Chapter 37 – Immerse Yourself in the Darkness of the Sharingan!
"What's wrong? Someone turned mute already?"
"I didn't expect you to be this kind of monster!"
Although Renji's expression remained calm, the trace of cunning in his eyes was still caught by Suiko.
At first, during their first encounter, her impression of Renji was that of a gentleman. Even though he had seen something by accident, his behavior afterward was very proper. Even Suiko didn't think too much of it.
During their second meeting at the Sacred Tree, she discovered a different side to Renji and thought they could become friends. He seemed like someone real, someone just like her—lonely. At the time, she believed they were "the same kind."
But now, she understood everything, completely overturning all her previous impressions of Renji. All of that had been a façade. He was just a shameless little demon!
"But weren't you enjoying being bullied by me like this?"
Renji said lightly.
"I was not!"
Suiko immediately refuted, but wasn't this exactly what she wanted?
She wanted a friend she could be open with, someone she could joke around with, someone she didn't have to maintain a cold and distant front in front of.
"Your strength is greater than mine. If you really wanted to resist, there's no way I could carry you so easily."
With Renji's various strange abilities, Suiko wouldn't be a match for him. Just the power of the Goro Goro no Mi alone wasn't something ordinary humans could withstand.
But Suiko's raw power surpassed his. At least by the standards of the demon world, Suiko had the strength of a great yokai.
If she didn't want to be carried, she could've easily broken free. It's not like he was hypnotizing her with the Sharingan or subduing her with the Goro Goro no Mi, right?
The only reason he could carry her so easily was because she hadn't resisted.
"I just thought of you as a friend. I hoped you'd think of me as a friend too!"
Suiko explained, flustered and annoyed. She hadn't resisted because she wanted Renji to consider her a friend, nothing more.
"Is that so? Actually, we could be friends. But I think a friendship like ours needs a child to keep it going. What do you think, uh..."
Before Renji could finish, Suiko's fist slammed directly into his head.
Crack.
Renji's head instantly turned into lightning, startling Suiko.
She hadn't even used that much force—just wanted to shut him up. Could it be that she had actually smashed his head to pieces?
"Suiko, you're so cruel. I thought of you as a friend, and you blew up my head?"
"I didn't mean to! How are you going to recover now?"
A flash of panic crossed Suiko's face. She had never seen anything like this before. Lightning surged across the place where Renji's head used to be, showing no sign of healing.
No way?!
Did she just kill her first friend?
"In the dog demon clan, there's a legend that the head will only crack when struck by someone destined by fate. And if you kiss that person, the head will recover."
"This..." Suiko had never heard of such a bizarre thing before, but hearing Renji's sincere tone and seeing that half of his face still hadn't recovered, she gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and said, "Fine, do it."
Destined by fate?
Were they fated?
Suiko's heart stirred. No matter how powerful a shrine maiden was, she was still a girl inside—especially someone like her, revered since childhood.
But after waiting a long time, Suiko still didn't feel anything. Yet the wind brushing her face mid-flight proved that Renji was still alive.
She opened her eyes and saw Renji, his head fully restored and a teasing smile in his eyes. She realized she had been played.
"Sorry, it's just a power. Scared you, didn't I?"
Renji spoke while sighing in his heart. To be honest, he had been a little tempted just now. But he couldn't take advantage of her in that moment—if Suiko found out later he was lying, she might actually kill him.
"You're a terrible bastard!!"
Suiko snapped, twisted around, and dropped off Renji. Her body plummeted from the sky, but Kirara caught her in time.
"Kirara, fly faster!"
She turned her head away, refusing to look at Renji.
Watching her back, a trace of confusion flickered in Renji's eyes. Weird... Wasn't he very respectful just now?
Taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable moment wasn't his style.
[Yokai Renji]: "Weird, brothers. Don't you think this woman has a few screws loose?"
He briefly explained what had happened with Suiko.
[One Piece Renji]: "What the hell!! My Goro Goro no Mi gave you such a golden opportunity and you just let it go?!"
[Naruto Renji]: "Women are like that. You can't be a beast, but you also can't be less than a beast!"
[Mundane Renji]: "Suiko: 'I even closed my eyes. Who cares if it's a lie or not, just kiss me already!'"
It's like telling a girl your cat can do backflips. It's a ridiculously lame excuse, but if she plays along, doesn't that mean she's into you? Everyone knows cats don't do backflips.
It was just an excuse. Like the kiss thing. Maybe Suiko had already seen through it, and you still let it go—what a waste.
[Yokai Renji]: "I know, okay! I've never been in a relationship. And only foolish half-demons end up with humans anyway!"
[One Piece Renji]: "Everyone knows the originator of that famous quote is already with a human!"
[Naruto Renji]: "Inu no Taisho: Yup, yup!"
Demon World.
Renji scratched his head, looking at Suiko flying farther and farther away, and quickly gave chase. "Are you mad?"
"..."
Suiko didn't respond, staring straight ahead as if Renji didn't exist.
"Why are you mad?"
Weird.
Why did this feel like coaxing a girlfriend?
Old memories suddenly surged in Renji's mind. Weren't he and Suiko supposed to be friends?
"I'm not mad. I just think joking like that is really childish. I saw you as a good friend, and you did that to me!"
Suiko turned around and spoke seriously.
She had really believed Renji's words just now—was even ready to let him kiss her. Then she found out he was joking. Of course she was mad.
But while she was angry, it only lasted a moment. After thinking it through, she told Renji why she was upset. She didn't want him guessing the wrong reasons.
"It's just... you looked bored, and I thought of something fun, so I did it."
"Do you know how worried I was just now?"
Suiko widened her eyes and raised her hand, wanting to punch Renji again. But she stopped herself. "You can turn any part of your body into lightning?"
She suddenly remembered how after hitting Renji earlier, his head had turned into a mass of lightning snakes.
She had never seen such a bizarre ability before.
"Yeah, why?"
"Nothing..."
Suiko instinctively glanced over, then quickly turned her head away. The side of her face was already flushed red.
She hurriedly suppressed the tiny thought in her heart, but she was still curious. Didn't that mean...
"Don't say it, okay?!"
Renji's face turned cold, almost unable to hold it together.
He didn't expect her imagination to be that vivid. Just one look and she was already jumping to wild conclusions. Choo choo.
"I was just curious."
"Suiko, are all you humans this bold?"
Suiko had completely shattered Renji's understanding of humans.
He had thought that in this ancient era, at least humans would be more reserved.
"It's not bold—everyone would be curious about something like that!"
"But what others are curious about is the ability. What you're curious about is totally different."
"Anyway, that's that. I'm not thinking about it anymore. So... when are we getting to Mount Horai?"
What a clumsy topic shift.
Renji looked at Suiko, who was obviously dodging the subject, and understood she didn't want to talk about it anymore.
Alright.
He'd save it for later—use it as blackmail material against her.
"We should be close. I can already see those four guys."
"You can see them?"
Suiko turned her head in confusion. She was flying too, and hadn't seen anything. Though puzzled, she chalked it up to one of Renji's yokai abilities.
Renji didn't explain. With the Goro Goro no Mi enhanced by Haki, his range of perception was immense—he could hear even the sounds coming from Mount Horai.
In fact, he had sensed the situation there from far away.
"The situation on the island doesn't look good. Those guys seem to have the upper hand."
It looked like things were nearing the end. In his perception, many of the half-yokai on Mount Horai had already died under the onslaught of the Four Fighting Gods.
And the only shrine maiden, Kanade-hime, had also fallen into a disadvantage.
"Then let's hurry!"
Suiko gave Renji a surprised look, then immediately urged him.
If this big mutt fought alongside her in exorcising yokai, it would be a huge help.
He hadn't even seen the enemies, and already knew what was happening over there. What a top-tier scout.
"That's… the shrine maiden of Mount Horai?"
As they got closer, Suiko also saw Kanade-hime fighting a yokai.
Kanade-hime's spiritual power was strong, but facing the four great yokai known as the Four Fighting Gods, she was clearly outmatched.
"Big brother, looks like others just arrived?"
Gangra turned to glance behind him and gave a reminder. From Renji, he smelled an aura that disgusted him.
Just as he finished speaking, Ryora, Kyora, and Beastra also turned toward the direction Gangra pointed.
"Tch, it's that damn dog's stench. That bastard's son?"
A trace of coldness flashed across Ryora's face as he recalled the recent defeat at the hands of Inu no Taisho.
After losing, the four brothers had come to Mount Horai intending to steal its treasures before returning to settle the score with Inu no Taisho.
Their hatred for him had reached its peak. And now, another dog demon with a similar aura had appeared.
"And there's a shrine maiden too... Looks like Suiko. Big brother, this could be bad!"
That dog demon might only have the strength of a top-tier yokai, but Suiko was no weakling. Her reputation in the yokai world was significant.
There were few exorcists who could surpass her—perhaps only Abe no Seimei, the most powerful onmyoji of the Heian era.
Heian-kyo was considered the safest place, where no yokai dared to act up. Even Suiko's Exorcist Village rarely saw any serious yokai activity.
The Four Fighting Gods suddenly paused their attacks, giving the pressured Kanade-hime a chance to breathe. She followed their gaze and looked toward Renji.
A strange group—two yokai and a shrine maiden.
But Kanade-hime felt nothing off about it. Maybe it was because she herself had been protecting half-yokai and yokai on Mount Horai.
"Brat, are you Inu no Taisho's son?"
Ryora stared directly at Renji, asking without reservation.
If he was, they'd take care of him here and now.
"Ah, the Four Fighting Gods lost and now you're here to vent on half-yokai, huh?"
"You bastard?! I'll kill you!"
Beastra, the most hot-tempered of the four, couldn't stand Renji's mocking tone and immediately moved to attack.
It was one thing to be beaten by Inu no Taisho, but now even a mere top-tier yokai dared to mock them?
"Don't rush."
Kyora stopped Beastra. He was like the strategist among the Four Fighting Gods.
Faced with Beastra's reckless intent to change targets, he had to intervene. If it were only Renji who came, it wouldn't matter. But there was also a powerful shrine maiden.
He couldn't let Beastra act rashly.
"Suiko? What are you doing here?"
Kyora exchanged a look with the other three yokai.
With just a glance, they coordinated their strategy—Ryora would take on Suiko, Beastra would handle Renji, and Gangra and Kyora would continue suppressing Kanade-hime.
With clear division of roles, if they could take out even one person, the entire battle situation would collapse.
"Exorcising yokai."
As Suiko finished speaking, the Four Fighting Gods immediately launched their assault.
Since it was clear they were enemies, they might as well strike first.
"Brat, I'll kill you first, then go kill Inu no Taisho!"
Beastra flew at Renji, throwing a punch straight at him. In his eyes, Renji was just a top-tier yokai—easy to crush.
"Be careful!"
Kyora warned.
"Your opponent is me!!"
Ryora drew his Wind Fang and Thunder Fang blades, blocking Suiko head-on.
To them, among the three, Kanade-hime was already at her limit, Renji was the weakest, and Suiko the strongest. If Ryora could hold her back while the others finished their tasks, taking her down afterward would be simple.
So, they couldn't let Suiko interfere.
"So scary~"
A mocking smirk played at the corner of Renji's mouth. The Mangekyō Sharingan spun in his pupils, and in the next moment, the same pattern appeared in Beastra's eyes.
"Immerse yourself in the darkness of the Mangekyō Sharingan!!"
(End of Chapter)
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