Konoha's Genius is a bit Ordinary?

When Naruto opened his eyes, he wiped away his tears and excitedly told Natsuro about what had just happened, asking eagerly.

"Natsuro, what exactly was that just now? Why did it feel so warm yet so sad?"

Naruto wanted to know the reason, and since it was Natsuro who had him experience it, he must know something.

Natsuro listened to Naruto's experience and nodded. Since the Fourth Hokage and Kushina had already agreed, he had no reason to object.

Then, he heard Naruto's question, smiled, and, for the first time in a long while, ruffled Naruto's hair, which was still damp with a few lingering tears. "That," he said gently, "is something you'll have to discover on your own someday."

"Mm!" Naruto nodded vigorously. Deep down, he already had a vague suspicion, but he wasn't quite ready to believe it until he confirmed it himself.

"Ouch, it's a bit prickly now." Natsuro withdrew his hand and said, "Sure enough, you're past your cute phase, and your hair isn't as soft to touch as when you were younger."

"Hehe, I've grown up!" Naruto scratched his head and laughed.

"Follow me."

Natsuro got up and led Naruto to his room.

"So this is your room, Natsuro? It's completely different from mine!" Naruto's eyes widened as he took in the tidy room.

"You should tidy up your room more, too. It doesn't have to be spotless, but at least keep it organized. Otherwise, whoever ends up with you in the future will be exhausted." Natsuro teased, recalling how every time he visited Naruto's place, he never knew where to even step, let alone start cleaning.

"Eh, don't worry about it so much~"

Naruto still didn't feel like cleaning up. It just seemed too much trouble to tidy his room.

"Take off your shirt and lie down." Natsuro sighed but didn't push the issue further. Anyway, it would be Hinata's headache in the future, not his; he wasn't the one living with Naruto.

"Thanks," Naruto said, and, already accustomed to the process, quickly took off his shirt and lay down.

Sitting beside him, Natsuro channeled chakra through his fingers, and soon, the intricate sealing marks covering Naruto's body appeared before him.

"Let me confirm one last time: Are you sure about this?" Natsuro asked.

"Yes, I'm sure!" Naruto replied firmly.

Natsuro nodded and began his work, also entering the Nine-Tails' sealed space mentally.

Soon, Natsuro saw the Nine-Tails lying with its back turned to him, staring intently in the other direction. He spoke up, "Kurama, why are you turning your back on me today? It's quite rude to treat a guest like this."

As he spoke, Natsuro quietly approached.

"Hmph, what kind of guest are you?" The Nine-Tails snorted, already used to Natsuro's way of addressing it.

"Also, I'd advise you to mind your own business!" The Nine-Tails glanced back and glared at Natsuro.

Before it could finish, Natsuro suddenly reached out, grabbing one of its tails. The Nine-Tails' eyes widened, trying to pull its tail back, only to find that, surprisingly, it couldn't retract it immediately.

"Let go of me!" The Nine-Tails roared angrily.

"Hey, it's not my fault! You turned your back on me, and those big, fluffy tails were just swishing in front of me; anyone would be tempted to pet one." Natsuro released the tail, retreated to a safe distance, and smiled.

He rubbed his hand, reminiscing about the incredible texture. Sure enough, the fur on its tail was much softer than on its body!

"I'm going to kill you!" The Nine-Tails roared in anger, yet secretly thinking, only this guy would dare to do something like that. Most people would be scared stiff, let alone pet a tailed beast!

"Don't say things that'll hurt our bond." Natsuro rubbed his ears, sore from the Nine-Tails' loud shouting.

"Brat, I have no bond with you!" the Nine-Tails shouted again.

"Well, I guess that's true. Anyway, you know what Naruto intends to do, right? How do you feel about it?" Natsuro changed the topic.

Taking what he needed, Natsuro figured he should leave things as they were. He felt pretty good about his plan, considering this little interaction with the Nine-Tails as an interest payment. Maybe he'd come back for more in the future~ It was just a pity, looking at the Nine-Tails, which had already turned back around. It would probably never show its back to him again.

"Hmph, mind your own business." The Nine-Tails thought of Naruto and, for once, didn't taunt.

Natsuro was a little surprised, expecting another snarky comment. Was that all?

At that moment, Natsuro realized that maybe Naruto and the Nine-Tails' relationship was more harmonious than he had thought, and he could set aside some of his worries.

This made Natsuro smile faintly. Good job, Naruto.

"I don't know about minding my own business, but since Naruto asked me to help you, I'm going to finish it. Otherwise, I'd be lying to a kid." Natsuro stretched and said.

The Nine-Tails glanced at Natsuro without saying anything. To be honest, Natsuro's power had exceeded its expectations. He hadn't been this strong the last time he entered, and now the Nine-Tails wasn't even sure it could take him down.

The Nine-Tails' gaze drifted to Natsuro's forehead, where a mark was becoming clearer. It signified that he was indeed progressing along that path, a path that, even if the Nine-Tails didn't understand completely, it knew was incredibly powerful.

Natsuro finally started working. The first step was to break the Eight Trigrams Seal. Naruto's Eight Trigrams Seal was already nearly undone; now, he just needed to release it completely.

That was easy for Natsuro, as he had adjusted it many times before. Breaking the Eight Trigrams Seal was simple for him.

Then, he needed to share Naruto's vision with the Nine-Tails. It was possible, but how to implement it was the question.

After some thought, Natsuro's eyes brightened, and he began drawing on Naruto's body.

Back in the Nine-Tails' sealed space...

The Nine-Tails looked at the wall, now transformed into a strange black, glass-like object. Curious, it asked, "What is this thing?"

"Oh, that's a TV," Natsuro answered, sensing the Nine-Tails' confusion.

"Hmph, I didn't ask you. So, how does it work?" The Nine-Tails snorted.

"See the button below? Just press it to connect to Naruto's view, and press it again to turn it off." Natsuro smiled as he explained the controls to the Nine-Tails.

.....

"This way, if you don't want to be disturbed, you can also block Naruto's vision," Natsuro explained.

The Nine-Tails glanced at the massive screen with curiosity but quickly suppressed it, realizing that Natsuro was still there.

"Unnecessary. I can block him myself."

"Of course, you're the strongest of the tailed beasts, after all. But this way, it's more convenient," Natsuro smiled, complimenting the Nine-Tails.

"True enough." his words pleased the Nine-Tails. Especially the title of "strongest tailed beast" – while the Nine-Tails believed this was a fact, hearing it from someone else felt different. Its tone softened a bit.

"And, Kurama, I've adjusted the seal so your senses can combine with Naruto's. Naruto has this capability, but he's never known how to use it. So, if you notice anyone approaching him with malicious intent, I'd appreciate it if you could give him a heads-up," Natsuro continued.

"Who do you think I am? Giving that kid a warning?" The Nine-Tails glared at him, its bloodshot eyes narrowing.

"That's up to you; I'm not forcing anything. I'm just hoping you can look out for him a bit. You've seen it yourself; that kid is too naive and easily tricked," Natsuro said sincerely.

"Hmph, let him be tricked. I'm not going to bother with him," the Nine-Tails snorted, lying back down, motionless.

"Suit yourself. My work here is done. See you next time, Kurama." Natsuro waved as he took his leave.

"Get out! I don't want to see you, and it'd be best if there was no next time!" The Nine-Tails kept up its unfriendly demeanor, even inching backward.

Natsuro chuckled inwardly. Is it afraid of being "petted" again?

With that, Natsuro left the Nine-Tails' sealed space, leaving the "lonely old fox" by itself.

After Natsuro left, the Nine-Tails opened its eyes. After waiting a moment, it reached out a paw and pressed the button. The screen lit up, and Natsuro's image appeared.

Right, Naruto was still with that idiot, the Nine-Tails mused, seeing his mischievous smile. Realizing something was wrong, it tried to turn off the screen, but it was already too late.

Natsuro reappeared in the Nine-Tails' sealed space, smiling brightly as he looked at it.

"Oh, one more thing – whenever you turn on the TV, I can see it through the seal since it's my handiwork."

The Nine-Tails' expression froze, eyes wide open. So now, anything it did secretly would be exposed?

The Nine-Tails didn't know the phrase "social death," but its claws were now scratching furiously at the ground.

Then, an angry roar echoed through the sealed space.

"You bastard, get out of here!!"

As the Nine-Tails roared, its overwhelming chakra surged toward Natsuro.

Seeing this, he realized he might have gone too far in teasing the Nine-Tails.

With that in mind, he quickly exited the sealed space without saying anything more.

Now, the Nine-Tails stared at the screen, wanting to launch a Tailed Beast Bomb at Natsuro's grinning face. But that guy wasn't scared at all.

The Nine-Tails realized Natsuro truly had no fear of tailed beasts – no fear, no hatred, and along with that mark on his forehead…he really was a strange one.

The Nine-Tails found the "live broadcast" screen quite interesting, though the current setup wasn't ideal.

Maybe next time Naruto came over, it could ask him to improve the environment a bit? But wouldn't that mean relying on Naruto?

The Nine-Tails pondered this, recalling Natsuro's sensory enhancement. Maybe it should help Naruto out and, in turn, get him to help improve its space?

Never mind, it would think about it later.

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Currently on Chapter 225 - Kakashi's Return!