Naruto opened his eyes, wiped at his face, and immediately started talking, his voice unsteady with excitement.
"Tōma… what was that just now? It felt really warm. But also really sad. Why?"
If anyone knew the answer, it would be the person who told him to do it.
Tōma listened quietly, then nodded. Since the Fourth Hokage and Kushina had already left their consent behind, there was no reason for him to interfere further.
He smiled, then reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair, still slightly damp with tears.
"That," he said gently, "is something you'll figure out on your own someday."
"Yeah!" Naruto nodded hard. Deep down, he already had a vague guess. He was just not brave enough to believe it yet.
Tōma withdrew his hand. "Your hair's gotten rougher."
Naruto laughed sheepishly. "I'm growing up!"
"Come with me."
Tōma led him into his bedroom.
"So this is your room?" Naruto looked around in amazement. "It's totally different from mine!"
Neat. Minimal. Nothing out of place.
"You should clean your place once in a while," Tōma said dryly. "I'm not saying it has to sparkle, but at least make it livable. Otherwise, any girl who ends up with you is going to suffer."
"Eh, it's fine!" Naruto waved it off. "Too much trouble."
Tōma sighed. Hinata's future headaches were not his problem.
"Shirt off. Lie down."
"Got it." Naruto complied instantly, already used to this routine.
Tōma sat beside him, chakra flowing through his fingers. The dense sealing formulas surfaced across Naruto's abdomen like glowing ink.
"One last time," Tōma said. "You're sure about this?"
"I'm sure," Naruto replied without hesitation.
Tōma nodded and got to work, his awareness slipping into the seal.
Inside the seal space.
The Nine-Tails lay with its back turned.
"Tails first, huh?" Tōma said lazily. "That's a rude way to greet a guest, Kurama."
"Hmph. You're hardly a guest," Kurama snorted, glancing back. "And stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
Before the fox could say more, Tōma stepped in close and grabbed one of its massive tails.
Kurama's eyes widened.
"Let go!" it roared, yanking back. For a brief moment, it could not pull free.
"Hey, don't blame me," Tōma said, releasing it and retreating calmly. "You turned your back on me. Those fluffy tails were practically asking for it."
He flexed his fingers, savoring the memory. Definitely fluffier than the body.
"I'll kill you!" Kurama bellowed.
"Careful," Tōma said, rubbing his ringing ears. "We're not that close."
"We're not close at all!" Kurama snapped.
"Fair enough." Tōma smoothly changed the subject. "You know what Naruto wants to do. Thoughts?"
Kurama went quiet.
"…Nosy."
That was it.
Tōma blinked, then smiled faintly. Maybe things were better than he had expected.
"Whether it's nosy or not," he said, stretching, "the kid asked me. I'm not about to lie to him."
Kurama glanced at him again. This human was stronger than last time. Much stronger. And that mark on his forehead was clearer now.
Whatever path this one was walking… it was not a small one.
Tōma began dismantling the remaining seal layers. The Eight Trigrams seal had already been loosened before. Removing it fully was simple.
The real challenge came next.
Sharing Naruto's vision.
After a moment of thought, Tōma's eyes lit up. He started carving new markings.
Inside the seal space again.
Kurama stared at the wall beside it.
A smooth, black, glass-like surface had appeared.
"What is that?" the fox asked suspiciously.
"It's a television," Tōma replied helpfully.
"Hmph. I didn't ask. How do I use it?"
"There's a button at the bottom. Press it to connect to Naruto's vision. Press it again to turn it off," Tōma explained. "If you don't want to be disturbed, you can just shut it down."
Kurama eyed the screen, curiosity flickering… then noticed Tōma still standing there and immediately turned away.
"I don't need this. I can block it myself."
"Of course," Tōma said pleasantly. "You are the strongest of the tailed beasts, after all. This is just more convenient."
Kurama snorted. But it did sound nice.
"One more thing," Tōma added. "I adjusted the seal so your senses and Naruto's overlap. He's bad at using them. If someone approaches him with hostile intent, it'd be nice if you warned him."
"You want me to babysit that brat?" Kurama glared.
"Only if you feel like it," Tōma said. "I just figured you'd noticed how easy he is to trick."
"Hmph. If he gets fooled, that's his problem."
"Suit yourself." Tōma waved. "I'm done here. See you next time, Kurama."
"Get lost!" Kurama roared. "And don't come back!"
Tōma disappeared, leaving the fox alone.
A while later, Kurama opened one eye… then slowly pressed the button.
The screen lit up.
Tōma's face appeared.
…Of course. Naruto was still with him.
Kurama felt a surge of unease and reached to turn it off.
Too late.
Tōma reappeared in the seal space, smiling.
"Oh, right. One more thing," he said. "If you turn the TV on, I can tell from the outside. I wrote the seal, after all."
Kurama froze.
Its claws scraped the ground in pure mortification.
"You bastard!" it roared, chakra exploding outward.
Tōma wisely vanished immediately.
Kurama stared at the screen, furious… then slowly relaxed.
This human felt no fear. No hatred. No reverence either.
Just annoying confidence.
The fox snorted, watching the live feed again.
…Maybe next time, it would ask for a better room.
Maybe.
...
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