The air in the sealed space seemed to freeze.
A vast hatred surged from the cage like a tangible tide, battering Naruto's mind.
This was the first time he had faced the Nine-Tails' undisguised malice so directly.
That malice did not come from anyone else's control. It was rooted in the Nine-Tails' very being.
Naruto stood rooted to the spot, his face pale and his body trembling slightly.
He could understand harm done under compulsion. But faced with this deliberate hatred, born of the Nine-Tails' own nature, his familiar words about "understanding each other" suddenly felt painfully hollow.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
The Nine-Tails watched his reaction and gave a cold snort. He lay back down and closed his eyes, leaving one last taunt echoing through the space:
"You can't even face this much genuine darkness, yet you think you can use my power?"
"What a joke. Get lost, brat. Don't bother me again until you've figured out what 'understanding' really means."
Naruto stood there for a long time without moving.
But to the Nine-Tails' surprise, the silence did not last.
Naruto took a deep breath and raised his head. Pain still lingered in his blue eyes, but a firmer resolve burned there too.
He did not argue in anger or weep in despair. Instead, he spoke slowly, his voice heavy with understanding. "I hated you."
The Nine-Tails' closed eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly.
Naruto continued, his voice quiet but clear throughout the space. "When I was little, whenever the villagers looked at me with disgust and called me the Demon Fox, I hated the 'monster' inside me."
"I hated you for taking away the normal life I might have had. I hated you for leaving me all alone."
"Later, when I learned you were the