Late at night, Alex Carter lay restless in bed, his small face tense as though gripped by an unseen force. His dreams were anything but peaceful. Memories—not his own, but those of Uzumaki Naruto—flooded his mind.
The weight of four years of rejection and suffering bore down on him like a tidal wave. He saw a life marred by malice, a young boy treated as an outcast and demonized by an entire village. Their scornful words echoed in his heart:
*"Monster."*
*"Fox."*
*"Why is he still alive?"*
Naruto's world was no ordinary nightmare; it was a cruel reality. No matter how brightly he smiled, no matter how earnestly he sought acceptance, he was met with ridicule, hatred, and loneliness.
Alex experienced it all firsthand as though he were living it himself. The isolation. The silent stares. The biting words that cut deeper than any blade. By the time he awoke, his breathing was ragged, his heart heavy with unshakable anger.
The memories had merged with him, intertwining Naruto's past with his own identity. Alex Carter was no longer just a visitor in this world—he *was* Naruto Uzumaki now.
---
The Cage of Malice
A mocking voice shattered the stillness.
"Heh, awake at last, Uzumaki Naruto!"
The space around Alex shifted, the dark corners of his room replaced by an endless flood of water. A low, distant sound of dripping echoed faintly.
Alex turned toward the voice. In the distance, behind colossal iron bars, a massive creature with blazing red eyes stared back at him. Its sharp teeth gleamed as it spoke, its deep voice dripping with contempt.
"You're braver than I expected, playing with water when you should be trembling in fear," the beast sneered.
It was the Nine-Tailed Fox—Kurama. Alex recognized it instantly.
But rather than fear, Alex felt only curiosity. He knelt and scooped the water beneath him, watching it ripple in the dim light. "So this is the sealed space," he muttered, seemingly unfazed by the creature looming before him.
Kurama's crimson eyes narrowed. "You're an interesting one," it growled. "But tell me, how did you manage to reach me?"
Alex glanced up at the fox, a thoughtful look crossing his face. He suspected it had something to do with the system granting him Chakra Mastery. Perhaps mastering the chakra within his body had inadvertently brought him here.
Standing tall, Alex met Kurama's gaze. "Long time no see, Kurama."
The fox's expression faltered, its confident smirk replaced by wary surprise. "What did you just call me?"
"Kurama," Alex repeated, his tone calm. "That's your name, isn't it?"
The beast's tail flicked with unease. It had been centuries since anyone had spoken its name. "How do you know that, brat?"
Alex's lips curled into a faint smile. "I know a lot more than you think. Let's just say... we've met before."
---
Rewriting the Rules
Kurama's initial hostility gave way to confusion as Alex's calm demeanor unnerved the great beast.
"Are you... Ashura?" Kurama asked, its voice tinged with disbelief.
Alex chuckled. "Ashura? No, I'm just me. But if you want to think I'm someone special, go ahead."
The fox's sharp eyes narrowed as it studied him closely. It could sense the malice and anger that radiated from this boy, emotions that were eerily familiar—akin to its own. But there was also something different, something that set Alex apart from the Naruto it once despised.
"So, what do you want?" Kurama asked after a moment. "My chakra?"
Alex nodded but smirked mischievously. "Yes, but not just that."
Kurama growled, its instincts telling it to tread carefully. This boy was dangerous—not because of his strength, but because of the way he carried himself.
"You must be bored, stuck here all the time," Alex continued, his voice calm but commanding. "How about we make a deal?"
Kurama's ears perked up, curiosity overtaking its wariness. "A deal?"
"Yes," Alex replied, his smile sharp. "You and I both know that things can't stay the way they are. So, let's change the rules of this game."
The sealed space seemed to darken, the weight of Alex's words pressing against the air. Kurama, for the first time in a long while, felt a flicker of unease.
"Interesting..." the fox muttered, its fiery eyes narrowing.
And thus began the first step in rewriting Naruto Uzumaki's destiny.