Time passed quietly.
After returning from the modern era, Kagetsu and Kikyo settled back into the shrine, resuming their peaceful, secluded life.
The only real change was that Kikyo now had a constant companion,Yuzuki, who had formally become her disciple and begun her training as a shrine maiden.
Leaning against one of the corridor pillars before the main hall, Kagetsu let his gaze drift toward the courtyard. Beneath the large tree, a swing swayed gently in the breeze.
At a wooden table nearby, Kikyo sat with a brush in hand, patiently teaching Yuzuki how to read. Sunlight filtered through the leaves above, scattering dappled shadows across them and softening the entire scene.
After watching for a moment, Kagetsu straightened and turned, heading down the shrine steps.
A shrine maiden's training wasn't limited to spiritual power and combat. Cultural education was just as important. Alongside practicing archery, barriers, and demon purification, Yuzuki also had to learn reading and writing to build a proper foundation.
"Kagetsu, are you going out?" Kikyo asked, looking up as she noticed his movement.
"I'm heading down to see Enju," he replied, pausing to glance back with a small smile. "There's something I want to ask her. I won't be long."
Kikyo watched him leave, a hint of curiosity in her eyes,but she didn't press further. Instead, she gently patted Yuzuki's head and returned to her lesson.
It didn't take long for Kagetsu to reach the village at the foot of the mountain.
In a quiet corner, he found Enju tending to a kiln, carefully firing pottery.
Not long after arriving at the shrine, she had grown accustomed to the area and moved down into the village. With Kagetsu's help, she had built a kiln and resumed her craft, living a simple, peaceful life. Occasionally, when her chakra ran dry, she would return to the shrine to replenish it with his help.
"Lord? What brings you here?" Enju set aside her work, rising with a surprised expression. "Do you need something?"
"Nothing urgent," Kagetsu said with a gentle smile. "I just wanted to ask,if Midoriko's clay body were damaged, could it be repaired?"
"Damaged?" Enju frowned slightly. "How badly? If it's completely shattered, that would be difficult. But if it's just cracked or partially damaged, it can definitely be fixed."
Kagetsu considered for a moment. "If there were, say, a hole about the size of a finger… could that be restored?"
Though puzzled by the question, Enju nodded seriously. "That would be easy to repair. As long as the body isn't completely destroyed and the soul inside hasn't dissipated, there's no issue."
She raised her clay-stained hand. "Bodies like ours aren't the same as living flesh. Damage happens. My palm was crushed not long ago,but I've already fixed it."
"Good," Kagetsu said with a nod. "That's all I needed to know."
He recalled how, in the original events, Kikyo had once repaired her own body with grave soil after being pierced,though lingering miasma had caused further deterioration later on.
With his doubts settled, Kagetsu bid Enju farewell and returned to the shrine.
Back in the courtyard, he chose an open space.
His crimson eyes shifted,the familiar pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan emerging.
"Kamui."
A spiraling distortion tore open the air before him, and from within, Midoriko's clay body slowly emerged from the Kamui dimension, descending gently onto the ground.
"Kagetsu, why are you taking out Midoriko's body?" Kikyo asked, walking over with quiet curiosity. "What are you planning?"
Kagetsu glanced at the lifeless figure in shrine maiden robes, then turned toward Kikyo. A faint, mischievous smile flickered in his eyes.
"Midoriko's soul is still trapped inside the Shikon Jewel. Until it's complete, there's no way to retrieve it," he said lightly. "Leaving this body unused would be a waste… so I thought I might borrow it for a while."
"Borrow it?" Kikyo repeated, narrowing her eyes. The phrasing sounded… suspicious.
Kagetsu nodded solemnly,and promptly reached toward the ribbons at the front of the robe.
A sharp pinch struck his waist.
"Hiss,!"
He stiffened, sucking in a breath as he turned to find Kikyo glaring at him, her fingers mercilessly twisting the flesh at his side.
"I was joking!" he said quickly.
Judging by her expression, if he didn't clarify immediately, she might very well purify him on the spot with an arrow.
"Hmph." Kikyo released him at last, though her gaze remained sharp, clearly demanding a proper explanation.
Kagetsu caught her hand before she could move again and gently pulled her into his arms.
"I do need to use the body,but not like that," he said, his tone softening.
Feeling her relax against him, he continued, "My eyes have recently evolved. I've awakened new abilities… and I want to test them using Midoriko's body."
His gaze shifted back to the figure on the ground, now serious.
"As a powerful shrine maiden, Midoriko's body is an ideal vessel. It can serve as one of the Six Paths puppets."
Kikyo blinked, looking up at him. "Six Paths… puppet?"
Kagetsu didn't elaborate further. Instead, he released her and walked over, kneeling beside the clay body.
Carefully, he turned it over and pulled aside the back of the robes, revealing smooth, unblemished porcelain-like skin.
Kikyo watched silently. Now that she understood his intent, she made no move to stop him.
"Time to test the power of these eyes," Kagetsu murmured.
He took a steady breath, channeling the new power within him.
"Rinnegan."
In an instant, the Mangekyō pattern faded.
In its place, his eyes transformed,pale violet irises spreading outward in concentric ripples, filling his gaze with an overwhelming sense of depth and authority.
A power both ancient and unfathomable radiated from them.