Ch140- Familiar Feelings
The creature's voice, once a cascade of thunderous disdain, now held a hint of curiosity, "Why should I trust you, human? Your kind has sought to use and restrain my power for their own gain time and time again. What makes you any different?"
Kai’s boots, caressed by the gentle undercurrents of wind, grounded him amidst the chaotic vortex of chakra that still swirled faintly in the atmosphere. His eyes, a repository of countless battles and unseen stories, remained fixed on the Three Tails, communicating a silent assurance that words often fail to convey.
Kai's response was simple and direct, yet carried an overwhelming weight of assertion, "Because if I wanted to, I could take you by force." His voice did not tremble with arrogance, but rather, was laden with a steadfast conviction.
The Three Tails recoiled momentarily, its singular eye narrowing at the sheer audacity of the statement. Yet beneath the palpable rage that surged within it, a sliver of anxiety flickered. Kai was small compared to even one of its claws, yet his audacious claim infuriated because it harbored an inconvenient truth. During its rebirth, Three Tails had sensed the surroundings and witnessed the battle between Kai and Madara, gauging the frightening capabilities of the human before it. Moreover, the purity of the chakra emanating from Kai was enough to instill a visceral apprehension.
In the silence that permeated between them, Three Tails could discern no deception in the depths of Kai’s gaze. It could sense no malevolent intent emanating from him, merely a serene calmness and silent strength that was somehow unsettling in its own right.
He continued, "I’ve witnessed the incessant cycle of greed and power amongst my own kind, Three Tails. This is not about conquest or showing superiority. It’s about halting a catastrophic event that would put us all in jeopardy."
And in that transparency, Three Tails found itself momentarily adrift in contemplation. His claws, each one a formidable weapon capable of unspeakable destruction, slightly retracted, as if easing from an anticipated confrontation. Its voice, now tempered with a mingled curiosity and lingering suspicion, thrummed through the atmospheric tension, "Your presence echoes with a familiarity that is both perplexing and unsettling, human. Your chakra...it pulses with an uncanny purity that I have sensed only once before, yet even then, not quite like this..."
Kai squinted, the mention of the Sage of Six Paths igniting a faint curiosity. "Are you referring to the Sage of Six Paths?"
Three Tails, Isobu, huffed, the force of which created ripples across the lake's surface. "You humans believe you know everything."
Kai’s gaze didn’t waver. "Not everything, but I do know that the Sage divided the Ten Tails into nine separate entities. You being one of them. Your association with the Sage isn't some clandestine lore to me."
Isobu seemed momentarily taken aback by Kai's knowledge. Its large eye bore into Kai's, analyzing him with a new intensity. After a pause, the beast rumbled, "Isobu. That's my name."
Acknowledging the introduction, Kai offered a succinct reply. "Kai."
Kai took a deep breath, steadying himself. "I'm going to transfer you to a different dimension. The Jinchurikis of the One Tail and Two Tails are already there. I'm arranging to bring the others too."
Upon hearing this, agitation surged within Isobu. The water around him frothed and churned with his rising emotion. "You plan to keep them imprisoned? My kin?"
Kai sighed, the weight of the situation evident. "I do intend to sort that out once the imminent threat is neutralized. But at present, it's the safest option."
Isobu's gaze bore into Kai, trying to ascertain the human's true intentions. Kai held his ground, maintaining eye contact with the behemoth. The two powerhouses stood at an impasse, each trying to gauge the other.
Kai, unmoved by the turbulent waters or the palpable tension emanating from the gigantic creature before him, spoke with a resolute calmness that contrasted the chaotic backdrop, "You can remain here if you prefer, Isobu. A single Tailed Beast won’t alter the tide of battle, nor will it suffice to forge the Ten Tails. I only seek to prevent them from pursuing you. So, choose your path."
The surface of the lake, now a maelstrom of swirling water, reflected the inner turmoil of Isobu. The large, singular eye of the Three Tails pierced into Kai, deciphering the veracity that laid within his words and demeanor. The gigantic creature, Isobu, rumbled in contemplation, its voice, still echoing a dominating resonance, yet now threaded with a palpable uncertainty.
“Human, you propose an alternative yet again marred by imprisonment. My kin and I, we have been shackled by your kind before, used as weapons, as tools of destruction. Your assurance, while seemingly sincere, does not dispel the echoes of past betrayals,” Isobu vocalized, the swirling energies around him emphasizing his trepidation.
Kai nodded in understanding, his demeanor unwavering amidst the colossal creature’s distrust. His reply came as a steadfast assurance, a promise rooted in action rather than just eloquent words.
“I do not negate the wrongs of the past, Isobu. The historical narrative between humans and the Tailed Beasts is tainted with manipulation and deceit. But understand this — my intentions are not derived from a desire to use or imprison you. I seek a path of least devastation, for all beings involved.”
Isobu, amidst the chaotic swirling of water and chakra around it, seemed to momentarily pause, as if processing the genuineness that resonated from Kai's utterances. It could perceive no falsity or deceit, yet the scars of past human interactions lingered heavily upon its vast consciousness.
“You radiate an authenticity I have seldom sensed from humans, Kai. It perplexes me, even as I linger within this turbulent cocoon of mistrust."
Isobu then spoke, albeit grudgingly, "Fine, not like I have much choice." Kai offered a simple nod in response, and with a casual wave of his hand, Isobu disappeared. The Three Tails found itself momentarily enveloped in an unfamiliar, albeit serene emptiness, starkly contrasting the turbulent energies it was engulfed in moments ago. Even with its innate power and awareness, it hadn't fully grasped the extent to which Kai could manipulate reality with such ease and nonchalance.
Meanwhile, Kai stood alone amidst the now calming waves of the lake, his posture relaxed yet perpetually alert. His gaze lingered on the spot where Isobu had been just moments ago, pondering on the reluctant trust the colossal beast had placed in him.
He let out a gentle exhale, his breath mingling with the subtle zephyrs that whispered across the water. Kai's thoughts lingered momentarily on the intricacies of the path ahead, yet his spirit, ever so resolute, stood undeterred amidst the unfolding chaos. His intentions were genuine, yes, but the spectral echoes of the betrayals faced by the Tailed Beasts in their historical tapestry with humans were not lost on him.
Maybe it was a hidden kinship that enabled Kai to extend empathy towards the Tailed Beasts, particularly creatures like Isobu. He, too, was once a silhouette, emotionally sequestered in a realm woven from threads of distrust and solitude. His approach to life had always been pragmatic, staying shrouded in an emotional mist that was hardly penetrable by others.
Tsunade, with her unbridled nature and caring undercurrent, was the first to plant seeds in the barren soil of his emotional landscape. She, unknowingly, nurtured the fragile sprouts of trust within him, proving with her unwavering solidarity that there was sincerity to be found in connections. The initially unintended alliance with Tsunade burgeoned into something deeper, something that opened a tiny, yet persistent aperture through which Kai began to perceive emotional bonds as less of a liability.
Subsequent connections with Samui, Mikoto, and Mito presented him with diverse facets of love and alliance, each woman offering different perspectives, strengths, and vulnerabilities that incrementally broadened his emotional horizons. Reina, his daughter with Tsunade, brought forth a paternal love, an instinctive desire to protect and nurture which, to some extent, thawed the icy exterior that enveloped him. But make no mistake; Kai’s strength was never diminished by these blossoming connections. If anything, it rooted him, providing a quiet, yet profound resolve that permeated through his every action.
Kai mulled over the events with Isobu, dissecting the Tailed Beast's apprehensions, understanding them because, in them, he saw reflections of his old self. It wasn’t pity that he felt toward the creature; it was an unspoken understanding that even entities of immeasurable power could be shackled by their emotional and historical burdens.
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