35)Foxy Adventures: Ch.35

“Has everyone calmed down?”, I asked as I sat in the centre, Karin looking entertained by what's going on while both Tayuya and Tsunade glared at each other.

The reason for their glaring was of course the two clones keeping Tayuya back while another dozen did their best to keep the storm of fists known as Tsunade at bay.

“Oh, I am. Just give me one more punch and I'll be okay.”

“Oh, you wanna go, old hag? We can start fighting right here and now!”, Tayuya exclaimed as she went to stand up only for the two clones to push her back to her seat while I sighed as another of the clones with Tsunade was popped with a heavy punch.

“Uh, can we not pop my clones with punches that can level cities? Secondly, why am I being the mature one here? Aren't you two supposed to be setting an example for us two here? Am I right, Karin?”

“Eh, I don't mind them fighting. It's entertaining,” Karin answered with a shrug and I pinched the bridge of my nose as Tayuya huffed while Tsunade let out a frustrated sigh and nodded.

“Fine, get your clones off of me before I shift my anger to you,” In the blink of an eye, the room was filled with smoke as I dispelled my clones before she dismissed it with a snap of her fingers, going back to drinking her sake while Ton-Ton looked out from behind me.

“Okay, now that everyone is calm, why are you here, granny? Usually, you would be drinking at a pub or something.”

“You went on a mission without getting checked up for you and Sarutobi-sensei's little blood-experiment, right? I'm here to see that there were no long-lasting consequences to that.”

“If there were, I think Kurama would tell me about them,” I answered as she stood up, her left hand glowing a deep green as she placed it on my forehead while raising an eyebrow.

“You trust him that much?”

“We've been together since I was born. If there's anyone that knows more about me, they'll have to have known me in a past life,” She just hummed at my response, Karin and Tayuya looking on as I felt her tracing her hand around the entirety of my hair before placing it at my neck.

“Hmm, I see.”

“…Is that supposed to mean something?”

“To you, not at all. To me, yes,” She said as she took her hand away, but considering I didn't see any grave look in her eyes, I think I'm all clear.

“Well, you have a perfect bill of health except for one thing.”

“Oh god, my life is over~ I'm dead! Deahehehead~!”, I whined as I clung to Karin, who groaned as she pushed me off while Tsunade sighed.

“You're not dying, idiot,” She spoke and I blinked before sitting back upright with a relieved smile.

“Whew~ Good, okay. Then what's with the 'except for one thing' then?”

“What I mean is that your chakra has become a lot more potent after you had his blood mixed in with yours.”

“Yeah, Kurama had told me about that. Apparently, it's twice as potent as it was before.”

“No, it's a bit more than double,” She answered with a frown and I blinked before I heard Kurama spoke up.

“Yeah, you straining your chakra for your impromptu Shadow Clone Flight may have strained your chakra coils a bit more and forced them to expand.”

“…Well, that's just lovely.”

“Hey, at least you can be counted amongst the largest chakra reserves in the village.”

“Actually, with what I've felt, you have the most potent chakra and the largest reserves in the village bar none,” Tsunade spoke as she sat back down and I was not surprised at that as I nodded.

“That I can believe. My control is completely shit right now though, isn't it?”

“Oh, shit is an understatement. You might as well be a new Academy student doing their best to do a clone.”

“Oh, don't remind me of that hell,” I grumbled as I flopped backwards, Karin patting my head in sympathy while Tayuya raised an eyebrow.

“If that's the case, why not just train it back up?”

“Can you do the usual clone Jutsu?”, I asked, watching as she raised an eyebrow while creating the Ram sign with her left hand. As a mirage copy of hers appeared standing beside her, I nodded before trying to replicate it.

“…Oh, that is shit,” She murmured as we all stared at the half-dead clone lying on the floor, twitching and drooling while I sighed as I dismissed him once again.

“Apparently, the combination of being an Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki to Kurama and a growing child undergoing puberty results in my chakra control being absolute shit. I have to pump triple the chakra into a jutsu. Combine that with the fact that Kurama's seal keeps on messing with my chakra as well and one can understand why I have such shitty control.”

“…So, you're telling me that despite this handicap, you are still considered to have Jounin-level ninjutsu skills while having all of those Jutsu?”, Tayuya asked and snorted as I shrugged.

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Well, if that's the case, why not set Kurama free? That way, the cage stops interfering and Kurama's chakra flows freely through you, doesn't it?”, Karin asked and I went to respond before stopping my tracks as I felt my mind processing.

“…You want to be free?”

“That depends. You wanna fight me for my chakra?”

“We both know I'd lose that fight.”

“Hah, very well. I suppose I could help you out just this once.”

“…You being serious?”

“If not, we can always go back to fighting.”

“No! No, this is good! Let me go get Jiraya!”

“Uh, Naruto?”, I heard as I snapped out of my discussion, looking to a slightly concerned Karin before she squeaked as I grinned and hugged.

“You are my favourite cousin!”, I exclaimed before hopping to my feet, rushing out the door and hopping over the railing while making a cross hand sign.

“Here's a bit more chakra.”

Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!

The sky above the apartment complex was blotted out by black and orange as hundreds of clones formed around me, each nodding before they took a direction and ran towards it.

“Alright! Pervy Sage, get your ass over here!”

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“Hah, found…you!”, I grunted as I landed on the side of a tree while looking down at Jiraya, who groaned when I waved at the confused young women playing in the river.

“Hey, girls! Pervy Sage is down here so don't mind me!”, I shouted, not surprised when they all squealed and ran away while Jiraiya looked shocked before turning his glare to me.

“What the hell?!”

“Be quiet before I let Kurama loose. Speaking of letting Kurama loose, do you have the key for his seal?”

“No.”

“You realize that Kurama can help me feel whenever you are either lying or have ill-intent towards me, right?”, I said with a raised eyebrow while hopping down, smirking as he looked at me before rolling his eyes with a grumble.

“Fine, I have the key, but I'm not handing it over.”

“And why not?”

“One mistake and you're a chakra-stained crater while the Nine Tails goes on a rampage. You trust him with your life, but the rest of us are pretty hesitant to do so.”

“Told you he wouldn't give it.”

“Let me work my magic.”

“Come on~ The guy just wants some freedom to stretch around in my mind. That's it. He even agreed to help in exchange for getting first dibs at the guy that killed my mom and dad,” I spoke and Jiraiya looked at me before palming his face with a groan.

“I'm going to regret this. I'm so going to regret this.”

“Is… that a yes?”

“It's a maybe,” He answered while going through the hand signs for the Summoning Jutsu, but instead of slamming his palms onto the ground, I watched as he placed both against his stomach with a flare of chakra.

The next moment, I felt myself growing a bit queasy as Jiraiya gagged, a pair of webbed fingers grabbing at the sides of his mouth before a black and orange toad with markings around his eyes and mouth pulled itself free.

“Urgh~Uah~!”, I ignored Jiraiya gagging and spitting out the frog slime from his mouth as I stared at the toad, who extended to nearly triple his length to reveal his midsection being that of a large scroll.

“Hey, Jira-Holy shit! It's the Nine Tails kid! …No, no! No!”

“Gerotora…”

“Nope! I am not doing this!”, I just stayed quiet as the levitating toad shook his head vehemently while Jiraiya sighed.

“Hey, I'm not the one asking, okay? The kid is, so you'll have to tell both him and the Nine Tails no.”

“What?”

“Hey,” I let Kurama take over for a bit and was not disappointed when Gerotora froze, looking at us to see the fox giving him a sly grin with my face before the two of us switched as I shrugged.

“This is more of a formality. You can either help me or both Kurama and I can force the seal open. Although, since I'm guessing you're the one that Dad entrusted with the key to my seal, you wouldn't want to be disappointed by the fact that you couldn't do the one simple thing they entrusted you to do.”

“Is he…?”, Gerotora trailed off as he looked to Jiraiya, who nodded with a smirk as I shrugged.

“Is it getting you mad?”

“Yes.”

“Then, yes. I am provoking and demeaning you,” I nodded unashamedly and Gerotora looked at me before I grinned as his scroll body unfurled, revealing something that I could not make hide nor hair of as Gerotora crossed his arms with a frown.

“You see the box there?, He asked while pointing at the drawing of an empty box in question at the top centre of the scroll, to which I nodded as I reached for it only to glare at him when he slapped my hand down.

“Listen and listen well, kid. You're either being manipulated by the Nine Tails or you're stupid. Either of the two works here, but know that the thing isn't your friend. He's a mass of hatred and anger, something that cannot ever be controlled. This is a-!”

“Listen and listen well, Gerotora. You keep talking like that about your friend and we're going to find out just how hatred Kurama can have for a single being,” I spoke as I looked at him, keeping Kurama's anger at bay even as I caught sight of my scarlet red, fox-like eyes in his wide toad eyes.

“F-Fine! Then, just place your fingers on the seal and I can give it to you,” He spoke with a frown and I nodded as I took a deep breath, feeling Kurama calm down as I lifted my right hand before placing my fingers in the middle of the box.

My eyes then widened as I felt my chakra flaring, watching as the same seal on the paper was grafted onto my skin. Other than a sense of accomplishment and excitement, I didn't feel any pain whatsoever when the process finished, slowly lifting my fingers while Gerotora rolled his scroll form back up.

“All right! Now, open your mouth and let me in.”

“Hell no,” I denied him instantly, to which he rolled his eyes while I turned to Jiraiya when he sighed and spoke up.

“Unfortunately, you have to do that because the key will only work with him in your body.”

“…That's a lie, isn't it?”, I was hoping so badly that was a lie as I looked to Jiraiya, but as he just smirked, I groaned before turning back to Gerotora who stood waiting.

“Let's just get this over with.”

“Sure, open wide,” He spoke and I grumbled before opening my mouth as wide as I could, waiting with my eyes closed as I heard him took a deep breath before I gagged as I felt something slimy grabbing at the back of my throat.

“Come on~ Let me in~!”, He grunted as he continued to crawl at my mouth and I kept my hands down to not to pull him out before I wheezed as Jiraiya punched him in.

“Huerh! Huwerh~!! Urgh~!”, I gagged as I felt nothing but slime in my mouth, ignoring the vile taste of muck and mucus as well as Jiraiya's smug little smile as he stood with his arms crossed.

“You okay there, brat?”

“I feel violated,” I muttered as I stood up, trying to stop myself from hacking up a lung as Jiraiya chuckled while patting my back.

“At least now with Gerotora inside, the key is bonded to you and you can open and close the seal as you wish.”

“Well, Kurama, you wanna do it now or later?”

“Later. Remember what happens when your counterpart tried to open it in his time?”, Kurama spoke in a knowing tone and I blinked before my eyes widened and I gave a subtle nod.

“Right, gotta prepare for that. …Now, I don't want to do this.”

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“So, all I gotta do is just peel off the tag and then open the seal, right?”, I asked as I stood in front of the cage, to which Kurama nodded from where he was lounging behind the gate.

“That's it, but are you prepared for what's to come when you try to open it?”

“I am. By the way, is it just me or are the vines a lot bigger than before?”, I asked, noting how they were the same width as my body when they were the same width as my arms before.

“They have been siphoning your chakra as the time went on, but they should vanish when you open the cage and they serve no purpose,” He answered and I nodded as I walked closer, lifting up my shirt with my left hand while flowing chakra to my right.

Watching as the sealing marks of the key formed along the inside of my forearm, I took a deep breath as I hopped onto the side of the cage door, grabbing onto the tag before ripping it away.

To my surprise, I blinked as nothing happened like we were expecting, making me look at Kurama who frowned slightly as he looked at me.

“…Should we proceed?”

“Be on guard,” was all he said in response, to which I nodded as I flowed chakra to my abdomen and watched as the seal slowly took form.

Placing my fingers against my abdomen, I felt my fingertips sinking slightly into my skin before I twisted, the seal below my feet creaking as it opened slot by slot.

Dropping down with a backflip and landing a crouch, I stood up straight as the seal opened slowly but surely, Kurama standing up with a stretch and a deep yawn that shook the mindscape.

“Finally, after so long~!”, He growled as the heavy iron gate began to open with a low groan and I took a cautious step back as the vines recoiled and dissolved into the ground.

However, my attention was back to Kurama as I felt his chakra flowing into the mindscape, the fox in question stepping through the cage before his gaze met mine.

A long silence hung between the two of us as we stared at each other, but I snickered as he smirked and held a clawed fist to me.

With a chuckle, I bumped my fist to his and felt his thoughts flashing through mine, letting out a sigh of relief as I felt him watching my own thoughts.

“You sure you want to do this?”

“You expect me to say no?”

“Hah, as expected of my Jinchuriki.”

“You wouldn't accept any less,” I spoke out loud with a smirk and he grinned as I felt his chakra calling to me, letting my own reach out to his while watching as a sense of immense power flooded my body.

“You can't handle it all right now so this is a glimpse of what lies ahead,” He spoke as I felt his chakra wrapping around me, but this time, I didn't feel a sense of hatred or rage.

Instead, I felt a sense of enlightenment as Kurama's chakra felt warm yet limitless, my body feeling stronger and my mind lighter as I looked at Kurama who grinned.

“This is what it means to be a true Jinchuriki, to be not a master to one's Tailed Beast but a partner,” Kurama's voice echoed in my mind as his chakra slowly flowed along my own, coiling and dancing around my body while my senses were dialled to a hundred.

“Damn, so this is just a glimpse.”

“”It is, but once we are able to go all-out, your body will rejoice in the power it has.”

“…Are you seeing what I'm seeing, Minato?”, I stilled as I heard the familiar female voice off to the side, both Kurama and I turning to see two figures staring back at us.

The first was a rather breathtaking woman with long crimson hair that hung to the back of her shins, dressed in a high-collared blouse under a loose dress. Her face looked a mixture between shock and longing as she looked at me.

The second however was a tall man with the same spiky blonde hair and sky-blue eyes that I did, dressed in a long short-sleeved white haori over the standard long-sleeved Konoha uniform with the added addition of two bands on both sleeves. His face was stuck between happiness and relief to see me as well as wariness as he looked to Kurama who looked back with a glare.

“Well…this is awkward.”

A/N: And we are having a meeting finally~!! Also, Kurama is out~! Whoo!!

However, like Kurama said, Naruto's body is still too weak to handle all of his power so it's going to be a while before we have OP Naruto.

Anyway, next chapter: Long-Awaited Reunion and the Nine Tails unleashed.

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!