After finishing his milk and thoroughly rinsing his mouth, Naruto collapsed onto his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The Bond System… who else could he build good relationships with now?
He definitely wanted to go play with Satsuki again, but then he thought, would a member of the Uchiha Clan approaching him, a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, not arouse the suspicion of the Leaf Village's higher-ups? Especially that old schemer Danzo—to expect him to show mercy just because the other party was a three-year-old girl? It was better to abandon such naive thoughts early.
He needed to find a way to sound out the Third Hokage…
There was no other way. The Uchiha Sasuke's bond level increasing by one gave him 500 points, and Naruto couldn't help but feel envious.
Speaking of which, would the Third Hokage also have bond points? That old man wouldn't really treat him as a mere tailed beast container, would he?
To be fair, the Third Hokage was indeed decent to him, but only to the extent of being "decent." He wasn't starving, and later the villagers, on the Hokage's orders, would sell him things, but the ostracization and isolation always remained.
Every time the Third Hokage visited, besides routinely delivering living supplies, the most common questions were:
"Naruto, do you know what a Hokage is?"
"Do you know what the Hokage represents?"
The intention couldn't be more obvious; the old man clearly wanted him to follow in his father's footsteps, become an excellent ninja of the Leaf Village, and ideally even dream of becoming Hokage.
He didn't want to become Hokage, not because of immense resentment from being ostracized by the villagers—that rejection was indeed unpleasant.
But the real reason, besides Naruto not wanting to get involved in the dark politics, was that Naruto knew too well how exhausting the position of Hokage was.
His future self in Boruto…
In the anime clips, his future self, who had become the Seventh Hokage, was suffocated by mountains of paperwork, only able to deal with his daughter's birthday using a Shadow Clone. Those tired eyes, always with dark circles, formed a stark contrast with his current vibrant self in the mirror.
Are you kidding me? Who would want to live that kind of life?
At present, the potential bond targets were really limited. The Third Hokage was one, Kakashi should still be in the Anbu right now and completely inaccessible, and as for the Leaf Village's Twelve Genin…
Besides Sakura, Rock Lee, and Tenten, who were commoners… Tenten shouldn't count as a commoner, the others were all children of prominent clans. Approaching them rashly now would definitely alert the Leaf Village's higher-ups.
The original plot where he walked Hinata home and saved her had not yet happened…
It was impossible to actively seek out the Hyuga Clan's young lady. Thinking of this, Naruto sighed helplessly.
"…It seems there aren't many suitable candidates besides Might Guy."
Night deepened. Naruto lay on his bed, his thoughts gradually slowing. The chirping of insects outside his window faded in and out, and his eyelids unconsciously grew heavy. Finally, with anticipation for the future, he slowly closed his eyes.
— — — — — —
The surroundings were dim and murky, and a faint smell of rust permeated the damp air. Puddles on the ground reflected the gloomy light, each step sending out tiny ripples.
Straight ahead, a massive iron gate, dozens of meters high, stood majestically. The heavy gate panels were covered with complex and obscure seals, and a sealing tag was affixed to the very center.
Naruto wasn't sure if he was dreaming or if he had truly entered the sealing space. At this moment, he was staring wide-eyed at the enormous orange fox behind the iron gate's bars.
"Hmm…" Little Naruto craned his neck, trying hard to take in the sight, "Although it's big, it's still quite cute if you look closely."
The Nine-Tails behind the iron gate heard this and a vein on its forehead throbbed violently.
Is this brat… missing a screw in his head?
As the strongest Tailed Beast, it had long been accustomed to human gazes filled with fear and hatred. But "cute"? This adjective left it momentarily speechless. How could any part of it be described as "cute"?
Forget it. More than how it was perceived, the Nine-Tails yearned for the freedom that had been denied to it for so long.
"Brat, come over and open the gate."
A deep and oppressive voice echoed through the sealing space. Naruto looked up at the enormous orange fox before him—its reddish-orange eyes still glowed with a dangerous light even in the darkness, sharp fangs occasionally glinted, and its nine tails swayed restlessly behind it.
Seeing the Nine-Tails speak to him so directly, Naruto couldn't help but feel speechless. Was this fox too lazy to even bother with basic pretense? It opened its mouth and immediately demanded the release of the seal, without even a pretense of acting?
"This gate is too big; I can't open it."
"Just tear off the paper on the gate." The Nine-Tails impatiently flicked its tail. It lowered its massive head, its breath spraying onto Naruto, carrying a strong sensation of heat.
Naruto thought for a moment and asked, "What will happen if I open it?"
"Why so many questions? Just open it quickly when I tell you to!" The Nine-Tails' tone suddenly rose, making the entire sealing space tremble slightly.
In the Nine-Tails' view, although this brat often muttered things that made no sense to it, he was ultimately just a wet-behind-the-ears human cub. Could it, the mighty strongest Tailed Beast, not handle a three-year-old brat?
"I won't," Naruto took a step back, crossing his arms, "Although I don't understand much, it should be very dangerous if I let you out."
…What a sharp brat.
Just as the Nine-Tails was secretly pondering how to entice this brat, it noticed that Naruto not only showed no fear but instead widened his bright blue eyes, examining it with great interest.
"No wonder those guys call me a demon fox…" Naruto looked up, his gaze burning as he stared at the enormous creature before him, "So there really is a big fox inside my body."
The Nine-Tails' ears twitched slightly, not expecting such a reaction from him.
Naruto paid no attention to its silence and continued on his own, "However, although it's big, it's… really handsome!"
This statement completely stunned the Nine-Tails.
It had lived for thousands of years and seen countless human gazes directed at it—fear, hatred, contempt, calculation… but no one had ever described it as "handsome."
And what surprised it even more was that, judging by the emotions it sensed, Naruto's statement was actually sincere.
Because the Nine-Tails' appearance was indeed very striking.
Its reddish-orange fur still glowed with a soft luster in the dim sealing space, its nine enormous tails swayed gently behind it, each strand of fur containing immense Chakra, tracing graceful arcs in the air. Its massive size almost filled the entire field of vision, its sharp claws, pointed fangs, reddish-orange eyes… it should have been a terrifying beast, yet it inexplicably exuded a noble aura, like a mythical creature from legends.
…Wasn't the Nine-Tails' prototype originally a divine beast?
Naruto was lost in thought when he suddenly realized a problem. "But… how do we get out of here?" He looked around, the damp, dark sealing space containing only endless darkness and that huge iron gate. "It seems we're both trapped here."
He scratched his head, then flashed a brilliant smile, extending his hand towards the Nine-Tails. "Oh right! My name is Uzumaki Naruto, since we've met, let's get to know each other!"
His response was a cold snort from the Nine-Tails, full of impatience.
"Get lost, brat." It slowly lay down, its massive head resting on its front paws, staring coldly at Naruto, "Otherwise, I'll kill you."
"Huh? Why?" Naruto was not deterred; instead, he retorted with a puzzled expression, "This is our first time meeting, isn't it? It's not good to hate each other."
He simply sat down cross-legged, propping his chin. "Anyway, since we're both stuck here, chatting is much better than just staring, right?"
The Nine-Tails' tail flicked irritably, not expecting this brat to not only be unafraid of it but even plan to "chat" with it.
What a troublesome human cub.