Naruto: I get stronger by drawing lots

The three clans that are most vulnerable to it, one of which currently has its most powerful woman outside. Going out is tantamount to suicide, and even whether she can get out is questionable.

"I need your power. Some people want to kidnap you and the Eight-Tails."

"So what? Why do you think I'll be caught by them, or why do you think you'll be caught? You have tens of thousands of people protecting you right now."

"I don't want to! I want to fight, I want to be involved, I want to fight alongside my comrades."

"I don't want to hide away by myself, so I need strength."

Naruto was very focused, watching Kurama the entire time.

The Nine-Tails lay there silently, staring at Naruto.

Nine-Tailed Fox fell silent, a sentence echoing in its mind.

"The time will come when humans and tailed beasts live in harmony. There will be people who will treat you like family."

Old man, that was a thousand years ago, when they were just born. It was Hagoromo Otsutsuki, also known as the Sage of Six Paths, who spoke those words to them.

And now, that moment has truly arrived, and Kurama's personality has improved so much compared to before.

This is due to the long period of time.

This is a love that has been passed down from Mito Uzumaki decades ago to the present day.

From that time on, the Nine-Tails gradually realized that the humans it encountered were no longer the same as before, who either treated it as a weapon or a calamity, but rather as a living being.

A life with emotions, a life with many emotions.

Mito, relying on the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan, served as the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, steadily suppressing it.

The Nine-Tails should have been in pain, unable to even exhale a trace of its aura.

However, this was not the case; the Nine-Tails, locked up by Mito, did not feel the loneliness and discomfort it had before.

This red-haired girl was just like any other child, just like any other girl.

She has a fondness for romance, a love for cute things, a love for someone, and a delicate heart.

As a "container," Mito's life should have been a tragedy, with no choice whatsoever, but Mito was exceptionally strong.

She perfectly fulfilled her responsibility as the "container," and she accomplished this task very well.

Even with her eyes closed, Nine-Tailed Fox could still see that the girl would often come in, even every night.

Just like Naruto in front of him, he wasn't afraid of Kurama's threats at all. He just sat there talking to Kurama, just like Naruto.

Talk about little things, everyday things, what you ate, what you did. Talk about falling for him.

Back then, Nine-Tailed Fox was very annoyed because almost every night someone would nag in his ear, making it difficult to even daydream or doze off.

However, it doesn't seem as troublesome as I imagined.

Despite being such an annoying girl, Kurama (the Nine-Tails) eventually got used to her.

Decades passed, the girl became a woman, and then an old woman.

Mito seems to have gotten into the habit and still comes over every day to chat.

Mito never forcibly demanded Kurama's power. Given her mastery of sealing techniques, she could have easily been more forceful, but she didn't. It's as if she reached an agreement with Kurama, that Kurama would willingly and proactively offer its power.

Furthermore, Kurama chose to merge with Mito, transforming into its strongest form as a Jinchūriki—of course, the strongest form without sacrificing its life.

Throughout this series of events, Kurama (the Nine-Tails) made its choices voluntarily.

Decades have passed, and the water supply has been reduced to zero. All of this should have vanished into thin air.

But—another redhead girl walked over—

Nine-Tails certainly knew this little girl; Mito often talked about her, and it could also sense the outside world.

Kushina Uzumaki is a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, whom Mito regarded as her granddaughter.

Kushina and Kurama's first meeting began with Kushina bursting into tears and ended with Kushina sobbing silently.

Inheritance is a magical thing. Kushina continued Mito's habits and even tried to talk to the Nine-Tails, much more audacious than Mito. She broke the seal and ran into the Nine-Tails before she even had much power herself.

That's the impression Kushina gave Kurama—she was incredibly fierce, more so than anyone else.

But Nine-Tails didn't take the opportunity to escape at that time. Perhaps it gradually lost interest, or perhaps there were too many people outside that made it need to think about things.

Later, Kushina began to grow stronger and even took control of the situation. Relying on her powerful sealing techniques, she began to torment the Nine-Tails, and for the first time, the Nine-Tails experienced being treated like a pet.

It was incredibly frustrating, but there was nothing they could do. The Nine-Tails couldn't defeat Kushina. Not to mention her numerous sealing techniques, there were also Tsukuyomi and Mikoto outside. One was incredibly powerful and could easily subdue it, and the other was from the Uchiha clan, another one that countered it.

This period was the most helpless time for Kurama, but it was surprisingly easy. After that, Kushina's seal was almost gone.

And now, this feeling and sentiment has been passed on to a third person.

It was another red-haired person. Kurama looked at the red-haired brat in front of him with a serious expression.

Kurama could sense Kushina outside, but she didn't come in to interfere; otherwise, the matter would have been quite simple.

Nine-Tails grinned, stopped lying down, and started to get up.

"interesting."

I'll give you a chance.

Kurama and Naruto stared at each other for the third time, but Kurama's choice was the same.

However, the Nine-Tails won't let a useless brat possess its power—

Chapter 372: The Lonely Child

"It looks like it was a success."

Kushina and Bee stayed by Naruto's side. At this moment, Naruto's eyes were closed, and his aura had changed compared to before.

Kushina and Bee, both having been through similar experiences, naturally understood that Naruto had begun his own trials.

Whether Naruto can establish a connection with Kurama and maximize the role of his Jinchuriki identity depends on himself.

This is something Naruto must go through; it's a hurdle he's destined to face.

Success or failure? Kushina wasn't worried at all. She always believed in Naruto's abilities. What parent wouldn't believe in their own child?

"Go for it, Naruto."

Kushina rarely said anything like that. You know, in all the years Naruto has known, Kushina has never said anything caring except when she scolds him.

Parents everywhere feel the same way. Love is a magical emotion; it's unfathomable. It's such a simple emotion, yet it encompasses a myriad of forms. Everyone expresses love differently, but most do so in a subtle and understated way.

Bi also watched Naruto from the side, observing what this young boy could achieve.

Few people can look at a tailed beast on equal terms, and Naruto's heart is the purest and most untainted he has ever seen.

"How far can you go, my dearest friend?"

Yes, he already considered Naruto his best friend right after they met. He was the only one who didn't think his own words were weird but thought they were cool. They had similar attitudes toward the tailed beasts. Such a confidant is truly rare.

"That fox is not so easy to deal with, but it's hard to say until everything is settled."

As a tailed beast, Gyuki naturally knew how difficult Kurama was to deal with, but these weren't problems. With the situation still unsettled, anything was possible. To be honest, Gyuki hoped Kurama could accept Naruto. Kurama was too conflicted; it had endured too much darkness and deserved to feel the "sunshine."

Being sealed away isn't entirely a bad thing; the Ox-Demon also had this feeling after encountering Bi.

Having someone with whom you share a life isn't so bad in a way.

The existence of Jinchūriki is reasonable because the combined power of a Tailed Beast and a human is greater than the sum of its parts, which is the biggest proof of this.

Only by combining humans and tailed beasts can the full power of the tailed beasts be unleashed.

This is absolutely true, and Mito has clearly proven it.

An elderly man, fused with a tailed beast, unleashed power reaching the pinnacle of the ninja world; this is proof enough.

Let's leave the matter of the tailed beasts and humans for now; Naruto has now officially entered his trial.

It was a white light, and Naruto was completely immersed in the illusion.

The Nine-Tails' negative energy has completely entered Naruto's body and is now beginning to affect him.

"Kid, let me see what you're capable of."

The Nine-Tails lay there, looking at Naruto who was sitting cross-legged, its beastly eyes containing a great deal of information.

Humans are complex beings, and their emotions and perceptions are the most unpredictable, with a wide variety of feelings mixed together. These are the fundamental reasons why humans are so complex.

Hatred and jealousy, these negative emotions, can turn people into demons, while love and kindness, these positive emotions, can make people like angels descended to earth, fully releasing the good side of humanity.

The Nine-Tailed Fox has lived in this world for far too long, witnessing all aspects of life and deeply understanding the complexity of humanity.

Now, it's time to test Naruto's true humanity.

In this secluded and dark space, the Nine-Tailed Fox lay quietly, its beastly eyes closed.

Amidst the white light, only Naruto's figure was present, and his tightly closed eyes opened at that moment.

"here it is?"

Naruto muttered something, looking completely dazed, his memories a jumbled mess.

"You despicable monster! I'll kill you!"

"Get out of here!"

Naruto was still in a daze, his memories still not cleared up, when he was hit on the head.

"it hurts."

A pain shot through his head, and before Naruto lay a series of children making faces and angry expressions.

Naruto's memories began to surface, and he "remembered".

He lost his parents at a young age and was treated like a monster. Both adults and children hated him. Children wouldn't play with him and would gang up on him. Adults wouldn't sell him anything, and if they did, it was expired.

Naruto's life was basically dependent on the meager allowance given by the village, but this allowance was not substantial, barely enough to get by, especially considering he was still a child. It's easy to imagine how difficult Naruto's life was.

"Get out of here, you fox demon!"

Naruto felt a surge of anger and resentment welling up inside him, and his eyes instantly turned into beastly pupils.

At the same time, Naruto's body outside also began to be attached to by the chakra of the tailed beasts.

The effects of the Nine-Tails were already showing. Kushina and Bee watched this scene as Naruto sat there, emanating a repulsive negative energy.

This is the most difficult part of dealing with Kurama (the Nine-Tails). Whether Naruto can overcome this challenge remains to be seen.