"Friend?"
Kurama's scarlet, fierce beast eyes constricted slightly, showing human-like surprise, confusion, and complexity.
"Friend, what an unfamiliar word."
Kurama slightly raised its huge head, moving away from Naruto's palm, its scarlet beast eyes playfully scrutinizing Naruto, trying to find deceit and flaws.
"Brat, are you trying to control this great one and use this great one with all your 'friendship games'?"
"Use? Control?"
Naruto's smile remained unchanged, his eyes clear and firm as he looked directly into the giant eyes: "Kurama, do you think I need to use 'friends' to control you now?"
"You are not even my opponent."
Kurama's sneer instantly froze.
Yes...
With the absolute power he had just displayed, crushing it, why would he bother?
But doesn't this great one have any dignity?!
"Brat, what do you know? This great one has been sealed by you humans for decades and hasn't recovered to its peak state."
"Besides, half of my power is still sealed and not retrieved. That wasn't my full strength just now!"
Kurama huffed and puffed, trying to find an excuse for itself.
Unfortunately.
Naruto specifically dismantled its argument.
"Kurama, if that wasn't your full strength, then was what I just displayed my full strength?"
"Planetary Spiraling Shuriken, Lord Tekemikazuchi Mode, and my Shadow Legion, which of those did I use?"
Kurama, who was still a bit unwilling and truly believed it lost only because it hadn't recovered its peak strength, was instantly speechless.
Leaving aside the Planetary Spiraling Shuriken and Lord Tekemikazuchi Mode, just the Shadow Legion alone would be enough to give Kurama a hard time.
Among them, there were many super strong high-tier species, whose strength was comparable to Tailed Beasts.
Even if a single one wasn't Kurama's opponent, facing an army of thousands, facing half a dungeon's worth of monsters, even Kurama wouldn't be an opponent.
What's more, there was also the immortal Black Dragon Monarch!
"Hmph!"
Speechless, Kurama could only snort disdainfully, responding with tsundere pride.
"Since that's the case, this great one will reluctantly befriend you."
"However, this great one still has no good feelings towards humans!"
"If I couldn't beat you, this great one would destroy Konoha Village right now!!"
Kurama bared its fangs and pretended to say fiercely.
Naruto smiled indifferently: "By the way, Kurama, after regaining your freedom, where do you plan to go?"
"Travel the Ninja World? Sleep in a volcano? Or... destroy other Ninja Villages?"
Where to go? What to do?
This question plunged the Nine-Tailed into immense confusion again.
Destroy humans? Boring.
Sleep? It had slept long enough.
Travel the Ninja World? Even less likely.
Seeing the Nine-Tailed's struggle and confusion, Naruto's lips curved into a smile: "Seeing you like this, not knowing where to go, if it really comes down to it, how about you continue to hang out with me?"
"Hang out with you?" The Nine-Tailed was stunned.
"That's right!"
Naruto patted his chest, gave a thumbs-up, and pointed to himself.
"I'm strong enough to cover you, to protect you!"
Kurama looked bewildered.
It was the first time it had heard someone say they would cover and protect it.
However, with Naruto's strength, he could indeed do it; he wasn't bragging.
And Kurama understood that there were many in the Ninja World who coveted its power, not none.
Like decades ago, it was controlled by a bad guy with a Sharingan.
Naruto continued: "Konoha Village is quite interesting. There's delicious Ichiraku Ramen, you can soak in hot springs, and there are quite a few interesting people!"
This sincere, irresistible invitation—and the possibility of no longer being alone, which Kurama deeply yearned for.
"Hmph..."
A very faint, almost inaudible snort escaped.
The Nine-Tailed's huge beast eyes slowly closed.
The next moment, an astonishing change occurred.
The Nine-Tailed's massive, mountain-like, orange-red body glowed with a soft golden-red light.
Its size rapidly shrank!
Its nine giant tails contracted and merged.
The terrifying Chakra was perfectly contained and hidden. In just the blink of an eye, in a breath, the world-destroying Tailed Beast disappeared!
On the scorched earth at the bottom of the pit, a fluffy, scrawny, orange-red little fox, about the size of a Shiba Inu, sat crouched.
Its fur was fluffy like flames, and its original nine giant tails had now merged into three small, exquisite tails, like little flames, swaying contentedly behind it.
Its eyes were no longer scarlet lava, but pure, magnificent ruby-red, with less ferocity and more liveliness and undisguised tsundere pride.
The little fox (Kurama) looked up, its ruby eyes "glaring" at Naruto, its gaze stubborn and with a 'you're lucky' awkwardness.
It took small, short steps, gracefully and lightly leaping out of the deep pit, walking to Naruto's feet, and sweeping his pant leg dismissively with its fluffy tail, as if saying: "Still standing there? Let's go! Brat!!"
Naruto looked down at the fluffy, tsundere furball.
He crouched down and tentatively reached out. Seeing that the little fox didn't dodge, only letting out a "hmph," he boldly rubbed its fluffy, warm head.
Then, seeing Kurama's expression, clearly enjoying it but still feigning disdain, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahahahahahaha! Kurama! You're super cute like this!"
"You just look a bit thin. Although it's lean, being chubby is cuter."
"Hmph! Stupid, arrogant brat!"
"Don't use 'cute' to describe this great one!!!"
The little fox (Kurama) spoke in human language, its voice deep and hoarse, a strong contrast with its small size.
It shook its head, trying to escape the "demonic claw," but its movements weren't decisive, and its three small tails wagged even more happily.
"Alright, alright, not cute, majestic and domineering!"
Naruto chuckled as he withdrew his hand, his eyes filled with affection for the fluffy animal.
He stood up and patted his shoulder.
"Come on up, Kurama! I'll take you back to Konoha! Ichiraku Ramen all you can eat! Hot springs all you can soak!"
Kurama glanced at his shoulder, let out a soft, proud huff, and transformed into an orange-red stream of light, lightly leaping up and settling into a comfortable position to lie down, its three fluffy tails naturally hanging down like a warm scarf.
It squinted its ruby eyes, feeling the steady breathing and warm body temperature of the boy beneath it. An unprecedented sense of "security" quietly replaced decades of hatred and loneliness.
Under the moonlight, the blond boy, with the orange-red little fox on his shoulder, set off on his journey home.
The deep pit of ruins gradually receded.
The deep night covered up the hatred.
No one expected that on a sparse, ordinary night, the Nine-Tailed, which made the entire Ninja World tremble, would be released by its Jinchuriki, then simply 'abducted' again and openly carried by his side.
The next day.
Konoha Village, Hot Spring Street.
Naruto's mansion.
"Naruto-kun, I made a bento—"
Hyuga Hinata held a bento box, her voice soft. Her light purple eyes widened slightly when she saw the orange-furred little fox perched on Naruto's shoulder.
"Ah... what a cute little fox!"
Hinata's cheeks flushed.
She carefully approached and offered a delicate dried fish, "Please... please have some."
"Dried fish?"
"Interesting. You think you can bribe this great one with mere dried fish? Do you think this great one is like a stupid cat?"
The little fox Kurama's ruby eyes narrowed, and it snorted through its nose.
Immediately after, with a tsundere 'you're sensible' attitude, it primly took the dried fish. Finding it delicious, its three fluffy tails perked up and wagged continuously.
Hinata's pretty face was slightly red. She wanted to pet the little fox but didn't dare.
"Naruto-kun, where did you get such a cute little fox?"
"Found it in the mountains."
Naruto glanced at Kurama, who was happily eating the dried fish, and couldn't help but smile.
Was this really the Nine-Tailed that everyone feared?
"Bang!" The door was pushed open carelessly.
"Naruto, I want to become stronger—"
Ino Yamanaka burst in tempestuously. Before she could finish speaking, she was captivated by Kurama in its little fox form, her eyes instantly lighting up.
"Wow! A super cute fox! Let big sister hug you!"
Saying that, she opened her arms and pounced.
"Impudent! Get away from this great one! Stupid human brat!!"
Kurama's fur instantly bristled. It lightning-fast leaped onto Naruto's shoulder, snarling with its tiny white teeth, its three tails fanned out in a vigilant posture.
"It... it talks..."
"It talks!"
Ino Yamanaka exclaimed.
"Wait a minute... there are quite a few talking Ninja Beasts, Naruto. Is it a high-level Ninja Beast?"
Before Naruto could answer, Kurama disdainfully said: "How could this great one be a Ninja Beast? This great one is—Naruto, Naruto..."
Naruto covered its mouth.
"Don't carelessly expose your identity as the Nine-Tailed."
Naruto's voice echoed in the Nine-Tailed's mind.
"Hmph! Alright..."
Kurama cooperatively agreed.
Naruto explained: "It is indeed a Summoning Beast. Although it can speak and understand human language, it's still young and relatively weak."
"Huh? Quite a temper!"
Ino laughed, hands on hips, not caring at all. Instead, she smiled and comforted: "It's okay, little fox. As long as you eat more meat and drink more milk, you'll grow tall and strong. One day you'll be as huge and powerful as the Sannin's Summoning Beasts."
"Hmph!"
Kurama didn't explain, turning its head away with disdain.
"Naruto-kun, I'm back from training."
Karin, who was training with Tsunade, returned home.
Now, Kurenai Yuhi was responsible for grocery shopping and housework.
The dignified Konoha Genjutsu Jonin, the Seventh Team's sensei, had been reduced to a housemaid.
No choice, who told Kurenai-sensei she owed a mountain of debt?
"?"
Karin, with her special constitution and extraordinary talent, her glasses glinting, instantly locked onto Kurama on Naruto's shoulder.
"What a strange little fox, why is its Chakra so captivating—"
"Good boy~ Don't be scared, let big sister take a good look, big sister has special lollipops here~"
Karin crept closer and closer, star-eyes appearing behind her oval glasses, her expression becoming increasingly excited.
"..."
Naruto, seeing this, was speechless.
He felt that even if Karin's fate had diverged greatly from the original story, that fanatical, obsessive personality was still gradually awakening.
"Go away."
Kurama instantly darted to Naruto's other shoulder.
"Don't be scared, let big sister see, just study it a bit~"
Karin persisted, one hand twirling her hair up and down, trying to "seduce" the little fox with her fiery red hair, her voice sickeningly sweet.
"So noisy! Get away from this great one! Naruto brat, quickly control your follower!"
Kurama turned its head away in disgust, its three small tails flicking, leaving afterimages, expressing strong displeasure.
"Alright, alright, Karin."
Naruto helplessly pulled Karin away, who was almost sticking to him.
Just then.
With an even louder "bang" as the door opened, the newly appointed Tsunade entered with the authority of the Hokage.
"Naruto! Regarding the unusual activity deep in the forest last night—"
Tsunade's voice abruptly stopped.
Her purple eyes instantly noticed Kurama.
And reacting faster than Tsunade was Tonton, held in Shizune's arms.
Tonton, who was usually a quiet, pretty piglet, upon seeing Kurama for the first time, immediately rolled its Byakugan eyes and fainted.
"Naruto, this fox is—"
Tsunade took a few steps closer, a powerful aura pressing down. She narrowed her eyes, speaking slowly, her voice filled with unbelievable shock and doubt:
"It's very wrong!"
"This fox is unusual. Where did you buy it?"
"No, no."
Tsunade raised a hand and rubbed her forehead, seemingly unable to calm the turmoil in her heart.
"Don't tell me... it's... it's the Nine-Tailed sealed inside you!"
Before her words finished, Tsunade lifted Naruto's shirt, her beautiful purple eyes examining his abdomen.
The seal—it was indeed undone!
Tsunade's inner suspicion was confirmed.
Instantly, Tsunade's mind reeled, and she couldn't help but take half a step back, her eyes incredibly complex, even subconsciously preparing to activate her Yin Seal.
This was the Nine-Tailed!
The world-destroying Tailed Beast!!
Hinata, Ino Yamanaka, and Karin didn't know the terror and power of the Nine-Tailed, but Tsunade did.
Such a powerful Tailed Beast, transformed into a cute pet, brazenly perched on Naruto's shoulder?
Naruto gave a dry laugh: "Listen—cough, cough, cough—"
"Sister Tsunade, you guessed right, this is the Nine-Tailed, named Kurama. I didn't expect you to guess it so quickly."
"As for its current appearance... well, it's more energy-efficient?"
"Energy-efficient?"
Tsunade squeezed out two words through gritted teeth, her voice involuntarily rising a few decibels.
"Heh. You've got guts, keeping a Tailed Beast as a pet at home?"
Kurama unhappily jumped onto the coffee table, its three tails standing straight up, glaring back without backing down: "Hmph, woman, what's with all the fuss!
It's a partner! A friend! Not a pet, watch your words! This great one goes wherever it wants!"
Tsunade stared at the fierce yet fluffy little thing on the coffee table, then looked at Naruto, who had an expression of "it's right," and felt her temples throb.
"So what about the seal? Did you undo it yourself? Or—"
"I undid it myself, Sister Tsunade."
"Calling me 'sister' is useless!"
Finally, she took a deep breath, rubbed her forehead vigorously, as if all her strength was spent, and pointed at the documents on the table: "Forget it! Control your 'partner,' don't destroy the Village! The investigation mission scroll is on the table!"
With that, she turned decisively, preparing to leave.
"Sister Tsunade, you don't need to do the investigation mission."
Tsunade hadn't left yet when Naruto's somewhat helpless voice came from behind her.
"If I'm not mistaken, the unusual activity deep in the forest mentioned in the mission scroll should be the result of me unsealing and releasing the Nine-Tailed, and then having a big fight with it."