The Atone Offering

Sengoku era, Kanto region.

In a secluded little village, thin wisps of cooking smoke rose between the houses. Villagers worked hard in the fields, and children played happily at the entrance. A sense of peace enveloped the area, a rare sanctuary in this war-torn world.

In a forest on the outskirts of this village, a dog yokai boy in red clothing sat on the grass, looking utterly dejected. His gaze was fixed on a tachi housed in its scabbard lying before him. Staring at the blade, Inuyasha remained silent, his expression a mix of obvious distress and irritability. He scratched his head and ears from time to time, looking like someone trapped in a deep predicament.

Suddenly, Inuyasha took a deep breath, his expression turning resolute as if he had made a decision. He gripped the scabbard with one hand and reached for the hilt with the other. But the moment his hand touched the hilt—

"Damn it! You're still doing this? What do you even want from me?!" Looking at the sword he had just thrown to the ground, Inuyasha couldn't help but shout, his fists clenched in fury. Looking at this powerful demonic blade left by his father, Inuyasha felt he might actually stomp on it a few times.

Ever since his encounter with that strange fox-eared deity, Tessaiga had been acting like this. Although he and Kagome were fine afterward, he would get shocked by electricity whenever he touched the hilt. He hadn't been able to use it in battle since.

With his arms crossed, Inuyasha glared angrily at the discarded Tessaiga. At that moment, he sensed a familiar demonic energy. He looked up and saw a black ox yokai stepping through the air on flames. Riding the beast was a wizened old man with eyes as large as bells, holding a long iron hammer in his hand.

"Finally, you're here." Seeing the old man on the ox, Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief. He stood there as the black ox landed. The old man with the hammer slowly climbed down.

"Ah, you finally made it, Totosai. You took your sweet time."

"I was in the middle of preparing a workshop to repair your Tessaiga, yet you come looking for me again. Will you ever let these old bones rest?" Complaining as he walked, the master smith known as Totosai stood before Inuyasha.

"So, what is it this time? Don't tell me you broke Tessaiga again."

"No, no, it's not broken. It's something else. Look, I'll explain it slowly," Inuyasha said, picking up the sheathed sword.

Inuyasha gave a brief summary of what had happened during their trip to the modern era. Totosai listened, taking Tessaiga into his hands to examine it closely.

"...It became like this after encountering a fox-like deity? I see. I think I know what the problem is." Totosai looked at the demonic blade with a flash of realization. Inuyasha asked urgently.

"So what's the deal? Why is Tessaiga like this? Did that fox god cast some kind of spell on it?"

"A spell? Not at all. The reason you can't use it isn't due to an external factor; Tessaiga itself is refusing to be used by you. It's because your reckless attack on that deity made Tessaiga angry."

"Huh? I attacked a god and it made the sword angry? Tessaiga is a demonic blade and the other is a god, how is that possible?" Inuyasha blurted out, his face filled with confusion. Totosai replied calmly.

"You might not know this. Based on your description, that fox-eared deity is very likely an Inari god. When I forged Tessaiga, I didn't just use your father's fang; I also used key materials from Inari. Those materials left an Inari mark on Tessaiga. Within its consciousness, it was bound to stop you from attacking its own kind."

Totosai explained to Inuyasha, whose expression froze on his face.

"What? Inari? You mean those guys from the west who build shrines everywhere? Tessaiga's forging is actually related to them? And because I attacked an Inari god, Tessaiga is refusing to—"

"Exactly. And right now, Tessaiga is probably still sulking, which is why it won't let you touch it," Totosai said with a nod of affirmation. Hearing this, Inuyasha's expression became quite colorful.

"Huh? Tessaiga is mad at me? It's just a sword!"

"All things have a spirit, let alone a demonic blade as powerful as Tessaiga. Let me put it this way: one of the vital materials used to forge Tessaiga came from Inari. To this blade, Inari is like its maternal family. You drew your sword against its natal home and wouldn't stop even when it tried to warn you. You were so poorly behaved, and you won't even let the sword vent its spleen?" Totosai used a metaphor, causing Inuyasha's lip to twitch.

'Maternal family... what kind of ridiculous metaphor is that?'

"Tsk. Whatever. Just tell me how to get this sword to stop throwing a tantrum!" Inuyasha urged. Totosai thought for a moment before responding.

"From my perspective, since the problem stems from Inari, it must be resolved through Inari. You just need to show enough devotion by visiting a shrine. Once the sword sees you've sincerely apologized, it will likely forgive you." Stroking his sparse beard, Totosai spoke with a serious face. Inuyasha felt his lip twitching even harder.

"Are you joking? You want me, a yokai, to go worship at a shrine?"

"What's wrong with being a yokai? As far as I know, Inari doesn't discriminate. There are plenty of yokai heading to Kyoto to take exams to become Divine Messengers. Many Inari gods were promoted directly from ordinary yokai. Besides, you're only a hanyo," Totosai grumbled. Inuyasha shouted back defiantly.

"No! The point is, why should I bow and scrape to those shrine-builders? Why should I!"

Listening to him, Totosai scrutinized him for a few moments before saying flatly, "So, do you want to use Tessaiga again or not?"

At these words, Inuyasha shut his mouth, his expression frozen. He stood there for a long time before letting out a dejected sigh. "Fine... so you're saying I should just go visit the nearest Inari Shrine?"

"A casual visit won't do. The key is to show enough piety and faith. The sin of drawing a blade against a god isn't something that can be erased with a simple prayer," Totosai continued. Inuyasha asked, puzzled.

"Huh? Then what do you want me to do?"

"Naturally, you must offer a sacrifice that represents your faith."

"A sacrifice representing faith? What is that? Do I need to go find some rare treasure?" Inuyasha asked. Totosai pondered before answering.

"No, no, those are too troublesome. Based on my knowledge of the Inari, they're a practical bunch. They don't demand sacrifices that are hard to sell or process during their festivals. They've always had a habit of accepting ready money."

"Huh? Cash?" At Totosai's words, Inuyasha's eyelid jumped.

"Yes, cash. Whether it's a regular visit or a festival, they encourage cash offerings instead of physical goods. They accept copper or gold. They believe that the more money one pays at once, the stronger their faith is. It's said this tradition started from the Inari Honsha in Kyoto and eventually spread to all branch shrines nationwide," Totosai continued.

In this era, it was a long-standing tradition for Inari Shrines to advocate for cash offerings. While other shrines mainly collected saisen-bako money, the Inari faction was quite thorough about it. Any physical offerings received would be sold immediately to convert them into cash flow, which was then invested in other fields. Therefore, in addition to shrines, the Inari had many other industries. The shrines acted more like communication hubs for the local Inari businesses. In short, those people didn't act much like religious figures.

Inuyasha was suddenly at a loss again. He scratched his head and said, "But I'm a hanyo! Where am I supposed to get money for an offering?"

"That's easy. Go get a job!"

"Me? A job?"

"Of course you. If you don't have money, go work. Work hard to earn money. I'd say saving up a few kan for an offering should be about enough. With your physical stamina, it shouldn't be hard."

"Are you kidding me? I'm the great one who's going to collect all the Shikon Jewel shards and become a Great Yokai! You're telling me to go get a job?" Inuyasha shouted. Regardless of his current situation, he considered himself of noble birth—his father was a Yokai Lord and his mother was a princess. Now he was being told to work for a living.

Listening to him, Totosai paused, scanned him again, and then said in a low voice, "Without Tessaiga, can you collect the shards and become a Great Yokai?"

At these words, the aggressive Inuyasha instantly deflated, standing there stunned, not knowing how to respond.

Outside the peaceful village, Totosai looked at the empty woods and let out a sigh of relief.

"Do you feel my handling of the matter was appropriate?" Totosai spoke in a respectful tone to the empty air. Immediately, a gentle voice responded.

"It's fine. I am not a narrow-minded person. Even if someone draws a blade against me, as long as their motive is pure and they harbor kindness in their heart, I don't mind showing some leniency."

As the voice spoke, a small, grayish-white fox emerged from behind a dense canopy, walking slowly along a thin, protruding branch. She spoke to Totosai with elegance as she moved.

"Haha, Lady Uka, your generosity and kindness are natural, but this young master of mine is indeed a bit too impulsive and hot-headed. I am just taking this opportunity to give the young lord a bit of an education on behalf of the old master. It would be good if he could change his reckless nature through this."

Totosai continued to speak. He knew what the fox before him represented. More than five hundred years ago, he had witnessed a miracle with his own eyes.

"Family education? Well, since the old dog isn't around, the education of these puppies can only fall to you retainers. It's good for the young man to experience life through work."

As she spoke, she looked toward where Inuyasha had disappeared, thinking to herself, 'Work hard, you worker dog. Although the wages you earn will eventually all be mine.'

Miketsu's fox avatar leapt lightly from the branch to the ground. Facing the small fox, Totosai bowed low.

"I never imagined I would encounter Lady Uka's avatar here in the eastern provinces, so far from Kyoto. It is the honor of a lifetime. It's said you haven't descended even among the Inari for centuries," Totosai said slowly. He had been approached by Miketsu on his way here, and he had nearly fallen off his ox in shock.

"I wasn't supposed to appear at this point in time. This time, I have only manifested in this form due to some accidental factors. It won't last long."

As she spoke, Miketsu's tone shifted, and she spoke to Totosai with some gravity.

"By the way, you just said that puppy has lacked family discipline since he was young. What about the old dog? He hasn't... passed away, has he?"

"Uh, well... Lady Uka, you truly must have only recently returned to the world. To be honest, the old master was gravely injured a century ago during a fierce battle between Great Yokai. He is currently still on the Moon, recovering from his wounds. For Young Lord Inuyasha, the old master is indeed someone he has never seen since birth."

"On the Moon... recovering..."

Afterward, Miketsu learned that a century ago, the Yokai Lord of the Western Provinces, Toga, had been embroiled in a series of continuous battles among Great Yokai. During that time, he had suffered numerous injuries. In a final battle to rescue his human lover, he was nearly killed. Fortunately, the reinforcements he had requested in advance from the Inari Tenko gods arrived in time to pull him back from the brink of death.

Because there was no way to treat such severe injuries on Earth, he was sent by the Inari to the Lunar Capital for treatment. Regrettably, due to the departure of the Chief Sage, the medical technology of the Lunar Capital was in a state of reorganization and recovery. Toga's injuries were extremely severe and complex, so they could only use equipment to maintain his life while beginning a long-term treatment spanning centuries. Thus, for Inuyasha, he was indeed in a state of being fatherless since childhood.