Nine-Tails: Why Are There More Conditions?

"Don't go!"

"Let's talk some more!"

The Nine-Tails panicked. It was genuinely afraid that Uchiha Nan would simply leave like this.

The most terrifying thing was not endless darkness, but catching a glimpse of light in that darkness, only for that glimmer to vanish in an instant.

Any creature trapped in an abyss, so long as it could see hope, would display unparalleled endurance.

Wasn't it just another decade or so inside Mito Uzumaki? Endure it. It would pass if it just endured.

A bright future was still waiting for it!

The Nine-Tails encouraged itself inwardly. Its chance to regain freedom was right before its eyes; it absolutely could not let it slip away.

"Have you thought it through?"

"Can you accept it?"

Uchiha Nan sneered inwardly. This big fox had finally taken the bait.

"I can accept it!"

"It's just another decade or so. I can hold out!"

The Nine-Tails patted its chest, declaring that it was still strong enough to overcome such a minor problem on its own.

Uchiha Nan nodded. Since the Nine-Tails had started to yield, this was the time to press his advantage. The initiative in the negotiation was already in his hands.

If he did not name his terms now, then when would he?

"Let's make three agreements. I guarantee that I'll give you your freedom after Mito Uzumaki dies. In return, you must live near Konoha as a village-protecting Tailed Beast."

"Of course, Konoha will provide you with appropriate protection and ensure your living needs are met!"

Naturally, Uchiha Nan could not simply release the Nine-Tails and let it become a wild Tailed Beast.

Even if he became Hokage, he could not just set the strongest Tailed Beast in the Ninja World free. The other higher-ups in the village would never agree to it; that would shake the very foundation of Konoha's survival.

For all he knew, the moment he released the Nine-Tails, it might vanish and get captured by Uchiha Madara, who was hiding in some cave, to serve as a beastly mount again.

No matter how he looked at it, Uchiha Nan felt he was thinking of the Nine-Tails' best interests. He just did not know whether the Nine-Tails could understand his good intentions.

"Nani?"

"I still have to stay in Konoha?"

"That wasn't the condition just now!"

The Nine-Tails was a little furious. Why was another condition being added? Damn those evil Uchiha!

"What did I say just now?"

"I did agree to release you from Mito Uzumaki and give you freedom. I'm doing you such a huge favor, and you won't give me anything in return?"

"You're being far too ungrateful. You're not as stingy as One-Tails Shukaku, are you?"

"If that's the case, then I'll respect your opinion. I suppose I misjudged the Tailed Beasts."

Uchiha Nan pretended to be unhappy, as though he had misjudged it. Every word made the Nine-Tails feel as if it had committed some unforgivable wrong against Uchiha Nan.

Especially since Uchiha Nan had just mentioned One-Tails Shukaku. Of the other eight Tailed Beasts, it got along the worst with Shukaku. It was common for them to turn on each other and fight.

It could not accept being lumped together with Shukaku!

It was the strongest Tailed Beast. Even if it died, it could not fall to the same status as Shukaku.

Thinking it over carefully, living near Konoha did not seem impossible. The vast forests around it were no different from where it had lived in the past.

As for protecting Konoha, the Nine-Tails instinctively ignored that part. When the time came, it could show up without putting in any real effort!

It would be enough to fire off a couple of Tailed Beast Bombs for appearances' sake. Enemies who could not withstand a Tailed Beast Bomb would not even reach Konoha.

As for enemies who could casually withstand Tailed Beast Bombs, the Nine-Tails felt it probably could not deal with them either. Firing off two Tailed Beast Bombs in battle would already be more than enough repayment for Uchiha Nan.

If it did not run away then, all those years it had spent imprisoned would have been for nothing!

No matter what, it had to agree first. It needed to get out of that little dark room inside Mito Uzumaki's body. The Nine-Tails could no longer remember what it felt like to roll around in grass beneath the sunlight.

It could worry about everything else later!

Thinking that, the Nine-Tails suddenly felt the world open up before it, its thoughts no longer bound by anything.

As long as it waited for the right opportunity and humbled itself for now, the day would surely come when it soared into the blue sky like a bird and plunged into the sea like a fish!

Ha! It really was brilliant. The Nine-Tails felt that those two poetic lines it had just come up with were incredibly cultured. On the day it escaped, it absolutely had to recite them!

"For your sake, it's not like I can't agree!"

"I, the Nine-Tails, am not some ungrateful Tailed Beast!"

A sly smile appeared on the Nine-Tails' face. Its tsundere attitude was so overwhelming that Uchiha Nan was delighted. This big fox was actually quite easy to handle.

"Then let's make three agreements and seal them with a fist bump!"

Uchiha Nan wanted to imitate Naruto Uzumaki. He had heard that doing this could allow one to connect hearts with a Tailed Beast, though he did not know whether that was true.

His intentions were pure, and he had no ill will toward the Tailed Beasts. By the time Mito Uzumaki died, many years would have passed anyway.

Perhaps by then, he might even be able to extract the Rinnegan. What would he need Tailed Beasts for?

"Fine!"

The Nine-Tails extended a fist even larger than Uchiha Nan's and bumped fists with him. Unfortunately, there was no special reaction at all, no telepathic connection or anything. Their bond probably had not reached that point yet.

Uchiha Nan could not be bothered to care about that. In any case, his goal this time had more or less been achieved. It was time to discuss serious business.

"Kurama, how do you plan to help me?"

Uchiha Nan looked serious. Having followed the Sage of Six Paths for so many years and lived for over a thousand years, he did not believe the Nine-Tails had no trump cards. Mito Uzumaki was not like Uchiha Madara or Hashirama Senju, who could crush the Nine-Tails through sheer strength. The Nine-Tails certainly had a way to affect her.

"Hmph. I've been trapped inside Mito Uzumaki for so many years, and every moment, I've been using Chakra to erode the seal. But the amount of Chakra is tiny, so tiny that it's almost impossible to notice."

"But I don't lack time. Dripping water wears through stone. Mito will eventually grow old and weaken. Once the seal weakens, I'll have my chance."

The Nine-Tails smiled sinisterly, looking thoroughly villainous. Uchiha Nan nodded. He really had not misjudged the Nine-Tails.

Foxes were always sinister and cunning.

Uchiha Nan gave the Nine-Tails a thumbs-up, praising its persistence in wearing away the seal drop by drop.

This made the Nine-Tails feel a little smug, and it continued speaking to Uchiha Nan.

"After you leave, I'll gather all the Chakra that has been eroding the seal. The seal will weaken then, and I'll do everything I can to reclaim the Chakra Mito Uzumaki stole from me."

"Then Mito Uzumaki will have to focus entirely on suppressing me and will have no strength left to maintain her Tailed Beast Transformation. I don't need to teach you what comes next, do I?"

"Give that bitch Mito Uzumaki a proper beating!"

The Nine-Tails revealed a sinister grin. It clearly had no good impression of Mito Uzumaki whatsoever. She and Hashirama Senju were cut from the same cloth; neither of them treated Tailed Beasts like people.

"No problem!"

Uchiha Nan agreed immediately. Beating a dog while it was down was something he excelled at. To establish his authority, he had to pick the toughest target.