Kurama

After returning from the Third Hokage's office, Naruto sat on his bed, staring blankly at the scroll in his hands. He hadn't expected the Third to give him the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu. He remembered the moment the Third had handed him the scroll.

The Third had carried a box over to Naruto and said, "These scrolls contain Sealing Jutsu practiced by the Uzumaki Clan. Some of them also contain the Fourth Hokage's insights into Sealing Jutsu and his improvements to it. I'm leaving them in your hands." With that, he handed Naruto the box and sent him home.

Naruto looked at the scrolls and murmured, "I didn't expect the old man to be so accommodating. But he's doing this for the village, too. Whatever. This is my home as well, and Sealing Jutsu belongs to the Uzumaki Clan in the first place. It's only right for me to learn it."

Naruto knew perfectly well that the Third had given him the Sealing Jutsu in the hope that, once he mastered it, he'd be able to protect the village. But Naruto considered Konoha his home, too, so he had no qualms about learning it.

Naruto unrolled the scroll and began to study it. It contained the Seal Fire Method, a B-rank Sealing Jutsu that sealed Fire Release techniques. Naruto remembered Jiraiya using it to seal Amaterasu, and began practicing earnestly.

He realized that Sealing Jutsu were a lot like the magic circles and formations described in the novels and television shows from his previous life. They worked in much the same way: Hand Seals made chakra flow along the patterns laid out in the Sealing Jutsu, allowing the user to seal the target.

With that in mind, Naruto went to the kitchen and turned on the gas stove. Watching the flames, he released several Adamantine Sealing Chains from his body and arranged them into the pattern shown in the Sealing Jutsu. Then he used the method described in the scroll to draw the flames into the formation. The chains absorbed every last bit of fire.

Seeing the result, Naruto grinned smugly. Just as I thought. Even though Adamantine Sealing Chains are chakra chains made tangible, they're still formed from my chakra.

That means I can use Sealing Jutsu without Hand Seals. And Adamantine Sealing Chains already have sealing abilities of their own, so they can make the seal even stronger.

Naruto rearranged the chains into the pattern for releasing the seal. In an instant, the flames burst out. They nearly burned down his home, but Naruto managed to seal them again in time.

The kitchen was a complete mess, but Naruto laughed with delight. After cleaning up, he hurried back to his room to continue studying the patterns in the scrolls.

Just as Naruto picked up the second scroll to continue, he suddenly felt dizzy. He shook his head and came to, only to discover that he was in a sewer.

Naruto glanced around at the dim surroundings and quickly calmed down. Seeing that there was only one path ahead, he slowly walked forward, murmuring, "How did I get here? Did that tsundere Kurama drag me in here himself?"

Naruto soon reached the end of the passage. Before him stood a huge iron cage, and a voice came from within. "Come closer. A little closer."

Naruto smiled as he walked up to the cage. Suddenly, a claw shot out, trying to grab him, but the bars stopped it.

A furious roar came from inside the cage, and Naruto saw the legendary Nine-Tails in all his glory.

Naruto smiled. "Do you have to be so angry? Can't we just talk?"

The Nine-Tails looked at Naruto, who remained calm. "So you're not surprised at all. I suppose you already knew I existed, so why would you be? Tell me, brat, what's with your White Eye? Don't even think about lying to me. I watched you grow up, and I know every secret you have."

Naruto chuckled. "Heh. I thought you'd ask about my Sharingan. I didn't expect the White Eye to be the first thing you brought up. So you know its secret, too?"

The Nine-Tails scoffed. "The secret of the White Eye? I don't know what secret it has, but what interests me is that you're the child of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze. Neither of them had the White Eye, but you do—and you were born with it. Unlike your Sharingan, which you awakened after receiving the Uchiha Clan's bloodline, your White Eye is something else. That's why I'm more interested in it."

Naruto looked taken aback. "I didn't expect you to be interested in my White Eye because of that. You sure are curious. You should've become a scientist. It's a shame to waste that curiosity on being a Tailed Beast. After all, the pursuit of knowledge begins with curiosity."

Seeing Naruto dodge the question, the Nine-Tails roared furiously, "Stop beating around the bush! Are you going to tell me or not? If not, get lost!"

Naruto scratched his head. "I never said I wouldn't tell you. Why are you in such a hurry? With that temper, is this how you ask someone for help?"

Naruto was about to continue, but when he saw the Nine-Tails getting worked up again, he hurriedly said, "All right, all right, all right. I'll tell you, okay?"

Naruto paused, then asked, "Nine-Tails, do you know the Sage of Six Paths? Oh, that's a silly question—you're one of the Six Paths' children. He created all of you. But do you know about the Six Paths' origins? Do you know about his mother and younger brother?"

"What are you getting at? I don't know any of that, but what I'm even more curious about right now is where you got your White Eye."

The Nine-Tails had calmed down and patiently answered Naruto. Naruto smiled. "You're finally calm. Don't worry, I'll tell you what you want to know. And there are some things I hope you'll help me with, too. By the way, Nine-Tails, what's your name? We've been talking for so long, and I still don't know it."

"My name? You humans care about a Tailed Beast's name? Aren't you supposed to care about how to use us and obtain our power? Since when do humans care about a Tailed Beast's name? Don't make me laugh." The Nine-Tails grew angrier with every word, until he was practically shouting.

Naruto looked at the Nine-Tails. "I don't know why you're so angry. Maybe humans have deceived you too many times. But you can't condemn everyone because of that. Humans are complicated. Some are good and some are bad. Not everyone is good, and not everyone is bad.

"But I can at least promise you that I mean you no harm. I simply want us to become friends.

"I also hope I can dispel your hatred of humans, because I know hatred can't make anyone happy. We can't live in this world for the sake of hatred alone, can we?"

"You say you want to dispel my hatred? Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to say that?" the Nine-Tails said angrily.

Naruto replied with a smile, "Because we're friends. Besides, don't you think a Tailed Beast and its Jinchuriki are natural best friends?

"Look, the lives of a Jinchuriki and their Tailed Beast are linked. If our lives are linked, what can't we work out?

"So I'm not just saying I want to dispel your hatred. And if I want you to help me, I want you to do it willingly. I won't force you. I just hope we can help each other like friends."

"You want to be friends with me? Hahahaha! Humans and Tailed Beasts becoming friends? Hahahaha!" The Nine-Tails narrowed his eyes and burst into laughter, as if he'd heard the funniest thing in the world.

The Nine-Tails laughed for a while, but Naruto didn't argue back. Curious, he looked at Naruto—and saw him staring back with utmost seriousness. There was determination in Naruto's eyes. The Nine-Tails understood that Naruto wasn't joking; he meant every word.

Naruto's gaze brought back a distant memory: the words the Sage of Six Paths had spoken just before he died.

"You will face much pain and hardship in the future, but one day you will meet friends who will treat you sincerely. Someone who can guide you. Someone you can trust and rely on, and who will understand you." Those were the words the Sage of Six Paths had spoken to all the Tailed Beasts before his death.

Remembering the Sage of Six Paths' words as he looked at Naruto, the Nine-Tails wondered, Could this brat be the person the old man spoke of?

The Nine-Tails looked at Naruto seriously. "If you say we're friends, then undo this seal in front of us first."

Naruto looked at the seal before them and said, "That's no problem. I'll undo it even if you don't ask. But before I do, you have to promise that you won't get angry while I'm undoing it. Stay calm, all right?"

The Nine-Tails looked puzzled. "Why would I get angry when you undo the seal? I couldn't be happier." "Good," Naruto said with a sigh of relief. The Nine-Tails was confused, but didn't press the matter.

Seeing that Naruto was actually walking toward the gate without hesitation, the Nine-Tails couldn't help asking again, just to test him, "Aren't you afraid I'll take over your body once I get out?"

Naruto looked puzzled. "Why would you take over my body when you get out? If there's something you want to do, just tell me and we can do it together. Wouldn't you get it done faster with my help? Besides, if you want control of my body, just tell me. You don't have to take it!"

After hearing Naruto's words, the Nine-Tails realized that Naruto really did consider him a friend. But he'd already asked the question and couldn't take it back, so he ignored Naruto and pretended to be silent. When Naruto saw that the Nine-Tails had gone quiet again, he muttered under his breath, "You can't answer, so you're pretending to be profound again. What a strange guy. Such a tsundere."

Seeing the Nine-Tails get angry, Naruto ran quickly toward the Sealing Gate, muttering under his breath as he went, "Getting mad out of embarrassment is a lousy trait, too. Just like Sasuke's bad habit." The Nine-Tails really wanted to blast Naruto to kingdom come with a Tailed Beast Bomb. Kids these days really aren't cute at all.

Seeing the Nine-Tails get angry, Naruto ran quickly toward the gate. As he ran, he muttered under his breath, "Getting mad out of embarrassment is a lousy trait, too. Just like Sasuke's bad habit." The Nine-Tails really wanted to blast Naruto to kingdom come with a Tailed Beast Bomb. Kids these days really aren't cute at all.

Naruto reached the gate, and the Nine-Tails used his chakra to send him in front of the sealing tag. Naruto smiled and asked, "By the way, Nine-Tails, what's your name? Come on, tell me."

The Nine-Tails turned his head away haughtily, but a moment later Naruto heard the name "Kurama." Naruto happily told him, "From now on, you're no longer the dreaded Nine-Tailed Fox. You're Naruto Uzumaki's partner, a Konoha Ninja."

When Naruto finished speaking, he smiled at the Nine-Tails. Kurama—no longer the Nine-Tails—smiled back at him. Kurama was happy, but he was also filled with emotion. At long last, he had found the person the old man had spoken of—but it had taken far, far too long.