Shukaku and Kurama

"Fine! You stinky fox! You really won this time!"

Shukaku's voice suddenly burst forth from the enormous body lying on the ground.

This struck Kurama as odd. This guy actually backed down?

That stubborn, prideful, and foolish raccoon cat, who would rather be beaten to death than say "I lost," actually admitted defeat?

"In that case, you have to help me!"

Shukaku's voice continued to gurgle from its large mouth lying on the ground, each sentence more urgent and louder than the last.

"I admit it! I really don't know what to do this time!"

Shukaku was going all out. Compared to spending all day in that desert, living in constant fear, compared to waking up every day and the first thing he had to do was check if that demon was still there, yet he couldn't do anything about it, what did a temporary bow of his head matter?

So what if that stinky fox made fun of it a few times? It accepted it.

"I don't know what to do? Gaara hasn't been bothered lately. And you seem to be fine too, still acting like a fool."

It's hard.

Shukaku hardened its fist.

Its eyelids twitched, but it suppressed them. It took a deep breath, and then, dragging its battered but gradually recovering body, it slowly rose from its prone position.

"He's alright? Because that bastard Gaara has no idea what he's spending his days with!"

"I don't want to sit here and wait to die! I have to nip the threat in the bud before that devil does anything!"

"Ghost?"

Kurama was completely confused by Shukaku's thought process. Ghosts? Where in this world are there ghosts? Aren't those just things humans made up to scare children?

Then, Shukaku quickly and urgently recounted what had happened. The puppet beside Gaara, the one called "Naruko Uzumaki," suddenly—for some reason—was able to sense emotions that belonged to life!

For Shukaku, it was like... a Buddha statue in a temple suddenly coming to life! Like a painting hanging on the wall suddenly blinking! Like a puppet in a cabinet suddenly turning its head and smiling at you!

I don't know what evil spirit possessed me! I don't know what its purpose is! I don't know when or what it will do!

However, after hearing everything, Kurama remained silent.

This is a "ghost"? This is the thing that made this silly raccoon cat tremble with fear and unable to speak properly?

Kurama has seen and knows that Naruto possesses some formidable abilities, so formidable that even Kurama sometimes finds them unreal.

Naruto can give life to other things; this isn't a metaphor, he literally brings inanimate objects to life.

Kurama saw it. Naruto's body had absorbed the energy of those planets in the Deep Space, which even Kurama feared, countless times. That energy was too great, too pure, and too ancient. Naruto's body, permeated by that energy, had become something that Kurama could not comprehend.

It seems that Gaara somehow obtained Naruto's chakra? Kurama doesn't know the specifics, but it roughly understands the current situation.

However, the only certainty is that the life form that awakened through Naruto's chakra inherited Naruto's will and thought patterns.

These are common characteristics of the things Naruto brought to life; the puppet's personality and behavior are just like Naruto's. It will absolutely not Gaara.

In other words, Shukaku is completely safe. It's just scaring itself.

Seeing Kurama's frightened expression, a thought suddenly popped into Shukaku's mind. The corners of its mouth involuntarily turned up slightly, then it quickly suppressed it.

He spoke in that cold, arrogant tone.

"Alright, you stinky fox! You need to talk to Naruto! Hurry up and deal with that monster..."

"I refuse."

"... What?"

Shukaku was bewildered; it thought it had misheard.

"Solve your own problems. Why should I help you? You haven't forgotten how you tormented Gaara throughout his childhood, have you? Naruto is very unhappy about that."

"But... but!"

Shukaku panicked. Something wasn't right. Although it and Kurama) were indeed at odds, and although they always fought whenever they met, in this dangerous situation, when it truly didn't know what to do, shouldn't Kurama, as a fellow Tailed Beast, lend it a hand?

Isn't this what should be done? Isn't this the obvious thing to do? Shouldn't it lend a hand, considering they're both Tailed Beast?

"You can't just ignore this!"

"How am I supposed to solve this! Not a single drop of my chakra can leak out under that damned seal! Every time I try to persuade Gaara, he just blocks my voice! If I could get out, I would have solved this long ago!"

"Shut up! Why should I save you! You might as well die here!"

After saying this, under Shukaku's dumbfounded gaze, the figure of the Nine-Tails began to fade, and then it disappeared.

Kurama is gone.

Shukaku stood rooted to the spot, all her anger, resentment, unwillingness, and feelings of betrayal erupting in that instant.

"... You stinky fox!"

Shukaku's voice burst from its enormous mouth.

"You heartless bastard! You stood by and watched someone die! Are you even Tailed Beast?! Where's your conscience? Did you eat it yourself? You deserve to be sealed away! You deserve to be locked in a dark room! You deserve to never get out!"

"You just wait! Once I've dealt with this, the first person I'll come after is you! I'll sew your stinking mouth shut and tie your tail in a knot!"

"Then I'll pluck all your red fur off! After plucking it all off, I'll dye it green! I'll turn you into a green, ugly monster! Everyone will laugh at you wherever you go!"

Shukaku kept cursing, hurling insults at every unpleasant spot, for a full twenty minutes.

They cursed until its voice was hoarse, until its mouth was dry, until it couldn't think of a single new word to curse the Kurama.

It turned around angrily, ready to leave. Its steps were heavy, each one leaving a deep crater in the sand.

"Kind!"

"Ugh!"

A voice came from behind Shukaku, filled with obvious excitement—the excitement of finally finding an opportunity after holding it in for so long.

Before Shukaku could turn around, it felt a tremendous force kick it hard in the back.

It lost its balance and crashed to the ground, burying its face directly in the sand and getting a mouthful of sand.

The Nine-Tails suddenly reappeared.

Its claws were still in the kicking position, and a relieved, exhilarating smile appeared on its face.

Then it disappeared again.

Without uttering a single word, leaving no explanation, and giving Shukaku no time to react, they immediately departed after the sneak attack.

Shukaku lay on the ground, its mouth, eyes, ears, and nose all filled with sand.

It felt every muscle in its body spasming, every bone creaking, and every blood vessel boiling.

"You filthy fox! I'm going to kill you!"

"Come out if you dare! Come out! Come out! What kind of skill is it to ambush from the shadows! You think you're so good at talking! You think you're so powerful! Come out! Come out and face me head-on! I'm going to beat that stinky face of yours flat! I'm going to pluck out every single hair on your orange fur! And then I'll stuff it all into your mouth! Come out! You bastard! You stinky fox! Get out here! Get out here!"