"So, what do I need to do?" he asked, his voice steadying as the storm within him began to still. The question wasn't just a plea for guidance it was something to hold onto in the churning void of confusion and fear.
Kaito placed a reassuring hand on Naruto's shoulder, his fingers firm but not heavy, the grip of someone who had carried much and was ready to pass some of that burden on. A faint warmth radiated through his palm, anchoring Naruto to the moment.
"You need to train hard and gain control over the Nine-Tails' chakra," he said, his voice deep and unwavering, rich with experience, edged with cold resolve. "Together, you'll become strong enough to protect Konoha and avenge your parents."
The words settled in Naruto's chest like the slow bloom of sun behind thick, suffocating clouds. For a heartbeat, the suffocating weight of loneliness lifted, replaced by something harder, brighter a promise forged in the fire of his grief. He nodded, lips pressed into a thin line, a newfound resolve flickering in his eyes golden and fierce, like a fox's flame catching wind.
"I'll do it," he said. "I'll become strong enough to protect everyone and stop this threat!"
From behind the bars, the Nine-Tails watched the exchange silently, its massive head half-tilted, breath fogging the space like smoke rising from an ancient furnace. Its blood-red eyes narrowed, reflecting twin images—Naruto and Kaito, standing side by side like fractured echoes of a future it had long feared.
A deep, reverberating growl rolled through the air, vibrating the very seals' walls. Not menacing—just weary. The sound was older than rage, more tired than hate.
Its anger dimmed, smothered by something more complex—a reluctant recognition.
"Fine, kid," it grunted, voice like a landslide echoing down a ravine. "I'll help you. But don't think this makes us friends."
Its voice faded into the seal's chamber like the last embers of a fire, and for a fleeting moment, the choking tension in the air thinned. But beneath its composed tone, the Nine-Tails stirred uneasily. In the marrow of its chakra, it trembled for it knew what resurrection of the Ten-Tails meant.
That ancient horror wasn't just a monster. It was a reckoning.
The Ten-Tails required the Gedo Statue, a twisted, hollow thing of petrified agony, to devour them all beasts of chakra born from the Sage himself—to reform into something the world was never meant to see again.
Yet the Nine-Tails tucked that fear behind its usual veil of disdain.
"So what?" it scoffed, trying to smother its dread beneath arrogance. "That counterfeit doesn't have Madara's strength. If he wants to collect all of us, he'll have to face the resistance of the five great nations!"
Kaito nodded, solemn as a death bell. His expression sharpened, shadows lining his jaw. "Indeed. That impostor isn't strong enough to provoke the entire ninja world alone. But he's clever enough to form an organisation."
He stepped into the dim glow of the seal, his cloak brushing the air like whispered prophecy. "Within it are several S-rank missing-nin, scattered from every corner of the shinobi world. And their strength... is far from weak. They've already begun preparations to hunt down the tailed beasts."
The Nine-Tails snorted, its tails flicking like rust-colored thunderclouds, crashing silently against the unseen walls.
"So what? Once their plan leaks, the five nations will join forces immediately! At that time, how could they survive the combined attack of all five nations?" It growled low, voice laced with ancient spite. "And besides... the Gedo Statue isn't something they can just grab off a shelf!"
Kaito shrugged, a cynical glint sparking in his eyes. "True. They're missing-nin, not gods. But their leader possesses the Rinnegan."
He let the words fall like a stone into deep water. "With that power, retrieving the Gedo Statue isn't so unthinkable. And the so-called five-nation alliance?" He scoffed, voice dipped in venom. "Trust among shinobi villages is a fragile thing. Fear breaks faster than it binds."
"Rinnegan?!" The Nine-Tails' pupils narrowed to pinpricks. Its fur bristled, chakra crackling along its spine like wildfire. Its breath came low and hot, gusting like a furnace across the bars.
But soon, it exhaled, muscles relaxing fractionally as doubt crept back in like mist.
"You expect me to believe that?" it rumbled. "To awaken the Rinnegan, one needs the power of the Sage of Six Paths... and the Uchiha's Sharingan. There's no one alive who possesses both."
Kaito's tone turned cold and distant, a wind that stripped warmth from bone. "Don't be so absolute. The Sage of Six Paths had two sons, remember?"
He reached into his cloak, retrieving a small, swirling sphere of energy—vibrant, ancient, and alive. It hummed in his palm like the heartbeat of a god.
The Nine-Tails' eyes widened. A shiver passed through its core. "This is... Asura's power?!"
The crimson light pulsed across the chamber, casting shadows that danced like memories. Kaito nodded."You can feel it. That chakra has cycled through generations. And in this era, Naruto is Asura's reincarnation."
A silence heavier than steel followed. The Nine-Tails stared, unmoving, the truth creeping through it like winter through a dying forest.
Kaito pressed on, voice steady, sharp as a blade drawn slowly. "In their previous lives, Asura and Indra were none other than Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. When Madara attacked Konoha years ago, he took a piece of Hashirama's flesh. He faked his death using Izanagi and waited in the shadows."
His gaze turned grave, eyes glowing with remembered blood. "It was only when his life was nearly over that he awakened the Rinnegan. But it was too late—so he transplanted it into a child of the Uzumaki clan... and found a spokesperson. The one you met eight years ago."
The Nine-Tails' tails froze mid-sway.
"When the time comes," Kaito continued, "that spokesperson will use the Rinnegan to resurrect Madara... and then bring back the Ten-Tails. You know what that means for you."
The Nine-Tails knew. Knew too well. But it refused to look cowed. Instead, it snorted, closing its eyes, masking its submission with tired disdain.
"It seems you don't want to cooperate anymore," Kaito said, his tone amused, like someone watching a cornered fox pretend it wasn't cornered. "But that's fine. I have a way to help Naruto extract you... without dying. When the Ten-Tails is revived, there may be no Nine-Tails left."
He turned, cloak rustling like dead leaves, pulling Naruto with him.
"Wait!" the Nine-Tails barked, voice sharp with a sudden spike of panic.
Kaito turned, head tilted, eyes half-lidded—a predator bored of games.
"According to you," the Nine-Tails growled, "Madara will be resurrected. Without Hashirama, no one can stop him!"
A smirk curled Kaito's lips. "That's not necessarily true."
He stepped forward, aura rippling like storm clouds about to break. "I already possess the Mangekyō Sharingan—and two additional pairs. When I merge their powers, I'll awaken the Eternal Mangekyō. And before Madara returns, I'll have seven to eight years. In that time, I plan to absorb the yin and yang chakra of Asura and Indra. Perhaps then... I'll awaken the Rinnegan as well."
The seal chamber seemed to hold its breath.
Kaito's next words were laced with ice. "So you have two options. Cooperate with me and help Naruto grow stronger—I'll protect you. Or refuse... and I'll feed you to the Ten-Tails myself. Becoming the Ten-Tails does have its perks."
A long, grinding pause. The Nine-Tails clenched its jaw. It hated being backed into corners, but it recognised a losing battle.
Finally, it spoke."Then tell me... why do you help Naruto?"
Kaito's answer came slowly and deliberately, like a dagger drawn across velvet.
"I just want to see Naruto... standing over the ruins of Konoha. That would be... interesting."
The Nine-Tails fell silent, chakra rippling unsteadily along its fur. It could no longer tell if Kaito was mad, brilliant, or simply beyond comprehension.
Kaito stared back, unmoved. Whether the beast agreed or not, he would continue. He had a system. One day, his strength would surpass all.
After a long silence that seemed to stretch into centuries, the Nine-Tails murmured:
"I promise you."
Kaito's smile returned, smooth, unsurprised. "Wise choice."
Then, with a sly squint: "Now that you've agreed to my protection, shouldn't you pay a protection fee?"
The Nine-Tails blinked. "Huh?"
"Relax," Kaito said, raising both hands playfully. "I'm not greedy. Just give me a little chakra. It's nothing to you."
The Nine-Tails' jaw tensed. "Nothing?! That's MY chakra!"
It lowered its head, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Did you plan this from the beginning?"
"No," Kaito chuckled. "It just occurred to me. If I had planned it... I would've robbed you outright."
The Nine-Tails growled, deep and guttural. "Mangekyō... how annoying..."
Still, chakra meant little. It would regenerate within a few years. With a snort of reluctant surrender, it allowed its colossal form to shrink—about one-third—and a glowing cloud of dense, crimson chakra floated free.
Outside, in the real world, Kaito's body moved with practised grace. He extracted the chakra through Naruto's seal with elegant precision and carefully sealed it into a scroll.
His eyes gleamed, voice a whisper of victory.
"Tonight's harvest... two pairs of Mangekyō, Asura's chakra, and the Nine-Tails' chakra. Perfect."