Uchiha Retsu swiftly formed hand seals. In an instant, five flames of chakra ignited on his fingertips, flickering with the characters for Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
The next moment, he slammed his palm into Tsubaki's abdomen and shouted in a low voice,
"Five Elements Seal!"
"Ugh!"
The tremendous force made Tsubaki grunt in pain. Her body arched backward as if all her strength had been drained away. The instant Retsu withdrew his hand, she collapsed weakly onto the ground.
"Cough… cough…"
Clutching her stomach, Tsubaki coughed until she nearly vomited. Frowning tightly, she looked up at Retsu and rolled her eyes, deliberately putting on a pitiful expression.
"You man… hitting me so hard the moment we meet. Can't you be a little gentler?"
"Shut up, old woman!"
Seeing her putting on an act, Kikyo frowned and stepped forward, blocking Retsu from her line of sight. Her voice was cold, and her words were clearly meant to remind him that this woman was far from young.
Tsubaki froze for a moment, her eyes widening. Ignoring her weakness from having her powers sealed, she struggled to her feet.
She stared at Kikyo, then deliberately shifted her gaze to where Retsu had been blocked, her tone filled with teasing surprise.
"Kikyo, is this your man now? I thought after being dumped by that half-demon Inuyasha, you'd find another half-demon. I didn't expect you to choose a human instead."
Despite Retsu's strange method of appearing, Tsubaki could clearly sense his human aura. He was neither demon nor half-demon.
Hearing her words, Retsu silently gave her a thumbs-up in his heart. He suddenly found this dark priestess much more likable. At least she really knew how to talk.
Kikyo, on the other hand, had her hidden thoughts exposed in front of everyone. A trace of embarrassment flashed in her eyes, and the tips of her ears quietly turned red.
Still, her expression remained calm, revealing nothing on the surface.
"Retsu, let's go home," Kikyo said quickly.
Afraid Tsubaki would say something even more outrageous, she reached out and grabbed Retsu's arm, her tone slightly hurried.
Retsu's lips curved into a faint smile.
Kikyo had hidden it well, but his Sharingan had already caught her subtle discomfort. She clearly just wanted to escape this awkward situation as soon as possible.
In front of everyone, he took her hand without hesitation. Ignoring the fleeting blush on her face, he waved calmly to Kagome and the others.
"We'll be leaving first. See you."
"Bye!" Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo responded at once.
"Kikyo!"
Seeing their tightly clasped hands, struggle and hesitation flashed across Inuyasha's face. But before he could say anything more, Retsu, Kikyo, and Tsubaki vanished from the spot in an instant.
"No matter how many times I see it, Retsu's way of leaving is amazing," Miroku sighed.
"Kikyo really seems to be with Retsu now!" Sango said excitedly, her face full of gossip.
"That's normal. They're always together, and they were revived at the same time. It makes sense they'd fall in love," Miroku analyzed seriously.
"Then what about Inuyasha? Didn't he always ditch Kagome to look for Kikyo before?" Shippo crossed his arms, speaking solemnly.
"Hmph, of course a two-timing guy wouldn't be happy," Sango said with disdain.
"Truly a man who can't let go," Miroku added gravely.
"You guys are so annoying!"
Inuyasha had been staring blankly at where Kikyo disappeared. Hearing their teasing and noticing Kagome quietly watching him, he snapped back to his senses and shouted.
"Inuyasha…"
Kagome's calm voice suddenly rang out.
"Huh? What is it?" He turned to her, confused.
"Sit!"
Boom!
Inuyasha slammed into the ground again, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Kagome! What was that for?!" he yelled from the ground in confusion.
"Sorry. I just wanted to see if the command still worked," Kagome replied flatly as she walked away. Her apology sounded completely insincere.
"Men…"
Sango, Miroku, and Shippo sighed in unison as they walked past Inuyasha.
At the shrine where Uchiha Retsu and Kikyo lived, three figures appeared out of thin air on the stone path before the main hall.
"Where is this place?"
Tsubaki stared at her unfamiliar surroundings in shock.
One moment she had been in the forest. The next, she was standing in front of what was clearly a small shrine. Her mind couldn't quite catch up.
Not far away, by the torii gate at the entrance, water dripped steadily from a wooden purification pavilion. Soft candlelight flickered inside the main hall behind them.
"Welcome to Kikyo Shrine," Retsu said with a smile.
This shrine had once been occupied by demons. After he and Kikyo drove them out and rebuilt it together, it had gained a new name: Kikyo Shrine.
The name hadn't been chosen by them. It had been given by the surrounding villagers.
Because there was a powerful, beautiful, and kind shrine maiden named Kikyo living here, the villagers gradually began calling it Kikyo Shrine. As for its original name, no one remembered anymore.
Interestingly, because of Retsu's appearance—neither monk nor priest—yet living together with Kikyo in the shrine, villagers found it strange.
In their traditional thinking, shrine maidens usually didn't marry. So somehow, they came to believe that Retsu was actually Kikyo's shikigami, a demon she had subdued and bound to serve her.
When Kikyo found out, she laughed about it for a long time.
"Kikyo Shrine?"
Tsubaki paused in surprise and looked around curiously. Then she suddenly reacted and asked,
"Wait! How did I suddenly end up here?"
"That's Retsu's ability," Kikyo explained simply.
"Your man's ability? Is he a monk?" Tsubaki asked in astonishment, glancing at Retsu.
"He's a ninja," Kikyo replied calmly.
"Oh? So you admit he's your man now!"
Tsubaki grinned triumphantly, her tone full of teasing.
"..."
Kikyo fell silent for a moment. Then she turned to Retsu, who was clearly enjoying the show, and said,
"Retsu, you should go rest first. Leave Tsubaki to me."
"Alright."
Retsu could tell she wanted to send him away so she could talk privately with Tsubaki. Though he felt a bit disappointed at missing out on the gossip, he didn't mind.
He nodded and headed straight back to his room to rest.
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