Naruto Uzumaki's home.
After the Third Hokage left, Naruto, who had rarely gotten a full meal, lay down on his bed and fell asleep.
The scar on his forehead, as well as the bruises and scrapes on his body, healed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The little Naruto curled into a ball on the bed, his face full of 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.
Relying on the Mangekyō Sharingan's sensory abilities, he quickly confirmed that the ANBU were not inside the house but standing guard outside the room.
After all, there was no need to keep a constant watch inside the home of a five-year-old child.
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 gas stove.
Even in the Uchiha Clan, many households did not have electricity, much less other appliances or gas.
Even Konoha only had such things in the central areas, and they were far from widespread.
But having those conditions did not mean Naruto lived well.
Five-year-old Naruto had no relatives, 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 physique, he would have either starved to death or died of illness.
Zhengye came to Naruto's side and placed a hand on his head.
The next moment, Zhengye activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.
A surging wave of Visual Prowess began to invade.
Zhengye's perspective shifted, and he arrived in a strange place.
—Naruto's inner world.
He looked up and around. The inner world reflected the heart. This place was filled with standing water, and the sky was gray and overcast.
The harsh environment showed that Naruto had never lived well.
Zhengye started forward and soon reached the end of this world.
The entrance to that enormous prison gate.
The dim light made it impossible to see inside. Only a gigantic creature curled up within.
Yet the immense pressure of its Chakra radiated outward like a scorching sun.
Hatred, madness, evil!
If one were corroded by this Chakra, it would be easy to lose all reason and become a monster that knew only slaughter.
A flash of light suddenly appeared in the darkness.
It was an eye as large as a doorframe.
Seeing Zhengye appear here, the prison suddenly erupted with an earth-shaking roar!
"Uchiha!"
"Roar!"
The fierce roar was followed by the thunderous sound of something slamming against the prison gate.
Zhengye stood where he was, watching the Nine-Tails with mild interest.
It had been forcibly enslaved by Madara and Obito in succession; otherwise, it had been sealed inside members of the Uzumaki Clan.
Honestly, it was rather pitiful.
But after Naruto eventually won it over, it willingly became his ever-present old mentor. Only then did its days truly improve.
Zhengye had come, naturally, to let Naruto and the Nine-Tails get acquainted sooner.
And, while he was at it, make a few arrangements.
Zhengye knew it was angry, so he let the Nine-Tails rage as it pleased.
It pounded the seal until it boomed and shook.
Yet Minato Namikaze's sealing talismans were firmly stuck to it. Though the gate rang out with every blow, it did not move in the slightest.
Naruto was still young, so Zhengye had no intention of letting Kushina and Minato out yet.
Three minutes passed. Ten minutes passed. The Nine-Tails remained frantic.
Zhengye grew impatient. The Three-Tomoe in his eyes immediately spread and transformed into three four-pointed diamonds.
The Mangekyō Sharingan's Visual Prowess crashed down upon it!
"Damn it!"
The Nine-Tails was already bound within the seal. With the Mangekyō's suppression added on top, 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.
Even using all its strength, the Nine-Tails could not move at all.
Its surging fury gradually diminished, turning into fear.
After a long while, the pressure around the Nine-Tails loosened, and it dropped to the ground.
"Calmed down, Nine-Tails?"
The Nine-Tails exhaled a blast of scorching Chakra. Wariness flashed in its eyes as it bared its fangs and said 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 some of its hostility faded.
"What do you mean?"
Zhengye raised a finger.
"Exactly what it sounds like. The earlier Uchiha Madara and the later one-eyed man were both traitors to the Uchiha Clan."
"When you broke out five years ago, our Uchiha Clan took the blame. We're still being targeted because of it."
"Judging by 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 an enemy was a friend.
After Zhengye explained it like that, more than half of the Nine-Tails' hostility dissipated.
But it still wore a trace of vigilance on its face.
"Then what did you come here for?"
Zhengye considered the explanation he had prepared long ago.
"I accidentally obtained 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...?" The Nine-Tails showed a humanlike look of astonishment before letting out a disdainful 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, producing a thunderous boom!
"How do you know this old man's name!?"
The names of the tailed beasts were secrets. Unless one had shared life and death with them, no one could possibly know their names.
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 transformed from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path."
"Unfortunately, you were defeated in the end and absorbed by the Ten-Tails, disappearing forever."
The Nine-Tails heard that Zhengye not only knew it was called 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 was separated from the Ten-Tails' body. It had become an independent individual.
Being absorbed by the Ten-Tails meant it would disappear forever.
Naturally, the Nine-Tails did not want 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 sooner and have someone to talk to?"
"Besides, you're bored all alone in here anyway."
The Nine-Tails snorted out a blast of hot air and said irritably,
"You came all this way just to tell me that?"
"Of course not." Zhengye paused.
"If Naruto is bullied again, you need to leak out some Chakra to intimidate the people outside."
"Hmph." The Nine-Tails snorted.
"What you said may or may not be true. Even if it is, this old man won't help some brat like him."
There was not only doubt in the Nine-Tails' eyes, but also a trace of arrogance.
Naturally, the Nine-Tails had no desire to coax such a child.
Zhengye himself was only a Shadow Clone, and his Visual Prowess 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 were in turmoil, and the warning about the Ten-Tails seemed to still echo in its ears.
At that moment, it raised its head, observing Naruto outside through its own eyes.
Outside, Naruto slept soundly, drool running onto his pillow. His bed looked no different from a garbage truck.
The Nine-Tails was speechless.
"Becoming of one mind with this brat? How could that be possible?"
Before you continue