In Spite of it all (BOOK TWO)

Chapter 37

Naruto POV~

'Kurama?'

"Hm?"

'Thank you.'

"No problem, kit."

"What are you going to do? Talk to him?" Sasuke muttered to me.

"I don't know. If we all fight, he shouldn't be able to counter with his Kamui." I replied quietly. "When he kidnapped me from the five kage summit, I learned a few things about how it works. I'm pretty sure that when he phases through something, he's not phasing. He's going to his own private dimension. I was there for like, a day. It's weird. Also, he has to turn tangible to touch things again, so that gives a small window of opportunity for us to land a hit if we're fast enough."

Sasuke snorted, "We're plenty fast, dobe. I'm sure he is, too. It's a matter of timing."

"Obviously." I scoffed. He swatted me playfully.

"Anyways, what about the Bijuu?"

"What about them?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment. "I've been talking to the Bijuu in Konoha."

"I heard. Son Goku told me."

He nodded. "Are they going to fight too?"

I shrugged. "Each of them gave me a part of their chakra, which links to their minds. They can all communicate with me now, and I can use a bit of each of their power. They can be with us, too, like what Son Goku was just doing. So, I guess, if they wanted to fight Tobi, they can if I'm there."

"Hm." Sasuke tilted his head, "What's it like?"

"What?"

"Having Kurama, and now the other Bijuu, with you all the time? Having two consciousnesses in the same body?"

I was caught a little off guard by the question. "Well...I'm used to it by now, so I don't really know what it's like to not have someone else to talk to in my head. Just being alone in my own body. Kurama's been with me since I was a baby, so if I were to lose him," I paused, "Well, first of all, I would die if I lost Kurama. Once someone becomes a Jinchuriki they can't survive a Tailed Beasts being taken out of them. And I guess I would feel...empty? Like I lost someone important. You know, I guess it'll be like getting my heart violently ripped out of my body."

Sasuke blinked. "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh.'"

He flicked my head lightly and I yelped dramatically.

The question mulled in the back of my mind for the rest of the day. True, if I lost Kurama I would die, but I'm realizing just how lonely I would've been without him. I realized more than ever. For the first time in years, I was wondering what would happen if I never had Kurama. Never had anyone to talk to about my day, to ask for advice, to comfort me when I was sad, to whisper my secrets to in the cold darkness of my empty room...

Kurama was the parent I never had. Even when the whole village abandoned me, he didn't.

'Kurama?'

"Yeah?"

'I love you.'

In response, he hummed softly, a deep, reverberating sound that echoed deep in my bones.

He didn't need to say it for me to understand that he felt the same.

That night, we stopped and made camp a few miles from where Tobi was. He was in that cave near where I saw him talking to Kabuto once. With him was the Gedo statue, the swirling cloud of Shukaku and Matatabi's chakra within it.