"What the heck is wrong with this guy?" Naruto looked at Kurama with total disgust on his face.
Sasuke thought it over and said: "Maybe the sudden power surge got him too hyped up, so he lost his mind."
Sure thing.
But Kurama acting crazy isn't anything new. It'll blow over in a couple of days. No big deal.
"Hmm?" Kurama sensed the bad vibes and got on guard.
Naruto looked up at the sky, Sasuke cleared his throat and stared at Kaguya. Right now, the most important thing was Kaguya up ahead.
"I'm pretty sure you two are badmouthing me." Kurama narrowed his eyes at them, his gaze full of threats.
Naruto shook his head fast: "I'm not."
Sasuke didn't even glance at Kurama, his eyes drifting to Kaguya: "So, last words? Anything else to say?"
Sasuke in wedge mode had an extremely arrogant look. This pride coming from deep inside was even stronger than Urashiki's.
You could also describe his face right now.
It was missing a good beating.
"Yeah, he could use a solid beating." Kurama gave Sasuke a meaningful look.
Sasuke felt a chill down his back.
Kaguya watched the weird scene with the two guys and one fox, took a deep breath, and her tone went flat again: "If my power got back to its peak... no, even at peak, facing you three would just give me a shot at winning. A sure win... that's not happening."
The two in front of her and the fox: two at limitless level, close to the Otsutsuki clan, even reaching what Hagoromo and Hamura once were. One was already Otsutsuki, strength unknown but definitely not weaker than Momoshiki and the others.
With her current power, no way to fight back.
Defeat was certain.
"That's all for your final words?" Sasuke rolled his neck. The massive power brought massive confidence.
"You might want to think about your own final words..." Kurama said to Sasuke in a spooky tone.
Sasuke: "..."
Watching this, Kaguya let out a light laugh, like she saw something fun. The corner of her mouth curved up without thinking: "Final words? No, just now, I made a decision. One that won't affect you at all."
Her memories were getting clearer. Those memory fragments had a lot of interesting stuff.
Naruto scratched the back of his head and raised his hand, curious: "Can I ask what it is?"
"No need to hide it." Kaguya looked up and locked eyes with Kurama. "For us Otsutsuki, death isn't the end. Because of the wedge, we can be reborn at limitless. And because of the wedge, we can get the host's... knowledge."
"Then what?" Kurama didn't get it.
Why say it and stare at me? It's creepy.
Kaguya tilted her head and chuckled: "Nothing. I'm just interested in Earth now. I want to check out that world's knowledge. Like you said, trying to be a total shut-in sounds like a good choice too."
Kurama: "???"
How the hell do you know... wait, I never said "Earth"!
Kurama looked shocked: "No one in this world knows 'Earth' except the old Six Paths guy. You... got taken over again?"
"Hagoromo, even if he's into weird stuff, wouldn't take over his own mo..." Kaguya's words cut off halfway. She covered her mouth with both hands, face a bit red as she looked at Kurama. "Anyway, I'm not going to end up fighting myself like you."
Kurama: "..."
Kaguya... got my memories!
Dark history +1
Damn! Old Six Paths guy, you ruin everything!
Hagoromo: What does this have to do with me?
But... why?
Kurama didn't understand how Kaguya got his memories.
That old Hagoromo guy was the Ten-Tails jinchuriki, and Kurama split from the Ten-Tails as a chakra being, so Hagoromo could access his memories anytime through their chakra link.
But Kaguya had no chakra link with him.
Wait... was his other half... eaten?
Kurama froze in place, blinking at Kaguya.
"Being cute?" Kaguya blurted it out, then covered her mouth again.
She didn't want to turn into Kurama. Still, she had her pride.
"Black Zetsu..." Kurama looked at Kaguya with a face like his life was falling apart. "I ate Black Zetsu, and he's part of you. Plus my half inside the Ten-Tails... you used Black Zetsu and the Ten-Tails' chakra as a key to link to me and peek at my memories?"
Black Zetsu, as part of the chakra fruit, fused with Kurama's own chakra. And Black Zetsu was Kaguya's split-off afterbirth, so he had her memories. In turn, Kaguya had Black Zetsu's memories.
Since Black Zetsu was totally gone, that link shifted to the Nine-Tails who ate the chakra fruit.
Add in the half Nine-Tails inside the Ten-Tails, and Kurama linked to Kaguya through Black Zetsu's chakra. Kaguya linked to Kurama through the half Nine-Tails in the Ten-Tails. The two-way path opened when Kurama ate the chakra fruit.
It was... super awkward.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged looks, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.
They still didn't get what was going on. Why did Kurama and Kaguya suddenly start "gazing deeply" at each other?
Kaguya looked at Kurama and dropped her hand from her mouth: "I didn't peek on purpose. Your chakra just leaked some to me by accident. I only saw bits and pieces."
Kurama's face stayed dark and silent.
Kaguya went on: "Like... one part where Naruto asks why the Truth-Seeking Balls are nine instead of ten. Isn't ten bigger than nine? And you say: In giant fox thinking, the special 'nine' is bigger than 'ten.' That's the real answer."
After saying that, Kaguya looked at Kurama with a puzzled face: "Why is nine bigger than ten?"
Kurama: "..."
I can't tell her it's a fox thing... whatever, I have pride too.
"Skip that. Back to the earlier question." Kurama smoothly changed the subject. "I still don't get what you meant by 'being a shut-in sounds good.' Do you have the power to travel between worlds?"
"No, I don't." Kaguya shook her head.
"Then why..." Kurama wanted to push it, but Kaguya cut him off. "I don't have to answer an enemy's questions, Kurama. Let's fight. Seal me or kill me, I don't care anymore."
"Like you could win." Kurama's face soured.
He was really curious what Kaguya was up to.
Kaguya said nothing more, just got into a fighting stance. Looked like... she was going all out.
Kurama took a deep breath: "The flashback is done, now it's time to bring in the fight."
"You got it backwards." Kaguya activated her Byakugan, her white eyes reflecting Kurama's form.
She... suddenly laughed.
I think I just felt something not like an Otsutsuki.
Kurama, help me test it. What is this feeling? M.I.
Kurama shivered, getting a bad feeling.
---
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