Tailed Beasts were masses of chakra condensed into form, not living creatures in the traditional sense. At their core, they were simply energy.
So Kurama wasn't surprised by his own revival.
After all, when facing an enemy like Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, the Baryon Mode he provided Naruto was essentially the result of burning his own chakra as fuel. But chakra that had been exhausted didn't truly vanish—it merely transformed into another state, much like water turning into vapor after being burned away.
Once his chakra recovered and gathered back into the form of a Tailed Beast, he would naturally revive. It would simply take time.
That was why Kurama had always known his resurrection was inevitable.
But looking at the little Naruto before him, this situation was definitely not the kind of revival he had expected—
He was supposed to revive after time had passed.
Since when did time move backward?
"So… where exactly is this place?"
"..."
"Huh? Looking closer, you're locked up in there. This gate's huge. Hey, say something!"
"..."
"What kind of monster are you? Why are you here? Hey, if you don't answer, I'm leaving!"
Listening to the nonstop chatter beside him, Kurama—already irritated by the bizarre atmosphere around him—scraped his claws against the floor impatiently.
"Damn it! Forget that for now. Hey, Naruto."
Kurama's sudden voice startled Naruto so badly that he instinctively snapped upright.
"Yes!"
"Go remove this Eight Trigrams Seal. Staying inside here feels terrible."
Kurama lifted a long, sharp claw and tapped against the bars and the seal talisman attached to them.
"How do you know my name?"
Little Naruto rubbed his ears and followed Kurama's gesture. He noticed the strange seal paper attached to the central bar of the gate, covered in bizarre markings that made him instinctively uneasy.
He froze where he stood.
"What's wrong? Hurry up and tear it off."
Kurama frowned at Naruto spacing out.
"Don't tell me you're scared I'll come out and hurt you?"
"Huh? Taking that off will let you out?"
Naruto blinked before asking belatedly,
"Then why don't you tear it off yourself?"
"I can't touch it at all. Unless your heart wavers, I can't even extend my claws through the Eight Trigrams Seal… tch. Anyway, just go tear it off already."
Kurama sounded somewhat frustrated.
He was beginning to miss the Naruto who understood him completely, not this little brat in front of him.
And despite repeating himself several times, little Naruto still stood there staring up at the seal on the bars.
After a while, he glanced back at Kurama inside the cage. Then he walked over and touched the bars curiously before cautiously reaching a hand inside and quickly pulling it back again, looking deep in thought.
So even at this age, Naruto had already been wary of him?
Well, that made sense.
Hadn't all the suffering Naruto endured as a child been caused by him—the demon fox?
Watching little Naruto thinking so seriously made Kurama feel even more irritated.
A long silence passed.
"Hey, if you don't want to tear it off, I—"
Seeing Naruto still standing there motionless, Kurama had already begun thinking about other options when Naruto suddenly interrupted him.
"Alright! I figured it out! Wait there!"
Little Naruto smacked his fist into his palm. After thinking for quite some time, he finally revealed a bright grin before suddenly dashing away.
Under Kurama's surprised gaze, Naruto ran directly to the bar with the seal attached to it. Standing there without the slightest hesitation, he looked up at the enormous fox, then removed his scarf and the Uzumaki-emblazoned jacket he was wearing.
Under Kurama's puzzled stare, Naruto reluctantly tied the two together into a long makeshift rope.
"Naruto… what are you doing?"
"Hm? Isn't it obvious? I'm figuring out how to climb up there and help you tear off the paper!"
Naruto wrapped one end around his waist, then handed the remaining length toward Kurama through the bars.
"Here, pull me up. Otherwise I can't reach it."
Kurama stared blankly at the boy who completely ignored common sense.
"Come on already! Your place is super cold," Naruto urged impatiently.
So…
He'd been thinking about how to climb up.
"You… are willing to help me?"
For some reason, the question escaped Kurama's mouth before he could stop it.
"Weren't you terrified of me just a moment ago?"
"Huh? Anyone would be scared the first time they saw a giant like you."
Naruto flashed him a brilliant smile and gave a thumbs-up.
"But it's okay now. Seeing you somehow feels really familiar. And you don't seem annoying. You're not like everyone else who acts like they don't need me, so of course I'll help you!"
Kurama froze briefly.
Then the corners of the giant fox's mouth curled upward ever so slightly.
The anxiety he had felt since awakening vanished instantly.
The Naruto before him…
Was still the Naruto he knew.
Kurama extended a claw, grabbed the improvised rope, and lifted Naruto upward. Halfway up, the boy squirmed a little from the cloth digging painfully into his stomach, but before long he had reached the height of the seal.
Without the slightest hesitation, Naruto stretched out his small hand and grabbed the sealing talisman attached to the bars.
With only a bit more force, he could completely remove the seal restraining Kurama.
But at the next moment, a slender arm gently caught Naruto's hand and pulled him backward.
"You can't do that, Naruto."
"Huh?"
The moment Naruto heard the voice and instinctively turned around, dizziness overwhelmed him.
Then he lost consciousness.
Kurama watched with interest as Naruto's body vanished before him. He showed no surprise, merely shifting his gaze toward the newly appeared figure created by the seal.
"Although I deliberately left behind some chakra as a safeguard, I never imagined the seal would weaken this badly. To think you'd already be capable of infiltrating and manipulating Naruto in only a few years…"
The blond man withdrew the gentle smile from his face and stared solemnly at Kurama behind the cage.
"Nine-Tails… you truly are powerful."
"The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
Kurama bared his teeth slightly.
"What? Didn't you leave behind this chakra specifically to reinforce the seal in situations like this?"
Konoha's Fourth Hokage.
The Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze.
Once a legendary figure who shook the shinobi world, he now wore a grave expression tinged with despair.
He couldn't understand why the safeguard he left inside Naruto had activated so soon. More importantly, the instant he made contact with little Naruto, Kurama had deliberately severed Naruto's connection to him—
Kurama had done it voluntarily.
He hadn't even given Minato time to warn Naruto.
This level of control over Naruto's inner world should have been impossible for Kurama while still sealed.
And according to the memories of the chakra Minato had left behind, the Nine-Tails inside Naruto at this point wasn't even complete.
"The legendary Tailed Beasts are even harder to deal with than I imagined…"
Minato sighed quietly.
Still, he had no intention of wasting words with Kurama. The amount of chakra he had left behind wasn't much, and he needed to reinforce the seal immediately.
But before Minato could move, Kurama's next words made him freeze in place.
"Come over here. I'll give you some chakra so that body of yours doesn't disappear."
Kurama casually swished his tails as he spoke in an unexpectedly relaxed tone.
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