Kurama, who brought this "peace," flew through the sky, watching the fireworks bloom in the distance. The flames lit up the sky, coloring both earth and clouds in a deep red.
Dust filled the air, making it hard to see clearly, but Kurama didn't care—he could sense chakra.
He rushed toward the scene at full speed, laughing as he flew. "The moment I thought about Shukaku being in danger, I just couldn't control my chakra. After all, Shukaku stands for peace in the whole ninja world. So if I got distracted for a second and used too much chakra, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Anyway, that's the excuse he planned to use. Whether Shukaku believed it or not didn't matter.
Did Shukaku really think I was going to kill him so he couldn't be taken away while he was being brought back to life?
No way. I'm not that kind of guy — right, Naruto?
Flames and smoke kept spreading. About a minute later, Kurama's huge body came crashing down from the sky, landing on ground that you couldn't even tell was a desert, rocky land, or just a battlefield. He looked down with a hint of regret in his eyes.
Kurama stomped his foot and said, "See? You're not dead. You're fine, Shukaku. That's great."
The completely destroyed, beyond-repair, ever-so-polite Shukaku: "Are you f\*\*\*ing kidding me?"
Kurama ignored the mental call from Shukaku's inner world and laughed. "You're really still trying to protect humans at a time like this? You've changed, Shukaku. You're not that chubby, human-hating sand brain anymore."
As he finished the sentence, his smile twitched a little. Shukaku's inner call started ringing even more urgently.
"Alright, alright, stop bugging me." Kurama rolled his eyes, reached out his claw to the sand under his feet, and began pouring chakra into Shukaku's scattered body.
Once the chakra started flowing, Shukaku finally stopped calling, and the sand at Kurama's feet began to clump together again. He was clearly focusing on healing, probably saving his energy for a shouting match with Kurama later when he recovered.
Anyway, no matter what, the rescue was a success.
Shukaku was saved. Without the One-Tail, the other tailed beasts can't be sealed, and the Ten-Tails can't be revived.
Kurama looked like he was joking around, but deep down, he was clearly relieved.
About ten seconds later, Shukaku's head finished regenerating, and in his usual polite way, he thanked Kurama: "Kurama, you ****!"
See? So polite.
"What are you, sending a telegram?" Kurama laughed happily and said there was no need to thank him, then increased the chakra flow.
The sudden surge of chakra made Shukaku shut his mouth and focus on absorbing it. His body started healing faster, but his color also began shifting—
—not from anger, but because Kurama's chakra was affecting him.
What? Tailed beasts don't get affected by each other's chakra? Of course they do. If Kurama says they do, they do.
Seeing Shukaku finally calm down, Kurama nodded in satisfaction and looked toward the humans buried in the sand. One of them was Kankuro.
Shukaku had used all his strength to protect the remaining Konohagakure border ninjas and Kankuro. As for Gaara, since he was inside Shukaku, he was never in danger. That's why Kurama said Shukaku had changed.
But that's Shukaku for you — the ultimate defense among the tailed beasts. Even in that kind of situation, he still managed to protect those humans. He really lives up to the title.
If he'd only protected Kankuro, that would've been one thing. But the fact that he also shielded Konoha's border ninjas — that's what really shocked Kurama.
While pouring chakra into Shukaku, Kurama looked down at the still-dizzy Kankuro. "Hey, puppet master from the Sand. Are you the only one who made it here?"
Kankuro's head was spinning. The impact from that Tailed Beast Bomb had been too strong. Even though Shukaku blocked most of it, Kankuro still got hit hard. He wasn't dead, but he definitely felt it.
When he heard Kurama's question, he didn't even register who was speaking. He just clenched his fists instinctively. "My sister… Temari… she stayed behind to hold off those three…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but Kurama got the message.
Honestly, Kurama was a little surprised. "Temari… really died?"
Temari's dead? No way… If that's true, then knowing Shikamaru's personality, he'll probably stay single for life.
Wait, no… Kurama lifted his head, spreading out his senses. After a moment, he nodded. "The chakra is very faint, but I've felt Temari's chakra before. There's no mistake—she's still alive. Just in bad shape."
"What?!" Kankuro shouted with surprise. "Are you serious?!"
He instinctively looked at Kurama—and froze.
Only now did he realize the one talking to him was a tailed beast. And not just any tailed beast, but the legendary Nine-Tails. Its massive body looked similar to Shukaku, but the pressure it gave off was something else entirely—something Shukaku never had.
Just looking at it made him feel crushed. It was a power Kankuro had never sensed from Shukaku before.
Kurama didn't care about Kankuro's reaction. He lowered his head and said, "Yeah, it's true. I suggest you go to her now. I can still use Six Paths Yang Power to keep her alive."
Temari was probably poisoned by Sasori. That guy's poison is seriously strong. Six Paths Yang Power can't neutralize poison—it can only keep her hanging on.
So Kankuro had to take her back to Konoha and let Tsunade or Shizune treat her.
Even Sakura should be able to help now.
"But this is…" Kankuro still hesitated. He looked at Shukaku who was gathering chakra again, then at the lingering smoke all around. He clenched his fists.
Their goal was to keep Gaara from getting captured. Things were still unclear. Wouldn't leaving now make Temari's sacrifice meaningless?
Kurama knew exactly what he was thinking and rolled his eyes. "If even I can't handle it, then you staying here won't help. Kid, you're no longer part of this fight. Go save her. Saving one more teammate is still a win."
As frustrated as he was, Kankuro knew Kurama was right.
He took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Kurama. "Got it. Thank you for your help."
"Go already. If you wait any longer, you'll only be able to cremate her." Kurama waved him off casually.
Kankuro bowed again, then turned and ran in the direction he came from.
Watching him leave, Kurama grinned. "Heh… I do have my kind moments sometimes."
"You? Kind?" Shukaku had finally recovered most of his chakra with Kurama's help and stood beside him.
"What do you mean? I saved you with a Tailed Beast Bomb, didn't I? Doesn't that count as kindness?" Kurama smiled brightly.
Shukaku's face turned red with anger. "You're seriously saying that? If it weren't me and was someone like Isobu instead, they might not have survived that hit in this condition. You totally tried to kill me, force me into a cooldown period, and delay the Ten Tails' return!"
He guessed it! Kurama's face lit up with surprise.
Wait, no! That's not what I meant! Kurama quickly denied it. "If I wanted to kill you, that Tailed Beast Bomb would've been way stronger. I calculated everything! Don't you think I know how strong your 'Absolute Defense' is? You're the One-Tail of the Sand!"
Shukaku paused, then nodded with a proud look. "Wait… are you actually complimenting me?"
Then Shukaku grinned with confidence. "You're damn right only I could take that hit! I'm the legendary Shukaku of the Sand! The Absolute Defense! Ahahaha!"
"Yeah, yeah." Kurama nodded over and over.
Out of Shukaku's sight, Kurama quietly wiped the sweat off his forehead. Thank God it was Shukaku. If it had been any other tailed beast… They wouldn't be this dumb—uh, innocent—uh… okay, yeah, dumb.
Tsk tsk tsk. Shukaku, seriously… Kurama couldn't help but shake his head.
---
You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
pat reon.com/GMadman