck.
"What a waste," Retsu muttered, catching the scent of blood behind him. "I heard bear paws are delicious. Too bad I can't cook."
An Edo Tensei body didn't need food.
It could still taste flavors clearly, but there was no point.
All the energy sustaining him came from the technique itself, which absorbed natural energy and converted it into chakra.
After a moment's thought, he turned back and looked at the corpse.
"Still… I killed it. Might as well take it. Could sell it for some money."
"Kamui."
As his Mangekyō rotated, space twisted into a spiral. A scroll dropped out of the vortex.
He had commissioned it in a town he passed through earlier, then personally engraved it with sealing formulas, turning it into a storage scroll.
He unrolled it and sealed the bear's corpse inside, then tossed the scroll back into Kamui space.
Why not throw the body directly into Kamui?
Because storage scrolls preserved contents through sealing techniques, while things left in Kamui for too long would rot.
Just as he was about to leave, Retsu suddenly stopped.
He turned toward the left, eyes fixed on the dense forest.
"RAAAH—!"
A harsh, grating howl rang out.
A crimson figure smashed through the trees.
It was a humanoid monster nearly three meters tall. Its entire body was blood-red. Two twisted, razor-sharp horns grew from its head.
It gripped a thick wooden club with both hands. Each step made the ground tremble as it swung straight toward Retsu's face.
Under the Mangekyō's gaze, its movements slowed to a crawl.
Retsu sidestepped the club. Blue chakra erupted beneath his feet, and he shot upward like an arrow, leaping above its head.
"Heaven-Shattering Kick!"
His chakra-wrapped right leg rose high—then crashed down.
BOOM!
The monster's head was driven straight into the ground. The earth collapsed into a pit half a meter deep, cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb.
"Another one delivering itself," Retsu muttered.
He landed beside the dying demon, unfastened the scroll from his back, and spread it open before his chest.
"Sealing Art: Self-Rebirth Seal!"
A strange suction force erupted from the scroll.
Wisps of pale green life energy rose from the monster's body like flowing streams, drawn into the scroll.
This technique was his modification of Chiyo's forbidden art, the Self-Rebirth Technique.
Unlike the original, which consumed the user's life to revive others, this sealing art stored the life force of unconscious enemies inside a sealed space.
It was part of his preparations for true resurrection.
A method to break free from the chains of Edo Tensei.
"Done. One step closer to revival."
As the final thread of vitality vanished, the monster withered into a dried husk.
Retsu closed the scroll, slung it over his back, turned around—
And continued on his journey.