"Raaawr!"
Hearing the little Nine Tails let out a sound that was more like a puppy whining than a fearsome roar, Hoshiyomi's health bar instantly hit zero.
Damn— that's totally cheating!
Meanwhile, the real Nine Tails was completely petrified. Something had definitely gone wrong— how did things turn out like this?
Watching the little Nine Tails flop on the ground making those cutesy noises, Hoshiyomi crouched down faster than lightning and gave the small fox's head a firm double rub.
Holy crap, my life is complete.
Feeling the little Nine Tails' soft fur, even the macho man Gekko Hoshiyomi felt his heart melting.
The mini Nine Tails looked just like the one from the original story when the Sage of Six Paths was still alive— full body bright orange-red, with black markings around the ears, eyes, and muzzle— unbearably adorable.
That babyish body paired with that "cute-but-tough" expression was basically a weapon of mass destruction. Against 80% of the world's women, this little Nine Tails could win without even fighting.
When the little fox finally realized what was happening, it was already scooped up in Hoshiyomi's arms, who was busy sniffing it like a madman.
The small Nine Tails originally tried to struggle fiercely, even opening its mouth to bite Hoshiyomi's hand— but Hoshiyomi was too fast. Instead, he used his well-practiced "petting wolf" technique, honed from years of animal-handling experience, to start rubbing its fur rhythmically.
At first the little Nine Tails fought back, but after being stroked for a while, it began to feel… strangely comfortable.
The struggle in Hoshiyomi's arms gradually weakened, until finally the little fox started purring contentedly.
Seeing this, the real Nine Tails facepalmed with a resounding pia!
What the hell kind of clone did he summon?!
He had been imagining a powerful, majestic version of himself when using the summoning technique— how did it end up turning into this?
If the other eight tailed beasts found out, they'd laugh themselves to death!
No— this had to stay a secret. Absolutely, completely, 100% secret. Even if he died, no one could ever know he had such an embarrassing clone.
Then he looked over and saw Hoshiyomi still manhandling his little self. That was his clone! To have it petted like that— where was his dignity as the mighty Nine Tails?!
A vein popped on his forehead as he growled:
"Gekko Hoshiyomi, I suggest you stop. Now."
But Hoshiyomi, still rubbing happily, didn't notice the killing intent on Nine Tails' face. He just grinned and said casually:
"Come on, just two more pats."
Nine Tails stared at the nearly deranged human in silence for a moment, then opened his mouth. A dark purple Tailed Beast Bomb began to form.
Hoshiyomi's face went pale. He quickly lifted the little Nine Tails like a shield.
"Hey hey, no need to go that far! I just touched him a little, you don't have to nuke me for it!"
Nine Tails hesitated, clearly torn about whether to kill them both to cover up this shameful incident. But remembering that these two humans could probably dodge his Tailed Beast Bomb anyway, he reluctantly dispersed the energy.
Damn it. He felt like he'd lost more face in the past two days than in the past two hundred years combined.
He, Kurama, would rather be beaten a hundred— er, twenty— times by Hashirama's True Several Thousand Hands than have Gekko Hoshiyomi and company see his mini version looking this humiliating.
Just as he finally got Hoshiyomi to stop tormenting his clone, a piercing squeal echoed through his mental space:
"Aaaaaahhh! So cute! Big Fox, let me out! I wanna pet him too! Oh my god, how can anything be this adorable?! Were you this cute when you were little?"
"Tsk tsk, how did you go from that level of cuteness to being such a grumpy brute when you grew up?"
Nine Tails felt as though his already humiliated heart had just been stabbed twice more.
With a loud roar, he stopped Kushina from saying another word, then reached out, pinching the tiny Nine Tails between his thumb and forefinger, lifting it up for inspection.
The little Nine Tails also realized that the big one in front of him was his original body. Just like how a shadow clone obeys the original, the small fox let out two excited yips when he saw his true self looking at him.
Even the mighty Nine Tails couldn't help but think for a split second — Huh, not gonna lie, I was actually pretty cute as a kid.
Then he immediately shook his head. Ptooey, ptooey! Kurama, what are you thinking? Cute? Seriously?
This little clone was practically a walking black mark on his reputation! There was no way he could let such a humiliating version of himself continue to exist, right?
Maybe… he should just delete the "account" and start over?
Just as he was having that thought, Kushina's voice rang out in his mind, full of disapproval:
"No way! Absolutely not! That little one is your clone— in a sense, he is you! How could you even think about killing yourself? Doesn't your conscience hurt?
Besides, you've already been controlling my body for so long— my body's reaching its limit! I don't have the strength left for you to create another clone."
Kurama fell silent. As much as he hated to admit it, she had a point. No matter how you looked at it, that thing was still his clone. And if he tried to make another one, it would put too much strain on Kushina's body.
Right now, her condition was still manageable, but if this continued, it could start damaging her chakra pathways.
Still… having that ridiculous little version of himself around was something he just couldn't accept!
Seeing his conflicted expression, Kushina's mind started working fast. There was no way she was letting such an adorable creature disappear — she was already half ready to adopt it as a pet!
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"Ah, Kurama! I just thought of a reason — an absolutely unshakable reason — why the little Nine Tails must stay."
That caught Kurama's attention.
"...Let's hear it."
Kushina pointed at the tiny Nine Tails and said:
"You think he's cute, right?"
Kurama hesitated, then nodded slightly.
"And you think you're cute?"
Kurama instantly shook his head. The great Nine Tails — cute? Impossible!
"See? That's exactly why he needs to exist! The little Nine Tails is adorable — and if we don't tell anyone he's actually you, who would ever guess it?"
Kurama blinked, thinking it over. She wasn't wrong. Anyone who hadn't seen his true form would never connect that fluffy little fox with the terrifying Nine Tails.
"Look — if no one knows he's the Nine Tails, then no one will target him. That means he'll be perfectly safe.
And not only that — since nobody will recognize him, we can even keep him here in Konoha!
This way, you'll get to see what human society is like for yourself.
You've always said humans are ugly and greedy, right? Well, now you can see firsthand whether that's really true — through your little self."
Kurama went silent.
To be honest, he was tempted.