Naruto: From Ninja Academy to an Early Grave

Naruto looked cool as hell when he flared up with chakra, but it was obvious that his chakra had suddenly skyrocketed and he still couldn't control it precisely.

This wasn't the Dragon Ball world. Powering up like that wouldn't increase combat strength. Other than wasting chakra, the only thing it could do was intimidate ordinary shinobi.

Makoto said, "Naruto, is your chakra free or something? Hurry up and put that away. If you keep blowing chakra around like this, this room is going to turn into a forest."

"Got it, Sensei."

After taking a moment to adjust, Naruto quickly regained the same level of chakra control he had before and reined in the chakra aura around him.

When his floating golden hair settled back down, it didn't turn black.

As expected, he wasn't a Saiyan.

Only then did Kushina step forward and start feeling him over from head to toe.

"Naruto, do you feel anything wrong with your body?"

"No, Mom. I feel great. Better than ever before. My mind feels a lot clearer too. Even Dad's Flying Thunder God doesn't seem as hard to understand as it used to."

"My dynamic vision seems to have improved too. It feels like everyone's movements have become a little slower. I might need some time to get used to it."

As he spoke, Naruto's eyes appeared especially lively and bright.

It wasn't that his eyes had been dull before.

Rather, this was the outward manifestation of increased spiritual energy.

Kushina: "..."

What the hell was this about improved dynamic vision?

Wasn't that the kind of change that only happened after awakening the Sharingan?

Her son wasn't suddenly going to grow red eyes, was he?

How was she supposed to explain that?

Minato smiled.

Everyone present had seen Indra's and Asura's chakra merge to a certain extent, and Indra was the ancestor of the Uchiha Clan.

So even if Naruto suddenly awakened the Sharingan now, it honestly wouldn't be that outrageous.

Fortunately, that didn't happen.

Indra's chakra manifested mainly as an increase in Naruto's spiritual energy. It didn't rewrite his genes or convert entirely into ocular power.

But before one wave could settle, another rose.

Just as Naruto thought the changes were over, the Nine-Tails' chakra inside his seal suddenly began leaking out uncontrollably. Even the portion of Nine-Tails chakra sealed inside Kushina for appearances' sake started rioting.

A crimson tailed-beast cloak rapidly formed around both of them.

Makoto immediately separated the two and said to Naruto, "Come with me. Let's take a look inside the seal."

Meanwhile, after losing contact with Naruto, Kushina instantly suppressed the tailed-beast cloak that had already developed two tails.

The Nine-Tails chakra inside her was merely water without a source. As a sealing master, suppressing it was easy for her.

Inside the sealing space, Makoto and Naruto's consciousnesses stood before the Nine-Tails.

Over the years, Kurama and Makoto had reached an agreement. He was willing to reconcile with Naruto, and the two sides had gotten along fairly well.

Because of that, he had never lost control before.

But now, the giant fox was lying on the ground of the sealing space, his expression twisted in pain.

Something was clearly wrong.

Patches of pale orange light had appeared across his originally orange-red fur.

The two colors flowed across his body like liquid.

Large sections of orange-red fur peeled away, transforming into chakra and surging out through the seal.

Apparently, that was the reason Naruto had manifested the tailed-beast cloak earlier.

Naruto called out anxiously, "Big Fox, what's wrong with you?"

While enduring the pain, the Nine-Tails growled, "You brat. Who do you think caused this?"

"When you trained with this guy's natural energy before, I could still suppress the discomfort."

"But today, your chakra suddenly changed completely. It's completely incompatible with mine."

"I can't suppress it anymore."

Naruto turned toward Makoto.

"Makoto-sensei, what's going on?"

Makoto explained, "Because you've reached Constant Sage Mode today. The fundamental nature of the chakra inside your body has completely changed, which is why it's conflicting with Kurama's chakra."

The Nine-Tails snapped, "Hey, stop explaining and fix this already! If I lose control and destroy Konohagakure, don't go blaming me afterward."

"Like you'd actually be capable of that."

The Nine Tailed Beasts were originally parts of the Ten-Tails.

The Ten-Tails itself had been created when the God Tree absorbed and transformed the ninja world's primordial natural energy.

Back then, the Sage of Six Paths split the Ten-Tails into two parts.

Its husk became the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, which was sealed inside the moon together with Kaguya.

Its chakra was divided into nine portions.

Using Yin-Yang Release, the Sage of Six Paths granted them consciousness, creating the Nine Tailed Beasts.

Because of that, tailed-beast chakra and primordial natural energy were fundamentally opposed to one another.

There were only two ways to resolve this contradiction.

One was to suppress the Nine-Tails and let the natural energy erase his consciousness.

The other was to transform the very nature of his existence.

Makoto said, "Good news. As long as we erase your consciousness and change the nature of your chakra, the problem will be solved. Simple, right?"

Kurama immediately exploded.

"Damn you, Higashino Makoto! If you dare break your promise, this old man will drag your disciple down with me!"

Naruto hurriedly said, "Makoto-sensei, Big Fox is actually a really good guy. Can't we not erase him?"

Makoto shrugged.

"Then we'll have to use the second method."

"It'll require cooperation from both of you."

"And Naruto, you'll need to spend quite a while doing some very boring training."

Naruto said, "I choose that one. As long as Big Fox survives, I don't care how much time it takes."

The Nine-Tails lowered his head and looked at his jinchūriki before tilting it to the side.

"Hmph. Don't think I'll thank you just because of that, brat."

"I don't need your thanks," Naruto replied. "I just don't want you to disappear. Sensei and I already promised we'd give you your freedom."

The Nine-Tails fell silent.

Damn it. Why am I starting to like this brat a little?

The corners of Makoto's mouth curled upward.

The Nine-Tails was basically a fox version of Sasuke.

A complete tsundere.

He raised his right hand and altered the structure of the seal.

At the same time, two energy channels extended out from the sealing space—one connected to the Nine-Tails' heart, the other to his brain.

Although tailed beasts were chakra lifeforms, they still possessed normal bodily structures.

Otherwise, what exactly had Kinkaku and Ginkaku been chewing on inside the Nine-Tails' stomach back then?

In fact, he even felt pain just like ordinary living creatures. It was because those two brothers had chewed on him until he couldn't stand it anymore that he was forced to spit them back out.

Once the energy channels were connected, the Nine-Tails' condition stabilized.

Orange-red chakra flowed out through the channels, while the pale-orange patches across his body slowly expanded.

Makoto said, "Kurama, I assume you understand your situation?"

"Hmph. Of course I do."

When Makoto and Minato designed the seal, they had never cut off his ability to observe the outside world.

So he had witnessed everything Naruto experienced.

Whatever Naruto learned, he learned as well.

Makoto continued, "If you continue existing as a tailed beast, you'll forever remain a part of the Ten-Tails—and food for the Ōtsutsuki Clan."

"Of course, as long as I'm around, I won't allow you to return to the Ten-Tails."

"But don't you want to change that fate?"

"Don't you want to experience a different way of life?"

"Of course I do," Kurama replied. "But can it really be changed?"

"Of course it can. Right now, I'm changing the form of your body's energy."

"In the past, you were made from the Ten-Tails' chakra."

"When the transformation is complete, your body will be composed of secondary primordial natural energy instead."

Kurama looked puzzled.

"Then can I still be called a tailed beast?"

"No."

"From now on, you'll be a nature spirit—a pure spirit beast belonging to the ninja world."

"What about my consciousness? Will it change?"

"It won't."

"But the violent side inherited from the Ten-Tails will no longer influence you."

"You'll become much calmer in the future, but you'll still be yourself."

"If someone provokes you, you can still get angry and stomp them flat."

"And more importantly, you'll become a completely independent existence."

"You'll never be able to return to the Ten-Tails again."

"Not even the Ōtsutsuki Clan will be able to refine you into a pill."

Kurama thought about it for a moment.

Honestly, it sounded pretty good.

But what concerned him most was his agreement with Makoto.

"Hey, brat. We had a deal, remember?"

"I agreed to reconcile with my jinchūriki, but he's supposed to be my last jinchūriki."

"After the future problems you mentioned are dealt with, you'll give me my freedom."

"That part isn't changing, right?"

"If you call me a brat one more time, I'll turn you into a puppy right now."

"..."

Kurama immediately folded.

There was no helping it.

This guy was even more powerful than the old man who had created them.

Being a little cowardly wasn't embarrassing.

"Fine."

"True Sage, our agreement still stands, right?"

Makoto liked a Kurama who knew when to behave.

"As far as I'm concerned, that's not even an issue."

"Once your transformation is complete, your relationship with Naruto will change."

"Your lives won't be linked together anymore."

"The seal won't restrict you either."

"When the time comes, if you want to go out and have fun, go ahead."

"When you're tired, come back and keep Naruto company."

"Doesn't that sound like freedom?"

The corners of Kurama's fox-like mouth lifted slightly.

"Hmph. When that day comes, this old man will run as far away from you people as possible."

"Who'd want to come back and keep this brat company?"

Naruto grinned.

"That's okay, Big Fox. You were always meant to be free."

"But after you leave, I'll miss you."

Kurama: "..."

Makoto said, "Then it's settled."

"I'll leave first. You two can talk."

This damned tsundere fox.

Talking with such certainty now.

Don't blame me when I tease you about it for the rest of your life.

Kurama clenched one paw into a fist.

"Hey, brat. Get over here."

"What for?"

"I said get over here, so get over here. Stop talking so much."

"You're my last jinchūriki, after all."

"I should at least give you something."

"Otherwise that bastard will say the strongest tailed beast is a stingy miser."

One large fist and one small fist met openly, without any reservations between them.

Outside, the tailed-beast cloak covering Naruto's body faded away.

But not long afterward, a brilliant orange chakra cloak ignited around him.

Nine-Tails Chakra Mode had appeared.

At this moment, the Perfect Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had been achieved.

Makoto smiled faintly.

That hopeless fox really couldn't be saved.

But then he suddenly remembered something.

Team 7 had three members.

Naruto had now achieved perfect synchronization with the Nine-Tails ahead of schedule.

Sasuke's eyes had evolved into a Sage Mode Mangekyō, and from the looks of it, they were still evolving.

Who knew whether they would eventually become some special form of Rinnegan?

Which raised a serious question.

One day in the future, what if Sakura unleashed her strongest genjutsu and said:

"Sensei, I've finally caught up to them."

How exactly was he supposed to respond?

Should he lie to her?

Should he lie to her?

Or should he lie to her?

That's just how things are when ordinary shinobi have to compete with people using cheats.

If Makoto's soul weren't unique enough to wield the most fundamental form of natural power, he'd probably be just like every other shinobi—standing behind the savior duo of Naruto and Sasuke, cheering them on from the sidelines.