Kyūsei squatted off to the side, watching the blonde girl training tirelessly in the distance, and couldned't help but sigh.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's move this time had completely overturned four full years of Kyūsei's careful avoidance.
From this point on, contact with Namikaze Kaoru was unavoidable.
As if it were fate.
If he continued treating Kaoru with the same cold indifference as before, she would inevitably waste a huge amount of time trying to get close to him—time that should have been spent training.
And if that happened, who could guarantee that the future Golden Flash would still be as terrifyingly strong as in the original timeline?
During the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha clashed head-on with all four other great villages—and on nearly every battlefield, Namikaze Minato's figure could be seen.
That didn't just prove how absurd the Flying Thunder God Technique was.
It proved that Minato himself had earned the absolute trust of Konoha's upper echelon.
The Third Shinobi World War had practically been his solo stage.
A single branch standing tall above the forest.
Everyone else was reduced to supporting roles.
Even the future Fourth Raikage was no exception.
Truly worthy of being Naruto's father…
Wait.
Mother now.
No, that's not right either—whether Naruto would even be born was still a big question mark.
"Hey."
"I'm… sorry."
Kyūsei suddenly spoke, seemingly out of nowhere, looking toward Kaoru.
Silence answered him.
"I won't do things like that again."
Only after a long pause did a faint, chilly voice drift down from the tree beside him.
"Oh, really?"
"As if someone like you would need to apologize?"
"If anyone should be apologizing, it's us ordinary ninja apologizing to you, right?"
Hearing Nightingale's unmistakably sarcastic tone, Kyūsei felt a bit helpless.
As expected—women really did hold grudges.
Even the way she spoke was exactly the same.
He didn't bother responding. This apology hadn't been for Nightingale anyway.
Whether she believed it or not was her problem.
Kyūsei casually manipulated the Adamantine Sealing Chains in his hand, letting them morph fluidly.
One moment they became a cat, the next a bird…
Perched in the tree, Nightingale grew even more irritated as Kyūsei completely ignored her.
This damn brat—first he tricks her, then gives a random apology, and now he won't even look at her!
All he cared about was playing with that stupid chain!
She, a dignified Hyūga main family member, lowering herself to act as bodyguard for this kid—and getting treated like this?
If those red-eyed Uchiha found out, she'd be laughed at to death!
It made her chest ache with anger.
Night
"See you~"
Watching Kaoru skip out of sight, Kyūsei finally accepted the reality that he'd be spending a long time with this blonde girl from now on.
If he kept causing trouble, even Hiruzen wouldn't tolerate it anymore.
For now, he planned to behave.
"So?"
"Feeling suffocated yet?"
"Kyūsei, all you need to do is use my power—and you can return to the life you had before."
"By then, no one will be able to control you."
"Just think about it. How intoxicating freedom feels."
The Nine-Tails' voice echoed in his mind once more, continuing its tireless temptation.
Kyūsei ignored it and walked home under the moonlight.
"Kyūsei, take a good look."
"At their ugly faces."
"That old bastard Sarutobi Hiruzen pretends it's for your own good, but he's really just tightening your chains."
"From the moment you stepped into this village, freedom was no longer yours."
"But now you have me."
"We possess the power to overturn everything!"
The Nine-Tails continued, relentless.
"If you have the power to overturn everything," Kyūsei replied calmly,
"then why are you sealed in the first place?"
"..."
The Nine-Tails fell silent.
"That's because Senju Hashi—"
"Little Nine," Kyūsei said, closing the door and gazing out at the moon,
"do you know something?"
"I respect freedom."
"But freedom without rules is meaningless."
"And turning freedom into an illusion is even worse."
"Only when freedom grows from the soil of restraint…"
"…can it become real."
"…and go farther."
"If freedom means acting without regard, indulging every impulse, letting desire control the body—"
"then that isn't freedom."
"That's wrongdoing."
Kyūsei walked to the table, pulled open a drawer, took out a scroll, and spread it open, beginning his nightly study.
Through Kyūsei's vision, the Nine-Tails saw the contents of the scroll—and its face turned green.
Four Symbols Seal.
"But!"
"If freedom isn't doing whatever you want—then how can it still be called freedom?!"
The Nine-Tails tried to argue.
The red-haired boy chuckled softly.
"The reason humans are human," he said,
"is because they can restrain themselves."
"They can resist their desires."
"If someone can't restrain themselves…"
"…then they aren't human."
"Then what are they?" the Nine-Tails asked instinctively.
"Demons."
The Nine-Tails froze—then erupted.
"You little brat!"
"You're calling me a demon?!"
"…But fine!"
"In your human eyes, we tailed beasts are demons!"
Kyūsei shook his head.
"That's a rule that belongs to humans."
"It can't be applied to other intelligent beings."
"Tailed beasts are tailed beasts. Humans are humans."
"They're different species—how can human rules be forced onto you?"
"And likewise," he continued,
"your rules can't be forced onto humans."
The Nine-Tails fell silent.
Damn it.
He couldn't out-argue this brat.
Still…
What was going on today?
It felt like Kyūsei had become a completely different person.
If he couldn't clearly sense Kyūsei's chakra, the Nine-Tails might've thought his jinchūriki had been swapped.
But that only made things harder.
With such a clear and stable mindset, fooling this Uzumaki brat would be extremely difficult.
The moon quietly shifted across the sky as time ticked by.
Kyūsei stretched lazily.
This body's talent was terrifying—especially when it came to sealing techniques.
Everyone knew that fuinjutsu was among the hardest disciplines for a shinobi to master.
Yet for this body, learning it felt as easy as eating.
As expected of the protagonist's mother—Uzumaki Kushina.
"…Mm."
"10:30. Time to sleep."
Kyūsei glanced at the clock on the wall, stretched again, and headed off.
After a quick wash, he turned off the light and climbed into bed under the glow of moonlight.
But just as he drifted into deep sleep, he vaguely sensed a disturbance in the room.
He opened his bleary eyes—
And instantly went wide awake.
All traces of sleep vanished.
"Hey—no, seriously, my lady!"
"I already apologized!"
"Was a nighttime raid really necessary?!"