After hearing the Nine-Tails' words, Naruto found himself unexpectedly back outside the sealed space.
"Huh? You're already out?" Obito asked, raising an eyebrow in mild confusion.
Naruto laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Heh, well... there was a bit of an incident. Nine-Tails just woke up and is in a bit of a grumpy mood. Obito-nii, please, let me try again."
A tailed beast with morning mood swings? Obito couldn't help but feel perplexed, but with a resigned sigh, he nodded. "Alright..."
Moments later, however, Naruto's eyes snapped open once again. Obito tilted his head, utterly puzzled. "Did it not work? Was I unable to send you in properly?"
No, Obito was sure it had worked—he could feel the energy of the transfer. But before Obito could voice his thoughts, Naruto, brimming with determination, rolled up his sleeves. "Not letting me in, huh? Dream on! I'm going in no matter what!"
He turned to Obito, his eyes filled with fiery resolve. "Obito-nii, do it again!"
Obito hesitated briefly but then shrugged and activated his ability once more. Moments later, Naruto was ejected again.
"Again!" Naruto demanded, his voice brimming with stubborn pride. "I'm telling you, I'm not giving up until I win. Do it again!"
Time ticked by, and even Obito, with his enhanced endurance granted by the Hashirama cells, began to feel the strain of the repeated attempts. Sweat formed on his brow as he muttered under his breath, "Are the Nine-Tails' morning mood swings really this bad?"
He glanced at Naruto, who stood unfazed, fists clenched and resolve shining brightly in his eyes. Despite the repetitive failures, Naruto's energy and determination hadn't wavered in the slightest.
After a brief moment of consideration, Obito let out a sigh and asked, "Do you need some help? I'm pretty good at handling tailed beasts, you know."
"No need, Obito-nii." Naruto shook his head firmly, his voice brimming with unshakable resolve. "This is between me and that stupid fox. Again! I don't believe he can keep throwing me out forever."
Obito sighed, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Minato-sensei's son was as stubborn as they came—an unmistakable blend of his father's determination and Kushina-sensei's fiery tenacity. With a resigned shake of his head, Obito activated his technique yet again. As he watched Naruto persist through repeated failures, a curious thought began to take root in his mind.
It was common knowledge that the sealed space functioned as a two-way channel. A Jinchuriki's consciousness could enter, but the tailed beast also retained the power to reject their host. Typically, these interactions boiled down to a contest of willpower—whoever's resolve burned brighter held the advantage.
However, tailed beasts generally welcomed a Jinchuriki's presence. Such encounters gave them opportunities to influence or erode the host's will over time, slowly tipping the scales in their favor. So, why on earth was the Nine-Tails rejecting Naruto so fiercely? Obito's brow furrowed in confusion.
Little did Naruto know, inside the sealed space, Kurama was on the brink of losing his patience. This brat—he just wouldn't quit.
The last time Naruto barged in, he'd thrown a barrage of bizarre, utterly nonsensical questions at the Nine-Tails—questions that no self-respecting tailed beast should have to answer.
What kind of tailed beast would know trivia like that? And what kind of ninja would even waste their time studying such useless information? But now? This pest was back again, repeatedly entering and exiting like some irritating fly, demanding training help.
Did Naruto think the Nine-Tails was some kind of benevolent, easygoing tutor? Even Madara, who had ridden him like a beast, and Hashirama, who had strangled him bare-handed, hadn't been this infuriating.
A growl rumbled from Kurama's chest as he raised his massive head, his fiery red eyes narrowing into piercing slits. "You annoying little brat," he snarled, his voice dripping with irritation. "What the hell do you want now?!"
Seeing that the Nine-Tails had finally stopped ejecting him, Naruto's grin widened triumphantly. Puffing out his chest, he jabbed a thumb at himself and announced, "Nothing much. Just, you know, I have an exam coming up soon..."
Kurama blinked, utterly baffled. An exam? What in the world did that have to do with him? The colossal fox narrowed his eyes in suspicion but decided to wait for the blonde pest to explain himself further.
Meanwhile, outside the sealed space, Obito let out a quiet sigh of relief as he noticed that Naruto hadn't immediately woken up again. Leaning back, he allowed himself a small, wry smile.
His thoughts wandered back to that morning… With little else to do, he had gone looking for Tobi Zetsu, hoping for some idle chatter to pass the time. Ever since graduating and becoming the Uchiha clan leader, his responsibilities had surprisingly dwindled. The clan's affairs were minimal, leaving him with more free time than he'd ever expected.
He often spent it visiting Rin at her workplace or simply chatting with Tobi. However… every single time they talked, Tobi somehow managed to steer the conversation toward poop. No matter the starting topic, he would always found a way to steer towards it. It was baffling, to say the least, and downright frustrating sometimes.
Obito had expected nothing more than another quirky conversation with Tobi when he went looking for him that morning. The two of them had been through their fair share of oddball chats, and it seemed like just another typical day of winding down with the eccentric Zetsu. However, things took an unexpected turn when Minato-sensei's son showed up, requesting help to enter the Nine-tails' sealed space.
Thanks to Rin's influence, Obito had developed a deeper understanding of tailed beasts over the years. He was well aware that his Sharingan could be used to suppress their immense power, making it a useful tool in situations like this. But that didn't mean he didn't recognize the dangers these creatures posed.
Naruto was still so young, not even an academy graduate yet. Initially, Obito had hesitated, aware that the immense chakra of a tailed beast could easily overwhelm someone who lacked the proper mental fortitude. If Naruto's willpower wasn't strong enough, he could easily fall victim to the Nine-Tails' overwhelming energy.
However, when Naruto assured him that both his mother, Kushina, and Uncle Akihiko had approved of the idea, Obito's concerns began to ease. Akihiko might not always have the most honorable reputation, but Obito trusted that the guy wouldn't take unnecessary risks when it came to something as serious as the well-being of the children.
Reluctantly, he agreed to help, reasoning that if something went wrong, he could always step in to protect the boy.
Still, whenever Obito thought about Akihiko, a headache inevitably followed. Who would have guessed that the reports from Konoha's Root Division were accurate? Akihiko really did have ulterior motives behind his so-called noble rescues of widows and orphans.
Take Lady Mikoto, for instance. Now she was pregnant, and the implications of that were far from simple. As for Kushina-sensei, she still seemed as lively and spirited as ever on the surface, but Obito couldn't shake his suspicions about her relationship with Akihiko. It wasn't just something that had started recently—this connection had been building long before Mikoto even entered the picture.
But what could he, as a student, say about it? Even Rin had expressed her hope that Kushina would find happiness. And what was Obito supposed to do? He could only silently apologize to Minato-sensei in his heart, understanding that sometimes, life moved in ways beyond his control.
Over the years, though, Obito had also come to realize that not all tailed beasts shared the same deep-seated hatred for humans or despised being sealed. Take Rin's Sanbi, for example. The Sanbi had been perfectly content in its sealed space. For the Sanbi, it wasn't a prison—it was simply a new home. As long as it had a comfortable environment, a little peace and quiet, and a cool breeze, the Sanbi was happy. In fact, Obito often wondered if the Sanbi slept better in its sealed space than it did out in the open world.
Obito furrowed his brow as he watched Naruto. The boy's body was already cloaked in the Nine-Tails' chakra, which meant Obito couldn't afford to let his guard down for even a second.
If Kurama were to suddenly go berserk, Obito would need to suppress it immediately and help Naruto regain control over his will. However, something felt… off. This chakra wasn't just chaotic—it felt almost disdainful. What was going on here?
Obito's mind drifted back to the earlier moments, when Naruto had repeatedly entered the sealed space only to be promptly ejected by the Nine-Tails. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, mulling over the situation.
"Could it be that Nine-Tails is one of those tailed beasts who loves to sleep and hates being disturbed?" Obito muttered to himself.
He paused, shaking his head as doubt crept into his thoughts. "But that doesn't align with the records from Konoha... Nine-Tails is supposed to be one of the most fearsome of the tailed beasts."
After all, even the First Hokage had considered it one of the most terrifying entities in existence. So why was the Nine-Tails acting this way?
Just as the words left Obito's mouth, Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra retracted, and he opened his eyes, a small smirk forming on his face. "I did it."
"Although I have no idea what you're up to, it looks like you've succeeded in your goal. Congratulations, Naruto," Obito said, snapping out of his thoughts. He paused for a moment before adding with a hint of caution, "But the power of a tailed beast is not easy to control. If you run into any problems... well, never mind. With Kushina-sensei and that guy around, I guess I won't need to step in."
"I know, thanks a lot, Obito-nii." Naruto grinned and nodded. Then he glanced at the time, "It's getting late, so I'll head back now. Don't want to bother you anymore. I'll definitely surprise that annoying Sasuke with this."
But just as Naruto turned to leave, Obito, still smiling, blocked his path.
Naruto's instincts screamed that something was off. His gaze flickered to Obito, who wore a mischievous grin. Before Naruto could even ask what was going on, Obito said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "Since you're here, I have a gift for you..."
A chill ran down Naruto's spine. Something about the way Obito said 'gift' and the smile on his face immediately triggered a sense of déjà vu. He had a bad feeling about this.