The Nine-Tails awakened from the abyss of darkness. When it opened its eyes, it saw the familiar sealing space… and then noticed Kushina, Setsuna, and that black demon sitting together in a circle, heads lowered as they discussed something.
'Are they discussing how to cook me?' The Nine-Tails felt an inexplicable fear, mainly because the pressure that black demon gave it was terrifying.
Then it heard their conversation: "Four Ks, King Bomb… Wuhu, I win again."
"Setsuna, this game you invented is not fun at all. It's just pure luck, there's no card skill involved."
"Heh, if you focused on your cards instead of staring at me the whole time, we wouldn't have lost so badly."
"Huh? We were on the same team?"
Hearing the trio's conversation, the Nine-Tails instantly exploded.
'These three bastards were actually playing cards inside my seal space…. too disrespectful!'
"You bastards, what do you think my seal space is? An arcade?!" The Nine-Tails' roar shook the entire seal space, iron bars clanging loudly.
Setsuna calmly gathered the playing cards, showing an innocent smile. "Relax, Kurama, we're doing this to promote future harmonious coexistence between you two."
"Who wants to coexist harmoniously with this red-haired brat?" The Nine-Tails bared its fangs, nine tails whipping the ground like steel whips. "Wait… how do you know my name?"
Kushina puffed her cheeks. "Hey, I have a name too, okay?!"
Setsuna casually made something up. "You told us in your sleep. But anyway, that's not the point. We're here for reconciliation."
"Hmph!" The Nine-Tails glared intensely at a certain pitch-black figure. "Don't think I'll fall for the same trick the other Tailed Beasts did. You must've gained their trust with this method… then devoured them, right?"
Don Slime tilted its head in confusion. "???"
"Don't play dumb!" The Nine-Tails' Chakra suddenly rampaged. "I've been calling them from the deep mental plane for months, and none of them responded. You must've eaten them, you demon who devours everything-"
"Wait." Setsuna suddenly interrupted, showing a strange expression. "Kurama, don't tell me the other Tailed Beasts collectively blocked you?"
The Nine-Tails instantly fell silent, 'Maybe… possibly… perhaps… that wasn't impossible.'
"So even Tailed Beasts bully each other," Kushina said sympathetically, stepping forward and patting the Nine-Tails' claw.
At first, she despised the Nine-Tails for the chaos it caused, and only after Setsuna persuaded her many times did she agree to openly talk.
Now, hearing that the Nine-Tails had been 'bullied' by the other Tailed Beasts, she immediately remembered the bullying she experienced at the Ninja Academy as a child.
"Absolutely impossible." After a long silence, the Nine-Tails stubbornly insisted. "They're just ashamed of having fewer tails and don't dare face me."
Setsuna smiled. "As long as it makes you happy."
Setsuna clearly didn't believe it. The Nine-Tails wanted to slam the bars and shout about how popular it was among the Tailed Beasts… but feared Setsuna would ask for proof.
"Never mind, it's not important." Setsuna patted Don Slime beside him. "Let me introduce… this is my Jinchuriki partner now. We achieved peace using friendship and bonds. He doesn't want to destroy the world anymore."
Don Slime cooperatively waved its 'hand', and the Nine-Tails instinctively retreated half a step.
It really couldn't believe that a demon who had destroyed countless worlds would suddenly love the world because of such a ridiculous reason.
"I believe you and Kushina can build the same kind of bond." Setsuna said sincerely. "Look, you've lived freely for over a thousand years, but were you ever truly happy?"
The Nine-Tails fell silent again. It remembered the long years… destroying, being sealed, destroying again, being sealed again… there truly weren't any happy memories.
"Why not try being friends with humans?" Setsuna guided gently. "Isn't that exactly what Hagoromo hoped you would do?"
The Nine-Tails was startled. "You actually know what Hagoromo told us?"
"Shukaku told me. He's already friends with his Jinchuriki, and he's even become the guardian deity of Sunagakure."
Setsuna wasn't worried that the Nine-Tails might try confirming it with the One-Tail, after all, those two meeting without fighting would already be a miracle.
"Guardian deity, huh?" The Nine-Tails felt uncomfortable, 'I was hated, imprisoned, beaten… so why did that creature with the fewest tails get respected by humans?'
From that perspective, Shukaku truly inherited Hagoromo's will.
Setsuna continued coaxing. "Although the seal restricts your freedom, it also reduces the influence of Chakra on you, right?"
This time the Nine-Tails was truly shocked. "How do you know that?"
Setsuna explained his theory. "Hagoromo originally intended Chakra to connect spirits between people. The earliest Ninshu worked that way… Chakra carried the beauty in people's hearts. When you absorbed the Chakra left behind after humans died, your hearts longed for that beauty."
"But gradually, Chakra became a weapon of war and killing, filled with hatred and betrayal. When you absorbed that Chakra, it turned you into disaster beasts under its influence. You absorbed the most Chakra and can sense malice, so its influence on you is the strongest."
"When hatred drives you to destroy the world, the humans you hurt hate you even more, forming an endless cycle, until humans and Tailed Beasts become total enemies."
"Huh? So that's what happened?" The Nine-Tails blinked, confused. It indeed experienced emotional swings due to Chakra, occasional rage, but never thought about the cause.
Thinking carefully now, it felt Setsuna's words made sense.
A thousand years ago, it wasn't nearly so extreme. Hagoromo even praised it many times for being cute and kind.
Setsuna spoke earnestly. "So actually, Kushina is protecting you from the influence of external Chakra. You should thank her."
"Oh, thanks." The Nine-Tails' thoughts tangled. "So does that mean I can never leave the seal space again?"
"Of course not." Setsuna waved a hand. "As long as we restore Chakra to its original nature and eliminate hatred between people, you won't be affected anymore."
The Nine-Tails' ears drooped. "That's impossible."
"No, it's not impossible." Setsuna radiated holy confidence. "I will reshape the order of the Ninja World and let peace shine again."
"If it's you… maybe it really is possible!" The Nine-Tails subconsciously glanced at Don Slime, 'Even the demon who wanted to destroy the world was changed by him… maybe he really could change everything.'
Don Slime curled its mouth. Based on Setsuna's words, this stupid fox had already been talked into limping.