Gaining the Nine-Tails, the Ultimate Pet

All these years, except when the old man had named it right after its birth, the Nine-Tails had never heard another human call it by name.

The feeling was strange.

The old man's words to them surfaced in its mind.

The Nine-Tails looked at the young Uchiha. His gaze was utterly pure, without the slightest intention of using its power.

There was no ambition or desire in his eyes, either. This was the first time the Nine-Tails had seen a human look at it with such a pure gaze.

And since the boy had called it by name, the Nine-Tails suddenly felt an urge to have a proper conversation with him.

"If I go with you, can you give me a reason?"

The Nine-Tails asked.

Uchiha Yang thought for a moment. "If I have to give you a reason, it's that I need you."

"You need my power?"

The Nine-Tails was a little disappointed. It gave a scornful snort.

Just as I thought. Humans are still coveting my power.

"No, no." Uchiha Yang shook his head. "I need you, just you, Kurama."

"You're one of a kind."

After all, having a Tailed Beast as a pet was an unmatched status symbol in the entire Shinobi World. Just imagine facing an enemy and firing a Tailed Beast Bomb each—what a sight that would be!

He wasn't wrong, either. Infinite chakra—wasn't that one of a kind?

Uchiha Yang secretly wiped the tears from the corner of his mouth.

BOOM!

The Nine-Tails' mind exploded. This guy really wasn't lying.

For a moment, the Nine-Tails didn't know what to say.

The scene fell silent.

When Uchiha Yang saw that the Nine-Tails wasn't saying anything, he assumed it had agreed but was too embarrassed to admit it. So he dispelled the illusion space and returned to reality.

At the same time, Uchiha Yang released the Nine-Tails from the illusion.

Since it was his pet, he certainly wasn't going to keep it under control by force.

The Nine-Tails watched as he so casually released it from the illusion, then sat right in front of it. He looked so relaxed that if it swiped at him with one claw, he could easily die.

A strong sense of being trusted took root in the Nine-Tails' heart. That seed would eventually sprout and take root in the days to come.

And so, a beautiful misunderstanding took shape between them.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot you were still bound by Wood Release. My mistake."

Uchiha Yang suddenly noticed the vines on the Nine-Tails and told Uchiha Kage to remove them.

Uchiha Kage was puzzled by how completely his master trusted the Nine-Tails, but he did as instructed.

With every slash, the vines—no longer sustained by Senju Hashirama's chakra—were quickly cut apart by Uchiha Kage.

Once some of the vines had been cut, the Nine-Tails suddenly struggled to its feet. The remaining vines snapped, and it was free.

ROAR!

Unable to hold back, the newly freed Nine-Tails threw its head back and roared. Its nine tails lashed the ground again and again, their immense force making the earth tremble in fear.

The Nine-Tails' escape caught the attention of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.

"Yang!"

Uchiha Madara saw his cousin beneath the Nine-Tails, and his heart nearly stopped. What was that dangerous boy doing over there?

"Hashirama, did you deliberately release the Nine-Tails? If anything happens to Yang, I'll never forgive you!"

Uchiha Madara immediately ran toward Uchiha Yang, not even daring to call out for fear of startling the Nine-Tails.

Senju Hashirama didn't stop Uchiha Madara. He was worried that Madara's cousin might get hurt, too. If anything happened to him, Hashirama and Madara would have no chance of working together.

Ever since he'd met Madara, Hashirama had often heard him mention his cousin, who couldn't cultivate chakra.

Knowing how much Uchiha Yang meant to Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama wouldn't dare stop him.

"How does it feel to be free again?"

Seeing how lively the Nine-Tails was, Uchiha Yang smiled happily.

"Great!"

The Nine-Tails grinned with delight.

"All right. From today on, you're coming with me. No one will ever dare bully you again."

Seeing the Nine-Tails' excitement, which reminded him so much of a Shiba Inu, Uchiha Yang couldn't help smiling.

"If I go with you, will my freedom be restricted?"

The Nine-Tails thought for a moment before asking.

"No. If you come with me, you'll still be free."

As far as Uchiha Yang was concerned, pets were easier to care for when they could roam freely. Keeping one cooped up at home all the time would drive it crazy.

Letting it out for a walk now and then was freedom, too.

"All right. I'll go with you."

The Nine-Tails believed the old man's words. That was why it had come to trust the young Uchiha who had called it by name.

Old man, I hope you were right.

The Nine-Tails shrank until it was the size of an ordinary fox.

Uchiha Madara hurried to Uchiha Yang's side and saw him holding the Nine-Tails on his shoulder, stroking its fur. The Nine-Tails had its eyes closed, sprawled across his shoulder and looking thoroughly content.

Uchiha Madara was dumbfounded.

Senju Hashirama was just as dumbfounded when he saw it.

After Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara stopped fighting, the two elders brought their clansmen over to their respective clan leaders.

"Yang, what's going on?"

Uchiha Madara stared at the Nine-Tails, utterly confused. Something about this just didn't seem right.

The Nine-Tails was said to have infinite chakra, yet it was sitting obediently on his cousin's shoulder, letting him stroke its fur.

The whole scene was so bizarre it was almost terrifying.

"Congratulations, Madara. It looks like your cousin has earned the Nine-Tails' approval. I don't know how, but it's a good thing. With the Nine-Tails protecting him, your cousin will be safe for the rest of his life."

Senju Hashirama walked over to Madara with a cheerful grin and congratulated him.

"Approval?" Uchiha Madara glanced at Hashirama, then gave the Nine-Tails a long, searching look.

"Madara, the Nine-Tails is one of us now."

Having just acquired the ultimate pet, Uchiha Yang was still riding the high of it. He couldn't stop stroking the Nine-Tails' fur.

[Brain: Once we're back with the clan, I think we can sign a Summoning Contract with the Nine-Tails. Maybe then we'll be able to communicate with it, too.]

[Sharingan: It's just a Tailed Beast. What's there to talk about? If you want, I can catch the other eight and give them to you.]

[Hand: I'm scared. The Sharingan suddenly got nice, so it must be up to something.]

[Leg: Great minds think alike.]

[Sharingan: People with dirty minds see dirt in everything.]

[Hand: It's getting defensive!]

[Leg: Hahaha.]

Uchiha Yang wasn't particularly interested in signing a contract with the Nine-Tails, so he ignored the Brain's suggestion.

"Though I don't know how you earned the Nine-Tails' approval, you should still stay cautious and keep your guard up."

Uchiha Madara knew Yang must have secrets, but with outsiders around, he couldn't ask about them.

"Clan leader, we sacrificed so many of our people to capture the Nine-Tails. Are we really just going to hand it over to the Uchiha?"

Seeing an ordinary Uchiha earn the Nine-Tails' approval, the Senju Elder felt jealous and envious. He looked at his clan leader, full of resentment.

"Enough. Don't say another word."

"This whole thing was Tobirama's idea. He gave the order behind my back, without telling me. I'll punish him myself when we get back."

Senju Hashirama frowned. There was no way they could take the Nine-Tails back. They had already lost too many clansmen over the Tailed Beast. If they kept this up, they'd only end up fighting Madara to a standstill, with both sides badly wounded.