Chapter 156: The Nine-Tails, Just a Pet

——

"Sasuke, your eyes..."

Naruto focused his attention on Sasuke and immediately saw his blood-red Sharingan.

Three tomoe floated on his eyeballs, revealing an indescribable sense of strangeness.

What's going on?

Why have Sasuke's eyes changed?

ding!

Just then, Naruto's body shook, and his footsteps suddenly slowed down.

ding

In an instant.

Naruto felt the world spinning.

The world in front of him suddenly changed, and he appeared in another place.

In front of him was a hot golden gate.

The gate was tightly closed.

The edges of the gate had intricate carvings, and a thin layer of yellow paper was pasted on the tightly closed cracks, with the word "seal" written on it.

"Where is this?"

Naruto's eyes widened, full of curiosity.

He remembered that he was just in the woods.

How did he get here now?

Strange!

"This is the sealed place within your body."

Suddenly.

Sasuke's indifferent voice sounded beside Naruto.

Naruto instinctively looked to the right and immediately saw Sasuke with an expressionless face.

Just...

Sasuke's eyes were still the blood-red three-tomoe Sharingan.

+50

The number in front of Sasuke suddenly jumped. His behavior and words were judged by the system as "acting cool," and the points obtained from acting cool were quite high.

"What do you mean?"

Naruto was confused.

He didn't understand!

What seal?

Naruto's head was full of question marks. He wanted to ask Sasuke in detail, but he didn't even know where to start.

"You'll know soon enough."

Sasuke walked towards the gate step by step, leaving Naruto with a lonely back.

+30

The number appeared in front of Sasuke again, but it was not as high as the last time.

This situation always appeared when he acted cool in front of Naruto.

It was difficult to be consistent!

You could see inside the hot golden gate through the gaps between the bars.

But it was pitch black inside.

Nothing could be seen.

The darker it was, the more disturbing it felt.

Tap, tap, tap...

Sasuke walked towards the iron gate step by step. The closer he got, the more he could feel an evil power.

This power was strong!

Very strong!

Squish~squish~squish~

Sasuke found that there was a puddle of water under his feet at some point, and he felt like he was stepping on water as he walked.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...

Immediately after.

The water under Sasuke's feet seemed to boil, and orange bubbles rose up.

"Sasuke, be careful!"

Naruto immediately became anxious when he saw the sudden change in front of him, and he wanted to walk forward.

But.

A strange thought came to his mind.

Don't go forward!

Naruto immediately stopped and watched Sasuke stop in front of the gate and the rising orange bubbles.

The orange bubbles instantly churned up, constantly rolling and changing, and finally formed a pair of eyes and a mouth with fangs, revealing the image of a fox's head.

But this fox head had not yet fully formed, it was just vague, and orange bubbles were constantly emerging from the fox's head.

It was the Nine-Tails sealed within Naruto!

"What is this?!"

Naruto's eyes widened, his pupils trembling slightly, and there was a look of horror in his eyes.

He had never seen such a scene before!

He had never seen such a monster before either!

If Sasuke wasn't standing in front of him, he would be even more scared!

What was going on?

Naruto roared in his heart, but now these words could only be roared in his heart. His throat seemed to be closed, making him afraid to make even the slightest sound in front of this monster.

Suddenly.

Just then.

The Nine-Tails' eyes opened.

Red eyeballs suddenly appeared, and the vertical pupils on the eyeballs gave people a very terrifying feeling.

The orange bubbles could only come out a little bit from inside the fence, and the rest were all locked inside the gate.

The next moment.

The fox head in the orange bubbles grinned, revealing its white teeth, looking extremely ferocious.

"You are..."

The Nine-Tails' blood-red eyes stared closely at Sasuke, with a hint of surprise in its voice.

Next.

The Nine-Tails' eyes noticed the three-tomoe Sharingan in Sasuke's eyes.

"You are from the Uchiha clan, you can already see me!"

The Nine-Tails' tone was filled with a hint of imperceptible surprise.

"Nine-Tails, I have something to tell you."

Sasuke's Sharingan glowed with an eerie light, and there was almost no fluctuation of expression on his indifferent face.

This thing.

Couldn't scare him!

+100

The number in front of Sasuke suddenly jumped, rising to three digits without warning.

This was completely unexpected by Sasuke.

Did acting cool in front of the Nine-Tails give him more points?

Or...

Did he just hit the Nine-Tails' weak spot?

Sasuke was only surprised for a moment before immediately putting these thoughts behind him.

He would think about what was going on later.

Since he could increase his points now, he might as well act cool for a while longer, especially since the Nine-Tails was still sealed.

"Nine-Tails... Nine-Tailed Fox?"

Naruto's face was filled with great shock, and a strange thought suddenly appeared in his heart. Could it be that the people in the village were right, and he was the reincarnation of the Nine-Tailed Fox?

"Naruto, don't be nervous, this fox is just a little brother."

The corners of Sasuke's mouth curled up slightly, and he said these words lightly.

+120

The number in front of Sasuke suddenly jumped, and the increase was very exaggerated, completely beyond his expectations.

"This..."

Naruto was stunned.

What was going on?

Didn't they say he was the Nine-Tailed Fox?

If the monster in front of him was the Nine-Tailed Fox...

Then who was he?

However...

After Sasuke said that the fox was just a little brother, Naruto suddenly became fearless.

"Shut up!"

The Nine-Tails' eyes focused on Sasuke. Because its face was too large, it couldn't help but look a little cross-eyed.

"Sharingan!"

"Evil Sharingan!"

"The bloodline power of the cursed clan!"

"I don't like your eyes!"

There was a hint of resentment in the Nine-Tails' voice. Whenever it saw these eyes, it would remember the fear of being dominated by those with red eyes.

"Is that so!"

The corners of Sasuke's mouth curled up slightly, and his Sharingan turned slightly, meeting the Nine-Tails' eyes.

"Nine-Tails, my eyes, they remind you of Madara, don't they?"

Sasuke's voice was very faint, revealing a feeling that he didn't take the Nine-Tails seriously at all.

+150

As soon as Sasuke said these words.

The number in front of him instantly soared.

It directly jumped to a rather terrifying increase.

"Who are you?"

The Nine-Tails' pupils shrank sharply. After hearing Sasuke's words just now, it didn't show any anger, but a rare cautiousness.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke said his name very calmly.

There was nothing to hide.

They would meet often in the future!

After all, the Nine-Tails would always be in Naruto's belly. As Naruto's friend, he still had to take care of the Nine-Tails occasionally.

"You seem to know something?"

The Nine-Tails' eyes narrowed slightly, trying to restrain the strange light in its pupils, and asked tentatively.

"I know everything about you!"

Sasuke said this sentence again, not only because it was cool enough, but also because this sentence did have enough impact on some guys who thought they were very mysterious.

+180

The number in front of Sasuke continued to soar.

He had never seen such an increase before.

The increase was particularly impressive!

It seemed...

He would have to take the Nine-Tails out for a walk when he had nothing to do in the future!

"Uchiha brat, be careful when you speak to this大爷!"

The Nine-Tails could no longer suppress the anger in its voice.

It felt provoked.

The anger in its heart could no longer be held back!

Anyway.

It was the dignified Nine-Tails!

It couldn't be bullied by just any Uchiha, could it!

"Nine-Tails, you should be grateful you can hide inside Naruto. I advise you to behave, don't cause trouble for Naruto, and don't drag your feet when we need you!"

Sasuke paused, the light emanating from his Sharingan intensifying.

"Remember that."

"This seal is your protection."

"If anything happens to Naruto..."

"What awaits you isn't freedom, but an abyss of endless control by the Sharingan!"

"You will become my summon!"

Sasuke's tone was utterly flat, as if stating something completely ordinary.

Not even ordinary, really.

A hint of condescending superiority laced his words.

+200

The number before Sasuke's eyes surged to an unprecedented height, instantly reaching the peak since he'd acquired the 'Acting Cool System.'

The Nine-Tails' eyes flashed with fierce light. It hadn't expected such humiliation at this time.

Uchiha!

Uchiha again!

Madara Uchiha was one thing!

Now it had to be threatened by a little Uchiha brat!

Damn it!

The Nine-Tails felt an urge to unleash a torrent of curses, but it held back, wanting to see what this kid was capable of, how much he actually knew.

Was he all talk?

It really wasn't that the Nine-Tails was scared!

The shadow of the Sharingan loomed too large!

If it hadn't been sealed for years, allowing it to recover somewhat and forget those terrifying memories, it would probably have PTSD!

"Hmph!"

The Nine-Tails snorted coldly, then transformed into a series of orange bubbles that sank into the cage and vanished.

In an instant, the space fell silent.

"Whew!"

Naruto stared intently at Sasuke. He vaguely sensed some strange change in his body, but couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"Sasuke, what was that just now?"

Naruto asked hesitantly. He was still in the dark about the Nine-Tails, and seeing this had left him utterly bewildered.

"The Nine-Tails. Just a pet."

Sasuke said casually, not giving the mighty tailed beast a second thought.

+10

The number before Sasuke's eyes jumped.

Huh?

Sasuke's eyes widened. He thought he'd seen wrong.

But...

No mistake!

It was indeed 10 points.

Only 10 points!

No way!

Sasuke was puzzled. Hadn't it just reached 200?

He'd just said such badass lines!

How come it only went up by 10?

"Sasuke, you said that monster just now was the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

The expression on Naruto's face was genuine, a mix of emotions he couldn't quite decipher.

"Isn't the Nine-Tailed Fox me?"

Naruto asked, finally finding his courage.

He'd been avoiding this topic, yet it always seemed to find him.

Over time, he'd even started to believe he might actually be the Nine-Tailed Fox!

"Of course not."

Sasuke smiled faintly, his three-tomoe Sharingan gazing into Naruto's azure eyes.

"Naruto!"

"Remember my words clearly!"

"You are you!"

"The Nine-Tails is the Nine-Tails!"

"You are not the Nine-Tails, and the Nine-Tails is not you!"

"In short..."

"You can think of the Nine-Tails as a friend, or you can think of it as a pet!"

"There's no difference!"

Sasuke spoke calmly. As an Uchiha, his eyes might not possess sufficient power yet, but that didn't stop him from looking down on any tailed beast.

This was the pride of the Uchiha clan!

+20

The number before Sasuke's eyes jumped again, the increase still minimal.

Acting cool in front of Naruto just wasn't very effective.

The moment Naruto asked that question, Sasuke knew why the increase had dropped.

Because right now, Naruto had absolutely no concept of what the Nine-Tails truly was!

That being the case...

Saying the Nine-Tails was a pet wasn't really acting cool in front of Naruto.

Never mind how big the Nine-Tails was!

Without any context, it just seemed hollow!

Sasuke had felt this way when reading novels before.

For example...

If you legally subscribed to an author's book, the author would be very grateful.

If you were generous enough to donate, the author would thank you in the chapter!

Even more impressive, if you directly threw in a huge donation, the author would be so grateful that they'd add more chapters, practically pouring their heart out!

Sasuke still remembered the most extreme cases!

If you donated something like a 'Silver 萌' or 'Golden 萌,' the author would practically kneel and call you daddy.

These things, which held meaning for the author, could all contribute to acting cool. But if you directly said, "Donate tens of billions"...

There's no context...

No more acting cool!

Sasuke telling Naruto the Nine-Tails was a pet was the same feeling, a bit empty and boastful.

"So that's how it is!"

Naruto nodded, seeming to understand, but not really.

Whatever!

Just treat it as a pet then!

A friend?

No way they could be friends!

Naruto shook his head inwardly. He only recognized Sasuke as his friend!

"Let's go out."

Sasuke looked at Naruto and slowly closed his eyes, his three-tomoe Sharingan reverting back to their normal black.

Weng!

Suddenly, Naruto felt a wave of dizziness.

The surrounding scenery changed completely.

The dark corridor, the golden gate, and the Nine-Tails Sasuke had called a pet were all gone.

Naruto was back in the forest.

He was still in the posture of walking towards Sasuke, but his footsteps had stopped, his face etched with shock.

Sasuke stood where he was, unchanged except for his eyes returning to their normal color.

"Sasuke..."

Naruto felt like he'd had a dream, as if time had stopped and his soul had journeyed to another space.

"Naruto, try condensing the Flying Thunder God Formula again."

Sasuke spoke calmly, not bothering to avoid Ebisu. It was time for Ebisu to witness Naruto's potential.

+20

The number before Sasuke's eyes jumped.

Beside Sasuke, Ebisu's eyes widened behind his sunglasses!

No way!

Naruto Uzumaki could use Flying Thunder God too?

Was everyone using Flying Thunder God these days?

Wasn't this a bit much?

"Uh..."

Naruto was still a bit dazed. He nodded instinctively and raised his hand towards the ground.

Weng!

Instantly, Naruto's abundant chakra surged out from his palm, imprinting a swirling pattern on the ground.

The pattern appeared, but there were no spatial fluctuations.

It was an incomplete Flying Thunder God Formula!

"Did I succeed?"

Naruto's eyelids twitched. He didn't know why, but he felt his control over chakra had become much smoother.

"No."

Sasuke shook his head.

"I still failed?"

Naruto lowered his head. He'd been frantically practicing the Flying Thunder God Technique, hoping to master it before Sasuke returned and surprise him.

Now...

Sasuke was back!

No surprise delivered!

Naruto felt a little sad.

"You're almost there."

Sasuke said seriously, his eyes fixed on the Flying Thunder God Formula.

It really was almost complete.

Naruto had ample chakra reserves, but lacked fine control in using it.

Without the Nine-Tails' interference, things were smoother, but his foundation was still rough.

However...

Wasn't there someone with a solid foundation right here?

"Ebisu-sensei, please teach Naruto about chakra control."

Sasuke turned to Ebisu, his words polite but his tone commanding.

"This..."

Ebisu's lips twitched. He was resistant, but the one speaking was Sasuke, and he didn't dare refuse.

"Can't you do it?"

Sasuke's voice held a hint of disappointment.

"I can do it!"

Ebisu immediately straightened up. He understood. There was little he could teach Sasuke; this little genius seemed to know everything.

What he needed to do now was curry favor with Sasuke!

If teaching Naruto could achieve that, then he was willing to do so.

"Ebisu-sensei, haven't you always wanted to train a Hokage?"

Sasuke looked up at Ebisu, his gaze sharp and piercing.

"Y-yes!"

Ebisu didn't know why Sasuke suddenly brought this up, a huge question mark popping up in his mind.

"Now's your chance. Whether you cherish it or not is up to you."

Sasuke said calmly.

With that, Sasuke turned to Naruto, who happened to be looking at him too.

"Naruto, this is Special Jonin Ebisu. He'll be teaching you some chakra control techniques for a while. I hope you'll learn with humility and patience. This will be extremely useful for your future!"

Sasuke's voice held an unquestionable firmness.

"I understand."

Naruto nodded vigorously, giving Sasuke a bright, sunny smile. He instantly recovered from his gloom, his energy restored.

"Sasuke, whoever you want me to learn from, I'll learn from. I only trust you!"

After Naruto finished speaking, he looked at the sunglass-wearing Ebisu, recalling the etiquette Iruka had taught him.

"Ebisu-sensei, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, please guide me!"

(End of chapter)