Tsunade had led him to the operating room. Naruto entered and looked around, nervous of what was to come. It was dimly lit, the only light being in the middle, where it illuminated two tables. One of the tables was empty, and next to it had some medical tools. And on the other table...

"Sasuke." He whispers, looking at his friend. He seemed to be asleep, or the very least unconscious. The young jinchuriki walked over to look over his friend, wearing a medical gown, pale, his lips chapped and his eyes closed, his black hair messy... he looked dead.

"Naruto, I didn't really think about it before, but this idea of yours may actually work." Tsunade would state, putting on some gloves.

"The cost for a normal shinobi is not one they would easily give up, but considering the prisoner within you... Perhaps he'll assist in your recuperation." She'd say, the last latex glove fitting onto her hand with an audible snap. She then put on a medical mask and motioned of her hands to the table. The younger blonde gulped, looking at the empty table, before nodding and making his way over to the table, hopping on the surface and laying down. His blue eyes stared up into the light which illuminated the darkness of the room. He felt something going on his mouth as he took a sudden breath in. Realizing what it was, he just began to breathe normally, as he felt himself become dizzy, before passing out... descending into the darkness.


Naruto opened his eyes.

He felt tired, which was to be expected.

What he didn't expect, is where he woke up.

He felt his back wet, the ceiling dark... it smelt dirty.

He sat up, bringing a wet hand to his face, running it through his messy blonde locks of hair as he looked around... pipes. Dimly lit... the Prison.

He then looked up in front of him.

A cage.

Glowing red eyes in the darkness...

Kyuubi no Yoko...

He stood up and sighed... Naruto figured this to be one of the possibilities of going under anesthesia. He felt the air shift around him as the fox behind its bars breathed out. The biju moved forward, moving it's head out of the darkness to look at his jailer, but, to Naruto's confusion, didn't stare at him with the hate he expected from the Nine-tails. Instead he saw the fox stare at him with what seemed like... curiosity.

"What is it?" Naruto would ask, uncomfortable under the fox's gaze. The biju's eyes became half-lidded, not in annoyance or anger, but seemingly relaxed.

"Your action... your sacrifice. Why?" He asked him. "Hasn't he wronged you? Why are you doing this?" The fox would continue to ask. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the questions, and the unexpected softness in the demon fox's voice. He wondered where this was coming from...

"He's my friend. He's my teammate. He... we're like brothers. Out of everybody in the village, he most likely knows my pain better than anybody else. A feeling in my gut, says that he deserves a second chance. And the fate that befell him... shouldn't happen to anybody." He says softly to his prisoner, looking at through the bars into the piercing red gaze of the fox's animalistic eyes. The answer only prompted the demon fox to look deeper into his jailer, before grunting in confirmation.

"Wake Up." Naruto heard the Kyuubi say. Naruto would blink a couple of times, getting closer.

"What?"


"Wake up."

A female voice would say, and Naruto slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, and his whole body felt extremely heavy... even finding it hard to breath. A null pain filled every corner of his body, he felt the only parts he could move were his head and neck. He looked around, blinking multiple times in order to clear his vision.

"Hey..." He heard the female voice say, as he turned towards the voice... a pink and red blue, with dots of green... Sakura. His vision cleared to see the teary and smiling face of his young teammate.

"Sakura." He would repeat the thought from his head.

"Naruto... It worked."


In the Past

Weeks had passed since meeting the YiLing Patriarch, and as time passed the Demon Fox had, in a strange way, befriended the strange human. They would roam the land together, eat and hunt for food. It was a strange partnership dynamic the two had together. He looked at the black-haired mortal and wondered why he was so intent on following him around... among the many other questions he had within his mind.

One day, after a hunt at which they both ate and settled, the fox stared at the man who was carving a piece of bamboo, hollowing it out... most likely to make a- what was it the humans called it? a flute? Some kind of instrument which depended on the lungs of the user. Considering how little they talked about each other, the fox decided it was a good time to find out more about his companion...

"What is YiLing?" The free biju said out of nowhere. It was the first question he had asked the human after meeting him all those weeks ago. The mortal stopped his carving, before smiling and nodding his head. He was silent for a moment, and for a second the Kyuubi seemed to sense sadness in the upturn of his lips.

"YiLing was an area from my homeland. It was known for an area nearby, known as the Burial Mounds... That was where I lived." The human explained, looking at the bamboo flute within his hand.

"Why did you live near a Burial?" The Fox would ask next. The human sighed. The sadness in his outward breath was obvious to detect as he looked down at his feet.

"So I could protect the ones I cared about... not that it mattered in the end." He'd say, a frown on his face now. The Kyuubi was compelled not to pry, seeing as it was... what was the idea that the humans came up with? It was inconsiderate? Rude? The biju didn't exactly care for those feelings before.

"Your body... I sense great power in it." The Kyuubi would begin, using his chakra to get a feel for the energy he felt from the YiLing Patriarch. "But... something's missing." He'd state, his head tilting to the side curiously.

"Yes... My Golden Core." He'd say, bringing a hand up to his chest and gripping the robes.

"Golden Core?" The fox questioned.

"A... An organ of sorts, used within the bodies to produce spiritual energy. I gave it up so... so my brother and I could have our revenge." He'd say, the frown shifting into a cold and sad scowl. The Kyuubi raised a brow, looking upon the expression of the mortal...

"Rough relationship?" The fox would ask, to which the YiLing Patriarch would let out a sigh.

"He... killed me." He explained. "Not that I blame him... I'm a monster." The YiLing Patriarch would say... Kyuubi could tell if he was a lesser man, he'd be shedding tears. But perhaps, his tears have run dry... The Kyuubi didn't ask any other questions after that. Another day. For now, he was silent as he curled up and closed his eyes to sleep, to the sound of a flute.

The YiLing Patriarch played the tune from before, the sound much finer from a finer instrument...

Who is this... YiLing Patriarch, anyway?


Hey you guys! I hope you all have been liking the story so far! Keep in mind that this... this is an introduction, the true story hasn't started just yet. And I'm happy that you're all reading my story and voting!

This is also a clarification. The story of his Golden Core is not a part of the Mo Dao Zu Shi anime, but rather The Untamed live-drama. However, this version of the YiLing Patriarch is the anime version, with some parts of the drama included.

There haven't been any changes since the update chapter. Thank you guys so much!

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- Shizuka: 1

- Ino: 2

- (New Addition!) Fu:1

Happy Reading! 3

Nitrous