After Naruto’s reminder, the Nine-Tails fell silent.
Unlike in the original story, Naruto had nearly starved to death and, because of that, the Sage of Six Paths had awakened Ashura’s chakra far earlier than he should have.
Kurama could genuinely sense that unusual aura.
More importantly, he could hear the confidence in Naruto’s voice.
For the first time, the Nine-Tails found himself at a loss for words.
But Naruto had no intention of letting him stay silent.
After all, his goal was to win Kurama over and make him his greatest source of strength.
“So?” Naruto asked first.
“You felt it, didn’t you?
I’m not making up the Sage’s aura and power.”
Kurama still refused to answer.
Growing impatient, Naruto complained, “Hey, grumpy fox.
Don’t tell me you’re planning to live in my house rent-free?”
He was actually treating his own body like a rental apartment.
Kurama finally spoke, roaring angrily,
“As if I wanted to live here!
Wasn’t this all your father’s doing?
He split me into two halves and sealed one half inside your body.
I haven’t even settled that score yet.”
Naruto’s expression instantly darkened.
“You destroyed my family, and you’re saying you haven’t settled the score?”
His face turned cold, carrying an unmistakable edge.
After all, no matter how one looked at it, Kurama had been one of the direct causes of Minato and Kushina’s deaths.
And yet he still had the nerve to say something like that?
Naruto completely lost his composure.
He had witnessed his parents die protecting him with his own eyes.
Even if they hadn’t spent years raising him, they had sacrificed themselves for him.
No one could remain indifferent to something like that.
“Then why are you talking to me about all this?”
Kurama asked curiously.
Truthfully, he had met many humans over the centuries.
Naruto wasn’t even his first Jinchūriki.
Kurama understood something very well.
No Jinchūriki ever lived an easy life.
The Tailed Beasts’ overwhelming power inevitably inspired fear.
Fear became hatred.
Hatred became exclusion.
Misunderstanding.
Slander.
Even simple isolation was enough to leave someone lonely and miserable.
That was precisely why Naruto puzzled him.
Why was this boy willingly talking to him?
Most Jinchūriki and Tailed Beasts wished they never had to deal with each other.
The beasts hated humanity for sealing them away.
The hosts constantly feared losing control of their own bodies.
If separating didn’t mean the Jinchūriki would die.
And if the Tailed Beast didn’t have to wait years to revive after its host’s death.
They probably would’ve wished for each other’s deaths long ago. The source of this chapter is g.com.
Naruto gradually calmed himself.
He possessed an adult’s mind.
He had already worked in his previous life.
He wasn’t so childish as to lose himself in anger.
So he said,
“I know who the real mastermind is.”
“On the surface, it looks like you killed my parents.”
“But the moment that man extracted you from my mother’s body my parents were already doomed.”
“My father really was hopelessly devoted to his wife.”
“He was even willing to sacrifice his own son.”
If the Fourth Hokage had survived.
Naruto’s life would’ve been completely different.
He would’ve truly been the prince of Konoha.
A rich second-generation heir.
Minato and Kushina would’ve personally taught him all of their ninjutsu and sealing techniques.
He could’ve grown into a genuine prodigy.
Instead everyone now hated him.
People practically wanted to throw rocks and rotten eggs at him.
Even so, Naruto would never resent Minato.
Because at the final moment.
Minato had thrown himself in front of Kurama’s attack.
Naruto couldn’t even say with confidence that he himself would’ve been capable of doing the same.
His father had done it to protect him.
“So although I’ll never forget seeing you kill my parents.”
“I know who truly destroyed my family you were nothing more than another victim.”
“If anyone deserves pity it’s probably you.”
“First Madara controlled you with the Sharingan then another Uchiha used you again.”
“If anyone’s your real enemy it’s the people who’ve been manipulating you all this time.”
Naruto chuckled.
“The Mighty Nine-Tails.”
“Reduced to someone’s obedient pet dog that’s honestly kind of pathetic.”
He wasn’t holding back at all.
“Enough!”
Kurama finally exploded.
“Brat!”
“If you’ve got the guts, release me!”
“Let’s see if I can’t wipe out Konoha and the Uchiha clan!”
Naruto laughed.
“Huh?”
“Do you think I’m stupid?”
“If I release you, I’ll die and what do I gain from letting you destroy the village?”
“Besides, don’t blame the wrong people.”
“Yes, both times you were controlled by the Sharingan but the Uchiha clan wasn’t responsible.”
“If anything, they’re victims too; they’ll probably end up wiped out in the future.”
“You won’t even have to do it yourself.”
Naruto had no intention of blaming the entire Uchiha clan.
He knew exactly who the real mastermind was.
Nor did he plan on personally massacring them.
If someone else did it.
Well he didn’t mind watching the spectacle.
As for Sasuke what did that have to do with him?
Yes, he was now Uzumaki Naruto.
But he wasn’t the original Naruto.
He was a transmigrator.
He had his own thoughts.
His own personality.
Kurama, of course, knew nothing about any of that.
Inside the cage within Naruto’s mental world, the great fox lay quietly, staring into the distance as though he could see Naruto standing before him.
This little boy.
Only three years old.
Yet he spoke with astonishing composure.
Even while facing the Nine-Tails, he showed no fear whatsoever.
Suddenly, Kurama burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
“You really do seem to know quite a lot.”
“So were you actually telling the truth about meeting the Sage of Six Paths?”
Naruto immediately exposed him.
“If you don’t know something, just admit it.”
“I’ll explain it to you stop pretending like you understand everything.”
Kurama froze.
Then he roared in exasperation,
“You little brat!”
“You’re not cute at all aren’t you afraid I’ll eat you?”
The threat didn’t scare Naruto in the slightest.
He simply spread his hands.
“You can’t, my father’s seal is too strong.”
“You can’t escape unless I open it myself and that’s exactly what I wanted to tell you.”
“Kurama one day.”
“I’ll personally open the gate of your prison and when that day comes.”
“I’ll have you willingly lend me your power.”
“I need your strength.”
Kurama snorted disdainfully.
“Wishful thinking.”
He actually expected the Nine-Tails to cooperate willingly?
What a joke.
Naruto merely smiled with absolute confidence.
“You’re the one speaking too soon.”
“I may still be weak but one day I’ll become strong enough to protect you.”
“Kurama you may be the Nine-Tails you may have lived for over a thousand years.”
“But there are still many things that you don’t know.”