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Kurama threw back its head and roared with laughter. "Hahahaha!, you bastard!!!"
Naruto clung to the fox's back as they raced through the forest, the red giant of Susanoo hot on their trail.
"Hey, Naruto!" Kurama growled between panting breaths. "Don't tell me you can't handle this guy?"
Naruto shot the fox an incredulous look. "Seriously? What do you think I am, some kind of one-man army? A few half-baked sealing techniques, some chakra, and a Wood Style that's still in its diapers, that's all I've got!"
Kurama's ears flattened. "…"
Put that way, it made sense.
And that just pissed Kurama off even more.
It had been sleeping peacefully when suddenly, bam!, some lunatic with a shape-shifting sword had sliced off three of its tails in one go. Before it could even process what happened, a giant shark had taken a chunk out of its side. Now, after running for miles, the shark was too slow to keep up, but that damned red giant wouldn't stop chasing.
If only it hadn't been weakened by the ambush, Kurama would've...
No. Even at full strength, it couldn't beat Susanoo. But losing to Naruto's sealing techniques? That was just humiliating.
For the first time in its long life, Kurama felt… useless.
Ahead, Naruto tightened his grip on Kurama's fur. Behind them, Uchiha Itachi manipulated Susanoo's massive form, summoning another spectral weapon, three spinning magatama linked by crimson chakra threads.
Susanoo's hand opened, the magatama whirling above its palm before launching straight at Kurama.
Naruto's stomach dropped. "Oh, crap!!!"
Kurama sensed the incoming attack and snarled. "Enough of this! You think I'm scared of you just because of some stupid sealing tricks?"
As it ran, the fox opened its maw, gathering chakra into a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb, pathetic compared to its usual power, but still lethal. With a roar, it fired.
But Itachi was ready.
The magatama twisted midair, dodging the bomb and slamming into Kurama's back.
BOOM!
The Tailed Beast Bomb detonated against Susanoo's Yata Mirror, the explosion engulfing the crimson warrior. Though the mirror could shift its nature to nullify attacks, the sheer force shattered Susanoo's form.
Meanwhile, Kurama was sent flying, the magatama erupting into a blazing inferno that lit up the sky.
Naruto barely managed to roll clear, coughing as the shockwave rattled his bones.
When the smoke cleared, Susanoo was gone. Kurama's massive body crashed to the ground, motionless.
Itachi staggered forward, his Sharingan burning with cold intensity. As he passed Naruto, he paused.
"Uzumaki Naruto," he said, voice hollow. "Konoha cannot survive without the Nine-Tails. Come with me."
Naruto's blood ran cold. He knew exactly what Itachi intended.
They reached Kurama's fallen form. The fox lay sprawled, breathing raggedly but still defiant.
"Damn… Uchiha…" it wheezed. "If I'd been at full strength… if you hadn't ambushed me…!"
Itachi ignored the taunts. Susanoo's spectral arm reformed, the Totsuka Blade gleaming as it poised to strike.
Naruto lunged forward. "Wait! Just talk for once, would you?!"
Itachi hesitated. Then, with a shudder, Susanoo flickered out. He collapsed to his knees, coughing violently.
Kurama snorted. "Pathetic. One slap from me at full power, and you'd be paste."
Naruto groaned. "Kurama, shut up. You're not helping."
Truthfully, the fox was terrified. Being sealed inside a Jinchūriki was one thing, at least it could wait for freedom. But the Totsuka Blade? That was an eternity of nothingness.
Naruto quickly explained the situation, how he and Kurama had reached an understanding, how the fox had chosen to stay near Konoha to maintain balance.
Itachi listened silently. When Naruto finished, the Uchiha exhaled. "…I see."
He had assumed the worst, that Kurama's freedom meant Konoha had fallen. His plan had been to seal the fox and find a new Jinchūriki.
But if Naruto had tamed it…
After a long pause, Itachi spoke again, voice strained. "The Akatsuki are hunting the Tailed Beasts. If the Nine-Tails stays near Konoha, it will be a target."
Kurama's ears twitched. Akatsuki? It had never heard of them, but if even an Uchiha feared them…
Naruto frowned. "We'll handle it."
Itachi gave a slow nod. Then, with visible effort, he stood and turned away.
Once Itachi was gone, Kurama let out a shaky breath.
"…Naruto," it muttered. "Maybe you should seal me."
Naruto blinked. "What? Why?"
Kurama scowled. "My chakra's like a beacon. If more Akatsuki show up, I'm screwed. That Uchiha nearly took me down alone."
Naruto hesitated, then pulled open his jacket, revealing the intact seal on his stomach.
Kurama stared.
A strange, hollow feeling settled in its chest.
'…Did I just get replaced?'
After everything, after finally opening up, Naruto had moved on.
Kurama's eye twitched. Then it threw back its head and screamed.
"HAHAHAHA...SCREW YOU!!!"
.....
T/N: Thanks for the support from: Lam Sha, Black Widow, Hamza Masfar, Lord Of the Mysteries, Andrew, Jiri Stehule, trey hill, Agustin Monti, Tightless,Impulsionimulsion.