The Nine-Tails and Tsukiel
Late at night, inside Uzumaki Naruto's apartment.
Naruto lay sprawled across his bed, snoring loudly, completely unaware that Fujimoto Tōma had appeared beside him. Not even a flicker of awareness stirred.
That was partly because Tōma's presence was, to Naruto, something instinctively safe.
And partly because… well, Naruto could be careless like that.
Tōma suspected the second reason mattered more.
Within the Nine-Tails' sealed space, Naruto falling asleep usually meant Kurama settled down as well.
Tailed beasts didn't truly need sleep, but after years bound to human hosts, even Kurama had picked up certain habits. Awake by day. Quiet by night.
At the very center of the massive seal gate, on the glowing formula etched across it, something small suddenly pushed its way out.
Kurama's eyes snapped open instantly.
Naruto might miss it, but Kurama wouldn't.
Someone else was here.
Yet as Kurama scanned the space, it found… nothing.
Only when a tiny black creature hopped down from the seal itself did Kurama finally notice it.
So small.
Absurdly small.
Kurama's body, even crouched low, still towered several meters high. Fully standing, it would stretch tens of meters into the air.
The little creature, on the other hand, could sit comfortably on Tōma's shoulder. Curled up, it wasn't even half a meter long.
The contrast was almost ridiculous.
"Hey, little one," Kurama said, its voice uncharacteristically calm. "How did you get in here?"
Tsukiel tilted its head.
No response.
In fact, Kurama realized it had never heard the creature make a sound at all.
Kurama lowered its massive head closer to the seal gate, squinting. If Tsukiel weren't moving, it might've mistaken it for a stray tuft of fur.
Actually… one of Kurama's hairs was probably bigger.
Though Tsukiel didn't answer, Kurama wasn't annoyed. Instead, it felt something faintly familiar coming from the creature.
And yet… Kurama was certain it had never seen it before.
That sense of familiarity made Kurama uneasy.
Did that old man… the Sage… leave something behind?
Before Kurama could think further, Tsukiel vanished.
And reappeared directly on Kurama's face.
Their eyes met. Tiny crimson gems staring straight into Kurama's massive, blood-red pupils.
"Hey! Get off!" Kurama snapped, shaking its head and swiping with a claw.
Missed.
Tsukiel was already gone.
Kurama searched again, irritation creeping in, until its gaze flicked to the large projection screen Tōma had installed to observe the outside world.
There it was.
Sitting on top of Kurama's own head.
Watching Kurama on the screen.
Kurama carefully reached up again.
Gone.
This time, Tsukiel appeared right on Kurama's nose.
"Space-type abilities…" Kurama muttered, annoyed. "What a pain."
Between its size disadvantage and Tsukiel's teleportation, grabbing it was basically impossible.
Kurama stared at its own flailing reflection on the screen, feeling faintly embarrassed.
And then it understood something.
Ah.
So this is why Tōma likes petting things.
With a huff, Kurama let its massive form dissolve into dense red chakra.
Tsukiel, suddenly losing its footing, dropped downward.
From the chakra emerged a much smaller figure.
A miniature Kurama.
If being big didn't work, then being small might.
Tsukiel blinked, clearly confused by how the giant fox had suddenly shrunk.
It seemed to think this was a game.
Kurama lunged.
"Got you—!"
Miss.
Tsukiel reappeared behind it.
Again.
And again.
After several rounds, Kurama finally accepted the truth.
Even like this, it couldn't catch Tsukiel.
The creature's teleportation didn't seem to consume chakra at all.
Kurama slumped down, thoroughly defeated.
"Space techniques are the worst," it grumbled.
Tsukiel, clearly still enjoying itself, blinked at the fox, then flashed directly in front of it.
Kurama's eyes snapped open.
This time, its paw closed around Tsukiel.
"Caught—"
Tsukiel didn't escape.
Instead, it simply stared back, its gemstone-red eyes meeting Kurama's.
Kurama blinked.
Why had it wanted to catch it again?
…No reason, really.
But for some reason, it felt… fun.
At that exact moment, Tōma stepped into the seal space.
His pupils shrank instantly.
A tiny Kurama.
And Tsukiel beside it.
Two overwhelming concentrations of cuteness in one place.
So Kurama could shrink itself voluntarily, huh.
Tsukiel noticed Tōma and immediately brightened.
In the next instant, it vanished.
And reappeared in Tōma's arms.
Along with something else.
The small Kurama.
Silence.
Tōma froze.
Kurama froze.
Kurama slowly turned its head, looking at Tōma, then at the seal behind it.
…So.
Was it unsealed?
The absurdity of the situation left Kurama momentarily stunned.
Tōma broke out in a cold sweat.
He knew Tsukiel could manipulate space, but he hadn't expected it to bypass the Nine-Tails' seal entirely and pull Kurama out.
Good thing he'd come in time.
If Tsukiel had accidentally taken Kurama outside…
Kurama would've been fine.
Konoha would've been fine, with Tōma around.
But Naruto?
That was a problem he didn't even want to imagine.
Still.
An opportunity like this didn't come twice.
Tōma's hand moved.
Straight onto Kurama's fur.
He rubbed.
Hard.
Kurama jolted, then finally reacted, glaring up at Tōma with wide eyes.
"Hey! You brat! Let go!"
It struggled, but its strength had shrunk along with its body.
Tōma released it before the chakra fluctuations spiked too far.
Kurama landed on the ground, staring daggers at him, then glanced back toward the seal.
The prison was gone.
The binding it had lived with for so long… was no longer there.
Kurama could leave.
Right now.
Tōma said nothing.
He simply stroked Tsukiel's fur and watched quietly.
This wasn't his choice to make.
Would Kurama leave Naruto behind and reclaim its freedom?
Or would it return—by its own will?
The answer… would come soon.
...
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