Restroom.
Naruto and Gaara, both looking surprised, sat facing each other.
"What kind of existence are you? Why doesn't my sand respond to you?"
Gaara asked nervously, firing off a series of questions.
"Who is that Kurama? Why is Shukaku so afraid of it? Could you be like me?"
Gaara's situation was too shocking. In his experience, his sand had always resisted others, even his father, the Fourth Kazekage.
Naruto gave a strange laugh. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" he said, extending his fist towards Gaara.
Gaara hesitated, unsure of Naruto's intention, but his curiosity won. He reached out his fist to meet Naruto's.
In the next moment, Gaara felt his consciousness pulled into another space.
The area was peaceful—blue skies, white clouds, green mountains, and clear waters. And in the middle of it all, a giant Nine-Tailed Fox opened its huge scarlet eyes and stared at him. Though Kurama didn't release any pressure, his presence alone was enough to make Gaara feel overwhelmed.
"Is this… this guy's inner space? So, he's like me... You're… Kurama!" Gaara exclaimed as the powerful aura of the Nine-Tails washed over him.
Meanwhile, Naruto's consciousness appeared in Gaara's sealed space, where the surroundings were much darker.
"This dark place is really unsettling. How do you manage to spend all your time here, Shukaku?" Naruto teased, glancing at the One-Tailed Beast hiding in the shadows.
"I didn't expect that stupid fox Kurama to side with a human brat. Ridiculous!" Shukaku snapped, glaring at Naruto with fury. "Get lost, brat. Tell that fox I don't want to see him."
But Naruto, unfazed by Shukaku's outburst, raised his hand and released a bit of Nine-Tails' chakra, instantly linking their sealed spaces.
"Stupid tanuki! Were you laughing at me just now?" Kurama's chakra formed into a large, glowing silhouette of the Nine-Tails within Shukaku's space. His chakra flooded the area, and his voice roared angrily.
Shukaku, taken aback, retorted, "So what? We're both sealed away. You can't do anything to me! I'm not like you—pathetic enough to cozy up to humans."
This was Shukaku's domain, where he wouldn't be easily pushed around. Nine-Tails might be strong, but here, their powers were nearly equal.
"Naruto, I'm going to use that," Kurama growled, referencing the Doraemon tool Naruto had previously used—the one that could momentarily free his power.
Naruto didn't want Shukaku or Gaara knowing about Doraemon's gadgets, but he couldn't resist. "Go ahead," he nodded, watching with interest.
"What are you planning?" Shukaku growled, sensing something off. "Don't push me. I'll drive you out if you keep this up!"
But before Shukaku could react, the Nine-Tails' chakra suddenly surged. In the blink of an eye, a smaller version of Kurama appeared in Shukaku's space, though "small" was relative—it was still as large as Gamabunta, the giant toad.
"You... how is this possible?!" Shukaku gasped, trembling in shock. As tough as he talked, Shukaku knew he couldn't match even a portion of Kurama's power.
"Stupid tanuki, it's time for some payback!" Kurama snarled, lunging at Shukaku. His claws reached out, grabbing Shukaku's body with one hand and delivering a powerful punch with the other.
Shukaku ducked quickly to avoid the hit, but Kurama's tails wrapped around Shukaku's fists and swung him from side to side, sending him crashing into the walls of the sealed space.
"You dirty fox! I won't lose to you!" Shukaku roared, his own tail joining the brawl. But the difference was clear—Kurama had nine tails to Shukaku's one.
The two tailed beasts, feared across the world, were now fighting like wild animals. It was a ridiculous sight, but it was the only way they could vent their frustration without breaking their seals.
Naruto watched the battle, amused as Shukaku kept shouting insults but was clearly getting beaten down.
After what felt like an eternity, both beasts suddenly froze mid-fight.
Above them, a tear had appeared in the sealed space due to their chaotic battle. The seal was breaking!
"Quack quack! Stupid fox! Do you think I fought you just for fun? I didn't know how you broke part of your seal, but thanks for helping me loosen mine! I'm going to escape, and you can stay here and keep playing!" Shukaku grinned, his body bruised and battered, but his eyes lit up with the hope of freedom.
Meanwhile, in the real world, both Naruto and Gaara were wrapped in the overflowing chakra of their tailed beasts. The sinister aura leaking out of the restroom sent everyone outside into high alert.
Anko and a group of Anbu rushed to the scene. "What's going on in there?" Anko demanded, staring at the door with a pale face. Her body hadn't fully recovered yet from the earlier exams.
"Naruto... and Gaara from the Sand Village are in there. They'll be okay, right?" Sakura said nervously, her eyes fixed on the door.
Hearing Naruto's name, Anko's face showed a mix of emotions. "If it's him… I'm sure everything will be fine," she muttered, though she couldn't fully shake her concern. She hoped they wouldn't lose control here, of all places.
Her eyes narrowed, and she turned toward the Sand Village contestants. "That teammate of yours," Anko said to Temari and Kankuro, "he's not just any normal ninja, is he?"
Temari instantly broke into a nervous sweat. "No… nothing like that!" she stammered awkwardly. If Konoha realized they had brought a Jinchūriki into the exams, things could get ugly. Temari could only hope Gaara wouldn't release the full power of Shukaku.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 60+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new One piece fanfic!
[One Piece: Invincible Starting From The Fruit Of Words]