Naruto: All depends on the Nine-tails Fox

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: A New Wind



"...Lord Nine-Tails?"

"Hmm?"

At Minato's call, the Nine-Tails finally snapped back to attention. Looking at Naruto's bright, unhidden smile, the fox grinned and said, "So, father and son had their heart-to-heart, did they?"

"Yes, both Naruto and I owe you our thanks. Really, thank you so much!" Minato smiled at the Nine-Tails, and even the fox could see a faint red in his eyes, though Minato hid it well.

"Hehe, Nine-Lama... Ah, wait, I mean Fox-sama! For over a year now, I've never quite managed to master the Sage Mode. You've never once gotten angry, patiently teaching me every single time..." Naruto, still with traces of tears in his eyes, bowed seriously to the Nine-Tails along with his father. "Thank you so much!"

"Nine-Lama?" Minato blinked at the name, then paused. Noticing the Nine-Tails' reaction, he quickly understood that this was likely the fox's real name.

And what's this about Fox Sage Mode? Did Naruto come up with that name?

"Ugh, enough with the mushy stuff." The Nine-Tails snorted coldly, though he accepted their thanks.

Naruto then deactivated his Sage Mode. It seemed that his young body couldn't handle the strain of maintaining it for long, so the Nine-Tails let him return to the real world for now. After all, they would have plenty of time to chat later.

At this moment, Naruto's inner world fell silent once again, as it was just him, Minato, and the Nine-Tails.

"There's something I need to tell you, Nine..." After Naruto left, Minato seemed to ponder what to call the Nine-Tails.

But the Nine-Tails quickly responded indifferently, "You can just call me Nine-Lama too."

So it wasn't just about telling Naruto... it's clear now—he probably wanted Naruto to be the first to call him by his true name.

Understanding the Nine-Tails' pride, Minato smiled. "Well then, Nine-Lama, about the seal... Although it might not matter to you now, there's still one missing key with Jiraiya-sensei. Do you think Naruto should try to contact him?"

"For now, there's no need. And that troublesome Jiraiya isn't easy to find anyway." The Nine-Tails flicked its tail. "Time is on our side. Naruto is still young. As his father, your priority should be ensuring he has a happy childhood. But don't neglect his training either."

"Meeting you has been Naruto's luck." Minato closed his eyes, once again expressing his gratitude.

"I told you, stop with the sentimentality."

"Oh, by the way, I heard Naruto wants to teach others the Sage Mode you taught him... Fox Sage Mode, right? But from his description, it doesn't sound easy to learn."

"Well, that's because Naruto has good taste," the Nine-Tails said, puffing up with pride. "After all, I personally created this Fox Sage Mode. As long as the body has enough stamina, and energy isn't too quickly depleted, it's far better than that ridiculous toad Sage Mode! But trying to teach his friends in the real world could be tricky. Once someone turns to stone, it's not like the mental world, where you just need to wake them up. They could lose their human consciousness for good."

Seems like Nine-Lama is quite proud of the name.

Minato nodded, having experienced the Nine-Tails' unique natural energy. "Of course, I've already felt how different your natural energy is. If Naruto's body wasn't still too weak, I would have been able to feel that my Fox Sage Mode could last longer."

"However, as you said, it's dangerous to train this way. So I don't know much yet, but I'd like to ask—could we gradually increase the amount of natural energy? That way, we could find the optimal limit without risking anyone turning to stone."

But as Minato finished speaking, Naruto's mental world suddenly fell into complete silence.

Seeing the Nine-Tails freeze in place, Minato had an epiphany.

It seemed that from now on, Naruto would have to take the lead in his own training...

Naruto woke up from his inner world, suddenly feeling the wave of exhaustion hit him.

Looks like even in this mental state, the physical toll of this mode is no joke. I've been focusing on spiritual training this past year without properly exercising my body. Starting tomorrow...

As Naruto assessed his condition, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

At this time, it was probably who he thought it was.

"Yo, Sasuke," Naruto opened the door with a bright smile, which instantly made Sasuke squint.

This guy's so happy about his new jutsu?

Sasuke froze for a moment.

"What's up? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I was going to ask if you managed to learn that trump card you were talking about, but seeing your face, I guess I don't need to," Sasuke said with a dismissive glance.

"Hehe, you figured it out, huh? But don't worry, I'll be heading to the training grounds tomorrow to show you and everyone else—Sasuke, Hinata, Neji, Lee—how awesome this new move is!" Naruto wiped his nose proudly. "If you want to learn, I'll teach you guys too!"

"Hmph, who cares," Sasuke scoffed but briefly drifted into his memories before firmly saying, "And with your teaching style, no one in this world will ever be able to learn it."

"What's that supposed to mean? Then why are you here?"

"To collect the rent."

"Hah! It's not even time yet."

"I changed my mind. I'm collecting it 10 days early."

...

Naruto was speechless. It was the middle of the night, and Sasuke was here to collect rent early. Did he really believe that excuse?

But Sasuke was just making up an excuse and didn't actually expect Naruto to pay.

After confirming that Naruto had indeed perfected his so-called secret move, Sasuke, who was feeling impatient, turned to leave. But Naruto suddenly spoke up.

"Sasuke, let's go look for your clan. I think I know where they are."

"!" Sasuke froze, but didn't turn to face Naruto. His back was enough to show that he was suppressing his emotions. "As long as they're alive, that's all that matters. I can't... not yet. But someday, I'll bring Itachi's head to them!"

"…Then let's face your brother's story together, okay?"

"I told you, that's between me and him!" Sasuke suddenly got agitated, turning and grabbing Naruto by his collar. "You promised you wouldn't interfere..."

"I said that because you told me I wouldn't understand. So I couldn't get involved in your fight. But now I understand your feelings, so..." Naruto spoke seriously. "I want to witness it."

"You're my friend. No matter what choice you make, I want to be there and support you," Naruto said sincerely. "Just like how I want to help Neji break free from the fate he believes in, as your friend, I will never let you face loneliness."

"Even though you might not believe it, I feel like I understand you now..."

"..."

Sasuke let go of Naruto's collar and looked up into his eyes, seeing no lies.

Understand

Sasuke once told Naruto he couldn't understand him.

Now, Sasuke felt a twinge of regret for those words. But he never expected Naruto to still remember.

"…Do whatever you want."

After a long silence, Sasuke returned to his room, and before closing the door, he muttered two words.

"Heh!" Naruto looked at the door closing next door, a satisfied smile on his face.

A breeze blew through, and then...

Spring had arrived.

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