Chapter 262: The Will That Still Beats in His Chest

To call it a mountain range wouldn't be entirely accurate—it was more like a "giant, magnified puzzle toy."

Geological theories seemed to have lost their meaning here. Exaggerated rock formations crisscrossed in all directions: waterfalls spouted upward, half-spherical cliffs jutted out, and mountains looked as if a giant beast had taken a massive bite out of them.

Amid the ink-black night sky, Naruto came to a halt.

He turned on the headlight of his airbike, which illuminated the landscape as if it were daylight.

"So deep..."

The blonde-haired boy stuck his head out and clicked his tongue as he looked below.

The chasm was no more than ten meters wide, with steep cliffs on either side, and the middle was so dark that no end could be seen.

This was an abyss.

A warm breeze blew from the bottom of the abyss, entirely at odds with the coolness of the night.

A coarse voice accompanied the hot air as it hit his skin. Compared to before, the voice had become even more urgent.

"Naruto... Quickly."

"Jump down and become one with me again."

Naruto wasn't foolish enough to let himself get carried away and jump off a cliff. He had seen enough anime and manga where demons were sealed beneath places like this. Hearing voices in his head was a major red flag. So, he gripped his bike key tightly, ready to flee at any moment.

"Who are you?"

"..."

"Speak up, or I'll leave right now! Then, I'll post about you online and turn this place into a tourist spot!"

"...Kurama."

"Kurama?" Naruto muttered the name to himself, realizing he had never heard it in any myth or legend before. 'What kind of sealed demon is this? A benevolent one? Or...' He stayed cautious.

"I have another name: the Nine-Tails." The voice echoed from the depths of the abyss. "Ten years ago, I was inside your body."

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. 'Okay, now he's lying. Minus one point from theory that he is benevolent.'

"Ten years ago? I was still in kindergarten," Naruto replied with skepticism.

"You brat! Your memory is wrong... Ten years ago was during the Fourth Great Shinobi War!"

As the Nine-Tails spoke, a strange power surged from the cracks in the earth. The energy was a faint red, it was violent and chaotic, and in the blink of an eye, it coiled around Naruto.

Boom—

First his ears, then his tail, a faint red chakra cloak covered the boy, transforming him into a majestic fox-like beast.

"What... What is this? What did you do to me?" Naruto was shocked, only to hear a cracking sound. He froze, opening his palm to see the remnants of his motorcycle key crumbling to the ground.

'Okay, this wasn't part of the plan... not at all.' Naruto started to panic, staring in disbelief at the tailed beast cloak enveloping his body. He knew that even the strongest humans couldn't crush metal with a simple grip.

"This is chakra—my chakra, Kurama's," the massive beast whispered. "Ever since that man turned all chakra into Permanent Jutsu, shinobi ceased to exist."

"He took the power of the Ten-Tails and erased the memories of everyone in the shinobi world. Then, he sealed away chakra, turning it into enormous, Permanent Jutsu: Great Fire Annihilation, Summoning Jutsu, Flying Thunder God... They became everlasting energy sources."

"He reshaped this world and changed everything."

"But in the end, he's just one person—a shinobi."

"And as a shinobi, he has his limits. He didn't anticipate that the Ten-Tails would split again, nor did he foresee that because you were once my jinchūriki, you could hear my words! You can even accept my chakra!"

Naruto stood at the edge of the abyss, listening intently to Kurama's words.

To him, everything Kurama said sounded like something out of a manga—and 99% lies. But as the chakra cloak draped over his body, allowing him to feel its overwhelming power, he couldn't help but start believing.

'Okay, I can at least hear him out. This must be my start as a protagonist.' Naruto debated on his mind.

"Kurama, what do you want me to do?"

"Release those solidified giant jutsu. Only then can chakra flow freely through this world again, and I will be free as well."

Naruto furrowed his brow and carefully considered the Nine-Tails' words. "By release, you mean..."

"The Rasengan whirlpool at the center of the ocean must be filled in. The Great Fire Annihilation Mountains need to be extinguished. The Summoning Valley—every single tree must be destroyed."

Naruto froze. 'Okay, minus a billion points for theory that he is benevolent.'

"Destroy... everything?" He replied, his voice shaking. He began to retreat slowly, the tailed beast cloak flickering with his shifting emotions, like a candle about to go out. Kurama's casual words stirred deep fear within him.

Even without considering the catastrophic consequences of destroying the energy sources humans relied on for survival, simply annihilating forests and oceans would turn this thriving world into an apocalyptic wasteland.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you can't escape this. It's your destiny..." Kurama's voice took on a somber tone. "Ten years ago, during the Fourth Great Shinobi War, the Sage of Six Paths descended upon the earth and said that man had altered fate."

"Originally, you were born as the Child of Prophecy, destined to save the shinobi world."

"But that war changed everything. The world and everyone in it, including you, became what they are now."

"However, it seems you are still the Child of Prophecy... Whether it was saving the shinobi world back then, or now, as my jinchūriki, destroying the giant solidified jutsu—you are the one destined to change the world."

"I don't want to be anyone's jinchūriki!" Naruto growled, desperately trying to retreat.

But the faint red chakra had already turned into chains, linking him to the depths of the abyss.

'Shit! I shouldn't have listened to some suspicious voice in my head. Lesson learned.' He struggled, using all his strength to control his body, fighting Kurama with everything he had. The deeper the red hue, the more Naruto's skin tore apart, blood seeping into the chakra, making him look like a demon.

But all his efforts were futile.

Even the most powerful shinobi of the old era couldn't easily break free from the Nine-Tails' power, let alone Naruto, an ordinary boy.

Cries of anger and terror burst from his mouth, and he uncontrollably let out a desperate grunt.

Naruto knew this terrifying tailed beast would take control of him and destroy the world he knew.

"It's no use, kid."

Kurama spoke again, more and more chakra gathering around Naruto. Soon, Kurama's power would seize control of Naruto's mind.

"Kid, accept this fate and power. Together, we will destroy this world! You can't do what he did…"

"Shut up!!!" Naruto's roar echoed like thunder. "That guy?—Him? You won't even say his name, always talking in riddles. You're so annoying!"

'I have a beautiful family and friends. Everything is peaceful. If it means ruining all that, what kind of protagonist would I be?' His body suddenly relaxed.

Like a tug-of-war, when one side stops resisting, the other stumbles. Kurama's chakra hesitated for a moment before madly surging into Naruto's body.

Without hesitation, Naruto reached into his coat and pulled out his metal student ID card.

Like all mischievous students, Naruto's ID was covered in doodles, with his dirty name and blurry photo, and the edges were sharpened from wear.

In a school where carrying blades was forbidden, this card was perfect for slicing apples or sharpening pencils.

But tonight, the card wasn't meant for apples.

"Kid, do you think something like that can..." Kurama's voice cut off as if it had been shoved back down his throat.

Naruto didn't do something as foolish as stabbing the Nine-Tails directly with the card.

He pointed it at himself.

"I was once the Child of Prophecy, right? The one to save the world? I might've been a pretty cool protagonist. But..."

"I've been thinking... if everything you said is true, what choice would the Child of Prophecy have made ten years ago?"

Naruto chuckled, using the sharp edge of the card to slice through his skin, pushing it deeper.

"My choice is... even if I die, I won't let this world come to an end."

...

It had been ten years since the Fourth Great Shinobi War.

Ten years since the Permanent Giant Jutsu came into existence.

Ten years since the extinction of shinobi and chakra.

The true history was buried with time. It seemed like everything had changed—people no longer fought with kunai, and children no longer had to worry about being sent to battle.

But even the jutsu that ended all jutsu couldn't change some things.

The heart, known as the Will of Fire, still and always will beat in Naruto Uzumaki's chest.

(End of Chapter)