Chapter 037: Nine Tails, I Want You to Help Me Train! (Please support with stats):
Kakashi knew that his chakra reserves were quite low—sometimes after returning from missions, he even had to go to the Konoha Hospital.
So he was already a frequent patient at the hospital.
He just didn't expect… that reputation had spread even here...
"I see... Kakashi, huh..." Sasuke said.
[Kakashi]: ...
Kakashi knew it—Sasuke had never really respected him. From the very beginning, that so-called "respect" was fake. Behind his back, he would just call him "Kakashi" instead of "Kakashi-sensei."
"You can go ask him for advice," Kitahara Kaede said.
Then he pushed Sasuke aside.
After all, he hadn't come here to look for Sasuke.
"Naruto, I need something from you," Kitahara Kaede said.
"M-me?"
"If I can be of any help..." Naruto scratched his head.
"Very good," Kitahara Kaede said.
"By the way..." Naruto added, "I didn't notice before, but your ninja rabbit followed you out today, huh?"
"Yeah," Kitahara Kaede nodded.
"Alright."
"Naruto, you can go back to what you were doing now," Kitahara Kaede said.
"Eh!?"
Naruto froze for a moment.
"That's it?"
"That's right," Kitahara Kaede replied.
"..." The little white rabbit.
The rabbit just stayed on Kitahara Kaede's shoulder, and what she experienced was simply one second passing.
However, what she saw was entirely different from what everyone else saw.
From the perspective of a small group chat:
[Descendant Chat Group (^_-)]
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: So these are the Rinnegan...
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: Nine Tails... I didn't realize I used to beat you like that. Sorry.
Surprisingly, Hashirama apologized to the Nine Tails.
[Nine Tails - Kurama]: …
[Nine Tails - Kurama]: …I hate all people who use Wood Style!
Now, let's rewind to one second earlier.
Just one second ago, Kitahara Kaede lightly patted Naruto on the shoulder.
Naruto turned his head slightly.
Then… Kitahara Kaede's eyes turned purple.
Circular ripples spun within—the Rinnegan.
As he stared at Naruto, it was like time around them had stopped.
Even Naruto was frozen in time. The surrounding space turned pitch black, with only a pair of purple eyes appearing in that vast darkness.
From the unique perspective of the chat group, they realized—Kitahara Kaede had directly entered Naruto's spiritual space.
Inside that space, darkness was quickly lit up by a glow—a shallow river, barely ankle-deep.
In front of it stood a cage, with a large fox lying inside. Its eyes were closed, and its head rested on its crossed paws.
It looked like it was resting… or maybe just enduring time.
At that moment...
Kitahara Kaede arrived in front of the cage, which was sealed with a talisman.
!!
A ferocious beast, its fiery red fur shining, opened its eyes. Its massive body was now clearly visible.
It glared fiercely at Kitahara Kaede.
"Nine Tails," Kitahara Kaede said calmly,
"I want you to help me train!"
[Descendant Chat Group (^_-)]
[Tobirama Senju]: Hmm… that's a good line.
[Tobirama Senju]: Sounds dignified while preparing to beat someone up. Worth learning.
[Tobirama's Achievement - Izuna]: …
[Tobirama's Achievement - Izuna]: Tobirama Senju, you hateful bastard.
Izuna recalled his own life.
He hated Tobirama—this guy always talked about the "evil Uchiha" and even developed all sorts of weird jutsu targeting the clan.
Absolutely detestable.
[Nine Tails - Kurama]: …
[Nine Tails - Kurama]: …
Kurama didn't respond. After all… he was currently being live-streamed in the chat.
And actually…
From his perspective, Kitahara Kaede's actions were quite beneficial.
He had been summoned by the masked man (Obito), and then sealed by Minato using the Reaper Death Seal. That sealed half of him away, while the other half remained in Naruto's body.
Because Naruto was still a child, Minato added a double-layered seal.
The seal on the cage now was one of those, meant to suppress Kurama.
But that seal wasn't invincible—Kurama's chakra had been leaking out for a while now, disturbing Naruto.
And now, if Kitahara Kaede entered…
Yes.
Kurama knew—from the group chat—that Kitahara Kaede had come to test his Wood Style.
And if he wanted to use him for experimentation, Kitahara would have to rip open the seal.
And if the seal was undone… Kurama might just be able to escape.
[Minato Namikaze]: Not good.
[Minato Namikaze]: I just realized... that seal on Kurama's cage must not be broken.
[Minato Namikaze]: If it is, things will go very badly.
[Minato Namikaze]: I even left a backup—my chakra is sealed inside Naruto as insurance. It should've appeared by now.
[Minato Namikaze]: Why hasn't it shown up?
Minato was puzzled.
[Minato Namikaze]: Could it be... that backup didn't activate because he thought even letting Kurama loose would be fine...?
Minato muttered to himself.
Then Mei Terumi cut in.
[Future Mizukage - Mei Terumi]: Even if the seal's broken, it's fine. Look—Kitahara Kaede is already controlling the Nine Tails, right?
[Minato Namikaze]: …
[Tobirama Senju]: …
Yes.
At the moment Kitahara Kaede tore the seal off with his left hand, the cage opened.
Kurama, who had been lazily lying there, suddenly let out a low roar.
"Roar..."
It was the cry of a beast.
Then it opened its mouth and began to form a Tailed Beast Bomb.
This was a signature move of the tailed beasts—chakra compressed into a deadly sphere.
But even forming it took time.
And during that time, Kitahara Kaede didn't move.
As if waiting for it to attack.
"Don't underestimate me!" Kurama roared. The Tailed Beast Bomb was complete.
"Not bad!"
Kitahara clapped his hands into a hand seal.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Massive tree roots sprang up, quickly filling the cage.
But they were just ordinary branches.
Kurama, who had fought Hashirama while under Madara's control, was very familiar with this jutsu.
However…
"Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique!"
The thick branches weren't for attacking directly, but to form the Wood Dragon.
The massive dragon emerged, biting down on the Tailed Beast Bomb.
But—this was the Nine Tails' bomb. The strongest tailed beast.
The Wood Dragon's head exploded instantly.
But—
"Wood Style: Wood Golem Technique!"
A giant wooden figure formed on the branches.
The Wood Golem grabbed the Tailed Beast Bomb.
And threw it.
"..." Kurama was a little stunned.
Because—
This was the first time someone had treated its Tailed Beast Bomb… like a toy ball.
"Looks like this Wood Style is pretty decent."
Kitahara Kaede had the Wood Dragon toss the bomb high into the air.
Then, he exited the space, closed the cage door, and reapplied the seal.
The bomb, pulled by gravity, fell back down and exploded—on Kurama himself.
But by then, Kitahara Kaede was already outside.
Test complete.
In the outside world, Naruto only felt like one second had passed.
Meanwhile, Kurama… had almost been roasted alive by his own attack.