Chapter 55: Taunting
"Hmph!"
The Nine-Tails was bound tightly to a massive stone pillar by enormous chains. Looking down at Kushina, who had appeared before him, he snorted coldly.
"What was that commotion just now?!"
Hearing Kushina's question, Kurama merely snorted again and shut his eyes.
...Was I imagining things?
Just moments ago...
He had clearly sensed the chakra of a foul-smelling tanuki with a single tail.
A one-tailed, foul-mouthed tanuki... in Konoha?
"Hey!"
Seeing the Nine-Tails' chakra beginning to leak out again, Kushina frowned and warned him,
"Watch your attitude."
"Heh."
Feeling the sealing chains tighten around him, Kurama curled his lip.
"Did someone from Sunagakure come here?"
"...Hm?"
That caught Kushina's attention.
It was rare for the Nine-Tails to start a conversation on his own.
She raised an eyebrow with interest.
"Why do you ask?"
Before Kurama could answer, she rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Probably not."
"But Mikoto did mention that Uchiha Asuka just returned from Sunagakure."
"...Uchiha?"
"...The Uchiha?!"
The instant he heard that name—and remembered the chakra he had sensed from the Uchiha compound earlier—Kurama bared his fangs.
His crimson eyes filled with killing intent.
Don't tell me...
That foul-mouthed tanuki was kidnapped by the Uchiha?
No...
He must have fallen under the control of the Sharingan and been dragged back to Konoha by force.
For a brief moment...
Kurama unconsciously projected his own past onto Shukaku.
He remembered the day he himself had been captured.
Then he remembered that insufferable tanuki.
His expression darkened further and further.
Staring toward the Uchiha district, he roared,
"The Uchiha are all scum!"
"Hey!"
Hands on her hips, Kushina frowned.
"What got into you?"
Kurama looked down at the red-haired woman beneath him.
Thinking of the two jinchūriki who had imprisoned him, he slashed forward viciously with one claw and growled,
"And your Uzumaki Clan too!"
Clang!
The chains tightened further, threatening to seal even his mouth.
His eyes swept across the endless prison before finally lifting toward the sky.
"...And the Senju."
---
Asuka looked at the teapot before him with a complicated expression.
After a series of experiments...
He had finally figured out what the system meant by calling it a weapon.
Its hardness was beyond question.
It made an excellent blunt instrument.
Roughly on the level of a brick.
Samehada had once possessed a life of its own.
Likewise...
This teapot also contained life.
Because Shukaku was sealed inside it.
As for sharing chakra...
All he had to do was rub the teapot a few times—like rubbing a magic lamp—and chakra would flow through the pot into his palm.
The only problem...
The amount was rather disappointing.
Enough for roughly one C-rank ninjutsu.
As for the so-called taunting ability...
He hadn't seen Shukaku taunt anyone yet.
Instead...
The little tanuki looked thoroughly depressed.
Looking at the dejected Shukaku, Asuka poked his cheek with one finger and sighed.
"So..."
"Are you disabled now?"
The corner of Shukaku's mouth twitched.
Whose fault do you think that is?!
Back in Sunagakure...
He had a body but no consciousness.
Here...
He had consciousness but no body.
It was like someone had sliced him neatly in half.
On top of that...
He could now sense the chakra of that mangy fox.
If he could sense Kurama...
Then Kurama could undoubtedly sense him too.
Glancing at the portrait of Uchiha Madara hanging on the wall, Shukaku's mouth twitched again.
He was still in Konoha.
Still inside an Uchiha's house.
And Madara...
Was one of the people he hated most.
That man had loved controlling tailed beasts with the Sharingan.
"Hey!"
Pointing at the portrait, Shukaku narrowed his eyes.
"Kid."
"What's your relationship with Uchiha Madara?"
"My relationship?"
Following Shukaku's finger, Asuka turned toward the photograph.
He pointed at the imposing man standing in the center.
"That's Uchiha Madara."
"On his right is Uchiha Izuna."
"On his left is Elder Ryōichi's older brother, Uchiha Ryōta."
"And beside Ryōta..."
"...is my grandfather, Uchiha Hikaku."
"..."
Shukaku stared blankly at the ceiling.
Human relationships...
Were the thing he hated most.
They were infinitely more complicated than the relationships between tailed beasts.
Determined to sort it all out, his tiny brain spun at full speed.
As time passed...
Steam literally began rising from his head.
"So..."
A while later, Shukaku suddenly slammed his fist into his palm.
"I get it."
He nodded seriously.
"So..."
"Uchiha Madara is also your grandfather."
"...My grandfather?"
Asuka's lips twitched.
He patiently explained the family tree.
"In terms of seniority..."
"Elder Ryōichi is my great-uncle."
"His older brother is my great-granduncle."
"But that same older brother called my grandfather 'Big Brother.'"
"So my grandfather and Madara belonged to the same generation."
"And since Madara was the clan head..."
"My grandfather always addressed him as 'Brother Madara.'"
"So..."
"If we're talking strictly by seniority..."
"...Madara would technically be my honorary great-granduncle."
"So calling him my grandfather..."
"...isn't completely wrong."
"..."
Another puff of steam escaped Shukaku's head.
His face turned bright red.
"So..."
"...was your grandfather also the one who split me away from my body?"
"My grandfather?"
Thinking of the system that had created all of this, Asuka nodded seriously.
"Sounds about right."
"So it really was the evil Uchiha..."
"In the end..."
"...this is all your fault."
Shukaku glared viciously at Madara's portrait.
Then, without another word...
He crawled back inside the teapot.
Too much had happened today.
His thoughts were a complete mess.
---
An hour later...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Listening to the rhythmic hammering inside the room, Shukaku slowly lifted the teapot lid.
A strange light flashed through his wise little eyes.
After waking up...
He suddenly remembered something the Sage of Six Paths had once told them.
When Hagoromo had separated the tailed beasts, he had said:
«"No matter where you are, you will always remain one."»
«"One day, you will meet again."»
«"You will bear different names and different forms from when you were inside me."»
«"You will be guided onto the correct path."»
«"And then... you will understand what true power really is."»
Although he had never met anyone capable of guiding him...
He had always believed the old man's words.
As long as he didn't get himself killed...
There was a good chance he'd eventually reunite with his body.
As for that body...
Shukaku tilted his head.
Without his consciousness...
The body sealed inside the jinchūriki would occasionally go berserk.
But probably not too often.
As for him...
After taking several deep breaths of fresh air, a wicked grin spread across his face.
Escaping comes first.
Who wants to live with humans?
Wouldn't it be better to find a quiet place to sleep until the prophecy comes true?
He narrowed his eyes at Asuka's back.
"Hey."
"Can I ever return to my original body?"
Asuka paused his repairs on the broken door.
Turning around, he looked at Shukaku with surprise.
Return to his body?
Do tailed beasts really crave becoming the Ten-Tails that much?
He already possessed independent consciousness.
Yet he still wanted to merge back with his body.
Tailed beasts truly thought differently from humans.
They actually desired to abandon their individuality.
Perhaps...
Not even tailed beasts could resist Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's "charm."
Remembering how Shukaku eventually regained his body during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Asuka sighed.
Then he picked up his hammer and continued repairing the door.
"Don't worry."
"In about ten years..."
"...you'll get your body back."
"...Ten years?"
That didn't sound particularly long.
Shukaku smacked his lips.
He immediately lost interest in continuing the conversation.
He often slept for months at a time anyway.
Ten years would pass in the blink of an eye.
Then...
He glanced around Asuka's room before slowly walking toward the window.
There was still one thing he needed to confirm.
Was he completely free?
Partially restricted?
Or entirely bound?
Reaching the windowsill, he looked out over bustling Konoha.
Bending his knees slightly...
He leaped.
Thump!
The moment his feet landed—
He found himself standing right back inside Asuka's room.
Looking around the familiar surroundings...
Then at Asuka's amused smile...
Shukaku's expression instantly darkened.
That restriction...
Was stronger than he'd imagined.
After escaping two more times with exactly the same result...
He finally looked at Asuka in a shrill voice.
"Why..."
"...can you summon me back?"
"I don't know."
Asuka shrugged.
"Maybe..."
"...because we signed a contract."
"...A contract?"
After thinking for a moment, Shukaku shook free of Asuka's grasp.
He sprinted toward the window again.
And jumped.
Thump!
"..."
The instant he reappeared inside the room...
Shukaku's face turned pitch black.
His worst suspicion had just been confirmed.
At some unknown point...
He had unknowingly entered into a summoning contract.
Asuka himself had no idea when the contract had formed.
He had merely felt that he could summon Shukaku back.
Watching the stubborn little tanuki run away yet again...
Asuka clasped his hands behind his back, climbed through the window, and leisurely followed after him.
He decided to let Shukaku run around for a while longer.
A little despair would do him good.
As for whether anyone would discover the truth...
Looking at Shukaku's current appearance, Asuka instinctively shook his head.
If he hadn't seen Shukaku plush toys in his previous life...
He never would've associated this little thing with a tailed beast.
Its appearance had changed drastically.
Its strength had changed even more.
It was...
Ridiculously weak.
Besides...
It had come from the system's teapot.
The real One-Tail still existed in Sunagakure.
Who would ever connect the two?
He had to admit...
The little fellow was surprisingly adorable.
Nothing like the ferocious tailed beasts of legend.
He'd disguise it a bit more later.
Even the Sage of Six Paths would probably hesitate before recognizing it.
---
At that moment—
Shukaku sprinted wildly through Konoha's streets like an escaped racehorse, arms spread wide.
The villagers rubbed their eyes in disbelief as they watched a running teapot dash past them.
"...Did that teapot just grow legs?"
"No."
"I think it became a spirit."
"It's actually kind of cute."
"I saw the Uchiha crest on the back."
"It must belong to the Uchiha Clan."
The moment everyone heard it belonged to the Uchiha...
Their curiosity immediately disappeared.
Just another strange Uchiha pet.
Compared to everything else in the shinobi world...
This wasn't even particularly unusual.
After weaving through countless villagers trying to pick him up and cuddle him...
Shukaku suddenly skidded to a stop.
Screech!
He slowly turned around.
Watching the disappointed women behind him...
His face filled with contempt.
Hypocrites.
Filthy humans.
Back when I was huge...
None of you wanted to hug me.
Now that I'm so weak even a child could beat me...
You're all lining up to cuddle me.
Humans...
Sleep with one eye open!
After muttering curses under his breath for a while...
He turned around again.
Ahead of him...
A familiar chakra signature swayed from side to side.
A sinister smile slowly spread across his face.
Stinky fox...
Didn't expect to find you here.
---
"...Should we interfere?"
Watching the sneaky little tanuki secretly trailing behind Lady Kushina with a suspicious grin plastered across its face, the ANBU hidden nearby quietly discussed the situation.
Hearing them, Kakashi shook his head.
He pointed toward the Uchiha crest engraved on the teapot.
Then toward Asuka, who was calmly following behind.
"Let's observe first."
"That tanuki isn't very strong."
"It's probably an Uchiha summoning beast."
"Lady Kushina has already noticed it."
"You're right."
"Aside from that creepy smile..."
"...it's actually kind of cute."
"But..."
"Do tanuki count as ninja cats?"
"...Probably."
"The ninja cat clan has all kinds of odd members."
"Nothing surprises me anymore."
With Kushina, Asuka, and the ANBU all silently allowing it...
Shukaku followed Kushina all the way home.
"Stinky fox!"
"...Hm?"
Hearing the tanuki finally speak after tailing her for so long, Kushina stopped walking.
She turned around and glared at the rude little creature.
"Do all tanuki talk like this?"
Shukaku knew revealing his identity would be troublesome.
He glanced at Kushina before shifting his gaze to her swollen abdomen.
Instead of speaking aloud...
He used the unique telepathy shared by tailed beasts.
As long as neither I nor the fox says anything...
No one will know who I am today.
"...?"
After waiting for quite a while without hearing another word, Kushina looked behind herself.
There was no one there.
Pointing at her own nose, she asked,
"Were you talking to me?"
Shukaku blinked before nodding.
The stinky fox is sealed inside you.
Who else would I be talking to?
"So..."
"You followed me all this way..."
"...just to call me a stinky fox?"
Seeing Kushina's crimson hair begin floating ominously, a bead of sweat appeared on Shukaku's forehead.
He instinctively nodded.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Hearing loud smashing sounds from the living room, Mito poked her head out from the bedroom.
"Kushina?"
"What's going on?"
"Nothing!"
Kushina viciously pinched Shukaku's cheeks.
Veins bulged across her forehead.
"I'm just teaching this foul-mouthed tanuki a lesson!"
Hmph.
Doesn't even hurt.
As Kushina furiously kneaded his face...
Shukaku ignored her completely.
Instead, through Kushina's body, he continued speaking directly to Kurama.
Stinky fox...
I didn't realize your vessel was so sensitive.
Life must be treating you well these days, huh?
Receiving no response, Shukaku remained completely unfazed.
He tucked his limbs back inside the teapot while allowing Kushina to squeeze him however she pleased.
Then he cheerfully continued chatting.
The first human I ever learned to communicate with...
...was an old monk.
He was a good person.
Compared to your vessel...
...he was like heaven and earth.
At least that old monk was reasonable.
Oh, right...
My vessel was a monk.
He wasn't interested in women.
But I heard both of your vessels have always been women.
As someone who understands your situation...
I've always wondered...
When your jinchūriki spends every night sleeping beside her husband...
Do you ever feel awkward?
Hey...
Stinky fox...
You don't secretly enjoy it, do you?
Kushina frowned at the suddenly silent tanuki staring blankly at her.
Did I squeeze its brain into mush?
Still...
It really was adorable.
Thinking that, she finally set the little teapot down on the table.
"Behave."
"If you say anything rude again..."
"...I'll stew you."
"Tch."
Watching Kushina walk away, Shukaku spat disdainfully onto the floor.
Then he jumped off the table and followed after her while continuing to chatter telepathically.
Honestly...
The shinobi world is full of hypocrites.
You're no different, stinky fox.
You don't have to answer.
I know you can hear me.
The old man said we'd always be together...
At that moment, a wicked grin spread across his face.
Looking up at Kushina's swaying hips...
He burst into manic laughter.
"YAA-HAA!"
"GET OVER HERE!!"
BAM!
Startled out of her wits, Kushina spun around and kicked the little tanuki straight out the front door.
She gently rubbed her warm stomach, lingering fear still on her face.
"That damned tanuki..."
"It scared me half to death."
After the noisy tanuki had been launched away...
Kurama slowly opened his eyes inside the seal.
His gaze drifted toward the chains covering his mouth before turning darkly in the direction Shukaku had flown.
Just like always...
Still the same foul mouth.