"If you truly want peace," Uchiha Lie said calmly, his eyes fixed on her, "then the only way is to help Kagome deal with the Sacred Jewel."
The name lingered between them.
Then he added deliberately, a faint and almost malicious smile tugging at his lips:
"And stop looking at that half-demon Inuyasha as if he still belongs to you. He has Kagome now. The bond between you ended the moment you died."
"Shut up."
Kikyo's voice dropped into a freezing whisper.
In an instant, silver-white spiritual power burst from her body. A beam of pure Demon-Slaying energy shot straight at him without hesitation.
Uchiha Lie did not move.
Still hanging upside down from the tree branch, he allowed the attack to strike him directly in the chest.
Bang.
The sacred energy exploded against him, carving a fist-sized hole through his torso. White dust scattered outward like shattered porcelain.
But before the fragments could even fall, pale particles rushed in from the air around him. The wound sealed itself within a heartbeat, as if nothing had ever happened.
Kikyo already knew.
She had tested him before.
She could not destroy him.
Without another word, she turned and walked away.
Uchiha Lie watched her back disappear into the fading light and clicked his tongue softly.
He shifted the chakra in his feet and flipped upright, landing lightly on the branch above. Stretching lazily, he called out:
"For the truly strong, life and death are just doors. If someone can cross time, why not cross the boundary between life and death?"
Her steps halted.
She did not turn around.
"Do you…" she asked after a moment, her voice quieter than the wind, "have a way to resurrect someone completely?"
"Of course."
His answer came instantly, confident and matter-of-fact.
"I have no interest in remaining inside this shell forever."
She turned sharply.
Her lips parted as if she wanted to ask more.
But after a second, she swallowed the words.
"What?" he teased. "Curious about resurrection?"
"It is nothing."
She looked away.
"I am leaving tonight."
He smiled faintly.
He knew that question would return.
—
Night fell quickly.
Perhaps because of their earlier argument, Kikyo did not call for him this time. She packed quietly and slipped out of the village alone.
The sky was dark as ink.
At the riverbank outside the village, moonlight reflected off the water like scattered silver.
Kikyo stood alone.
Lonely.
Still.
Soon, faint white lights began to appear in the air.
They drifted like fireflies, gathering around her.
As they approached, their shapes became clear.
Soul collectors.
Translucent white spirits with long limbs and hollow eyes, each carrying clusters of glowing spirit fragments.
They circled Kikyo gently, like silent guardians.
She extended one slender finger, receiving a spirit fragment from one of them.
"Come," she whispered softly. "Poor souls… walk with me."
The fragment merged into her clay body.
Without these souls, her body would collapse.
Without borrowed life, she could not continue.
"Unable to ascend?" a familiar voice interrupted the silence. "Is that why you linger in this world, Miss Priestess?"
Kikyo's heart tightened.
Master Harumi.
Before he could take another step—
A sharp whistling sound split the air.
A sword shot out of the darkness like lightning, piercing through the monk's chest and pinning him to the ground.
He gasped, blood spilling from his mouth as he stared at the blade in disbelief.
The next moment, arcs of blue electricity surged along the sword.
His body convulsed violently, paralyzed by the current.
From above, Uchiha Lie descended slowly, landing beside the fallen monk.
"You really didn't listen," he said coldly.
His crimson Sharingan flickered in the darkness like a demon's eye.
The air grew heavy.
"Should I finish this now?"
He grasped the hilt and pulled the blade free.
Blood spilled across the riverbank.
He raised the sword again—
"Wait."
Kikyo's voice stopped him.
"There is a child here."
He paused.
Only then did he glance toward the bushes.
A small figure trembled there.
Sayo.
The village girl who admired Kikyo.
Kikyo gently brought the girl forward. Sayo's eyes were wide with fear as she stared at the blood and the glowing red eyes of the man beside her.
Tears filled her eyes, but she made no sound.
Uchiha Lie exhaled softly.
"Fine."
He lowered the sword.
"For the child's sake."
Killing a monk meant nothing to him.
But not in front of a little girl.
Kikyo knelt and gently comforted Sayo until her trembling eased.
Then she stood.
"Let's go."
"Miss Kikyo…" Sayo called weakly.
Kikyo paused.
She turned back, offering a gentle smile.
"I am sorry to leave you with such a memory," she said softly. "Farewell."
Without lingering, she walked into the forest.
Uchiha Lie followed.
Their figures disappeared into the darkness.
—
The forest was quiet except for insects and the faint rustle of leaves.
The soul collectors drifted around Kikyo like pale lanterns.
Uchiha Lie reached out curiously to touch one.
It dodged him swiftly.
"Interesting creatures," he muttered.
Then he glanced at her back.
"You are popular with children," he said lightly. "That girl saw everything and still didn't want you to leave."
He paused before adding casually:
"If you ever had a child, you would make a good mother."
Kikyo's steps faltered.
Only for half a second.
Then she continued walking.
But something in her aura softened.
After a long silence, she spoke quietly.
"My time stopped long ago. As one of the dead… such a future is impossible."
"If something is impossible," he replied simply, "it only means you are not strong enough yet."
She did not argue.
The forest swallowed their footsteps.
After a while, he spoke again.
"These soul collectors… they gather spirits for you?"
"Yes."
Her tone was calm.
"There is little of my original soul left. This body survives on the spirits of young girls who have recently died."
She spoke as if it were an ordinary fact.
As if it did not weigh on her.
After a pause, she asked:
"And you? What exactly is wrong with your body?"
He walked beside her now.
Moonlight filtered through the trees.
"My body is not truly alive," he answered.
"It is reconstructed through forbidden techniques. As long as my will remains, it reforms."
He flexed his hand slightly.
"Damage means little."
"But it is still incomplete."
She glanced at him.
"So resurrection matters to you."
"Yes."
He did not deny it.
"For power. For freedom. For choice."
They walked in silence for several more steps.
Then—
From deeper within the forest, a faint demonic aura flickered.
Weak.
But restless.
Uchiha Lie's eyes shifted slightly.
Kikyo sensed it too.
Her spiritual energy tightened instinctively.
The Sacred Jewel fragments were already stirring demons into movement.
The quiet path ahead would not remain quiet for long.
Behind them, the village lanterns faded completely.
Kikyo had truly left the village.
Ahead lay demons, fragments, and unresolved fate.
She walked forward.
Not toward peace.
Not yet.
But toward something that had begun to shift inside her.
The night wind moved through the trees.
And far away, in shadows deeper still—
Naraku's influence stirred.
The game was unfolding once more.
_______________________________
100+ extra chapters available in patron🔥🔥🔥🔥
pateron.com Canonbreaker007
________________________________