Chapter12: The Fox and the Boy

The night was quiet in Konoha.

The moonlight filtered through the window of Naruto's small apartment, casting silver stripes across the floor. The boy slept peacefully—until the stillness around him shifted.

A sudden pull—not physical, but deep, like being yanked by the soul.

Naruto's eyes snapped open… but not in the waking world.

He stood in a strange sewer-like corridor, ankle-deep in water, with torches flickering on either side. An eerie red glow pulsated in the distance.

Instinctively, he walked toward it.

A pair of enormous eyes opened ahead, glowing like molten fire.

"So… my prisoner finally shows himself," a deep, rumbling voice echoed.

Naruto stared, stunned, at the massive cage before him and the colossal beast behind it.

Orange fur. Whipping tails. Teeth like blades.

"Whoa…" Naruto whispered, eyes shining with awe. "You're huge!"

Kurama blinked. The theatrics he had prepared stalled. "...Huh?"

The fox tilted his head slightly, confusion breaking through his menacing façade.

Did I accidentally pump him full of too much Yang chakra? Is his brain fried?

Kurama coughed, recomposing himself. "Ahem. What are you looking at, mortal? Fear me! I am the Nine-Tails! I bring destruction to all! Villages fall at my feet! Nations tremble before me!"

Naruto's eyes sparkled with stars. "So cool…"

Kurama recoiled. "What?! Did you not hear me!? I destroyed your village! I—I killed your parents!"

Naruto's eyes dimmed a little. He looked down, then back up, serious now. "I know."

Kurama flinched.

"I was angry at first," Naruto said. "When I came into this world and remembered everything… the first thing I felt toward you was hatred. You took everything from me. My mom. My dad. My future."

The fox's ears twitched. His claws curled slightly against the bars.

"But," Naruto went on, "I'm an Uzumaki. I can sense emotions. Intent. Malice. And when I finally came face-to-face with your chakra…" He paused, eyes narrowing. "I didn't feel a monster. I felt a prisoner."

Kurama froze.

"You just wanted to be free, didn't you? After a hundred years of being passed around like a weapon, sealed again and again… just when you caught a glimpse of the outside world, you were sealed back up. No wonder you lashed out."

Kurama said nothing. But his tails slowed.

Naruto gave a tired smile. "I get it now. You weren't trying to kill just to kill. You were trying to survive. To escape."

A long silence stretched between them.

Then Kurama, low and growling, said, "...You're the first human who's ever said that to me since Ashura."

Naruto blinked. "Ashura?"

Kurama didn't answer.

"Anyway," Naruto sighed, "even if I wanted to let you go, I can't. You'd rip me apart in the process."

Kurama snarled. "Then why come here!? To mock me!?"

"No," Naruto said. "To make a deal."

The fox raised a brow.

"You can control me because your chakra is inside me, right?"

Kurama nodded slowly. "...Yes?"

Naruto crossed his arms. "So, if I could transfer some of your chakra into something else, could you control that instead?"

Kurama looked at him, stunned. "Technically… yes. As long as the host has a chakra network. Even a dead one, as long as it's preserved."

Naruto grinned. "Then I'll find you a new body. A small animal. Something no one would suspect. You can live outside the seal—but there's a catch."

Kurama narrowed his eyes. "Let me guess. You want my powers?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "No. I want you to behave."

Kurama blinked.

"I'll give you food. Shelter. A body. But you don't kill anyone. No attacks. No rampaging. Nothing that gets me or the people I care about in danger."

Kurama growled. "So I'm your pet now?"

"Dude," Naruto groaned, "you'd literally be a free who gets to nap, eat, and explore. Better than being stuck in this sewer for eternity, right?"

Kurama opened his mouth… and closed it.

He looked at the bars. Then at Naruto.

It was so stupid. So laughable. So… real.

"Why?" he asked. "Why would you do this for me? I killed your parents."

Naruto's smile faded, but not in anger.

"I already told you. You were hurting. Trapped. Alone. You just wanted to be free… like I did. I hated you, sure—but only until I realized you were just another prisoner like me."

The fox's breath caught.

Then Naruto raised a hand. "So… what's your name?"

Kurama narrowed his eyes. "Kurama."

Naruto frowned. "That's way too ancient-sounding. Doesn't suit a small animal."

"What are you talking about—!?"

"I name you… Ginger!" Naruto declared, with sparkles in his eyes.

Kurama froze.

His breath hitched.

"…What did you say?"

"Ginger!" Naruto grinned. "Your fur's orange, and it's cute."

Kurama staggered back like he'd been struck. "No. NO. That was… That was the name Ashura used to call me! How do you—"

Naruto shrugged. "Lucky guess?"

"I REFUSE TO BE CALLED THAT!"

"Sure thing, Ginger."

"STOP!"

"What, Ginger?"

"I SAID—!"

"Ginger it is!"

Kurama groaned, flopped back in defeat, and stared at the ceiling of the mindscape. "I hate you."

"No, you don't."

Kurama didn't argue.

A long silence passed.

Then the fox murmured, "...I can revive your mother."

Naruto's head snapped up. "What?"

"she still carries my chakra in her. Well my chakra it doesn't die or fade away, and both she and your father left remnants of their chakra in you. I can draw it out—if you can find a body."

Naruto blinked. "But what about my dad?"

Kurama's expression darkened. "He's in the Shinigami's belly. His soul is trapped in the Reaper's stomach. You'd need to extract it to bring him back."

Naruto whistled. "Yikes…"

"Your mother, though… she's possible. Difficult, but possible."

Naruto nodded slowly. "Alright. If there's a way… I'll find it."

Kurama gave him a strange look. "You're really insane, you know that?"

"Probably."

"…I think I like you, kid."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks, Ginger."

Kurama roared, "DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

The laughter echoed through the mindscape, and for once—just once—Kurama didn't feel so alone.