Chapter 256

The Center of the Shield is the 256th chapter of InuYasha manga.

Synopsis

 * Inuyasha questions Bankotsu about the desecrated shrine and Shintaro's father. Bankotsu says he didn't do anything, he was told to wait on the island and nothing more. Kagome warns Inuyasha that Bankotsu is using two shikon shards in his halberd, since it was damaged in their last battle.
 * Inuyasha swings his Tessaiga, using his windscar on Bankotsu, but nothing happens. Tessaiga's demonic power is being purified by the holy aura of Hijiri Island.
 * Kagome, Shintaro and Miroku go inside the shrine to see if the mummy of saint Hakushin is safe. Hakushin's corpse has disappeared, making Miroku wonder just who or what is creating the purifying aura of the island.
 * Miroku uses a sacred Sutra to find the source of the purifying aura. He finds a Dokko (a holy object used by monks for exorcising) which is creating the barrier on the island. When Miroku strikes it with his staff, the purifying aura disappears, as do all the flowers on the island. Shintaro says that the Dokko they found is the same one that Saint Hakushin used in his lifetime. Kagome thinks that Hakushin might be working with Naraku, but why?
 * Now that the barrier is gone, Inuyasha can use his windscar again, and Bankotsu states he feels much better too now that the sickening aura has dissipated.