Kurama didn't believe it.
This brat…
How long could he possibly hold out?
"You're dead the moment I get out, you hear me?" the Nine-Tails growled, his voice low and threatening.
Naruto heard it—
And smiled.
"What the hell are you laughing at, kid?!"
Kurama was stunned.
This little punk was actually laughing?
Naruto answered calmly, "Kurama, if you could come out, you would've done it already. Why are you still sleeping in my body?"
"..."
Kurama paused.
Was that… mockery?
Was this kid seriously mocking him?!
"Damn brat!!!"
The Nine-Tailed Fox suddenly roared, slamming his massive claws against the cage's bars. The entire space trembled from the impact.
"I'll tear you to pieces!"
"I swear it!!!"
His fangs bared, his eyes wild, Kurama stared Naruto down.
Naruto simply waved his hand, as if trying to pacify a grumpy pet.
"Easy there, Kurama. Don't get so worked up."
"I actually came to see you for something serious."
Kurama stopped.
Sure, he was still pissed…
But now he was curious.
This kid came on his own. That meant he wanted something.
Kurama narrowed his eyes.
"Speak."
Naruto looked directly into the fox's eyes, his own gaze sincere.
"Kurama… I want to be your partner."
Kurama froze.
...Partner?
The next moment, the giant fox burst into laughter.
"Hah! Hahaha!"
So that's what this was about.
Of course.
The little punk just wanted the Nine-Tails' power!
Dream on.
"You wish!" Kurama sneered. "Get lost!!!"
With that, he turned around, crossed his paws, and laid down as if Naruto no longer existed.
At first, it had been Kurama pressing for answers from Naruto.
So he'd been a bit restrained.
But now?
Now this brat wanted his power.
The balance had shifted.
Kurama was in control.
So long as he didn't cooperate, Naruto wouldn't get a drop of that power.
And Kurama knew it.
He was back in the superior position, and he relished it.
Naruto watched the fox turn his back to him and couldn't help but chuckle.
Kurama's pride didn't bother him in the slightest—after all, Naruto had already read the "script."
He knew exactly how to deal with Kurama.
With that in mind, Naruto spoke again, his tone casual.
"Kurama… you don't want to be turned back into the Ten-Tails, do you?"
The words echoed in the sealed space.
Silence fell.
Kurama, eyes still closed and back turned, suddenly opened them wide, a flicker of confusion flashing in his gaze.
Did… did he hear that right?
Ten-Tails?
And then—
Realization hit him like a thunderclap.
The brat had definitely said it.
He knew about the Ten-Tails.
And he even implied…
That someone might try to reform it?!
"What did you just say, brat?!"
Kurama spun around, glaring at Naruto through the bars.
"How do you know about the Ten-Tails?! What do you mean by that?!"
His voice was low, sharp—full of restrained fury and something even rarer…
Genuine fear.
Unlike before, Kurama now looked completely serious.
Naruto, seeing that change in expression, decided not to tease the Nine-Tails anymore.
He said, earnestly, "If we don't take action… the Ten-Tails will return."
Kurama's eyes narrowed.
The future?
What would happen in the future?
Who could say for sure?
"Tch. Brat, don't think you can scare me just because you read something somewhere," Kurama scoffed dismissively, his voice laced with annoyance.
To him, Naruto must've read some ancient scroll or heard some myth and was now trying to bluff him.
But Naruto could tell from Kurama's tone that the fox wasn't taking him seriously. So he pressed further.
"Do you know who the Sage of Six Paths' mother is?" Naruto asked calmly.
"The mother of the Sage of Six Paths is Kaguya Ōtsutsuki."
"Back then, she tried to destroy the world, and the Sage and his brother sealed her away—on the moon."
"If we don't act, the Ten-Tails will be revived, and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki will return to this world."
"And when that happens…"
Naruto's eyes were firm.
"The entire ninja world will fall."
"Whether it's you…"
"…or me."
Kurama froze.
The amount of information Naruto just dumped left the mighty Nine-Tails stunned.
Wait… what?!
The mother of the Sage of Six Paths—Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—was planning a resurrection?
The Nine-Tails stared at Naruto in disbelief.
Naruto continued, his voice unwavering.
"Kaguya left behind a will… a remnant of her consciousness. It's been scheming for thousands of years, searching for a way to bring her back."
"To revive her, two things are needed: the Ten-Tails—formed by fusing the tailed beasts—and the Infinite Tsukuyomi, which can only be cast by someone who possesses the Rinnegan."
"You, Shukaku, Matatabi… all nine of you are fragments of the Ten-Tails."
"The chakra needed to awaken the Rinnegan was split between the Sage's sons: Indra and Asura."
"For generations, Kaguya's will has pitted their reincarnations against each other… trying to force the Rinnegan to awaken again."
"And now…"
Naruto's expression darkened.
"It's finally happened."
"Uchiha Madara has awakened the Rinnegan."
"And he's acting in accordance with Kaguya's will—he's gathering the tailed beasts."
Kurama's claws twitched, his crimson eyes wide with shock.
If what this brat was saying was true… then the world was on the brink of disaster.
"You… how do you know all this?" Kurama demanded, his voice sharp and unrelenting. "There's no way a runt like you could've learned these secrets."
Naruto didn't flinch.
"Because I'm the reincarnation of Asura's chakra in this era."
"And because of that… I can see fragments of the future that affect me."
Kurama stared hard at Naruto.
Reincarnation of Asura?
And capable of seeing the future?
It sounded completely absurd—like some fantasy only a lunatic would believe.
And yet… everything Naruto had just said added up too well. He knew too much, too specifically. The kind of knowledge that not even the oldest shinobi alive could access.
Silence fell between them.
Then Naruto spoke again, softer this time.
"Kurama… we are one."
"If you're taken and turned back into the Ten-Tails…"
"I won't be spared either."
Kurama stayed silent for a long while.
Finally, he said, "If you really think we're one… if you want to be my partner… then remove the seal."
Naruto fell silent.
Honestly, he didn't have the power to suppress Kurama yet.
If the seal were lifted now and Kurama turned hostile, the whole plan could fall apart.
Kurama noticed Naruto's hesitation.
He sneered.
"Hmph. Just like before…"
"You humans always talk about trust and partnership. But when it comes time to prove it, you hesitate."
Naruto didn't argue. He knew this first meeting had ended in failure.
And really, that was to be expected.
Kurama was a being who had lived for over a thousand years, full of hatred and betrayal. There was no way he would trust some kid after one conversation.
Naruto wasn't the same Naruto from the original story—he didn't have the unmatched power of persuasion or talk-no-jutsu perfected.
But…
He still had time.
The six years he'd spend at the Ninja Academy were the perfect window for building a real bond.
"In that case," Naruto said, turning to leave the mindscape, "we'll talk again later…"
"…Kurama."
"See you next time."
A soft wind echoed through the seal's space, like a quiet farewell.
...
TN:
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