Mito POV
After that day when I realized this wasn't just some story I once watched on a screen but a reality I had to live in, I became more careful. Every move I made, every word I spoke, every expression I let slip — I measured it. The ANBU presence doubled overnight, shadowing us wherever we went. Old man Sarutobi's paranoia was smothering, and if I didn't time things carefully, even breathing wrong might raise suspicion.
But the real problem wasn't the ANBU. It was Naruto.
That night, after he broke down crying, I knew I couldn't keep him in the dark any longer. Not about the villagers, not about Kurama, not even about our parents. If I let him keep wondering, he'd spiral into thinking he was cursed or abandoned. And I refused to let my brother believe he was a burden.
So, I decided to start with the truth hidden inside him.
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Flashback
Naruto had cried himself nearly hoarse, face blotchy, fists clenched in his lap. When his sobs finally slowed, I lifted his chin gently so he'd look at me. His eyes were red, tired, but stubborn all the same.
"Hey," I said softly. "Do you know why I've been sneaking out all day, these past few weeks?"
He scowled, puffing out his cheeks in that way he does when he's frustrated. "How should I know? You never tell me anything! You just disappear, and I'm stuck training by myself. You think I can't handle whatever it is you're hiding, don't you?"
A chuckle escaped me. Gods, he was so transparent. "What if I told you I've been trying to figure out why the villagers look at us like we're… filth? Why they whisper, why they hate?"
His eyes lit up instantly. Hope. For Naruto, answers were currency. If he could just know why, maybe he could fix it. Maybe he could make them love him. I almost hated myself for dangling that hope in front of him.
"I can't just explain it to you," I continued. "But I can show you. If you do what I say, you'll understand."
The spark in his eyes dimmed, his lips pressing into a thin line. "That sounds like another lie."
Before that thought could fester, I leaned forward. "It's not a lie. Trust me, Naruto. Calm your mind like I showed you. Breathe slow. Focus inward."
He hesitated, suspicion battling with desperation, then shut his eyes. His breathing steadied. That was my cue. I pressed two fingers against his forehead, letting my chakra pulse into him, tethering his consciousness to mine.
"Let me guide you," I whispered.
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Inside the Mindscape
The world dissolved around us, and the next instant we were standing ankle-deep in water. The air was heavy, thick with a malevolence that pressed against the skin. Endless corridors stretched like sewers, but every direction seemed to funnel us toward one overwhelming presence.
"Wh-what is this place?" Naruto whispered, eyes wide.
"Our mindscapes," I answered. "Yours. Mine. Connected by my chakra."
We turned the corner, and Naruto froze.
Two colossal cages stood opposite each other, their bars thick as towers. From one, a massive snarl erupted — teeth bared, eyes like molten gold, chakra dripping like poison. That was his half of Kurama.
From the other cage, my Kurama watched silently, his form just as vast but his aura different. Less wild rage, more simmering contempt.
Naruto's knees almost gave out. "T-two… there's two monsters?!"
A booming laugh shook the mindscape.
"Monsters? HA! Look at you, little brat, trembling just from standing here. You can't even face a glare from your precious villagers, and you think you can face me?!"
The voice rolled like thunder —Kurama trapped in Naruto's mindscape, all mockery and venom. His killing intent crashed over us, suffocating. Naruto gasped, clutching his chest, tears pricking his eyes.
"Stop it," I snapped, stepping in front of him. My chakra flaring around me, trying to protect Naruto. "Enough with the games."
Both sets of eyes swivelled toward me. My Kurama snorted. "Tch. Dragging your brother here already? Bold… or reckless of you to assume that he can handle the truth."
Naruto's Kurama (lets call him Kurama2) snarled. "You dare talk back to me, girl? You're nothing but a temporary cage. Both of you — frail, insignificant, laughable!"
"Funny," I shot back, crossing my arms. "Kurama1 said that to me the first time we talked. And yet here we are again. If you really thought I was insignificant, you wouldn't be wasting breath."
Naruto gawked at me like I was insane for sassing a walking natural disaster.
The hostile Kurama (Kurama2) growled, but my Kurama's deep chuckle cut through. "She has a point, you know. You roar and rage, but you're still locked up, same as me."
"Silence," the other roared, slamming his tails against the cage. "Humans are all the same. Liars, thieves, parasites! They take and take, and when they're done, they throw us aside like filth." His gaze turned on Naruto. "You are no different. You are my jailer, boy. That's all you'll ever be."
Naruto flinched, voice cracking. "I-I'm not—!"
"You are," Kurama spat. "The villagers know it. Why do you think they sneer at you? Why do they whisper when you walk past? Because they see only a monster in you. Because you are the monster who destroyed their perfect little lives by attacking their village in the middle of the night"
Naruto staggered back, as if struck by lightning, shaking his head and trying to remove the thought from his head. "No… no, that's not—" Before Naruto can could gain his mental focus back, Kurama2 spoke, "Then tell me", The beast pressed, lips curling in a sneer. "Why does no one smile at you? Why do they keep their children away? Why has no one, not once in your short, miserable life, looked at you as anything but a curse?"
The words sliced deeper than claws ever could. Naruto's face crumpled, tears threatening again.
"Enough!" I barked, anger lacing my words. How dare this Kurama2 try and break Naruto's spirit. Trying to break him mentally. My own Kurama stirred, his voice quieter, steadier.
"Raging won't change what's true," he said, directing his words at his other half. "But neither will spitting venom at a child. We both know the hatred isn't his fault."
Naruto's Kurama turned on him. "Don't act righteous. You've seen what they do. Chains, seals, cages. What are we if not weapons to them, bound and used until we rot?!"
My Kurama's eyes narrowed. "We are more than that. Or have you forgotten."
The two halves clashed, voices overlapping — one seething with fury, the other bitter but restrained.
"They will never accept us."
"I don't expect them to. But we don't have to be with all humans. We just need to exist with these two brats."
"Fool! What happens when these brats grow? They will fear us, hate us, because they know that they cannot control us."
"And yet this girl speaks to me. Not with chains, not with fear."
The argument raged, and Naruto stood in the middle, trembling. For the first time, he realized — this wasn't one monster. It was two voices of the same soul, torn in half, wounded in different ways.
I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto… listen."
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Naruto POV
Their voices slammed into me, claws of anger and sorrow digging deep. My chest hurt, my eyes burned, but through it all… I understood.
The villagers didn't hate me because I was Naruto. They hated me because I was his cage. Because every time they looked at me, they saw their fear, their pain, their nightmares.
It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. I hadn't done anything. I just wanted to be seen. To be loved.
My fists shook, but I forced myself to look up. The beast's eyes bored into me, daring me to crumble.
"You're not a monster," I whispered.
The laughter stopped. Both sets of eyes widened, just slightly.
"You're… trapped. Just like me." My voice grew stronger. "They hate me for something I never chose. And they hate you for being too strong. That's not fair. That's not right."
The killing intent wavered. Kurama1 smirked faintly.
Kurama2 growled, but it lacked venom. He turned his head, gaze burning into the darkness instead of me.
"You foolish brat," he muttered. But the weight pressing down on me eased.
For the first time, I could breathe.
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Mito POV
I hid my smile. Trust Naruto to find the soft spot even in a demon fox's armor.
"See?" I said quietly. "He's not a monster, Naruto. He's someone who's been chained his whole life. Just like us, in a way."
The mindscape fell silent, the two halves brooding in their cages. The tension didn't vanish, but it shifted — less predator and prey, more wary recognition.
I squeezed Naruto's hand. "Come on. We've seen enough for today."
When we pulled back into the real world, Naruto's face was pale, eyes haunted. He sat in silence for a long time, fists clenched.
Finally, he whispered, "So that's… why they hate me."
I nodded. "Yes. But don't ever forget this: if you want to survive here, you can't trust blindly. Not the villagers. Not the elders. Not anyone, unless you have power to stand on your own."
His jaw tightened. He didn't like it, but he understood.
"There's one more truth you need to know," I continued. "Our parents. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze… and Kushina Uzumaki, the previous host of Kurama."
Naruto's head snapped up, eyes wide. "The Fourth… was my dad?"
I nodded. His expression twisted — disbelief, pride, grief all colliding at once.
"He saved the village, but at the cost of sealing Kurama into us. They left fragments of themselves in the seal, and when I'm strong enough, I'll bring them out so we can speak to them."
Naruto's lips trembled. For a moment, I thought he'd break down again. But instead, he pressed his fists to his knees, trembling with a different fire.
"They… they left us."
The words were bitter. Heavy. But beneath them, I saw it — the determination lighting in his eyes.
"Then I'll become stronger. Strong enough that no one can hate us. Strong enough that no one can cage me. Or you. Or even Kurama."
His voice cracked, but it carried weight.
I reached out, pulling him into a hug. For once, he didn't resist.
Heavy silence filled the room. No sunshine, no jokes. Just truth.
And truth was heavier than any chain.