Death's Face

Ren did not know where he had received the courage to say that sort of cocky shit to the strongest of the Bijuu, but it was too late to regret it.

Each passing second sounded like eternity to him. The Kyuubi finally decided to respond by moving its entire body to a part of the cage where it was fully visible. Ren inwardly shivered, but somehow managed to keep his fear inside himself and not show it when facing the full might of the chakra construct which definitely was over two hundred meters in height.

[…]

Silence governed the sewer and he began to feel intoxicated and overwhelmed. His body worked at full speed to find a way to solve this.

[I always questioned father's decision of trusting humans with the gift of chakra, but up to today I've never seen a primate cocky enough to dare to call me like that. Even the greatest of shinobi have always held back such words when in front of me.]

Ren gulped down saliva he had been unconsciously holding back as he recollected his mind back together. He had no clue what had taken him by storm to have the balls to say something like that to the fucking Nine Tails but it wasn't time to rethink previous decisions.

[I've lived for over a thousand years. My eyes have witnessed the birth of many puny 'great' humans and the death of many such people, but you… take the top by storm with the amount of stupidity and bravery at the same time.]

The one claw which the fox had put forward slammed into the wet floor and plunged through it effortlessly. This act made Ren flinch backwards but he still stood his ground, recovering a split of a moment later.

There must've been a pipe just directly below it, as the hole gave way to water of great pressure which the Uzumaki barely dodged due to being half-present and half-missing from the situation.

[Listen carefully, my name is not for you vile primates to hear and learn. You've plagued the lands my father carefully tended to and turned his miracle into a curse. What was supposed to aid humanity to reach a new era of peace, was instead used to continue an era of warfare and blood and just increase the scale of it!

Ren pried a hand off his body and widened his palm, allowing a seal to spread on his skin and explode similarly to red fireworks.

Out of the explosion came out a knife. Just for one look at it you could see it was not meant for warfare or fighting; it resembled knives used for ceremonial purposes. The sheath was clad with red and had a black whirlpool carved onto it. The pommel was visibly uncomfortable to hold onto as parts of it were not flat and instead formed a dragon whose mouth ended at the blade. The tip of the blade curved unnaturally and just judging by the style of forging and metal one could easily see that it had origins somewhere in the Land of Iron or elsewhere.

[That knife…]

Recognition entered the Kyuubi's once dim eyes as they widened beyond human capability. Ren walked forward, dodging the retreating finger of the chakra menace in front of him and played with the knife in his hand.

"This was the knife the Uzumaki Clan Head at the time gave the Hashirama Senj and Madara Uchiha when they oversaw the creation of the village. It was meant to serve as a sign of a century of peace and prosperity and also as a connection between the two villages."

Ren let out a laugh of bitterness. His eyes lost any sign of fear and only showed a mixture of anger and diminishing hatred. His hand caressed the sheathed knife without a care in the world

"Instead, Konohagakure refused the good will of our people and inside a century, fought over three wars which caused destruction and blood to be shed endlessly in the Elemental Nations. Heh, those villages claim to have not touched any non-shinobi; the truth is that they kidnapped anyone they deemed to have potential."

"But you know what? Fate and Destiny are not things humanity can tread. This knife was supposed to be the start of a century of prosperity and peace, but it served as the start to a century of warfare and bloodshed."

"During the same time-period, Kirigakure went under a bloody revolution, anyone with a bloodline was killed or forced to hide in despair and fear that they might be the next to die. Iwagakure suffered under several terrorist attacks all done by a missing-nin called Deidara."

"Suna lives with conditions which can only be described as bordering poverty. Meanwhile the Daimyo's live their life in wealth and the best life has to offer."

"Do you know where I am getting on with this, Kyuubi?"

[All you've said so far merely confirms my previous words of your people being a disease to this planet – and there's no correlation whatsoever.]

"Indeed, humanity is a virus which needs to be cut and gotten rid of. But you're wrong about all of this."

"Truly, can you blame a predator for making full use of its surroundings or landscape? Can you blame the prey for trying every possible method to escape their eventual demise?"

"Humanity simply took that to the next level. As unnecessary as a lot of our actions might seem, it is simply the due to previous situations that they continue to happen."

[Brat, you make no sense, but whatever makes you feel better at night. I am not here to talk to you about humanity and this nonsense. My survival does not rely on the betterment of the planet either way.]

"What I am getting to is that if the planet had an issue with our existence – that if the planet even has a will of its own – do you truly think humanity would still be alive? Would it not be hypocritical for the planet that gave birth to us to be incapable of getting rid of us?"

"Humanity pillages; humanity steals; humanity kills; humanity rapes; humanity shames existence; humanity spreads the greatest of diseases. Humanity is the source of most evil in this world, but if not us, there'd be something or someone else who'd do the same."

{You enslaved the world's will you brat.}

The Kyuubi snorted deep inside his heart, but did not have the patience to tell him such stuff and instead shook his head from a side to another. After all the Juubi was the world itself, and he was one of the Juubi's fragments – strongest fragment if he might add.

[You lie, and you know that yourself.]

How could someone hide what they actually felt from him? It was one of his innate skills after all.

Ren scratched the back of his head and his face turned the same color as his hair. 'Urgh… I went all bullshit on him, truth to be told. Humanity doesn't deserve any sort salvation nor understanding, but I can't I can't let a chakra construct trashtalk my race just like that.'

[But that knife you showed me is not a simple one you fool. I do not know how you acquired it, but it is the knife who my father gifted to his son on the morrow of the day he died.]

Ren focused entirely on the Kyuubi's words. As a matter of fact, this knife was one he was given by the Third Hokage on the day he no longer needed a guardian. He just took it out to distract the Kyuubi from his previous comments of calling it a 'motherfucker'.

It was given to him as a reminder of the deal his ancestors had once had with the First Hokage and to somehow 're-start' the cycle in good faith. Personally, he just thought it was just a way for that old man to sell the idea of the Will of Fire to him.

It didn't work if you were wondering.

[What? Did you actually think I was going to reveal whatever secret the knife holds to you? Is your brain empty or do you think with your tiny tool down there?]

A disdainful tone was present as it spoke. Its front limbs were used to support its head as it stared at him. The redhead shrugged before asking:

"Ah well, worth a try. I guess since talking about humanity's demise and stuff wasn't the reason you called me here, I assume you have another reason of equal if not higher importance?"

The orange-furred fox tilted its head before letting out a guffawed laugh.

[Indeed, the purpose of me 'welcoming' you to the domain I've been inside of for the last decade and some more is for a different purpose. Tell me puny kid, have you ever heard what made the Uzumaki so fearsome?]

What made the Uzumaki feared throughout history?

What sort of question was that?

Fuinjutsu? Their innate intelligence which was practically unmatched by any other clan maybe excluding the Nara? The fact they literally made a one-clan only village? That it took 3 hidden villages to destroy it?

Those could not be the answer the Kyuubi was seeking. After all most of those were common knowledge, and surely a being as great as the Kyuubi would not be interested in such trivia.

[Here's the deal brat. If you do something for me, I will lower myself and give you a technique of an affinity of your choice; Wind, Lightning, Water, Fire… The choices are endless and my arsenal even more. I might not have an use for such jutsus, but I have my fair collection of them.]

Finally, a light illuminated Ren's thought as he realized what the Kyuubi might be potentially asking for. He had mentioned a 'father' before, could it be that he wanted to revive his father somehow?

The Uzumaki did have something similar, but he was unsure if that could aid the Kyuubi's search, after all it's been lost for decades. No one had ever managed to find the mysterious and mythical item which could grant such a thing to a mortal.

Ren himself could not fathom why a being as great as the Kyuubi would ever want to deal with something like it. Even the Uzumaki books his house held and possessed never spoke of it in a good light, always referring to it as a harbinger of evil and darkness.

"Kyuubi do you seriously want me to go and bring you something as eccentric and irregular as that?"

The greatest of the nine tailed beasts moved his head forward and grinned with amused eyes as his slitted eyes fluctuated.

[Ahoya, seems like you finally realized it brat. Apparently, your brain might not be as empty as I previously thought.]

[Yes boy, I want that, or rather I want you to do something related to that.]

[Use the face of the avatar of death itself and bring my other half back to me. Do that and I shall grant you a wish.]