Uchiha Retsu followed the voice and saw a demon in a black haori cautiously crawl out of a cave.
The moment it spotted him, it hurried forward and dropped flat onto the ground with a loud thud, pressing its forehead low.
"May I ask what you require, honored sir? Please don't slaughter our clan!"
Only then did Retsu finally get a clear look at this group of demons.
They resembled upright beasts, with no human features at all.
Their bodies were covered in short gray fur. Dark rings circled their eyes, giving them an appearance somewhere between a dog and a raccoon.
Retsu guessed they were a type of tanuki—raccoon dogs, as they were called in Japan.
What caught his attention was the same thing he had noticed before.
On the back of the demon kneeling before him was a large, bulging bundle, like a tightly wrapped sack.
"What kind of demon are you?" Retsu asked curiously.
"H-Honored sir, we are the Bean Tanuki Clan. Our people have lived in this valley for generations and have never deliberately provoked humans."
The kneeling demon replied quickly, his voice still trembling.
"Bean tanuki…"
Hearing that, Retsu's expression stiffened for a split second.
A certain passage from the book flashed through his mind.
Without drawing attention to it, he quietly took two steps back, widening the distance between them.
The description of bean tanuki in that book had left a deep impression on him—one that could only be described as shocking.
These demons weren't very large, only slightly bigger than ordinary dogs.
But they possessed a… highly unconventional body part.
When fully expanded, it could reach the size of eight tatami mats.
It could be used to intimidate enemies, serve as a weapon, and even transform into realistic rooms to lure people inside and trap them.
When Retsu first read about it, he had mocked the species for being absurdly bizarre.
He never expected to encounter one in real life.
And that "bundle" on its back was obviously that thing, compressed and folded up.
He made a silent decision.
If this tanuki dared to use that ridiculous body part against him, he would immediately unleash Fire Release and burn the entire valley to the ground.
Let them learn what despair meant.
Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, Retsu nodded and kept his eyes firmly on the bundle.
"What's your name?"
"This humble one is called Taizo. I am the clan leader," the demon replied honestly, still not daring to raise his head.
"I'll get straight to the point," Retsu said, staying alert for any sudden 'bizarre attack.'
"The villagers outside hired me to investigate the food thefts. Has your clan been sneaking into human villages lately?"
"Th-This…"
Taizo hesitated for a moment, then admitted honestly.
"Yes, honored sir. Our younger members have indeed gone to the villages and stolen some grain…"
"Why?" Retsu raised an eyebrow.
"You've lived here for so long. You should've adapted to the environment. It doesn't seem like you'd be desperate enough to steal from humans."
At this, Taizo's voice turned bitter.
He slowly lifted his head, revealing a face full of sorrow.
"You don't know, sir. Some time ago, a powerful cat demon invaded our territory.
We were no match for her. She took all the food we had stored for an entire year… and also carried away our strongest clansmen."
"A cat demon?" Retsu became interested.
"She stole your food and took your people? What for? Was she planning to eat them?"
"No!" Taizo shook his head frantically.
"She said she needed them to help search for something called the Shikon Jewel."
"The Shikon Jewel…"
Retsu understood immediately.
As expected, it was about that again.
In this world, there were countless demons causing trouble just for Shikon Jewel shards.
"Where is she now?" he asked.
"I don't know," Taizo replied.
"When she left, she took the food with her and said she would return later.
She ordered us to keep collecting grain and hand it over when she came back.
We truly had nothing left. We didn't dare disobey her, so we had no choice but to steal from humans…
But we swear, we only took food. We never harmed anyone!"
"She's coming back, huh?"
A faint smile appeared on Retsu's lips.
"Perfect. I'm quite interested in this cat demon myself."
He guessed she was using the tanuki as free labor to gather information on the Shikon Jewel.
The stolen food was probably meant to feed the captured clan members.
"Listen," Retsu said to Taizo.
"Return all the stolen grain to the villagers immediately. Ignore that cat demon's orders.
I'll wait outside the valley and deal with her when she comes back."
"Th-This…"
Taizo hesitated.
He was afraid Retsu might leave midway. If that happened, their clan would face even harsher retaliation.
But under Retsu's cold gaze, he finally gritted his teeth.
"A-Alright! Thank you for your help, sir!"
"I'll notify everyone at once and return the food!"
"Go," Retsu waved.
He turned and walked toward the valley entrance.
"Sir!" Taizo called out quickly.
"Would you like us to arrange lodging? We have clean caves and can prepare fruit and fresh water!"
"No need," Retsu replied without turning back.
"I'll wait nearby. Don't worry about me."
He understood Taizo's concerns.
But he truly was interested in that cat demon. He had no intention of playing games with them.
Soon, Retsu found an open clearing outside the valley.
After surveying the flat terrain, he nodded.
"This will do."
He formed hand seals rapidly.
"Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique!"
In an instant, thick trees burst from the ground.
Branches intertwined as wood creaked and cracked.
Within minutes, an elegant two-story wooden house rose from the earth, standing firmly in the clearing.
"Perfect."
Retsu clapped his hands in satisfaction and walked inside.
The first floor was a spacious living room, containing only a wooden table in the center. A staircase led to the second floor.
He went upstairs and pushed open the bedroom door.
A wide room appeared, furnished with a solid wooden bed, table, chairs, and cabinets—simple, but complete.
He walked to the balcony, pushed open the door, and leaned against the railing, gazing at the distant forest.
"Let's stay here for a while," he murmured.
"I hope that cat demon comes back soon. Don't make me wait too long."
With that, he lay down on a wooden lounge chair on the balcony, pulled out his demon compendium from Kamui space, and began flipping through it leisurely.
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