After hearing Wen Lan's proposal, Tsunade opened her mouth as if to object—but ultimately stayed silent.
Kushina glanced at Minato.
They exchanged a long look.
No words were needed.
Finally, Minato sighed.
"…Alright. I agree."
Wen Lan nodded. His eyes shifted into the Mangekyō Sharingan, but remembering Kushina had just given birth and her spirit was fragile, he switched back to the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Kushina looked directly into his eyes.
In the next instant—
Wen Lan entered the depths of her consciousness.
Inside the Seal
His vision blurred.
When it cleared, he stood inside a dark corridor that resembled a sewer tunnel. Water reached his ankles.
The environment looked almost identical to Naruto's inner world from the original timeline.
Drip… drip…
Cold moisture filled the air.
Wen Lan noticed Kushina had not followed him inside. She had intentionally remained outside, leaving space for him to speak with the Nine-Tails.
He walked forward slowly.
Each step stirred ripples across the shallow water.
Faint sealing symbols lined the walls.
Then—
A low growl echoed from the darkness.
Malicious crimson chakra spread through the corridor like fog.
The massive silhouette of the Nine-Tails slowly emerged.
Its scarlet vertical pupils glared at the intruder.
Wen Lan stepped into a large chamber.
A gigantic iron gate stood before him.
Behind it, the enormous body of the Nine-Tails loomed in the darkness.
The seal glowed faintly blue with every breath the beast took.
Wen Lan spoke calmly.
"I'm not here to fight you."
"I'm here to make a deal."
The chamber fell silent.
Only dripping water echoed.
Kurama's Rage
BANG!
A massive claw slammed against the iron gate.
The entire space trembled.
"You human!" the Nine-Tails roared. "With those cursed eyes! Do you think you can enslave me like that man did?!"
Its chakra surged violently.
Waves of water exploded across the floor.
But Wen Lan did not move.
"I'm not Uchiha Madara," he said quietly.
"And I have no interest in enslaving you."
"Before we talk business… I want to talk."
"…Kurama."
The Nine-Tails froze.
Its pupils shrank.
"Where did you hear that name?!"
"That's the name given to you by the Sage of Six Paths—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo."
Kurama fell silent.
The ferocity in its eyes faded slightly.
"You know quite a lot… human."
Wen Lan continued casually.
"Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Gokū, Kokuō, Saiken, Chōmei, Gyūki… and you."
"You were once one being."
"The Ten-Tails."
"Or perhaps I should say…"
"The legacy of the Ōtsutsuki, the Divine Tree, Kaguya, Hagoromo, Hamura…"
Kurama exhaled slowly.
"…You're not going to explain how you know all that, are you?"
Wen Lan smiled.
"My Sharingan ability lets me see the future."
He pointed to his eyes.
"In the original timeline, tonight you would be controlled by a masked man claiming to be Madara."
"He would summon you outside the village and make you destroy Konoha."
"He would also cause the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki—your current jinchūriki."
For a moment—
Kurama's face lit up with delight.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"That sounds wonderful!"
"I actually managed to do it?!"
Wen Lan stared at him with a deadpan expression.
"So the part about being controlled doesn't bother you at all?"
"Only the part about killing them?"
Kurama ignored him.
"Then what happened after that?" it asked eagerly.
Wen Lan sighed.
"You idiot fox."
"You didn't escape."
"You were sealed into their newborn son."
Kurama's laughter stopped instantly.
"…Don't continue."
"Let me enjoy the moment."
Naruto's Future
Wen Lan spoke calmly.
"That child is named Uzumaki Naruto."
"In the future, he becomes the hero who saves the ninja world."
"And you…"
"…become his partner."
Kurama snorted.
"Impossible!"
"I will never form bonds with humans!"
Wen Lan nodded thoughtfully.
"Oh, I see."
"The Sage of Six Paths was human."
"So you're saying he was also a despicable human?"
Kurama froze.
Wen Lan turned to leave.
"I should go tell the other tailed beasts what you said."
"WAIT!"
Kurama panicked immediately.
"Stop right there!"
"…Fine!"
"I misspoke!"
"The old man is an exception!"
It glared awkwardly.
"An exception!"
Kurama had dealt with countless humans over the centuries.
All of them tried to control it.
Exploit it.
Seal it.
But no one had ever played word games like this.
The several-thousand-year-old fox had been completely caught off guard by a five-year-old human.
If the other tailed beasts heard it insulted Hagoromo—
They would absolutely wait decades to reform their bodies after death just to come beat him up.
Even Kurama didn't want that kind of trouble.
Ashura's Reincarnation
Wen Lan finally stopped walking.
"Tell me something," he said without turning around.
"Is Naruto a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths?"
Kurama narrowed its eyes.
"What are you implying?"
"Humans don't reform like tailed beasts after death," Wen Lan said calmly.
"Their souls go to the Pure Land and reincarnate."
"The reincarnation of Hagoromo's son Ashura…"
"…is Uzumaki Naruto."
Kurama's entire body trembled.
"…Ashura… reincarnated?"
Memories from a thousand years ago surfaced.
A warm, determined figure.
Kurama's fierce gaze slowly softened.
"So…"
"…that kid is the old man's descendant."
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