Late at night, Zhang Ming, who had fallen asleep again, still couldn't rest soundly.
His tender young face was taut, as if being twisted by an invisible force, his expression appearing both pained and helpless.
He was in a nightmare, but it wasn't actually a nightmare; it was all of Uzumaki Naruto's memories from the past four years, only that period filled with malice was far more terrifying than any nightmare.
In this story, he was regarded by the entire Village as an anomaly, an inauspicious Nine-Tailed Fox, and simultaneously suffered the curses and bullying of the entire Village; everyone wanted him to die.
The originally peaceful and harmonious Village would turn into a silent battlefield whenever he appeared.
Naruto lived alone in a corner of the Village, enduring unimaginable malice, yet rarely held grudges in his heart, always wearing a pure smile on his face, yearning for the Village's recognition and for true friends.
But even so, the harsh mockery, curses, and indifferent, fierce gazes still pierced his fragile heart like sharp blades.
He seemed to stand alone against the Village, though he was clearly a member of it, with the villagers' sharp words in his ears and only endless loneliness and pain in his heart.
Zhang Ming passively accepted all of Uzumaki Naruto's past; the surging malice engulfed him like a tide and buried him like mud.
The intense feeling of suffocation prevented him from making any sound.
He wanted to wake up from this nightmare but could do nothing.
Four years of memories quickly flashed through Zhang Ming's mind, leaving only deep malice and hatred etched in his heart.
Zhang Ming opened his eyes again in the darkness; his azure eyes still held the fear from the dream, but it was followed by overwhelming malice and anger.
With the end of the dream, he could feel that Uzumaki Naruto had now completely merged with him.
The four years of memories allowed him to experience Uzumaki Naruto's past from a first-person perspective.
The immense hatred made him restless for a long time, yet deep down, a voice was urging him to forgive them.
'How ridiculous, is it Ashura's Chakra?'
'Even so, can he still calmly choose to forgive them?'
'Repay evil with kindness, but with what shall kindness be repaid?'
'These inherently evil Konoha villagers, and those few old, undying parasites.'
'I will personally...'
"Hoh hoh hoh, have you finally woken up, Uzumaki Naruto!"
A mocking yet malicious voice suddenly echoed in the empty space, faintly accompanied by the sound of water droplets causing ripples on the surface.
Zhang Ming felt a gust of wind blow past him, rustling his soft golden hair and brushing against his cheek.
He immediately looked up, only to see that he was no longer in his sleeping room, but in a pitch-black cage.
Within that cage, a pair of enormous vertical pupils suddenly widened, burning like flames.
A gigantic fox head appeared before him, while the fox's body was faintly discernible in the darkness.
This is the Sealed Space!
Zhang Ming then realized he was lying on a water-covered floor.
He slowly got up from the ground, looked at the floor, and touched his body.
Although he had been completely submerged in the water, he could breathe, and there was no trace of being wet.
He bent down, cupped a little water, and examined it carefully.
How amazing!
"Kid, you're quite bold."
Kurama was somewhat surprised to see the blonde kid still in the mood to play with water upon seeing him.
It also didn't know why this kid suddenly appeared in this Sealed Space.
When the other party suddenly extracted Chakra earlier, it was truly startled, followed by a sudden outburst of malice and resentment.
That incredibly pure and evil hatred astonished even Kurama, who was known as a collection of hatred.
This made it feel like there was an opportunity.
Kurama's voice brought Zhang Ming back to his senses.
The water in his hands spilled, creating ripples, and then he stared blankly at the giant fox.
It doesn't seem that scary, actually, it looks a bit chubby.
Was he scared already?
Kurama was a bit surprised.
It thought the other party might bring it some fun, as it had been in this Sealed Space for too long and always felt a bit lonely.
It just didn't expect him to still be just a kid, so it would have to find some entertainment for itself.
The giant fox head curled its lips, revealing rows of sharp, pale white teeth, and looked down with disdain, saying, "Kid, aren't you going to come closer?"
Looking at the large fox with a disdainful expression, Zhang Ming was only slightly surprised earlier.
He hadn't expected to meet Kurama, whom he originally thought he would only see years later, so early.
Was it because he suddenly mastered Chakra?
He remembered that the system gave him Chakra mastery, which meant that as long as it was Chakra within his body, he could control it.
Since Kurama was sealed within his body, it meant that the Chakra overflowing from it could also be controlled by him.
Perhaps this was the reason for meeting Kurama early.
"Kurama, it's been a long time."
Zhang Ming had perfectly integrated all of Uzumaki Naruto's memories, even those he couldn't consciously recall.
So he had already seen this large fox when he was born, making 'it's been a long time' not wrong at all.
"Hmm?"
Kurama, who hadn't been called by its true name for hundreds of years, was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered.
Its originally curled lips slowly flattened, and a pair of scarlet vertical pupils stared intently at the blonde kid in front of it, adopting a defensive posture.
"Kid, how do you know this old one's name?"
Zhang Ming's smile grew wider, wanting to play a bit, and said, "I am Ashura."
"Ashura? That's impossible!" Kurama's voice contained intense anger.
It felt like it was being toyed with.
Ashura had been dead for hundreds of years, and his grave couldn't even be found.
"How on earth do you know that name, kid?"
Zhang Ming stroked his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face.
He couldn't quite recall how Uzumaki Naruto in the original story knew he was Ashura's reincarnation, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
"Hmm—an old man with two horns on his head, wearing a white robe, and with three circle eyes told me.
He said I was Ashura's reincarnation."
"Six, Six Paths Sage!" Kurama froze on the spot, like a statue, completely motionless.
After a long while.
Kurama came to its senses and looked at Uzumaki Naruto, who was obediently standing on the other side of the Sealed Gate, and asked with some uncertainty, "Are you really sure you are Ashura's reincarnation?"
Kurama instinctively hoped this was false, because if it were true, it wouldn't know how to face Uzumaki Naruto.
Zhang Ming, however, looked indifferent, saying, "Reincarnation or not, I don't know, and I'm not really interested in it.
I am just myself."
Kurama's expression was somewhat complex.
To be honest, when Zhang Ming said the name Ashura and described the general appearance of the Six Paths Sage, it had already believed him to some extent.
"So, you came here to use my Chakra?" Kurama asked with a complex tone.
"Hmm, pretty much, but..."
Naruto's smile brightened a bit, but Kurama suddenly felt as if the light in the Sealed Space had grown dimmer.
"Kurama, it must be very boring staying in the Sealed Space all the time."