At this moment, Uchiha Retsu and the monk he had awakened earlier were sitting inside a house in the village that hadn't been too badly damaged.
"So what you're saying is… you tracked a terrifying aura of evil, and that's how you predicted these demons would attack the village?"
Retsu looked at the monk, who had just regained his composure. His brows lifted slightly as he asked with a probing tone.
"That is correct."
The monk sat across from him, a trace of lingering fear flashing in his eyes as he recalled what had happened.
"Not long ago, I sensed an unprecedentedly powerful evil aura rushing from afar, passing directly over this region."
"That aura was so overwhelming that it attracted countless nearby demons. That's why villages in the area have been under attack recently."
"Which direction did that aura go?"
Retsu's eyes sharpened instantly. The moment he heard this, he connected it to Naraku's disappearance.
The monk didn't hesitate. He raised his hand and pointed precisely toward the northeast.
"It went in that direction. But as for where exactly… I don't know."
"At the time, the demons drawn by that aura began attacking villages in a frenzy. I had no choice but to stop tracking it and protect the villagers."
"I see. Get some rest."
Having obtained the key information, Retsu didn't press further. He stood and walked toward the door.
"My lord!"
Just as he was about to step out, the monk suddenly called out, his voice carrying hesitation—and awe.
"Are you… truly a god?"
Retsu paused for a brief moment.
"…No. That's just the villagers' imagination."
His tone was calm, slightly helpless, before he continued walking out.
Somehow, word had spread among the surviving villagers that he was the incarnation of a mountain deity—
Descending in human form to save the village from demons.
Retsu found it absurd.
But also understandable.
In this world, where mountain gods and river gods truly existed—
His ability to summon a forest and annihilate demons would naturally be mistaken for divine power.
He didn't bother correcting them.
He was leaving soon anyway.
Kikyo was still waiting for him.
Still—
Being summoned by Yuriko this time had unexpectedly helped him.
He had already suspected that Naraku might be hiding in Mount Hakurei, rebuilding his body just like in the original story—
But he didn't know its exact location.
The story only mentioned that Naraku moved in the direction of the northeast.
But now—
Thanks to that wooden talisman he had given Yuriko—
He had a clear lead.
Retsu soon found Yuriko, who was repairing a house alongside her husband.
He casually tossed her a new wooden talisman.
"I got useful information from you this time. Consider this a reward. It works the same as before."
He had made quite a few of these talismans—mostly for Kikyo.
She always carried one.
Not only did it contain a summoning technique, but it also bore a Flying Thunder God mark.
However, these talismans were troublesome to make, so Kikyo rarely used them.
When she needed him, she usually relied on the wooden kunai he had given her instead.
That one only carried the Flying Thunder God mark, allowing him to teleport directly.
These summoning talismans, on the other hand—
Were meant for places the Flying Thunder God couldn't reach.
Such as the boundary between the underworld and the mortal realm.
In those cases—
Summoning was the only option.
Yuriko's husband glanced at the talisman, a flicker of envy in his eyes—but he didn't dare show any greed.
He bowed deeply.
"Thank you, my lord, for saving us!"
"It's nothing." Retsu waved it off.
Truthfully—
When he had been summoned earlier, he hadn't even noticed Yuriko's husband.
He had assumed the man had died in the attack.
Only later did he learn—
The men of the village had been fighting at the outskirts with whatever weapons they could find, protecting the women and children gathered at the center.
Yuriko's husband had been lucky.
Though injured, he had survived.
Yuriko clutched the talisman tightly, her face filled with emotion.
Without the one Retsu had given her—
The entire village would have been slaughtered.
She had thought she would never receive another.
She bowed deeply.
"Thank you, my lord! Being able to help you is our honor!"
Retsu glanced around but didn't see Kiku.
She was probably off playing with the other children.
Though he couldn't say goodbye to the cheerful little girl—
He still spoke to Yuriko.
"The matter here is settled. I'll be leaving."
"You're leaving already? We haven't even had the chance to properly thank you…" Yuriko said anxiously.
"No need. You still have a village to rebuild. I won't disturb you."
Before she could say more—
The summoning was released.
Retsu's figure vanished instantly.
"You're back. What happened?"
The moment Retsu returned, Kikyo's voice reached him.
He turned—
And saw her crouched by a campfire, carefully turning skewered fish over the flames.
The soft glow of the fire and drifting smoke gave her profile a gentle warmth.
When she looked up at him, curiosity shone in her eyes.
They were currently by a small riverside clearing.
On the wooden table Retsu had created earlier with Wood Release, various foods were already prepared.
Clearly, while he had been summoned away—
Kikyo had finished preparing everything.
Earlier, after clearing nearby demons, they had nothing to do—
So Retsu suggested a picnic.
But just as everything was ready—
He had been summoned away by Yuriko.
"The village where I first arrived in this world," Retsu explained briefly, grabbing a grilled fish from the table and taking a bite without hesitation.
"I left behind something that could summon me. The village was attacked by demons, so they called me over."
"That village… the one you were in when you first revived?" Kikyo placed another cooked fish onto a plate, glancing at him in surprise.
"Yeah. A group of demons attacked it. Quite a lot of them."
Kikyo paused mid-bite, chewing something dried between her teeth.
"A large number of demons?"
Her expression turned serious instantly.
Years of demon-slaying experience told her something was off.
"Was there something special about the village? Or… was there a shard of the Shikon Jewel nearby?"
Retsu watched her eating with interest.
His gaze fell on the dried food she was chewing.
He recognized it—it was something she had brought back from the mountains and dried herself.
Curious, he picked one up and tried it.
A unique texture spread across his tongue.
As he chewed, he said:
"According to the monk in the village, a terrifying evil aura passed through the area recently."
"All those demons were drawn by it."
"…A terrifying evil aura?"
Kikyo froze.
The food in her mouth forgotten, she immediately looked at him, her voice turning grave.
"…Naraku?"
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