My curious adventures with the Nine-Tailed Fox

Hiruzen fell into deep thought. Yes, his old friends were right; Konoha was indeed going through a very difficult period, and the budget was severely insufficient. But right at that moment, the short conversation he had with Naruto tonight came to mind. He remembered the boy's innocently asked questions, the sorrow in his voice, and the words that caught in his throat when the child asked, "Why don't I have a family?"

After writhing in indecision for a while longer, Hiruzen's gaze suddenly sharpened. For the first time in a long, very long time, he decided to look at the bigger picture—not just the 'Village,' but a small and innocent 'individual.'

"This matter is now closed to discussion. The Fourth Hokage and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, who sacrificed their lives protecting the village, are heroes of this village. We have already betrayed their trust in us more than enough. At the very least, I will leave their inheritance untouched for their only son! Until Naruto comes of age, Jiraiya and Kakashi will personally oversee all the residences and commercial stores!"

The trio flinched at this clear and sharp stance. Deep down, they actually believed that Hiruzen would eventually concede to their demands. Unfortunately, the upcoming Hyuga incident would deal a major blow to Hiruze's self-confidence. Even though he had wholeheartedly believed in the Will of Fire for years, he had been completely unable to help the Fourth Hokage during the Nine-Tails rebellion. On top of that, the crisis created by the Cloud Village envoy, who came to the village under the guise of peace talks and tried to kidnap the Hyuga princess, had erupted. Although the envoy was caught red-handed and killed, the Cloud Village refused to admit any fault; instead, with immense audacity, they demanded compensation and a sacrifice from Konoha.

In the future, to swallow his anger and prevent a war, Hiruzen would be forced to accept this unjust demand, and for this very reason, he would compel the twin brother of the Hyuga patriarch to commit suicide. The psychological blow he would take when delivering the lifeless body to the Cloud Village—the murderer of his own sensei—would be so heavy that this incident would turn Hiruzen into a more cautious, and even at times, cowardly leader for the rest of his life. This incident was the second biggest and heaviest stain on his career after the White Fang incident.

Koharu wanted to object to Hiruzen's decision again, but Homura stopped her, shaking his head slightly from side to side. Hiruzen's current upright stance was an exact reflection of his uncompromising and resolute demeanor from his youth. In other words, he would never back down on this issue. If they pushed him any further, a rift would form between them that would be very difficult to repair, and the Namikaze family's inheritance was certainly not worth paying such a heavy price.

Danzo did not say a single word either. He wanted the inheritance more than anyone, but the tension between them was already at its peak due to the Naruto issue last year and the secret assassination attempt he had tried to orchestrate against Hiruzen. If he spoke now, this rift would deepen even further. Thus, this matter of inheritance was quietly closed.

However, there was a much stranger truth that this group of old folks in the room and the people of Konoha would never know: an irregular Turkish special forces soldier, who would stir up storms in Konoha in the near future, was lying unconscious right at that moment, on the furry tail of a giant monster within the sealed space in Naruto's stomach.

…

The Next MorningInside the Sealed Space

Only the sounds of regular and deep breathing came from the giant cage within the dark sealed space. Altay, curled up and sleeping on Kurama's giant tail, was perhaps sleeping this soundly and comfortably for the first time in his life.

In contrast, Kurama hadn't slept a wink all night. While contemplating the dark future, he was also constantly busy repairing Altay's internal injuries. For the first time in his centuries-long life, he had willingly transferred chakra to someone. Moreover, this was not a simple, temporary chakra loan like in the Fourth Ninja War; just like the Sage of Six Paths had done, he had permanently built a chakra system for Altay from scratch. This was a first in history.

Initially, he hadn't cared in the slightest if Altay couldn't bear this heavy burden and died; after all, he was just another one of those untrustworthy humans. However, from the moment Altay stepped into the seal space, he had displayed a surprising honesty toward him, not telling a single lie, but rather warning him about the terrifying future approaching.

You might think this trust developed too quickly. No, it wasn't quick. Because we are not talking about an ordinary human or creature; Kurama is an extremely unique and wise tailed beast. He can understand at a single glance, with a single breath, whether humans are lying to him or harboring malicious or insidious thoughts within them. His affinity for chakra and natural energy is at its absolute peak. Kurama's true area of expertise is the nature of Yin and Yang, meaning he can read the complex bond between body and soul better than anyone. Even though his Yin half had been sealed and torn away from him, the foundations of this ability were still completely intact. Thanks to this, he had definitively verified that Altay was being completely honest and telling the truth.

Furthermore, Kurama had been completely alone for over sixty years. In his free days before being sealed, when he got bored, he would either take long walks in the forests or go find the other tailed beasts and beat them up a bit. Now that all these freedoms had been taken away from him, having an honest person he could chat with for at least a few days didn't seem like such a bad idea.

Currently, the biggest problem troubling Kurama's mind was his own future. The approaching threats were colossal; especially that damn Rinnegan was his worst nightmare. How was he supposed to resist those godly eyes when he couldn't even resist an ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan? Moreover, there were much fiercer battles waiting for him in the future.

And then there was the danger of the Otsutsuki clan; when they arrived, things would spiral completely out of control. In the midst of all this, there was also the matter of this little kid, Naruto... He had seen from Altay's memories that a boundless potential lay within the boy, but how was he supposed to establish healthy communication with this brat? The boy's mother and father had died by his very own claws. Though he didn't feel an ounce of pity for Kushina; because Kushina had subjected Kurama to severe psychological and physical torture for years. As for the Fourth Hokage, he only had a bit of respect for him as a warrior, but he couldn't be sad about his death either, because the man had literally split Kurama's existence right down the middle! But ironically, that same man had sealed him in the safest haven in the world...

"Ah, whatever. Let's just focus on the present. I don't have the energy to think about these things deeply, I'm already stressed enough as it is."

As he muttered to himself amidst these complex thoughts, he suddenly felt a slight movement on the giant tail upon which he rested. Altay was slowly waking up. Barely opening his eyes, he looked directly at the dark ceiling of the cage.

"...So I'm still alive, huh."

Kurama bared his giant teeth and smirked in an extremely proud and arrogant manner.

"It was child's play! Your so-called severe internal injuries are nothing more than a minor scratch against my power!"

Altay was still staring blankly at the ceiling. Despite having survived, there was a strange disappointment in his voice. He asked in a calm, even slightly lifeless voice.

"Kurama... Why did you save me? Don't you hate humans?"

Kurama glared at Altay in response to this ungrateful question and roared in quite an angry tone.

"Are you telling me what to do, bug? You're alive, what more do you want? Or did you really want to just die and be gone?"

Altay sighed softly.

"I told you before, Kurama. Death is not an end for me; on the contrary, the most honorable point a Turkish soldier like me can reach in his life, the thing he desires the most, is to become a martyr while fighting. I, my people, and my ancestors fight not just to live, but to die for our values when necessary."

Kurama fell into thought for a moment. Even though he wasn't very intimate with humans, he had begun to suspect that this man and the people he saw in his memories definitely had serious psychological issues... No, he was absolutely certain now. Just then, Kurama noticed an annoying detail and growled.

"How much longer are you going to lie sprawled out on my tail!?"

Only then did Altay come to his senses, finally realizing why the place he was lying was so soft and comfortable. He was lying right in the middle of Kurama's fluffy, furry tail. He reached out and gently stroked the thick fur.

"So soft..."

Kurama tickled and shuddered at this sudden contact, violently shaking his tail to throw Altay off. Altay regained his balance in the air with an agile movement and landed safely on his feet. He stretched calmly without the slightest sign of discomfort on his face.

"Believe me, Kurama, this tail of yours is far more comfortable than even the most luxurious beds in my world! I've never woken up feeling this rested in my life!"

Kurama exhaled hot steam from his nose and sighed in irritation.

"This was the first and the last time! You can never climb onto my tail and sleep again!"

Altay shrugged, not caring at all; after all, he was a trained soldier who could sleep even on mud and rocks on the battlefield. After taking a short breath, his voice grew serious.

"Still, Kurama, thank you for saving my life and giving me chakra from your own power."

Kurama flinched at the word he heard. For the first time in his life, a human was looking him in the eyes and thanking him sincerely, expecting nothing in return. He quickly pulled himself together and put his arrogant and proud mask back on.

"Hmph! I only kept you alive because you were useful to me. I'm not ungrateful; you gave me very important information, and I returned the favor by saving your life. We are completely even now."

Although his words were icy and indifferent, the giant tails swaying slightly behind him gave away just how pleased he actually was with this thanks. Seeing this sight, Altay thought of only a single word.

'Tsundere.'

Kurama suddenly narrowed his eyes and focused intently on Altay. Altay tensed slightly under the monster's piercing gaze. Kurama furrowed his brows and interrogated him.

"You were just thinking something bad about me in your head, weren't you?"

Altay answered in a clear tone without hesitation.

"Depending on the mindset and the person, it could be a good thing or a bad thing. But to me, it's definitely a good thing!"

Kurama's brows furrowed even more; it was a philosophical and evasive answer. However, since he didn't sense any lie or malicious intent from Altay, he didn't prolong the issue.

"I hope so..."

After this brief exchange, Altay turned his attention to his own body. He felt a strange, warm flow of energy inside him that had never existed before.

"So this is what they call chakra? An interesting and warm power... but I don't have the slightest idea how to use it."

Kurama nodded slightly in confirmation, then plastered an extremely proud and arrogant smirk on his face.

"Be proud of it, mortal! The chakra flowing through your veins is far purer, denser, and stronger than the chakra of other ordinary humans! Your current body is at a level very close to the Senju clan's 'Sage Body'! It became this perfect because I gave you this power! I even added a tiny amount of senjutsu to the healing process."

Following this boast, Kurama grew serious for a moment and adopted a thoughtful demeanor.

"But know that this was a completely unique event, a first in history, just for you. Because you didn't have your own chakra, I was able to transfer my own to you, like pouring water into an empty vessel. Still, I must admit that your willpower is truly as solid as steel. To integrate that energy with your body, I had to cause your internal organs, nervous system, and all your cells to be torn apart and reformed. Yet you didn't make even the slightest sound in the face of that hellish agony. If a normal human had experienced that pain, they would have gone into shock and died from the pain within seconds."

Altay shrugged nonchalantly.

"It wasn't a big deal to me. What you call physical pain is only momentary; it passes. The important thing is that I am now much stronger and more durable than before... But honestly, what good will this do me? After all, I'm trapped in this seal space, and if I don't eat something, it won't be long before I starve to death."

Kurama shrugged casually just like him.

"There's absolutely nothing I can do about that. You are completely on your own now! Now be quiet and don't disturb me, I'm going to sleep."

As soon as Kurama finished speaking, he completely ignored Altay and rested his head on the ground. Altay silently looked at this giant being for a while, then walked with slow steps and squatted down next to Kurama's thick, furry arm. Leaning his back slightly against the monster's arm, he fell into thought. However, Kurama suddenly got annoyed, swung his arm, and shoved Altay forcefully.

"GET AWAY FROM THERE! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Altay lost his balance and fell face-first, his head plunging into the shallow waters of the seal space. Angrily raising his head, he shouted at Kurama while completely soaked.

"YOU'RE SO SELFISH, HUH!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!? WHO JUST SAVED YOU FROM DEATH!?"

"WHO PUT ME IN THAT STATE!?"

"WHO ASKED FOR IT!?"

"I—"

Just as Altay was yelling, he fell silent in surprise as something else caught his attention. Kurama took this silence as an opportunity and shot him an immensely proud look. Altay had stopped talking, which meant the magnificent Nine-Tails had won this verbal argument!

"HMPH!"

With an air of victory, Kurama arrogantly stretched his arms out on the ground, placed his giant head on them, and tightly closed his eyes.

Altay just stood there in the water, a highly peculiar and bewildered expression on his face. After a momentary pause, he muttered.

"Kurama..."

Kurama maintained his silence without opening his eyes.

"Oi, I'm talking to you, Kurama!"

Still no answer; Kurama continued to lie there as if he were in a deep sleep. Faced with this indifferent attitude, Altay's patience overflowed. Leaping up in anger, he sprinted and delivered a solid flying kick right to Kurama's wet, black nose.

"KURAMA, I SAID LOOK AT ME!"

BANG!

OUCH!

Kurama grabbed his nose, more in sheer shock than actual pain. He wasn't really hurt physically, but his pride was severely bruised.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING—"

"AHHH! SHUT UP, YOU ARROGANT FURBALL! LISTEN TO ME, THERE'S A VERY IMPORTANT SITUATION HERE!"

Kurama was utterly astounded by this insult. The great Nine-Tails was being insulted back-to-back! Just as he was about to open his mouth wide and blow him away with a roar, he noticed the seriousness in Altay's eyes. He fell silent and grumbled.

"WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY HAD BETTER BE REALLY IMPORTANT!"

Altay straightened his posture and got straight to the point in an extremely serious tone.

"When you were in my mind, exactly how much of my memories did you see?"

Kurama couldn't immediately grasp the context of this question.

"What does that matter right now?"

Altay's right eyebrow twitched with irritation. Kurama had seen his entire life, his memories, his deepest secrets, everything he loved and hated, but to him, all of this was 'unimportant'. Taking a deep breath, Altay decided to ignore this apathy and continued speaking.

"Do you remember the Novel and Fanfic chapters I read, the story dynamics you saw in my memories?"

Kurama tilted his giant head slightly to the side.

"What do you mean? Where are you trying to get with this?"

Altay sighed once more and uttered that critical sentence.

"I have a system!"

At first, Kurama couldn't fully comprehend the term. He grumbled in an annoyed voice.

"What the hell is a system?"

However, after Kurama thought for a few seconds, when the power-up dynamics from the countless fantasy novels and fanfictions he had read in Altay's mind came to him, the penny suddenly dropped with a loud clang. His eyes widened like saucers.

"NANIIIII!?"