The exchange between the two tailed beasts took place in a deep inner space, and those who hadn't gained the tailed beasts' recognition couldn't know. The entire ninja world had no idea that Shukaku and Kurama had just made a dirty deal.
When Kurama's leaked chakra returned to zero, the two tailed beasts also retreated from the inner space.
Kurama lay in the sealed space, unknowingly grinning: "Now we just wait for the Chunin exams to start."
Naruto was still talking to Guy. Guy seemed very cheerful, though not very clear-headed, but as an elder, he was extremely kind, perhaps too kind.
Naruto and Shikamaru were almost dragged by him to do frog jumps, ten laps around Konohagakure.
Fortunately, Naruto, though not very bright, still had some sense. Otherwise, he might have been persuaded by Guy's passionate speech to go do frog jumps. Mainly, there was a more sensible Shikamaru beside him.
Now, they just had to wait for the Chunin exams the next day.
In theory, everything should be fine, theoretically.
At night, Kurama watched Naruto tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep, and found it amusing. This kid was acting fearless at Ichiraku Ramen earlier, but now he was getting nervous lying in bed?
Naruto closed his eyes, trying to force himself to sleep, but the more he tried, the more he couldn't fall asleep.
Kurama watched this scene. "Rather than being nervous, it's more like... fear."
How funny, Naruto actually feeling fear? Kurama thought he was witnessing a rare sight, too bad he didn't have a camera to capture it.
But then again, people who are usually carefree and fearless tend to be more sensitive inside. Naruto was probably that kind of person, except when it came to Hinata. He was almost the epitome of bravery and caution.
Then he saw Naruto roll off the bed.
Kurama's forehead showed a black line. Forget it, let's pretend he didn't say anything.
He thought for a moment and then released a small amount of Chakra. "Hey, kid, come in here."
Naruto, who was crying with his head in his hands, was stunned and instinctively looked at his stomach. "Kurama? What's up?"
As he spoke, his figure slowly appeared in the sealed space.
Kurama lay behind the gate, looking at Naruto with a very proud expression. "Kid, are you scared? Of tomorrow's battle?"
Naruto, who had just come in and didn't understand the situation, jumped up, his face turning red. "What are you talking about! How could I be afraid of Neji! If anyone should be afraid, it's him!"
"I didn't say you were afraid of... Neji." Kurama almost slipped. "No, you're being honest."
Naruto's face turned red. He wanted to refute Kurama's words, but... the truth was, he was scared. Not of losing to Neji, but of not being able to avenge Hinata.
Neji was strong. Lee, who could defeat Sasuke, said so. Lee said that among the three of them, Neji was the strongest, surpassing an ordinary Genin. Naruto had seen Lee's outburst, and if he faced Lee, he wouldn't stand a chance.
Even with Kurama's Chakra and the Summoning Jutsu, Naruto was still scared.
This kind of mentality is actually very normal. Think about how you felt before a big exam. No matter how good your grades were, you were still scared.
Kurama watched as Naruto's expression changed from anger to unwillingness, and finally to disappointment, even his eyes losing some of their strength.
Naruto looked at his reflection in the water, seeing his own image. "I don't want to lose, but... can I really win? Against Neji."
Kurama looked down at Naruto, the reflection in the water showing both of them. One looked at the reflection with a face full of disappointment, the other looked at the other with a calm face through the reflection.
"Do you want to fight? Do you want to win? Or do you just want to become a Chunin?" Kurama's expression suddenly turned cold, like the first time Naruto saw him, with an aura that made people unable to move.
Naruto was stunned and instinctively looked up at Kurama. "What?"
"Which one?" Kurama stood up, his powerful Chakra boiling in the sealed space. If it weren't for the seal's restriction, Naruto wouldn't last a second.
Gritting his teeth, Naruto's eyes were full of determination. "I want to win!"
Kurama grinned, his smile somewhat cruel, "If you don't win, the battle is meaningless. Even if you become a Chunin after losing, it doesn't matter. So you want to win... right?"
No one fights to lose, and no one is chosen as a Jonin because they look bad when they lose. Whether you want to fight or become stronger, it's all for winning.
If you lose, the battle is meaningless, so you want to win.
"Yes." Naruto nodded firmly.
"Then why be afraid?" Kurama grinned and asked, "The enemy is one person, and you are one person too. What's there to be afraid of?"
"You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate"
This phrase was said by Zangetsu to Ichigo in the anime Bleach. It's a simple sentence that doesn't seem special, but that's because our environments are different.
If you are in a place where it's dangerous and you must fight, if one failure means death, if you can't win and will be annihilated, can you muster the courage to fight? To fight for victory?
Most people on Earth can't do it, but in this world, a world made up of ninja battles, this phrase applies to almost all strong ninjas.
No ninja becomes stronger by retreating, and cowards don't get the chance to become stronger. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and the rest of the Konoha 12 didn't grow because of retreating and fear.
The legendary ninja Sarutobi Hiruzen bowed to external enemies for the so-called peace of the village. At the moment he retreated, he was no longer a ninja but a mere politician. He thought about gains and losses, not growth through victory.
If he hadn't died on the battlefield, Sarutobi Hiruzen would have been just an ordinary old man.
In a way, Orochimaru gave his teacher the last bit of dignity.
So when Kurama thought about this, he found it funny. The once proud Konohagakure had two ninjas who were the best in the ninja world. He, Kurama, was called a natural disaster, but wasn't he captured by those two as if they were playing?
And now, Konohagakure didn't even dare to face him, relying on a kid to balance him. If in the original story Naruto hadn't moved Kurama, and when Naruto's chakra was completely absorbed by Kurama, the entire ninja world would have fallen under Otsutsuki Kaguya's rule.
Ridiculous politics.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had long forgotten what it meant to be a ninja.
He saw himself as a leader, a ridiculous leader built on ignorance.
The events in the original story were too coincidental. If any link had a slight problem, the whole story would collapse. And now, Kurama was no longer Kurama, the script had changed. Why should he place his hope on a ridiculous leader?
Naruto's growth continues, but Kurama will no longer accompany him.
As for Sasuke, Kurama has no fondness for this Uchiha kid, and if there is any, it's based on Sarada.
"You'll age if you pull back... You'll die if you hesitate..." Naruto repeated these words in a daze, as if he had grasped something, but it was like a breeze that couldn't be held onto.
Kurama could understand, after all, this kid was still young. If it were his future self, he would probably understand the meaning of these words.
But there's no rush. Naruto's growth began with the story of Hayate, and now it's Kurama's turn.
"Alright, if you have any more questions, figure out the answers yourself." Kurama turned over, looking a bit lazy, "If you can't figure it out, go to the place where your dreams began. Maybe you'll find the answers there."
This matter itself has no answer. No matter how much you persuade someone used to retreating, they will still retreat. People living in fear will always stay in the shadows. Naruto doesn't need chicken soup; he needs an answer.
In a daze, Naruto exited the sealed space. He didn't ask Kurama why he knew these things but lay on the bed with those half-understood questions.
Maybe because he had something to think about, Naruto temporarily forgot his fear and fell asleep. Whether he could understand it would depend on himself.
Kurama watched Naruto fall asleep with satisfaction and closed his eyes. In the pitch-black sealed space, only the paper sealing the prison door glowed faintly, and a chakra that didn't belong to Naruto or Kurama could be vaguely sensed.
.....
After thinking all night, Naruto still didn't understand the meaning of Kurama's words. He just felt they were fitting but didn't know why.
In the morning, Naruto, for once, didn't oversleep. He woke up with a bit of confusion.
After washing up, he took his Ninja Tools bag and headed to the venue for the third round of the Chunin exams. It was the largest competition venue in Konohagakure, capable of seating thousands of spectators. Even standing on the edge of Konohagakure, one could see a corner of the arena. There were also seats prepared for high-ranking officials. The entire venue existed for exhibition matches.
Of course, it wasn't open when there was nothing going on.
Walking out of the house, Naruto looked at the arena from afar. He felt like he could hear the voices of the spectators, as if they were disgusted with him.
Naruto lowered his head, not daring to look, his face full of melancholy and hesitation. He suddenly doubted whether he should be there because, apart from Kakashi-sensei and the others, not many people in the village welcomed him.
He took a step forward, but instead of getting closer to the arena, he felt like he was getting farther away.
The morning light shone from the east, falling on Naruto through the gaps between houses and trees, casting a long shadow behind him.
For a moment, the shadow seemed to take the shape of the Nine-Tails. He wiped his eyes, but it was just an illusion. Behind Naruto, there was only his shadow.
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