As Naruto stopped screaming and crying, he suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted from his mind. Although he had only told half-truths, those were still Billu's genuine emotions.
Suddenly, Naruto felt a sharp pain in his head. He held his head, feeling dizzy and unable to maintain his balance. Billu was shocked, unsure of what was happening.
*Thud!* Naruto fell unconscious. Hiruzen was shouting, "Naruto! Naruto, do you hear me?"
'I'm too young to have a heart attack. I bet I have cancer because this grandpa always smokes. Or maybe all the depression and stress weighing down on a poor child like me is leading to a coma. I hope it's not a coma. Imagine waking up after ten years in a bed, and even old Hiruzen is standing before me. Because of all the worry, he would be completely bald.
No, after ten years, maybe he won't be alive; Orochimaru would have assassinated him a few years before. Maybe I will wake up, and in front of me will be that huge boobs, no-bra woman, Princess Tsunade.
I hope I don't wake up in some weird laboratory or prison, with Danzo in front of me. It wouldn't surprise me if that's the first face I see.'
*Plop, plop.* The sound of water drops falling could be heard. When Naruto woke up, he found himself in a gutter. Water was everywhere, and in front of him was a giant cage with darkness on the other side.
Suddenly, a gigantic figure resembling a fox appeared behind the cage, resting its head on its arms.
"Finally, some huan has decided to visit me. However, with your strength, you can't take away my power. But I can destroy all that you hate if you give me your body," it said.
Billu had not expected to meet Kurama at such a moment. Deciding to play it smart, he replied, "Hey, Kurama, long time no see."
Kurama was taken aback. He hadn't told this human his name, so how did he know it? Why is he not scared of me?
Kurama roared, "How do you know my name?"
Naruto replied, "Oh, sorry, it's not your fault you can't recognize me in this current body. I am Ashura. Naruto is my reincarnation, but now I've awakened the memories of my previous life."
Kurama was shocked. "No, he's just lying or babbling; it cannot be true. How can Ashura reincarnate?"
Naruto continued, "Before me, my previous reincarnation was Hashirama, and Madara was Indra." Kurama growled at the mention of Hashirama and his rival.
"This is the first time my reincarnation has retained memories of a past life, though only bits and pieces. I hope we can find our father soon and ask him about this. I believe he is still in this world, in spirit form."
Kurama was speechless; he needed time to absorb everything.
Naruto spoke up, "Come on, let's be friends again. We are just like brothers after all, aren't we?"
Kurama replied, "Of course, we can." Nobody had ever shown him such kindness or asked to be his friend. This had to be Ashura. He realized that Naruto didn't know any of this; he couldn't be making up a story that turned out to be true.
Naruto added, "I cannot break the seal with my current strength, but I can change the landscape. What do you think?"
Kurama replied, "Hmm. The landscape is controlled by your mind. You can try to change it; after all, Ashura has great imaginative power. You should be able to change it, Naruto."
Naruto sat down to meditate. Suddenly, the landscape transformed into a lush green forest, with a flowing stream, warm sunlight, a cool breeze, flowers, and butterflies of all colors born from the rainbow, along with a few distant mountains.
Kurama was overjoyed. After years of living in a gutter, from Mito to Kushina and a few years with Naruto, he had finally found a peaceful landscape.
Naruto walked behind the cage and extended his hand for a fist bump, and Kurama returned it.
Naruto said, "I guess it's time for me to go back. See you soon."