Inuyasha Manga: 348 Grotesque Arm

You think that's why Goryoumaru sits in the dark all the time? Because people describe his arm as "grotesque"? It would certainly bother me, and I don't think it's the nicest thing for our heroes to be so hung up on the appearance of a limb. Maybe instead of getting in a twist over whether or not someone's a youkai, or if he's got a funky arm, they should be focusing on the other VERY suspicious things floating around the temple. Like the silently screaming monks between the spikey crystals. The child-army this guy has accrued. The similarity of his name to another they've heard very recently. 

I'm just saying, the arm? Not the most problematic thing about him by a MILE.

Meh. Inuyasha can take out these guys in no time. 

The horde of youkai charge at the group below out of the sky, and Goryoumaru's arm flowers open at several points, producing the same kind of bubbling light that the kids' pots did. Inuyasha's gang stares,  Kagome gasping and Miroku giving voice to the observation that this is identical to what they've seen so far. It shoots forward to meet the attacking youkai, shredding them all, except Kagura hanging out in the back of the line, making a confused noise. 

I have SOME idea of what he is...

Did I say that Goryoumaru's light-emitting laser arm shredded ALL the youkai? My bad, there are still quite a few left, so many in fact that Kagome claims that their numbers haven't decreased AT ALL, hugging a cowering Shippou to her tightly. Miroku asserts that there are too many of them, and Inuyasha curses that it looks like he'll have to be the one to take care of them, holding out Tessaiga, with a tendril of wind wrapping around the blade. The children stare in awe of him as he lets loose a Kaze no Kizu and disintegrates the horde. Kagura recognizes the move from her perch, again, just out of range. 

It's a puzzle, for sure. 

Goryoumaru's child soldiers gape in wonder at the youkai bits raining down from the sky, and someone also observes that the remainder of the horde is retreating. Goryoumaru himself takes a long silent look at Inuyasha in the wake of his swing of Tessaiga, then calls him a bastard, asking why he's killing youkai if he's a youkai himself. With the exact same "logic" he's been using aimed right back at him, Inuyasha complains that that's HIS line.

Before this exchange of suspicions can escalate, Miroku steps forward, asking for a confirmation that Goryoumaru is indeed who they're talking to and whether he's a youkai himself, as might be deduced from the arm. The child soldiers rush to surround their leader and shout at the strangers in his defense that he's a HUMAN and a great gyouja, thank you very much. Goryoumaru explains that while his arm is a youkai's, but it moves to HIS will, as they saw. He further elaborates that the youkai it belonged to tried to possess and eat him, but he used his Buddhist powers to twist and enslave it. Seems... fundamentally counter to the peaceful nature of Buddhism, but what the fuck do I know? Goryoumaru says that his real arm was eaten by the youkai, but he's satisfied with how well the new arm does at exterminating disgusting youkai. I feel SO BAD for Shippou and Kirara right now, having to listen to this. 

Poor kid. 

Inuyasha lectures Goryoumaru on handing the pots to a bunch of children so they could go around killing youkai at random, which is an entirely fair criticism even if Inuyasha isn't TOTALLY innocent of killing random youkai himself. He also accuses Goryoumaru of suggesting to those same kids that they should kill Gakusanjin. Goryoumaru repeats the name of the victim in question, as though he hasn't heard the name before. Miroku tells him that Gakusanjin was a youkai mountain that did not wish to fight, but continue sleeping as a mountain. He adds that Gakusanjin was only awake in the first place because his sleep was disturbed by a hanyou burglar, and he had been trying to pursue the thief. Miroku saves the name Naraku for last, looking rather critically at Goryoumaru, no doubt for a sign of recognition. 

Again, Goryoumaru repeats the new name, but shows no overt signs he has heard it before. Miroku comes to the point that he would like to know the reasons the innocent Gakusanjin was killed, so Goryoumaru turns to the three kids who did the deed for their defense. How... how did he know it was them specifically? There's a ton of little brats running around. How did he AUTOMATICALLY know which ones killed Gakusanjin? 

The three mutter that they have no way of knowing which youkai are good or bad. As if they haven't been speaking this entire time like they're convinced ALL youkai are bad. Kagome mulls over this denial of responsibility and the implication that it's unrelated to Naraku, and that Gakusanjin's murder was just a coincidence. She seems unconvinced. As she should be.

They haven't quite given up, I guess. 

The children wail about the returned youkai, but Goryoumaru tells them not to panic, saying it's likely the youkai will just sit and watch from a distance. How does he figure? He doesn't say, but he does tell Inuyasha that he and his group would likely be attacked on every side and ripped apart if they leave the temple now. Goryoumaru turns on his heel to take his leave, saying he'll allow them to stay on the temple grounds until the next morning. How magnanimous. And possibly convenient for him. 

Inuyasha yells at Goryoumaru's back that they're not finished talking, but Miroku suggests to him that they should just accept the offer. No point in further antagonizing a host who has graciously overlooked the fact that they basically just INVADED his home. Kagome says that she thought Moryoumaru would force them to leave, and Shippou ponders aloud if he's actually a good guy. "Good" is a relative term. Sango stands in the back of the group, silent.

When they're all sitting together on a set of stairs, in council over whether Goryoumaru's story is true or not, Miroku reminds them that he deliberately brought up Gakusanjin's and Naraku's names, but couldn't read their host's expression in response. Inuyasha scoffs that of COURSE he couldn't, asserting that Goryoumaru couldn't put on an act if he didn't have a good poker face. 

Their attention is drawn off-panel by someone addressing them. It's a couple of the kids, looking sullen, who tell them all to come with them and eat, because Moryoumaru said that they should have some food. Inuyasha and Kagome stare for a moment in mild surprise. 

While the kids stuff their faces, Inuyasha is the one to ask what about Goryoumaru, who isn't there to take his meal with them. One of the children explains that he's off putting the light into their goryou-pots, which comes from his own body, the youkai arm he bears, and it's pretty exhausting to do. He's shown surrounded with the little pots with the arm's "petals" open and the shining inside exposed in this exercise, though I doubt any of the kids have been allowed to see it. 

Kagome asks the children why THEY'RE here doing all this, and where their parents are. Take a wild guess, girl. The kids state matter-of-factly that they don't have parents, one of them saying their mom and dad were eaten by a youkai. Kagome asks if EVERYONE here has a story like this, and another of the kids snaps in a temper that they would have died in a gutter if Goryoumaru hadn't picked them up. It's the stated reason why they help Goryoumaru, to pay him back, in addition to exterminating the horrible youkai.

Sango turns to address Miroku, who says he doesn't think the children are lying, but his sentence trails, like there's still a few missing pieces. Inuyasha is, much like Kagome was earlier, questioning if this REALLY doesn't have anything to do with Naraku. 

They're showing an UNNATURAL amount of restraint here...

Kagura is out there among them, thinking that there's definitely something fishy about this temple. Ha, just wait until you learn about the guy who lives here. She observes that there's an incredible evil aura coming from the temple itself, which makes me wonder if MIROKU clocked that. She also notices something else around the temple, the groups of creepy monk carvings with their agonized expressions. Kagura recalls hesitantly that these are called "rakanzou", though they don't look much like lucky charms to her. I guess there's something in the meaning of the word that suggests that, but there's no explanation. 

It's also clear to Kagura that the youkai aren't trying to enter the temple, despite there being no barrier around it. All of these strange elements give her the impression that this is an opportunity to look for clues to the whereabouts of Shnooky, one that she shouldn't pass up. Kagura is less likely to question the connection between Gakusanjin's murder and Naraku without a contrary narrative in her head, I see. She pops open her fan and holds it out from her body, before swiping it through the air in front of her, promising to make an army of all the youkai outside the grounds. Her wind blades slash through them.

Inside the temple, Inuyasha's crew and the children all look around in alarm, Goryoumaru doing the same in his seclusion. The kids stutter about the youkai they presume are outside, asking each other what they'll do, since they still don't have their goryou pots to defend themselves. Inuyasha jumps to his feet, hand ready to draw Tessaiga at his side, and tells them all to stand back. He and the rest of the group run outside to defend the temple. 

It hasn't been SO long since you've seen this trick that you shouldn't be able to identify it.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? RT has done a pretty good job of constructing a suspicious situation while keeping the level of plausible deniability high. Goryoumaru seems to have a believable answer to every question Inuyasha and company asks, or at least someone else to BLAME for their complaints, but they can never quite set the weird vibes aside. Mostly this is because every response from Goryoumaru brings up MORE suspicions; his almost TOO rigid poker face, the fact that he seemed to know immediately which team of children killed Gakusanjin, his correct "assumption" that the youkai wouldn't attack them and just hang out to watch them. All extremely odd things that deserved further examination, but it's entirely possible that they flew just under the radar for our protagonists, grazing close enough to it that they can't quite articulate why they're causing uneasiness. 

I'm a little disappointed that Sango doesn't have MORE to say on this arrangement Goryoumaru has with these orphaned children. She touched on the fact that these kids appeared to be mostly untrained in the previous chapter, but hearing from them the specific reason they're here in this chapter didn't cause her to revisit and amplify her initial criticism. She and Kohaku grew up within a village that made their specialty out of this skilled profession, and she knows better than anyone what the risks there are even in a purely professional context. The fact that an adult seems to have groomed a whole brood of children without families to go around killing youkai not out of service to surrounding communities, but the sense that they OWE him and general vengeance is a whole GARDEN of red flags. These kids are liable to be hurt and killed in pursuit of this man's ends, even if everything ELSE about him is on the up-and-up. It's really disturbing. 

Also, that comment from Kagura about the evil aura coming DIRECTLY from the temple has me questioning why Miroku didn't have anything to say about this. He's the main energy-sensor in the group, so there's no doubt he picked up on it, but he's being pretty tight-lipped. There probably wasn't a lot of ROOM for the group to discuss Sango's and Miroku's individual concerns in this one, so I'm not too worried about it, but I hope I see them talking at least a little more about these things in the next couple of chapters. They would seem to be the most OVERT of the issues regarding the temple and its inmates. 

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 048 Next Up: The Ogre Triad!!

I faced my own triad over the weekend - there was an event organized by the county sheriff where he waffled for two whole hours at our local library about why his department isn't up to snuff. This is a guy who is very loud on social media about his right wing views, and open in his disdain for anyone to the left of him on the political spectrum. My husband and I went to this event along with our local lefty groups to fill up the room so his little sycophants had less space to coddle him, and demanded he take responsibility for his tendency to make all of us feel unsafe, while he's flanked by two deputies ready to remove any of us that they felt were a threat. He of course denied ever doing anything wrong ever, or that his rhetoric could possibly alienate the people of his jurisdiction and make them more likely to hesitate to call him in the event of an emergency. But I like to think we at least disabused him of the illusion that he has a big base of support in the county. 

If only we could have convinced him to stop sucking so much shit, but alas, he's essentially MAGA.

No doubt there's no reasoning with the triad in the mansion either.

The boys conclude that this place must be the mansion, the elaborate statues perched over the gate no doubt a dead giveaway. Kuwabara asserts that his heart's desire is caged inside, and assures the version of her that he's built in his head, dubbed "Snowgirl", that he's here to save her. Sweatdropping at the flowery language, Yusuke suggests that Kuwabara confirm she's even HERE, and wonders what Kuwabara would think if he knew the "Snowgirl" was Hiei's sister. Honestly, he probably would think it was weird that such an angel was related to HIEI, but ultimately keep idolizing her. Thirst is a POWERFUL drug. 

Kuwabara agrees and holds his fingertip to his temple, but admits he can't sense anything. He suggests the talismans they saw surrounding "Snowgirl" on the tape must block his psychic powers, but he IS picking up on three demonic auras that are stronger than the twelve they took out before. Yusuke is confident that he's ready to take on the three demons that are left, even if they're powerful, because he's got his Reigun rapid fire down to a science. Kuwabara says that HE'S felt a new power surging through him ever since he recovered from his injuries in their last scuffle, and is confident they've gone up a level. As a result, I'm expecting more videogame vibes and structure from this arc, just like in the last. The boys march forward in lockstep with confidence.

Within the mansion, someone suggests to Tarukane that they ALSO proceed. The Bezos-type better strokes his chin on the screen, musing on how interesting it is that there are humans that are able to defeat even the UNDERLINGS of the Brokers of Darkness organization. Tarukane holds up a finger and asserts that their next contenders are a whole different class. The tall Toguro snaps his fingers in a gesture of summons. 

Quite a diverse team.

Each of them is called a "vertex" and are introduced by a number; the first is the woman with a horn protruding from her forehead called Miyuki, the second is the shorter masked person called Inmaki, and the third is the bulky more classical ogre called Gokumonki. A couple of the betters on the screens praise Tarukane for sparing no expense on this spectacle, because they observe that these three are top-level demons. Sankyo questions if the secret of the Tears of Ice is worth it, and Tarukane affirms that's exactly it. He's certainly got no SKILLS to maintain his fortune. He announces that the second event will be the intruders versus the Ogre Triad, and tells his guests to place their bets. The butler adds that the payout is three times the amount anted by the winner. 

Voices call out to put 500 million on the Brokers, another 500 million, and 300 million. Sakyo lets out a stream of cigarette smoke from his lips. 

This dude don't fuck around. 

Miyuki notes how this is NOT a vote of confidence for their Triad, and Tarukane says with a strained look on his face that this is easily remedied by them WINNING. She affirms his wish, and teleports away, because it can't be at all comfortable to be in that tense atmosphere.

Transition to another wing of the mansion, where men are firing guns frantically, encouraging each other to keep firing even though their targets are described as FAST. Their bullets only strike tile, and Yusuke appears behind a couple of them as they look at the spot he just was in alarmed confusion. He and Kuwabara, who also managed to materialize behind the armed men, karate-chopping them on their necks and causing them to collapse. The boys' faces are the picture of bored disinterest. Clearly, guns aren't much of a threat to them anymore. I'm definitely NOT jealous. 

As the boys stand in front of the pile of unconscious suited men they've taken down, Yusuke informs the gunmen still ahead of them that quantity is no substitute for quality. At least not at this scale. Kuwabara tells them that it's obvious when and where they're going to shoot. The remaining gunmen stutter that these kids aren't human, and guns are useless against them. Or, at least, they are in the hands of a bunch of loser disposable Stormtroopers. 

Miyuki has arrived, and tells the gunmen they're right about the guns being useless as she bids them to step aside. She introduces herself by name and vertex number before she darts at them and breaks a crater in the floor, right on the spot Yusuke was standing until he leaped out of the way. Kuwabara has also scurried away from the destruction, complaining from a kneeling position that he can't fight a girl. Why not? 

Miyuki says Kuwabara's stated principle is sweet, but a mistake, because she's not going to show mercy just because he's being chivalrous. Yusuke, on the other hand, flatly says that he doesn't give a shit, because he's determined to give a fight to whoever starts one, man or woman, young or old. HE has some personal experience with getting his ass kicked by an elderly woman, so that probably helps. Nonetheless, Yusuke mutters that he had better make SURE first, and when they rush one another for a new clash, Miyuki lands in a crouch from it with an affronted look on her face as she glares over her shoulder at Yusuke. 

Quite uncalled-for. 

Kuwabara grimaces in question at Yusuke, who holds up a hand that gropes the air, telling Miyuki he knows it was rude, but also asserting that this should give her some idea of what she's up against. A lewd pervert kid? Because I find it hard to believe that he did the same to Genkai to confirm her gender, but he didn't really hesitate get handsy with a pretty young woman. 

In a rage, Miyuki tells him to shut it and leaps at him again. The next thing we see is Miyuki tossed in the background, Yusuke's fist balled in the foreground having just delivered a powerful punch. For some reason, each of his fingers is labeled with words - pure, evil, fresh, and today. I have no earthly idea what that is supposed to mean, and there's NO explanation.

Miyuki gives a mighty thump as she lands face-down on the floor, and a boggled Kuwabara marvels in horror at how Yusuke really DOESN'T give a shit. Yusuke says that he might have gone a little easy on a REAL girl, but again holds up his clawed fingers and reiterates that he "checked". Ugh, here we go... He declares her a "demon cross-dresser", Kuwabara now all the more horrified in his disbelief that Yusuke DID such a thing. The background of this panel is a series of symbols that are the male and female (Mars and Venus) alchemical symbols combined. 

Is he blowing chunks in that downward motion? He can't be THAT jealous that her package is bigger than his, can he?

Kuwabara is aghast, admitting that he saw none of that, and he can't decide if he's impressed or grossed-out. With Yusuke's shitty behavior, I hope. From the floor, Miyuki calls Yusuke a bigot, and asserts he beats on her because she's different. Uhhh, lady, you showed up for a fight WAAAAY before he knew anything about your parts, so that's not exactly the argument you think it is. She says that she's got the body of a man, but the spirit of a woman. 

Sounds like a trans woman to me, but Yusuke characterizes this as a load of shit. Pointing at Miyuki, he says she's not a real cross-dresser (I guess he thinks cross-dressing and being trans are the same thing), accusing her instead on just not being able to make up her mind and advising her to do so before she gets into any other fights. Does he think her genitalia will just change once she decides once and for all that she's a woman? What the FUCK is he talking about?? 

But with with a gasp, Miyuki says that he's RIGHT, and lowers her head back to the floor in defeat. Oof, nothing worse than a trans person being made to AGREE with the person undermining their identity. She may be a shitty person, but she deserves more respect than THAT. 

Not gonna get it from THIS comic, though, because the fight is just... over. The boys scoff over their shoulders at a security camera hanging in the corner, turning to hold up two fingers to it. They tell Tarukane through it that there's only two more enemies to defeat until they're in his face. Tarukane sees this and makes a strangled noise from his chair in the monitor room, the residents of which are all seeing his ass get mocked. 

The men on those monitors observe that the intruders are indeed two boys, and this gives those rumors all the more credence. The Bezos-type additionally points out that Tarukane looks pale, suggesting this betting game is getting just a tad too intense for him. Though he sweats profusely, Tarukane scoffs that they're just getting started. Can't stop this train now. 

As the boys run along the corridor in the mansion, no indication whatsoever that they know WHERE they're going, Kuwabara says he can't BELIEVE what Yusuke did back there. He asks what if Miyuki had really had the equipment to match her presentation, and Yusuke answers that he would have gotten some cheap thrills in that case. Sexual assault is nothing but cheap thrills on HIS end. Man, he is REALLY not coming out of this one looking good. 

With an impish smile, Kuwabara says that Keiko would no doubt LOVE to hear that. Yusuke pauses in his progress down the corridor, taking on a rat-like countenance complete with whiskers and long front teeth, expression dark and angry. He whirls around and grabs Kuwabara by his collar, asking if that means he's liable to TELL Keiko about his indiscretions back there. Kuwabara starts to suggest that he'd keep his mouth shut in exchange for this CD he's been wanting, but shuts up suddenly in alarm. 

Uh-oh, an invisible foe! Yusuke might have to grope his way out of this one too, lol. 

Kuwabara freaks about how the cape made Inmaki invisible, the taps of his feet sounding all around them with no visible presence. Kuwabara asks if he can pinpoint the guy, but Yusuke answers in the negative, saying he's too fast and his direction keeps changing. Inmaki reappears behind Yusuke mid-leap upward, and slashes at his shoulder with his Wolverine rip-off claws. Yusuke cries out and pitches forward, blood spurting from his back. 

Kuwabara yells the suggestion that they scram, and they flee from a chuckling Inmaki, who states with glee that you can't fight what you can't see. He then ducks back under the cloak. The boys run around a corner, and the pursuing Inmaki tells them it's no use, following like a dutiful pet. Kuwabara yells to Yusuke to do something now, much to Inmaki's confusion. 

I guess he was right. You CAN'T fight what you can't see. 

Once the explosion of shots subsides and Inmaki is pressed into a cracked crater in the opposite wall, Yusuke harkens back to when he told the gunmen that quantity is no substitute for quality when he says that quantity DOES have its uses sometimes. Inmaki croaks out a question of HOW they were able to strike him, and Kuwabara explains that his sixth sense was able to pinpoint Inmaki's location even when the cloak visually hid him. Kuwabara also notes Inmaki isn't much of a threat when he's lost the advantage of invisibility. Yusuke observes his balled fists as he talks about how he filled the corridor with reiki blasts when Kuwabara gave the signal, some of which were BOUND to hit. 

Again, the boys smirk at another security camera mounted on the ceiling and each hold up one finger to it, announcing they have one more demon left to beat. Tarukane is DRIPPING in sweat, recoiling as though they are right in front of him and pulling back for a punch. His horror is growing that yet another of his hired guards has been defeated. 

Oddly, the tall Toguro smirks, and says it looks like HE'S on deck. We just skipping Gokumonki or what? Toguro claws his hand, the joints in its fingers cracking, while he gushes about how he can't remember the last time he felt such anticipation. 

Okay, never mind, Yusuke and Kuwabara might very well have THREE opponents left. If we count the silent shoulder Toguro brother.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I definitely appreciate how fast things are moving in this chapter. As the last panel above indicates, we're all REALLY looking forward to a clash between the boys and the enigmatic Toguros, so the mid-level fighters that stand in between are just there to build up anticipation. There's nothing to distinguish them as foes before they just show up either. All we know is that they're presumably more skilled than the twelve nameless goons Yusuke and Kuwabara defeated so handily outside the house. Toguro doesn't even say anything positive about their strength or experience when they appear as a unit. Though Toguro phrases his last line in such a way as to imply there's a CHANCE Gokumonki will defeat the boys before they can get to him, he's already expanding his muscles again as if to say that he thinks those chances are exceedingly slim. He's definitely expecting Gokumonki to fail like the other two. 

If I were Tarukane, I would be questioning whether or not Toguro had always planned to put out a parade of weaklings like a trail of breadcrumbs straight to me. Honestly, I don't know why he's not already demanding answers from Toguro right now, given how paranoid rich people tend to be. Maybe Tarukane doesn't have the smarts to question whether his hired guard is loyal to him, but if he is, it might be interesting to see if he gets it in his head that the Toguro brothers are spies after his life/source of wealth, rather than thrill-seekers looking for a challenging fight. And who can really say which is correct at this point? Neither one of them is saying ANYTHING regarding their motivations thus far. 

Alright, let's address the elephant in the room: the transphobia is pretty potent in this one. It's not the WORST I've seen, and it at least didn't make me ill, but the thing that stood out to me was that there was absolutely NO reason Yusuke should have been motivated to "check" if Miyuki aligned with his conception of female. He begins by saying outright that he doesn't give a shit what gender she is, and it makes sense that he wouldn't, given his ongoing work with Genkai. So WHY in the world was it necessary to reveal that she had male anatomy by grope? I can think of no other reason than the purpose was so YT could make some sort of weird statement about trans women, because it READS like the kind of lecture an ignorant fuck would give a trans person about their own identity. Miyuki even AGREES, which is exactly the kind of response that a smug bigot would envision to their nonsensical arguments. And make no mistake, Miyuki was absolutely correct to call this bigotry. 

At least it comes out of the mouth of a teenage boy, which is somewhat understandable. We're all stupid when we're teens, and it's much more expected that an adolescent would formulate an opinion like this with their limited worldview and allergy to anything they consider weird or cringe. Doesn't make it fun to read.

Oh well, YT can't do a single thing about my headcanon that Kurama is a trans man, so take that! Hahaha!

Inuyasha Manga: 347 Goryoumaru

I'm pretty sure that when I first read this name, I rolled my eyes and groaned. It's so incredibly similar to Moryoumaru that I could not begin to imagine that there wasn't at least a connection between them, with no one bothering to hide it at all. Granted, there is quite the gulf between then MEANINGS of this difference in a single syllable; who could possibly confuse a "Perfect Monster" for a "Spiritual Man"? No doubt I would have been fooled if I had been given a translation of these names instead of the mere romanization. As it stands, the similarity is less a hint and more a blunt object struck across the back of the head. 

Or a youkai laser piercing the skull. 

Kagome yells at Inuyasha to dodge it, Sango adding that these kids will blast right through him with their mysterious weapon. But Inuyasha ignores their alarm, surprised to find that the light emitted at him by the children has a SCENT. He deduces that INSIDE the light is the real body, and he can cut it, swinging down his sword to do so as the beams start to converge on him. 

He's on a roll lately, isn't he?

Inuyasha smirks and scoffs at the kids, who recoil from his triumphant attitude. They're in for it NOW. And by "it", I mean just a lightning fast knock on the head from Inuyasha's fist, and an instant raised lump as a result. They cry out, their little masks dislodged by the minor violence Inuyasha has inflicted on them, and one of them yelps that he's a fucking bastard. As if he attacked them unprovoked. 

Miroku mutters that they were just ordinary children after all, but as she kneels next to the corpses of the youkai from their packs, Sango wonders aloud how they managed to do all this. Inuyasha takes it upon himself to do the OFFICIAL interrogation, demanding the brats confess how they got their hands on the pots on their backs. They're resistant, telling him to shut up, and that they'd die before telling him anything. Wrong thing to say to Inuyasha.

EasiER than he might an adult, though, you have to admit. 

Kagome leans down to lecture a sweating, nervous child about how they REALLY shouldn't carry the pots on their backs, because children doing dangerous things like this will ensure they end up in a bad situation someday. Sounds more like a threat than sound advice. The boisterous leader of the children yells at them to get lost, looking like he's prepared to bolt any second, but his fellows are still on the ground. They maintain that they'll never lose to a youkai with these "goryou-pots", despite the fact that they JUST DID, as Shippou points out shrewdly. 

The rest of the children jump up and flee, a couple looking over their shoulders to throw out a promise that they'll get Inuyasha and company for this, and they won't go easy on them next time. Hey, whatever it takes to nurse their pride.

You'll get another chance to crack heads, don't worry.

As Miroku and Sango watch the kids scramble off into the distance, the latter comments on how their attitude clashes with their self-proclaimed "gyouja" title. My thoughts exactly. Sango adds that she's doubtful these kids got the kind of special youkai extermination training she did. Miroku says that the brats look a little shabby to be working for Naraku, like they thought at first. Shabby can work, but these kids aren't no Baker Street Irregulars. 

Narrow sky transition panel to the mountains among which Gakusanjin's body lays. Kagura floats near his head on her giant feather. She's apparently confirming for herself that Gakusanjin is dead, and admits that it worries her. She's convinced that Naraku stole the fuyouheki off Gakusanjin to give it to his little demonic infant, and thinks it likely that Gakusanjin was going after Naraku to get it back. She's got some suspicions about the motivations of the ones who killed Gakusanjin, but at the very least she supposes that they should be nearby, and could provide her a clue to the baby's location. 

She's in her Veronica Mars era and I LOVE that for her. 

Meanwhile, Inuyasha and his crew are already hot on the trail of the clues she is after, reproducing yet again that iconic and somewhat overdone travel panel. 

Kagome seems almost SURPRISED that the temple is creepy. I have no idea why she wouldn't expect that to some degree when it comes to anything that might be connected with Naraku. Seems pretty standard, honestly. Miroku and Sango acknowledge the terrible youki surrounding the temple too, though they look more wary than shocked. 

 At the entrance to the building, light bubbles out and then shoots toward them. Kagome shouts a somewhat unneeded warning about this, and Inuyasha guesses that they have come across the allies of those brats from earlier. Sango is at last alarmed, yelling that there's a whole lot of them. But Inuyasha scoffs, saying it's no problem to just cut the body he discovered in the last scuffle. 

Kagome back there holding on for dear life, lol. 

Again, the light fades into little weird snake-like creatures falling dead where they were hit, and a great number of little boys stand in the open gateway pointing the openings of their pots toward Inuyasha and company, gaping in disbelief at this guy who killed their brilliant serving youkai. Clearly they haven't ever faced a situation where the pots weren't effective, so they're just flabbergasted. Kagome comments on how the whole crowd of opposition facing them is composed entirely of children as Inuyasha lunges forward, suggesting they just charge on in. The kids turn tail and run at the advancing force they can't handle, calling for Goryoumaru-sama. 

The shadowy figure from the previous chapter is sitting in a dark room looking over his shoulder at the paper door, like he's waiting for the right moment to go out and rescue all these children crying for him. It's not the MOST sympathetic picture, even though in the next one, he's using a scarred left hand to restrain his right at the shoulder, which is huge and clawed like that of a bear, with tendrils sprouting out of it somewhere around the wrist. It's still pretty shadowed, though, so that's only a vague impression. 

Thankfully, though, it doesn't have to be obscure for long. The children all huddle on Goryoumaru's stoop, Inuyasha continuing to approach them with Tessaiga held in front of him. He's not coming across as super sympathetic here either, to be fair. A voice from the other side of the cracked door tells the kids to stand back. 

It was... more ominous in the dark, I swear. 

Inuyasha's group is shocked and horrified by it without the claws and tendrils regardless, and Miroku even holds up his right fist in preparation to rip the sealing beads off his Kazaana, as he and a clearly disturbed Sango declare in disbelief that this guy is a youkai. They bust into the guy's home, terrorize his children, and then look like they're on the verge of killing him for his appearance. What are they? ICE? 

The children surrounding him yell at the invaders to get real, insisting Goryoumaru isn't a youkai. Inuyasha scoffs that appearance aside, Goryoumaru's body is absolutely REEKING of youkai. Has just being a youkai become a crime? Shippou and Kirara better watch out... Goryoumaru responds with a similar scoff to Inuyasha's, specifically about the smell of youkai pervading his body. 

Meanwhile:

Kagura identifies these sudden traveling companions as a group of youkai from the region, expressing some confusion over the fact that they appear to be aiming for something, but she's not sure what. 

It becomes clear to those at the temple, at least, when these youkai descend upon the roof. Kagome narrates this phenomenon with alarm, and Goryoumaru turns to one of the children, inquiring about their pots. The kid stutters that they were abandoned, because the light inside them was cut. Goryoumaru mutters his acceptance of the situation, then addresses the youkai that he assumes gathered due to the goryou pots being rendered useless. 

You guys just gonna stand there and stare? 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'm a little uncomfortable with how Inuyasha's group looks pursuing this lead. There's this emphasis on Goryoumaru's youkai-ness as a justification for attacking him, and the counter-argument isn't that this doesn't or shouldn't matter, but that he actually ISN'T a youkai, despite all appearances. He was initially being pursued in connection with another youkai's murder and a connection to Naraku, but the dialog toward the end of the chapter indicates that simple prejudice is driving the argument behind the attack. 

It's possible that it's an attempt to play off of the children's clear prejudice, trying to get them to abandon and not protect Goryoumaru, but there's no real indication of that. Inuyasha's group seems alarmed and even DISGUSTED by the appearance and smell of youki on Goryoumaru. This is bizarre, given that two of the group are youkai (Shippou and Kirara), one of them is a half-youkai, and their whole reason for locating Moryoumaru was because a YOUKAI was taken out by his little child soldiers. This prejudicial attitude that Inuyasha's group is displaying doesn't come out of nowhere necessarily, since we've seen it sprinkled around, most recently in that side arc with Shima and her youkai suitor/stalker, so I'm not critical of this over a sudden introduction. I might even think it was quite interesting to give the main characters a prejudice if it were to give them fallibility that they would have to overcome.

But, as I mentioned in the cold open, even if I hadn't read this arc before, the similarity between Moryoumaru and Goryoumaru's names ALREADY establishes at least a connection between them, and from there a connection to Naraku. The immediate distrust of Goryoumaru will inevitably end up being justified, and I don't feel like that's any kind of spoiler for that very reason. I feel like RT should have just stuck to the clues leading the group to the conclusion that Goryoumaru is an agent of Naraku, and left this weird emphasis on his youkai appearance aside. Unless she's going to SAY something about the nature of a bias gumming up the way we see people, it might instead lead the reader to believe that our basest prejudices should be honored. 

And I have to say, now more than ever, I feel like that's a VERY dangerous thing to even imply. 

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 047 The Black Book Club!!

No doubt referring to a list of secret contacts for conspiring and plotting - rich weirdos always have a network of other weirdos that they can call on for various sundry corruption schemes. The infamous "Epstein Files", only half of which have been released as of this writing, lay bare a small portion of the vast spider web of favor trading and trafficking in everything from weapons to drugs to humans between a class of individuals whose sole object in life seems to be to immiserate the rest of us for their entertainment. Oh, and simultaneously bring about the end of the world and insulate themselves against it? Because apparently they're so blind to the mass of labor the bulk of humanity performs for their benefit that they haven't even considered who's going to grow their food or do their laundry in the fallout. Their greed and disdain for their fellow humans below a certain net worth can only be outmatched by their own stupidity, truly.

The sole difference between this real-life league of villains and their cartoon counterparts in this comic? The comic's demons are literal rather than metaphorical. But functionally, basically the same. 

He's not beating the H.P. Lovecraft origin allegations. 

Kuwabara recoils with a disgusted noise, saying this is pretty gross, even for a demon. I'm very much in agreement with this assessment, especially when we get a close-up of his fingers, which have grown a bumpy/barby texture and the tips appear to have the skin rolled back slightly, but there's not bone underneath. It could be eyeballs or more suckers, but it's a little too soon and unclear for me to tell for sure at this point. This guy tells them not to think of turning back, because no human has seen him in this form and lived to tell the tale. 

Yusuke glares silently, looking ENTIRELY unimpressed. Then, after his pause, he casually mentions that the girl being held here is a demon too, one of this tentacle nightmare's own. Yusuke asks if it doesn't BOTHER him that scumball humans are exploiting her like they are. The tentacle nightmare asks in turn why he SHOULD care. He says humans are always willing to sell each other out for their own selfish inclinations, and questions why Yusuke would expect demons to be any LESS greedy. He has a point, of course - one might expect them to be even MORE horrific, being demons and all. The boys nevertheless glower at the tentacle nightmare as he chuckles, betting they would throw each other to the wolves if there were a big enough pile of money in it for them. 

While Kuwabara conjures his energy sword and Yusuke's fist glows with concentrated aura, the latter says that's a fat lot this tentacle nightmare knows about them. The tentacle nightmare leaps for them, aiming his underside at them showing a gaping mouth where his tentacles meet, calling the kids "high and mighty". 

Well, they aren't wrong, are they? 

The tentacle nightmare's eyes are wide with horrified disbelief, gurgling inarticulately as his dismembered parts fly every which way. Then Yusuke silently raises his fist, forefinger extended, a hard frown on his face the entire time. He fires off a massive blast aimed off panel.

Cut to our tall Toguro brother with the sunglasses, who appears as surprised as those placid features will allow. I suppose that's why the exclamation point is required. 

Uh-oh, the overgrown toddler has suffered a small disappointment. Everyone prepare for a tantrum. 

Maintaining his cool, the tall Toguro denies this interpretation of events, and says it rather means that they're not dealing with just ANY street rats. Tarukane complains that Toguro told him they could handle anything, and reminds him that he's paying them good money to handle just that level of threat, nothing less. Toguro reiterates that they WILL do that, but Tarukane demands he prove it, pointing a fat finger as he issues a vague command to show him what they can do. After a contemplative hum, he's asked HOW he would like them to do so. 

Tarukane proceeds to invite them to follow him through the ornate halls of his mansion to show them something, leading them down what appears to be a dim set of spiral stairs. The place they enter is filled with cages, the contents of which are some bizarre creatures. One looks like a two-headed dog/lizard, each of the heads with a single eye and a little forked tongue poking out, and a large gaping mouth running down it's back and another couple of eyes topping a mound at the back. Another multi-headed creature, this time with a tortoise shell encasing its body, is shadowed in its corner. They're pretty creative monster designs, so I'm giving mad props for that. 

As they walk in the hall between the countless cages, Toguro compliments his host on his freak menagerie. Tarukane says they are his most prized acquisitions, well worth the bundle they cost. Too bad they have to stay in his dank creepy basement, unlike MOST prized possessions. Tarukane stops in front of a particular glass cage, much bigger than the others, and bids Toguro to behold. 

It looks like what you would order from the book "Where the Wild Things Are" if it were a catalog. 

With a shit-eating smirk, Tarukane asks if Toguro thinks he can take her, betting silently that he's not going to be willing to step into that cage himself, since it's a whole other matter than just providing security. It's also a WHOLLY different ask, and I'm not sure what it has to do with taking on two kids coming to liberate one of his other "acquisitions". Nonetheless, he thinks it'll improve his bargaining position. I feel like he should have been trying to BARGAIN long before this point, but hey, he doesn't seem like the sharpest crayon in the box. 

Toguro says he'd rather not, and just as Tarukane thinks he's balking and there's a 20% discount on the horizon, he's shocked by the fact that Toguro opens up the door to the cage and walks in anyway. He leaves his brother behind outside the cage, making it much easier for him to whip off his coat once he's in there with the beast, revealing a narrow muscled torso and almost comically broad shoulders. Apparently the reason he would have rather NOT gone up against the beast is because he's an animal lover, though you wouldn't know it just looking at him. 

Tarukane is in a panic, calling him an idiot as he tells him to get out of there, asking who's going to guard Yukina if he gets splattered all over the glass. He says that this girl doesn't have the brain capacity to take commands, so he can't call her off. Clearly Toguro ALSO doesn't have the brain capacity for such. He just stands there and assesses the beast, who has stood on her hind legs and is towering over him at twice his height, tall indeed. He hums that it's too bad, then flexes his hand, estimating that 30% of... something will be enough to defeat this poor creature. 

Okay, he's filling them out a bit more, but why do those shoulders STILL look ridiculous?

Tarukane fully flushes, his face darkened as he exclaims that Toguro's muscles are expanding. Toguro humbly states that he lacks useful skills, and all he can really do is increase his muscle mass. As if ANYONE could just do that shit, no problem. The beast comes roaring at him and slams an extended paw on his shoulder. Instead of crumbling under the creature's blow, the floor BELOW Toguro cracks and dents into a CRATER with him as the center. The beast expresses confusion, pausing in her attack because of how unsuccessful it turned out to be. Toguro wraps his arm around her furry arm, and mumbles about how it's going to cost a bit to repair the floor. Then he apologizes to the creature, whom she calls "sweetie", because what he's about to do stems directly from her master's insistence on demonstration.

He balls his hand into a fist and punches. 

... I'm a little sick now. 

As the fan of blood settles behind the beast, Tarukane gapes, letting out a slow sound of amazement. Toguro appears to look to the side, but his sunglasses make it impossible to read his expression accurately. When he turns around to leave the cage, its inmate's corpse twitching and splattered everywhere, he's returned back to his regular level of muscle content. He says that even though his client wanted this outcome, he doesn't feel HAPPY about it. Me neither, dude. 

But Tarukane isn't exactly SAD. He chokes out a couple of nervous chuckles, which turn into genuine guffaws spraying spittle everywhere. It's pretty nasty in just about every way imaginable. He says the slaughter was "splendid", and goes the OPPOSITE direction he intended going into this - offering Toguro double, even triple his fee to make Toguro his personal body guard. Toguro says mildly that he'll think about it. He must really need the money to even CONSIDER keeping this job up, lol.

Tarukane asks if this "30%" comment Toguro made earlier meant that he was able to defeat the beast (whom we only find out NOW is named Helen. RIP Helen.) with only a third of his strength. As if a third is NOT a significant amount. Toguro confirms that's the idea, adding that 20% probably would have done it, but he's "timid" at heart. Meaning he didn't want her to suffer, I'm guessing. 

When they cross paths with the butler Sakashita, Tarukane yells at him to get on the phone. Sakashita assures him that the auction is already all set up, but Tarukane says this isn't about the auction at all, and that he wants him to call the Black Book Club now. Congratulations to this shithose of a human being for shouting out the title. Bastard. 

What's with this guy's bowtie? Is it buttoned on or something? 

Tarukane says OF COURSE he can't just watch what he considers to be an eye-catching money-making show all by himself. To him, this is a most fabulous opportunity to turn a bit of a profit out of the five club members. He calls this Black Book Club the "BBC" here, which just tickles me pink. Sausage fingers clawed upward to grope the air like the capital pervert he is, Tarukane speculates on how many more billions he can make if he manipulates the odds, talking about pay-per-view revenue, because he's planning on broadcasting all this secret shit like a reality show? I guess the "BBC" joke was a little more fitting than I thought at first. Tarukane giggles that Yukina's ice tears aren't just enchanted jewels, but money magnets. 

I am BEGGING capitalists to get some fucking therapy and stop making their number-go-up addiction the rest of the world's problem. 

The tall Toguro blows a stream of cigarette smoke from his lips, saying he doesn't foresee a pleasant end for Tarukane. What, is he some kind of seer now? Tarukane laughs at this prediction, admitting his bestie body guard might be right, but he's going to enjoy himself to the fullest until that very bad end comes. Well, you can't fault him for the practical positivity. It's probably the ONLY good quality he has. 

In her room, Yukina stares wistfully out her window. A shot of a nearby mountain with sharp lines is overlaid with an info box that says it's only MOMENTS after the conversation Tarukane and his various employees just had. The phone call must have been really short, because...

... And of course, the wealth-hoarders have ample time on their hands, clearly. 

A bald Bezos-type says he wouldn't miss this for the world, and on the next screen over, there's a more Reagan-type that agrees he could use a fresh diversion. From WHAT is the question. Just the vague "usual hobbies" according to another talking head, and the one after that laughs that there's always amusement in the misfortunes of others. So stereotypically evil, but I'm less inclined to view that as unrealistic these days.

A younger man with long hair and a scar over his right eye asks what's on the card today. Tarukane explains that there are two intruders on his estate that appears to be after his "Tears of Ice". Cute marketing, dipshit. He says he wants to wager on how far these intruders will get against the Brokers of Darkness. The Bezos-type says that although Tarukane has carefully avoided telling them WHO the intruders are, they're intrigued, and Tarukane giggles to himself about how he knew they would be. Aloud, he says that he's always happy to spread the wealth around. They have an economy all their own, don't they? XD

Sakashita stands in front of a map, indicating an "x" on a minimalist map of the grounds and mansion with a pointer stick. He relays the situation as the intruders traveling along the road marked, and the Brokers stationed outside the mansion are converging to intercept them. The tall Toguro states that he has 12 "men" (read: literal monsters) outside, and three inside the mansion, each individual capable of taking out a squad of army special forces. Is that including the guy who lost all his tentacles in less than 10 seconds? The Bezos-type voices his new understanding that this bet is just to spice this up, and fleece them for the privilege of watching the slaughter. The scarred youth stays silent, and Tarukane shamelessley asks if they should begin. You know, the fleecing. He reiterates that the event is two intruders versus 12 Brokers, and Sakashita bows as he adds that this will pay out twice the amount anted by the winner. 

Two voices put up 200 million Yen on the Brokers, and another 250 million. Tarukane is pleased that these guys fell for it, and thinks that the Brokers' reputation is quite persuasive. But he's secretly convinced that if these intruders are the same two human boys who took down Suzaku and Rando, then the Brokers at his mansion might be facing more than they can handle. I guess the tall Toguro's absolute murder of his strongest pet wasn't as convincing as he let on, because it seems to ME he's gearing up to bet against his security force. 

Sniper in the balcony!

Tarukane grimaces at the guy, definitely NOT happy. The scarred youth's fellows on their respective screens ask if he's crazy, how any SANE person can expect two humans to beat a dozen demons. He says that it's BECAUSE there are two of them, giving the same reasoning that these kids might just be the boys stamping out demons left and right these days that Tarukane had quietly been using just a moment ago. Tarukane laughs nervously and sweats, calling this young "Sakyo" a true gambler, as always. Internally, he's cursing this shrewd punk for keeping his ear to the ground. That's the thing about playing the odds; you can't expect no one else to have the information you do. 

The tall Toguro hums yet again, and a now soured Tarukane snaps a question about what's going on now. Toguro responds that six more of his guys have gone the way of the first, and strokes his chin as he admits that these humans are GOOD. Efficient, at the very least. 

The boys are indeed moving rapidly along the road through the forested grounds, declaring six demons down. Yet another six stand in front of them, all manners of grotesque, but not quite worth describing, since no doubt they will be out of the picture soon enough. They insist the humans got lucky and that what's left of their numbers are ready for them now. Kuwabara leads the charge at them, aura sword pulled back for a stab, telling the "pug-uglies" to shut up and get out of his way, because he's burning with romantic fury. At some point, he's donned a head band with "I (heart) The Snow Girl" on it. No idea where he pulled THAT from. Yusuke sweatdrops over his outburst and mutters about how he's hopped to it, for sure. 

Highly motivated. 

Yusuke peppers the rest of the demonic defense with his Reigun shots, and both boys leave the dead members of the security force, dismembered and fried, fanned behind them. They demand to know who's next. 

Inside, the tall Toguro reports that another six are down, in under six seconds. VERY efficient. 

Rich people are so fucking weird.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'm certainly even further convinced of Tarukane's general stupidity, as well as that of his colleagues. As befits his class, he is concerned with gaining even more wealth, first and foremost, but his breadth of his greed seems to have made him incapable weighing risk properly. He challenges Toguro to battle his bear of a science experiment with the assumption that Toguro wouldn't take it on, meaning he could justify demanding a lower price for an inferior service delivered, only to end up promising MORE money to Toguro when he dominated the task. Then Tarukane literally goes to bet against the rest of Toguro's team when he calls in his betting club, losing 10 billion Yen when his bluff is called. As obsessed as he is with pulling in more and more capital, he's hemorrhaging it instead, because he's just not as smart as he seems to think he is. A very fair representation of a lot of the high-profile rich people I've seen to date.

This Sakyo dude promises to be a real thorn in his side, though. And since he's got a good identifying feature on his face, it's clear from the outset that he's going to be more important as time progresses. But even if I didn't know who he is and what part he plays in the future, I'd still be annoyed by him for being part of this creep betting club. Where did I put my guillotine??

Toguro remains the most interesting of all of this cast of villains, because in contrast to the stoic mask he has put on, he almost seems the most HUMAN out of all of them. He expresses no joy whatsoever at the state of affairs, and in fact admits he's upset by having to kill a beast caged by his employer at his command. He also, unlike his giggling brother, was joyless when he at the poor bird in the last chapter. Clearly he's not having FUN killing creatures weaker than himself, and it forces the reader to question just WHAT his motivations are in this. It's not money; he didn't exactly jump at Tarukane's offer to offer him a raise to be his personal bodyguard, saying instead that he'd "think about it". He almost seems to be going along with all this nonsense in a listless, disinterested way. Perhaps his advice to Yukina in the previous chapter was based a little on his own experience. Just do what's expected of you when it's needed, and don't fight. There is no resisting the social force of wealth and power, even for a guy who can literally splatter a genetically beefed-up beast over a wall. 

He's just as much a tool, a captive, as Yukina is, and that's a little terrifying. 

Inuyasha Manga: 346 The Gyouja

"Gyouja" means ascetic, apparently, but while I was looking this up, I was surprised to learn that the Inuyasha Viz Big volumes were all available on the Viz website. I don't know if this has always been the case and their search function just sucks, but I already have an account and it's how I've accessed the Yu-Gi-Oh chapters and, more currently, the YuYu Hakusho chapters. I wanted to be able to do so with Inuyasha as well, because it's a bit of a chore to drag the box with my paper volumes out of the closet whenever I need to compare the Viz official translation and whatever scanlation I'm working with. 

So, I was very happy to discover this and looked over the whole LONG list of Inuyasha chapters just to see if they had them all, and was then surprised to see that all but the first three were barred to me by a paywall. I'm already paying about $3 a month for a subscription to the Shonen Jump manga, but they want me to pay another $2 per month for an entirely SEPARATE subscription to OTHER Viz manga that are not in the Shonen Jump publication. 

I guess I'll be continuing to drag my physical copies out of their box whenever I want to compare in the future. XD

Poor guy is still not having any luck finding a good place to get some shuteye since the last time we saw him, huh? Je suis passé par là.

The men look up at the giant mountain monster in horrified wonder, stuttering that it's a youkai. Brilliant observation guys. Our rocky boy is glaring into a growing surge of light, and a few points of light shoot from the glow to pierce him in and around the neck area, bursting straight through him. 

Gives the phrase "I'll sleep when I'm dead" a whole new level of morbid meaning.

A couple of the witnesses from the first page affirm that this happened three days ago, describing what they call a "batch" of light that struck through the monster mountain. They point out the place where the giant youkai fell, which is still visible as pretty much a regular mountainous outcrop, because the body was just left there. His isn't the kind that dissolves upon death, I guess. Gotta leave proper evidence for our team to examine. 

Apparently, the gargantuan corpse is so frightening, no one from the community has gotten close to take a look. As Inuyasha and Company rush toward the site themselves, Miroku admits that he can only imagine that it was Gakusanjin who fell here, but he also says he can't sense any youki from this mountain at all, Sango saying it's like the mound of rocks and foliage is just a regular mountain. I would have thought THAT would also dissipate along with the subject's life, but I'm no youkai expert, so what do I know? 

Inuyasha remains quiet, thinking that the smell remains, and he's pretty certain about who they're coming upon as the massive outline of their destination coalesces out of the mist ahead. 

Yup, that's his bulging eyes, officer. POSITIVE. Sango certainly can't deny it, affirming that it's Gakusanjin's head, and Inuyasha agrees with a melancholy air. 

Kagome recalls how when they met before, Gakusanjin had told them Naraku stole his Fuyouheki, with the power to erase the youki of the holder. Miroku suggests that Gakusanjin must have also gone after Naraku after they parted the first and last time they met, and Sango asks if he believes that Naraku is the one who killed Gakusanjin. She receives no answer from Miroku, but Kagome asks after Inuyasha, who is crouched on the ground, sniffing with some purpose. Inuyasha informs her that there is the scent of SEVERAL humans here, and when Kagome repeats "human" as a question, he elaborates that it's a fresh scent, which he deduces to mean that they came here AFTER Gakusanjin's death. As Shippou pops up on her shoulder, Kagome asks what THAT in turn means, and Shippou notes what they were told about the locals being too afraid to come over here. Assuming they're not just unaware of any dumb kids going to poke the dead youkai with a stick...

Narrow NIGHT sky transition panel, a full moon on display. A giant hairy eyeball with furry legs sprouting from it at every angle has perched itself on a roof, and a few villagers with torches stutter about it coming out. Clearly they are familiar with this creature, which is unfortunate. A couple of other villagers turn to shout at a "Gyouja-sama" to please take care of this shit. 

Sengoku Era lasers strike again. They're even sucked backward like a retracting tape measure. 

Are those... children? 

They are indeed, because the stuttering village men thanking them for their work stand a head or two taller than they do, despite their stooped peasant posture. Granted, it's nothing we haven't seen before in this manga, but not being accompanied by ANY adults whatsoever isn't quite so common. Being peasants, the villagers struggle to bring up the subject of a reward for the service rendered, but the kid at the forefront of his mini-exterminators tells the villagers that a handcart is all they need. 

The village men seem confused by the request, but in the next panel, the body of the spider-eyeball has been loaded onto the requested cart, and the kid assures his customers over his shoulder that the youkai corpse shall be buried at their residence over his shoulder as he pushes at the back of the cart on their way out. The villagers mumble amongst themselves about how the kiddos sure are something, despite the hesitant observation that those Gyouja-sama still being children. Not anything "ascetic" about them, as far as I can see, but I haven't seen much yet, to be fair. 

Cut to another mountainside, near the foot of which the kids are dragging the cart up a path to a complex in the trees. Around this set of buildings are giant spikes of stone or maybe even crystal sticking up out of the ground, and in between them, what looks like the desiccated forms of monks with wide open mouths sitting cross-legged in eternal meditative pose. They look ANYTHING but peaceful. 

Someone calls for "Goryoumaru-sama", announcing outside a particular building that they brough the remains of the youkai they finished off, with the goods to prove it on the cart at their backs. A voice from inside the dark doorway open a crack praises them and gives them permission to go rest. 

Everything about this is creepy AF.

Come daylight, someone ELSE is expressing incredulity at the village. It's Inuyasha, at the head of his own group, questioning the claim of the village men working in the field who told them about the gyouja going around exterminating youkai. But a villager leaning on his hoe confirms his claim, saying that these characters come from the holy mountain to the east. Oh no, not another holy mountain! The men further disclose that the gyouja had a kind of weird pot with them, which emitted a light that pierced the youkai.

This appears to ring a bell for Miroku, who asks how many of these gyouja there were, since the villagers indicated multiples. The villagers answer that the ones who came here were a three-"man" team, using the word "man" rather loosely in my opinion, but say there are rumored to be many more of them. 

Kagome recalls to everyone's attention how they were told that lights of the same sort killed Gakusanjin, and Inuyasha agrees that the implication is the gyouja guys did the deed. He calls for his group to hop to it, and in their wake, the villagers mutter over how the boy they just saw had some weird ears and was a youkai, they guess. They're pretty laid-back about it. 

It's amazing how many times I've seen this very panel reproduced by this point in the story. 

Kagome wonders aloud if these gyouja fellows have a connection with Naraku, and Inuyasha gives her a big "DUH" answer, citing the fact that they killed Gakusanjin. Coincidences are NOT possible in this story. He repeats the information they got that the gyouja come from this holy mountain in the east, so he's more than ready to go and confront them about killing the mountain-guy, at the very least. 

But a moment later, Inuyasha suddenly picks up an alarming scent, that appears to be familiar to him. It's another mere moment before a blast rushes toward his left side, and he has leap out of the way. It slams into the ground below, and Sango observes that it appears to be just a surge of light. Inuyasha touches down with Kagome struggling to keep her seat on his back, already twisting to confront whoever shot at him.

Ugh, kids these days and their over-use of the "z" sound. 

Miroku comments in mild disbelief that their attackers appear to be children, and Sango observes that they must be those gyouja they've been hearing so much about. Inuyasha also says he's POSITIVE that these are the same scents he smelled at Gakusanjin's head. Kagome hides half behind his shoulder like she's SCARED of these rugrats, lol!

One of the kids admits to only NOW noticing the human behind Inuyasha, and another bluntly tells her that she should get away from the youkai if she doesn't wanna die. I'm pretty sure brats like these are like HALF the reason I never became a mother. The other half being the environmentally destructive fascist capitalism. 

Kagome gets irritated at being advised thus and stutters a demand to know what it is they think they're saying, but Inuyasha tells her to get back again. Ah, the quintessential female experience of being given conflicting orders by all the boys around you like you're a fucking house pet. Inuyasha comments on how dangerous those jar things are on those kids' backs, and asks where they got them. The kids in turn ask what good it'll do knowing, because he's about to be exterminated anyway. Inuyasha draws Tessaiga and vows to make them talk no matter what, lunging for them.

For being "ascetics", these kids sure are gluttons for shooting youkai with lasers. 

So, what do I think of this chapter overall? I'm sure it will surprise no one that my favorite part of this chapter is the creepy atmosphere of the complex for the gyouja characters, and how creepy the guy they answer to is. The rocks sticking out of the ground like giant stakes and the figures of agonized monks between them strikes a very unsettling tone of warning. There's also something ominous about the insistence of the boys to bury their slain youkai in this place - it puts a loose connection between the twisted nature of the landscape and this practice. 

It's also somewhat reminiscent of Sango's first appearance in the story, who took pieces of the youkai she had killed back to her village of exterminators herself, and had an established practice of doing so to manufacture armor and weapons from them. But the tone was FAR different, from the contrast between the environments to the clear versus obscure purpose, and there seems to be a deliberate comparison happening here. The kids are after all using the exact language that Sango used when referring to her exterminator career. I'm looking forward to seeing more of HER response to this in particular, because she no doubt would be able to provide a unique insight to this community of little exterminators calling themselves "ascetics". Gonna have a hard time getting over that word. 

Finally, I think Inuyasha's behavior in this chapter is interesting, showing a unique kind of empathy for Gakusanjin and sadness when his murder is discovered. His manner is less caustic than usual, keeping a more internal dialog like he does when he's contemplating something uncomfortable for him, and his expression suggests at the very least disappointment. He wants to chase down the killers pretty much immediately, and while HE would probably characterize that as eagerness to get at the shadowy villain behind the murder he's been chasing this entire time, but I think in addition to the other things, it at least speaks to how sad Gakusanjin's loss is. Inuyasha had promised to bring the fuyouheki back to him, so there might perhaps be an echo there of the guilt he feels at failing to protect Kikyou, as well as a frustration at the lack of justice there for a guy who just wanted to go back to sleep.

Of course, I might just be projecting. Gakusanjin was my boy. We had so much in common, just wanting to get some fucking sleep. XD XD XD