[Chapter Size: 2400 Words.]
Konoha, 44.
...
...
Obito was in a strange situation.
Now, he was sitting atop the snout of an enormous raccoon made of sand, while its massive tail swayed from side to side, stirring up powerful gusts of wind and producing a shrill sound with every movement.
From there, he had a privileged view of the entire forest, which seemed endless. No matter where he looked, he was far from the training area. Even if Kushina and Naruto were there, releasing their complete Bijū forms, neither the sounds, nor the tremors, nor even the flashes of the explosions would reach this place. Even so, they remained a little farther north on that continent, though still close to its heart.
Obito ended up talking with the Bijū for quite some time, since there was no one else to talk to. He explained the entire situation involving the Uchiha Clan. Perhaps Shukaku did not even need to give him an answer; simply talking had already brought Obito a certain sense of relief.
At the same time, he also told him about the girl he had fallen in love with and how he had finally accepted that he could never have her, since she loved someone else.
On the other hand, he realized that other girls seemed to be interested in him, and perhaps he should start looking at things from that perspective. After all, insisting on the love of someone who would never love him would only end up hurting two people even more, and in the end, it would not be worth it.
"Well, well... I'm not going to talk about human mating..." Shukaku mocked immediately, causing Obito to choke in embarrassment. "But it seems those petty fools are still the same," Shukaku continued, as though he were a great expert on the subject of Obito's clan, giving the impression that he understood human society perfectly.
Obito certainly did not let that go unnoticed, but in a way, he was happy. It was obvious that Shukaku was trying to understand him. As difficult as it was to grasp all the complexities of human politics, especially within the Uchiha Clan and involving people the Bijū had hated for so many decades, he listened attentively and tried to show that he understood everything.
"I think you should kill them all." That was his final answer.
Obito almost choked when he heard that. "Shukaku-san... Maybe killing isn't the answer to everything," Obito said.
"Why not? Humans are fragile. They're easy to kill. It solves every problem."
Obito was left speechless.
What else could he expect from someone who had been hunted by humans ever since arriving on that continent? From what he had understood so far, Sunagakure was still sending ninja after ninja to try to capture him. Perhaps that whole story about Shukaku having already returned to the village was nothing more than propaganda, both to convince the other nations that they still possessed their Bijū and to prevent anyone from coming to search for him and steal him away.
In a way, Obito could understand that strategy. It was also part of a political game. The village needed to show its own citizens that it remained protected and that Shukaku had already been recovered, boosting the population's morale, while secretly sending ninja to try to capture him.
Shukaku, on the other hand, knew no solution other than killing humans, who, to him, were nothing more than annoying flies.
He had no intention of giving up the freedom he had gained there and would destroy anyone who stood in his way. At least, that was the impression Obito had.
"Not everything has to lead down that path, Shukaku-san. There are paths where we don't need to kill each other. Paths where we can talk, understand one another, and try to reach a mutual understanding," Obito replied.
"Hey, wait! Why are you calling me Shukaku-san instead of Shukaku-sama?" Shukaku interrupted, raising his voice in a somewhat hysterical tone.
Obito simply raised one hand in surrender. "Oh Great Shukaku, may I call you Shukaku-san? It conveys great respect. If I called you Shukaku-sama, I wouldn't really be able to talk with you. I'd just keep listening to you and revering you," Obito said, beginning to understand a little better how this Bijū worked.
"Well..." Shukaku muttered, thinking for a moment. "Since you insisted so politely, perhaps I'll allow you to call me Shukaku-san. Just remember, I'm allowing it because the Great Shukaku permitted it, understand? I still want to hear you."
Shukaku crossed his arms once again and closed his eyes as though he had just struck a magnificent deal. Obito stared at the enormous Bijū for a few moments. When Shukaku finally opened his eyes again, Obito simply gave him a thumbs-up with both hands.
"Of course."
Before he could continue, Shukaku spoke again. "Anyway, I was thinking... You talk like someone I knew a long time ago. Damn... I have to admit, you speak almost exactly like he did."
Obito raised an eyebrow. "Really? So that means there was someone special to you?"
He was genuinely interested. He had never heard anything like that about the Bijū. He had never even had the opportunity to speak with Kurama inside Kushina or Naruto.
"Well... He was very important. He did a great deal for me and my brothers," Shukaku said, nodding as though recalling deeply nostalgic times.
"Really?" Obito immediately became excited.
It was obvious those brothers were the other Bijū. Feeling a bit awkward but driven by curiosity, he wanted to learn more about Shukaku and the other Tailed Beasts as well. At the same time, he was surprised to discover that there had once been someone so important to all of them.
"Who is this person?" Obito asked.
"Huh? And why should I tell you?" Shukaku immediately snapped out of his nostalgic mood and looked at Obito with mild irritation. He did not like that Obito wanted to know so much about something so personal.
"Please, Great Shukaku. Would you grant me the honor of knowing who this magnificent person is?"
Obito tried once more.
Shukaku blinked a few times. "Well... Since you're being so polite, why not? He is Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. He was the man who created us."
Obito's eyes widened. Although he did not recognize that name, he was certain it was an extremely important piece of information.
'Perhaps I should ask Sensei about him later,' he thought, turning to look at Shukaku once more.
"And what do you mean by you and your brothers? I should assume your brothers are the other Bijū, right, Shukaku-san?" Obito asked.
Shukaku simply nodded. There was no reason to be annoyed by that question. "Yes. Well, we were all close... except for that stinking fox. She was always irritating, and I hate her from the bottom of my heart!" Shukaku declared.
"She showed up that day, when those humans summoned me... when they set me free. I saw her from afar. She looked different, all golden. She must have thought she was so amazing. That damned, stinking, irritating, self-centered fox with all those tails! She sided with the humans, damn her!" he began shouting.
He spoke with such intensity that even Obito had to use chakra to keep himself steady. Shukaku swung his enormous head from side to side while violently opening and closing his mouth, making the boy sway atop his snout.
Obito felt a little awkward. He had not expected this Bijū to hate the Nine-Tails so much. He had not even mentioned her name.
"I think her name is Kurama, right?" Obito asked, hiding a small laugh.
"Oh? You know her, do you?" Shukaku asked, shooting him a piercing look. His golden eyes shone even brighter, as though he were judging whether Obito was a threat.
"No. I've never spoken to her, but I know her jinchūriki. She's like an older sister to me..." Obito replied.
Shukaku narrowed his eyes. "So you know her in a way... Tell me..." His eyes blazed intensely once again, as though Obito's next answer would determine whether the little human would continue living or not.
Even Obito swallowed nervously under that sudden hostility. It seemed even greater than when Shukaku had first awakened in a foul mood.
"Who do you think is cooler? Me... or that stinking fox?" The question was direct.
But it carried an overwhelming pressure. Everything seemed to depend on Obito's answer.
The young man was completely dumbfounded. And Shukaku still claimed the fox was self-centered... He was even worse.
Naturally, Obito kept that thought to himself. Perhaps the Bijū were not the mindless monsters many believed them to be. But they certainly had very peculiar personalities.
Kushina always said that Kurama tended to be rather indifferent, though she always voiced her opinion whenever she felt it was necessary. Nowadays, the two of them had a cat-and-mouse relationship. They constantly teased and insulted each other, but deep down, a certain affection had grown between them over the years.
The Bijū Obito had met, on the other hand, had a direct rivalry with Kurama. A rivalry that bordered on hatred. Shukaku continued staring at Obito, waiting for an answer.
He would not keep him waiting for long. From what he had heard from Kushina, it was easy to imagine that Kurama probably looked down on the other Bijū.
And Shukaku seemed to have nurtured that rivalry for a very long time.
'Perhaps it's because of the number of tails...' Obito thought.
It was not hard to imagine Kurama reminding the other Tailed Beasts that she was the strongest because she possessed nine tails... while the one with only a single tail was sitting right in front of him.
It was easy to imagine siblings having that kind of relationship, especially when what truly separated them was not who was the older or younger sibling, but simply the number of tails they had.
Forcing a somewhat awkward smile, Obito replied, "Of course I think Your Magnificence, Shukaku-san, is the coolest." He could only hope those words would never reach Kurama's ears.
The Bijū's golden eyes finally relaxed, no longer carrying the deadly look they had moments before.
"Well, if you're being so sincere, I don't see any reason to be angry with you. But you should definitely tell that to that stinking fox when you see her," Shukaku said.
Obito grew even more nervous. That was definitely not something he intended to say. He had no desire to provoke Kurama. She seemed far more powerful than Shukaku, and he was already having enough trouble simply humoring this Bijū's whims.
After all, Obito could escape his attacks and even flee from this place, but it was not every day that someone had the chance to speak with a Tailed Beast.
"I-I'll try to do that..." Obito muttered, and Shukaku merely nodded, satisfied with the answer.
"Anyway... Could you tell me more about your other brothers? Other than Kurama."
It was obvious that Shukaku's hatred was directed mainly toward the Nine-Tails, but Obito genuinely wanted to know what his relationship with the other Bijū was like.
To his surprise, Shukaku's tone changed completely. He said his brothers were quite reliable and friendly.
He was especially fond of the Two-Tails, Matatabi, who had always been kind to him. Obito remembered that his sensei had encountered that Bijū several times before.
He also spoke about Saiken, saying he was very friendly. He explained that, long ago, they had all lived together on that continent.
That was when Obito learned that it had been the First Hokage who had used Wood Release to capture all of the Tailed Beasts. Shukaku did not hide his hatred as he recalled that day.
They had been captured like small animals, put to sleep, and when they awoke, they were already imprisoned inside seals.
After that, they heard nothing from one another for years. Only during the war did they meet again from time to time.
Not all of them were together, but at least they knew that the others were still imprisoned somewhere in the hands of humans.
"That... sounds incredibly sad," Obito murmured. He had never thought about it from that perspective.
"Infuriating! Disgusting! Do you know what it's like to be imprisoned? To lose your freedom and be used as a weapon of war by those damned insects, boy?" Shukaku replied, his voice still filled with hatred.
"No. I have no idea. And honestly, I hope I never have to go through something like that. All I can say is that I'm sorry you lost your freedom. I don't think any living being deserves to be imprisoned like that," Obito said, showing genuine empathy.
Shukaku blinked several times as he stared at him. He even seemed surprised by those words.
"Is something wrong, Shukaku-san?" Obito asked, staring into the Bijū's enormous golden eyes, which seemed to be trying to unravel some kind of mystery before him.
"No... I'm just surprised. Your words seem quite sincere." He said, looking at the human with renewed interest.
Obito raised an eyebrow and made a slight grimace. "Of course they are, Shukaku-san. No living being deserves to be imprisoned, like I said. And you seem like a nice guy, even if you get irritated easily. I think you're a good person," Obito said, wearing a sincere smile.
"You really think so, boy?" Shukaku asked, no longer using the proud tone he had before.
"I do."
"You wouldn't have any desire to capture my immense power and use it? You would certainly become powerful if you could seal me inside you. Your eyes might even be able to control me," Shukaku asked, fascinated.
Obito shook his head. "No. I think that would be wrong, Shukaku-san. I wouldn't want someone to take my power at the cost of my freedom." He replied, his eyes shining with genuine sincerity.
Suddenly, Shukaku lifted his snout, catching Obito off guard, before bursting into laughter.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" His laughter echoed throughout the entire forest, sending even more animals fleeing the area in terror.
"You really are an interesting human," he said after laughing, gazing at the young Uchiha before him with great interest. "I've never met a human like you." Shukaku seemed genuinely pleased.
Obito simply smiled sincerely, happy to realize that the Bijū now seemed to like him more. He would have no problem having a friend like Shukaku.
And so, the two continued talking for the rest of the night.
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