Chapter 538: The Undead Monk, Bunpuku
"Hōichi, what you said isn't wrong. I really was an obsessed madman once. But now I've come to understand what love truly means."
"I hope you can change just as I did and help protect the Land of Wind."
"I believe that if your master is watching from the afterlife, this is what he would want you to do as well."
After walking over, Gaara spoke slowly.
Gaara wasn't exaggerating.
The changes he had undergone weren't limited to his personality and beliefs.
The old Gaara had been the quiet type.
Other than his occasional bouts of insanity, he was genuinely terrible at expressing himself.
But after his change of heart, he eventually became the commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces in the original story and was even able to deliver a stirring speech before the war that inspired the entire army.
The original story always focused on Konoha, so aside from a few original scenes, no one really knew what Gaara had gone through over those years.
A person couldn't go from a deranged lunatic who drooled while speaking…to a master motivational speaker overnight.
The current Gaara, with all his practical experience, was probably even more eloquent than the Fourth Great Ninja War version of himself.
For example, after the Wind Daimyō died, when Gaara took over the Daimyō's authority, he gave a public speech to the people.
He explained exactly how much labor it took to earn a single rice ball.
Why wasn't it something like "a rice ball costs five hundred thousand ryō"?
That had already been explained before.
The ninja world had a rather bizarre setup.
Every country shared the same language.
They also used the same currency.
No one even knew who had originally issued the currency.
Surely it couldn't have been Black Zetsu?
In any case, since everyone used the same money, absurd situations like a rice ball costing five hundred thousand ryō would never happen.
But stable currency didn't mean the common people lived well.
If prices didn't inflate...Then rulers simply paid people less or didn't pay them at all.
Instead they handed out food, coupons or tokens.
So Gaara's speech was still a success.
The key was that after his redemption, it was as if Gaara had suddenly become enlightened.
He could always identify the heart of the problem.
Now, as he tried to talk Hōichi down, he did the same thing.
He struck directly at the root of everything.
Bunpuku.
Everything about Hōichi traced back to the previous Jinchūriki.
Sure enough, the moment Hōichi heard Gaara mention his master Bunpuku, tears streamed down his face once again.
His trembling hands rose before him.
"My master taught me this technique…"
'It was created to separate Tailed Beasts from their Jinchūriki!"
"Without it… I'm worthless!"
"I can't do anything!"
"What else am I supposed to do?"
"What am I supposed to become?"
"Master…"
"Master!"
"Just what do you want from me?!"
As he spoke, Hōichi's emotions became increasingly unstable.
It was obvious.
He wasn't trying to overthrow Gaara because of power or personal gain.
It was something much more important...and much more abstract.
The meaning of his own existence.
Dharma Power Sealing Technique: Sen no Rikyū that he had inherited was effective only against Jinchūriki.
Wasn't that the mission Bunpuku had entrusted to him?
Could his master Bunpuku have been wrong?
Impossible.
His master had clearly been a kind man who was persecuted by Sunagakure.
Just as Hōichi's thoughts spiraled into chaos, with his reason and emotions clashing inside his head...
Gaara gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hōichi, your master Bunpuku was someone worthy of great respect…"
"Well... to be honest, I didn't know him very well. After all, my birth came because of his death."
"So if you want to know what your master truly thought… I think another friend knows better. If you're lost… Why don't you ask him?"
Another friend?
Just as Hōichi wondered who Gaara meant… Shukaku's sharp voice echoed inside his mind.
"Sh-Shukaku?!"
Shukaku began telling Hōichi about his time with Bunpuku.
According to the Jin no Sho, Bunpuku was described as: "An ascetic monk who accepted everything with sincerity, taught the meaning of love, and shared hearts with the One-Tail."
Bunpuku wasn't a Perfect Jinchūriki.
Being a Perfect Jinchūriki wasn't merely about one's relationship with a Tailed Beast.
It was a state of being.
Understanding each other was a necessary part of becoming one.
But simply understanding each other wasn't enough.
The most important thing was being able to fight together as partners.
Bunpuku had spent his entire life imprisoned.
At first, he only suppressed Shukaku's power.
Later, he earned Shukaku's acknowledgement.
However, what Shukaku acknowledged was Bunpuku's character alone.
He still refused to fight for Sunagakure.
Therefore, Bunpuku never used Shukaku's power during his lifetime.
And even if he had wanted to...
Shukaku wouldn't have lent him his strength for the sake of Sunagakure.
Only if Bunpuku had fought for himself…Shukaku would have agreed.
But if Bunpuku fought for himself...Then his character would never have earned Shukaku's respect in the first place.
It was an endless deadlock.
Shukaku was just that kind of Tailed Beast.
Not especially strong…
But with a temper every bit as foul as Kurama's.
Among the Tailed Beasts, his cost-performance ratio was incredibly poor.
Shukaku then mentioned something else.
Near the end of Bunpuku's life, he had once praised him, saying that his heart was just like the Sage of Six Paths'.
Those simple words completely shattered the normally serene ascetic.
Bunpuku burst into tears on the spot.
It wasn't hard to understand why.
After spending his entire life imprisoned, Bunpuku had become like the people you often saw online.
Almost like an undead being.
He had long grown used to insults and contempt.
He could simply accept them and move on.
But the moment someone unexpectedly showed him kindness…Or praised him...
He couldn't bear it anymore.
"Kid, Bunpuku didn't teach you that technique so you could put an end to the suffering between Jinchūriki and Tailed Beasts. When he was with me, he never felt any suffering at all!"
"That technique exists to protect people. You humans use Tailed Beasts as weapons of war. That means they're destined to fight on battlefields."
"According to what Kurama told me, over in Konoha, the Fourth Hokage personally took the previous Nine-Tails Jinchūriki's place on the battlefield so she wouldn't have to fight."
"He traveled across the front lines himself, facing the Jinchūriki of Kumogakure and Iwagakure head-on, earning his legendary reputation."
"So if a country wants to avoid sending its Jinchūriki into battle… It must possess warriors capable of replacing them."
"Bunpuku hated war."
"But he hated even more the thought of his village being invaded by another hidden village. That's why he created this technique specifically for dealing with Jinchūriki and Tailed Beasts."
"So that if another village ever sent its Jinchūriki onto the battlefield… you could take my place. And, in a relatively peaceful way, remove the enemy Jinchūriki from the battlefield and render them unable to continue fighting."
"How...How could that be? Why didn't Master just tell me directly...?"
After hearing Shukaku's explanation, Hōichi felt as though everything had finally become clear.
The only problem… was that he had realized it far too late.
"He'd been imprisoned for so many years that he could barely speak properly. How was he supposed to explain all of that to you?"
"Besides… How many chances did you ever have to meet him?"
Shukaku's question left Hōichi speechless.
Now he finally understood everything.
His mentality had returned to normal.
But...
His purpose in life had disappeared.
His role had been to preserve peace in the ninja world.
To prevent wars fought with Jinchūriki.
But…Hasn't that goal already been achieved?
What was he supposed to do now?
(End of this chapter)