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The Five-Tails was stunned for a good long while before it finally retorted.
"But didn't you just say that place is uninhabited? Then even if my body is a bit large, it still wouldn't expose your whereabouts, would it?"
Kagaya thought about it. That didn't seem wrong either.
"That... fine. But you have no reason to follow me, do you?"
"Is having no reason unacceptable?"
"Is having no reason acceptable?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"..."
Kagaya stared at the Five-Tails, utterly speechless. He truly couldn't understand how this Tailed Beast, which had practically no screen time in the original story, could have so many issues.
Seeing Kagaya's speechless expression, the Five-Tails couldn't help but laugh.
"Very well. If you absolutely must have a reason, then just chalk it up to me having far too much free time. Truthfully, if you hadn't come along, I wouldn't have known where I was going either. I have existed in this world for far, far too long. So long that I no longer know what pleasures there are left to seek. If I were a human, surely this excessively lengthy span of time would have driven me mad long ago. But fortunately, I am not one of you humans. An overly long existence cannot affect me too greatly. However, a life devoid of any enjoyment is, after all, simply far too boring. Now that I've finally encountered a human as interesting as you, why would I not follow along?"
Tailed Beasts were, in essence, massive aggregations of chakra. They were truly immortal and undying. As long as chakra did not vanish from this world, the Tailed Beasts would never perish.
From the era of the Sage of Six Paths until now, the Five-Tails had indeed endured an incalculable span of time. An excessively long passage of time would wear away at everything. It would greatly erode one's spirit and will. If it were a human, they would have committed suicide long ago. Even a Tailed Beast like the Five-Tails, over such a lengthy duration, couldn't help but feel profoundly bored.
This was probably one of the reasons why the Tailed Beasts would later come to despise humans so intensely. They were already bored to the absolute extreme from the endless passage of time, all wanting to find something interesting to do. Then along came the humans, adding fuel to the fire, trapping a group of already mind-numbingly bored Tailed Beasts inside "cages" and stripping them of the only "freedom" they had left.
Under those circumstances, of course the Tailed Beasts would hate humans down to the very marrow of their bones.
Kagaya sighed. "Honestly, I'm starting to regret greeting you. I should've just taken a detour from the very beginning."
"Oh my, why is that? I, for one, was very happy that you greeted me. I wasn't joking with you earlier. It truly has been a very long time since I met a human as interesting as you. It's just that you humans cannot live forever. Otherwise, in a few decades, or a few centuries, you would understand my feelings as well."
"Fine. Though I haven't experienced the baptism of time myself, I can more or less understand your feelings. It's just... in my impression, aren't all you Tailed Beasts supposed to hate us humans intensely? When I first saw you, I imagined countless ways you might treat me, but I never, ever imagined you'd be this clingy!"
Kagaya finally couldn't hold back and voiced the greatest puzzle weighing on his heart.
Weren't Tailed Beasts all supposed to hate humans? Even if not that, they shouldn't like humans either! What was the deal with this Five-Tails? If it weren't for its massive chakra and colossal size standing right there as proof, Kagaya would've suspected this Five-Tails was a fake.
However, what Kagaya had absolutely no way of knowing was that the Five-Tails was, at this very moment, even more bewildered than he was!
"Hate humans? What kind of notion is that?"
Even though they, the Tailed Beasts, didn't exactly welcome humans, no matter how you looked at it, it was still a far cry from outright hatred! At the very worst, it was only to the degree of not wanting anything to do with humans. In fact, on many occasions, when facing the extremely rare, audacious ninja who proactively attacked it, the Five-Tails would even try its utmost not to harm them.
Going to such lengths—how could that possibly be called "hating humans"?
And so, one human and one beast stared at each other, their heads full of question marks.
Fortunately, Kagaya was no fool. Looking at the puzzled expression in the Five-Tails' eyes, some conjectures had already begun to surface in his mind.
He hadn't realized it before because Kagaya's mind had been completely occupied with how to pass through this area to reach Ryuchi Cave. The existence of the Five-Tails had never been his primary consideration. As a result, Kagaya had carelessly slapped a label onto the Five-Tails based on his preconceived impressions and never thought any deeper about it.
Because from the very start, Kagaya had never intended to get involved with the Five-Tails. He just hadn't expected that this Five-Tails would proactively come and get involved with him.
Now that Kagaya carefully thought it over, the answer was more or less clear.
'In the Warring States era, the Five-Tails is still in its original body—meaning it hasn't been sealed by humans yet. The Five-Tails asked whether the place I was going to was uninhabited. I said yes, and it immediately wanted to follow me. From this, it seems the Five-Tails doesn't particularly want contact with humans. But from start to finish, it never showed any sign of hating humans either. Doesn't want human contact, yet doesn't hate humans either—coupled with the fact that it hasn't been sealed—then, putting it all together: right, the Tailed Beasts of this period probably aren't the human-hating Tailed Beasts of the later era.' Kagaya scratched his head somewhat sheepishly. He had been a bit careless about this matter. But he couldn't really be blamed. As mentioned before, in his original plan, he'd never intended to have any dealings with the Five-Tails at all. For a Tailed Beast he didn't plan on interacting much with, naturally, he was too lazy to deeply analyze its information.
"Er... just pretend I never said anything." Kagaya offered a casual, perfunctory reply.
The Five-Tails, however, didn't believe him for a second. It thought for a moment, then spoke.
"You said that 'we' hate humans. In that case, before you met me, did you perhaps encounter another creature roughly as large as I am—an orange fox with nine tails behind it? If you've met that one, then your statement makes sense. Truthfully, that fox is just a bit tsundere, and on top of that, it has a rather foul temper. It may have said some harsh words to you, perhaps even proactively attacked you. But rest assured, it would never have killed you. Saying harsh words is simply because it has a bad temper. Proactively attacking you was merely meant to drive you away. There was absolutely no intent of hatred behind it."
Kagaya: "..."
Kagaya, of course, knew exactly who the Five-Tails was talking about. Who else could it be but the Nine-Tails!
"Honestly, hearing you talk behind someone's back about them in such a gentle voice... it just feels a bit wrong."
"No, it's nothing of the sort. Those aren't bad words. Its attitude toward humans truly isn't good. That's because it possesses a special ability—it can sense malice. So, when you humans approach it, the first thing it perceives isn't your goodwill, but the endless malice lurking deep within the hearts of your kind. So, do you understand now? What you humans bring before that fox, most of the time, is malice, not any so-called goodwill. Thus, it's only natural that it dislikes you humans. It's rather laughable, actually. I once heard some humans describe it, calling it a 'mass of hatred,' because the fox's attitude toward humans has always been poor. But in reality, what should be called a 'mass of hatred' isn't the fox at all—it's you humans yourselves. That fox is merely capable of sensing the malice within your human hearts."
Kagaya couldn't help but freeze. So that was the reasoning behind it. No wonder, in the original story, the Nine-Tails always seemed to harbor so much hatred, and the term "mass of hatred" was used to describe it. Back then, Kagaya had genuinely believed the Nine-Tails was a monster formed from chakra saturated with hatred. But now, looking at it, that wasn't the case at all. If the Nine-Tails truly were an utterly and completely hate-born entity, then how could Naruto have ever reconciled with it?
Combined with the Five-Tails' words, the Nine-Tails simply had the ability to perceive the filthy malice within human hearts and, because of that, couldn't help but reject humans.
Only upon meeting Naruto—a nearly "pure and innocent" child of destiny who harbored almost no malice—did the Nine-Tails slowly begin to open its heart. But even with all that it still takes time.
Looking at it this way, in that future shinobi world, the only one who could truly reconcile and form a genuine bond with the Nine-Tails was probably Naruto alone. Any other person would inevitably carry at least some degree of malice in their heart.
Oh, and there was also Minato. To some extent, Minato was also a "pure and innocent" type—though, of course, you'd have to add the label of "chuunibyou" to his description as well.
Kagaya shook his head.
"Forget it. Let's not discuss this topic anymore. Let's set out."
The Five-Tails teased. "Willing to bring me along now?"
Kagaya sighed.
"And if I weren't willing? What would you do?"
The Five-Tails laughed. "I would just keep following anyway."
Kagaya closed his eyes in resignation.
"Then there you go."
*BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!*
"Ah!"
*BOOM! BOOM!*
"Damn it!"
All along the journey, Kagaya and the Five-Tails moved together. The earth trembled ceaselessly. Kagaya tried his utmost to acclimate to these tremors, yet he still kept face-planting into the dirt every now and then.
Truthfully, Kagaya could have simply run along the ground. That way, all he'd need to do was use chakra to adhere the soles of his feet to the earth. It wouldn't be like leaping between tree branches, where, because the jumping motion took place in midair with nothing to brace against, he'd keep stumbling every so often.
But Kagaya stubbornly refused to accept this. He wouldn't go down to the ground. He insisted on continuing to leap forward through the branches.
Along the way, he fell who knows how many times. Finally, they arrived at Ryuchi Cave!
A gigantic white serpent was coiled upon an enormous bed. Yet, vast as the bed was, it could only accommodate a small portion of this serpent's body. The snake's coils sprawled more extensively across the floor and walls behind it—densely packed, layer upon layer, a truly horrifying sight.
The bed alone stood roughly four meters high. And the serpent's body had a width of about three meters.
Judging by those numbers alone, it might not seem all that big. But this was a snake! Its coils spread out all around. It was utterly impossible to estimate its full length!
Seeing such an immense white serpent, Kagaya couldn't suppress the goosebumps that erupted all over his body.
In his previous life, he had just been an ordinary person. Even suddenly seeing a snake just one or two meters long would give him a bit of a fright. Let alone a giant serpent of unknown, unimaginable length like this.
To say he wasn't afraid was impossible. But fortunately, he was no longer the same person he used to be. His strength was Kagaya's greatest source of confidence. Although, due to instinct, he reflexively felt a slight fear toward this giant snake, it didn't matter. Under a fully formed Susanoo, all living beings were equal! Except for the Sage of Six Paths, that is.
"Immense chakra. Cold, and equally powerful ocular power. Hmm... an Uchiha?"
The white serpent—the master of Ryuchi Cave, the White Snake Sage—spoke.
After arriving at Ryuchi Cave and being guided by some of the snakes, Kagaya had successfully gained an audience with the White Snake Sage. Thus, the scene before him now unfolded.
Kagaya replied with a serious expression.
"Yes. This humble one is indeed a member of the Uchiha clan."
The White Snake Sage's head resembled that of an elderly woman. She wore a headdress somewhat like dragon horns, and long hair cascaded down behind her.
The most eye-catching feature was the massive smoking pipe held in her mouth.
At that moment, the White Snake Sage narrowed her eyes and carefully scrutinized Kagaya. Then, her expression suddenly turned serious.
"Young Uchiha... you..."
As she reached this point, an invisible force field abruptly enveloped both Kagaya and the White Snake Sage.
The White Snake Sage continued.
"Are you serious, young Uchiha? You, possessing such great power, actually dare to return here from the future? The consequences of disrupting history—are you certain you can bear them?"
Kagaya's eyes instantly flew wide open. He had only come here to learn Senjutsu. What was going on with this giant snake? How could she see through his origins at a single glance, and state it so bluntly?
Cold sweat trickled down Kagaya's forehead. The sensation of being seen through in an instant was simply far too terrifying.
Right... wait. Kagaya remembered that in the original story, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku had also prophesied about history multiple times. Could it be that these Sages of the sacred lands, while perhaps unremarkable in terms of combat ability, truly possessed sage-like abilities in certain other areas?
Indeed, the Sages of these sacred lands had practically never fought in the original work. Yet, in many matters outside of combat, they had often acted in ways truly befitting immortals.
Thinking of this, Kagaya answered.
"This was not of my own volition."
A few wisps of smoke drifted from the White Snake Sage's mouth.
"Oh? Meaning, your return from the future to the present was not something you actively chose to do?"
Kagaya nodded. "That is correct."
The White Snake Sage continued.
"But since you have already arrived, history has likely already been disturbed by your presence. For example, that Tailed Beast outside—it was not originally meant to appear here."
Kagaya steeled himself and asked. "What will happen if history is disturbed?"
The White Snake Sage answered succinctly.
"You will die."
"..."
The White Snake Sage gave a soft laugh.
"You don't seem to believe me? Yet, if you hadn't come seeking me, you would indeed have perished. Let me put it this way. Perhaps, because of your appearance, Senju Tobirama grew even more wary of the Uchiha. And thus, before his death, he completely eradicated the entire Uchiha clan. In that case, do you think you would still exist?"
Saying this, the White Snake Sage exhaled another puff of smoke.
"I'm not joking with you. If you don't believe me, you can run over to Mount Myoboku and ask that half-dead toad. The future it dreams of should have changed by now as well."
The moment those words were spoken, Kagaya truly panicked. He could choose not to believe the White Snake Sage. But the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku—its prophecies had been verified through numerous major events in the original story. Its predictions were absolutely reliable. Since the White Snake Sage dared to tell him to go ask it, then she probably truly wasn't bluffing him.
The White Snake Sage smiled faintly. "Want to avoid death?"
"Yes!" Kagaya answered without hesitation.
The White Snake Sage slowly lowered her serpentine head, bringing it right before Kagaya's face.
"Very well. I've been quite bored myself. I might as well find something to do. At the same time, I shall fulfill my duty. Among the Three Great Sacred Lands, that old toad of Mount Myoboku can intervene in the future. That slug of Shikkotsu Forest can amend the present. And I... I can correct the past. Your situation happens to fall precisely within my jurisdiction. Heh. If you hadn't come to see me and just gone straight back, you would have left me with quite a significant mess to deal with. Fortunately, you came to see me."
******
A/N: Regarding the Three Great Sacred Lands—Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest—only Mount Myoboku has a reasonably detailed setting. The settings for Ryuchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest are practically just empty shells, with so much missing. Ryuchi Cave is slightly better off. Shikkotsu Forest truly suffers—it feels like it only has a name and a slug-like entity.
So, if one wants to write about the sacred lands other than Mount Myoboku, one must add their own original settings onto them.
Here, based on the matter of the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku prophesying the future and then informing Jiraiya about it, I have devised the abilities of the other two Sacred Land Sages.
The Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku can intervene in the "future." The White Snake Sage of Ryuchi Cave can correct the "past." The Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest can amend the "present."
I've also taken into consideration the respective characteristics of each sacred land. The slug's ability to heal injuries is relatively fitting for "amending the present," while the snake's shedding of its skin is relatively fitting for "correcting the past."
I hope you all can grant your understanding!
This humble one bows in gratitude!