Kappa screeches at a foe it recognizes all too well. As soon as Kurama's form appears before it, it begins thrashing and wailing in blind anger. It tugs on the chains with all its might to give itself more leeway and more freedom to move around.
With each movement, the water shifts and swirls as if responding to Kappa's rage with a mind of its own.
"Kappa? What the hell is that?" Naruto asks.
"Does it look like we have time for an explanation?!" Kurama roars. "Push that thing back inside, NOW! I'll answer your questions after."
Naruto runs forward to meet this creature in close combat to try and shove it, but Kappa clasps his claws with its own and holds its ground. Their great might land them as a standstill, their feet digging deep into the ground from trying to stay in place but also move forward. The cracks on the streets reach far into the village as whole plates of earth shift. What houses weren't destroyed in the initial flooding are now completely ruined from the loss of stable ground.
"We gotta be careful not to destroy the town." Naruto says.
"You've already got the people to safety, don't let some houses distract you." Kurama responds.
The water that flooded most of the town rises in the air in torrents that all swirl back to Kappa.
Some civilians who still hadn't gotten to safety are dragged crying and screaming by the whirling water, but Naruto's [Shadow Clones] manage to jump in in time and pull them out before they could be buffeted by the high pressure any further.
Naruto and Kappa find themselves almost immediately enveloped in a gigantic bubble of water which doesn't sit well for Naruto and Kurama, seeing as this is the Kappa's home terrain.
The water surrounds Naruto's avatar form and lifts him in the air. He might be able to hold his own against the Kappa but even he can't make himself heavier to not be lifted. Thankfully, however, what he does have is the tools to anchor himself to the ground.
Before he can get swept away too far, Naruto lashes out with all nine of his tails and wraps them around the Rashōmon gate, around its frame, around its roof. This way he manages to drag himself back closer to the ground and deliver a punch to Kappa's beaked face.
It reels back in pain when its head hits the metal gate. When it screeches, the water in front of it vibrates and carries the sound in an uncomfortable way to Naruto's ears. It swings a clawed hand at a much greater speed than one would expect, the water from the bubble seemingly bends and moves to propel Kappa's attack at a much greater speed. It manages to tear off a piece of the avatar form, and drag its claw into Kurama's form. When the shackle around its wrist comes into contact with Kurama, Naruto feels chakra being rapidly drained; his form becoming unstable.
"Don't let those shackles touch you." Kurama warns him. "They're designed to contain beings like us."
Naruto grunts from the sudden loss of chakra but manages to pull away before any more could be stolen from him. He locks hands with the Kappa again, to try and wrestle it back once more but also to keep those shackles away.
Naruto hisses. "This thing's no joke…"
~X~
On the outskirts of the town, Naruto's hundreds of [Shadow Clones] lead the people to safety, many distraught and terrified for understandable reasons. The Clones try to reassure them best they can but there's only so much they can in this chaos.
Right now, the best they can do is reunite the families and find where everyone belongs. It's a heavy task that requires all of them but they've made steady progress. They created a system to group all the groups who are together and have found each other further back, so the people still looking for their loved ones can find them. When the Clones arrive with someone who was separated from their friends or family, they're taken to a higher place so they can be more easily spotted and identified.
The process has definitely made things much easier, to the point that most everyone is already accounted for.
The orphanage's matron, Shiina, approaches one of the Clones, clearly panicked and out of breath. "Naruto! It's Kotori, I-" She takes a strained breath, "I can't find her anywhere."
"It's okay, she's safe." Naruto places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know where she is and she'll be with you soon"
"Oh, thank goodness." Shiina breathes a sigh of relief. "If anything had happened to the kids, I don't know what I would've done."
Naruto smiles. "You're a kind woman, Ms Shiina. I see why Kotori's so fond of you."
"She's fond of most everyone, she's a caring soul."
"So I see. Look, you go take care of the rest of the kids. I'll get Kotori to you when she gets here. Or, one of me will."
"Thank you." Shiina bows. "Thank you so much."
"You… don't have to." Naruto says with a nervous laugh. 'This might've all happened because of me…'
~X~
Outside of the water bubble, Hinata doesn't even have the time to wonder about the mass of water that coalesced into a ball. Every bit of her attention is currently focused on ensuring that everyone is safe. Her [Byakugan] scans every inch of the area in immediate danger and she can confirm that everyone has gotten out.
"Is it safe now?" Kotori asks in a shaky voice.
Hinata gives her a reassuring smile and pats her on the head. "It's alright now. Everyone's safe. But it's still dangerous here so I'll need you to go far back, alright? Find Shiina and the others from the orphanage and evacuate with them.
"Are you… going to fight that thing?" Kotori has a hard time swallowing, at just the sheer size of the creature duking it out in the middle of the city. 'Is this what ninja do?' She thinks to herself.
"Naruto has it handled, I have something else I need to do. But for that, I need you to go to safety, okay?"
Kotori nods. "Okay."
As Kotori makes her way back, she can't help but keep glancing over at the fight; what these shinobi are capable of and the strength they possess. All this time she thought she'd become a ninja but seeing them in action, her heart wavers if this world is for her, if she'd be cut out for it. She's suddenly faced with the reality of her childhood dreams and she's afraid of it.
Meanwhile, Hinata turns her attention back to the fight and the destruction they're causing just by standing there. She shudders to think of the destruction that creature would've caused if Naruto didn't have [Multi Shadow Clones]. It's only thanks to that jutsu that no one got hurt.
"Hinata." One of Naruto's Clones lands next to her. "Did we get everyone?"
She nods. "Yes, I don't see anyone remaining."
"Good. I don't sense anyone, either. Besides the guy who summoned this thing." He then looks up to the giants' fight ahead of them.
"You focus your efforts on the creature. Leave the rest to me." Hinata says with confidence.
"Right. We've got the situation handled. I'll go with Kotori to make sure she gets out safe." The [Shadow Clone] runs back after Kotori to escort her out.
Hinata hears the distinct sounds of the other [Shadow Clones] dispeling themselves, as puffs of smoke rise from where they used to stand. While all civilians are out of harm's way, there's one person still left in the area. The masked man who caused all of this. She kept tabs on him while helping people out and he was suspiciously unmoving. Kneeled down behind the gate, opposite of where the large turtle-like creature came out, and holding a single handsign. That either means he's concentrating on something or preparing something. Either way, disrupting him is now number one priority.
With little time to waste, she runs toward him with her [Byakugan] trained on him to track his every movement. She takes a wider approach to her target, to not alert him of her presence by attacking him from a blind spot. That's assuming he even has one.
She's worried about approaching him as he's an enigma. His mask completely blocks her [Byakugan]'s vision so she can't see what he looks like- just like Obito's masks, and his chakra is somehow disturbed- she can't get a proper read on it, like something constantly changes the appearance of his chakra. It's almost like his chakra has a [Transformation] jutsu cast on it, which she'd normally deem impossible but here she is looking at it and she has no better way to describe it.
When she reaches a nearby building that overlooks the street, she takes pause to observe his action once more with care. He's still kneeling and still has the same handsign up. For a few seconds, he makes no move and Hinata goes through her options.
'If I'm to strike, it has to be now. Breaking his focus could help Naruto against that creature.' She nervously bites her lip. 'But… it could just as well make it worse. Perhaps whatever he's doing is keeping it in check and preventing it from going on a rampage. If it begins destroying ever more of the town, it may reach everyone who evacuated.'
Her nerves get the better of her. She mulls over the possibilities but it ends up being to her detriment. The masked man stands up and begins walking right toward the open gate. She knows it's now or never. Whatever happens, she can't allow that man to get near the Rashōmon.
She leaps into action with great speed, lavender hair trailing behind her, and gathers chakra at the base of both her palms- a whirling torrent of air and chakra.
[Gentle Fist: Vacuum Wall Palm]
Hinata thrusts her hands forward to launch the highly pressurized attack against him. With a direct hit, this would knock him off his feet and prevent him from doing whatever it is he plans on doing.
Kawako, however, is not surprised by the attack. He turns around and goes through a set of hand signs that gather water around him in a vortex.
[Water Style: Great Waterfall]
The water swirls forward and clashes with the wall of vacuum to send the water splashing in all directions. For a brief few seconds there's a curtain of heavy rain.
Hinata does not and cannot allow this to slow her down. She dashes around to get between Kawako and the gate to act as a buffer.
'I must keep up my attacks!' She once again focuses her chakra to her whole palms, except this time one at a time.
[Gentle Fist: Vacuum Palm]
A single attack- weaker overall, but faster. Currently, that's what she needs to keep him occupied.
Kawako wastes no time in reacting.
[Water Style: Water Wall]
The water around him rises up and surrounds him in a protective barrier. The [Vacuum Palm] connects with the wall and it wavers but does not fall. When Hinata thrusts her other palm, however, for a follow-up attack, the [Water Wall] breaks and Kawako is sent flying back and away from the Rashōmon.
"I suppose this is to be expected of the Hyūga clan." Kawako says with a hint of admiration.
"Are you the true mastermind?" Hinata asks directly. "Reisaku carried himself with an air of self-importance, but you appear to carry more power."
"How observant those eyes are. I can assure you, however, I am no mastermind."
"The reason you've killed so many of our shinobi, was it to power that creature?"
"Girl, there are
"And what part is that?"
"Oh, it's far too early to reveal that."
Kawako slams his palms on the ground; the water around Hinata begins to swirl as several projectiles jut out at her.
[Water Style: Water Fang]
Noticing the disturbance, Hinata immediately springs into action. She spins in place to violently unleash the chakra from every chakra point she has. The Hyūga's ultimate defence.
[Eight Trigrams: Revolving Heaven]
The spiralling spikes of water are repelled and rendered ineffective. Ineffective as an attack, that is. As a distraction, they seem to have work, as Hinata notices with her [Byakugan] Kawako running past her to reach the gate.
While this jutsu does great defensively, it is definitely not mobile. Usually, it'd be difficult even for her to switch from defensive to offensive and stop him. Usually. With the training she's undergone since the Fourth War and the opportunities she's had to once again train with her father and her sister, even learning [Eight Trigrams: Revolving Heaven], a jutsu reserved only for the clan heirs.
With her training, she can turn her defence into offence. The [Revolving Heaven] is the best way to release chakra from one's chakra points, but not the only one. The Hyūga have a technique to expel chakra in a burst of force, most usual when being grappled or when an enemy gets far too close for comfort. It's relatively weak but it has its uses. One such use is when combined with its more powerful counterpart.
[Eight Trigrams: Revolving Heaven: Burst]
Hinata unleashes all of her chakra in a massive blast of chakra that sends all the water flying away, all the loose rubble and dust. An attack that repels everything in the area around her with violent, uncontrollable force. A jutsu she concocted herself, inspired by a jutsu that nearly led to her death: Pain's Almighty Push.
And with it, Kawako is once flying back by the sheer pressure Hinata exerts. He flips through the air and hits the ground several times before catching himself and skidding to his feet.
"How… annoyingly persistent." Kawako growls.
"I cannot allow you to pass." Hinata declares. "You will return with us and answer for everything that's happened."
"We'll just see about that."
~X~
In the safety of the outskirts, far away from where the battle is actually held, Kotori walks into the open field, which is actually not at all far from the orphanage, and is astounded by the sheer number of people. She looks around and quickly finds everyone from the orphanage, who are the few standing away from the rest of the evacuees.
When they see Kotori, they immediately make a mad dash to her and dogpile her.
"Kotori!"
"You're safe!"
"We were so worried!"
Kotori tries to return the hugs but it proves a much too difficult task given their sheer number.
She gives a light smile in spite of the situation. "Thanks, you guys."
Shiina walks over and tries to break the huddle up. "Okay, everyone, give Kotori her space." She then kneels down and runs her hand through Kotori's hair. "I'm glad you're safe. Come, let's move back." She looks back to the Clone who accompanied Kotori to them and gives him a simple, grateful nod.
He responds in kind. The final remaining Clone looks over the situation and sees that all is well, all things considered. Since his task of getting Kotori back is finished, he dispels himself.
The groups no longer need supervision, as the more influential people in town, the trusted members of society have taken it upon themselves to organise and keep order.
When they get further back, an older girl from the orphanage reaches into a nearby basket and hands Kotori an apple. "Here, to get your energy back."
"Thanks." Kotori takes it and looks around. "How… how are things?" She's almost too afraid to ask.
"It's about what you'd expect." The girl sighs. "It all just happened so sudden, you know? One minute it's a normal day, then the next- giant gate and floods."
"Yeah." Kotori absent-mindedly nods.
"Hey, you saw those ninja in action, right? Do you think they can fix this?"
"I really hope so."
Kotori takes a moment to gather her bearings and take in everything that happened. It was sudden for everyone, but she actually got to see everything that happened and she saw it from the front row. The terror that overcame her when she thought she'd die, when the giant turtle creature came out of the gate, but also the awe she felt when Naruto took down all the cultist bastard and when he became a giant fox to fight the turtle. The calm she felt when Hinata reassured her.
She looks around the people gathered and she doesn't see any of the calm she felt. She sees the same fear she experienced and she can't stand how she can't help the same way she was helped.
'Being a shinobi, it's not just about fighting. It's about helping.' She recalls Naruto's words. 'As I am, I can't do anything to help. I'm not a shinobi, there's nothing I can do…' She curls up in her spot as her mind races through all of this. 'But… if there's something that maybe I can do, maybe I can help now. If not now, then when? Everyone here's scared; I can't just sit here and be scared, too!' She stands up and wipes away the tears from the corner of her eyes. 'At least… just for today, I'll be a shinobi!'
Kotori makes a dash back into town. In all the commotion, she somehow manages to slip through unnoticed.
'I'm sorry, Ms Shiina, everyone. I'll be sure to apologise properly when I get back.'
~X~
It's a simple task for Kotori to run back. After all, she has a giant dome of water as a guiding point, with a giant fox and giant turtle trading vicious blows and biting each other.
She knows very well that she can't help in this fight, or any fight, really. But her body and spirit won't listen otherwise. She feels she has to be there right now if she's to ever make any progress and be a ninja one day.
She exits the side streets from a point somewhat far from the main action. She took that into account, at least, that going near them is a bad idea. What she didn't take into account, however, is that there's a smaller scale battle taking place.
She exits not far from the mysterious masked figure Kawako who immediately takes notice of her presence.
Hinata does, as well, but she's on the other side of Kawako.
"Kotori?!" She calls out in fear for the child. "Get away from here, it's dangerous!"
Kawako reaches out a hand to Kotori. 'This might be my chance.'
[Water Style: Water Clone]
The water just behind Kotori begins to bubble and rise vaguely in the shape before taking on Kawako's appearance.
Kotori's eyes widen in fear, her breath stops. She tries to run but the shaking in her legs prevents her from moving as well as she'd like.
The [Water Clone] extends a hand to Kotori and summons a sphere of chakra around the girl.
"NO! DON'T" Hinata screams.
[Water Style: Water Prison]
"Decide, Hinata Hyūga. What's more important to you? Stopping me, or saving the child?" Kawako says. 'I'm expending far too much chakra. At this rate, I might not be able to safely pass through the Rashōmon gate. But I don't have much of a choice.'
"That child's done nothing, release her!" Hinata demands.
"I'm afraid you're well aware I can't do that. Choose."
The sphere of water tightens on Kotori. She inadvertently screams out in pain, only to swallow in more water.
'Why… Why is this happening again?' Kotori tries to fight the pressuring water to no avail. 'I just wanted to help. I just wanted to be a shinobi. So why am I getting in the way a second time? Why can't I get anything right?' She feels her eyes welling up even through the water. Is this mistake going to be her last? 'I don't want to die. I don't want to die!' Her tears flow into the prison.
Seeing this, Hinata's entire world freezes. She enters a state of hyper focus to the point that the only thing she can see right now is Kotori. The only thing she can focus on is Kotori. She doesn't see Kawako standing in front of her, she doesn't hear Naruto and the Kappa fighting just behind her, she doesn't even sense the ground trembling under her feet with every step the giants take. Right now, at this moment in time, only Kotori's safety matters in her mind.
That's most likely why she doesn't notice. She doesn't notice that her eyes see more of the surrounding area than before, minor details she would normally miss. She doesn't notice that she closes the distance between herself at the [Water Clone] at blinding speeds, far greater than anything she's ever been capable of. She doesn't notice the violet chakra that pours out of her body and propels her forward. Most notably, she doesn't notice that her eyes are not the usual clear and pale that the [Byakugan] is meant to be; instead her eyes shine with light lavender floral patterns where one's irises would usually be. The only thing she notices is the enemy in front of her.
In the blink of an eye, Hinata finds herself face to face with the [Water Clone]. Her chakra rages around her arm, taking the shape of a mighty lion, where even the roaring of her unleashed chakra almost sounds like the roar of a lion.
[Gentle Step: Lion Fist]
Hinata thrusts her hand forward, allowing her chakra to surge forward and right through the [Water Clone], which is instantly reduced to a puddle, as is the [Water Prison]. She immediately embraces the gasping Kotori.
Kawako, after overcoming the initial shock of Hinata's movements, makes a run for the Rashōmon gate. 'Such speed… If It was answers that she wanted, then why would she hide her true capabilities? And those eyes… That was definitely not the [Byakugan].'
Any further musings will have to wait, as Kawako disappears into the gate. The space around it slightly wiggles and bends; it almost looks like he passed through muddy water but he does pass.
Hinata only barely registers his disappearance as the violent chakra fades from her body and her eyes return to their normal white. She, once again does not notice, and looks over Kotori with concern.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Kotori coughs up water and the only reason she's not falling to the ground is because Hinata is helping her stand. Her knees would definitely give out if not for that.
"I… I am. I am." Kotori repeats as if trying to reassure herself. Once the realisation sets in, after a moment, of what she just went through, she begins sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Hinata hugs her closely and brushes her hair in comfort. "You don't need to apologise. You're fine, that's all that matters.
She remains with Kotori there for a while longer and allows the girl to let everything out. The rest, Naruto will have to handle on his own.
~X~
It's becoming more and more clear to Naruto that a simple slugfest just won't cut it. This Kappa has the advantage in the water dome, which seems to actively oppose everything he's doing and actively aiding everything the Kappa's doing.
It's not at all helping that the water is still trying to lift him away, so his tails are all preoccupied with anchoring him to the ground.
He tries to gather chakra at his palm, the swirling of his chakra disrupting the water but the Kappa is much faster here. It gathers some water around its beak and sends it flying at Kurama's hand in a thin highly pressurised stream. The [Rasengan] is blown away and nearly so is Kurama's hand.
"Damnit!" Naruto curses.
"We need to blast it away with a [Tailed Beast Bomb]. It's our best bet to clear the water." Kurama advises.
"Yeah, and clear the whole town with it, too. I already told you, I'm not destroying anything."
"Then we'll be the ones destroyed." Kurama growls. "That's the strongest thing in our arsenal."
"Maybe." Naruto says. "But it's not the strongest in this scenario."
"What do you have in mind?"
"You'll see. Take over your avatar for a second, I need to borrow some chakra."
This whole time, Kurama has been carefully studying their situation. He's more or less gotten a hold of how limited his own movements are and how enhanced Kappa's movements are. He's also aware of exactly how much strength he needs to exert to keep them anchored and not washed away by the bubble.
That's why Kurama confidently releases three of his tails that have been latching onto the gate and instead wraps them around the Kappa. He wraps one tail around Kappa's head to keep it from biting and spewing any more jets of water, another tail he wraps around its shoulders while carefully avoiding the shackles so it can't claw as freely, and the final tail is wrapped around its legs.
With Kappa held in place, Kurama swings and punches it in the face, over and over. The swings aren't as powerful as they should be; even while grappled the Kappa seems to have innate control of the water.
"Whatever you're doing, do it quick."
Naruto smirks. "I got it."
Naruto goes through a set of hand signs, ones that he's never actually used before but is innately aware of them and what they do. And what they do is get them out of this predicament.
The water begins to sizzle as Naruto's body begins to burn red, with chunks of rock forcing over his skin and clothes.
[Lava Style: Magma Body]
The molten rock that now covers his body extends to cover Kurama, as well, and all hell breaks loose. The water around them begins to boil and waver with the presence of magma, and the Kappa being held in place by three tails which now burn into its skin. It tries to cry out in pain but its beak is held in place, it thrashes in agony as it's quite literally being boiled alive. The shape of the water bubble becomes increasingly unstable as the Kappa wails in pain.
Eventually, Kappa can't take any more of it. The water drops to the ground and Naruto and Kurama are free to do as they please.
Kurama releases all nine of his tails and grabs the Kappa by the head, to slam it right into the giant gate. Then again, and again, and again. The metal bells that are chained to the Rashōmon gate ring louder with each hit as they sway from the impact. Kurama finally lets go and delivers a powerful punch that sends the Kappa stumbling back.
Naruto then steps in and gathers swirling chakra at his palm, a sphere of raw chakra the size of a house.
[Massive Rasengan]
Naruto slams it in the Kappa's chest and sends it flying back right into the gate. As soon as it's inside, he grabs the gate itself and slams it shut with both hands. Once the gate is closed, it fades back into the ground and disappears.
He looks for a moment longer to ensure the threat truly is over and lowers to the ground in his normal appearance.
"Using Son Goku's ability, huh? Good thinking."
"Figured it wouldn't like the heat, y'know? Since I lost the Old Sage's chakra, I can't access the others' chakra as freely as I used to. I need a bit of time to gather it."
"Well, as much as I hate to say it, we owe this one to Son."
Naruto grins a mischievous grin. "I'm sure he'll appreciate you said that."
"Don't you dare tell him!"
"We'll see." He chuckles.
With everything seemingly handled, Naruto takes note of Hinata a bit in the distance along with… Kotori? He knows for a fact that his [Shadow Clones] escorted her to safety. When did she even get here? He was so sure that the town was evacuated that he stopped his sensory abilities to focus solely on the Kappa. He didn't even notice her approaching.
The two of them are sitting down with their backs against a wall, Hinata hugging Kotori as close to herself as possible. He walks over to the two of them and notices that Kotori is not in a good way at all. She's no longer sobbing but is visibly shaken up.
"Kotori, what're you doing here?" He asks.
Kotori lowers her head. "I… I wanted to come. See and maybe help."
Naruto sighs and kneels down in front of her. "Hey, look, I know you're eager and all but you shouldn't rush in like this, alright? Me and Hinata have a lot of training so we can handle it."
Kotori nods. "Sorry."
Hinata pats her on the head.
"So what happened to that guy who summoned the gate?"
Hinata shakes her head. "He escaped."
"Because I got captured." Kotori mutters. "If I didn't come…"
"Hey, don't fret over it." Hinata reassures. "What happened happened."
Naruto nods. "Yeah, we'll figure out what to do from here, don't worry. For now, how about we just get you back to Shiina, yeah? I'm sure she's worried."
"Okay."
Ever since the Fourth Great Ninja War, the nations have agreed to no longer use the Tailed Beasts for their own gain. They have been recognized as thinking members of society who deserve more respect than to be treated as a power source. They're now free to roam the lands as they once did and not worry that they'll be imprisoned.
Of course that's within the confines of the Five Great Nations; the Shinobi Union can't vouch that other villages will honour this agreement in any way. The world has changed but it's not quite that united just yet.
Some of them have, of course, decided to forgo their freedom. The eight-tailed Gyūki and the nine-tailed Kurama decided to remain with their jinchūriki and continue to aid them in the challenges to come. Others, like the two-tailed Matatabi, three-tailed Isobu, and four-tailed Son Goku, remain close to the villages they were formerly affiliated with and act as the occasional counsel. The remaining four, the one-tailed Shukaku, five-tailed Kokuō, six-tailed Saiken, and seven-tailed Chōmei, prefer to make the best use of their freedom and roam through the lands without paying much heed to humans.
The only way to get all nine of these colossal beings in one place is through their shared space- a mindscape that exists only within Naruto Uzumaki, as the guardian of all of their chakras. Compared to the dark and damp sewer he used to have while Kurama was still locked away, this space is much brighter and calmer with shining gold and silver lights. It's a deeper space within his subconscious that he remembers from when he spoke to his mother.
Here, there are nine torii gates in a circle, each marked with a number that represents the number of tails. These torii gates are how each Tailed Beast connects to Naruto so they can speak when they please.
Currently, all nine Tailed Beasts are gathered, as are the only two jinchūriki- Naruto Uzumaki and Killer Bee.
"A meeting with all the Tailed Beasts and our hosts in a sour mood, the reason can't be anything good." Bee says.
"I mirror the sentiment, just not the way it was expressed." Gyūki says. "What's the matter, you two?" He turns to Kurama and Naruto who summoned this meeting.
"You better not be wasting our time." Shukaku says.
Naruto looks up to Kurama who sighs and takes the initiative, since he's the one who knows more of the two.
"Someone released the Kappa." Kurama says with no build-up to the statement.
There's a solid few seconds of dead silence as the others stare at Kurama in disbelief.
"That's a terrible joke." Son Goku finally says.
"I wish it was. Someone opened the Rashōmon gate and let it out."
Kokuō steps forward. "So the Kappa is out right now?"
"That's the last thing we need right now…" Saiken says.
"No." Kurama shakes his head. "The gate was opened and the Kappa came out, but it was still chained; we pushed it back inside and closed it. But if someone opened it once, they can do it again, and maybe for real this time."
The Beasts all look visibly disturbed by the notion as silence once again overtakes the area. Their expressions twist to ones of anger and frustration. Naruto and Bee can only look on with confusion.
"So… are you finally gonna tell me what that Kappa thing was?" Naruto asks.
"That does sound like relevant information." Bee adds.
Kurama sighs. "That Kappa is one of the beings collectively called Great Beasts, who were sealed away hundreds of years ago. As far as we knew, the knowledge of them and their fate was lost to time but it seems to not be the case."
"Unlike us, they're mindless creatures who only seek destruction." Gyūki adds. "They wreaked much havoc in their time."
"Woah, wait, so there's more of 'em?" Naruto asks.
"Many more."
"How come we've heard nothing of these creatures? There must've been stories about them." Bee asks.
Kurama shrugs. "They faded from memory. Over time, any destruction they caused in stories pass down was simply attributed to us."
"So… Where did they even come from? The Old Sage split the Ten Tails' chakra to create you guys, but what about them?"
"That is a mystery in and of itself." Kokuō answers. "We don't know how or where they were created, merely that they've existed for as long as we have."
"And if they all get out, it'll be real bad. How do we stop it?"
"That… is a very good question. One we don't know the answer to."
"We must alert the shinobi of the lands. They have to be prepared if someone's seeking to free the Great Beasts." Matatabi says.
"Bee and I will inform the Raikage." Gyūki says. "Shukaku, Isobu, Son Goku, you tell your villages."
"Huh?" Shukaku steps forward. "Why do I have to? Someone else do it."
"You're the closest one to the Hidden Sand. Talking to the Kazekage once won't kill you. Please, Shukaku, you know very well how serious this could get."
Shukaku clicks his tongue in frustration. "Fine."
With that, the Tailed Beasts turn around and pass through the torii gates to return back to the material plane and warn the shinobi of the potential threat.
Kurama looks down to Naruto with a worried expression. "This won't be an easy fight, Naruto."
Naruto reaches back and pats him on the leg. "None of them have been easy but we got through it all, right? We'll win as we always have- by being a team."
NAME MEANINGS
Great Beast (大獣 , daijū , literally meaning: large beast)
JUTSU NAMES MEANINGS
Eight Trigrams: Revolving Heaven: Burst (八卦掌回天・劈 , Hakkeshō Kaiten: Heki , literally meaning: Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven: Burst)