The Struggle Begins; Taming the Nine-tails

Rocore sighed after writing his report to the Raikage he had decided it was long since time he started taming Kurama. He descended into the depths of his mansion, to his private dojo. A rather large open space, an underground stream ran through on the far wall giving a calming sound to the room. He took his seat at the center and closed his eyes, there was no longer time left to lose. Kurama must be tamed, for the good of the cloud...
Within his mind everything was in flux, perhaps it was the stress of travel, running a Clan, arranging diplomatic missions... And having a tailed beast within himself. He stood on a peak in the middle of the ocean, a raging storm tormented the skies and sea below. As he looked over the cliff he could only see foam and spray in a dark, ominous ocean. Upon turning around his eyes looked upon a massive jail, red bars, and behind it all the giant nine-tailed fox…
"I was wondering when you'd come to claim my power..." The fox harbored much rage toward the Sannin but still had to give its respect. In single combat the human had won. Behind powerful bars of a cage, the tailed beast was laying, waiting for the first sign of weakness in the man before him.
"If I didn't have a use for it I'd have left you after our battle... The chance to control such power for the Cloud is too much to pass up though. The time has come, I will claim your tails and the power you wielded against me… The raw strength and speed, the chakra… Everything, I will make it so no one questions the power of the Yotsuki clan and the Village hidden in the Clouds. Even the thought of war will bring my name and they will reconsider every plan. With your chakra I will be the Jinchuuriki of Kurama, the Storm God of Ninja.” He stated and immediately broke the seal on the walls to the surprise of the beast. His conviction and determination were simply that power, his confidence over-whelming. It wasn’t something he was doing to pass time, he was doing this for the good of those around him.

”Is that so… Well I will not roll over and let you take this. I like you Rocore… You remind me of someone else. But I will not roll over and let you take my tails. This power is mine until I am tamed, once you have my tails you have power. Until that time, I will hinder you at every step!” The tailed beast roared and charged out of his prison in a frenzy striking at the nimble ninja.

Rocore had expected as much and gave his reply, “I would have it no other way! Multi-water clone jutsu!” With that ten clones appeared and spread out as Kurama’s tails took to the fight battering at them, “Water Substitution Jutsu!” A substitute of himself appeared to challenge the creature, not the sage’s full power but enough to keep him distracted as he simply faded away.

Kurama had a bit too much to sense at the moment as a barrage of water-style attacks landed on his massive form. Even as clones started to disappear he saw a flash of lightning and cringed at it before a chidori struck him, with the aid of the water the shock scattered over his entire body and sent the tailed beast toppling over. The Sannin appeared once more and grabbed a tail, wrenching it free of its bonds on Kurama. His substitute continued beating the downed beast even so Kurama struggled letting out a feroscious howl of rage as the Sannin pulled out the first tail, even so the battle was far from over and Kurama would not let him leave now.

Like...THE first to claim a tail by combat. Good job.

“Were it so easy to take them all !” the beast bellowed as Rocore dispersed the substitute. Kurama knew he wasn’t playing easy and had even given up one ninth of his power to the Sannin already. What he could do with it would be the important thing.

Even as the nine-tails chakra flowed through him he felt exhilarated. Such a small portion yet so strong, so… Good. “It will only get easier, Kurama!” He roared in return, “Lightning Hurricane!”

Rocore could’ve sworn he lost control of himself for a moment as his jutsu grew astronomically larger than before. The winds were enough to tear trees apart with ease, lightning flowed freely from it sparking wildly and striking at random. It even brought the beast to a halt as a chakra cloak formed over his body.

The sannin could only grin as he molded the electric, surging cyclone around him into a shell with which to combat the beast. Kurama charged as Rocore did in his cyclone giant. When they collided it was clear Kurama still had the most power between them, knocking Rocore back and ripping away one of the chakra made cyclone arms. Still his mouth hung slack as the ninja’s electricity numbed the beast’s mouth. They continued colliding in this manner until Rocore couldn’t stand to keep up the head on battle. Summoning his own rendition of wind clones that seemed to move with every shifting gale and every fluttering breeze. He hadn’t even needed to go into Sage mode yet. Things were going exceedingly well… Still, he felt as though Kurama was holding back…

“A single tail doesn’t hold the power you need, Yotsuki. You are strong but not nearly enough.” With that Kurama charged a tailed beast bomb that shattered the island and his clones.  Rocore had only dodged by lifting himself swiftly with air currents. He was right to think Kurama was playing with him, likely testing his abilities. For all the power the beast had he was also a strategist… Still they were both falling to the ocean below, the entire battlefield was designed for his own gain. When he looked up though Kurama was barely knee deep in the water and with a little control he stood on top of it once more.

Rocore allowed himself to descend creating a bubble around himself to breath for enough time to enter sage mode, his body descended while he felt himself elevated within his own mind. Still, gathering that much chakra would alert the tailed beast, but in the meantime he had more clones for Kurama to deal with which brought out another roar of annoyance. Rather than only a few though he had a small army playing tug of war with the beast’s chakra pulling with all their might as the tailed beast struggled in turn, for several minutes this went on until Rocore felt another surge of strength. The second tail was his, keeping his concentration though he managed to enter sage mode with it.  

”Now the battle can truly begin a chakra cloak and sage mode.” Kurama gave a nod as he circled the sage. ”Your confidence and strength remind me of him… Still we have a long way to go and without a physical form I will not tire easily.” The beast grinned at him and Rocore simply shook his head, he had the power now to test his latest idea. One formed when he felt the over-whelming coat of a single tail. “This will last as long as it takes, but I will not give up. Remember this, Kurama. Between you and I, I have more to fight for and I will win.”

Kurama let out a roar, sending a wave of chakra his way. In their close proximity there wasn’t enough time to dodge. Were it not for the chakra cloak and Kurama’s own diminishing power he doubted he would’ve withstood it. He was knocked back quite far but managed to stand his ground, a scowl on his face as he charged once more, prepared to fight for every ounce of power gained.

Second tail approved

The storm raged around them as the two figures continued to clash. Rocore’s hair was slicked back, his robes in tatters, and even a little bloodied. Kurama’s fur was ruffled, the beast was crouched prepared for more.  Neither was ready to back down after nearly two days of inner struggle.

On the outside, Rocore’s body was still in meditation. His mental stamina was holding but for how much longer? His body was beginning to turn against him now. Even with the chakra supply of the nine-tails he had limits and he was quickly reaching them. Kurama could see this and relaxed, a grin on his face. “I can feel you weakening. You thought you could tame me after a journey like that? So much on your mind?” He snorted as the sage narrowed his eyes. Kurama even lowered himself into the water as if to rest. “Come back when you are prepared, I wont waste my time otherwise.”

The insult was a solid slap to the face as Rocore stared at the nine-tails, rage welling up within him. Even before he spoke he used the storm and water to his advantage. “Water-style! Multi-water dragon jutsu!” From the depths arose ten dragon heads, wrapping themselves around the tailed beast like serpents. Kurama was clearly surprised as he bit and clawed against them only to watch them reform with little difficulty.

Still Rocore was breathing heavily even with the chakra influx he had with not one but two tails. His eyes roamed the beast before he simply wrenched the chakra from him. Still Kurama struggled, slowly breaking all the dragons while Rocore used his own physical strength to pull the chakra away. He was wrenching all of it at once, an audacious goal that kurama could not permit. Using his tails he started to pull back, their eyes lightning streaked through the sky. And for a moment they felt something aside from conflict, a common ground between the two.

The fighting paused entirely, Rocore stumbled back while Kurama pushed himself up. “Perhaps you and I aren’t so different… You want to live and retain pride. I want honor, the strength to prove myself and my clan higher than the Senju or Uchiha. I will be the greatest ninja to ever live, but I need your strength kurama. Rocore sat down atop the water, breathing heavily still. Kurama only gave a snort and looked away, “I will give it all for a moment in time to be written in history, I want to be remembered as more than a sannin… I need to be a legend, like the Sage of the Six Paths… I’m sure his goals were far more noble than my own. But I refuse to sit back and let the world happen around me, I’ll shape it to what it needs to be. I’ll bring peace to the land any way I can, and I’ll find the path that I’m supposed to take.” He let out a deep sigh, “As much as I’d like to do it with my own power, I don’t think that was ever a possibility now. Normal ninja cannot contend with the tailed beasts… You are the strongest among them, and I would see your name woven into a thread of greatness as well. We can dictate what the fates weave now.”

Kurama nodded at the young sage’s words, “Do not think I haven’t considered all your motives, at first I thought you a sniveling brat that was eager to prove himself… In our battle I learned of your strength eclipsing most of your peers. In your mind I learn how it works, how you think and strategize… Your mind is suited for far more than being a clan leader, that much is clear; espionage under the guise of trade, using diplomatic talks to assess strengths and weaknesses, even handing out information to give impressions of friendship. You are cunning with others yet forward with me, you want to aid your clan and the cloud, give yourself a name, make yourself into a legend… I know you would see me written alongside you, I can see your heart. You have strong convictions, some may be misguided or in the wrong direction, but they are strong none-the-less… I will give you the third tail, of the cloak. In return you will rest, put your mind at ease and meet me on even ground. As much as I hate relying on a human, you are better than most.”

Rocore faded out at that point, losing consciousness entirely. Strangely enough he felt a rather warm embrace, kurama’s chakra actively working to heal both mind and body. When he awoke a day later he felt rejuvenated to an extent that he was unfamiliar with. His servants had moved him to his bed, and taken care to make sure he was well. Still he had more work to do, after eating well he gave word to the elders he was not to be disturbed and once more took a seat within his dojo. “Once more, Kurama…”

Third tail approved

Rocore slowly opened his eyes within his mind, they were in a desert… This had been where he learned his sage mode. No clouds in sight, little moisture in the air… The storms were respected far more here than anywhere else which is why the style was favored so.  He breathed in the dry air, however he was unfamiliar with a warm breeze on his back… Or breath rather, Kurama stood behind him now looking over the sands. For the moment they stood side by side, watching as an Oasis formed in the heart of the desert. “So this is the place you called home… It is more dry than I expected for a storm jutsu ninja…”

“Why do you think my storms are so terrible? A downpour in the desert is enough to drown in, it gets so hot that the lightning strikes harder, and the winds blow massive dust storms into creation… There are no stronger storms than desert storms. That’s why I trained here. The jackals were a noble people, they found me wandering, I had survived for a couple weeks aimlessly in the desert. My fortitude was enough for them to take me in… When they discovered my strengths and my nature they decided it would be worth training me in their ways. I discovered my water release here as well as the senjutsu they taught me.” He sat down and smiled as the Oasis grew from a small pond to a lake, all those who had helped him were there as part of his memories. His clan mates, trainers, his parents and grandparents… “I have so much to stand for, so much to live for. If I fail in any aspect of my life I dishonor not just myself but all of them. I’m on a pedestal in this world, a false move and I will fade into infamy and oblivion. I can’t go to that place.” He let his head hang low, the pause grew long and uncomfortable before he spoke once more.
 
“I really wish I had a bit longer to enjoy my youth, it must be even worse for all those young kages out there. The weight of every villager is on their shoulders now. I can only attempt to life the burden from the Raikage, and one way of doing that is wielding enough power to stop a war in its tracks.”

“I know why you need me, I know of your respect for me, I know why you wont simply ask for my power. You are strong of character, not one to ever ask for help but willing to accept it when granted.” Kurama gave a nod as he lowered his head beside the young sage. “But you have much growing to do… Your feet are on the uncertain path of power. Where you follow is up to you but do not regret which way you go.” Kurama closed his eyes and sighed and rolled onto his side, This is your mind, now change this to something more comfortable, sand in fur is a horrible way to rest.”

It was then that Rocore realized Kurama had use up much of his chakra in stabilizing him. They had pushed eachother to exhaustion in this place and neither one had a true desire to fight. Rocore smiled as the world changed once more. They were on a beach, somewhere tropical and warm. Palm trees stood some distance away and clear blue water went on before them as far as they could see. “So… How about you tell me about the Sage?” Asked the human who was looking up at the presumed sky.

Kurama lazily opened an eye and let out a grunt, You want to know about the Great Sage of the Six Paths… I suppose you are worthy of some knowledge… He was more powerful than you could imagine, he could weave chakra to will things into existence… When he found us, the bijuu, we were young, very young. He was a father to us… His eyes were like nothing I have seen since, a dojutsu more powerful than all others. Purple with what looked like circles in circles, strange but effective. He had two descendants and they formed the clans of the Uchiha and Senju… He blessed the Senju and let the Uchiha do as they wished. That is all the history lesson you will get from me, I spent most of my years terrorizing them for their impudence and arrogance… So often your kind presume they know power that they are worthy enough to even fight a tamed beast. Few are up to the task, few have a heart to tame one afterwards. You are a little like him, you want the best for the world… But you haven’t figured out how to go about getting it yet.” Kurama closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, “We will fight once more tomorrow, I with five tails and you with four. If I am pleased you will gain all of my strength and I will teach you how to wield it properly. If you fail I will hinder you at every step until you break.”

Rocore smiled, “I would have it no other way… The Great Sage really was incredible… Rest well Kurama, tomorrow will be our final battle, of this I am sure.” It was almost like having a kinship with the beast, it felt better than being enemies. Even they could converse and try to understand one another. As he came to the real world he smiled and went about the rest of his day. “Tomorrow…” he whispered, he couldn’t wait….

Approvededededededededed

The following day came very slowly to the Sannin. Lord Yotsuki was bogged down in all the work he put off including training members of his clan in the Storm Release style. What he thought would be a day of paper work was a day of chakra control practice, creating concentrated storms, and towards the end copious amounts of paperwork! By the late afternoon he was bored with things that usually absorbed his attention. Trade agreements with burgeoning villages, espionage throughout the ninja world, arranging diplomatic meetings between the clans within the Cloud village, and the pressure the elders put on him to find a suitable wife. When he finally got the chance to sleep he tossed and turned restlessly. It was an entirely annoying situation and with his discomfort came Kurama’s own. Both were eagerly anticipating the battle on the coming day, the only upside would be that they both could vent frustrations.

Upon finally resting and waking up Rocore was more than ready to tackle the day even if he felt his sleep a little lacking. As far as he could tell he and Kurama may even be on par, a huge grin spread across his face. He would be battling with far more power than he had ever known before. The tailed beasts were nothing short of amazing even if Kurama held more power than them all, a single tail was more than equivalent to a sannin’s enormous chakra reserves. He descended into his dojo once more and closed his eyes prepared to fight with everything he had. He concentrated first, he would start this battle in sage mode and finish with the Bijuu’s own chakra. After a light nod of approval to himself he could almost hear Kurama sighing, he was impatient as well, eager to get the war in motion.

When he opened his eyes once more the landscape was different from all other times. It appeared as though they stood in nothing. They could see each other, but the space… It seemed incomprehensible, not dark, not really even there. “No advantages for either of us, even footing.” He said with a nod, “Let’s ge-“ before he could finish his sentence Kurama was already charging a tailed beast bomb, it started now.
 
Rocore was in motion in an instant as he ran at a speed he had not known before. His body flicker was faster, his average running speed itself was immense… Now- Kurama had fired the tailed-beast bomb, divided it and fired one half  then the other. Both missed and seemed to continue on into the emptiness. Their battlefield was an abyss with flooring…

Still Kurama kept pace with relative ease, “You’re senjutsu will not be enough this time, use the power I have granted you!” he roared sending chakra with his words. The force of the blow blasted him far back, what distance he couldn’t tell. But all the stop had been pulled. Kurama deserved to see him wielding the power he had granted him…

Sage mode faded from him, in its place a four-tailed chakra cloak. When he moved this time it was like nothing he’d ever felt. He had to adjust to the new found speed, even Kurama had a hard time following him. “Lightning Style! Lightning pillars!” From the ‘perceived’ ground came four elextrified pillars that made a massive lightning trap around kurama. The beast grinned and charged his beast bomb even while being shocked. To his surprise, the man had a counter… Or rather the four-tailed beast before him. Rocore could feel the immense chakra over-whelming his body. It was an imperfect cloak and the sheer vastness of chakra was tearing him apart. “Storm Style! Demon Storm Dragon jutsu!” In a flash a massive serpentine creature came forth growing in power as it absorbed chakra from both Rocore and the bijuu’s attack. A grin spread across his face as the pain became tolerable and the bijuudama exploded from the imbalance of chakra.

The nine-tails unleashed a roar, breaking the trap and knocking back the massive storm dragon that only surged back at him with a force Kurama had never felt before. It was liked being hit by himself, a raw and unnatural power. Still Rocore controlled it and moved on his own, using his new found speed to plant ion clouds all over the fox. Kurama squirmed but could do nothing as the dragon grew and his energy seemed sapped. The massive energy beast before them had grown night incomparable. And soon the storms struck shocking Kurama into final submission. The storm dragon faded and Rocore gave a smile of satisfaction.
 
”You kept such a powerful jutsu a secret all this time?” Asked the tailed beast, tired and beaten. “We all have our secrets, Kurama… This jutsu is the most powerful I have ever heard of, it absorbs chakra from the natural world and whatever it touches. I don’t know that anyone has found a way to stop it. This is my trump card… That was a spell I was told to use sparingly in as a Sannin… But with Bijuu chakra I can use it to the fullest. The amount of chakra it takes to start up is immense but then it fuels itself.” He let the bijuu chakra left over flow back into Kurama. “I won, the tails are mine. What is left is to master them and to learn of your attacks and how to incorporate them into my own… We’ve got time for that though, I have your word. You have mine that I’ll let you rest until you’re ready to teach me.”

With that Rocore left the Bijuu and the confines of his own mind. He laid back on the floor of his dojo and smiled as usual. “Given a little time I’ll have it mastered… I might even be the most powerful ninja in the world now... I just need to use this power wisely, and with Kurama’s help it should be easy. All my glory will see respect to the Yotsuki. I will achieve heights unknown to the ninja world.”