Humans and Foxes Living in Harmony

Humans and Foxes Living in Harmony

With the goal of controlling Chakra, Naruto's daily routine became extremely regular.

After getting up at four in the morning sharp, Naruto began running around Konoha. Then, under the strange stares of the villagers, he returned home to cook.

In the morning, Naruto chose to read and study, gaining a deeper understanding of the ninja world.

Around eleven was lunchtime. Naruto spent half an hour cooking, then took a half-hour nap after eating before he began refining Chakra and training in ninjutsu and taijutsu.

This continued until five in the afternoon, when Naruto, drenched in sweat, finally went home to rest.

At eight in the evening, after drinking a cup of hot milk, Naruto went to sleep so he would not carry his exhaustion into the next day.

Such a disciplined life naturally caught the Third Hokage's attention. He was very pleased with Naruto's performance and glad he had not placed Naruto in the Anbu for training, instead allowing him to grow up like an ordinary child.

At this rate, Naruto would become the next Minato Namikaze and shine for the village.

The villagers were curious about the Demon Fox's orderly life, but only curious. They did not dare approach him too much. On one hand, the Demon Fox was considered unlucky; on the other, there was the Third Hokage's prohibition.

With both factors combined, they simply treated Naruto as air and ignored him entirely.

The only one dissatisfied with this was the old fox stationed within the Sealing Space. It had been waiting for Naruto to yield first, so it could gradually control him and eventually escape its prison.

But Naruto did not yield, and their cold war lasted from winter until spring.

At this moment, the Nine-Tails was already feeling empty and lonely.

As a tailed beast sealed inside a Jinchuriki, it had originally been able to endure solitude. But Naruto's presence had made it accustomed to their noisy bickering and mutual scheming.

Dissatisfied with the status quo, the Nine-Tails began deliberately controlling the leaking Chakra, interfering with Naruto's training to draw his attention. It seemed to be working rather well.

Bang!

Affected by the Nine-Tails Chakra, Naruto failed even when using the Transformation Jutsu.

Naruto crouched halfway to the ground after his failure, clutching his head with an impatient expression as though he were on the verge of collapse.

This scene greatly encouraged the Nine-Tails, and it began increasing its efforts.

However, what the Nine-Tails did not know was that a faint smile was always playing on Naruto's lips.

The Nine-Tails thought it was interfering with Naruto's training, but it did not realize that its interference had already become part of the training.

The Gentle Fist Training Notes contained Hinata's training memories from her years as a Genin to becoming a Chunin. The Hyuga Clan itself was one of the Ninja Clans in the ninja world most skilled at controlling Chakra.

Although Naruto had only grasped the basics, his level of control already rivaled that of a Genin. Ordinary exercises like tree climbing and water walking posed no challenge at all.

To reach the Chakra control of a Chunin, however, practice alone was not enough. There also had to be pressure from the outside world.

Counteracting the Nine-Tails Chakra's interference was the best training method.

After training a few more times, Naruto ended his practice of the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques and turned his gaze toward the wooden posts nearby.

Naruto had made these simple wooden posts according to the Body Technique Training Essentials. Besides using them to practice some basic taijutsu, he also used them to train in Gentle Fist.

With the Gentle Fist Training Notes, Naruto had no reason not to train in Gentle Fist.

However, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Naruto only practiced a few opening stances. He did not touch upon the core Eight Trigrams Palm, much less the even more central secret techniques of the main family.

After all, even though he trained alone, he was constantly under that old man the Third Hokage's surveillance. Who knew how many Anbu were around him? They were there to protect him, but also to prevent him from going berserk.

Several more days passed. Naruto continued his cold war with the Nine-Tails, and neither of them cared to acknowledge the other.

Whenever they met, there were only icy stares and several sarcastic remarks thick with the smell of gunpowder. It seemed that the human and fox had returned to the normal relationship between a Jinchuriki and a tailed beast—mortal enemies.

As time passed, the Nine-Tails gradually came to its senses.

It was the clever Kurama, not the honest Gyuki or the arrogant Shukaku. It was born with the ability to sense malice.

Naruto did harbor malice toward it, but not much. Yet Naruto always looked at it as if they shared a deep-seated grudge, which was rather strange.

But it could not find the exact reason, so it could only stop all unnecessary actions and wait to see what happened.

A few more days passed. As the Nine-Tails looked at Naruto outside the cage, it seemed to come to a realization. "Brat, you're using this old man's Chakra to train your Chakra control, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about? I don't understand..."

The Nine-Tails said rather seriously, "Brat, you think you've hidden it well, but the Chakra I've used to interfere with you recently has always been a fixed amount. You should have been able to adapt to it easily and successfully perform ninjutsu..."

At this point, the Nine-Tails fell silent because a sly grin appeared on Naruto's face. "Big fox, and you said you weren't deliberately interfering with my ninjutsu. You just admitted it!"

The Nine-Tails looked slightly embarrassed, though no blush could be seen on a fox's face.

"What do you know? This old man is training your Chakra control. After all, a useless ninja has no right to become this old man's Jinchuriki."

"I understood that, which is why I've been quietly practicing Chakra control. Right, Teacher Nine-Tails?"

"Teacher Nine-Tails? What did you call this old man? This old man has no human disciple."

"You heard wrong..."

Naruto did not indulge the Nine-Tails either. He left the Sealing Space, leaving the Nine-Tails alone in its cage, repeatedly muttering the words "Teacher Nine-Tails."

Clearly, Naruto's joke had tugged at the Nine-Tails' heartstrings.

A moment later, the Nine-Tails' voice sounded beside Naruto's ear. "Human brat, this old man will not acknowledge you as a human disciple, nor will I casually interfere with your training. Rest assured."

"However, there is something I need to remind you of. Every time you go out, ninjas secretly follow behind you. They should be the Third Hokage's eyes and ears. Be careful about certain things yourself..."

The Nine-Tails did not finish its words, but its meaning was clear: it was telling Naruto to be more careful.

Whether it was Naruto's ability to control Chakra or his earlier act of deliberately using mushrooms to embarrass the Third Hokage, once exposed, both would have a considerable impact on Naruto.

Naruto also knew what the Nine-Tails wanted to say, and silently accepted its words.

But in the face of the Anbu's surveillance, he had no countermeasures, just as he had no way to counter the Telescopic Jutsu.

However, since the Nine-Tails had told him, it should also be willing to help. Perhaps one day, he could escape that old man the Third Hokage's surveillance and become a truly free person.

Naruto glanced toward the bushes in the distance. Suddenly sensing something, he said to the Nine-Tails, "Big fox, are the ninjas watching me hiding somewhere?"

After sensing the area, the Nine-Tails was somewhat surprised. "Brat, your luck is not bad... You actually guessed right."