Uchiha Retsu walked beneath the large tree in front of the shrine and casually lay down on a wooden lounge chair.
The lush tree above him and the chair beneath him had both been created using his Wood Release. Nearby, a wooden swing hung from one of the thick branches—something he had specially made for Kikyo.
The tree stood at the edge of a cliff, and from the chair beneath it one could vaguely see the outline of the village far below.
Whenever they had nothing to do, he and Kikyo would either train here or sit on the swing chatting idly. Life was peaceful and comfortable.
"Kanna, what are you doing here again?"
Retsu exhaled lightly while lying on the chair. His gaze drifted toward a tree not far away near the cliff as he spoke calmly.
As soon as his words fell, a white figure slowly stepped out from behind the tree.
Kanna was still dressed in her pure white robes. Her small face remained expressionless, without the slightest ripple of emotion. She held her familiar mirror in her arms and quietly watched him.
Her discovery didn't seem to surprise her at all—as if she had long since grown used to it.
Retsu wasn't surprised by her reaction. He simply raised a hand and gestured casually.
"Come over. No need to stand that far away."
The mirror Kanna carried bore his Flying Thunder God mark. The moment she stepped into the shrine grounds, he had already sensed her presence.
Moreover, ever since he and Kikyo decided to live at this shrine, Retsu had replaced all the surrounding natural trees with ones created through Wood Release. Each tree contained a small portion of his chakra, allowing him to monitor everything happening around the shrine.
Seeing Kanna approach, Retsu pointed to another lounge chair beside him.
"Sit wherever you like. No need to be nervous."
He glanced at Kanna's small, childlike figure and then pointed at the swing nearby.
"Or if you like that better, you can sit there."
Kanna didn't speak. Her eyes simply settled on the gently swaying swing.
After a moment, she walked over and carefully sat down. Her white dress fluttered slightly as the swing moved back and forth.
Retsu smiled faintly.
It seemed that not only did she look like a child—her mentality was somewhat similar as well.
He channeled the remaining Wood Release chakra inside the tree trunk, and the swing began to sway slowly. The motion wasn't large, but it was perfectly comfortable.
The swing had originally been made for Kikyo whenever she felt bored. Retsu remembered seeing something like it back at the ninja academy, so he had casually recreated one.
Kanna sat quietly on the swing, still silent. Yet her slightly widened eyes and relaxed posture revealed that she liked it.
"Did Naraku send you?" Retsu asked, breaking the silence when she still hadn't spoken.
"Are you here to spy on us, or is there something else?"
"Spying," Kanna replied calmly.
After a brief pause, she added,
"The method to remove the curse."
Retsu raised an eyebrow in mild surprise while enjoying the breeze beneath the tree.
"Naraku's life force is still draining? He still hasn't figured it out?"
"Yes."
Kanna's answer remained short and emotionless.
This genuinely surprised Retsu.
He had originally assumed the side effects of the Rinne Rebirth technique would only affect Naraku for a short time.
After all, Naraku was a composite being formed from countless demons. Even if he suffered damage, he should only lose the life force of a portion of those demons to resolve it.
Back then, Pain had revived an entire village and still had enough strength to speak with Naruto before dying. Yet after all this time, Naraku still hadn't shaken off the side effects.
Retsu guessed the difference might lie in the resurrection method.
The people Pain revived had only recently died—their bodies were still intact.
But when he and Kikyo were revived, their bodies no longer existed. The cost might therefore have been far greater.
After enjoying Naraku's misfortune for a moment, Retsu looked at Kanna, who was quietly staring at him. He shrugged.
"That was a side effect of the technique Naraku used to revive us back then."
"As for how to remove it, I don't know."
"The only two people who ever used that technique before are already dead."
He smirked.
"Tell Naraku to try harder. Maybe he'll become the first lucky one to survive it."
Kanna remained seated on the gently swaying swing, offering no response. She simply lowered her gaze to the mirror in her arms.
"Retsu, here."
Just then Kikyo approached, carrying a bamboo tray.
"The villagers brought this."
She handed him a slice of melon and set the rest on a small wooden table beside the chair.
"Thanks."
Retsu took the melon, its sweet fragrance filling the air. It was one of the few fruits that tasted particularly good in this era.
"Kanna?"
Only then did Kikyo notice the girl on the swing. A hint of surprise appeared in her eyes.
She picked up another slice of melon and handed it over.
When Kanna accepted it obediently, Kikyo couldn't help smiling warmly and gently patting her on the head. The gesture was natural and affectionate.
Retsu chuckled quietly.
Kikyo had clearly mistaken Kanna for a child who needed looking after. Though with her small appearance, it was an easy mistake to make.
"Kanna, who's the one outside the barrier with a scent similar to Naraku's?"
Retsu stuffed the melon into his mouth and asked casually.
"Is it someone related to you?"
"Kagura. My younger sister," Kanna replied softly, looking up at Kikyo.
"Can she come in?"
Retsu had already sensed a demonic aura similar to Naraku lingering outside the barrier. He hadn't expected it to be Kagura.
Among Naraku's many incarnations, he actually liked Kagura the most.
She was the one who desired freedom the most.
The shrine's barrier wasn't particularly strong. Unless Kikyo actively activated it, it would only stop weak demons. For someone like Kagura, it merely served as a warning.
Yet Kagura had remained outside without forcing her way in, clearly showing she had no hostile intentions.
Kikyo had noticed this as well.
Curious about Naraku's other incarnation—and assuming she was probably a child like Kanna—Kikyo nodded.
"I've opened the barrier. Tell her she can come in."
"Okay."
Kanna responded simply, making no visible movement.
But both Retsu and Kikyo clearly felt a demonic presence slowly entering the barrier.
It was obvious that Kanna and Kagura shared some special connection.
Meanwhile, Kagura received the signal and put away the small mirror hidden in her sleeve—the tool Kanna had used to contact her.
She took a deep breath, her eyes wary as she looked toward the opened entrance of the barrier.
The two people inside the shrine were both dangerous.
The shrine maiden Kikyo was someone Naraku harbored a strange hostility toward, yet feared enough to avoid confronting directly.
And the other man—Uchiha Retsu—had placed a fatal curse on Naraku, steadily draining his life force.
Thinking about all this, Kagura carefully climbed the stone steps.
The moment she passed beneath the torii gate, her gaze fell upon the figures beneath the large tree at the edge of the courtyard.
But the scene before her made her freeze in place.
"Huh??" she blurted out in confusion.
Kikyo and Uchiha Retsu were sitting beneath the tree, leisurely eating slices of melon as if nothing in the world could trouble them.
And her usually cold and aloof sister, Kanna—
was openly sitting on a swing beside them, gently swaying back and forth.
She even held a slice of melon herself, taking small, careful bites.
Her expression remained blank as always, yet there was a strange sense of relaxation about her that Kagura had never seen before.
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SORRY FOR THIS WRITING HERE BUT I SAW A NOVEL -Konoha: Preparing to defect, the system has arrived. BUT THE LAST AUTHOR HAD DROPPED IT AND I WAS THINKING OF TRANSLATING IT WHAT DO YOU PEOPLE SAY SHOULD I OR SHOULD I NOT I WANT YOUR OPINION PLEASE DO MENTION IN THE COMMENT SECTIONS.