"Ugh… it hurts!"
Below, Inuyasha slowly regained consciousness. As his vision cleared, he caught the last fading trace of Naraku's Corruption dissolving into nothingness.
He tried to lift his head, only to realize he was still pinned firmly to the ground by the Iron Chicken. It wasn't until it lifted its foot and stepped away that he managed to stagger back onto his feet.
Pain surged through his entire body, as if it were tearing apart from within—proof of how much damage he had suffered while under Naraku's control.
"Hmph. To have your body controlled by something like that… a half-Yokai is still a half-Yokai. Pathetic."
Sesshomaru cast him a cold, disdainful glance before turning to leave.
"Sesshomaru, you bastard—!"
Inuyasha's temper flared instantly, but before he could snap back—
"Kagome… you're awake?!"
Sango's surprised voice cut through the tension.
"Kagome!"
Inuyasha immediately forgot about Sesshomaru and rushed to her side without hesitation.
"Lord Sesshomaru!"
Rin and Jaken quickly followed after Sesshomaru.
"Stop. Don't come any closer."
Sesshomaru halted abruptly, his voice sharp with warning.
Rin and Jaken froze at once.
"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin replied brightly, then obediently stepped back.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha had just reached Kagome, but his expression suddenly changed.
He drew Tessaiga in an instant and stepped in front of her, scanning the surroundings with sharp vigilance.
"What is it, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, gripping his staff. Sango and Kohaku tensed beside him.
"…Naraku."
Inuyasha's voice dropped.
"I can smell him. He's nearby."
Koga, still weakened, sniffed the air and frowned deeply.
"…Yeah. That bastard's scent is everywhere."
A faint cracking sound echoed from the distance.
"Bakusaiga."
Without hesitation, Sesshomaru drew his sword.
A flash of emerald-green demonic energy tore through the air, carving a deep trench into the ground and sending debris flying in all directions.
"What just happened?" Sango stared at the massive scar left behind, confusion in her eyes.
"The Shikon Jewel shards…!" Kagome suddenly exclaimed.
"They're moving—fast!"
Inuyasha's expression darkened.
"The shards Naraku's Corruption stole from Koga… they must've dropped when it died. Naraku took them."
He clenched Tessaiga tightly, scanning the battlefield.
"And now his scent is everywhere…"
A sudden tearing sound split the air.
From beneath where the Iron Chicken had stood, a grotesque tentacle burst out of the ground, lunging straight toward Kanna's previous position.
"Hmph. Still trying to kill Kanna even now?"
Abihime snorted coldly, forming hand seals in an instant.
At the same time, the Iron Chicken twisted its massive body, deliberately intercepting the attack. The tentacle pierced through it, but in that same moment it tilted its head back and swallowed Kanna whole.
With a heavy sound, the Iron Chicken dissolved into white smoke as the summoning was released.
With its disappearance, the tentacle lost its target and was fully exposed.
"Summoning Technique!"
A new summoning array spread beneath Abihime's feet.
White smoke burst outward, and a figure emerged.
Shishinki.
The mask that once covered half his face was gone. The damage to his body had been completely repaired.
His eyes were pale purple.
Rinnegan.
Just like Abihime.
It was clear he had been turned into a Six Paths puppet by Uchiha Kasage, specifically of the Asura Path.
"Meido Zangetsuha!"
Without hesitation, Shishinki raised his staff.
A pitch-black Meido, about three meters wide, formed instantly and swallowed Naraku's tentacle whole, erasing it completely.
"Shishinki?!" everyone exclaimed in shock.
"No," Miroku said sharply, eyes narrowing.
"Look at his eyes. He's been turned into a puppet, just like Abihime."
"They're the same… pale purple," Shippo added nervously.
"But… wasn't he already pulled into the Meido before?" Kagome asked, confused.
"How did he become Kasage's puppet?"
"This isn't the time to figure that out," Inuyasha said firmly, his gaze sweeping the sky.
"If Naraku has the shards, then that means—"
"Hahaha! Exactly, Inuyasha!"
A loud, arrogant laugh echoed from above.
Naraku appeared in midair, holding the final shards of the Shikon Jewel in his hand.
"Now… I possess the complete Shikon Jewel."
"Trash."
Sesshomaru's killing intent surged as he gripped Bakusaiga, his eyes locked onto Naraku.
"Na—ra—ku!"
Inuyasha raised Tessaiga, demonic energy roaring along its blade.
"This is bad…" Totosai muttered, hiding behind Inuyasha.
"I only came to see Bakusaiga… I didn't expect to run into someone like Naraku…"
"Totosai… why are you hiding?" Inuyasha shot back.
"Idiot! I'm just a swordsmith! Of course I'll hide from a monster like him!" Totosai retorted without shame.
"Alright, Inuyasha," Kagome said gently, trying to ease the tension.
"He's not a fighter. Let him stay back."
"Tch… fine. Just don't die back there."
Inuyasha muttered, turning his full attention back to Naraku.
"Inuyasha… watch closely."
Naraku slowly opened his palm.
"I will complete the Shikon Jewel before your eyes. Everything you fought for… will amount to nothing."
A dark, corrupted Shikon Jewel floated above his hand, engulfed in thick, sinister energy.
The final shards drifted toward it.
The jewel was about to be restored.
"He really couldn't wait to show himself," Abihime muttered quietly.
At that very moment, Sesshomaru moved.
"Die!"
He shot forward, Bakusaiga unleashing a brilliant arc of emerald energy.
Naraku smiled coldly.
A massive wave of foul miasma erupted from his body. Countless twisted Yokai forms poured out like a flood, crashing against the attack.
Though Bakusaiga obliterated them instantly, they still blocked the fatal strike.
"Hmph. Let's see how many bodies you can throw away," Sesshomaru said coldly, attacking again.
"These fragments mean nothing to me," Naraku replied calmly.
"They are parts I can discard endlessly."
His body seemed bottomless, an unending stream of Yokai emerging to defend him.
"Meido Zangetsuha!"
From below, Inuyasha swung his blade.
A massive black sphere, over ten meters wide, expanded violently, devouring more than half the surrounding bodies.
For a brief moment, the battlefield cleared.
But in the next instant, more bodies surged out, filling the void as if they would never end.
Naraku stood at the center of it all, completely untouched.