Talking with the Nine-Tails

After Menma lost consciousness during his Tailed Beast Transformation, he entered the Sealing Space.

Menma had actually wanted to enter the Sealing Space and meet the Nine-Tails before, but the Nine-Tails acted like a shy young maiden and refused to see him. Every time Menma had just stepped into the Sealing Space, he was blasted back out by the shockwave from the Nine-Tails' roar.

So this was the first time Menma had truly seen the Nine-Tails. A massive, dark orange fox with nine tails lay inside the cage, its eyes tightly shut as if fast asleep.

Menma said nothing. He simply sat cross-legged on the other side of the cage door and quietly gazed at the Nine-Tails.

Time passed slowly. In the end, the Nine-Tails was the first to lose patience. It suddenly opened its eyes.

"Hey, brat, what are you staring at me for? Aren't you afraid of me?" the Nine-Tails asked, putting on a terrifying expression.

"I saw you were sleeping, so I didn't want to disturb you." Menma smiled brightly and looked at the Nine-Tails with an innocent expression.

The Nine-Tails paused, then said, "I'm the chief of the Nine Tailed Beasts. Humans tremble with fear whenever they hear about me. Are you looking down on me?"

Menma knew the Nine-Tails' temperament well. He knew there was no point lying to it; only sincerity could move it. Besides, the Nine-Tails had always been rather tsundere.

After hearing what the Nine-Tails said, Menma first shook his head, then asked, "So you're the strongest of the Nine Tailed Beasts? That's amazing." Menma kept his eyes fixed on the Nine-Tails, praising it without stopping.

"Then you can easily beat the other Tailed Beasts, right, Nine-Tails? That's incredible. I wish I could become as strong as you, so I could protect the people I want to protect," Menma continued.

Hearing Menma say that, the Nine-Tails' pride swelled. Those words were exactly what it wanted to hear. But when Menma said he wanted to protect the people he cared about, something shifted in the Nine-Tails' eyes.

"With your strength, what could you possibly protect?" the Nine-Tails said, looking at Menma without much emotion.

"Aren't you really powerful, Nine-Tails? With you here, I'll be fine. If I were strong enough, I'd want to protect you, too." Menma's expression remained unchanged as he answered, looking at the Nine-Tails with the same innocent expression.

"Protect me? Brat, have you got it wrong? I'm so powerful I don't need your protection!" The Nine-Tails' pride had risen at the first part, but its expression changed when it heard the second.

Menma shook his head and continued, "Nine-Tails, even though you're powerful, you still need protection. There are so many people out there insulting you. Haven't I been the one standing up for you?" Menma said it as if it were nothing.

The Nine-Tails sneered. "A few human insults can't hurt me."

"Oh, I see. You're amazing," Menma praised it again.

At those words, the Nine-Tails' pride soared. "Of course. Do you even know who I am?"

"Hey, Nine-Tails, it must be really boring being here all alone. If you don't mind, I'd like to be your friend." Menma smiled and spoke slowly.

The Nine-Tails froze and began studying Menma carefully, thinking to itself, This brat is actually treating me like an ordinary person?

"Be my friend? Brat, have you lost your mind? I'm a Tailed Beast," the Nine-Tails asked, somewhat at a loss.

"I know. But there's no rule saying humans and Tailed Beasts can't be good friends." Menma spoke earnestly, with no hint of deception.

"I killed your parents. Don't you hate me?" the Nine-Tails glared fiercely at Menma and roared.

Menma's expression shifted slightly, then he shook his head. "No, I don't hate you. You only fought back because you didn't want to be deprived of your freedom. If someone tried to take away my freedom, I think I'd make the same choice. The one who caused my parents' deaths was that masked man. He's the real culprit!" Menma spoke with absolute conviction. The Nine-Tails couldn't see even the slightest trace of resentment toward it in him.

"Hmph! I don't want to be your friend, brat. Once I get out, you'll be the first one I eat." The Nine-Tails lay back down.

"That's okay. I already think of you as a good friend. As your friend, I'll definitely open this gate. Once you're out, you can do whatever you want. As your friend, all I have to do is understand you." Menma spoke with complete seriousness, without the slightest hint of joking.

The Nine-Tails opened its eyes and looked at Menma in disbelief. It saw the determination on his face. He didn't seem to be joking.

The Nine-Tails couldn't help studying Menma again, wanting to see through him. But the child in front of it, who was not yet four years old, showed no sign of deceiving it. This was what he truly felt.

The Nine-Tails pursed its lips and smiled. "I don't know what to do with you." It stood up and held out a fist toward Menma.

Menma's heart leaped with joy. He stood up too, and the two bumped fists. The Nine-Tails smiled, and Menma smiled too.

"Don't worry, Kurama. One day, I'll open this gate. That's a promise between friends!" Menma said with a smile.

"Mind your own business, brat. I don't want this gate opened." With that, the Nine-Tails lay back down by itself and closed its eyes, as if preparing to sleep.

Seeing this, Menma smiled. "Get some rest, Kurama. I'm heading out. I'll come see you again in a bit!" He waved to Kurama, then left the Sealing Space.

After Menma left, Kurama opened its eyes and looked at his departing figure, a smile appearing on his face. "What a strange kid," Kurama murmured to himself, then closed his eyes again.

Meanwhile, in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others returned to the spot where the Nine-Tails had rampaged earlier by means of the Flying Thunder God formation. When they saw them return, many Anbu ran over.

"Third Hokage, are you all right?" An Anbu Ninja hurried over to ask. Then he glanced at Naruto and Menma, unconscious in Jiraiya and Kakashi's arms, and asked, "Third Hokage, what should we do with them?"

"I'm fine. Take Naruto and Menma to Konoha Hospital for now. I'll arrange for people to look after them," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied.

"But, Lord Hokage, the Nine-Tails' rampage caused damage to Konoha. We have to give the villagers an explanation. They..." Before the Anbu Ninja could finish, Jiraiya interrupted him.

"An explanation for what? If they hadn't said those things, would the Nine-Tails have gone berserk? Do you expect two children who aren't even four years old to completely control and suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra? You know better than I do what caused them to lose control." Jiraiya was angry as he spoke to the Anbu Ninja who had just spoken.

The Anbu knew, of course. They had been secretly protecting Naruto and Menma, and had witnessed the entire rampage. As for how Jiraiya knew, Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't keep this matter from him. He had a right to know.

Hearing this, the Anbu Ninja was at a loss for words and silently retreated.

Just then, people nearby began to gather, including many of the villagers who had been there at the time.

"Third Hokage, you can't let these two fox demons go! Look at how much damage they've caused the village!" someone shouted.

The man's words were like a spark to kindling, and the villagers began complaining one after another.

"Lord Hokage, my child was caught in the Nine-Tails' rampage and is still unconscious in the hospital. You have to give us justice!" a woman cried.

"Lord Hokage, my shop, which I spent more than ten years building up, has been destroyed! All my years of hard work!" A middle-aged man wept as if he had suffered a terrible blow.

More and more people gathered, demanding that Hiruzen Sarutobi punish the fox demons severely.

Seeing the situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a headache coming on. Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the others, who knew what Naruto and Menma were really like, clenched their fists tightly.

"Have you said enough?" Jiraiya shouted angrily, holding Naruto as he glared at the villagers.

The villagers were startled and all turned to look at Jiraiya.

"During the Nine-Tails Attack, Naruto and Menma's parents sealed the rampaging Nine-Tails inside their children to protect the village. They did it to protect the village, and they died in that disaster. Their parents not only sacrificed their own lives, they sacrificed their children's happiness, all to protect you and the village. As the children of heroes, you don't respect them. Instead, you slander, ostracize, and bully them. Is this how the people of Konoha are supposed to act?" Jiraiya glared fiercely at the crowd.

"Ever since they were born, these two children have suffered your Byakugan. And today you've gone even further. Do you have the guts to repeat what you just said to my face, in front of the Third Hokage? I'm telling you now: these two children are my grandstudents. If you insist on bullying them, you'll have to get past me first!" Jiraiya ignored Hiruzen Sarutobi's warning look and continued on his own.

At that moment, some of the more perceptive people caught the key point in Jiraiya's words. They took a closer look at Naruto and Menma, then suddenly seemed to realize something. The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became, and they silently slipped away.