Four-Tails: ???
Roshi, you never said we were going to fight Kurama!
Kurama: Watch me play innocent and catch you off guard!
The Nine-Tails hadn't wanted to resort to this either. He was just itching for some action, not stupid.
He knew perfectly well that Naruto had become absurdly strong. Fighting that kid would most likely just mean getting beaten up. Where was the fun in that?
But fighting anyone else offered too little challenge to be satisfying.
So, after they entered the Land of Earth, Kurama's eyes lit up when he sensed the Four-Tails' chakra from inside Naruto.
Hadn't a perfect punching bag just delivered himself to their doorstep-one who would let him stretch his muscles without boring him?
But he also knew the Four-Tails wasn't stupid. If he sensed Kurama's presence beforehand, he might choose to avoid battle from the outset, stall, or try some other troublesome tactic. That wouldn't make for a satisfying fight.
So Kurama had a "brain wave" and immediately talked Naruto into using Sealing Jutsu to conceal his chakra signature completely. Then he waited for the Four-Tails to appear so he could jump out and give him a big "surprise"!
It seemed to have worked quite well.
Now, with Kurama's paw pressed against his face and that mocking "greeting" ringing in his ears, Son Gokū, the Four-Tails, was inwardly falling apart with rage.
But he quickly assessed the situation: Kurama at full strength, the unfathomable Naruto who had forced Roshi into a complete Tailed Beast Transformation, and an Uchiha woman watching hungrily from the sidelines with her Mangekyō Sharingan still active...
There was no winning this fight.
And so, the Four-Tails very wisely followed his survival instincts and attempted one last round of "diplomacy."
He said to Kurama:
"Hey, Kurama, can we make peace?"