In the consciousness space, time seemed to freeze.
Naruto watched the Nine-Tailed, who had fallen into a long silence, with some trepidation. The giant fox's eyes were tightly shut, its brows furrowed, and its facial muscles twitched slightly, as if it was immersed in an extremely strong, even painful, emotional vortex.
From its ever-changing expression, it seemed to have seen something far beyond expectation and unsettling.
Finally, the Nine-Tailed's huge eyelids trembled and slowly opened. In its eyes was an unfathomable shock, lingering fear, and... an indescribable, almost erupting anger and panic!
The last image echoing in its consciousness was Naruto activating that mode burning with blazing red Chakra! It clearly "heard" another self roaring at Naruto.
...This Jutsu... Naruto! What have you done?!
That was the conversation it saw between "itself" from another dimension and a more mature Naruto from that dimension.
"This is a Jutsu temporarily invented by borrowing Satsuki's power. I call it Yin and Yang Release: Dual Extreme Life Reincarnation Protection Helix..."
"Naruto!" The voice of its other self was full of horror and urgency to stop him.
"...Sorry, I used Yin Release to freeze your Karma chain with this mode," the mature Naruto's voice carried a resolute calm, yet spoke the cruelest words, "This Jutsu consumes my life energy. Please, after gaining freedom, protect the world before those guys completely disappear..."
"Bastard?! You... why would you do that?!"
"We're together, remember? From cellmates who hated each other, to partners who fought together, and then to brothers fighting side-by-side... You and I are long inseparable!"
That Naruto's final voice carried a tired smile, yet it pierced the heart of the Nine-Tailed who witnessed all this.
...It might also be because, seeing a companion die beside me, I couldn't help but do it. It seems... I'm not suited to be a Hokage...
This final whisper rang like a death knell in the Nine-Tailed's mind.
People may forget memories due to trauma or time, but the imprints carved deep in the Soul cannot be completely erased by any power. Mistakenly believing himself to be merely a traveler carrying the Soul of another world, this is the "current situation" Uzumaki Naruto has recognized until now... But at this moment, Naruto didn't know that the shock the Nine-Tailed experienced was completely different from what he expected. Why did the emotions revealed after the Nine-Tailed opened its eyes... carry sadness?
"Hey... Naruto."
...Here!
Naruto was surprised to find the Nine-Tailed's voice terribly hoarse and suppressed. If he wasn't confident enough in his bond with the Nine-Tailed, he might have mistakenly thought the Nine-Tailed was disappointed and angry because it discovered "he wasn't the original Naruto."
However, contrary to this heavy atmosphere, a clear System prompt suddenly sounded in Naruto's mind:
Ding! Congratulations, Host: Your bond Rank with the original character "Kurama" has increased to Rank 8! (The relationship has undergone a fundamental qualitative change!)
What's going on? In this atmosphere... the bond Rank actually increased?
"You, come here."
Naruto didn't understand what the Nine-Tailed was planning at this moment, but he still obediently took a few steps forward and looked up at the giant fox.
Then—
"Bang."
A not-so-loud soft sound. The Nine-Tailed raised a huge forepaw and gently flicked Naruto backward, like flicking a small marble, sending him tumbling. The action carried a hint of annoyance, but the force was controlled extremely well, and Naruto didn't feel any pain, just sat down on the ground somewhat awkwardly.
He looked up, his blue eyes full of confusion, staring at the Nine-Tailed in bewilderment.
And the Nine-Tailed, after that brief, cathartic interaction, its silent and sorrowful emotions finally seemed to find an outlet. It deeply and completely opened its giant eyes. This time, its gaze towards Naruto was even softer than when they reconciled before, and deep within that gaze, an indescribable emotion surged, a mixture of relief, pity, and the will to protect.
"You kid..." The Nine-Tailed's voice was still hoarse, but its tone carried a sigh, "...You really kept it well-hidden..."
"...Sorry," Naruto thought the Nine-Tailed was referring to his "otherworldly Soul" identity, and lowered his head somewhat guiltily, "It's pretty unbelievable, isn't it? Something like this..."
"Yes," the Nine-Tailed's response was meaningful, "Even you yourself... were kept in the dark by yourself..."
"What?"
"Wait a moment, I'll tell you slowly." The Nine-Tailed shook its huge head, temporarily shaking off those heavy future images. It let out a huge sigh of relief, looking incredibly genuinely relieved, as if having survived a great calamity.
It adjusted its emotions and brought its attention back to the present, speaking in as natural a tone as possible.
"By the way, since we've already talked this far, now is also the time to undo this last Seal left by the Fourth Hokage."
It pointed with its paw at the huge iron gate inscribed with the character "Seal."
"With this thing still here, the Chakra I can smoothly output to you is always restricted and cannot achieve truly perfect synergy."
The Nine-Tailed spoke very naturally, yet, according to common sense, the consequence of tearing off the Sealing tag is often the complete rampage of the Tailed Beast's power, breaking free from its cage, while the Jinchuriki would be devoured and lose their life.
But for Naruto and the Nine-Tailed at this moment, this "common sense" based on hatred and fear had long been completely shattered by their relationship, seeming somewhat outdated.
Naruto first froze for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face. He nodded vigorously, stood up again, and unhesitatingly reached out his hand towards the talisman paper in the center of the iron gate, which contained powerful Sealing power—
Just as his fingertips touched the edge of the talisman paper!
"Snap!"
A slender hand appeared out of nowhere without warning, firmly grasping Naruto's wrist just as he was about to tear off the talisman paper!
At the same time, a gentle voice, both familiar and incredibly strange to Naruto, sounded in his ear.
"Stop, Naruto."
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