Nine-Tails

"How would I know whether I'm a monster? What makes me different from everyone else?"

After holding it in for so long, his pain, anger, and confusion finally burst out beyond his control.

Tears pattered down as Naruto shouted uncontrollably:

"Why?! Why does everyone hate me?! I clearly haven't done anything!"

His cheeks were flushed red as he questioned Danzo.

A strange malice rose within him, making him view Danzo with suspicion and hostility.

The whisker marks on his face, which had grown because of the Nine-Tails, became increasingly distinct. A faint red tint bled into his azure eyes, and an ominous aura emanated from his body.

"Naruto."

Ayame showed not the slightest fear of Naruto's aura. Heartbroken, she reached out and took his little hand, glaring at Danzo as she said, "Sir, even if you are a customer, you are not welcome here right now."

Teuchi said nothing. He stood awkwardly behind Ayame, pressing his hands together as if praying for Danzo to leave first.

Naruto, whose hand Ayame held, suddenly froze. That evil aura swiftly receded, and the scarlet in his eyes slowly faded, returning them to their pure azure color.

Ignoring the two of them, Danzo looked at Naruto and asked, "Naruto, do you think you're a monster?"

"No!" Naruto responded.

Even though everyone kept saying he was a monster, avoiding him, even hating him.

He knew very well that he definitely was not some monster.

He was just an ordinary child.

"Louder!"

Danzo stared at him and said sternly, "Since you think you aren't a monster, then say it openly, with your chest held high."

"Are you a monster or not?"

"No!"

Naruto's gaze grew resolute. He was not a monster, absolutely not!

"Very good." Seeing Naruto regain his resolve, Danzo finally nodded in satisfaction and brushed a hand over his golden hair.

A strange power passed from Danzo's hand into Naruto's mind.

The bright surroundings instantly darkened.

Guided by Danzo's Chakra, Naruto's pupils gradually lost focus.

"Where... where is this?"

Damp. Dark.

By the time Naruto came back to his senses, he was no longer at Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto did not panic. After arriving in this place, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

As if he had been here before.

Drip, drip—

The sound of flowing water echoed by his ears. Within the dark space resembling a sewer, a voice rang intermittently in Naruto's mind, drawing him forward.

Filled with confusion, Naruto dazedly followed the voice and the water deeper into the sewer.

"Wake up."

Danzo suddenly slapped Naruto on the shoulder, jolting him awake from his daze.

Naruto snapped out of it and widened his eyes at the unfamiliar surroundings. Then he looked at Danzo beside him and asked, "Mister, where is this?"

As he spoke, he unconsciously moved a little closer to Danzo.

He was afraid.

"This is inside your body," Danzo answered.

"Inside my body?"

Naruto's eyes widened even further. He touched himself. "But isn't my body still right here?"

"..."

He had not even entered the Ninja School yet, and Danzo did not want to explain too much about Chakra. Expressionless, he picked Naruto up out of the water and headed deeper into the sewer.

Held in Danzo's hand, Naruto did not struggle. He asked, "Mister, where are we going?"

Danzo responded calmly, "To meet the monster inside your body."

The words struck like a bolt from the blue. Naruto's body trembled, and after staring blankly for a long while, he stammered, "Mister... I... am I really a monster?"

He began to doubt his own existence.

This was inside his own body, yet he had never known there was such a place within it.

Could he really be a monster?

"Didn't you just swear that you weren't a monster? Since you've decided you aren't one, then you must stand firmly by your belief instead of changing because of one or two things others say."

Noticing Naruto's low spirits, Danzo reprimanded him.

"But—"

Naruto wanted to say something else, but the sight before him startled him.

At the end of the sewer stood an enormous cage.

A sheet of paper he could not understand was pasted onto the cage. Inside was complete darkness, and Naruto could not see what exactly was imprisoned there.

Naruto asked cautiously, "Mister, what's locked up in there?"

Danzo had already put Naruto down, but the unfamiliar environment frightened him, and he hid behind Danzo.

"A Tailed Beast is sealed inside." As Danzo explained, he released Chakra and sent it probing into the cage.

"Get lost!"

An angry roar rang out. Pale red Chakra continuously surged from within the cage, this Tailed Beast Chakra mixed with powerful negative emotions that instinctively repulsed Danzo.

Under Naruto's terrified gaze, a pair of scarlet beast eyes filled with brutality and savagery emerged from the cage's darkness.

A massive body covered in crimson fur slowly emerged from the shadows. Merely standing before this giant beast, Naruto could feel an evil, suffocating aura.

Clutching Danzo's arm tightly, Naruto's small body kept shrinking backward.

His eyes were filled with terror and fear as he murmured, "A monster... There really is a monster inside my body..."

Outside.

The instant Danzo's hand touched Naruto, both of them froze.

Under Teuchi and Ayame's confused gazes, a powerful yet evil aura surged from Naruto's body, enveloping him entirely.

Dense, ominous Chakra spread through the air.

Because of Danzo, the Anbu Ninja who had been keeping their distance changed expressions.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The sound of air being torn apart rang out.

"Mr. Teuchi, please leave the ramen stand with Miss Ayame first." An Anbu Ninja abruptly appeared inside the stall, coldly indicating that Teuchi should leave.

Outside the ramen stand, all passersby had already been completely isolated from the area.

Anbu clad in white vests and animal masks had surrounded the entire area.

At the Hokage Building, Sarutobi, who had been discussing the war, abruptly stood up. His face filled with shock as he looked toward Ichiraku Ramen.

"The Nine-Tails' aura?" Utatane Koharu asked uncertainly.

"That's right."

Sarutobi nodded, his face full of coldness.

"Lord Danzo encountered the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki at Ichiraku Ramen. After the two came into contact, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's seal loosened somewhat." An Anbu Ninja swiftly appeared in the room to report.

"Danzo again, that old bastard!" Sarutobi gritted his teeth in fury. That man had been getting increasingly out of line lately.

He used to cause trouble for him only in secret. Now he was bringing it out into the open.

"First send people to evacuate the civilians nearby. Surround Ichiraku Ramen and don't let anyone find out what happened inside," Sarutobi calmly ordered.

"Yes!"

After responding, the Anbu Ninja quickly vanished into a dark blur.

QwQ, did Shisui ever join Root? I'm so confused.