Naruto sat cross-legged in the training field behind the house, his hands resting on his knees, eyes closed as he focused on his breathing. His chakra flickered, wild, unstable, and across from him, Kakashi stood silently with his arms folded, observing him carefully.
{You're not focusing,} Kurama growled from within, his voice booming inside Naruto's mind's scape. {Your emotions are leaking through like a torn cloak. You want power, but you're too impatient to earn it.}
"Shut up, fox! I'm trying, okay?!" Naruto gritted his teeth.
{Trying isn't enough. You're dancing on the edge of losing yourself. At four tails, I could take over in seconds.} Kurama's crimson eyes narrowed.
Naruto's eyes snapped open. Chakra whipped around him like a storm, red and smoky, bubbling and hissing as it burned the ground beneath him. His whisker marks deepened, and his fingers twitched. The first tail formed behind him, crackling.
Kakashi sighed softly. "You're rushing it." He knew that watching Sasuke surpass him would make his mind unstable, but Kakashi still brought him here for training.
He hadn't spent much time with Naruto lately, but maybe a good training session would make it up to him.
"What do you mean?! I'm already at the first tail!" Naruto turned sharply, irritated.
"And already losing control," Kakashi replied, walking forward and tapping a small sealing tag attached to Naruto's stomach. Instantly, the red chakra began to subside, smothered by the seal.
"You're not supposed to force it. You're supposed to balance with it your own chakra." Kakashi said.
"I can do this!" Naruto protested as he clenched his fists. "I have to catch up to Sasuke!"
"Take five minutes. Cool your head. We'll start again."Kakashi gave him a long look but didn't respond. Instead, he turned away.
Naruto growled low under his breath, slamming a fist into the ground. "Dammit…"
Inside his mind ''scape, Kurama sat behind the cage, watching Naruto from the shadows.
{You're still jealous,} He said with a toothy grin. {Your precious Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō, and now you think you're being left behind.}
{I'm not jealous,} Naruto muttered, arms folded, refusing to meet his eyes.
Kurama gave a deep, rumbling chuckle. {You always lie terribly, brat. I could feel your frustration leaking through your chakra. But here's the thing, jealousy won't help you. It'll only push you closer to losing control.}
"Then what do I do?" Naruto looked up, frowning.
{You need to accept me.} Kurama leaned closer, his red eyes glowing in the dark.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked.
{You keep treating my power like a wild beast to chain down. But if you want to use four tails without going feral, then you need to treat me like a partner,} Kurama said, his voice low but serious. {The way you do with Kakashi. Or with that loud snake of yours.}
Kurama admitted that he gets jealous when Naruto doesn't consider him a partner, too. After all this time, he had begun to be fond of this brat who was different from the others, he even told him his name.
He couldn't sense a single reluctant emotion from Naruto when he came to pester him on a daily basis.
"Hikaribi?" Naruto's eyes widened.
{Yes, the talkative one. She trusts you because you listened. Try the same with me, and you might survive this." Kurama snorted.
"Fine. I'll try." Naruto stared at him for a long moment, then gave a hesitant nod.
{Then let's begin.} Kurama's grin widened.
Back on the field, Naruto stood again, his posture steadier. Kakashi noticed the subtle change in his demeanor, less shouting, more breathing. Good.
"Let's do it again," Kakashi said as he lifted a kunai. "Try to summon one tail and hold it without attacking. That's all."
Naruto closed his eyes, diving deep into his chakra. He didn't grab at the power this time. He reached out.
"Kurama?"
{Here.} A low hum echoed inside him.
Naruto reached toward the immense reservoir, a bubbling sea of rage and strength, and instead of forcefully pulling from it, he let it trickle through, slow, careful. A flare of chakra rose around him, red and thick.
The first tail whipped out.
Kakashi watched silently.
{Good,} Kurama said. {Now breathe. Inhale… exhale…}
Naruto's body trembled, but his mind stayed anchored. The second tail emerged, followed by a third. The chakra coiled around him like smoke, his pupils turning to slits. His fingernails sharpened, his teeth lengthened.
Then came the fourth tail.
And everything went wrong.
Naruto's body jerked back, a wild roar escaping his throat. The red chakra flared violently, bubbling like lava, the heat melting the grass around him.
"Dammit!" Naruto growled, clutching his head. "No-Not again!"
"Focus! Naruto, don't let it consume you!" Kakashi blurred forward, placing both hands on the seal and pumping his own chakra into it.
{Calm yourself, Brat! I'm not helping if you let fear win!}Inside, Kurama growled.
Naruto screamed, falling to one knee. The fourth tail lashed the earth and cracked a nearby tree. Kakashi gritted his teeth and pushed harder, sweat running down his brow.
"You said you'd trust me…" Naruto grunted through clenched teeth.
Kurama was silent for a moment.
"…Then prove it," Naruto whispered. "Please…"
A sudden calm pulsed from within. The fourth tail stilled. The burning chakra hissed but did not flare further.
Naruto collapsed, gasping, back to his normal state, sweat pouring down his face.
"You did it. You pulled back before you lost yourself." Kakashi knelt beside him.
"Wait… I did?" Naruto looked up, blinking.
"Yes. That's progress." Kakashi smiled faintly.