Konoha: Naruto's abnormal life choices

Sealed Space

The dim firelight flickered, casting an eerie glow across the tide, bringing a touch of brightness to the dark, cavernous space.

The air was heavy with the distinct scent of tailed beast chakra—but it wasn't coming from the Nine-Tails.

Now, the Nine-Tailed Fox lay quietly within the iron-barred cage. Despite its massive size, it appeared uncharacteristically tame. Its demeanor was passive, devoid of the usual ferocity.

What was truly emitting the disturbing chakra was a miniature Shukaku, motionless and doll-like, standing silently outside the cage like a puppet.

Naruto hadn't entered the sealed space in quite some time, and he was startled by how much had changed. Most surprising of all was the faint trace of fear in the Nine-Tails' eyes when it looked at him.

Strange.

He hadn't done anything to threaten it lately. So, what had frightened it so deeply?

What had it experienced?

While battling in the real world, Naruto also split his attention to confront the Nine-Tails within the sealed space.

"Kurama, you said you would help me. So, what's your plan? How exactly are you going to assist me?"

His voice was sharp. "And don't tell me you're planning to hijack my consciousness like you tried before."

Naruto's accusation made the Nine-Tails flinch visibly. In the past, such behavior would've been expected. But now, things had changed.

With nearly half its power unaccounted for, and with Shukaku—silent and lifeless—somehow appearing inside the seal, everything had turned upside down. Strange, inexplicable events kept happening around Naruto.

The Nine-Tails was truly frightened now.

It no longer dared to challenge Naruto. Deep down, it sensed that continuing to resist him would eventually lead to true death.

So it seized the opportunity. When Naruto struggled against the fully transformed Two-Tails, the Nine-Tails humbly offered its help.

"Lord Naruto, you must be joking. Since I acknowledge you as my master, I would never dare work against you."

The Nine-Tails lowered its proud head and submitted completely. "I wish only to help you with all my strength. Please believe me, my lord. Among the nine tailed beasts, I am the strongest."

"Even without my full strength, I'm more than capable of suppressing the Two-Tails."

"Just remove the seal, and I'll transfer my chakra to you."

Naruto's gaze shifted to the center of the cage, landing on the familiar seal.

It resembled the one used by the Buddha to suppress Sun Wukong in legend—a binding symbol locking away the beast.

Kurama said, "It's simple. Just tear off that seal, and I'll lend you everything."

Naruto didn't move right away.

He stared at it for a while.

He knew breaking the seal meant gaining immense power—but it also meant potentially seeing the Fourth Hokage and Kushina again.

That made him hesitate.

He was, after all, a stranger occupying someone else's son's body. That guilt lingered like a shadow in the back of his mind.

"Lord Naruto? Is something wrong?" the Nine-Tails asked.

"Shut up," Naruto snapped.

The beast fell silent, shaken, unsure if its flattery had backfired.

Only when Naruto stepped forward did it relax.

He made up his mind quickly.

I'm no hero, he thought. I've merely taken over this body. Why should I feel guilty? If the Fourth Hokage's remnants appear, I'll erase them.

With that cold decision, Naruto approached the seal. Water rose beneath his feet, lifting him until he stood eye to eye with the binding tag.

With one sharp tug, the seal peeled away effortlessly. The iron bars of the cage groaned and parted without resistance.

It was almost too easy.

"…?" Naruto blinked. "Where are they?"

He waited. The Nine-Tails had already begun transferring chakra, but there was no sign of Minato or Kushina.

Naruto's expression darkened. A memory resurfaced.

He'd once received a reward—something like "clear negative effects."

That reward had locked the Nine-Tails in place. Could it have also erased the remnants of the Fourth Hokage?

There was no other explanation.

Maybe it had even purged Ashura's chakra from this body, treating it as a negative influence too.

He wasn't sure—he didn't understand how Ashura's chakra worked.

That could be investigated later. For now, he had a fight to finish.

With the full power of the Nine-Tails coursing through him, Naruto returned to reality.

A ninth tail sprouted behind him. His form shimmered gold, his body transparent like pure light, with only Shukaku's cursed-seal lines marking his skin.

He now held the full power of half the Nine-Tails—years ahead of schedule compared to the Naruto of the original timeline.

"Kurama, can you control the precision of a Tailed Beast Ball?" Naruto asked. "I want to defeat the Two-Tails without killing its Jinchūriki. Can you manage that?"

"Yes," Kurama answered confidently.

"Then it's over, Yugito," Naruto muttered, eyes narrowing.

He relinquished control to Kurama and let the Nine-Tails form a new Tailed Beast Ball—this time with 50% of Kurama's power and 10% from Shukaku.

The Two-Tails wouldn't stand a chance.

Meanwhile, chaos reigned inside Yugito's mind.

"Yugito, run!" screamed Matatabi. "We can't beat him! Don't fight—just escape!"

The sudden power-up had shaken them both.

Frozen in shock, Yugito hesitated—too long.

That hesitation sealed her fate.

The Tailed Beast Ball gathered in the fox's mouth and was unleashed like a blazing sun, tearing through the battlefield.

"BOOM!!!"

The impact engulfed the Two-Tails entirely. The shockwave flattened everything.

Naruto frowned. "Kurama, you didn't kill her, right?"

"No," Kurama replied. "The tailed beasts are incredibly resilient. That blast only knocked her out."

As the smoke cleared, the Two-Tails stood dazed and trembling.

With a screech, it dissipated into chakra, separating from Yugito's body. Her unconscious form tumbled from the sky.

Naruto caught her gently with a chakra tail.

"You're mine now," he said, and sealed her into his personal storage space.

A dimension where time flowed differently—a place he once shared with Temari.

"A shame this space can't hold conscious beings," he muttered. "Otherwise, it'd be as good as Kamui."

In the Space

The sky was cloudless and serene, lit by an artificial sun.

Naruto wandered through the familiar school building inside the dimension. He found the unconscious Yugito on the second floor, in Classroom 2.

That's the problem with storage space—once you put things in, you have to dig them back out manually.

Jinchūriki recovered fast, but not here.

This realm nullified chakra, like a massive anti-magic field. Nothing worked except Naruto's own chakra.

So, he had to personally tend to Yugito.

He looked out the window and casually shifted time—sunlight faded, and the stars emerged.

Moonlight poured in, casting a gentle glow on her unconscious body.

Naruto stepped forward, removing her forehead protector and the thick Cloud Ninja uniform, revealing smooth skin and a well-toned figure.

He accidentally brushed her shoulder, his fingers sliding down to her abdomen.

Soft as warm tofu.

The serious wound she'd received earlier had already healed.

Naruto sent some of the Nine-Tails' chakra into her body, jumpstarting her recovery.

She moaned faintly in her sleep, teetering on the edge of consciousness.

As her mind drifted back, memories surged.

She remembered her pride as she left Hidden Cloud, confident and determined to make her mark in the war.

She remembered the orders from the Raikage, the long nights of staking out Konoha's transport route, living on dry rations and rotating shifts.

Then, she remembered Naruto—how the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had found them first, slaughtering her comrades.

Her heart burned with hatred.

She swore vengeance—she would kill Naruto, even if it meant disobeying the Raikage himself.

As she thought of this, a strange sensation washed over her—like drowning.

Water filled her mouth and throat.

She jerked awake, finding herself submerged in a pool, panic flooding her senses.

She surfaced, gasping for air under the cold moonlight.

Alone. Naked. Shivering.

No chakra. No Matatabi.

"…Am I dead?" she whispered.

She dragged herself out of the water, long hair hanging wet around her pale shoulders, water glistening on her collarbone and lips.

For a moment, under the moon's glow, she looked ethereal—like the moon incarnate.

Then a shadow appeared.

"What's the matter?" said a cold, teasing voice. "Never heard of a dark heaven?"

A masked figure emerged from the shadows.

Naruto.

His eyes raked over her. "This delivery… not bad."

He had a plan—he intended to make her sign a demonic contract after completing the system's choice. But if she saw him in his usual form, hatred would block the deal.

So he created this illusion—a different face, a different place.

Yugito froze when their eyes met, then quickly crossed her arms over her body and leapt back into the pool.

But the water rejected her. It blasted her back onto the tile floor.

Naruto raised his chin, voice steely.

"You dare hide from me? Don't you know that in this hell, you belong to me? No one escapes."

"Now, it's time I teach you what that means."