TSoL Chapter 17 - Prison of the Beast

As Naruto looked around, he realized that he was in a peculiar tunnel. The walls of this tunnel were covered with different kinds of plants that climbed from the floor to the ceiling. The roots of these plants sank into the stream of water that flowed along the edges of the tunnel in small depressions.

Fortunately for Naruto, there was no water in the middle of the tunnel, so he could stand there without getting wet. The floor of the tunnel was made of gray tiles, most of which were covered in small amounts of moss and grass. The tunnel was dimly lit by the sun's rays, breaking through the lattice on the ceiling and on the walls below it. This place gave off an atmosphere of an abandoned area, which was coming back to life in the form of different kinds of vegetation.

After taking a closer look at the strange tunnel, Naruto spoke:

"Wow, this place is so bizarre. The tunnel looks like an overgrown sewer or an old hospital, but why does my inner world look like this?" he wondered aloud as he slowly approached a creeper on the wall, examining it with curiosity.

Suddenly, Naruto heard a strange growl from the far depths of the sewer, accompanied by a strong gust of wind, which made him slightly frightened. Swallowing his fears, he decided to head further down the tunnel towards the source of the eerie sound - he already had a vague idea of what it could be.

As Naruto continued down the path, he noticed that the tunnel was turning into a system of hallways, still covered with various plants. He even spotted a vine full of berries but didn't dare to taste it, as he didn't fully understand the intricacies of his inner world.

Finally, he reached a turn that he knew would lead him to the source of his problems. Bracing himself, Naruto's face became full of determination and sternness as he rounded the last frightening turn, leading him down a small hallway and into a spacious room with a ceiling covered in glass panels that let in plenty of sunlight.

The blonde couldn't help but feel surprised as she entered this room, which was vastly different from the previous ones. Not only was it much larger, but it was also filled with an abundance of grass, strange plants, and even trees. The room was colorful and resembled a bizarre, yet beautiful botanical garden.

However, it was the sight at the very end of the room that surprised her the most - a huge red fox with nine tails, peacefully basking in the sun. The fox was behind a prison lattice made of half wooden trunks and half metal covered in foliage and moss. Attached to one of the bars was a piece of paper with a seal that apparently contained the beast inside.

Surprised by the size of the bars and the beast, Naruto blinked and narrowed his brows. He cautiously approached the strange cage, stopping just five meters away from it. As if sensing his presence, the huge fox suddenly pricked up its ears and its huge tails began to move, raising a strong wind as it slowly stood up on its paws and turned towards the bars of its prison.

Naruto watched in fascination as the already large fox began to grow even larger, rising on its strange humanoid paws. The beast fixed its predatory eyes on him and lowered its head closer to the bars to better see its visitor. With a sly grin, the fox said, "What a surprise. The jailer brat himself! Did you come just to make it easier for me to escape outside? How kind of you…"

An oppressive aura began to form around the beast, and huge streams of bubbling orange chakra began to flow through the bars and towards Naruto's feet. The blond immediately jumped back nervously, not wanting to know what would happen if that strange chakra touched him.

Noticing Naruto's concern, the fox chuckled and said, "What's the matter? Come closer, don't be afraid. I promise it won't hurt." The last sentence sounded ominous, and the fox's eyes began to emit a dangerous red glow as it closely followed Naruto

Looking into the eyes of a fox, Naruto saw a stream of raging feelings like fear, interest, anger, grief, and curiosity. Gathering himself, he finally spoke up:

"Kyuubi no Yooko! My name's Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, and I'm here not for a fight, but just to get to know you and have a talk."

Naruto wasn't sure if his attempt at making contact with the fox would work, but he hoped for the best.

Hearing Naruto's words, the fox snorted, "Pfft, what am I supposed to talk about with a small shrimp like you?"

Naruto was taken aback but pressed on, "Well...I have many topics and questions I want to bring up, but the most important thing I wanted to ask was about the day when you were sealed in me."

Hearing his words, the fox's huge predatory eyes narrowed, "You're damn lucky, brat, that I didn't kick you out of here this very second for mentioning this embarrassing event. But since I have counter-questions for you, I'll let it slide. Be grateful," the fox added with notes of anger and resentment in his voice before returning his gaze to the stunned Naruto, and added:

"If you answer my questions first, I'm ready to exchange information. Tell me the truth, you brat."

Naruto was really surprised as he didn't expect the fox to have questions of his own, but he quickly gathered himself up then nodded and replied, "Ok, I agree. I hope this is not some attempt to deceive me."

At his words, the fox only snorted derisively and said, "What's the point of me deceiving some little brat? It's below my dignity as a great and strong biju," then the fox suddenly narrowed his eyes again, and looking at the blond intently, he said, "so, it's time for you to answer."

Hearing this, Naruto swallowed as there was suddenly a strong tension in the air. He did not know why he was so worried, it was just a question, but nevertheless, he could not help but worry, not knowing that such a powerful creature could throw out even when sealed.

After a few more tense seconds, the Fox finally spoke, "Recently, your inner world has begun to change a lot, and I must admit that it does it for the better."

"Wait, so this place looked different before?" Naruto asked, looking around the room in confusion.

With a chuckle, the fox replied, "Hah! Before, your inner world used to be quite a lousy place. Dark, flooded, and terribly gloomy." Remembering his former jailer, the fox added, "Although it was still better than that red witch in whose seal I literally was crucified on paws and tails. Even thinking about it makes me sick, so...wait...you distracted me!" The fox was slightly indignant, pointing at the blond.

Naruto looked at the beast with a blank stare, thinking to himself, "You're the only one who started to indulge in memories and comparisons, dattebayo!" Of course, Naruto didn't say any of this out loud.

Returning to the topic, the fox spoke, "So, as I said, your inner world began to change for the better, but that's not what's important. What's important is that your inner world now resembles the place where I used to live before I was imprisoned by those deceitful and power-hungry people." The fox's face twisted in contempt at the memory, then he calmed down and continued, "In this new inner world of yours, even the accumulations of my poisonous and intoxicating chakra dissipated so much that they ceased to influence my mind. This has had both positive and negative effects, but I won't go into the details."

Naruto was at a loss for what to think about all of this information. He wanted to draw some conclusions, but he knew too little about the nature of tailed beasts, and his questions regarding the Kyuubi only continued to pile up.

Deciding not to prolong the pause, the fox finally asked his question, "So my question is, what exactly has happened to you lately? And don't even think about evading the answer, because I know for sure that something happened. Changes in the inner world don't happen out of the blue, especially with a person as emotionally charged as you. The echoes of your past suffering have been with me throughout your life, and recently...I sense a significant shift."

The fox appraised Naruto with a curious look, "Now, you don't feel like the past. Gloomy, suffering, and beaten by life, puppy."

"Hey!" Naruto was indignant, although he knew that he had been in a bad state of mind before. He didn't appreciate the fox's description. "What's the problem, gaki? Reality hurts? Hehehehe," the fox laughed wickedly before he focused back on the blond. "So, I'm waiting for an explanation."

The fox's stern voice made it clear that Naruto should answer honestly. If not, he could risk damaging the small chance he had for building a relationship with the beast, thanks to the changes in his inner world.

Sighing and exhaling to calm down, Naruto began the story from the very beginning. He decided to hide almost nothing from the Fox and told him about the Seal of Legacy, who created it, and what exactly it gives him. Furthermore, he did not forget to mention how most of the things that tormented him disappeared, which forced him to reconsider his life and priorities.

When Naruto mentioned that thanks to this "Seal of Legacy," he constantly sees his parents, the fox expressed obvious displeasure in the form of an aggressive growl. This was not surprising since Kushina was his previous jailer under harsh conditions, and Minato was the one who re-imprisoned him inside Naruto. Despite the fox's angry look, the blonde calmly continued his explanation until he reached the point where the system suddenly decided to arrange a meeting between them.

"How imprudent of you to reveal so many of your secrets to someone who likely wants you dead. Aren't you afraid of the consequences?" The fox looked at the blonde with a squint

"I want to believe that if I treat someone openly and honestly, that's the kind of attitude I'll receive in return. Besides," Naruto's gaze hardened, "I really want to understand you and this tailed beast situation in general. After all, if you think about it, you are just as much a victim as I am. No one asked for you to be sharpened inside me, and no one asked for me to seal a huge fox inside me. That's why I believe we are similar."

After listening to Naruto's speech, the Fox remained silent for a while before suddenly bursting out laughing.

"Haha! To think the person who is my personal prison sympathizes with me and wants to understand me. What's next, a tanuki prostrating himself before me, praising my superiority?"

"Tanuki?" Naruto asked, blinking in confusion.

At the misunderstanding of the blond, the fox only snorted and replied:

"Phe... It doesn't matter. Okay, brat, as you wanted, I'll tell you what happened that night."

"Naruto" Looking at the fox with a frown, the blonde corrected.

Raising an eyebrow, the Fox looked at Naruto and asked:

"What?"

"My name is Naruto. Not a brat, not a gaki, it's Na-ru-to," Naruto clarified, hoping that the huge fox would stop using offensive pronouns in his direction.

Unfortunately, the fox only chuckled and replied:

"Pfft, why do I have to memorize the name of some pathetic and weak insect? There is no place in my head for the names of insignificant weaklings."

Naruto was annoyed, but still managed to restrain himself from expressing his disagreement with him about his weakness, since compared to the kyuubi, he is really weak.

Suddenly, thinking about this whole topic with names, Naruto found himself thinking that he did not know the name of the fox itself. Looking at the kyuubi with interest, he asked:

"Listen, if you don't want to call me by my name, then maybe you tell me your name? You have a name, don't you? I don't think your name is Kyuubi."

Freezing sharply, the fox looked in surprise at the boy, who was waiting for his answer with interest, and grinningly replied:

"So, you want to know my name, huh? Well, you are even less worthy of knowing my name than of me making an effort to remember yours."

Hearing such an answer, Naruto could not stand it anymore, and sullenly pouting, he shouted in displeasure:

"Well, what the hell does that mean? How can I even become worthy?"

Looking at how he pouts, the fox only laughed inwardly, after which he abruptly stopped, as he had a really funny idea, so grinning, he decided to voice it:

"Actually, as a great bijuu, I have my own standards, and anyone who is weaker than us is considered unworthy by me. So if you want to get at least a modicum of respect from me, and get the privilege of knowing my name as well as remembering yours, then all you have to do is defeat the one-tailed demon, Tanuki." The fox was literally smirking inside himself, when imagining either Naruto or Tanuki getting ass kicked by each other, "as soon as you can kick his ass without resorting to my chakra, then I immediately recognize you as a more or less worthy creature. Now, let's quickly end our agreement."

With these words, the fox began to retell that night from his point of view:

"That night, the red-haired witch was kidnapped to release me from the seal, but I didn't have time to rejoice, because that cursed Uchiha kidnapper used his cursed eye to temporarily take control of me, so, in essence, I can't tell much, because being under control, I can hardly remember anything," looking at the surprised and emotional expression on the boy's face, the fox continued, "but when the control over me ended, I found myself in the village of lousy people, bound by the chains of my previous jailer, and even during the new ritual of sealing in a new prison, in the form of a damn baby that was you."

Naruto didn't even take offense at his choice of words, as he understood that, in fact, the fox had every right to be angry and show displeasure. Now, he understood the situation much better, and knew that the Kyuubi's fault was actually much less than originally thought.

Snorting, the fox continued:

"I think you already know how it all ended. I tried to kill you, but the damn parental instinct was beyond my expectations, so I ended up being re-locked inside another jailer," sighing, the fox reduced the tension from his tone a little, and said, "Anyway, after all that I've been through, this seal, which so much resembles my domain, is almost a relaxing resort for me, where I can take a break from everything stressful. So if that's all you wanted to know , then get the hell out of here and don't bother me until you can prove your strength by taking on Tanuki. Bye."

At that moment, Naruto, who wanted to ask something else, was literally forced out of his inner world by the fox, causing the blond to wake up under the same tree under which he "fell asleep."

Jumping up abruptly and looking around, Naruto chuckled to himself and thought:

"Damn, I had more questions."

As he lamented over this, system messages popped up in front of Naruto's face:

[Mission "First Contact" completed.]

[Hidden Reward "Weakening the Seal and Strengthening Connection" has been received.]

"Weakening the seal and strengthening the connection? What it is?" Surprised, Naruto asked the question out loud.

It was at this moment that Naruto suddenly heard the fox's surprised voice in his head:

"What the hell? Hey brat, what have you done? Why did the bond between us suddenly become so strong?"

Blinking in surprise, Naruto tried to concentrate to answer the fox in his mind:

"Kyuubi, is that you?"

"No, it's your conscience, of course it's me! What have you done, tell me!" The fox's voice was extremely indignant and displeased, although surprisingly it did not contain anger.

Naruto was confused, not knowing how to explain all this, and therefore simply conveyed what was in the reward of the system:

"Well, that was System-chan's reward for talking to you. She weakening the seal and strengthened the connection."

Hearing his words, the Fox immediately froze in place, and quietly repeated:

"Weakened the seal?" This seemed to make the fox seriously think about something.

"Nah, it's too stressful, it's not worth it," after that he grumbled again, "damn, how am I supposed to rest now when I'm constantly getting so much visual and audio information from you, you brat?"

"Um… well… maybe we can limit it somehow?" Naruto put his hand to his chin and cocked his head to the side as he pondered the question.

And indeed, after some silence, the Fox spoke:

"That's right, great, I can break the damn connection at will. Well. I go to sleep now. Oh yes, I forgot to say, don't even think about returning to your past suffering self, after this flowering garden, I do not intend to return to a wet dark cell. If this happens, then I will definitely do my best to get out of here. That's all, bye."

After that, the fox finally calmed down, leaving the surprised blond alone. After standing like that for a while, Naruto sighed heavily, and spoke softly in confusion:

"Well, it won't be easy to explain to parents."

At this time, the fox again began to rest, could not help but think that his current jailer really did not look like the previous ones, who did not try not only to understand him, but even just to talk. In addition, the changes in his inner world raised in him a strange feeling of nostalgia, as if this blond had some connection with his past, but he could not understand what it was. It was because of this strangeness that Kyuubi decided not to rage for the time being in order to watch his jailer for some more time, in an attempt to understand not only these feelings, but also the character of the whiskered blond.

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Author's Note:

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