Chapter 166: Kurama: What’s it to you if I’m a shut-in?  

The village in this era was simple and pure, and the villagers were quite shy. When Naruto and Sasuke suddenly appeared, the villagers weren't scared—they were more curious than anything. They were curious about where these two kids, who looked so different from them, had come from.

Hagoromo happily introduced Naruto and Sasuke to the villagers. Of course, he didn't reveal their true origins, only saying that they had some connection to him but couldn't explain further due to certain reasons.

Naruto and Sasuke had prepared some excuses in case the villagers asked too many questions, but as it turned out, the villagers didn't press them. Instead, they warmly welcomed the two and even suggested throwing a party when they heard Naruto and Sasuke would be staying for a while.

This whole situation made both of them a bit shy. Even Sasuke, who usually kept a straight face, couldn't help but blush during the party. The main reason was that some villagers thought they were good-looking and wanted to set them up with wives.

What? Twelve years old? 

That wasn't a problem. In an era where living to fifty was considered a long life, expecting people to wait until twenty to get married? You'd be lucky if they didn't come after you with a hoe. 

In this time, the usual age for marriage was under fifteen. Twelve was a bit young, but still acceptable.

By the way, in Naruto's time, fifty was also considered old, but not as extreme as it was now. The normal age for marriage was over sixteen, with eighteen being the standard, and anything past twenty was considered late. 

For ninjas, though, marriage tended to happen later, given the high-risk nature of their job.

Anyway, Naruto managed to dodge the bullet by saying he already had a girlfriend. The villagers didn't quite understand what a "girlfriend" was, but based on Naruto's explanation, they figured it was something like a fiancée.

This immediately shifted all the attention to Sasuke. Hagoromo, that old rascal, just stood by and watched without stepping in to help, grinning like an idiot—just like Kurama.

Kurama, sitting silently in the seal space, was utterly speechless. "Old man, don't tell me you've been influenced by that Earthling's memories too?"

Hagoromo shook his head with a smile. "No, he didn't influence me. It's more like I saw those memories, while you absorbed them. There's a difference."

"What do you mean?" Kurama didn't get it.

In fact, he still hadn't figured this out. 

Logically, his thousand years of memories shouldn't have been affected by a mere twenty-something years of someone else's memories. His soul was incredibly strong—it was born from the Ten-Tails, which was the embodiment of the planet's natural energy. 

If even he could be influenced, either that Earthling was unexpectedly powerful, or some external force had interfered.

From the Earthling's memories, Kurama had picked up keywords like "god," "system," and "parallel worlds," but he was sure there was nothing like that in the Earthling's memories. He was just an ordinary person—completely average, maybe a bit of a shut-in, which meant his DNA was filled with all sorts of weird stuff. 

But how that could affect him, Kurama still couldn't wrap his head around it.

Hagoromo also knew about Kurama's confusion. After thinking for a moment, he spoke up: "To put it in terms you can understand, that Earthling's memories are like the memories of your shadow clone. When the shadow clone disappears, the memories return to you. They become your memories, not someone else's."

"You could say that Earthling is you, but you can't say you are that Earthling, because you are the original, and he is the shadow clone. So when your memories merge with your original self, they become your own memories."

"But I'm different. I'm like a bystander who watched a movie. I might feel moved, sad, or even angry because of the story, but I know it's just a movie, not something that really happened. So it doesn't affect me."

"Do you understand?" Hagoromo said with a smile.

"I'm not so clueless that I can't understand this. And your shadow clone example isn't really appropriate," Kurama pouted, then asked again, "But why did I and that Earthling end up in this kind of relationship? We're clearly from two different worlds. And why is it me in control, not him?"

"I don't know that either," Hagoromo shook his head.

Kurama was shocked: "There's something you don't know?"

In Kurama's mind, this old man in front of him knew everything. 

If there was something he didn't know, it must be something beyond this world.

"There are too many things I don't know," Hagoromo chuckled lightly. "Kurama, being all-knowing and all-powerful is a paradox in itself. I just stand higher than others, so I can see further."

"Fine, whatever," Kurama pouted again.

This old man, always acting so humble.

Hagoromo just smiled, not bothered.

Kurama lay in the seal space, watching Naruto and Sasuke dealing with the villagers outside. His eyes gradually grew determined: "Old man, you know why I came back to find you, right?"

"Of course" Hagoromo nodded.

"I need the chakra of the other tailed beasts, and your Six Paths power," Kurama said seriously, looking at Hagoromo. "The complete Six Paths power."

Hagoromo was silent for a moment, then looked up at Kurama: "Then, I still have to ask you that question. Why do you need this power?"

"Do you really have to ask every time?" Kurama complained. "You've seen my memories, taken back your chakra from Naruto's body. You know everything. Why are you acting like some plot NPC?"

"What's wrong with NPCs? Don't NPCs have rights?" Hagoromo laughed, casually responding in a calm tone.

Kurama was stunned.

"Hahaha!" Seeing this, Hagoromo finally couldn't help but burst into laughter. For so many years, since seeing the future, he hadn't laughed this heartily in a long time.

So long that he had almost forgotten how it felt.

Kurama took a deep breath, glaring at him angrily, but then suddenly laughed too: "It feels good to have someone catch your joke."

Yeah, it really does feel good to have someone catch your joke.

Looking at Hagoromo's imposing figure, Kurama smiled and said, "I'm not as great as Naruto, nor as noble as Sasuke. I'm selfish. The reason I need this power is so that I can live an easy life in the future."

"I want to play games, watch new anime, read manga, and, best of all, have food delivered to my door. The life I dream of is in the Boruto series. That's why I must defeat the Otsutsuki clan and make sure they can never stop me from living my otaku life!"

"That's my reason."

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