Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY own Naruto or Naruto: Shippuden.
A/N: A short chapter, but one I really enjoyed writing! Hope you all enjoy the update!
Also, please review!
Never Yield (Chapter 12) – Dissociation
Naruto's P.O.V.
I really did miss him, and I'm relieved to see him here and talking to me. He's currently explaining to me why he was out for so long, but at the moment I am just relieved that my friend is okay and trusts me enough to talk to me.
"After exerting a large amount of chakra like I did after healing you and then the child, us bijuu must dissociate for a bit to recover. This dissociation temporarily removes our connection to this body, removes our connection to this state of being. We are of the earth – and this dissociation returns us to the earth. This chakra body remained sealed within you, and while I could hear you, I could not do anything or communicate back to you." Kurama starts to explain.
After we learned of the other tailed beasts, we took to learning more information about them. We know they are beings of pure chakra, born of the earth itself, but we had no idea of this connection to the earth they have or this dissociation that can take place.
"So that's normal? This dissociation period tends to last around five days?" I ask, and he only shakes his head but I can see him smile too.
"No. It usually is no longer than twenty-four hours. However," He emphasizes, probably at the look on my face, and I let him continue without saying anything, "when I was dissociated something was very wrong. It was my brother, though I wasn't entirely sure. It undid nearly all my recovery, but I re-associated for a moment to give you that message before starting over." He continues to explain.
He undid his recovery, just to give me a message. And the only reason he would do such a thing was not to just give me information, but knowing I would do my best to do something to help because I told him I would.
And he's smiling right now still even while telling me something was wrong with his brother. Considering the news my godfather gave us and that the jinchuuriki is at least safe, that must be the reason why (though the jinchuuriki is still in a coma, though...).
"While dissociated, things are different. Time doesn't quite work the same way. We feel the earth, and we can communicate with life itself. It's...something I wish you could experience. You're probably one of the only humans who I think would be able to actually appreciate it." He says, going on a slight tangent.
But just him saying that, really means a lot to me. That alone erases any doubts at all I may have had about this friendship (if I even had any doubts. I doubt I did have any...) and I can tell how sincere he is about wanting me to be able to experience what he's describing.
It sounds magical. All I will ever know is this physical existence and this body. I prefer not to think about 'what-if's' and a possible afterlife – before I met Heba and after he got adopted, I spent enough time as a kid in the orphanage thinking 'what if I had a friend' or 'what if someone adopts me too tomorrow' that I like to take action rather than just let happen.
"So even though I was recovered after about a day, I had to stay dissociated to figure out what was going on with my brother. I was also able to talk to my other siblings slightly – I could send and receive messages from them but it took time for me to get a response as they weren't dissociated like I was." Kurama continues to explain his experience over the past several days.
This is a lot to take in, but I think I understand it all so far.
"You said you had to make sure it was your brother. Did you hear what Jiraiya told us yesterday? And my idea?" I ask, and – hold on, did he just chuckle?
"Your idea, Naruto, was brilliant. And that promise you made to me? My siblings heard it. It took time for them to hear it but when you spoke to me, you spoke to the earth and to us. Only one other jinchuuriki has befriended their bijuu besides you, and hearing the promise you made actually got their attention and are looking to both of us. And they all want to go to Whirlpool together, even our stubborn idiotic brother Shukaku." Kurama says, smirking at me.
That's really good! They trust me – us! - and they want us to lead. So now am I not just leading the Skulk, I'm leading eight other tailed beasts in a fight to survive.
Joy.
But I'm with Kurama, my team, the Skulk, and maybe even Karin and the others. This really is so much bigger than me or any single person – this really is about the fate of the entire elemental nations.
"I'm glad I was able to gain their trust! I didn't even mean to, I was just worried about you but you asked me for help and I'll always help you. I was worried about Gaara's bijuu after our fight...and do you have any update about the coma your bother's jinchuurikiis in?" I ask him and he smiles.
"Stupid idiotic doctors know nothing about us bijuu. The boy isn't in a coma. His chakra system took a massive shock but Saiken's healing it but it's just slow. That's my brother's name, by the way. He's the six-tails." Kurama says and I'm extremely relieved to hear that the jinchuuriki will be okay.
"How do we communicate with all the villages and jinchuuriki and bijuu to get this all done and set up? Akatsuki already attacked us twice and Saiken once. It's probably just a small matter of time before the others, too." I say, and that's when Kurama lowers his head.
"We all agreed to dissociate at the same time tomorrow to talk. However, as it's my choice to dissociate rather than it being due to a natural usage of chakra, I will likely be out of it for a while. Probably at least two days." He says, and I feel some sadness welling up in me but I completely understand.
But I don't want to feel that emptiness again when he's finally back.
"You do what you gotta do. I appreciate you telling me everything and trusting me." I say, putting my hand into the cage again. Each of his tails hits it. Not quite a high-five, but it's even better as a 'high nine.'
"You earned it." Is all he says before I wake up in my bed as the sun starts to shine.
I have to tell Team 8 and Jiraiya...but as soon as I eat breakfast first.
"So, let me get this straight. The Kyubii is able to 'dissociate' as he calls it, and is able to communicate with his other siblings and was fortunate enough to hear you sending a good message which makes all of them actually want to go to Whirlpool?" Jiraiya asks, although he knows all that's completely accurate.
"Pretty much." I say back, and he just shakes his head like it's nearly unthinkable.
"And what do their jinchuuriki hosts think about this? We've been planning through official channels and the feudal lords and the other Kage and calling in favors and alliances and everything – and now you you come to me and practically hand this to me with no effort. Not to mention I've been trying to figure out exactly what I would be asking Sikona about his village hosting all the tailed beasts." My godfather continues to question, and I'm a bit shocked.
I had no idea how much effort was actually needed to pull this off. I'm still more than a little ignorant of international relations and politics, and I knew it would be tough but I had no idea the actual steps that needed to be completed in order to get whatever this is accomplished.
'Uh, Kurama...did they talk to the other jinchuuriki yet?' I ask him internally. I didn't even think of that, and my godfather brought up a really good point. I hold up a hand to signal that I'm talking to him.
'They all already know about Akatsuki and know there needs to be something done. I believe it'll be easy enough to convince them. But I trust them not to give away Whirlpool's identity if they can't convince them first.' Kurama tells me, and I relay the information to everyone.
"And what if only some of the jinchuuriki want to go? How do we protect them? Or what if they want to but they aren't allowed to?" Shikamaru asks, and I can see it in his eyes that the thoughts are rapidly going through his mind, working through plans and contingencies at a pace I can only imagine. He said he would be trying his best to think about how to get my idea into a real plan of action, and seeing him actually working this out in front of me is a sight I don't think I'll ever get used to.
Shikamaru is a scary shinobi, physically. But when he sets his mind to something, it's truly even scarier. The way he planned his match with Ino so far in advance during the Chunin Exam finals was crazy and terrifying and so cool.
And that's another good point that Shikamaru brings up. I think that no matter what happens, I have to go to Whirlpool – the Skulk would be too worried about me to put myself in any more danger than I have to be in (and they have a point as I was attacked by Yuka Tsunowari during my last mission). But I made a promise to Kurama to help him and his siblings in any way that I can, and I'm gonna do all I can.
'If my siblings are aiding them, they won't need 'permission' to be able to leave. But if they don't want to, then there's nothing we can do.' Kurama says to me in response to Shikamaru's inquiries, and I tell everyone what he said.
"Okay, well I think that's it then. We let Kyuubi do his thing and then go from there." Jiraiya says, and claps his hands. "If this works, I'll be extra happy that it makes our jobs easier too!" He adds, and we all just groan at him.
'Tell them...as thanks for helping, these four deserve to know. They may call me Kurama.' He says, and my heart races and I can't help the smile on my face.
"Naruto?" Kurenai-sensei asks me at the sight of my face and I just shake my head and hold up my hand.
"This is good! Great! He says, that you your four deserve to know this as thanks for helping us. He says you may call him Kurama." I repeat to them, and they all turn their heads to each other in shock.
"That's his name? Kurama?" Hinata asks, seeking confirmation.
"Yup!" I say, so excited!
It was just yesterday that I was wondering if any of the Skulk would be able to earn his trust to be able to learn his name, and now Kurama just went and told them and I am so happy for my team and so proud of them and Kurama!
"Well, Kurama, it's nice to officially meet you." Jiraiya says, facing me and bowing in respect to him. I guess now they they know his name, they can actually talk to him rather than talking to me as a two-way interpreter.
'I'm about to start the dissociation process. During that you may feel some discomfort.' Kurama tells me a few hours after the meeting earlier.
Team 8 was very grateful and appreciative of Kurama for trusting them with his name earlier. They said that when around anyone else, they'll use 'Kyuubi' like I have been and that they feel honored to have that trust.
I'm really happy that everyone is trusting him, too. When we first started talking, everyone was cautious and warned me to be careful. And that made sense at first. But as I got to know him, they trusted my judgment but they didn't know him so they couldn't trust him.
When I told the Skulk that we talk and I underwent the pain of the seal removal so he wouldn't be in any, Kiba said if I trust him then that's good enough for him. Then the Skulk elected me as their leader! And while that's good, I want them to be able to trust him too.
But this is a start. A very good start. I wish it could have happened under better circumstances, but I'm glad that it did happen at least.
"Do whatever you gotta do. I'll be fine." I tell him, and I hear his mental scoff.
'Somehow I doubt that. You're a magnet for trouble and it's annoying. Stay safe.' He says and then I do feel some kind of discomfort. I feel a very weak pull on my stomach where the seal is, and it's a weird tingle and burn but it really isn't too bad. I didn't feel it before, but perhaps that's because this is a manual dissociation like he was talking about.
"I'll do my best. See you, Kurama." I say and get no response. After a few silent moments, the tingle and burn on the seal go away. But I also feel that emptiness that I felt before, and thought it makes me sad I can't think about that because right now he's on his own mission and I have to my best to support him.
We'll all support him. Me, Team 8, and the Skulk. We're all in this together and we're not going to stop.
A/N: This was another shorter chapter, but I think this was a natural ending point here as well.
I actually really liked writing this chapter. I don't know what it is, but I like creating these sort-of rules and structures. Like when I did the 'sub-chakratic particles' in "To Be a Ninja" - there's just something about these details that I enjoy developing and writing.
And this is both the final chapter of the "Kurama's Plea" arc and also marking the start of the "Jinchuuriki Coalition" arc! This whole arc was fun for me to write as I really didn't plan anything except the Whirlpool 'idea' Naruto had, and I wrote this entire arc as I went along.
I hope you all enjoyed! Stay tuned for Chapter 13!
Also, don't forget to review!
