"You. You stuck-up brat."
Uchiha Kei remained calm and composed.
Though the Tailed Beasts were unmatched in battle, with the Mangekyo, he had already secured his position of invincibility.
Besides, he wasn't alone in the sealing space.
"Damn brat!"
Kurama exhaled a cloud of crimson gas, and the power throughout the sealing space grew even more violent.
"Kushina treated you pretty well, so why are you so hard on Naruto?"
"Pretty well?"
Kurama was furious.
"I'm locked up in a place like this, and you call that being treated well?"
Kurama fumed, his enormous body twisting restlessly.
"At least, in their hearts, you're more than just a weapon."
Kurama fell silent.
Compared with the other Tailed Beasts who had been controlled, he had indeed been treated fairly well. Both Uzumaki Mito and Kushina had regarded him as a friend, not a weapon.
"Through Naruto's eyes, you can see the outside world. To him, you aren't a source of pride."
Uchiha Kei spoke slowly, Naruto's life flashing through his mind like lightning.
In his previous life, many people had said that Kurama was Naruto's cheat code.
That it was Kurama who had made Naruto who he was.
But was that really true?
Uchiha Kei didn't think so. It was true that Kurama had helped Naruto later on.
But what had truly made Naruto the Seventh was his tenacity, his determination, and his kindness.
Though he was the person in the village with the most reason to turn evil, he had chosen to spend his life protecting the very village that had hurt him.
Not everyone could show such magnanimity.
"I came here today hoping you could get along peacefully with Naruto."
"Impossible!"
Kurama rejected the idea without thinking.
As a Tailed Beast, he had his own pride.
That pride wouldn't let him become someone else's subordinate.
"Don't rush to reject it."
Uchiha Kei wasn't surprised by his answer at all.
If Kurama had agreed that easily, he wouldn't be Kurama.
"I can promise you that, when the time comes and circumstances allow, I'll undo your seal and set you free."
Kurama's eyes lit up.
Freedom...
What a longed-for yet unattainable thing...
"What makes you think I'll believe you?"
Though he was tempted, Kurama remained wary.
"Because of these eyes?"
Uchiha Kei pointed at his Mangekyo.
"Or maybe because I believe in Naruto. Even without you, that guy will still become an outstanding shinobi!"
Kurama stared at him blankly. He could see the trust in Uchiha Kei's eyes when he spoke of the brat Naruto.
"Why do you trust that brat so much?"
"Because he has me for a friend."
It sounded arrogant and conceited, but for some reason, Kurama found himself believing it.
After a moment's thought, Kurama finally agreed.
He'd take a gamble!
If he won, he could gain the freedom he'd dreamed of.
If he lost, he'd be no worse off than he was now.
But if this guy really dared to deceive him, he'd make the brat Naruto wish he were dead!
"I'll restrain my chakra and keep it from leaking out."
"Don't just restrain it. I hope the two of you can become friends."
Uchiha Kei spoke sincerely.
"Friends?"
A hint of confusion flashed in Kurama's eyes, then vanished at once.
"Don't be ridiculous. How could the great Nine-Tails be friends with some brat?"
"I believe you'll become friends."
Uchiha Kei smiled and didn't press the matter.
In Boruto, you willingly sacrificed yourself to protect Naruto.
Acting tough won't help you.
After chatting for a bit, the surging Tailed Beast Chakra in the sealing space had nearly dissipated.
After returning to his own body, Uchiha Kei settled the unconscious Naruto somewhere safe, then went back to the sealing space.
"Brat, why are you back again?"
Kurama lay listlessly inside the cage, looking at Uchiha Kei with curiosity.
He was actually quite happy that Kei had returned.
The sealing space was just too boring.
Having someone to talk to was better than nothing.
Maybe he could chat with that brat Naruto?
It definitely wasn't because he wanted to be friends with him. He was just bored...
Kurama thought this with his usual haughty air.
"There's something we need to do ahead of time."
Uchiha Kei walked up to the cage door, staring intently at the seal on it.
"What is it..."
Before Kurama could finish, he watched in utter shock as Uchiha Kei placed his hand on the seal.
What was he trying to do? Undo the seal?
Kurama was thrilled.
As Kurama watched in shock and anticipation, chakra surged out from Uchiha Kei and tore through the seal!
The instant the seal broke, a dazzling golden light suddenly flared.
A phantom figure appeared before them.
He had blond hair and blue eyes, and wore a white Hokage cloak over a green jonin vest. His gaze was deep, like an unfathomable spring.
"Damn it! Namikaze Minato!"
Kurama went berserk again, slamming a paw against the cage. Crimson chakra rose up and spread throughout the sealing space.
"Did you break the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, Kurama?"
Namikaze Minato floated in midair, calmly watching the furious Kurama below.
"Namikaze Minato!"
Kurama pounded the cage wildly. The deafening noise reverberated through the sealing space, and the cage swayed with every blow.
"Calm down, Kurama."
Uchiha Kei stepped forward and stroked Kurama's head, then turned a cold gaze toward Namikaze Minato.
The Yellow Flash—Namikaze Minato, Konoha's hero during the Third Shinobi World War. He had earned a fearsome reputation, striking terror into the hearts of many Ninja Villages.
On the Night of the Nine-Tails, to protect the entire village, he and his wife had resolutely used the forbidden Dead Demon Consuming Seal to split the Nine-Tails in two.
He sealed one half in his own soul and the other inside his newborn son.
What a magnificent Fourth Hokage.
"Hmm? Are you from the Uchiha Clan?"
Seeing Uchiha Kei soothe Kurama, Namikaze Minato examined him with curiosity.
"I'm Uchiha Kei."
"Naruto's only friend in the village."
Uchiha Kei's voice was even.
In his previous life, he had liked Namikaze Minato quite a bit.
He was sincere, powerful, and selfless.
With all those qualities and that personality, it was hard not to like someone like him.
But that had been before.
Ever since he'd come to this world and witnessed Naruto's experiences with his own eyes, Uchiha Kei had lost every bit of goodwill he'd felt toward Namikaze Minato.
When Naruto was being bullied, he had even suggested that they leave Konoha.
But Naruto had refused.
"Naruto!"
Hearing his son's name, Namikaze Minato's voice suddenly grew excited.
"Is he all right?"
"He's doing fine, thanks to you."
Uchiha Kei looked at him with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Namikaze Minato had been a competent Hokage and a good husband.
But there was no doubt he had failed as a father.
Because of him, Naruto had suffered through a miserable childhood.
Seeing Uchiha Kei's attitude toward Namikaze Minato, Kurama calmed down as well and let out a few mocking laughs.
"Thanks to you indeed, Namikaze Minato. Naruto's had a pretty hard life in Konoha."
"What?"
Namikaze Minato froze.
What did he mean?
A hard life? How could that be? The son of a hero should have been admired by everyone. How could his life have been so difficult?
"What do you mean?"
The Yellow Flash lived up to his name. Even without the Flying Thunder God Technique, his Body Flicker Technique was masterful.
A flash of yellow light, and in the next instant, he appeared beside Uchiha Kei.
"I mean exactly what I said."
Kurama turned his head away with a haughty air, unwilling to speak to him.
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