A few days later, at Midoriko's grave.
Slow footsteps approached.
Naraku stood before the grave, a cruel smirk curling across his lips.
"Midoriko… you resisted for so long, yet in the end, you still died by my hand. Now, use your power to help me kill Kagome."
As soon as he finished speaking, a large mass of spider silk shot out from behind him, instantly piercing through Midoriko's grave.
With a loud boom, the grave exploded, sending dirt and debris flying in all directions.
Midoriko's body, dressed in red and white miko robes and wrapped in spider silk, slowly rose from the shattered grave and hovered motionless in front of Naraku.
"Midoriko, your soul… awaken within this body," Naraku's deep voice echoed.
Midoriko, whose eyes had been closed, had her eyelashes tremble slightly.
The next moment, her eyes snapped open.
"How… how is this possible?" Her newly awakened soul was filled with confusion. As her vision slowly focused and she clearly saw Naraku standing before her, she instantly understood what had happened. The confusion in her eyes vanished, replaced by burning anger.
"Naraku! How dare you manipulate my corpse with such despicable means!"
However, even though her soul had awakened, her body was completely controlled by Naraku's spider silk. She couldn't move at all and could only let her anger blaze within her eyes.
Naraku watched her furious yet helpless expression, a cold smile forming on his face.
"Hehe… Midoriko, I merely wish to borrow your pure spiritual power as a miko…"
Before he could finish speaking, Midoriko's pupils suddenly turned crimson, and intricate patterns of the Mangekyō Sharingan instantly bloomed within her eyes.
"Uchiha Kasage!!"
That familiar sight darkened Naraku's expression instantly. A surge of violet demonic energy erupted around him as he roared.
Having already experienced Kanna's betrayal before, he knew this ability wouldn't necessarily trap him in an illusion—it could be something far more dangerous.
Without hesitation, Naraku leapt backward, trying to create distance.
But in the very next instant—
A searing, burning pain tore through his chest.
He looked down and saw pitch-black flames erupting violently across his body, spreading rapidly and devouring everything in their path. The flames flickered wildly, even threatening to consume the pale demonic aura surrounding him.
"So it's that black flame again…" Naraku muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Seeing those ominous flames, he quickly regained his composure.
"Unfortunately… it won't work on me anymore."
He had already witnessed Uchiha Kasage use this technique at Mount Hakurei. He knew exactly how to deal with it.
Without hesitation, he severed the part of his body engulfed in flames.
The burning flesh and blood fell to the ground, still consumed by the black fire that refused to extinguish. However, Naraku's main body had already escaped the grasp of the Amaterasu flames.
Suspended in midair, Naraku's eyes flickered as he stared at Midoriko, still bound tightly by the spider silk.
For a brief moment, he hesitated.
Uchiha Kasage had clearly left behind an attack specifically meant to target him. There could easily be more hidden traps waiting.
But in the end—
His greed overcame his caution.
Tightening the spider silk around Midoriko's body, he cautiously approached again.
When he realized that no second attack had been triggered, he relaxed slightly.
It seemed that the attack had only been set to activate once.
Naraku manipulated the silk, tightening it around Midoriko's slender neck, and spoke coldly.
"When did you meet Uchiha Kasage?"
"Uchiha Kasage? Who is that?" A trace of confusion flickered in Midoriko's eyes as the silk forced her to face him.
Then—
A distant memory surfaced.
Long ago, she had encountered a wandering spirit drifting through the human world.
After defeating him with ease, the man had left in a strange manner, saying only one thing:
"Here's a gift for you."
Thinking back to the sudden pain in her eyes… and the black flames that had just erupted on Naraku's body…
She finally understood.
That "gift" had been meant for this moment.
"Good."
Suddenly, the spider silk around her neck tightened.
Midoriko let out a pained gasp, her face turning pale instantly.
"Midoriko… do you really think you can deceive me?" Naraku sneered.
The spider silk binding her was not just a restraint—it was a bridge connecting their minds.
Through it, Naraku had already seen everything.
"So… it was someone you met long ago?"
He snorted coldly.
"So you've been laying a trap for me all this time…"
Thinking back to how Uchiha Kasage had repeatedly ruined his plans and damaged his body, Naraku's eyes burned with rage—yet beneath it, there was a hint of frustration.
He could easily manipulate the tension between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, exploiting Sesshomaru's disdain and obsession with Tessaiga.
But Uchiha Kasage…
He was different.
His abilities were strange. His power overwhelming.
And worst of all—he had no obvious weakness.
No obsession.
Nothing to exploit.
It left Naraku with no clear way to deal with him.
"Damn you, Naraku!"
Enduring the pain around her neck, Midoriko glared at him with fury.
"You killed me… and now you've trapped my soul in this body, controlling me with sorcery. What exactly do you want?"
"Hehe… of course, I want you to help me complete my plan."
Naraku's lips curled into a cold smile.
The spider silk tightened once more—
And in the next moment, her body was pulled away from the graveyard.
A thunderous roar shattered the silence of the valley.
A massive serpent-like yokai, its body perfectly camouflaged among the rocks, suddenly burst out from beneath a stone pillar.
It opened its enormous jaws wide, revealing rows of sharp fangs. Two long, venomous fangs gleamed coldly as it lunged forward with a hiss—straight toward a young boy, no more than ten years old.
The serpent yokai's eyes gleamed with cruel anticipation, already imagining swallowing the child whole.
But just as its jaws were about to snap shut—
The boy turned his head.
His gaze met the creature's.
And in that instant—
The world seemed to freeze.
The yokai's pupils shrank in terror.
Those were not human eyes.
They were blood-red.
And within them… intricate, unnatural patterns spun slowly.
In that fleeting moment, the serpent yokai's consciousness was dragged into the illusion of the Sharingan. Its body lost control entirely, continuing forward only by inertia.
The boy calmly raised his small hand—
And placed it against the massive head of the yokai.
Bang.
Despite the overwhelming difference in size, the charging body of the giant serpent came to an abrupt stop, unable to move forward even a single inch.
Bang.
A burst of white smoke erupted around the boy.
As the smoke cleared, the figure of Uchiha Kasage appeared, having dispelled his Transformation Technique.
He withdrew his hand, calmly circling the immobilized yokai as he examined it.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Yellow-brown scales… a triangular snake head with human-like facial markings… yes, this is it. The anti-nose viper Kikyo mentioned."
He pulled out a transparent glass bottle from his ninja tool pouch.
Stepping firmly on the yokai's jaw, he delivered a sharp kick, forcing its mouth open and exposing its venomous fangs.
Carefully, he placed the bottle against one of the fangs and pressed gently on the venom gland.
With a soft hiss, golden venom began to flow, sliding down along the fang and dripping into the bottle, filling it halfway.
He then moved to the other fang and repeated the process until the bottle was completely filled.
Once he finished collecting the venom, he casually shoved the yokai's head aside and carefully stored the bottle back into his pouch.