Yuto had been wondering how to take the Nine-Tails' chakra.
He hadn't expected Kushina to hand him a pleasant surprise.
By absorbing Kushina's chakra, and with the Kongō Fūsa (Adamantine Sealing Chains) he'd just drawn in, Yuto used the power of the Black King to fully replicate it.
Kongō Fūsa could attack and defend—and even carried sealing force.
It was close to a perfect ninjutsu. For Yuto, who didn't rely on many offensive techniques, it was a very useful addition.
Fortunately, Kongō Fūsa was tied to Uzumaki chakra rather than a special kekkei genkai; otherwise, Yuto really wouldn't have been able to copy it.
"Go."
Cold-eyed, Yuto spoke softly.
In an instant, six chains of Kongō Fūsa surged out of him and rushed the Nine-Tails.
The fox roared, but caged as it was, it couldn't mount a real counter. A turtle in a jar.
All it could hope was that the seal in front of it would hold.
Clatter—clatter—
When the chains touched the seal, they hesitated for a beat—then, to the fox's horror, slid straight through.
The Four Symbols Seal that bound the Nine-Tails came from Uzumaki fūinjutsu; Kongō Fūsa likewise carried a sealing nature. Two rivers from the same source.
Thud! Thud!
With Yuto's strength behind them and the chains' own potency, the Nine-Tails' struggles meant nothing.
Five chakra chains pinned its head and limbs in place; the last drove into its body and heaved.
A mass of fox chakra tore free, and the chain whipped back into Yuto.
The moment the Nine-Tails' chakra entered him, Yuto seized it with ease.
Fwoom—
Pale-gold light flared off Yuto. Flame-like chakra cloaked him, black marks and tracery rippling across his skin.
"This is... Kyūbi Chakra Mode (Nine-Tails Chakra Mode)?"
He glanced down at himself, briefly surprised.
The Nine-Tails' chakra really was different from the other tailed beasts he'd handled.
In his past life, there'd been an "official" explanation for why this mode looked so unlike other jinchūriki transformations: the Nine-Tails' chakra was closer to the Jūbi (Ten-Tails), source of all chakra—hence why Kyūbi Chakra Mode outclassed other forms.
Yuto shook his head and let the mode dissipate.
For him, Kyūbi Chakra Mode was pure filler. The boost was weaker than Sennin Mōdo (Sage Mode) of Hashirama.
If it were Kurama Mōdo (Kurama Mode), he might care. But just Kyūbi Chakra Mode? Pass.
Besides, he wasn't a jinchūriki. To sustain it, he'd have to keep converting with the Black King—annoying and pointless.
He wanted the Nine-Tails' chakra for one reason: collect all nine beasts' chakra, fuse the Jūbi's power, and step into true Rikudō Mode (Six Paths Mode).
This "mode" in front of him didn't even register.
"Roaaar, Yuto!!!"
The fox's bellow shook with rage and hate.
Its blood-red eyes locked on him. If glares could kill...
Yuto rolled his eyes at those two giant pupils. What was the point of shouting if you didn't even dare talk tough?
"Foolish otōto... no—foolish Nine-Tails. Hate me all you want."
Half the sealing tag was already torn. With luck, the fox's negativity—and chakra—might be able to nudge Naruto's judgment. The thought pleased him.
Kushina had moved him, yes. But being moved didn't change his plans.
Growing up as he had, why was Naruto still that trusting? Yuto figured it came down to three things:
First, the influence of Asura's chakra.
Second, the Sandaime nudging the Will of Fire—call it indoctrination if you liked.
Third, the lingering chakra of Minato and Kushina subtly shaping him.
Of the three, the third mattered most.
As the anime said, "His parents' love filled him even before the Nine-Tails was sealed."
So no matter how lost Naruto got, even if he "went dark," the instant he saw Minato and Kushina within... it would all melt away.
No one rejects a parent's love—especially the person who's starved for it most.
—
Consciousness returned. Yuto opened his eyes and looked at Naruto, still fast asleep on the ground. Something complicated flickered across his face.
"You're just a casual piece I've set down... Whether we walk together or as enemies—that's on you."
He spoke softly, then let a wisp of the freshly taken fox chakra leak out.
A heartbeat later, he was gone.
At Tazuna's house—
Kakashi and Kinoshita Jiro had only just gotten back when that Nine-Tails aura brushed the world. Both men lifted their heads and met each other's eyes.
Kakashi stood at once and sprinted toward Naruto's location.
Watching him go, Jiro's eyes flashed. He smiled and followed.
Whoosh—
Kakashi reached Naruto first. Seeing the boy sprawled in the grass, his face tightened.
He knelt and checked Naruto over. Only after a long moment did he breathe out.
Just overtrained.
But why had fox chakra leaked? He frowned.
He tugged up Naruto's shirt and checked the seal on his belly. The Shishō Fūin (Four Symbols Seal) was clear as ever.
His frown deepened. Maybe the exhaustion had given the Nine-Tails a moment to pry? He mulled it over.
Not long after Kakashi finished, Jiro arrived, wearing a worried look and just a bit late.
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