"Alright, alright. I'll stop teasing you."
Kyusei suppressed the smile at the corner of his lips, his consciousness sinking into the sealing space. He looked at the massive fox before him and, without the slightest courtesy, plopped himself down right on top of its head.
The Nine-Tails was already used to Kyusei's shameless behavior. Right now, he had something far more important to say, so he couldn't be bothered to care whether the brat was sitting on his head or not.
"Do you want to know the identity of that mysterious scarred man?"
the Nine-Tails asked, completely ignoring the mischief happening on his head.
"…Huh?"
Kyusei's expression finally turned serious.
"Don't tell me you know, Little Nine?"
This time, he was genuinely curious. That scarred man had never appeared in the original story—there was no way Kyusei could recall anyone like that.
"So how could the Nine-Tails possibly know?"
"When he destroyed your seal, he used a summoning technique to pull *me* out."
The Nine-Tails' voice grew heavy.
"Someone capable of doing that… there is only one."
"Uchiha Madara."
"The man whom only Senju Hashirama could rival."
His massive crimson eyes were filled with unmistakable wariness.
Even now, the mere mention of that name made him uneasy.
Kyusei sat frozen atop the fox's head, momentarily at a loss for words.
He had thought about this possibility too—but it wasn't like he could just say, *Yeah yeah, same conclusion*, right?
The Nine-Tails sensed that the usually talkative brat had gone uncharacteristically silent and couldn't help letting out a low chuckle.
"So even you know fear, huh, brat."
"Figures. You're just a twelve-year-old human cub. Facing that legendary monster… there's no way you'd feel no pressure at all."
"Hmph."
The Nine-Tails snorted.
"Tell me—have you thought about how to deal with whatever backup that man left behind?"
"If you don't have confidence… I'm not completely against helping you."
"Of course!"
Kyusei suddenly leapt from the fox's head onto the bridge of its nose, staring straight into those enormous beastly eyes with absolute seriousness.
"In that world, *I* died together with that scarred man."
"And because of that—Kaoru died too."
"But now that I know the future—"
"I absolutely—"
"Absolutely—"
"Absolutely will not let that tragedy repeat itself!"
There was no hesitation in Kyusei's voice.
He would not accept his own death.
And he would never accept Kaoru's death.
Never.
The Nine-Tails stared at the brat standing on his nose, looking like someone who had no idea how terrifying the heavens truly were.
"Do you even understand who your opponent is?"
"The so-called Asura of the Shinobi World—Uchiha Madara."
"The things he left behind… you think someone like you can really change that future?"
"Frankly, I'm not even sure that bastard is actually dead."
Kyusei's heart tightened.
Just as he suspected.
The Nine-Tails doubted it too.
Taking a deep breath, Kyusei met the fox's gaze with eyes as clear as water.
"Little Nine, I won't let it happen."
"Maybe to you, this looks like arrogance. Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."
"But this is something I *must* face."
"Reality won't stop existing just because I choose to run away."
"In fact, running away will only lead to an even greater disaster."
"So I have only one choice."
"I face him."
"I defeat him."
"I surpass him."
"And if I really do die…"
Kyusei's lips curved faintly.
"…I bet you'd feel just a *little* sad, right?"
"Hah!"
The Nine-Tails scoffed.
"Who would care about a brat like you?"
"When you die, I'll celebrate."
That was what he said.
"…Eh?"
Kyusei looked genuinely hurt.
"I thought we had a pretty good relationship…"
"But—"
The Nine-Tails spoke again, his crimson eyes oddly filled with resignation.
"Compared to you…"
"I hate Uchiha Madara *far* more."
The Nine-Tails stared at the red-haired boy standing on his nose, something complicated stirring in his chest.
He could sense human hearts—their malice, their hatred.
Yet from the moment this brat became his jinchūriki, there had never been even a trace of hostility.
It was unbelievable.
A human… who bore no malice toward a tailed beast.
Six years.
Six years together, day in and day out.
This wasn't something that could be faked—not for that long.
Even Uzumaki Mito, as kind as she was, had still harbored faint hostility toward him. Subtle, almost imperceptible—but it was there.
Malice was malice.
That was an undeniable truth.
Especially that time Kyusei had gone berserk after escaping the sealing barrier using Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God.
Afterwards, the brat had only complained about getting beaten up—
Not once blaming him.
The Nine-Tails didn't always understand this kid's thought process…
But he *was* the second person—
The second—
Who had accepted him completely.
"…Little Nine, are you saying—?"
Kyusei froze, staring at the fox.
"Hmph."
"Since we've spent so much time together…"
"If it comes to it, I'll help you."
The Nine-Tails tried to turn his head away, but with Kyusei standing on his nose, no matter how he moved, he couldn't escape the boy's line of sight.
Kyusei stared at him in stunned silence.
He truly hadn't expected this.
Even in adult Kyusei's memories, he had only managed to use the tailed-beast cloak—never true cooperation.
Not Kurama Mode.
Not even full Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
And yet…
Kyusei himself didn't realize just how different he was from every other jinchūriki.
He was a transmigrator.
He knew these beasts.
He knew that the Nine-Tails—especially—was nothing more than a massive tsundere fox.
Even characters like Sakura, often criticized in the original story, he never truly disliked. To him, she was just a girl desperately trying to catch up to the people she cared about.
Sure, she'd said stupid things as a child—
But who hadn't?
Because of that, in the Nine-Tails' perception, Kyusei was… special.
Someone who had never despised him.
Never hated him.
Never feared him.
Only ever treated him with goodwill.
*Old man…*
*Before I meet the person you spoke of… I want to make a choice of my own.*
Kyusei hesitated.
This felt unreal.
Could the Nine-Tails truly trust him so easily?
Had he done something special?
Why didn't he even know himself?
Still, he asked—tentatively:
"Then… Little Nine."
"What's your real name?"
"You can't actually be called 'Little Nine,' right?"
If the Nine-Tails truly trusted him—
He would tell him.
The fox fell silent for a moment.
Then, solemnly, he spoke:
"My name is—"
"Kurama."
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