"And did you see what was behind the cage?" Naruto blinked in surprise; it almost looked like Chukaku was taking what Naruto said seriously.
"Yeah, at first it was just some big eyes and teeth but when I left I caught a glimpse of it; it was a massive orange fox that called itself the Kyuubi." Naruto was shocked to see Chukaku's eyes open in surprise; he had never seen the head monk's eyes open before.
"You say it referred to itself, as in you talked with it?" Naruto nodded nervously as the old monk turned away, once again looking out of the window. However this time he wasn't truly looking, Naruto could tell his thoughts were elsewhere.
"But it was just a dream, right master?" Chukaku took a quick glance at the boy, noting his nervous and insecure expression; it was so alien on Naruto's usually exuberant and confident face. Finally the man let out a sigh that really carried his age as he slowly got to his feet on aching knees.
"Naruto, come to my study in a few minutes, there's something I need to talk with you about. But first I must go get Sora, there is something you both need to know." And without further ceremony the old monk just left, leaving a highly confused blonde in his wake as he quickly made his way towards the training grounds.
"Naruto, Sora, this is going to be very hard for you to hear and honestly, I feel it is too early for me to tell you these things, However I believe that should I not explain them now you will be forced to live in confusion later on." Both Naruto and Sora were sitting in Chukaku's study, the only other room in the temple besides the library that actually had chairs, even then they were only moderately more comfortable than the floor. Chukaku himself sat behind a fairly plain wooden desk that was built for function rather than beauty. The elderly man took a deep breath with his eyes closed in thought before catching both boys' eyes.
"You both know of the attack eight years ago on Konohagakure?" After getting two slightly unsure nods he continued; it may not have been spoken about much in Konoha but it was hardly secret. "But before I explain that you must first know about the Bijuu." He waited a moment but sure enough the two boys looked confused at what he said. "Nobody knows quite where they came from or even what they truly want but we do know they are powerful. There are nine of them in total, each marked by the number of their tails." He saw a glint of recognition in Naruto's eyes but he quickly silenced any query with a wave of his hand.
"They are enormous constructs of chakra given form and life, and if I can trust a certain source of information, intelligence. The thing that attacked Konoha those eight years ago was the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the most powerful of the nine Bijuu. Its motives were unknown but in the end it destroyed over half the village before it was defeated at the cost of the Yondaime Hokage's life. Except chakra is energy and like all energy it cannot be destroyed, only moved or changed, so in essence it is impossible to truly kill a Bijuu; at best it would simply reform as the consciousness pulled its physical form back together." He waited to see if the boys were following him and after seeing they understood so far he continued.
"That's why over the years human began to seal Bijuu away like one might a kunai into a scroll. They feared the power the creatures possessed and aside from a select few with abilities strong enough to control or subdue the Bijuu, it was the only way. Unfortunately it is not that simple, people quickly found that something as powerful as a Bijuu could not be contained in any mere object; even the most powerful sealing items paled in comparison to the most powerful of the nine. Instead a new way was discovered; the creatures could be contained within a living human vessel, a host and prison to the creatures' consciousness and power. Of course not soon after that people found ways to weaponize these sacrificial vessels and the Jinchuuriki were created." He sighed sadly as he looked back down at the two boys.
"Is anything clearer now?" He felt a tug at his heart as he saw Naruto looking down at the desk, his eyes shadowed by his unruly hair. Sora on the other hand just seemed confused, looking at his friend curiously as his gaze alternated between the blonde and the elderly monk.
"I don't understand, why are you telling us this?" Surprisingly it wasn't Chukaku who gave him his answer but Naruto, his head still lowered.
"Because we're Jinchuuriki." He looked up finally, his brow furrowed in a frown but his eyes sharp and attentive. "Aren't we?" He stated is as such but the tone of his voice made it clear it wasn't really a question. Chukaku sighed deeply; people didn't give Naruto enough credit, he was really much sharper than he appeared.
"Not quite. Naruto, you are a Jinchuuriki and from what you told me about your dream I would say you contain the Nine-tailed Fox that attacked Konoha. It was most likely sealed into you by the Fourth Hokage in order to stop the creature's rampage." Seeing Naruto's head dip back down he turned to Sora who continued to look around confusedly, completely lost. "Sora on the other hand is a rather unique case; he cannot have a Bijuu inside of him as they are all currently accounted for in their various villages; however he certainly has the chakra of one within him." Even Naruto looked up at that, confused by what the elderly monk meant.
"I believe somebody gathered up the chakra expelled by the Kyuubi on the night of its attack before sealing it directly into Sora, making him somewhat of a pseudo-Jinchuuriki. That was what that incident was, Sora tapping into the power sealed within him. Unfortunately as you witnessed, the chakra of a Bijuu is immensely potent and so intertwined with its consciousness that it can hold their will, even after separation from the creature itself. The Kyuubi is known for being a beast of hatred and rage; it is no surprise that its chakra contains those same dark intents and is no doubt drawn upon when the user is in sync with such emotion." Naruto looked up at that, looking around at his friend who this time was the one to dip his head.
"It's a great power, but also a great burden. However just like with any ability or technique, with enough patience and practise-"
"I DON'T WANT IT!" Chukaku and Naruto looked around at Sora in shock; he had stood up from his seat, allowing the wooden chair to clatter to the ground. His chest was heaving and his eyes were brimming with tears. For a second Chukaku could have sworn he saw a flicker of red enter his eyes. "I never asked for this power! Get it out of me!" His shoulders suddenly slumped as he felt all the anger leak out of him; he looked around to see Naruto gently holding his sleeve. He didn't know why but it felt like that single touch was all that was stopping him just storming out the room, it was calming.