Naruto Uzumaki Is a Rogue Ninja

Intense pain shot through her stomach. Her legs felt twisted. She cried out in pain as she tried to get up.

Someone had kicked Naruto. They were kicking and punching her, filled with disgust. They couldn't stand the thought of Naruto caring about their children, so they took their anger out on her.

Seeing this, Kakashi rushed over using the Body Flicker Technique. He grabbed the shoulder of the person hitting her the hardest and casually threw them aside, where they landed heavily on the ground.

When they saw the Anbu suddenly appear, they stopped their assault on Naruto. Yes, it was an assault. Their actions had far surpassed simply avenging their children; they were beating Naruto, who couldn't fight back.

Kakashi exuded a chilling killing intent. His cold eyes, devoid of emotion, stared at them. He was like a drawn sword.

He picked up the unconscious Naruto, and Kakashi's killing intent intensified. Unable to withstand the aura he released, they fainted.

Drip...

Drip...

The sound of dripping water reached her ears. Naruto slowly opened her eyes. She was in a dim place – her inner world.

A place she had seen countless times in anime. Naruto sat up and looked at the calm, mirror-like water beneath her, ripples spreading across its surface. She stood up and walked forward. At the end, she saw a huge prison gate. A talisman was stuck to the center of the gate.

A pair of blood-red eyes glared at Naruto with sharp anger.

"You... are the Nine-Tails..."

As Naruto approached the gate, she saw the Nine-Tails' massive body confined within.

A giant claw reached out from the gate and swiped at Naruto. Naruto stood her ground, not dodging, and watched the claw come at her. There was no fear in her eyes; instead, a hint of relief colored her face.

Maybe if I die like this, I can return to my original body. Even if I can't, I don't want to suffer anymore... Living is truly exhausting...

The claw stopped just before it hit Naruto. The Nine-Tails looked at Naruto, who seemed to be seeking death. It retracted its claw and, with a snort, lay down on the ground, too lazy to bother with Naruto.

Chapter 3: Eat Me, Nine-Tails (1/2)

"Why didn't you kill me?"

Naruto approached the gate and touched the cold bars.

"If you want to die, go commit suicide. I don't want to kill some brat who's begging for death!" The Nine-Tails opened one slit of its closed eyes and glanced at Naruto.

"Heh~!" Naruto let out a self-mocking laugh and hit the gate hard.

"Do you think the people of Konoha would let an important Jinchuriki like me die?" Naruto squeezed through a gap in the gate and stood before the Nine-Tails, spreading her arms. Her azure eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Nine-Tails, eat me! That way, you'll gain your freedom too! And I'll be free from suffering."

"Brat..."

The Nine-Tails' eyes widened as it looked at the child, who wasn't even as big as its fingernail. The Nine-Tails had to admit, Naruto's words were tempting.

This child gave it a different feeling than others. Those azure eyes looked at it without any fear.

"Then, I won't hold back!"

The Nine-Tails opened its mouth and bit down, swallowing the tiny Naruto in one gulp. Expecting Naruto to struggle, the Nine-Tails felt no resistance, only a deathly calm.

"Ptooey!"

The Nine-Tails spat out Naruto, who was covered in its saliva. Naruto sat up, looked at the ripples on the water, and turned to glare at the Nine-Tails.

"Why didn't you eat me!"

"Brat, you're too small, I'm afraid you'll get stuck in my teeth! Hurry up and get back! Don't disturb my sleep!" The Nine-Tails looked at Naruto, covered in its saliva, and felt inexplicably guilty. Its ears twitched, and it turned away from the pouting Naruto, closing its eyes.

"Ugh... Ah! You bastard!"

Driven away by the Nine-Tails, Naruto couldn't take it anymore. Her temper flared, and she impulsively kicked the Nine-Tails' leg. Then, she grabbed its fur and climbed onto it, running all the way to its head. She tugged and rubbed its ears.

"Stupid Nine-Tails! If you don't eat me, I'm not leaving!"

"Eat me quickly!"

"Brat, you're so annoying!"

The Nine-Tails roared in anger. It had never seen someone so eager to be eaten. The Nine-Tails shook its head, trying to throw Naruto off. To its surprise, Naruto held onto its ear tightly, laughing happily.

"Hahaha! It feels like riding a pirate ship! Put a little more effort in, Nine-Tails!"

On top of the Nine-Tails' head, Naruto laughed joyfully. Her beautiful azure eyes curved into crescent moons. This was the first time since arriving in the world of Naruto that she had laughed so happily.

Finally, the Nine-Tails, infuriated, chased Naruto out of its inner world.

Kakashi, flipping through Make-Out Paradise, saw the smile on the unconscious Naruto's face and a flicker of pain crossed his eyes.

Is she dreaming of something good...?

Naruto, expelled from her inner world by the Nine-Tails, woke up from her coma to find herself back home. Her injuries had been treated, but her body still ached.

Dragging her sore body to the window, she pulled the curtains shut, boiled some water, and made a bucket of instant ramen. Naruto sat at the table, watching the steam rise from a gap in the lid of the instant noodles. She touched her abdomen, recalling what had happened in her inner world, and a happy smile curved her lips.

She broke apart the disposable chopsticks and began eating the ramen with large mouthfuls.

"You'll become malnourished if you always eat ramen," Kakashi's voice suddenly appeared. Several cartons of milk materialized on the table.

"Tch, I don't need you to tell me what to do!" Naruto said stubbornly, eating her ramen and opening a carton of milk, gulping it down.

"Kakashi, you really care about that Nine-Tails brat, don't you!" The other Anbu members looked at Kakashi's actions with some confusion.

"Before, did you just stand by and watch Naruto get bullied like that?" Kakashi lowered his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over their masked faces.

"We are here to protect her safety. As long as her life isn't in danger, there's no need to intervene. Moreover, this is also a way to gauge the danger level of her as a Jinchuriki. If she loses control just from being treated like this, it will be difficult for the Hokage to let her continue living in the village."

"Is that so..."

Kakashi could feel the blatant malice in their words.

So they're taking out their own powerlessness against the Nine-Tails on a child... Kakashi narrowed his eyes, said nothing further, and left using the Body Flicker Technique.

The next day, Naruto once again went to where the Nine-Tails resided in her inner world.

The third day...

The fourth day...

Every day, Naruto sought out the Nine-Tails. Regardless of how hostile the Nine-Tails was, Naruto would pester her, talking and chatting with her until the Nine-Tails, impatient, drove Naruto away.

As they spent more time together, the Nine-Tails began to sense Naruto's loneliness and isolation. No matter how much she denied it, the Nine-Tails' attitude towards Naruto softened considerably, no longer as hostile as before.