"Alright, the matter is settled. I should be going."
Watching Inuyasha lower his head in thought, his expression complicated, Retsu turned to leave.
"Oh, right, let me give you a piece of information about Naraku." He deactivated Sage Mode, paused, and turned to look at Kagome and the others.
"That guy called Naraku is a Half-demon, just like Inuyasha."
"A Half-demon?!" Kagome and Miroku simultaneously widened their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.
Retsu nodded, and combining the perception he had under Sage Mode with the plot details he remembered, he added:
"However, he's not entirely the same. Although he carries a human aura, he is more like a mixture of various demons and evil energy.
Most likely, he is a monster formed when a human who coveted Demonic Power was devoured and merged with countless lesser demons, catalyzed by evil energy."
"Heh, only trash patched together from such scraps would covet the power of the shikon jewel so much."
After giving one last sneer, he said no more, turned, and disappeared into the depths of the dense forest as an afterimage.
"That's so amazing!" Shippō said, looking in the direction he left, his eyes full of admiration.
"Hmph, that arrogant jerk!" Inuyasha snorted unhappily. "Isn't he collecting shards of the shikon jewel himself? What's there to be so proud of!"
"Inuyasha, it seems the shards Retsu collected have always been kept in the bag behind him and never used." Kagome frowned. "And I always feel like he's using the aura of the shikon jewel to attract something..."
"Kagome, how do you know that?" Inuyasha asked, puzzled.
"Because he must have done something to the shards of the shikon jewel."
Kagome closed her eyes, sensed carefully for a moment, then opened them and said,
"I can clearly feel the shikon jewel aura on him, specifically eight shards of the shikon jewel."
"Haven't you always been able to sense the shikon jewel's aura?" Inuyasha asked, confused.
"No, it's much clearer than usual, it's like..." Kagome frowned, then her eyes lit up when she saw Inuyasha and she said,
"It's the difference between when you eat instant noodles: the smell is faint when the lid is on, but the fragrance instantly spreads when you open it!"
"Oh, I get it!" Inuyasha instantly understood her meaning and realized,
"He must be deliberately using the shikon jewel's aura to attract demons who want to obtain it!"
"But why can't I sense it? Inuyasha, can you?" Shippō suddenly interjected.
"I... of course I can!" Inuyasha froze for a moment, then quickly replied guiltily.
"Inuyasha, you're lying!" Shippō exposed him mercilessly.
"...Shippō!" Inuyasha instantly shot a dangerous look, scaring Shippō into immediately hiding behind Kagome.
"Based on what Retsu said earlier about the shikon jewel, this magnified aura might only be perceived by demons with evil intentions in their hearts." Miroku stroked his chin, guessing thoughtfully.
Retsu, who hadn't gone far yet, heard the discussion behind him and a corner of his mouth curled up.
Kagome's feeling was correct. He had indeed tampered with the bamboo tube holding the shards of the shikon jewel using Sealing Technique, creating a Sealing Formula that magnified the shards' aura.
He initially did this to lure demons with evil intentions to come to him willingly. Since creating this item, his efficiency in acquiring life force has been extremely high.
Now he had already collected enough life force to resurrect twice.
Continuing to use the shikon jewel to attract demons was purely out of boredom; he just wanted to kill some demons for practice.
If he didn't want to be disturbed, he only needed to use a Sealing Technique to completely shield the shards' aura, and naturally, no demons would come looking for him. It was simple and convenient.
After leaving Inuyasha and the others, Retsu pondered briefly, deciding to first find a quiet place to rest for a while before going to look for Kikyo.
He had already met the core characters like Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Shippō. He definitely had to meet Kikyo, who had already been resurrected.
According to the plot in his memory, Sesshomaru received the arm gifted by Naraku right after Kikyo's resurrection, and Miroku only joined Inuyasha's team after that.
In other words, Kikyo should be resurrected by now, but he didn't know her exact location yet.
"It doesn't matter. If all else fails, I'll just use Sage Mode for large-scale sensing."
Retsu shrugged. He couldn't recall any more clues, only remembering that Kikyo's first official appearance after her resurrection was near a certain village.
"In any case, Inuyasha and their group don't have a large range of activity, and they often return to Kaedes Village to rest. I'll find her eventually if I search slowly."
Just as he was pondering his next steps, his footsteps suddenly halted, and the scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan abruptly manifested in his eyes, displaying a terrifying red glow in the dim forest, locking onto the spot behind a large tree ahead.
"Was I discovered?" A deep voice came, and immediately, a figure draped in a baboon pelt slowly walked out from behind the tree.
The low-hanging baboon pelt completely encased the figure inside, obscuring the face, allowing only a faint, indistinct evil aura to be felt.
"Hello, I am..." The "Naraku" beneath the baboon pelt was about to say something when his voice abruptly cut off.
Retsu's figure had already vanished from his original spot in an instant, appearing behind that figure the very next second.
He turned his back to the baboon pelt puppet, the Chakra gathered in his hand silently dissipated, and he continued walking forward, as if nothing had happened just now.
"Hiding trash."
The moment the cold words fell, the motionless baboon pelt suddenly split into two halves down the middle,
falling to the ground with a "whoosh." It was empty inside, merely a puppet controlled by Demonic Power, not even qualifying as a clone.
Retsu had never intended to waste words on the opponent from beginning to end.
Whether before he transmigrated or on the battlefields of the Naruto World, he was not someone skilled in schemes and tricks.
The best way to deal with a manipulative schemer like Naraku, who likes to play petty tricks and operate in the shadows, is to strike directly,
giving the opponent no chance to mislead or set traps, and dragging the fight into his most proficient domain of frontal overwhelming power. That way, he would never lose.
After disposing of Naraku's puppet, Retsu found a thick, giant tree in the forest and leaped onto a high branch.
He quickly formed hand signs and shouted softly, "Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique!"
Four thick wooden pillars instantly grew out of the branch, rapidly intertwining and connecting, building a small, exquisite wooden house in the blink of an eye.
Retsu pushed the door open and entered, sitting in the center of the wooden house and re-entering the training state of Sage Mode.
For his Edo Tensei body, sleep was dispensable. Since the night would soon pass, he didn't bother with it.