Farewell, Nine-Tails

"Drip, drip, drip!"

The sound of dripping water slowly woke Naruto.

Naruto found himself back in the somewhat familiar sewers.

"Come on, bro, I can end up here just by sleeping?"

Naruto's consciousness had once again entered the space within his body—the sealing space that imprisoned the Nine-Tails.

"Naruto, come here!" The Nine-Tails' voice came from afar, calling him over.

"Fine, I'll come! Who's afraid of who?" Naruto was completely unafraid. With all those seals on it, the Nine-Tails could do nothing to him. Besides, he had Heavenly Mouth and knew the plot inside out.

If I can't talk the Nine-Tails into becoming a fool, then I'm not Uzumaki Naruto!

Following the flow through the sewers, Naruto returned to the Nine-Tails' seal.

The Nine-Tails was lying in the sewer, its eyes still closed, looking utterly disdainful. Yet its nine tails swayed slightly behind it, exposing its unsettled mood.

Sensing Naruto's arrival, the Nine-Tails spoke. "You came."

"I came," Naruto replied.

"But you shouldn't have."

"But I came anyway." Naruto did not back down in the slightest.

After that exchange of jokes, the Nine-Tails opened its eyes. Its vertical fox-like pupils fixed tightly on Naruto as the aura of a Tailed Beast slowly pressed down on him.

Looks like the Nine-Tails wants to give me a show of force first?

Naruto smiled faintly, utterly unafraid of the Nine-Tails' imposing presence.

Oh? Interesting!

Seeing that Naruto showed no reaction, the Nine-Tails smiled slightly. Its aura grew even more powerful, forming a fierce pressure of wind that bore down on Naruto.

That alone might have frightened an ordinary Chunin so badly that they could not move.

But Naruto was no Chunin. He was an eternal Genin! Did it not know the status of Konoha's Genin in the ninja world?

Wait, he had not even attended the Ninja Academy yet. Never mind, then.

Ding! System Quest issued. Host, obtain the Nine-Tails' recognition. The deeper its recognition, the better the reward!

Since the system was getting involved too, Naruto naturally could not pass up such a fine opportunity to fleece it!

Faced with the Nine-Tails' overwhelming aura, Naruto was like a lone boat drifting upon the sea.

Though small, he could ride the waves. No matter how fierce the wind and surf, they could not overturn a little boat like him.

This was a display of Naruto's powerful will, as well as the invisible resistance of the bloodline within him.

Seeing that Naruto had not been affected in the slightest, the Nine-Tails could not help clicking its tongue in amazement. It silently thought this was interesting before withdrawing its aura.

Then it closed its eyes again.

Seeing that the Nine-Tails had gone quiet, Naruto felt a little helpless. Why was this Nine-Tails still such a mute?

Do I have to start every conversation myself?

"What's wrong, Kurama? Not going to keep testing me?" Naruto asked with a smile.

"You brat, I never expected my aura to have no effect on you at all! It's all because of this damned seal! Otherwise, I could slap you to death with one paw! Damn Fourth Hokage! Damn little brat!" The Nine-Tails immediately roared at Naruto, refuting his words.

Then it seemed to realize something. Its eyes widened, and it instantly sat up from its prone position. Even its voice trembled.

Staring seriously at Naruto, it asked, "What did you just call me?"

Naruto met the Nine-Tails' gaze with equal seriousness and answered, "Kurama. That's your name, isn't it?"

It had been a long time since it had heard that name. The Nine-Tails' memories seemed to return to the days when it had been free, recalling the past. How nostalgic.

"How do you know that name?"

After the nostalgia faded, shock plainly appeared on the Nine-Tails' face. Had Uzumaki Kushina and Minato told him? No, that could not be right. They had died long ago, and it had never revealed its name.

"It's simple, Kurama. I know everything about the ninja world, whether it's the past or the future. It's an ability I was born with!" Naruto switched into full bluffing mode. Heavenly Mouth, as a passive ability, activated as well, strengthening his persuasiveness.

"How could that be possible? Even that man would not dare claim to know everything about the ninja world. Don't even think about fooling me!" The Nine-Tails instantly flew into a rage, its Nine-Tails Chakra slamming frantically against the seal with repeated crashing sounds.

"That man... do you mean the Sage of Six Paths? Or rather—" When Naruto spoke the words Sage of Six Paths, the Nine-Tails' expression turned stunned. Could it be? Does he really know?

Naruto paused briefly, stared straight into the Nine-Tails' eyes, and said word by word, "Hagoromo Otsutsuki?"

Upon hearing that name, the Nine-Tails seemed to lose all its strength and collapsed onto the ground. Trembling, it said, "You really do know!"

Seeing that the Nine-Tails had begun to believe him, Naruto decided to press his advantage.

He continued, "I know everything. About the nine Tailed Beasts—you were originally the Ten-Tails, but Hagoromo Otsutsuki divided its Chakra into nine portions, creating the nine of you."

"One-Tail, Shukaku."

"Two-Tails, Matatabi."

"Three-Tails, Isobu."

"Four-Tails, Son Goku."

"Five-Tails, Kokuō."

"Six-Tails, Saiken."

"Seven-Tails, Chomei."

"Eight-Tails, Gyuki."

"And you, Nine-Tails, Kurama."

"Am I right?"

As those familiar names came from Naruto's mouth one after another, Kurama had no choice but to believe that Naruto really did know certain things.

"However, I heard a rumor, and I don't know whether it's true. Can you clear it up for me?" Naruto recalled a question that had always been debated in his previous life. Since he had come to the world of Naruto, he naturally had to ask about it properly.

"What is it? Is there actually something you don't know?" The Nine-Tails had been led along by Naruto and followed his words with a question.

"I heard that when Hagoromo Otsutsuki divided the Chakra, he did not split it evenly. Instead, it was one portion for the Nine-Tails, one portion for the One-Tail. One portion for the Nine-Tails, one portion for the Two-Tails. One portion for the Nine-Tails, one portion for the Three-Tails. He kept dividing it like that until the end, which is why you became the strongest of the Tailed Beasts. Is that true?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Hahahahaha! Kid, you actually came up with something like that. But you got part of it right. The old man really did favor me a little more, so he gave me just a little more Chakra when he split it up." The Nine-Tails burst into laughter and explained Naruto's question.

"A little? More like a billion little bits!" Naruto immediately retorted.

"Interesting. Very interesting indeed. Naruto, what else do you know?" The Nine-Tails put away its playful mood and looked at Naruto seriously.

The Nine-Tails possessed Malice Perception.

It was an ability that could distinguish good from evil, one that sensed thoughts and intentions.

It was said that the Nine-Tails had suffered through a thousand years of war, hatred, and betrayal. It was a collection of hatred.

Because it cared most deeply about emotions, it could feel pain and hatred more intensely, and possessed an acute perception of malice—a form of perception outside the ninja system.

Yet the Nine-Tails could not sense even the slightest malice from Naruto, which left it deeply astonished.

After all, over the years, most of the unfair treatment Naruto had suffered was because it had been sealed inside him.

Some of those experiences made even the Nine-Tails angry when it looked through Naruto's memories.

Even among humans, there was still immense suspicion toward one another.

Judging by Naruto's behavior, he knew many things and naturally knew about it as well. Yet even under such circumstances, he did not harbor the slightest malice toward it. Could he be the legendary Pure Heart? The Nine-Tails recalled something the Sage of Six Paths had once said.

"The Azure-Eyed Boy who laughingly calls the names of the Nine-Tails will gather you together once more!"

This person was also known as the Child of Prophecy, a ninja capable of changing the entire world of Naruto.

"Everything! Kurama, I know everything!" Naruto declared confidently.

"Heh. Whatever you say." Kurama shifted from sitting back into a lying position.

Seeing Kurama's disbelieving expression, Naruto felt a little troubled. It was rare for him to get such a chance to fleece someone, so he had to max out the Nine-Tails' recognition. Maybe he could get something like a Rinnegan as a reward.

"Kurama, do you know about the Child of Prophecy?" Naruto dropped another bombshell.

"What! Naruto, you really know? Could you truly be...?" Kurama sat up straight and stared at Naruto.

Seeing Kurama repeatedly swing between reactions, Naruto wanted to laugh. What most dangerous Tailed Beast? It was practically a little pet.

"That's right. I am the Child of Prophecy. I can foresee the future of the ninja world!" Naruto intended to reveal a few things to Kurama.

"Tell me in detail. What will the ninja world be like in the future?" Kurama was intrigued. Even powerful Kurama did not possess an ability like prophecy.

"The future will be quite exciting." Naruto sat down, ready to have a good long chat with Kurama!

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