Naruto Gains the Power of the Nine-Tails

The Nine-Tails sprawled on the ground, raised its head, and looked at Shao Nan in fear!

"Hashirama, what will it take for you to let me go!?"

"I told you, my name isn't Hashirama. It's Shao Nan."

"Fine, Shao Nan! What exactly are you trying to do?" the Nine-Tails asked.

"Enough nonsense, Kurama. Link your chakra with his chakra!"

As Shao Nan spoke, his gaze remained fixed on little Naruto.

The Nine-Tails immediately understood what Shao Nan intended to do!

"You want this brat to control my power?"

"What, is that a problem? Or do you want to fight me?"

With a wave of Shao Nan's right hand, a massive Gate of the Great God descended from the sky and landed across the Nine-Tails' neck!

Shao Nan leaped onto the Gate of the Great God and looked down at the Nine-Tails.

"Kurama, besides the other tailed beasts and that old man of the Six Paths, does anyone else know your name? Don't worry. I'll revive your other half!"

The Sage of Six Paths?

Could this man be connected to the Sage of Six Paths!?

And indeed, Shao Nan bore traces of that old man of the Six Paths.

Whether it was the Sage Body or the Sage Eyes, he had them both.

Could he be the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths?

Perhaps he would become a second Sage of Six Paths!

"Will you truly revive my other half?" the Nine-Tails asked.

The Nine-Tails didn't believe that its other half could return!

Its other half had been sealed, together with the Fourth Hokage, inside the belly of the Shinigami summoned by the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

Shao Nan merely nodded without speaking!

"Fine. If that's the case, this old man will trust you once! But it's impossible to link up with this brat!

His body hasn't fully matured yet, and he can't enter tailed beast form either! I can only give him chakra to use!"

Shao Nan became interested upon hearing this. Though it wasn't Nine-Tails Mode, it sounded like Chakra Mode!

Naruto's Chakra Mode radiated light all over, gleaming golden!

He could even serve as a light bulb at night!

"In that case, fine! We'll do it your way!"

Shao Nan released the Gate of the Great God that had been suppressing the Nine-Tails.

The instant it was freed, the Nine-Tails tore out a huge mass of chakra from its own body.

The chakra gathered in midair and formed a solid sphere.

"As expected of Kurama. Your chakra is unbelievably vast!"

The Nine-Tails snorted. "Compared to your chakra, it's nothing worth mentioning!

Whenever Naruto needs chakra, he can take it from there. I'll replenish it regularly, and I promise not to consume Naruto's own chakra!"

Suddenly, the Nine-Tails swiftly rose and bit through its own palm with its sharp teeth!

"Come, let us make a blood pact!"

"What kind of pact is this!?"

"Shao Nan, this old man has already trusted you, yet you still don't trust this old man? Just put your blood over mine!"

Seeing that the Nine-Tails appeared so earnest, Shao Nan didn't think much of it!

He walked up to the Nine-Tails and used its massive claw to cut open his palm.

Blood seeped out, and Shao Nan immediately pressed his hand against the bleeding spot on the Nine-Tails' palm.

Blue light flashed.

A blue, tail-shaped contract seal appeared on both the Nine-Tails' and Shao Nan's palms before vanishing beneath the surface!

"That should do it, right?"

"Hahaha, yes, very much so!

Shao Nan!

You can't hit this old man anymore!

If this old man dies, don't even think about surviving either! Hahaha!" The Nine-Tails burst into laughter.

"What?" Shao Nan was greatly shocked. "You set me up?"

It was bad enough that the original owner of this body had placed a curse on him, but now even the Nine-Tails had set him up!

This was utterly intolerable!!!

Shao Nan's face immediately turned stern as he looked at the Nine-Tails.

"As long as you don't die, I won't die either, right?"

Seeing Shao Nan begin to get angry, the Nine-Tails tucked its tail between its legs and frantically backed away!

"What are you trying to do! Can you stop threatening me!?"

Shao Nan stopped walking, recalling Kurama's turbulent life.

If it wasn't being captured, it was on the way to being sealed!

"Kurama, I won't hit you! You were cuter when you were little!"

After saying that, Shao Nan clenched his right hand into a fist, raised it, and held it out toward Kurama!

Kurama took Shao Nan's words to heart!

Had you ever even seen what I looked like as a child?

This old man is the strongest of all tailed beasts! What gives you the right to call me cute!

But when it saw Shao Nan raise his fist, the hatred in Kurama's eyes gradually settled!

A smile appeared at the corner of its mouth!

"Well then, let me see what your goal really is!"

Kurama also extended its fist and bumped it against Shao Nan's!

At the instant their fists met, Kurama seemed to understand Shao Nan's intentions!

"Do you truly intend to free all of us tailed beasts?"

"Why not!!!"

"This path will be difficult!"

"All roads lead to Rome! We won't know if it can be done until we try!"

"Hahaha, Shao Nan, I'm starting to look forward to becoming your jinchuriki! That would surely be very interesting!"

"Just stay here! Naruto is Ashura's reincarnation. If it were him, he would do the same!"

"Naruto? He's actually Ashura's reincarnation!!!

No wonder he's been shouting about becoming Hokage since he was little!

That Uchiha brat must be Indra's reincarnation, then?"

Shao Nan nodded and said, "Kurama, it's time for me to leave!"

Shao Nan dispelled Naruto's genjutsu!

Naruto slowly opened his eyes.

When he saw the enormous Nine-Tails before him, along with Shao Nan, who had previously wanted to kill him—

Naruto hurriedly backed away in fear!

"Who are you? And what is that nine-tailed monster?"

"Don't get worked up, Naruto! I hurt you before in order to help you and Sasuke Uchiha unlock your potential!"

After saying that, Shao Nan pointed at the Nine-Tails.

"He isn't a monster. He has a name—Kurama!

From now on, you can communicate with him through your mind!"

Naruto looked at the Nine-Tails before him, and it seemed somewhat familiar!

"You're the mon—Kurama who gave me power back in the Land of Waves?"

"Good thing you still remember, kid! From now on, use my power however you want!

See that chakra sphere? From now on, all you need to do is use your mind to draw chakra from it!"

Naruto nervously walked forward and looked at the massive chakra sphere above him!

Curiously, Naruto reached his hand toward it.

The Nine-Tails' chakra sphere flowed down Naruto's arm and entered his body.

Boom!

An orange-red radiance erupted from Naruto's body, illuminating the entire place!

Naruto's unique Chakra Mode was instantly revealed!

His orange-red chakra cloak was covered in seal-like patterns.

Kurama was astonished. "This is the Six Paths'... As expected, he is Ashura's reincarnation."

Shao Nan asked Naruto, "How does it feel?"

"Your name is Shao Nan Senju, right? This power is so strong! You said you were helping Sasuke Uchiha and me unlock our potential.

Where's Sasuke Uchiha, then? I'm definitely stronger than him now, right!?"

Shao Nan covered his face, unsure whether helping them unlock their potential had been the right decision!

That mindset!!! Forget it... What's done is done!

"From now on, use this power to protect the people important to you and the village! Don't misuse it, got it!"

"Big bro, I'll listen to you! My dream is to surpass the Hokage and make the village acknowledge me. I'll definitely protect the village!"

Outside, Jiraiya and Fukasaku stood guard over Naruto.

When they saw the Chakra Mode appearing on Naruto's physical body, they were both overjoyed!

"Little Jiraiya, did he succeed?"

Jiraiya murmured, "That Shao Nan really knows his stuff. Lord Fukasaku, I want to take Naruto as my disciple! He's Minato's son!!!"

"Will Minato really be revived? Since he is Minato's son, then take him in. Help him grow as soon as possible!

No one knows when the Great Toad Sage's prophecy will come to pass!

If Shao Nan truly is the child of prophecy, we must help him!"

"That's what I'm thinking. Once Naruto finishes the Chunin Exams, I'll bring him to Mount Myoboku to train!"

Fukasaku stroked his beard. "Sage Mode? But isn't he a little too young?"

"Lord Fukasaku, have you forgotten? Back then, I barged into Mount Myoboku at this very age!"

"Looks like it'll be a while before I can retire!!! I taught you, then I taught Minato, and now I have to teach Naruto..."

Jiraiya then murmured gravely.

"I need to hurry back and explain what Minato entrusted to me to the old Third Hokage—the Nine-Tails' attack all those years ago... the masked man!"