"You really went all out, Minato."
Inside Naruto's inner world, the Nine-Tails peered through the bars at the faint glimmer hovering in the air—Minato's chakra, flickering like a candle in the wind, left it speechless.
"If I hadn't returned in time, after sending those two away, you would have lost even this little bit of chakra."
"I truly owe it all to you, Lord Nine-Tails..."
Minato's chakra, no longer capable of forming a human shape, flickered weakly. It seemed to bow, then Minato's voice emerged, faint and barely audible.
"Why not draw on Naruto's chakra? I can sense that a significant portion of it remains untapped inside him."
"I'm worried about unexpected changes. If something goes wrong, I need to leave enough reserves for Naruto to protect himself..." Minato's voice was intermittent, his chakra already worn thin. Even though the Nine-Tails was still trying to channel chakra to him, the chakra left by Minato's true self was no longer able to handle the strain. "But truly, Lord Nine-Tails, you did remarkably well—nothing unexpected happened until the very end…"
Minato couldn't even fathom how the Nine-Tails had managed to hold off Obito with just a shadow clone for so long.
After all, having fought him twice, Minato knew how formidable Obito was. Yet, the Nine-Tails was simply manipulating a shadow clone, and the moment it sensed that the Nine-Tails was pulling him back into his inner world, its almost pristine form starkly contrasted with Minato's dire state.
[Use your reserves? Naruto has me, after all!]
The Nine-Tails wanted to scold him, but seeing Minato's chakra growing weaker and his voice becoming fainter, it ultimately decided against saying anything more.
"Enough already, stop talking. You've nearly exhausted the chakra left by your true self," the Nine-Tails said, its tone unyielding. "At this rate, getting back to your previous state will take at least a year and a half. I have plenty of chakra here, but you in your current state can barely convert it into your own. You'll just have to take it slow."
"I'll do my best..." Minato seemed incredibly vulnerable at that moment, almost as if he were being scolded by an elder. "As for Naruto's training…"
"I'm here for that. You just need to focus on yourself for now."
The Nine-Tails spoke dismissively, and Minato recalled how it once claimed it wasn't good at teaching others. Although Minato suspected that the Nine-Tails was merely using that as an excuse, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease creeping in.
While channeling chakra to Minato, the Nine-Tails suddenly thought of that unfamiliar Akatsuki member who wore a black cloth over his eyes, a sense of confusion filling its mind. "Who was that person? Why haven't I seen him in the future? Did something happen in the early days of Akatsuki that led to his disappearance, or have things changed now?"
After pondering for a while without finding a match in its memories, the Nine-Tails dismissed the thought and spoke again, this time in a slightly somber tone. "Just right; it's time for the current Naruto to learn some things. Additionally, I can start teaching him about natural energy to unlock Sage Mode."
"...I'm sorry for troubling you."
"..." Minato's chakra fell silent for a moment, while the Nine-Tails patiently awaited his next words.
"I haven't done enough. There are many people I know well whom I haven't managed to protect, and countless tragedies I couldn't prevent..." Perhaps because it lacked a human form, Minato was unafraid to show the Nine-Tails his vulnerability. Having just gone through a significant collaboration, he now regarded the Nine-Tails as his closest friend, genuinely expressing his frustration and pain. "When I truly want to change something, I realize... just how powerless I am."
"Good that you understand. So..." The Nine-Tails glanced at Minato's chakra. "Did you succeed this time?"
"I don't know. I've done my best." Minato's chakra flickered, revealing his inner turmoil. He slowly recounted everything he had done that night, including how he had dealt with Itachi Uchiha.
The Nine-Tails listened without interrupting.
After a long pause, Minato could no longer hold back and quietly asked, "Lord Nine-Tails, do you think this counts as a change?"
"...Hmph, that depends on your goals." The Nine-Tails swished its massive tail. Knowing that a portion of the Uchiha clan had indeed survived, it felt a sense of displeasure—they were never its favorites.
But there was no denying that, for Minato, he had truly done as he claimed.
He had also relayed the message to the Third Hokage, though it was unlikely he would get the results he desired.
After all, the Third, that old man, wasn't exactly someone it liked either.
"Goals?" Minato was taken aback.
"If your aim is to leave a fighting force for the future of the Shinobi World, providing Naruto with a decent ally... then you've done fairly well." The Nine-Tails paused for a moment before delivering its judgment. "That Uchiha Sasuke's brother indeed played a role in the outcome of that battle... Tsk, I'm not one to compliment others. In any case, Itachi Uchiha, he is indeed as talented as you suspected. From your description, he likely respects you now."
"Then..."
"If your goal is to save the Uchiha clan, to salvage all the power within that family, then you were mistaken from the very start." The Nine-Tails suddenly narrowed its slit eyes, a dangerous and terrifying aura beginning to permeate the space. "If I were you, upon learning of the Uchiha clan's fate, I would have already been thinking about how to..."
"Dispatch Itachi in advance!"