---
The Mindscape – Midnight
Naruto sat cross-legged in the middle of the endless sewer-like corridor. Water rippled at his ankles, echoing like distant whispers. The giant gate loomed ahead, the seals pulsing faintly.
Behind the bars, Kurama stirred.
"You keep coming back," the fox rumbled, his voice low and ancient.
"I don't believe in ignoring the elephant in the room," Naruto replied calmly.
Kurama's crimson eyes narrowed. "You're different. From the moment you were born. You didn't cry. You watched. Like a predator studying its prey."
"I was reborn with the mind of someone else," Naruto said. "A man who spent his entire life fighting monsters. Crime. Corruption. Gods. He trained his body and mind until they became weapons. That man… was me. In another life."
Kurama's eyes gleamed. "So you were a warrior?"
Naruto shook his head.
"I was something worse. A symbol. A shadow. I called myself Batman."
Kurama's ears twitched. "That explains the way you move. The way you think. You don't react like a child. You calculate."
Naruto stood and approached the bars.
"You're a weapon sealed inside me. But you're also a mind. I've read about you in classified scrolls I shouldn't have accessed yet. You're not just a beast. You're intelligent. A prisoner."
Kurama growled. "Don't get soft on me, boy. I've crushed mountains. Burned forests. Your people sealed me, used me, feared me. They call me a demon. Do you?"
"No," Naruto said simply. "I've met real demons. You're just… angry."
There was silence between them, heavy but not hostile.
"You want something," Kurama said, his voice lower now.
"I want truth," Naruto answered. "This world is broken. Children are trained to kill. Villages raise orphans as tools. Peace is a lie told to keep the weak quiet."
Kurama's grin widened. "You're more fox than me."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "And you? What do you want?"
The fox paused.
"…I want to burn this cursed world to ash," he said finally. "But lately… watching you… I wonder if there's a different path."
Naruto stepped closer to the bars.
"I'm not the hero this world wants. I'm not here to play by its rules. I'm going to change it. Tear out the rot from the inside."
"You're still a child," Kurama reminded him.
"Not in here," Naruto said, tapping his temple. "In here, I'm a man who never lost a war."
Kurama stared long and hard.
Then, slowly, the beast lowered its massive head.
"If you ever want my power… earn it. Not by seals. Not by bloodline. But by proving you're strong enough to wield a force of nature without becoming what this world already is."
Naruto smirked faintly.
"Deal."
---
Outside – Reality
Naruto woke up, breath steady, heartbeat calm. Moonlight cast silver shadows across his room. His hands were steady. His mind clearer.
Kurama wasn't an enemy anymore.
Not yet a friend.
But an ally in the shadows.
---
To Be Continued…
Next Chapter: Shadows on the Wall – The Academy's Secret Test and a Glimpse of the Future
---