Chapter 14: Nine-Tailed Fox: Let Me Live as a Human? Wood Clone Plan

"Come to think of it, this is our first real meeting, isn't it?"

The sealed space—a dimly lit sewer.

Naruto stood before a massive iron gate, its center adorned with an intricate seal. Behind the bars loomed a colossal fox, its nine tails curled around its body, eyes wide in astonishment.

After a moment, the great beast stirred from its daze, its deep voice laced with disbelief.

"Brat... how did you get in here?"

Naruto smirked. Ever since he had discovered the ability to block the Nine-Tails' shared perception, he had kept the beast in the dark. No longer could it see through his eyes or sense his surroundings.

That was why it had spent so much time in a state of boredom—trapped in this unchanging prison, blind to the world outside.

"No need for unnecessary words. I just have one question—do you want to live as a human?"

The Nine-Tails let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"Hah! And where did you find the audacity to say such absurd things? Even the Sage of Six Paths never dared to entertain such thoughts."

Naruto's smirk deepened. "Just because he couldn't do it doesn't mean I can't."

"What did you say?!"

"The Sage of Six Paths? He was nothing more than a tool—a creation born of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's asexual reproduction."

The Nine-Tails stiffened. "You dare speak such nonsense?"

"Oh, it's no nonsense," Naruto continued. "You've roamed the shinobi world for centuries—you've seen White Zetsu, haven't you?"

The beast fell silent.

"White Zetsu was Kaguya's creation, the first stage of an army meant to fight against the Ōtsutsuki Clan. They're weak because they're incomplete. But their final form? That would be something on the level of the Sage of Six Paths himself. Kaguya prepared for war, but her plans were ruined by a toad's lies."

Naruto folded his arms. "In the end, Kaguya was sealed on the moon, the Ten-Tails split into nine fragments—one of which is you. You know this, don't you?"

The Nine-Tails' pupils narrowed.

"Do you want to end up as Ten-Tails' food?"

"Enough! Shut your mouth, brat!" The fox roared, its voice shaking the sealed chamber.

Naruto merely scratched his ear, unfazed. "Can you not yell for no reason? If you were as powerful as you claim, you would have broken out of this seal by now. But instead, you're trapped—restrained by the very thing you fear most: Wood Release."

His eyes shifted, revealing the crimson glow of the Sharingan.

The Nine-Tails flinched. "You... you?!"

"So, do you still think I'm just spouting nonsense?" Naruto asked. "If Kaguya Ōtsutsuki could create White Zetsu, why can't I? And why not something even better?"

The idea had already taken root in his mind.

The power of the Mori Mori no Mi, once fully developed, could allow him to extract pure energy from trees—similar to the life force that fueled White Zetsu. If he could inject that energy into a specialized Wood Clone and infuse it with mental power, he might be able to create an independent consciousness, perhaps even a new form of resurrection.

Could souls be classified as pure mental energy in this world? He wasn't sure yet, but the concept seemed viable.

"Brat..." The Nine-Tails' voice rumbled with an uneasy admiration. "You continue to surprise me."

The beast's crimson eyes bore into him. "Tell me, what kind of devious plan are you scheming now?"

Naruto chuckled. "Devious? It's just something beneficial for both of us."

"Hmph."

"You know about Ashura and Indra, right? The sons of the Sage of Six Paths?"

The Nine-Tails gave a slow nod, its patience with this conversation growing.

"Their battle has continued for generations. They reincarnate, fight, and die, only to be reborn again. In the last cycle, it was Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. This time... I am Indra's reincarnation."

The Nine-Tails stared at him, unmoving.

"If we combine their powers, we can attain the Sage of Six Paths' eyes. But Madara only awakened the Rinnegan when he was old and near death. If I acquire both powers early, and with the aid of chakra from the Sage himself in the Pure Land, I can awaken the Rinnegan far sooner."

The beast huffed, exasperated. "You've been rambling all this time, but where's your proof? Why should I believe you?"

Naruto chuckled. "Doubt all you want. We have time."

He turned away. "Think about it while I'm gone."

With a final glance, he added, "I'll give you credit—you haven't messed with my chakra these past years. So for now, I'll let you be. But next time... be more cooperative, stinky fox."

"Hmph." The Nine-Tails closed its eyes, pretending indifference, but the subtle flick of its tails betrayed its thoughts.

As Naruto's figure faded, the fox cracked open one eye, staring at the spot where the boy had stood.

Its pupils constricted.

"Damn it..."

"I keep calling him a brat, but I forget... in human years, he's only about six!"

Kyuubi sighed, his voice laced with conflict. "What he said makes sense. And I'm not an idiot—I can tell when someone's lying."

"It's just... Naruto, I've lived for thousands of years, seen all kinds of people. I don't dare to believe, nor do I dare to bet, that your eyes will one day surpass Uchiha Madara's." He growled in frustration. "I have no idea."

After another long sigh, Kyuubi closed his eyes again. "Forget it. Even if you're lying to me, at least... I won't be controlled by those damned Sharingan eyes anymore."

Meanwhile, Naruto's mental strength was running low. As he withdrew from the sealed space and returned to his body, exhaustion set in.

"Meditation practice needs to continue..."

It took considerable mental effort to enter the sealed space voluntarily. But suddenly, he noticed something different. The chakra inside him had become more active, more responsive.

The usual resistance from his inner tenant? Gone.

"Hah, you're such a proud fox," Naruto muttered, knowing Kyuubi would hear him.

The chakra flow within him had increased noticeably—at least by four cards. Without the need to waste extra energy suppressing Kyuubi, he could put that chakra to better use.

Satisfied, Naruto let himself drift into sleep.

Morning came swiftly. After bidding farewell to Tenten, he arrived at the academy, slipping into the classroom among the other students. Looking at the group of brats around him, Naruto knew it was time to make preparations.

The Anbu assigned to watch him had stopped monitoring him openly. That meant more freedom, more time to train.

As he settled into his seat, a plan took shape in his mind.

'At noon, with these kids from the great ninja clans around, the Ninja Kuma won't be able to spy too openly. That makes it the perfect time for my plans.'

'I'll have my wood clone attend class in my place. The presence of the clan kids will provide cover, reducing the chances of getting caught.'

'I'll return at noon to replenish the clone's chakra. Since it can't absorb nutrients from food yet, I'll need to eat myself. I can't let that bear use his "live broadcast artifact" to spy on me.'

Naruto glanced at Iruka, whose gaze was filled with barely concealed disgust, hatred, and inner conflict.

It didn't bother him.

He wasn't the same Naruto from the original timeline. He didn't need Iruka's approval.

Besides, even if Iruka didn't accept him, there was always Luka.

The real problem was that Ninja Kuma was always trying to brainwash people with the Will of Fire. In the original timeline, Iruka only truly acknowledged Naruto during his graduation—literally in the first episode of the anime.

Who knew how much ideological work had been forced on him in the meantime?

Shaking his head, Naruto rested his arms on the desk and laid his head down. He had better things to do.

While pretending to sleep, he secretly practiced chakra nature transformations and continued meditating.

Noon couldn't come soon enough.

It was time to put Rasengan training on the agenda.

…

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