Chapter 46: Garen Brings Out Whisper
"Freedom?" The Nine-Tails snorted white mist from his nostrils, mocking, "Compared to me, you've already enjoyed more than enough freedom. How about you spend some time locked away in this lightless cage instead?"
"Kurama, you still don't get it, do you?"
Naruto reached out his hand, and from the ground several red wooden tendrils surged up, intertwining into a flat platform. As the tendrils rose higher, Naruto floated into the air, meeting the Nine-Tails at eye level.
"I'll let you out—on the condition that I don't die."
"You'll let me out?" The Nine-Tails' eyes flashed with shock, staring at Naruto in disbelief. "Human, for… what reason?"
"I know your power is immense, Kurama," Naruto said calmly. "The village needs your strength. But I don't care about that. I want freedom, and I want to live the life I choose."
"The moment I became a jinchūriki, it wasn't only you who was imprisoned—it was me as well."
"I don't want to give my life for this rotten village, to become its slave."
"Then why not destroy this village altogether?" The Nine-Tails bared his fangs, ferocity spilling out. "Damn Konoha! They've caged me for over a hundred years!"
"Human, how about we join forces and utterly wipe out this village?"
"No." Naruto rejected him outright.
"Why?" The Nine-Tails was puzzled. "Don't you hate that village?"
"No." Naruto shook his head.
Of course he didn't hate it. He had only crossed into this world a few days ago. At most, he felt dissatisfied with the village, but not enough to call it hate. As for Minato and Kushina—what did that have to do with him? He had already figured it out: as long as he remained a jinchūriki, freedom would always be impossible.
The village would remain what it was. As for who wanted to be a jinchūriki—Naruto didn't care, as long as it wasn't him.
"I said it before. I want freedom, but I don't want to be a slave to freedom itself," Naruto said with a shake of his head. "In the end, humans always become slaves to their own obsessions."
"But I already have wealth and decent strength. I'd rather sink into the pleasures of wine and beauty, living as I please, than play at being some savior."
The Nine-Tails was stunned. He looked at Naruto with confusion and asked,
"Human, do you not crave power?"
"Kurama, your power is far too weak." Naruto spoke bluntly.
"What did you say?"
"I'm not interested."
"Do you even hear yourself?" The Nine-Tails' voice wavered with uncertainty. "Brat, all the tailed beasts of the ninja world combined can't defeat me, and you call me weak?"
"Don't waste time on such trivial nonsense," Naruto said impatiently. "Kurama, let me ask you: do you want to get out?"
"Of course I do."
"Good. When the time comes, I'll come back for you."
Naruto snapped his fingers, and the prison instantly returned to its original spacious form.
"What do you mean by 'when the time comes'?"
But Naruto gave no reply. His consciousness faded into shadow and disappeared.
The next morning.
The shrill ringing of the alarm clock woke Naruto. Still groggy, he dragged himself out of bed to wash up. Wiping away the steam from the mirror, he forced a smile at his reflection.
Just as he stepped out of the alley, a Mist ninja wearing a straw hat suddenly appeared, shouting without warning.
"Brat! Die!"
The man yelled and lunged straight at Naruto.
"Wait!" Naruto stopped him.
"What?"
Surprisingly, the man froze. He forced out a laugh.
"What's this? Begging for mercy won't save you!"
Naruto yawned, utterly unconcerned.
"Uncle, I was top graduate at the Academy this year, you know. Your sloppy Transformation Technique is way too obvious."
"What nonsense are you spouting, brat?" Cold sweat broke out on the Mist ninja's forehead.
"I recall that even a chūnin's salary isn't much if they're not on dangerous missions, right? Honestly, I've killed even a jōnin from the Mist—blood all over me. If I hurt you, you'd miss work. Not worth it at all."
Naruto waved his hand dismissively and walked straight toward the disguised Mist ninja, speaking casually as he passed.
"Uncle, how much do you even make in a month? Why risk your life?"
"Ah, time's almost up. I'll be going."
He brushed past the so-called Mist ninja. The man, sweating profusely, didn't move a muscle, letting Naruto walk away.
Only after Naruto's footsteps faded did the man dispel his Transformation with a puff of smoke, revealing the form of a Konoha chūnin. Still shaken, he glanced back nervously.
"What kind of monsters are genin these days?"
At the Academy, after many days, Team 7 finally reunited.
Sasuke and Sakura didn't look much different. Sakura waved at Naruto with a smile.
"Over here, Naruto."
"I'm not late, am I?" Naruto grinned.
Sakura shook her head. "I just got here too. Something happened on the way."
"Wouldn't be Mist ninja, would it?"
"Huh? Naruto, you ran into them too?" Sakura's eyes widened in surprise.
Then she glanced at Sasuke. Sasuke cast a brief look at both of them, said nothing, and simply nodded, indicating he had encountered them as well.
"Probably another one of the village's ridiculous little tests. Boring as hell," Naruto complained on the spot.
"You two aren't hurt, right?" Sakura asked worriedly.
"No." Sasuke's reply was short.
"No fight either," Naruto added.
"What?!" Sakura was stunned. "No fight at all? The Mist ninja didn't attack you, Naruto?"
At that, even Sasuke turned his head toward him.
"Nope. I asked him how much he made per month, and he just clammed up."
Sakura: "....."
Sasuke: "....."
Just like Garen with Whisper—silent and broken inside, killing the heart after wounding the body!
Before long, the other classes gradually arrived at the Academy.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio looked weary. Naruto happened to glance at Hinata, who blushed and quickly looked down. Ino caught Naruto's eye; when their gazes met, he simply walked over to greet the trio.
Sakura noticed all this and couldn't help but wonder.
"When did Naruto and Ino get so close?"
Sasuke, uninterested in such trivial matters, closed his eyes to rest. The time to hand in their Chūnin Exam entry passes hadn't come yet anyway.
"Hey, Naruto, you were pulled in last-minute for the Chūnin Exams, weren't you?" Shikamaru asked lazily. "I heard the Hokage wasn't going to let you take them. What's up with that?"
"There was something like that?" Chōji asked in surprise, munching nonstop on potato chips as he looked at Naruto.
"It's nothing." Naruto waved his hand. "I'm just here to tag along. I never planned on actually getting promoted."
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