Freedom?
That was a word that had been alien to the Nine-Tails for decades.
Hearing it suddenly drop from Menma's lips, Kurama was stunned for a moment. But it only lasted a second before his face twisted back into a cynical, fox-like sneer.
"Freedom? Hah! Brat, everything you say is more ridiculous than the last. Do you have any idea—"
"How do you know it won't work if we don't try? Besides, for you, it's easy. All you have to do is stop messing with my chakra, and lend me some of yours when I need it. Even if I fail, you don't lose anything, do you, Nine-Tails?"
Menma didn't wait for Kurama to finish. He clapped his hands lightly, shrugged, and smiled.
It was a very logical argument.
Kurama, who had been ready to mock the boy further, froze. He fell silent, contemplating the offer.
"But why should I—"
"You don't need to trust me. Just think of it as finding some entertainment in your boring life. If I succeed, I can give you freedom. And more than that, I can help you get revenge. Don't you want to make the people who controlled you pay? And you don't need to worry about my resolve on that front—because those people are my enemies too, aren't they?"
Menma cut Kurama off again.
This time, the strongest Tailed Beast fell into a deep silence.
Kurama had to admit, he was actually moved by the brat's proposal. He really didn't have to pay anything. Could his situation get any worse than it already was?
He was sealed inside a human either way.
But now, he had an option.
Just like the kid said, if it failed, Kurama lost nothing but a bit of chakra.
"Heh heh... You really are interesting, brat. Fine. I accept. Let's see just how far you can go."
Kurama chuckled low in his throat. He lowered his massive head until his crimson slit pupils were staring directly at Menma.
Menma's eyes lit up.
Even though he had been 80-90% sure he could persuade the fox, there was always the fear that Kurama would be a stubborn old mule.
Thankfully, the odds of that were low. Kurama's behavior in the original series had already proven he wasn't completely unreasonable.
"Then it's a deal, Nine-Tails!"
Menma looked up, his face beaming.
He extended his small fist toward the giant fox.
Kurama paused, surprised. Then, almost subconsciously, he extended his massive paw, curled it into a fist, and bumped it against Menma's tiny hand.
It wasn't until after the fist bump that Kurama realized what he had just done.
But for some reason, he didn't feel any disgust. Instead, he felt a strange, unfamiliar sensation.
Menma hadn't actually expected Kurama to fist bump him back. His smile widened even further.
"Well then, that's it for today! Nine-Tails! No... Kurama."
As his figure slowly began to fade from the mental world...
At the very last moment...
Menma softly spoke that name.
Kurama's head snapped up. His eyes widened in absolute shock.
Tailed Beasts had names.
But foolish humans didn't know that!
For a thousand years, the only ones who knew their names were the other Tailed Beasts—names given to them by the Old Man who meant everything to them.
Now, a human knew his name.
Kurama was completely floored.
"Wait a—"
The words were on the tip of his tongue.
But Menma vanished completely from the mental world, leaving Kurama alone with a look of utter bewilderment on his face.
This brat?! How?!
The question lingered in his mind, refusing to leave.
For the first time in a thousand years, the heart that had known only anger felt a tremor of something else.
But Menma was gone. Kurama couldn't ask the question burning inside him.
Is this brat the one the Old Man spoke of? But...?!
It was a mystery he couldn't solve.
For Kurama, today's meeting was the most shocking event in a millennium. He stared at the spot where Menma had stood, the light in his eyes shifting with complex emotions.
---
Menma, whose consciousness had returned to his physical body, had no idea that his parting words—spoken almost casually—had impacted the Nine-Tails so profoundly.
Lying peacefully in his bed, the corners of Menma's mouth curled up into a faint, pleasant smile.
He slept soundly, as if having a sweet dream.
---
At the same time Menma was meeting the Nine-Tails for the first time...
In the center of the Hidden Leaf Village, on the top floor of the Hokage Tower—the symbol of the village's supreme power—the lights were still burning bright in the dead of night.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, had just finished his paperwork for the day.
Creak.
The door opened precisely on time.
An elderly figure, similar in age to Hiruzen, walked into the office.
"Oh? Homura. Coming to see me this late? Is there an emergency?"
Hiruzen looked up, a faint smile appearing on his wrinkled face. His tone was gentle.
The visitor was Hiruzen's most trusted confidant and longtime friend, the current Hokage Advisor: Homura Mitokado.
"Hiruzen, are you really going to let Menma Uzumaki enter the Academy? I know Danzō's suggestion was excessive—we can't send a Jinchūriki to be raised in ROOT—but Danzō had a point. Letting the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki study alongside normal children is risky. Why not reconsider? Let your ANBU train Menma directly. I believe that is the safest course of action."
Homura walked up to Hiruzen's desk, his expression full of worry.
"Homura, you worry too much. Didn't Kushina attend the Academy back in the day? Everything turned out fine."
"But Kushina's situation was different."
Homura still looked unconvinced. He was about to argue further.
"It's the same, Homura. Don't forget, Menma is Minato and Kushina's son. Do you not trust Minato and Kushina? Do you not trust me?"
Hiruzen interrupted him. His tone sounded gentle, but there was an underlying firmness that brooked no argument.