The Nine-Tails thought to himself that anyone who could come up with a way like this to stimulate the Rinnegan's evolution really might become something extraordinary!
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Chapter 20: The Nine-Tails wanted out... fifth update!
After a long while, Otsutsuki Toneri felt the warmth of the Rinnegan in his palm slowly fade, and a faint smile curved his lips.
He had a feeling that it would be soon. The first evolution should arrive very soon.
"I really must thank you, Nine-Tails." Otsutsuki Toneri thanked the Nine-Tails again. He was in an excellent mood.
He even felt that the Nine-Tails' enormous form looked adorable now.
This suddenly gave him a bold idea!
"You're a pretty decent kid. Speaking of which, kid..." The Nine-Tails swayed his nine long tails slightly, then hesitated, torn.
He actually had an idea, but his proud, unruly nature made it hard for him to say it.
"What is it? You've done me a huge favor. If you need anything, just ask." Otsutsuki Toneri chuckled, his expression slightly odd. He had some idea what the Nine-Tails wanted to say.
After all, the Nine-Tails was a tailed beast, without humans' lust for power or endless ambitions. What he wanted most right now was nothing more than...
"Kid, since you have the Rinnegan, you should be able to undo this seal for me, right? How about helping me out this once?" Conflict flickered in the Nine-Tails' fox eyes before he gritted his teeth and spoke to Otsutsuki Toneri.
Yes, he wanted Otsutsuki Toneri to let him out. The Reaper Death Seal was a very powerful sealing jutsu.
He could not break free on his own, unless Naruto, his host, was willing to undo it for him, or he slowly infiltrated Naruto with chakra.
But he could not wait any longer. He was the Nine-Tails, the strongest tailed beast!
He longed for freedom. He did not want to be a beast locked in a cage!
"Undo your seal... It's not impossible, but..." Otsutsuki Toneri's expression grew even stranger at those words. He hesitated.
Would Naruto Uzumaki still be Naruto Uzumaki without the Nine-Tails?
But the Nine-Tails had not yet formed a bond with Naruto, so wanting freedom was perfectly natural.
"But what? Kid, as long as you let me out, I'll agree to anything!" At those words, the Nine-Tails excitedly slammed into the doorframe again and spoke in an agitated voice.
He longed for freedom, yet those humans had sealed them inside such cramped, pitch-black spaces without caring at all about what they thought.
If he had a chance to get out, he would never let them off!
"How about this, Nine-Tails? Wait ten years for me. If you still feel the same way after ten years, I'll help you leave this child, Naruto." After pondering for a long time, Otsutsuki Toneri smiled earnestly at the Nine-Tails.
Naruto could not do without the Nine-Tails. Otsutsuki Toneri knew that very well.
The Nine-Tails also deserved enormous credit for Naruto's growth. Otherwise, Naruto would have died long ago.
Still, what a shame~
Otsutsuki Toneri gave this Nine-Tails a somewhat eager look. The idea that had just occurred to him was actually to keep a Nine-Tails as a pet...
But this Yang Nine-Tails was an indispensable source of support for Naruto, so he could only go after the other Yin Nine-Tails!
And he remembered very clearly that the other Nine-Tails was inside the already deceased Minato Namikaze!
Back then, Minato Namikaze had sacrificed himself to use the Reaper Death Seal to seal the Nine-Tails, splitting the Nine-Tails' immense chakra in two.
Half had been sealed inside the newborn Naruto, while the other half had been sealed inside his own soul!
If I want to get that Yin Nine-Tails, I'll have to pay Orochimaru a visit! Otsutsuki Toneri thought. He did not know Impure World Reincarnation, and Minato Namikaze's soul was currently still inside the belly of that so-called Shinigami.
Only Orochimaru, that mad and even somewhat twisted scientist of the Shinobi World, would have a way to release Minato Namikaze's soul.
"Ten years... Forget it. By the time I've waited ten years for you, I might already have gotten out on my own." The Nine-Tails froze at those words, then glared fiercely at Otsutsuki Toneri and snapped.
Ten years?
Wait for you, my ass!
Although tailed beasts like them were undying and indestructible, and the passage of time meant nothing to them, remaining sealed for ten whole years was still more than the Nine-Tails could bear.
"I'm really sorry, Nine-Tails." Otsutsuki Toneri smiled apologetically at the Nine-Tails without offering much explanation.
He had always been looking forward to fighting Naruto and Sasuke at their peak!
So naturally, he could not release the Nine-Tails, the greatest aid to Naruto's growth, ahead of time.
His goal was clear: conquer Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. And among his few little wishes, fighting Naruto and Sasuke at their peak was one of them.
He had faith in his own invincibility. He firmly believed that he would become the strongest in the future!
He also already had a lead regarding Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's seal. As for the method in the original story of reviving the Ten-Tails and then gathering vast amounts of chakra to draw out Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's chakra...
He did not even want to consider it.
That was indeed Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, but it was only Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's chakra. Her actual body was still sealed on the moon.
To Otsutsuki Toneri, that method was completely unacceptable. He wanted to free Kaguya Ōtsutsuki in her entirety.
But this plan was still only a rough outline and required careful preparation.
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Chapter 21: A curious fate! First update!
Seeing the Nine-Tails ignore him and lie down for a nap, Otsutsuki Toneri smiled faintly. He could understand the Nine-Tails' feelings.
The Nine-Tails was proud and unruly. Taking the initiative to ask Otsutsuki Toneri to undo his seal had already been his limit.
Since Otsutsuki Toneri had refused, there was absolutely no way he would continue pleading with him.
The fact that he had not outright told Otsutsuki Toneri to get lost was already out of regard for Hagoromo Otsutsuki.
Then Otsutsuki Toneri's figure slowly faded and disappeared, and after he vanished...
The Nine-Tails, who had been pretending to sleep with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. His fox eyes fixed on the place where Otsutsuki Toneri had stood, his gaze complicated.
"The Rinnegan... tailed beast chakra... Let's hope that isn't the case~"
A low, hoarse male voice echoed through the silent, gloomy space before everything fell quiet.
Outside, Otsutsuki Toneri released the genjutsu he had cast on Naruto.
"Huh?" The light returned to Naruto's eyes. He looked at Otsutsuki Toneri in front of him in confusion, scrunching up his little face and scratching his head.
He did not know why, but something felt a little strange. Had something just happened?
"All right, Naruto, it's getting late. Let's meet again another time." Seeing Naruto like this, Otsutsuki Toneri could not help smiling before speaking slowly.
"Huh? You're leaving?" Naruto froze, then spoke with a hint of reluctance.
It was the first time Naruto had experienced the warmth in his heart that came from Otsutsuki Toneri's gentle treatment.
It was the joy of being treated as an equal and acknowledged by someone.
That was why hearing that Otsutsuki Toneri was leaving made him feel a little disappointed and sad.
"Yeah~ It's time to head back." Otsutsuki Toneri nodded. His delicate, adorable face still looked very cute, even without eyes to complement it.
Then, seeing Naruto lower his head dejectedly, Otsutsuki Toneri hesitated slightly.
"Hey~ Naruto, please believe in yourself. You're special. You're no worse than anyone else. Face life cheerfully~ One day, you'll shine brighter than anyone!"
Otsutsuki Toneri encouraged him gently. To him, Naruto was special too.
But in the end, he's still an opponent~
Otsutsuki Toneri sighed inwardly. Still, that was fine too. With an opponent like this, the future would not be boring.
At that thought, Otsutsuki Toneri broke into a somewhat sinister grin. He really looked forward to Naruto's expression when he stood against him in the future!
However, Naruto, who had frozen on the spot after hearing Otsutsuki Toneri's words, did not see the smile on his face.
He was completely stunned. This was the first time, the very first time, that someone had encouraged him like this.
The kindness in those words finally overwhelmed his tear ducts, and tears spilled endlessly from the corners of his eyes.
Huge teardrops rolled down Naruto's cheeks one after another and fell to the ground.
"...In the future, I'll be waiting for you at the summit, Naruto. Don't keep me waiting too long~" At the sight, Otsutsuki Toneri fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly and softly.
With that, Otsutsuki Toneri turned and walked away, leaving Naruto still wiping away his tears.
This unexpected haul had already left him very satisfied. He had met Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Sasuke as young children ahead of time.
And he had obtained Nine-Tails chakra. It truly was a huge, unexpected surprise.
He had also successfully planted a seed in Naruto's heart. Surely the future would be even more interesting~
Moreover, the scene of those two meeting, along with that quiet, taciturn Sasuke, had given him some information.
The Uchiha Clan had already been wiped out!
This scene of Naruto and Sasuke meeting at the dam came from a flashback during their final battle.
That already showed that the Uchiha Clan had been slaughtered to the last at this point.
Otherwise, Uchiha Sasuke should still have been a cheerful, lively child.
In that case, it's a bit of a shame~ Otsutsuki Toneri thought. He actually valued the Sharingan of those Uchiha Clan members quite highly.
If he could absorb the ocular power within those Sharingan, perhaps he could also speed up his Rinnegan's evolution.
Still, it did not matter much. After all, they were only tomoe Sharingan, and their ocular power was not strong to begin with.
"Danzo... the Hyuga... the Third Hokage..." Otsutsuki Toneri thought of these three presences. With the Uchiha Clan destroyed, the Hyuga Clan had essentially become Konoha's foremost clan.
After all, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan truly excelled in close combat. Besides, Konoha was currently at its weakest.
The Senju had declined, the Uchiha had been slaughtered, the Sannin had left, the Third Hokage was old, and Danzo remained deeply hidden.
Did Konoha still have any powerful fighters worth showing off?
Before you continue