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Chapter 83 – First Meeting: The Person Standing Before You Now Is…
"It seems I need to show you this, otherwise you won't take me seriously," Fugaku said with a laugh, his eyes shifting from the familiar three tomoe pattern.
"Kurama, nice to meet you. Standing before you now is Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan and the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure," Fugaku said with a calm smile.
Kurama's eyes widened in shock as the tomoe in Fugaku's eyes twisted and transformed into a six-pointed pinwheel pattern—an ominous, overwhelming ocular power radiated outward. The oppressive pressure sent a shiver down Kurama's spine, awakening the same fear he had felt when he was once bound by the Sharingan.
"Mangekyō Sharingan…?
No… this is something even beyond the Mangekyō!"
Kurama tensed, his ears pricking up, tails bristling as he instinctively rose, then quickly pulled back from the prison gate.
The Mangekyō Sharingan was already his bane. But this—this power was different, stronger.
And it terrified him.
The last time, he had been forcibly wrenched from a Jinchūriki's body by the Mangekyō Sharingan of another Uchiha. That memory of slavery and near-freedom still burned in his heart.
The one he hated most wasn't the Fourth Hokage who had sealed him—it was that Uchiha who had enslaved him, only to deny him escape at the last moment.
Kurama's first reaction was panic. But as his sharp senses reached out, he noticed something peculiar. This man—despite wielding such dangerous power—harbored no malice toward him.
That realization gave him a strange, fleeting relief.
To cover the fear he had just displayed, Kurama growled:
"What is your relationship with that Uchiha who controlled me seven years ago?"
"Ah, you mean him?" Fugaku shrugged, smiling faintly. "I killed him."
Kurama's massive eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Killed him?
He wasn't a fool. Words alone wouldn't convince him.
"That's easy to say," Kurama sneered. "He was an Uchiha, just like you. Would the head of the clan really kill one of his own—one who possessed the Mangekyō?"
"That man was a rogue who caused me endless trouble," Fugaku replied flatly. "Killing him was letting him off too lightly."
With a thought, Fugaku activated his ocular power. A scene materialized in the air like a projection—Naruto's inner world serving as the screen.
Kurama's eyes locked onto the vision.
The masked, black-robed figure appeared—the very man who had once controlled him. Kurama growled low, a flash of recognition and hatred in his eyes. Then, in the vision, the figure was swiftly beheaded by Fugaku himself. The scene ended with Fugaku sealing the corpse into a scroll.
A flicker of satisfaction surged within Kurama's chest, though he quickly suppressed it.
"Hmph. For all I know, this could just be a genjutsu trick you've concocted," Kurama scoffed.
Fugaku didn't bother arguing. Instead, he spoke evenly:
"You can observe the outside world through Naruto's senses, can't you? His eyes, his ears—you share them."
Kurama's gaze sharpened.
He knew his true name. He knew his ability. This man was disturbingly well-informed.
"What a strange Uchiha…" Kurama muttered under his breath, though he said no more. His silence was answer enough.
Fugaku continued, "I have no need to deceive you. If you don't believe me, I'll show you his body once I leave here. It's still preserved in a sealing scroll."
Kurama scrutinized him closely. Fugaku's composure never wavered, his tone unflinching. Slowly, Kurama began to believe him.
Not that he appreciated it.
"So what? I never asked you to kill him. I'd have preferred to tear him apart myself." Kurama bared his fangs in a vicious grin.
"Oh, come on, Kurama. Stop pretending." Fugaku chuckled softly. "Would you really sacrifice yourself just to get revenge?"
Kurama's expression darkened, but Fugaku smoothly shifted the subject.
"Let's talk about a deal."
Kurama tilted his head. His irritation gave way to curiosity. After all, if the man wanted him dead or enslaved, he could have tried already.
"You want me to cozy up to that brat?" Kurama sneered. "Pretend to be friends with him? Share my chakra like some absurd partner?"
Fugaku shook his head.
"You've misunderstood."
A strange light flickered in his eyes.
"Naruto still has five years until graduation. During that time, you are not to interfere with him. If you agree, once he graduates, I will give you freedom."
Kurama's eyes widened slightly at that word. Freedom.
He curled his lip, masking his unease with scorn.
"Don't insult me with childish lies. Do you think I'd believe such nonsense?"
But despite his words, his tails twitched. He watched Fugaku carefully, trying to detect the slightest hint of deception. Yet the man's expression remained calm, unshaken.
"You've been sealed away for so long, you've lost your sense of time," Fugaku said evenly. "Five years… isn't much for you. You've endured centuries of imprisonment. What's five years more? If you agree, you risk nothing."
Kurama frowned, conflicted.
It was true. Time meant little to him. What Fugaku proposed was no more than a nap. If it was a trap, he would lose nothing—Naruto's growth was no concern of his.
Finally, after a long silence, Kurama asked:
"You swear? Five years, and you'll grant me freedom?"
Fugaku nodded solemnly.
"I swear on the Uchiha clan itself: if you, Kurama, do not interfere with Naruto for five years, I will release you. If I break this vow, may the Uchiha clan be annihilated."
Shock flashed across Kurama's eyes.
Swearing on the clan? That was no light matter.
He weighed the words carefully. Slowly, the suspicion in his gaze softened into contemplation.
"All I must do is refrain from interfering with the brat? I don't have to aid him, don't have to share my chakra?"
"Exactly. Do nothing. That alone will be enough." Fugaku's voice was steady.
Kurama's doubts finally faded.
Five years of idleness in exchange for freedom? That was no sacrifice at all.
The fox's expression turned serious.
"Very well… then this great one accepts. We have a deal."
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