Kyusei opened his eyes and looked at Naruko, who was burying her head in her bowl, eating in silence. He stood up.
"Naruko."
His voice made her lift her head.
The blonde twin-tailed girl looked at him with her clear blue eyes, confusion written all over her face.
Seeing those eyes—so identical to Kaoru's—Kyusei smiled softly and reached out, brushing away a grain of rice stuck at the corner of her mouth.
Kyusei was a transmigrator, a reincarnated soul.
From the moment he came to this world, the original trajectory of history had already been altered.
Which meant—
He could change things.
Change that unfortunate future.
He hoped his future would be just like his name.
Long-lasting happiness.
Enduring good fortune.
"Do you know what chakra is?" Kyusei asked.
Naruko pouted slightly.
This kid—clearly younger than her—was suddenly acting like a senior, trying to test her.
"Chakra is the fusion of physical energy and spiritual energy. It's the fundamental power ninjas use to fight."
Her grades were terrible, but even she knew this basic knowledge.
Kaoru looked at Kyusei in confusion, not understanding why he was suddenly asking this.
"Right," Kyusei said, shaking his head, "and also not quite right."
He continued calmly,
"The original purpose of chakra was for the Sage of Six Paths to allow people to understand and trust one another."
"But that power also carried destruction within it. As time passed, the original purpose of chakra was forgotten."
"People only saw its overwhelming destructive force."
He spoke of the origin of chakra while staring at Naruko—
—or rather, as if he were looking straight through her, at the fox sealed within her.
How does this brat know that?!
Inside Kyusei, the Nine-Tails stared at him in shock.
The true origin of chakra was knowledge only the tailed beasts still remembered. Over thousands of years of war and destruction, all records of it had long since vanished.
"Eh?"
"So that's how it is?" Kaoru said in surprise. This was the first time she'd ever heard this.
"Naruko," Kyusei said, extending his fist, "let's connect."
"I want to know how the me from your world and Kaoru died."
"I want to know why you became an orphan."
"I want to understand everything."
He stated his purpose plainly, without hesitation.
He wanted to live.
He wanted Kaoru to live.
He wanted both of them to live—together.
"You… you mean…"
Naruko stared at Kyusei's outstretched fist, momentarily speechless.
"Yes," Kyusei said softly.
"The one who knows everything is right here."
"The Nine-Tails inside you."
"We can ask him."
Naruko froze, then hesitated.
"But… the Nine-Tails' temper is really bad."
"What if he refuses to tell us?"
She wanted to know the truth too—about how her parents died, about why only she was left behind.
"It's fine," Kyusei said reassuringly.
"If your Nine-Tails won't talk, then my Little Nine will have a chat with him."
Then he turned to Kaoru.
"Kaoru, you too."
He extended his hand to her as well.
Looking at the gentle expression on Kyusei's face, Kaoru smiled softly and placed her hand in his without hesitation.
In that instant—
The chakra of the three of them connected as one.
—
"Look!"
"That's her—the fox demon!"
"Why hasn't the Third Hokage dealt with her yet?!"
"Disgusting little slut!"
"Damn fox witch!"
The moment their chakra linked, Kyusei saw a scene that made his blood pressure spike.
A thin, frail girl—only six or seven years old—stood on the street with her head lowered.
Around her, villagers pointed, shouted, and hurled abuse without restraint. Filthy words filled the air.
That tiny figure walked on alone.
Crying.
Wiping her eyes desperately.
Completely by herself.
She walked through curses and hatred.
Through crowds filled with malice.
Through a muddy swamp of human ugliness.
Still unsatisfied, some people began throwing stones, rotten eggs, and vegetable scraps at her.
A stone struck her forehead.
Her small, fragile body collapsed to the ground.
The crowd cheered.
The little girl struggled to lift her head.
Bright red blood flowed down, painfully vivid against the dull, gray world around her.
Kyusei watched the girl struggle to stand and walk toward him.
Instinctively, he reached out—
—but his hand passed straight through her.
…These are Naruko's memories.
"Fox demon."
"Fox witch."
Kyusei's pupils trembled as he watched the girl walk away.
Is this the difference between Naruko and Naruto?
Then—
A scene appeared that nearly made him explode with rage.
A lecherous old man dragged the small, frail Naruko into a dark alley, his face twisted into a nauseating grin.
He actually tried to undo her pants.
At that exact moment—
A stone flew out of nowhere and smashed into him.
"Hey!"
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Several members of the Uchiha Police Force rushed in, wearing their uniforms, instantly restraining the filthy bastard.
…
Kyusei watched in silence as scene after scene played out like a slideshow.
More than ten times—
Disgusting vermin tried to lay their hands on her.
They cursed her while trying to touch her.
Every single time, the Uchiha Police Force, ANBU, or passing ninjas intervened and stopped them.
And seeing that—
Kyusei was furious.
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew.
He knew all of this.
And yet, he chose to ignore it.
The scenes continued to flow—
Until Kyusei saw Naruko sitting alone by a river.
A black-haired boy sat down beside her.
Both of them wore the same expression—
Deathly stillness.
Emotional numbness.
…Uchiha Sasuke.
Kyusei watched as their relationship grew—
From strangers,
To exchanging a few words,
To Naruko learning to hide her pain behind cheerfulness.
And Sasuke—
Only smiling when he was with her.
When Naruko was bullied, he rushed in and beat the offender into the ground.
When shopkeepers treated her unfairly, he dragged her away, bought food elsewhere, and handed it to her himself.
The images flashed by—
And when Kyusei opened his eyes again, he was standing in a dark, damp sewer.
Drip.
A single tear slid down Kaoru's cheek, falling into the pool of water beneath their feet.
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