Inside the sealed space.
Kurama was sprawled idly on a soft, vast, emerald-green lawn. Ever since that brat Naruto "improved" its living environment with the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, its prison had transformed from a damp, cold water cell into this expansive little grassland, where it could occasionally feel a gentle breeze.
Though it scoffed verbally, deep down it had to admit that compared to its days under those two hot-headed women, Mito Uzumaki and Uzumaki Kushina, life was truly much more comfortable now.
At least it wouldn't be tied up like a dumpling with golden chains at the slightest provocation. That kid Naruto would even come in every night, chattering endlessly about trivial things, though its entertainment was so meager it was reduced to reading the novels the kid wrote himself…
But compared to its long and hateful prisoner life in the past, its current days could almost be described as "blissful."
Just as it yawned, wondering when Naruto would come to chat tonight—
A sudden change occurred!
Whoosh—!
The originally calm and peaceful grassland space was suddenly swept by a fierce gale without warning! The false sky abruptly darkened, the emerald-green grass visibly withered, and the scenery constructed by Naruto's Chakra began to fluctuate violently.
"Hm?!"
Kurama suddenly stood up. What was going on? What happened to that kid?!
Its gaze sharply fixed on the large iron gate at the front of the space—the one representing the seal. At this moment, the gate was shaking violently, and the runes on its surface flickered erratically! This degree of tremor meant… the Jinchuriki outside was undergoing an extremely strong mental or physical impact, causing the seal to loosen!
If it were in the past, this would have been a heaven-sent opportunity it had always dreamed of! It would have unhesitatingly seeped out its vast negative emotions and hate-filled Chakra like a plague, frantically tempting, whispering, and luring the Jinchuriki to lose their sanity in pain and despair, to tear open this damned seal with their own hands!
But now… worry… a strange and anxious emotion instantly gripped the strongest Tailed Beast.
Naruto… is he in danger?! Who is it?!
Kurama immediately and cautiously extended a wisp of its Chakra, trying to link to the outside through the trembling sealed gate, to perceive Naruto's current state and what he was seeing.
The next moment, an extremely cold, dark Chakra fluctuation clearly transmitted back through the link!
That Chakra…?!
Kurama's massive body suddenly stiffened, and its pupils showed an expression of extreme disgust, even… deep-seated hatred!
This feeling… it would absolutely not mistake it! It's an Uchiha! But it's not the unpleasant Chakra of an ordinary Uchiha clan member… this feeling is colder, more evil, more… familiar!
Damn it!
Kurama's fangs scraped in the air, emitting a low growl.
It's similar to that bastard Uchiha Madara… the disgusting aura of the Mangekyo Sharingan!
— — — — — —
On the ground, Naruto endured the intense pain in his body, pressing his hand tightly over the penetrating wound that continuously oozed warm fluid. He could feel Uchiha Itachi's gaze still fixed on him, which made him extremely uneasy.
This guy… hasn't his goal already been achieved? Satsuki has already awakened her Sharingan and fainted, so why isn't she leaving?
A strong impulse made him want to immediately jump up and smash a Spiral Wheel Ring fiercely into her expressionless face.
But reason firmly suppressed this impulse. To maintain the stability of all the Menma Shadow Clones, he had to allocate a large amount of mental energy and Chakra to suppress the violent fluctuations caused by the severe injury to this "body."
Damn it… Crazy Diamond's ability just can't be used on himself. What about Gold Experience? Create something to stop the bleeding or…
Just as he endured the excruciating pain, trying to harness that life-creating power, an extremely unusual, yet incredibly warm sensation surged up from deep within his body without warning!
That feeling was not the gentle healing sensation of Medical Ninjutsu; it was more like a torrent, intensely hot, yet carefully restrained by some powerful will, precisely and gently covering his gruesome wound.
The next moment, Naruto's eyes widened in astonishment.
He could clearly feel the searing pain at the wound rapidly receding, replaced by an indescribable itchiness and warmth!
This is…?
Before he could figure out the source of this power, a deep, anxious voice, exploding directly in his mind, boomed out.
"Naruto! Naruto!"
This voice…!
Naruto's heart skipped a beat! He was more than familiar with this voice.
Kurama?! Are you helping me?!
"Hm, it's this old man!" Kurama's voice carried clear uneasiness and urgency, directly responding to his thoughts, "What exactly is the situation outside right now? How did you, kid, end up against a guy with those eyes?!"
Its tone was unusually grave. The dark memory of being wantonly controlled by Uchiha Madara with the Mangekyo Sharingan and reduced to a weapon of war instantly flooded its mind. It absolutely did not want to experience that a second time!
Kurama, you could sense the situation outside all this time?
"You're still asking such a stupid question at a time like this?! Forget that for now! This old man senses that the Uchiha kid opposite… her Chakra is not right! She means you no good! Very dangerous!"
Through Naruto's senses, Kurama could clearly capture the cold, domineering, and sinister Chakra of the Mangekyo Sharingan emanating from Uchiha Itachi, subtly locking onto Naruto.
This feeling of being eyed like prey made Kurama extremely uncomfortable and wary.
"No time to hesitate! This old man will lend you some Chakra! Take advantage of this moment, quickly regain your mobility and get out of here! Stay away from those eyes!"
— — — — — —
Uchiha Itachi stood still, her Sharingan reflecting the blond youth lying on the ground, painfully clutching his wound and gasping for breath. Her inner thoughts were far from as calm as her exterior; an extremely complex and unspeakable emotion churned within her.
She had meticulously planned all of this—betraying her clan, betraying her brethren, even resorting to genjutsu to make Satsuki personally "witness" her parents being brutally murdered by her… All these extremely cruel, maddening acts had failed to completely break through the barrier in her sister's heart and awaken the eyes that symbolized power and curse.
However…
Just this boy named Uzumaki Naruto, just the act of "killing" him, or even just creating the illusion that he was about to be killed… had so easily made those scarlet eyes suddenly bloom?
Itachi saw it clearly. At the peak of Satsuki's emotional outburst, those newly awakened Three Tomoe Sharingan had fluctuated violently, the tomoe spinning wildly, almost breaking through a certain limit, outlining the prototype of a more complex, more powerful pattern—that was the sign leading to the Mangekyo Sharingan!
Naruto's death… was actually enough to be the key for Satsuki to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?
Unfortunately, at the last moment, Satsuki's still-tender body and Chakra could not withstand the sudden surge of power, ultimately failing. Those eyes did not complete their final transformation, merely stopping at the Three Tomoe stage.
However… this discovery itself held extremely important significance.
Since this Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had such a profound influence on Satsuki, even relating to whether she could awaken the Mangekyo in the future… then, to ensure the plan was foolproof, and to prevent any uncontrollable variables in the future…
Perhaps, it was necessary to add a layer of my own insurance to this crucial "key."
A cold thought quickly formed in Itachi's mind.