Bunpuku arrived at the delegation's residence and temporarily parted ways with Kazemori Masaki. He needed to rest well, especially since he was concerned about why Shukaku had suddenly become restless. It wasn't usually so boisterous.
In truth, Shukaku had always been a rather boisterous fellow. While other Tailed Beasts might endanger humans unintentionally, Shukaku wasn't exactly malicious, but it was definitely the mischievous type. When it was first sealed inside Bunpuku, it wasn't very well-behaved.
Later, after spending a long time with Bunpuku, Shukaku's willfulness gradually subsided. It realized it wouldn't get what it wanted from Bunpuku, so it became obedient, which could be considered a different form of self-cultivation. But why had it suddenly started acting up again today?
Although Bunpuku didn't feel there was any problem with the seal, he still needed to be careful. They were currently visiting Konoha, and if anything abnormal happened, it could cause Konoha's residents to become hostile towards Sunagakure, which would be very detrimental to their future alliance.
After meeting with the other members of the delegation, Bunpuku excused himself to stay alone in his room. His mind gradually sank, and he entered his mental space, meeting the massive Shukaku. As soon as Shukaku saw Bunpuku, it immediately said, "Bunpuku, did you feel it?"
Bunpuku was somewhat confused and asked in surprise, "Feel what?"
"You don't seem to have felt it. Just now, I momentarily sensed the chakra of that guy, Son Gokū," Shukaku said.
"Son Gokū is?"
"That guy, the Four-Tails. It always dislikes being called the Four-Tails and always wants to tell others its name. What an unreasonable fellow," Shukaku said.
Unlike other Tailed Beasts who only reveal their names after gaining trust, the Four-Tails Son Gokū purely dislikes being called the Four-Tails, preferring to state its own name rather than being referred to that way. Therefore, when meeting the Four-Tails Son Gokū, one shouldn't assume that knowing its name will automatically bridge the gap between them.
"The Four-Tails' chakra? Why would it appear here?" Bunpuku seemed a bit puzzled. Although he knew that the Four-Tails' jinchūriki had been captured by Konoha, Konoha hadn't extracted the Four-Tails. Instead, they had sent him back to Iwagakure after they paid a hefty ransom—a jinchūriki was worth that much.
"You ask me? How would I know?" Shukaku replied bluntly. "However, this chakra only appeared for an instant, and I'm not sure if it was real."
Bunpuku felt that Shukaku might not have been mistaken. Although Shukaku was usually a mischievous troublemaker, it was very reliable at critical moments. Of course, because Bunpuku hadn't participated in the war, there weren't many opportunities for Shukaku to show its capabilities, but Bunpuku understood this.
"If your feeling isn't wrong, then Konoha might have obtained something from Rōshi, the Four-Tails' jinchūriki," Bunpuku, who already knew the Four-Tails' jinchūriki's name, said. "It might be like Kinkaku and Ginkaku back then, who obtained Tailed Beast chakra by devouring the Tailed Beast's flesh and blood... However, I can't believe Konoha would do such a thing. You know, this kind of action is dangerous."
It is well known that Kinkaku and Ginkaku became immortal by devouring the Nine-Tails' flesh and blood, thereby gaining powerful Tailed Beast chakra. The example of these two caused some misunderstanding in Kumogakure. They might not have been unaware that this was likely due to Kinkaku and Ginkaku's Sage bloodline, but they still wanted to replicate this pseudo-jinchūriki.
As a result, everyone who devoured the Eight-Tails' flesh and blood died, proving the danger of devouring Tailed Beast flesh and blood.
Although the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha clans in Konoha are all descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, theoretically, they should be able to bear the risks of Tailed Beast chakra. However, the danger still exists. No one can say for sure that Kinkaku and Ginkaku's ability to bear Tailed Beast chakra was definitely due to their Sage bloodline, because there are no other examples besides them to prove it.
It is said that Kinkaku and Ginkaku had searched for people with the same Sage bloodline as themselves, but no one else possessed Tailed Beast chakra. Bunpuku, of course, couldn't confirm this. He believed that, in such an unknown situation, with Fumori Masakis noble character, it was unlikely he would allow his subordinates to engage in such risky behavior.
"That's what you think, but I don't agree, Bunpuku. You must understand that over these past thousand years, there have been all kinds of humans. Those who appear elegant on the surface but are inwardly repulsive, I've seen countless of them," Shukaku said. "That human named Fumori Masaki might not be as good as you think."
"I believe I have some ability in judging people. It might be my intuition, but I can sense that Lord Hokage is by no means a treacherous and cunning person," Bunpuku mused for a moment before replying.
"Your character is as noble as the Sage of Six Paths, but a noble person may not necessarily see the full picture of another. Just like the Sage of Six Paths back then, he couldn't see his own sons' true intentions, and then such an incident occurred," Shukaku recalled how, after the Sage of Six Paths passed away, his two sons fought over the inheritance of Ninshū. Facing the genius eldest son, the second son, Asura, even with the Sage of Six Paths' inheritance, had to rely on the power of the Nine-Tails at the time to barely defeat the formidable Indra. Even so, Indra never chose to give up, and the two never reconciled until their deaths.
Bunpuku felt as if he had heard some incredible secret. He frowned slightly and questioned Shukaku. Shukaku wasn't very keen on talking about past events, but because it was Bunpuku, Shukaku still revealed a bit, warning, "With the Sage of Six Paths' wisdom, facing his own sons who were right before him, he still couldn't see their true intentions, let alone someone he has never met."
Although Bunpuku felt that what Shukaku said made sense, he still trusted his own judgment. Fumori Masakicouldn't be such a treacherous and cunning person. His kindness was evident in his daily actions and demeanor. Everyone he had met who knew Fumori Masakigave him high praise. If it were just outsiders, that would be one thing, but Uchiha Kagami, the head of a clan that had experienced rebellion, as Fumori Masakis close friend, also gave him high praise. He didn't believe all of this was a lie.
And just as he told Shukaku, perhaps it was just his personal intuition, but it was this intuition that allowed him to vaguely see the inner self of others. It wasn't to say that he was wiser than the Sage of Six Paths, but when facing his own sons, could the Sage of Six Paths truly confront their emotions rationally? Wouldn't an outsider truly see more clearly than the Sage of Six Paths?