Madara's boldness exceeded Yami's expectations. He used his own eyes as bargaining chips, giving one to stabilize Obito and the other to Orochimaru in exchange for Senju Hashirama.
As expected... his love for Hashirama remained unchanged.
Just to rekindle the old flame, he was even willing to blind himself.
Finally, Yakushi Kabuto revealed another piece of information that White Zetsu had overheard: ten days from now, the Five Kage Conference would be held in the Land of Iron.
After giving the exact time, Kabuto's connection was cut off.
He had to watch over the biggest conspirators in the shinobi world every day. The mental pressure was enormous.
Everyone treated him like one of their own. His role as a spy had become more and more critical, and he was starting to feel like he was developing schizophrenia.
On the other side.
Yami lay back in his recliner and reviewed all the gathered intel. Once he had a clear grasp of it, he stopped thinking about it and went upstairs to Kurenai's bedroom.
Nothing more needed to be said about that night.
With the entire shinobi world preparing to surround and attack them, many matters were already beyond Izumi or the other higher-ups' authority to decide. For once, Yami spent an entire day obediently in the office.
After work, he went to find Sasuke and Naruto again.
The ruckus those two caused during training had gotten too intense. The training grounds inside the village could no longer contain them, so they had to move to a secluded grove outside Konoha.
By the time Yami arrived, Naruto was covered in golden chakra and sparring with Sasuke. His speed had increased so much that even Sasuke, who had activated Lightning Release-enhanced cells, could barely keep up. Only with his Sharingan was he able to predict Naruto's movements in advance.
When Naruto noticed Yami approaching, he immediately lost focus. Sasuke took the opportunity to land two punches, but Naruto still ran over like nothing had happened.
"Yami-nii, look! I did it!"
Naruto proudly showed off his transformation. After fusing with Nine Tails' chakra, it was more than just a simple increase—it was an all-around evolution.
Even something as basic as forming chakra spheres could be played with in new and creative ways.
Bang—!
"Ouch!"
Naruto clutched his head, staring at Yami in disbelief. Despite his vastly improved perception and speed, he hadn't even seen the punch coming.
"Still getting cocky?"
"No, no more showing off!" Naruto immediately lowered his head and behaved himself.
That was terrifying. He never wanted to try talking back in front of Yami-nii again.
He had also hoped to take this chance to earn an official title for himself. He wanted to grow, but never had the opportunity.
"It's just Nine Tails Chakra Mode and you're already feeling proud? If Sasuke used his Complete Susanoo, he'd crush your skull."
Yami scolded him sternly.
Sasuke's lips curled slightly in amusement, but Naruto quickly attacked again, forcing him to suppress the grin.
"Yami-nii, Sasuke's no good. He can't hold out for long and runs out of steam quickly. I'm not scared of him at all."
"Go home and sleep, Naruto." Sasuke shouted, annoyed after having his weakness exposed.
Yami slapped his forehead. "Thanks for the reminder. Sasuke, go to Lab 1 and have the Second inject you with the maximum dose of Hashirama's cells."
Sasuke nodded immediately. He stopped arguing and left without another word.
What man could tolerate being called weak? He sure couldn't.
After Sasuke left, Yami gave Naruto a look. Naruto suddenly felt dizzy, and when he regained consciousness, they were already in the sealed space.
Yami looked around and saw that the Fourth Hokage's chakra had already disappeared.
Naruto's mood immediately dropped. "Um… Dad's chakra and the seal were one and the same. Now that the seal's gone, naturally…"
Then he smiled again. "But I got to meet Mom too. After she heard what happened, she gave Dad a good beating. It felt really good to watch."
"Oh yeah, Mom also asked me to thank you, Yami-nii."
Naruto's eyes turned red as he gave a deep bow.
Naruto was truly grateful to Yami.
It was Yami who made sure he didn't grow up alone, who gave him someone he could rely on.
It was also Yami who revealed the truth to him.
Thanks to all that, he formed his own opinions about Konoha and the shinobi world, instead of being swayed by the Third Hokage's teachings and ideals.
"Why are you suddenly getting all emotional?"
Yami rubbed Naruto's head and said, "You don't need to thank me. I only ever ask myself whether I want to do something. I don't care what others think. If you can accept that, it means you and I see the world the same way. That's called being like-minded."
"If you'd really been brainwashed by the Third, I wouldn't have accepted you as my student. Everyone's path is the result of countless choices."
"Mm!"
Naruto wiped his eyes. "I get it, Yami-nii. I'll always be your student and subordinate."
"Then you need to become a perfect Jinchūriki first. Otherwise, you won't be able to compete with Sasuke. He has Shisui and his clan behind him. You have to become stronger."
Yami smiled, then turned to the seal.
The seal had disappeared. Although the Nine Tails was still sealed, it was being suppressed by Naruto's own strength and body now, not any technique left by Namikaze Minato.
In the darkness, a pair of scarlet, violent fox eyes glared at Yami and Naruto.
"Nine Tails, after all these years, you've once again experienced the tag-team of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. You miss that, don't you?"
The massive body of the Nine Tails was fully revealed, and its chakra, heavy with negative emotion, surged toward them.
At this point, the seal was basically just symbolic. The Nine Tails' power had grown far stronger than before.
Just as Naruto was about to respond, Yami stopped him.
He raised his hand, instantly entering the Six Paths Mode. The staff in his hand spun rapidly, creating a powerful gust that pushed the Nine Tails back. But the beast didn't care about the humiliation. It was too stunned by Yami's transformation.
[Bond between Host and Kurama has reached Stage 2. Acquired Nine Tails Chakra (50%)]
"Old man?!"
"Yami-nii, your new form is amazing!"
Ignoring Naruto's praise, Yami unleashed another burst of suction that struck the space wall, pulling the Nine Tails in.
"Yami, what are you doing?!" Nine Tails couldn't maintain his fierce façade anymore and panicked.
"Haven't you figured it out?"
The Truth-Seeking Balls floated and pulsed rhythmically behind him. Yami spoke calmly, "I've become the new Sage of Six Paths. No, I'm even stronger than Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo."
Hearing the name "Sage of Six Paths," the Nine Tails froze for a moment.
Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo…
To the world, the Sage of Six Paths was practically a myth. Most people didn't even know his name.
"Nine Tails, if you don't want to become part of the Ten Tails again, I suggest you work with Naruto and complete the training to become a perfect Jinchūriki."
The Nine Tails bared his teeth and sneered. "Yami, aren't you already the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki? How else could you have become like this?"
"I don't know how you got our chakra, but you're clearly planning to absorb all of us to grow stronger."
"Uzumaki Naruto, your greatest enemy is your teacher."
"Stupid fox, quit stirring things up!"
Naruto pointed at the Nine Tails and shouted, "If Yami-nii really wanted your power, he wouldn't have waited this long. He could've yanked you out ages ago!"
The Nine Tails fell silent. That part was true.
Even with just Wood Release, Yami could have easily subdued him before. Now, he was even stronger than the Sage of Six Paths.
"You don't need to argue with him, Naruto."
After calming Naruto down, Yami turned to the Nine Tails. "I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about Uchiha Madara."
The Nine Tails' pupils shrank suddenly. Intense killing intent erupted from its body.
He would never forget Uchiha Madara, the man who treated him like a plaything.
Yami continued, "You've been in Naruto's body long enough. You should know the Akatsuki has been collecting tailed beast intel. The one behind them is Uchiha Madara."
"He also has the Rinnegan like me, and he can summon the Gedo Statue. He's trying to recreate the Ten Tails and use it to rule the world."
Yami smiled faintly. "You must be familiar with your old home, right? Want to go back and take a look?"
Only an idiot would want to return to the Gedo Statue.
The Nine Tails gritted its teeth and growled.
"Even if you're telling the truth, you're still here, Yami. I don't believe you'd just sit back and let Uchiha Madara rule the world."
"As long as you're here, I don't need to worry about that idiot Naruto."
The Nine Tails wasn't stupid. It immediately flipped the situation.
"I won't stop him." Yami shrugged. "But what's that got to do with you? I can just wait for Madara to extract you, revive the Ten Tails, then swallow it whole to boost my own power."
"No, you can't do that!" the Nine Tails roared in panic.
This evil Yami brat was even more devious than Uchiha Madara. He had calculated every ounce of value the Nine Tails had left.
"Then Naruto will die too!"
"Nope. I've got your chakra saved here. I'll just pull a portion of it and leave it in his body."
The Nine Tails was completely speechless now.
There was no defeating a cunning and powerful man like this.
"Kurama, you may be a fox, but I know you're smart enough to see what's best for you."
Yami put away his staff and left the sealed space.
He understood Kurama's pride. The fox would never yield while Yami was present. It was better to plant the seed of pressure and leave the rest to Naruto.
In the quiet sealed space, Kurama and Naruto stared at each other.
"Stupid fox, your name is Kurama?"
Naruto repeated the name Yami had used and muttered, "Sounds kind of nice," which made Kurama slightly flattered.
The fox couldn't help but smirk. The kid had good taste.
But he quickly suppressed the feeling and leaned his massive head against the torii gate.
"Uzumaki Naruto, when did Shimura Yami get the Rinnegan?"
"No idea."
"Then how did he get the tailed beast chakra? And where did he get the Gedo Statue?"
"I don't know either."
"What do you know!?"
"Fox! You can't expect me to know stuff even you haven't seen!" Naruto pointed and shouted in frustration.
Kurama felt a bit awkward and scratched his claws.
Ever since Naruto first lost control of his chakra, a crack had opened in the seal. Though he couldn't do anything malicious, Kurama had been syncing with Naruto's senses through that crack.
Yami really was too mysterious. It was normal that Naruto didn't know much.
Looking at the clueless Naruto, Kurama struggled a bit internally but eventually extended a paw.
"Uzumaki Naruto, don't say I didn't warn you. If you want to sync with me and become a perfect Jinchūriki, you must completely let go of resentment toward me. Otherwise, you'll take in not just my chakra but also the negative emotions I've accumulated over a thousand years. You won't be able to bear it."
Naruto thought for a moment, then reached out his fist.
"Stupid fox, I used to hate you, but then I realized it wasn't your fault you were sealed inside me. Neither of us had a choice."
"I still don't really like you, but I've come to accept that you're part of me."
"Humph."
Kurama raised his head. "Talk is cheap. Prove it. Bump fists if you dare."
Naruto bumped fists without hesitation.
At that moment, both entered each other's mental space. There was no more hiding.
Kurama even revealed his memories of his long and painful history with humans.
After seeing all that, Naruto couldn't help but look at Kurama with pity. "You've had a really rough life…"
Humans feared and hated him, yet always sought to use his power. Especially the Uchiha. Every few decades, another one with powerful eyes would try to control him and use him as a weapon.
No wonder he hated humans so much.
No wonder Yami-nii called it an unjust disaster…
And through their shared consciousness, Kurama could also feel Naruto's sincerity.
He sighed inwardly and released control over his chakra.
The man and the fox smiled at each other, finally understanding one another.
"From now on, you're not just the Nine Tails. You're my partner, Kurama!"
Naruto placed his hands over his stomach and twisted them, gradually releasing the final parts of the seal.
Outside, Naruto's light surged. His golden chakra surpassed even Nine Tails Chakra Mode.
Yami smiled with nostalgia.
(To be continued.)