I Am the Dignified Nine-Tails Fox

"Listen—"

"My name is not 'hey.' My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

What was wrong with this human brat? Why did he get angry at the slightest disagreement?

The Nine-Tails Fox looked at Naruto suspiciously.

But soon, after giving it some thought,

it understood the whole story. This human brat must have been angry at it.

That made sense. If it had not been sealed inside his body, he would not have suffered so much contempt over the years, nor would he have fallen into the abyss of loneliness.

Thus, it said, "Hey, Naruto, I'm sorry. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be hated by others. But it can't be helped. This old man had no choice either."

Nine-Tails raised its head and looked at the seal confining it within that cramped space, then continued,

"After all, this old man has also suffered the pain of having no freedom in this endless darkness! But now, things are different. This old man can lend you my power. Go on, kill every last one of those who despise you."

Its bewitching voice rang beside Naruto's ear.

Kill them all?

Naruto looked straight into Nine-Tails's eyes, shook his head, and said seriously, "I won't lay a hand on my friends."

What?

Friends?

Nine-Tails stared at Naruto in disbelief. As far as it knew, none of those people outside regarded Naruto as a friend. No friend would ever hurl cruel words at someone they considered a friend.

At that thought, Nine-Tails chuckled. "Young Naruto, isn't that just wishful thinking on your part...?"

"No. I have a way. They will become my friends someday."

Naruto spoke with absolute certainty.

"By the way, what exactly did you call me here for?" Naruto asked again.

Time was money. He still had training to do and no extra time to waste here.

"Of course. Since this old man called you here, naturally I have an important matter to discuss." Since Naruto had asked, Nine-Tails no longer concealed its purpose and stated it directly. "Naruto, what have you been up to these past two years? No, what have you been doing?"

"Training." Naruto gave a simple answer.

"Training?"

Nine-Tails became even more suspicious. It had not sensed any trace of Chakra from Naruto, yet Naruto did not look as though he was lying to a fox.

"Naruto, stop that kind of training," Nine-Tails said in a pleading tone.

Though it was reluctant, a fox under another's roof had no choice but to bow its head.

"Stop?"

"No, I won't stop. On the contrary, I'll keep training."

Naruto felt that this Nine-Tails Demon Fox had gone stupid from being locked up. How could it make such an unreasonable demand?

"Hm?"

Hearing Naruto's refusal, the Nine-Tails Demon Fox instantly bristled. How could this be? It was the great Nine-Tails Demon Fox! The thought of how it had just begged such a lowly human made it furious.

"I'll kill you."

Endless killing intent, almost tangible, surged from Nine-Tails and engulfed Naruto. It imagined that this lowly ant before it would soon be affected by its killing intent and drop to his knees to beg for mercy.

Nine-Tails could not help but smile.

"If that is all you can do, then forgive me for not keeping you company," Naruto said to Nine-Tails as he felt the killing intent pressing in through the air.

In the past, he would indeed have been as fragile as paper beneath such killing intent. But after two years of training, his will could no longer be shaken by something like this.

"Hm?"

The killing intent in the air seemed to freeze.

This human... this human... how could he be unaffected by my killing intent?

Nine-Tails shook its head like a rattle drum, unable to believe it. Yet no matter how unwilling it was to accept it, reality was right before its eyes. The calm, relaxed young man turned around and walked away unhurriedly.

"Don't go! Come back! Come back!" Nine-Tails shouted through the iron bars.

"I can give you power..."

"Oh?"

At the word "power," the young man seemed to show a hint of interest. With both hands in his pockets, he turned around, walked to the iron gate, and looked down at the pitiful Nine-Tails. "Nine-Tails, what kind of power can you give me...?"

"Power even greater than a Kage-level's..." Hope rekindled, and Nine-Tails hurriedly answered.

But the young man shook his head. "That's not enough... unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless you can give me power that surpasses that kind of power..." After Naruto spoke, an image appeared before Nine-Tails.

Within the image,

stood a majestic young man wearing a Purple-Gold Crown and a Nine-Claw Golden Dragon Robe. His eyes were as deep as the starry sky. With just one glance, Nine-Tails felt a pressure emanating from him—

a pressure from a higher level of life.

The next second, Nine-Tails's narrow pupils shrank. The young man moved, throwing a light punch. Stars exploded, the universe overturned, and all living things withered.

What kind of power was this?

Nine-Tails froze. Was this power something a human could possess?

It completely exceeded Nine-Tails's understanding.

"Do you have this kind of power?" Naruto asked again.

"No!" Nine-Tails felt as dead as ash. It collapsed weakly to the ground, its forepaws pressed against the iron gate. Minato Namikaze, you screwed this old man over so badly.

"Ahhhhhhh..."

Nine-Tails could not help shedding tears of regret.

Naruto naturally saw Nine-Tails's tears behind the iron bars. Sigh, it does look rather pitiful. Naruto could not help feeling a little sympathy, but no matter what, it had harmed him before. He could not simply forgive it like that.

After thinking for a moment, Naruto said, "You have one more choice."

Nine-Tails's eyes lit up, and it immediately asked, "What choice?"

"Become my pet. Your daily tasks will be letting me pet you, helping me cook—well, handling all the housework. Also, in winter, you'll have to sleep with me and warm my bed."

"Keep dreaming, you damned human brat! Even if I were locked up here for the rest of my life, I would never agree to such an unreasonable demand!"

Nine-Tails flew into a rage.

What kind of joke was this? It was the dignified Nine-Tails Fox, the being standing at the pinnacle of the Tailed Beasts. How could it become a human's pet? Did it have no pride?

"In that case, forget it. Pretend I never said anything. I have things to do, so you can stay here properly. Anyway, if you stay long enough, you'll get used to it."

After Naruto spoke, his figure vanished from the place.

"Hmph! Delusional human. Even if you beat me to death, I will never become your pet—especially not the kind of pet that has to work." Nine-Tails sat sullenly in the corner.

Its pride would never allow it.

"Were my demands really that excessive?" Naruto pondered after returning to Back Mountain.

They were not excessive, right? Compared to freedom, it was only doing some housework. Was there any need to get so angry?

Forget it. If it did not want to come out, was he supposed to beg it to?

In the end, he only felt that it was lonely being trapped inside.

With that thought, Naruto took out the Ointment and began applying it.

He entered his training state once more. The matter of Nine-Tails had become nothing more than a brief interlude, cast aside by Naruto.