Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 11 Another Tsundere

"Big fox, how long have you been here? It's all wet here, aren't you uncomfortable?"

Nine-Tails' ears twitched slightly, and it glanced at him sideways. "Do you think I wanted this? Don't try to talk to this old man, brat."

"Seriously..." Naruto protested, looking annoyed. "I already said my name is Uzumaki Naruto, not some brat! Since I've introduced myself, shouldn't you politely give me your name too?"

The Nine-Tailed Fox scoffed, "Hmph, a name? Don't you humans all call me 'Nine-Tailed Fox'? I'm sick of that title."

...It seems that if I want to get closer to this big fox, I'll have to resort to some unconventional methods.

Naruto stroked his chin, then looked up with a sly smile. "Um... excuse me, is your name 'Kurama'?"

"What?!"

The Nine-Tails, which had been lying on the ground ignoring Naruto, suddenly raised its head, its massive body instantly tensing. Its name—in this ninja world, only the Sage of Six Paths and the other tailed beasts should know it! This brat… how could this be?!

"boom--!"

The Nine-Tailed Fox abruptly stood up, its massive claws slamming heavily against the iron bars of the cage, causing the entire sealed space to tremble slightly. "Kid...where did you get that name from?!"

"From watching anime." But this answer wouldn't satisfy Kurama, as the concept of "anime" doesn't even exist in this world. If Kurama answered like that, it would probably feel like it was being mocked.

"Hmm... well," Naruto hesitated, "what I'm about to say might be a little strange."

"Speak up already!" Nine-Tails impatiently slapped the ground with its claws, splashing water that soaked Naruto's trouser legs.

"Actually, I can't be sure if this is true or not. A long time ago, I had a very strange dream."

"A dream?" Nine-Tails revealed a mocking expression. "Kid, you're not trying to say that you learned my name in a dream, are you?"

"It does sound strange," Naruto said, looking directly into Kurama's eyes with unusual seriousness, "but it's true. In my dream, an old man in a white robe with a very distinctive appearance told me that a large fox named Kurama lives inside me. He also told me to be friends with you, saying we should understand each other and something..."

Old man...?

This description struck a chord with Kurama. Its massive body visibly stiffened for a moment, even its breathing became rapid. The white robe, the strangely-looking old man, the teachings on mutual understanding between humans and tailed beasts... these details were too specific to be a coincidence!

"One day, the tailed beasts will understand each other and find their true home."

The Sage of Six Paths' words echoed powerfully in Kurama's mind. These were secrets known only to the tailed beasts who had personally experienced that era; they could never have been fabricated out of thin air by a mere three-year-old human child!

Nine-Tails' claws tightened involuntarily. "Kid... what else did that old man say?"

Naruto noticed the subtle change in Kurama's attitude and was secretly pleased. "Hmm... he also said some strange things, like 'the essence of chakra is connection,' and 'true power comes from understanding'..."

With each word spoken, Kurama's pupils contracted slightly. These words, these ideas, were none other than the core thoughts of the Sage of Six Paths!

Naruto scratched his head. "There's something really strange about that old man."

"What?" Kurama immediately asked, its voice filled with barely concealed urgency. Its brain was racing, trying to piece together the truth from these fragmented pieces of information, while also carefully discerning any possible contradictions in Naruto's words.

"In my dream," Naruto said with a puzzled look, "he kept calling me 'Ashura.' Isn't that strange? Did he mistake me for someone else?"

"Asura?!"

The name exploded in Kurama's ears. The Sage of Six Paths, its own true name, the old man's prophecy, plus this name... Could this brat before it be the reincarnation of Ashura?!

Naruto looked at Kurama, who had suddenly fallen silent. Kurama's orange-red eyes were fixed on him, yet it remained silent. It seemed the amount of information was too much for even this thousand-year-old tailed beast to handle.

"Hmm..." Naruto broke the silence. "Kurama, that's your name, right? My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" He patted his chest. "Now that you're inside my body, nice to meet you!"

Nine-Tails was silent for a moment, then slowly lay down again, tilting its massive head to one side, and said in a low voice, "...Kurama."

Although it had come to believe most of what Naruto said, as a tailed beast that had witnessed too much hatred and fear, it was not so naive as to believe in humans based on just one conversation, much less foolish enough to immediately put into practice any ideal of "mutual understanding".

Let's observe first...

Nine-Tails narrowed its eyes, glancing at the blond brat out of the corner of its eye. It wanted to see if he had any connection to the old man... and... whether he truly deserved to be the person the old man had prophesied.

The Nine-Tails sensed Naruto's undisguised, burning gaze; those deep blue eyes flickered with an unsettling anticipation. It flicked its tail in annoyance.

"So, kid, what exactly do you want?"

Naruto sat cross-legged on the damp ground, a bright smile on his face. "Nothing special, it's just that I almost never talk to anyone. Are you always here too? Does that mean... I'm never alone?"

"Hmph, I'm not staying here voluntarily."

"Hmm... at least our 'involuntary' situations are quite compatible? If letting you out would be too dangerous... how about we temporarily become a slightly noisy neighbor until we find a suitable solution?"

"You certainly have a vivid imagination."

"Don't be so cold~" Naruto drawled, "Although that old man asked me to be friends with you, the reason I'm chatting with you isn't some high-sounding excuse."

Kurama did not reply, but simply stared at Naruto, waiting for him to continue.

Naruto's expression turned somewhat dejected. "Because... normally nobody pays any attention to me... having someone to talk to is really something to be happy about."

Naruto's smile turned slightly bitter. "Of course, if you don't even want to talk to me... I'll really be nothing but a shadow. So... thank you for listening to me."

"...Hmph, don't compare me to you."

Nine-Tailed Fox turned its head away, but its several bushy tails behind it swayed uncontrollably from side to side.

Naruto merely smiled at Kurama's indifference; he knew that this big guy was also a bit of a tsundere.

"Right now, I don't know how to get out of here, nor do I know how to help you change this environment." Naruto looked around.

"Kurama, if you had to choose... would you like to stay here alone, or would you like me to chatter on and tell you some stories?"

"...Whatever you want."