Kurama's eyes narrowed, amused by the boy's nerve. Most would tremble or fall to their knees at the sight of him. But not this one.
"So," the fox rumbled, his deep voice reverberating through the chamber like thunder, "you're the brat they sealed me into."
Naruto didn't flinch. He crossed his arms, chin slightly raised as he looked up at the towering beast. "And you're the big bad fox everyone keeps whining about. Honestly? I expected more teeth and less whining."
A low growl echoed from behind the bars. The water around Naruto rippled as Kurama leaned in, his breath hot and heavy, smelling faintly of smoke and blood. "You've got a sharp tongue for someone standing in front of death."
Naruto gave a half-shrug. "Yeah? Well, you've got a lot of tails for someone locked behind a gate."
' That makes no sense ' Naruto thought.
The fox bared his fangs in a snarl—but behind it, something flickered in his eyes. Not rage. Not yet. Curiosity, maybe.
"You're either brave," Kurama muttered, "or incredibly stupid."
"Maybe both," Naruto said, smiling wider now. "But I figure if you were gonna eat me, you'd have done it already."
Silence hung between them for a moment. Then, Kurama chuckled—a low, dangerous sound like distant thunder rolling through the sky.
"Interesting," he said. "You might last longer than the others."
"Oh, that's nice to hear. So, what's up? How's life been inside me—man, that sounds weird," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head.
Kurama chuckled deeply. "You are one stupid kid, you know that? How about you come over here, and I'll tell you," he said, a slick tone of deceit lacing his words.
Naruto smiled and started walking toward him. As he got close, hand about to slip through the gate—
He pulled back at the last second.
"Ahhh, you thought," Naruto said, grinning as he stepped back casually.
"Seriously, you really thought you could get me like that? Maybe the old me, but not me now. Oh well, better go. See you later, Kurama," Naruto said with a carefree wave as he turned and walked away.
Kurama stared after him, stunned.
' How does he know my name? And that thing he said… I knew something was different about him, but I couldn't see it because of this damn seal,' the fox thought, frowning deeply inside his cage.
The day went by quickly, and soon night fell.
Naruto's eyes snapped open, his body drenched in sweat. But something felt different—power thrummed through every fiber of his being. The energy inside him had grown exponentially. Every tenketsu point in his body felt clear, no longer blocked or sluggish. His chakra now flowed through him swiftly, circulating without pause like a powerful river.
He smirked to himself and instinctively suppressed his chakra, careful not to alert anyone nearby.
' I mean, Naruto isn't like DBZ or Bleach, where the amount of chakra you have immediately screams "dangerous"… Oh wait, maybe it does. What am I even talking about? ' he thought, shaking his head.
What Naruto meant was that in this world, it wasn't purely the amount of chakra that made people wary—it was usually the feeling of it: malice, killing intent, darkness. Chakra itself wasn't inherently threatening unless it was twisted or weaponized.
He sighed tiredly, only for his stomach to growl loudly a moment later.
Right. He had been meditating the entire day without moving.
Naruto dragged himself up and headed to the kitchen, throwing together a simple but filling meal.
After finishing his meal, Naruto stood by the window, the cool night breeze brushing his face.
'Time to see what this new power can really do,' he thought with a grin.
He slipped on his sandals, tied his headband lazily around his neck, and snuck out of his apartment, making sure no one noticed him. It didn't take him long to reach the training ground near the outskirts of the village—an open field surrounded by thick trees.
The moonlight bathed the area in silver, making it look almost dreamlike.
Naruto walked up to one of the larger trees, placing his hand on the rough bark.
'Okay, Just pure chakra control and raw strength.'
He took a deep breath, channeling chakra into his arm—carefully, slowly. He visualized it wrapping around his muscles like a second skin, reinforcing them, making them denser, heavier, stronger.
The air around his hand started to ripple faintly.
'Good. Now, let's go.'
Naruto pulled back his fist, took a small step forward, and threw a punch straight at the trunk.
BOOM!
The tree shook violently on impact. The spot where he hit splintered, cracks spiderwebbing out from the center. Leaves rained down from the branches as the whole tree groaned in protest.
Naruto staggered back a little, blinking.
A deep fist-sized dent had formed in the tree's thick bark. He hadn't even used full strength.
"Holy shit," he muttered, staring at his hand.
He flexed his fingers. No broken bones , just a dull ache—a sign he was getting better at controlling the output.
'I need to grow stronger otherwise the next time i do it, I'll shatter my bones. Also If I get a little more precise, I could probably snap destroy this tree,' he thought, the possibilities racing through his mind.
He looked around, making sure no one had seen that.
'Yeah... this is gonna be fun.'
Satisfied, Naruto dusted his hands off, stretched, and decided to head back before he got caught outside after curfew.
As he walked home under the moonlit sky, a huge grin spread across his face.
'At this rate, I'm gonna be unstoppable by the time I leave with Jiraiya.'
TO BE CONTINUED