"Hmph!"
"Don't even think about it!"
The Nine-Tails turned its back on him as if sulking.
It suddenly realized that the whole persona it had worked so hard to cultivate had fallen apart.
Fine, then. It couldn't beat him, and it couldn't win an argument with him, either.
"Think it over for a while."
"Naruto is my student, and I like the kid."
"Don't interfere with his chakra anymore."
Before the Nine-Tails could reply,
Cangwu continued, "I think it won't be long before... you have a Mangekyō Sharingan."
"I don't want to control you or force you."
"If you cooperate a little, maybe we'll find a way to let you come out in another form someday."
Cangwu's words sent a tremor through the Nine-Tails.
It could naturally sense that he wasn't lying.
The faint goodwill he'd always shown, unchanged from the start, felt unfamiliar to it.
Goodwill toward tailed beasts?
"Humans are full of lies."
"Once you really have a Mangekyō Sharingan, you'll probably control me at the first opportunity."
Seeing that the Nine-Tails was still acting tsundere despite sensing that he meant no harm,
Cangwu smiled.
It seemed he hadn't shocked it enough yet.
"Let me think..."
"Then I'll keep it simple."
"Thousands of years ago, two aliens came to plant a tree... and in the end, Kaguya Otsutsuki ate the God Tree Fruit."
"To protect herself from revenge by the Ōtsutsuki clan,"
"she began mass-producing White Zetsu."
"The two most unusual White Zetsu she created were her sons. They betrayed her because of a certain toad's words and all that romantic nonsense."
The Nine-Tails furrowed its brows.
Something about this sounded familiar.
But it also seemed somewhat different from what it knew.
Wait!
How long had this guy even been alive?
How did he know all this?
"In the end, Kaguya was sealed away, and the Ten-Tails was divided into nine parts."
Damn it, I really do know this!
What he said was true...
Cangwu's lips curled up. "Come on, hahahaha, chakra incoming~"
"One part for Shukaku, one for Kurama, one for Matatabi, and another for Kurama..."
The Nine-Tails: "..."
He really was talking about the old Sage of Six Paths.
Cangwu's words left the Nine-Tails unable to keep up its calm facade.
But it had been praised again.
Though shocked, the Nine-Tails couldn't help wanting to give him a thumbs-up. You know so much, and you've got great taste. I'm the chief of the tailed beasts.
Of the nine tailed beasts, I'm the strongest.
The big fox couldn't hide what it was thinking.
Sure enough, Cangwu immediately spotted the delight in its eyes.
Then he changed his tone.
"You really are strong, but... sigh~"
"But what?!"
"Why are you sighing?!"
The Nine-Tails glared at him and asked in displeasure.
It had even forgotten to maintain its persona.
Cangwu shook his head and sighed.
"You're already this strong. Just imagine how powerful the Ten-Tails is."
"As far as I know, it won't be long before the Ten-Tails revives."
"When that happens, not just you—even the other eight tailed beasts will all turn back into nourishment."
The Nine-Tails had been feeling rather pleased after being praised as the strongest, but its face immediately fell at those words.
"How is that possible?!"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
Cangwu's retort left the Nine-Tails completely silent.
Cangwu's lips curled up. "All right, that's about all I wanted to say for now."
"I can't show you what I can do, and besides... I'm afraid you'll get petty."
"Who's petty?!" the Nine-Tails snapped.
Whoosh—
In the next instant, Cangwu turned into a golden streak and appeared in front of the sealing gate in a flash.
"You... Eternal Maiden?!"
The Nine-Tails' pupils shrank.
Watching through Naruto's eyes hadn't felt like much.
But seeing it in person, the visual impact of that speed was immense.
"It's not Flying Thunder God."
"In a straight line, it's about the same."
"But my Kekkei Genkai is stronger. It's not just speed—it has the same level of offensive power, too."
"Speed is power."
Cangwu patted the sealing gate and smiled. "Believe me. Maybe someday I really can let you out to play."
"On the condition that you cooperate."
"You should understand what's at stake."
Seeing the Nine-Tails about to act tsundere again,
Cangwu cut off its escape with a single remark.
"Even the Ten-Tails can't ignore the Sage Eye's control."
"You're strong as the chief of the tailed beasts, but even the Ten-Tails couldn't escape... Have you forgotten what it was like to be controlled by those eyes?"
"By the way, Madara Uchiha didn't die the day you were sealed. After biting off a piece of Hashirama Senju's flesh, the Senju and Uchiha powers combined, and he obtained Shinra Tensei."
Cangwu landed on the ground. He wasn't planning to remove the talisman just yet.
At that, all nine of the Nine-Tails' tails shot up.
Half of it was delight, and half was anger.
It opened its mouth, but ultimately couldn't think of anything to say.
"What is Shinra Tensei?"
"You know about Indra and Asura, right?" Cangwu asked.
"The old man's two sons?" the Nine-Tails replied instinctively.
"Exactly. Those two never stopped fighting."
"They kept reincarnating... In theory, you should be able to sense their traces in the chakra of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, as well as Naruto and Sasuke, right?"
The Nine-Tails fell silent for a while, shocked by this revelation.
Then it scoffed.
"Aren't you supposed to know everything?"
"I'm not close to them!"
Cangwu: "..."
Fine, so that's how you want to play it?
"Then keep acting tsundere. You'll have a rough time once Madara Uchiha comes back to life."
"He gained Shinra Tensei in his old age and awakened the Rinnegan. He only needs the Ten-Tails to reach the Six Paths level."
"You can't even last a second against the Mangekyō Sharingan, let alone the Rinnegan."
"Go lose yourself in a world of illusion, you poor little fox~"
"Hmph!" The Nine-Tails snorted in exasperation.
"The seal loosened. I have too much chakra, so of course some of it spilled out!"
In other words, it reluctantly agreed to stop interfering with Naruto.
"No wonder that brat is even more naive and stupid than his mother. He's Asura's reincarnation."
The Nine-Tails muttered.
"Pfft~"
"What are you laughing at?" The Nine-Tails had no idea what Cangwu was laughing about, but it felt like he was thinking something unpleasant.
"Right, right. A naive, silly sweetheart who could still pin you to the ground and kill you when he was on the verge of death."
The Nine-Tails: "..."
"It must've been rough being split in two, huh?"
"When the time comes, I'll help make you whole again."
"See you later, you bratty fox."
Whoosh—
In the next instant, Cangwu vanished without giving the Nine-Tails a chance to speak.
Damn Cangwu!
So he could just tease me and run?!
The Nine-Tails roared.
A moment later, it lay back down.
Fine, I'll wait. I've waited all these years already... I hope you won't deceive me.
It knew that even if Cangwu was lying, there was nothing it could do about it.
If what he'd said was true, then refusing to cooperate would mean living in a world of illusion again someday.
"Stupid brat... You did end up with a decent teacher."
"Hmph... I'm a little sleepy. I'll go to bed."
Before you continue