Kurama paced in the small cell, its mind replaying those last few seconds of freedom over and over. The dead demon seal, that shikigami had taken fully half its chakra! Kurama smiled bitterly to itself, it had had just enough warning to offer its yang chakra first, preserving the yin and allowing it to be calm in the seal instead of raging insanity.
Even so, that was minor compared to what had happened before, and the fragment of what Kushina had gasped out that it had heard. 'If I had any regrets...it would be that I won't see Naruto grow up,' she had gasped out.
Kushina. Kurama sighed to itself. It had felt the seal weakening during her childbirth, but had had no plans to attempt to escape. It had been ripped out of her seal with no warning, and those eyes... Kurama growled. No need to revisit that part.
But Kushina... it missed her. This seal was different, there was no way to perceive the world outside from in here. Kushina's seal had allowed that, and Kurama had painfully come to admit to itself that she had succeeded in her task far more than she would have ever known. It had actually grown to love her. The ache of missing her was painful, and didn't seem like it would ever abate. It has known her every thought and feeling, and now her last wish kept replaying it its thoughts over and over again.
'If I had any regrets...it would be that I won't see Naruto grow up.'
And then, after timeless pacing, Kurama had an idea. The seal wouldn't allow it, yet. But eventually the seal would weaken, and Kurama didn't have a limited memory like all those monkeys did. Perhaps that ache could be filled after all. Perhaps...
oOo;
Naruto stared blankly at the stars. He felt so tired, but he'd had a hard time getting to sleep ever since that day two weeks ago. Sasuke. Haku. Zabuza. The snow. The stars didn't have any answers, but he finally felt sleep approaching. He turned on his side, closing his eyes, and as he drifted off he murmured, "Gonna be Hokage someday, 'ttebane."