Naruto instinctively realized that whoever was inside the prison was dangerous—more dangerous than anyone she had met so far. Yet she did not feel afraid.
Staring blankly into its eyes, Naruto wondered whether this was a dream. But she could feel the oppressive red aura just from looking at it, and she realized that it was not a dream.
Then the enormous being emanating that red aura spoke again.
"Do you want revenge?"
"..."
"Try to remember, child."
"Who insulted you for no reason? Who threw stones at you? Who threw kunai at you and truly tried to kill you, or took away what was yours..."
"..."
"Remember the ones who destroyed that precious shop."
"...!"
"The villagers who call you a monster and torment you. Don't you hate them?"
"I hate them..."
"Yes, that's right. Of course you do. Then shouldn't you take revenge?"
"I want to."
Satisfied by Naruto's answer, the being grinned, revealing enormous, razor-sharp claws as it scraped them against the iron bars.
"Then remove that loathsome talisman stuck to these bars. I will make those villagers die in agony."
"..."
Naruto silently watched it again. Then, as if disappointed by something, she lowered her gaze and shook her head.
"No."
Bang—
"...!"
The instant Naruto answered, the being inside the prison ground its teeth and slammed into the bars.
The shock alone sent Naruto flying backward and sprawling across the ground.
"Why do you refuse? Were you lying when you said you wanted revenge? When you said you hated them?"
Naruto slowly pushed herself back up and opened her mouth.
"No, I really do hate them. They hurt me. They destroyed that precious shop. More than anything, they made me lose Teuchi and Ayame!"
Naruto spoke while biting her lip so hard it bled, as if the frustration were unbearable.
"Then why are you refusing my offer?"
Red aura seeped out from within the prison and began to envelop Naruto.
But it only rippled around her; it did not touch her directly.
"Come now, you should be honest. This is your only method—your only chance—to kill the villagers who despise you, hate you, and torment you."
"...No."
"Why? Why not??"
A fierce wind surged from inside the prison and crashed over Naruto. Unable to withstand that overwhelming force, she fell and trembled.
But without fear, she looked up at the being in the prison with lifeless eyes and spoke.
"Because if they die, they won't be able to torment me anymore."
"...!"
"I can't just kill them. Never... never."
At Naruto's words, the being in the prison was struck by a shock so great that even it was taken aback.
It had lived for countless years and encountered all kinds of humans, but it could not help wondering whether those were truly words a five-year-old child could say.
And more than anything, those eyes.
It had only been for an instant, but it felt as though the child's hatred had overwhelmed it.
I've seen those eyes somewhere before...
As the red aura around Naruto gradually faded, Naruto lowered her head, seeming slightly relieved.
After some time passed, perhaps out of curiosity, she cautiously asked a question.
"Who are you? And why am I in a place like this?"
"This is your inner world. And I am the... being sealed within you. The Nine-Tails."
Before Naruto stood a red fox far larger than herself. Seeing its nine tails, she could truly feel that it was no ordinary being.
More than that, she had heard the term "Nine-Tails" before.
When the village adults called out to Naruto from afar, they sometimes called her the Nine-Tails.
She had not known what it meant, nor had there been anyone she could ask, so she had assumed it was simply another insult. Only now did she understand what Nine-Tails meant.
The Nine-Tails is inside me...?
She could not understand how such a gigantic demon could be inside her, but it did not really matter.
"Is Nine-Tails... your name?"
"Hmph. I have no name to tell humans."
The fox reacted harshly, but Naruto could tell.
It did not hate her. It simply hated humans themselves.
Most people would have realized that and assumed it hated them too, but Naruto was different.
By Naruto's standards, having received every kind of hatred and loathing since the day she was born, it was practically kind.
Besides, it had threatened her, but it had no killing intent. That only made Naruto more interested in the fox.
When she approached the prison and even tried to enter it, the Nine-Tails, irritated, swung one of its tails and struck the prison.
Boom—
Naruto took the shock head-on. Pain tore through her entire body, making her tremble.
"Don't even think of coming over here. The smell of humans makes me sick."
"You... too..."
The Nine-Tails thought the young human would be frightened and run away, and was about to rest. But contrary to its expectations, Naruto did not flee. She slowly rose to her feet.
Then came her next words.
"Are you... going to torment me too?"
Clutching her trembling body, Naruto did not retreat. She glared at the Nine-Tails.
Meeting Naruto's eyes again, the Nine-Tails remembered why they had seemed so familiar.
That child's eyes are full of hatred. It makes me sick, reminding me of that Uchiha bastard.
The Nine-Tails thought of the shinobi who had once controlled it: Madara Uchiha.
It did not like being reminded of that hateful shinobi by the eyes of such a tiny child. Yet for some reason, it found itself unwilling to simply leave her alone.
"You are a Jinchuriki. A vessel that contains a Tailed Beast like me."
"A Jinchuriki? A vessel?"
"Simply put, I exist because you exist."
"...!"
At the Nine-Tails' words, Naruto suddenly remembered asking the Third Hokage about family in the past.
[Family is having someone by your side because you are there.]
Naruto remembered once more that the Nine-Tails was inside her, and the word family immediately came to mind.
Of course, the Nine-Tails was clearly not human. But Naruto, who had been called a monster and thought of herself as one, did not think it strange for the Nine-Tails to be her family.
"Nine-Tails, are you my family?"
"Family? Don't be ridiculous. Me and a mere human...!!"
Seeing Naruto's deep disappointment at the thought that they were not family, the Nine-Tails could not finish speaking.
It did not know why one little human child could make it feel this way, but it let out a long sigh and continued.
"It would merely be troublesome if you died, since I would die too."
Naruto's eyes widened as she looked at the Nine-Tails.
In all her life, other than Teuchi and Ayame, this was the first time anyone had told her that she must not get hurt or die.
"Y-you really don't hate me...?"
Somehow, she had interpreted its words as meaning that it did not hate her, but the Nine-Tails did not bother to correct that part.
"I have no reason to hate you..."
"But I'm a monster..."
"Hmph, a monster? If anything, I am closer to being a monster."
"No. Nine-Tails, you're not a monster!"
"Heh. You can look at me like this and still say I'm not a monster?"
"A real monster would never say things like that to me!"
"Things like that?"
"You said you exist because I exist. You said you had no reason to hate me. That means you need me! I really wanted to hear something like that from anyone at all... someone who needs me... no, maybe a fox... I don't know whether I'm happy or sad..."
As Naruto cried, sincerely happy, the Nine-Tails wore a dumbfounded expression. But having watched her life from within, it could understand.
And more than anything, the reason Naruto had entered this place was...
"You're noisy. Stop crying."
"Okay. Sniff... I'm sorry..."
"Apologizing for that... Tch. I don't like it."
"S-sorry. I won't cry anymore, so... please don't hate me..."
"Fine, just don't think about coming in here."
As Naruto wiped away her tears and tried once again to enter the prison, the Nine-Tails stopped her again.
"Why?"
"You... do you truly intend to come near me? What will you do if I deceive you and kill you?"
"I don't care. You're all I have now, Nine-Tails..."
"Wait!"
The moment Naruto tried to enter the prison, something invisible forcefully flung her back.
Naruto rose in bewilderment, more startled than hurt.
"W-what was that?"
"The seal. It was put in place to stop me from approaching you."
"Then how do I get rid of the seal?"
"...Are you seriously asking that?"
Naruto nodded without hesitation at the Nine-Tails' question, making it let out an involuntary laugh.
For the Nine-Tails, seeing a human place such complete trust in a Tailed Beast was utterly unfamiliar.
If it deceived such an innocent human, it could easily escape this place. But for some reason, it did not feel like doing that this time.
"If you remove the talisman in front of you, the seal will weaken."
"Can't I remove it completely?"
"Not right now. You need a key."
"Where is the key? I'll go get it right away."
"I don't know. Someone probably has it."
Naruto looked unhappy that she could not break the seal, but she approached anyway to at least remove the talisman. The water beneath her reacted to the Nine-Tails' chakra and carefully lifted her upward.
Then, when she came close to the talisman as large as herself, Naruto removed it without hesitation.
"To think you actually removed the talisman... I wonder what the one who sealed me would think if they saw this."
"Then can I touch you now, Nine-Tails?"
"No. But I can interfere with you more strongly now."
"Interfere...?"
"You don't need to know yet. More importantly, it is time for you to leave."
"No! I like it here better... I don't want to be apart from you!"
"We are not parting. I am always inside you."
"Can I see you again?"
"Yes."
"I'll... try my best not to cry... so please don't abandon me... please."
"...I'll think about it."
"Uzumaki Naruto. That's my name."
"..."
"..."
"Tch. Kurama."
"Kurama... Kurama... Okay, I'll remember. See you again, Kurama."
When Naruto regained consciousness in the real world, she naturally vanished from her inner world. The Nine-Tails—or rather, Kurama—blankly stared at the place where the girl had disappeared and thought.
Why did I help that little brat?
At first, it had intended to use her weak heart to weaken the seal.
The seal had indeed weakened in the end, but it did not like how it had happened.
But when it looked at that child, for some reason, it could not leave her alone.
I didn't want that brat to become like Madara. That's right. I have to keep watching this girl, and if she starts resembling that irritating Madara bastard, I won't be able to rest in peace...
Thinking that, Kurama rationalized its own actions.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register