Naruto quickly jumped back to life, looking at Ino with tears of gratitude in his eyes.
'Ino, you're the best!'
"Are you okay?" Ino's face was full of worry.
"I'm fine."
Naruto smiled and waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Let's go get some dango, my treat." Ino said, holding her forehead in exasperation.
As they talked, the two walked into the dango shop. Dango are sweets and very popular among girls, so the place was quite crowded.
When Naruto, dressed in his green tights, walked into the dango shop, everyone's eyes turned to him. Fortunately, the attention didn't last long, and soon everyone went back to their own business.
"Naruto, do you know what Sasuke has been up to lately?" Ino asked casually while eating her dango.
"I'm not sure. I think he's training with Kakashi-sensei."
"Oh."
Their conversation continued sporadically, and as night fell, they each went their separate ways. Naruto's home was not far from the Yamanaka Flower Shop, so they naturally walked part of the way together.
Konoha's streets were brightly lit, exuding a peaceful atmosphere.
Naruto had gained the Flying Thunder God Technique, which was undoubtedly a great asset to him.
Considering the upcoming Chunin Exams, the most troublesome opponent might be Shino and his Kikaichu. Naruto wasn't sure if the tuberculosis-stricken Gekko Hayate would die at Baki's hands, and he is not sure whether the exam matchups would change.
He still needs to learn about the specific situation first.
What he knew now is that Orochimaru will launch the Konoha Crush Plan during this Chunin Exams, and gave hickeys on Sasuke's neck. Sandaime will die, Gekko Hayate will die, and the streets of Konoha would be destroyed.
The night breeze was cool, and Ino continued to chat about various things.
Naruto occasionally responded, thinking about something.
"You don't need to be nervous. Since you were the top graduate in our class, as long as you don't face the Hyuga Clan's genius, you should be fine." Ino, wearing a brown short-sleeve shirt and a golden ponytail tied behind her head, said whatever she thought.
"Ino, you're actually pretty kind." Naruto remarked out of nowhere.
"Why would you say that?"
"You're very good at considering others." Naruto scratched his head and said sincerely, "My usual impression of you is that you're bold and carefree, but I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful and understanding."
"What do you mean by 'didn't expect'?" Ino complained somewhat dissatisfiedly, "After all, we are all comrades from the same village. Isn't it natural to help each other?"
"Yeah, that's true." Naruto smiled, dropping the subject.
At the street corner, Naruto waved to Ino and they said goodbye to each other.
After returning home, Naruto simply flopped onto the couch.
The living room was dimly lit, and the Anbu's surveillance had been withdrawn. For now, Naruto was temporarily free.
It was like finally having his shackles removed and being allowed to breathe freely.
Unlike other villages that continuously develop the potential of their Jinchuriki, Konoha seems to be consciously limiting the development of their Jinchuriki's strength. Naruto guessed that it might be because Konoha lacked a strong person who could suppress the Kyubi. After all, if the Jinchuriki lost control, the damage to the village would be unimaginable.
Compared to using Kyubi's power, Konoha obviously prefer to contain it.
The Root Shinobi who was swallowed by Kyubi did not leave any valuable information, leaving Naruto unable to investigate further. But he could probably guess that it was Danzo's doing, likely with the high-ups' tacit approval.
With a thought, Naruto closed his eyes.
Drip.
Drip.
He opened his eyes, and the surrounding environment instantly changed from an exquisitely decorated living room to a dark and damp sewer.
In the darkness, a pair of lantern-sized eyes opened.
Within the small cage, Kyubi's enormous body exuded an oppressive presence. The water in the sewer rippled continuously, and the next second, Kyubi roared uncontrollably, shaking the entire seal space.
"Hello again, Kurama."
Naruto stepped on the puddle, and ripples appeared under his feet, expanding outward from him. The dim yellow light enveloped the entire seal space, providing just enough illumination to see.
"Human…"
Kyubi's voice was filled with rage. His hatred for Naruto had not diminished over time, but had become stronger instead. However, he learned his lesson this time, and except for the roar at the beginning, he did not continue to make trouble.
"Do you hate me?" Naruto asked, looking up.
"And what if I do?" Kyubi said with bared teeth, disdaining to lie.
"I know why you hate me. It's simply because I deprived you of your freedom." Naruto said calmly as he looked up at Kyubi, who loomed like a mountain. His expression was steady, devoid of unnecessary emotion.
"Isn't that right? I've been trapped in this dark, sunless seal for over a decade! How could I not hate you?"
"I didn't choose to be a Jinchuriki either." Naruto said, "Who wants to be a container? But no one has ever asked for my opinion."
"That's your business, human!"
Kyubi was somewhat annoyed, and he did not want to argue about this matter. As far as he was concerned, he was the real victim, and he didn't care about the greedy, despicable humans' actions or words.
Naruto was silent for a moment before continuing.
"The situation now is that without you, I would die. But without me, you wouldn't die. This isn't fair."
"Fair? Human, who cares if you live or die?" Kyubi said sinisterly, "If you die, I will indeed be free. If you don't want to live, let me know in advance. I'd be happy to help."
"Don't worry, I will do everything to survive. Even if it means using Forbidden Techniques, Kurama." Naruto raised his head and looked at Kyubi seriously, as if making a vow, "I will imprison you, constantly reinforce the seal, and torture you forever."
"Believe that I can do it, just as I can now use the Four Symbols Seal."
Naruto's words, spoken with such determination, as he looked at him sent chills down Kyubi's spine. It even reminded him of the painful memories of being imprisoned by the previous two Jinchuriki.
'If this human really didn't die...'
"Are you a lunatic?" Kyubi completely lost his composure and glared at Naruto fiercely.
On the other hand, Naruto smiled when he heard that, his smile was bright and sunny.
"If I'm unhappy, I'll beat everyone until they cry!"
"That's my ninja way, to say and do what I mean!"
Kyubi was completely disgusted by Naruto, and was still brooding over Naruto's threat.
He thought to himself, 'Damn it, in all his centuries of existence, he had never encountered such a dark-hearted Jinchuriki, this human is really weird! Who knows where this brat learned the Four Symbols Seal from? The current situation is extremely unfavorable for me.'
"What do you want?" Kyubi's tone turned resigned, "This won't do you any good, will it?"
Naruto nodded and said, "Kurama, I want freedom."