14 Kurama

"Who... What the hell are you?"

...

Dix was struck with the question right trough the heart. He sometimes heard this from other people before he died. He always felt like the odd one out no matter where he went. And this haven't changed even after death. Not like he cared or anything, but this one single sentence eerily stung his ego, it implied he is some sort of freak. But it also went down a line, a line which he himself wanted to see the end of.

"Who am I?" came the retort, with a slightly annoyed tone. The act has started, as the actor stood on the stage.

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed yet. It's been four years by now, you must've noticed my chakra's true nature... Or have your senses got dull throughout the centuries?"

Kurama's face distorted and on it, even though it was a fox's face which was quite dissimilar from a human's, thus had a hard time conveying emotions, a clear frown was present. This suddenly turned to anger as he exploded.

"Don't you dare mock me, whatever you are! You are in no place to look down on me! Stop speaking in riddles and answer clearly!" came the answer in the form of a long roar so loud, it shook the chamber once again.

"Oh, don't be upset now, I am not here to mock you, or hurt you in any way. In fact I am here to ask for your help."

Kurama's fuming subsided a bit, but never actually disappeared. He had something close to a questioning look, which made Dix let out a small muted chuckle, as he had never seen Kurama like this, not in the anime at least.

"My... help...? Don't try to sidetrack! First, clear your name, who, or what are you?!" came another roar, which was a bit quieter this time. Hearing the repeated question Dix let out a small sigh, at which Kurama's left eye slightly twitched, and his fur turned a shade darker. At this reaction Dix suddenly raised his hands in an apologetic manner with a bit of shy laughter and said:

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Its just you should've noticed by now. Haven't you felt something peculiar about my chakra?"

"Well... I did notice there's enough of it to fill a bigger pond..." at this Dix let out a genuine, heartfelt laughter. Kurama was about to become angry again so Dix quickly answered.

"Hahaha, obviously compared to an existence like yourself, my chakra really is just a pond's worth, while for other humans this is akin to an ocean. But this isn't what I'm here to discuss. What I wanted to shine a light on is that my chakra should be quite similar to someone's you should be more then familiar with. I am talking about Hagoromo Otsutsuki."

"The... old man? What are you talking about, how do you know about him and how does he come here?" Kurama still sounded a bit annoyed and angry, but his fur got a few shades paler.

"What I mean is that this body is the direct reincarnation of his lineage, specifically, one of his son's. Go on and check it out. Now that you know what to look for, I'm sure you will see the evidence."

After hearing this, Kurama's face distorted so much it was started to look comical. He wanted to burst out in anger, and wanted to refute everything this shady person said so far. But he couldn't. He always had some small inkling feeling ever since he was sealed inside the kid, so he just complied and tried to sense it. Ever since Dix entered his space he was standing on four legs, in something resembling combat readiness, but now he sat down cross-legged and touched his palms together in front of his chest, closed his eyes and started meditating. After around half a minute later he flicked his eyes open

"You... You are right."

"I know I'm right, this is why I can be here. This body was born in order for me to take it over and address the greatest crisis this world have ever faced before."

"A great... crisis, you say?" Kurama was getting paler and paler with every sentence. This never happened before, this is crazy. He was talking to something he can't identify which seemingly defies the rules of nature, and it wants something from him. With the old man mentioned Kurama lost it all.

"Yes, father, at his summit was able to perceive the rough outlines of the future, and decided to aid the world against the absolute darkness that will cover it once again after he himself stopped it in his own time."

"Time...? Wait, what? Father? You are actually telling me...?!"

"Yes, I am the second son of Hagoromo Otsutsuki. My name is Asura Otsutsuki."

Kurama was absolutely flabbergasted and had no idea what to think anymore. He needed time to consume all of this. Throughout the centuries of enslavement he had forgotten a lot. He needed time to remember and to think. But he was too excited. The kid of the old man! What a prospect! So, instead of thinking it over, he demanded more answers.

"Your story definitely sounds plausible, but if you are the child of the old man you should be powerful beyond belief. Why are you training? Do you not have the best and strongest techniques available? This is shady for sure."

Kurama had his doubts, but he still could see the evidence and read the signs. Him being a reincarnation of the Sage's linage is beyond doubt, but the rest was definitely crazy at first.

"Hahaha, well lets see. My skills were mostly lost due to the way of transferring my consciousness into this body. Even though father is quite capable, he is not omnipotent. I was supposed to keep a bit more, but there were complications at the birth too, something you must know more about than me, haha. And even if I had the best techniques, this is the body of a child, training my chakra and body is still a must."

While listening to the boy, Kurama slowly let go of his negative emotions and started lowering his guard. It all sounded plausible, nothing was out of the ordinary. So he just believed. He wanted to believe. He was tired of the centuries of hatred and sorrow. He knew humanity is deeply corrupted by their own nature, but back in the days when he was born, under the leadership of the Sage people were still good, and those of his own must be exceptionally good people. So what should Kurama be afraid of?

"Oh yes, you talked about some sort of crisis, could you elaborate?" even his tone got a bit more relaxed and polite. He was lowering his guard, which only ever happened in the series after many years of being inside Naruto, when their friendship started blooming in the Fourth Great Ninja War.

"Yes, this is very important. In a bit more then a decade, one of my brother's reincarnations will manage to open a way for Kaguya, the Mother of Chakra, who was sealed by my father, and is my grandmother, to revive. This would be the end of the world as we know it. And not just humanity, but every single living being would fall prey to her power."

"Kaguya... That's a name I heard so long ago I barely remember. I know she was the mother of the old man, and that she wanted to use the Ten Tails for her own goals, but it backfired and the old man sealed both in the moon, while the chakra stayed with him. He split it and that's how I was born. Yes, this adds up. So you say someone will be able to bring her back?"

"Yes, someone you know, Madara Uchiha will be the one to remake the Ten-Tails to complete the Infinite Tsukuyomi technique. He doesn't know, but through his efforts he will successfully revive Kaguya. She left behind a shadow that is manipulating the world and powerful figures to make this possible, and it will definitely happen."

"What... You say the Ten-Tails will reform? Am I going to have to become a part of the greatest destructive power that ever walked this world?" Kurama stared at the kid for a while, but he didn't look too sad or afraid. Still, he had a broken frown on his face, like he already expected the worst.

"Yes, it will, unless we do something against it. That's why I am here, and that's why I ask for your cooperation. Your role in this will be invaluable. I will need every helping hand to stop Kaguya's revival. And you would be much more than that. Your great power is needed to let my father's will to live on in this world! Please, help me!"

"Heh, the old man needs me, huh..." then Kurama went silent. He just sat there, still cross-legged, with crossed arms and closed eyes. He was in deep contemplation for many minutes. After more then ten minutes Dix was about to think he pushed too hard and failed. After a few more minutes of waiting Kurama opened his eyes and looked straight at him with a serious face.

"Okay... Asura... I am willing to help you. If the old man requires my aid, then I shall aid whoever he sends. Its even better as he sent his own kin. There is a tiny problem though. I won't be able to help whatsoever as long as this seal is on me." As soon as Dix realized what Kurama said he let out a huge sigh of relief, which made Kurama's brows rise. He had to impro something fast.

"Hahaha, I'm sorry, to tell you the truth, actually getting you to cooperate after this much time passed, was one of the major problems we thought of when planning. And you don't have to worry about the seal, I already know where the key is and I'll unlock it for you as soon as possible."

"Okay. So what do I have to do?" Kurama asked with a slightly annoyed snort.

"Well, actually I just wanted to secure your allegiance as soon as possible, because I might need your power in the future, even before the war begins. For now I just need you to try and stay put as I prepare for the fights to come."

Kurama looked quite annoyed. He got himself into high spirits, but it turns out he just has to wait even more.

"Well, such is life I suppose. I'll wait. I don't promise I will be patient though."