Chapter 22: Intrigue with the Nine-Tailed
"Sigh..."
Naruto rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache. He hadn't expected such severe consequences. He wasn't the type to sacrifice his life for a cause, so the Nine-Tailed's demand was almost impossible for him to meet.
This negotiation, or rather, this deal, had half-collapsed right from the start...
"Is there any other way?" Naruto tried to find a compromise. "For example, let the price I pay be a bit lower, or even no price at all, and in exchange, you can go out for a short breath of fresh air or something?"
There were ways, but the Nine-Tailed didn't want to say them. Moreover, to reach that point, the price the Nine-Tailed would have to pay was simply too great. Besides, for the current Naruto, the Nine-Tailed, meeting him for the first time, did not acknowledge him.
"Kid, are you scared?" The Nine-Tailed began to use reverse psychology. "It seems you're just that kind of selfish person after all!"
However, the Nine-Tailed's provocation reminded Naruto that if he wanted to gain someone's trust, building a good persona was a relatively quick shortcut.
"I'm not scared!" Naruto answered decisively, wanting to show his determination this way. "It's just that I have too many things left unfinished. I can't bring myself to die a heroic death just yet."
"Heh! What important things could a brat have to do?" The Nine-Tailed's malicious nature was fully exposed. "Playing house with other little kids, or are you in a hurry to become the leader of the brats?"
"I want to make many, many friends, do many, many good deeds, gain everyone's recognition, find out about my own heritage, and become Hokage!"
Hearing Naruto's words, the Nine-Tailed's massive beast-like pupils shifted. He thought of another way to get Naruto to let him out.
"Then, if you can still maintain this mindset and still think about making friends with them after you learn the truth about your heritage, I'll be truly impressed!" The Nine-Tailed grinned. "After all, for the Son of a Hero to receive such treatment is indeed heart-chilling!"
"Kurama, what exactly do you know?"
Naruto followed the Nine-Tailed's lead. He knew his previous speech had baited the Nine-Tailed.
"I know quite a lot!" A mocking expression filled the Nine-Tailed's massive beastly face. "For instance, your heritage, what happened to you while you were still in swaddling clothes, and the relationship between you and me."
"But if you want to hear these things from my mouth, it's impossible without paying a price." The Nine-Tailed finally revealed its true intentions. What it wanted most now was freedom, and the revenge it would take on Konoha after regaining it.
Of course, there was also that unknown Uchihaclansman who had controlled it. Every single one of these accounts had to be settled slowly.
"What price?" Naruto chimed in at the right moment. "As long as it doesn't harm others or violate morality, I'll accept whatever price it is! As long as what you say is the truth!"
"Even if the price is your life, would you accept it?!"
"As long as it doesn't harm others or violate morality, I believe I would!"
"What a boring sense of justice!" The Nine-Tailed's current expression was subtle. "You're exactly like your annoying father. But people like that don't live long!"
"My father?" Naruto's tone suddenly became excited. "Who is my father?!"
"Your father?" The Nine-Tailed shifted to a more comfortable position and lay back down. "Your father was the Previous Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. He was just a fool who sought his own death to Seal me!"
"Oh... right! Your current appearance and your miserable childhood are also related to Minato Namikaze's wishful thinking."
The Nine-Tailed seemed to have found a way to strike back after being at a disadvantage in their verbal sparring. The mocking expression on its face grew even more pronounced, and its words were laced with the malice of its personal feelings.
"It was Minato Namikaze himself who turned you into a monster. It was his selfishness, arrogance, and hypocrisy that created the current you!" The Nine-Tailed's voice suddenly became impassioned. "Do you see the pitch-black water you're standing on? That's the accumulation of all your negative emotions!"
"Kid, wake up to reality. Tear off the Seal and give me control of your consciousness and body. All those who bullied you, mocked you, and beat you will be punished and face my revenge!"
"What are you waiting for in such a wonderful deal?" The Nine-Tailed's words were full of enticement. "I can even promise you that I'll go easy and try not to damage your body. This deal is very much worth it. Why are you still hesitating!"
"You killed my father, didn't you?!" Naruto ignored the Nine-Tailed and stated his own deduction.
"I didn't just kill your father; I killed your mother too!" The Nine-Tailed wore a bloodthirsty expression. "I still remember their pain, their reluctance, and their struggle very clearly. It truly is a delightful memory!"
"Do you want me to hate you that much?!"
"Hate?!" The Nine-Tailed suddenly stood up, its Aura erupting completely. "A wet-behind-the-ears brat like you is worthy of talking about hate with me?!"
"Do you know how I, this old man, have lived these past few years sealed inside you?" The Nine-Tailedstared fiercely at Naruto. "Do you know how hard it is to endure being imprisoned, sealed, and living day after day in darkness?!"
"Most importantly, I was actually sealed within a trash kid. This kind of humiliation is something I have never suffered in my life! Never!"
Under Naruto's intentional guidance, the Nine-Tailed vented all the resentment it had built up over the years through its words.
Although this still didn't quench the resentment in the Nine-Tailed's heart, a platform for equal communication between the two had been established. Naruto felt it was time to launch the final offensive.
"You killed my parents, and you were imprisoned in my body by my parents." Naruto's tone was flat, showing no emotion. "I won't let the enemy who murdered my parents prance around before my eyes, and you won't let the culprit who caused you such humiliation go either."
"In that case, let's be honest with each other." Naruto also laid his cards on the table. "You tell me the whole truth, and I'll let you out when I reach my father's level. Then, we'll settle the remaining accounts properly!"
"Are you planning to take revenge on me?!" The Nine-Tailed roared with laughter. "In my thousand-year lifespan, this is the funniest joke I've ever heard!"
"If it's a joke, then why were you sealed inside my body?" Naruto's tone was slightly mocking. "Put down your pathetic pride and talk to me openly. You should realize by now that I'm not the kind of kid you remember!"
"Hehe, I'll tell you everything you want to know. I'll even help you grow. I look forward to the moment you let me out, so I can once again experience the thrill of killing Minato Namikaze!"
"When that time comes, you'll die a miserable death! I promise!" Naruto's fists were tightly clenched, his tone fierce. He stared back at the Nine-Tailed's massive beast-like pupils without backing down.
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