After Gamamaru spoke of his visions and I slept on it, I made sure to take some precautions with Jiraiya's help in the event the masked man came after me and Naruto for what we held inside ourselves and before I knew it, a year had gone by until I came back home from a mission that took half a week before I unlocked the door and the moment I opened it, Naruto instantly bolted from the couch and dashed over to me.
"Dad, you're back!" Naruto cheered as he hugged my legs and I chuckled before prying him off so that I could come in and shut the door.
"Hey, I was going to ask you if you missed me but it looks like I had my question answered for me," I remarked as I knelt down to hug the blond.
"Hello, how did things go?" Kakashi asked and I looked at him as I stood up.
"Eh, everything went okay so I have the rest of the day off," I replied as Naruto beamed up at me.
"You buy me a present?" Naruto asked and I sent him a look of disbelief.
"Geez kiddo, it was your birthday not two months ago and you're already asking for presents?" I questioned dubiously before Naruto's eyes started watering and his smile started to disappear until I sighed and removed a wrapped box from under my jacket.
"Alright, here you go," I conceded as I handed him the box, just before Naruto snatched it out of my hand and he unwrapped it as the box revealed to be a set of shuriken and kunai made of plastic.
"Yay, my first ninja stuff!" Naruto exclaimed happily as he opened the box.
"Yeah, your uncle Jiraiya and I thought that maybe you could start with the basics since you'll be enrolled in the academy in a couple of years, after all," I said as I ruffled Naruto's hair, though I was secretly uncomfortable at the thought of him being taught to kill people at a young age since the knowledge of this village turning kids into child soldiers was a very disturbing thing to witness.
Naruto didn't respond to what I said and simply took his present before rushing upstairs to his room so that he could enjoy his new toy as I let out a sigh and rubbed my eyes tiredly until I made eye-contact with Kakashi.
"Man, I wish everybody else could be happy with getting so little and did anything interesting happen while I was gone?" I asked and the silver-haired Anbu shook his head.
"Not really since it has been pretty quiet while you were gone, though your son always brightens up things a little more," Kakashi replied and I chuckled at that.
"Yeah, that kid always seems to put a smile on your face so thanks for watching him while I was gone," I said before Kakashi nodded and left, just as I went upstairs so that I could tell Naruto that dinner will be ready soon.
The next day, I was summoned by Kakashi to the Hokage's office and was surprised to find Jiraiya there as well before we waited for a few minutes until another Anbu operative told us that we could enter while Hiruzen was already waiting for us.
"Hello Seth, how are you doing today?" Hiruzen asked and I nodded in acknowledgment.
"Lord third, I'm doing just fine so thanks for asking," I replied and Hiruzen smiled warmly at that until he gazed at Jiraiya and started looking more serious.
"That's good to hear but I'm afraid that this isn't a social call so how has the investigation been going for you, Jiraiya?" Hiruzen inquired and the air became tense.
"Truth be told, I haven't found anything that might implicate the masked man responsible for the Ninetails attack and exonerate the Uchiha from that terrible event, though I did discover that there's a group that has been gathering information about the Tailed Beasts and they call themselves the Akatsuki," Jiraiya answered and I didn't like the sound of that.
"Hmm, doesn't sound like something we can ignore so what did you find out about this group?" I questioned before Jiraiya looked at me.
"Nothing much, just that they're a recently formed mercenary group and have managed to become well known in the past year because of their high rate of success while many villages, both major and minor, are losing quite a bunch of clients to this group because of that," Jiraiya explained while Hiruzen frowned and rested his hands under his chin as he leaned forward slightly.
"We'll have to keep this group under close watch and have they tried something like abducting a Jinchuriki from another village?" Hiruzen asked before Jiraiya shook his head.
"From what I heard, no," Jiraiya answered, but I was still apprehensive of the knowledge that an unknown group was interested in the tailed beasts and even I knew that nothing good will come of that if they decided to personally come after Jinchuriki for the beasts that are sealed inside, especially if they came after me and Naruto for that very reason.
"That's good so we'll inform the other villages about our discoveries and, maybe this isn't anything, but you can never be too cautious," Hiruzen said and I couldn't help but frown at that.
"Um, with all due respect, I don't think they'll believe anything we say and think we're trying to manipulate them since, except for the sand village, our relationship with the other major and minor villages isn't exactly all that good and even the sand village doesn't give me good vibes either," I pointed out uneasily but a gleam appeared in Hiruzen's eyes.
"Actually, that may change soon since we're making preparations for an alliance with the hidden cloud village," Hiruzen told us, causing me and Jiraiya to look at each other with wide eyes and resumed our attention on the Hokage.
"You're serious right now?" Jiraiya questioned in shock and Hiruzen nodded.
"Indeed I am and the Raikage sent a small retinue led by the cloud village's head ninja a few days ago, so they want us to sign an alliance treaty," Hiruzen clarified, but I was suspicious about this since this village's history described the tensions between us and the cloud village after the third shinobi war so them announcing that they want a treaty all of a sudden felt more than a little suspicious.
"I see..." Jiraiya trailed off and I knew that he felt the same way I did as Hiruzen arched a brow.
"But you and Seth don't think that I should sign it, right Jiraiya?" Hiruzen inquired before I cleared my throat to get his attention.
"Don't get me wrong, a treaty sounds like it would be good for us and the cloud village, but don't you find it a bit odd that hot-tempered Raikage would want an alliance with us all of a sudden? I don't know, something about this seems off," I admitted uncomfortably and Hiruzen sent me a look of understanding.
"I thought the same but if we never learn to forgive past transgressions and make an effort to forge friendships with our former enemies, then we will never attain true peace so maybe the Raikage saw reason. Besides, this can be beneficial for you and your ward, Seth," Hiruzen told me and I blinked at that.
"How so?" I asked before Hiruzen smiled.
"It is my understanding that the hidden cloud village has two Jinchuriki that tamed their tailed beasts and can use their power without any risk so, if this goes well, then maybe in the future the cloud village will share with us what kind of training they did to achieve that kind of feat and I know that Minato would've wanted for you and Naruto to learn how to use the Ninetails' power, or he would've used a different seal if that wasn't the case," Hiruzen pointed out, something I couldn't help but see the logic in.
"Well, if that's the case, then I hope I'm wrong since Naruto needs to get as strong as possible while I have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario and that kind of training will prove to be invaluable in the long run," I agreed reluctantly while Jiraiya was frowning thoughtfully.
"Either way, we will need other alliances besides the sand village if this Akatsuki group is a cause to be concerned so, with the cloud and sand villages on our side, maybe we can convince the hidden stone and mist villages to join us and can you both imagine all five ninja villages finally united?" Hiruzen reasoned, but I was still hesitant about this since something was bound to go wrong if we weren't careful.
"It paints a pretty good picture, sensei, but with the mist ninja being more unhinged than ever and how much the stone village hates us, it's unlikely," Jiraiya pointed out and I nodded in agreement at that.
"Unlikely doesn't mean impossible, my former student, since anyone could've said that you helping to raise a child was also unlikely, yet look what happened so as long as there is the slightest chance to make a difference, then we should work for it until we achieve that which we fight for," Hiruzen stated while I sighed since had a very good point.
"I guess you're right," Jiraiya said reluctantly while I crossed my arms.
"Keep working on that lead with the Akatsuki since I have a feeling that the unknown attacker who unleashed the Ninetails three years ago was a part of that group and, with a little luck, we might gather enough evidence to exonerate the Uchiha," Hiruzen said and I bit my lip since the Uchiha clan was suspected for the Ninetails attack and understood that this wasn't going to end well unless we prove their innocence.
"Speaking of that, how are the Uchiha doing?" I inquired and didn't like the grim look that appeared on Hiruzen's face.
"Not good, sadly, since there appears to have been an information leak and the Uchiha learned that they are being held as suspects for the Ninetails attack while my Anbu is hearing murmurs and rumors about the Uchiha being potential traitors among the public, so you can imagine that Fugaku was far from amused by that," Hiruzen explained, causing me to curse under my breath as I rubbed my eyes gently to prevent a headache from happening.
"This is really bad, the Uchiha are going to be on edge because of that and it will only make them look even more suspicious in Danzo's eyes," I pointed out and Hiruzen nodded in agreement.
"That's why this investigation is so important because we need information on the identity of the masked man and we need it as soon as possible," Hiruzen empathized sternly before Jiraiya stepped forward.
"The Akatsuki lead seems to be the best one we have so I'll keep looking into them until I find something," Jiraiya offered.
"Good, you and Seth are dismissed so I have the treaty to sign," Hiruzen told us and we left the office before I went home to spend time with Naruto.
Unfortunately, peace wouldn't happen between the leaf and cloud villages since that very same night the treaty was signed, a masked ninja attempted to kidnap Hiashi Hyuga's three-year-old daughter Hinata, then Hiashi killed the kidnapper before it was revealed that the man was the cloud village's head ninja.
I had received the alarming news and headed immediately to the Hokage's office before we discussed the situation, knowing that it was obvious the treaty was nothing more than a ruse to have a cloud ninja infiltrate the leaf village so that he could abduct a Hyuga but there was no evidence to prove it and to say that the Raikage was pissed is an understatement since he sent a rather nasty letter demanding for the killer to be extradited to the cloud village so that he could be put on trial for attacking and killing a diplomat while also denying the kidnapping attempt on their part and threatening to declare war against us if we didn't comply.
Pretty soon, an emergency meeting was held in the Hyuga compound with the high-ranking Hyuga members, the village's elders, Jiraiya, and myself while I was feeling more than tense at how much of a shitshow this whole thing had turned into and hoped that we could find a solution quickly.
"Our main priority is avoiding a war with the hidden cloud village since we still haven't recovered from the Ninetails attack and can't afford to go to war so soon, especially not after a village that strong," Hiruzen stated while the others looked troubled.
"We all read that letter so the only viable solution is for me to be handed over to the cloud village since I was the one who killed their head ninja, so it should be me who'll shoulder this responsibility," Hiashi agreed solemnly while I was stunned to hear that.
"Hiashi, don't because we can't let the Byakugan fall into those bastards' hands!" a Hyuga elder protested and Danzo nodded.
"I agree because if we hand the Byakugan over to the enemy, then we will give them a weapon to use against us so what guarantee will we have that they won't declare war on us once they forced you to produce enough Byakugan users?" Danzo questioned and it was scary how much I agreed with him since the cloud village could go to war with us anyway once they had enough Byakugan users in their ranks.
"That's why we have devised a solution where Hizashi will go in your place, so we'll execute him in front of the Raikage and hand his body over to him and that will ensure that the cloud village won't get the Byakugan and we'll prevent war from breaking out, which Hizashi has agreed to," the Hyuga elder offered while Hiashi looked shocked from what he just heard and I was horrified that this is the solution that had been decided.
"Are you really thinking about surrendering to their demands?! So, one of them commits a crime against one of the clans in our own village and we are the ones who have to compensate them?! What kind of message will that be sending to the other villages, that we let everybody trample over us with impunity?!" Koharu shouted angrily while I knew that she was right because giving in to the cloud village's demands will send a message to the other villages that it would be okay to make threats of war against us unless we give in to their demands.
"I agree with Councilor Utatane, the leaf village must never kneel before potential enemies," Danzo added as Jiraiya sighed stressfully.
"I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I agree with Danzo since this may set a dangerous precedent...when the other villages hear about this, what's to stop them from making unreasonable demands under threat of war?" Jiraiya chimed in while Danzo looked at him stoically.
"But we can't afford to go into a war and even if we win, we would be so weakened afterward that we'd be easy prey for even the minor villages!" Homura exclaimed in outrage, then I had a highly risky idea but there was a good chance it might work as I cleared my throat to get everyone's attention.
"Excuse me, I believe that the Raikage's threat of war is just a bluff," I pitched in and the others looked at me.
"What makes you so sure about that, Mr. Mercer?" Hiashi asked curiously as I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
"Don't get me wrong, we just killed one of their high-ranked ninjas on a diplomatic mission and that's a pretty valid excuse to wage a war while at least one of the previous wars was waged over less than that but if they really wanted a war, then the fourth great ninja war would have already been declared," I pointed out and the others looked like they were pondering that.
"Do you have any ideas, Seth?" Hiruzen asked and I nodded.
"Yes, it's highly risky and could backfire badly, but chances are that it might work without anyone dying so let's reply their bluff with one of our own since, even though Jiraiya hasn't officially gone back to active duty, they probably don't know that he comes back to the village once a month so let's show them that one of the Sannin is back in business and see if the Raikage's so eager to wage war against us then," I offered logically before the others frowned thoughtfully and Hiruzen looked hesitant to agree to my plan.
"That's a dangerous gamble and there's no guarantee that it'll intimidate the Raikage, Seth," Hiruzen stated as I sighed.
"I know, but it's the best option we have that doesn't require turning over Hiashi or killing his brother so the only thing we can do is hope that it works," I said uneasily before Danzo nodded in approval.
"I agree with this plan, Mr. Mercer, and it's good to see that even though you have been among the shinobi ranks for a short time, you show the makings of someone that isn't afraid of being ruthless to get the job done," Danzo complimented and I couldn't help but shudder since getting a compliment from Danzo of all people made me feel ill.
"Lord Hokage, what is your decision then?" Homura asked and Hiruzen closed his eyes before being silent for a few minutes, obviously pondering his options until he opened his eyes and nodded.
"Very well, we will follow Seth's plan so I'll send a letter to the Raikage and ask him to meet me on neutral grounds and, once there, we'll attempt our bluff," Hiruzen told us before the rest of us left the compound while the Hyuga stayed to no doubt get ready.
It took a week, but we all got ready for the impending confrontation and a group consisting of Hiruzen, Jiraiya, Hiashi Hyuga, Shikaku Nara, Kakashi Hatake, Shibi Aburame, and I were heading towards the land of hot springs, which would serve as the neutral ground where the meeting would take place while several chunin was carrying the body of the head ninja on a stretcher as the other two cloud ninja stayed with us.
"Oh shit, I really hope this works or we're so screwed," I muttered nervously and Jiraiya sent me a reassuring look while he was wearing the standard leaf ninja uniform with a green flak jacket and forehead protector.
"Don't worry, we're not going to fight and just remind them why we shouldn't be messed with so your plan will work," Jiraiya assured as he patted my shoulder, though I was still uneasy since plenty could go wrong and I wasn't sure I would be prepared to face a Kage of all people if it did go to hell.
"It better because I don't want to be targeted by the Raikage if a fight were to break out since I've heard stories on how he can shatter bones and burn flesh with those lightning chakra punches of his," I replied with my voice filled with tension as I made sure to get ready to use my kekkei genkai if this were to backfire since the Raikage is known for his foul temper and I didn't want to be on the end of it.
Pretty soon, Hiashi used his Byakugan to scout out the area and informed us that he located the Raikage and his escort, who were already at the meeting point that was a clearing between a forest and a river before we all checked our weapons to be safe until we continued walking for a few minutes and saw them.
"Hmm, he brought more people than us," I mumbled thoughtfully as I observed the cloud ninja and the large imposing dark-skinned man that could only be the Raikage.
"Focus not only on quantity but quality, so do you see the man with sunglasses and scarf as well as that blonde woman with a ponytail? Besides the Raikage, they are the ones you should worry the most," Jiraiya told me quietly and I looked at the two people he pointed out.
"The toad man is correct since they hold the eight-tails and the two-tails inside them respectively," the fox's voice echoed in my mind suddenly, startling me slightly since wasn't expecting that but I shook it off since I would look suspicious if I didn't respond to what Jiraiya said.
"Let me guess, they're the cloud village's Jinchuriki?" I asked uneasily and Jiraiya nodded.
"Correct," Jiraiya confirmed before I gulped at the knowledge that the two equivalent of nukes was here and staring right at us.
"Shit, the Raikage isn't pulling any punches if he brought those two heavy-hitters here so it's going to get seriously ugly if a fight breaks out," I admitted nervously and started considering that this might've been a bad idea from the start.
"Don't worry, this confirms your theory that the Raikage is bluffing so he's only trying to intimidate us, now it all depends on who will give in first so have faith in the Hokage," Jiraiya reassured as we got closer, then the cloud ninja and the Raikage noticed us before they walked forward until we all stopped a safe distance from each other.
"So, you finally came, Hokage, and you brought the killer with you...good, now hand him over so that we can get this over with," the Raikage demanded with impatience in his voice.
"Not so fast, Lord Raikage, we are aware of your terms to settle this dispute but I have discussed them with my councilors and we decided to reject them," Hiruzen stated just before the Raikage started looking red in the face from anger.
"What?! You do realize that this means war, right?!" the Raikage roared in outrage and Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
"I wasn't finished yet because you will hear my terms, now you will not only cease your demands but you will apologize to Hyuga clan head Hiashi Hyuga for the attempted kidnap of his daughter right here and now while, as a gesture of goodwill, we will hand over the body of the cloud village's head ninja so he can receive a proper burial, as well as the two ninjas that came with him.
As you can see, they haven't been harmed during the time they were in our custody," Hiruzen offered and I could see that the Raikage was completely livid, then a suffocating pressure hit me full force while it felt like I was being gutted and dismembered slowly before I let out shuddering gasps of terror as I reached for a kunai to defend myself until I was snapped out of it when Jiraiya placed a hand on my shoulder to calm me down.
Hiruzen looked unphased by what I assumed was an intense amount of killing intent that was shot at us before the Raikage appeared to have calmed down and I was taken aback when he started chuckling and I didn't like the look of that.
"I know what you are trying to do and you got me there for a second, but I saw through your trap...still, gotta give you credit for the effort," the Raikage stated amusingly and I was puzzled by what he was talking about.
"Excuse me?" Hiruzen questioned while looking utterly confused.
"Tell one of your men to drop the transformation because he is not the real Jiraiya of the Sannin and only embarrassing the rest of you," the Raikage said and Hiruzen arched a brow.
"I don't know what you are talking about because that is the real Jiraiya of the Sannin," Hiruzen stated and the Raikage scoffed.
"Oh please, the guy posing as Jiraiya is putting in some effort but it's still not enough to fool me so nice try," the Raikage huffed and Hiruzen simply gestured at Jiraiya.
"Well, if you believe I'm bluffing, then why don't you check his identity yourself?" Hiruzen challenged and the Raikage grinned smugly.
"I see your bluff, Hokage, and I'll take it," the Raikage agreed and signaled one of the cloud ninja, a dark-skinned eighteen-year-old kid with shaggy blond hair and a large sword, to check Jiraiya before the kid walked forward and put a hand on the toad sage's shoulder before I could see him sending out a pulse of chakra to try a dispel what was supposed to be a transformation, but nothing happened and the kid looked back at the Raikage.
"Sorry boss, but this man isn't under any transformation jutsu and appears to be the real Jiraiya of the Sannin," the kid informed the Raikage, who looked less than happy and was trembling in fury as the kid went back to his side.
"Since when did he return to the hidden leaf village?!" the Raikage shouted with a look of pure rage.
"Three years ago, shortly after the Ninetails attack since the village needed help and he answered our call while he is also helping one of my shinobi raise a child," Hiruzen explained just before Jiraiya grinned.
"I even have pictures of him here, so want to see them? He looks so cute when he tries to ride his father's pet dog!" Jiraiya exclaimed excitingly and I sweatdropped at that.
"Jiraiya, please, Naruto always looks cute," I corrected while blushing in embarrassment and Hiruzen cleared his throat.
"Anyway, now that the identity of my student is no longer an issue, can we go back to the matter at hand?" Hiruzen suggested, not even bothering to hide his smile anymore as the Raikage was gritting his teeth and looking undecided until he sighed wearily and grimaced.
"Okay Hokage...I-I agree with your terms," the Raikage conceded, almost spitting out the words as Hiruzen's smile widened.
"I'm glad you could see reason, Lord Raikage," Hiruzen said and nodded at Hiashi, who stepped forward with his chin up and sporting a smile of superiority.
"Lord Raikage, I'm waiting," Hiashi said in an almost mocking tone and I almost felt bad for the large man, who was clearly struggling to give up his pride and apologize until he groaned.
"On my and the entirety of the hidden cloud village's behalf, I'm sorry for the actions of my representative on your village so please accept my apologizes," the Raikage grumbled while he looked as if he was in pain, and I wondered why people had a hard time apologizing since it wasn't that difficult saying two simple little words.
"Apologizes accepted, Lord Raikage, so I hope this incident never happens again," Hiashi said before he headed back to our group.
"Well, now that everything is settled, we should head back to our respective villages and try to forget that this unfortunate incident ever happened," Hiruzen said, just before Jiraiya perked up and hurried over to the cloud ninja while I started wondering what the hell he was doing.
"Wait a minute, it would be a shame if you guys went home empty-handed after getting here, so you can have this," Jiraiya offered as he handed the Raikage a book of some kind, then the large man gazed at it in confusion.
"Icha Icha...violence?" the Raikage questioned with a puzzled look as he opened the book and started to read it, then I felt like strangling the toad sage as I twitched and pinched the bridge of my nose to prevent a headache from happening as the others sweatdropped.
'Oh god, what the fuck is that perverted moron doing?! Okay, I am so going to kick his ass when we get back to the village!' I thought incredulously with a tick-mark while Jiraiya beamed and unaware of the livid glare I was sending him.
"That's right, the second installment of my successful series will hit the bookstores next month but you can now have a copy of that book completely free and signed by yours truly," Jiraiya said happily, then the Raikage's eyes widened as he read the book and looked up at Jiraiya like he was crazy.
"What the hell is this...smut?! You dare pretend to appease me with this badly written porn?!" the Raikage roared in outrage just before Jiraiya started looking offended.
"Hey, the proper term is adult literature with erotic scenes and as for poorly written-" Jiraiya started to retort and was cut off.
"Look at how I see your stupid book!" the Raikage snarled before he threw the book to the ground, causing Jiraiya to let out a cry of horror as the book was about to hit the ground with enough force to break it but it was safe when the Jinchuriki with the shades and scarf dove down to catch it.
"Yes, saved!" the man cheered victoriously, causing the Raikage to drop his mouth open in disbelief.
"B, what the hell are you doing?!" the Raikage shouted incredulously as the man stood up and looked at him.
"Come on bro, don't be such a fool, this book you just threw is pretty cool!" the man argued and I felt like clawing my ears and eyes out at what I was hearing and seeing since it was like I was surrounded by crazy people, even though I've lived in this world for three years now but there was one person back at the leaf village who was definitely insane and I was grateful that green spandex-wearing nutjob hasn't taken interest in me yet so thank god for that.
"Well, if you like it so damn much, then you can have it!" the Raikage retorted before he signaled his escort to pack up and get ready to leave before Jiraiya gently nudged me over to B as he followed next to me until we stood in front of him.
"Nice to see that there are fans of my books outside the land of fire so the name's Jiraiya, though you probably already heard it," Jiraiya introduced and shook B's hand.
"Killer B is the name and being awesome is my game! Your book is sublime but it misses some cool rhymes!" B replied before he made eye contact with me and I nodded in acknowledgment.
"Hello, I'm Seth Mercer and it's good to meet you so I was wondering if I can ask you a favor because my son and I are the hidden leaf's Ninetails' Jinchurikis while we hold both halves of the tailed beast in ourselves, so I wanted to ask if you could train me on how to control the yin half soon and also teach my son to control the yang half once he's old enough?" I asked and B frowned thoughtfully for a moment until he nodded.
"I'd love to, nine-o, but I don't know if I shall because, you see, my bro has to agree," B pointed out and I felt disappointed but understood what he meant since I would have to get the Raikage's approval and he wasn't in the mood right now.
"I see...well, I had to try so maybe I'll ask once things cool down and it was good to meet you," I said as I shook B's hand and we went our separate ways after that.
A few days later, we had returned to the leaf village relieved that a war had been adverted and didn't have to surrender a Kekki Genkai to an enemy village so thank god my plan worked and no one died, though the Hyuga clan was thankful for what I did for them and wouldn't forget my good deed while I assured that it was the right thing to do before I headed home with Jiraiya and proceeded to berate him for nearly pissing off the Raikage by attempting to sell porn of all things, then I finished snapping at him and now we were sitting in the living room while chatting about other things.
"You know, I almost convinced that Jinchuriki to train me and Naruto once he's older," I said and Jiraiya nodded.
"Yes, but he has his hands tied since he needs the Raikage's permission and I doubt that will happen anytime soon, though I do plan to train you and Naruto myself to use the Ninetails' chakra," Jiraiya told me and I looked at him in surprise.
"Wait, you know to do that?" I asked with an expression of interest.
"Yes, I've collected some scrolls about tailed beasts and Jinchuriki while I also have some hints that might be useful," Jiraiya replied before I frowned thoughtfully.
"I hope you can teach us since I need to be prepared as much as possible when the masked man returns to the village to come after me and Naruto while the kid needs all the help we can give him," I stated grimly since I knew that the man responsible for unleashing the Ninetails onto the village three years ago will be back and it's only a matter of time when he'll return.
"Naruto will grow up to be a strong ninja just like his parents, so chances are things will turn out okay in the end," Jiraiya assured as he stood up and waved goodbye before he left the house and was lost in my thoughts after that until I was pulled into my mindscape and saw the same cold glare staring right back at me through the bars.
"So, you seem to think you can take my power from me and use it to your own end, right?" the fox questioned and I scratched the back of my head.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly say it like that since it makes me feel like a thief and I don't like feeling that way, so-" I admitted and was cut off when the fox started chuckling maliciously with a sinister grin as he rose up to his full height, the sight sending a chill down my spine as I asked, "What the hell is so funny?"
"The idea of you and that little shit controlling my power is a ridiculous notion because you and Naruto are nothing but puny ants in my eyes, though it was entertaining seeing that plan of yours being carried out so at least there is a brain in there somewhere," the fox said and I was slightly surprised that he gave me his version of a compliment, even though it was still an insult.
"Wait, did you seriously just compliment me just now?" I questioned dubiously and the fox scoffed while scowling at me.
"Don't mistake that for kindness, I was simply bored and seeing that bluff through your eyes entertained me at least, but understand that I'm only interested in my own self-interests so you are nothing more than some flesh bag that just wants to use me for your own benefit.
That's how humans are and it's how they always will be so you are no different, even if you aren't human anymore so get out and let me sleep," the fox sniffed as he laid down and I still had one more question to ask him.
"Before I go, you spoke to me even though I wasn't in my mindscape so how did you do that and why didn't you speak to me before?" I questioned curiously and the fox sent me an irritated glance.
"Because, now that you've encountered me in here for the first time, we can communicate mentally like telepathy and I have no reason to speak to you so now that your satisfied, get out," the fox explained and I knew that was all I was going to get from him for now as I turned around and looked at the false arctic wasteland.
"One more thing, I'm nothing like those greedy and callous assholes because I care about people and you have no idea what it's like to lose someone you care about so I don't know what happened in your life to make you this way, but not everyone is like that and that kid is one of the things that keeps me going in this world filled with darkness, so I'll leave you to your thoughts and you should try to see things from my point of view," I told the fox before I exited my mindscape and stared up at the ceiling for a short time until I stood up and headed to my room upstairs.
After that, I laid in my bed and was lost in thought while I thought about what the fox told me and recalling the village history about him being sealed twice before me and Naruto has gotten me to wonder if he had been alone all that time and if so, then it was no wonder he's so bitter and hateful at humanity so I couldn't help but want to get to know him more, though I doubt that the fox was up for me getting to know him since the experiences I had with him told me that he wouldn't want anything to do with me but it wouldn't hurt to try and the best thing I could do is take things slow with an open mind so that I could gain his trust more and he might open up to me one day if I had gained enough of his trust and I nodded to myself as I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
A/N So, it looks like the Hyuga Affair has been resolved without bloodshed and it looks like Kurama is starting to warm up to Seth if he gave his version of a compliment, though he's still bitter and Seth is willing to see if he could try and get to know the tailed beast more while taking things slow with an open mind, so let's hope that Seth can gain Kurama's trust and they start to work together.
Well, not much to say in this author's note so let me know what you think of the events in this chapter and stay tuned.