By the time Retsu arrived at the site of the explosion, the area was already in ruins.
Cracks covered the ground. Broken stones and fragments of demon corpses were scattered everywhere.
Inuyasha had just taken Sesshomaru's strike head-on to protect Kagome. He was covered in wounds as he struggled to stand up, his gaze locked onto the unconscious girl lying on the ground.
"Kagome! Kagome!" he shouted urgently.
But she gave no response, her eyes tightly shut.
Inuyasha suddenly turned his head and glared at Sesshomaru, who stood not far away holding Tessaiga, a cold smile on his lips.
"Damn you, Sesshomaru! You bastard! You even went after Kagome?!"
"Cough… cough…"
Poisoned, Miroku leaned on his staff and staggered over. Inuyasha looked at him anxiously.
"Miroku? Are you okay?"
"Even an incomplete transformation is this powerful…" Miroku gasped. "To deal with a fully transformed Tessaiga… I'll have to use my Wind Tunnel."
His eyes filled with resolve as he reached for the seal.
"Don't!" Inuyasha immediately stopped him. "If you open it again, you'll just suck in more poison insects!"
He casually picked up a stone and threw it into the nearby bushes. A swarm of Saimyōshō burst out with loud buzzing.
Miroku froze. His face turned even paler.
"No, Miroku!" Shippo cried anxiously. "You won't survive if you take in any more poison!"
"Take Kagome and run!" Inuyasha said firmly.
His voice carried unquestionable resolve.
"Run as far as you can! Please… don't let her die."
Miroku and Shippo stared at him, speechless.
"You think you can escape?"
Sesshomaru's cold, arrogant voice rang out.
He slowly raised Tessaiga. Demonic energy surged along the blade.
"With this strike, I'll erase everything."
"Not a chance!"
Inuyasha unleashed all his power and charged forward.
"Reckless fool."
Sesshomaru snorted. A massive blade of demonic energy slashed forward, carrying devastating force toward Inuyasha, Miroku, and the unconscious Kagome.
Behind a boulder, Miroku and Shippo closed their eyes in despair.
They waited for death.
But the pain never came.
When they opened their eyes, they saw Inuyasha standing in front of them, his body blocking the attack. He had grabbed Sesshomaru's arm with both hands, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"What are you waiting for?! Run!" Inuyasha roared.
He held Sesshomaru back with all his strength, buying them time.
"I got it!"
Miroku didn't hesitate. He picked up Kagome and fled with Shippo.
"How touching," Sesshomaru said coldly. "Stalling for your companions? How foolish."
With his left arm restrained, his right hand suddenly surged with demonic power, transforming into sharp claws.
He thrust it toward Inuyasha's back.
One strike—enough to pierce his chest.
At that critical moment, a hand suddenly appeared and grabbed Sesshomaru's arm.
No matter how he struggled, it wouldn't budge.
The strength was overwhelming.
"I don't like this dumb dog either," a calm voice said, "but I'm not letting you kill him so easily."
Retsu had appeared beside Inuyasha without warning, gripping Sesshomaru's arm tightly.
"Retsu!" Inuyasha's eyes lit up with relief.
Even though this guy had beaten him up before, there was no denying his strength.
With him here, Kagome and the others would be safe.
Encouraged, Inuyasha increased his grip, trying to rip Sesshomaru's arm away—
Suddenly, he felt a powerful force grab the back of his neck.
Before he could react, he was flung backward and landed gently near Miroku and the others.
"Inuyasha!" Miroku and the newly awakened Kagome rushed over.
"Damn it! What are you doing?!" Inuyasha shouted angrily at Retsu.
"Retsu? Why is he here?" Kagome said in surprise.
"Kagome, you know him?" Miroku asked curiously. Shippo nodded along.
"Yeah, who is he?"
"His name is Uchiha Retsu," Kagome explained. "He's really strong."
"Tch." Inuyasha clicked his tongue, annoyed.
But he couldn't deny it.
His eyes stayed fixed on the two figures in the distance.
Sesshomaru withdrew his gaze and stared at Retsu coldly.
This human had approached without being detected, blocked his attack, and rescued Inuyasha with ease.
He was dangerous.
"Who are you?"
"The weak don't deserve to know my name."
Retsu crossed his arms, wearing the classic Uchiha expressionless face. His tone was arrogant to the extreme.
"Just stand there and wait to die."
Retsu glanced at the arm holding Tessaiga.
He already knew which part of the story this was.
In the original events, Naraku had given Sesshomaru a human arm embedded with a Shikon shard and sent him to steal Tessaiga.
The ridiculous part?
Sesshomaru knew he was being used.
He knew Naraku wanted him to kill Inuyasha.
And yet, he still went.
Even more absurdly, despite despising humans and half-demons, he willingly attached a human arm to himself.
In the end, he got nothing.
No Tessaiga.
Almost got killed by that cursed arm.
He became Naraku's free pawn.
Retsu had zero goodwill toward this version of Sesshomaru.
Later, under Rin's influence, Sesshomaru would grow more humane, learning to value life and emotions.
But right now?
He was a pure monster.
Bloodthirsty. Cold. Cruel.
Without a trace of humanity.
Like a rabid dog, attacking whoever Naraku pointed him at—even his own brother.
"Just a human, daring to talk big!"
Sesshomaru sneered. He swung Tessaiga again.
A massive blade of demonic energy tore through the air. The ground shattered in its wake, rocks exploding outward.
Retsu's eyes instantly transformed into scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan.
Chakra erupted beneath his feet.
Instead of dodging, he charged straight into the attack.
At the moment the blade was about to hit him, his Mangekyō rotated slightly.
"Susanoo."
A low voice echoed.
Blue chakra and ocular power intertwined, forming a savage skeletal structure around him.
A solid barrier appeared.
Boom!
Tessaiga's slash crashed into Susanoo with a deafening impact.
At the same time, the skeletal right arm of Susanoo punched through the attack, forming a massive fist.
It slammed into Sesshomaru with overwhelming force.
His body flew like a broken kite, smashing into a distant cliff.
Bang!
Dust billowed as he was embedded deep into the rock.
A nearly ten-meter-tall blue skeletal Susanoo stood on the battlefield, protecting Retsu inside.
Looking down at Sesshomaru trapped in the cliff, Retsu's crimson Mangekyō eyes were filled with disdain.
"Such a weak attack," he said coldly.
"Are you trying to make me laugh?"
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