"All you Ningen look alike, why should I concern myself with such petty trivialities?" Naruto shrugged nonchalantly, looking away for a moment as if in serious thought about the obviously rhetorical question.
"Common courtesy?" Again all he got was an indignant snort as the great fox lay down on its stomach, head rested on its paws.
"Is there any particular reason for this visit Ningen, do you not remember how all of our past encounters have gone?" Naruto did in fact remember, he would come into the seal, attempt to gain a sliver of insight into the Kyuubi's motives or thoughts only to be rebuked and occasionally, forcevly ejected from the seal. He had gotten better at resisting it though once h found Kyuubi was using his Chakra to push him out, it was a simply task to simply absorb it instead. The fox had stopped trying after the third attempt, opting instead to ignore the pest, at least until today.
"I wanted to ask you about the Sage." The Kyuubi merely growled at him, it would have been incredibly threatening save for the enormous bars that stood between the two. "You once said I couldn't compare to him; that means you must have known him." Suddenly the growling stopped and when Naruto looked up he saw the Kyuubi looking away, off into the darkness of the cell.
"What is this Ningen? Have you given up on your foolish quest to 'understand' me?" The great fox frowned as the blonde simply grinned in response; it unnerved the Bijuu to see somebody so calm stand, or sit, before him. The last person to do that was... long dead, and the powerful being suddenly had to remind itself of that fact as it gazed down at the smiling blonde.
"Oh no, I never give up on anything, but I think you'll talk to me when you are ready." Ignoring the indignant grunt of denial that followed he continued. "I simply want to learn more about my ancestor. It would be nice to know something about the original wielder of my eyes. How else am I supposed to live up to his legacy?" He blinked when he found the great beast strangely quite, not evn a dismissive growl was thrown his way.
"If that is your wish then you should simply give up now; the Sage of the Six Paths was a God amongst you Ningen. You will never even hope to attain even a sliver of the power that man wielded in a single hand." Naruto actually gawked for a moment; that had been the most passionate thing he had heard from the Kyuubi that had not been out of anger. The fox seemed to realise that as well and quickly resets its features into the usual scowl. Recovering quickly the same serene smile was quickly on Naruto's face.
"It sounds like you admire him." The Kyuubi looked down at the blonde, its slitted pupils narrowing slightly; however there was no denying grunt or snort.
"He had my respect." Naruto blinked again, this conversation was just full of surprises.
"So there is a side of you that is not simply rage and anger." As if to disprove this very point the Kyuubi growled deeply, glistening white teeth bared. Naruto filed the Sage away as a touchy subject for the fox before standing up, dusting himself off despite the floor being immaculately clean. "Well I better be going now, don't think this is over." The Kyuubi's answer was to get back up and slink off into the darkness which Naruto couldn't help but compare to a petulant child.
"Whatever you say Ningen." With a satisfied nod Naruto took another look around the room before seemingly fading from existence.
After that Naruto had slowly managed to worm information out of the rather petulant fox. No matter how indignant the Kyuubi might appear it was fairly easy for Naruto to rile it up enough get it to let slip some information. It was all about pushing the buttons necessary to irritate it, something the blonde was exceedingly skilled at. It helped Naruto could create essentially anything he could imagine within the seal, even if the ability did not extent to the seal itself. It seemed the Fourth Hokage had no wish for the Kyuubi to find a way to make his prison more hospitable.
According to the very vehement opinion of the Kyuubi, the Sage was a very different person to Naruto. He was incredibly calm and level-headed, always having a plan for pretty much any situation and when he didn't he easily made up for it in pure unadulterated power. However begrudgingly the great fox admitted the two had their similarities; their attitudes towards never giving up for one. Apparently they also shared similar beliefs on peace, although whether or not that was due to their shared experiences as monks was debatable. Either way the Fox was oddly aggressive when it came to the Sage's various views and beliefs, never revealing too much.
Naruto sighed as he began the long trudge up yet another dune; all he had on this monotonous trek through the shifting, scorching sands were his thoughts and memories. A light jangling from his Shakujou suddenly broke his concentration, a soft smile gracing his lips as he looked at it. To his eyes it glowed with its own inner light, a pale blue that always managed to calm his swirling thoughts. It wasn't even five days ago he had received it, on the day he left the temple.
"I'm gonna miss you man." Naruto smiled sadly at his friend as the two came together for a warm hug.
"I'll miss you too." The blonde chuckled as they pulled away, his hand still on the former-Jinchuuriki's shoulder. "But you know me, I'll be back. It's only a few years at most."Suddenly the two felt hands on their shoulders, looking around they found Chiriku smiling at them fondly.
"Indeed, it is always a joyous occasion when a monk elects to go on a journey to find themselves and at the same time it is filled with much melancholy. Nevertheless it is a part of becoming a monk that we all must go through at some point. When Naruto returns he will not only be stronger, but wiser from it." The blonde grinned appreciatively at his sempai, when he came back from this trip he wouldn't have to call him that any more. Sor on the other hand gave a small, but playful snort.
"Pfft, Naruto become wiser, you would have an easier time getting that spoon away from Chigasu." His face became slightly more serious as he turned back around, pulling something out of his robe pocket. "But seriously, you better become stronger man, I wouldn't want you to come back and be too easily defeated by me." He opened his hand revealing a small bead shaped like a comma with a hole in the rounder part. Naruto had seen them worn by various monks around the temple before, as necklaces or attached to their belts, it was a Magatama.
"Wow thanks Sora." He picked up the small earring with a grin, quickly clipping it to his ear, the small white bead catching the sun for a moment. "I appreciate it." He really did, it was a thoughtful gift, supposed to bring good luck on travels.
.
.
.
🎉You can find the complete story in PDF format on my Tiendup site. Consider supporting me and continue reading.🎉
🎉https://sevenfic.tiendup.com/🎉