After the Third Kazekage finished speaking, he left without expression.
Once the Third Kazekage had gone far away, Bunpuku was called into the mental world by Shukaku. Squatting behind Bunpuku, Shukaku said, "Who said I was getting along with an old monk like you? Why don't you hand control over to me? I'll destroy all of this. Your life as a jinchuriki hasn't exactly been great, so you must be harboring resentment, right?"
"..."
Seeing that Bunpuku ignored him, Shukaku continued.
"Don't you get bored being stuck with a beast like me? From the moment you were born, you had no choice but to be trapped here with a beast that hates humans."
At last, Bunpuku, who had remained silent all this time, spoke.
"Since I'll die if I'm separated from you, because I'm a jinchuriki... there's really no need to distinguish between humans and beasts..."
Bunpuku did not turn around to look at Shukaku. Instead, he opened his clasped hands, revealing the characters in his palms: "receive" on his left hand and "heart" on his right.
He turned his palms downward, reflecting the characters upon the water's surface in the mental world, then continued.
"As long as one has a true friend with whom they can connect sincerely, peace can be found in the heart."
Perhaps Bunpuku's words had touched Shukaku somewhat. Thinking back on all the years they had spent together, Bunpuku truly had never treated him as some beast, nor had he held resentment toward anyone, Shukaku included.
"You really are a strange old man. There probably won't be anyone else like you."
"No! That isn't true."
Looking at the reflection of the character "heart" from his right palm on the water's surface, Bunpuku continued.
"The human heart is like a reflection on water, often wavering because