The moonlight spilled through Naruto's window, bathing his modest bedroom in a silver glow that danced across the worn floorboards. He sat cross-legged on his bed, the faint dampness of his post-bath hair clinging to his neck, the air thick with the quiet hum of a sleeping village. This house—his childhood refuge—stood whole again, spared the destruction Pain had wrought in that other life. Yet tonight, its peace felt fragile, a thin veneer over the storm brewing within him.
Naruto's hands moved with purpose, lifting his shirt to reveal the intricate seal on his navel. His fingers glowed with chakra, tracing the Eight Trigrams pattern until a soft click echoed in the stillness—the first lock undone. His consciousness plunged inward, the world fading as he entered the sealed space.
Inside, the sewer stretched before him, a dank labyrinth of dripping stone and shallow, rippling water. The air was heavy, laced with the metallic tang of chakra and the faint musk of something ancient. Ahead, the massive gate loomed, its bars pulsing faintly red. Beyond it, twin scarlet eyes flared to life, narrowing as the Nine Tails—Kurama—shifted its colossal form, claws scraping the floor with a sound like grinding steel.
Naruto stepped forward, water sloshing around his ankles. "Alright, Kurama," he called, voice ringing off the walls. "You've been dodging me long enough. What's your deal?"
The beast prowled closer, its nine tails swaying like a gathering tempest. Its lips curled back, revealing fangs that glinted in the dim light. "You dare list their names?" it growled, voice a low rumble that shook the ground. "Shukaku, Matatabi, Iso, Son Gokū—those are secrets the Sage of Six Paths gave us. No human should know them so easily."
Naruto shrugged, unfazed. "I told you—I'm from the future. Learned 'em from you and the others."
Kurama's eyes narrowed, skepticism etched into its snarl. The Sage had named them in an age long past, a bond shared only among the tailed beasts—and the rare Jinchuriki they deemed worthy. Relations between the beasts were strained, fractured by rivalry; Kurama and Shukaku, in particular, traded barbs like "dead fox" and "one-tailed weakling" across centuries. For Naruto to recite their titles so casually—it was unthinkable. Yet doubt gnawed at the fox. "That proves nothing," it spat. "Old records could've surfaced. Try harder."
Naruto tapped his chin, a spark igniting in his gaze. "Fine. How about this—the Sage's prophecy? You know, when he was dying?"
Kurama stiffened, its tails freezing mid-sway. Naruto's grin widened. "The green-eyed boy, playing under the sun, calling out the nine beasts by name. Ring a bell?"
The words struck like a thunderbolt. Kurama's eyes widened, its breath hitching as memories of the Sage's final moments flooded back—a cryptic vision of a child who'd unite them. Naruto's easy smile, so harmless yet so piercing, sent a shiver through the beast. This wasn't just knowledge—it was truth, raw and undeniable. "No…" Kurama rasped, shaking its head. "You're not him. You can't be. Get out!"
With a snarl, it turned, retreating into the shadows of the gate, its tails dragging like chains. Naruto's grin vanished, urgency overtaking him. "Hey, wait—Kurama, don't walk off! I've got more—let's hash this out!"
The fox kept moving, its silence a wall. Naruto's voice rose, sharp with desperation. "You're stalling, Jiu Xiaoxiao! Keep this up, and soon you'll be sucked back into the Gedo Statue—Ten Tails'll swallow you whole, and I'll be dead too!"
Kurama halted, its massive frame tensing. Gedo Statue. Ten Tails. Words no one in this time should know—secrets of a future cataclysm. Its head turned slightly, scarlet eyes glinting with reluctant curiosity. It believed him now, or nearly did, but the weight of it was too much to swallow whole.
Before Naruto could press further, a voice pierced the sealed space, faint at first, then insistent. "Naruto! Naruto, wake up!" His vision blurred, the sewer dissolving as his mind snapped back. He jolted upright, gasping, hands clutching his face where Jiraiya's slaps still stung.
"Jiraiya-sensei?" he mumbled, blinking groggily.
Jiraiya loomed over him, exasperation etched into his weathered features. "You went after Nine Tails, didn't you?"
Naruto rubbed his eyes, yawning. "Yeah… how'd you guess?"
Jiraiya snorted, rolling his eyes. "Guess? Your chakra's spiking like a damn beacon—Nine Tails' energy nearly lit up the sky! If I hadn't rushed over, half the village would've busted down your door!"
Naruto winced, glancing past Jiraiya to the window. Shadows shifted outside—ANBU, their chakra signatures sharp and familiar, mingled with others he didn't recognize. "Guess I stirred the pot, huh?"
Jiraiya crossed to the window, yanking the curtains open. "It's handled," he barked into the night. "Disperse." Under the moonlight, dog-masked figures melted into the dark, their presence fading. He drew the curtains shut and turned back, his tone stern. "You're too reckless, kid. You just got the key, and you dive in solo? We agreed I'd supervise!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, catching the edge in Jiraiya's voice. "Who else showed up? Besides Tsunade's ANBU?"
Jiraiya's gaze darkened. "Root. Danzo's crew—more than a few, and strong. They're circling you like vultures."
"Danzo," Naruto muttered, a cold smirk tugging at his lips. He'd expected this—Root saw him as a weapon to wield or a threat to cage. Jiraiya shuffled to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. "Watch yourself," he said, voice low. "Danzo's got plans—don't know what tricks he's hiding, but with my arm like this, I'm not at full strength. If it comes to a fight, I might not hold him off."
The concern hit Naruto like a warm current, softening the chill of the night. Jiraiya wasn't afraid of him losing control—he feared Danzo exploiting it. With his master weakened and Tsunade bound by Hokage duties, the balance was precarious. "I'll be careful," Naruto said, nodding. "Thanks, Sensei."
Jiraiya grunted and slipped out, the door clicking shut behind him. Alone again, Naruto's expression hardened, a glint of steel in his blue eyes. Danzo thought he could leash the Nine Tails Jinchuriki—but Naruto had his own designs. From Sasuke's tales in that past life, he knew Danzo's arsenal: Shisui's eye, the stolen Sharingan, the Izanagi gambit. The old man's confidence at the Five Kage Summit, bending Mifune with genjutsu so subtle it went unnoticed, stemmed from that power—Distinguished Heavenly Gods, a technique that rewrote wills without a trace.
Naruto snorted, leaning back against the wall. He had Itachi's gift—the other Shisui eye—tucked away as a counter, but using it was a gamble. Danzo's eye might sense its twin, tipping the scales. For now, he'd bide his time. Kurama's hesitation, Danzo's shadow—they were storms on the horizon, and he'd weather them both.
The house creaked around him, a haven he'd reclaimed. But the harbor was fleeting—his ship was ready to sail, and the waters ahead were treacherous.
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