Trust is an extraordinary thing.
Among shinobi, it is even more precious.
The relationship between Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails had been steadily improving. However, after the Three-Tails incident, Bee found himself reassessing the Tailed Beasts as a whole. Inevitably, that also meant reevaluating Gyūki, the Eight-Tails living within him.
It was like a couple deeply in love, only a step away from getting married.
Then one day, the girlfriend's brother barged into their home, wrecked everything in sight, and left behind a trail of destruction. Not long before, she had proudly talked about how close she was with her brother. No matter how understanding the boyfriend might be, resentment would naturally follow.
Although Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails had shared the same body for nearly a decade, the events surrounding the Three-Tails inevitably delayed the final step toward becoming a Perfect Jinchūriki. The trust between them had begun to cool.
At the very least, Bee's former enthusiasm had disappeared.
What if the Eight-Tails one day acted just like the Three-Tails and attacked the Hidden Cloud Village?
That question lingered in Bee's mind.
Yet it was also a question he dared not ask.
Some doubts, once spoken aloud, could never truly be taken back.
Whether Killer Bee experienced similar hesitation in the original timeline was impossible to know. After all, there had been no Three-Tails incident back then.
Because of Hayashi's influence, events had changed.
That lingering doubt was precisely why Killer Bee still had not become a Perfect Jinchūriki.
Without trust, it was impossible.
The same had once been true for Kushina Uzumaki.
In the original timeline, her relationship with Kurama, the Nine-Tails, had been nothing short of hostile.
The reason was simple.
As a child, she had never truly experienced warmth.
She came to Konoha while she was still very young. Although she often fought back and bullied others in return, there was no denying that she had also been rejected.
She had always felt like an outsider.
The loneliness was overwhelming.
So when a foreign girl boldly declared that she would become Hokage one day, countless classmates mocked her without hesitation.
If even one person had stepped forward to support her, perhaps things would have been different.
Unfortunately, no one did.
She grew up surrounded by war, left her homeland behind, and found herself isolated in a strange village.
Under those circumstances, how could she not resent the fox sealed inside her?
Because of the Nine-Tails, she had been brought to Konoha.
Because of the Nine-Tails, Mito Uzumaki eventually passed away.
The resentment began almost from the moment Kurama was sealed within her.
That was why, despite possessing the ability to suppress the Nine-Tails, Kushina never became a Perfect Jinchūriki like Naruto Uzumaki eventually would.
Naruto possessed an extraordinary ability to trust others.
Kushina did not.
As a result, she and Kurama remained enemies.
The same principle applied to Mito Uzumaki.
Although she was stronger than both Kushina and Naruto, and understood the importance of treating the Nine-Tails properly, she had survived the Warring States Period.
Someone with experiences like hers could never completely trust a creature such as Kurama.
Nor would she willingly release the seal to place her faith in him.
She, too, could never become a Perfect Jinchūriki.
But this timeline was different.
Before becoming the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Kushina had already met Hayashi.
Because of his quiet protection, she was never bullied at the Ninja Academy. She never experienced the crushing loneliness and rejection that had defined her original childhood.
"We were brought here to become vessels for Tailed Beasts. But before that, you must fill your heart with love. Only then, even as the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, can you still find happiness."
Those had been Mito Uzumaki's words to Kushina.
Before hostility could take root between Kushina and Kurama, she had already found the warmth Mito spoke of.
Because of that, she faced the Nine-Tails with optimism instead of hatred.
In the original timeline, she had failed to become a Perfect Jinchūriki.
Now, she could.
Ironically, the trust Kushina no longer struggled with had instead become Killer Bee's greatest obstacle.
As the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, two young men sat quietly on the rooftop.
From somewhere far away, the distant roars of a massive beast echoed through the mountains.
After a long silence, Motoi finally spoke.
"Bee... do you remember when we were kids?"
Killer Bee blinked before slowly nodding.
...
...
Every winter, the Hidden Cloud Village was buried beneath heavy snow.
Unlike other villages, Kumogakure's snowfall was relentless, covering everything in thick blankets of white.
For the children, however, it was the happiest time of the year.
Back then, the Second Great Ninja War had only just begun.
Kumogakure remained on the sidelines, watching Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure wage war in Amegakure.
The conflict, supplies, and battlefield reports meant nothing to children attending the Ninja Academy.
Among them were two boys.
One was slightly older.
His father served as one of the Third Raikage's trusted subordinates, an elite jōnin respected throughout the village.
The other was an orphan.
He was clumsy, carefree, and constantly had a runny nose. His strange speech and cheerful personality often made him the target of ridicule.
Some of the braver students bullied him whenever the instructors were absent.
Yet no matter how badly he was treated, he always smiled.
Whenever that happened, the older boy would step in to protect him.
Those two children were Motoi and Killer Bee.
Motoi often trained alongside Bee.
Thanks to his father's guidance, he had access to techniques and knowledge beyond what most academy students could learn.
Whenever they finished training, they would challenge each other to snowball fights.
Sometimes Motoi deliberately let Bee win.
Then, after pretending to surrender, he would secretly shove a snowball down Bee's collar.
Their laughter echoed through the snowy streets.
But only two years later, everything changed.
The Eight-Tails' previous Jinchūriki lost control.
Motoi's father joined the Third Raikage in suppressing the Eight-Tails.
He never returned.
From that day forward, Motoi became far quieter.
His hatred for the Eight-Tails grew deeper with every passing day.
Soon afterward, his closest friend, Killer Bee, was chosen as the next Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.
That winter, the snow falling over Kumogakure felt colder than ever.
...
...
Sitting atop the rooftop once more, Motoi stared quietly at Killer Bee.
After rubbing his face, he finally gathered enough courage to speak.
"Bee... I once tried to kill you."
As a child, the loss of his father had consumed him.
His hatred toward the Eight-Tails only intensified over time.
Even though he was still young, revenge slowly filled his heart.
Bee smiled every day.
He acted as though nothing had happened.
To Motoi, that smile became unbearable.
Little by little, the hatred he felt toward the Eight-Tails shifted onto Killer Bee himself.
He believed that if Bee died, then the Eight-Tails would die as well.
After listening quietly, Killer Bee simply asked,
"Did something like that really happen?"
Then he slowly extended his fist.
Motoi looked at him before raising his own.
Their fists met gently.
After another long silence, Motoi spoke again.
"Bee... do you know why I respect you so much?"
"When you were younger, the villagers looked at you with fear and disgust."
"You became a Jinchūriki to protect the village, yet the people you protected treated you like a monster."
"Even so, you never gave up."
"You kept smiling."
"You kept rapping."
"You wanted everyone to accept you."
"And now... you've even forgiven me after I tried to kill you."
Motoi lowered his head.
"I hated the Eight-Tails."
"But during the Third Great Ninja War, you used its power to save me... and countless others."
He looked directly at Bee.
"If you can treat us with that much understanding..."
"...why can't you try treating the Eight-Tails the same way?"
Killer Bee opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Motoi continued.
"The Fourth Raikage has already decided to convene the Five Kage Summit."
"Another war may be coming."
"The village needs your strength."
"But more than that..."
"It needs you to become a Perfect Jinchūriki."
Killer Bee stood in silence.
He slowly raised his head toward the bright sky above.
Shielding his eyes from the fading sunlight, he quietly reflected on Motoi's words.