Naruto, what did you do to Ino?

Demon Contract: Draw the soul of a defeated being into an independent space within a week to converse with them. If the other party agrees to sign the contract and become a servant, they will gain a special ability in the form of the Demon Curse Seal and must also pay the price by surrendering ownership of their soul to the contract holder. This price of control cannot be avoided by any means.

Note: This contract is usually stored elsewhere and needs to be summoned by the recipient. Regardless of whether the other party signs it or not, the contract mark will disappear after use.

Controlling souls and recruiting servants?

Compared to the other rewards, this one was quite unique, making it a solid choice for Naruto.

With that thought, he dismissed the text page, lifted his head, and looked at Kurama, whose form was shaped like an "M."

"Kurama, do you truly want to be free?"

"Brat, what kind of trick are you trying to pull? Hurry up and loosen these chains, or I'll die."

As Kurama spoke, he suddenly froze. His eyelids twitched as he asked,

"How do you know my name?"

"It's not rare knowledge. Don't say your name. I basically understand everything about this world."

Naruto's expression remained apathetic, showing no reaction.

"I'll ask you one more time. Do you truly want to be free? Answer me."

"Who do you think you're talking to, kid!"

"It seems you still don't understand your current situation."

Naruto raised his hand, and in an instant, Kurama's right foreleg moved on its own.

Under Kurama's horrified gaze, his right foreleg completely ignored his control and clenched into a fist.

"Do you feel it? Right now, part of your body is completely under my control. As long as those iron chains remain, one day, your entire body will become mine. Your consciousness will vanish from this world, and all your essence will be devoured by me."

Naruto smiled.

"Now I'm giving you a chance. You have no choice, Kurama. You can wait until I consume you, or you can listen to me, and I will grant you freedom."

Naruto wasn't lying. If the Demon Contract hadn't piqued his interest, he had truly planned to slowly refine his control over Kurama to 100%, at which point Kurama would completely disappear.

If someone had threatened Kurama like this half a month ago, he would have laughed at them. Over thousands of years, many had sealed him, some had tried to control him with the Sharingan, but no one had ever truly been able to kill him.

But now, Kurama could actually feel himself losing control over a small part of his body. This wasn't the illusionary control of the Sharingan—this was real. A part of his body was no longer listening to his own consciousness.

It was terrifying.

For the first time, Kurama felt that he might truly die.

"How do you intend to grant me freedom?" Kurama finally asked, his gaze subdued.

"When I become the strongest, I will grant you true freedom while ensuring that I don't die. You will be able to roam the mountains, rivers, and seas."

"Can you really become the strongest?" Kurama looked at him skeptically. The statement sounded ridiculous.

Naruto's smile turned serious.

"Of course I can, and I must."

If he were in another world, perhaps he could live an easygoing life without grand ambitions. But here, he had to become strong. He had no intention of dying under Uchiha Madara's Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Kurama lowered his gaze. According to Naruto, he had no choice.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to promise to sign a contract with me when the time comes in the future. Until I release you, you will be my servant."

After hesitating for a long time, Kurama finally nodded.

"Alright."

It was just a summoning contract. A human's lifespan lasted at most a hundred years—that was still bearable.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the first choice. Reward (Demon Contract X1) successfully distributed.]

Upon hearing the system notification, Naruto felt relieved. His gamble had paid off.

"Master, can you help me remove these chains now?" Kurama asked.

Naruto fell silent. The chains had appeared when he suppressed the negative effects within him, and he didn't know how to remove them.

However, as if responding to his thoughts, the iron chains suddenly loosened and disappeared.

Kurama felt his body lighten. Inside the dark seal cage, everything felt much better. Now, he could lie down lazily on the ground and sleep without needing to maintain that painful posture.

"Alright, just rest for now. I'm leaving."

The next morning, the sun rose.

After preparing breakfast, Naruto stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his appearance. He wore a clean white shirt and black trousers. A handsome young man appeared in the reflection.

Thanks to his change in appearance, only a few people recognized him as the boy who was once looked down upon. Some shopkeepers had even started giving him discounts.

"As expected, good-looking men are more well-received," he muttered casually.

After finishing his preparations, he stepped outside and made his way toward the ninja academy.

People's gazes followed him, but Naruto didn't care. A handsome man had to get used to attention.

Just like Uchiha Sasuke, who would soon be his teammate. That kid was already accustomed to the passionate stares from girls and chose to ignore them.

As Naruto searched for a seat, two figures suddenly appeared behind him.

"Naruto, what did you do to Ino?" Shikamaru asked lazily.

Choji, munching on his bag of chips, chimed in.

"Yeah, she's been looking really down since then."

Naruto stared at them blankly.

"I don't care about her," he replied flatly. "She blocked my way a few days ago, so I just knocked her out."

Choji frowned.

"How could you hit your own girlfriend just like that?"

Naruto: "???"

Shikamaru nodded.

"Yeah, even though I think women are troublesome, that was a bit too much. Ino is our childhood friend, Naruto."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, confused.

"What are you talking about? When did I ever have a girlfriend?"

Choji sighed.

"Now, everyone knows that Ino was bullied by you that night, but the next day, she happily invited you on a date. And then, you punched her."

Naruto could only stare at them with a blank expression.