Natsuhiko stared blankly at the small fox inside his body—a tiny creature with a puzzled expression written all over its face. For a moment, his mind was nothing but a mess of question marks.
Wasn't BasicNine-Tails chakra supposed to be just… chakra?
So why had it literally formed into a Nine-Tails and been stuffed into my body?
It wasn't as if Natsuhiko had never considered sealing a tailed beast within himself. After all, he was in desperate need of massive amounts of chakra to cultivate those mysterious seeds. The idea had crossed his mind more than once.
But in the current ninja world, there wasn't a single tailed beast he could realistically get his hands on. The most likely candidate—the Three-Tails—wouldn't even revive for another fifteen or sixteen years.
As for the others, they all had their own jinchūriki and were under strict protection by their respective villages. There was simply no way to approach them.
Besides, it had always been just a passing thought. Natsuhiko had never truly planned to seal a tailed beast inside himself.
After all, once a tailed beast resided within him, he would have to seal it properly—and beyond that, constantly guard against its temptations and potential rampages.
Tailed beasts fought their hosts for control of the body. Just look at Gaara—if he remembered correctly, the kid had barely slept at all.
And more importantly, tailed beasts were intelligent beings with their own will and consciousness. Living inside you, they could perceive nearly everything about you.
In other words, whatever you did, they would see it all—everything, even the most private moments.
That was a situation Natsuhiko absolutely did not want.
Coupled with the strict control imposed by the villages, he had long since abandoned the idea of acquiring a tailed beast.
And yet, even in his wildest dreams, he had never imagined that after giving up on the idea entirely, his system would just hand him one anyway.
Honestly, if it weren't for his trust in the system—and the fact that his sealing techniques were only at a beginner level, making it uncertain whether he could even contain the Nine-Tails—he might have already taken action to seal this confused, childlike creature inside him.
The risks posed by a tailed beast were not something he was willing to face. They were, without a doubt, among the most dangerous variables imaginable.
"What kind of nonsense are you even thinking about?" A voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
It sounded young—so young that Natsuhiko couldn't even tell whether it belonged to a boy or a girl. There was a pure, almost innocent quality to it, utterly devoid of any malice, which made it strangely comforting to hear.
But it didn't take long for him to realize the source of that voice.
It was the Nine-Tails inside him.
"The Nine-Tails?" Natsuhiko instinctively spoke aloud, though he quickly realized that words weren't necessary at all.
"You caught on pretty fast. At least you know we can communicate mentally."
The voice rang out again, this time carrying a slightly lazy tone.
"This is really unbelievable. I never thought that a single strand of chakra could reform me like this—carrying part of my memories, yet still giving rise to an independent will. Truly incredible…"
A fragment of memory, yet an independent consciousness…
Natsuhiko's expression turned rather strange as he heard that.
Of course he understood what that meant.
Back in his previous life, he had read countless novels.Some so-called "pioneering transmigrators" had ended up as nothing more than tragic jokes—dying the moment they arrived, only to turn into a bundle of memories for the original host. And then that host, armed with those memories, would rise as the destined protagonist.
If what the Nine-Tails inside him was saying held true…
Then right now, it was essentially no different from a newborn.
But this "rebirth" had only been made possible through the system's intervention—something the little fox likely didn't realize. It probably believed it had reformed naturally, or perhaps even suspected that Natsuhiko himself had something to do with it.
It possessed an independent will and personality, yet the chakra that formed it still carried fragments of the original Nine-Tails' memories.
If this were any other story, this thing would practically be the protagonist already…
Natsuhiko couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The little fox seemed genuinely interesting—but what mattered most was its attitude.
"My attitude? Naturally, I'll follow you. What else would I do?"
The young Nine-Tails' voice echoed again in his mind.
"You're the one who brought me into existence. I can feel it—there's an instinctive closeness between us. I don't know how you did it, but it doesn't really matter."
"And while I can't hear your exact thoughts, our chakra is connected. I can more or less guess what's on your mind."
"Also, you don't need to act so disgusted by me. Honestly, I find you humans just as unpleasant. Who would be interested in watching humans mate? In my memories, it's no different from monkeys."
"Watch your mouth," Natsuhiko replied flatly, his expression darkening slightly before he let out a cold scoff. "Don't push your luck… or I might just kick you out."
"No need."
Before Natsuhiko could even finish his threat, he suddenly felt a surge of chakra ripple within him.
Crimson energy began to flow outward, and in the blink of an eye, a small Nine-Tails—about two meters tall—materialized right in front of him.
"I'll leave on my own."
"…?"
Natsuhiko stared, dumbfounded. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd worn such an expression.
This little Nine-Tails was nothing like the one in his memories. Sure, the temperament had some similarities, but the overall presence felt completely different—almost absurdly so.
But then a thought struck him.
Where exactly could this little thing even go?
With that appearance, the moment it stepped outside, it would probably be surrounded and attacked by Konoha's ninja.
Under normal circumstances, Natsuhiko might have simply watched with amusement as it left. But now, their connection ran far too deep.
Even if he wasn't worried about others discovering that link, the fact remained—this creature had been forcibly created at the cost of his mission progress.
If it just walked away, the one taking the loss would be him.
And that was unacceptable.
"…Forget I said anything," Natsuhiko muttered with a helpless shake of his head, quickly stopping the little fox. "You should stay."
"Hmph."
The young Nine-Tails shot him a disdainful glance before plopping down on the ground without a care.
"For someone like you, actions speak louder than words."
"Yeah, yeah," Natsuhiko replied casually, nodding along before pausing to think. Then he added, "Why don't you go back inside me? There are other people in the house. If I keep talking to you like this, someone might notice."
"You're the one who brought me out, and now you're the one worried about trouble," the little fox said, shaking its head, its eyes brimming with contempt. "Humans really are something else."
With that, it dissolved back into a stream of chakra and flowed swiftly into Natsuhiko's body.
Almost instantly, Natsuhiko felt it—a massive surge of chakra filling him from within.
Not only was the quantity immense, but the quality was astonishingly high. While it didn't quite match the level of his Sage Mode, it far surpassed the chakra he normally used.
And in terms of sheer volume…
It wasn't just comparable to his own reserves—it might even exceed them.
So this is the Nine-Tails…
Even in its immature, low-level state, the sheer weight of that chakra was almost suffocating.
Feeling the now-settled presence within him, Natsuhiko let out a quiet sigh and unconsciously placed a hand over his lower abdomen.
"…Should I say something like, 'I'm sorry for being human'?"
He muttered the self-deprecating joke under his breath before shaking his head and continuing.
"Alright, let's stop talking about pointless things," Natsuhiko said after a moment, his tone turning more serious. "Are you sure you can stay like this without me sealing you? Your chakra won't leak out or cause any problems?"
"A seal? That really isn't necessary."
Inside his body, the little Nine-Tails shook its head, though it soon lowered it slightly, as if reconsidering.
"Of course, if you're not at ease, you can go ahead and do it. After all, if you can deal with that big one, then a small and pitiful existence like me wouldn't be able to resist anyway."
"I don't have sealing techniques good enough to contain you," Natsuhiko replied, shaking his head lightly. "I was just saying it."
With that, he simply lay back on the ground, staring up as he began to seriously think about how to deal with this little Nine-Tails.
Since he had already said he wouldn't seal it, he had no intention of going back on his word. Besides, the little fox itself had expressed confidence that nothing would go wrong. Perhaps… it was worth trying to trust it.
After all, this was something created by the system. That alone made it more reliable than most unknown variables.
Right now, three questions stood before him.
First—could this little creature actually provide combat strength?
Second—could its chakra be used to nurture his seeds?
And third—how exactly was it supposed to grow stronger?
If it were just ordinary chakra, Natsuhiko wouldn't need to think so much about it. He could use it however he pleased.
But clearly, this wasn't just chakra. The connection between them ran deeper than that.
On top of that, the Nine-Tails' personality was… unusual, to say the least. Without powerful sealing techniques to restrain it, Natsuhiko couldn't afford to act recklessly.
After going over it again and again in his mind, he decided it would be best to just ask the fox directly. He had no answers himself, and asking the system would likely be useless—it had never responded to his questions anyway. It only ever "spoke" when it wanted to.
At least this little Nine-Tails had its own will. Maybe it could give him some clarity.
"Hey, Little Nine?" Natsuhiko called out hesitantly.
The little fox immediately shot him a look of disdain.
"That name sounds terrible. I'm not particularly attached to the name Kurama either, but it's still better than something that sounds like you're calling a puppy."
It lowered its body slightly, settling in as it continued in a calm tone.
"I more or less know what you want to ask, but I don't actually know how I'm supposed to grow either. If I had to guess, you'll probably need to obtain more of my chakra and let me devour it."
"Devour… your chakra?" Natsuhiko blinked. "You mean the chakra of that original Nine-Tails?"
"That's right."
The little Nine-Tails nodded, its voice echoing clearly in his mind.
"I can feel it—my growth likely depends on being nourished by more chakra. Your chakra could technically work too, but you barely have any compared to what I'd need. If I consumed yours, you'd be finished."
"And if you're finished, then I'm finished as well. So I wouldn't dare touch your chakra even if I wanted to."
Natsuhiko's expression turned slightly strange at those words.
He hadn't sealed a tailed beast inside himself, so why did this sound so much like the relationship between a jinchūriki and their beast?
This Nine-Tails didn't seem like the type to forcefully break out of his body at the slightest disagreement. And when it left earlier, Natsuhiko hadn't felt the kind of distress that someone like Kushina Uzumaki would experience when her tailed beast was extracted.
Could it be… a one-sided binding?
After thinking it over, Natsuhiko felt that was the most likely explanation—and probably the system's doing.
Perhaps he could drive the Nine-Tails away without any harm to himself.
But if something happened to him, then this tailed beast—born from his chakra—would likely be dragged down with him as well.
If that really was how things worked, then Natsuhiko had nothing to worry about—no risk of having a tailed beast forcibly extracted from him and facing an inexplicable death because of it.
After all, being a jinchūriki was an extremely dangerous "profession," especially in the future. By that point, across the entire ninja world, only the Eight-Tails and the Nine-Tails would remain.
Even though Natsuhiko didn't believe that his strength would stagnate by then—nor did he think the members of the Akatsuki would be capable of targeting him so easily—it never hurt to be cautious.
Especially considering that in the future, Madara Uchiha would step fully into the realm of the Ōtsutsuki… a level that was truly beyond ordinary comprehension.
"I see… then it looks like I'll have to find a way to get you more Nine-Tails chakra," Natsuhiko said with a faint nod.
A suitable candidate had already surfaced in his mind—someone like Kazuma, who had secretly gathered fragments of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
But that was something to deal with later. For now, there were more pressing questions.
"By the way… can you assist me in battle?" Natsuhiko asked directly, voicing what concerned him most. "For example, can we enter something like a Nine-Tails Chakra Mode?"
"Yes. Based on the memories I inherited from that 'big one,' it's something we can achieve."
The little fox nodded, clearly having adapted well to the memories it possessed.
"That state requires both sides to be in sync—our thoughts aligned, our chakra resonating with each other. For us, that part isn't difficult. We can reach that condition fairly easily."
It paused briefly before continuing.
"However, there's a problem."
"What problem?" Natsuhiko's eyes lit up slightly.
The Nine-Tails Chakra Mode—this was one of Naruto Uzumaki's strongest forms before gaining his later "power-ups." Just activating it alone allowed his speed to approach the level of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
And if combined with Sage Mode… the resulting strength was almost unimaginable. Even if it had ultimately been suppressed by Madara, there was no denying how overwhelming that power had been.
Still, Natsuhiko kept his excitement in check. He hadn't forgotten that the current Nine-Tails' chakra reserves were likely only slightly greater than his own.
And more importantly—the little fox had said there was a problem.
That alone made it something he couldn't ignore.
"I'm still too weak," the young Nine-Tails said plainly, not bothering to keep him in suspense. "I need to grow stronger before we can maintain proper synchronization for any meaningful length of time."
"If we synchronize now, I can't say how much your power would increase—but I can guarantee it wouldn't last long."
"So it's better not to try it recklessly. That said… I can still provide you with my chakra directly, as long as you don't drain me dry."
"Are you serious?" Natsuhiko's eyes sharpened instantly, his interest piqued. "You're saying I can use your chakra whenever I want—as long as I don't exhaust you completely?"
"Yes—"
The little Nine-Tails hesitated, suddenly realizing it might have said something it shouldn't.
"Good enough!"
Natsuhiko didn't give it the chance to take those words back. After a brief moment of thought, he swiftly pulled out a seed.
It was only a basic Fire Release seed—nothing too valuable. If he was going to experiment, there was no way he'd risk using an intermediate one.
Although Fire Release, in the original story, was infamous for its impressive destructive power yet surprisingly low kill count, Natsuhiko still appreciated its raw force.
If a single fire technique couldn't kill the enemy… then he would simply use something larger, something wider in scale.
After all, he already had the Flying Thunder God Technique for single-target combat. Expanding his elemental arsenal beyond Water, Earth, and Wood Release wasn't a bad idea at all.
As the Fire Release seed entered his body, Natsuhiko immediately felt his own chakra being drawn toward it.
But under his deliberate control, the chakra that ultimately surged into the seed came from the little Nine-Tails instead.
And almost instantly, he could clearly sense it—
The seed was growing.
"…What are you doing?"
The little Nine-Tails sounded utterly baffled. But as it carefully sensed what was happening, its expression suddenly turned incredibly strange.
"You're training your Fire Release chakra? Using my chakra to help you train? What kind of training method is that? According to that big guy's memories, you humans don't seem to have anything like this."
"It's a unique method of the Senju clan… or rather, my own unique method."
Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow slightly, already realizing something important—his system was likely blocking out any information related to the "seeds" and the system itself.
The little Nine-Tails had clearly said it could vaguely sense his thoughts, yet it had never once noticed anything about the system. That could only mean one thing: it simply couldn't perceive it at all.
In other words… the system had probably masked those aspects completely.
So Natsuhiko didn't hesitate to make something up. There was no way to explain it anyway, so it was easier to claim that it was something even he couldn't fully describe.
More importantly, he was in a very good mood right now.
Because he had just realized something—
He could use the Nine-Tails' chakra to cultivate these seeds.
Although doing so would reduce the little fox's combat effectiveness, Natsuhiko wasn't particularly concerned. Even if he used the Nine-Tails in battle right now, the results would likely be mediocre at best.
His true strength lay in what these seeds would become after they matured. That distinction, at least, he understood clearly.
With that in mind, he decisively took out an Intermediate sealing-type seed.
The earlier Fire Release seed hadn't consumed much of the Nine-Tails' chakra at all, which gave him confidence to push further and invest more chakra into something more valuable.
Holding the yellow seed tightly in his hand, Natsuhiko guided it into his body, then directly drew upon the little Nine-Tails' chakra to nourish and strengthen it.
The young Nine-Tails immediately sensed something was wrong, its expression shifting slightly.
Although the chakra consumption wasn't particularly high, the nature of that power made it feel deeply uneasy.
"What are you doing?" the little fox asked, its voice tinged with something strange. "This power… it makes me uncomfortable. What is it?"
"It's the power of sealing techniques," Natsuhiko replied without any intention of hiding the truth. "I'm using your chakra to develop and strengthen my sealing arts.
"…You can do that?"
The little Nine-Tails looked genuinely puzzled.
"You've got a lot of secrets," it muttered. "Whatever, I'm not interested in prying into that. But improving your sealing techniques… is that for—"
"The Flying Thunder God Technique," Natsuhiko cut in, shaking his head before offering a faint smile. "I told you, if I say I won't seal you, then I won't."
He paused briefly, his tone calm but firm.
"I may not be a good person, but I keep my word. And since you can sense my thoughts, why not observe more carefully? You might learn something."
Inside him, the little Nine-Tails fell silent for a moment, then began to seriously observe the flow of chakra and the information carried within it.
It didn't take long before it understood what was going on.
With that realization, it relaxed once more, lying down as if reassured.
It didn't fully understand sealing techniques themselves, but through the memories of the original Nine-Tails, it knew one thing very clearly—
This was a power it hated.
In those inherited memories, there were three forces the Nine-Tails despised above all else:
the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan,
the Wood Release of the Senju clan,
and the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan.
And now, the person who had created it—
was a member of the Senju clan who had awakened Wood Release… someone who had even managed to subdue that "big one."
Thinking about it, the little Nine-Tails couldn't help but feel a trace of bitterness at the irony of its fate.
Why had it ended up being created by someone like this?
More importantly…
The chakra within its body came from him.
And the feeling Natsuhiko gave it—
was uncannily similar to that of a father.
Even if the "big one" in its memories loathed Natsuhiko to the core, the little Nine-Tails itself simply couldn't bring itself to feel the same.
In fact, Natsuhiko had no idea that, somehow, he had already been placed into the role of a father in the fox's mind.
And yet, this same person not only possessed Wood Release, but was also skilled in sealing techniques. To the little Nine-Tails, that was nothing short of a double blow.
At this point, it could only hope that Natsuhiko wouldn't make things difficult for it. And if he really had to pick a fight, then perhaps he should go trouble that "big one" instead.
As for letting Natsuhiko use its chakra… it had already resigned itself to that fate.
Natsuhiko, on the other hand, could clearly sense that the little fox had lost interest in him and was now resting quietly. The realization made him chuckle to himself.
Even though its personality is completely different from that big one, this little guy is actually pretty interesting… and more importantly, with it around, I don't have to waste my own chakra to cultivate those seeds.
With that thought, Natsuhiko stretched out and lay back on the bed.
Having a "tool fox" really was convenient.
...
What he didn't know, however, was that while he treated the little fox like a tool, the fox itself had quietly started to see him as a father.
If he had known, his expression would have been… quite something to behold.
But he didn't have the time to worry about such things anyway. There was still a mountain of work waiting for him.
After all, the ANBU had only just fallen under his control, and he had already made sweeping reforms—cutting down an entire division without hesitation. The aftermath alone guaranteed that his workload would be anything but light.
For now, though, things remained relatively stable.
Perhaps it was because the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had resumed control of the village's leadership and was preoccupied with reclaiming authority. With so many responsibilities to take back, he hadn't yet turned his attention toward Natsuhiko, allowing him some breathing room.
And the reason Hiruzen had returned to power was simple—the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, needed time to recover. His period of rest had already been arranged.
"Still… I never expected Minato to refuse help from Tsunade and choose to recuperate at Mount Myōboku instead…"
Sitting alone in the ANBU office, Natsuhiko stared at the documents in his hands, though his thoughts had clearly drifted elsewhere.
Less than a week had passed since the Nine-Tails incident, yet Konoha had already finalized plans to rebuild and reorganize the village. Even the placement of the various clans had been reassigned.
Natsuhiko had attended that meeting—this time in his capacity as the head of the ANBU.
Even now, he could vividly recall the looks directed at him when he entered the room.
They were complicated.
Some gazes carried admiration, others reverence, and some were filled with disbelief. Of course, there were also those tinged with resentment… and even outright disdain.
Yet no matter what kind of eyes were upon him, Natsuhiko maintained the same gentle demeanor throughout.
Like Minato… or even Hashirama Senju, he gave off an air as warm and calming as a spring breeze.
The meeting had been presided over by Hiruzen, and during the discussions on restructuring, one more clan name had been added to the list—
The Senju clan.
However, Natsuhiko, speaking as its representative, rejected the proposal outright. And his reasoning left no room for argument.
"The village is in need of reconstruction. The manpower, resources, and energy required are immense. The area where my clan and I reside was not affected by the Nine-Tails, so there is no need for us to relocate.
"After all, even the Hokage himself has not changed his residence. As his subordinate, I see no reason why we should."
His statement conveyed a clear message to everyone present.
The Senju clan stood firmly behind the Fourth Hokage.
The personal charisma of Minato Namikaze was undeniable. Even during his tenure as Hokage, when much of the real power had been held by Hiruzen Sarutobi and the council of elders and advisors, there were still many ninja willing to follow him.
Especially among the civilian-born ninja, Minato was nothing short of an idol. After all, he himself had risen from humble origins.
Natsuhiko's stance, in truth, would allow him to win over a significant number of supporters—particularly during this period when Minato was absent from Konoha. As the head of the ANBU, Natsuhiko was effectively the highest-ranking active authority in the village.
To those uncertain ninja, he became something like a beacon—someone they could look to, someone they could choose to stand behind.
Hiruzen, though deeply dissatisfied with Natsuhiko's response, simply didn't have the energy to deal with him at the moment. Moreover, the relocation issue was indeed as Natsuhiko had described, so in the end, he accepted it.
As for the other clans—those affected by the disaster or those who had long wished to move closer to the village center—none of them refused the arrangement.
Even the Uchiha clan received a degree of preferential treatment, gaining the opportunity to relocate to a more favorable area.
Ironically, during the Nine-Tails incident, the Uchiha had contributed quite a bit. Yet Hiruzen had the audacity to overlook that fact entirely.
Perhaps… this was a form of compromise.
After all, Danzo Shimura—who had actively prevented the Uchiha from mobilizing and had remained inactive during the crisis—had not received any punishment whatsoever.
That, in itself, was rather telling. Especially for someone like Hiruzen, who valued Konoha above all else.
Perhaps… my actions played a part in letting Danzo escape consequences once again? Natsuhiko mused silently.
He didn't bother dwelling on the rest of the meeting. The only thing that truly interested him was Minato's decision to refuse Tsunade's return and instead recuperate at Mount Myōboku—a choice Hiruzen likely supported wholeheartedly.
After all, Konoha already had Natsuhiko. If Tsunade were to return as well, the influence of the Senju clan would undoubtedly rise to another level.
Still… it's better this way. I never intended for her to come back anyway.
As he reviewed the report in his hands, Natsuhiko's thoughts remained calm. The current situation was a fragile balance, and Tsunade's return would only disrupt it.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of someone knocking on the office door pulled him back to reality.
"Come in."
"Yes, Commander."
The door opened, and his former superior—the Commander of the First Division, Antelope—walked in slowly.
The look in Antelope's eyes was complicated, though it quickly faded as he lowered his head, dropping to one knee in a respectful posture.
Natsuhiko said nothing. He simply watched him in silence.
The room grew still.
"So… did you think I'd forgotten about you?"
After a long pause, Natsuhiko finally spoke. He lifted his gaze slightly, his expression gentle—but his words made Antelope's body tremble.
Unbothered, Natsuhiko rose to his feet and walked over, stopping in front of him. Looking down from above, he spoke softly:
"Or perhaps… you were hoping I had?"
"I wouldn't dare, Commander."
Natsuhiko studied him with interest. The smile on his face only deepened as he listened.
After a while, he spoke again, his tone almost casual—like a friend sharing thoughts, or someone telling a story meant to carry a lesson.
"Alright, enough of that. I know what you're thinking."
"Stop wasting time mourning Division Commander Redwing… and stop pitying yourself as well."
"Every kitten grows up. At first, they seem harmless—small, quiet, lapping milk from a shallow dish."
"But once their claws grow, they start to scratch. Sometimes… they even scratch the hand that feeds them."
"For people like us, climbing toward the top of the food chain, we cannot afford to be soft-hearted."
"Because for us, there is only one rule—either become the hunter… or become the prey."
"I have no intention of being prey. And since you treated me well back then, Division Commander Antelope… I don't want to see you end up as prey either."
..
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