The Legend of the Kyubi

"I see you returned safely, Mitsuki" - said Orochimaru seeing his son in perfect condition.     

"The mission was a success, but Uzumaki Kurama is more dangerous than we thought, father" - said Mitsuki in terror.     

"Never mind, having gotten the mask is more than enough..." - Orochimaru said while ignoring everything else.     

"But father, as far as I know, the mask was not necessary because Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama were not captured by the Shinigami, but their souls were returned to the Pure World" - said Mitsuki seriously because he felt that he had risked his life for nothing.     

"The mask is not for them, but for me" - said Orochimaru while looking at his hands with a frown - "Despite being able to use my hands after taking possession of another body, I still feel a deep discomfort when using Jutsu, proving that the old man's Shiki Fujin still haunts me, that's why I need the mask."     

"I see..." - Mitsuki muttered as he now finally understood the situation.     

"Honestly, this doesn't change things much, but seeing that I'm going to die at any moment, I'd like to be whole one last time, and who knows, maybe by getting my arms back my soul will stabilize a bit" - said Orochimaru seriously as he indicated to Mitsuki his next actions.     

"I'll go make preparations, father" - said Mitsuki as he silently withdrew.     

"Phase 1 completed, now I just need to stabilize myself a bit more, so I can use the Body Possession Jutsu in the most optimal way possible..." - Orochimaru muttered as he closed his eyes to concentrate on his recovery. Soon the Elemental Nations would see his last act, and he was sure it would be a 'pleasant' surprise for Akatsuki.     

* * * * *     

A deep silence had invaded the tent that the Uzumaki clan was using as a base of operations.     

The battle between the allied forces and the White Zetsu army had ended half an hour ago with the victory of the shinobi, although the shinobi were not happy because the losses had not been few.     

Many shinobi had shown their clear displeasure at seeing how Kurama had not participated in the battle, though after a little talk with their leaders and the reasoning of their peers, they could only be embarrassed by their actions because they were treating the red-haired man as if he was their servant.     

"Ok, I think it's time for us to talk, Kuro-chan" - Kushina said seriously when she saw the attitude her husband had after having a conversation with Shukaku.     

Kurama nodded when he heard this because he still felt it was time to talk things over calmly because this was something important for everyone present. He began to talk to them about what he had been thinking about, leaving out of the conversation for the time being the fact that he had talked to Obito and Orochimaru's reappearance.     

The women's expression was getting paler and paler because they had not thought about this detail. They were so happy with their current lives that they hadn't thought about the future.     

Kushina was silent with an expression that showed how terrified she was at the redhead's words because the time had finally come to face the harsh reality. She just like Kurama, had been trying to put off the inevitable because she knew the truth was something she didn't want to acknowledge.     

"Immortality..." - Mei muttered as she sighed regretfully because she didn't know what to say - ". . ."     

Mikoto tried to say something, only to sigh regretfully because there was nothing she could say to try to brighten or lighten the very tense atmosphere inside the tent, even Tayuya, who had the ability to say something stupid at the most serious moment, was completely mute.     

"I... I could use my ability to regenerate the cells of our bodies and thus have a much longer life span... but it's only a temporary solution because the more we use that Jutsu, the lesser its effects will be in the future, not to mention that constant exposure to Nature's Energy is not a good idea" - said Tsunade while shaking her head - "Now I feel that Orochimaru's wish wasn't so bad..."     

The other women said nothing in response to Tsunade's words about her old teammate.     

"Couldn't we use Edo Tensei as a last resort?" - Kin asked while frowning.     

"Impossible!" - Kurama exclaimed seriously, earning a glare from all the women because they never expected such a strong answer from the red-haired man - "Edo Tensei is a curse far worse than immortality..."     

Just thinking about how Kushina, Mikoto, Tsunade, and the others would suffer for being victims of that abomination of Jutsu, was something that made him furious to the point of wishing he had a Jutsu to travel to the past and beat up Tobirama for creating that shitty technique.     

"As much as I wish to spend eternity with Kurama-kun, he's right..." - Mikoto said while looking down - "Not to mention that our children will suffer from seeing us like this..."     

The women again remained silent because they could imagine the situation.     

"Right, our children!" - Tsunade exclaimed as her eyes widened in surprise. If they were half Bijuu, then that meant they would have to go through a similar situation.     

"Unlike me, Naruto and the others are not immortal" - Kurama replied as he sighed regretfully - "Naruto and the Sextuplets will live for many years because of being Uzumaki descendants on both parents' side, maybe about 600-700 years..."     

"And Izumi-chan?" - Mikoto asked as she looked at her husband.     

"I'd say he'll live about 400 years... the maximum time a pure-blood Uzumaki can live without using their forbidden abilities..." - Kurama replied as he started to think - "My Bijuu part outside the external changes such as the fox ears and tail, as well as their transformation ability and the massive chakra they possess despite being children, only made our children's DNA purified, further enhancing their qualities resulting from their clans of origin..."     

Mikoto let out a sigh of relief when she heard this because at least she was with peace of mind that her baby would not have to suffer the same as her husband, though she was now saddened that Kurama would not only have to deal with the loss of each of them but also that of their children.     

"I... I need some time alone..." - Kurama said because he honestly didn't want to be in this place any longer. He could feel the women's emotions and this made his situation much more difficult - "If you need me, you know how to call me."     

With that said, Kurama disappeared from the place, leaving the women unable to say anything to make him stay.     

"I think... we should think things over between us..." - Kushina said as she earned the gaze of all present - "Not only for our sake but for Kuro-chan's stability."     

The women nodded weakly as they heard this before getting down to business.     

* * * * *     

Kurama slowly appeared outside the Allied Army Central Base as he looked up at the starry sky, only to frown when he sensed a familiar presence - "What do you want, Sasuke?"     

"I saw a flash of red and I knew it would be you" - Sasuke replied as he shrugged - "And now I appreciate you coming, I feel like you need to blow off some steam, so start talking."     

Kurama gave Mikoto's son a neutral look, only to sigh regretfully - "You're annoying, you know that?"     

"It's not the first time you've said that to me, but at the same time you know I'm always there to talk" - Sasuke replied while giving him a small, almost imperceptible smile.     

"If you were a woman, I would have left you walking with crutches" - Kurama said while a huge smile appeared on his face.     

"If you're going to start with your bullshit, then I better leave" - said Sasuke with disgust because he didn't find the idea funny - "Anyway, better talk, I'm sure that after releasing everything you have inside you're going to be a little better"     

"I see that the birth of your daughter has made you mature much faster than I thought" - said Kurama as he shook his head before putting a privacy seal so no one would hear what they were about to talk about.     

"I see..." - Sasuke muttered as he closed his eyes for a few seconds after hearing his friend's story - "First, I thank you for telling me something as personal as this. Second, I'm glad you're taking the situation so seriously for the happiness of my mother and the other members of your clan. Third, you're being a jerk..."     

". . ." - Kurama frowned when he heard this because it wasn't the answer he expected.     

"If you know that you will continue to exist after their deaths, then you can only do one thing" - Sasuke said as he looked at the red-haired man seriously - "Make their time by your side something they will remember even in the pure world and when they depart, make their memories live forever in your heart."     

Kurama opened his eyes in surprise when he heard this, only to sigh regretfully.