Chapter 104: Inside the Consciousness
Seeing Naruto's fiery eyes, Terumi Mei was taken aback. Her eyes, which had been rippling with confidence, now showed a hint of panic and shyness.
"Wah!"
Suddenly, without waiting for Terumi Mei to react, Naruto pounced on her and pushed her to the ground. He looked down at her with a light smile and said:
"Are you sure?"
Feeling Naruto's body heat, Terumi Mei trembled. Her beautiful eyes darted away as she said in a panic:
"I... um..."
Looking at Terumi Mei—who was always the one teasing him before—now looking so shy, Naruto couldn't help but feel very amused.
Seeing the laughter in Naruto's eyes, Terumi Mei snapped out of it. She got up, pushed Naruto away, and hummed softly:
"Bad boy. You dare tease me? I'll teach you a lesson."
With that, Terumi Mei moved to punish Naruto.
The two played around for a while, then soon set off on their journey back to the Mist Village.
After returning to the Mist Village, everything was as calm as usual, as if no one had noticed the Mizukage's absence.
They went to the Mizukage's office. Terumi Mei dealt with the important documents that had piled up over the past few days. Then she looked at Naruto, who was sitting nearby, and asked:
"What are you going to do next?"
Hearing her question, Naruto slowly opened his eyes. He had been resting with them closed. He said with a faint smile:
"I plan to rest for a few days first. I'll decide what to do after that. I also need to stabilize the power inside my body."
Terumi Mei nodded and said with concern:
"Alright. You've worked hard these past few days."
Naruto smiled. He knew she was talking about the mission to capture the Three-Tails. During that mission, whether it was dealing with the Akatsuki or sealing the Three-Tails' chakra, Naruto had done everything himself. Although Terumi Mei had come along, she hadn't helped much. She hadn't even had a chance to fight.
That made Terumi Mei feel a little guilty.
Naruto smiled lightly and reassured her:
"It's fine. I just need to deal with the tailed beast power in my body. I'm not tired."
Terumi Mei nodded.
After a brief conversation, Naruto left the Mizukage's office and returned to his hotel.
He was right. Now that he had the chakra of three tailed beasts inside him, he couldn't just ignore it like before.
After returning to the hotel, Naruto took a deep breath. He sat cross-legged on the bed and slowly closed his eyes.
Powerful spiritual energy erupted at that moment. Naruto controlled his mind and slowly entered the depths of his consciousness.
Soon, under Naruto's powerful spiritual energy, he went deep within himself.
Naruto soon arrived in an extremely dark space. Black water flowed slowly beneath his feet, making his steps feel heavy. Pitch black darkness surrounded him on all sides.
After arriving, Naruto raised his head and looked around.
A massive iron cage appeared before him. There seemed to be some creature inside the cage. When the creature noticed Naruto's arrival, it slowly opened its eyes.
Those eyes were blood red. They were the size of lanterns, extremely red, suddenly appearing in the dark cage. They were very bright.
The blood-red eyes blinked slowly, as if looking at Naruto, who had suddenly appeared.
Only then did Naruto see clearly who the owner of those blood-red eyes was.
It was a massive fox. It had fiery red fur, sharp claws, and nine tails swaying freely. Its enormous body sat in the cage like a small mountain. It was very frightening.
This fox was the Nine-Tails. The leader of the tailed beasts. The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. It was also the tailed beast that had been sealed inside Naruto's body, living with him for thirteen years.
After seeing the Nine-Tails' massive body, Naruto was slightly shocked.
At that moment, the Nine-Tails blinked its blood-red pupils and slowly spoke in a rough voice:
"Kid. You finally came."
That was right. Naruto had finally come to this space. This was the first time he had entered this conscious space. It was the first time he had looked directly at the Nine-Tails like this. Although Naruto had possessed the ability to come here for a long time, he never had. Now was his first time here, and his first time speaking with the Nine-Tails.
Looking into those blood-red eyes and hearing the Nine-Tails' voice, Naruto said lightly:
"Nine-Tails..."
Just as Naruto was about to say something, another loud voice suddenly echoed through the space:
"Kid, I didn't expect you to be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. You're quite lively in here."
Hearing this voice, Naruto turned to look.
Next to the Nine-Tails' massive cage was another enormous cage. Inside that cage was the Three-Tails Isobu, which Naruto had sealed not long ago.
The Three-Tails opened its eyes wide, glanced at Naruto, then at the Nine-Tails beside him, and spoke.
After hearing what the Three-Tails said, the Nine-Tails snorted coldly and didn't respond. Its blood-red eyes slowly closed again, and its massive body lay down lazily.
Actually, there was more than just the Three-Tails and Nine-Tails in this space. There was also the One-Tail. The One-Tail's chakra was here too. It was just that only part of the One-Tail's chakra was present. Naruto hadn't taken all of Shukaku from Gaara's body, so that portion of chakra had no consciousness. It was just a phantom existing inside Naruto's body.
Three tailed beasts gathered. All inside Naruto's body. If anyone else found out, they would be extremely shocked. They wouldn't be able to believe it. One person held the power of so many tailed beasts.
And at that moment, Naruto had done it.
Naruto exhaled. The Nine-Tails beside him lazily opened one eye, looked at Naruto, and asked lightly:
"Kid, what are you doing here?"
The Nine-Tails and Naruto seemed familiar with each other. Although this was the first time they had spoken face to face, the Nine-Tails had existed inside Naruto's body for a long time. Naruto had also been aware of the Nine-Tails' existence for a long time. Even though they had never spoken, they both knew each other's lives very well.
So the Nine-Tails got straight to the point. He knew Naruto had possessed the ability to come here for a long time. And the fact that Naruto was showing up now for the first time clearly wasn't just to take a casual look.
Seeing the Nine-Tails speak, Naruto smiled faintly. He walked forward without fear, gradually approaching the Nine-Tails.
Seeing Naruto approaching, the Nine-Tails slowly opened his eyes. His blood-red pupils fell on Naruto, watching his every move.
Then Naruto stopped in front of the Nine-Tails. He exhaled, looked calmly at the Nine-Tails, and said:
"Nine-Tails, I'm here to make a deal with you."
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