Episode 29

Sango's Suffering and Kohaku's Life is the twenty-ninth episode of the InuYasha anime.

Synopsis

 * 1) Kohaku, Sango's younger brother, is still alive; his life is sustained by a shard of the Shikon no Tama, and he is under Naraku's control.
 * 2) Naraku tells Sango to bring him the Tessaiga, or else he will remove Kohaku's shard, killing him instantly.

Summary
As her grandfather is thinking up new illnesses to explain away Kagome's absence, she comes back home to go to school. Once there, she realizes that she forgot her books, but Sōta saves the day by bringing her the forgotten books. Since he also thought about her upcoming exam and asked for her friends to take notes for her, she's grateful she has such a brother.

The scene changes to the feudal era, where Inuyasha is slaying numerous small fry demons with Kagome and Sango. A Saimyōshō witnesses the scene, and reports to Naraku in his castle. He decides to deal with the group by sending Kohaku, resurrected by means of a Shikon Jewel shard, rather than weak demons. He assumes that Inuyasha won't be able to kill Sango's brother, and even if he does, it would still serve him.

Inuyasha struggles to master the Tessaiga, with no success, under Shippō's eye and criticism. They return to the fireside, where Miroku is reassured by Inuyasha's confidence that he can deal with any threat Naraku can send. Meanwhile, Kagome and Sango got to enjoy the hot spring. They discuss Sango's loss of her brother, and she says that the knowledge that he died as himself helps ease her grief. Sango asks for Kagome's reason to participate in this quest for the Shikon Jewel shards, and she says she fells it was the least she can do since she's the one responsible for breaking it in the first place. Sango becomes suspicious of a movement in the bushes, and throws a rock thinking it's the men peeking at the women. It was just an animal, but the ruckus makes Inuyasha and Miroku worry and rush to help, earning them an unfair beating from Sango for seeing her and Kagome naked. Inuyasha demands to know why he was beaten, but Miroku simply says "That was a beautiful sight we just saw." Shippō agrees with Inuyasha, saying he was only concerned about the girls.

Once on the road, they chance upon a village which has been obviously attacked : bodies everywhere, wanton destruction. More worrisome, the entire village has been booby-trapped : going near the corpses or into the houses triggers explosions. Inuyasha gets enraged at this unnecessary cruelty which prevents anyone from burying the dead, and slashes at some of the houses, which explode. Kohaku emerges from one of them, covered in blood, obviously the responsible of the massacre. He flees the scene, and Sango pursues him with Kirara. When Inuyasha tries to follow, he is blocked by a spirit shield. He gets back to get Kagome, Miroku and Shippō, and they wait beyond the shield. Miroku has noticed the Shikon Jewel shard embedded in Kohaku's back, and Kagome positively identified the boy as Sango's dead brother.

Meanwhile, Naraku tempts Sango: Kohaku's life depends on the shard. He may free her brother if she brings him the Tessaiga. Shocked, she vehemently refuses to take the bribe, and Naraku disappears. As she rejoins the group, Sango seems troubled, and asks Miroku to perform a service to the dead of the village. They go back and bury the bodies, using Kirara to help disarm the booby-traps. As Miroku explains to Kagome and Inuyasha that Naraku probably taunted Sango by showing he can manipulate her brother like a puppet, but she can't kill him, Inuyasha replies that if she can't stop Kohaku, he, Inuyasha, is going to do it. He rudely asks Sango if she has a problem with that, and she doesn't respond. While everyone but her sleeps, she ponders what to do. She finally decides that she can't let Naraku have her brother like that, and resolves to take the Tessaiga from Inuyasha.