Naruto returned to his residence, where Karin swiftly set up a barrier to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
With surprise, Naruto turned back, examining the two foxes. "Do you really have the same powers as me, with those so-called Zanpakuto?"
"But where are your swords?" Naruto asked with curiosity.
He had scoured the area under the waterfall meticulously, worried that their swords might have fallen into the water, and even dived in to search.
But he found nothing.
"No idea," Yang Kurama blinked, shaking its head, "All I know is the name, but I never received any sword."
"Even though I used one while fighting that grotesque creature," it added.
"Yet, I can't seem to bring it out."
The two foxes almost complemented each other in telling the story, especially when they smugly wagged their tails and exclaimed, "Naruto, you misunderstood; that creature was not my dark side."
They only grew more reserved when mentioning the "Zanpakuto."
Naruto pondered and suggested a theory: "Under the true waterfall, we entered our inner world through meditation."
"Because you've mastered that kind of power, you managed to use it smoothly."
"However, in the real world, you lack an Asauchi."
"That's why there's no sword."
Yang Kurama asked impatiently, "You need an Asauchi, too?"
"I remember you getting hold of an Asauchi, Naruto. How do you have two swords?"
Naruto unsheathed the "Kurama" to explain, "This sword was forged using your power."
"Whereas the Asura one was born from the reflection of the Asauchi."
Yin Kurama mused, "That's true, during the battle, we indeed extracted a part of our energy from within ourselves to coalesce it into our own swords."
Yang Kurama seemed thoughtful, staring intently at Yin Kurama.
"What are you plotting?" Yin Kurama asked warily, stepping back and bumping into Karin.
Despite the question, given they were essentially one, each knew exactly what the other was thinking.
It turned its head to see who was behind it.
Pondering for a moment, it reluctantly nudged its tail into her hand with a click of its tongue.
At this moment, staying beside Karin felt safer than being near its other self.
"I just wanted to see if you could become a Zanpakuto," Yang Kurama mumbled.
Yin Kurama grimaced, "Why don't you try yourself and see if it's possible?"
Yang Kurama defended itself, "I understand the power of the Shinigami better than you, so, naturally, it's my turn."
Yin Kurama yawned.
Yang Kurama pounced.
The two foxes played around, and Karin quickly stepped aside. In no time, the bed was torn to shreds by their antics.
"No way." Yang Kurama shook its head, holding Yin Kurama's tail with a look of disappointment, "It can't be made into a sword."
"It seems... we'll need to get a standard blade first."
Naruto nodded, looking over at Karin.
Sure enough, the relationship between him and Kurama was a unique case.
In most scenarios, a Shinigami requires a Zanpakuto to initiate a release, even one as powerful as Kurama is no exception.
So, wanting Karin to become a Shinigami, they needed to first find her a Zanpakuto.
But.
He had no way of bringing items from the Soul Society to the real world.
Kurama was fine; there was a seal linking him, which allowed Kurama to accompany him to the Soul Society.
But Karin?
He couldn't exactly seal Karin into his own body, right?
There was also a need to understand what exactly a "standard blade" was.
Naruto suddenly recalled that standard blades were crafted, but there seemed to be no specific facility in the Seireitei for making "standard blades." The Twelfth Division is not responsible for this, nor does the First Division appear to have this duty.
He realized a blind spot he had never considered before.
Where do "standard blades" come from?
He needed to clear this up once he returned to the Soul Society.
"By the way, Kurama, what is your Zanpakuto ability?" Naruto tilted his head, eyeing the still persistent Yang Kurama.
Yang Kurama lifted his head with pride, "My blade is named 'Fox Mirror'. According to the Shinigami, it should be considered a ghost-type zanpakuto."
"Any attack directed at me will be absorbed by the Fox Mirror."
"Of course."
"The amount of chakra or spiritual pressure the opponent expends, I must expend an equivalent amount."
"Also, the energy stored in the blade cannot exceed the energy I possess myself."
"However, it will not dissipate over time and can be retained indefinitely."
"Once the energy is accumulated to my satisfaction, or reaches full capacity, it can be compressed at the blade and released all at once."
Naruto nodded, his eyes shimmering, "Sounds like a very powerful blade."
In the most ideal scenario, it could even unleash the full power of the Nine-Tails in a single attack.
"Of course, that's my power. Can it be weak?" Both Kuramas raised their heads proudly and wagged their tails, "I'm very pleased with its ability."
"It's just unclear whether illusions can be absorbed."
"Sharingan" flashed through its mind first.
"Although I don't have a zanpakuto," Naruto urged, "since you're able to perform the initial release, want to try the final release?"
"You remember the training courses, right?"
Both Kuramas responded.
They leapt onto another intact bed, adopting a meditative pose.
Karin envied them with a glance, pulled out a scroll, and began to read.
Even the foxes could achieve it.
What reason do I have to slack off?
Learn!
She refused to believe she couldn't learn it.
Although the training had ended, Naruto and the others lingered on the island for a while longer.
Occasionally, Karin would visit the Falls of Truth.
Yet, this type of training for ordinary ninjas would only strengthen their willpower, without providing any boost in power.
Karin still devoted most of her time to learning 'techniques'.
A week later.
Naruto left Turtle Island and set sail back to the Land of Lightning.
Naruto and Karin declined the generous invitations from the Daimyo and the Raikage, choosing instead to depart straight from the Cloud Village.
They found shelter in a cave deep in the mountains, setting up a temporary camp.
The campfire crackled as shadows danced around.
A few wild bears trembled, having been rudely awoken from their peaceful slumber by these unexpected intruders requesting to stay the night.
But there was something intimidating about those intruders—the two people and even the petite foxes alongside them exuded a strangely daunting aura!
Yang Kurama's training for the "Bankai" did not go smoothly.
A week had passed with no progress, reminiscent of Naruto's initial struggles.
"Perhaps it's because we don't have a sword," Naruto tried to comfort it. "Once we get one, it'll be different."
Yang Kurama shook its head, "I doubt it's related to the sword."
Naruto glanced at it, puzzled by its words.
"The reason I can't perform Bankai with 'Kyuubi's' sword is that it's not actually mine—it's just a power lent to you," Yang Kurama explained, flicking its tail, "And in the mental world earlier, I couldn't even begin to release it properly."
"It's not that I resist my inner self," it continued. "But because we haven't truly become one, our soul's consciousness isn't complete."
Naruto nodded, recalling that Kurama had mentioned this before.
"Isn't Bankai just an evolution of the initial release?" Yang Kurama pondered, "So, does that mean Bankai actually requires complete unity?"
"In truth, there's something I haven't told you all this time," it added. "But now, I think you might help me understand."
Naruto tilted his head, looking at it expectantly.
"I am incomplete," Yang Kurama confessed solemnly.
"All the mysteries of chakra, don't they all relate to the Sage of Six Paths?" Naruto answered softly.
The Yang Nine-Tails lowered its head: "Do you remember the God Tree mentioned by the Great Toad Sage?"
Naruto nodded.
"That is the origin of all chakra, and also the origin of us tailed beasts." The Yang Nine-Tails continued, speaking slowly, "That God Tree, once given a name by the Sage of Six Paths, was called the Ten-Tails."
"We tailed beasts—"
"came into being when the Sage of Six Paths divided the power of the Ten-Tails into nine parts."
"So, even when I combine Yin and Yang, I am not complete, merely one-ninth."
Naruto looked thoughtful, with a hint of curiosity in his eyes: "Nine-Tails, do you still have memories of being the Ten-Tails?"
The Yang Nine-Tails shook its head: "Of course not."
It paused: "The things you want to know, even I am unclear about."
Naruto nodded, not disappointed: "Since there are no memories of the Ten-Tails,"
"it proves that, although your power originates from it, you have become an independent entity, not just a part of it."
"Why did you suddenly decide to tell me all this today?"
The Yang Nine-Tails tilted its head: "It just came to mind suddenly. I think you have been doing well lately and, as a reward for being willing to listen to my advice, for releasing the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails."
"Moreover,"
"if Uchiha Madara truly has ties to the Akatsuki,"
"then perhaps his goal in collecting the tailed beasts is to awaken the Ten-Tails."
Naruto pondered this.
Could it really be Uchiha Madara?
"Nine-Tails, you should not give up on training for your Bankai," he said after some thought, "since you can grasp your initial release, mastering your Bankai isn't out of the question."
"Didn't Captain Kuchiki say that mastering Bankai requires decades of time?"
"Just in case, we can also look for other tailed beasts."
"Borrowing a portion of chakra from them might also help."
The two Nine-Tails paused for a moment, then nodded heavily, coughing twice: "Exactly why I brought it up."
Karin looked disdainful.
Really?
(End of Chapter)