The Cloud ninjas were lying on the ground, their forms imprinted into it.
Bones creaked and groaned.
"What's happening?" the ninja in charge of reception asked, speaking with difficulty. Under such intense pressure, he couldn't even lift his head.
"This is Uzumaki-sama's jutsu," Mabui replied, her voice stuttering. She had to pause after a few words to catch her breath before she could continue. "But why was it suddenly activated?"
The reception ninja seemed to realize something: "It must be because he's meeting the other self within his mind."
"They're fighting."
Mabui glanced over sharply.
She only knew that he would be meeting his "true self within," but had no idea about the "fighting."
If she had known earlier, she would have kept her distance.
At that moment, the pressure suddenly intensified.
They were pressed even deeper into the ground.
Not only Naruto, but from within the two Nine-Tails as well, a powerful aura surged forth.
Inside the Nine-Tails' inner world, standing opposite the two Nine-Tails was a single figure.
It was another Nine-Tails, shrouded in black energy, completely intact.
"Has living with humans for so many years made you so dishonest?" the black Nine-Tails sneered, its tone mocking. "Or has your consciousness being split in two made your thinking sluggish?"
"Don't you see?"
"That kid only wants to use your power."
The two Nine-Tails ignored it and lunged forward to attack.
The black Nine-Tails was strong, taking on both of them without being at a disadvantage.
"So eager to attack me?"
"Is it because you can't bear to hear the truest voice from within, and are enraged out of shame?"
"Think about it."
"Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, and the words of those previous two jinchūriki."
"Ninjas are all the same."
The battle continued.
But the two Nine-Tails couldn't help but be influenced, their thoughts drifting to the past.
One after another, figures surfaced in their memories.
Uchiha Madara arrogantly said, "All you possess is unstable power. The only ones who can guide you are the Uchiha."
"You tailed beasts are only fit to be slaves to those with the Sharingan."
Senju Hashirama, with an apologetic expression, said, "The power of the Nine-Tails is too great. I'm sorry, but it's best if you stay sealed."
The first jinchūriki, Uzumaki Mito, resolutely stated, "As long as your power is used, hatred will follow."
"You should stay safely within me."
The second jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina, said, "Both you and I have indeed been unlucky."
"But you are the world's calamity, and I am your calamity."
No matter what words they used, in the end, their message was no different from what Uchiha Madara had expressed in the beginning.
But just as they were about to agree with the black Nine-Tails...
The Yang Nine-Tails suddenly recalled, when the first "Four Symbols Seal" was undone.
Naruto looked up, his face full of a bright, sincere smile, raising his fist to bump it against its paw.
Now, that power from decades ago seemed to be transmitting through the knuckles again.
"We're friends, aren't we?" That sentence echoed once more in its ears.
The Yang Nine-Tails grinned, angrily retorting, "That's right! I still hate ninjas!"
"That guy, Uchiha Madara..."
"When I see him again, I'll eat him alive!"
"But I'm not as ugly as you, utterly disgusting."
"I am powerful and magnificent!"
The Yin Nine-Tails also spoke: "We are not beings who have always lived in hatred."
It too remembered someone, someone who also had blonde hair.
However, it wasn't Naruto, but Namikaze Minato.
After the two foxes spoke, a faint voice seemed to echo in their ears.
"Call..."
"Call my name."
They twitched their ears, trying to listen more clearly.
But at the crucial moment, just when they were about to hear the name, the black Nine-Tails would always pounce, distracting them, and the name would slip away from their minds.
The two foxes grew more irritable.
In the real world, the Cloud ninjas and Karin endured the longest ten minutes of their lives.
Naruto, his face heavy, supported himself as he stood up.
The two Nine-Tails also fluffed up their fur and opened their eyes.
The oppressive aura subsided.
The ninjas were finally able to lift their heads and stretch their stiff bodies.
"Naruto!" Karin looked at him, seeing that his breathing was steady and he wasn't injured. She let out a sigh of relief, her tone softening. "What happened?"
Naruto glanced at the Cloud ninjas. "I'll explain when we get back."
There was only one building on the island.
Its exterior was decorated to resemble the mouth of the Eight-Tails wide open.
Seeing it, the Nine-Tails' earlier frustration was swept away, and it couldn't help but start mocking.
If Killer Bee had been there, the Nine-Tails' insults would have been even harsher.
Inside the house.
"What was that just now?" Karin asked as she closed the door, forming a hand seal and performing a sealing technique. A barrier, not particularly strong but effective in blocking sound, enveloped the entire room.
"In my inner world, I encountered the manifestation of my negative emotions," Naruto said softly, recounting the event. "And I fought with it."
"It had the same abilities as me, the same battle experience, and it could even use the Nine-Tails' power just like I could."
"In the end, it was a draw, with no winner."
"Nine-Tails, wasn't it the same for you?"
When this was brought up, the two Nine-Tails gritted their teeth. The Yin Nine-Tails slapped its paw and scratched a pillow. "We encountered only one, but it was an individual who had gathered a complete source."
"That guy had some skills."
"Even facing the two of us, it barely managed to hold its ground."
Karin smiled and casually remarked, "So, it didn't win, right?"
"But it didn't lose either!" The Yang Nine-Tails emphasized, repeating itself three times, "There was no clear winner!"
"We could have won."
"But while fighting that guy, there was always a voice echoing in our ears."
"Very annoying!"
The Yin Nine-Tails scratched the pillow to shreds. "Exactly! It kept saying, 'My name is...,' 'My name is...'"
"Just say the name already!"
"It really distracted me."
Naruto was taken aback. "A voice was trying to tell you a name?"
This situation was all too familiar to him.
Before "Ashura" was unleashed, he had experienced something similar.
The two Nine-Tails nodded.
"Shikai?" Naruto scrutinized them. "This sounds a lot like a Shikai."
The Yang Nine-Tails was stunned. It turned its head, looking at its counterpart, circling around it and examining it. "Zanpakutō?"
"Naruto, are you sure?"
Naruto nodded in response. "Before Ashura was released, there was always such a voice in my ear."
"Since you heard it in your inner world..."
"It's almost certain that it's the whisper of a Zanpakutō."
The Yang Nine-Tails stepped on the Yin Nine-Tails' tail. "But I already have a sword, right?"
"The one named after me."
Naruto took down "Nine-Tails" and placed it on the bed.
Three Nine-Tails lined up neatly.
"We always experience some strange and unusual things," Naruto said softly, removing another sword. "Take Ashura, for example."
"Although I can now use Ashura's power..."
"Ashura isn't its true name. The power that truly belongs to me is still a seed."
"And as for this Nine-Tails sword, it seems to be your Zanpakutō."
"But in reality, it's a symbol of me borrowing your power."
"Isn't it true that you can't unleash it?"
The Yang Nine-Tails nodded. "When fighting the Eight-Tails, I tried, just like you, to say those strange words."
"But it didn't work!" It gritted its teeth. "If I hadn't slapped the Eight-Tails at that time, I would have almost been ridiculed by it."
Naruto reached out and tugged on its ear. "So, the voice you heard is probably the voice of your own Zanpakutō."
"You are an individual entity, so it's normal to have your own sword."
The two Nine-Tails' eyes gleamed with excitement.
Zanpakutō?
They could actually have their own Zanpakutō.
"So, if we just defeat that guy, we'll hear the name?" The Yin Nine-Tails pulled its tail out from under the Yang Nine-Tails' foot. "This is really interesting."
"Could I also become a Shinigami?" The Yang Nine-Tails stepped on the bed, its tone filled with anticipation.
Naruto looked at the Nine-Tails, pondering with confusion.
He was somewhat unclear about what was going on.
"Nine-Tails" was a genuine Zanpakutō.
So, its power source, the Nine-Tails beast, should be something akin to a "Zanpakutō spirit."
But...
Could a Zanpakutō spirit have its own Zanpakutō?
Thinking carefully, the powers of the Shinigami were quite strange.
If the "Zanpakutō is the manifestation of the spirit," then why could his own Zanpakutō manifest the power of the Nine-Tails?
And why could Kurotsuchi Mayuri modify his own Zanpakutō through experiments?
Logically speaking...
With the above premise, changing a Zanpakutō's power should require some form of "inner spiritual training."
Naruto pondered.
But this is the ninja world. For now, he could only store these questions in his mind and wait until he returned to the Soul Society to subtly ask Mayuri about his research on this matter.
Karin looked at the Nine-Tails and clicked her tongue.
She reached out to grab the Yang Nine-Tails' other ear.
While she was still struggling to master "spiritual power," the Nine-Tails was already beginning to master its own "Zanpakutō."
How could the gap between her and a fox be so vast?
The Nine-Tails bared its teeth and swatted Karin's hand away.
Naruto sat down at the table, took out a scroll, and began studying a part of the Eight-Tails' body to analyze its power and existence.
After some playful banter, Karin also started tidying up the room.
She could tell.
Until the Nine-Tails mastered the power of that "Zanpakutō" and Naruto resolved the collective of his negative emotions, they probably wouldn't leave this small island.
This would be their home for the foreseeable future.
~~~
Damn! Another chapter? What happened? Well, the Patreon chapters go up to chapter 243, so technically we can do one more double chapter update. I'm not sure when that will happen, but soon.
Also soon, you guys will probably get 2k words per chapter. So it's all good, right? No? You want two chapters per day? Hell, Yeah, I want that too!
Also, If you can't wait to read more please check out my Patreon page! Chapters 122-243 are available there.
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