Naruto Uzumaki nodded.
The connection to his heritage made him realize that this land held great significance for him.
A ninja seal formed in Uzumaki Chito's hand, and with a rumbling sound, several vines burst through the surrounding ground, twisting and weaving together to form two houses.
"Let's go. This is our home," Uzumaki Chito said as he took Naruto by the hand and walked toward the house.
There were two figures floating nearby.
Rock Lee, who was still stunned by Uzumaki Chito's power, and Might Guy.
Leaving Rock Lee and Guy behind, Uzumaki Chito led Naruto back out of the house and sat down beside the ruins.
"Do you want to get stronger, Naruto?" Uzumaki Chito asked softly, his gaze fixed on Naruto.
Naruto nodded firmly.
Today's events had shaken him deeply—almost enough to cause a shift in his personality, leaving him unusually quiet.
But the desire to grow stronger burned even fiercer within him.
Naruto longed to possess the strength of Uzumaki Chito, to have his freedom and power.
"But I don't think I have the talent to be a ninja," Naruto said, his voice tinged with disappointment as he looked down. "I can't even use the clone technique. No matter how hard I train, I can't seem to get to the same level as everyone else."
Uzumaki Chito laughed softly and ruffled Naruto's hair. "You are the child of the most talented woman in my Uzumaki clan, and your father was a rare genius in the ninja world. How could you lack talent?"
Naruto looked up, confused.
If he was so talented, why couldn't he even perform the basic clone technique?
Uzumaki Chito continued, "The reason you can't use the clone technique isn't because of a lack of talent. It's because there's a troublesome little guy inside your body."
"Troublesome little guy?" Naruto blinked in confusion, subconsciously placing his hand on his stomach.
Uzumaki Chito raised his hand and lightly touched Naruto's stomach.
At one point, he had considered pulling the Nine-Tails out of Kushina's body.
At that time, his strength was still on par with Hashirama's, and he was far from the power of the Sage of Six Paths.
He hadn't been able to extract the Nine-Tails without harm to Kushina.
But now, he had the strength to do so.
A massive spiritual force slowly pulled out of Naruto's body—not the Nine-Tails' physical form, but its soul.
No matter how the Nine-Tails might have felt about it, it was a benefit for Naruto to possess its essence.
Uzumaki Chito looked forward to seeing if Naruto could tap into the Nine-Tails' Chakra Mode under his guidance.
The red spirit fell to the ground and shifted into a small fox.
The Nine-Tails was disoriented.
It had been peacefully resting in the depths of the sewers when its soul was suddenly pulled out, bringing with it a feeling that resembled the one it had felt when it was sealed by the Fourth Hokage.
But it was powerless to resist, forced to allow its soul to be extracted.
Then it realized that everything around it had changed, and it was once again seeing the world.
And a familiar, unpleasant figure.
"It's you," the Nine-Tails growled, baring its teeth as it glared up at Uzumaki Chito.
Wait... look up?
The Nine-Tails quickly realized why it was looking up at a human.
It looked down and saw that its body had shrunk to the size it had been in its infancy.
Uzumaki Chito casually scooped up the Nine-Tails, holding it in his arms and petting it without a care. "See, this little guy inside you is the cause. It interferes with your chakra, making it impossible for you to use the clone technique properly."
Naruto stared at the Nine-Tails in Uzumaki Chito's arms, still in shock. He couldn't believe there had been a living creature inside him all this time. In all his years, he had never noticed it.
The Nine-Tails was furious.
It was the most powerful of the Tailed Beasts, the very symbol of strength. How could it have been insulted like this?
"Damn Uzumaki, let me go!" The Nine-Tails gritted its teeth and struggled.
Uzumaki Chito flexed his grip.
The Nine-Tails immediately stopped moving, no longer daring to resist.
"Has it only been twenty years for this man to become so terrifying?" the Nine-Tails thought, trembling slightly. It let out a low whine, its tail shrinking in submission.
Uzumaki Chito looked at the creature and casually stroked its tail. "Now I'm going to give you a choice. Suppress your chakra, assist Naruto, and every day, I'll give you some time to be free in this form."
"Otherwise..." Uzumaki Chito narrowed his eyes slightly.
The Nine-Tails immediately nodded, its voice trembling. "No problem, Chito. I agree to your deal."
A tsundere fox indeed.
Uzumaki Chito didn't care about the Nine-Tails' brashness, but instead turned to Naruto with a smile. "Now, why don't you try the clone technique again?"
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