At this time, Kikyo had already distanced herself from the place where she met Inuyasha and Kagome, walking alone along a silent forest path.
The night dyed her miko outfit with an increasingly cold air, with only the occasional chirping of insects in the forest breaking the silence.
Suddenly, her footsteps paused, and she looked up at the dense branches overhead, her voice calm and steady: "Come out, stop hiding."
"How did you find me?" Retsu's figure appeared beside her like a ghost, asking curiously.
"I left something on you so I could find you at any time."
Kikyo remained unfazed by his sudden appearance and continued walking forward, her tone indifferent and without the slightest concealment.
"Wow, you actually did something like that secretly!"
Upon hearing this, Retsu spoke with exaggerated drama while reaching out to search his person, trying to find that "little thing."
After a careful inspection, he indeed found a small, delicate paper crane inside his ninja tool pouch.
"Heh, as if you haven't done the same thing?"
Kikyo glanced at him sideways, her tone carrying a hint of disdain.
"Ahaha, did I?" Having been exposed on the spot, Retsu scratched his head and forced an excuse.
"I was just worried you might run into danger!"
Kikyo didn't bother with his sophistry and kept walking straight ahead without stopping.
Retsu toyed with the paper crane for a moment before tucking it back into his ninja tool pouch.
Although he wasn't sure of the paper crane's specific purpose, it might come in handy one day, so there was no need to throw it away.
Watching Kikyo's steady pace, he already had a guess: she was most likely going to Kaede's Village to ask Grandma Kaede about the truth of Naraku from fifty years ago.
This road did indeed lead to Kaede's Village, and it wasn't too far, but he still asked:
"Where do you plan to go? What are you doing?"
"To find my sister and ask clearly about the cause of my death fifty years ago," Kikyo replied succinctly.
Having received confirmation, Retsu directly placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "I'll take you there; walking is too slow."
Before his voice even faded, Retsu activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, and the two figures vanished instantly.
When they reappeared, they were in a familiar forest. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
"Where is this?" Kikyo looked at the surroundings, a sense of familiarity flashing in her eyes as she asked.
"The forest where you sealed Inuyasha back then."
Retsu pointed toward the towering time tree not far away.
"I've been here before and left a Flying Thunder God Mark on a nearby trunk."
"So it's here..." Kikyo was stunned for a moment, not expecting to arrive directly at this place so full of memories.
She identified the direction and began walking toward Kaede's Village, while asking curiously:
"Is this the Flying Thunder God Technique? It can actually teleport this far? Can you go anywhere?"
"Theoretically, yes, but the further the distance, the more Chakra it consumes."
Retsu walked beside her, explaining as they went, "And you need to leave a mark at the destination beforehand; otherwise, you can't teleport."
"You can leave a mark anywhere?" Kikyo suddenly stopped and turned to look at him. "Did you also leave this kind of mark on me?"
"Uh... I did indeed." Retsu hadn't expected her to guess, so he simply admitted it frankly instead of making more excuses.
"I see." Hearing the answer, Kikyo merely nodded calmly and said nothing more, turning to continue her journey.
The two soon arrived at Kaede's Village and stopped in front of Grandma Kaede's wooden hut.
Kikyo didn't hesitate at all, lifting the straw-woven curtain and walking straight inside.
Her movements weren't gentle, directly waking the sleeping Grandma Kaede.
"Sister Kikyo..."
Grandma Kaede woke with a start. By the bright moonlight pouring through the window, she saw the figure standing at the door and sat up instantly, her voice filled with disbelief.
"What? Kaede, are you afraid of me, your sister?" Kikyo asked in a flat tone, noting the surprise and the faint, hard-to-detect wariness in her eyes.
"No... that's not it!" Grandma Kaede explained quickly. "I just heard that you fell from a cliff, Sister, and I thought you were..."
"It's only natural. Anyone sleeping soundly in the middle of the night would be scared to see a sister who's been dead for fifty years standing at their door, wouldn't they?"
Retsu's voice came from behind Kikyo as he followed her in, lifting the curtain and joking with a smile.
Grandma Kaede looked at this strange man, her guard rising even further as she asked, "Sister Kikyo, who is he?"
"Retsu, a Ninja," Kikyo explained briefly, offering no further introduction.
Seeing that Kikyo was unwilling to talk much about him, Grandma Kaede tactfully didn't press further. She sat up straight, looking at Kikyo with a complex gaze.
"Sister, do you... do you still want to kill Inuyasha?"
"I just saw him," Kikyo said, her tone devoid of emotion. "And that girl named Kagome. The matter has been resolved."
"Re-resolved?" Grandma Kaede's pupils shrank as she asked in shock, "Sister, did you... did you kill Inuyasha?"
"...Kaede, has your mind gone fuzzy with age?" Kikyo gave her a speechless look and said helplessly, "No, we just talked. He is with Kagome, alive and well."
"That's good, that's good..."
Grandma Kaede breathed a sigh of relief. She had truly been worried that Kikyo would kill Inuyasha because of past grudges.
She studied Kikyo carefully and suddenly spoke: "Sister, you seem to have changed..."
"Indeed, there have been some changes."
Kikyo pressed her hand to her chest, feeling the Chakra and spiritual power flowing within her. She nodded slightly but did not elaborate.
She changed the subject, her eyes turning serious. "Kaede, tell me everything you know—about what happened fifty years ago."
"Is it about Naraku?" Grandma Kaede paused for a moment before slowly getting up to light the hearth in the center of the room.
The firelight flickered, illuminating the wrinkles on her face.
She glanced at Retsu, who was standing quietly to the side without speaking. After confirming he had no intention of interrupting, she began to speak slowly.
"It all stemmed from Onigumo's evil desires. He offered his body to countless demons, and in the end, Naraku was born..."
Listening to Grandma Kaede's narration, a look of realization gradually appeared in Kikyo's eyes. She murmured softly, "So it was that bandit..."
"Exactly." Grandma Kaede nodded and continued.
"He also said that the shikon jewel only becomes more beautiful after it has been tainted."
She looked at the frowning Kikyo and couldn't help but advise, "Sister, Inuyasha also fell into Naraku's trap back then. He..."
"I just wanted to know the true cause of my death," Kikyo interrupted her, her tone calm. "However, Inuyasha has indeed changed quite a bit."
"Kagome is an incredible girl," Grandma Kaede said with a smile. "She has been healing Inuyasha's heart bit by bit."
"That girl has indeed changed him," Kikyo agreed with a nod.
Then she shifted the topic, her expression turning solemn. "However, I mainly came this time to confirm the matter of 'Naraku' that Kagome mentioned.
Since he has already become a demon, if he knows I have been resurrected, he might still come after me.
Furthermore, now that the shikon jewel has reappeared, he will definitely find a way to seize it."
At this point, she looked at Grandma Kaede and asked:
"What exactly is going on with the shikon jewel? Fifty years ago, it clearly vanished with my death. Why has it reappeared, and why has it become like this?"
As her voice fell, Kikyo opened her palm. Several shimmering shards of the shikon jewel lay quietly in her hand.
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