Chapter 101: Can We Talk Now, Kurama?

"Boss, two bowls of ramen!" Uchiha Akira called out as he entered the ramen shop. It wasn't his first time here; he'd been before, just to check it out.

As he spoke, Akira's eyes narrowed slightly, and the three-tomoe Sharingan appeared, staring intently at Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen.

Before his reincarnation, Akira had been a fan of the Naruto series. There was a popular fan theory that Teuchi, the ramen shop owner, was actually Otsutsuki Teuchi, a hidden mastermind behind the scenes.

The most significant evidence for this theory was when Pain used his Almighty Push to destroy the entire village, but Ichiraku Ramen remained untouched.

So, Akira couldn't help but activate his Sharingan to carefully observe Teuchi.

But, well, it turned out to be just a rumor. Akira saw no sign of any chakra activity after scrutinizing Teuchi with his Sharingan.

Moreover, considering the original series, there was no plot where Teuchi turned out to be a hidden villain.

"What's with the eyes?" Teuchi asked, noticing Akira's sudden activation of his Sharingan and feeling a bit puzzled.

"Oh, nothing," Akira replied, shaking his head as he deactivated his Sharingan.

"By the way, do you think two bowls of ramen will be enough?" Teuchi asked after a brief pause.

"Huh?" Akira was momentarily stunned by the question. Two large bowls of ramen for two seven-year-olds—why wouldn't that be enough?

Wait... could it be...

Just then, Naruto's voice chimed in, confirming Akira's suspicions.

"Uncle, start with ten bowls of miso ramen. If that's not enough, I'll let you know!" Naruto said, with a tone that suggested it was the most natural thing in the world.

"That's more like it," Teuchi nodded to himself, secretly thinking that this matched Naruto's usual appetite. He then turned to start preparing the order.

Akira, on the other hand, could only place a hand on his forehead in resignation.

Right, he had almost forgotten that Naruto's appetite was legendary. He could stack ramen bowls to impressive heights.

It was a typical trait found in many anime protagonists: a massive appetite, a straightforward nature, and a tendency to get into amusing situations.

Characters like Naruto, Luffy, and Goku all fit this mold perfectly...

But instead of dwelling on it, Akira focused on the here and now. Teuchi's ramen preparation was swift, and once the bowls were ready, Naruto began eating with gusto.

Slurp, slurp! In no time, Naruto had already polished off four or five bowls!

Meanwhile, Akira was still working on his first bowl. Glancing at Naruto's seemingly unchanged stomach, Akira couldn't help but silently wonder if Naruto's stomach was connected to another dimension.

How could he not even show the slightest sign of being full after five large bowls of ramen?

"Akira, you're really strong, but one day, I'll surpass you! People say you'll become the Sixth Hokage, but we'll be rivals in the future!" Naruto declared after downing two more bowls, slowing down a bit as he started to feel slightly full.

"Mm, I'll be waiting," Akira nodded seriously, acknowledging Naruto's challenge.

Naruto was still just a child who hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy, while Akira was already the head of the Anbu.

For anyone else, Naruto's claim to compete for the Hokage title would seem utterly ridiculous.

But Akira knew better. If there was anyone who could rival him for the Hokage position, it was definitely Naruto.

As the reincarnation of Asura and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto was destined to be a powerhouse in the Naruto world.

Of course, with the addition of his life simulator, Akira was also quite formidable.

"By the way, tomorrow I'll be leading the village's top fighters to the border to demonstrate Konoha's strength. Want to come along?" Akira asked, changing the subject after they had chatted for a while.

"Huh? You're inviting me to leave the village?" Naruto put down his chopsticks and looked at Akira in surprise, clearly not expecting such an invitation.

"Yes, so what do you think? Are you up for it?" Akira smiled slightly as he posed the question.

"What's there to be afraid of? I've been wanting to leave the village for ages!" Naruto responded enthusiastically, not one to back down from a challenge.

"Great. Once you're done eating, I'll give you the rest of the night to undergo some special training!" Akira said with a grin.

Dinner wrapped up quickly after that. Once Naruto had finished his ramen, Akira took him to a lake at one of the training grounds.

As the protagonist of the original series, a Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, a member of the Uzumaki clan, and the reincarnation of Asura, Naruto was already formidable despite being only seven years old.

Akira believed that if Naruto's potential were fully developed, his power could be immense.

Even though Naruto was still just a kid who hadn't graduated from the academy, Akira knew that killing him would be no easy feat, even if he opened all Eight Gates.

For one, the Nine-Tails wouldn't want Naruto to die. Otherwise, it wouldn't have lent him chakra in moments of crisis in the original series.

Secondly, the Sage of Six Paths was practically omnipresent in the Naruto world, keeping a close eye on everything. If his son's reincarnation were in danger, who knew if he might intervene?

Lastly, and most importantly, Naruto was the main character, blessed with a protagonist's luck. Who knew what sort of unexpected developments might occur if someone tried to kill him?

So, considering all these factors, Akira thought it would be wise to have Naruto join him.

If Naruto could unleash his full power, that would be ideal.

But even if he couldn't, having Naruto—someone blessed with the luck of the protagonist—by his side would be like carrying a good luck charm.

And who knows, maybe in a crucial moment, Naruto could even talk an enemy into submission!

"Akira, you said you'd give me special training? What kind of training?" Naruto asked, growing curious as they stood by the lake.

"Naruto, you've met the Nine-Tails sealed inside you, right?" Akira asked, getting to the point.

"Yeah, I've met it," Naruto nodded.

"You have two ways to become stronger," Akira explained.

"First, you could focus on using your own chakra while further strengthening the seal on the Nine-Tails."

"Second, you could tap into the Nine-Tails' chakra."

"Either way, you should be able to grow stronger," Akira continued.

This was true. In the original series, Naruto had relied heavily on the Nine-Tails' chakra.

But in Akira's view, even without the Nine-Tails, Naruto's chakra reserves were almost limitless.

Remember when Naruto, before even graduating from the Ninja Academy, used the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu and created thousands of clones at once?

Was that solely due to the Uzumaki clan's physical constitution?

And how do you explain the seemingly endless chakra of Hashirama Senju?

To Akira, both Naruto and Hashirama were reincarnations of Asura.

So, they were both on a different level—while others had chakra, Naruto and Hashirama had "chato-ns" of chakra!

If not for the influence of the Nine-Tails' chakra, Akira believed Naruto could have reached the same heights as he did in the original series, even without the fox's power.

"In that case, I'll choose the second option. If I strengthen the seal further, that fox will be all alone inside, with no one to talk to. That would be too sad," Naruto said after considering Akira's two options.

He wants to choose the second option because he feels sorry for the Nine-Tails being locked up all alone?

Akira gave Naruto a strange look, thinking to himself that this was just like Naruto.

After all, if Naruto could forgive even Obito, the man who killed his parents, it made sense that he wouldn't harbor hatred for the Nine-Tails.

In fact, Naruto probably didn't even hold a grudge against the Third Hokage.

"Alright, in that case, let's have a good chat with the Nine-Tails!" Akira said with a sigh, nodding as he reentered Naruto's mental space.

"Hmph! You want me to cooperate with this brat? Forget it!" the Nine-Tails growled as Akira stepped into the seal's space. Before Akira could say anything, the fox had already refused.

Though sealed away, the Nine-Tails was not completely unaware of what was happening outside. Otherwise, it wouldn't have lent Naruto chakra during moments of danger.

"There's no need to be so stubborn. Can't we just have a proper conversation?" Akira asked, looking at the caged fox.

"I have nothing to say to you! I hate those eyes of yours!" the Nine-Tails grumbled, clearly annoyed by Akira's Sharingan. The fox lay down inside the cage, closing its eyes, clearly uninterested in further discussion.

"So, this is the great Nine-Tails, huh? All bark and no bite?" Akira smirked. "If you're really that upset, why don't you go after Uchiha Madara instead? Or how about Senju Hashirama? He's the one who said you were too powerful and sealed you away!"

Akira rolled his eyes at the Nine-Tails, mocking it without holding back.

"You... How do you know what Hashirama said back then?!" The Nine-Tails, who had been feigning indifference, suddenly opened its eyes wide in shock, staring at Akira.

The fox could never forget how, after Madara used his Sharingan on it, it had no choice but to fight Hashirama.

And then Hashirama, living up to his name as the "God of Shinobi," had unleashed his thousand-armed Buddha, completely overwhelming the Nine-Tails.

Even worse, as he claimed the fox was too powerful, Hashirama had sealed it away with ease.

That familiar phrase brought back the darkest memories for the Nine-Tails.

"So, can we talk now, Kurama?" Akira asked with a small smile, taking a seat outside the cage, showing no signs of leaving anytime soon.

Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 136 at patreon.com/Emik01.