One morning, Uchiha Tatsuya woke up with an intense headache. Although he did not know why he was in pain, the feeling was no longer unfamiliar.
'Something's wrong,'
His irises spiraled into a deep crimson hue and his chakra surged along with them. Rushing out of his apartment, Tatsuya hurried somewhere.
Though he did not know where he was going, he trusted his instincts.
Weaving through the bustling streets, Tatsuya headed to the outskirts of the village. Once he was there, he hid himself. With the skills he learned from his four years outside Konohagakure, Tatsuya was confident in his abilities.
He ate a soldier pill and meditated, allowing time to pass.
The air around him was slowly filled with monstrous chakra, perceptible only to those with sufficient chakra sensitivity or special eyes. However, after this monstrous chakra was spread throughout the village, it suddenly vanished.
'Huh..?' Tatsuya was surprised.
However, his instincts still warned him of danger. Nervous, Tatsuya stayed where he was and waited for the tides to recede. If he so moved from his position, he felt that death would befall him.
That, or something much worse.
"Sigh, what's happening to Konoha?"
***
Nearby.
Hiruzen's eyes shot open when he felt the ominous chakra spread throughout the village. The subsequent disappearance of said chakra troubled him further.
'That was... the Kyuubi's!'
Hiruzen hurriedly summoned his crystal ball and used the Telescope Technique to locate Naruto.
'Oh no,' A low gasp escaped Hiruzen's lips.
Surrounded by masked shinobi on all sides, Naruto was curled up into a ball. In a manner not so different from Gaara in Sunagakure, chakra was being siphoned out of the Nine-Tails.
It seemed like Danzo was trying to create a variation of the Real Mirage Formation using Kurama's chakra.
Had Suguru been here, he would've remarked on the ingenuity of such an attempt.
After all, a formation that could monitor negative emotions would be an immense niche that could fulfill many needs. Of course, this was on the premise that Danzo could somehow control the Nine-Tailed Fox's immense chakra...
Hiruzen felt a cold sweat form on his back. Using Naruto in such a way... It did not sit well with him.
"Danzo..."
How far had he fallen? Hiruzen's frown deepened as if he were in Naruto's place, forced to become a mere battery.
'I'll have to bring this up in the next council meeting,'
Despite what was happening to Naruto, Hiruzen refused to create violent internal conflict. Perhaps being forcefully usurped from his position as Hokage had carved a scar in his heart.
Now, he had a subconscious fear of what Danzo could achieve with the power he held.
It was such a strong fear that Hiruzen had warned Jiraiya and Itachi from doing anything dangerous. He could not risk their lives nor the possibility of destroying the village with their ensuing battle.
Furthermore, such a conflict would surely cause Konoha to bleed.
Hiruzen could only stay put.
***
Kurama felt his chakra leak through Naruto's seal and flow elsewhere. For a moment, his senses expanded to spread throughout the village. The negative emotions of those who lived within Konoha became clear to him.
All that hate, all that suffering. It was... food for his mind.
"Hoh,"
The fox's snarl was one filled with hateful amusement. Kurama licked his lips as he looked at Naruto's quivering form.
"My chakra... How dare they...."
What imbeciles!
Despite his rage, Kurama rested his head back on his paws. Closing his eyes, he knew that the time was not yet ripe. They had only used a small fraction of his chakra.
Kurama chose patience. There wasn't much he could do with so little chakra. He had to bide his time blanketing the village with his chakra.
Eventually, he could tear Konoha apart, limb from limb. Shinobi blood would soak the soil, and he could bathe in their screams.
He could devour the frail shinobi who enslaved him, and skin those who were now using him as a mere battery.
'Yes...'
That time would come.
For now, he would slumber in silence.
***
Meanwhile, Suguru lived a very different life from those in Konohagakure.
Sitting in front of Shukaku, Suguru had placed a shogi set down, gave the Ichibi his pieces, and began setting up the board.
Frankly, his mind was a little exhausted from all the research he had been doing for years. Given their interactions within his consciousness, Shukaku was perhaps the only one he could reliably talk to. Thus fulfilling his need for secrecy.
"...Oi, Suguru." Shukaku used sand from his body to place his pieces down. "How are you able to do that thing you do?"
Suguru tilted his head, "What thing?"
"How are you so far away each time you call me? Also, how does Gaara not notice you? As far as I recall, the Sharingan doesn't do that!"
Shrugging, Suguru pointed to his eyes.
"I have a Kekkei Genkai. Though, it's a little hard to explain."
"Ha?"
Suguru shook his head, "It's a long story. Quick, let's start. I don't want you to run away saying that you've lost all your chakra. I'm beating you today."
A tick mark seemed to form on Shukaku's head, "O-Oi! What about this esteemed self's question?! You brat!"
"...Shukaku-sama, please focus on the game~" Suguru lazily stretched. "As always, the loser gets a bit of the other's chakra."
"Che," Shukaku clicked his tongue, "You've become arrogant, haven't you? Just because I can't kill you doesn't mean that I can't hit you!"
These words made Suguru chuckle, "Try me,"
***
Needless to say, Suguru won. As per the bet, Shukaku gave Suguru some of his chakra, which the latter promptly devoured.
"...I understand now why you guys were turned into living weapons," Suguru shook his head, "I wonder if there's any way to stop this practice of creating jinchuriki..."
Shukaku squinted at Suguru's words, however upon hearing the next sentence, fell into thought as well. Given their past interactions, Shukaku realized that Suguru had a very foreign manner of thought.
To him, the Tailed Beasts were more of experienced old sages who he could learn from. In Suguru's own words,
"The Tailed Beasts are immortals, having lived for nearly a thousand years. Your kind's wisdom is more valuable to me than your immense chakra."
At first, Shukaku wondered why Suguru didn't care about their chakra. However, upon seeing the boy devour his own chakra and strengthen his own... He learned why.
Shukaku also understood that unnerving feeling he had whenever Suguru looked at him.
'That kid is barely controlling himself from devouring all my chakra...'
In Suguru's eyes was the gaze of a ravenous beast.
[]=[]=[]=[]
I got stranded on my way home to the countryside. Hence, I'll be updating a few chapters within 48 hours as an apology to everyone. Gods. Bad roads are so sad.
I appreciate your support on P@treon! Hehe~
Link: pa treon.com/ubemantou
(No space.)
You can read up to 35 chapters ahead!
[]=[]=[]=[]