A Chef's Plea to the Beast
Agung finished tucking the provisions into Naruto's hands and fixed his mind on the massive, furious consciousness of the Nine-Tails. He knew the risk he was taking—provoking a tailed beast was reckless—but the injustice done to Naruto fueled his resolve.
Agung's mental message to Kurama was not a request; it was a firm directive, delivered with the moral authority of a man seeing a child wronged.
"Listen, Kurama," Agung transmitted, his tone cutting through the beast's residual mental roar. "You are the source of his strength, and you are the source of his suffering. It is time you started acting like his protector, not just his cage."
Agung's gaze intensified on the oblivious boy. "I am asking you, as a big brother, to help him a bit. At the very least, let him know his parents. Give him a name, a face, a memory—something real to hold onto besides the contempt of his village."
The Consequence
Kurama's mental voice returned, sharp with fury and alarm.
"MADNESS! IMPOSSIBLE! THE SEAL, THE VILLAGE'S SAFETY, THE SANCTION OF THE HOKAGE! BUT THE CONSEQUENCE... YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE SCALE OF THE CONSEQUENCE OF BREAKING THE SEAL'S LIMITATIONS!"
Agung acknowledged the peril, but dismissed the village's political calculus.
"Listen, Kurama," Agung insisted, his voice hardening, "I know the scale is too big. I know the risks. But right now, his psyche, his very heart, is fractured by isolation. At least this much truth—the love of his parents—can calm his psyche enough to survive the years of hatred to come."
Agung stepped away, turning toward the glowing portal door. He made his final declaration, not just to the beast, but to the entire hidden, cruel system that victimized the boy.
"We must ensure that old man's plan—the plan to turn a hero's son into a silent, ignorant weapon—is a failure. We'll give him a real family, Kurama. Even if it's just the memory of one. Start building that bond."
Agung gave the final instruction for the future. "The door will open again for him, if he needs it. It will open on the last off the seventh day on your world weekend calendar." (i.e., Sunday night in Konoha time, a day of rest and preparation before the next week's trauma.)
A Final Farewell
Agung turned to Naruto, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders.
"It's time to go, Naruto. Remember what I said about the lessons, and remember that even in the darkest story, there is always a path toward the light."
Naruto, still grappling with the weight of Agung's words, clutched his boxes of supplies. He gave Agung a fierce, grateful nod.
"I will, Agung-san. Thank you. I'll come back!"
With that, Naruto turned, pushed open the glowing portal door, and stepped back into the cold, damp night of the Forest of Death, the warmth of the Overworld Restaurant already beginning to feel like a distant, impossible dream.