bookrebus Chapter 46 The Core of Arrogance
Chapter 46 The Core of Arrogance
And so, Naruto finally collected 2100 system points, earning him two chances for a 10-pull. Although the way he obtained the points was somewhat unexpected.
Who would have thought that Hinata, who was bullied but didn't dare to fight back, would actually dare to secretly follow him? But after seeing too many precocious ninja kids, Naruto was too lazy to even comment on such things.
Unfortunately, these two 8-pulls were unlucky, yielding only ordinary "blue sky and white clouds" rewards, without any rare purple or gold items. However, after accumulating power over this period, Naruto's chakra reserves have reached the level of eight Kakashis, and his taijutsu skills have surpassed most ordinary genin.
His progress in sealing techniques has been unexpectedly smooth.
With the system's talent boost, Naruto discovered that the principle was actually quite simple: writing the jutsu according to specific rules and then combining it with chakra could produce different effects. This experience of "looking difficult, actually difficult, but surprisingly easy to learn once you get the hang of it" filled Naruto with a sense of novelty.
He is currently specializing in two sealing techniques, which are strictly speaking two stages of the same system: the Four Symbols Sealing Technique and its advanced version, the Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique.
The choice of these two techniques was not accidental. The "Secret Transmission of Sealing Techniques" clearly records that the Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique possesses extremely high flexibility. It symbolizes the eight elements of heaven, earth, thunder, water, fire, and lake, and this characteristic gave Naruto a flash of inspiration.
If I could master this sealing technique... maybe I could get along well with that arrogant fox?
Finally, after days of diligent practice, a delightful breakthrough was achieved.
On a quiet night, the Nine-Tails, as usual, remained in its miniature form, lazily lying on the ground of the sealed space.
It was flipping through the story Naruto had specially written for it with its paws, and before it knew it, waiting for Naruto to come and chat had become its daily expectation.
In this leisurely moment, a sudden change occurred—the sewage that had accumulated on the ground for years suddenly seeped into the ground at a visible speed and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.
"What's going on?!"
The Nine-Tails suddenly pricked up its ears, and its fur stood on end. Its first reaction was worry: Had something happened to Naruto?
The thought had barely crossed its mind when it stunned itself. In the past, it would have only cared about its own chance to escape in such a predicament; now, it was actually worried about the safety of humans?
Before it could even think about it, an even more astonishing change followed. The once bare ground suddenly sprouted tender green grass shoots, and in the blink of an eye, it grew into a soft and lush lawn.
The oppressive darkness gradually brightened, transforming into a breathtaking scene of blue sky and white clouds, where you could even feel a gentle breeze caressing your hair.
Nine-Tailed Fox stood frozen in place, instinctively pressing its paw against the ground to confirm that this wasn't a hallucination. Just then, a familiar figure appeared outside the iron fence.
"Yo! Kurama! Feeling better now?" Naruto leaned on the railing with a grin, his eyes gleaming with smugness.
"...Did you make this?" Nine-Tails' voice was filled with disbelief as it slowly lay down on the newly grown lawn, enjoying the long-lost comfort.
A gentle breeze ruffled its orange-red fur, and the warm sunlight shone on its back—a feeling it hadn't experienced in decades.
"Hmm! The Eight Trigrams Seal is really super useful! Do you like this environment? You can change it anytime if you're not satisfied! It can simulate deserts, caves, lakes, mountains, and even volcanoes! How about that? Pretty amazing, right?"
Kurama's ears twitched slightly; it deliberately turned its head away, avoiding Naruto's expectant gaze. "...It's alright, let's keep it like this."
The Nine-Tails' voice was feigned indifference, but in reality, a warm feeling welled up inside it. Looking at Naruto's radiant smile, which seemed to be seeking praise, it really wanted to say something complimentary.
But its pride as the strongest tailed beast prevented it from speaking. Kurama could feel its facial muscles relaxing uncontrollably, and it had to strain to maintain its serious expression.
A sudden flashback to the day they first met. The little blond boy stood in the same spot and asked, "Big fox, how long have you been here? It's all water here, aren't you uncomfortable?"
What was its reply then? "Do you think I wanted this? Don't talk to this old man like that, kid." It was an implicit admission that the environment did make it uncomfortable.
But it never expected that this human cub, whom it had once looked down upon, would keep those words in mind all along. It even went so far as to spend a great deal of time learning such a difficult sealing technique, just so... it could live a little more comfortably.
Kurama buried its face in its front paws, not wanting Naruto to see its complex expression. Since the old man died, this was a beautiful feeling it had almost forgotten, yet now it stirred a pang of sadness in its heart.
【Ding! 】
[Congratulations, host: You have established a bond with the original character "Kurama" (Level 4)]
[Reward: 800 points!]
Unexpectedly, the Nine-Tailed Fox's bond level increased by two levels in one go. It seems that this move to modify the sealed space has really hit the heart of this proud and arrogant fox.
Besides the joy of receiving the reward, Naruto suddenly had a bold idea.
If I were to ask to touch its fur now... would it agree?
Just as Naruto hesitated about whether to speak, Kurama's deliberately lowered voice came from behind the iron fence.
"...Well done, Naruto."
Naruto's eyes widened in shock, almost thinking he'd misheard. This usually stubborn and arrogant fox had actually praised someone?! The increase in favorability was even more significant than expected.
And then there's that nickname, from the initial "kid" to now naturally calling him by his name "Naruto"—a change that even Kurama himself didn't realize happened.
Perhaps during a casual chat, or perhaps on a night of sharing stories, the name "Naruto" just came out naturally.
Kurama (the Nine-Tails) wasn't even aware of the drastic change in its own mindset. Not long ago, it desperately hoped for something to happen to its Jinchūriki, wishing the vessel that imprisoned it would die. But now, if Naruto were truly in danger... it certainly wouldn't remain indifferent.
------
On a desolate path on the border of the Land of Fire, a seemingly ordinary figure was moving at an astonishing speed. This man, dressed in simple traveler's clothes, left shallow indentations in the ground with each step, moving so fast that he almost left afterimages—undoubtedly, he was a well-trained ninja.
This was Naruto's shadow clone, disguised using the Transformation Technique. After quietly leaving Konoha using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he had been traveling for a full day and night, and was now crossing the border of the Land of Fire, speeding northeast.
The whistling wind swept past his ears, and Naruto's golden hair turned into a normal brown under the cover of the transformation jutsu. His destination was clear—the Land of Grass.
With another leap in strength, Naruto finally turned his attention to his clansman.
Take Karin Uzumaki and her mother away.
------
Please support me! I'll update three times a week if I reach 100 gift points! Just 300 readers reading this far is enough to generate enough support for my new book!