Nine-Tails' voice was low and hoarse, with much less brutality and hatred, and a little more complexity and wistfulness.
"Kurama."
"Kurama?"
Naruto Uzumaki tilted his head.
"What a weird name."
"Don't be rude!"
Uchiha Minamoto firmly rubbed the little blond's head.
"Kurama, please look after Naruto from now on."
"...Hmph!"
Nine-Tails swished his tails with affected indifference, deliberately turning his head aside to avoid looking at Naruto Uzumaki.
If this blond brat hadn't been his "jinchūriki"...
Nine-Tails would never have spared him even a glance.
By comparison...
Nine-Tails was more interested in Uchiha Minamoto.
"You... are different from the other Uchiha."
"No, they're different from me."
Uchiha Minamoto stressed, deliberately correcting Nine-Tails' wording.
"I think I'm perfectly normal."
I think you're the least normal of them all!
Nine-Tails silently grumbled to himself.
Besides, what normal person would deliberately insist they were normal?
But then he remembered Uchiha Minamoto's surname.
And Nine-Tails thought he was perfectly normal again.
Hmm...?
"Kurama!"
Uchiha Minamoto returned to the subject, drawing the attention of Nine-Tails, who was about to get stuck going in circles.
"Can we have a proper talk now?"
Nine-Tails looked at Uchiha Minamoto. "About what?"
"What I mentioned before, Kurama."
Uchiha Minamoto spoke calmly.
"I came to negotiate terms with you.
"I hope you can reconcile with Naruto."
"Reconcile?"
Hearing that word, Nine-Tails reacted as though he had heard some colossal joke.
"Uchiha Minamoto! If it were you, that would be one thing!
"But that blond brat? Hahahaha!"
"I think you should be able to sense it, Kurama."
Uchiha Minamoto's expression remained calm.
"Naruto is different from other people."
At those words...
Nine-Tails' wild laughter stopped abruptly.
Only then did he suddenly realize.
Earlier, Uchiha Minamoto hadn't been the only one who bore him no ill will.
The same was true of