"Thank you so much for your help, my lord. Please accept this offering to the gods!"
A wealthy merchant bowed deeply before Uchiha Retsu, who was dressed in priestly robes. With both hands, he presented a heavy pouch of coins, his voice filled with gratitude.
In Retsu's left hand dangled a massive unconscious rat demon.
With his other hand, he accepted the pouch, subtly weighing it before revealing a gentle, priest-like smile.
"Your offering is received. The gods will bless you and your family with peace and prosperity."
After the customary pleasantries, he turned and left the bustling castle town under the merchant's respectful gaze.
Once outside, in a quiet stretch of forest, Retsu tossed the coin pouch into Kamui space. He then unrolled a sealing scroll and murmured:
"Sealing Art: Self-Rebirth Seal."
Pale green life force streamed out of the rat demon's body and into the scroll.
Moments later, the demon withered into brittle bones and collapsed into the fallen leaves.
Retsu rolled up the scroll, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips.
"That should be almost enough life force for resurrection… though there's no rush. This world is crawling with demons. Might as well keep collecting."
He looked up at the blazing sun.
"I wonder if Kikyo has been resurrected yet…"
Just then, something strange caught his eye.
Far in the distance, a dark thundercloud churned ominously in the sky. Lightning crackled within it—yet the surrounding heavens were clear and cloudless.
"Demon activity?"
His eyes sharpened instantly.
Such a spectacle either meant a powerful demon… or something related to the Shikon Jewel.
Either way, it was worth investigating.
He dispelled his disguise, revealing his cracked Edo Tensei body. Chakra surged beneath his feet as he shot forward like an arrow toward the thundercloud.
Ten minutes later, he arrived.
The thundercloud had already dispersed.
What remained was devastation.
The ground was riddled with lightning-scorched craters. Burnt earth emitted a faint charred stench.
Corpses lay everywhere—mostly armored soldiers, along with fallen horses and oxen.
None had been eaten.
"Two armies clashed… then a demon wiped them out," Retsu muttered, glancing at scattered weapons and mismatched armor. "Not hunting. Just slaughter."
He frowned.
He didn't particularly care for humans in this world—but he despised mindless carnage all the same.
"Hope I catch you."
He focused, sensing the lingering demonic aura in the air.
"This level of power… definitely a big catch."
The trail moved in a straight line, ignoring rivers and mountains.
"Fast movement. It flies."
Retsu accelerated through the forest, using chakra to run across water and scale cliffs effortlessly.
Though he couldn't fly, his Body Flicker and chakra-enhanced movement allowed him to close the distance quickly.
As he drew nearer, he realized something else.
There weren't one—
But two.
Soon, a barren mountain came into view. Midway up its slope stood a manor, black tiles and white walls casting an ominous silhouette beneath thick storm clouds.
"Found you."
Inside the manor.
Hiten had just returned, an alluring demon woman draped lazily in his arms.
"By the way, Manten," he said casually to his younger brother, "did you find another Shikon Jewel shard?"
Manten stiffened, scratching his head guiltily.
"Sorry, brother… I found one, but I couldn't resist…"
He pointed toward the bed.
A girl sat there, staring blankly.
It was Kagome.
"Couldn't resist?!" Hiten roared, his voice shaking the room. "Don't tell me you let the shard slip away just to capture this woman?!"
Enraged, lightning erupted from his palm.
The demon woman in his arms didn't even have time to react before she was engulfed in electricity and reduced to a charred corpse.
Kagome trembled violently, squeezing her eyes shut.
Outside the manor, Retsu's lips curved faintly as he sensed the surge of demonic energy.
"Found you."
He flashed forward, arriving at the very room where the aura had flared.
Just as he reached for the door, the two demons stepped out—dragging Kagome with them.
Retsu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oh? So I've stumbled back into the plot."
He glanced at the storm clouds above the manor, lightning flickering within.
"Two demons. Thunderclouds… The Thunder Beast Brothers. Hiten and Manten."
Without hesitation, he drew his katana.
Wind Release chakra flowed into the blade, forming a wide, white chakra edge along it.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade."
He wasn't sure if this world followed the elemental rules of the shinobi world—whether wind countered lightning—but he enhanced the blade anyway.
He had discovered something recently.
Demons here weren't overwhelmingly powerful—but their physical durability was absurd.
An ordinary katana would chip and shatter if used repeatedly against them.
But once coated in chakra, it sliced through their reinforced flesh like ordinary meat.
Demonic energy strengthened their bodies.
Without supernatural power, harming them was difficult.
Hiten and Manten stepped out with Kagome, intending to track down Inuyasha and seize the jewel shards.
Instead, they found their path blocked by a lone figure holding a blade.
"Who are you? How dare you trespass into our home!" Hiten's face darkened, murderous intent radiating from him.
Retsu slowly lifted his head.
Crimson Sharingan spun within his eyes, three tomoe rotating coldly.
"Hand over the Shikon Jewel fragments," he said icily.
"I'll leave your corpses intact."