Naruto absorbed the System's explanation. Five XP a day was a pittance, but the implications of Total Chakra Control were significant.
"So," he began, a thoughtful expression on his face, "what exactly are the benefits of this 'Total Chakra Control'?"
[Total Chakra control grants the host the ability to perform his known Jutsu without the need for hand seals. It also enhances the host's aptitude for learning elemental or any Jutsu and provides a significant resistance to Genjutsu.]
[Please note that while the host will possess a strong resistance to Genjutsu, high-level Genjutsu cast by individuals with significantly greater power will still be effective.]
"No hand seals?" Naruto's eyes lit up. A grin stretched across his face. "Sweet! That means I don't have to bother with all that leaf balancing and tree climbing nonsense, right?"
[Affirmative. With total Chakra control, precise chakra manipulation for such exercises is already mastered.]
As the System spoke, a subtle shift occurred in Naruto's perception. The world around him seemed a fraction clearer, sounds a touch sharper.
'Whoa… my senses feel a little… heightened?' He subtly glanced towards the window. He could almost feel two distinct presences lurking in the shadows outside.
"Huh? I can even sense those Anbu now? It's faint, but… it's there. Looks like this Total Chakra Control has a few extra perks."
——
Later that day, as Naruto walked through the village towards Ichiraku Ramen for lunch, his mind was a whirlwind of future plans. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that the usual whispers and glares of the villagers seemed to fade into background noise.
He didn't even register the muttered insults of "demon fox" and "monster." By nightfall, a tentative strategy had begun to form in his mind.
Okay, this could actually work. A small smile played on his lips as he closed his eyes, focusing his awareness inward, towards the swirling vortex of chakra within him.
He found Kurama in the center of his mindscape, a colossal, nine-tailed fox with eyes that burned like twin suns.
"So," Naruto began, his voice surprisingly calm, "are you willing to talk now?"
Kurama's massive head snapped towards him, his gaze piercing. "Brat! What in the blazes has suddenly happened to your chakra? It feels… different."
"You don't need to think too hard about it, furball," Naruto replied, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Just know that you can no longer disrupt it."
Kurama's lips curled into a snarl, his immense power thrumming. "You—!"
"Let's just make a deal," Naruto interrupted, holding up a small hand as if to ward off the fox's fury.
Kurama's surprise was palpable. "A deal? With a brat like you?" Amusement flickered in his crimson eyes.
"Yep, with a brat like me," Naruto confirmed, a confident glint in his own. "And it'll be beneficial for you too."
Kurama regarded him with curious suspicion. "What is this 'deal,' brat?"
"Just stop bothering me and provide help whenever I need it," Naruto stated plainly. "And when I find a way to get you out of my body without me dying in the process, I'll unseal you. Simple, right?"
Kurama was visibly taken aback. He stared at Naruto for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
Finally, he rumbled, "Okay, brat. But tell me this: how do you know my real name? No human has known that my name is Kurama. And you didn't tell me last time we… interacted."
Naruto snorted. "Last time, all you did was curse me out about how my 'old man' cut you in half and sealed you in me and the other half with the Shinigami. As for knowing your name… well, you don't need to know."
'My plan is simple enough,' Naruto thought, turning his attention back to the real world.
'If Kurama gets out now, Obito and Nagato will be all over him. And Konoha… well, Konoha would probably be destroyed before they could neutralize him. No point in that.'
'But by the time the Fourth Great Shinobi War rolls around, he smirked internally, I'll definitely have racked up a million XP for that Tail Beast Level Card. And then… Ten-Tails chakra, here I come. Plus,' he added with a determined glint in his eyes, 'I won't be weak by then anyway.'