"Drip-drop! Drip-drop!"
In the dimly lit sewer space, little Naruto opened his eyes. The gaze that should have been innocent and childish now held a look of precocious intelligence.
In this familiar yet strange environment, he felt no fear; instead, a hint of excitement sparked within him. He whispered, "I'm finally here."
Suddenly, he felt a familiar, twisted, and terrifying presence at the end of the sewer.
Without hesitation, little Naruto stepped forward. His footsteps echoed in the tunnel. Passing into a patch of light, he arrived at a damp, eerie clearing dominated by a gigantic iron fence.
The fence was pitch black, like a black hole ready to swallow the cosmos. Then, a pair of scarlet eyes ignited in the darkness.
These eyes were full of hatred and rage. The owner, like a demon from hell, tempted him: "Closer, brat! Come closer!!"
Little Naruto showed no fear, walking forward calmly. Just as he reached the sealed fence...
The situation changed instantly!
A sharp claw suddenly shot out from the gap between the bars, aiming directly at Naruto.
But Naruto stood still, his face serene. Even the wind from the claw ruffled his hair, he didn't twitch.
"CRASH!"
The iron claw slammed into the fence, stopping right at the tip of Naruto's nose. He could feel the chilling presence of the beast.
"This damned seal!" The Nine-Tails roared furiously from behind the bars. It looked at the calm Naruto and asked suspiciously, "Aren't you scared, brat?"
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. What's your name, big fox living in my body?" Naruto extended a fist, asking with a genuine smile.
"..." The Nine-Tails breathed raggedly, its crimson eyes staring at him.
"You don't hate me?"
"Why would I hate you?" Naruto shook his head. "If it weren't for you, I would've died long ago in that strange world."
"You saved me many times. Thank you."
"I... I wasn't trying to save you! I was trying to steal your body!" The Nine-Tails snapped defensively. "Listen, brat, a few years ago, I was the disaster that almost destroyed Konoha."
"Oh, that's so cool! So, a super strong guy lives inside me," Naruto exclaimed with admiration.
Nine-Tails: "..."
The Nine-Tails felt disheartened, like throwing a punch into a pillow. It knew the kid was sincere.
And because of that, it felt even more defeated.
"By the way, since you're in my body, you must know what I've been through, right?" Naruto sat down with a 'thud', ignoring the strange water on the floor.
This world's Naruto had a drastically different life than the original Naruto.
At age six, Naruto's body, along with the Nine-Tails, time-traveled to the world of Pirates. He joined the Whitebeard Pirates and nearly became the Second Division Commander.
Naruto stayed on Whitebeard's ship for ten years. He thought he would live there forever.
Until the Battle of Marineford: Whitebeard died, Ace was heavily injured, and Naruto was left to cover their retreat, facing tens of thousands of Marines and Akainu alone!
In the end, he seemed to have died, yet maybe not...
Both Naruto and the Nine-Tails had returned to Konoha, a kind of rebirth, as if the Pirate World journey had never happened.
"Hehehe, the Fourth Hokage would never have imagined the things you'd go through, brat," the Nine-Tails raised its head and cackled excitedly.
"He'd never imagine that you have zero loyalty to Konoha!" The Nine-Tails grinned, feeling an immense satisfaction.
"The Fourth? Did the Fourth Hokage seal you inside me? Why would he do that?" Naruto asked curiously.
"You seem to know a lot. We haven't talked for so many years."
"None of your business!"
Naruto sighed. What a difficult guy.
"Well, we've known each other forever, but this is our first face-to-face meeting," Naruto held out his fist.
"So, let me introduce myself. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. My favorite foods are Ichiraku Ramen and all kinds of meat."
"My hobby is watering plants."
"My dream is to have a family."
Since birth, Naruto had endured the malice of almost the entire village, who treated him with cold indifference.
If he hadn't gone to the Pirate World, Naruto might have thought this cold hostility was just how the world worked.
"Brat!"
Inside the iron cage, the Nine-Tails revealed its huge form, staring at Naruto. This human was unlike any it had encountered before.
"Kurama, your power is too great. I'm sorry, but I can't let you roam free."
"The moment you unleash your power, it brings hatred. So, stay quietly in my body."
"Neither of us is lucky. You can keep the world in check, and I will keep you in check."
The faces of Hashirama, Mito, and Uzumaki Kushina flashed through Kurama's mind, their words echoing.
No matter how kind their words sounded, they essentially treated it as nothing more than a talking beast; they never saw it as an equal.
Especially that bastard, Uchiha Madara.
This kid seems special...
He even saw a shadow of the Old Man of Six Paths in Naruto.
No, no, no!
The Nine-Tails shook its head wildly. It must be an illusion!
"Be my family, Nine-Tails." Naruto reached his hand into the cage, just like Whitebeard had invited him onto his ship years ago.
"Hmph... Boring." The Nine-Tails turned its entire body away, maintaining a cool facade.
But the tremor in its shoulders betrayed its inner turmoil.
Naruto didn't push the Nine-Tails. He knew gaining its approval would take time, so he said:
"Big fox, if you're not talking, I'm leaving. I need to go check on my friend."
The Nine-Tails slightly lifted one of its nine fluffy tails and glanced sideways. "You mean that Uchiha brat?"
"Yeah, I think his name is Uchiha Shisui."
The Nine-Tails had a long-standing dislike for the Uchiha, a grudge dating back to the Warring States period.
"Nothing else? I'm going now," Naruto said.
"Wait, brat!" The Nine-Tails suddenly stopped him.
"What is it, big fox?" Naruto turned back.
"Jinchūriki are essentially just weapons for their villages. A weapon can be powerful, but it must never be beyond control," the Nine-Tails turned to face Naruto and warned.
"And you, as a Pirate, are not someone who can be easily controlled."
"If they discover how different you are, they might enforce even harsher ideological control."
"Remember, this isn't the Whitebeard Pirates. You don't have that old man Whitebeard's protection here."
"Are you worried about me?" Naruto said, surprised. In this world, very few people genuinely cared for him—less than three, total. Now, there was a fourth, or rather, a big fox.
Naruto was genuinely happy.
"I'm not worried about you!" The Nine-Tails yelled defensively. "I'm afraid you'll get me into trouble! If you die, it's a huge pain for me!"
"I know, I know." Naruto chuckled knowingly.
"You know what!"
"I know you're a Tsundere," Naruto said with a serious face.
"Brat! You're making me so mad!" The Nine-Tails snarled.
"Big fox, relax. I'm very strong," Naruto stated seriously. He was from the Whitebeard Pirates!
He was the son Whitebeard was most proud of.