Certainty
"There must be a way ..."
Lost in thought, the fox demon wandered through the forest, almost running into a tree again due to the lack of attention to his surroundings - the third one that day.
He had felt it. The strength inside when he spoke to the stars and yet no new tail had appeared to him.
Was it because he couldn't control the power inside himself? Was he too young, compared to the other demons?. Was this maybe the reason? Hadn't he reached the right age yet? No, it couldn't be. He was of legal age, had reached the age limit at which his power began to grow steadily. It had to be something else. But what was it?
Frustrated with himself, he had spent the past few days looking for solutions; for a way to help his friend. Something that would give him that tail and unleash it’s power - the power of a full-fledged fox demon.
He wanted to help him so much, finally wanted to take all the suffering away from him and yet it seemed as if fate would deny him the opportunity to use his own power. No matter what he had done, a ninth tail wouldn’t appear to him and even the slightest bit too much energy was enough to achieve exactly the opposite of what he had hoped for. The eyes of the Uchiha seemed to get whiter every day. Time was running through his fingers, like fine sand – his and his loved ones.
Frustrated with himself and the inability to find a solution, the fox demon leaned his forehead against a tree and closed his eyes for a moment. The furry ears were hanging down the side of his head, the arms dangling resignedly next to his body. What was he to do?
The forest animals watched him with curiosity. Demons were no stranger to them, and yet Naruto seemed different from his peers. He looked naive, awkward and by no means domineering. Years had passed since the forest dwellers saw such a kind-hearted fox demon. It was Naruto's mother who had shaped the heart of the forest long time ago.
"Aaaah it’s driving me crazy! How am I supposed to break this curse if I can't even solve this riddle?! "
The blonde pulled his hair and turned around at once, almost tripping over a tree root. Annoyed, he sank to the forest floor and looked up at the sky.
"Hey wind! You always have something witty to say. Speak to me!"
But the spirit of the wind remained silent.
Not that the puzzles of the wind spirit really helped him, but it nagged Naruto to know that due to his own lack of experience of the processes of his development, he was stuck. It frustrated him immensely.
"It's not bad not to find answers as long as you don’t stop looking for them."
Naruto's ears rose sharply when he heard the gentle, even lovely voice that tore him out of his thoughts so carefully. His eyes went back to the ground where a slug was crawling on its way.
The fox looked confused at the slimy creature.
"What is that supposed to mean? If I don't find the answers, won't I get anywhere? "
The snail laughed a little. How many centuries she had lived in this forest, had seen the generations of animals and demons come and go, and yet had rarely seen such a naive one among them.
"You shouldn't laugh at me, but answer my question!" Naruto grumbled and folded his arms. With his ears slightly put on, he was sulking a little offended. They all just made fun of him all the time! It wasn’t his fault that no one had taught him these things. He had been alone, always. No one had taught him how the demon world worked or what life he was born into.
"Listen to your heart, your instinct. Have you never wondered why most of your kind doesn’t live in the human world? ”
The snail crept leisurely on its way and only glanced at the young fox demon to say goodbye. She had told him everything he needed to know. What he made of this knowledge now had to be seen.
◊◊◊
"SASUKE I GOT THE SOLUTION!"
With a loud bang the door of the small wooden hut opened, almost tearing it from its hinges. The blind one was startled, almost had chopped off his hand in fright as he was preparing their dinner.
"Are you crazy ?! Do you want to kill me ?! ”, he replied gruffly and put a hand on his chest. His heart was racing; the demon had startled him so much. He felt his own pulse hammering hard against his own skin.
"Sorry ..." Naruto grumbled gulty, but took a quick step towards his friend to tell him the news.
"I now know how to get my ninth tail!"
Sasuke took a deep breath and stroked his hair.
"Let me guess, the toad told you?"
"Naah- A snail!"
"A snail…"
Sasuke's dry tone revealed what he thought of this statement.
Now Naruto wanted to make fun of him, right? First toads with pipes in their mouths, now talking snails?
"Yes, a snail. Well, actually she didn't tell me exactly, but after thinking about it, it makes a lot of sense. I have to go to the realm of demons! "
Sasuke paused for a moment. Not that he wasn't surprised, or rather slightly alarmed, when Naruto spoke of thinking about something, no; Naruto had thought about the words of a slug and had come to a conclusion that was somewhat questionable in the human’s eyes.
The Uchiha's face spoke volumes without him been able to prevent it, and Naruto himself noticed how strange he must have sounded.
"Okay, listen. So the snail said I should think about why the demons prefer to stay in their world instead of living in the human world, although it is much more fun here and the reason is actually very obvious: The magical energy is much stronger in the demon world than it is here. ”
Sasuke had to admit that this explanation made sense – although reluctant.
"And you think if you go into the realm of the demons, you will get your last tail from the more powerful energy?"
Naruto nodded eagerly, even if his friend couldn't see him.
"Exactly and if I have it, I'll come back and break your curse. I thought about it carefully. As soon as I have found the entrance, I will enter in the morning and I’ll be back by sunset! ”
He grinned happily, his tails whirling euphorically around them both.
Finally he was sure how to help his friend.
"Hm ..." Sasuke grumbled.
The Uchiha didn't like anything about this plan. He couldn't explain it, but a premonition crept up his spine without manifesting itself in a clear picture. He felt uncomfortable with the thought.
"And you are sure that nothing will happen to you? If the energy is too strong, you could lose your mind. "
Sasuke was worried, seriously worried and he couldn't suppress the uneasiness inside. It wouldn‘t be the first time that the demon's power overpowered him and made him lose control. He remembered the forest fire a few years ago that was caused by the fox. Sure, Naruto also repaired the damages afterwards with his powers, but Sasuke wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t regained control…
"I believe you, but we don't know where the entrance of the demon realm is, at least not exactly. So what are you going to do? "
"I will trust my instincts. The snail said it would guide me and that means that it must be preprogrammed somewhere in my blood to find this portal. ”
Confident, almost arrogant, the demon stuck out his chest.
"Like the hero in shining armor, I will return victorious and free the virgin from her misery," he announced loudly, only making the blind one raising an eyebrow.
"Hero in shining armour? Damsel in distress? Say ... you secretly licked this toad, didn’t you? "
Naruto clearly had lost his mind. Damsel in distress ...
"Eh ... no. I overheard some humans. In their stories the hero always saves the virgin and since I want to save you, I am the hero and you the damsel in distress. "
Sasuke was speechless for a moment.
So much for thinking thing through.