Chakra was a special form of energy created by combining two distinct forces.
The first was physical energy, refined from the vitality contained within the body’s one hundred and thirty trillion cells.
The second was spiritual energy, cultivated through training, discipline, accumulated knowledge, and life experience.
When chakra aligned completely toward the spiritual aspect, its ultimate form was known as Yin Release.
When chakra aligned completely toward the physical aspect, its ultimate form was known as Yang Release.
Among those who had reached the pinnacle of Yin Release stood—
Uchiha Madara.
And the shinobi who had perfected Yang Release was none other than—
Senju Hashirama.
…
Six Years Earlier
On that day, Uzumaki Naruto was six years old.
For the first time, his consciousness descended into that place.
He found himself standing before an enormous cage.
Dark, ankle-deep water covered the ground beneath his feet.
The air was damp, cold, and heavy enough to make breathing feel unpleasant.
Beyond the massive iron bars, hidden within the darkness, an enormous and ferocious face could barely be seen.
Two gigantic beastly eyes glowed with a savage crimson light.
Those eyes were vast enough to resemble twin moons.
Their pupils were redder than blood.
And the hatred contained within them was so deep that it seemed as though every grudge, tragedy, and karmic debt in the world had gathered within that single gaze.
Naruto already knew what was imprisoned behind those bars.
It was—
Despair.
His despair.
Its despair.
His.
Hers.
His, his, his, his…
Theirs.
“You little insect…”
A low growl rumbled from the darkness.
The enormous beast silently observed its young jinchūriki from behind the cage.
Thin strands of its chakra had always slipped through the gaps in the seal and wandered throughout the boy’s body.
Through that chakra, it had witnessed everything Naruto experienced.
Or at least—
It should have witnessed everything.
Recently, however, the brat had undergone several changes that even the Nine-Tails could not understand.
For no apparent reason, he had become more mature.
For no apparent reason, he had grown stronger.
And for no apparent reason—
He knew about the beast.
He even knew that its name was Kurama.
The Nine-Tails recalled what the brat had written in his classroom.
It also remembered the strange occasions over the past few days when some external force had forcibly severed its awareness of the outside world.
Had that old Third Hokage told the brat something?
No.
That could not be right.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen should not have known its true name.
After all, ever since the old Sage of Six Paths died—
No one had cared about the names of the tailed beasts.
However, despite standing before a monster that could swallow him whole, the six-year-old Naruto showed not the slightest hint of fear.
In fact, he appeared even calmer here than he did in the real world.
“Calling someone an insect over and over isn’t very polite…”
Naruto looked into the darkness and smiled.
“Kurama.”
BOOOOM—!
An enormous claw shot through the bars of the cage.
It stopped directly before Naruto’s nose, producing an impact so powerful that the water beneath his feet exploded outward.
Yet the immense cage did not move by even a fraction.
Kurama’s enormous blood-red eyes floated within the darkness.
Its deep voice carried an almost endless fury.
“I do not know where a brat like you learned my name.”
The giant beast bared its fangs.
“But if you think knowing it gives you the right to behave so arrogantly before me, then you are gravely mistaken!”
“Pfft…”
Naruto’s shoulders began trembling.
Then, instead of becoming frightened, he pointed at the Nine-Tails and burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha!
You sure talk a lot!”
He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
“Did I make you angry?”
BOOOOM—!
A second claw slammed against the bars beside him.
“Ahem! You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Hmph!”
Naruto placed one fist before his mouth and coughed twice with exaggerated seriousness.
Then he pointed dramatically at the fox.
“You stupid fox!
Since you’re living inside my body, hand over your chakra as rent!”
The two gigantic claws slowly withdrew into the darkness.
Naruto spread his hands.
“That’s probably what I would’ve said when we first met.”
His expression gradually softened.
“But now, everything is different.”
“Why is it different?” Kurama asked from inside the cage.
Naruto blinked.
Then a broad smile appeared on his face.
“You really aren’t that different from humans.”
“You can talk, and you’re curious too.”
BOOM!
Another claw shot through the bars.
Naruto coughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.
“Well, if you really want to know…”
He raised his right fist and held it toward the cage.
“…then take a look for yourself.”
Silence.
The darkness behind the iron bars remained completely still.
Naruto continued holding out his fist.
He waited.
And waited.
A long time passed.
Then, at last—
An enormous fist covered in blazing red fur slowly emerged through the gap between the bars.
One fist was small.
The other was enormous.
They met between the bars.
Tap.
Blue and crimson chakra intertwined.
In that instant, countless images, voices, thoughts, and memories flashed through their shared spiritual world.
The Nine-Tails learned everything.
It learned why the brat before it had suddenly changed.
It learned why Naruto knew its name.
It learned that, in another possible future, the two of them would become comrades who entrusted their lives to one another.
It learned that it would one day acknowledge this brat from the bottom of its heart—
Just as the old Sage of Six Paths had always hoped.
A complicated feeling settled within Kurama’s heart.
The enormous fox fell silent.
This was nothing like the meeting it had imagined having with its new jinchūriki.
Nothing at all.
“What’s wrong, Kurama?”
Naruto casually sat down upon the surface of the water.
He looked up at the enormous fox behind the cage and smiled as though he were chatting with an old friend.
During his six years of life—
This was Naruto’s first true friend.
Naturally, he was happy.
“Even if all of that is true, stop acting as though you and I are already close.”
Kurama had no idea what kind of tone it was supposed to use.
“This is still the first time we have truly spoken face-to-face.”
The entire situation had developed far beyond anything Kurama could have imagined.
It had lived for countless years, yet for the first time in its life, the mighty Nine-Tails felt as though it had somehow become the victim of an absurd joke.
Kurama recalled the memories it had just witnessed inside Naruto’s mind.
It had never imagined that this brat would one day forcibly seize its chakra.
Even more surprisingly, the boy’s mother had left a portion of her own chakra inside his body.
Then again—
Perhaps that was only to be expected of a woman like Uzumaki Kushina.
“We’ll become close sooner or later, won’t we?”
Naruto crossed his arms.
“We’ve already been together for six years!
I just didn’t know you were there.”
Kurama narrowed its enormous eyes.
Unlike humans, tailed beasts were living masses of chakra.
Because of that, the brief fist bump had allowed Kurama to receive far more information than Naruto himself possessed.
Still—
This encounter was completely different from the first meeting Kurama had expected to have with its current jinchūriki.
What made the situation even more irritating was that—
It did not entirely dislike it.
What an infuriating chakra…
…
Three Days Later
It was the day the newly graduated genin would be assigned to their teams.
He glanced around, searching for a particular person.
Before he could find her, Kiba approached with Akamaru sitting atop his head.
“Hey, Naruto!”
Kiba looked at his forehead protector and raised an eyebrow.
“What happened with you?
I heard some people saying you failed the graduation exam.”
“Who knows?”
Naruto grinned and tapped the metal plate on his forehead.
“I’m wearing a forehead protector now, aren’t I?”
Shino adjusted his high collar and spoke in his usual emotionless voice.
“Theoretically speaking, it should have been impossible for Naruto to fail the Ninja Academy’s graduation exam.”
Kiba turned toward him.
“Huh?
Why?”
“Because Sasuke has consistently ranked second in our class.”
Shino looked toward Naruto.
“Naruto has always been first.”
“Oh, there she is!”
Naruto’s eyes suddenly brightened.
He had spotted a short-haired girl sitting several rows away.
Hyūga Hinata.
“All right, I’m heading over there.”
Without waiting for Kiba’s response, Naruto walked across the classroom and took the empty seat beside Hinata.
Hinata noticed someone sitting next to her.
When she turned and realized who it was, her entire face instantly became red.
“N-Naruto-kun…”
Then she noticed that Naruto was staring directly at her.
Hinata immediately lowered her head and began nervously twisting her fingers together.
Naruto rested his cheek against one hand and tilted his head toward her.
“Hinata, why are you always so shy?”
A mischievous grin appeared on his face.
“Still, it’s pretty cute.”
Hinata’s face turned an even deeper shade of red.
Inside Naruto’s mind, Kurama’s mocking voice immediately sounded.
[Aren’t you supposed to be in love with that Haruno Sakura girl?]
Naruto mentally protested.
[That was the future version of me!
That wasn’t me!
We’re completely different!]
At the back of the classroom, Shikamaru still looked as unmotivated as ever.
Chōji sat beside him, eating continuously as though the past six years had changed absolutely nothing.
Sasuke rested his chin upon both hands.
It was difficult to say whether his face had an expression or not.
He had remained in second place throughout the Academy years.
However, compared to the Sasuke from Naruto’s future memories, the current Sasuke possessed slightly less coldness and isolation.
In their place was a quiet sense of discipline and determination.
“That idiot…”
Sasuke watched Naruto shamelessly hovering around Hinata and sighed in disbelief.
Not far from him, Sakura and Ino were shoving one another as they fought over the seat closest to Sasuke.
At this rate, they were only a few seconds away from drawing weapons and turning the classroom into a battlefield.
Hinata remained trapped between embarrassment, nervousness, and happiness when the classroom door finally opened.
Iruka entered with the team assignment roster in his hands.
“All right, everyone.
I’m going to begin announcing the teams.”
He opened the list and looked over the newly graduated genin before him.
Countless emotions filled his heart.
These children had spent years studying beneath him.
Now, they were about to take their first true steps as shinobi.
Then Iruka noticed Naruto sitting beside Hinata.
His heart sank slightly.
Naruto had remained at the top of the class for years.
That fact alone filled Iruka with complicated emotions.
The lonely and troublesome boy with whom he had once felt a faint sense of kinship had already disappeared.
And several days earlier—
Naruto had transformed into a golden Nine-Tails before his eyes.
At that moment, the boy had seemed more unfamiliar than ever.
Iruka could not fully understand the emotions inside his own heart.
Pride.
Unease.
Distance.
Relief.
Perhaps even fear.
All those feelings became entangled together—
Leaving him unable to put any of them into words.