Novel Lived
Arc XII Chapter 23
Arc XII Chapter 23
XII
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Arc XII Chapter 23
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“So the boy lost once again ... Such a failure ... Useless and worthless as usual, despite me having lent him a paw”, Kurama growled from behind the iron bars of his prison, his crimson eyes flickering like embers in the shadows. Not that he had expected much else from his fabulous host.
This girl ... Asami ... A mere glance sufficed to tell, this girl was dangerous. Her chakra ... Her chakra ... For a mere human, for a mere mortal of her time and age to possess such strength ...
The outcome of the battle was a foregone conclusion. The difference in skill and experience was painfully obvious. No matter how much Naruto was relying on his chakra, the girl was not an enemy the boy could hope to defeat. Most certainly not at his current level.
Naruto was fortunate to suffer only a minor flesh wound. He should survive as long as this Sakura girl had even the barest understanding of the art of healing, which she should. As for the rest, his chakra would see to that. He had seen and healed far worse over the centuries.
Kurama closed his eyes, his tails coiling around his body as he prepared to sleep. Not that he had much else to do, ever since the day the fourth Hokage and his wretched woman had bound him to this insufferable place. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, his day never changed. As if all life had ceased for him and time itself stood still. Every day was the same age old monotony. The same old place, bereft of joy and hope. There was only anger, only resentment, only hatred.
The years and the boy’s blatant lack of control might have weakened the seal, but the chains restraining him remained as unyielding as ever, a testament to the skill of the Fourth and the despicable Uzumaki blood of his woman. The day to reclaim his freedom and finally dispense with the nuisance of a boy had not come yet. But he was patient. He could wait. The passage of time was inexorable. He had seen centuries pass. He had seen kingdoms rise and fall. He had seen countless mortals come and go. He knew, thus, that the day would come ... would ... eventually ...
“... ... ...” Kurama jolted up. His ears perked up, his fangs bared. His senses tickled. His senses sharpened. This chakra ... This aura ... This was her. And she was close. There was no doubt, the girl was here, right in front of him, hiding in plain sight, masking her presence. The girl had invaded his mindscape, her prying eyes observing him from the shadows judging him. Such impudence. From a mere mortal, no less.
“Cease your little games, human!!! Your ploys tire me!” Kurama snarled, his furious eyes roaming the entire room in search of the unwelcome intruder balefully. “I sense your presence, girl!!! So, show yourself !!!”
His words went unheeded. The girl refused to comply. The girl refused his order.
“... ... ...” Snarling behind his bars, Kurama growled, “It appears that I was mistaken, after all. You are no different from the rest of your treacherous kin, human. You lack the courage to look me in the eye. Instead, you hide in the shadows like the insects you are. How fitting.”
His words showed the desired effect. His words finally elicited a reaction from the girl.
“Hehehe. Hehehehe.” The sound of her giggle filled the void, sinister and ominous, amused and entertained in equal parts. “Hehehehehe. Hehahahahe.” Was ... Was the girl mocking him? Him? Kurama? The strongest among his siblings? The one most feared and revered by the likes of humans since time immemorial?
Kurama flashed his teeth, fuming, his blood, his chakra boiling. “Be wary, human, you are overstaying your welcome. Know that even my benevolence is limited.” Yet his threats proved scarcely effective. The girl wasn’t intimidated even in the slightest. Quite the contrary.
The shadows receded and from amidst a mist of incandescent purple chakra, a girl emerged, her aura as cold as ice. Long black hair. Her eyelids closed. Her umbrella slung over her shoulder. Her lips formed a smile. “Ara~ ara~, quite the talkative one, aren’t you, Kyuubi?”
“...” Kurama glowered at her, his glare filled with venom. “Temper your tongue, human, if you know what is better for you ... ... ...”
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... ...
... ... ...
The girl opened her eyes. Her response was a gaze unyielding. Two orbs of luminescent purple pierced the darkness of the void and the blood froze in Kurama’s veins, a profound shiver overcoming him, shaking him deep down to the core. Her mere presence sufficed to unsettle him, making his fur crawl.
“Rrrrrrrrrrrr.” Kurama bared his fangs, all of his senses distrusting the girl. Her eyes ... Her eyes alone ... unsettled him to an uncanny degree. They harboured a sinister touch, a disquieting touch of all consuming darkness. A darkness that surpassed even the one of Madara.e
A devilish grin crossed her lustrous lips, betraying her amusement. “Oh my, quite the hostile reaction ... Most unexpected ...”
“Rraaarrrrrrrr.” Kurama snarled, his sense of danger hardly diminishing. He had erred. Her aura ... Her chakra ... Her soul ... The feeble, lingering scent of Indra’s cursed blood ... How ... How could he have been so blind ... The girl ... She was something else. Something beyond mere mortals. Something much more dangerous. A true demon clad in human skin.
The girl tilted her head, giggling with the sinister touch befitting a demon like her. “Now, now, what a courteous welcome. How unfortunate that our time is limited, Kyuubi ... Not that it matters. I have the answers I have sought.”
“What are you blattering about, girl?!” Kurama growled, his disdain palpable.
“...” A smile graced the girl’s lips as her figure vanished, her body slowly dissolving into a fine mist of purple chakra. It was the grin of someone in the know. “Kyuubi, ... you are incomplete, are you not? Your better half ... It is missing, isn’t it?”
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... ...
... ... ...
“... ... ...” Kurama scowled from behind the bars of his prison, yet to no avail. His silence was all the confirmation she required. “... ... ...”
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...
...
“Hehehehe ... Hehehehe ...” The girl giggled from amidst the shadows, satisfied with her deductions, a smirk spreading across her lips. “It is as I thought.
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