Kurama silently watched Shinji after hearing him speak.
After a long while, it finally lay down its mountain-like body and looked at Shinji, who was standing outside the bars, saying mockingly, "If this kid knew that I was the one who killed his parents, and you still let him get along with the murderer, what do you think would happen?"
Shinji chuckled at the words. Kurama was truly malicious.
"Do you think I wouldn't tell Naruto?"
After Shinji finished speaking, he turned to look at the tunnel behind him. There, a small figure was standing, his face full of confusion.
Shinji walked up to Naruto, knelt down, and reached out to ruffle his hair.
"Naruto, at your current age, you have more right than anyone to know the truth. But can you trust your teacher?"
Naruto, who had been looking confused, responded without hesitation, "Sensei, I trust you."
Damn it!
Kurama, who had been waiting in the cage to watch the teacher and student fight, was instantly enraged by Naruto's demeanor.
"Hey! Kid! Didn't you hear what I just said? And you still trust your teacher like that."
Naruto looked at the giant beast in the cage with a disgusted expression and replied, "I'm not an idiot. I only found out about your existence last night. Shinji-sensei has always taken care of me. If I don't trust my teacher, should I trust you, this loser or rather, murderer, who's locked in a cage?"
Naruto's words and expression were like a sharp knife, piercing Kurama's heart.
"Ow! You damn brat! You're the loser! Your whole family are losers!"
Kurama frantically slammed into the bars, wishing it could grab this damned kid and tear him to shreds.
Why am I locked in here? Don't you, kid, have a clue!
Shinji, hearing Naruto's reply, laughed. He truly was a sunny, cheerful boy. However, his mouth was a bit irritating. No, it was just irritating the Tailed Beast.
Shinji glanced at Kurama, who was still roaring and slamming into the bars. "Kurama, what do you think of what I just said?"
Kurama roared at Shinji, "Delusion! I will have nothing to do with this kid! I will tear him to shreds!"
Shinji looked at Kurama exasperatedly and slowly said, "Kurama, you clearly detest being controlled, yet you use the same methods to provoke Naruto."
"Or have you fallen so low that you need to expose people's wounds to feel a sense of existence?"
"Hatred begets hatred. Are you sure you want to continue this cycle?"
These words stunned Kurama, who was already suspicious of Shinji. It seemed to see the figure of that old man from a thousand years ago who had made it cry.
The Sage of Six Paths...
"Just once. Whatever you want to do, I won't interfere."
After Kurama finished speaking, it curled up in the cage and lay on the ground, but its eyes were fixed on Shinji. It wanted to see how this person in front of it would manage to break the hatred this Jinchuriki kid felt for the one who had caused the death of his parents.
Even if Naruto didn't say it, Kurama clearly sensed the malice he held towards it.
Seeing Kurama no longer making a fuss, Shinji then looked at Naruto and said, "Naruto, your situation is very complicated, so I think it would be better if you talked to the person involved directly."
Naruto listened to Shinji's words, and although he was a little confused about who the person involved was, he still nodded.
"Good, do you see that talisman?"
Shinji pointed to the talisman with the character 'Seal' written on it, on the cage holding Kurama.
"Tear it off, and you'll know the truth. Don't worry, no one will disturb you."
After Shinji finished speaking, he glanced at the lying Kurama.
Kurama still remained silent, just quietly watching the two outside the cage.
"Okay, sensei."
Naruto said, then prepared to roll up his sleeves and step forward, ready to remove the talisman.
Shinji, however, stopped Naruto, and in Naruto's confused gaze, he clapped his hands on the ground, and the previously calm puddles instantly surged, converging towards Naruto's feet.
Naruto, seeing this, also grinned and shouted, "Yosh, let's go!"
The gathered puddles pushed Naruto to the cage door, and Naruto reached out his hand towards the talisman.
Kurama's eyes narrowed slightly, but the next second, they widened abruptly.
As Naruto had just peeled off a small corner of the talisman, a figure dressed in a Hokage robe instantly appeared beside Naruto.
"Are you trying to bewitch Naruto so quickly?! Kurama! Behave yourself!"
A gentle voice, tinged with a hint of anger, reprimanded Kurama in the cage.
Kurama, who had been lying down, instantly stood up and roared at the yellow-haired figure. "Minato! You actually had this trick up your sleeve!"
It was this man, who in its eyes was like a mere insect, who had actually split it in two and sealed both halves separately.
Minato, who was holding Naruto's wrist, didn't even look at Kurama, but instead looked at the excessively young figure in front of him.
"Um, Naruto..."
Minato wasn't sure why Naruto, at this age, had come here. After all, when he set up this jutsu, he had intended for it to be used when Naruto was a bit older.
Minato was confident that his Fuinjutsu was superior to anyone currently alive in the Ninja World.
"Huh? You are..."
Even though Naruto had never seen Minato since he could remember, he felt an inexplicable familiarity with the person in front of him.
He then looked down and shouted to Minato, "Sensei, who is this person? Why do I feel so close to him?"
At Naruto's words, Minato was shocked to realize that there was a third person in the sealed space besides Naruto and Kurama.
Shinji, who was speechless at Naruto's absurd behavior, seeing Minato's gaze fall upon him, waved his hand and said, "Fourth Hokage, hello."
"Who are you?" Minato's tone was very wary.
After all, to be able to enter Naruto's sealed space, whoever this person was, could not be underestimated.
Shinji nodded slightly in greeting and introduced himself, "Well, I am Naruto's teacher, Shinji."
"Teacher?" Minato was a bit confused now.
Logically, Naruto's most likely teacher could only be Jiraiya. After all, Naruto's seal key was with Jiraiya.
But now, this young man was claiming to be Naruto's teacher?
"So, are you instigating Naruto to undo Kurama's seal?"
At this point, Minato's gaze towards Shinji gradually became dangerous.