"He's dying—not trying to scam you."
Kikyo glanced at Uchiha Retsu stepping back instinctively, a hint of helplessness in her tone.
She stepped forward, her gaze falling on the collapsed bandit, then looked back at Retsu, who was still on guard.
"Your reaction… was a bit excessive, wasn't it?"
"…It's nothing."
Retsu withdrew his hand from his sword hilt, looking slightly awkward. "Just a reflex. When someone suddenly drops, I instinctively avoid it."
"…Strange."
Kikyo gave him a brief look but didn't press further. She crouched down to examine the gray-haired bandit.
After just a glance, she shook her head.
"His body is already completely worn out. The only reason he's still alive… is because of the Shikon Jewel shard on him."
"What do you plan to do?" Retsu asked, looking down at the man. "Save him? He doesn't exactly look like a good person."
He already knew who this was.
Kansuke—the Oni Rascal.
In the original story, Kikyo had met him before.
A dying bandit carrying a shard of the Shikon Jewel.
In his youth, he had led a group of thieves—murder, arson, robbery… there was no crime he hadn't committed.
Fifty years ago, he had even conspired with Onigumo to steal the Shikon Jewel from Kikyo.
That very incident—
Had ultimately led to Naraku's birth.
"You're going to save him?" Retsu repeated quietly.
Kikyo didn't hesitate.
"First, I'll wake him. I want to know why he's carrying the shard."
She turned to him.
"Give me the medicine kit."
"Alright."
Retsu nodded and pulled out the kit Kikyo had prepared before leaving the shrine—from his Kamui space—and handed it over.
He didn't interfere.
Nor did he stop her.
Because he understood something—
This encounter wasn't a coincidence.
It was Naraku's design.
Kansuke had been deliberately led here.
The goal?
To make Kikyo go to Mount Hakurei.
Which meant—
This dying bandit knew its location.
That alone made him valuable.
And more than that—
Retsu also wanted Kikyo to hear the truth of what happened fifty years ago.
This man…
Was part of that past.
Kikyo quickly prepared the medicine using the herbs in the kit.
"Retsu, help me administer it."
"Got it."
Retsu took the medicine, forming a small stream of water using Water Release chakra.
The liquid-wrapped medicine flowed directly into Kansuke's mouth and nose.
"Cough…! Cough—!"
Moments later, Kansuke began coughing violently.
A faint flush returned to his pale face.
He slowly opened his cloudy eyes.
Seeing the two of them, he showed no surprise.
Instead, he struggled to lean against a tree, his voice hoarse.
"…Why did you save me?"
"I didn't," Kikyo said calmly. "I can't save you. I only made things easier for you."
"You're dying. The only reason you're still alive… is because the shard is forcing your body to keep going."
Kansuke froze.
His hand instinctively clutched his chest.
His eyes widened—then dimmed again.
Slowly, he reached into his clothes and pulled something out.
A fragment of the Shikon Jewel lay in his palm.
"…I'll be seventy next year," he said with a bitter smile. "I've lived too long already."
He stared at the shard.
"But… I can't die just yet. As long as I have this shard…"
"What do you intend to do with it?" Kikyo asked quietly.
"I'm looking… for a place to die."
He sighed, his gaze drifting into the distance.
"When I was young… I did every evil thing imaginable."
"The name 'Oni Rascal Kansuke'… everyone knew it."
"Murder. Robbery. Arson. I did whatever I wanted…"
He coughed harshly.
"…I always thought I'd die somewhere out in the wild."
"But somehow… I just kept living."
Kikyo said nothing.
For someone at death's door—
Judgment was meaningless.
Listening was enough.
Kansuke looked at her again.
"…Funny thing is… as I get older, I forget most things."
"But the past… becomes clearer."
"The first time I saw you… I thought you looked just like someone."
"Who?" Kikyo asked calmly.
"A long, long time ago… I met a shrine maiden. She looked exactly like you…"
He frowned, trying to remember.
"…Her name was… Kikyo? Yeah… I think it was Kikyo."
A flicker of surprise passed through Kikyo's eyes.
But she remained composed.
"I suppose we just look alike."
"Maybe," Kansuke chuckled weakly. "It's been fifty years. Even if she were alive… she'd be an old woman by now."
"Hah—yeah, an old woman…"
Retsu couldn't help laughing.
He turned to Kikyo, clearly amused.
Kikyo shot him a glare and pinched his side—
Only for him to catch her wrist in return.
She tried to pull away, failed, and glared again before refocusing on Kansuke.
"…Youth really is a good thing," Kansuke murmured.
He took a labored breath.
"I heard she died… and the Shikon Jewel was buried with her."
"Never thought it would reappear… and end up in my hands."
"You seem to know about the jewel," Kikyo said sharply.
"Did you want it fifty years ago too?"
Kansuke nodded slowly.
His voice grew heavier with memory.
"Back then… I worked with a man named… Onigumo…"
"…Onigumo?!"
Kikyo's eyes widened instantly.
She crouched down, bringing herself level with him—
Her gaze locking onto his, sharp and unyielding.
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