The moment Lock released the pale red chakra—
Deep within Naruto's body, inside the Eight Trigrams Seal at his navel, something stirred.
Darkness stretched endlessly, damp and oppressive. Iron bars rose like a cage, layered with sealing formulas that pulsed faintly with Minato's handiwork. At the center of it all, a massive shape lay coiled in stillness.
A pair of slit pupils snapped open.
The Nine-Tails raised its enormous head, whiskers twitching as a familiar sensation washed through the sealed space.
"This aura…" the fox rumbled, voice echoing off the seal's interior.
"…That's my chakra?"
Confusion flickered across its feral face.
It could sense it clearly—tailed-beast chakra, unmistakably its own in nature. Yet at the same time, something was wrong.
There was no loss.
No drain.
The seal holding it remained intact, its reserves untouched.
"That makes no sense," the Nine-Tails muttered. "If my chakra leaked out, I would feel it."
Its eyes narrowed as it pressed its senses outward, pushing against the barrier as far as the seal allowed.
"…So weak."
Disdain crept into its voice.
"That amount of chakra is pitiful. That's not even worth mentioning."
A thought surfaced.
"Could it be… the other half?"
When Minato Namikaze had sealed it twelve years ago, the Nine-Tails had been split. The yang half remained here, sealed inside the child's body. The yin half—along with Minato's soul—had been consumed by the Shinigami.
The fox's claws flexed against the stone.
"If the yin half was released…" it growled slowly, "…and then captured again…"
That would explain it.
A fragment, re-sealed somewhere else, forced to provide chakra to a host just like it was now.
"Hmph. How pathetic."
Its lips curled back, exposing sharp teeth.
Escapes once, only to get caught again. Truly disgraceful."
Whatever that other half was doing, it was clearly no help to it now.
The Nine-Tails snorted, irritation fading into boredom.
"…Useless."
Its massive body settled back down, eyes closing once more.
"If that's all, then there's nothing worth paying attention to."
The seal grew quiet again.
The Nine-Tails returned to slumber.
It would never realize that what it had sensed was not its yin half at all—
But a brand-new, artificial manifestation of Nine-Tails chakra, shaped and controlled by Lock alone.
Outside, in Naruto's small apartment, the atmosphere was suffocating.
The pale red chakra had not dissipated yet. It wrapped around Lock's body like a living mantle, pulsing steadily, restrained yet unmistakably violent. A single tail swayed behind him, slow and deliberate, brushing the air with quiet menace.
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his breath catch.
"This pressure…" he murmured, eyes fixed on Lock.
"There's no doubt about it."
It was unmistakable.
Nine-Tails chakra.
Not berserk.
Not leaking.
Not rampaging.
It was controlled.
"Good… very good…" Hiruzen said, excitement flashing briefly across his eyes before he suppressed it. "This is truly excellent."
For an instant—only an instant—something greedy surfaced in his gaze.
Then it vanished, replaced by the familiar benevolence of the Third Hokage.
He raised a hand.
"That's enough," Hiruzen said calmly. "Grandpa has seen sufficient proof. Withdraw it."
Lock looked at him.
His eyes were cold.
Calculating.
The pale red chakra slowly receded, the tail dissolving into mist as the oppressive aura vanished from the room. The air grew lighter, the tension easing as if a weight had been lifted from everyone's chest.
Without ceremony, Lock relinquished control.
In the blink of an eye, the posture shifted.
The sharp, distant gaze softened. The rigid stillness melted away.
Naruto Uzumaki stood there once more, grinning proudly.
"See, Third Grandpa?" Naruto said brightly. "I told you! Lock is amazing!"
Inside the shared consciousness, Lock felt the shift in values settle.
Naruto's trust—hesitant, fragile, but real—had deepened again.
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"He truly is remarkable," he said. "But Naruto, you must not grow complacent."
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
"As the primary personality," Hiruzen continued, "you cannot allow yourself to fall too far behind him."
His tone was gentle, but firm.
"If the gap between you grows too large, problems may arise—problems even I cannot predict."
Lock understood the implication immediately.
If Naruto became weak relative to him, dominance might naturally shift.
Naruto, however, simply nodded obediently.
"I'll work hard!" he said earnestly. "And Lock said this strength was always my body's potential anyway."
"As long as I train seriously, I'll catch up to him soon!"
That answer visibly reassured Hiruzen.
Compared to Lock—distant, sharp, unreadable—Naruto was simple. Straightforward. Easy to guide.
Easy to shape.
"That's good," Hiruzen said, satisfied. "Grandpa is relieved to see you safe."
He rose from his seat, signaling the end of the conversation.
Reaching into his coat, he took out an envelope and handed it to Naruto.
"This is two months' worth of living allowance," he said. "Consider it a small gift—to congratulate you on your graduation in advance."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"T-Thank you, Third Grandpa!"
The envelope was noticeably thicker than usual.
His mood skyrocketed instantly.
Ichiraku Ramen flashed through his mind like a divine revelation.
As Hiruzen put on his Hokage hat and turned toward the door, he spoke again.
"There is something you should know," he said over his shoulder. "Once you officially graduate and become a genin, the village will no longer provide a living allowance."
Naruto froze. "Eh!?"
"You'll earn your income through missions," Hiruzen continued. "But don't worry. You'll be assigned a squad leader to guide you step by step."
Naruto's surprise quickly transformed into excitement.
"Missions! Bounties!" he exclaimed. "I'll work hard!"
Hiruzen nodded.
"The village has its own difficulties," he said calmly. "I trust you'll understand."
With that, he left.
The door closed softly behind him.
The apartment fell quiet.
Naruto stared at the envelope for a second—then tore it open.
"Whoa!" he shouted. "Two thousand ryō!?"
His grin stretched ear to ear.
"With this much money, I can eat thirty bowls of ramen!"
Visions of steaming broth and narutomaki danced through his head.
He carefully took out the frog wallet Hinata had once given him and stuffed the money inside, treating it with more care than anything else he owned.
Only after everything was safely put away did Naruto flop onto his bed, arms spread wide.
"Aaah… today was crazy…"
Then he remembered something.
"Hey, Lock," Naruto said inside his mind. "You said earlier you had a way to make money."
Lock paused.
Money mattered.
In the shinobi world, it mattered more than Naruto realized.
Information, materials, favors—everything required funds.
Several of Lock's flans would stall without financial backing.
"…Yes," Lock replied after a moment. "I do."
Naruto sat up. "Really? How?"
"Prepare paper and a pen," Lock said. "Then give me control."
Naruto blinked. "…That's it?"
"I'm going to write a novel," Lock replied flatly.
Naruto stared at the wall.
"…Huh?"
"Make money by writing novels," Lock repeated.
Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You know how to write novels!?"
He had barely read any books himself. The idea that Lock—who shared his body—could casually write a novel sounded absurd.
"Stop asking questions," Lock said. "We'll know if it works once we try."
Lock already knew this world had a market for novels.
Jiraiya's books proved that clearly.
And the genre Lock had in mind… sold exceptionally well.
Naruto hesitated—then scrambled to find paper and a pen.
"I'm telling you now," he said suspiciously. "If it's boring, I'm laughing at you."
Lock took control.
His posture changed, expression sharpening with focus.
He recalled the structure, pacing, and hooks he knew by heart.
Then he wrote the title.
Young A-Naruto
He paused, crossed something out, and nodded.
Then the chapter title followed.
Chapter 1: The Landlady
And the opening line:
A-Naruto's grades at the Ninja Academy are not ideal…
The pencil scratched steadily across the paper.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Then two.
Lock didn't stop.
By the time he finally set the pencil down, ten chapters lay completed—nearly twenty thousand words in total.
He leaned back slightly.
"That's enough for now," he said. "I'll continue after it's accepted."
Naruto was silent.
Then—
"What!?" he exploded. "You can't stop there!"
"That's the exciting part!"
"I want to see what happens next! I want to see A-Naruto! I want to see him with the cousin!"
Even Naruto—creator of the Sexy Jutsu—was completely hooked.
Lock allowed himself a faint sense of satisfaction.
"Tomorrow," he said. "If the draft is accepted."
With that, he relinquished control voluntarily.
Naruto lay back on the bed, clutching the pages like treasure.
Tomorrow, he'd ask Ayame to help submit it.
After all, in this village, there were only a handful of people who would treat him kindly.
If he tried to do it alone—
He probably wouldn't even make it past the door.
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