fynovel Chapter 10 The Great Fox
Chapter 10 The Great Fox
After drinking the milk and rinsing his mouth carefully, Naruto collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The bond system... who can I still build good relationships with now?
Satsuki certainly wanted to go find her again, but then he thought, wouldn't the approach of the Uchiha clan members to him, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, arouse the suspicion of the Konoha higher-ups? Especially that old schemer Danzo—did he expect him to show mercy just because she was only a three-year-old girl? It was best to give up such a naive idea as soon as possible.
I need to find a way to get some connections with the third generation...
There was no way around it. Uchiha Sasuke's bond level increased by 500 points with each level, and Naruto couldn't help but be envious.
Speaking of which, could there be bond points with the Third Hokage as well? That old man probably doesn't really see me as just a vessel for a tailed beast, does he?
To be fair, the Third Hokage treated him fairly well, but only to a limited extent. He never went hungry, and later the villagers would sell him things because of the Hokage's orders, but the isolation and shunning always persisted.
Each time the three generations visit, besides bringing daily necessities as a routine, the most frequent question they ask is...
"Naruto, do you know what Hokage is?"
Do you know what Naruto represents?
The intention couldn't be clearer: this old guy clearly wants his son to follow in his footsteps, become an outstanding ninja of Konoha, and ideally even dream of becoming Hokage.
Naruto's reluctance to become Hokage wasn't due to deep resentment stemming from the villagers' isolation—though that rejection was indeed unpleasant. The real reason, besides his desire to avoid involvement with the darker aspects of government, was that Naruto knew all too well how exhausting the Hokage position was.
The version of myself in Boruto...
In the clip from the anime, "himself," now the Seventh Hokage, is overwhelmed by mountains of documents, and can only use shadow clones to celebrate his daughter's birthday. His tired eyes, always adorned with dark circles, stand in stark contrast to his current radiant self in the mirror.
What a joke! Whoever wants that kind of life can live it!
Right now, there are very few people with whom I can form bonds. The Third Hokage is one, Kakashi is probably still in the Anbu and I can't contact him at all, as for the Konoha Twelve...
Aside from Sakura, Lee, and Tenten (who are from commoner backgrounds... Tenten probably doesn't count as a commoner, right?), the others are all scions of various powerful clans. Making contact with them rashly now would definitely arouse the suspicion of Konoha's higher-ups.
The scenes of sending Hinata home and rescuing her from harm's way, which were part of the original story, haven't happened yet...
It was impossible for Naruto to take the initiative to go to the Hyuga clan's young lady. Thinking of this, Naruto sighed helplessly.
"...It seems like besides Might Guy, there aren't many suitable candidates."
Night deepened. Naruto lay in bed, his thoughts gradually slowing. The chirping of insects outside the window seemed to come and go, and his eyelids grew heavy without him realizing it. Finally, filled with anticipation for the future, he slowly closed his eyes.
------
The surroundings were dim and gloomy, with a faint smell of rust in the damp air. The puddles on the ground reflected the dim light, and each step created tiny ripples.
Directly in front, a huge iron gate, tens of meters high, stood majestically. The heavy door panel was covered with complex and obscure spells, and a sealing talisman was pasted in the center.
Naruto wasn't sure if he was dreaming or had actually entered the sealed space. At that moment, he was staring wide-eyed at the enormous orange fox behind the iron gate.
"Hmm..." Naruto tilted his head back, trying to take in the scene before him. "It's a bit big, but it's still quite cute when you look closely."
Upon hearing this, the Nine-Tails behind the iron gate felt a vein throb on its forehead.
This kid... is he missing a screw in his head?
As the strongest tailed beast, it was already used to the fearful and hateful gazes of humans. But "cute"? This adjective left it speechless for a moment. What about itself could be considered "cute"?
Never mind. More than how she is viewed, Kurama longs for the freedom that has been taken from her for so long.
"Kid, come here and open the door."
A deep, oppressive voice echoed through the sealed space. Naruto looked up at the enormous orange fox before him—its orange-red eyes still gleamed dangerously even in the darkness, its sharp fangs were faintly visible, and its nine tails swayed restlessly behind it.
Naruto was speechless at Kurama's blunt approach. Did this fox not even bother with basic pretense? It just asked to have the seal released without even trying?
"This door is too big, I can't open it."
"Just tear off that piece of paper on the door." The Nine-Tails impatiently flicked its tail, lowered its massive head, and breathed heavily on Naruto, carrying a strong, scorching heat.
Naruto thought for a moment and asked, "What will happen if I open it?"
"Why are you asking so many questions? Just open it now!" Nine-Tails' voice suddenly rose, causing the entire sealed space to tremble slightly.
In the Nine-Tails' eyes, although this brat often muttered things to himself that it couldn't understand, he was ultimately just a callow human child. How could it, the strongest tailed beast, not be able to handle a three-year-old kid?
"No way," Naruto took a step back, crossing his arms. "I may not know much, but it would be dangerous if I let you out."
...What a perceptive little devil.
Just as Kurama was secretly plotting how to bewitch the brat, it discovered that Naruto not only showed no fear, but instead opened his bright blue eyes wide and looked at it with great interest.
"No wonder those guys called me the Demon Fox..." Naruto looked up, his gaze fixed intently on the enormous creature before him. "So there really is a big fox inside me."
Nine-Tails' ears twitched slightly, not expecting the other party to react this way.
Naruto ignored its silence and continued, "But even though it's a bit big, it's really cool!"
These words completely stunned Nine-Tails.
It has lived for thousands of years and has seen countless human gazes toward it—fear, hatred, contempt, scheming… but no one has ever described it as “handsome”.
What surprised it even more was that, among the emotions it sensed, Naruto's words were actually serious.
Because the Nine-Tails is indeed very beautiful.
Its orange-red fur still gleamed softly in the dimly lit sealed space. Nine enormous tails swayed gently behind it, each hair containing immense chakra, tracing graceful arcs in the air. Its massive size almost filled the entire field of vision, with sharp claws, pointed fangs, and orange-red eyes... It should have been a fearsome beast, yet it inexplicably exuded a noble air, like a mythical creature from legends.
...It seems that the original form of the Nine-Tailed Fox was a divine beast?
As Naruto was lost in thought, he suddenly realized a problem. "But... how do we get out of here?" He looked around; the damp, dark sealed space contained only endless darkness and that massive iron door. "It seems we're all trapped here."
He scratched his head, then flashed a bright smile and extended his hand towards Kurama. "By the way! My name is Uzumaki Naruto. Since we've met, let's get to know each other!"
His response was a cold snort filled with impatience from Nine-Tails.
"Get lost, brat." It slowly lowered itself, resting its massive head on its front paws, and stared coldly at Naruto. "Or I'll kill you."
"Huh? Why?" Naruto wasn't scared off at all; instead, he asked with a puzzled look, "This is the first time we've met, right? It's not good to hate each other."
He simply sat down cross-legged, resting his chin on his hand. "Since we're all here anyway, chatting is much better than just staring at each other, right?"
Nine-Tailed Fox swished its tail irritably, not expecting that this brat was not only unafraid of it, but even intended to "chat" with it.
What a troublesome human cub.