Whitebeard vaguely understood that a monster was inside Naruto, but he didn't know the details.
In fact, Whitebeard wasn't too concerned.
To him, his son was his son.
So what if there was a monster inside him?
It didn't change the fact that Naruto was his son.
But Naruto cared a lot.
"Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?" This term confused Naruto.
He struggled under the heavy load, trying to lift his head to look at Kakashi, who seemed a bit uneasy.
"Uncle Kakashi, what is this? Why am I a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"
He didn't understand what the term meant.
However, Naruto could guess it was related to the "demon fox."
Thinking of this, Naruto's emotions became unsettled, and he urgently asked the silent Kakashi, "Is this why everyone in the village hates me? Because I'm a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"
Kakashi fell silent.
For a long while.
Under Naruto's expectant gaze, Kakashi could only give this answer: "Naruto, some things will be explained to you when you grow up. Lord Hokage will tell you."
"White-haired brat!"
Whitebeard's voice boomed, "Why are you Konoha ninjas so hesitant and evasive? If Naruto wants to know what it means, just tell him!"
The end of Murakumogiri struck the ground behind Kakashi with a "boom," stopping just ten centimeters away from him.
Kakashi felt the gust of wind sweep past his heels.
In front of him was the expectant son of his teacher.
Behind him was Whitebeard, who blocked his retreat and made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Kakashi wished he could slap himself.
But when he saw Naruto's dirty, weary face from the intense training, he thought of two faces.
Kushina-sensei...
Minato-sensei...
"A Jinchūriki is someone who has a tailed beast or the chakra of a tailed beast sealed within them, or you can say that a Jinchūriki is a vessel that contains the tailed beast."
Kakashi began to explain, no longer evading.
"A tailed beast? A vessel?" Whitebeard raised an eyebrow.
"Whitebeard-sama, you must have already sensed the tremendous potential within Naruto, which is beyond ordinary understanding," Kakashi continued to explain. "Only a small part of that potential belongs to Naruto himself."
"The majority comes from the tailed beast! A beast known as the Nine-Tails! Because of its existence, Naruto possesses incredible potential."
"Every time Naruto is on the brink of death, the orange energy that flashes on his body is the chakra of the Nine-Tails!"
After hearing this, Whitebeard showed no reaction, as he had already suspected something like this.
But Naruto was stunned.
"I... I have a tailed beast inside me? It's called the Nine-Tails?"
Naruto suddenly recalled having strange dreams.
He often dreamt of a peculiar creature.
That creature was enormous.
"In fact, Konoha doesn't know its real name," Kakashi shook his head, his expression complex. "That's just a nickname Konoha gave to that powerful tailed beast."
"I'm hated in the village because of it?" Five-year-old Naruto began to understand.
"Yes."
Kakashi answered, "The tailed beast is very dangerous. A few years ago, it caused unprecedented destruction to Konoha."
"Many people died back then..."
Seeing Naruto's shocked expression, Kakashi quickly added, "It's not your fault. It was the tailed beast that did those things."
Naruto felt all his strength drain away.
The two hundred pounds of weight immediately pressed him down.
He fell to the ground with a thud.
"I... I have a monster that hurt the village inside me." For Naruto, who aspired to be Hokage and wanted everyone's love, this harsh reality was like shattering his dreams.
Naruto mumbled, "I'm... I'm actually a monster? I hurt the village, I hurt everyone."
"I... I..."
His emotions became unprecedentedly chaotic.
The seal containing the Nine-Tails began to waver.
Naruto's eyes began to change, becoming those of a beast.
"Lord Hokage knew all along... He didn't tell me, so I wasn't misunderstood. I really am a demon fox."
Naruto's fingernails started to elongate.
They became sharp.
...
At the same time, the Nine-Tails sealed within him laughed maniacally.
"Ahahaha! That's it! That's it, ahahaha! This white-haired ninja named Kakashi is more pleasing to the eye than Whitebeard! I can clearly feel the darkness within this brat being awakened!"
The Nine-Tails' massive body slammed into the seal.
Its laugh grew even more frenzied.
"Say more! Say more! As long as this brat's emotions completely collapse, I can use the opportunity to break this damn seal!"
The Nine-Tails' chakra spread wildly inside Naruto, affecting his mind.
And his body.
...
Kakashi, watching Naruto's transformation, quickly stopped talking.
He placed his hands on Naruto's shoulders, feeling the cold, evil chakra of the Nine-Tails.
This unfathomable, evil chakra made Kakashi's expression change drastically.
"Naruto! Calm down!" Kakashi urged, "This is all the Nine-Tails' doing, not yours! You're not the demon fox! It's the real culprit!"
"Naruto?" Kakashi found that Naruto wasn't listening.
It was as if the Nine-Tails' chakra had interfered with his hearing.
"I don't know if my sealing jutsu will work on a tailed beast," Kakashi took a deep breath.
He couldn't let Naruto continue like this.
Or else Naruto would go berserk!
Just then, Kakashi sensed a huge threat overhead.
Looking up, he saw a massive fist coming down!
He instantly dodged.
Boom!!!
A fist larger than Naruto's entire body slammed into Naruto, driving him to the ground like a nail.
The force of the punch caused the ground to tremble violently.
The power of the punch was enough to flatten a piece of steel!
"Idiot son!"
Whitebeard's roar carried an overwhelming Haoshoku Haki: "Don't let the power you possess swallow your will!"
Boom!!!!
Haoshoku Haki washed over Naruto's spirit.
The powerful punch shattered the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Naruto foamed at the mouth.
His eyes rolled back.
He fainted on the spot.
"Damn Whitebeard!!!" The Nine-Tails' feral grin froze on its fox face.
...
...