"Hey—don't go!"
"Let's talk this through!"
The Nine-Tails panicked for real this time.
It was genuinely afraid Uchiha Nan would just turn around and leave.
The most terrifying thing in the world wasn't endless darkness.
It was seeing a sliver of light in that darkness—
only for it to vanish in the very next instant.
Any living being trapped in the abyss, once given hope, would display terrifying levels of patience and endurance.
So what if I have to stay inside Uzumaki Mito for another ten or twenty years?
I can endure it.
I can endure anything.
The future—bright, free, boundless—was right in front of it.
The Nine-Tails hyped itself up internally.
This chance at freedom was too precious. It absolutely could not let it slip away.
"You've thought it through?"
"You can accept it?"
Uchiha Nan sneered inwardly.
Hook, line, and sinker.
"I can accept it!"
"It's just another ten or so years—nothing I can't handle!"
The Nine-Tails thumped its chest confidently, as if this were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Nan nodded.
Since the Nine-Tails had started backing down, it was time to press harder.
Negotiation initiative was now firmly in his hands.
If he didn't add conditions now, when would he?
"Then we'll set three rules," Nan said calmly.
"I guarantee your freedom once Uzumaki Mito dies."
"In return, you'll act as Konoha's guardian tailed beast and live near the village."
"Of course, Konoha will provide protection and ensure your living conditions."
Nan had never intended to just release the Nine-Tails into the wild.
Even if he became Hokage, there was no way he could casually let the strongest tailed beast in the world roam free. The village elders would never agree—this would shake Konoha's very foundation.
And worse—
The moment he released it, the Nine-Tails might vanish, only to be captured again by some lunatic hiding in a cave somewhere.
Like Uchiha Madara.
At that point, it would just go straight back to being livestock.
No matter how you looked at it, Nan felt he was doing this for the Nine-Tails' own good.
Whether the fox understood that was another matter entirely.
"…What?"
"Still staying near Konoha?!"
"That's not what you said before!"
The Nine-Tails exploded, furious.
Another condition?!
Damn these heaven-cursed, evil Uchiha!
"What did I say before?" Nan replied coolly.
"I agreed to release you from Uzumaki Mito and give you freedom."
"That's a massive favor."
"And you won't give me anything in return?"
"That's pretty heartless. What, are you as stingy as Shukaku now?"
"If that's the case, then forget it. Guess I misjudged you."
Nan put on an expression of disappointment, as if deeply hurt.
Every word made the Nine-Tails feel like it had done something unforgivable.
Especially when Nan brought up Shukaku.
Out of all the tailed beasts, the Nine-Tails despised Shukaku the most. They fought constantly. Calling it the same kind of beast as that raccoon was unacceptable.
Anyone but Shukaku.
It thought it over.
Living near Konoha… honestly wasn't that bad. The surrounding forests weren't much different from its old territory.
As for "protecting the village"?
That part was instinctively ignored.
I can just half-ass it.
Fire off a couple of Tailed Beast Bombs for show—most enemies who can't handle that won't reach Konoha anyway.
And if someone can tank Tailed Beast Bombs?
Then odds are the Nine-Tails couldn't handle them either.
At that point, two warning shots was already more than enough effort.
And if things really went south?
Run.
After sitting in prison for so many years, if it didn't know when to cut losses, then all that suffering would've been for nothing.
No matter what—
First priority was getting out of that damn cage inside Uzumaki Mito.
The Nine-Tails could barely remember what it felt like to roll around in grass under sunlight.
Everything else could wait.
With that in mind, the world suddenly seemed wide open again.
Endure for now. Lie low. Wait for the right moment.
One day, I'll soar like a bird into the sky—swim like a fish into the sea!
The Nine-Tails felt proud of itself.
Damn, those lines were cultured.
I'm absolutely saying them out loud the day I get free.
"…Fine," it said at last, pretending to be magjinimous.
"I'll agree—for your sake."
"I, the Nine-Tails, am not some ungrateful beast!"
It wore a sly grin, overflowing with tsundere arrogance.
Uchiha Nan was delighted.
This big fox really is easy to deal with.
"Then it's settled. Three rules," Nan said.
"Fist bump to seal it."
He wanted to try what Uzumaki Naruto supposedly did—something about syncing hearts with a tailed beast. No idea if it worked.
Nan didn't harbor any ill will toward tailed beasts. By the time Uzumaki Mito died, many years would have passed anyway.
Who knew—maybe by then he'd already pulled out the Rinnegan.
Why would he still need a tailed beast?
"Fine!"
The Nine-Tails extended a massive fist, far larger than Nan's body, and bumped it against his.
Nothing happened.
No spiritual resojince. No shared heartbeat. No miracle.
Probably hadn't bonded enough yet.
Nan didn't care.
The main objective was achieved. Time to get down to business.
"Kurama," he said seriously,
"how exactly do you plan to help me?"
After following the Sage of Six Paths for centuries and living over a thousand years, Nan refused to believe the Nine-Tails had no tricks left.
Uzumaki Mito wasn't Madara or Hashirama—she hadn't beaten the Nine-Tails purely through brute force.
There had to be a way for it to influence her.
The Nine-Tails let out a cold, sinister laugh.
"I've been trapped inside Uzumaki Mito for years, constantly corroding the seal with my chakra."
"The amount is tiny—so small it's almost undetectable."
"But I have time."
"Water dripping through stone."
"She'll age. She'll weaken."
"And when the seal weakens…"
It grinned viciously.
Nan nodded approvingly.
Yep. Definitely a fox.
Always cunning. Always patient.
Nan gave it a thumbs-up.
"Well played."
The Nine-Tails puffed up with pride and continued:
"Once you leave, I'll mobilize all that chakra I've been accumulating."
"The seal will weaken significantly."
"I'll reclaim as much chakra as possible."
"At that point, Uzumaki Mito will be forced to suppress me with everything she has."
"She won't have the energy to maintain tailed-beast mode."
"The rest… I don't need to explain, right?"
Then it snarled viciously.
"Beat that old hag senseless for me."
The hatred in its voice was unmistakable.
To the Nine-Tails, Uzumaki Mito was no better than Senju Hashirama—neither of them ever treated tailed beasts as living beings.
"No problem," Nan replied without hesitation.
Beating someone while they were down?
That just happened to be one of his specialties.
After all—
If you're going to establish authority,
you squeeze the hardest rock first.
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