"Naruto, you can't beat him?"
Kurama asked, somewhat surprised.
Naruto wore a strange expression and replied, "How strong do you think I am?"
"A few sealing techniques, some chakra, and a useless Wood Style that's still in its early stages of development?"
Kurama: "..."
From Naruto's words, it seemed to be true.
This frustrated Kurama even more.
It had been sleeping, and suddenly a madman appeared with a shape-shifting sword.
He had sealed three of Kurama's tails in a single strike.
Before Kurama could fully react, it had been attacked again.
Now that it had fled so far, the attacker was still close behind.
Even if Kurama hadn't lost its strength from the sneak attack, it might have been difficult to overcome him.
Forget fighting the red giant—it couldn't even deal with Naruto's sealing techniques.
It felt… useless.
This was the first time in its life Kurama had ever felt like this.
Naruto rode on Kurama's front, while Uchiha Itachi's Susanoo pursued from behind.
Itachi, also from Konoha, realized they weren't far from the village.
He controlled Susanoo and summoned another spiritual weapon: three red magatama, entangled together and suspended by a chakra thread similar to a puppet master's, but red.
Susanoo's enormous hand opened, the magatama spun above its palm, and then it was hurled toward Kurama.
Seeing the situation, Naruto quickly rolled and dodged.
Kurama sensed the terrifying power approaching from behind and became furious.
"This is bullying! Afraid of my sealing technique? Am I supposed to be afraid of confronting you?"
Kurama ran, opening its mouth to form a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Since it had limited chakra, the bomb was smaller than usual.
The Tailed Beast Bomb shot toward the magatama—but the magatama, controlled by Itachi, dodged it and flew straight at Kurama.
The Tailed Beast Bomb hit Susanoo's Yata Mirror.
The magatama struck Kurama from behind.
Boom!
The Tailed Beast Bomb exploded.
Although the Yata Mirror could change its attributes, its defense was extraordinary.
However, the attack was too comprehensive, hitting Susanoo entirely.
Susanoo's embodied chakra shattered.
Kurama's massive body was lifted high into the sky by the magatama.
Then, the magatama cracked open, and a dazzling fire called Madara erupted in the sky.
Naruto hid nearby, slightly affected by the aftermath, but it was nothing serious.
Once the dust settled, Susanoo disappeared.
Kurama fell from the sky, frozen.
Itachi staggered toward the spot where Kurama landed, his cold eyes sending chills down the spine.
Passing Naruto, Itachi looked at him.
Recognizing him, Itachi said, "Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha cannot survive without the Nine-Tails. Come with me."
Naruto immediately understood Itachi's intention but said nothing for the moment.
The two approached the fallen Kurama.
By now, Kurama was dying.
Yet it spat out stubbornly, "The detestable Uchiha… the detestable Mangekyō!
If I had my full strength… if I hadn't been attacked by you… how could I ever fear you!"
Itachi ignored Kurama and activated Susanoo, drawing the Totsuka Blade behind his back, ready to strike.
Naruto shouted, stopping him: "Uchiha Itachi, can't you say anything properly?"
Itachi paused at Naruto's words and let Susanoo vanish.
Unable to maintain its stance, he fell to his knees.
Kurama mocked, "You're pathetic. If I were in my prime, I'd kill you with a single swipe."
Naruto's mouth twitched. "Kurama, please stop. You've already been defeated, so stop talking."
Kurama was indeed scared.
Sealed within a Jinchūriki's body, it could remain free for 180 years—but if the shinobi world fell, there would be no next Jinchūriki.
Sealed in the Totsuka Blade, it had to wait… possibly hundreds or thousands of years before being released.
It would be completely suffocated by then.
Itachi asked Naruto, "What is going on?"
Naruto briefly explained.
Kurama and Naruto had reconciled.
Naruto released Kurama, and in gratitude, Kurama decided to remain in the Land of Fire, maintaining balance among the Five Great Powers.
Itachi didn't know any of this.
Seeing the Nine-Tails alive, he assumed Konoha was in danger.
He knew a large ninja village could not survive without a Jinchūriki, so he planned to seal Kurama in the Totsuka Blade and find a suitable replacement in Konoha.
As for Kisame… Itachi had already subdued him with genjutsu.
But who could have predicted these events?
Itachi sat down to rest, clearly exhausted from controlling Susanoo.
Kurama, the fox, sat cross-legged, hands extended, condensing chakra.
Its recovery was impressive, and soon it would be fully healed.
Seeing this, Itachi released Kurama's chakra from the Totsuka Blade.
Kurama didn't hesitate and absorbed it directly.
Its posture straightened, and it felt rejuvenated.
After a while, Itachi said, "The Nine-Tails had better not leave Konoha. The Akatsuki aims to capture the tailed beasts."
Kurama had been sealed for so long that it had never heard of the Akatsuki.
But if an organization feared Itachi, it clearly had powerful shinobi.
Kurama felt instant fear.
Even a battlefield-level weapon like itself was just a tool when facing elite humans.
Itachi assessed the situation between Naruto and Kurama.
He realized Naruto had earned the trust of the tailed beasts—a feat that left him astonished.
Satisfied, Itachi turned and staggered away.
Once Itachi left, Naruto felt a surge of incredulity.
In his mind, Itachi hadn't seemed that powerful.
Although Mangekyō could restrain a tailed beast, Itachi also relied on sneak attacks and assistance from a "shark."
Kurama had only been at half strength.
Yet Itachi had still been able to chase Kurama. Incredible.
But Naruto let it go.
Itachi was formidable, but his strongest canon feats occurred years later in his fight with Sasuke.
This was several years prior, and his condition might not have been at full strength.
Furthermore, Itachi could be considered "half one of ours," so there was no need to dwell on it.
Kurama suddenly said to Naruto, "Uzumaki Naruto… perhaps you should seal me away."
If left unsealed, its aura would draw attention.
If someone from the Akatsuki came, Kurama wouldn't know how to respond.
After all, it couldn't handle even one Uchiha Itachi alone.
Although Itachi's sneak attack was the cause…
Naruto did not agree.
He opened his shirt, revealing the complete sealing mark on his abdomen.
Upon seeing it, Kurama was confused.
An indescribable feeling arose in its chest—
It felt like…
Its former host had found someone better than it.
For once, it had been taken seriously… and now it had been utterly defeated.
Hahahaha~~~
Saute! ! !
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to [Jason Zuckor ] for joining my Patreon page!🎉Your support means the world to me. 🙏
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 60+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Marvel fanfic!
[Marvel: A Video Editor]