Hokage's Office
The Third Hokage was immersed in his calligraphy, the rhythmic strokes of his brush calming his mind. That peace was shattered when the office door burst open, revealing a panting shinobi.
"Lord Hokage!" the shinobi gasped, trying to catch his breath.
The Hokage sighed, already guessing the reason for this sudden intrusion. "Let me guess… another one of Naruto's pranks?"
"That little menace is defacing the Hokage Monument again! He's painting graffiti all over the faces of our village's greatest heroes! You must put a stop to this!" the shinobi urged.
The Hokage pinched the bridge of his nose. "And where is that brat Haruto?" he asked, clearly frustrated. "Wasn't he supposed to be keeping Naruto in check?"
The shinobi hesitated before replying awkwardly, "Uh… well, Lord Hokage… Haruto is actually watching the whole thing from the rooftop. He's… um… enjoying the show."
The Hokage exhaled deeply. "Of course, he is."
His eyes darkened with thought. Despite being brothers, Naruto and Haruto were treated very differently by the village. When the masked man unleashed the Nine-Tails, the Fourth Hokage had divided the beast's chakra, sealing half into each of his sons.
But the villagers didn't know the full truth. To them, Naruto was the sole jinchūriki, the one burdened with the demon. They shunned him, scorned him. Meanwhile, Haruto—whether due to his naturally bright personality or simply because people assumed he was normal—was treated more kindly, though not without his share of whispers and suspicion.
Yet, Haruto never seemed to care. He was always cheerful, his positivity affecting everyone around him. It was as if the villagers' judgment didn't matter to him at all.
"He's just a child," the Hokage muttered, shaking his head. "What am I thinking?"
Straightening his robe, he followed the shinobi out of the office.
Top of the Hokage Monument
A group of shinobi had gathered, frantically trying to catch Naruto as he dashed across the monument, paintbrush in hand.
"Enough with these stupid pranks!""We're sick of it, Naruto!""You're dead when we catch you, you hear me?!"
Amidst the chaos, a voice rang out—filled with unrestrained laughter.
"Hahahaha! You're a great artist, brother! I'm so proud of you!"
Perched casually on the railing of the Hokage building sat Haruto, his blond hair tousled by the wind. His sharp eyes gleamed with amusement as he wiped away a tear from laughing so hard. Unlike Naruto, he lacked the signature whisker marks on his cheeks.
Every shinobi on the rooftop turned simultaneously to glare at him.
"Hey, you brat! Instead of encouraging him, you should be teaching him respect! You're the older brother, act like it!"
Haruto grinned, waving them off lazily. "Oh, come on! I'm only older by a few minutes. Besides, why should I care about some old guys' faces on a rock?"
Before anyone could argue further, a furious voice boomed across the rooftop.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, NARUTO? YOU IDIOT! GET DOWN FROM THERE AND GET BACK TO CLASS!"
Iruka-sensei had arrived—accompanied by the Hokage himself. His face was red with anger as he stormed toward Naruto.
Haruto, sensing danger, had already begun sneaking away. But he barely took three steps before Iruka's voice cut through the air like a kunai.
"AND WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, HARUTO?! GET BACK TO CLASS!"
Haruto winced, caught red-handed.
Iruka threw his hands in the air. "You two brothers are going to be the death of me!"
Inside the Classroom
Iruka-sensei stood at the podium, clearing his throat as he prepared to make an important announcement. The classroom buzzed with excitement—students leaned forward eagerly, whispering among themselves.
Haruto sat beside Naruto, who was tied up with a rope courtesy of Iruka-sensei after his latest stunt.
"They're so boring," Naruto muttered grumpily, resting his chin on the desk and staring out the window.
"Don't be like that," Haruto said, nudging him with his elbow. "Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony. That's when the real fun begins." A glint of excitement flashed in his eyes. Truthfully, this school life bored him too, but once graduation was over, things would finally start moving—the real story of Naruto was about to begin, and he had been waiting for this moment.
"Finally, some fun," he murmured under his breath.
Across the room, Ino let out an excited squeal.
"Kyaa! Haruto-kun looks so good today! I can't believe he's related to that idiot Naruto," she gushed, eyes locked on Haruto, who was too busy talking to his brother to notice.
"Hmph, I still think Sasuke looks better," Sakura huffed, crossing her arms. But despite her words, she kept stealing glances at both Haruto and Sasuke, who sat quietly with his eyes closed, seemingly uninterested in the conversation.
Ino looked offended. "What did you say?!" She whirled on Sakura, ready to argue.
Before the bickering could escalate, Iruka-sensei clapped his hands loudly, silencing the classroom.
"Tomorrow, all of you will take the final exam and graduate from the Ninja Academy," he announced. His gaze then shifted to the two blond troublemakers. "Haruto, Naruto—you two better behave during this time. Do you hear me?"
"YES, SIR!" both brothers shouted in unison, giving exaggerated salutes.
Iruka sighed, rubbing his temples.
After class ended, Naruto and Haruto strolled through the village, heading home.
"So, what do you think about the exam, brother?" Naruto asked, walking ahead with his hands behind his head. "Think you can pass it?"
"Of course! Who do you think I am, brat?" Haruto smirked, shoving his hands into his pockets as he followed Naruto.
"Hey! I told you to stop calling me that! You're only a few minutes older than me!" Naruto turned around, face scrunched in annoyance, throwing a punch at Haruto.
Haruto laughed, effortlessly dodging every strike. "A few minutes older is still older. You should respect your elders, brat!"
Naruto growled, trying harder to land a hit. "Heh! You talk like you're some old man!"
That remark made a tick mark appear on Haruto's forehead.
"What did you just say?!" Haruto lunged at Naruto, who yelped and took off running.
"Ahhh! It was a joke! A joke!" Naruto shouted as Haruto chased him through the streets, their laughter echoing in the air.
As soon as they stepped into their small apartment, Naruto bolted toward the kitchen, already dreaming about his favorite ramen.
"Finally, time for some real food!" he cheered, rummaging through the cupboards.
Haruto, on the other hand, simply sighed and collapsed onto his bed. He closed his eyes, his breathing slowing as he focused inward.
Suddenly, the world around him shifted.
A vast blue expanse stretched before him, calm yet endless. Haruto wasn't surprised—he had been here before. His feet carried him forward with purpose, moving through the empty space as if following an invisible path.
Soon, a massive iron gate came into view. Behind it, bathed in shadows, lay a colossal fox with nine powerful tails swaying hypnotically. Its breath was deep and steady, feigning sleep.
Haruto smirked. "Wakey, wakey, Nine-Tails. I know you're awake, and pretending to sleep isn't fooling anyone. It's rude to ignore people, you know?"
The great fox's brow twitched slightly. Annoying brat.
For the past year, Haruto had been visiting his inner world, constantly pestering the beast. Fear, deception, intimidation—nothing had worked on this kid. In the end, Kurama had decided to simply ignore him, assuming the boy would get bored and leave.
But Haruto wasn't the type to give up easily.
A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes as he snapped his fingers. A large feather materialized in his hand, swaying lightly in the air.
"If you keep ignoring me, don't blame me for what's about to happen," Haruto warned, trying to imitate an evil villain's laugh. "Huhuhuhu~"
Kurama didn't even flinch.
Haruto tiptoed closer to the cage, holding the feather up to the fox's enormous nose. Then, with a single flick—
Fwip!
The feather brushed against Kurama's snout.
A violent sneeze shook the entire inner world.
"RAAAAAAAH!" The fox jerked awake, red eyes burning with rage. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, STUPID BRAT?! I COULD SWALLOW YOU WHOLE! JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET OUT OF THIS CAGE—I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!"
Haruto chuckled, unfazed. "Hey, rude! I'm just trying to be friendly, you know? Why are you acting like we're enemies? I never did anything to you."
Kurama let out a low, rumbling growl. "Not you… but your father. That impudent Hokage thought he could use me as a tool for his children. I killed him, and I will kill you too!"
Haruto's playful expression shifted into something more solemn. His golden eyes darkened.
"Yeah… my father was the one who sealed you inside me, trying to use you as a weapon. That wasn't fair to you," he admitted. "But I'm not my father. I don't need your power. In fact, I don't need anything from you at all. The only thing I know is that you're trapped inside me… and I can't change that yet. But whether you believe me or not, I promise—I'll free you when I become strong enough to do it."
For the first time, Kurama was caught off guard.
His crimson eyes studied the boy carefully, searching for deception. But there was none.
How could a kid say something like that? How old was he, really? How did he even know these things?
Kurama—who could sense malice from miles away—couldn't detect even a shred of it from Haruto.
"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO I AM?" the fox rumbled, voice lower this time, almost testing him. "EVEN IF YOU DO RELEASE ME, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN? YOUR PRECIOUS VILLAGE WILL BRAND YOU AS A TRAITOR FOR SETTING ME FREE, YOU FOOL."
Haruto gave a small shrug. "So what? If freeing a friend makes me a traitor, then I don't mind." He smiled. "But first, why don't you tell me your real name? I doubt it's just 'Nine-Tails,' right?"
Kurama's ears twitched. Then, suddenly—
"HAHAHAHAHA!" The fox burst into laughter. "YOU'RE JOKING, RIGHT?!"
But as the echoes of his laughter faded, Kurama realized something. The kid wasn't joking.
He was serious.
Haruto turned to leave. "Fine. If you don't believe me now, I'll show you through my actions."
Just as he was about to vanish from his inner world, he heard something—a barely audible whisper.
"Kura..."
Haruto stopped, turning slightly. "Huh? What was that? I can't hear you. For someone so big, you sure have a tiny voice." He cupped a hand to his ear.
A vein popped on Kurama's forehead.
"RAAAAAAH! YOU INSOLENT BRAT! I SAID MY NAME IS KURAMA! REMEMBER IT, BECAUSE I'M NOT SAYING IT AGAIN!"
Haruto grinned. "Kurama, huh? That's a nice name. Well, see you soon, my friend."
And with that, he disappeared.
Kurama remained still, watching the spot where the boy had vanished.
Something about him… reminded him of the old man.
"Hmph. Let's see if you really mean what you say, kid," Kurama muttered before closing his eyes again.