chapter 12: Let's cooperate

Chapter 12: Let's Cooperate

Though the Two-Tails appeared as a beast, its intelligence was anything but simple.

As a tailed beast, its wisdom was no less than that of a human.

And just as Tonari had pointed out, the Two-Tails dreaded dying alongside its Jinchūriki. Even if it meant being sealed within another human for countless years, at least it would still exist.

Tailed beasts were, in essence, massive clusters of sentient chakra. If they were ever destroyed, could they reform with the same memories? Would they still be the same entity?

The answer was uncertain. It had never been tested. But the possibility that it might lose itself forever was a risk the Two-Tails was unwilling to take.

Tonari slowly raised his bloodied hands, using them to push himself off the ground.

Despite his grievous wounds, there was no trace of blood on the floor—it vanished the moment it touched the surface.

His expression remained calm, though his battered body told a different story.

Standing upright, Tonari forced himself to straighten his back. His gaze met the Two-Tails' enormous eyes, and though he could not look it in the eye on equal footing, he made the effort.

He took a deep breath.

"I don't think I've got you figured out," Tonari said, his voice steady. "But I do understand this much: I fear you. And I'm learning how not to."

The Two-Tails remained silent, listening intently as Tonari continued.

"I know you want freedom. I've even sympathized with your imprisonment. But I also know that your freedom would mean the end of mine—or even my life."

"..."

The Two-Tails said nothing, but its gaze was steady.

"It's ironic, isn't it? We Jinchūriki are prisons to you tailed beasts, and yet you're a power we can never fully grasp. We fear each other. We despise each other. We're natural contradictions."

Tonari chuckled bitterly. "And yet, to unlock the full potential of a Jinchūriki, we're supposed to trust each other completely. How absurd is that?"

The Two-Tails' silence spoke volumes.

Freedom.

The Two-Tails yearned for it more than anything. It had been so long since it had experienced the world outside. It could hardly remember the scent of flowers, the warmth of sunlight, or the touch of the wind.

It had been locked away, separated from the beauty of the outside world.

The Two-Tails' gaze grew distant, lost in memories of spring days it could no longer enjoy.

Finally, the silence was broken.

"Let's cooperate, Big Beauty," Tonari said.

The Two-Tails looked down at him, its mismatched eyes narrowing.

The boy's face was sincere, his gaze unflinching. For the first time, he stared directly at the Two-Tails without a hint of fear.

Big Beauty.

The Two-Tails repeated the name in its mind. This was the first—and only—human who dared to address it that way.

"How would we cooperate?" the Two-Tails asked, rising to its full height. Its aura of raw power filled the space, oppressive and suffocating.

Tonari faltered, his breath hitching under the weight of the Two-Tails' chakra. For a moment, he felt as if death itself loomed over him.

But he held his ground.

"Freedom," Tonari said firmly.

The Two-Tails' pupils contracted.

Freedom.

It was a word it had heard countless times but had never truly grasped.

Through the years, countless Jinchūriki had come and gone. Some were strong, enduring their role for a time, while others crumbled almost immediately. Yet not one of them had ever spoken of freedom.

The Two-Tails' lips curled into a sneer.

"Freedom? You can't give me that," it said dismissively.

"I can," Tonari shot back, unwavering.

"I know it's hard to believe, but I have a way to give you freedom—not absolute freedom, but something much better than this. You could run free outside, feel the air on your fur, and bask in the sunlight."

Complete freedom was beyond Tonari's ability to grant. To do so would mean surrendering his own life, something he wasn't prepared to do. But partial freedom? That was a possibility.

"I'll explain my plan after we survive this crisis," Tonari continued. "For now, I need you to trust me. Just this once."

The Two-Tails studied Tonari, its gaze penetrating.

Though reluctant, it couldn't deny the logic of his words.

Better to gamble on this boy than to be dragged back to the Cloud Village, where it would face an even stricter prison.

And this boy…

He was unlike anyone the Two-Tails had ever met.

Even in the face of fear, he stood tall.

With a huff, the Two-Tails turned its head away, unable to meet Tonari's "sincere" gaze any longer.

"Fine," it muttered, feigning indifference.

Tonari's lips curled into a triumphant smile. He knew the Two-Tails was intrigued.

"Alright, let's handle this together," Tonari said. "Once we get through this, I'll tell you everything."

And with that, he vanished from the sealed space.

The Two-Tails remained, its massive frame sinking back into its usual spot.

"Arrogant little brat," it muttered, licking its paw absentmindedly.

But as it thought about Tonari's words, a flicker of hope stirred within it.

Maybe… just maybe…

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(End of Chapter)