Keeping itself hidden inside a thick dark purple mist, which kills every living being that touches its surface regardless of whether it is animal or plant, there is an extensive human fortress.
No, more than a fortress it seems to be a fortified mansion, this mainly due to the extensive secondary pavilions, empty but ornamented courtyards and even an elegant zen garden with a small pond.
Of course, all of this is surrounded by fortified walls, high watchtowers and even some deep moats, making the mansion difficult to conquer despite being located on an extensive grassy plain.
"Come here, Kanna"
Speaking with an indifferent voice while resting one side of his body against a sliding wall, Naraku looks with his blood-red eyes toward outside the room and a silent garden is reflected in his gaze for a second.
That wide garden is adorned with large polished stone pots upon which multiple flowers can be found, mainly of the Chinese bellflower variety, although all of them are dead due to the miasma present in the purple mist around them.
"Here I am"
Emerging from the dark shadows that crawl like tentacles throughout the room without making even the slightest sound, a small girl with white hair and a rigid face like a porcelain doll walks until she comes into Naraku's view.
That young girl wears an entirely white ancient dress without any imperfection or any other trace of color, although she also wears small white bows on each side of her chest and on both sleeves, giving a little substance to the emptiness that seems to be her existence.
"How have my objectives progressed?"
"Good, the main ones have been mostly completed. The puppets will be able to return shortly"
"And the secondary ones?"
"The cost was too high, I had to dispense with them"
Speaking more like a cold machine than any type of living being, Kanna then fixes her inexpressive black eyes without irises on Naraku, clearly waiting for the next question to answer.
"Too bad, I wanted to surprise Asahiko using the abilities of his own species, although you can't have everything in this life. Now then, you said in its "majority", which ones were missing?"
"The jeweled branch, it is unknown where it is. And the fire rat robe is still in Inuyasha's hands, it is impossible to obtain without fighting"
"So we really are not missing anything… Well done, Kanna. Now take the bowl of the begging Buddha and make it disappear in the vicinity of that mountain. Regarding the jewel from the neck of a dragon and the necklace made with a swallow cowrie shell, leave them both near this"
Digging into the depths of his attire as dark as it is elegant with his pale hand, Naraku sends toward Kanna the incomplete Pearl of Shikon that he has in his possession thanks to Kikyo, something that by the way does not cause any ripple in the girl's chronic indifference.
"Understood. Kagura is outside, should I let her in?"
"Unnecessary, Kanna. Send her to help one of the puppets, make her waste her time going around. Ah, is Kohaku, the brother of that demon slayer named Sango, still here?"
"Yes, should I call him?"
"No, take him with you, I seem to remember that the hypnosis over him has been weakening. Yes, such a good pawn could be useful for other things…"
Laughing sadistically while considering his next steps, ones so insidious that even Souga would have to consider taking several notes for the future, Naraku looks toward the white moon that bursts forcefully through the purple miasma.
That beautiful natural satellite is currently in its waxing phase, causing a soft and intense pale light to fall over the land, so much so that even Naraku is tempted to say too much.
"Kaguya. Hahaha, the Princess of the Heavens, Kaguya. You are nothing more than a snake hidden in a cave, but I have the smoke necessary to draw you out"
Speaking toward nothingness with a confidence that almost reaches arrogance, Naraku lowers his gaze toward the flowers outside the window and then closes his eyes, connecting his consciousness with that of a puppet.
…Elsewhere…
Here, on this side of the world, Naraku's puppet is crouched on the branch of a tree, taking advantage of the foliage and dense shadows to observe the small village in front of him.
It is abnormally illuminated by some braziers, torches and patrols of soldiers, something that obviously is not common in a village in the middle of nowhere.
"Um… How interesting, could it be that I am this lucky?"
Raising both hands covered by the classic tunic/cape made of white baboon fur, Naraku takes a quick look inside and twists his lips in dissatisfaction at the hundreds of eyes that return his gaze.
He really expected a more abundant "harvest", but not much can be expected from a puppet created mainly for surveillance, too much that it has captured a few hundred yokai.
Although seeing the gathering of soldiers in the village below, men fully armed and with a rather neat appearance that differentiates them from common mobs, a war will probably break out sooner rather than later.
"Humans never disappoint, you only have to give them a push and they will take up arms without thinking much, only… Why would they come looking for that woman?"
Whispering the last part with a caution that is only seen when dealing with Kikyo, Inuyasha or Asahiko, at least when he is taking things seriously, Naraku thinks about it and then separates a small flying yokai from the puppet.
This yokai is not one of those he normally uses, the poisonous bees that counter Miroku's ability, but rather it is a small butterfly with dreamlike colors and large segmented eyes.
Using it, Naraku easily travels through the village without raising suspicion, reaching the widest and largest house in the entire human village. The truth is that this house had nothing worthy of being described, being the best among the worst is not saying much, but those speaking inside are indeed important.
"Cat yokai… I have also seen some roaming around the village, but I cannot simply leave and leave the villagers in danger"
Gently shaking her head covered by long and soft black hair, the same hair which functions as a frame for her pale face due to a few rebellious strands, the woman dressed as a priestess together with a chihaya over it looks at the man in front of her.
In a completely unexpected manner, the one in front of her is a bureaucrat, he does not even carry a short sword or any method of defense on him, although with the two samurai behind him it does not seem that he needs it.
"I understand, your duty is noble and clearly necessary here, priestess Hitomiko. But I consider that you should also listen to my side of the story, perhaps it will change your opinion once you understand everything"
"I doubt it, but go ahead, it is fair that I also listen to your words"
"Thank you, priestess. Give me the map of our journey, Sai"
Extending his hand toward one of the two nearby samurai, who hands him a yellowed but clear and legible map, the bureaucrat keeps a professional smile on his face.
Yes, if he were wearing a pair of glasses right now they would be shining, demonstrating that the "villain's" plan was beginning, but since he does not have them and does not seem to be an evil villain either, Hitomiko can only remain in the shadows.
"As you can see here-"
"Oryo Shrine, Hiromi Temple… And even those that serve as safeguards on the pilgrimage routes?"
Slightly opening her beautiful and magnetic purple eyes upon noticing several red crosses on the map, Hitomiko sinks into her thoughts for a few seconds, although she soon understands what those marks mean.
Clearly the soldiers had already passed through all those sacred places before her arrival, perhaps also seeking to recruit the priestesses and Buddhist monks, but seeing the red crosses… Success is unlikely.
"As you may have realized, the objective of these yokai are the temples and shrines, mainly those who live there. So, it may be difficult but-"
"My continued presence in the village only turns it into a target?"
"That is what the evidence seems to say, priestess Hitomiko"
"... Give me until morning, I will place a barrier around the village's boundaries and we can leave in the afternoon"
Giving her final proposal, one that does not go against her fundamental principles or against what they are asking of her, Hitomiko maintains a conciliatory posture as she has done from the beginning.
This is not only because she is gentle, but Hitomiko also understands the reality of the situation. There are armed troops throughout the village, making it impossible to refuse his proposal, since today's soldiers can undoubtedly be tomorrow's bandits.
"You have made an excellent decision, priestess! You can carry out whatever you need to do, tomorrow we can talk in more detail"
"Um, good night"
"Likewise"
Nodding in response to Hitomiko's farewell, the bureaucrat suddenly looks outside after his two companions do so.
"What is it, Sai?"
"The Muramasa sword just gave me a shock, there was a yokai nearby. Did you also get it, Hito?"
"Yes, my copy of Muramasa also reacted before"
"Haa… The world is getting crazier and crazier, there are even reports of giant scorpions attacking some villages. Go take care of it, I trust in your abilities"
Calmly storing the important map after giving that order, after all his guards carry an almost perfect copy of the cursed Muramasa sword, the bureaucrat completely ignores the butterfly flying under the pale light of the moon.
"Hahaha, who would have thought that someone else would do the dirty work for me. No, it is impossible for that woman to lose to some random group of yokai … Umm, the knife in the darkness is always the most dangerous"
Looking at the distorted figures of the humans gathered below, who surely have a much greater chance of ending Hitomiko's life than any random yokai, Naraku smiles coldly.
This time he will not make another mistake like the one he made fifteen years ago when he tried to kill her, now he will cut down this weed before it can become a second Kikyo. Perhaps filling her soul with hatred and then devouring her could give him a great boost? Hehehe, it is not a bad game in the medium and long term.