"No need to be so tense. This won't take long."
Seeing Kikyo fully armed—even with a katana at her waist—Retsu said helplessly.
"It's better to be safe than sorry. No accidents is the best outcome," Kikyo replied seriously, gripping her bow tightly. The worry in her eyes was impossible to hide.
"…Alright."
Retsu understood she was only concerned for him, so he didn't argue further.
The sooner he finished, the sooner she could relax.
"I'm starting."
After giving her a quick warning, Retsu decisively removed his upper garment.
"Y-You… why are you taking off your clothes?" Kikyo's eyes widened instantly, her cheeks flushing red. Yet she didn't look away—her gaze remained fixed on him.
"To merge the chakra inside it," Retsu explained with a faint smile, noticing the redness at the tips of her ears.
"This thing looks like wood, but it's actually a product of Yin-Yang Release. At its core, it's energy. So merging it is pretty simple."
As he spoke, he completely removed his shirt, revealing a well-defined, powerful torso. His skin glowed faintly under the sunlight.
Kikyo suppressed her embarrassment after hearing the explanation. Blinking, she watched him closely, curious about what he would do next.
Retsu tightened his grip on the white horn.
No more hesitation.
Under Kikyo's shocked gaze—
Pshhk!
He drove the broken horn straight into the left side of his chest, right where his heart was.
It didn't go too deep, but the sudden act made Kikyo instinctively cover her mouth, swallowing the cry that almost escaped.
Her eyes locked onto him as he closed his eyes, fully focusing, gathering chakra within his body. The hand gripping her bow began to sweat.
The moment the horn pierced his chest—
The chakra within it began flowing into his body like a stream.
At first, Retsu remained tense, watching carefully for any violent reaction.
But soon—
He relaxed.
The chakra was unbelievably gentle.
His cells absorbed it eagerly, like parched land drinking rain, quickly integrating it into his body.
And those cells—
Seemed to be filling some long-missing gap, becoming increasingly active.
Retsu's eyes flickered.
He understood instantly.
He had gambled correctly.
Whether it was Indra's chakra or the traces of the Ten-Tails' power within it—
Both were tied to the origin of the Uchiha and the shinobi themselves. They were, fundamentally, part of the Uchiha bloodline.
Realizing this, his focus sharpened.
He began actively channeling his own chakra into the horn, accelerating the fusion.
The next moment—
A small but highly concentrated surge of chakra flooded into his body, rapidly permeating every cell.
At the same time—
Another dormant force within him awakened.
That was the power of Asura, residing in Hashirama's cells.
Although the Ten-Tails' chakra within the horn was of a higher level—
Compared to the Asura power already fully integrated into his body, Indra's power was still too weak.
The Asura power stirred briefly—
Then settled back into silence.
But Retsu could clearly feel it.
A certain "balance" within him had been restored.
Stimulated by Indra's power—
A latent potential buried deep within his bloodline was awakening, growing stronger.
This was the innate power of the Uchiha as descendants of Indra.
Compared to the forcibly integrated Asura power—
Indra's power, though weaker, was perfectly aligned with his bloodline and his Mangekyō Sharingan.
He could already foresee it—
It wouldn't take long before Indra's power fully awakened.
And when that happened—
It would merge with Asura's power.
Giving birth to true Six Paths power.
From Kikyo's perspective—
The white horn embedded in Retsu's chest was slowly dissolving, like ice melting into water, gradually merging into his body.
When the fusion was complete—
Retsu suddenly opened his eyes.
A flash of Sharingan flickered within them before fading.
"Retsu! How are you? Are you alright?" Kikyo immediately stepped forward, reaching toward his chest—but hesitating, afraid of interfering.
"I'm fine," Retsu smiled, meeting her worried gaze.
"Actually… I feel great."
He looked down at his chest.
The horn had completely disappeared.
Not even a wound remained—only a faint pale mark.
Feeling the subtle transformation of chakra within his body, he couldn't stop smiling.
If not for Kikyo being present—
He might have already burst into a classic Uchiha maniacal laugh.
"Are you sure there's no danger?" Kikyo still examined him carefully, unable to fully relax after seeing the horn merge into his body.
"Don't worry. It should be safe," Retsu said as he put his shirt back on and stretched slightly.
His crimson Mangekyō Sharingan briefly appeared—then vanished again.
"I don't feel anything wrong at all."
Kikyo stepped closer and inspected him thoroughly.
Only after confirming his aura was stable and his body showed no abnormalities did she finally relax.
"I'm going to clear out the demons nearby," she said, removing the barrier around the shrine and slinging her bow over her back. "You should rest here for a while."
"I'll go with you."
Retsu immediately followed her.
Recently, with Naraku gone, many lesser demons had begun to emerge without restraint, keeping Kikyo busy. If not for worrying about him, she would have already left earlier.
"You really don't need to rest?" Kikyo asked.
"I don't need rest," Retsu shook his head with a smile.
"In fact, finding someone to fight is the best kind of rest."
High-intensity combat would only speed up the fusion of Indra's power within him.
Kikyo nodded.
"Then let's go."
The two walked side by side out of the shrine, their figures quickly disappearing down the mountain path.
In a small village at the northeastern border of Musashi Province—
The very place where Retsu had first descended into this world in his Edo Tensei body—
Yuriko tightly held her young daughter, Kiku, along with the other villagers gathered in the center.
Her hands clutched a wooden talisman as she stared at the monk performing a ritual nearby.
"They're here!" the monk suddenly shouted, unable to hide the tension in his voice.
Yuriko's body trembled.
She instinctively held her daughter tighter, burying her face in the child's hair as she looked toward the village entrance in fear.
The clear sky suddenly darkened.
A surge of malevolent energy swept through—
And in the next instant—
A swarm of grotesque demons flooded in from outside the village like a tide.
Yuriko trembled violently. Just as she was about to crush the talisman—
A visible barrier suddenly appeared, enveloping the entire village.
BANG!
The first wave of demons slammed into the barrier—
Only to be violently repelled, screams echoing as they were thrown back.
Seeing this, the villagers let out sighs of relief.
Some even broke into tears.
But that relief didn't last long.
The demons surged again—
Countless of them crashing into the barrier.
The entire barrier shook violently. Its light flickered, ripples spreading across its surface—visible even to ordinary villagers.
Panic returned.
The villagers stared in terror at the howling demons outside.
Meanwhile—
The monk maintaining the barrier was already drenched in sweat.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
And the determination in his eyes…
Was slowly being replaced by despair.
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