Chapter 1: Naruto?

"The life required for the heavy particle mode isn't yours, Naruto; it's mine." The voice of the Nine-Tails grew fainter, its massive form beginning to blur, yet a sense of carefree resolve lingered in its tone.

"Naruto?" The blank mind of Naruto, who had prepared himself for dissolution, stared in disbelief at the fading figure of the Nine-Tails. They had shared a tumultuous relationship filled with animosity, torment, and support since his birth, but they had never truly been apart.

And now, it was vanishing, all to help him. Naruto's heart felt as though it had been clawed open. He was the current strongest ninja, the Seventh Hokage of Konohagakure, a true hero who had saved the world more than once—

Uzumaki Naruto, this great ninja, was reduced to a lonely, helpless three-year-old child in this moment. An indescribable fear gripped him, and he sank to the ground, wanting to scream for the Nine-Tails to stay. But before he could utter a word, the Nine-Tails had extended its fist, stopping before him.

This was their ritual; no matter the time, a simple fist bump allowed them to connect their hearts.

Naruto stared in astonishment at the now-fuzzy Nine-Tails, fixated on the giant fist before him.

After a long moment, he reached out his hand for one last fist bump with Kurama.

"Bang!"

In the real world, Naruto suddenly jolted awake. Exhausted, he lay on the ground, feeling the absence of the Tailed Beast's chakra within him. Helplessly, he murmured, "Kurama..."

As Kurama's consciousness faded, it realized it was a Tailed Beast, a condensed form of chakra, not an ordinary life. In essence, the Nine-Tails would never truly die; it would be reborn over time as chakra reassembled.

However, despite being the strongest Tailed Beast, the Nine-Tails had never faced true death since its creation guided by the Sage of Six Paths, even after being manipulated and sealed by others.

Thus, theoretically, it could revive, but it was uncertain if it would truly come back, and more importantly—

It didn't know how long that rebirth would take.

In that final moment of fading, the last thought flashing through the Nine-Tails' mind was merely a hope.

A hope that its rebirth wouldn't take too long, at least so it could see Naruto again.

With that thought, the Nine-Tails completely vanished from the world, waiting for the time when chakra would once again gather and grant it new life...

That was how it should have been.

But in the very next moment after losing consciousness, the Nine-Tails felt itself suddenly awaken. An overwhelming, suffocating presence surrounded it, causing great discomfort.

"What's happening? Am I already revived?" Without any experience of revival, Kurama paused for a moment. As it attempted to reassess its state, it discovered that it hadn't fully come back, not even halfway.

"Damn it! Who did this to me?!"

The Nine-Tails roared in anger, but beyond the fury, it sensed a trace of pain—pain from itself and its surroundings. The space was filled with black mist and ominous energy, creating an unsettling atmosphere that sent it into a frenzy, as if trapped in a prison designed to torment inmates!

Could it be an enemy? Had someone set a trap during its revival?

That thought disgusted it, yet there was a sense of familiarity.

Its body felt bound by some invisible force, while malicious energies swirled around it. Anger and fear surged through the Nine-Tails as it instinctively shouted, "Naruto, something's not right here! What's happening on your side..."

But after it called out, it quickly realized—

There was no response.

The perfect resonance that formed between itself and Naruto, the unique bond of the jinchuriki, had vanished.

Naruto was gone?

A wave of indescribable emotion surged within the Nine-Tails, intertwined with an unnamed fury and a sense of helpless defeat.

Had it taken too long to revive? Had Naruto already...

"Hmm?"

The Nine-Tails, which had been lowering its head, suddenly sensed something and let out an unusual sound of surprise. In its enormous fox-like eyes shone confusion and delight.

The response it had just sent out had received an answer! It sensed Naruto!

Though the aura was faint, there was no doubt it was Naruto's response, filled with fear and curiosity.

In this moment of regained joy, the Nine-Tails didn't focus on the emotions behind that response. Instead, it gathered the last of its strength to pull its responding partner closer!

Then...

"Ah... ah..."

Staring at the familiar yellow hair and the six whisker-like marks on Naruto's face, there was no mistaking it—the terrified child before it was indeed Naruto. But...

The Nine-Tails watched as the little boy trembled, wide-eyed and pointing a finger at it, struggling to recall the image of Naruto in its mind.

"Y-Yokai!"

After trembling for a moment, "Naruto" finally screamed, then scrambled to his feet, frantically trying to escape. Though the pitch-black place made it impossible to discern direction, the little Naruto merely spun in place. Still, his frantic actions snapped the Nine-Tails back to reality. It swished its tail, slamming it down on the ground.

"Boom!"

The moment the immense force struck the ground, the entire space trembled, causing the small, shouting figure to lose balance and fall face-first to the ground!

"That hurts! What was that for?!" With a red face from the fall, little Naruto covered his nose, tears streaming down his cheeks. The intense pain momentarily distracted him from his fear as he rubbed his face and boldly shouted at the Nine-Tails behind him, "Ouch, I'm bleeding!"

"Calm down! This is your inner world; where's the real entity?" Kurama huffed, only for the force of its voice to blow little Naruto off balance again. As the boy struggled to get back up, the Nine-Tails explained, "Stay calm; I won't hurt you. And stop imagining other things! You're hurt, and I'm only blowing you down because of your wild imagination."

"...Huh?" Little Naruto, still rubbing his face, seemed not to have fully absorbed Kurama's words. Yet, this commotion eased much of his fear, and the Nine-Tails could feel the chilling atmosphere around them dissipating.

Then the little boy turned around, his big blue eyes staring earnestly at the Nine-Tails for the first time.

After another appraisal, the Nine-Tails confirmed a fact—

This was Naruto at three or four years old, with a body smaller than its claws, wearing a slightly oversized scarf and mismatched goggles, along with an orange-gray jacket adorned with the whirlpool emblem...