Happy Sunday morning!
I'm so glad I actually finished this chapter! I spent all Saturday morning working on it (And all saturday night editing it). This chapter is real dialogue and exposition heavy so I hope it's not too boring~ This is actually the second longest chapter in my story because there is just so much to go over. Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I hope you like the retcon. Again, it shouldn't change much with the overall direction of the story but it was still a pretty big deal. Especially since it took me quite a bit of time to actually make the necessary edits~ Enjoy the chapter!
"Kyuubi Speech"
"Midnight Speech"
"Everyone else's speech"
Chapter 29
On with the story
"Our pasta this evening is squid ravioli in a lemon-grass broth. For entrees I have swordfish meatloaf with onion marmalade..."The waiter spoke out in a soft voice over a table where a well-dressed couple sat.
All around the restaurant similar situations played out. A gentle violin provided background music, adding to the air of superiority and status that each individual in that restaurant exuded.
"What the hell do you mean a 40 minutes wait!?" A man dressed in a very lavish, masculine kimono shouted in outrage.
He had a young and beautiful woman hanging off of his arm. She watched with a narrowed gaze, showing similar dissatisfaction.
"All of our tables are either occupied or reserved." The receptionist standing behind a thin wooden counter spoke out calmly.
He had his arms behind his back, maintaining a disciplined posture.
"Do you know who I am!?"
"A man who didn't make a reservation. Please lower your voice, you are disturbing the other guests. Our waiting room provides every comfort." The receptionist continued on while gesturing towards a cushiony seat off to the side.
The man glared daggers with his teeth gritted before storming over to the waiting area with his woman in tow. She seemed rather put off.
The receptionist had a subtle smile along his face as the man complied. What really convinced him to calm down was noticing the sight of a kunai which was attached in a decorative fashion to the receptionist's chest. An off-duty shinobi.
The receptionist reached down to write some notes into a notepad. His gaze shifted over to the entrance when hearing footsteps approach down the long hallway that lead to the restaurant. It didn't take long before two figures became visible, one of them being immediately recognizable.
"Sarutobi-Sama. It's a pleasure. It's been quite some time since you've entertained guests personally." The man spoke out as Sarutobi walked forward, noting that he was not alone.
Sarutobi wore a white kimono with red velvet trim. It was rather elaborate. The outfit was something he very rarely wore. He didn't ware much of anything anything outside of his traditional hokage robes. Despite that he walked forward with cool stride, a pipe hanging from his lips. One of his arms was resting comfortably behind his back. The other he was using to guide his guest.
"That guest must be rather special then, wouldn't you say?" The woman hanging off of Sarutobi's arm replied in a sultry drawl.
Sarutobi approached the receptionist with with Kyuubi at his side. The redhaired demoness was wearing a kimono as well.
Hers was far less formal than others. As opposed to most other woman who's kimono covered their entire bodies Kyuubi's was rather skimpy. The top portion of her outfit hung low, revealing her smooth, slender shoulders and even a bit of the cleavage of her very generous bust. The lower half of the garment had one slit along the side in order to reveal a bit of the Kyuubi's lithe legs. The outfit was a dark, blood red. An intricate decoration of a black moon painted the back of it. Around her waist was a black obi, the tightness of it helping to highlight her perfect hourglass figure.
The receptionist raised a brow upon seeing Kyuubi, the man very briefly glancing at the fluffy red fox ears protruding from the top of Kyuubi's head.
"Indeed. A table for two then?" The receptionist questioned while holding a pen against his notebook.
"Along a balcony if you can Darling." Kyuubi replied with an alluring smile.
"Absolutely. Right this way."
Sarutobi nodded politely.
"It's good to see you Matsuki." The old man spoke out while walking past the receptionist.
Matsuki bowed respectfully.
"The pleasure is mine Sarutobi-Sama."
As Kyuubi and Sarutobi walked past him a waiter intercepted them, guiding them through the restaurant.
The angry noble who was forced to wait suddenly rose up from his seat and stormed over towards Matsuki.
"What the hell was that!? You let him them? Did they have a reservation? How can you let that old geezer in but..."
The man never got to finish his sentence. Within a flash he was forced to bend over at the waist, his arm being contorted and outstretched behind him in a painful position. Matsuki held the man's wrist gently but firmly, his other hand on the back of the man's neck.
"That is the Third Hokage. You will refer to him with more respect." Matsuki's voice was still calm as he released the man, causing him to stumble clumsily to the ground.
Matsuki calmly returned to his station, taking a disciplined posture. The woman who he came with the noble suddenly stood up and stormed off, clearly disappointed in her date.
"Hey wait!" He called out to her while rushing out of the restaurant.
Mitsuka grew a subtle, satisfied smile before preparing to politely greet the next guest.
Kyuubi and Sarutobi were lead through the large establishment. The place was packed to the brim with various nobles, political guests, and general high status individuals. Kyuubi glanced around in fascination, keeping her thoughts to herself for now. She did notice that they were drawing quite a bit of attention.
"Is that the Third Hokage? I didn't know he ate here?" One random voice whispered.
"You're right. Usually his guests are entertained by a diplomat, not by the Hokage himself." Another voice answered.
"Who is that woman? Look at the way she dresses."
"Do you think that they are..."
"Perish the thought. Though you can't help but wonder."
Kyuubi's luscious, painted red lips grew a devilish smirk when overhearing the gossip that began as her and Sarutobi passed through. The woman's fox ears twitched subtly. She could hear everything.
After a moment the waiter led Kyuubi and Sarutobi over to a table on the edge of an open balcony overlooking the village. It was on the third floor of the restaurant. The restaurant was massive. The best in Konoha. Sarutobi moved forward to pull out Kyuubi's seat. She had a pleased expression while taking her seat, the old man lightly pushing her chair in for her.
"Such a gentleman." The woman cooed.
Sarutobi nodded lightly while moving to his seat.
"Simply proper manners."
"Still, it's rather nice. Thank you Darling."
"You're welcome."
The waiter stood patiently to the side for the two to finish before speaking up.
"May I start you off with something to drink?" The fancifully dressed man asked.
"Water for me Dear."
"Green tea." Sarutobi spoke up as well.
The waiter nodded in acknowledgment before bowing and wondering off.
Kyuubi squeezed her thighs together and placed her hands along her lap elegantly while staring across the table at her date.
"Well this is nice."
Sarutobi released a soft sigh.
"When you agreed that the details of the date would be on my terms did you actually mean it? I'm not suited to these types of places." The old man complained as his refined posture dropped.
He shifting a bit uncomfortably, trying to loosen his collar. The old man could behave with noble poise when required but it took effort. Kyuubi release a small chuckle.
"Come now Darling. It's not so bad. Plus you do look rather dashing." The woman flirted shamelessly.
Sarutobi successfully loosened the fabric of his kimono before looking at Kyuubi with a tired expression.
"Squad 17?" He questioned, changing the subject.
Kyuubi frowned subtly but nodded in understanding. Of course he wouldn't be in the mood for such things right now while he was worrying about the missing squad. She'd chosen to withhold the information until actually going out on the date so Sarutobi would schedule the time as soon as possible. In fact this was the very same day where she originally proposed the deal. Though it was much later in the evening now.
"They were taken by the Sound." Kyuubi stated matter of factly.
Sarutobi's eyes widened in shock.
"How can you be sure?"
Kyuubi cast a lazy glance to the side.
"Just putting the evidence together Darling. Based on the region, the nature of the mission you sent them on, the strength of the squad. They were even lead by a Jounin squad captain. Many possibilities are ruled out by that fact alone. Especially given the particular individual you assigned as the squad captain to that particular group. Outside of a completely unknown factor like the Akatsuki, the Sound is the most simple answer. Plus it fits their MO. If I'm right then your squad is alive. You should consider them to be prisoners. Though I doubt the Sound will admit to having them." Kyuubi explained.
When she finished Kyuubi turned her head to the side to see the waiter approaching with their drinks. She smiled and gave a grateful thank you as that cup of water was set in front of her. Sarutobi nodded respectfully as well, reaching for his tea. Menus were silently placed in front of the two before the waiter departed.
"So even if you are correct there is very little we can do about it without inciting a potential war with the Sound." Sarutobi stated solemnly.
Kyuubi took a moment to take a sip of her water before replying.
"Not officially. And accusing the Sound of holding POW's without an official declaration of war would be rather dangerous. Do what you will with the information. I even took the time to make a little note on how exactly I came to my conclusion, referencing the individual documents I used and the evidence I noticed." She stated while dipping her hand underneath the table to hide a small flame which appeared in her palm.
Out of the blue flame fell a small scroll. She placed it on Sarutobi's side of the table before going back to holding her glass of water with both hands.
Sarutobi had a dumbfounded expression, taking the scroll and opening it up to scan through it. His eyes went wide. She had referenced many top secret documents to come to her conclusion. Kyuubi sat patiently as the man read through it.
"Will that do? Can you relax now? I went out of my way to make that you know. I didn't delay giving you the information just to ensure we went on a date quickly. I also wanted to provide that for you. You can give it to your analysists to help them come up with a rescue strategy. I know you won't just sit idol while your own are held captive." The woman went on in a sympathetic tone.
Sarutobi stared at her in mild disbelief, the man nodding in understanding before bowing his head.
"Thank you Kyuubi-Sam...Kyuubi-Chan. I apologize for my behavior."
Kyuubi shook her head and waved a dainty hand dismissively.
"Think nothing of it Hiru-kun. I understand perfectly. We have our differences. I'm not blind to the fact that we are enemies. That doesn't mean our relationship can't be mutually beneficial." She stated while reaching across the table and lightly embracing his hand.
Sarutobi hesitated, allowing the touch to linger before pulling back in order to take a pen and a small scroll from his kimono. He scribbled a few notes, rolled up the scroll, and suddenly tossed it over the balcony with a gentle flick of his wrist. As the scroll flew through the air a dark figure sailed passed, catching the scroll and disappearing. Sarutobi then took a deep breath and gazed upon the woman. She was sitting patiently, waiting for him to finish his business. She knew this wouldn't just be a date. He was here to extract information out of her. It didn't stop her from enjoying herself, enjoying her alone time with the only man left in this world that she respected.
"Thank you." Kyuubi spoke up after a long silence.
"Why are you thanking me?"
Kyuubi grew a tender smile.
"You called me Kyuubi-chan."
A very small blush formed along the old man's cheeks. He lifted a fist to cough nonchalantly while looking down again at the note she left. The Hokage really wasn't used to being flirted with. It had been years.
"How did you gather all of that information? The barrier guarding the vault has wards that even the Byakugan and Sharingan can not penetrate. Then there is the sheer amount of information you must have had to sift through to pull all of those facts together." Sarutobi questioned, effectively changing the subject.
Kyuubi didn't mind. She was forthright.
"The most skilled Byakugan users can look through walls and see vast distances. They are even able to see chakra on a superficial level. The Sharingan allows the user to copy information with precise accuracy. It can analyse information in an extremely short amount of time. That ability makes Sharingan users some of the best information gathers in the world. They are even able to use this ability in combat to predict an opponents movements. Masters of these Kekkei Genjai can even read their opponents minds." She explained.
Sarutobi knew all of this already. He frowned slightly, clearly disappointed with her answer, but she wasn't finished.
"A demons eyes can copy those abilities, even surpass them given enough time and willpower. Not every demon has the ability of the Sharingan and Byakugan but those who are willing to learn can achieve it. Ours is the ability to adapt and evolve."
She explained while peering at Sarutobi with her piercing purple eyes. Sarutobi looked on in amazement, focusing on the woman's demonic pupils.
"So you've copied the abilities of the Sharingan and Byakugan and surpassed them? When were you able to do this? How? During Naruto's rescue of Midnight? When were you able to see the full power of the Sharingan in order to copy it and improve upon it?" Sarutobi questioned in confusion.
Kyuubi let out an amused chuckle.
"I've been around for quite a while. I remember when both were in their truest form. I spoke to the one who created them, and the one who mastered them. In fact I knew them both intimately." Kyuubi went on.
Sarutobi was even more confused now.
"Them?"
Kyuubi nodded, turning her head away to gaze up at the moon.
"What do you know about the Sage of Six paths?"
Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.
"You know that I am fully aware of the Sage. I am Hokage. Are you telling me you met him and actually spoke to him? He existed hundreds, maybe thousands of years ago."
The woman's grin grew.
"Yes. The sage and his mother were two other people I respected greatly. Based on your records you attribute much of this shinobi world to the Sage when his mother had just as much weight in the creation of the world you know today."
Sarutobi listened intently, the man visibly leaning forward. It made sense that the demoness would have known them. She was old. The tales they had of the sage was passed down from generation to generation. But even Sarutobi acknowledged that their information was incomplete. Those events were so long ago some details were lost among the ages. No one even knew for sure how long ago those world changing events transpired.
Kyuubi took a deep breath before starting her tale.
"There is an ancient order that keeps record of the events surrounding the Sage, Hagoromo Otsutsuki. You have but fragments of that information. Many belief that it was through the events of the Sage that we, the tailed beasts, were created. That couldn't be further from the truth." She explained while reaching forward and presenting her hand to Sarutobi.
"Let me show you."
Sarutobi hesitated for just a moment before nodding and reaching forward to clasp her hand. His eyes then began to glow a subtle purple hugh as visions shot through his brain in time with Kyuubi's words. She now spoke to him non-verbally, granting him temporary access to her demonic link to share her memories with him.
"The other tailed beasts and I roamed this world for thousands of years before the events of the sage. Back before men knew of chakra. There is little record of the time before chakra, before the sage, but we remember. It was an age of stone, iron, and bronze." Kyuubi explained.
As she spoke Sarutobi saw visions of the ancient civilization through Kyuubi's perspective.
"It was ravaged by endless word, endless fighting. In all that strife a tree sprouted. The very source of chakra in your world."
Sarutobi's vision went black. When he opened his eyes he was in an entirely different place. Sarutobi's form was ghostly though he was able to experience his new environment as if being their physically. The wind blew through his hair, the smell of grass permeated around him. He was in a giant forest, the sun shining bight in the sky. A large shadow cast down upon him. Turning around the old man bore witness to a massive tree. It's bark extended upwards almost endlessly. It was like a mountain.
Kyuubi appeared at the man's side, her hands placed regally against her pelvis.
"The God tree. This organism is a special being that lives throughout multiple dimensions. It consumes life around it and produces fruit which contain the essence of chakra. The tree sprouted from a meteor, feeding on the blood of fallen warriors from unending wars. The sage, his mother, his people. They aren't from this world. They are from another dimension in the same way that I am from another dimension. They traveled here specifically looking to find this dimension's God Tree, looking to obtain it's power." Kyuubi explained.
Sarutobi was completely baffled, looking into to the woman in disbelief.
"Another dimension? What do you mean?"
She smiled at him, reaching over to lightly caress his cheek.
"The universe is so much bigger than you know. You've barely scratched the surface. Your kind spends so much time fighting each other than you haven't even begun to explore."
The woman then turned around, grabbing the man's hand and leading him to a different scene. This time their bodies shifted to an unfamiliar place in Sarutobi's eyes. A dark place, a place where the sky was blood red. They hovered high in the air looking down upon an expansive plain of fiery, volcanic earth which lead to a black city. In the city Sarotubi could see people moving. No, not people, demons. Tailed demons just like Kyuubi. All covered from head to toe in fur, all naked, all maintaining fox-like faces. They looked like how Kyuubi appeared before taking on her human form.
"Life exists in so many forms, spread out around different dimensions, different planes of existence. I hail from a different dimension as well. All of the tailed-beasts do. The closest way to describe it would be as a type of hell, purgatory, or heaven depending upon your perspective. I am old. Our people are very old. I am not the only one of my kind. I come from an entire race of demons. In fact each of the tailed beast come from the same plane I do, members of their own particular species of demon."
She went on. Sarutobi was just taking it all in, following her as she continued to walk again, returning to the tree. Now a group of hooden robed man were kneeling down and bowing towards the tree, chanting in an unfamiliar langauge.
"We were summoned here, to your world. Stolen from our people and brought here to serve the will of our summoners. We were enslaved one at a time. Used as weapons of war to serve the ambition of humans."
She stated with detest in her voice, showing an imagine of herself in her giant fox form attacking an ancient human city.
"Eventually I escaped my slavers. Even to this day it brings a smile to my face to think of the suffering I inflicted upon them when I freed myself." Kyuubi stated with a fiendish grin.
Sarutoboi was a bit put off by the look on her face but stayed silent. Kyuubi noted Sarutobi's look and calmed herself as to not scare the man too much.
"I was the first to be summoned. The most powerful. They used the energy of the God tree to summon me thousands of years even before the sage arrived on your world. The God tree of your realm was more closely connected to our dimension than any other dimension. When humans performed a summoning ritual they pulled demons from my realm. Over the ages they pulled multiple creatures through, not just demons. Many of your myths are based on truth, based on the creatures that those ancient humans summoned with the power of the tree."
She shifted the scene to show the other tailed beasts being summoned near the tree one at a time. One by one over many years the tailed beast were enslaved, forced to fight the humans wars, and one by one they escaped their captors to roam as they saw fit. An image of Kyuubi traveling throughout the globe to many different civilizations showed. Some were even familiar to Sarutobi, though many weren't.
"I roamed your world for millennia, lost and angry. I was torn away from my people and no matter what I did, how much knowledge I gained, how much my power grew, I could never find a way to go back. Your world was horrible, still ravaged by war, famine, poverty, rape, genocide. It was almost unbearable. My people had lived in peace for millions of years. I ruled over them in peace for millions of years. We had attained something great, maintaining a harmony that you can't even imagine. Then you humans tore me away from my family." Kyuubi barked out in an uncharacteristically passionate manner, her teeth bared.
Even in her human form Kyuubi looked monstrous. Sarutobi was taken aback. She was that old? Millions of years? He couldn't even imagine. He could feel her pain as she recounted her experiences, the man clutching his chest. Kyuubi snapped out of her self pity and hatred to glance over to the man. She calmed herself, turning to him and reaching both hands forward to caress his cheek.
"It wasn't all bad." She explained as the environment around them shifted.
Sarutobi looked around to see images of Kyuubi's happy face, around children, men, women. Sharing homes with them, meals with them, beds with them.
"There was always a spark of joy and light that shined through even the darkest times. I grew attachment to humanity. I grew to pity them, and in rare cases, even love them..." Kyuubi trailed off.
They were transported to a grassy field now.
Kyuubi stared forward for a while before closing her eyes once more. As she did so wispy phantom figures began to form around her. The phantoms took a more solid shape slowly before becoming distinct. They were children.
A few yards away a small child scampered about happily. The child was completely naked, a girl no older than 5 years old. She had the face of a fox just like how Kyuubi looked before Naruko's transformation. She ran on two feet, a bright smile on her face as she filled the area with childish laughter. She ran towards Kyuubi with her arms open wide, jumping towards the woman.
But the girl didn't jump towards Kyuubi, instead the girl jumped into the arms of another phatasmal figure that appeared kneeling right beside Kyuubi. A younger version of herself.
Kyuubi watched with a small smile as a previous version of herself cuddled the girl, wrapping her nine fox tails securely around the girl's little body.
"Mommy look what I found!" The girl's tiny voice rung out with a ghostly echo.
The voice sounded far away despite being so close. She held up her finger and a butterfly was clinging to the girl's little digit, flapping it's wings lightly before flying off.
"So pretty. Be careful. It's very fragile." The echoey voice of the phantom Kyuubi spoke gently down to the girl.
"I will!" The girl replied back excitedly before chasing after the butterfly joyfully.
As the girl departed a few more children appeared, kicking a large rock and chasing after it. They all looked similar to Kyuubi, humanoid fox children, all completely naked, all with the faces of foxes. Then a man appeared. He had two children sitting on his shoulder.
This man was distinct in the fact that he wasn't a humanoid fox. No, he was human. Mostly.
He was a great big burly man, extremely overweight but also very tall. He had dark skin and white hair. The two children on his shoulder had dark skin that matched his. But what distinguished them was him and the children had fox ears and one long fox tail swinging behind them. Then there was their eyes, red and slitted just like Kyuubi's.
The man had a bright smile on his chubby face, his pearly whites showing. He was completely naked just like the rest of the children. Part of his long tail wrapped around his pelvis guarding his sex.
"Dinner's ready!" He called out in a soft yet deep voice. The children began to gather around him. A few of the children jumped at him, tackling the burly man to the ground. He fell over chuckling from the affection.
The phantom image of Kyuubi smiled warmly and got up, walking over to join the rest as they disappeared from view. Sarutobi had a warm smile on his face as the scene played out in front of him, now returning his gaze to see tears trickling down Kyuubi's cheek.
"You brought another human, a man into your family?" Sarutobi questioned in awe.
Kyuubi nodded while reaching a hand up to wipe away her tears.
"I believed in humanity. I believed that they could be good. Even now I know that some humans can be good, but that's precisely why your reign must end. That thought is a trap. My faith in humanity, the faith that you have, the faith that Naruto has, it's folly. It's madness. You will always destroy each other. She proved it. He proved it. It's been proven over and over again, countless times." Kyuubi explained as the scene shifted.
They were back at the tree, a woman was biting into the fruit of the God tree, her body glowing as she absorbed it's power. Sarutobi also didn't recognize her.
"This is Kaguya Otsutsuki. The mother of the Sage of Six Paths. She saw what I saw. Saw the chaos and endless suffering that humans inflicted upon each other. She sought to bring peace to this chaotic world, eating the fruit of the God tree and absorbing it's chakra for herself in order to attain the power to bring order to the world. She was successful for a time, ruling with an iron fist. She was praised and even loved, yet also feared and respected. She is the one who created the Sharingan and Byukugan. She gave birth to two children. One being the man you know as the Sage of Six Paths. He and his brother were the first humans in your world to be born with chakra. She saw him as a threat to her rule, causing a rift between them which led to a battle where she would ultimately be defeated by her own children. Kyuubi said as an image of Kaguya in a monstrous form battled the Sage of Six paths.
When the woman was defeated Kyuubi walked over to her beaten figure laying on the ground. The ancient demoness bent down to gently caress Kaguya's cheek. The ghostly figure of Kaguya didn't respond to Kyuubi's touch. This was just the demoness' memory.
"When she fought the sage she absorbed all of the tailed beasts into herself. We were all connected via the God tree. All nine of us were pulled from our little corners of your world and absorbed into her. Even before that, during her long reign before her sons, I'd grown to know her. I grew to care for her. Despite eventually being her prisoner, my power used for her ambition, I loved her." Kyuubi spoke softly.
Sarutobi walked next to Kyuubi, looking down at the scene. He noted the solemn smile on the demoness' face.
"She wanted to keep peace but failed, overcome by her own nature, her fears, her insecurities. She couldn't even trust her own children. Despite coming from a different dimension she was still a victim of her own nature. Her son was similarly a victim of that nature. After defeating his mother the Sage formed a religion, spreading the chakra of the God tree among all people, believing that he could bring peace by uniting everyone. Like his mother he was praised and loved, yet he too failed in his goal."
Kyuubi went on, standing up and shaking her head.
"People used his gift as a weapon, warring among each other again. Using it to oppress each other, brutalize each other. In the end he died a failure. Even if he lived as long as a demon there is no reason to belief that he would have ever succeeded. He deserved better than to have been born human. Kaguya did. You all do." Kyuubi finished before settling her feiry purple gaze on Sarutobi.
"Everything they were I am now. I've studied their power, evolved it, made it better. I'll use that power to bring real change to this world. Once and for all." The woman stated resolutely.
Sarutobi's world went black. When he opened his eyes he was back in the restaurant, Kyuubi sitting calmly in front of him. He took a moment to catch his breath. The entire experience was something he'd take a while to process.
"Was that all true Kyu..." He began before being interupted by a waiter.
"Were you ready to order?" The waiter questioned while hodling an notepad and pen.
Kyuubi didn't hesitate.
"Vegetable soup is fine for me. I'll have a fruit salad with that as well." Kyuubi spoke in a gentle tone before looking to Sarutobi expectantly.
Sarutobi was frozen, his mind racing.
"How much time has passed? It seemed like days but was it only a few moments? Was all that real?"
"Hiru-kun...Hiru-kun." Kyuubi spoke out softly and sweetly, her tender voice snapping the man back to reality.
He looked with a dumbfounded expression towards Kyuubi before looking up at the waiter.
"Ehem, ramen will be just fine." The man stated while clearing his throat.
"Did you want to take advantage of any of our specials. I can repeat them again if you like." The waiter proposed.
Sarutobi hadn't even heard the man list those specials.
"He'll take your ramen special tonight." Kyuubi answered for him.
The waiter bowed respectfully before departing.
Sarutobi was still taking some time to gather himself, the man cradling his head in one hand. Kyuubi watched him carefully.
"The experience can be rather intense. I do apologize for not warning you in advance." Kyuubi spoke gently.
Sarutobi stared at her with a conflicted gaze before shaking his head.
"No...it's alright." He whispered with a small cough before regaining his composure.
"I think you should avoid calling my Kyuubi in public. It could be rather inconvient." Kyuubi proposed.
Sarutobi was so out of it that he didn't even really remember to take that into consideration. He'd avoided calling Kyuubi by name when around others.
"A long time ago I had a name but no one has spoken it in years. It's a long forgotten name that harks back to...simpler times. Kurama. That should be much safer." Kyuubi's eyes wondered off as she recalled those days all those years ago.
Sarutobi nodded in understanding, lighting up his pipe and blowing a large plume of smoke from his nose.
"Kurama-chan. So it shall be." The old man stated while leaning back and staring up at the sky.
"What do you plan for us Kurama-chan? After everything you've been through I can understand why you hate us. Why you've lost faith in us. What will you do?" Sarutobi asked with a far off voice.
He was coming to terms with the idea that this was most likely the end times for the human race. Kyuubi leaned back and looked out on the village.
"I've thought about that for quite some time. Up until I adopted Naruto I thought I had the answer. I intended to use my mastery of various jutsu to completely destroy every single human on the planet all at once."
This admission caused Sarutobi to freeze. He looked over at her hesitantly. Kyuubi chuckled in amusement when seeing his reaction.
"I've decided against it but you really shouldn't rejoice. 1000 years from now, one way or another, humanity will be gone. The only question is how it will happen. After I adopted Naruto my priorities shifted. At first I wanted to create a world that would be safe, free of the corruption and evils of humanity. I still want that, but I also want to create a life for my baby that he can be happy with. If I were to simply wipe every human from the face of the earth in one fell swoop Naruto would be devastated." Kyuubi explained with a sigh, showing her disappointment.
Sarutobi showed fear in his eyes. The way she spoke was monstrous. At this point maybe he shouldn't have been surprised. Seeing her past gave him a different perspective on her actions. He still needed time to think so for now he just listened.
"For Naruto's sake we've decided to pursue a different path."
Sarutobi was a bit scared to even ask but he managed to speak up anyway.
"And that would be?" The old man questioned anxiously.
Kyuubi didn't answer immediate, the woman pausing to gaze over at the Hokage in interest.
"If I tell you then you have to take me out on another date." Kyuubi stated in a playful manner.
Sarutobi sighed, the man scratching the back of his head.
"Kurama-chan, I'll take you out on as many dates as you want. Just please...no more games." Sarutobi stated in a tired voice.
Kyuubi wiggled her hips in an rare show of excited, clearly pleased by the turn of events.
"As you wish Hiru-kun." She stated in a bubbly tone before calming herself.
"The solution we will pursue now is more risky for us but much more humane depending on your perspective. Conversion." She explained cryptically.
"Conversion?"
"Yes. Bringing humans into the fold, into our family. Doing for humanity the same thing I did for my son, and my past loves." She went on, looking out on the city again.
"This solution isn't ideal. It's messy, risky. We can't just force you to join our family. Each individual would have to agree of their own will. The transformation cannot work any other way. Once they become a demon their human nature will dissolve to be replaced by a demon's nature. They will be family. Strife, war, rape, greed, these things don't exist within demon society. We love and thrive and live among each other in a paradise, a harmony you can't possibly imagine. I ruled over my people for millions of years enjoying that harmony. Which is why you can probably understand my utter disdain for being forced into this place, so far away from my people. Every second I'm forced to share space with your kind is an insult." Kyuubi suddenly snapped causing the hairs on the back of Sarutobi's neck to stand up.
He tried his best to maintain his composure and was rather successful at it outwardly. He was the hokage after all. But Kyuubi still noticed how uncomfortable she was making him. Mostly from the pace of his heartbeat. The woman went wide eyed before shifting her gaze away.
"Do forgive me Dear. I..."
"It's ok Kurama-chan. I understand." Sarutobi stated in an empathetic voice.
A warm smile graced the woman's painted lips. She stared at him longingly for a quite a while. Sarutobi was waiting for her to continue but eventually spoke up when she seemed to just, stare at him.
"Why is this option so risky?" He questioned, trying to keep her on track.
He wanted to know as much information as possible. Kyuubi took a deep breath before taking a sip of her water. The waiter had filled it up to the brim while they spoke. She'd probably give him a good tip.
"It's risky because when a person joins our family they are extremely vulnerable. They gain access to our chakra, to our network. They become connected to us but they are essentially babies until they can get used to their body, which could take years. During this period of time they can be kidnapped, murdered, assaulted, violated, tortured. Because they don't have our experience, because they won't know how to close themselves off from the connection, their pain would echo across our family and effect each member as if each member is experiencing the trauma directly. Now, to be clear, we WILL find our own. We will rescue them. We can sense our own no matter how far away. The problem is the amount of pain that could be done to us as a whole in the time it takes to rescue them. Any pain that is caused to our family will echo through our collective nervous system. It will fester and breed hate within our family against humans until every single human is gone." Kyuubi went on, gritting her teeth now.
"Hate is a terrible thing. It's a disease, a sickness. Yet it is useful. It pushes us to do the things we must. Without my hate for humanity I would meet the same fate as the Sage, as Kaguya. I'd try again and again to reform humanity, bring peace, only to fail again and again. The price of my failure would mean I'd lose my family again, like I did before." Kyuubi's voice was shaky now as she thought back to a few dark memories.
Sarutobi thought to the scene he'd witnessed, those children and that man. Clearly belonging to the Cloud village. Was that her first family? What happened to them? He didn't want to broach the subject. He could only guess but he had a pretty good idea without having to ask.
"I don't want my family to experience the hate I have bottled up inside. I don't want Naruto to experience that. I want to save them from that. I want to save them from the pain that humanity will inevitably cause them if humans continue to exist. When we start our campaign we will have to go from village to village giving people a choice. Those who deny us will die. There is no getting around that. It will be a grueling trial, a toll on us." Kyuubi finally finished, her voice fading as she became lost in her own thoughts.
Sarutobi was astonished, horrified.
"Is there no other way?" The man asked.
Kyuubi shifted her purple orbs towards him with a sad look.
"No. Over millennia I've tried to live in peace among you. Sometimes directly within your society to blend in. Sometimes far away in my own little isolated corner. I've lived many different lives within your world and it always ends in disaster. I tried returning back to my home. Even when the tree still existed there was no way back. Humans brought me here on a one-way trip. I thought of keeping humanity around in a controlled fashion, possibly ruling over them or enslaving them. Kaguya demonstrated that even that is subject to failure. No, the problem isn't something that can be fixed because the problem is human nature. There is no more room for humanity. To ensure the safety and happiness of my family humans must be eradicated. One way or another. There is no scenario where our two species can live in peace. And I will not tolerate even the smallest chance that my family is destroyed by human ambition or greed as it has happened in the past. Never again!" The woman barked out now, her loud voice drawing the attention of a few occupants of the restaurant.
She calmed herself, breathing softly through her nose, taking time to compose herself before continuing.
"The only thing we can do is try our best to convince as many humans as possible to join us. But they have to choose it."
Sarutobi cast his gaze down, thinking over everything that had been said. A long silence fell over them. As they mulled over their conversation the waiter came by with a large platter of food. The waiter laid it down in front of them and bowed, not bothering to speak up giving the mood at the table.
Sarutobi and Kyuubi both nodded politely at the waiter but didn't speak. Kyuubi took a moment to stare at Sarutobi before focusing on her food.
"I'm sorry." The woman stated in a genuine manner before biting into a piece of broccoli.
Sarutobi didn't respond immediately, watching the ancient demoness with a conflicted gaze.
"Do you really care about minamizing the suffering you'll cause during the conversion?" Sarutobi finally spoke up.
Kyuubi nodded subtly.
"Yes. It's in my baby's best interest. But I can't afford to have it take too long. The longer we take the more chances that opposing forces will have to either stop us completely or cause us irreparable damage. At this point there is very little chance that any human force can oppose our power but I will not make the mistake of underestimating humanity. I refuse to be another footnote in humanity's blood history." She stated resolutely.
Sarutobi nodded in acknowledgment. He gritted his teeth, hesitating before speaking up.
"Then let me help." The man finally replied.
Kyuubi went wide eyed, nearly dropping her chop sticks in shock.
"What?"
"If there is nothing I can say or do to stop you, if our world must make way for yours...then let me help make the transition as painless as possible." Sarutobi spoke up resolutely
Kyuubi could barely believe her ears.
"You would help us slaughter millions?"
"I would help you save millions by convincing them to say yes." He elaborated.
They stared at each other for a long while before an alluring grin grew along Kyuubi's painted lips.
"Ok...Hiru-kun."
Thanks for reading. Please review~
Another one of my favorite chapters. I did a ton of research to develop Kyuubi's background. I always had a general idea but I couldn't really flesh it out until I researched more about the story of the sage. Well I hope you enjoyed. See you Wednesday!
