While Uchiha Kasage was still reflecting on Sesshomaru's situation, his brow suddenly furrowed, and his gaze snapped sharply toward a corner of the battlefield.
Several Mōryōmaru—wasp-like creatures—were clutching a fragment of the Shikon Jewel in their claws, attempting to slip away unnoticed.
It was a severed human arm with a shard of the Shikon Jewel embedded in it, torn off and cast aside when Sesshomaru had transformed into his giant dog form, overwhelmed by his violent yokai power.
Naraku was clearly trying to retrieve that shard.
"Thunder Release: Chidori Nagashi"
"You think something delivered right to your doorstep is yours to enjoy?" Kasage sneered.
With a sharp swing of his hand, a transparent blade sliced through the air, instantly cutting all the Mōryōmaru surrounding the shard clean in half.
The Shikon Jewel fragment hovered briefly in midair, producing a faint, crisp chime before falling to the ground.
"Ah! It's a shard of the Shikon Jewel!" Kagome spotted it immediately and rushed forward to pick it up.
To everyone's surprise, after retrieving the shard, she did not store it in her glass bottle right away. Instead, she hurried toward Kasage and held it out to him.
"Kasage, here!"
"Hey, Kagome—" Inuyasha started to say something but stopped himself.
He knew very well that if Kasage hadn't intervened tonight, none of them would have been able to withstand Sesshomaru. It was only natural that Kasage should have the shard.
Kasage waved his hand dismissively. His gaze drifted briefly toward the distant forest before he refused.
"You keep it. This was specially delivered by a 'kind person.' It's only fitting that you take it."
He was still in Sage Mode, and everything within several kilometers was within his perception. He could clearly sense a chaotic, mixed yokai aura not far away. Without thinking, he knew it had to be Naraku.
However, he had no intention of acting.
First, Naraku was like a rat in the sewers. His strength wasn't remarkable, but his ability to hide was exceptional. What was here was likely just a decoy—his true body wasn't present.
Second, Naraku was the perfect "chain" binding Inuyasha and the others together. If he killed him now, there would be no better enemy to drive their growth.
"A 'kind person'? Who?" Kagome asked curiously as she finally placed the shard into her bottle and sealed it.
"The yokai who gave that arm to Sesshomaru… is Naraku," Kasage replied casually.
"Naraku!" Miroku, who had already taken the antidote Kagome gave him and was visibly recovering, stiffened at the name. His expression immediately turned serious.
"Naraku?! Where is he?!" Inuyasha reacted instantly, rushing toward Kasage with killing intent blazing in his eyes.
"I sensed a chaotic yokai aura in that direction just now. That should be him."
Kasage pointed toward the depths of the forest. Seeing Inuyasha about to dash off, he reached out and stopped him.
"But he's already gone."
A look of disappointment crossed the group's faces.
"If you want to find him, it's actually very simple," Kasage continued.
"Kasage, you have a way?" Inuyasha's eyes lit up. Kagome and Miroku also looked at him expectantly.
"It's simple. Aren't you all collecting shards of the Shikon Jewel?" Kasage said calmly. "He took the shard Sesshomaru left behind. That means he's also searching for them."
Kagome immediately understood.
"As long as we keep gathering the shards, we'll eventually encounter Naraku… right? Miroku thinks the same, but—"
She glanced at Miroku, her voice filled with worry.
"But we're afraid it might take too long. The Wind Tunnel on Miroku's hand… it could consume him at any moment."
"Don't worry. It won't take long," Kasage said confidently.
"The Shikon Jewel has been shattered for too long. Not only can Naraku no longer wait—the jewel itself will push him to gather the shards quickly. It won't tolerate remaining broken forever."
"The Shikon Jewel… is influencing Naraku?" Kagome asked in shock.
"Yes. From what I can tell, his yokai power is already mixed with the energy of the jewel. While he craves its power, he doesn't realize he's already being controlled by it—he's become its puppet."
Kasage let out a cold laugh.
"What a foolish man."
"But… isn't the Shikon Jewel supposed to grant any wish?" Inuyasha protested. He had always believed it could free him from being a half-yokai.
"You actually believe that kind of nonsense?" Kasage looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Do you really think it can grant your wishes?"
"B-But the legend has said for hundreds of years that it can grant any wish!" Inuyasha argued stubbornly.
"Use your brain," Kasage replied flatly. "If it were truly that powerful, why has it been lost for centuries? There are countless powerful yokai and humans in this world. If it could grant any wish, it would've been fought over endlessly long ago."
He continued, his tone sharper:
"Would something like that really end up in the hands of a half-yokai like you, an inexperienced shrine maiden like Kagome, and a young monk like Miroku?"
He paused, then added:
"Take the Inu clan of the Western Lands—your father's domain. Even if your father is dead, Sesshomaru's mother is still alive. If the Shikon Jewel could truly grant any wish, why hasn't she used it to revive Inu no Taisho? Why would it be left to you?"
Inuyasha fell silent. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. Kasage's reasoning had struck directly at the flaw in the legend.
"That said, the idea that it grants wishes isn't entirely false," Kasage continued, his tone shifting slightly.
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked immediately.
"Inuyasha, what wish would you make using the Shikon Jewel?" Kasage asked instead of answering.
"I…" Inuyasha hesitated, then quietly said, "I want to become a full yokai."
"In that case, I can tell you—it can indeed 'grant' that wish."
Kasage's tone was calm, but carried a chilling edge.
"The jewel could merge with your body, forcibly stimulating your yokai blood and turning you into a full yokai."
"But the price… is that you would be completely controlled by evil energy. You'd lose all reason and become nothing more than a monster driven by slaughter."
"That's impossible!" Kagome's face turned pale as she instinctively grabbed Inuyasha's arm.
"But in a way… it does fulfill his wish," Miroku said grimly.
"Exactly," Kasage nodded. "The Shikon Jewel itself is an evil object. Otherwise, why would Kikyo have needed to purify and guard it? She even intended to take it with her to the grave."
"Now that Naraku is influenced by its power, he'll only grow more unstable."
"So you don't need to worry about finding him. It won't be long before he comes to you himself."
Inuyasha lowered his head, his expression dark—filled with conflict and reluctance.
Kasage continued:
"You don't have to find this unbelievable. Take your brother Sesshomaru as an example. Despite being a full yokai, he sought strength on his own. He tried repeatedly to take Tessaiga from you… yet he never relied on the Shikon Jewel."
Kasage's gaze sharpened.
"Inuyasha, the yokai blood in your body is a gift from your father. Your human blood is a treasure left to you by your mother."
"Your constant desire to become a full yokai… is, in truth, a rejection of your mother's existence."
Inuyasha's body trembled.
"Human blood… a gift from my mother…"
Kasage's words struck like thunder, echoing through his mind.
Instinctively, Inuyasha placed a hand over his chest. His beating heart carried his mother's human blood—along with her warmth and love.
For the first time, he realized that the identity he had always wanted to abandon… was, in fact, something precious left behind by his mother.