While Riku's memories played in his dreams, Nariko entered Raiden's office.
"Father, I have returned." Nariko said with a bow.
Raiden looked up from his desk, his eyes squinting at his sons face, which was marred with a large wound down the middle of his face, between his eyes and down his nose all the way to his chin which overlapped with his scar that ran across the bridge of his snout. "What happened, Nariko?" Raiden asked, he wasn't worried as he couldn't sense any urgency but he was confused nonetheless.
"I was summoned by Riku and we fought a tough opponent, he had a strange technique that allowed him to control these weird masks that were capable of using a chakra nature to its full potential? And I think they also acted as hearts." Nariko replied with a sigh, he didn't blame his father for being confused. After all, he walked into his office with a large gash in his face he got from the water mask construct.
"What was such a man doing attacking Riku?" Raiden asked, his eyes squinting further.
"I have no idea either, but he said something about a bounty when I was summoned. Riku is currently incapacitated and resting at my quarters. But… there's an issue." Nariko mumbled, he didn't want his father to be disappointed in his blunder.
"That being?" Raiden asked.
"Another child was accidentally brought back with me when I reverse summoned with Riku." Nariko said, his words were fast but Raiden caught them all.
"Hm?" Raiden hummed, "What's the issue? Cant you just drop them off outside of our territory?" Raiden asked with genuine curiosity.
"She seemed to be close to Riku and I didn't want to endanger her, and I also knocked her out for her to stop causing a ruckus and she is also sleeping in my quarters with Riku." Nariko answered with a heavy sigh, he wasn't too happy about the whole situation either but he'd wait for the pair to wake up before deciding anything.
"Wait for the two to wake up, then bring them here and I will decide the next move." Raiden spoke with his grandfatherly tone.
…
On the way back to his house, Nariko ran into Karah who had found out that Riku was in the territory and wanted to see him.
But the sight inside of the burrow was certainly not what either had expected to see.
There lay Riku, looking like he was being crushed and the one crushing him, was another child that had her arms and legs wrapped around Riku's body and her head resting on his while snoring away.
Karah looked at the pair with a dumbfounded expression, Nariko was speechless but Karah managed to get a "what is this?" out.
"H-help." Riku said with baited breath, he was completely healed despite it only being two hours after the battle had taken place. This was truly a huge benefit of Kokuenryū's power.
Speaking of which, Kokuenryū's power had returned to a high 70%, and as such Riku's physical prowess was extremely high thus granting him the power to go toe to toe with the likes of Kakuzu, yet not enough to push this immovable object off of him.
…
After both Nariko and Karah struggled to pull Riku out for almost ten minutes, the immovable object in question woke up with a loud yawn.
"What's up bear looking guy… why you in my room for." Fū asked while rubbing her eyes, she was about to yawn before she stood up and pointed at the pair of bears infront of her.
"You! What did you do to Riku!" She shouted, her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment at her mistake, but her question was only followed by the two bears looking to the floor beside her, where she saw Riku catching his breath on the floor.
"What did you do!" Fū screamed as she held Riku in her arms, "I won't let you hurt him anymore!" She cried.
"Fū… let me go…" Riku choked, he expected to get crushed once again.
As for the Kumarai, they just looked at the girl with utter disbelief, 'is this girl broken?' They both thought.
"Hmm? You're okay?" Fū looked at Riku and began smiling brightly, "Of course you are!"
Riku looked at the girl with a stunned expression, 'what the hell is up with this girl? Is she bipolar??' Riku thought, she was angry one second and smiling the next.
"What's up with the bears, dude?" Fū asked, her angry expression now calm and she looked at the Kumarai as if she was a detective.
"They're… my friends, the big one is called Nariko and the smaller one is Karah." Riku answered Fū's question with a sigh.
"I see, I see." Fū said while stroking her chin, as if Riku being friends with two literal beasts was totally normal. "Hello there, Nariko and Karah! My name is Fū." Fū spoke once again, greeting the two large creatures with her hand extended, the gesture was reciprocated by Karah, just wanting to get the girl gone.
"So uhh, what are you?" Fū asked, stroking her chin once again, leaning against the wall as if she was a detective.
"We'll talk about it later, Riku, my father wants to see you. Bring the girl too." Nariko spoke, completely ignoring the seven tailed elephant in the room.
…
Walking to Raiden's quarters, Riku walked while talking to both Nariko and Karah while Fū trailed behind him while holding his shirt.
Entering the room, they all entered one by one, Fū being the last to enter.
However, the moment Raiden spotted Fū, his gaze immediately sharpened 'Jinchuriki?' He thought, he could sense the two chakra sources within the child before him.
Moving his gaze, his eye brightened as he looked at Riku. "Riku, how have you been? You've gotten taller!" Raiden grinned as he spoke.
"I've been well, thanks, and you?" Riku smiled softly as he returned the gesture.
"Better than ever!" Raiden laughed heartily.
Fū moved closer to Riku and whispered "Who is the super big one?"
Riku whispered back "He is Raiden, the leader of the Kumarai."
'Kumarai? What's that?' Fū thought while holding her chin and then looking up at the massive bear, "What the hell are you?" Fū asked.
Riku nearly spat his non existent coffee out as he quickly covered Fū's mouth and apologised, "I'm sorry, Raiden, my friend here isn't very well mannered." Riku spoke as he continued to hold Fū's mouth shut, but despite his expectations, Raiden brushed it off.
"It's okay, Riku. You were confused at first too." Raiden waved his hand at Riku, implying it was okay to release the girl.
"Before I answer your question, you're a Jinchuriki right?" Raiden asked, his one eye glowing with expectation.
Fū's face became white with fear.
All of her life she had been looked at as if she was some kind of monster, everyone looked at her with those horrified eyes.
She had no friends growing up, or even now she only had Riku.
She didn't want her secret to be revealed for Riku to look at her with the same scared eyes, even that day, the day she was 'kidnapped' she just wanted to escape and so she allowed herself to be kidnapped.
Fū backed up, "N-no, I'm not!" She stuttered, she was really scared.
"Hmm." Raiden hummed, but his gaze never left the girl, He knew she was a Jinchuriki. "I'm pretty sure you are. You give off the same energy as Riku." After this, Raiden let out a hearty laugh while he pat his tummy.
'Same as Riku? Don't tell me…' Fū thought, with a bit of hope.
'Hmmmm????? How could he tell?' Riku thought with genuine surprise, he would've never guessed he would've been seen through so easily.
Clearly, his surprise wasn't hidden as everyone in the room noticed, "Why are you surprised, Riku? You came into our territory with that terrifying chakra and hadn't expected me to notice?" Raiden spoke, followed by "You seriously underestimate me!" Raiden laughed.
"I'm honestly surprised, I didn't think his aura would be that powerful." Riku spoke with a light chuckle.
*What did you say? You know you'd be long dead for certain without me right?* Kokuenryū spat at Riku's insolent behaviour, after all, Kokuenryū had helped Riku the most out of anyone he had met so far.
Raiden looked back over at Fū and spoke with a friendly tone, "No need to be afraid, child."
Fū felt tears rushing to her eyes, and she started to sob uncontrollably, this went on for a solid half an hour.
Wiping her tears, Fū stood up straight and coughed nervously.
"Uhm, you okay?" Riku whispered to Fū, her outburst was not what he had expected to happen, but oh well.
"Yes, I'm okay." Fū responded while wiping her teary eyes.
Raiden then explained what Kumarai are.
Authors note : I really can't be bothered to write allat.
After Raiden's lesson, "Which tailed beast is sealed within you, child? By the looks of you, I'd say either the eight tails or seven tails. Am I correct?" Raiden asked, hitting the nail right on the head.
Raiden had guessed by the colour of her skin, which was a deep tan that was only seen near the land of lightning or the village hidden in the waterfalls, which homed two tailed beasts.
The hidden waterfall village, despite not being of a great village still had the power of a Jinchuriki. Which made them the only non major village to home a Jinchuriki.
"It's.. the seven tails." Fū spoke, she started quietly but remembering that Riku was also a Jinchuriki, her resolve hardened.
"I see… is it true that it grants you the ability to fly?" Raiden asked, making more conversation.
"That is so." Fū responded, she began floating as two small beetle wings sprouted from her lower back and flapping rapidly.
'Woah, that's cool!' Riku thought, he always thought wings were awesome.
*You can do that too, genius.* Kokuenryū chimed in, surprising Riku.
'I can?' Riku thought, to which Kokuenryū replied.
*Yes, with some training im certain you could sprout wings thanks to me.* Kokuenryū spoke, Riku knew he was grinning right now despite not being able to see him, but didn't point it out and thought about being able to fly.
But before he could thinks too deeply, Raiden turned to him.
"And you, Riku? Which tailed beast do you hold?" Raiden asked, his eyes sparking.
"Uh." Riku was stumped, he actually didn't know how to answer that one.
"Could it be the one tails? Because of your origin in the land of wind?" Raiden asked, he didn't know which tailed beast would be sealed within Riku.
"It's uhh…" Riku stumbled, he was seriously at a loss. He began to sweat as Kokuenryū spoke
*Swap with me.*
"He wants to speak to you, so I'll leave it to him!" Riku spoke, speaking really fast as he collapsed.
…
Riku's body began convulsing before he began to rise to his feet.
His body produced a strange ooze of dense yet translucent white chakra with grey bubbles of chakra within, reminiscent of a boiling liquid.
This ooze shrouded Riku's body, taking his form.
However, two large wings of the white chakra began to grow from Riku's back as a long spiky tail appeared at his lower back.
'Riku' looked up, two horns made of the white translucent chakra cloak appeared on his forehead as the child rose.
No one thought to stop Riku, they heard what he said and were watching intently.
"I am the being known as Kokuenryū. I am the great ancient dragon of black and white flame, and Riku is my jinchuriki." Just hearing the deep, raspy voice come from the child was chilling enough, but the force the voice emitting was even more imposing.
"What the hell.." Raiden muttered as he felt his chakra being drained.
"I am not what you call a 'tailed beast' but a being much greater than one. For I am not a beast, but a god!" Kokuenryū spoke once more, his words making even Raiden get serious.
Not the meaning, but the weight those words held.
He felt as if his body was being forced into a kneeling position by this dreadful force.