In the High Tower of Sunagakure Ninja Village, Bunpuku sat in the center of the main hall as he always did. Apart from a meditation cushion, there was nothing there. He usually practiced quietly here, chiefly cultivating his state of mind—a good way to resist the erosion of a tailed beast's negative emotions.
However, only someone like Bunpuku, who had grown up in a temple, could use this method. Others might not possess his tranquil detachment from worldly desires. Although ninja underwent rigorous training, it focused primarily on suppressing emotions, which was rather different from his Ninshu practice.
Bunpuku spent most of his time meditating. When he was hungry, he went to the side hall to eat something; when he was thirsty, he drank some water. Then he returned to the main hall to sit alone once more. Although he had no one to talk to, he did not feel particularly lonely.
The One-Tail, Shukaku, inside Bunpuku was another matter: he could not stand it. Before, when they could not communicate mentally, he had simply endured it. After Bunpuku became able to meet Shukaku in his mental world, Shukaku initially managed to maintain the aloofness befitting a powerful creature. Gradually, however, he could no longer keep it up, especially once he realized that Bunpuku was not such a bad person.
Little by little, Bunpuku and Shukaku began talking, and their relationship actually grew into something resembling friendship. Although Shukaku still acted aloof on the surface, he truly considered Bunpuku a friend. He also felt Bunpuku deserved better and often urged him to go out and teach the people of Sunagakure Ninja Village a lesson.
But Bunpuku merely said, "I cannot let you hurt innocent people." He never agreed to use Shukaku's power.
Shukaku felt that Bunpuku simply refused to do