Inside the cave, the chakra clone closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then suddenly plunged his hand into his own chest.
After rummaging around for a bit, he pulled out a small, orange-furred fox with nine tails.
Appearing in the cave, the little fox didn't seem to realize it had left the Chakra Plate. It glanced around with a bewildered look before starting to squirm restlessly in the clone's hand, yelling, "Is this the outside world? I'm out? I didn't think a brat like you would actually keep your promise. Now put me down!"
"Heh, you can recognize me even like this?" The chakra clone let go, dropping the fox onto the ground.
"Of course! You have my chakra inside you, how could I not know?" Kurama flopped onto the ground, taking deep breaths of the fresh, outside air. "How many years has it been? I'm finally free!"
"I thought I had hidden your chakra deep enough. Was it that obvious?"
"Not obvious, but you can't hide it from someone with special sensory abilities. And that body of yours is just too strange. Stranger than me, even."
"Is that so? Well, it'll have to do for now." The chakra clone crouched down and expertly began to ruffle Kurama's head. "You're much cuter like this. Speaking of which, you lost so much of your power. How come you don't seem bothered at all?"
Kurama deftly dodged aside, scratching his chin with a hind paw. "Of course I'm bothered! But compared to freedom, power is insignificant. I've just returned to how I was when I was born. In a few hundred years, I'll get all my power back. What? Feeling guilty? Want to give it back? I'm fine with that!"
"You're overthinking it. It's impossible to give it back. Besides, this isn't necessarily a bad thing for you." The chakra clone shook his head with a smile. "Without all that chakra, you seem to have mellowed out a lot. Or maybe you were never really a manifestation of negative emotions to begin with. Maybe this gentle nature is your true self."
"Gentle, my ass!"
Kurama bared his teeth at him, oblivious to the fact that the gesture only made him look more adorable. "If I wasn't so weak, I'd have bitten you to death by now!"
"Oh, really? I don't believe you." The chakra clone stood up. "Last night, in the final moments when I was absorbing your chakra, didn't you deliberately leave behind one tail's worth of it to save that kid's life?"
"Hmph! I couldn't care less what happens to that kid. I was just leaving myself a backdoor," Kurama said, turning his face away. "If something happens and I die out here, I can be revived inside him much faster. Compared to me, you're the one who went easy."
"If you had really wanted to, I wouldn't have been able to leave a single drop of chakra behind."
"I was his teacher for a few days, after all. I'd a hard time being that cruel. Besides, leaving some of your chakra in Konoha will help draw attention for me. It's called misdirection, understand?"
"Tch. Cunning human."
Kurama swished his tails and, on his short little legs, trotted to the mouth of the cave. "I'm going to find a place to hide. See you never, you bastard!"
"Hey, you're just going to leave like that?"
"What else?"
"This is a forest in the Land of Fire. Konoha ninja could show up at any time. Aren't you afraid of getting caught?"
"Hmph! You think I'm afraid of those foolish little ninja? When I was first born, I survived on my own for a long time."
Despite his tough words, Kurama reluctantly retracted his paw. "However, the place I want to go is too far from here. It would be too tiring to go on my own. I'll give you one more chance to prove yourself. You can take me part of the way."
"Fine," the chakra clone said, feigning reluctance. "Where do you want to go? I'll see if it's on my way."
"The place I used to live... it's a very hidden valley, surrounded by a river..." Kurama described the scene in detail. It was clear that while he had been sealed away, he had spent all his time thinking about his past life of freedom.
Sigh, the poor old thing.
The chakra clone decided to help him out. "Even with that description, I have no idea where that is. Can't you at least give me a place name? Which country is it in?"
"Hmph! How would I remember the names from your human world?"
"Hmm, how about this? You travel with me, and if we pass a place you think is decent, we'll part ways. How does that sound?"
Kurama narrowed his eyes, considered it for a moment, and nodded. "Fine. But I'm not going back inside that thing to suffer. I want to stay outside."
"Stay outside? I suppose, but you're too conspicuous like this. You'll need a disguise."
"My current chakra level can't sustain a Transformation Jutsu for very long."
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
"You?"
"If you don't cooperate, I'll stuff you back in there."
For the sake of enjoying the sweet aroma of freedom, Kurama had no choice but to agree.
"Relax. When it comes to disguises, I'm a professional." The chakra clone grinned, scooping Kurama into his arms. Chakra flowed from his body, enveloping the small fox and forming a second skin. In less than two minutes, he was done.
"Alright."
"That fast?" Kurama said, skeptical. "You didn't turn me into something weird, did you?"
"See for yourself." The chakra clone used a Water Release jutsu to create a puddle on the ground.
Kurama leaned over to look. In the reflection, he saw a curious little fox peering back. This fox looked completely different from his original form. It had brown fur, a fluffy white tuft around its neck, and a charmingly cute face.
"Why do I look like this? It's not intimidating at all!" Kurama complained, swishing his large tail.
"This is what a normal fox looks like. I think it's great. It's exactly the kind of pet a manly man like me should have."
"Really?" Kurama's eyes were filled with distrust.
"Sigh. Well, if you don't like it, we can try another look."
"Ahem! Forget it, no need to waste any more time. I'll trust you just this once." He paced back and forth by the puddle, shaking his head. "This weak appearance could be useful for deceiving enemies. Anyone who underestimates me will pay the price!"
"Exactly. That's the effect we're going for."
"Alright, can we go now?"
"Hold on, there's one more important thing to do."
"?"
The chakra clone said with great seriousness, "Since you have a new face, you need a new name."
"From now on, you'll be called Eevee, and I'll be called Souta."
"Eevee? Whatever you say," Kurama said, unfazed.
"Excellent." He picked up Kurama, placed him on his shoulder, and pointed forward dramatically. "Let's go! Toward a brighter tomorrow!"