Nine-Tails, Don't You Trust My Character?

Having come to the Naruto World, how could he not plant some trees?

Before Daren Yi, the Deep Blue Panel formed from colorless, transparent flames now displayed images of two additional saplings.

With a beckoning gesture from afar, the fruit-laden sapling swayed its branches, and the fruits hanging from them fell one after another, drifting into his hand.

The Nine-Tails leaped about in an attempt to stop them, but the fruits passed straight through his body as though they were phantoms.

As the fruits landed in his hand, Daren Yi casually picked one up and tossed it into his mouth. As it melted into a warm current, "Physique Reserve Energy" on the Deep Blue Panel increased by 10%.

There were nearly a hundred fruits in total—close to 1000% Physique Reserve Energy, equivalent to ten extra lives and nearly thirty Physique attribute points.

And every single point of Physique or Mental attribute was equivalent to his base attributes in the Three Tomoe state before awakening the Mangekyo.

Daren Yi was quite satisfied with the output of the "Nine-Tails Medicine Garden," and was glad he had not greedily "burned away" the Nine-Tails outright back then.

There was a huge difference between eating one full meal and being well-fed every meal!

Of course, the output of the "medicine garden" would have to be reduced later. It could not keep producing so much; he had to leave the Nine-Tails time to recover its body.

Looking at how the Nine-Tails had visibly slimmed down by a great deal in such a short time, Daren Yi felt that if this output continued,

it would not be long before such a massive Nine-Tails was sucked dry by the flaming sapling and burned away completely!

"Is it good?"

Naruto, who had been watching the excitement from the side, could not help feeling a little tempted. His instincts told him that eating those fruits would be very beneficial to him.

"Try some!"

Daren Yi generously tossed him five.

Naruto opened his mouth and bit into one. The fruit melted the instant it entered his mouth. Though only his spiritual body had eaten it, the effect acted upon his physical body. His flesh-and-blood body in reality felt as though it had been immersed in a hot spring, warm all over.

The fatigue in both body and mind was swept away. Even something deeper within his life seemed to burst forth with a vitality like transformation.

From inside to out, every cell seemed to cheer as it evolved toward a better, more perfect state. An unprecedented sense of satisfaction welled up within him.

"This is too precious!"

After freezing for a moment, Naruto had not expected the fruit's effects to be so powerful, and was about to return the remaining four fruits to Daren Yi.

"No need. Consider these fruits the rent you collect from the Nine-Tails as its landlord."

Daren Yi smiled and pushed Naruto's hand away.

Naruto remained firm. "You've already helped me so, so much. This is a deal between you and Kurama. You shouldn't give them to me too."

"That's enough! You two, don't you think you're going too far?

What you're eating is my body!"

The Nine-Tails could endure no longer. It ground its teeth in fury, rubbing its claws and tails against its back and head, but it could not affect the flaming saplings in the slightest.

The flaming saplings were like flowers reflected in water or the moon in a well. They shattered at the slightest touch, only to immediately return to normal, continuing to burn and grow on their own.

Even if it kept them pinned down with its tails, the instant it moved them away, the saplings would recover. The Nine-Tails' instincts told it that even its Tailed Beast Bomb probably could not harm them.

"Haha, sorry, Kurama."

Naruto gave an awkward laugh, then scratched his head and asked Daren Yi,

"As long as there's Chakra, can fruits like these grow? Then I can do it too!"

"Sorry, you can't. This requires the special Chakra of a Tailed Beast."

Daren Yi shook his head. What he did not say was that

what "Deep Blue" burned was not just Chakra, but something more fundamental. The reason the Nine-Tails could endure the flaming saplings' slow "burning" and produce fruits over a long period

was because Tailed Beast Chakra was intrinsically connected to nature. Even after death, they could be nurtured back to life within nature.

The portion of its life consumed by "Deep Blue" would also be continuously replenished through the connection between the Tailed Beast and nature.

If it were any other creature or human, even the slowest burning would inevitably reduce them to ashes.

Turning to the Nine-Tails, Daren Yi promised, "Don't worry. The trees will bear fruit much more slowly in the future. I'll leave you enough time to recover your Chakra and make sure you don't get any thinner."

After trying every possible method and finding itself helpless against the flaming saplings within the Sealing Space, the Nine-Tails could only grit its teeth and agree.

Wasn't it just "lending" out some Chakra? Could that compare to being forcibly sealed inside someone else's body for decades without seeing daylight?

I, Lord Nine-Tails, had long gotten used to this level of grievance!

"Remember your promise. You can't let me get any thinner!"

Glowering at Daren Yi, the Nine-Tails repeatedly emphasized it uneasily. If it got any thinner, how would it face the other Tailed Beasts in the future? Especially One-Tails Shukaku...

Daren Yi looked wronged. "Nine-Tails, don't you trust my character?"

"..."

Should I trust you?

The Nine-Tails ground its teeth hard, its claws clenched tight. Whether I trusted your character or not, did that even need to be questioned?

After leaving the Sealing Space, Naruto discovered that the fruits in his hand had actually followed his spiritual body into reality.

Their surfaces shimmered with a bright scarlet luster, and they looked almost no different from real cherries.

Daren Yi reached out and fed one fruit to Izumi Uchiha. The bright red cherry parted her rosy lips and lightly brushed past two rows of pearly white teeth.

Hearing Naruto's surprised gasp, he turned and explained to the astonished boy,

"Just as Tailed Beasts are formed from condensed Chakra while also possessing physical bodies,

these fruits likewise possess both a phantom state in the spiritual world and physical forms in the real world."

Feeling the fruit's cool skin brush against her lips, the teardrop mole girl blushed faintly and opened her mouth to swallow it.

The efficiency of mental communication was unmatched. In an instant, she understood everything that had just happened and grasped the fruit's effects.

As the fruit turned into a warm current flowing through her body, most of it quickly surged toward her eyes.

Her eyes, which had felt sore from time to time after several uses, rapidly recovered their Mangekyo Dojutsu Power and continued to grow stronger. Izumi Uchiha even felt that she could now use Susanoo without pain.

"How amazing!"

The girl praised it sincerely, smiling with narrowed eyes, happier than she had been about possessing such a Mangekyo Dojutsu herself.

"Brother Yi, your Dojutsu is unimaginably powerful!"

Daren Yi affectionately rubbed her head, then pulled her to her feet and bid Naruto farewell.

"Now that we've seen the excitement, goodbye! Izumi and I are going to eat first. Hinata should be coming to bring you lunch soon as well."

Before leaving the Hokage's Office with an arm around the teardrop mole girl, Daren Yi turned back and gave Naruto a thumbs-up, showing him a smile of heartfelt approval and delight.

"Naruto, I have completely felt your will and your heart today!

They are outstanding, brilliant, and sincere!

I am extremely, extremely pleased. Please be sure to keep it up!"

"Uh... yes! I, Naruto Uzumaki, will absolutely not let you down!"

Seven-year-old Naruto froze for a moment, then answered loudly. The sudden encouragement nearly brought tears to his eyes. Wonderful, wonderful! Shikaku was wrong.

I'm not fighting the whole world alone. There are people who can support and understand me!

Thanks to reader "Smiling Moon c Fake D" for the reward.

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My most sincere thanks for your support!