Chapter 35 The seal is lifted!
Rip!
Faintly, a tearing sound seemed to echo, and the cage before him gradually dissipated.
Strangely, this sealed space remained; it hadn't vanished.
"Hahahaha, I, the Nine-Tailed, am finally free!"
The Nine-Tailed leaped up with a whoosh, spun a few times in place, waved its tails, and roared to the sky.
So exhilarating!
This feeling of being able to stretch its body and move freely was truly exhilarating.
Naruto slightly stepped back, chuckling as he watched the Nine-Tailed, which seemed to have gone mad.
Although he had never been caged, he could understand the Nine-Tailed's excitement at this moment.
He didn't disturb it until the Nine-Tailed finished releasing its malice, then he slowly walked forward.
"Hey, Naruto, I'm going to eat you, rawr!"
The Nine-Tailed lowered its head, its eyes like copper bells staring intently at Naruto, filled with killing intent.
"Don't joke."
Naruto pouted, "Try it, can you get out?"
"Boring!"
The Nine-Tailed regretfully withdrew its gaze; it saw no ripple of emotion in Naruto's eyes.
Is this person a bit too confident?
Hearing Naruto's question, the Nine-Tailed tried, its eyes lighting up, "I can get out; this space can no longer hold me."
"But this place is pretty good; from now on, this will be my home."
The Nine-Tailed quieted down, thinking that going out now would not benefit either him or Naruto, so it decided to wait a bit longer.
Besides, there was nothing wrong with this place now.
It could leave whenever it wanted; there was no rush.
"As long as you like it. I just wonder if we can bring in some dirt, or perhaps some decorations."
"Probably, since you can bring in those vegetables."
The Nine-Tailed's eyes lit up.
Looking around, it was indeed empty, with nothing to adorn it.
It would be nice if there were some decorations.
"Oh, right, when should we try out the Nine-TailedMode?"
"I really want to know how powerful we are when combined."
The Nine-Tailed rubbed its paws.
He was actually quite eager to go out and cause some trouble now.
"No rush."
Naruto shook his head.
It wasn't time yet.
The Nine-Tailed was a bit disappointed, but after thinking it over, he nodded and said, "You're right. You're only five years old now, and your body is still growing."
"If you are constantly eroded by my Chakra, it will be detrimental to your future, and given your current Chakra reserves, using Nine-Tailed Mode also carries a high risk."
"However, the Nine-Tailed Chakra Mode might be worth a try; you should be able to sustain it for quite a while."
"I know that."
Naruto and the Nine-Tailed stood together, and he raised his hand to stroke its fur.
It felt just like real fur, very smooth.
The Nine-Tailed glanced at it, not minding.
After spending so much time together, it had developed a feeling akin to family for Naruto.
This feeling was something even other Tailed Beasts couldn't give him.
"First, get familiar with this place, then continue to accumulate strength."
"How long will you accumulate?"
The Nine-Tailed was a bit impatient. Did it really need five or six years? That didn't seem like a very long time.
"Not too long. I'm waiting for my Clone Techniqueto be perfected."
Naruto's eyes were bright.
Since his future goal was clear, he had to constantly move forward with that goal.
The small Konoha Village was just the beginning; the Ninja World was vast, and he wanted to see it.
Konoha Village was merely his starting point.
"What I'm most interested in now is actually Orochimaru."
"That research fanatic?"
The Nine-Tailed was startled, "He was driven out by that old man Hiruzen Sarutobi, supposedly for human experimentation."
"Yes."
Naruto sneered, "Orochimaru was also slightly tricked by Danzo."
Human experimentation was certainly detestable.
But, to be fair, if others willingly offered themselves for research, that would be a different matter.
However, there were many ethical issues involved, making it difficult to control.
Orochimaru was definitely a super genius in research.
Ignoring his cunning and venomous nature, his genius was second to none.
Among the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru was the researcher, and Tsunade was the medical personnel.
Jiraiya...
Well,
He was purely powerful in combat.
In terms of value, Tsunade and Orochimaru had higher value.
Jiraiya's value was in holding down a territory, similar in nature to a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki like him.
"Too bad Tsunade is already crippled now."
"Ah, crippled?"
The Nine-Tailed was confused, "She's one of the Legendary Sannin, immensely powerful, how could she be crippled?"
'Because of hemophobia.'
"You're joking!"
The Nine-Tailed was a bit stunned, "You're saying a Ninja who has experienced life and death has hemophobia?"
"Yes!"
Naruto nodded regretfully, 'It's hemophobia caused by the deaths of her lover and younger brother.'
"Alright then."
The Nine-Tailed thought of human emotions and was relieved.
Sometimes, human emotions were truly incomprehensible.
Even a powerful Ninja like Tsunade was no exception, suffering from hemophobia due to the deaths of her lover and brother.
"These two can both be brought over."
Naruto chuckled, beginning to formulate a plan, "As long as there's a benefit, Orochimaru will definitely come."
The Akatsuki Organization was an example.
As for Tsunade, it was a bit difficult, but not impossible.
It was just that hemophobia was a bit troublesome.
And Jiraiya, that person was indeed a problem.
Recalling watching TV back then, the impact of that scene was truly immense.
However, his identity was there; he was, after all, his old man's master, so he naturally had this connection.
Tsk.
It seemed the chances were also very high.
Nine-Tailed: "..."
"I suddenly realized your network of connections is also very vast, as long as you know how to use it."
"I think so too."
The human and the Tailed Beast exchanged glances, chuckling strangely.
...
"Suddenly, I have an ominous premonition."
In the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples.
These past few days had been a complete mess.
Because of the Uchiha Clan matter weighing on him, he could no longer slack off as he used to.
For the past few days, he had been constantly calculating how to suppress the Uchiha Clan.
It left him mentally exhausted and overwhelmed.
He would occasionally wake up in the middle of the night, thinking perhaps it was time to find a successor.
After realizing this, he was startled to find that Konoha Village couldn't find a single qualified successor.
Kakashi was a good prospect.
Unfortunately, due to the successive departures of Uchiha Obito, Rin Nohara, and his own teacher and teacher's wife, he had become very dejected.
What about the others?
Almost none were suitable.
Danzo?
That was even more impossible.
"Why did it come to this?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was bewildered, clutching his chest, when suddenly a Ninja eagle flew in and landed on the windowsill.
"Intelligence? Whose?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the letter and immediately a smile blossomed on his face; he clapped his hands and smiled, "How could I have forgotten him!"
"Jiraiya!"
He was also a very qualified successor!
Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered internally how to keep Jiraiya in Konoha Village and prevent him from leaving again.
...
"Nine-Tailed!"
"Hmm!?"
Naruto, who had already exited the sealed space, stood on the Hokage Rock.
In a trance, he recalled what Ebisu had said when he first awakened.
And the cold, cursing, disgusted expressions of the people he encountered along the way.
Slowly raising his hand and pressing it down, a grotesque smile appeared on Naruto's face...