Naruto let out a long sigh, shaking his head dramatically.
"Honestly, I was only trying to look out for you. Staying in that dark sewer all day long… whether you're a person or a fox, you'd get depressed in a place like that. But if you actually prefer it, then I guess I was wrong."
He raised his hand as if preparing to snap his fingers and turn the environment back to the damp underground sewer.
"Wait."
The Nine-Tails moved its mouth ever so slightly, spitting out the word with great reluctance.
"Truth is, I've slept plenty before, and this space isn't too bad." The fox twitched its ears again, trying not to look too soft.
Naruto's eyes brightened. "So that means you're willing to answer my question, right?"
The great beast gave a mocking grin, baring its sharp teeth. "Hmph. And you come to me for answers about something like that?"
"Of course! You're the one involved, or… well, the one involved fox." Naruto replied matter-of-factly.
The Nine-Tails snorted coldly. "Fine then. The one who sealed me was the Fourth Hokage. He's the one who placed me inside you."
Naruto's breath caught.
"Why would he seal you inside me?" he pressed.
"How should I know what went through that bastard's mind? Not only did he seal me in you, he split my chakra in half one part sealed inside you, the other in himself." The Nine-Tails' tone grew bitter. "If I hadn't been divided, you without awakening the Uzumaki bloodline's potential would never have held me so firmly with just that Eight Trigrams Seal!"
Naruto was silent for a long moment. His fists trembled slightly before he finally asked, "Then… what was the Fourth Hokage to me?"
The fox lowered its massive head and stared at him with those burning crimson eyes. After a long pause, it finally answered, voice slow and deliberate.
"Of course… he was your father."
Naruto's body shivered as if struck by lightning.
"Then what about my mother?"
"She was my previous host. Her name… was Kushina Uzumaki."
"Kushina… Uzumaki…" Naruto whispered her name, as if tasting it carefully.
So that's why he bore the surname Uzumaki. It wasn't random it was his mother's name.
The Nine-Tails smirked in amusement. He fully expected the boy to collapse under the weight of the revelation, his heart pierced with a fatal crack. And when that happened, the beast would seize the chance to exploit the weakness in his mind.
But instead, Naruto looked straight at him and said, "Thank you."
The fox blinked. "…What?"
"Thank you for telling me all this, Big Fox." Naruto's tone was sincere, his gaze steady.
The Nine-Tails froze. That was… not the reaction it wanted. Not at all. It had no intention of earning gratitude.
Naruto continued, voice firm. "From now on, I'll make sure this place stays like this open skies, green grass, fresh air. If you ever want it to look different, just tell me. I'll do my best to create it for you."
"Hmph. This will do." The fox lay back down, stretching lazily. Without the cage in sight, it finally allowed itself a small yawn, though its pride refused to admit that it was more comfortable this way.
"Alright. I'll come visit again later." With that, Naruto's figure faded and disappeared.
The Nine-Tails shut its eyes slowly. Red chakra seeped out from its body, swirling outward like a mist, but no matter how much it pushed, it never extended past a certain invisible barrier. Not one drop of chakra escaped.
"His willpower… still so stubborn," the beast muttered to itself, before pulling its chakra back into its core.
Naruto's consciousness returned from the seal. Though he hadn't opened his eyes yet, a single tear slid from the corner of his eye, shining faintly in the light.
He sat up, forming a hand sign, and another Naruto popped into existence with a puff of smoke.
"You go to school for me today. Around the afternoon, I'll send another clone to switch with you," Naruto instructed.
"Got it!" the clone said eagerly, practically bouncing with excitement at the thought of attending the Academy.
Naruto stretched, already planning his day. "That frees me up for more training." Without bothering with the door, he vaulted right out the window.
In a quiet corner of the village, he formed seals quickly.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A thick wave of smoke erupted, and when it cleared, over a hundred Narutos stood shoulder to shoulder.
"Whoa… that's a lot more than I expected." He scratched his head. Even though he'd been careful not to pour too much chakra in just like Kakashi-sensei had warned he still ended up creating a small army.
"Alright, you guys focus on training fire-style chakra. Try to awaken it as soon as possible. I'll handle the taijutsu training."
The clones shouted back with their usual rowdy energy.
"Yeah yeah, get lost, Boss, you're in the way!"
"Leave fire chakra to us!"
Naruto grinned. With a hundred clones training simultaneously, he could finally relax into his own extreme physical regimen.
By midday, after his grueling workout, he created another clone to attend class. The morning clone dispelled itself in secret, and the new one slipped seamlessly into its place.
When the sun set, Naruto released all the training clones.
Instantly, a flood of memories and experiences crashed into his mind along with an equally devastating wave of exhaustion. His knees buckled. He swayed, then collapsed heavily to the ground.
Even after years of hard training, his body had its limits. A hundred clones worth of fatigue slamming into him at once was overwhelming. The only thing keeping him from blacking out entirely was his sheer iron will.
His vision swam with black spots. Breathing raggedly, Naruto sprawled flat on the grass, eyes closed.
"I'll need to prepare better next time… gather some firewood here in advance. That way if I collapse, I can light a fire and rest outdoors."
Time passed slowly. Eventually, he heard footsteps approaching.
The clone who had gone to school returned and froze at the sight of the original Naruto's weakened state.
"Holy crap, Boss, you're not dead, are you?!" the clone yelped, eyes wide.
"Not yet. Thanks for asking," Naruto muttered, cracking one eye open with a weak grin.
The clone clutched its chest dramatically. "Don't scare me like that."
"Do me a favor. Gather some firewood, light it up, then catch a few fish. I need food to get my strength back," Naruto said.
"On it." The clone wasted no time collecting wood. Forming a quick sign, it exhaled a fireball the size of a soccer ball.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The flames caught, setting the wood ablaze. Though the clone lacked true fire chakra nature and didn't have much chakra to spare, the fireball was just enough to serve its purpose.
Nearby ran a small river Naruto had chosen this training spot for that exact reason. It was safer to practice fire-style jutsu near water, avoiding accidental wildfires.
Catching fish was child's play with Naruto's reflexes. In no time, he had seven or eight flopping on the bank. The clone efficiently gutted them, coating its fingertips in sharp wind chakra. A quick swipe stripped the scales as clean as a knife, and after a rinse in the river, the fish were skewered and set to roast over the fire.
The smoky aroma of cooking fish filled the air. Naruto's stomach growled as his strength began to trickle back. He sat up, tearing into the fresh meat with gusto.
There were no seasonings, no spices just the pure taste of roasted fish. Simple, clean, and satisfying.
Luckily, these river fish lacked any unpleasant odor. Still, Naruto made a mental note to keep an eye on that in the future. For now, the only thing that mattered was filling his belly and recovering his strength.