~Hagoromo~

"I, the ancestor of all chakra… am defeated by these scattered chakras… How?"

Those words were spoken to him and his brother by their own mother, Kaguya's parting words to them one would say, her lasts words before she was sealed away in the celestial body up in the sky, or as Max would call it "the moon"

Hagoromo recalled how after his mother's defeat he spread Ninshu hoping that through the means of being connected would everyone unite. It's still a working progress, one that he wouldn't be able to see seeing as his time is coming to an end.

Even so considering what Max told him—

"Only someone stupid would think that just by handing humans the means to peace that they'd actually use it for that. Humans won't unite just because they all have the power to, they unite when they have a common enemy."

—he knew that it wouldn't be achieved in his lifetime, nor in his children's lifetime.

Max made him realize how naïve he was to actually think that peace could be so easily achieved. To think that he once thought that peace could be easily achieved once his mother was gone was a laughable notion.

There was no more fear to stop the people after all.

He brought up his hand to muffle a violent cough. 'My time is fading.' He solemnly thought to himself.

It wasn't a surprise really, everyone dies one day, it was simply a fact of life. Some tried to escape it, some succeed in escaping it. Even so, death's the natural part of life. And Hagoromo was sure he wouldn't want to live forever. It just didn't feel right to him.

He wondered how his nine creations felt about being practically immortal. Did they resent him for it? For dooming them in an endless life? Or were they pleased to live forever?

According to Max they didn't even realize the full implications of being immortal. Despite Max being smart, Hagoromo sincerely doubted that the boy-turned-fox himself realized the full implications.

Hagoromo let out a quiet sigh before looking up at a cave, to anyone else it would be just a simple cave. But inside this very cave did the birth of the Tailed Beasts occurred. And it was those very children's hideout.

With a nostalgic smile he stepped inside, a chuckle escaping him at the scene he happened to walk into.

Max, or rather Kurama as he's now known as, was laying on the floor looking like he could lose his breath at any second while all his other siblings were on top of him in what one would call a dog pile.

"Old man!" They all yelled upon hearing him, except for Kurama who seemed relief to finally have them off his back.

"I swear I'll never provoke them all at the same time again," He heard Kurama mutter before the fox shivered, "They did things….things that no sane…ah, forget about it.."

Although curious Hagoromo was sure he didn't want to know. His creations were a group of oddballs after all. Not that he would have it any other way.

He fondly smiled at all of them, "Causing trouble for Kurama as usual?"

"Yeah, he's an ass." Shukaku answered grumpily.

"Fuc—fudge you too."

Hagoromo inwardly shook his head at Kurama's potty mouth that even he could barely get rid of, and that was only when he was near the fox. Otherwise the fox could use some words that would surely have Hagoromo rolling in his future grave.

"Y-you're b-b-being mean Kura-nii…" Isobu, ever the timid little turtle, lightly chided.

"Ack!" Kurama made a pain noise as if he had just been stabbed, "To think, my own cute little brother would turn against me for…" he looked at Shukaku with a flat look, "..that." his voice laced in disgust.

"Stop being so dramatic." Gyuki snapped, "Especially in the old man's presence."

Hagoromo couldn't help but recall the time when they all called him father, but then Kurama had to influence them. Ah, those were the days….

"Anyways, what do you want old man?" Kurama impatiently asked.

"A walk with my oldest."

"That's favoritism."

"I consider it giving your little siblings a break from your…overwhelming presence."

Kurama scowled at him, a dust of pink of his cheeks as his siblings laughed at him. "Tch, just because I have nine tails." Was the only thing Kurama could utter as he was on the receiving end of sibling teasing.

Normally he was on the giving end, but Hagoromo liked to remind Kurama to be humble by knocking the fox down a peg or two.

"""""""""""""""

With my pride still wounded at the old man's insult I didn't say anything. I was definitely not sulking. I prefer calling it brooding. It had a much cooler sound to it, sulking just sounded too cute. I was not cute. I'm cool.

Besides I was pissed at Hagoromo. Even though he's the only connection I have to my old life seeing as he's the only one who knows I'm Max.

Then the silence started to get to me, I was never a big fan of silence, especially when it started getting awkward.

"A penny for your thoughts?" I asked the old man.

"Penny?" He quirked an eyebrow at me.

"A currency in my world." I shortly explained not wanting to give him an all out explanation about different currencies in different countries with different values. It was just too much of a hassle.

"So it is an expression?"

"Yeah, sure." I nodded.

"To answer, I was thinking about my sons and their methods on peace."

I rolled my eyes, "You're overthinking that despite knowing what will happen? You're a bit of a fool old man." I bluntly told him.

Used to my bluntness he merely nodded in agreement—hey! Don't agree with everything I say—and opened his mouth, "Why did Indra's method fail?" he asked.

I gave him a disbelieving look, wasn't it obvious why? "Because it was too much like that Rabbit Bitch's method. Fear can only work for so long, eventually the humans would fight for their rights." I answered anyways, it was kind of disturbing how I didn't classify myself as human anymore.

Then again I am sentient chakra that was formed into an orange fox.

"And Asura's?" The old man asked.

"His was on the right track. Love and cooperation is needed for a lot of things. But he forgot that love itself could give someone the reasons to wage war, and that humans typically need a reason to cooperate." I drawled out the obvious.

"Then how would you have gone about bringing peace?"

Odd question, but I already had an answer. I mean I practically gave him my answer years ago.

"I'd mix Indra and Asura's ideas. If there was an overwhelmingly strong enemy to fight, an enemy that no one could beat by themselves, then naturally the humans would unite to fight against their common enemy. Maybe then they'd learn that aside from physical appearances, they're not different."

A ridiculous idea that would only work in fiction, but then again I am in a fictional world. And it did work. Too bad it couldn't work back in my old life.

The old man didn't say anything, instead he had a contemplative look on his face.

And then I realized, people are stupid. They'd probably forget anything they learn regarding peace.

"Do you know how to use Ninshu?"

I blinked, why was he asking me these questions out of nowhere. "In essence it's connecting my spiritual energy with another's, right? Kind of similar to how I connect myself with my siblings from time to time, but harder since another person's spiritual energy is different from mine and my siblings, right?" I asked.

He just smiled at him.

Frankly his face looked ugly with all those wrinkles and stress lines.

I frowned at him. "What's with that creepy smile old man?" I asked trying to get a rise out of him.

But I know he's a patient person. I've never seen him lose his cool.

"That boy…Uzumaki, was it? Will he really bring peace?"

I paused, why was he asking me this? I had a feeling…

"I won't spoil how, but yes, he will."

"Say goodbye to the others for me."

So this is goodbye. Why was my vision getting blurry?

"Tell them yourself." I gritted out.

"Max, you would have made a fine successor." He said instead.

Why was he making this harder than it had to be? Saying something like that would only make things sadder.

He didn't say anything else. And before I was aware of it he had disappeared.

I kind of felt empty. And sad. But for some reason that was the extent of my emotions, maybe Tailed Beasts really couldn't feel deeply.

He didn't show up the next day.

I realized that the only one who actually knew me was gone. My connection to my old life was gone. I had no one to complain to or tell stories about my past to.

He was really gone.

I found out that day that even a Tailed Beast could cry.