Chapter 26

Kurama looked at Isobu, his eyes reflecting the vastness of the sea stretching out before them. "You think I am like this, but I am not," he said with a voice soft, almost introspective. "Loneliness is not a choice one gladly makes."

Isobu cast Kurama an ironic look, the gleam in his eyes as deep as the waters he called home. "Ah, of course not," he said, the irony in his voice as thick as the clouds that sometimes formed over the sea. "You are innocence in the form of a fox."

Kurama couldn't help but wear an enigmatic smile. "Perhaps I am," he agreed, acknowledging the truth behind Isobu's sarcasm. "Perhaps I've made myself stand out too much, and now I'm reaping what I've sown."

Isobu grunted, a wave of frustration visible in his stance. "Your presumption angers me, brother," he said, the water around him bubbling with the force of his emotion.

At that moment, Yagura, who had been watching the exchange between the two with an air of amusement, couldn't contain a laugh. "You two are like children fighting," he commented, admiration clear in his voice. "It is refreshing to see such powerful beings still capable of such... trivialities."

Isobu turned his attention to Yagura, his penetrating gaze. "You were supposed to be on my side," he said, feeling betrayed by the humanity he expected to be his ally.

Kurama, seeing an opportunity to ease the tension, joked: "Oh, Isobu, don't be so hard on him. Yagura knows it's difficult to choose sides when you have two Bijuus as charming as us."

Yagura, getting into the spirit of the jest, agreed with Kurama, pointing to Isobu with a smile. "It's true, Isobu. How can I choose when both have their own charms?"

Isobu let out a guttural sound of irritation, his eyes now darkened by disgust. "I don't want to talk to you anymore," he declared, before turning abruptly and diving into the depths of the sea, leaving only the waves to mark his departure.

Kurama watched where Isobu had disappeared, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. "It seems he ran away, what a shame," he commented, his voice laden with a note of provocation that only the wisest could discern as an invitation for Isobu's return.

It didn't take long for the sea's surface to be disrupted once again. Isobu emerged with tremendous force, flinging water in all directions, his face twisted by a theatrical rage. "Kurama! Your arrogance makes me want to crush something!" he exclaimed, unable to hide the true amusement behind his furious gaze.

Yagura, still balancing on the thin line between the command of his own mind and the memories of the control once imposed on him, let out a genuine and contagious laugh. "I guess I spent too much time being controlled, that I'm laughing at just about anything," he said, shaking his head in disbelief at finding humor in the situation.

Isobu, whose fury had dissipated as quickly as it had arisen, looked at Yagura with a sly glint in his eyes. "Yeah, maybe you're right, Yagura. Maybe we all need a bit of laughter," he said, his words laden with friendly sarcasm. "But make no mistake, I am still the great Isobu," he added, rising in stature, making sure his pride was noticed, even as he joked with his companions.

Kurama cast a glance towards the horizon, where the sky met the sea in an eternal embrace. "Brother," he began, his voice carrying the seriousness of an ancient dream, "I want to build a place where everyone can walk without worry, whether they are human or not."

Isobu, who had returned to calm, watched Kurama with an inscrutable expression. "Hm, you're being strange," he said, his deep voice echoing over the waves. "Time has indeed changed you."

Kurama laughed, a sound that was as much the rustling of leaves as it was the murmur of a fireplace. "Strange? Me? I think you're mistaking me for some other Bijuu you know," he joked, the light of dusk dancing in his eyes.

Isobu looked at Kurama, curiosity overcoming his skepticism. "What exactly do you want to do?" he queried, not hiding his interest.

Kurama sat down, his thick tail swishing gently behind him. "I see that some of our brothers actually like their jinchuuriki," he explained thoughtfully. "So, I kind of want to build a place where the two can be treated not as a weapon or monster, but as someone normal."

Isobu shook his head, his three tails swinging with disdain. "It's impossible," he murmured, "apart from a few exceptions, not everyone will accept. You're a fool for having such a thought."

"That's why I'm going to build," said Kurama, firm and unwavering, "a place where we can live in peace, even if many don't accept. Where we won't be seen as anything other than what we really are."

Isobu looked at his brother, the hint of a shy smile touching his lips. "I'll support you," he said finally, resignation and support mixed in his voice. "But I don't think it's going to work."

Kurama kept his gaze fixed on the horizon, the silhouette of the setting sun tinged with a deep red, as if the sky was ablaze. "It doesn't matter," said Kurama, the smile never leaving his face. "We don't always need everyone's approval. Change starts with a few, and if those few believe, then that will be enough."

He turned to Isobu, his eyes shining with a gentle but unbreakable determination. "But I appreciate you standing by me, even if you think it's a path to failure. It's good to know I can count on you, even when your faith is as small as a human trying to understand the vastness of the sea."

Isobu let out a hoarse laugh, the tension in his shoulders easing. "That's the Kurama I know," he agreed, a spark of pride and amusement in his voice. "Always going against the current, with a head harder than a crab's shell."

Kurama laughed, the sound rich and full of warmth. "And you, Isobu, always ready to remind me of how stubborn I am. But at least I don't have a head as hollow as the inside of an empty shell."

Isobu snorted, pretending to be indignant. "Hollow? My head is full of seas and mysteries that you could never comprehend, you cunning fox."

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