First Communication with the Nine-Tails

Naruto Uzumaki's home.

After the Third Hokage left, Naruto, who had rarely eaten his fill, lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

The scar on his forehead, along with the bruises and scrapes on his body, rapidly healed at a visible rate.

The little Naruto curled into a ball on the bed, his face filled with unease.

After Zhengye's Shadow Clone flew here, he immediately surveyed the surroundings.

Seeing Naruto asleep, he thought, That saves me the trouble of erasing his memories.

Using the Mangekyo Sharingan's sensory abilities, he quickly confirmed that the ANBU were not inside the house, but standing guard outside.

After all, there was no need to watch a five-year-old child inside his own home at all times.

Zhengye looked around the room.

Dirty! Messy! But not bad.

To be honest, Naruto's room lacked nothing. There were electric lights, a fan, a refrigerator, and even a natural gas stove.

Even among the Uchiha Clan, many households did not have electricity, much less other appliances or natural gas.

Even in Konoha, such things only existed in the central areas and had not become widespread.

But having those conditions did not mean Naruto lived well.

Five-year-old Naruto had no family, no one to teach him, and did not know how to wash clothes, cook, or clean his room.

If not for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's constitution, he would have either starved to death or died of illness.

Zhengye walked over to Naruto and placed a hand on his head.

The next moment, Zhengye activated his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Surging ocular power began to invade.

Zhengye's perspective shifted, and he arrived in a strange place.

—Naruto's inner world.

He raised his head and looked around. The inner world reflected the heart, and this place was filled with standing water beneath a gray, gloomy sky.

The harsh environment showed that Naruto had never lived well.

Zhengye walked forward and soon reached the end of this world.

Before that enormous prison gate.

The dim light made it impossible to see clearly inside. Only a colossal creature could be seen curled up within.

Yet the immense chakra pressure still radiated outward like a blazing sun.

Hatred, madness, evil!

If one were corrupted by this chakra, it would be easy to lose one's reason and become a monster that knew only slaughter.

A beam of light suddenly appeared in the darkness.

It was an eye as large as a doorframe.

Upon seeing Zhengye appear here, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from inside the prison!

"Uchiha!"

"Roar!"

The ferocious roar was followed by the tremendous sound of something slamming against the prison gate.

Zhengye stood where he was, watching the Nine-Tails with mild interest.

It had first been forcibly enslaved by Madara and Obito, and otherwise had been sealed inside members of the Uzumaki Clan.

Honestly, it was rather pitiful.

But after Naruto won it over, it willingly became his ever-present old mentor. Only then did its life begin to improve.

Zhengye had come here to let Naruto and the Nine-Tails get acquainted sooner.

And, incidentally, make some small arrangements.

Zhengye knew it was angry, so he let the Nine-Tails rage as it pleased.

It battered the seal until it boomed thunderously.

But Minato Namikaze's sealing talismans were firmly attached to it. Though the gate rattled and clanged from the blows, it did not move in the slightest.

Naruto was still young, so Zhengye had no intention of letting Kushina and Minato appear yet.

Three minutes passed. Then ten minutes. The Nine-Tails was still in a frenzied rage.

Zhengye grew impatient. The three tomoe in his eyes immediately spread and transformed into three four-pointed diamonds.

The Mangekyo Sharingan's ocular power surged forth and pressed down on it!

"Damn it!"

The Nine-Tails was already bound within the seal. With the added suppression of the Mangekyo Sharingan, its body gradually stiffened.

Its pupils were filled with bloodshot veins, chakra churned violently, and every hair on its body stood on end.

But it was useless.

No matter how hard the Nine-Tails struggled, it could not move at all.

Its surging fury gradually faded, turning into fear.

After a long while, the pressure on the Nine-Tails suddenly lifted, and it collapsed onto the ground.

"Calmed down, Nine-Tails?"

The Nine-Tails expelled a breath of scorching chakra. A trace of wariness flashed through its eyes as it bared its fangs and spoke in a deep voice.

"What do you want, Uchiha!"

Zhengye stared at the Nine-Tails. "Don't be so hostile. The Uchiha who controlled you before were my enemies too. I have no interest in controlling you."

"Hm?" The Nine-Tails' ears twitched slightly, and its hostility diminished somewhat.

"What do you mean?"

Zhengye raised a finger.

"Exactly what it sounds like. Uchiha Madara from before, and that one-eyed man afterward, are both traitors to the Uchiha Clan."

"When you broke free five years ago, our Uchiha Clan took the blame. We're still being targeted because of it."

"Based on your perception of the outside world, you should know that our Uchiha Clan has been driven to Konoha's outskirts."

"So... I want to kill them even more than you do."

As the saying went, the enemy of one's enemy was a friend.

With Zhengye's explanation, most of the Nine-Tails' hostility dissipated.

However, it still retained some vigilance.

"Then what did you come here for?"

Zhengye thought of the explanation he had prepared long ago.

"I happened to obtain a space-time ninja tool and saw the world of the future."

"In the future, you and Naruto will fight side by side, so I hope you can get to know Naruto sooner."

"This old man...?" A humanlike look of astonishment appeared on the Nine-Tails' face, followed by a scornful laugh.

"Hahaha, how could that be possible?"

Zhengye smiled. "Nothing is impossible, Ku-ra-ma."

The Nine-Tails' laughter stopped abruptly. It slammed heavily against the prison gate, producing a thunderous boom!

"How do you know this old man's name?!"

The names of the tailed beasts were secrets. Unless one had formed a bond strong enough to entrust one's life to another, no one could possibly know its name.

Zhengye shrugged.

"Didn't I say so? I saw scenes from the future. You, Kurama, fought alongside Naruto and the others against the Ten-Tails formed from the Gedo Statue."

"Unfortunately, you were defeated in the end and absorbed by the Ten-Tails, disappearing forever."

The Nine-Tails heard that Zhengye not only knew its name was Kurama, but also knew about the Ten-Tails.

Its earlier frenzy immediately vanished. Its pupils constricted sharply, clearly frightened.

A thousand years had passed since it had been separated from the Ten-Tails' body. It had long become an independent individual.

Being absorbed by the Ten-Tails meant it would disappear forever.

Naturally, the Nine-Tails was unwilling to accept that.

It fell silent for a while before speaking in a somewhat heavy voice.

"You... really saw the future?"

Zhengye said indifferently, "Believe it or not, but wouldn't it be better to get to know Naruto earlier? At least you'd have someone to talk to."

"After all, you're bored staying here alone."

The Nine-Tails snorted out a breath of scorching air and said irritably, "You came all this way just to tell me that?"

"Of course not." Zhengye paused.

"If Naruto gets bullied again, you need to leak some chakra outside to intimidate those people."

"Hmph." The Nine-Tails snorted coldly.

"What you say may or may not be true. Even if it is, this old man will not help some brat."

Besides doubt, the Nine-Tails' eyes also held a trace of arrogance.

Naturally, the Nine-Tails had no desire to coax a child like that.

Zhengye was only a Shadow Clone, and his ocular power was limited.

He gave the Nine-Tails a deep look. "You'd better do as I say. Otherwise, you'll be the one who suffers."

With that, Zhengye disappeared from this world.

Watching Zhengye vanish, the Nine-Tails' thoughts became tangled. The warning about the Ten-Tails seemed to still echo in its ears.

Then it raised its head, using its eyes to observe Naruto in the outside world.

Outside, Naruto was sleeping soundly, drool running onto his pillow. His bed looked no different from a garbage truck.

The Nine-Tails was speechless.

"How could I ever become of one mind with this brat?"