With a sudden clarity, Naruto's consciousness returned to his body. He opened his eyes and immediately spotted the gigantic creature—Kurama.
The space was too vast, and Kurama was too conspicuous. At this moment, the Nine-Tails was bound tightly by six chakra chains, seemingly unable to move.
Naruto knew this was a facade. His mother's chakra chains weren't strong, and it would be effortless for Kurama to break free.
But today, Kurama seemed to have changed its nature. It obediently stayed put, not even bothering to put up a decent struggle.
Apparently noticing Naruto had opened his eyes, Kurama's bored gaze shot over. The meaning conveyed by those enormous eyes was instantly understood by Naruto.
'Hurry up and finish! I have to go back and beat up Hashirama!'
"This guy!" Naruto sighed. The Nine-Tails fox wanted to play a game again.
That made sense. The training space had blue skies and white clouds, an unlimited supply of happiness-inducing drinks, handheld games, and a soft sofa. Compared to this dark and gloomy place, there was really no reason to stay.
But there was still a show that needed it to star in!
Naruto glared at the Nine-Tails. He couldn't speak, so he could only convey his message through his eyes.
This is going to be a big show, Kurama. Don't embarrass yourself!
Once we get back, I'll personally cook you a feast for three days straight!
Even without saying a word, Naruto believed that with their one-man-one-fox bond, Kurama would understand.
Upon receiving Naruto's glare, Kurama instantly shivered.
That look...
It didn't quite understand it, but something was definitely not right!
"What other shenanigans is Naruto planning now!" Kurama thought to itself.
At the same time, this entire situation was perfectly sensed by Kushina. She urgently reminded him, "I've suppressed the Nine-Tails, but my chakra won't last long."
She clenched her fist and cheered, "Quickly, get rid of it while you have the chance!"
"Got it!"
Naruto affirmed, ready to show off.
Mom! Just wait and see what I can do!
I'll guarantee I'll blow your mind. You'll see what it means to be the greatest person in the history of the ninja world!
I, Uzumaki Naruto, am not holding back today!
With this thought, Naruto's eyes hardened, and his blue pupils were filled with an icy "killing intent."
The moment Naruto's demeanor changed, his good friend Kurama instantly sensed it.
The Nine-Tails was immediately bewildered. It quickly looked left and right.
Where's the enemy?
What happened?
After looking around, it didn't find a single enemy.
Then... Kurama didn't understand. There wasn't even a shadow of an enemy, so why was Naruto suddenly like this?
Wait a minute, could the enemy be me?
"Oh no!" Kurama shrieked in its mind. It was very likely that this time's enemy really was it!
What's more...
This time, it was even more intense than the time it didn't tell Naruto about his father's identity!
Kurama let out a loud cry, trying to awaken the last bit of friendship Naruto had left. "Naruto! Calm down! I..."
"Shut up! You shameless old scoundrel!" Naruto interrupted Kurama with a furious roar.
He didn't give Kurama another chance to speak.
He extended his right hand!
Hum—
With a soft hum, a black orb the size of a walnut quietly appeared.
The light on the surface of the orb seemed to be completely devoured. Only a few wisps of tangible blue chakra threads, like stars being pulled by a black hole, silently spiraled, pulled, and consumed.
This black orb was simple and unadorned.
However, the moment it appeared, Kurama's heart almost stopped beating!
A primal fear screamed from its very being!
It recognized this thing.
Although Naruto had never used it in the training space, this thing had been proven in actual combat.
Back then, the First and Second Hokage were instantly killed by it with a single strike!
On that day, as a part of Naruto, Kurama had shouted excitedly, feeling utterly thrilled, and drank three to five more bottles of its happy drink that night.
However, now, facing the threat of this thing in person, Kurama was filled with unprecedented despair and was completely dumbfounded.
Naruto! I beg you to open your eyes and see!
I'm your weak, pathetic, helpless, and best friend, Kurama!
No, I'm the tiny raccoon!
Did you mistake me for someone else?
Are you using this kind of thing against me?
Is it because you're afraid I won't die?
Kurama desperately widened its pitiful eyes, hoping to rekindle Naruto's remaining friendship.
But it saw that Naruto's face was still as cold as ice, and the chakra black orb in his right hand was still emitting a deadly message.
Kurama instantly realized. It understood.
Naruto had already found out what it had been doing.
I won't do it again!
Never again!
Big Brother Naruto, why use a butcher's knife on a chicken!
There's really no need for this!
Kurama didn't dare shout. That one shout just now had directly enraged Naruto, causing him to summon this "killer orb."
It decided to save itself with action!
It believed that Naruto still loved it!
Suddenly, before Naruto could even make a move, a unique chakra shadow emerged from Kurama and instantly completely separated from its body.
After this chakra left its body, Kurama instantly became skin and bones. Its nine massive tails shrunk to less than one percent of their original size, almost disappearing from view.
It had drained itself of every last drop!
Chakra could be recovered, but if its life was gone, then everything would truly be gone.
Then, without even needing Naruto to do anything, this massive chakra Nine-Tails actively drilled into Naruto's body.
[Ding~ You have unlocked the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode!]
Naruto stared blankly at all this.
He hadn't done anything, yet the chakra Nine-Tails had automatically entered his body.
This was different from what Kurama had told him.
"Kurama... was really lying to me," Naruto muttered.
He had only suspected it before, but now his guess was confirmed.
Naruto was actually quite indifferent to Kurama's half-truths. He himself had a history of "bipolar disorder," so one was no better than the other.
But why was it so proactive this time?
Naruto glanced at the special Rasengan spinning in his right hand and thought to himself, Could Kurama be afraid of this thing?
But this is just a dummy!
At most, the explosion effect is dazzling; it only looks powerful.
How could I possibly use a dangerous jutsu like the 'Black Hole Rasengan' to attack my 'good friend' Kurama!
I, Naruto, just wanted to show off my strength in front of my mother. You were supposed to be my co-star, so why did you give up so easily?
Turning his head, Naruto looked at the scrawny Kurama again.
He saw that it was now lying on the ground like a pile of mud, looking as if it had fallen asleep.
Naruto instantly understood. Its soul had already run away to the training space.
Kurama's message was clear: Do what you will with my body.
Tsk, tsk...
Kurama is such a coward. I think you want to eat dango! You couldn't even cooperate with me!
You didn't understand my signal, did you?
Seeing that Kurama had given up completely, Naruto put away his Rasengan and checked the new pop-up window.
[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode:
All Stats: +12%
Chakra: +140 million
Chakra Recovery: x500%
Ability: Malice Sensing]
So strong!
This was the only thought Naruto had after seeing the panel.
The added chakra alone was nearly ten times his total chakra.
The new chakra recovery ability was simply unbelievable.
Actually, Naruto didn't lack chakra. What he valued most was the first one.
All Stats: +12%!
This thing increased a percentage, so the stronger the user, the more it increased. For someone like him with a solid foundation, it was just right.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner! Why didn't you tell me about this!" Naruto muttered like a wronged woman.
If he had known this mode was so powerful, he would have come to open Kurama's seal long ago. Why wait until now?
Sigh, Naruto sighed softly.
What's past is past. I can't change what's already happened.
"You did it, Naruto!" Kushina's face lit up with a brilliant smile as she gazed at Naruto, her eyes filled with pride and relief. She was genuinely overjoyed that he had gained control of the Nine-Tails' power.
"Yeah!"
Naruto nodded lightly, a hint of melancholy in his expression.
Now that the Nine-Tails was sealed, would his mother have to leave as well? He so wished that this mother who cared for him so selflessly could stay with him forever.
But... it wasn't possible.
The training space, while accessible through chakra, was entered by a soul borrowing chakra as a conduit. Pure chakra could not carry a complete consciousness.
Perhaps in the future, with the power of the Rinnegan, a reunion could be achieved.
Sensing Naruto's sadness, Kushina gently comforted him. "Naruto, don't be sad. I'll watch you grow up with Minato from the Pure Land. You have to do your best!"
"Yeah!"
Naruto nodded again, forcing back the sorrow in his heart.
Seeing the deep reluctance in his mother's eyes, Naruto decided to reveal a secret.
"Mom, if there was a way to truly bring you and Dad back to life, would you be happy?"
"Naruto!"
Kushina's gentle expression instantly froze. Her face hardened, her red hair began to float, and her aura was on the verge of exploding. "Don't ever do anything so dangerous!"
Her voice was stern, a warning that left no room for doubt.
Jutsu were strange and varied; there might truly be a forbidden jutsu to revive the dead. But the price... would surely be unbearable.
Kushina absolutely would not allow Naruto to touch a taboo to revive them, or to fall into darkness for it.
"Okay," Naruto said perfunctorily, a glimmer of determination flashing in his eyes.
I will definitely revive you two in the future.
"Before I go, there are some things I must tell you!" Kushina's expression remained serious, her tone solemn. She needed to pass on her experience and lessons as a Jinchuriki to her son without holding anything back.
"Naruto, this is about the incident twelve years ago, on the night you were born. I must tell you the truth."
"I was your predecessor as the Jinchuriki..." Kushina's voice was calm, yet it held a heavy weight. As she spoke, the sealed-away past slowly unfolded before Naruto like a scroll.
Naruto wasn't surprised that his mother had been a Jinchuriki; he had long suspected it. He also knew his mother came from the Hidden Eddy Village of the Land of Whirlpools. He had even sent people to scout it, but unfortunately, all that was left was a ruin.
Kushina solemnly warned, "As a Jinchuriki, as a vessel, you must first fill the vessel with true love."
Naruto nodded silently, but that was all he did.
This little guy, Kurama? Could it possibly wreak havoc?
In addition, the other crucial thing Kushina mentioned was the night of the Nine-Tails' attack twelve years ago.
"Actually, before that, I was still sealing the Nine-Tails."
Huh?
If you were still sealing the Nine-Tails, then why did it escape and wreak havoc on the Hidden Leaf Village?
Naruto's mind was filled with questions.
This part was also vague in Danzo's memory fragments. He had always thought that his mother had been killed before the Nine-Tails was unsealed; otherwise, it would have been impossible for it to escape.
But the truth was completely different.
Suddenly, a terrifying image buried deep in his mind surfaced.
A "killer god" wearing a tiger-striped mask was holding him in his hand like a small potato. That horrifying tiger-striped mask and the lone, crimson three-tomoe Sharingan had caused a ton of psychological trauma to his young mind.
It had made him faint on the spot.
Damn you, Uchiha Obito, you really deserve to die!
Naruto's heart seethed with anger. Temporarily suppressing his murderous intent towards Obito, he quickly analyzed the situation: His mother was killed on the night he was born, and the Nine-Tails was unsealed then as well?
The two must be connected!
Kushina's story confirmed Naruto's guess.
"For some reason, that masked man knew the precise moment when the Jinchuriki's seal was at its weakest."
"What moment?"
The words were out before he could stop them, but Naruto instantly understood.
What other moment could it be?
That night, he was born, and the Nine-Tails went berserk right at that moment. Connecting the two, his mother, as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, would have her seal at its weakest during childbirth!
"Damn you, Uchiha Obito, you really deserve to die!"
He roared again in his mind, his brain already running through a thousand horrific ways for Obito to die!
Coming back to his senses, he looked at his mother, who seemed so serious yet felt so incredibly close to him. A wave of guilt washed over Naruto's heart.
He had never thought that his own birth would become the fuse for a disaster.
Wait a minute...
Something doesn't feel right!
According to his mother, the matter of a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki giving birth was a top-secret. Even Danzo, who assisted the Hokage, knew very little about it. So where did Uchiha Obito, a rogue ninja, get this information from?
That's strange!
Kushina continued to tell her story.
Naruto could feel the hatred she held for that masked man in every word she spoke.
Should I tell my mother that Uchiha Obito is the masked man?
The thought flashed through his mind, and Naruto hesitated for a moment before ultimately choosing to remain silent.
His father was resilient; it would have been fine to tell him.
But his mother's life had already been tragic enough. As a Jinchuriki, she had never had a good life.
If he were to tell her that the person who killed her and her husband was the very student her husband had cherished like a son...
That... would be too cruel!
He couldn't add this new, bloody wound to her heart just as she was about to depart.
"I'm sorry for making you the vessel for the Nine-Tails, for making you bear our burden. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to watch you grow up or give you a lifetime of love." Kushina's voice choked, and tears silently streamed down her face.
She remembered her life as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, all the loneliness, fear, and rejection...
She could empathize with everything Naruto might have gone through and felt a wrenching pain in her heart for missing out on his childhood.
She gently wiped away her tears and looked at Naruto with a soft, apologetic gaze. Her words of apology were gentle but as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Mother is indeed more sensitive, delicate, and emotional than Father!
Looking at his mother, who was filled with guilt, Naruto's lips curved into a warm and sincere smile. "Mom, you don't need to apologize. I've truly never resented you for any of it."
Ahem, it's true!
Although he had once resented that man, that "enemy" who had sealed the Nine-Tails inside him...
But after learning that man was his own father, he had let it go.
He thought back to his mother's story. She knew that the seal would be at its weakest during childbirth, yet she still risked her life to bring him into this world.
This immense love deeply moved Naruto.
"Dad and Mom gave their lives for me. I've deeply felt the love you have for me, so now, I feel incredibly happy."
Even though his soul came from another world and his mind was already mature, this love from his family, a love that came at the cost of their lives, still made his soul tremble with deep emotion!
There was no greater human affection than this!
Hearing this, Kushina's tears fell once more.
She couldn't help but step forward and pull Naruto into a tight hug. It was as if she wanted to make up for the twelve years they had lost in a single embrace.
"Naruto, thank you for letting me be your mother. Thank you for letting Minato be your father. Thank you so much for being a part of our family!"
The moment she finished speaking, Kushina's figure, condensed from chakra, scattered like fireflies in the wind, finally transforming into bits of warm, glowing dust that completely vanished into the air.
The real, warm embrace in his arms suddenly disappeared.
Facing this love that was so incredibly genuine, Naruto could no longer hold back. Tears finally welled up and streamed from his eyes.