He went to Shiobara or Shuzenji for medical treatment and began writing the sequel "Konjiki Yasha" in 1903 (published as "Zoku Zoku, or continued continuation, Konjiki Yasha") but this serialized novel was suspended in March when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
療養のために塩原町や修禅寺に赴き、明治36年（1903年）に『金色夜叉』の続編を連載（『続々金色夜叉』として刊行）したが、3月、胃癌と診断され中断。