Reborn in Konoha; I Think I’m Cultivating Immortality

The sealing ritual was complete. The Nine-Tails had been transferred from Uzumaki Mito's body into Nawaki's.

Unlike the half of the nine-tailed beast sealed inside Naruto in the future, this was the entirety of the Nine-Tails. Whole and undivided.

The process had gone surprisingly smoothly, with no resistance or struggle from the Nine-Tails.

Looking at the now-sleeping Nawaki, sensing the immense chakra and vitality coursing within him, Hui's lips curled into a faint smile.

"This boy is destined for great things," Hui said softly, his voice filled with optimism for Nawaki's future.

"You used so much of your life energy on Nawaki… Hui, that was reckless! You should know you are far more important than he is right now," Tobirama Senju said, taking in Hui's tiered face with concern and reproach.

"It's fine. I'll recover in a few days," Hui replied, waving off the concern with a casual gesture.

While the amount of life energy he had infused into Nawaki was significant, it was well within his capacity. 

For others, losing life energy might be catastrophic, but for Hui, it was akin to working out till exhaustion, it was manageable and he would recover without any lasting consequences.

"I can feel that Nawaki's chakra is undergoing some strange changes after receiving so much life energy. Maybe… just maybe, he'll awaken a kekkei genkai. Whether it'll be Wood Release, though, I can't say," Hui speculated.

Tobirama's expression shifted, his gaze on Nawaki becoming more serious.

If a perfect Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was a powerful trump card for the village, then a new Hashirama Senju would be the key to its future.

"It seems this boy has gained a tremendous opportunity. Let's hope his future is as brilliant as yours," Tobirama said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. 

For him, both Nawaki and Hui were precious. Seeing Nawaki blessed with such potential filled him with joy.

"Hahaha, Nawaki will just be himself. He won't be the next Hui," Hui replied with a chuckle.

 Then, becoming more serious, he added, "Well then, I'll go and meet with the Nine-Tails inside Nawaki for a while."

Placing his hand gently on Nawaki's forehead, Hui closed his eyes.

…

In the next moment, Hui found himself in a dark, cavernous space.

Unlike the cold, damp environment inside Naruto's mind, Nawaki's internal landscape was shadowy but dry.

Behind a massive cage sat a gigantic orange fox with nine tails, its piercing eyes fixed curiously on Hui.

"Though we've met before… greetings, Nine-Tails," Hui said, offering an oddly formal introduction.

The Nine-Tails paused for a moment before grinning. "Greetings, little monster."

"Little monster?" Hui's expression froze for a moment.

"Yes. After all, you're no longer truly human, are you? But you're not a beast, nor a summoned creature, nor a tailed beast. So, little monster it is," the Nine-Tails said.

Hui was momentarily speechless. Was he… no longer human?

"Perhaps," Hui finally replied, unfazed. His physical transformation didn't bother him in the slightest.

He looked at the Nine-Tails and continued in a calm tone.

"Human or not, beast or not—it doesn't matter. As long as one's thoughts are human, as long as one's heart remains human, then regardless of what anyone says, they are human.

"And you, though you are a being of chakra, are no different from a human in my eyes, except for your size of course."

The Nine-Tails blinked, taken aback. It stared at Hui for a long moment before a slow grin returned to its face.

"Interesting. You're unlike the others outside. I don't sense any malice from you—in fact, you feel like one of my own kind," the Nine-Tails said. 

Then, leaning back in its cage, it added, "You're here about that brat who's my Jinchūriki, aren't you?"

"Yes. I know you've endured much at the hands of humans, and I understand your hatred for them. But I hope you'll give Nawaki a chance. He's not like the others," Hui said earnestly.

He wasn't here just to see the nine-tail's fox face, he was here for Nawaki.

The Nine-Tails' tone became flat, almost cold. "Many humans have said the same thing to me over the years. They all turned out to be liars. I've long since stopped believing in humans."

It's voice was calm and cold, but it also contained…sadness or betrayal.

"I see… Then let Nawaki prove himself to you over time," Hui said, not pushing further. "I only ask that you refrain from interfering with his daily training. This boy is different. You'll come to see that one day."

Hui didn't expect the Nine-Tails to change its mind so easily. 

It had lived through too much, seen too many betrayals. Trust wasn't something that could be restored with mere words.

Instead, Hui chose to leave that transformation in Nawaki's hands. He firmly believed that Nawaki, raised under his guidance, could become as perfect a Jinchūriki as Naruto is in the future.

"Since it's you asking, I'll agree," the Nine-Tails said, surprising Hui slightly. "It's been a long time since I've met someone who feels like kin."

The Nine-Tails' tone was surprisingly light, but its eyes remained serious.

The fox had witnessed Hui's growth from within Mito's body. 

It knew the terrifying potential of this "little monster." In just over a decade, Hui had surpassed the Nine-Tails in power; a feat it considered simply unreasonable.

This rapid development was why the Nine-Tails had referred to Hui as a "monster" instead of a "brat."

Despite its outward demeanour, the Nine-Tails harboured a deep wariness toward Hui. Yet Hui's uniqueness and the strange sense of kinship it felt compelled it to grant him some leeway.

"Well, let's leave it at that for now. I look forward to our next meeting, Nine-Tails," Hui said with a slight smile, turning to leave.

As long as the nine-tails didn't interfere in Nawaki's training, it was fine. The amount of Nawaki had at the moment was still inferior to what naruto would have in the future.

If he had use a significant amount of his chakra to suppress the nine-tails, it could significantly slow down nawaki's progress in everything else.

…

Back in the physical world, Hui opened his eyes and smiled at Tobirama.

"It's done. The Nine-Tails chakra won't affect Nawaki," Hui said.

Tobirama's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise.

The Nine-Tails was notoriously unruly, never truly submitting to anyone. Not even under the control of Madara's Mangekyō Sharingan or after being physically overpowered by Hashirama, did it truly submit.

Even within Mito's body, it had constantly schemed to escape or deliberately making trouble for Mito's daily life.

Yet Hui had resolved the matter of minutes.

"Incredible. Did you beat it into submission?" Tobirama asked.

Deep within Nawaki's mind, the Nine-Tails twitched in irritation, nearly unleashing its chakra.

"No. the nine-tails was quite easy to talk to. I definitely think Nawaki will become great friends with the nine-tails in the future," Hui replied with a knowing smile.

Tobirama's lips twitched. 'Easy to talk to? The Nine-Tails?'

Hah! 

If anyone else had said this, Tobirama would have dismissed it as mere nonsense. But coming from Hui, he decided to hold his tongue.

"Well, then. Let's see how things play out," Tobirama said, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart and nodding at Hui.

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