"Don't panic, Naruto. I'm sensing Rōshi and the Four-Tails' condition right now."
That was what Kurama said.
In reality, he was doing absolutely nothing.
He was lying on his back inside Naruto's mental space, casually yawning.
Kurama had already meticulously prepared the lie he would use on Naruto back when the Tailed Beasts first decided to hide the humiliating prophecy from Son Gokū.
The only reason he didn't answer his host immediately was that replying too quickly would seem highly suspicious.
Though with Naruto's room-temperature intelligence, Kurama doubted the boy would even notice.
The real problem was Kakashi.
If Naruto blabbed the excuse to Kakashi later and Kakashi saw right through the fabricated story, things could become extremely troublesome.
So, Kurama treated the matter with care.
He deliberately left a long, tense pause to make it seem as though he were deeply analyzing the complex flow of natural energy.
In reality, he was taking a nap.
Once he felt enough time had passed, Kurama prepared to speak.
Before doing so, he adjusted his emotional output and put on a perfectly executed, shocked tone.
"Naruto, I figured it out! The Four-Tails was the old Sage of Six Paths' true favorite all along!"
"Huh?" Naruto's expression instantly shifted from alarm to pure confusion.
"Naruto, promise me first that you absolutely won't tell anyone about this—especially the Four-Tails. It could severely damage the relationship between us Tailed Beasts."
Kurama seamlessly reused the exact same secrecy routine the Tailed Beasts had used among themselves to lock Naruto into a vow of silence.
After Rōshi initially met Naruto, Son Gokū had given the boy a tuft of fur as the portion of his chakra that would reside inside him.
However, Naruto still couldn't bring himself to consciously shove a random clump of monkey fur into his own body.
Kurama had conveniently shown some "consideration" at the time, suggesting Naruto wait until he found the Five-Tails and then insert both at once.
That way, Naruto would only have to suffer through the bizarre process once.
In truth, Kurama merely wanted to prevent Son Gokū from entering Naruto's mental space.
If the Four-Tails came inside early, Kurama would no longer be able to slander him freely, and the entire master plan to fool Naruto could be exposed.
For now, every Tailed Beast currently residing inside Naruto had already agreed to cooperate with Kurama's cover-up, so there was nothing to worry about.
"I promise! Hurry up and tell me what's going on!" Naruto scratched frantically at his hair, desperate for a logical answer.
"Naruto, did you ever see a book called Journey to the West back in Amegakure?"
"Uh... no. What is it? A travel guide about visiting the Land of Wind?" Naruto looked embarrassed by his lack of reading.
"You can confirm its existence with Kakashi."
To make his grand fabrication seem unquestionably credible, Kurama deliberately gave Naruto a chance to verify part of the lore in the real world.
"Okay." Naruto poked Kakashi, who was standing nearby, watching the giant golden ape. "Kakashi-sensei, do you know a book called Journey to the West?"
"Journey to the West? Of course. Makoto published it, though he claimed it was an ancient text uncovered through archaeology, which he then personally authenticated, translated, and adapted for modern readers. Why?"
Kakashi looked puzzled.
He could not understand why Naruto was suddenly asking about a classic fantasy novel in the middle of a tactical demonstration.
Naruto didn't answer.
He didn't really know why he asked either; Kurama just told him to.
Now that the book's existence had been independently confirmed, Naruto eagerly waited for Kurama to continue.
"That's right. It's a genuine ancient text, and the old Sage of Six Paths read it long ago," Kurama lied smoothly.
"The names of the Sage's Treasured Tools in Kumogakure—the Seven Stars Sword, the Bashōsen, the Kōkinjō, and the Crimson Gourd—were all taken directly from that ancient book.
The old man personally named all nine of us Tailed Beasts. But only the Four-Tails was special! His name came directly from that exact same ancient text, and the character he was named after was even the invincible protagonist!
So even though I possess the most chakra, the old man actually favored the Four-Tails the most! If you don't believe me, ask Kakashi again!"
Kurama's convoluted explanation left Naruto completely dazed.
He pulled Kakashi aside and quietly asked him to confirm the lore of the book.
He hadn't forgotten Kurama's strict warning that Rōshi and the Four-Tails could not be allowed to hear.
"Yes. That's all correct," Kakashi confirmed every detail Naruto asked about the novel's protagonist and the legendary weapons.
"The protagonist of that book was born from a magical stone," Kurama continued his lecture.
"Naruto, remember what happens at Mount Myōboku when someone absorbs too much natural energy and loses control?"
"They turn to stone."
"Exactly! That means the story wasn't fictional! It must have described actual events from the ancient era before the Ōtsutsuki arrived, back when the entire world still utilized pure natural energy.
When the old Sage named us, he must have deliberately given the Four-Tails a special talent for controlling natural energy so that he would perfectly match the powerful character from the book! That's why Rōshi and the Four-Tails are the sole exception and can practice senjutsu together!
That damned old man! How unfair!"
As Kurama continued, his voice grew increasingly furious, perfectly acting out his bitter resentment toward the Sage of Six Paths' supposed blatant favoritism.
As for how Kurama knew the precise contents of a book Naruto had never read? That was the beauty of the mental network.
As long as one of their human hosts had read it, that Tailed Beast could instantly pass the story along to the others inside Naruto's mind.
"So that's what happened..." Naruto finally received the answer he wanted.
But he still felt a little speechless.
Why had Kurama dragged out such a long, complicated story?
Couldn't he have simply given Naruto the conclusion right from the start?
"So, Kurama, since the other Tailed Beasts' names didn't come from that specific book, none of you have the same talent?" Naruto scratched his head.
"I'm not entirely certain. Matatabi told me about the book after her jinchūriki read it, but that's probably the case," Kurama replied, deliberately avoiding giving a definitive answer.
The Five-Tails had yet to arrive.
If the Five-Tails' jinchūriki also miraculously mastered Sage Mode and Naruto witnessed it, Kurama still needed wiggle room to invent another excuse on the fly.
"Then why can't we just tell the Four-Tails?" Naruto immediately found another loophole.
According to Kurama, Matatabi learned the story from Yugito and then passed it to him.
Didn't that mean the other Tailed Beasts already knew?
Even if some of them had been asleep at the time, Kurama just explained everything aloud inside Naruto's shared mental space, so they all knew now.
Why were they specifically hiding it from Son Gokū?
"There are two very important reasons." Kurama continued bullshitting him without an ounce of shame.
"First, imagine what would happen if the Four-Tails learned he was the Sage of Six Paths' absolute favorite and the only Tailed Beast with a uniquely special name. How unbelievably arrogant would he become?
Naruto, think back to the Academy. Remember those annoying kids who scored full marks on a test or won a single sparring match, and then immediately started acting smug and looking down on everyone else? How did that make you feel?"
"..."
With Kurama expertly tailoring the comparison to his childhood trauma, Naruto immediately began to understand "the feelings of the other Tailed Beasts."
It was absolutely true.
Watching one of your friends start obnoxiously showing off was incredibly annoying.
"Second, if the Four-Tails really was the old Sage's favorite... why did the old man leave behind absolutely nothing for him besides a cool name? Based on this old fox's thousand years of life experience, there can only be one logical explanation."
Kurama paused dramatically.
"The Sage of Six Paths realized the Four-Tails was getting uglier as he grew older, so he abandoned him."
"Huh?"
"So do you understand now, Naruto? If we tell the Four-Tails the truth, he'll either become unbearably arrogant, or he'll develop a crippling, lifelong inferiority complex."
"Neither outcome would be good for his mental health. That's exactly why we should keep it from him forever."
"It's a well-intentioned lie."