The morning sun streamed through Naruto's windows as Choji, Shikamaru, and Shino settled into the yard. Naruto had carefully orchestrated their arrival, timing it perfectly with Nine-Tails' usual spot on the living room sofa.
Inside, Nine-Tails lay sprawled across the cushions, one of his carefully selected outfits draped over his miniature form. A cookbook rested open before him, but his ears swiveled toward the window, tracking every word from the yard.
Naruto caught the telltale rotation of those fox ears and shot a subtle glance toward Shino. The slightest tilt of his head conveyed everything.
Shino adjusted his thin glasses and nodded almost imperceptibly. "Hey, Naruto," he said, voice carrying just enough to reach inside. "Did you pick out that outfit the fox is wearing? No offense, but it's pretty rough."
Nine-Tails' ear twitched.
"Yeah, seriously," Shikamaru drawled, catching on immediately. He sprawled in the grass, hands behind his head. "That fox is objectively beautiful. Premium fur, perfect proportions. But those clothes..." He let out a low whistle. "Kind of brings down the whole aesthetic, you know?"
"Mhm," Choji agreed around a mouthful of chips, nodding sagely.
Inside, Nine-Tails' grip on the cookbook tightened. The pages crinkled slightly.
Naruto's expression shifted to something appropriately embarrassed. "Ah, you're right. Actually, I have some better options, but he won't wear them. Says they're not his style."
Through the window, Naruto watched Nine-Tails' tail start to bristle.
Perfect. Time to retreat before the fox actually exploded.
"Anyway," Naruto said smoothly, redirecting the conversation, "did you guys see the new training equipment Shino brought? Let's check it out."
Everything in moderation. Push too hard and the whole plan would collapse.
Two days later, Kiba and Hinata arrived while Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino were still on their three-day outing.
Akamaru poked his head out from beneath Kiba's jacket, his tiny eyes bright with curiosity.
"Oh!" Hinata's face lit up. "Akamaru is so cute!"
"Arf!" Akamaru's chest puffed with pride.
On the sofa, Nine-Tails barely glanced up from his current outfit, a beige number he'd selected that morning. His gaze flicked toward the puppy with obvious disdain. Cute? I watched this mutt get pummeled into the ground not that long ago.
Kiba gently lifted Akamaru from his jacket and set him on the low table. The puppy wore an immaculate white lace dress, the fabric catching the light beautifully.
Hinata gasped, right on cue. Naruto had coached her well. "Wow! That dress is gorgeous!"
"Yeah," Naruto added, leaning in for a closer look. "Really well-made too. Where'd you get it?"
Nine-Tails' ears perked up despite himself.
Kiba grinned, scratching behind Akamaru's ears. "My sister Hana makes them. She's got a whole collection." Then, almost offhandedly, he turned to Naruto. "Hey, if you want, I can bring some over for your fox. That beige thing he's wearing is... well, it's kind of ugly, honestly."
On the sofa, Nine-Tails froze.
"The clothes are ugly?" Hinata asked, perfectly delivering her rehearsed line. She glanced toward the living room. "Oh. I mean, the fox is beautiful, but... yeah, the outfit doesn't really work."
Nine-Tails' jaw dropped open.
One person calling his taste ugly? Fine. He could dismiss that as ignorance.
Two people? Coincidence, perhaps.
But now everyone agreed his clothes were hideous?
The cookbook slipped from his paws. His chin sank against the sofa cushion, ears drooping. Could Naruto and Sasuke have been right all along? Was his aesthetic sense really that terrible?
The thought spiraled into a deep, existential crisis.
When Hinata and Kiba finally left, Naruto returned to find Nine-Tails in the exact same position, face-first in the cushions, radiating pure dejection.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, layering genuine concern into his voice even as triumph sang through his veins. Almost there.
Nine-Tails slowly raised his head, eyes dull. "Naruto. Be honest with me. Is my taste really that bad?"
"What? No!" Naruto's face split into a bright smile. He gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Your aesthetic is great! Really!"
"You're lying." Nine-Tails turned away, hurt evident in every line of his small body. "I heard all of you. Every single word."
"You... you heard?" Naruto's eyes widened in mock horror. "But we were being so quiet..." He let the embarrassment show for a moment, then straightened, expression turning serious. "Okay, look. Don't get mad, but... there might be some small issues with your fashion sense."
"I knew it," Nine-Tails muttered miserably.
"But!" Naruto added quickly. "It's not hopeless. You just need some guidance, that's all."
Nine-Tails pushed himself upright, fixing Naruto with an intense stare. "Fine. Then show me. What's actually good? What does real aesthetic taste look like?"
"Give me one second."
Naruto turned toward the bedroom, and only when his back was fully to Nine-Tails did he allow the grin to break across his face. He retrieved the bag Hinata had gifted weeks ago, the lace dresses carefully preserved inside.
When he returned, his expression was perfectly neutral. "Here. These represent actual fashion sense."
Nine-Tails pulled items from the bag one by one, examining each dress with growing suspicion. His eyes narrowed. "Naruto. You're not trying to trick me into wearing girls' clothes, are you?"
"What? No!" Naruto's face radiated pure innocence. "That's ridiculous. I would never."
"Are you sure about this?"
"I swear on Akamaru's life."
Nine-Tails' whiskers twitched. "Why Akamaru?"
"Because I like Akamaru and wouldn't curse him lightly." Naruto placed one hand over his heart. "Look, if you don't believe me, try one on tomorrow when everyone comes over. They'll definitely compliment you."
The fox studied him for a long moment, then huffed. "Fine. Tomorrow. But if nobody compliments these, I'm beating you senseless."
"Deal!" Naruto said brightly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to train."
He vanished in a blur of speed, arriving at his waterfall practice spot in seconds.
The moment his feet hit solid ground, Naruto collapsed forward, hands slapping the earth as laughter erupted from his chest. Deep, gasping, uncontrollable laughter. He laughed so hard tears streamed down his face, leaving dark spots in the dirt.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow he'd gather everyone again and have them shower Nine-Tails with praise. Compliments cost nothing, after all. They could pour them on as thick as the fox wanted.
The manipulation was nearly complete.
Meanwhile, miles away, Sasuke walked alongside Sakura and Ino as their three-day outing drew to a close.
For three full days, Sasuke hadn't thought about training once. He'd simply existed in the moment, exploring the countryside, sampling local food, listening to the girls chatter about everything and nothing. Something inside him had unknotted during those seventy-two hours.
"Sasuke-kun," Ino said as they reached Konoha's gates. Her smile was genuine, warm. "Thank you for spending time with us. I had the best three days."
"Me too," Sakura added, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. "We should definitely do this again sometime. You're actually really fun when you relax."
A rare smile touched Sasuke's lips. "I enjoyed it too. Thank you both, seriously." He gave a small bow. "But now I need to get back to training."
They parted ways with cheerful goodbyes, Sakura and Ino heading toward their respective clan compounds while Sasuke made directly for the back mountain.
As he approached Naruto's property, he spotted Nine-Tails on the porch, holding up various lace dresses with a deeply conflicted expression. The fox would hold one up, tilt his head, put it down, then pick up another.
Sasuke shook his head, a smirk tugging at his mouth. Naruto really is something else. He's even managed to mess with a tailed beast's head.
But he had more important things to focus on.
Sasuke found an open clearing away from the farm buildings and centered himself. Naruto had been right about needing rest. His mind felt clearer now than it had in months, sharp and focused in a way that intense training had paradoxically prevented.
The Rasengan. He was so close. Just one final push.
He took a long, deep breath and closed his eyes. Let everything else fall away. Cleared his mind completely.
When his eyes opened, chakra began gathering in his right palm.
This time felt different. The energy responded to his will more smoothly, rotating with precision he'd never quite achieved before. The chakra condensed into a perfect sphere, power churning inside it like a miniature storm. Pressure built against his palm, and Sasuke could feel the technique's completion humming through every nerve.
This was it.
He thrust his hand forward, driving the Rasengan toward the ground.
BOOM!
The explosion of force shook the entire mountain. When the dust settled, a massive crater yawned before him: ten meters across, more than five meters deep, perfectly circular. The earth itself had been pulverized, turned to loose powder by the rotating chakra.
For a moment, Sasuke simply stared. Then his face split into a wild grin.
"Finally!" He threw his head back, hands on his hips at the crater's edge. "Naruto! I finally mastered your father's Rasengan!" His laughter rang across the back mountain, triumphant and fierce. "I'm going to beat you with your own father's technique! Let's see how you like that!"
The Rasengan pulsed in his mind, complete at last. After months of struggle, countless failed attempts, watching the technique slip through his fingers again and again... he'd finally done it.
And he couldn't wait to test it against Naruto.