The reason Retsu handed the shard of the shikon jewel over to Kikyo so easily was simple: the item was no longer of any use to him.
He had already collected enough life force. Whenever he encountered demons attacking him lately, he simply killed them without bothering to absorb their life force anymore.
However, he didn't want to give it to Kagome either, as Naraku would definitely seize it from her later.
Giving it to Kikyo, a priestess who could also purify the shikon jewel, seemed like a decent alternative.
Retsu then formed a hand seal with one hand. With a soft "poof," white smoke exploded around him. As the smoke dissipated, Retsu appeared before Kikyo dressed as a samurai.
"How's this? This shouldn't scare the villagers, right?" He asked Kikyo, resting his hand on the samurai sword at his waist.
[Remember this site's domain name. To find good Taiwanese books, go to the Taiwan Novel Network, TC is super convenient.]
He had picked up this sword from a bandit leader. Although it wasn't as ornate as the one that had broken previously, it was serviceable enough.
Kikyo glanced indifferently at him in his Transformation Jutsu, her tone remaining cold. "Suit yourself." With that, she turned and continued walking toward the Village.
"By the way, my name is Retsu. You can call me Retsu. I am a Ninja." Retsu caught up quickly and introduced himself, following her into the Village with total confidence.
"A Ninja?" Hearing this, Kikyo paused slightly and looked at him with curiosity.
There were Ninjas in Inuyasha's world, but most were similar to samurai, possessing no supernatural powers. They were skilled with smoke bombs and hidden weapons, but nothing particularly special.
"Yes, a Ninja of the Uchiha Clan from Konoha Village." A strange smile appeared on Retsu's face, yet his tone was exceptionally solemn.
"I see." Although Kikyo didn't understand why he spoke so seriously, she nodded out of politeness and continued toward the Village without further questions.
Retsu said no more and followed quietly behind her.
He knew why Kikyo didn't object to him following: she had only recently been resurrected, and the majority of her soul was still inside Kagome.
What currently sustained this clay body was nothing more than the lingering resentment and hatred from her past life. Her power was so weak that even maintaining her physical movement was a struggle.
During this time, she had been relying on Soul Reapers to collect the dead souls of deceased young women to restore her strength.
She couldn't defeat Retsu, so she could only let him stay by her side.
"Miss Kikyo! Thank you so much for treating my illness earlier!"
As soon as they entered the Village, passing villagers stopped in their tracks, warmly bowing and greeting Kikyo with eyes full of gratitude and respect.
"Miss Kikyo! Miss Kikyo!"
Before long, a cute little girl in a kimono came stumbling over, lifting her skirts and shouting Kikyo's name loudly.
"Miss Kikyo, look, look! Is this a medicinal herb?" The little girl ran up to Kikyo, holding up several green plants with sparkling eyes.
"You actually found some ground cherries. How impressive."
Looking at the plants in the girl's hand, Kikyo's face broke into a gentle smile that was completely different from her previous coldness. Her voice softened significantly. "This can reduce swelling and relieve pain; it's a very useful medicinal herb."
"Miss Kikyo, what about mine?"
"And mine! What is this?"
Hearing the commotion, several more children ran over excitedly, surrounding Kikyo and chirping away with questions.
"Let me see... this is plantain."
Kikyo patiently took the plants from the children's hands and answered their questions. Her eyes were no longer cold, but filled with tenderness.
Retsu held his samurai sword in his arms and stood under the shade of a tree a few meters away, quietly watching the scene.
Who would have thought that this priestess—who was decisive in killing demons and was currently resurrected through resentment—would show such a soft side when facing children?
The children surrounding Kikyo soon noticed Retsu nearby. Some shyly hid behind Kikyo, peeking their little heads out to curiously observe him. Seeing no malice, they turned back to show off the "treasures" they had found to Kikyo.
From beginning to end, Kikyo had no intention of introducing Retsu, as if he were merely an insignificant piece of background scenery.
Retsu didn't mind either. He found a clean rock, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began practicing Senjutsu.
He never planned on having much contact with the villagers anyway. After all, he knew Kikyo wouldn't be staying in this Village for long.
After a while, Kikyo arranged for the children to gather some common medicinal herbs, and they scattered, laughing and playing.
"You're quite popular with children." Retsu suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
"Children are pure; they don't have so much evil and betrayal." Kikyo gazed at the departing figures of the children, her tone calm but carrying a trace of imperceptible melancholy.
"But how long do you think you can stay here?" Retsu pressed.
"I don't know..." Kikyo fell silent for a moment before speaking softly.
"If they knew you were a restless spirit forcibly kept in the human world by resentment, they would likely drive you out of the Village immediately." Retsu ruthlessly pierced her illusion.
"...I just want to live quietly." Kikyo didn't argue, speaking only with a faint sadness in her tone.
Retsu glanced at her, thinking to himself: As expected of Kikyo. Even though her soul is incomplete and entirely supported by resentment, she can still maintain this peaceful state of mind.
As long as she isn't provoked by special circumstances, she is almost never affected by her own resentment and evil energy.
But he could clearly perceive that the current Kikyo was essentially an incarnation of resentment and hatred. The evil energy she emitted was hardly different from that of a monster.
She wasn't the real Kikyo yet, just a shell eroded by resentment.
With the slightest provocation, or if she encountered Inuyasha—the cause of her death with hatred—she would go completely mad, turning into a monster controlled by resentment and revealing her wicked side.
Just like in the original story, she once killed a monk who tried to exorcise her without hesitation, and later when she saw Inuyasha, she wanted to pull him down to hell with her.
However, as her spiritual power gradually recovered, this resentment would eventually be purified by her own pure spiritual power, and she would slowly return to the gentle and powerful priestess of her past life.
Over the next few days, Retsu remained by Kikyo's side, staying in this peaceful little Village.
Every day, Kikyo treated the villagers' illnesses, gathered medicinal herbs, and purified demons that occasionally wandered into the Village, living like a priestess truly guarding a settlement.
Although the villagers were curious about the identity of this strange samurai, Retsu, no one came forward to ask or drive him away out of respect for Kikyo's prestige.
This afternoon, Kikyo took a few children from the Village to the riverside to gather medicinal herbs.
Retsu sat under a large tree nearby, closing his eyes to sense the surrounding Natural Energy while quietly waiting for the plot to advance. He knew the time for Kikyo to leave this place was approaching.
Suddenly, Retsu snapped his eyes open and turned toward the dense forest behind him. Two figures were quietly approaching, hiding behind a tree and peeking at the activity here.
A playful smile curled at the corner of his mouth: It seemed that tonight, Kikyo would leave this Village and soon meet Inuyasha and Kagome.
Sure enough, after those two had observed from behind the tree for a short while, Kikyo's voice rang out calmly: "Master, you seem to have been watching this way for a while."
Hearing this, Master Harumi, who was hiding behind the tree, knew he had been discovered. He simply stepped out from behind the tree with an awkward smile on his face:
"Oh dear, I was discovered after all. It's just that your beauty is so moving that I was momentarily entranced."
"You flatter me." Kikyo replied with a faint smile, her tone remaining gentle.
"It seems my cultivation is still insufficient; I've made a fool of myself." Master Harumi said while slowly walking toward Kikyo.
Suddenly, he stumbled, and a scroll slipped from his robe, rolling across the grass several times before stopping right between him and Kikyo.
"Could you please pick that up for me?"
Master Harumi looked at Kikyo, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp and his tone taking on a testing edge.
"That is a demon-warding scripture. It is said that if any demon touches it, they will immediately reveal their true form."
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