Bones creaked with friction, producing a "creak creak" sound.
"What's going on?" the ninja in charge of reception spoke, his words coming with difficulty. Under this heavy pressure, he couldn't even lift his head.
"It's the Whirlpool Lord's technique," Mabui answered, her voice stuttered, struggling to get each word out before needing a break to continue talking, "But why has it suddenly been activated?"
The reception ninja seemed to realize something: "It must be meeting with another self within."
"Engaged in battle."
Mabui shot a glance over.
She only knew there would be an encounter with the "true self within," unaware of any "battle."
If only they had said earlier.
Had she known, she would have stayed far away.
At that moment, the aura intensified suddenly.
They found themselves even deeper in it.
Not just Naruto; from within the two Nine-Tails, a strong presence pressed down.
Inside the world of Nine-Tails.
Standing opposite the two Nine-Tails, there was only one figure.
It was another Nine-Tails, full-bodied and shrouded in black aura.
"Has living with humans for so long made you so insincere?" Black Nine-Tails sneered, its voice cynical, "Or does having your consciousness split have made your thinking sluggish?"
"Can't you see it yet?"
"That kid just wants to use your power."
The two Nine-Tails ignored it, charging forward.
The power of the Black Nine-Tails was immense, fighting both of them without losing any ground.
"In such a hurry to make a move on me?"
"Is it because you can't bear the most genuine voice from your heart and so got angry out of embarrassment?"
"Think about it."
"Remember Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, and those last two Jinchuriki."
"Ninjas are all the same."
The battle continued.
But the two Nine-Tails' thoughts inevitably drifted back to the past under its influence.
The memories of all those people emerged in his mind.
Uchiha Madara arrogantly declared, "All you possess is an unstable power, guided only by the Uchiha clan."
"You, Tailed Beasts, are only fit to be the slaves of those with ocular powers."
Senju Hashirama said apologetically, "Nine-Tails, your strength is simply too overwhelming. I'm sorry, but it's best if you're sealed away."
The first Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Mito firmly stated, "Using your power will inevitably lead to hatred."
"So stay inside of me where you belong."
The second Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Kushina said, "Both you and I have truly suffered."
"But you are the world's disaster, while I am yours."
No matter how they phrased it, the meaning they expressed was always the same as what Uchiha Madara initially wanted to convey. There was no difference.
However, just when they seemed unable to resist acknowledging the "Black Nine-Tails,"
Yang Nine-Tails suddenly remembered, back when the first "Four Symbols Seal" was broken, Naruto raised his head, his face brimming with a bright and sincere smile. He lifted his fist to bump against his own paw.
Now, the power from decades ago seemed to be transferring once again through their knuckles.
"We're friends, aren't we?" This voice echoed once more in its ears.
Yang Nine-Tails grinned, angrily shouting, "Yes! I still hate ninjas!"
"That guy, Uchiha Madara."
"Next time we meet, I'm going to eat him!"
"But I refuse to be like you—ugly and disgusting beyond belief."
"I am both powerful and splendid!"
Yin Nine-Tails also spoke up, "We are not creatures that live solely within hatred."
It, too, remembered someone, someone with golden hair.
Not Naruto, but Minato Namikaze."
Just as the two foxes uttered these words, they vaguely heard a voice calling by their ears.
"Call."
"Call my name."
They twitched their ears, trying to listen more intently.
At the most crucial moments, just when they were about to hear that name, the Black Nine-Tails would always pounce and distract their attention, letting that name slip away before they could grasp it.
The two foxes grew increasingly irritable.
In the real world, the Cloud Village ninjas and Karin experienced the longest ten minutes of their lives.
Naruto wore a grim expression as he pushed himself off the ground to stand.
Both Nine-Tails bristled, their eyes snapping open sharply.
Their auras retracted.
Finally, the ninjas could lift their heads and stretch their stiffened bodies.
"Naruto!" Karin called out, seeing his calm demeanor and uninjured state. She breathed a sigh of relief and her tone softened, "How's the situation?"
Naruto glanced at the Cloud Village ninjas, "I'll explain once we're back."
There was only one building on the island, its exterior decorated to resemble the open mouth of the Eight-Tails.
Upon seeing it, the Nine-Tails felt its frustrations swept away, unleashing a volley of scornful remarks.
If Killer Bee were here, the Nine-Tails would have even more harsh words to hurl.
Inside the building. "In my inner world, I met the embodiment of all my negative emotions," Naruto spoke softly, recounting the encounter, "and I fought him."
"He possesses the same abilities as I do, the same combat experience, and even the ability to use the Nine-Tails' power just like me."
"In the end, the result was a draw; neither side claimed victory."
"Nine-Tails, was it the same for you two?"
Recalling this, the two Nine-Tails gritted their teeth, the Yin Nine-Tails slapping a pillow with its paw, "We only encountered one, but it embodied the complete essence."
"That one had some skill."
"Even against our combined attack, it could barely hold its own."
Karin smiled cheekily, "So, you didn't beat it."
"It didn't win either!" the Yang Nine-Tails insisted, repeating it three times for emphasis, "It was just a draw!"
"We could have won. But while fighting that thing, there was always this voice worming into our ears."
"So annoying!"
Yin Nine-Tails shredded the pillow with its claws: "Exactly! It keeps saying, 'My name is...' 'My name is...'"
"Just say the name already!"
"It's driving me insane."
Naruto was taken aback: "A voice whispering a name to you all the time?"
He was all too familiar with this phenomenon.
Before "Asura" was unleashed, he had experienced the same thing.
Both Nine-Tails nodded.
"A release, perhaps?" Naruto observed them. "It sounds like an initial release."
Yang Nine-Tails was startled, turning its head to look at its counterpart, circling around it: "A Zanpakuto?"
"Naruto, are you sure?"
Naruto confirmed: "Before Asura was unleashed, such a voice often murmured in my ear."
"Since you're hearing it in your inner world—"
"It's likely the whisper of your Zanpakuto."
Yang Nine-Tails pinned Yin Nine-Tails' tail: "But don't I already have a sword?"
"The one named after me."
Naruto took "Nine-Tails" off and placed it on the bed.
The three Nine-Tails lined up neatly.
"Strange things always happen to us," Naruto whispered, removing another sword as well. "Like the sword Asura."
"Though I can now use Asura's power—"
"Asura is not its true name; the power truly mine remains a seed."
"And this Nine-Tails sword, it appears to be your Zanpakuto."
"But actually, it's a symbol of me borrowing your power."
"Can't you release its power yet?"
Yang Nine-Tails nodded: "During the fight with the Ox-Head, I even tried, like you, Naruto, to say those bizarre words."
"But it didn't work!" it gritted its teeth. "If I hadn't slapped the Ox-Head, it might have laughed at me."
Naruto reached out, tugging its ear: "So, the voice you hear should be the voice of your own Zanpakuto."
"You're an individual entity too, with a sword of your own, that's completely normal."
The eyes of the Yin Nine-Tails sparkled with intrigue.
A Zanpakuto?
So it's possible to have a Zanpakuto of one's own. "If I just get rid of that guy, I'll be able to hear that name?" The Yin Nine-Tails withdrew its tail from beneath the Yang Nine-Tails' feet. "This is truly an interesting matter."
"Even I can become a Shinigami?" The Yang Nine-Tails said with a hint of anticipation, standing on the bed.
Naruto watched the Nine-Tails, pondering his confusion. He couldn't quite grasp what was happening.
The "Nine-Tails" itself was a genuine Zanpakuto.
Therefore, its power source, the tailed beast Nine-Tails, should be akin to a "Zanpakuto spirit."
However, can a Zanpakuto spirit have its own Zanpakuto?
When you think about it, the power of a Shinigami is somewhat peculiar. If "a Zanpakuto is the manifestation of one's spiritual power," then why is it that I can make the Nine-Tails' power into a Zanpakuto?
Why can Mayuri modify his own Zanpakuto through experimentation?
Logically, with such a premise, to alter a Zanpakuto's power, one should undergo "inner spiritual training."
Naruto thought deeply.
However, this is the Shinobi World, so these questions need to be stored away for now, to be subtly brought up upon returning to the Soul Society, maybe asking Mayuri about his research at that point.
Karin looked at the Nine-Tails, clicking her tongue. Then she reached out to grab the other ear of the Yang Nine-Tails.
While she was still struggling with mastering "spiritual power," the Nine-Tails was already starting to grasp its own "Zanpakuto."
How could there be such a wide gap between her and a fox?
The Nine-Tails bared its teeth and swatted Karin's hand away.
Naruto sat at the table, taking out a scroll, and began extracting part of the Eight-Tails' body, commencing research on its power and existence.
After some playful bickering, Karin also began tidying up the room.
She realized:
Until the Nine-Tails masters that "Zanpakuto" power, and Naruto resolves his collection of negative emotions, neither would be leaving this island.
Here they would reside for the foreseeable future.
Brother Lemon's health has always been frail, even weaker than Bee's. Now that there's some improvement, he's back to writing! Keep up the good work, Bee!
(End of Chapter)