Hajimama

"Splash... splash..."

The sensation beneath his feet was viscous and cold. Naruto looked down to find himself standing in a pool of dark red water; the surface reflected nothing, only a suffocating, deep crimson.

Knowledge from books is always shallow; this space sealing Kurama was far more real than Naruto had imagined.

The air was heavy, like solidified lead, each breath carrying a thick scent of rust and an indescribable, pungent musk found only in the depths of a beast's lair.

Boundless darkness shrouded everything, save for a point of ominous, heart-stopping orange-red light directly ahead.

That light was the source, and it was the cage.

Massive iron bars, each as thick as the trunk of a giant tree, were covered in mottled, dark brown stains that looked like blood dried countless times over. Behind the bars lay a gargantuan creature that filled his entire field of vision, a sight of pure despair.

The difference between seeing it with one's own eyes and watching it in an animation was worlds apart. Even with mental preparation, Naruto couldn't help but feel shaken.

It lay prone there like a crimson mountain built of pure malice and hatred, so vast it made one dizzy. The mere rumble of its slow, rhythmic breathing gave off an indescribable sense of oppression.

Just then, deep within that dense, flame-like red fur, two piercing, ferocious lights suddenly ignited—the vertical pupils of a beast, burning with the purest hatred and violence. Its massive head turned slightly, producing a dull, teeth-grating friction.

"Hmph... brat."

The giant fox head emerged from the darkness, two rows of bone-white teeth like massive scimitars flashing with cold, hard light. With a sneer of contempt, it growled:

"I am going to... eat you."

"..."

Naruto looked at this behemoth that seemed to connect to the heavens, and suddenly, a certain netizen's comment flashed through his mind.

[Hajime is hissing, how cute.]

"..."

Naruto suddenly wasn't nervous anymore.

He even felt a little like laughing.

?

Kurama's ferocious pupils flickered slightly. Possessing an innate ability to sense the emotions of others, it suddenly felt, for no reason, that the brat below was thinking of something very disrespectful.

Just as it prepared to continue intimidating Naruto, the first words out of his mouth froze it in place.

"Kurama."

?!

The three syllables struck like a physical blow; Kurama's expression stiffened instantly.

How could this brat possibly know its name?!

Aside from Hagoromo, no one knew its name!

The previous command to intimidate and the current shock collided on Kurama's face, making it look as if it were performing some kind of exaggerated facial expression, instantly shattering the terrifying atmosphere it had worked so hard to build.

Seeing Kurama's reaction, Naruto obtained the answer he sought to verify.

"That's right, what I saw in the cinema about the past and the future is real."

Although Naruto had been inclined to believe it was real, having considered concepts like "a dream of yellow millet" and "brain in a vat," he had needed to cross-verify in the real world out of caution before he could be fully at ease and rely on this information to plan his future.

And Kurama, who could not communicate with the outside world yet knew so much, was undoubtedly the best subject for verification.

"How do you know that name, brat!" Kurama arched its back and stood up, claws bared, its nine tails thrashing wildly and kicking up massive splashes of water.

"Because I am the reincarnation of Asura, the son of Hagoromo," Naruto recited the pre-prepared script. "I remembered some things."

Still very weak, he could only rely on this information gap to negotiate with Kurama. After all, this Kurama was not the partner who had opened his heart to Naruto in the later stages of the war; at this moment, it was still full of hatred and distrust toward humans.

It was easy to understand. After all, anyone locked in this dark, sunless place by humans for centuries, only to be dragged out, controlled, beaten, and dragged back, would want to hiss the moment they saw a person.

"The old man Hagoromo's son?"

Kurama found it hard to believe, yet Hagoromo did indeed have two sons, and one of them was indeed named Asura. Because the era was so distant, these were things only the Tailed Beasts knew; even Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had known nothing of it.

Seeing Kurama's attitude soften, Naruto struck while the iron was hot, recounting the history of how Hagoromo and his brother Hamura had sealed Kaguya Otsutsuki, separated the Ten-Tails, founded the Ninjutsu Sect, and the subsequent conflict between Asura and Indra.

Kurama's mind began to crash as it listened, because everything Naruto said was correct. First, hearing its name from someone other than Hagoromo for the first time in a millennium, then the brat claiming to be the reincarnation of the old man's son, combined with a mountain of stories only the parties involved would know, made Kurama begin to doubt its own perception—could what this brat said be true?

No... it was also possible he had seen some historical records and was trying to bluff me!

Ever since the Ninjutsu Sect vanished, the conflict between Tailed Beasts and humans had lasted for a thousand years. Tailed Beasts often harmed humans due to their sheer size and the bad tempers of a few, while humans never stopped trying to control them out of greed for their immense power... This millennium of hatred could not be erased by a few simple words from Naruto.

"I don't believe you, brat." Kurama sneered, having regained its composure. "You say Indra and Asura have reincarnated many times, so why, other than you, this fake brat, have I never seen anyone else who was their reincarnation?"

"You have seen them. The previous generation of Asura's reincarnation was Hashirama Senju, and Indra's reincarnation was Madara Uchiha."

"..."

Kurama suddenly felt enlightened.

I knew it. That anthropomorphic Hashirama Senju was so devious there was no limit to it; he'd clap his hands and whatever he shouted would appear. Those Wood Dragon and Wood Golem constructs the size of me were one thing, but what the hell was that Thousand-Armed Buddha with hands bigger than me? Was I the Tailed Beast or was he?

So he was the reincarnation of Hagoromo's son, no wonder.

...No, wait, I cannot trust humans.

The code conflicted again, but Kurama couldn't think of a rebuttal for the moment. In the end, it could only lie back down, sneering:

"So? Why have you suddenly come to see me and spouted all this nonsense?"

"Are you after my power?"

"Don't dream. The Sage of Six Paths' son wouldn't have such a spineless attitude, and no matter what you say, I will never trust humans..."

"I didn't come here for your power." Naruto interrupted Nine-Tails, saying calmly, "On the contrary, I came here to have you take your power back."

"Over ninety percent of the chakra inside me is being used to suppress you. Furthermore, you constantly leak your chakra through the gaps in the seal to disrupt the flow of my own, making it impossible for me to perform ninjutsu properly... Does it bring you that much satisfaction to watch the jinchuriki who sealed you be a dead-last loser?"

Naruto stared straight at Nine-Tails. Even though it was like an ant looking up at a giant tree, this ant was pressing forward against the titan, sending ripples across the water with every step.

Reaching the cage, man and fox were practically breathing against one another. Naruto's azure pupils met Nine-Tails' crimson slit eyes without a hint of weakness, adding with a touch of resentment:

"I don't want your power at all."

"Give my power back to me, Kurama."

"You're over a thousand years old. Living inside a child's body without paying rent is one thing, but do you really have to make life difficult for an orphan who has no parents? Can you stop being so childish?"