Looking inward, Tsunade found an enormous creature before her.
Waves of green chakra spilled from its body.
It was this chakra that had made Tsunade sense the changes within her body.
No, this shouldn't have been called a change, but... evolution!
As Tsunade appeared there, the creature before her slowly opened its eyes.
Curiosity and timidity filled its blue-white eyes.
Eight tails swayed gently behind it.
"The Eight-Tails?"
"So this is my Tailed Beast... hello, my name is Tsunade!"
"Tsunade of the Senju!"
Having already inherited the Senju name, Tsunade reached out a hand toward the creature before her.
When Tsunade spoke and extended her hand, the Eight-Tails instinctively took a step back.
But it sensed no malice from Tsunade, and its flattened ears perked up again.
Then it brought its enormous head up to Tsunade's hand and sniffed.
"I... you..."
"Mmm... mmm..."
The Eight-Tails spoke, but its consciousness was not yet fully developed. It was essentially a newborn infant.
After uttering a few simple words, it could only make muffled sounds.
A smile spread across Tsunade's face as she watched the endearingly awkward Eight-Tails.
This Tailed Beast made Tsunade feel as though she were raising a newborn child.
"Do you not have a name yet?"
Tsunade gently placed her hand between the Eight-Tails' brows.
She felt soft fur beneath her palm.
It was clearly nothing more than a mass of chakra, yet the sensation felt utterly real.
"Name?"
The Eight-Tails tilted its large head and gazed curiously at Tsunade.
"It looks like you don't. Then..."
"Your name will be... Mu Xiao."
Tsunade slowly spoke the name.
"Mu Xiao?"
"Tsunade?"
"Heehee..."
The Eight-Tails, Mu Xiao, repeated both their names, then began bouncing around the space within her body.
Its delight was plain for Tsunade to see.
"Mu Xiao."
"Come here."