In the end, the Nine-Tails submitted to Mito's "intimidation" and revealed that its name was Kurama.
Now that it had a name, things became easier.
Mito shared the Nine-Tails' name with Tobirama.
Tobirama was slightly surprised; he hadn't expected the Nine-Tails to actually have a name.
The difference between having a name and not having one was quite significant.
Without a name, Tobirama could still see the Nine-Tails as nothing more than a wild beast.
A powerful beast, capable of thought, but still just a beast.
But with a name, the first thing Tobirama wanted to know was who gave the Nine-Tails the name Kurama.
And if the Nine-Tails had a name, did that mean the other Tailed Beasts had names too?
At this point in the Ninja World, things were different from the era of the Third Hokage.
During that later period, each of the Tailed Beasts had encountered a Jinchuriki who they resonated with.
Because of this, the Tailed Beasts shared their names with their Jinchuriki, signaling a bond of friendship rather than a "pet and master" relationship.
This was how the names of the eight Tailed Beasts became known across the Ninja World.
Only the Nine-Tails never submitted fully to Uzumaki Mito or Uzumaki Kushina, which was why no one knew its name for a long time.
It wasn't until the arrival of the Child of Prophecy, Uzumaki Naruto, that everyone learned the Nine-Tails' name was Kurama.
Of course, this is how it happened in the original story.
But here, Tobirama's group was the first to discover that the Tailed Beasts actually had names.
"Sister-in-law, could you ask the Nine-Tails who gave it that name?"
Tobirama wrote down the Nine-Tails' name on the light screen, clicked confirm, and successfully submitted the entry. Then, he turned to look at Mito again.
"Alright."
When Mito's figure appeared once again before the Nine-Tails, its reaction was quite intense.
"You annoying woman! I already told you my name, why are you still here?"
Earlier, Mito had used the Adamantine Sealing Chains, giving the Nine-Tails quite a harsh treatment.
To alleviate the physical pain, it could only choose to sleep.
Therefore, it had no idea that Tobirama Senju, this troublesome guy, was very curious about the origin of its name.
"Kurama, come on, tell me. Who gave you your name?"
"I don't want to see you! Get lost!"
"Oh, don't be mad. If you had just obediently told me your name earlier, I wouldn't have had to hit you, right?"
Hearing this, the Nine-Tails gritted its teeth and roared, "So, should I apologize to you as well?"
"Hehe. We're all so familiar now; there's no need to apologize. I've already forgiven you."
"I have never seen such a shameless person!"
"Well, now you have."
The Nine-Tails knew that if it didn't answer this woman's question, it would probably be tormented by those thick, heavy chains again.
Since it wasn't a difficult question, it figured it was best to just get it over with so it could go back to sleep.
"It was the Sage of Six Paths who gave me the name."
"The Sage of Six Paths?? You mean the actual Sage of Six Paths?"
"Yes, that's him. If you're unhappy with me being called Kurama, then go find him. Stop bothering me."
"Find him? Where would I find him? Are you saying the Sage of Six Paths is still alive?"
The thought of the Sage of Six Paths possibly still being alive, hiding somewhere in a remote corner of the ninja world, sent a chill down Mito's spine.
"He's dead. That old man died a long time ago."
"Then why are you telling me to go find him?"
"In the Pure Land, huh? Maybe the old man is still lingering there and hasn't reincarnated yet."
"Oh, so you're telling me to go die, is that it?"
"Heh, those are your words, not mine."
"You cheeky fox, give you a bit of sunlight, and you think you can shine. Three days without a beating, and you're already tearing the roof off. Take this—Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
"Ah~ya~meh~teh!"
After beating up the Nine-Tails again in her mental space, Uzumaki Mito returned her consciousness to the present and spoke to Tobirama.
"The Nine-Tails said that the Sage of Six Paths was the one who gave him his name."
Hearing this, Tobirama nodded and said, "Is that so? That matches what I thought."
The existence of the Tailed Beasts dates back a long time.
Before his elder brother, Senju Hashirama, and Uchiha Madara appeared, the Tailed Beasts were the strongest beings in the Shinobi World.
For such powerful beings, it makes sense that only the legendary Sage of Six Paths had the capability to name the Nine-Tails.
"By the way, besides the Nine-Tails, do the other eight Tailed Beasts have names as well? Were their names also given by the Sage of Six Paths?"
"Uh, I don't know. How about I go ask the Nine-Tails again?"
Nine-Tails: Don't you dare come over here!!!
"Never mind."
Perhaps sensing the Nine-Tails' wailing, Tobirama decided not to have Mito ask him again. Instead, they set a time for their journey and then everyone dispersed.
The next morning, the first thing Tobirama did when he arrived at work was to gather the Anbu and instruct them to search for Kakuzu across the Shinobi World.
"Listen up, this individual is extremely dangerous for you. When you find him, do not engage. Find a way to inform me immediately. Understood?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The Shinobi World isn't exactly small, but it's not huge either.
Finding a specific person isn't always easy.
However, locating Kakuzu shouldn't be too difficult.
Through the light screen, Tobirama knew that Kakuzu was fond of money and always worked as a bounty hunter.
As long as these Anbu keep a close watch on the Bounty Station in the major cities, they'll eventually track down Kakuzu's whereabouts.
"By the way, what has Jiraiya been up to lately?"
As Tobirama asked, a new Anbu ninja emerged from the shadows and appeared before him.
"Hokage-sama, Jiraiya has been missing during the day recently, but around nine o'clock every night, he goes to find Dan Kato for a fight."
"How's the win-loss record?"
"Uh… he loses more than he wins."
"Keep monitoring him, but make sure he doesn't notice."
Tobirama had always been wary of those toads from Mount Myoboku.
As the saying goes, *Those who are not of our kind are sure to have a different heart.*
Even interactions between people involve friction and conflict; he didn't believe that the toads would wholeheartedly and selflessly help humans.
Monitoring young Jiraiya was also because Tobirama didn't want him to be used by those toads.
As for Dan Kato...
"Forget it. Let the young ones settle their own matters."
Tobirama had no intention of meddling in Tsunade's romantic affairs.
Moreover, he believed that after seeing the review of Dan Kato on the screen, she likely wouldn't be interested in him anymore.
Still, even if that were the case, young Jiraiya's chances were slim.
He was notorious, after all. At such a young age, instead of focusing on something productive, he chose to peep at the bathhouses.
Because he was still young, most of the time, people would just give him a light scolding and let him go.
However, his reputation was thoroughly ruined in the bathhouse area.
Almost every bathhouse entrance had a wooden sign.
It read: *Beware of fire, theft, and Jiraiya.*
*********
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