Watching the two arguing, Kakashi's face showed a helpless expression. He had a bold guess about Fuu's allegiance and felt that his future days would not be easy. Having one Naruto was already a handful, and now there seemed to be another, adding to the immense pressure he felt.
"Fuu."
At this point, Minato called out Fuu's name.
"Hokage-sama."
Hearing the Hokage call her, Fuu immediately changed her expression to one of great respect.
She could be disrespectful to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but she could never disrespect the Fourth Hokage. After all, Minato was the shadow of the most powerful ninja village and, in a sense, one of the greatest figures in the ninja world.
Minato's deeds had long been known throughout the ninja world, and almost everyone admired him.
"Fuu, from now on, you will join Team 7 and carry out missions with Naruto and the others."
"What?"
Upon hearing Minato's words, two voices of surprise rang out simultaneously, one from Fuu and the other, naturally, from Naruto.
Kakashi's face showed an expression of "I knew it."
"Father, why are you assigning this girl to our team?"
Naruto pointed at Fuu, looking puzzled as he asked Minato.
"Yes, Hokage-sama, I don"t want to be on the same team as him."
Fuu pointed at Naruto and spoke, knowing it might be a bit disrespectful to the Hokage, but she felt that she and Naruto were like natural nemeses, each finding the other's presence irksome.
"Since both of you are Jinchuriki, it's only natural to communicate properly, right? You could exchange insights on using the Tailed Beast Chakra, and enhance each other's strengths."
Minato didn't take Fuu's impertinence to heart; in fact, he hoped for someone to properly guide Naruto in harnessing the Tailed Beast's power.
Although Fuu wasn't a perfect Jinchuriki, he believed that instructing the utterly clueless Naruto should be more than manageable.
Minato and Kukina could also wield the Nine-Tails Chakra's power, even entering the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, but they weren't perfect Jinchuriki either; they were merely forcibly borrowing the Nine-Tails' strength.
They had subdued the Nine-Tails with their own martial prowess, which meant the beast could potentially turn on them at any moment.
"I don't want to," Naruto flatly refused.
"Neither do I," When she heard Naruto's rejection, she couldn't show weakness.
"Naruto, this is an order," Minato's face suddenly turned stern as he spoke with gravity.
Seeing the sudden change in Minato's expression, Naruto's heart tightened with tension.
"Yes, Father, no, I mean, Hokage-sama," Naruto quickly corrected his posture and responded.
"Then Fuu, I entrust Naruto to you."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Despite her irritation, Fuu couldn't afford to lose face in front of the Hokage.
"Kakashi, I'm entrusting Fuu to your care as well. If you encounter an unbeatable foe, channel chakra into the Flying Thunder God Kunai immediately, and I will be there in an instant."
"Yes, Sensei."
Only Kakashi himself could understand the immense pressure he was under at that moment. With two Tailed Beast Jinchuriki in one team, they were bound to become the prime targets of the Akatsuki organization. It was unbelievable the kind of enemies he would face thereafter.
Minato had placed Fuu in Kakashi's team to ensure her safety, as it was unlikely anyone in the ninja world would dare attack Kakashi, the younger brother of the White Devil, who also possessed peak Kage-level abilities.
"Hey, don't you dare hold our team back," Naruto grumbled at Fuu after a while, unable to hide his annoyance.
"That's my line to you. After all, someone who can't even use Tailed Beast Chakra is a disgrace to Jinchuriki," Fuu retorted.
"Darn it," Naruto clenched his fists in anger upon hearing her words.
But what Fuu said was true; Gaara, the former One-Tail Jinchuriki, had been able to use a portion of Shukaku's power. Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki who fought Hatake Satoru, could also use a part of Son Goku's power in his human form.
The same was true for the other Jinchuriki; they could all use some of the Tailed Beast's power to varying degrees. Naruto, however, should be content with just borrowing a fraction of the Nine-Tails' chakra.
As for other powers, the Nine-Tails certainly wouldn't allow him to use them.
"Nine-Tails, lend me your power quickly, so I can smack this arrogant woman's face," Naruto inwardly pleaded as he looked within himself, where a massive cage appeared before him, housing the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama.
"Hmph, if you want to use my power, then prove to me that you're worthy of it," Kurama responded with a snort.
The Nine-Tails glanced sideways at Naruto and then settled back down, feigning sleep.
"Damn it, Kurama, you jerk," Naruto yelled, calling the Nine-Tails by its true name. Ever since Satoru told him to treat the Tailed Beast inside him as a friend, Naruto had taken it to heart.
Initially, Naruto wanted to give the Nine-Tails a name, but it already had one, and it certainly wasn't going to let someone else name it.
When Naruto learned the Nine-Tails' name, his expression was one of utter surprise. After much pestering, the Nine-Tails finally couldn't stand it anymore and revealed its name to Naruto.
Naruto was overjoyed when he first learned the Nine-Tails' name, even sharing the news with his parents. Minato and Kushina were equally astonished to learn that the Nine-Tails had a name, as they had always simply referred to it as the Nine-Tails.
This revelation showed Minato and Kushina another way of interacting with the Tailed Beasts.
After ejecting Naruto from his mental space with a powerful burst of chakra, the Nine-Tails' lips curled into a slight smile, a sensation it had never felt since its birth.
It realized that besides anger and hatred, it could possess other things.
At the very least, it would always remember Naruto, even after Naruto's death and its eventual departure from his body.
"Naruto, grow up quickly. You're not yet strong enough to handle my power," the Nine-Tails muttered to itself before drifting back to sleep.
(End of Chapter)