Chapter 102 - 2

Chapter 2: Fox? Holy crap! Hah!!!It lowered its head slightly, its hideous, massive maw opening and closing, its razor-sharp teeth gleaming coldly in the blood-red light.Naruto's excellent new vision allowed him to clearly see his own tiny reflection, mirrored between its smooth, blade-like teeth."By the way..."The Nine-Tailed grinned, revealing a nearly human, malicious smile. Its voice carried a seductive quality, "Kid, do you want to know... why everyone in this Village 'likes' you so much? Do you want to know... who your parents, who 'went to a very far place,' actually were? And how... they left?"It deliberately slowed its speech, every word like a poisoned needle, attempting to pierce the most vulnerable part of the child before it.Naruto's eyes finally flickered. He wrinkled his nose, as if catching a bad scent, and said expressionlessly:"You smell a bit stinky, Kurama.""Wha—t?!!"The massive beast behind the bars, whose expression had previously carried an air of mockery, hatred, and absolute control, froze instantly.Then, its dense fur stood on end like a hedgehog's!Its massive body arched violently, muscles bulging, and its nine giant tails stiffened instantly in the air! Its blood-red pupils shrank into dangerous pinpoints, locked firmly onto Naruto, filled with unbelievable shock and a trace of... suspicion at having its deepest secret touched."You... how do you know that name?! Did those ants in Konoha tell you? No... impossible! They don't have the qualifications to know it! Could it be... could it be..."Its voice suddenly rose, carrying a trace of an imperceptible tremor—one it might not even have realized itself— "The old Six Paths Sage... is he still alive?!!"Six Paths? Six Paths Sage? Parents... Naruto did not immediately answer the Nine-Tailed's shock and questioning.He appeared to be staring at the Nine-Tailed, but in reality, most of his attention was focused on the virtual panel in front of him that only he could see.A new line of information was refreshing:[Hint: You have encountered a special affection-target][Name: Kurama][Race: Tailed Beast (One of the Ten-Tails Chakramanifestations)][Current Status: Inside the Jinchuriki sealing space (suppressed by the Eight Trigrams Sealing)][Current Affection: -15 → 5]It seems this fox cannot see the system interface.Naruto's gaze swept over the subtle change in the "Affection" column, then fell back onto the Nine-Tailed's hideous face, which appeared somewhat "vivid" due to extreme shock and speculation. A thought quietly crossed his mind: This guy... doesn't seem as ferocious and deep as it always portrays itself? At least for now, it looks... hmm... not very smart?"If you want to know something, you have to trade information for it.""A question for a question. That's fair."The Nine-Tailed's writhing massive body suddenly stopped.It lowered its huge head, its blood-red pupils narrowing into slits, fierce light flickering within. Its gaze swept over the dark red, sturdy iron bars with flickering runes, and finally, the fierce rage about to erupt was forcibly suppressed.With the seal upon it, it couldn't really do anything to this Jinchuriki outside the seal."...Very well." The Nine-Tailed's voice lowered, regaining some of its previous oppressive aura, but the curiosity and suspicion did not dissipate. "Cunning brat. You are the first human... to dare make such a trade with me. Speak, what do you want to know?""My parents, what are their identities?" Narutoasked the core question directly."Hmph..." The Nine-Tailed scoffed, seemingly having expected this, "The Fourth Hokage and his wife."The Fourth... Hokage? I am the Hokage's... son?!!! Naruto's heart skipped a beat, and he was momentarily dazed; this answer dealt him a huge shock."My turn, brat. Where did you... hear the name 'Kurama'?""In my dreams." Naruto answered quickly, almost without pause."A dream?!!" The Nine-Tailed's tail flicked up uncontrollably again, its tone filled with absurdity and deeper confusion. It felt that this damn brat was playing with it!"Do you know the name 'Ashura'?" Narutosuddenly asked, interrupting the Nine-Tailed's contemplation."...Ashura..." The Nine-Tailed's pupils clearly contracted. Rage and suspicion were replaced by a more distant, complex emotion, as if this name had touched upon certain memory fragments buried beneath the dust of long, long years.It was silent for a few seconds before saying slowly, "...Vaguely... dreamed of this name. Did you... learn it from him?""That's right." Naruto nodded, giving a half-truthful answer."Is that so..." The Nine-Tailed's massive head swayed slightly, seemingly digesting this information, the light in its blood-red eyes flickering uncertainly. "Then... what else do you know about the Six Paths Sage?" It asked its second question, its tone carrying a trace of imperceptible urgency."That question," Naruto stepped back half a step, his body's outline beginning to blur and become transparent, gradually fading from this space, "I will answer next time. I need to... verify what you just said first.""You—!" The Nine-Tailed was stunned, then realized the other party was about to leave this consciousness space.It did not try to stop him with Chakra—under the constraints of the seal, that was difficult to do and might cause unnecessary trouble.It just stared fixedly at the gradually fading, tiny figure, its nostrils flaring as it snorted, then it lay back down, resting its head on its front paws and closing its blood-red eyes. But its slightly trembling eyelids and the tail tip that flicked gently from time to time betrayed its inner unrest.It knew that this brat who knew its real name and exuded something strange... would come back."Goodbye, Kurama." Naruto's final voice echoed in this space that had been silent for so long.Get lost! You damn poker-faced brat! Nothing like those two guys! The Nine-Tailed's ears twitched imperceptibly, and it impatiently tilted its head to the other side.When Naruto's presence completely vanished from this sealing space, and only endless gloom and the rhythmic sound of dripping water remained before the empty bars, a very slight, almost murmuring whisper drifted quietly through the silence: "...Goodbye."[Kurama's Affection has changed: 5 → 15]Consciousness returned, and the first thing to flood his senses was the suffocatingly familiar smell of instant noodles, mixed with the odor of cheap seasoning packets.Naruto opened his eyes and found himself lying on the floor of that cramped, messy, yellow-walled rental apartment.Several empty instant noodle cups were tipped over beside him, with a bit of soup spilled, leaving stains on the floor.An intense hunger, almost burning his stomach lining, instantly seized him. This feeling was more ferocious than any time before, as if every cell in his body was screaming for energy.This was the direct impact of his basal metabolic rate skyrocketing after his body was transformed by the "Heavenly Restriction."Naruto sat up, clutching his stomach, his gaze sweeping over those instant noodle cups. The taste he had previously been forced to endure for the sake of survival now smelled absolutely nauseating.He stood up in silence, walked to the window, and yanked the curtains open. The afterglow of the setting sun spilled in, bringing a touch of warmth to the dim room.In the distance, the four giant heads on the HokageRock were bathed in golden light. Naruto's gaze lingered for a long time, especially on the fourth, newest, and most unfamiliar statue. He looked at it carefully, with a gaze that was almost scrutinizing."So it was you..." He whispered to himself, his tone complex and indistinguishable, "...Doesn't look very much like me..."At least, it didn't have that feeling of... warmth he had imagined; it was just a cold, icy piece of stone.He turned around and began to quickly tidy up the room, gathering the scattered instant noodle cups and clutter, and bagging the trash. His movements were clean and efficient, as if he wanted to discard the dark days of the past, spent relying on instant noodles and enduring the cold stares of others, along with this trash. A fresh start.The most urgent task was to fill his stomach. Naruto fished out a small iron box from under his mattress and poured out the few remaining, crumpled banknotes inside. Clutching this meager fortune, Naruto pushed open the door and walked out. As for the remaining instant noodles? Even a dog wouldn't eat them!The streets of Konoha were still lively at dusk, with smoke curling from chimneys and the aroma of food mingling with the sounds of people. But all of this seemed to be separated from Naruto by an invisible barrier. Wherever he passed, laughter and chatter came to an abrupt halt, and deliberately hushed discussions rustled. Children who had been playing in front of shops were quickly pulled back by their parents and had their mouths covered, while shopkeepers along the way either averted their eyes or simply pulled down half their curtains...Naruto looked straight ahead, his pace unceasing. He could clearly hear those suppressed discussions, could "see" those gazes of disgust or fear projected onto his back or from the sides. The extraordinary perception brought by the Heavenly Restriction was like a double-edged sword at this moment, feeding back the malice he had only vaguely felt before, clearly and magnified countless times.But strangely, the expected sting, grievance, or anger did not surge as it usually did. In Naruto's heart, that malice only stirred up faint ripples—because he didn't care, he wasn't bothered. They were just a bunch of insects. Naruto no longer held the childish idea of being accepted by everyone; he just considered these people to be farting.His goal was clear—the edge of the Village, that Ichiraku Ramen stall that was always steaming and whose aroma could drift far away. The closer he got, the clearer the rich pork bone broth mixed with the aroma of chashu fat became, almost overpowering all other scents. Naruto's stomach let out a loud, uncooperative growl.He lifted the warm curtain with the words "Ichiraku" written on it and stepped into the shop. The warm, moist air, mixed with the rich steam of noodle broth, rushed toward him, instantly dispelling the slight chill of the autumn evening. The space inside was not large. Behind the long counter, wearing a white headscarf, with a kind face and eyes always smiling into two thin slits, Uncle Teuchi was nimbly scooping up a strainer of chewy ramen. With a flick of his wrist, water droplets splashed, and the noodles landed accurately into the bowl of rich broth that had been prepared long ago.