"Can't you go any faster?!" Kurama yelled at Naruto.
Naruto covered his ears, looking frustrated. "I'm already going as fast as I can! And aren't you able to fly? If you're so fast, why don't you come out and fly yourself?!"
"If I were faster than you, I would've done that already!" Kurama was furious.
It wasn't Shukaku he was worried about—it was that if they got there too late and Shukaku was captured, he'd have to deal with something far worse.
Naruto's flying speed was insane. In Sage of Six Paths mode, he was so fast that even the naked eye could barely track him. His agility made him even quicker than Sasuke's fully-formed Susano'o.
But Kurama wasn't the same. In terms of pure speed, Naruto was simply faster.
There was nothing he could do about it.
Naruto sighed, still covering his ears. "Seriously, don't they need all of your chakra to revive the Ten-Tails? You haven't been captured yet, so what's there to be afraid of?"
Kurama's face darkened. "Idiot. Did you forget what Jiraiya said? Do you not remember why Nagato and Konan attacked Konoha? Their real target was your dad's grave—they want to revive the other half of me!"
"I know, but didn't they fail to find it?" Naruto pouted.
"Obito! Obito! Did you forget?" Kurama was furious, almost turning from red to black. "Obito's power is space-time jutsu. Kamui doesn't need marks like the Flying Thunder God. He can pass through all barriers and seals. Do you really think he came to Konohagakure and did nothing?"
"On top of that, in the Limited Tsukuyomi, we told Obito where the past Hokages' graves were. That guy must have gone to look! Your dad's grave might have already been dug up by now!" Kurama was so mad he was practically jumping.
Naruto really hadn't improved at all—this was so obvious, and it still took him forever to catch on.
But now that Kurama had laid it out, Naruto seemed to realize something. He lowered his hands from his ears and looked at Kurama. "If they bring my dad back to life and take out your other half, then…"
"Then the Ten-Tails will be revived," Kurama said seriously. "I can't contact the other Tailed Beasts. Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei—they've all been sealed away. I don't know what's happening to them now. Even Gyuki isn't responding. The only Tailed Beast we know for sure hasn't been captured yet is Shukaku."
Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei, and even Gyuki were unreachable. Gyuki's situation was uncertain, but the first few had most likely already been taken by the Akatsuki. And if the Kurama inside Minato was revived, then the only known free Tailed Beast left would be Shukaku.
"Damn it, those guys really planned this while we were gone!"
Kurama was furious.
Naruto's face finally turned serious. "So, Shukaku is the key to whether the Ten-Tails gets revived?"
"That's right." Kurama nodded. "The Ten-Tails' strength isn't the main issue. The problem is that it can turn someone into the Sage of Six Paths. Right now, the only ones in the shinobi world who can fight against that are you, Sasuke, and me."
"The most important thing is…"
Kurama pouted, looking annoyed, but he didn't finish his sentence.
"The most important what?" Naruto asked instinctively.
The most important thing was… if the Ten-Tails came back, Kaguya wouldn't be far behind.
Of course, Kurama didn't say that out loud. "Nothing. Just hurry up. We need to get there as soon as possible."
At first, he hadn't been worried because he hadn't thought it through. But now that he understood, there was no time to waste.
…
"Gaara…"
In the vast, dark space, Shukaku didn't look too good. He stared at Gaara, who was lying in front of him, his eyes clouded.
To be honest, he really wanted to break out and fight those people. But he had already tried—and failed. There was no way around it. He just wasn't strong enough. The enemy's abilities and power weren't weak at all. In fact, if they weren't in the desert, Shukaku had a feeling he would've lost completely.
When did Tailed Beasts… become this weak?
His eyes flickered slightly, and Kurama's image popped into his mind—that annoying fox who always talked about "the true pride of Tailed Beasts."
Shukaku was lost in thought, not noticing Gaara struggling to lift his head. Even though his face had always been emotionless, now sweat dripped down, but his voice remained as calm as ever. "Shukaku… were you calling me?"
If it weren't for his weak and broken voice, Shukaku might've thought Gaara was faking it.
Shukaku scoffed coldly. "Don't flatter yourself. I just wanted to tell you that even with my chakra suppressing it, you won't last much longer. It's going to hurt even more soon, so don't start screaming."
"I won't…" Gaara seemed to smile—just a little. "Because… the worst pain… I've already been through it…"
"Don't act like you're so old," Shukaku snorted.
"Heh…" This time, Gaara really did laugh. He looked at the endless darkness of his inner world. "Poison is running through my whole body, and yeah, it hurts. But… if my body was completely empty, if there was nothing inside me, the loneliness would feel even worse."
"Pain…"
"But that's emotional pain."
Gaara turned his head slightly, struggling to look at Shukaku. "Both hurt, just in different ways. But if you ask me… which one I can endure better, I'd choose the poison."
Shukaku paused. "Why?"
Gaara's pale lips curled into a faint smile. "An empty heart hurts, but you get used to it. Everyone has their own way of living… But if that emptiness ever gets filled, you can never go back to being empty again."
"What's worse than losing something… is finally getting it back, cherishing it, and then realizing… it was all just an illusion."
It's not the loss itself that's scary—it's losing something after you've already had it once.
"You probably wouldn't understand… You're not human, after all."
Gaara's voice grew weaker, as if he could pass out at any moment.
Shukaku just stared at him, as if lost in thought.
It was simple, really—he just thought of an old man. Not the Sage of Six Paths, but… that monk whose name he had long forgotten.
His previous Jinchuriki.
Killed in the Shinobi World War.
A miserable end.
"Losing something after you've had it…"
Shukaku repeated the words under his breath, then snorted and crossed his arms.
"Kid, the way you talk reminds me of someone annoying. But seeing you suffer kinda makes me happy."
"Since you're about to die anyway, I'll grant you one small request."
Shukaku lowered his head, his massive body settling in front of Gaara. His face, larger than Gaara's entire body, stared straight at him.
A smirk tugged at the corner of Shukaku's mouth.
"As a dying kid who managed to entertain me a little… go on, tell me your wish."
"My… wish?"
Gaara's vision blurred. The poison was overwhelming him, and he was on the verge of blacking out.
He didn't hear anything else Shukaku said.
Only that one word—"wish."
"My wish…"
Gaara's voice was barely a whisper, so soft it was almost inaudible.
"Shukaku… I want you to… be my friend…"
Not just as a host and a spirit.
Not just as a Jinchuriki and a Tailed Beast.
A real friend.
Like Naruto and Kurama.
Yes.
Gaara smiled.
He didn't have many friends.
Kankuro and Temari were his brother and sister, so they didn't count.
If he thought about it, Naruto was the only one.
If possible, Shukaku… I hope you can be my friend too.
Shukaku fell silent.
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