"Human?"
Kurama's eyes flickered with intense hatred, and murderous intent exploded within the damp, dark dungeon. Red chakra surged like a mist, desperately pushing toward the bars.
Unfortunately, no matter how fast the red chakra moved, it was always helplessly contained within the crimson cage.
The gaps in the red bars seemed to form an invisible iron curtain, dividing the space into two separate worlds and creating a prison.
"Yes, human." Naruto turned, grinning at the enraged Kurama, ignoring the fake Sakura in the puddle.
"So what can you do? Come out and fight me!"
"Roar!!!"
An enraged roar echoed, shaking the entire space. Water started pouring down from above, splashing around as waste water flowed.
However, nothing changed—Naruto stood there, laughing freely.
In that instant, someone behind him, who had stood up again, charged toward Naruto with a kunai!
The kunai aimed for Naruto's neck, but Naruto seemed oblivious to the attack from behind.
Bang!
Just as the fake Sakura was about to succeed, a red tentacle burst from the ground and slapped at the attacker.
The person bent back quickly to dodge the red tentacle that nearly grazed their nose. Seeing the tentacle's red hue matching the bars, the fake Sakura broke out in a cold sweat.
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
This place didn't exist—it was only an illusion!
But in the next moment, more red tentacles sprouted from the ground, each one aiming precisely at the intruder.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The red tentacles continued their relentless attack, creating numerous dents and craters where the fake Sakura dodged.
The tentacles moved faster and faster, almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Splat!
A tentacle stabbed into the attacker's muscle, prompting a scream from the fake Sakura. The remaining red tentacles seized the opportunity, pinning her limbs to the ground and piercing her abdomen. The wound looked horrifying.
Blood splattered across the ground, forming a blood-red fox head.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
The heart-wrenching pain overwhelmed the attacker's mind, and they could no longer hold the transformation, reverting with a poof to their original form.
It was a masked ninja, with blood trickling beneath the mask.
He hadn't expected such strength from this Genin kid—any ordinary Genin facing life and death should have been fighting in terror.
But Naruto was different; he had grown through his fight with Zabuza. Walking the edge between life and death no longer frightened him; instead, it thrilled him.
He understood one truth: survival in battle didn't depend on the enemy's strength but on his own intense desire to fight.
In other words, if it was an enemy, then he should kill it using any ruthless means possible!
The attacker's screams filled the dungeon, and Kurama, watching from behind the red bars, felt a flicker of apprehension.
It sensed the pressure from those red tentacles, as they carried the same aura as the red bars holding it. If this brat could control those tentacles, then he could also control the red bars.
Naruto caught the trace of dread in Kurama's eyes, which brought a smile to his face.
"How was it?"
"What do you mean, 'how was it'?" Kurama bared its fangs at Naruto, its red eyes glaring furiously. "Human, you deserve death!"
"I'm asking, how was this performance?" Naruto ignored Kurama's snarling.
"Performance?" Kurama sneered at Naruto, contemptuous. "You humans enjoy killing each other. It's been that way for thousands of years."
"Seems so." Naruto tilted his head, a crack resounding as he stretched his neck. "Ow! Painful, painful! I'm dying, I'm dying!"
He knew he shouldn't have shown off; there was no good ending for show-offs.
"Ahem." Naruto coughed awkwardly and waved his hand, dismissing Kurama's disdainful gaze.
The ninja, nailed to the ground and unable to tell if he was from the Anbu or Root, was soon pulled underground by the red tentacles, only to reappear inside the red cage.
The ninja, still conscious under the rush of adrenaline, looked fearfully at the massive red fox with a body like a mountain.
"What are you planning, human?"
Naruto lowered his head, his eyes shadowed. Kurama could only see the arc of his mouth rising.
"Swallow him."
"What!" Kurama roared in fury, angered that this human dared to command it—to make it devour a filthy human.
Did he think of it as a dog?
Unforgivable!
"Human! You will pay for your words!"
An unprecedented tremor filled the space, as though the entire area would collapse, and a fierce red gale erupted.
Naruto, facing the oncoming red wind, swayed for a moment like a reed in the autumn breeze but quickly steadied himself.
This time, his voice was cold and clear as he raised his head, staring firmly at Kurama with an indisputable tone.
"Kurama, swallow him."
Hearing his name called so precisely, Kurama fell into a brief daze as Naruto's eyes gleamed with an intense, terrifying energy.
"Swallow him!" Naruto shouted, his voice unwavering, a ruthless and fiery light in his red-tinted pupils.
Kurama had no choice. In a blank state, it was fully under Naruto's control, opening its massive jaws and seizing the nearly unconscious ninja.
"No! No!... Help!"
"Ahhh!!!"
The sound of crunching filled the space, followed by a final scream, then silence. Kurama tipped its head back, and the ninja's voice faded.
Stillness filled the space. The only sound was Naruto's heartbeat, gradually calming.
The red in Naruto's eyes faded as his expression returned to normal.
It felt like a dream, yet the bloodstains on the ground reminded Kurama of the reality that, just moments ago, it had truly been dominated.
For an instant, Kurama felt as if the kid's spirit was colossal, and that in his presence, it was merely a small, tamed creature.
Humiliation, sheer humiliation! The strongest tailed beast, forced to devour a human like a dog.
Recalling the sensation in its throat, Kurama was overwhelmed by a wave of nausea, nearly choking on its own revulsion.
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