Knock, knock, knock…
Early the next morning, Naruto was awakened by a hurried knocking sound.
Yawning, Naruto rubbed his messy hair with one hand and scratched his belly with the other, sluggishly getting out of bed to open the door.
"Oh~ hi~ yo! Na~ ru~ to!"
Outside the door, Ino's face was beaming with enthusiasm. She was wearing a thick cotton coat and holding a large bento box in her arms.
Naruto rubbed his blurry, sleepy eyes: "How did you find me?"
For the past few months, they had always met in the forest, and Naruto had never told Ino his exact home address.
"I asked Shikamaru."
Shikamaru shouldn't have known either…
Naruto glanced at Ino, who chuckled, shoved the bento into Naruto's arms, and ducked her head to slip inside the house.
Naruto didn't stop her. He opened the bento and peeked inside: the first layer was sushi, the second was Japanese-style grilled meat, and the third was two fried fish and steaming hot white rice.
Ino rushed into the house, her gaze sweeping around the room.
The room only had a bed, a wardrobe, a dining table, a refrigerator, plus a bathroom and a small kitchen. It looked a bit simple overall, but it was very clean.
Ino's eyes flickered slightly, and then, as if realizing something, she gently opened the wardrobe, her gaze falling on the few sparse single clothes.
In a trance, an endless sense of loneliness seemed to wash over her, as if to completely engulf her.
Turning to look in Naruto's direction, Ino forced a smile: "Naruto, do you want to go shopping after we eat?"
"No."
Hearing Naruto's blunt refusal, Ino's small face fell.
"Then what do you usually do?"
"Lie down."
Naruto grabbed a piece of sushi and stuffed it into his mouth: "It tastes good."
Ino wasn't happy because of Naruto's praise. She suddenly realized that away from that forest, she had no idea how to interact with Naruto.
Thinking back, their previous interactions had only been her talking to herself while revolving around Naruto.
She didn't understand Naruto at all…
Realizing this, Ino instantly lost her appetite, and her desire to share the delicious food with Naruto also faded significantly.
It wasn't until Naruto wolfed down the bento that Ino, looking dejected, left with the bento box.
"You're quite popular, kid."
Inside the sealed space, Nine-Tailed said mockingly: "This girl is much gentler than your old lady. With Kushina, it's hard to tell if she's truly angry or if her Tailed Beast Chakra is going berserk."
Naruto glanced at Nine-Tailed: "You were actually caught and sealed because you talk so badly, weren't you?"
Nine-Tailed glared: "It's clearly because you humans covet this old man's power!"
"We… humans…"
Inside the sealed space, Chakra surged around Naruto. A pair of furry fox ears appeared on his head, and nine orange-red tails gently swayed behind him. His pupils turned into crimson vertical slits, and a black eyeshadow appeared on his eyelids.
"It's hard to say whether this form is human or Tailed Beast, isn't it?"
Gently stroking the unconsciously swaying tails behind him, Naruto's eyes were curious: "It's like they're real…"
He had felt long ago that there seemed to be some power hidden within his body, but out of caution, he had never activated it.
Now that he had formed a cooperation with Nine-Tailed, there was no need to hide anything in the mental space.
"They are real."
Nine-Tailed narrowed its eyes, scrutinizing Naruto's fox ears and tails, and surprisingly found them pleasing to the eye.
"Or rather, they are organs made of Chakra. Kid, do you know how Tailed Beasts came to be?"
"How did they come to be?"
"Tailed Beasts are Chakra that have gained life."
Nine-Tailed twitched its ears and recalled: "Six Paths Sage shaped us and gave us life through Yin-Yang Release. That is the origin of Tailed Beasts."
"So Six Paths Sage is actually your mom?"
"That… should be considered a dad. Hiruzen Sarutobi is male—what strange things are you even focusing on?!"
"Haha, my bad, my bad."
Naruto scratched his hair: "So… I've turned into a Tailed Beast?"
"No, you're still human."
Nine-Tailed snorted, pointing at Naruto's ears and tails: "But these extended parts are completely identical to our Tailed Beast bodies; they are a manifestation of a life form. You can think of them as flesh and blood made of Chakra. Once injured, you will also feel pain."
Naruto blinked: "So, humans who accept Tailed Beast power become like this?"
Don't lie to me just because I'm uneducated!
The Tailed Beast Cloak in the original work wasn't like this!
"You are an exception, kid."
Nine-Tailed shook its head: "Other Jinchuriki can only be said to be borrowing Tailed Beast Chakra. Although they will manifest Tailed Beast characteristics, the essence of these characteristics is still Chakra."
"But you have truly replicated this old man's power! Unlike those who temporarily borrow Tailed Beast power, you have indeed become the master of this Chakra."
"However, Tailed Beast Chakra and human Chakra are also different. The human flesh and blood body is too weak, and the Chakra extracted is very gentle, while Tailed Beast Chakra is of higher quality, more violent, more aggressive, and of course, more powerful."
"The reason for these differences lies in their different life forms. Just as this old man said, Tailed Beasts themselves are Chakra life forms and possess powerful physiques far beyond humans, but you are a human and do not possess the conditions to extract Tailed Beast Chakra…"
Naruto understood Nine-Tailed's meaning: "So if I need to extract this Chakra, I must become a Chakra life form like a Tailed Beast?"
"Exactly! But not entirely. Your body is still flesh and blood, just with some additional Chakra organs."
Nine-Tailed nodded, snorting with a chuckle.
"By rights, it shouldn't be like this. There were two annoying fellows who gained this old man's power, and they only manifested whisker marks, just like you before."
"However, the power you stole is simply too much, so much that it is in no way inferior to this old man, the true Nine-Tailed. Yet your physique is too weak, so this excessive Chakra ultimately evolved into Chakra organs just like a Tailed Beast."
"Looking at it this way, although you are essentially still a human, you can tentatively be considered half a Tailed Beast."
Nine-Tailed said, letting out a cold snort: "Stealing this old man's Chakra and even manifesting this old man's characteristics, you kid… are really annoying."
Naruto looked at Nine-Tailed, then at the tails behind him: "Emmm… matching outfits?"
"Who's matching with you?! Stinky brat!"
Nine-Tailed was furious, clinging to the large gate and howling.
"Then… brothers?"
"Awooo—!!"
Nine-Tailed started its destructive mode again, while Naruto fell into thought.
He now inherited Ashura's Sage Body and Wood Release Ninjutsu, the Four Generation Couple's Sealing Jutsu, Rasengan, Flying Thunder God, as well as some basic or commonly used Ninja arts like the Three Body Technique, Body Flicker Technique, and Shadow Clone.
But he currently had no combat experience whatsoever, not even the most basic tree climbing or water walking…
"It's time to train."
Naruto looked out the window; a snowy landscape met his eyes.
"Forget it, I'll talk about it in spring…"