"Say that again," Ryu said. He was offended by the implication that he was only using Naruto for his own gain. Ryu felt the tension in the air crackle as he awaited the beast's response.
"I am not judging you." The fox sounded almost patient. "All shinobi seek power."
He let that sit.
Ryu's fists clenched tightly at the fox's words, a surge of anger and understanding battling within him. He knew that in the world they lived in, power was necessary for survival. But he couldn't shake off the accusation that he was making use of Naruto for gains.
"Or they try to suppress what they could never control." A pause. "They kill for it. They rob for it."
Then, separated from the others by a beat of silence:
"Or they seal it inside children who never chose it."
The words landed heavy on Minato and Kushina. They said nothing. The accusation was not wrong. None of them had an answer.
Ryu closed his eyes, thinking how to respond to this allegation.
-[Data Capture: Chakra Mode — complete]
-[Golden Aura framework updated]
-Updating [InstinctGPT]
The [Chakra Engine]'s overdriven rhythm settled from [Gear Third] back to its natural, steady state. The blazing golden light around him did not vanish dramatically—it stabilised, pulled inward, reduced from a blaze into a controlled glow, then less, and then nothing. The negative effects of higher gears of [Chakra Engine] were minimised under the enhanced body of [Chakra Mode].
"The power was real. I will not pretend it wasn't.... And I know exactly what it would make me if I kept it. It would prove this fox's point. I cannot let that happen. I need to prove him wrong."
A decision had been made. Ryu took a breath and let it go. All the stolen chakra left.
It did not explode or scatter. It lifted from him in one slow, continuous release; the Fox's chakra he had accumulated through the entire fight peeling away from his pathways and gathering above him—a vast and golden and impossibly large ball.
A chakra bubble the size of a small house hovered over his head, pulsating with power. Ryu closed his eyes and felt a sense of relief wash over him as he finally let go of the immense burden he had been carrying.
The golden aura of [Chakra Mode] faded completely.
It caught everyone with surprise.
Ryu stood in the dark water in his ordinary form, looking entirely unremarkable for someone who had just expelled enough biju chakra to level a city.
He clapped his hands.
The chakra rings already holding Naruto in the air shifted… and carried the unconscious boy gently across the bars of the cage and through the corridor. The rings eased him down until Ryu could take his weight.
Naruto was still asleep.
Ryu held him for a moment, then he pulled Naruto's T-shirt up, exposing the boy's stomach.
The intricate design of the [Eight Trigrams Seal] was prominently displayed on Naruto's stomach, fully visible to Ryu.
-[Fuinjutsu Analysis: Eight Trigrams Seal — initiated]
The seal was too advanced; he needs the full power of [Overclocking] or much needed time for its full analysis. But right now what he wanted was the space besides it without interference.
"That is not enough; I also need a top-up. This is not an update or replacement, but rather a parallel function that coexists with the original in the same physical location. But away from the control of the nine-tailed fox."
He drew on three sources simultaneously.
The [Chakra Backup Seal], designed to absorb, compress, and store an individual's chakra so it can be used to replenish their reserves at a later time.
The Good Parts of [Jisatsu Seal], specifically its capability to read heartbeat, life-state, and danger threshold and the principle that a seal could be tied to the user's biological condition and respond to it autonomously.
And he added conditional trigger logic designed to fire only under specific, pre-defined circumstances detected by parts of [Jisatsu Seal].
Modified [Chakra Backup Seal]integratedinto[Eight Trigrams Seal]
The new layer integrated into the [Eight Trigrams Seal] began to take shape. A reserve and safety protocol was established within it. Chakra is held in suspension, tied to Naruto's heartbeat and life-state and danger threshold.
"It may save his life one day. Especially in the Fourth Ninja War. When Fox was extracted from Naruto."
When the seal activated, four torii gates rose from the black water below the giant golden bubble, arranged in a square formation.
The Fox had not moved or spoken during the entire process. He watched with an expression stripped of its usual malice, replaced by sheer, silent bewilderment.
In the isolated space, Minato stared at the new seal work with the particular stillness of someone recognising something just before they fully understood it.
"He is giving it back," Minato said quietly. "In a new seal without touching the original structure."
Besides him, Kushina's gaze was fixed on the torii gates, her expression reflecting a mix of curiosity and concern.
Ryu looked up at the fox with smugness.
"You were right about one thing."
The fox's ears twitched. He said nothing.
"The power was tempting." Ryu kept his voice level. "It was invigorating."
A pause.
"And yes... addictive. I cannot argue that."
Another pause.
"But I am not the same as the people you described."
The Fox looked at the bubble and then at Ryu.
"What did you do with that chakra?"
"I rejected it," Ryu said with a smug and defiant tone. It felt great to throw in the fox's face after the earlier accusation.
Ryu continued, "Taking all of it would be stealing from my little brother. So I built a separate section inside him for this chakra."
He glanced at the torii gates. "It is completely free from your influence and governed by a new seal. A backup seal for when he is in a dire situation. It may save his life one day."
The fox was still. He expected Ryu to take away all the chakra. But Ryu surprised him.
The fox stared at Ryu with a newfound respect, evident in the softened gaze of the fox's eyes.
Then a tiny portion of the bubble detached from the main mass. About the size of a large dog, though still tiny compared to the house-sized whole, it drifted from the formation and came to Ryu's outstretched hand.
He held it. Studied it for a moment. Then absorbed it in the same way and with the same seal Ryu had just created for Naruto.
"But I will take this small piece," Ryu said. "Purely for research purposes. I want to research all biju chakras... Lucky for me I have got one so early."
Ryu thought, "This might be a very good backup plan for Ten-Tails."
Ryu looked back at Fox.
"I will return the equivalent of this to Naruto later," Ryu said. "In some form. Or through secret jutsu I pass on to him."
The Fox looked at what had passed between them. It said nothing.
Ryu clapped his hands, signalling the conclusion of the exchange with a sense of finality.
The torii gates shook and started to go back into water along with the chakra bubble. As its place inside Naruto was not supposed to be reachable by the fox.
The golden bubble began its descent—slowly at first, sinking down through the black water as though the floor had simply opened.
As the light of the bubble dimmed upon passing below the surface, the corridor noticeably darkened.
Ryu pulled Naruto's T-shirt back down. He gathered the boy carefully into his arms.
Naruto weighed almost nothing.
How small he was. How light.
Ryu turned towards the corridor's far end.
"Thank you for keeping your word." Ryu said, "I would also keep my word and visit you from time to time."
"Next time," he said without looking back, "I'll bring some games to play. I am sure you are bored in here by yourself. I will change that."
The Fox's surprise was evident in the slight twitch of its ears upon hearing Ryu's words.
Kushina also went quiet in surprise. Ryu was not even the host but cared for his boredom. But she never even tried to talk to the fox when she was a jinchuriki.
Ryu adjusted his grip on Naruto's shoulders.
"And you can tell me some stories of the past… you must have millennia worth of stories."
Behind him, the Fox was quiet for a beat longer than the moment seemed to warrant.
"Cheeky brat," Fox said.
Ryu kept walking and the fox watched him go.
"He is getting too bold because he won one bet."
The corner of the fox's enormous eye tracked the boy's retreating form.
"He only won because of my chakra. He is not at my level…yet."
The water settled. The corridor was quiet.
"But he might be one day."
The fox closed its eyes, enveloped by darkness. The sound of footsteps on black water faded too. Then silence.
A/N:
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