Kurama
What a familiar name!
No one had called him that in years—probably over a thousand.
The last person to call him that had probably been his father, the Sage of Six Paths.
His Tailed Beast brothers usually just called him Nine-Tails.
As for the humans outside, they called him things like demon fox and natural disaster. Eventually, they'd even downgraded him to a beast, a wild animal.
"How do you know that name?!"
The Nine-Tails' tails started swishing. He looked just like Manji when he got caught sneaking catnip—fur standing on end, as if someone had seen right through his secret.
The Sage of Six Paths had given him the name Kurama. In the past thousand years, the Nine-Tails had never told a single human.
"The old man from the Six Paths told me in a dream," Uchiha Nan bluffed casually. He couldn't exactly tell the Nine-Tails that he knew from watching anime.
"Bullshit!!"
The Nine-Tails cursed him outright. The Sage of Six Paths had supposedly appeared in Uchiha Nan's dream?
Humans had trapped the Tailed Beasts inside themselves and used them as tools of war for so many years, and the Sage of Six Paths had never lifted a finger. He should've been long dead by now.
"Believe it or not. Otherwise, how would I know your name is Kurama? I also know the One-Tailed is called Shukaku, and the Two-Tailed is called Matatabi."
Uchiha Nan rattled off the names of all nine Tailed Beasts. His confident air made even the Nine-Tails start to wonder.
The old man from the Six Paths wasn't dead? No way.
Then why hadn't he come to save him all these years?
After all this time, he'd thought of him as his dad!
Dad, love me one more time!
The Nine-Tails prayed, hoping his old man from the Six Paths would rescue him from this living hell. Sadly, no miracle appeared.
The Nine-Tails sighed. Over the years, he hadn't exactly refrained from praying for the old man from the Six Paths to save him, but it had never done a damn thing.
Still, the Nine-Tails was starting to believe Uchiha Nan. Tailed Beasts only told their names to people they trusted, and there was no way Uchiha Nan had earned the trust of all of them.
The only person in the entire Ninja world who could have told Uchiha Nan the names of every Tailed Beast was the Sage of Six Paths.
"What did the Sage of Six Paths tell you?"
Everyone knew foxes were curious. The Nine-Tails couldn't help asking.
"The Sage of Six Paths said I'm the savior of the Ninja world, and that one day I'll free all the Tailed Beasts!"
The Nine-Tails suddenly leaned close to Uchiha Nan, studying the color of his eyes.
That wasn't right!
The Sage of Six Paths had once told the Tailed Beasts a prophecy about the future:
"There will be a blue-eyed boy who laughs and calls out the names of the nine Tailed Beasts."
Uchiha Nan's eyes were black. Now they'd even turned red. They weren't blue at all.
"What are you doing?!"
Uchiha Nan let out a startled squawk and took a few steps back.
The Nine-Tails told Uchiha Nan about the prophecy the Sage of Six Paths had once shared.
"Times change, and prophecies can change too.
"If the Sage of Six Paths could really predict the future that accurately, his two sons wouldn't have turned against each other."
Uchiha Nan spoke nonchalantly. The Sage of Six Paths was a sage, yet he believed in the future predicted by a few toads and didn't trust his eldest son's abilities. That was pretty pathetic.
Everyone in the Sage of Six Paths' family, from Kaguya to the Sage himself, would've failed an exam on how to raise children.
"The old man from the Six Paths even told you that?"
The Nine-Tails was surprised. He believed most of what Uchiha Nan was saying. Only someone from that era would know this sort of family shame, and it was remarkable that the old man from the Six Paths had been willing to share it.
Even the Nine-Tails, who considered himself the old man from the Six Paths' adopted son, thought fratricide was too shameful to tell outsiders about.
The nine adopted Tailed Beast sons were much better behaved. Sometimes they fought when they didn't get along, but they'd never wanted to kill one another.
"Tell me, what did you come here for?"
The Nine-Tails lay down, crossed his front paws, and rested his fox head on them. He settled into a comfortable position, looking ready to fall asleep.
Uchiha Nan had to want something from him!
Humans hadn't changed much over the years. They never showed up without a reason; if they came to see him, they wanted something.
He had to make sure to keep up appearances!
"Of course I'm here to give you your freedom, Kurama!"
Uchiha Nan skillfully laid out the bait first, his old sales instincts kicking in!
Even if you were asking someone for a favor, you had to make it look like you were there to help them!
"Hmm?"
The Nine-Tails perked up at once. He lifted his fox head, his eyes full of longing.
If he had a choice, who'd want to be locked in a dark cell? He wanted to roll around in a lush forest, too!
"You're going to let me out?"
"Of course!"
"Tailed Beasts are free. Humans shouldn't enslave and exploit them."
Uchiha Nan smiled at the Nine-Tails.
"But I can't do it yet!"
"Because I'm not Hokage!"
"Only the Hokage has the authority to decide what happens to a Tailed Beast."
Uchiha Nan put on a troubled look. He really wanted to let the Nine-Tails out, but the situation wouldn't allow it.
Uchiha Nan's gaze drifted toward the Nine-Tails. It was clear how badly he wanted to be free.
"Do you mean that?"
"Of course!"
"I swear on the Sage of Six Paths."
Uchiha Nan smiled and swore with practiced ease. If he couldn't release the Nine-Tails in the future, it would be the Sage of Six Paths' reputation that took a hit.
"Then I'll help you become Hokage!"
The Nine-Tails decided to take a gamble. He wanted freedom too badly.
Being locked in a dark cell with nothing to do was unbearable. He had no idea how he'd managed to endure all these years.
"It's a deal!"
"Good!"
"Once I become Hokage, you'll be free as soon as Mito Uzumaki dies!"
The Nine-Tails stared at Uchiha Nan with wide eyes. As expected of an Uchiha—born evil and always trying to fool him. Why did he have to wait for Mito Uzumaki to die?!
"You still want me to wait until Mito Uzumaki dies?"
"Of course. Mito Uzumaki is an elder of Konoha, after all. Even if I became Hokage, I couldn't just kill her to let you out."
"I'm a kind person. I can't stand to see people die."
Uchiha Nan grinned, baring his pearly whites, and put on a compassionate expression. Seeing that the Nine-Tails still seemed hesitant, he continued:
"Look on the bright side. Mito Uzumaki is already so old. How many years can she have left?
"It won't be long. Just hang in there, and it'll all be over."
The Nine-Tails' fox eyes rolled as he hesitated, considering whether to believe Uchiha Nan's nonsense.
His fox instincts told him Uchiha Nan was dangling a carrot in front of him.
"If you don't believe me, forget it. Let Mito Uzumaki defeat me and become Hokage instead."
"Konoha is probably already planning to find another young Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in the Uzumaki Clan."
"Mito Uzumaki could start putting that plan into action as soon as she took office."
Uchiha Nan sighed and acted as if he was about to leave.
I got a dental implant today. I thought the doctor covered my eyes to block the light, but I was wrong.
It was so I wouldn't get scared. They used a cutting saw, a drill, a hammer, and scissors during the procedure. I could tell from the sounds alone. If I'd seen them putting all that stuff in my mouth, I probably would've fainted.
But no matter how tough things get, I can't let my readers down. I stayed up all night writing.
Still asking for monthly votes, but I won't beg on my knees this time. It hurts too much!
Before you continue