"Izumi..."
Uchiha Hazuki looked worriedly at her daughter as she walked out with the clan's famed Body Flicker master, Shisui.
And then—
Only she and... the Nine-Tails remained in the living room.
The deep-seated fear she felt for Naruto could not be shaken.
Even if she had nearly let go of hatred, the painful memories from that time were ones she never wished to revisit.
Naruto's appearance...
Had reopened the wound in Hazuki's heart.
Filling her with unbearable pain... and fear.
She sat there curled up, dazed, not daring to speak, not daring to look at Naruto.
Her gaze drifted to the side...
The Nine-Tails: "..."
Regarding Naruto's circumstances,
The Nine-Tails couldn't help but feel... something.
It could understand the boy's situation...
Of course, that didn't change the fact it still hoped all humans would just die~ all~ of~ them~.
The object of hatred had been replaced with Naruto... Naruto had become the scapegoat.
But then again...
Would a devilish brat like Naruto really care about a bit of negative reputation?
Why didn't he ever mock it?
The Nine-Tails suddenly realized—
Since Naruto learned to speak, he had never once ridiculed it.
At most, he'd argued with strange logic.
It seemed Naruto held no hatred for it...
No.
The Nine-Tails told itself—
That's only because Naruto didn't know it was the one who had killed his parents.
If someday,
Naruto found out the whole truth,
Then... he would certainly turn against it.
This strange exchange of power wouldn't continue.
But the Nine-Tails had clearly underestimated the boy's— no, this brat's—oh wait, his resolve.
After all, Naruto still wanted to "save" Obito.
"Obito, the coolest Hokage-to-be~.jpg"
"Miss Hazuki, why aren't you eating?"
Naruto asked naively.
"Ah... th-that... I-I'm not really hungry..."
Hazuki's nervous and fearful demeanor made Naruto's eyes gleam even brighter.
"He turned dark..."
The first to notice Naruto's shift was the Nine-Tails.
The sealing space suddenly going dark...
Meant one thing.
F*!**
The Nine-Tails perked up, staring at the vision unfolding.
From Naruto's point of view, it could clearly see—
Naruto was shamelessly ogling Uchiha Hazuki.
The tiny bit of empathy and guilt the Nine-Tails had... vanished instantly.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you little bastard~!"
The Nine-Tails cursed aloud.
"Thank~ you~, Nine-Tails, you little [cutie]~."
The two censored syllables in Naruto's reply hit the Nine-Tails like a slap.
"Miss Hazuki, please eat~"
Naruto gestured to her.
Trembling, Hazuki forced a tearful smile and began using her chopsticks with unsteady hands.
As she leaned forward,
Her swan-like pale neck... was caught clearly in Naruto's line of sight.
And then, lower...
---
Outside in the yard—
Uchiha Shisui was questioning Izumi about why she brought the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki to their house.
"Because... Naruto and Sako are good friends, and I'm close with Sako. Is it so wrong to treat her friend to a meal?"
Izumi's reasoning was almost flawless.
—Why not say "I'm close with Itachi"?
Shisui frowned slightly, then refocused on Izumi.
"Your actions are drawing attention from the village elders..."
"A clear conscience fears no shadow. I'm simply offering a meal,"
Izumi retorted.
Her assertiveness surprised Shisui.
Was this still that gentle girl?
"Naruto is Sako's friend. As her elder sister, I have every reason to care for him... So, stop using rude words to test me. Please leave. I don't want you staying for dinner."
Izumi pointed to the door.
Her decisiveness left Shisui speechless.
"In any case—"
He tried to speak, but Izumi picked up a shoe and threw it at him.
Thus, the famed Body Flicker Shisui fled in utter disgrace.
If anyone saw him now, the misunderstandings would be massive.
Girls... really are unreasonable~~!
Itachi's future... looked painful.
Shisui sighed and finally got his footing again.
---
Not long after,
Izumi silently picked up the shoe and returned.
She stood at the living room door,
Watching her flustered mother.
Uchiha Hazuki: "Why can't I pick it up... why can't I..."
Despite holding chopsticks, Hazuki couldn't grasp the food. Sweat dotted her forehead.
Meanwhile, Naruto was staring at her intensely.
Izumi's eyes flashed dangerously.
Then she said,
"Mother, let's have Naruto stay over tonight."
"Eh?!" Hazuki gasped.
"What's wrong? Naruto... he's just a kid!"
Izumi's voice deepened, her tone dark.
The way she spoke... was frightening.
"What, are you afraid Naruto's going to eat you?"
Her words were... a subtle implication.
Naruto understood.
Hazuki didn't.
Taking advantage of Naruto's stay,
Izumi planned to uncover the Nine-Tails' behavioral pattern—
And then—
Kill it.
---
That night—
Naruto stayed over.
After dinner and a bath, he sat idly in the guest room, watching some old TV program.
"Naruto-kun, I'm coming in..."
Uchiha Hazuki entered, kneeling gracefully.
Still wearing a kimono, only now thinner, softer than in the day...
The scent of body wash lingered on her voluptuous figure.
Naruto slowly got up, eyes fixed on the milk she carried.
"Drink your milk and go to sleep, Naruto-kun..."
Little boys needed to grow. A glass of milk before bed was best.
As Hazuki brought the tray over,
Naruto asked,
"Miss Hazuki, do you like drinking milk?"
"Eh?"
Hazuki tried to keep her arms steady, not understanding what he meant.
Naruto stood up and walked over.
He enthusiastically grabbed Hazuki's arm.
Hazuki stumbled, pulled into the room.
Her hands fell on the tatami, her back arched high.
Clack—
The door shut behind them.
Outside, Izumi stepped from behind a tree and crept toward the door, peeking through a narrow gap.
"Nine-Tails... come out... come out..."
Izumi was fully prepared to observe its behavior.
Tonight, she would discover... the Nine-Tails' true weakness!
And soon, Hazuki's startled cry came from within...