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The descent into Takigakure's root system reminded Naruto of wading through a living maze. Jiraiya led the way through passages that grew increasingly narrow, the walls formed by twisted roots thicker than Naruto's body. Moisture dripped constantly from above, and the air became heavy with the scent of soil.
"Are you sure we're allowed down here?" Naruto whispered, ducking under a low-hanging root.
Jiraiya snorted. "Kid, if I waited for permission every time I investigated something, I'd never learn anything worth knowing." He paused at a junction, examining markings carved into the bark. "Besides, Elder Shuu doesn't exactly advertise this section of the Tree."
"Why not?"
"Because history is complicated," Jiraiya replied cryptically, selecting a path that led even deeper. "And villages prefer simple stories."
They continued downward, the ambient light growing fainter until Jiraiya finally produced a small seal tag, activating it with a touch to create a soft, blue-green glow. The illumination revealed walls that were no longer just roots—interspersed between the living wood were sections of carved stone inscribed with symbols that looked vaguely familiar to Naruto.
"This is ancient," Jiraiya said, his voice unusually reverent. "Pre-dating the hidden village system. Even before the Bloody Centuries."
Naruto ran his fingers over one of the inscriptions, feeling a faint resonance with his chakra. "These symbols... some of them look like what Kosuke showed me at LittleRoad."
"Good eye." Jiraiya sounded impressed. "The spiral patterns are definitely Uzumaki in origin, or maybe the Uzumaki techniques were derived from these. Sealing arts are older than most realize."
After another few minutes of navigating the increasingly maze-like tunnels, they emerged into a chamber that made Naruto stop short in amazement. The ceiling soared at least thirty feet above them, formed by an intricate lattice of roots that allowed filtered light to enter in misty beams. The walls were a seamless blend of living wood and ancient stone, covered in murals so detailed they seemed to move in the dim light.
"Whoa," Naruto breathed, turning slowly to take it all in. "What is this place?"
"A shrine, a library, a historical record—take your pick." Jiraiya moved to the center of the chamber where a stone basin sat, filled with clear water that glowed with the same blue-green light as his seal tag. "The original heart of Takigakure, before they built upward into the Tree."
Naruto approached one of the murals, drawn by a familiar sight—a human figure surrounded by a cloak of roiling energy, nine distinct tails spreading behind them.
"That's... the Kyuubi?" he asked, touching the painted surface carefully.
"Look closer," Jiraiya instructed.
Naruto squinted, noticing that the human and the fox weren't fighting as he'd initially assumed. They stood side by side, the chakra flowing between them in a continuous circuit. The person's expression wasn't one of pain or struggle, but serene focus.
"They're... working together?"
"That's one interpretation." Jiraiya gestured around the room at similar murals showing humans paired with different tailed beasts—a tanuki, a cat, a monkey, and others Naruto didn't recognize. "Before the age of hidden villages, before bijuu were seen primarily as weapons, there was a different understanding of their nature."
Naruto frowned, struggling to reconcile these images with everything he'd been taught—with his own experiences of the fox's hatred. "But if that's true, what changed? Why did the Kyuubi attack Konoha? Why did Shukaku make Gaara a killer?"
Jiraiya sighed, looking suddenly older. "Wars happened. Power struggles. Humans started viewing bijuu as tools rather than entities with their own wills. Forced them into compliance rather than seeking cooperation." He moved to another section of wall. "And eventually, most people forgot there was ever another way."
Naruto followed, his mind reeling. Each mural depicted a different scene—humans and bijuu combining their chakra to heal blighted lands, to redirect rivers, to repel enemies. None showed the bijuu as mindless monsters or the humans as struggling controllers.
"Here," Jiraiya called, pointing to a section of wall that looked recently disturbed. The ancient mural had been partially covered by newer markings—complex sealing formulas etched into the stone and reinforced with what looked like dried blood.
Naruto drew closer, recognizing elements of what he'd learned at LittleRoad. "The swirl pattern there—that's an Uzumaki chakra stabilization seal. Kosuke taught me that one." His eyes traced the modified formula. "But they've changed it. Added something..."
"Very good," Jiraiya murmured, studying the formulas. "They've adapted the stabilization seal to interface with this."
He pointed to what looked like a vial of Hero Water painted into the original mural, now surrounded by the new sealing matrix.
"It's like they're trying to..." Naruto narrowed his eyes, mentally tracing the chakra flow represented by the formula. "Filter the Hero Water through the Uzumaki seal? But why would they need to do that?"
"Because Hero Water isn't meant for civilians," Jiraiya explained. "It's essentially concentrated Tree chakra—similar to bijuu chakra in its potency, though not identical."
Naruto's head snapped up. "Wait, what? It's like bijuu chakra? How's that possible? I thought bijuu chakra was completely different from any other kind."
"It is," Jiraiya said, crouching to examine a small collection of vials hidden in a niche at the base of the wall. Each contained liquid in different stages of transformation—from the clear blue of standard Hero Water to the ominous purple Naruto had seen in the cultist's vial. "And that's what makes this so interesting. By all rights, these two chakra types shouldn't have anything in common. And yet..."
He held up one of the vials to the light, where the purple liquid inside swirled with an unsettling familiarity. Naruto felt a distinct tug in his seal, as if the Kyuubi was paying very close attention.
"What are they trying to do?" Naruto asked, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach.
"Best guess? They're using modified Uzumaki seals to transform Hero Water into something that mimics bijuu chakra—something civilians can temporarily channel." Jiraiya returned the vial carefully. "Problem is, humans aren't built to handle that kind of power without proper preparation. Hence the deaths."
Naruto studied the sealing formulas again, finding more familiar elements. "Kosuke would be furious. He always said seals were meant to protect and balance, not exploit."
"Wise man," Jiraiya commented, rising to his feet. "But there's something else here that bothers me even more." He moved to the central basin, gesturing for Naruto to join him. "Look at this."
The water in the basin was perfectly still, reflecting their faces like a mirror. But as Naruto leaned closer, he saw something else—thread-like patterns of chakra swirling beneath the surface, forming a miniature replica of what looked like Takigakure's root system.
"It's a model of the Tree's chakra network," Jiraiya explained. "See how it all connects? From the deepest roots to the highest branches? This is how Hero Water is naturally created and distributed throughout Taki."
Naruto stared, fascinated by the delicate pattern. As he watched, he noticed something strange—the chakra pathways weren't uniform. Some areas burned bright with energy, while others appeared nearly dormant.
"It's imbalanced," he observed. "Just like the village."
"Exactly." Jiraiya pointed to the areas of concentrated chakra. "These correspond to the inner rings, where the elite live. Meanwhile, the outer areas barely get enough to sustain themselves."
"But why would the Tree's chakra distribute unevenly? That doesn't make sense."
Jiraiya's expression darkened. "Because it doesn't do this naturally. Look here." He indicated a series of seals carved around the basin's rim—newer than the ancient stone, but still weathered with age. "Sometime in Taki's history, someone deliberately redirected the flow to benefit those at the top of the hierarchy."
Naruto frowned, a spark of anger igniting at the deliberate inequality. "So the cultists are right? The elite really are hoarding the Tree's power?"
"Yes and no. The elite benefit from a system they inherited, probably without understanding its origins." Jiraiya straightened, his expression troubled. "But the cultists' solution—forcing chakra into unprepared systems—is causing as much harm as the original imbalance."
He turned back to the murals, particularly the ones showing humans and bijuu in harmony. "But what really concerns me is this question: if Hero Water shares properties with bijuu chakra, what exactly is this Tree?"
Naruto hadn't considered that angle. He looked around the chamber with new eyes, seeing the connections between the murals, the basin, and the modified seals the cult had added.
"You think the Tree is connected to the bijuu somehow?"
"I think," Jiraiya said carefully, "that there's a reason Takigakure has maintained one of the most stable jinchūriki in the Five Great Nations, despite being a minor village with limited sealing knowledge. And it might have everything to do with this Tree."
"We need to talk to Fuu," he said decisively. "She might know things about the Tree that even the village elders have forgotten."
Jiraiya nodded, looking pleased with Naruto's reasoning. "Good thinking. But first..." He gestured to the cult's modified seals on the wall. "Let's document these. If they're using corrupted Uzumaki techniques, we need to understand exactly what they're doing."
The journey back from the ancient chamber left Naruto in a contemplative mood. Jiraiya had departed to report their findings to Tsunade via a toad messenger, leaving Naruto to return to the waterfall training area alone. His mind was still processing everything they'd discovered—the murals showing jinchūriki and bijuu working together, the modified Uzumaki seals, the strange connection between Hero Water and bijuu chakra.
Could it really be possible? Naruto wondered, absentmindedly hopping from one massive root to another as he made his way upward. Bijuu and humans as... partners?
The idea contradicted everything he'd been taught about the Nine-Tails—that it was a force of pure malevolence, a disaster given form. Yet those ancient murals had shown something entirely different.
As he approached the waterfall clearing, a flash of movement caught his eye. Fuu had arrived early for their scheduled training, but something was off. Instead of her usual fluid movements, she was pacing the edge of the pool like a caged animal, her entire body radiating tension. Occasionally, her wings would flicker into existence before disappearing again, as if she couldn't decide whether to stay or flee.
"Oi, Fuu!" Naruto called, announcing his presence.
She spun toward him, wings solidifying briefly in what he now recognized as a defensive reflex. Seeing him, she relaxed marginally, though the worried crease between her eyebrows remained.
"You look like someone stole your last cup of ramen," Naruto observed, trying to lighten the mood as he approached. "What's up?"
Fuu's mouth twitched in what might have been a reluctant smile, but it faded quickly. "Elder Shuu has issued new directives," she said, her voice tight. "After the latest deaths, he's implementing a village-wide security overhaul."
Naruto frowned, dropping down to sit on a sun-warmed stone by the water's edge. "What kind of overhaul?"
"Increased patrols. Stricter curfews." Fuu resumed her pacing, each turn more agitated than the last. "And... restrictions on movement between sectors, especially for outer ring residents."
"What? But that's—"
"Practical, from a security standpoint," Fuu interrupted, though her tone suggested she didn't believe her own words. "If the cult is recruiting from the outer rings, limiting their access to the village center could help identify suspects."
"Or it could make them even more desperate," Naruto pointed out. "Those people already have next to nothing. Now they're basically prisoners?"
Fuu stopped pacing, her shoulders slumping. "I know. I said the same thing to Shuu." She kicked at a small stone, sending it skittering into the pool. "He said sometimes harsh measures are necessary for the greater good."
"The greater good of who?" Naruto muttered, thinking of Tomi and the other children, Baba Yui with her persistent cough, the former jōnin with his wooden leg. "The ones sitting pretty in the upper branches?"
"That's not fair," Fuu protested, but her heart wasn't in it. "Shuu cares about everyone in Takigakure. He just... prioritizes differently than we might."
"There's more, isn't there?" he asked quietly.
Fuu sighed, finally sitting down on a stone opposite him. "Shuu wants me to use Chomei's abilities to patrol the outer sectors. Says her sensory skills could help identify cultists before they can hurt themselves or others."
"That doesn't sound so bad. I mean, you care about those people too, right?"
"It's not that simple." Fuu pulled her knees up to her chest, looking suddenly younger. "Using Chomei's power openly like that, against civilians... it reminds everyone what I am. What Shuu could unleash if they step out of line."
"Oh." Naruto hadn't considered that angle. "He's using you as a intimidation tactic."
"He wouldn't see it that way," Fuu said quickly. "But yes. And the worst part is... part of me wants to do it, because I do want to stop these deaths." Her voice dropped lower. "But another part knows this will only push the outer rings further away from me. They'll see me as Shuu's weapon, not their friend."
Naruto thought of the way the outer ring residents had greeted Fuu—with warmth and gratitude, not the wary distance shown by most Taki shinobi. He understood why losing that acceptance would devastate her.
"Can't you just tell Shuu no?" he suggested. "I mean, he raised you, right? He should listen to your concerns."
Fuu laughed, but it held no humor. "That's not how it works here. Jinchūriki don't get to refuse missions, especially not ones directly from the village leader."
"That's messed up," Naruto said bluntly.
"That's being a jinchūriki," Fuu countered with a shrug that tried and failed to appear casual. "It's not like Konoha treats you any differently."
The comment hit close to home, making Naruto shift uncomfortably. How many times had the Third Hokage smiled kindly at him while still keeping the truth of his heritage and the Kyuubi sealed away? How often had the village used him when needed, then pushed him aside when inconvenient?
An awkward silence stretched between them before Naruto found the courage to ask what he'd been wondering since their trip to the outer rings.
"How do you do it?" he asked finally. "With Chomei, I mean. How did you even... start talking?"
Fuu looked up, clearly surprised by the question. Her orange eyes studied him carefully, as if assessing his sincerity.
"You're actually asking? Not just setting up to tell me I'm wrong again?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Yeah, well... I've seen some things that got me thinking. About how things might be different than what I thought."
A flicker of genuine curiosity crossed Fuu's face. "What kind of things?"
"Later," Naruto promised. "I want to hear about you and Chomei first. If that's okay," he added hastily.
Fuu seemed to debate with herself before responding. "I was five," she began finally, her voice softening with the memory. "My parents had just died in a mission gone wrong. Shuu had taken me in, but I was... lost. Angry. Scared."
Naruto nodded, recognizing the emotions all too well.
"I ran away one night—just grabbed a blanket and headed for the outer rings where I thought no one would find me." A faint smile touched her lips. "Ended up falling asleep in a hollow at the base of the Tree. That's when I heard her for the first time."
"What did she sound like?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious.
"Like... a summer breeze through leaves, but with words." Fuu's eyes took on a distant look. "She didn't say much at first, just that I wasn't alone. That I'd never be alone again."
"And you weren't scared?" Naruto couldn't imagine responding to the Kyuubi with anything but fear and anger, especially as a child.
"Terrified," Fuu admitted. "But also relieved? When you're five and suddenly orphaned, even the voice of a bijuu in your head is better than the silence." She traced patterns in the stone with her finger. "Chomei was patient. Never pushed, never demanded. Just... there. Commenting on things, making observations about people that made me laugh."
"Like what?"
Fuu grinned suddenly. "She pointed out that Elder Shuu's beard looked like a squirrel had made a nest on his face. I laughed so hard during a council meeting that he thought I was having a seizure."
Naruto snorted, picturing the scene. "So she's funny?"
"She can be. She's also ancient and wise and sometimes completely baffling." Fuu's expression grew more serious. "But most importantly, she's never tried to take over, never pushed me to use her power for destruction. We negotiate. We compromise. We're... friends, I guess, though that doesn't quite capture it."
"And she's okay with you using her power to patrol?" Naruto asked.
Fuu's brief moment of openness faded. "She understands duty. We both do." She stood abruptly, wings beginning to form at her shoulders—translucent at first, then solidifying into their jewel-like state. "Which is why I have to go. The new security protocols start at sundown."
"Fuu, wait." Naruto rose quickly, recognizing her retreat. "There's something I need to tell you about the chamber beneath the roots—"
"Later," she cut him off, though not unkindly. "I have to report to Shuu first." Her wings began to buzz, lifting her a few inches off the ground. "Meet me at my waterfall spot tomorrow morning? Before dawn?"
"Yeah, sure," Naruto agreed, frustrated at the interruption but understanding her urgency. "But it's important. It's about the Tree and bijuu chakra."
That caught her attention. Fuu hovered, her expression suddenly intense. "What about it?"
"There's a connection. The Hero Water—it's similar to bijuu chakra somehow. Jiraiya thinks the Tree might be linked to all bijuu in some way."
Fuu's eyes widened, and for a moment Naruto thought he saw them shift color slightly—an orange-gold that seemed brighter, more vivid than her natural shade. It happened so quickly he couldn't be sure.
"Chomei says that's... possible," Fuu said slowly, her voice carrying a slight harmonic undertone that hadn't been there before. "She says she's always felt a resonance with the Tree that she doesn't feel elsewhere."
"So your bijuu is talking to you right now?" Naruto couldn't keep the fascination from his voice.
"She's always with me," Fuu replied simply. "Just sometimes louder than others." She drifted a few feet higher. "I really do have to go. But there's one more thing you should know."
"What's that?"
Her expression turned grim. "Shuu isn't just increasing security. He's authorized a full crackdown on suspected cult members. Arrests, interrogations—whatever it takes to find their leader."
"That could get ugly," Naruto said, immediately thinking of the civilians he'd seen at the gathering. They weren't innocent, exactly, but they weren't hardened criminals either.
"Yes," Fuu agreed, rising higher. "And I'm caught in the middle, expected to help hunt down the very people I've been bringing medicine to for years." Her wings hummed with increasing agitation. "Dawn tomorrow. Don't be late. I'll need a friendly face after tonight."
Before Naruto could respond, she shot upward, a green streak against the evening sky. He watched until she disappeared into the higher branches of the Mother Tree, where Shuu and the village elite awaited her report.
Don't envy her that conversation, Naruto thought, turning back toward the waterfall. He had his own difficult dialog to prepare for—one that had been years in the making.
If Fuu could talk to her bijuu, maybe it was time he had a real conversation with the Nine-Tails. Not demanding power, not trading insults, but actually... listening.
The thought was both terrifying and strangely compelling as he made his way back to his quarters, the setting sun casting long shadows through Takigakure's eternal mist.
Darkness had settled over Takigakure by the time Naruto returned to his quarters. He sat cross-legged on the mat, his mind still buzzing with everything he'd learned.
Ancient murals showing jinchūriki and bijuu working in harmony. The Tree's mysterious connection to bijuu chakra. Fuu's easy rapport with Chomei, so different from his own antagonistic relationship with the Kyuubi.
Could it really be different? he wondered, watching the lantern's flame cast dancing shadows across the wooden walls.
He'd only intentionally communicated with the fox twice before—both times in moments of desperate need, demanding power to save himself or others. Each interaction had been a battle of wills, a negotiation backed by necessity and sealed with mutual resentment.
But Fuu hadn't described anything like that with Chomei. She'd talked about conversation, compromise, even friendship.
"This is crazy," Naruto muttered to himself, but his hands were already forming the meditation seal Jiraiya had taught him for chakra control.
He closed his eyes, breathing deeply as he focused inward, past the usual current of his own chakra to the sealed reservoir that lurked beneath. Instead of avoiding or struggling against the malevolent presence as he normally would, Naruto deliberately moved toward it, following the connection to its source.
The transition was always disorienting—one moment sitting in his quarters, the next standing in the dank sewer of his mindscape. The same dripping pipes, the same murky water around his ankles, the same oppressive atmosphere thick with hostility.
Before him loomed the massive gate, its thick bars disappearing into the darkness above, the seal at its center intact but weathered. And beyond it, in the shadows, those eyes—enormous, slitted, burning with a hatred so ancient it seemed to predate Naruto's very existence.
The Kyuubi said nothing, simply watching as Naruto approached the gate. This was different already—usually the fox lunged forward, rattling the bars with threats or mockery. This silent observation was somehow more unnerving.
Naruto stopped a cautious distance from the gate, close enough for conversation but far enough to react if a massive claw came swiping through the bars. He cleared his throat, suddenly unsure how to begin.
"So, uh... hey," he managed lamely.
The great eyes narrowed, suspicion evident in their crimson depths. When the Kyuubi finally spoke, his voice was a low rumble that Naruto felt as much as heard.
"What do you want, brat? No enemies to fight? No power to beg for?"
Naruto bristled at the contemptuous tone but forced himself to stay calm. This wasn't going to work if he fell into their usual pattern of insults and demands.
"I want to talk," he said, lifting his chin with determination. "Just talk."
A harsh laugh shook the chamber, water rippling around Naruto's feet. "Talk? After fourteen years of existence, now you want to talk?" The massive form shifted in the shadows, and a row of gleaming teeth appeared in a mockery of a smile. "How touching."
Naruto's hands clenched into fists, his good intentions already fraying. "Look, I'm trying to—"
"Spare me your pathetic attempts at civility," the Kyuubi interrupted, his voice dripping with disdain. "You humans are all the same—seeking power when it suits you, then pretending at understanding when force fails." A low growl reverberated through the chamber. "What changed, little jailer? Did you finally realize you need more from me than I've been willing to give?"
"It's not about power!" Naruto shot back, then took a deep breath, trying again. "I mean... not entirely."
The fox's eyes gleamed with malicious amusement. "At least you're somewhat honest. Unlike most of your kind."
Naruto shifted uncomfortably, the water sloshing around his ankles. This wasn't going how he'd hoped. He decided to change tack.
"I met another jinchūriki," he said abruptly. "Her name is Fuu. She contains the Seven-Tails—Chomei."
Something flashed in the Kyuubi's eyes—recognition, perhaps even a flicker of interest, though it was quickly buried beneath layers of hostility.
"The insect," the fox muttered, more to himself than to Naruto. "Always buzzing about 'lucky-lucky' this and 'fortunate meeting' that. Insufferably cheerful."
Naruto blinked, caught off guard by this unexpected glimpse into the relationships between bijuu. "You know her? Chomei, I mean?"
"Of course I know her," the Kyuubi snapped, as if offended by the question. "We shared a womb of sorts, little as I care to remember it."
"A womb? You mean you're... related?"
The fox's expression somehow managed to convey both contempt and weariness. "In a manner your simple human mind could comprehend? Yes. The tailed beasts share an origin, much as squabbling siblings might share a parent."
"Siblings?" Naruto perked up at this revelation. "So there's nine of you, like a family?"
"We are NOT a family," the Kyuubi snarled, his chakra flaring with sudden anger. "Families care for one another. They stay together. They protect their own." His massive form loomed closer to the bars. "We were scattered to the winds, hunted, imprisoned in human flesh for generations. What would your kind know of family?"
The bitter resentment in the fox's voice caught Naruto by surprise. There was more than just anger there—there was pain, old and festering.
"I don't know much about family," Naruto admitted quietly. "I never had one."
Something shifted in the Kyuubi's gaze—not softening, exactly, but a subtle change in the quality of his attention.
"No," he acknowledged grudgingly. "You wouldn't, would you? Not after what I did to yours."
An uncomfortable silence stretched between them, filled only by the distant drip of water from the pipes overhead.
"Fuu and Chomei seem to get along," Naruto ventured finally. "They actually talk. Work together."
The fox's lip curled in disgust. "Chomei was always the most... accommodating of our siblings. Willing to see the best in her captors, like a beaten dog still wagging its tail."
"Fuu treats her with respect. They're partners, not enemies."
"Partners," the Kyuubi repeated, as if the word tasted foul. "A pretty word for a master-slave relationship. Tell me, does this Fuu ever release Chomei from her prison? Does she offer freedom in exchange for this 'partnership'?"
Naruto faltered, unable to answer.
"As I thought," the fox continued, settling back into the shadows. "Humans have many words for captivity—partnership, symbiosis, cooperation. The cage remains a cage, however gilded."
"But the murals—" Naruto began, then stopped himself, realizing he'd revealed more than intended.
The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed. "What murals?"
"Nothing. Just... something I saw in Takigakure. Ancient images showing humans and bijuu working together. Not fighting."
To Naruto's surprise, the fox didn't immediately dismiss this. Instead, he fell silent, his massive form growing still in the darkness beyond the gate.
"There were... different times," he admitted finally, his voice uncharacteristically subdued. "Before your villages, before the shinobi system. When some humans understood what we truly were."
"And what's that?" Naruto pressed, sensing a rare moment of openness.
The Kyuubi's eyes hardened again. "Not your weapons. Not your pets. Not your power sources to be tapped and drained at will." His voice lowered to a dangerous rumble. "We were beings of pure chakra, free to roam as we pleased. Until your precious Hashirama decided otherwise."
"The First Hokage?" Naruto frowned, confused by the reference. "What did he do?"
"Ask your green-haired friend," the fox replied cryptically. "Or better yet, ask that precious Hokage of yours, ask her what her grandfather did to use. Hashirama was nothing but a fool."
Naruto took a step closer to the gate, emboldened by this longest conversation they'd ever had. "Look, I get that you hate humans—"
"You understand nothing," the Kyuubi cut him off. "My hatred for your kind has been earned a thousand times over through centuries of betrayal, imprisonment, and exploitation. Your ignorance of this history doesn't erase it."
"Then tell me!" Naruto challenged. "How am I supposed to understand if you won't explain?"
"Understanding?" The fox laughed, a harsh sound devoid of mirth. "You don't seek understanding. You seek advantage—a way to access my power without the inconvenience of my will." He leaned close to the bars, his breath hot against Naruto's face. "Let me be clear, little jailer. I despise humanity for what they've done to my kind. But you? You, I reserve a special hatred for. You, who carry my prison in your flesh. You, who would wear a smile while keeping me chained."
The words stung more than Naruto expected. "That's not fair! I didn't ask for this!"
"Neither did I," the Kyuubi replied simply, and for a brief moment, something almost like common ground flickered between them.
The moment passed quickly, the fox retreating into the darkness once more. "We're done here. Go back to your plotting, your training, your pathetic attempts at fixing things. Nothing changes the fundamental truth—you need my power, not my friendship."
"Maybe it doesn't have to be one or the other," Naruto suggested, though with less conviction than he'd entered with.
The Kyuubi's only response was a dismissive snort as he closed his eyes, signaling the end of their exchange.
Naruto stood for a moment longer, weighing whether to push for more, but decided against it. This had been... not a success, exactly, but not a complete failure either. The fox had spoken to him, revealed things about the bijuu he hadn't known before. It was a start, however rocky.
As he began to withdraw from his mindscape, the Kyuubi's voice reached him one last time—quieter, almost thoughtful.
"She calls herself 'lucky seven,' you know. Always has. As if being sealed away is something to celebrate."
With that final cryptic comment, the sewer faded, and Naruto found himself back in his quarters, the lantern having burned low during his meditation. His body felt stiff, his mind buzzing with questions the fox had raised rather than answered.
What had Hashirama done? Bijuu as siblings. History older than the shinobi system itself.
Naruto rubbed his face, exhausted but too wired to sleep.
For now, though, the fox's words echoed in his mind: You need my power, not my friendship.
"Maybe," Naruto murmured to the empty room. "But what if we need both?"
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