Chapter 359: Lightning
Little had either of the two boys known, Arthur watched their whole moment unfold from a distance.
He often kept his senses up when observing Naruto's progress. But today's display caught his attention in a way no other event had. The boy was, indeed, growing stronger—even while suspended from official duties as a shinobi.
Arthur's gaze lingered on their scene a little longer. While Naruto's ability to summon the Nine-Tails out of its cage to fight was impressive, Arthur knew something they didn't—something that gave him a deeper insight into why Naruto's bond with the beast was so fragile and complicated.
The reason, as Arthur understood, lay with William. Or more specifically, what William knew—and how much of it he understood about the Nine-Tails, about the history of the ninja world, and about Naruto himself.
The beast was not easily fooled. It was a creature of instinct and had roamed this world longer than those two had been born, and it recognized the foreknowledge William carried.
The Nine-Tails also understood exactly why Naruto had been progressing so quickly. It wasn't because Naruto was strong or because he had inherited the secrets of his background.
No, it was because William was there. William was the one who knew the beast's name—the one who knew about its past, about the legacy of Asura, and about Naruto's true heritage.
That knowledge alone was given to Naruto, but it was never shared correctly with the Nine-Tails.
The fact that William had been the one to develop a connection—an understanding—that even Naruto himself hadn't fully grasped yet made the Nine-Tails wary of William.
Was Naruto the one who knew the beast's name? Was it Naruto who knew he was a descendant of Asura? All these questions, the revelations William shared, were what kept the Nine-Tails restrained from befriending its host.
That was why Nine-Tails wasn't fully accepting Naruto; William knew too much.