Life in Konoha was dull, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant.
If one ignored the cold stares and whispers from villagers every time he stepped outside, it was actually a decent place to settle down.
Months drifted by in a slow, uneventful rhythm. Every day, Naruto followed the same routine, shuttling between his rundown apartment and the forest.
Now and then, Shikamaru and the others would come find him, and the three would barbecue by the river.
At first, Naruto did all the hunting and fishing, but later on, they started bringing ingredients from home, sometimes even pre-packed lunches. Thanks to them, Naruto finally got to enjoy a few proper meals.
With winter coming, Naruto had stocked up on wild boar, oxen, and rabbits, hanging the meat out to dry on his little balcony as provisions for the cold months ahead.
The apartment was old and cramped, but he really liked that attached terrace. It was perfect for drying clothes and meats.
Inside his belly, the Nine-Tails was still tirelessly eroding the seal, and aside from stockpiling food, Naruto's favorite pastime had become watching his own chakra slowly grow stronger.
According to what he sensed with his Kagura's Mind Eye, his chakra reserves now matched that of the Nine-Tails sealed within him.
At this rate, by the time he turned eight, he'd have the equivalent of one full-tailed beast's worth of chakra. By twelve, one and a half. And by sixteen, when Kaguya would awaken, he'd be carrying the chakra of two complete Nine-Tails.
Of course, such vast chakra reserves were impossible to hide. To sensory-type ninja, it was like fireworks exploding in the middle of the night. "Conspicuous" didn't even begin to cover it.
The Uzumaki clan did have techniques to conceal chakra, but Naruto wasn't able to use them yet. Still, it seemed no one had probed him so far. At least, he hadn't noticed any signs of interest from the higher-ups. The masked Anbu watching him was still the same one.
So, as long as he didn't go poking around the village's barrier systems for fun, he wouldn't attract too much attention.
But while others might not notice his changes, the Nine-Tails certainly did.
As Naruto's chakra swelled further, one night, he was finally pulled into the sealed space within him.
Standing before the massive, snarling fox behind the iron gate, Naruto couldn't help but gape, eyes wide in awe.
How the heck did such a huge creature even fit inside his body?
Clang
A sharp claw scraped across the bars, sparks flying as it struck the metal.
"Hey, brat. Come here."
"Do I look like an idiot to you?"
Naruto scratched his head. The boy and the fox locked eyes for a few seconds, a strange tension hanging in the air.
"Hmph. Crafty little human runt."
"Says the one trying to trick me."
Seeing Naruto's inexplicable expression, the Nine-Tails found itself momentarily at a loss.
It had meant to intimidate this foolish little human cub, to question him about why he had its chakra. But the kid wasn't scared at all.
"So you really aren't an ordinary brat…"
The Nine-Tails lowered itself to the ground behind the gate, eyes narrowing as it examined the tiny figure before it.
"Hey, kid. Why do you have my chakra?"
Naruto thought for a moment. "Probably… maybe… I guess it's because you're sealed inside me?"
"That's not what I meant!"
The massive fox growled, furious. "I'm asking why your chakra feels exactly like mine! Why does a human like you have such an enormous amount of tailed beast chakra? Do you think I'm as stupid as the idiots in Konoha, you little punk?!"
Its roar stirred up a gale, forcing Naruto to take two steps back.
"Haha, so you noticed."
Naruto grinned and raised his hands, not bothering to hide anything. "All external energies that negatively affect me are automatically neutralized and then duplicated in my body. That's the best way to explain it."
From the original story, it was clear: the first step to dealing with a tailed beast was honesty.
Besides, the only reason he'd accumulated this much chakra was thanks to the Nine-Tails' relentless attempts to corrupt the seal.
With his chakra steadily growing, it was only a matter of time before the fox noticed something was off. Better to be open about it. Cooperation would benefit them both. After all, there wasn't really any conflict of interest between them.
The Nine-Tails' pupils shrank. "Impossible."
"But the evidence is right in front of you."
Naruto opened his palm, and a tiny green sprout emerged from his hand.
"Three people left their chakra inside me. My parents, and someone with Wood Release."
"Wood Release…"
The Nine-Tails narrowed its eyes, visibly uneasy.
Wood Release combined with Adamantine Sealing Chains… once this brat grew up, it wouldn't be surprised if he came to string it up and whip it.
Seeing the little sprout in Naruto's palm, the fox couldn't help but remember a certain sanctimonious man. The guy who had once told it, "You're too powerful, Nine-Tails," while proceeding to do unspeakable things to it…
Tch, better not to think about that.
Still, there was something all too familiar about the boy's chakra. It had always felt that way.
There were traces of Minato and Kushina… and something else. That brat Asura?
The fox snorted. "Why are you telling me this? What's your angle, kid?"
"I plan to let you go."
Naruto's words caught the fox completely off guard.
"Not right away, of course."
He raised a hand to quiet the fox before it could react.
"One day, I'll leave Konoha. Travel the world. See what's out there. Eventually, I want to find a peaceful, quiet place to live. But before that, I need the strength to support that freedom."
"Your power is incredible, but nothing in this world surpasses human greed. Keeping you sealed inside me would only attract unnecessary trouble. So, really, I'm not releasing you. I'm releasing myself."
"Hmph. What noble words…"
The Nine-Tails squinted at him. "Aren't you just after my chakra like the rest of them? Why should I believe you?"
Naruto clumsily formed a few hand seals. With a soft fwoosh, the seal paper on the gate dissolved into ash.
"The seal requires a key to open. But at this point, with the seal weakening and your power growing, you could probably break out by force. And since I carry your chakra, even if you did, I wouldn't die."
Naruto continued calmly, "I just want you to keep interfering with my chakra flow. That's all I ask. In return, I won't reinforce the seal or restrict you. Within ten years, I promise I'll set you free."
The Nine-Tails stared in disbelief as the seal paper disintegrated before its eyes.
Wait… the brat was serious?
"What a naive little fool…"
Behind the bars, the fox sat up and shook its massive head like a giant dog. Then it lowered its body again, eyes narrowing as it looked down on the boy.
"You know a lot more than a kid your age should. So I'm sure you also know… your parents died because of me."
It leaned in closer.
"And if you're really using my chakra, then you should feel it too. That overwhelming malice out there. That life full of misfortune, that's all thanks to me, brat."
"So what?" Naruto chuckled. "Am I supposed to break down in tears now? Scream and shout?"
"I mean, you've watched me grow up. Sort of. Do you really think I'd recognize people I've never met as my parents? As for that malice…"
He scoffed, clearly unimpressed.
"Cold-hearted little brat."
"You're the one who brought it up."
Naruto shrugged. "Besides, I don't think I've had such a bad life. Sounds weird, I know, but if I had to name the luckiest thing that's happened to me so far… I'd probably say it was meeting you."
"Lucky…?"
The Nine-Tails was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter as if it had heard the funniest joke in the world.
"What an amusing brat. Lucky, huh? Fine. Since you're so eager to butter me up, I guess I can play along."
Naruto blinked. "You seem pretty happy?"
"Shut up! I'll kill you, you damn brat!"
The fox howled like it'd been scalded, clawing at the bars and roaring in frustration.
"Look at you. All riled up again."
Naruto grinned. "So it's settled. You keep disrupting my chakra, and I'll set you free within ten years."
"Remember what you said, brat."
The Nine-Tails gave him a long, piercing look before slowly lowering its head, pretending to doze off.
"What, already lying down?"
Naruto crept up to the gate, peering at the huge fox beyond.
"Don't be like that. We're comrades now, kind of. Shouldn't we at least introduce ourselves? I'm Uzumaki Naruto. What about you? You're not just called Nine-Tails, right?"
"Come on, Kurama-san. Let's talk a bit."
Such a noisy brat…
The fox twitched its ears irritably and turned away.
Even though Naruto was this close, this was still a sealed space. The gate hadn't been truly opened. Even if it took a swipe at him, it'd only cause spiritual damage, maybe knock him unconscious for a few days.
And when he woke up, the one who'd suffer would be it.
Damn brat, still a kid, yet already has as much chakra as a tailed beast. And all of it siphoned off from me…
Naruto flopped to the ground when the fox didn't respond, rolling around from boredom.
Just as he was about to doze off, he heard a low voice rumble from the other side of the gate.
"Kurama… Remember my name, brat."
"Such a tsundere."
Naruto muttered, and just before his consciousness slipped away, he vaguely heard the furious roar of a certain giant fox.