Chapter 23: The Chakra Treasure Trove

"Kid, who are you?"

The Nine - Tailed Fox put away its look of contempt and asked.

"Can't you see clearly inside Naruto's body? I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

The Nine - Tailed Fox's huge ears twitched. It took a long time to draw a conclusion.

Well, isn't this the kid Naruto has always been trailing after? He's about the same age as Naruto and is a student at the Ninja Academy.

But this kid with a relaxed smile on his face is definitely not as simple as it thought.

The moment it saw him, its animal instincts told it to stay away from him. It hadn't had such a strong feeling since Madara Uchiha.

"Then let me change the question. Why did you come specifically to Naruto's body to find me?"

"Don't be so on guard. I just came here to borrow some Chakra from you."

Even the Nine - Tailed Fox couldn't help bursting out laughing when it heard this. Did this [Dangō] come all the way into Naruto's body just for this?

"Haha~ Don't look down on me! Why should I lend my Chakra to a stinky kid whose name I've never even heard of?"

"Don't worry, it won't be for free! As long as you're willing to lend it to me, I promise that I'll unlock the seal on your cage whenever I have a chance!"

It wasn't really a lie, because later Naruto did unlock the cage's seal. Anyway, the seal was unlocked, no matter who did it.

"Hahaha! Why should I believe you, you little brat?"

The Nine - Tailed Fox opened its huge, gaping mouth, with its sharp white fangs glinting coldly. It took a deep breath and blew towards Sasuke. The originally calm water surface churned up huge waves, forcing him to retreat continuously.

"You brat who talks big, get out of here quickly before I change my mind!"

The Nine - Tailed Fox ignored him, turned around, showed its rear end to him, and leisurely drifted off to sleep.

Sasuke wiped the water off his face helplessly. Although he knew from the start that the process probably wouldn't be that smooth, this demon fox had such a bad temper.

No! He couldn't go back like this. Without the Chakra, what chance did he have to fight against Tanzō? Rely on this 7 - year - old body?

"I know the key to the seal is in Jiraiya's hands."

Suddenly, a fiery red eye lit up from the dark crevice, staring at him. Sasuke smiled slightly.

"So, My Lord Nine - Tailed Fox, are you interested in having a talk with me now?"

"Where on earth did you get this information?"

"If you're interested, let's keep talking. If not, sorry, I'm running out of Chakra and I have to go."

With that, he stood up, turned around, and resolutely walked towards the exit.

"Wait a minute!"

Sasuke stopped and turned around, showing a victorious expression. The Nine - Tailed Fox paced back and forth in the iron cage impatiently.

This mysterious kid could accurately mention the location of the key to the seal. What should it do? Should it take a gamble? If it won, it could get the key, break out of this cage, and leave this dark and hopeless existence.

If I lose the bet, I'll only expend a tiny bit of Chakra as small as a soybean, which is insignificant. It seems like a great bargain.

"How do I know you're not lying to me?"

The Nine - Tailed Fox decided to test this kid one last time to see if he really had something special.

"Then I'll add another chip to this deal. I also know your real name is Kurama."

"How... How did you know that?"

This name was only known between the Sage of Six Paths and the tailed beasts. He was certain that his name had never been recorded in the history of the ninja world, yet this kid right in front of him knew it?

"Nine - Tailed Fox, oh no! Kurama, can we continue with our deal?"

"Hahaha! Interesting. Alright, I'll lend you my Chakra. Remember our agreement, or I'll curse you no matter where you are in the world."

"Deal!"

"Kid, come here!"

Kurama stretched out his huge claw through the narrow bars.

"Come and touch my paw."

Hearing this, Sasuke stepped forward without hesitation and grabbed the pale, bony claw.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll go back on my word and kill you?"

?_?

"You're so stupid! Right now, I'm just a virtual image created by the Sharingan inside Naruto. How can you kill me?"

Damn this arrogant brat! Just looking at that self - important face that looked down on others made him furious. He originally intended to lend him more Chakra, but now he decided against it.

He didn't deserve it!

The red Chakra flowed through the Nine - Tailed Fox's claw and into Sasuke's body. His entire body was enveloped in a red Nine - Tailed Fox cloak.

Sasuke's Sharingan rotated as he temporarily stored this Chakra in his body.

I have to say that tailed beasts are truly the Chakra Treasure Trove. Just a tiny bit that slipped through their claws is enough for him to deal with Tanzō and prepare for emergencies.

"Kid, remember our deal!"

"Don't worry. This seal expert won't keep you sealed for long!"

Looking at the departing figure, the Nine - Tailed Fox couldn't help but wonder if the ninja world was about to change.

From that moment on, Sasuke stored the Chakra in his body as a reserve. When he fought Tanzō earlier, he used it frugally. After all, besides Tanzō, there was also Obito Uchiha. This guy must be secretly observing in the shadows and can't be ignored.

Facts proved that his assumptions were correct. It was just a pity that he didn't kill him on the spot this time. As long as this guy was alive, there would always be endless problems.

..................

Early the next morning, the bright sunlight shone through the glass and into the hospital ward. Sasuke slowly woke up in the hospital bed. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Naruto's bright smile.

"Sasuke, you got up so late! The sun is already high in the sky."

He sat up and lazily yawned. He stayed up late dealing with Obito yesterday, which made it difficult for him to fall asleep, so he woke up late.

"What's up? Why are you smiling so happily so early in the morning? Did a girl give you a love letter or is there ramen for breakfast?"

Well, he knows Naruto pretty well. There are only a few things that can make Naruto over the moon.

"Um... that..."

"Yuck, so gross! What the hell are you being so shy for? Just say it!"

After much hesitation, Naruto finally spoke up. He looked at Sasuke eagerly.

"I heard from the Hokage this morning that I'm gonna live at your place from now on!"

"Yeah, I know. So what?"

He propped his chin on his hand and smiled at Naruto. Naruto's face was as red as a cooked shrimp as he mumbled softly.

"Please..."