Under Absolute Control, Naruto had thought subduing the Four-Tails would take some effort, but he had not expected to suppress the Nine-Tails' corrosive will so easily.
Four-Tails Mode was powerful. There was no doubt about that.
Naruto could feel that his strength, speed, and reactions had all risen to a level far beyond that of an elite jonin.
But for him, this mode was still not enough.
Four-Tails Mode required a massive amount of Nine-Tails Chakra to maintain the physical existence of the tails, yet the tails themselves did not add much actual combat power.
Put plainly, it was a berserk form with poor Chakra efficiency.
What Naruto truly wanted was Golden Body Mode or Kurama Mode.
In that form, the Chakra cloak would shift from dark crimson to dazzling gold, with no tangible tails dragging behind him and wasting energy.
In their place would be efficient energy overflow and unmatched mobility.
That was the true complete form of a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, an advanced application Minato Namikaze had mastered only after spending more than a decade in the Reaper's belly.
Naruto in the anime had been the same.
If he could go a step further and stack Mount Myoboku's Sage Mode on top of it to enter Sage Fox Mode, that would be even better.
But Naruto also knew he could not rush these things.
The Four-Tails form could serve as an intermediate transition, and he had plenty of time to study and develop it slowly.
If he rushed into the Sealing Space right now and told the Nine-Tails, "Come on, Kurama, let's see whether you can activate Golden Body Mode for me!"
Naruto figured that, given the Nine-Tails' current state of shock and suspicion toward him, it would most likely refuse to cooperate outright.
With that thought, Naruto withdrew the Nine-Tails Chakra.
The dark crimson Chakra cloak began to fade, the four tails dissolved one after another into red motes of light, and the violent Chakra aura gradually receded into his body.
Within a few breaths, Naruto had returned to his original appearance, standing quietly where he was.
Inside the Sealing Space, the Nine-Tails lay in its cage, watching Naruto effortlessly enter Four-Tails Mode and just as effortlessly dispel it. Its expression was exceedingly complicated.
It could tell that the brat no longer needed to exert any effort at all to control its Chakra.
A Four-Tails-level berserk form was more obedient in his hands than the Shadow Clone Technique.
Would Naruto even need its cooperation in the future?
Would he bypass it entirely and drain away all its Chakra?
If that happened, would it ever have a chance to break the seal and escape in this lifetime?
As the Nine-Tails indulged in wild thoughts, Naruto's consciousness appeared in the sewer again.
He stood before the iron cage, raised a hand, and smiled at the Nine-Tails.
"Thanks, Kurama."
The Nine-Tails froze, and its ears twitched involuntarily.
It thought it had misheard.
That brat had just said "thank you" to it?
"Thank me?"
The Nine-Tails narrowed its eyes, its voice wary and suspicious. "For what?"
"Thank you for cooperating with me."
Naruto slipped both hands into his pants pockets, his tone sincere yet casual.
He truly was grateful to the Nine-Tails. Regardless of why it had agreed to cooperate with the experiment, this test had provided him with immensely valuable information.
The Nine-Tails fell silent for a moment, then returned its attention to the question that had remained unanswered.
It lowered its head, leaned close to the bars, and stared unblinkingly at Naruto with scarlet eyes.
"You still haven't answered me. Why do you know my name?"
"And what did you do to me just now?"
"How can you control my Chakra so easily?"
Hearing that, Naruto tilted his head and revealed a mysterious smile.
"Kurama, you have a lot of questions. Next time!"
"Hmph..."
At Naruto's words, the Nine-Tails' ears shot upright, and a blast of hot air puffed from its nostrils.
Seeing its expression, Naruto added another sentence.
"I'll tell you when I get the chance next time."
The Nine-Tails snorted heavily again, turned its head aside, and stopped looking at Naruto.
"Pretentious little brat."
The Nine-Tails muttered, then rested its chin on its forepaws and closed its eyes, putting on an air of refusing to deal with him any further.
Naruto did not mind.
He began examining the Sealing Space from every angle.
His gaze swept over the damp vaulted ceiling, the mottled walls on either side, the shallow murky water beneath his feet, and finally settled on the massive iron cage.
Oppressive.
That was Naruto's only assessment of this space.
That was probably one reason the Nine-Tails remained constantly agitated.
Though the Nine-Tails had turned away and ignored Naruto, its ears remained perked up, catching every movement he made.
It heard that Naruto had not left but was instead pacing around. Unable to bear it any longer, it finally turned its head back slightly and glanced sideways at Naruto.
"Brat, what are you doing?"
"This space you live in feels a little oppressive."
Naruto stopped walking. "I'm changing your environment."
Before the Nine-Tails could ask what he meant by "changing the environment," Naruto snapped his fingers crisply.
Snap.
In an instant, the sewer's vaulted ceiling, walls, stagnant water, and rust all vanished.
They were replaced by an endless expanse of golden light.
The walls and ground radiated a warm, bright golden glow.
The air was filled with a tranquil presence. The dampness was gone, the rot was gone, leaving only a faint ancient rhythm.
It was exactly like the Golden Space where Kushina was, only more open and quieter.
The Nine-Tails froze.
Its eyes narrowed slightly beneath the golden light, its ears twitched, and it unconsciously took a deep breath of air free from moldy stench.
Then it realized something was wrong. It was a Tailed Beast; its sense of smell should not have felt more comfortable just because the space had changed.
The Nine-Tails shook its head, resumed its usual haughty expression, and rested its chin on its forepaws again.
"Tch..."
The Nine-Tails let out a disdainful sound.
Looking at its expression, Naruto understood most of it already.
It clearly loved it to death, yet refused to admit it.
Another tsundere. He understood.
Naruto did not expose the Nine-Tails. He merely tilted his head and deliberately asked in a tone that sought its opinion:
"Isn't it nice?"
"Then again, maybe having everything gold is too monotonous."
Before the Nine-Tails could react, Naruto snapped his fingers again.
Snap.
The Golden Space peeled away from all directions at once like a shattering illusion, swiftly replaced by an entirely new scene.
Before you continue