Let's Work Together

Let's work together [Please vote for the story]

Although the Two-Tails looked like a beast, that didn't mean she was incapable of thought.

As a Tailed Beast, her intelligence was no weaker than a human's.

Just as Toneri had said, she was terrified of dying along with her Jinchūriki, even if that meant being sealed inside him for who knew how long.

But at least, she would still be herself!

In essence, Tailed Beasts were immensely powerful masses of chakra gathered from the natural world—or, to put it another way, they were masses of chakra with minds of their own.

But if one died, even if it could gather itself again, would that mass of chakra still hold its memories?

Would it still be the same Two-Tails?

No one had tried it yet, but there was a good chance the answer was no.

So the Two-Tails would rather help her former Kumo Ninja Jinchūriki seal her inside him again than go with him when he died.

It was a risk she couldn't afford to take.

Toneri waved at the Two-Tails, planted his blood-covered hands on the ground, and staggered to his feet.

Strangely, although his wounds looked horrific, the blood dripping from them left no trace on the ground. It simply disappeared.

Toneri's gaze was calm.

Even standing straight, he still couldn't meet the Two-Tails' eyes, but this was the most he could manage for now.

He took a deep breath and slowly straightened his back.

Stand tall as a pine!

"You said I had you eating out of my hand?

That's not true at all!

You know, I've been trying to learn more about you lately. There's no complicated reason for it. It comes down to two simple words.

I'm afraid to die.

I'm terrified of dying, and I doubt many people aren't.

While I've been trying to understand you, you must have learned a bit about me, too. You probably have some idea what kind of person I am.

So... it's not that I have you eating out of my hand. I'm afraid of you!

But at the same time, I'm trying to learn not to be so afraid of you!"

Toneri met the Two-Tails' gaze and slowly voiced what he truly felt.

"I know how much you long for freedom. I've even felt deeply sorry for your situation. But there's nothing I can do. If you're free, I might lose my freedom for good—or even my life..."

The Two-Tails fell silent.

Hearing Toneri lay bare his honest thoughts left her unsure how to describe the turmoil inside her.

Anger?

Not really.

After all, people had to look out for themselves, and death was no small matter.

Wasn't she afraid of dying, too?

But could she say she accepted Toneri's reasoning?

Not really.

"That's why Jinchūriki are such a bizarre thing," Toneri said with a mocking sneer.

He wasn't just mocking the people who had created Jinchūriki. He was mocking himself, too, as one of them.

"To you Tailed Beasts, we Jinchūriki are cages that imprison you. To us, you're an unreachable power, something we can see but never touch.

We fear and hate each other because our interests are fundamentally at odds.

And yet, for a Jinchūriki to bring out their true strength, they need to trust their Tailed Beast completely and hold nothing back.

It's a complete paradox!"

Perhaps the people who created Jinchūriki had meant well. They might have hoped Tailed Beasts and humans could coexist peacefully—that Jinchūriki could gain power while their Tailed Beasts, through their influence, changed the way they viewed humans.

The ideal was beautiful, but reality was harsh.

Jinchūriki feared and coveted the power of Tailed Beasts, while Tailed Beasts hated and looked down on humans.

How could the two ever fully combine their power?

The Two-Tails remained silent, but her silence was the clearest acknowledgment of Toneri's words.

She longed for freedom!

Ever since she'd been locked inside a Jinchūriki, she'd gone so long without seeing the outside world with her own eyes.

She'd almost forgotten the scent of flowers. The warmth of the afternoon sun, the refreshing breeze against her face, the gentle patter of endless rain...

There was so much, so very much, that the Two-Tails had no longer experienced.

As she would have put it...

Spring was beautiful, but she had no chance to feel it!

Silence was the usual atmosphere in this sealed space.

If Toneri hadn't spent the past few days coming and going from the sealing space, whether he had anything to do or not, the Two-Tails would have nearly forgotten what it was like to hear someone chatter.

After a long while...

"Let's work together, Big Beauty!"

At Toneri's words, the Two-Tails looked at him.

His little face was sincere, and his eyes were open and honest as he met her gaze without flinching.

Big Beauty...

The Two-Tails repeated the words silently.

This little brat in front of her was the first—and only—person in the world who had ever dared to call her that.

"What kind of cooperation? You want to borrow my power? And what can you give me in return?"

The Two-Tails slowly rose to her feet. A savage aura surged from her. As a Tailed Beast—and the Two-Tails, who could connect the worlds of the living and the dead—she was terrifying when she let her full presence show.

Toneri's breath caught. For a split second, he felt as though he were facing the Shinigami.

Death was like the wind, always at my back!

The Two-Tails' wounds...

They'd almost completely healed!

"Freedom!"

Toneri's expression didn't change as he firmly spoke the word.

The pupils in the Two-Tails' enormous eyes instantly contracted.

Freedom...

What a longed-for, yet unreachable, thing.

She couldn't even count how many Jinchūriki she'd had. Some had held out longer, like the old man before, while many others had completely broken down just days—or even hours—after becoming Jinchūriki.

In all that time, not one person had ever said that word to her.

But soon, the Two-Tails gave a scornful snort, her voice thick with contempt.

"Freedom? You can't give me that!"

"No, I can!"

This time, Toneri answered as soon as she'd finished speaking.

"I know you might not believe me, but I really do have a way to help you gain your freedom.

It won't be complete freedom, but it'll be far better than your situation now. At the very least... you'll be able to run freely outside, breathe the fresh air, feel the sunshine, and enjoy a relaxing afternoon!"

To give the Two-Tails complete freedom, Toneri would have to give up his own freedom—or even his life. He couldn't do that.

But he did have some unusual ideas for giving her a certain degree of freedom.

There was just one condition: he had to survive.

And so, the Two-Tails and Toneri stared at each other again.

They looked each other in the eye...

He'd been in too much of a hurry to convince the Two-Tails to trust him any further.

All he could do was give her his "sincere" gaze!

As long as he looked sincere enough...

The Two-Tails had, in fact, weighed her options.

Rather than be captured, taken back to Kumogakure, and sealed inside another Jinchūriki, condemned to the same bleak and boring life...

She might as well trust the little brat in front of her.

He really was different from every human she'd ever met!

He was the first to stand tall in front of her despite being afraid...

The Two-Tails turned her head away, giving up on looking into Toneri's supposedly "sincere" eyes. They made her feel a little sick.

She curled her lip.

"Hmph—"

Darn brat!

Noticing the Two-Tails' reaction, Toneri's face lit up. He knew she was tempted.

Still... she really was such a Little Tsundere...

"Then, once we get through this crisis, I'll come back and tell you about my plan!

I'll go wait for you outside! Hurry up...

Big Beauty!"

Toneri vanished from the sealing space.

With him gone, the gloomy space fell silent once more.

"Hmph—what an arrogant brat!"

The Two-Tails lay on the ground, head tilted as she gently licked her cat paw, feeling the texture of its fur with her tongue.

She had to make it clear: she absolutely wasn't agreeing to work with Toneri just because he'd admitted she was beautiful!

No, absolutely not!

Jin Mu's started a book group: 1078231973. The details are in the introduction, too. Everyone's welcome to join and chat.

If you're not used to Jin Mu begging for votes normally, then let him beg for recommendations with a "yinglying"!

You're all big shots. I'm just a humble little nobody. Setting out a bowl—"yinglying"—please vote for me!

There'll be an announcement about an event later, so keep an eye out!

Guess what method Toneri was talking about? It'll probably surprise a lot of people. There's a prize if you guess right!