Ryosuke Uchiha finally saw the beast in its entirety: a monstrous fox, its body towering, with nine vast tails swaying menacingly behind it.
"So… this is the Nine-Tailed Fox," he murmured.
His Mangekyō eyes narrowed. "Can I ask you one thing? Stop interfering with Naruto's training."
The fox's jaw stretched into a wide, mocking grin.
"For that brat?" its voice thundered, dripping with scorn. "He's the container that shackled me, stripped me of my freedom—and you expect me to make things easy for him? Don't be stupid."
Ryosuke's brow furrowed. The fox wasn't going to yield easily. And unlike sealing masters, he had no way of strengthening Minato's seal from the outside. He couldn't reinforce the prison that held the Nine Tails in place. The most he could do here was threaten.
His voice turned cold. "Aren't you afraid I'll destroy you?"
The Nine Tails blinked, momentarily surprised. Then it let out a low, rumbling laugh, eyes gleaming with disdain.
"I admit, you radiate a formidable aura. But destroy me? That arrogance is laughable. You humans are all the same—you seal me not to protect the world, but to exploit my power for yourselves. How utterly despicable."
Ryosuke's lips tightened. The fox's words stung with truth. In this sealed space, he wasn't physically here. He couldn't kill the beast even if he wanted to. His strongest weapon—Eight Inner Gates—was meaningless here. That was why the fox dared speak so brazenly.
But mastering the Nine Tails' power? That wasn't something Ryosuke desired. He had no need for it. The beast's chakra might be immense—greater even than the Eight Tails—but Ryosuke knew his own strength. With Eight Gates fully open, a single kick from him could flatten the Eight Tails outright. He had no use for borrowed power.
Besides, his chakra reserves grew with every… intimate night he spent under the blessing of his strange system. One day, he might very well surpass even the tailed beasts on his own.
So instead, he offered something unexpected.
"In that case," Ryosuke said evenly, "let's make a deal. If you stop disrupting Naruto's training, then one day, when the time is right, I'll see to it you're released. I'll return your freedom."
The Nine Tails tilted its head, then burst into dark laughter.
"How rare," it sneered, "to meet someone who doesn't crave my power. But even if you set me free, the jinchūriki will die the moment the seal is undone. And you seem to care quite a lot about that brat. Will you still release me, knowing it will cost him his life?"
"And what of this?" the fox pressed further. "What if, once free, I seek vengeance against your precious Konoha? Don't you fear that?"
Ryosuke smiled faintly.
"Revenge? From you?" His voice carried amusement more than fear. "If you're truly perceptive, you must have already sensed it. In the Uchiha compound lies the chakra of another tailed beast. That one is mine—I captured it myself."
The fox's eyes widened a fraction.
Ryosuke continued calmly. "Even the Eight Tails' jinchūriki—I captured him too. He only escaped because I allowed it. And as for releasing you without harming Naruto… methods exist. If you can be sealed, you can be unsealed. It's only a matter of knowledge."
The fox studied him closely.
Ryosuke shrugged. "If I must, I'll enlist Orochimaru. The man's a master of forbidden jutsu. Whether by cooperation or by force, he could be made to serve my purpose. Developing a way to remove you safely might be difficult… but it isn't impossible."
The Nine Tails narrowed its eyes, sensing carefully. To its shock, it did indeed detect another familiar chakra signature nearby—Matatabi, the Two-Tails.
He wasn't lying…
"And how do I know," the fox rumbled, "that your words are truth, not deception?"
Ryosuke's gaze sharpened. "Then I'll bind this deal in the name of the Uchiha clan. And to reassure you…" His Mangekyō Sharingan spun violently. "I'll show you proof."
His eyes glowed with terrifying power, even through the barrier of the seal.
The Nine Tails' pupils constricted. Such ocular force—it was like gazing into the abyss of Madara himself.
Its vision went black.
When it opened its eyes again, the scene had shifted.
Before it stood the Eight Tails' jinchūriki, Killer B, cloaked in the raging chakra of the Eight Tails. In an instant, the transformation completed—his body fully overtaken, standing as the monstrous bull-octopus itself.
But another human figure dashed straight at him, cleaving through the beast with raw physical force. The Eight Tails howled as the jinchūriki was torn out from within.
The fox froze.
Impossible…!
A fully manifested jinchūriki wielded power nearly equal to a true tailed beast. And yet the man before it had defeated him outright. Ryosuke's words of being able to "destroy" the Nine Tails… perhaps they weren't empty boasts.
And the technique he used—those blazing, burning strikes—surely that was the Eight Gates. To think that in this era, someone had not only learned it, but pushed it to such extremes…
The vision faded. The fox found itself once again in its dark prison, staring at Ryosuke across the bars.
"So," Ryosuke asked lightly, "still interested in my deal?"
The Nine Tails was silent for a long moment. Finally, it nodded.
"Very well. But know this—if you deceive me, I will ensure the jinchūriki never draws even a sliver of my chakra again. With my interference, he'll never refine energy, never cast jutsu, never even maintain his mind."
Ryosuke's expression hardened. His voice cut like steel.
"I dislike threats. Don't make that mistake again. If you do, I will find a way to tear you out of there and kill you—even if it takes time."
With that, he pulled his consciousness back.
The Nine Tails remained, seething. How arrogant these Uchiha were—more arrogant than Madara, more oppressive than the masked man. And yet… its chest tightened with unease.
Because the truth was, Ryosuke wasn't bluffing. The Eight Tails itself hadn't withstood him. Could even the Nine Tails prevail?
Slowly, grudgingly, the beast retracted its malicious chakra. The interference ceased. If this was the price of the deal… so be it.
Back in the real world, Ryosuke's eyes opened. Fugaku immediately stepped forward.
"You went to see the Nine Tails, didn't you?"
Ryosuke nodded. "Of course. Its meddling is the reason Naruto couldn't control his energy. But now… things should be different."
Turning, he addressed Naruto directly. "Try again."
Naruto clenched his fists. The fox inside me… is that what's been sealed in my body all this time? Why? Why was something like that put in me?
No matter. He pushed the thought aside and followed Fugaku's instructions once more, guiding his physical energy and spiritual energy to merge.
And this time… a tiny wisp of chakra flickered to life within his body.
Fugaku's eyes widened. "Incredible… such natural talent. Even if it's only a small amount."
Naruto's breath caught. He could feel it—the strange, new force inside him. Chakra. His first step as a true shinobi.
His eyes lit with excitement. "Uncle Fugaku! Teach me how to use ninjutsu! Please!"
Fugaku chuckled, shaking his head. "Not so fast. With that little chakra, you couldn't cast a single technique yet. You'll need far more training before you're ready."
Naruto pouted, but inside, his heart was racing. For the first time, he'd touched chakra. For the first time, he truly believed… he could become a ninja.
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