Under the shocked gazes of all the Toads on Mount Myōboku and Uzumaki Naruto, the Great Toad Sage, who had lived for thousands of years and witnessed the entire history of shinobi, actually struggled and slowly bowed to Hansen.
He spoke with an incredibly respectful, even trembling, tone:
"I apologize for not welcoming Your Excellency sooner. This old one is remiss."
"Your brilliance illuminates this small and ancient mountain."
Mount Myōboku was utterly silent.
Fukasaku and Shima's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
The legendary Great Toad Sage, the one who prophesied the future of the ninja world, actually... paid such great respect to this man?
Who exactly was this man?!
Facing the Great Toad Sage's almost prostrate reverence, Hansen merely gave an indifferent "Hmm."
He knew it wasn't strange that this old Toad, having lived for so long, could see fragments of the future and perceive his own uniqueness.
His gaze bypassed the group of Toads and landed directly on the golden-haired youth on top of the stone statue, who looked utterly bewildered.
"Uzumaki Naruto." Hansen's figure flickered, appearing before Naruto.
Naruto jumped in fright, instinctively leaning back, nearly falling off the stone statue.
"You... who are you?" Naruto asked warily, looking at the man who was a head taller than him.
"Who I am isn't important." Hansen smiled, "I've come to find you because I want to make a deal with the fox inside you."
"Fox?" Naruto was stunned for a moment, then reacted, his expression changing, "You mean the Nine-Tails? No way! That guy is a monster who only destroys!"
Clearly, at this time, Naruto was still full of disgust and fear towards the Nine-Tails.
"Whether it's a monster or not, wouldn't you know if we just talked?" Hansen said without explanation, reaching out and placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Don't resist, come in with me."
As soon as his voice fell, both their consciousnesses simultaneously sank, entering the sealed space within Naruto's body... dark and damp.
It was like a giant sewer, water reaching their ankles, the air filled with a suffocating atmosphere.
In the deepest part of the space, a colossal iron gate stood, with a talisman bearing the character "Seal" pasted on it.
Behind the iron gate, a pair of enormous, blood-red beast eyes, filled with violence and hatred, slowly opened in the darkness.
"It's you again, brat! And you brought an outsider in!"
A voice like a booming bell, filled with endless fury, echoed throughout the entire space.
"You're so loud! You stinky fox!" Naruto roared back at the iron gate, not backing down, "If it weren't for you, people in the village wouldn't treat me like a monster!"
"Hmph! Stupid human! If I hadn't been sealed by that bastard Fourth Hokage, I would have crushed you and that pathetic village long ago!" The Nine-Tails' voice was full of disdain.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Watch me!"
One human and one fox, separated by the cage, started to curse at each other, spittle flying.
Hansen watched with relish from the side.
Is this how the protagonist and his cheat code interact in the early stages? Quite lively.
"Alright, alright, both of you say less." Hansen clapped his hands, interrupting their "friendly exchange."
He walked to the iron gate, looking at the colossal beast inside with interest.
"You're the Nine-Tails? You look quite imposing."
"Human, put away your pathetic flattery!" The Nine-Tails snorted, its blood-red pupils staring intently at Hansen, "You and this brat both reek of a disgusting smell! Get out of my territory!"
"Quite a temper." Hansen wasn't angry, just smiled, "Don't be in such a hurry to kick me out. I came here specifically to invite you two to watch a movie."
"Movie?" Naruto and the Nine-Tails were both stunned.
"That's right, an epic blockbuster about the two of you, a love-hate relationship."
As Hansen spoke, he snapped his fingers.
Imaginary Divine Power activated, and he directly accessed his memories of "Naruto" from his mind.
The next second, a giant light screen appeared out of thin air above the sealed space.
On the light screen, images began to flow.
It was Naruto's lonely childhood, being ostracized and isolated by the villagers, sitting alone on a swing, a forlorn figure.
It was his first mission, in the Land of Waves, facing Zabuza and Haku, Naruto's first time borrowing the Nine-Tails' power, unleashing astonishing potential.
It was the Chunin Exams, the duel with Neji, the clash with Gaara.
It was the fated battle with Sasuke in the Valley of the End, one trying to regain bonds, the other pursuing power.
The images flashed by rapidly: Pain's invasion, Sage Mode, reunion with his father, learning to control the Nine-Tails' Chakra, the Fourth Great Ninja War... Naruto and the Nine-Tails were both mesmerized.
Everything on the light screen was both familiar and strange to them.
Naruto saw his own growth, from a dead last, getting stronger step by step, gaining the recognition of his comrades, and becoming the hero of the village.
He was moved to tears.
And the Nine-Tails saw something completely different.
It saw how this human, whom it had always regarded as a brat, slowly infected those around him, and even... infected itself, with his persistence and never-give-up foolishness.
It saw itself go from initial hatred and utilization to later recognition and cooperation.
It saw them fighting side by side, confronting powerful enemies one after another.
It saw Naruto sincerely tell it: "Kurama, you're not some demon fox, you're my important partner!"
It saw the moment it and Naruto fist-bumped, and the invisible barrier between them completely dissolved.
The Nine-Tails, or rather, Kurama, showed an unprecedented shock in its huge beast eyes.
Finally, the screen froze on the final scene.
Facing the overwhelmingly powerful Isshiki Otsutsuki, Naruto, who had become the Seventh Hokage, resolved to die to protect the village and his family.
And it, Kurama, calmly told Naruto: "There's a way to gain power beyond Isshiki, but the cost is... your life."
Naruto agreed without hesitation.
However, when that life-burning power, called "Baryon Mode," was activated, it silently said in its heart:
"I lied, Naruto. It's not you who will die, but me..."
"It was truly wonderful to watch you grow up..."
In the light screen, Kurama's figure turned into specks of light, slowly dissipating.
And in reality, the true Kurama, its massive body, was trembling violently.
"No... impossible..."
Its voice, for the first time, carried a tremble and... fear.
"This... this must be genjutsu! It's the most malicious genjutsu of you humans!"
It roared frantically, trying to cover up its inner turmoil with its voice.
"I... how could I possibly sacrifice myself for a mere human! Absolutely impossible!!"
However, its roar, at this moment, sounded so powerless.
On the other side, Naruto was already in tears.
He hadn't fully understood the meaning of "Baryon Mode" and sacrifice; he only saw himself finally wearing the Hokage hat and achieving his dream.
He also saw that the Nine-Tails, whom he had always considered a monster, was actually... actually... "Stinky fox... you..." Naruto sobbed, pointing at Kurama, at a loss for words.
Hansen watched the reactions of the human and the fox, and smiled contentedly.
Hmm, excellent effect.
Spoiling is fun for a moment, constantly spoiling is always fun.
Now, the knot in their hearts should be mostly untangled, right?
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