Naruto felt a sudden chill beneath him. His eyes snapped open, and he quickly looked around—only to realize he was lying in a shallow pool of water.
An indescribable sense of pressure bore down on him, filling his chest with a heavy, uneasy premonition.
Gulp.
Naruto swallowed nervously, his heartbeat and breathing both quickening. Deep inside his heart, another voice whispered, urging him to flee this place immediately. To return to the real world.
But just then, a hand suddenly appeared in his line of sight.
Following it upward, a familiar face entered his vision.
"Big Brother Haruto…" Naruto murmured softly, reaching out. He grasped Senju Haruto's hand firmly, and with his support, pulled himself up from the shallow water.
It was strange.
The water beneath his body felt completely real—its cool sensation, the ripples at his touch—yet once he stood, his clothes remained perfectly dry, without a trace of dampness.
"This is your spiritual world, not reality," Haruto explained, calming him before the tension could overwhelm him.
Though they would soon face the Nine-Tails itself, Naruto wasn't alone. Not only was Haruto here—within this world, the chakra of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina also resided.
In other words… as long as Naruto pressed forward, he would eventually meet his parents here.
"My parents…"
Naruto's eyes widened slightly. He had imagined this moment countless times, expecting himself to feel nothing but excitement. Yet now that it was truly upon him, a wave of unease washed through his chest.
What would he say when he saw them? How should he face them?
During his training on Mount Myōboku, he had rehearsed this moment in his head over and over again—but now that it was real, his emotions tangled, complicated beyond words.
Haruto, however, carried no such hesitation. He glanced around, clearly sensing the Nine-Tails' chakra surging, restless, barely contained.
Had Naruto come here alone, without Haruto's support, he might have been swallowed whole by that malignant energy. Of course, only if Naruto's own will faltered—otherwise, the fox's influence would never succeed.
After all, back when Naruto first summoned Gamabunta, he had resisted the Nine-Tails' mental corruption on his own.
"Well then," Haruto said lightly, with a hint of teasing, "how about we go see the beast sealed inside your belly?"
He reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair, steadying him. "And… your parents."
Still, Haruto wasn't about to force him.
"If you're not ready yet, we can always come back another time."
Even though they were already standing inside Naruto's inner world, Haruto emphasized this point. The choice lay entirely with Naruto. If he wasn't prepared, they could simply return, and try again later.
After all, time was on their side.
But Naruto shook his head firmly. Deep down, he knew—he wasn't ready. He might never be ready.
But some things… you couldn't prepare for.
"Let's go," Naruto declared, his voice filled with resolve. He took a bold step forward, heading in the direction where the Nine-Tails was sealed.
Though he had no idea of the fox's exact location, he could feel its crushing aura pressing down on him. All he had to do was follow that suffocating pressure, and he would reach it.
Haruto watched Naruto's small yet determined figure. Without another word, he followed silently at his side.
The deeper they went, the heavier the oppressive chakra became.
"And this is only half of the Nine-Tails' power," Haruto murmured, his eyes narrowing as he studied the warped landscape around them. "If the fox still held both yin and yang chakra together, its corruption would be even stronger."
From this alone, Haruto couldn't help but respect Kushina's strength as a jinchūriki. To resist this overwhelming malice so completely—her willpower must have been extraordinary.
Her early life hadn't been easy either.
When the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, Kushina had been the only survivor, brought back to Konoha. There, she faced cold stares and rejection.
Though it led her to meeting Namikaze Minato, that bond alone wasn't enough to erase the darkness she carried in her heart.
At least, in Haruto's eyes, the fact that she never lost control—not even once—proved her will was nothing short of unbreakable.
But sadly, sheer willpower wasn't always enough to overcome destiny.
"That's it…"
Naruto suddenly stopped. His eyes widened, his body frozen. He had imagined what it would look like, but seeing it with his own eyes still left him stunned.
Almost instinctively, his hand pressed against his stomach.
"The thing sealed inside me…"
Haruto came to a halt beside him, lifting his gaze.
Before them stood a colossal iron gate, a prison of black metal bars.
And behind those bars—loomed a monstrous, flame-red fox.
Its claws were thicker than human thighs, its body towering high above them both. Its piercing eyes glared down with murderous intent, gleaming fangs bared in a snarl that radiated pure malice.
Boom!
With a deafening crash, one of the Nine-Tails' massive claws slammed forward—only to be stopped by the bars of its cage.
The sheer force of the strike made Naruto's stomach lurch. His feet stumbled back a step, then another—until Haruto's steady hand pressed firmly on his shoulder.
Naruto turned his head, meeting Haruto's fearless gaze. His brotherly reassurance steadied him once more.
Clenching his fists, Naruto exhaled deeply, then nodded, firming his resolve. He turned back toward the raging beast.
But Haruto's attention wasn't fully on Naruto—or even on the fox.
A familiar voice echoed in his ears:
Congratulations, host. You have reached the sign-in location. Sign-in commencing!
Early withdrawal will result in failure.
1%… 23%…
Naruto drew a deep breath. To control the Nine-Tails' chakra, he would first have to unlock its cage—with the key. Only then could he truly face the monster within.
"This isn't a place for the likes of you," the Nine-Tails growled, its deep, rumbling voice dripping with venom.
It glared down, its killing intent sharpest toward Haruto.
For the Senju, to enter Naruto's inner world, had relied on the Mangekyō Sharingan. And that cursed power alone was enough to send the beast into a frenzy.
66%… 78%… 100%.
Haruto, however, paid the fox's anger no mind. His thoughts were fixed only on the system's notification.
Congratulations, host. Sign-in complete!
Reward acquired: Nine-Tails' Chakra.
A surge of immense power exploded from within Haruto, flooding outward in waves that rippled through the world itself.
Naruto staggered, nearly knocked off his feet by the overwhelming force.
Even the Nine-Tails reeled, eyes narrowing as it stared at Haruto in disbelief. That power—unmistakably its own chakra—was flowing through this outsider.
But its memory had never failed it.
Minato had sealed the Nine-Tails' yin chakra within himself with the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, leaving only the yang half imprisoned inside Naruto.
So how—
How could this Senju Haruto… possibly wield the Nine-Tails' chakra?