"Man, that's so cool! Is this the Nine-Tails?!"
Naruto Uzumaki's excited shout grabbed the Nine-Tails' attention…
Especially since Naruto was staring at the Nine-Tails with starry eyes, completely fixated!
The Nine-Tails couldn't shake the feeling that this annoying kid's gaze was… weird.
"You little brat!! What's with that look?! Are you treating me like some pet?! I'm no pet!! I'm a legendary Tailed Beast! The strongest Tailed Beast!! Believe it or not, I'll blast you to bits with a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
"Whoa, no way!! It can talk that much?!"
"Hey, Hirofumi! Sasuke! Check this out! This fox is super smart!! It's got nine tails and it talks a ton!! Plus, it's kinda pretty, too!!"
The Nine-Tails glared at Naruto, absolutely fuming.
The mightiest Tailed Beast! The great Kurama!
And this was the first time a human had ever called it pretty!!
Was this something it could just let slide?!
No way! Absolutely not!!
"You damn brat!!"
"Hm?!" Kushina Uzumaki's hair suddenly flared up, floating like it had a mind of its own.
"Nine-Tails… what did you just call my son?! A damn brat?! Sorry, I didn't catch that! Care to repeat it?!"
The Nine-Tails' eyelids twitched like crazy at the sight.
It could barely handle Kushina alone, let alone with Minato Namikaze—who'd once sliced it in half—standing right there. Not to mention two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan, a couple of mysterious white-haired ninjas, a pink-haired kid… and some brat who looked eerily like the Sage of the Six Paths!
What did I do to deserve this?! Why is the universe ganging up on me?!
Sasuke, seeing the Nine-Tails for the first time, was floored. He never imagined something this powerful was sealed inside Naruto! That wild, menacing chakra… the sheer pressure it gave off was unreal.
"Nine-Tails… can we have a proper talk?" Minato asked calmly, stepping forward.
The Nine-Tails, meanwhile, was screaming internally, feeling utterly humiliated.
"Talk?! Talk to you?!"
Minato sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Yeah, I figured getting you to chat nicely wouldn't be that easy…"
Hirofumi Ito, meanwhile, was sizing up the Nine-Tails. He'd only ever seen it in the anime before, so seeing the real deal was something else! Honestly, it was pretty cool-looking. That fluffy fur looked so soft—bet it'd be comfy to nap on!
But since the Nine-Tails wasn't in the mood to talk…
"Summoning Jutsu!!"
Poof! Poof!
Two clouds of smoke cleared, revealing Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju in the sealing space.
Hirofumi had wondered if he could pull off a summoning inside Naruto's seal—and it actually worked!
Hashirama scratched his head, looking at Hirofumi. "Huh? Hirofumi? Why'd you call me out here? I was in the middle of practicing a duet with Madara! 'Can we meet again~'—I'm telling you, Madara's got a killer singing voice! He was even secretly belting out 'Superstar of the Warring States' the other day!"
Thwack!
"Ow! Madara, why'd you hit me again?!"
"Shut it, you idiot!!"
Madara's face flushed slightly. He couldn't believe this moron had caught him singing in secret!
Damn it! He'd have to be sneakier next time…
"What the—?! You two freaks?!"
The Nine-Tails, spotting Madara and Hashirama, curled up tightly and backed into the farthest corner of the sealing space.
Madara gave the Nine-Tails a single, icy glance—and that one look was enough to make Kurama relive its entire tragic life.
Hashirama, on the other hand, waved cheerfully. "Yo, Nine-Tails! Long time no see!"
His eyes sparkled with a strange glint, like he was looking at some adorable pet.
Hirofumi couldn't help but notice Hashirama's expression—it was exactly like those cat-obsessed people from his old world, petting their fluffy pets with glee.
Hirofumi's lips curled into a mischievous grin. The Dragon King smirk was back!
"Jie jie jie jie jie… Nine-Tails! Ready to have a nice chat now?!"
"Haha… of course! I'm the friendliest Tailed Beast around! I love humans! Chatting with them is my favorite thing!!"
Hirofumi couldn't shake the déjà vu. Didn't Orochimaru say something like that when he got cornered? Something about loving to chat?
Who knew the Nine-Tails could be so… cooperative when pushed.
With Madara and Hashirama's "help," Naruto and the Nine-Tails worked out a friendly, mutual, and totally equal agreement.
First, the Nine-Tails couldn't mess with Naruto's chakra.
It also had to help Naruto boost his chakra control.
They'd get along harmoniously day-to-day.
No random chakra outbursts allowed.
And it had to assist Naruto in mastering his chakra…
The Nine-Tails didn't exactly see this as "equal." It was more like a one-sided, tyrannical contract!
But with two absolute monsters glaring at it, what choice did it have?
"Fine… I agree…"
Kurama was on the verge of tears. Why was its beastly life so miserable?!
Suddenly, it jolted up like it'd been shocked.
"What the hell, you little brat?!"
Naruto was standing behind it, grinning like an idiot, tugging at one of its tails.
"Oh, nothing! Just wondering if I could pull some of this fur to make a scarf!"
"You idiot!! This isn't fur! It's chakra! Chakra! You get it?!"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it! No need to yell!"
Naruto waved it off, then went right back to messing with the Nine-Tails' tails.
"Hey, kid! What now?!"
"Nothing… just curious. Are you a boy or a girl? Your voice sounds kinda like a guy's. Should I find you a lady fox sometime?"
"Arghhh!! You stupid brat!! Get lost!!"